Solid State Humidity Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Song-Lin

There are only a few solid state humidity sensors available today. Most of those sensors use a porous oxide material as a principal part of the device. The devices work on the basis of a change in resistance as the moisture in the air varies. In this experiment, two solid state humidity sensors have been developed for use under practical conditions. One is a Polymer Oxide Semiconductor device with a POLYOX film that absorbs the moisture from the air. The amount of water dipoles absorbed by the polymer is a function of relative humidity. This sensor can measure relative humidity from 20% to 90%. The other is a Dew Point sensor. The sensor is in contact with the upper surface of a miniature Peltier cooler. Water molecules deposited on the sensor surface cause the electrical current through the sensor to increase. The operator adjusts the temperature of the Peltier cooler until a saturated current through the sensor is reached. About one min. is required to measure low relative humidities. The Dew Point sensor can measure a range of relative humidities of 30% to 80%.

A preliminary study of the application of HCMM satellite data to define initial and boundary conditions for numerical models: A case study in St. Louis, Missouri

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vukovich, F. M. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

Infrared and visible HCMM data were used to examine the potential application of these data to define initial and boundary conditions for mesoscale numerical models. Various boundary layer models were used to calculate the distribution of the surface heat flux, specific humidity depression (the difference between the specific humidity in the air at approxmately the 10 m level and the specific humidity at the ground), and the eddy vicosity in a 72 km by 72 km area centered about St. Louis, Missouri. Various aspects of the implications of the results on the meteorology of St. Louis are discussed. Overall, the results indicated that a reasonable estimate of the surface heat flux, urban albedo, ground temperature, and specific humidity depression can be obtained using HCMM satellite data. Values of the ground-specific humidity can be obtained if the distribution of the air-specific humidity is available. More research is required in estimating the absolute magnitude of the specific humidity depression because calculations may be sensitive to model parameters.

Biphilic Surfaces for Enhanced Water Collection from Humid Air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benkoski, Jason; Gerasopoulos, Konstantinos; Luedeman, William

Surface wettability plays an important role in water recovery, distillation, dehumidification, and heat transfer. The efficiency of each process depends on the rate of droplet nucleation, droplet growth, and mass transfer. Unfortunately, hydrophilic surfaces are good at nucleation but poor at shedding. Hydrophobic surfaces are the reverse. Many plants and animals overcome this tradeoff through biphilic surfaces with patterned wettability. For example, the Stenocara beetle uses hydrophilic patches on a superhydrophobic background to collect fog from air. Cribellate spiders similarly collect fog on their webs through periodic spindle-knot structures. In this study, we investigate the effects of wettability patterns on the rate of water collection from humid air. The steady state rate of water collection per unit area is measured as a function of undercooling, angle of inclination, water contact angle, hydrophilic patch size, patch spacing, area fraction, and patch height relative to the hydrophobic background. We then model each pattern by comparing the potential and kinetic energy of a droplet as it rolls downwards at a fixed angle. The results indicate that the design rules for collecting fog differ from those for condensation from humid air. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Office of Naval Research for financial support through Grant Number N00014-15-1-2107.

Surface freezing of water.

PubMed

Pérez-Díaz, J L; Álvarez-Valenzuela, M A; Rodríguez-Celis, F

2016-01-01

Freezing, melting, evaporation and condensation of water are essential ingredients for climate and eventually life on Earth. In the present work, we show how surface freezing of supercooled water in an open container is conditioned and triggered-exclusively-by humidity in air. Additionally, a change of phase is demonstrated to be triggered on the water surface forming surface ice crystals prior to freezing of bulk. The symmetry of the surface crystal, as well as the freezing point, depend on humidity, presenting at least three different types of surface crystals. Humidity triggers surface freezing as soon as it overpasses a defined value for a given temperature, generating a plurality of nucleation nodes. An evidence of simultaneous nucleation of surface ice crystals is also provided.

Response surface modeling for hot, humid air decontamination of materials contaminated with Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Response surface methodology using a face-centered cube design was used to describe and predict spore inactivation of Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores after exposure of six spore-contaminated materials to hot, humid air. For each strain/material pair, an attempt was made to fit a first or second order model. All three independent predictor variables (temperature, relative humidity, and time) were significant in the models except that time was not significant for B. thuringiensis Al Hakam on nylon. Modeling was unsuccessful for wiring insulation and wet spores because there was complete spore inactivation in the majority of the experimental space. In cases where a predictive equation could be fit, response surface plots with time set to four days were generated. The survival of highly purified Bacillus spores can be predicted for most materials tested when given the settings for temperature, relative humidity, and time. These predictions were cross-checked with spore inactivation measurements. PMID:24949256

Measurement and prediction of indoor air quality using a breathing thermal manikin.

PubMed

Melikov, A; Kaczmarczyk, J

2007-02-01

The analyses performed in this paper reveal that a breathing thermal manikin with realistic simulation of respiration including breathing cycle, pulmonary ventilation rate, frequency and breathing mode, gas concentration, humidity and temperature of exhaled air and human body shape and surface temperature is sensitive enough to perform reliable measurement of characteristics of air as inhaled by occupants. The temperature, humidity, and pollution concentration in the inhaled air can be measured accurately with a thermal manikin without breathing simulation if they are measured at the upper lip at a distance of <0.01 m from the face. Body surface temperature, shape and posture as well as clothing insulation have impact on the measured inhaled air parameters. Proper simulation of breathing, especially of exhalation, is needed for studying the transport of exhaled air between occupants. A method for predicting air acceptability based on inhaled air parameters and known exposure-response relationships established in experiments with human subjects is suggested. Recommendations for optimal simulation of human breathing by means of a breathing thermal manikin when studying pollution concentration, temperature and humidity of the inhaled air as well as the transport of exhaled air (which may carry infectious agents) between occupants are outlined. In order to compare results obtained with breathing thermal manikins, their nose and mouth geometry should be standardized.

Efficacy of humidity retention bags for the reduced adsorption and improved cleaning of tissue proteins including prion-associated amyloid to surgical stainless steel surfaces.

PubMed

Secker, T J; Pinchin, H E; Hervé, R C; Keevil, C W

2015-01-01

Increasing drying time adversely affects attachment of tissue proteins and prion-associated amyloid to surgical stainless steel, and reduces the efficacy of commercial cleaning chemistries. This study tested the efficacy of commercial humidity retention bags to reduce biofouling on surgical stainless steel and to improve subsequent cleaning. Surgical stainless steel surfaces were contaminated with ME7-infected brain homogenates and left to dry for 15 to 1,440 min either in air, in dry polythene bags or within humidity retention bags. Residual contamination pre/post cleaning was analysed using Thioflavin T/SYPRO Ruby dual staining and microscope analysis. An increase in biofouling was observed with increased drying time in air or in sealed dry bags. Humidity retention bags kept both protein and prion-associated amyloid minimal across the drying times both pre- and post-cleaning. Therefore, humidity bags demonstrate a cheap, easy to implement solution to improve surgical instrument reprocessing and to potentially reduce associated hospital acquired infections.

Electrochemical Measurement of Atmospheric Corrosion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeArmond, Anna H.; Davis, Dennis D.; Beeson, Harold D.

1999-01-01

Corrosion of Shuttle thruster components in atmospheres containing high concentrations of nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) and water is an important issue in ground operations of bipropellant systems in humid locations. Measurements of the corrosivities of NTO-containing atmospheres and the responses of different materials to these atmospheres have been accomplished using an electrochemical sensor. The sensor is composed of alternating aluminum/titanium strips separated by thin insulating layers. Under high humidity conditions a thin film of water covers the surface of the sensor. Added NTO vapor reacts with the water film to form a conductive medium and establishes a galvanic cell. The current from this cell can be integrated with respect to time and related to the corrosion activity. The surface layer formed from humid air/NTO reacts in the same way as an aqueous solution of nitric acid. Nitric acid is generally considered an important agent in NTO corrosion situations. The aluminum/titanium sensor is unresponsive to dry air, responds slightly to humid air (> 75% RH), and responds strongly to the combination of humid air and NTO. The sensor response is a power function (n = 2) of the NTO concentration. The sensor does not respond to NTO in dry air. The response of other materials in this type of sensor is related to position of the material in a galvanic series in aqueous nitric acid. The concept and operation of this electrochemical corrosion measurement is being applied to other corrosive atmospheric contaminants such as hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, sulfur dioxide, and acidic aerosols.

Compilation of Local Fallout Data from Test Detonations 1945-1962 Extracted from DASA 1251. Volume I. Continental U.S. Tests

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-05-01

fallout patterns by "dot-dash" lines. The time lines are intended to give only a rough average arrival time in hours as estimated from the wind reports and...by interpolation between the H-lI and H+11 hour values. 4. The surface air pressure was 13.10 psi, the temperature -2.O°C and the relative humidity...surface air pressure was 13.04 psi, the temperature -2.8 0 C, and the relative humidity 87%. 17 i’ 17 I

Tribology of Si/SiO2 in humid air: transition from severe chemical wear to wearless behavior at nanoscale.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; He, Hongtu; Wang, Xiaodong; Kim, Seong H; Qian, Linmao

2015-01-13

Wear at sliding interfaces of silicon is a main cause for material loss in nanomanufacturing and device failure in microelectromechanical system (MEMS) applications. However, a comprehensive understanding of the nanoscale wear mechanisms of silicon in ambient conditions is still lacking. Here, we report the chemical wear of single crystalline silicon, a material used for micro/nanoscale devices, in humid air under the contact pressure lower than the material hardness. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the wear track confirmed that the wear of silicon in humid conditions originates from surface reactions without significant subsurface damages such as plastic deformation or fracture. When rubbed with a SiO2 ball, the single crystalline silicon surface exhibited transitions from severe wear in intermediate humidity to nearly wearless states at two opposite extremes: (a) low humidity and high sliding speed conditions and (b) high humidity and low speed conditions. These transitions suggested that at the sliding interfaces of Si/SiO2 at least two different tribochemical reactions play important roles. One would be the formation of a strong "hydrogen bonding bridge" between hydroxyl groups of two sliding interfaces and the other the removal of hydroxyl groups from the SiO2 surface. The experimental data indicated that the dominance of each reaction varies with the ambient humidity and sliding speed.

Resuspension of biological particles from indoor surfaces: Effects of humidity and air swirl.

PubMed

Salimifard, Parichehr; Rim, Donghyun; Gomes, Carlos; Kremer, Paul; Freihaut, James D

2017-04-01

Human exposure to airborne particles can lead to adverse health outcomes such as respiratory and allergic symptoms. Understanding the transport mechanism of respirable particles in occupied spaces is a first step towards assessing inhalation exposure. Several studies have contributed to the current knowledge of particle resuspension from indoor surfaces; however, few published studies are available on resuspension of biological particles from indoor surfaces. The objective of this study is to investigate the impacts of humidity and air swirl on resuspension of biological particles from floor and duct surfaces. Controlled laboratory experiments were conducted under varying degrees of humidity and airflow conditions. Resuspension rates of five types of particles (quartz, dust mite, cat fur, dog fur, and bacterial spore-Bacillus thuringiensis as an anthrax simulant) were determined for two types of floor surface (carpet and linoleum) and a duct surface (galvanized sheet metal). The results show that the particle property of being hydrophilic or hydrophobic plays an important role in particle resuspension rate. Resuspension rates of hydrophilic dust mite particles increase up to two orders of magnitude as relative humidity (RH) decreased from 80% to 10% at 25°C. However, resuspension rates of cat fur and dog fur particles that are hydrophobic are within the measurement error range (±15%) over 10-80% RH. With regard to resuspension of bacterial spores (Bacillus thuringiensis) from a duct surface, the resuspension rates are substantially affected by air swirl velocity and particle size. However, no discernible increase in particle resuspension was observed with duct vibration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of Artificial Neural Networks to the Development of Improved Multi-Sensor Retrievals of Near-Surface Air Temperature and Humidity Over Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, J. Brent; Robertson, Franklin R.; Clayson, Carol Anne

2012-01-01

Improved estimates of near-surface air temperature and air humidity are critical to the development of more accurate turbulent surface heat fluxes over the ocean. Recent progress in retrieving these parameters has been made through the application of artificial neural networks (ANN) and the use of multi-sensor passive microwave observations. Details are provided on the development of an improved retrieval algorithm that applies the nonlinear statistical ANN methodology to a set of observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A) that are currently available from the NASA AQUA satellite platform. Statistical inversion techniques require an adequate training dataset to properly capture embedded physical relationships. The development of multiple training datasets containing only in-situ observations, only synthetic observations produced using the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM), or a mixture of each is discussed. An intercomparison of results using each training dataset is provided to highlight the relative advantages and disadvantages of each methodology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the development of retrievals in cloudy versus clear-sky conditions. Near-surface air temperature and humidity retrievals using the multi-sensor ANN algorithms are compared to previous linear and non-linear retrieval schemes.

Indoor air purification by dielectric barrier discharge combined with ionic wind: physical and microbiological investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timmermann, E.; Prehn, F.; Schmidt, M.; Höft, H.; Brandenburg, R.; Kettlitz, M.

2018-04-01

A non-thermal plasma source based on a surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is developed for purification of recirculating air in operating theatres in hospitals. This is a challenging application due to high flow rates, short treatment times and the low threshold for ozone in the ventilated air. Therefore, the surface DBD was enhanced in order to generate an ionic wind, which can deflect and thus, filter out airborne microorganisms. Electrical and gas diagnostics as well as microbiological experiments were performed in a downscaled plasma source under variation of various electrical parameters, but application-oriented airflow velocity and humidity. The dependence of electrical power and ozone concentration as well as charged particles in the plasma treated air on frequency, voltage and relative humidity is presented and discussed. The presence of humidity causes a more conductive dielectric surface and thus a weaker plasma formation, especially at low frequency. The airborne test bacteria, Escherichia coli, showed significant effect to plasma treatment (up to 20% reduction) and to plasma with ionic wind (up to 90% removal); especially a configuration with 70% removal and an accompanying ozone concentration of only 360 ppb is promising for future application.

Effectiveness of Different Urban Heat Island Mitigation Methods and Their Regional Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, N.

2017-12-01

Cool roofs and green roofs are two popular methods to mitigate urban heat island and improve urban climate. The effectiveness of different urban heat island mitigation strategies in the summer of 2013 in the Yangtze River Delta, China is investigated using the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model coupled with a physically based urban canopy model. The modifications to the roof surface changed the urban surface radiation balance and then modified the local surface energy budget. Both cool roofs and green roofs led to lower surface skin temperature and near-surface air temperature. Increasing the roof albedo to 0.5 caused a similar effectiveness as covering 25% of urban roofs with vegetation; increasing roof albedo to 0.7 caused a similar near-surface air temperature decrease as 75% green roof coverage. The near-surface relative humidity increased in both cool roof and green roof experiments because of the combination of the impacts of increases in specific humidity and decreases in air temperature. The regional impacts of cool roofs and green roofs were evaluated using the regional effect index. The regional effect could be found in both near-surface air temperature and surface specific/relative humidity when the percentage of roofs covered with high albedo materials or green roofs reached a higher fraction (greater than 50%). The changes in the vertical profiles of temperature cause a more stable atmospheric boundary layer over the urban area; at the same time, the crossover phenomena occurred above the boundary layer due to the decrease in vertical wind speed.

Understanding Decreases in Land Relative Humidity with Global Warming: Conceptual Model and GCM Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, Michael P.; O'Gorman, Paul A.

2016-12-01

Climate models simulate a strong land-ocean contrast in the response of near-surface relative humidity to global warming: relative humidity tends to increase slightly over oceans but decrease substantially over land. Surface energy balance arguments have been used to understand the response over ocean but are difficult to apply over more complex land surfaces. Here, a conceptual box model is introduced, involving moisture transport between the land and ocean boundary layers and evapotranspiration, to investigate the decreases in land relative humidity as the climate warms. The box model is applied to idealized and full-complexity (CMIP5) general circulation model simulations, and it is found to capture many of the features of the simulated changes in land relative humidity. The box model suggests there is a strong link between fractional changes in specific humidity over land and ocean, and the greater warming over land than ocean then implies a decrease in land relative humidity. Evapotranspiration is of secondary importance for the increase in specific humidity over land, but it matters more for the decrease in relative humidity. Further analysis shows there is a strong feedback between changes in surface-air temperature and relative humidity, and this can amplify the influence on relative humidity of factors such as stomatal conductance and soil moisture.

Humidity effects on surface dielectric barrier discharge for gaseous naphthalene decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelaziz, Ayman A.; Ishijima, Tatsuo; Seto, Takafumi

2018-04-01

Experiments are performed using dry and humid air to clarify the effects of water vapour on the characteristics of surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) and investigate its impact on the performance of the SDBD for decomposition of gaseous naphthalene in air stream. The current characteristics, including the discharge and the capacitive currents, are deeply analyzed and the discharge mechanism is explored. The results confirmed that the humidity affected the microdischarge distribution without affecting the discharge mode. Interestingly, it is found that the water vapour had a significant influence on the capacitance of the reactor due to its deposition on the discharge electrode and the dielectric, which, in turn, affects the power loss in the dielectric and the total power consumed in the reactor. Thus, the factor of the humidity effect on the power loss in the dielectric should be considered in addition to its effect on the attachment coefficient. Additionally, there was an optimum level of the humidity for the decomposition of naphthalene in the SDBD, and its value depended on the gas composition, where the maximum naphthalene decomposition efficiency in O2/H2O is achieved at the humidity level ˜10%, which was lower than that obtained in air/H2O (˜28%). The results also revealed that the role of the humidity in the decomposition efficiency was not significant in the humidified O2 at high power level. This was attributed to the significant increase in oxygen-derived species (such as O atoms and O3) at high power, which was enough to overcome the negative effects of the humidity.

Test method development to evaluate hot, humid air decontamination of materials contaminated with Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and B. thuringiensis Al Hakam spores.

PubMed

Buhr, T L; Young, A A; Minter, Z A; Wells, C M; McPherson, D C; Hooban, C L; Johnson, C A; Prokop, E J; Crigler, J R

2012-11-01

To develop test methods and evaluate the survival of Bacillus anthracis ∆Sterne and Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam spores after exposure to hot, humid air. Spores (>7 logs) of both strains were dried on six different test materials. Response surface methodology was employed to identify the limits of spore survival at optimal test combinations of temperature (60, 68, 77°C), relative humidity (60, 75, 90%) and time (1, 4, 7 days). No spores survived the harshest test run (77°C, 90% r.h., 7 days), while > 6·5 logs of spores survived the mildest test run (60°C, 60% r.h., 1 day). Spores of both strains inoculated on nylon webbing and polypropylene had greater survival rates at 68°C, 75% r.h., 4 days than spores on other materials. Electron microscopy showed no obvious physical damage to spores using hot, humid air, which contrasted with pH-adjusted bleach decontamination. Test methods were developed to show that hot, humid air effectively inactivates B. anthracis ∆Sterne and B. thuringiensis Al Hakam spores with similar kinetics. Hot, humid air is a potential alternative to conventional chemical decontamination. © 2012 The Authors Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

NARSTO EPA SS NEW YORK AIR CHEM PM MET DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

NARSTO EPA SS NEW YORK AIR CHEM PM MET DATA Project Title:  NARSTO ... Nitrogen Oxides Ozone Surface Winds Air Temperature Humidity Solar Irradiance Particulate Matter ... Data Guide Documents:  New York Air Chem Guide CPM Summary Report  (PDF) Nitrate ...

Recent changes in solar irradiance and infrared irradiance related with air temperature and cloudiness at the King Sejong Station, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Y.; Kim, J.; Cho, H.; Lee, B.

2006-12-01

The polar region play a critical role in the surface energy balance and the climate system of the Earth. The important question in the region is that what is the role of the Antarctic atmospheric heat sink of global climate. Thus, this study shows the trends of global solar irradiance, infrared irradiance, air temperature and cloudiness measured at the King Sejong station, Antarctica, during the period of 1996-2004 and determines their relationship and variability of the surface energy balance. Annual average of solar radiation and cloudiness is 81.8 Wm-2 and 6.8 oktas and their trends show the decrease of -0.24 Wm-2yr-1(-0.30 %yr-1) and 0.02 oktas yr-1(0.30 %yr-1). The change of solar irradiance is directly related to change of cloudiness and decrease of solar irradiance presents radiative cooling at the surface. Monthly mean infrared irradiance, air temperature and specific humidity shows the decrease of -2.11 Wm^{- 2}yr-1(-0.75 %yr-1), -0.07 'Cyr-1(-5.15 %yr-1) and -0.044 gkg-1yr-1(-1.42 %yr-1), respectively. Annual average of the infrared irradiance is 279.9 Wm-2 and correlated with the air temperature, specific humidity and cloudiness. A multiple regression model for estimation of the infrared irradiance using the components has been developed. Effects of the components on the infrared irradiance changes show 52 %, 19 % and 10 % for air temperature, specific humidity and cloudiness, respectively. Among the components, air temperature has a great influence on infrared irradiance. Despite the increase of cloudiness, the decrease in the infrared irradiance is due to the decrease of air temperature and specific humidity which have a cooling effect. Therefore, the net radiation of the surface energy balance shows radiative cooling of negative 11-24 Wm^{- 2} during winter and radiative warming of positive 32-83 Wm-2 during the summer. Thus, the amount of shortage and surplus at the surface is mostly balanced by turbulent flux of sensible and latent heat.

NARSTO PAC2001 GOLDEN EARS GAS PM DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Parameters:  Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Air Temperature Humidity Ozone Aerosol Particle Properties Surface ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

NARSTO PAC2001 LANGLEY GAS PM MET DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Parameters:  Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Air Temperature Humidity Surface Winds Ozone Aerosol Particle ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

NARSTO PAC2001 SLOCAN PARK GAS PM MET DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Parameters:  Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Air Temperature Humidity Surface Winds Ozone Aerosol Particle ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

Evaluation of Cation Migration in Lanthanum Strontium Cobalt Ferrite Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes via In-operando X-ray Diffraction

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

Hardy, John S.; Coyle, Christopher A.; Bonnett, Jeff F.

2018-01-28

Anode-supported SOFCs with LSCF-6428 cathodes were operated at various temperatures for hundreds of hours in dry or humid (~3% water) cathode air with continuous cathode XRD. Additionally, one cell in dry air was held at OCV and another had 12% CO2 added to the humid air. Long cumulative XRD count times allowed identification of minor phases at <0.1 wt%. In humid air, performance improved during the first couple of hundred hours and Fe-rich Fe,Co spinel XRD peaks gradually shifted to lower angles while nano-nodules formed on LSCF surfaces. With 12% CO2 added, performance degraded after initial activation, unlike without CO2,more » where stability followed activation. In CO2, LSCF XRD peaks shifted indicating gradual decomposition. In dry air, fast initial degradation that decelerated over time occurred at constant current while the cell at OCV was stable. At OCV and 750°C or at constant current and 700°C in dry air, Fe-rich spinel XRD peaks shifted more slowly than in humid air tests; Co-rich Fe,Co spinel peaks shifted to higher angles; and SEM discovered smaller nano-nodules on LSCF than after humid air tests. At constant current at 750°C and 800°C in dry air, no nano-nodules or gradual changes in the XRD patterns were discovered.« less

The bactericidal effect of surface micro-discharge plasma under different ambient conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, T.; Zimmermann, J. L.; Morfill, G. E.

2011-02-01

A series of experiments on the bactericidal properties of plasmas using a surface micro-discharge (SMD) device in an atmosphere under different ambient temperatures and humidities was carried out. This plasma dispenser was developed for use as a disinfection system in private and public places (hospitals, medical practices, etc). The bactericidal effect is due to the interplay of the plasma and the chemical products produced via interactions with O2/N2 and H2O vapour in air. To use this device in different countries and therefore under various ambient conditions, it is important to understand its behaviour and efficiency, especially with respect to air temperature and humidity. The experimental results obtained in this study show that the bactericidal properties of the SMD plasma dispenser are not sensitive to the different temperatures and humidities.

Laryngeal mucosa elasticity and viscosity in high and low relative air humidity.

PubMed

Hemler, R J; Wieneke, G H; Lebacq, J; Dejonckere, P H

2001-03-01

In earlier work we showed that low relative humidity (RH) of inhaled air causes acoustic voice parameters such as jitter and shimmer to deteriorate. Other authors have shown negative effects on vocal efficiency. To explain these changes in the mechanical properties of the vocal folds, the effects of changes in RH of the air passing over microdissected mucosa of sheep larynges were studied. The dissected surface of the tissue specimen just touched Ringer solution and air of varying RH was blown over the specimen. The mucosa specimen was subjected to sinusoidal oscillations of length (strain) and the resulting force (stress) was measured. The gain and phase angle between the imposed strain and resulting stress were measured, and elasticity and viscosity were calculated. Two different air conditions were tested: air with high RH (100%) vs air with low RH (0%). Viscosity and stiffness increased significantly in both ambient conditions (P < 0.01). Dry dehydrating air resulted in a stiffer and more viscous cover than humid air (P < 0.001). These changes in mechanical characteristics may contribute to the effects on voice parameters described in earlier work.

Constraints on the Profiles of Total Water PDF in AGCMs from AIRS and a High-Resolution Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molod, Andrea

2012-01-01

Atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) cloud parameterizations generally include an assumption about the subgrid-scale probability distribution function (PDF) of total water and its vertical profile. In the present study, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) monthly-mean cloud amount and relative humidity fields are used to compute a proxy for the second moment of an AGCM total water PDF called the RH01 diagnostic, which is the AIRS mean relative humidity for cloud fractions of 0.1 or less. The dependence of the second moment on horizontal grid resolution is analyzed using results from a high-resolution global model simulation.The AIRS-derived RH01 diagnostic is generally larger near the surface than aloft, indicating a narrower PDF near the surface, and varies with the type of underlying surface. High-resolution model results show that the vertical structure of profiles of the AGCM PDF second moment is unchanged as the grid resolution changes from 200 to 100 to 50 km, and that the second-moment profiles shift toward higher values with decreasing grid spacing.Several Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5), AGCM simulations were performed with several choices for the profile of the PDF second moment. The resulting cloud and relative humidity fields were shown to be quite sensitive to the prescribed profile, and the use of a profile based on the AIRS-derived proxy results in improvements relative to observational estimates. The AIRS-guided total water PDF profiles, including their dependence on underlying surface type and on horizontal resolution, have been implemented in the version of the GEOS-5 AGCM used for publicly released simulations.

Imaging of biological macromolecules on mica in humid air by scanning electrochemical microscopy

PubMed Central

Fan, Fu-Ren F.; Bard, Allen J.

1999-01-01

Imaging of DNA, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, mouse monoclonal IgG, and glucose oxidase on a mica substrate has been accomplished by scanning electrochemical microscopy with a tungsten tip. The technique requires the use of a high relative humidity to form a thin film of water on the mica surface that allows electrochemical reactions to take place at the tip and produce a faradaic current (≈1 pA) that can be used to control tip position. The effect of relative humidity and surface pretreatment with buffer solutions on the ionic conductivity of a mica surface was investigated to find appropriate conditions for imaging. Resolution of the order of 1 nm was obtained. PMID:10588687

Hot, humid air decontamination of a C-130 aircraft contaminated with spores of two acrystalliferous Bacillus thuringiensis strains, surrogates for Bacillus anthracis.

PubMed

Buhr, T L; Young, A A; Bensman, M; Minter, Z A; Kennihan, N L; Johnson, C A; Bohmke, M D; Borgers-Klonkowski, E; Osborn, E B; Avila, S D; Theys, A M G; Jackson, P J

2016-04-01

To develop test methods and evaluate survival of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki cry(-) HD-1 and B. thuringiensis Al Hakam spores after exposure to hot, humid air inside of a C-130 aircraft. Bacillus thuringiensis spores were either pre-inoculated on 1 × 2 or 2 × 2 cm substrates or aerosolized inside the cargo hold of a C-130 and allowed to dry. Dirty, complex surfaces (10 × 10 cm) swabbed after spore dispersal showed a deposition of 8-10 log10 m(-2) through the entire cargo hold. After hot, humid air decontamination at 75-80°C, 70-90% relative humidity for 7 days, 87 of 98 test swabs covering 0·98 m(2) , showed complete spore inactivation. There was a total of 1·67 log10 live CFU detected in 11 of the test swabs. Spore inactivation in the 98 test swabs was measured at 7·06 log10 m(-2) . Laboratory test methods for hot, humid air decontamination were scaled for a large-scale aircraft field test. The C-130 field test demonstrated that hot, humid air can be successfully used to decontaminate an aircraft. Transition of a new technology from research and development to acquisition at a Technology Readiness Level 7 is unprecedented. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

40 CFR 1065.670 - NOX intake-air humidity and temperature corrections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a...-air humidity. You may use a time-weighted mean combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a tolerance of ±0.0025 mol/mol of the mean value over the...

40 CFR 1065.670 - NOX intake-air humidity and temperature corrections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a...-air humidity. You may use a time-weighted mean combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a tolerance of ±0.0025 mol/mol of the mean value over the...

40 CFR 1065.670 - NOX intake-air humidity and temperature corrections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a...-air humidity. You may use a time-weighted mean combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a tolerance of ±0.0025 mol/mol of the mean value over the...

Study the oxidation kinetics of uranium using XRD and Rietveld method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yanzhi; Guan, Weijun; Wang, Qinguo; Wang, Xiaolin; Lai, Xinchun; Shuai, Maobing

2010-03-01

The surface oxidation of uranium metal has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld method in the range of 50~300°C in air. The oxidation processes are analyzed by XRD to determine the extent of surface oxidation and the oxide structure. The dynamics expression for the formation of UO2 was derived. At the beginning, the dynamic expression was nonlinear, but switched to linear subsequently for uranium in air and humid oxygen. That is, the growth kinetics of UO2 can be divided into two stages: nonlinear portion and linear portion. Using the kinetic data of linear portion, the activation energy of reaction between uranium and air was calculated about 46.0 kJ/mol. However the content of oxide as a function of time was linear in humid helium ambience. Contrast the dynamics results, it prove that the absence of oxygen would accelerate the corrosion rate of uranium in the humid gas. We can find that the XRD and Rietveld method are a useful convenient method to estimate the kinetics and thermodynamics of solid-gas reaction.

Nano-enabled paper humidity sensor for mobile based point-of-care lung function monitoring.

PubMed

Bhattacharjee, Mitradip; Nemade, Harshal B; Bandyopadhyay, Dipankar

2017-08-15

The frequency of breathing and peak flow rate of exhaled air are necessary parameters to detect chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs) such as asthma, bronchitis, or pneumonia. We developed a lung function monitoring point-of-care-testing device (LFM-POCT) consisting of mouthpiece, paper-based humidity sensor, micro-heater, and real-time monitoring unit. Fabrication of a mouthpiece of optimal length ensured that the exhaled air was focused on the humidity-sensor. The resistive relative humidity sensor was developed using a filter paper coated with nanoparticles, which could easily follow the frequency and peak flow rate of the human breathing. Adsorption followed by condensation of the water molecules of the humid air on the paper-sensor during the forced exhalation reduced the electrical resistance of the sensor, which was converted to an electrical signal for sensing. A micro-heater composed of a copper-coil embedded in a polymer matrix helped in maintaining an optimal temperature on the sensor surface. Thus, water condensed on the sensor surface only during forcible breathing and the sensor recovered rapidly after the exhalation was complete by rapid desorption of water molecules from the sensor surface. Two types of real-time monitoring units were integrated into the device based on light emitting diodes (LEDs) and smart phones. The LED based unit displayed the diseased, critical, and fit conditions of the lungs by flashing LEDs of different colors. In comparison, for the mobile based monitoring unit, an application was developed employing an open source software, which established a wireless connectivity with the LFM-POCT device to perform the tests. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A vantage from space can detect earlier drought onset: an approach using relative humidity.

PubMed

Farahmand, Alireza; AghaKouchak, Amir; Teixeira, Joao

2015-02-25

Each year, droughts cause significant economic and agricultural losses across the world. The early warning and onset detection of drought is of particular importance for effective agriculture and water resource management. Previous studies show that the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI), a measure of precipitation deficit, detects drought onset earlier than other indicators. Here we show that satellite-based near surface air relative humidity data can further improve drought onset detection and early warning. This paper introduces the Standardized Relative Humidity Index (SRHI) based on the NASA Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) observations. The results indicate that the SRHI typically detects the drought onset earlier than the SPI. While the AIRS mission was not originally designed for drought monitoring, we show that its relative humidity data offers a new and unique avenue for drought monitoring and early warning. We conclude that the early warning aspects of SRHI may have merit for integration into current drought monitoring systems.

A Vantage from Space Can Detect Earlier Drought Onset: An Approach Using Relative Humidity

PubMed Central

Farahmand, Alireza; AghaKouchak, Amir; Teixeira, Joao

2015-01-01

Each year, droughts cause significant economic and agricultural losses across the world. The early warning and onset detection of drought is of particular importance for effective agriculture and water resource management. Previous studies show that the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI), a measure of precipitation deficit, detects drought onset earlier than other indicators. Here we show that satellite-based near surface air relative humidity data can further improve drought onset detection and early warning. This paper introduces the Standardized Relative Humidity Index (SRHI) based on the NASA Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) observations. The results indicate that the SRHI typically detects the drought onset earlier than the SPI. While the AIRS mission was not originally designed for drought monitoring, we show that its relative humidity data offers a new and unique avenue for drought monitoring and early warning. We conclude that the early warning aspects of SRHI may have merit for integration into current drought monitoring systems. PMID:25711500

A physically based analytical spatial air temperature and humidity model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yang; Endreny, Theodore A.; Nowak, David J.

2013-09-01

Spatial variation of urban surface air temperature and humidity influences human thermal comfort, the settling rate of atmospheric pollutants, and plant physiology and growth. Given the lack of observations, we developed a Physically based Analytical Spatial Air Temperature and Humidity (PASATH) model. The PASATH model calculates spatial solar radiation and heat storage based on semiempirical functions and generates spatially distributed estimates based on inputs of topography, land cover, and the weather data measured at a reference site. The model assumes that for all grids under the same mesoscale climate, grid air temperature and humidity are modified by local variation in absorbed solar radiation and the partitioning of sensible and latent heat. The model uses a reference grid site for time series meteorological data and the air temperature and humidity of any other grid can be obtained by solving the heat flux network equations. PASATH was coupled with the USDA iTree-Hydro water balance model to obtain evapotranspiration terms and run from 20 to 29 August 2010 at a 360 m by 360 m grid scale and hourly time step across a 285 km2 watershed including the urban area of Syracuse, NY. PASATH predictions were tested at nine urban weather stations representing variability in urban topography and land cover. The PASATH model predictive efficiency R2 ranged from 0.81 to 0.99 for air temperature and 0.77 to 0.97 for dew point temperature. PASATH is expected to have broad applications on environmental and ecological models.

Opposing effects of humidity on rhodochrosite surface oxidation.

PubMed

Na, Chongzheng; Tang, Yuanzhi; Wang, Haitao; Martin, Scot T

2015-03-03

Rhodochrosite (MnCO3) is a model mineral representing carbonate aerosol particles containing redox-active elements that can influence particle surface reconstruction in humid air, thereby affecting the heterogeneous transformation of important atmospheric constituents such as nitric oxides, sulfur dioxides, and organic acids. Using in situ atomic force microscopy, we show that the surface reconstruction of rhodochrosite in humid oxygen leads to the formation and growth of oxide nanostructures. The oxidative reconstruction consists of two consecutive processes with distinctive time scales, including a long waiting period corresponding to slow nucleation and a rapid expansion phase corresponding to fast growth. By varying the relative humidity from 55 to 78%, we further show that increasing humidity has opposing effects on the two processes, accelerating nucleation from 2.8(±0.2) × 10(-3) to 3.0(±0.2) × 10(-2) h(-1) but decelerating growth from 7.5(±0.3) × 10(-3) to 3.1(±0.1) × 10(-3) μm(2) h(-1). Through quantitative analysis, we propose that nanostructure nucleation is controlled by rhodochrosite surface dissolution, similar to the dissolution-precipitation mechanism proposed for carbonate mineral surface reconstruction in aqueous solution. To explain nanostructure growth in humid oxygen, a new Cabrera-Mott mechanism involving electron tunneling and solid-state diffusion is proposed.

Average Tropical Relative Humidity from AIRS, Dec-Feb 2002-2005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

The average tropospheric relative humidity from AIRS for the four December-February periods during 2002 through 2005.

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.

Recent Improvements in Retrieving Near-Surface Air Temperature and Humidity Using Microwave Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, J. Brent

2010-01-01

Detailed studies of the energy and water cycles require accurate estimation of the turbulent fluxes of moisture and heat across the atmosphere-ocean interface at regional to basin scale. Providing estimates of these latent and sensible heat fluxes over the global ocean necessitates the use of satellite or reanalysis-based estimates of near surface variables. Recent studies have shown that errors in the surface (10 meter)estimates of humidity and temperature are currently the largest sources of uncertainty in the production of turbulent fluxes from satellite observations. Therefore, emphasis has been placed on reducing the systematic errors in the retrieval of these parameters from microwave radiometers. This study discusses recent improvements in the retrieval of air temperature and humidity through improvements in the choice of algorithms (linear vs. nonlinear) and the choice of microwave sensors. Particular focus is placed on improvements using a neural network approach with a single sensor (Special Sensor Microwave/Imager) and the use of combined sensors from the NASA AQUA satellite platform. The latter algorithm utilizes the unique sampling available on AQUA from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A). Current estimates of uncertainty in the near-surface humidity and temperature from single and multi-sensor approaches are discussed and used to estimate errors in the turbulent fluxes.

40 CFR 89.326 - Engine intake air humidity measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Engine intake air humidity measurement... Test Equipment Provisions § 89.326 Engine intake air humidity measurement. (a) Humidity conditioned air... type of intake air supply, the humidity measurements must be made within the intake air supply system...

40 CFR 91.310 - Engine intake air humidity measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Engine intake air humidity measurement... Provisions § 91.310 Engine intake air humidity measurement. This section refers to engines which are supplied... air, the ambient testcell humidity measurement may be used. (a) Humidity conditioned air supply. Air...

Conceptual Design of a Condensing Heat Exchanger for Space Systems Using Porous Media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasan, Mohammad M.; Khan, Lutful I.; Nayagam, Vedha; Balasubramaniam, Ramaswamy

2006-01-01

Condensing heat exchangers are used in many space applications in the thermal and humidity control systems. In the International Space Station (ISS), humidity control is achieved by using a water cooled fin surface over which the moist air condenses, followed by "slurper bars" that take in both the condensate and air into a rotary separator and separates the water from air. The use of a cooled porous substrate as the condensing surface provides and attractive alternative that combines both heat removal as well as liquid/gas separation into a single unit. By selecting the pore sizes of the porous substrate a gravity independent operation may also be possible with this concept. Condensation of vapor into and on the porous surface from the flowing air and the removal of condensate from the porous substrate are the critical processes involved in the proposed concept. This paper describes some preliminary results of the proposed condensate withdrawal process and discusses the on-going design and development work of a porous media based condensing heat exchanger at the NASA Glenn Research Center in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center.

40 CFR 86.311-79 - Miscellaneous equipment; specifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Intake air humidity and temperature measurements. (1) Humidity conditioned air supply. Air that has had... supply, the humidity measurements must be made within the intake air supply system, and after the humidity conditioning has taken place. (2) Nonconditioned air supply. Humidity measurements in non...

EDITORIAL: Humidity sensors Humidity sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regtien, Paul P. L.

2012-01-01

All matter is more or less hygroscopic. The moisture content varies with vapour concentration of the surrounding air and, as a consequence, most material properties change with humidity. Mechanical and thermal properties of many materials, such as the tensile strength of adhesives, stiffness of plastics, stoutness of building and packaging materials or the thermal resistivity of isolation materials, all decrease with increasing environmental humidity or cyclic humidity changes. The presence of water vapour may have a detrimental influence on many electrical constructions and systems exposed to humid air, from high-power systems to microcircuits. Water vapour penetrates through coatings, cable insulations and integrated-circuit packages, exerting a fatal influence on the performance of the enclosed systems. For these and many other applications, knowledge of the relationship between moisture content or humidity and material properties or system behaviour is indispensable. This requires hygrometers for process control or test and calibration chambers with high accuracy in the appropriate temperature and humidity range. Humidity measurement methods can roughly be categorized into four groups: water vapour removal (the mass before and after removal is measured); saturation (the air is brought to saturation and the `effort' to reach that state is measured); humidity-dependent parameters (measurement of properties of humid air with a known relation between a specific property and the vapour content, for instance the refractive index, electromagnetic spectrum and acoustic velocity); and absorption (based on the known relation between characteristic properties of non-hydrophobic materials and the amount of absorbed water from the gas to which these materials are exposed). The many basic principles to measure air humidity are described in, for instance, the extensive compilations by Wexler [1] and Sonntag [2]. Absorption-type hygrometers have small dimensions and can be produced at relatively low cost. Therefore, they find wide use in lots of applications. However, the method requires a material that possesses some conflicting properties: stable and reproducible relations between air humidity, moisture uptake and a specific property (for instance the length of a hair, the electrical impedance of the material), fast absorption and desorption of the water vapour (to obtain a short response time), small hysteresis, wide range of relative humidity (RH) and temperature-independent output (only responsive to RH). For these reasons, much research is done and is still going on to find suitable materials that combine high performance and low price. In this special feature, three of the four papers report on absorption sensors, all with different focus. Aziz et al describe experiments with newly developed materials. The surface structure is extensively studied, in view of its ability to rapidly absorb water vapour and exhibit a reproducible change in the resistance and capacitance of the device. Sanchez et al employ optical fibres coated with a thin moisture-absorbing layer as a sensitive humidity sensor. They have studied various coating materials and investigated the possibility of using changes in optical properties of the fibre (here the lossy mode resonance) due to a change in humidity of the surrounding air. The third paper, by Weremczuk et al, focuses on a cheap fabrication method for absorption-based humidity sensors. The inkjet technology appears to be suitable for mass fabrication of such sensors, which is demonstrated by extensive measurements of the electrical properties (resistance and capacitance) of the absorbing layers. Moreover, they have developed a model that describes the relation between humidity and the electrical parameters of the moisture-sensitive layer. Despite intensive research, absorption sensors still do not meet the requirements for high accuracy applications. The dew-point temperature method is more appropriate, since it uses the accurately known relation between temperature and saturation vapour pressure in air. When an object exposed to humid air is cooled down below the dew-point water vapour condenses as drops on its cold surface. The temperature can be kept exactly at the dew point by controlling the amount of dew (equilibrium between evaporation and condensation). In most dew-point hygrometers dew is detected with optical or capacitive means. In the former the dew drops on a reflective surface (chilled mirror) scatter incident light, and the capacitive method uses the change in capacitance due to the large dielectric constant of liquid water (80) compared to air (1). Kunze et al, in the fourth paper of this special feature, use another property of water to detect dew: the relatively high value of the thermal capacitance of liquid water. In traditional technology this method would not be sensitive enough, but with MEMS technology a sufficient detectivity of dew can be achieved, which is demonstrated in this paper. A control system keeps the temperature of the substrate just at the dew-point temperature, the latter being measured by an on-chip diode. The accuracy achieved is comparable with traditional dew-point hygrometers. These four papers in this issue are nice examples of research leading to significant advances in hygrometry. References [1] Wexler A (ed) 1965 Humidity and Moisture. Vol. I: Principles and Methods of Measuring Humidity in Gases; Vol. II: Applications; Vol. III: Fundamentals and Standards; Vol. IV: Principles and Methods of Measuring Moisture in Liquids and Solids (New York: Reinhold) [2] Sonntag D 1966-1968 Hygrometrie (Berlin: Akademie Verlag)

Empirical downscaling of atmospheric key variables above a tropical glacier surface (Cordillera Blanca, Peru)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofer, M.; Kaser, G.; Mölg, T.; Juen, I.; Wagnon, P.

2009-04-01

Glaciers in the outer tropical Cordillera Blanca (Peru, South America) are of major socio-economic importance, since glacier runoff represents the primary water source during the dry season, when little or no rainfall occurs. Due to their location at high elevations, the glaciers moreover provide important information about climate change in the tropical troposphere, where measurements are sparse. This study targets the local reconstruction of air temperature, specific humidity and wind speed above the surface of an outer tropical glacier from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data as large scale predictors. Since a farther scope is to provide input data for process based glacier mass balance modelling, the reconstruction pursues a high temporal resolution. Hence an empirical downscaling scheme is developed, based on a few years' time series of hourly observations from automatic weather stations, located at the glacier Artesonraju and nearby moraines (Northern Cordillera Blanca). Principal component and multiple regression analyses are applied to define the appropriate spatial downscaling domain, suitable predictor variables, and the statistical transfer functions. The model performance is verified using an independent data set. The best predictors are lower tropospheric air temperature and specific humidity, at reanalysis model grid points that represent the Bolivian Altiplano, located in the South of the Cordillera Blanca. The developed downscaling model explaines a considerable portion (more than 60%) of the diurnal variance of air temperature and specific humidity at the moraine stations, and air temperature above the glacier surface. Specific humidity above the glacier surface, however, can be reconstructed well in the seasonal, but not in the required diurnal time resolution. Wind speed can only be poorly determined by the large scale predictors (r² lower than 0.3) at both sites. We assume a complex local interaction between valley and glacier wind system to be the main cause for the differences between model and observations.

Measurement of UO2 surface oxidation using grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction: Implications for nuclear forensics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tracy, Cameron L.; Chen, Chien-Hung; Park, Sulgiye; Davisson, M. Lee; Ewing, Rodney C.

2018-04-01

Nuclear forensics involves determination of the origin and history of interdicted nuclear materials based on the detection of signatures associated with their production and trafficking. The surface oxidation undergone by UO2 when exposed to air is a potential signature of its atmospheric exposure during handling and transport. To assess the sensitivity of this oxidation to atmospheric parameters, surface sensitive grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) measurements were performed on UO2 samples exposed to air of varying relative humidity (34%, 56%, and 95% RH) and temperature (room temperature, 50 °C, and 100 °C). Near-surface unit cell contraction was observed following exposure, indicating oxidation of the surface and accompanying reduction of the uranium cation ionic radii. The extent of unit cell contraction provides a measure of the extent of oxidation, allowing for comparison of the effects of various exposure conditions. No clear influence of relative humidity on the extent of oxidation was observed, with samples exhibiting similar degrees of unit cell contraction at all relative humidities investigated. In contrast, the thickness of the oxidized layers increased substantially with increasing temperature, such that differences on the order of 10 °C yielded readily observable crystallographic signatures of the exposure conditions.

Characterization of the LTC catalyst: Performance against common air pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Marcia F.

1987-04-01

One of the important qualities of the Low-Temperature Catalyst (LTC) is the rapid oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide under a wide variety of conditions. The catalytic material is a palladium-copper activated complex which reacts with various contaminant molecules through a continuous oxidation/reduction cycle. The alumina substrate enhances LTC activity with its favorable surface chemistry and very high surface area. About 10 percent surface water is necessary to facilitate the oxidation of CO. This reaction shows a log-log dependence on contact time, suggesting a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. In the tube tests, LTC removed 90 to 100 percent of contaminating carbon monoxide in the temperature region of 20 to 4000 C, and at ambient over a range of 25 to 65 percent relative humidity. In contrast, NO2 is chemisorbed by the LTC/alumina material--the amount strongly dependent on temperature increases but independent of humidity. The LTC catalyst has demonstrated excellent capability to remove an important variety of hazardous pollutant gases which are common factors to poor indoor air quality. The Instapure Air Filtration System incorporates the LTC catalyst in a 50:50 mixture with activated carbon to effectively remove particulate, odors, and hazardous gases at room temperature and humidities. The ability to remove hazardous gases is unique for the category of portable air filtration equipment. The wide variety of pollutant gases that LTC removes suggests that catalytic technology is adaptable to a considerable range of commercial and industrial applications.

Characterization of the LTC catalyst: Performance against common air pollutants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Marcia F.

1987-01-01

One of the important qualities of the Low-Temperature Catalyst (LTC) is the rapid oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide under a wide variety of conditions. The catalytic material is a palladium-copper activated complex which reacts with various contaminant molecules through a continuous oxidation/reduction cycle. The alumina substrate enhances LTC activity with its favorable surface chemistry and very high surface area. About 10 percent surface water is necessary to facilitate the oxidation of CO. This reaction shows a log-log dependence on contact time, suggesting a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. In the tube tests, LTC removed 90 to 100 percent of contaminating carbon monoxide in the temperature region of 20 to 4000 C, and at ambient over a range of 25 to 65 percent relative humidity. In contrast, NO2 is chemisorbed by the LTC/alumina material--the amount strongly dependent on temperature increases but independent of humidity. The LTC catalyst has demonstrated excellent capability to remove an important variety of hazardous pollutant gases which are common factors to poor indoor air quality. The Instapure Air Filtration System incorporates the LTC catalyst in a 50:50 mixture with activated carbon to effectively remove particulate, odors, and hazardous gases at room temperature and humidities. The ability to remove hazardous gases is unique for the category of portable air filtration equipment. The wide variety of pollutant gases that LTC removes suggests that catalytic technology is adaptable to a considerable range of commercial and industrial applications.

Long-term variation of Surface Ozone, NO2, temperature and relative humidity on crop yield over Andhra Pradesh (AP), India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arunachalam, M. S.; Obili, Manjula; Srimurali, M.

2016-07-01

Long-term variation of Surface Ozone, NO2, Temperature, Relative humidity and crop yield datasets over thirteen districts of Andhra Pradesh(AP) has been studied with the help of OMI, MODIS, AIRS, ERA-Interim re-analysis and Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES) of AP. Inter comparison of crop yield loss estimates according to exposure metrics such as AOT40 (accumulated ozone exposure over a threshold of 40) and non-linear variation of surface temperature for twenty and eighteen varieties of two major crop growing seasons namely, kharif (April-September) and rabi (October-March), respectively has been made. Study is carried to establish a new crop-yield-exposure relationship for different crop cultivars of AP. Both ozone and temperature are showing a correlation coefficient of 0.66 and 0.87 with relative humidity; and 0.72 and 0.80 with NO2. Alleviation of high surface ozone results in high food security and improves the economy thereby reduces the induced warming of the troposphere caused by ozone. Keywords: Surface Ozone, NO2, Temperature, Relative humidity, Crop yield, AOT 40.

Frost characteristics and heat transfer on a flat plate under freezer operating conditions: Part 1, Experimentation and correlations

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

Mao, Y.; Besant, R.W.; Chen, H.

1999-07-01

An experimental investigation of frost growth on a flat, cold surface supplied by subfreezing, turbulent, humid, parallel flow of air is presented. The operating conditions are typical of many commercial freezers. A test loop was constructed to perform the tests, and the frost height, frost mass concentration, and cold surface heat flux were measured using specially designed and calibrated instrumentation. Twenty tests were done for steady operating conditions, each starting with no initial frost accumulation, and were run for two to six hours giving 480 data samples. Measured results show that the frost characteristics differ significantly with frost growth datamore » taken previously for room temperature airflow. Depending on the temperature of the cold plate and the relative humidity of the subfreezing supply air, the frost could appear to be either smooth or rough. Smooth frost, which occurred at warmer plate temperatures and lower supply air relative humidities, gave rise to frost growth that was much thinner and denser than that for the rough, thick, low-density frost. Frost growth characteristics are correlated as a function of five independent variables (time, distance from the leading edge, cold plate temperature ratio, humidity ratio, and Reynolds number). These correlations are presented separately for the full data set, the rough frost data, and the smooth frost data.« less

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

Shirayama, Masaki; Kato, Masato; Fujiseki, Takemasa

Low stability of organic-inorganic perovskite (CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3}) solar cells in humid air environments is a serious drawback which could limit practical application of this material severely. In this study, from real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry characterization, the degradation mechanism of ultra-smooth CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} layers prepared by a laser evaporation technique is studied. We present evidence that the CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} degradation in humid air proceeds by two competing reactions of (i) the PbI{sub 2} formation by the desorption of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}I species and (ii) the generation of a CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} hydrate phase by H{submore » 2}O incorporation. In particular, rapid phase change occurs in the near-surface region and the CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} layer thickness reduces rapidly in the initial 1 h air exposure even at a low relative humidity of 40%. After the prolonged air exposure, the CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} layer is converted completely to hexagonal platelet PbI{sub 2}/hydrate crystals that have a distinct atomic-scale multilayer structure with a period of 0.65 ± 0.05 nm. We find that conventional x-ray diffraction and optical characterization in the visible region, used commonly in earlier works, are quite insensitive to the surface phase change. Based on results obtained in this work, we discuss the degradation mechanism of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} in humid air.« less

Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at NSA Handbook - January 2006

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

MT Ritsche

2006-01-30

The Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at Atqasuk (METTWR2H) uses mainly conventional in situ sensors to measure wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, dew point and humidity mounted on a 10-m tower. It also obtains barometric pressure, visibility, and precipitation data from sensors at or near the base of the tower. In addition, a Chilled Mirror Hygrometer is located at 1 m for comparison purposes. Temperature and relative humidity probes are mounted at 2 m and 5 m on the tower. For more information, see the Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at Atqasuk Handbook.

Volatilization of pesticides from the bare soil surface: evaluation of the humidity effect.

PubMed

Schneider, Martina; Endo, Satoshi; Goss, Kai-Uwe

2013-01-01

Volatilization of pesticides from soils under dry conditions (water content below the permanent wilting point) can be significantly influenced by sorption to hydrated mineral surfaces. This sorption process strongly depends on the water activity, expressed as equilibrium relative humidity in the pore space of the soil, and on the available surface area of the hydrated minerals. In this study, the influence of different humidity regimes on the volatilization of two pesticides (triallate and trifluralin) was demonstrated with a bench-scale wind tunnel system that allowed the establishment of well controlled humidity conditions within the soil. In the experiment starting with very dry conditions, increasing the relative humidity in the adjacent air from 60 to 85% resulted in an up to 8 times higher volatilization rate of the pesticides. An additional strong increase in volatilization (up to 3 times higher) was caused by a simulated rain event, which eliminates all sorption sites associated to mineral surfaces. In agreement with this interpretation, the comparison of two soils suggested that mineral surface area was the soil property that governs the volatilization under dry conditions, whereas soil organic matter was the controlling variable under wet conditions. In contrast to expectations, the use of a novel capsulated suspension for triallate showed the same humidity effects and no substantially lower volatilization rates in comparison to the regular formulation. This study demonstrated that humidity effects on pesticide volatilization can be interpreted via the mechanism of sorption to mineral surfaces under dry conditions. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Hurricane Isabel, AIRS Infrared and SeaWinds Scatterometer Data Combined

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-20

These two images show Hurricane Isabel as viewed by AIRS and SeaWinds scatterometers on NASA ADEOS-2 and QuikScat satellites in September, 2003. AIRS data are used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds, while scatterometers measure surface wind speed and direction. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00429

A 7.5-Year Dataset of SSM/I-Derived Surface Turbulent Fluxes Over Global Oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Shu-Hsien; Shie, Chung-Lin; Atlas, Robert M.; Adizzone, Joe; Nelkin, Eric; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The global air-sea turbulent fluxes are needed for driving ocean models and validating coupled ocean-atmosphere global models. A method was developed to retrieve surface air humidity from the radiances measured by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) Using both SSM/I-retrieved surface wind and air humidity, they computed daily turbulent fluxes over global oceans with a stability-dependent bulk scheme. Based on this method, we have produced Version 1 of Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF) dataset from the SSM/I data and other data. It provides daily- and monthly-mean surface turbulent fluxes and some relevant parameters over global oceans for individual F8, F10, and F11 satellites covering the period July 1987-December 1994. It also provides 1988-94 annual- and monthly-mean climatologies of the same variables, using only F8 and F1 1 satellite data. It has a spatial resolution of 2.0 degrees x 2.5 degrees lat-long and is archived at the NASA/GSFC DAAC. The purpose of this paper is to present an updated assessment of the GSSTF 1.0 dataset.

The potential of different artificial neural network (ANN) techniques in daily global solar radiation modeling based on meteorological data

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

Behrang, M.A.; Assareh, E.; Ghanbarzadeh, A.

2010-08-15

The main objective of present study is to predict daily global solar radiation (GSR) on a horizontal surface, based on meteorological variables, using different artificial neural network (ANN) techniques. Daily mean air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine hours, evaporation, and wind speed values between 2002 and 2006 for Dezful city in Iran (32 16'N, 48 25'E), are used in this study. In order to consider the effect of each meteorological variable on daily GSR prediction, six following combinations of input variables are considered: (I)Day of the year, daily mean air temperature and relative humidity as inputs and daily GSR as output.more » (II)Day of the year, daily mean air temperature and sunshine hours as inputs and daily GSR as output. (III)Day of the year, daily mean air temperature, relative humidity and sunshine hours as inputs and daily GSR as output. (IV)Day of the year, daily mean air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine hours and evaporation as inputs and daily GSR as output. (V)Day of the year, daily mean air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine hours and wind speed as inputs and daily GSR as output. (VI)Day of the year, daily mean air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine hours, evaporation and wind speed as inputs and daily GSR as output. Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) neural networks are applied for daily GSR modeling based on six proposed combinations. The measured data between 2002 and 2005 are used to train the neural networks while the data for 214 days from 2006 are used as testing data. The comparison of obtained results from ANNs and different conventional GSR prediction (CGSRP) models shows very good improvements (i.e. the predicted values of best ANN model (MLP-V) has a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) about 5.21% versus 10.02% for best CGSRP model (CGSRP 5)). (author)« less

[Effects of land use type on diurnal dynamics of environment microclimate in Karst zone].

PubMed

Li, Sheng; Ren, Hua-Dong; Yao, Xiao-Hua; Zhang, Shou-Gong

2009-02-01

In June 2007, the diurnal dynamics of light intensity, air temperature, air relative humidity, soil temperature, and surface soil (0-5 cm) water content of five land use types in the typical Karst zone of Lingyun City in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were observed. The results showed that different land use types altered the composition, coverage, and height of aboveground vegetation, which in turn changed the environment microclimate to different degree. The microclimate quality was in the order of forestland > shrub land > grassland > farmland > rock land. On rock land, the light intensity, air temperature, air relative humidity, soil temperature, and soil water content were higher, and the diurnal variation of the five climatic factors was notable, with the microclimatic conditions changed towards drier and hotter. Compared with those on rock land, the light intensity on forestland, shrub land, grassland, and farmland decreased by 96.4%, 52.0%, 17.0% and 44.2%, air temperature decreased by 30.1%, 20.2%, 12.7% and 17.8%, air relative humidity increased by 129.2%, 57.2%, 18.0% and 41.2%, soil temperature decreased by 11.5%, 8%, 2.5% and 5.5%, and soil water content increased by 42.6%, 33.2%, 15.7% and 14.0%, respectively. The five climatic factors on forestland and shrub land had lesser fluctuation, with the microclimate tended to cool and wet. Light intensity, air temperature, and soil temperature correlated positively with each other, and had negative correlations with air relative humidity and soil water content. A positive correlation was observed between air temperature and soil water content.

Blowing Snow Sublimation at a High Altitude Alpine Site and Effects on the Surface Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vionnet, V.; Guyomarc'h, G.; Sicart, J. E.; Deliot, Y.; Naaim-Bouvet, F.; Bellot, H.; Merzisen, H.

2017-12-01

In alpine terrain, wind-induced snow transport strongly influences the spatial and temporal variability of the snow cover. During their transport, blown snow particles undergo sublimation with an intensity depending on atmospheric conditions (air temperature and humidity). The mass loss due to blowing snow sublimation is a source of uncertainty for the mass balance of the alpine snowpack. Additionally, blowing snow sublimation modifies humidity and temperature in the surface boundary layer. To better quantify these effects in alpine terrain, a dedicated measurement setup has been deployed at the experimental site of Col du Lac Blanc (2720 m a.s.l., French Alps, Cryobs-Clim network) since winter 2015/2016. It consists in three vertical masts measuring the near-surface vertical profiles (0.2-5 m) of wind speed, air temperature and humidity and blowing snow fluxes and size distribution. Observations collected during blowing snow events without concurrent snowfall show only a slight increase in relative humidity (10-20%) and near-surface saturation is never observed. Estimation of blowing snow sublimation rates are then obtained from these measurements. They range between 0 and 5 mmSWE day-1 for blowing snow events without snowfall in agreement with previous studies in different environments (North American prairies, Antarctica). Finally, an estimation of the mass loss due to blowing snow sublimation at our experimental site is proposed for two consecutive winters. Future use of the database collected in this study includes the evaluation of blowing snow models in alpine terrain.

40 CFR 90.310 - Engine intake air humidity measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Engine intake air humidity measurement... Emission Test Equipment Provisions § 90.310 Engine intake air humidity measurement. This section refers to... for the engine intake air, the ambient test cell humidity measurement may be used. (a) Humidity...

Impact of air exposure and surface chemistry on Li-Li 7La 3Zr 2O 12 interfacial resistance

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

Sharafi, Asma; Yu, Seungho; Naguib, Michael

Li 7La 3Zr 2O 12 (LLZO) is a promising solid-state electrolyte that could enable solid-state-batteries (SSB) employing metallic Li anodes. For a SSB to be viable, the stability and charge transfer kinetics at the Li–LLZO interface should foster facile plating and stripping of Li. Contrary to these goals, recent studies have reported high Li–LLZO interfacial resistance which was attributed to a contamination layer that forms upon exposure of LLZO to air. This study clarifies the mechanisms and consequences associated with air exposure of LLZO; additionally, strategies to minimize these effects are described. First-principles calculations reveal that LLZO readily reacts withmore » humid air; the most favorable reaction pathway involves protonation of LLZO and formation of Li2CO3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the surface and subsurface chemistry of LLZO as a function of relative humidity and exposure time. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the Li–LLZO interfacial resistance as a function of surface contamination. These data indicate that air exposure-induced contamination impacts the interfacial resistance significantly, when exposure time exceeds 24 h. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the sensitivity of LLZO to air and how the effects of air contamination can be reversed.« less

Environmental Education Tips: Weather Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brainard, Audrey H.

1989-01-01

Provides weather activities including questions, on weather, heating the earth's surface, air, tools of the meteorologist, clouds, humidity, wind, and evaporation. Shows an example of a weather chart activity. (RT)

NARSTO EPA SS FRESNO MET DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Air Temperature Atmospheric Pressure Humidity Solar Radiation Surface Winds Order Data:  Earthdata Search:   ... Earth Related Data:  Environmental Protection Agency Supersites Fresno, California SCAR-B Block:  ...

Optical fiber humidity sensor based on evanescent-wave scattering.

PubMed

Xu, Lina; Fanguy, Joseph C; Soni, Krunal; Tao, Shiquan

2004-06-01

The phenomenon of evanescent-wave scattering (EWS) is used to design an optical-fiber humidity sensor. Porous solgel silica (PSGS) coated on the surface of a silica optical-fiber core scatters evanescent waves that penetrate the coating layer. Water molecules in the gas phase surrounding the optical fiber can be absorbed into the inner surface of the pores of the porous silica. The absorbed water molecules form a thin layer of liquid water on the inner surface of the porous silica and enhance the EWS. The amount of water absorbed into the PSGS coating is in dynamic equilibrium with the water-vapor pressure in the gas phase. Therefore the humidity in the air can be quantitatively determined with fiber-optic EWS caused by the PSGS coating. The humidity sensor reported here is fast in response, reversible, and has a wide dynamic range. The possible interference caused by EWS to an optical-fiber gas sensor with a reagent-doped PSGS coating as a transducer is also discussed.

Environmental dust effects on aluminum surfaces in humid air ambient.

PubMed

Yilbas, Bekir Sami; Hassan, Ghassan; Ali, Haider; Al-Aqeeli, Nasser

2017-04-05

Environmental dusts settle on surfaces and influence the performance of concentrated solar energy harvesting devices, such as aluminum troughs. The characteristics of environmental dust and the effects of mud formed from the dust particles as a result of water condensing in humid air conditions on an aluminum wafer surface are examined. The dissolution of alkaline and alkaline earth compounds in water condensate form a chemically active mud liquid with pH 8.2. Due to gravity, the mud liquid settles at the interface of the mud and the aluminum surface while forming locally scattered patches of liquid films. Once the mud liquid dries, adhesion work to remove the dry mud increases significantly. The mud liquid gives rise to the formation of pinholes and local pit sites on the aluminum surface. Morphological changes due to pit sites and residues of the dry mud on the aluminum surface lower the surface reflection after the removal of the dry mud from the surface. The characteristics of the aluminum surface can address the dust/mud-related limitations of reflective surfaces and may have implications for the reductions in the efficiencies of solar concentrated power systems.

Environmental dust effects on aluminum surfaces in humid air ambient

PubMed Central

Yilbas, Bekir Sami; Hassan, Ghassan; Ali, Haider; Al-Aqeeli, Nasser

2017-01-01

Environmental dusts settle on surfaces and influence the performance of concentrated solar energy harvesting devices, such as aluminum troughs. The characteristics of environmental dust and the effects of mud formed from the dust particles as a result of water condensing in humid air conditions on an aluminum wafer surface are examined. The dissolution of alkaline and alkaline earth compounds in water condensate form a chemically active mud liquid with pH 8.2. Due to gravity, the mud liquid settles at the interface of the mud and the aluminum surface while forming locally scattered patches of liquid films. Once the mud liquid dries, adhesion work to remove the dry mud increases significantly. The mud liquid gives rise to the formation of pinholes and local pit sites on the aluminum surface. Morphological changes due to pit sites and residues of the dry mud on the aluminum surface lower the surface reflection after the removal of the dry mud from the surface. The characteristics of the aluminum surface can address the dust/mud-related limitations of reflective surfaces and may have implications for the reductions in the efficiencies of solar concentrated power systems. PMID:28378798

Modeling studies of gas movement and moisture migration at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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

Tsang, Y.W.; Pruess, K.

1991-06-01

Modeling studies on moisture redistribution processes that are mediated by gas phase flow and diffusion have been carried out. The problem addressed is the effect of a lowered humidity of the soil gas at the land surface on moisture removal from Yucca Mountain, the potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository. At the land surface, humid formation gas contacts much drier atmospheric air. Near this contact, the humidity of the soil gas may be considerably lower than at greater depth, where the authors expect equilibrium with the liquid phase and close to 100% humidity. The lower relative humidity ofmore » the soil gas may be modeled by imposing, at the land surface, an additional negative capillary suction corresponding to vapor pressure lowering according to Kelvin`s Equation, thus providing a driving force for the upward movement of moisture in both the vapor and liquid phases. Sensitivity studies show that moisture removal from Yucca Mountain arising from the lowered-relative-humidity boundary condition is controlled by vapor diffusion. There is much experimental evidence in the soil literature that diffusion of vapor is enhanced due to pore-level phase change effects by a few orders of magnitude. Modeling results presented here will account for this enhancement in vapor diffusion.« less

Nanoporous Monolithic Microsphere Arrays Have Anti-Adhesive Properties Independent of Humidity

PubMed Central

Eichler-Volf, Anna; Xue, Longjian; Kovalev, Alexander; Gorb, Elena V.; Gorb, Stanislav N.; Steinhart, Martin

2016-01-01

Bioinspired artificial surfaces with tailored adhesive properties have attracted significant interest. While fibrillar adhesive pads mimicking gecko feet are optimized for strong reversible adhesion, monolithic microsphere arrays mimicking the slippery zone of the pitchers of carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes show anti-adhesive properties even against tacky counterpart surfaces. In contrast to the influence of topography, the influence of relative humidity (RH) on adhesion has been widely neglected. Some previous works deal with the influence of RH on the adhesive performance of fibrillar adhesive pads. Commonly, humidity-induced softening of the fibrils enhances adhesion. However, little is known on the influence of RH on solid anti-adhesive surfaces. We prepared polymeric nanoporous monolithic microsphere arrays (NMMAs) with microsphere diameters of a few 10 µm to test their anti-adhesive properties at RHs of 2% and 90%. Despite the presence of continuous nanopore systems through which the inner nanopore walls were accessible to humid air, the topography-induced anti-adhesive properties of NMMAs on tacky counterpart surfaces were retained even at RH = 90%. This RH-independent robustness of the anti-adhesive properties of NMMAs significantly contrasts the adhesion enhancement by humidity-induced softening on nanoporous fibrillar adhesive pads made of the same material. PMID:28773497

Linking Global to Regional Models to Assess Future Climate Impacts on Surface Ozone Concentrations in the United States

EPA Science Inventory

The UCD sectional aerosol model has been coupled to the CMAQ air quality model and used to simulate air quality in Tampa, Florida. Sea salt emissions are parameterized as a function of modeled wind speed and relative humidity. Modeled aerosol sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, sodium,...

Indoor air humidity, air quality, and health - An overview.

PubMed

Wolkoff, Peder

2018-04-01

There is a long-standing dispute about indoor air humidity and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) and associated health effects. Complaints about sensory irritation in eyes and upper airways are generally among top-two symptoms together with the perception "dry air" in office environments. This calls for an integrated analysis of indoor air humidity and eye and airway health effects. This overview has reviewed the literature about the effects of extended exposure to low humidity on perceived IAQ, sensory irritation symptoms in eyes and airways, work performance, sleep quality, virus survival, and voice disruption. Elevation of the indoor air humidity may positively impact perceived IAQ, eye symptomatology, and possibly work performance in the office environment; however, mice inhalation studies do not show exacerbation of sensory irritation in the airways by low humidity. Elevated humidified indoor air appears to reduce nasal symptoms in patients suffering from obstructive apnea syndrome, while no clear improvement on voice production has been identified, except for those with vocal fatigue. Both low and high RH, and perhaps even better absolute humidity (water vapor), favors transmission and survival of influenza virus in many studies, but the relationship between temperature, humidity, and the virus and aerosol dynamics is complex, which in the end depends on the individual virus type and its physical/chemical properties. Dry and humid air perception continues to be reported in offices and in residential areas, despite the IAQ parameter "dry air" (or "wet/humid air") is semantically misleading, because a sensory organ for humidity is non-existing in humans. This IAQ parameter appears to reflect different perceptions among other odor, dustiness, and possibly exacerbated by desiccation effect of low air humidity. It is salient to distinguish between indoor air humidity (relative or absolute) near the breathing and ocular zone and phenomena caused by moisture-damage of the building construction and emissions therefrom. Further, residential versus public environments should be considered as separate entities with different characteristics and demands of humidity. Research is needed about particle, bacteria and virus dynamics indoors for improvement of quality of life and with more focus on the impact of absolute humidity. "Dry (or wet) air" should be redefined to become a meaningful IAQ descriptor. Copyright © 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

Reversible and non-reversible changes in nanostructured Si in humid atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhigalov, V.; Pyatilova, O.; Timoshenkov, S.; Gavrilov, S.

2014-12-01

Atmosphere water influence in the nanostructured silicon (NSS) was investigated by IR-spectroscopy and electron work function measurement. Long-term non-reversible dynamics of IR-spectra was found as a result of 100% humidity influence on the nanostructured silicon. It was indicated that air humidity affects on the work function. Dynamics of the electron work function consists of reversible and non-reversible components. Reversible component appears as strong anti-correlation between work function and humidity. Work function change of NSS is about 0.4 eV while the humidity changes between 0% and 100%. Reversible component can be explained by physical sorption of water molecules on the surface. Non-reversible component manifests as long-term decreasing trend of work function in humid atmosphere. Transition curve during abruptly humidity changes alters its shape. Non-reversible component can be explained by chemisorption of water.

NARSTO EPA SS HOUSTON TEXAQS2000 CAMS DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Order:   E arthdata Search Parameters:  Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Oxides Ozone Surface Winds Air Temperature ... Humidity Solar Irradiance Particulate Matter Sulfur Dioxide Hydrogen Sulfide Order Data:  Earthdata Search:   ...

Technical Guide for Indoor Air Quality Surveys

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-24

inability to wear contact lenses; and dry, itchy, flaking skin [16,23]. The number of persons affected increases as the relative humidity decreases below...40%. The inability to wear contact lenses in a building with low relative humidity results from fluid loss from the exposed outer eye surface...eye and may enhance the possibility of an infection. Even without contact lenses, the eyes can feel dry, irritated, and itchy. Low relative

Variation of surface ozone in Campo Grande, Brazil: meteorological effect analysis and prediction.

PubMed

Pires, J C M; Souza, A; Pavão, H G; Martins, F G

2014-09-01

The effect of meteorological variables on surface ozone (O3) concentrations was analysed based on temporal variation of linear correlation and artificial neural network (ANN) models defined by genetic algorithms (GAs). ANN models were also used to predict the daily average concentration of this air pollutant in Campo Grande, Brazil. Three methodologies were applied using GAs, two of them considering threshold models. In these models, the variables selected to define different regimes were daily average O3 concentration, relative humidity and solar radiation. The threshold model that considers two O3 regimes was the one that correctly describes the effect of important meteorological variables in O3 behaviour, presenting also a good predictive performance. Solar radiation, relative humidity and rainfall were considered significant for both O3 regimes; however, wind speed (dispersion effect) was only significant for high concentrations. According to this model, high O3 concentrations corresponded to high solar radiation, low relative humidity and wind speed. This model showed to be a powerful tool to interpret the O3 behaviour, being useful to define policy strategies for human health protection regarding air pollution.

Version 2 Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Shu-Hsien; Nelkin, Eric; Ardizzone, Joe; Atlas, Robert M.; Shie, Chung-Lin; Starr, David O'C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Information on the turbulent fluxes of momentum, moisture, and heat at the air-sea interface is essential in improving model simulations of climate variations and in climate studies. We have derived a 13.5-year (July 1987-December 2000) dataset of daily surface turbulent fluxes over global oceans from the Special Sensor Mcrowave/Imager (SSM/I) radiance measurements. This dataset, version 2 Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF2), has a spatial resolution of 1 degree x 1 degree latitude-longitude and a temporal resolution of 1 day. Turbulent fluxes are derived from the SSM/I surface winds and surface air humidity, as well as the 2-m air and sea surface temperatures (SST) of the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, using a bulk aerodynamic algorithm based on the surface layer similarity theory.

Analysis of heat and mass transfer during condensation over a porous substrate.

PubMed

Balasubramaniam, R; Nayagam, V; Hasan, M M; Khan, L

2006-09-01

Condensing heat exchangers are important in many space applications for thermal and humidity control systems. The International Space Station uses a cooled fin surface to condense moisture from humid air that is blown over it. The condensate and the air are "slurped" into a system that separates air and water by centrifugal forces. The use of a cooled porous substrate is an attractive alternative to the fin where condensation and liquid/gas separation can be achieved in a single step. We analyze the heat and mass transfer during condensation of moisture from flowing air over such a cooled, flat, porous substrate. A fully developed regime is investigated for coupled mass, momentum and energy transport in the gas phase, and momentum and energy transport in the condensate layer on the porous substrate and through the porous medium.

Responses of sap flow, leaf gas exchange and growth of hybrid aspen to elevated atmospheric humidity under field conditions

PubMed Central

Niglas, Aigar; Kupper, Priit; Tullus, Arvo; Sellin, Arne

2014-01-01

An increase in average air temperature and frequency of rain events is predicted for higher latitudes by the end of the 21st century, accompanied by a probable rise in air humidity. We currently lack knowledge on how forest trees acclimate to rising air humidity in temperate climates. We analysed the leaf gas exchange, sap flow and growth characteristics of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × P. tremuloides) trees growing at ambient and artificially elevated air humidity in an experimental forest plantation situated in the hemiboreal vegetation zone. Humidification manipulation did not affect the photosynthetic capacity of plants, but did affect stomatal responses: trees growing at elevated air humidity had higher stomatal conductance at saturating photosynthetically active radiation (gs sat) and lower intrinsic water-use efficiency (IWUE). Reduced stomatal limitation of photosynthesis in trees grown at elevated air humidity allowed slightly higher net photosynthesis and relative current-year height increments than in trees at ambient air humidity. Tree responses suggest a mitigating effect of higher air humidity on trees under mild water stress. At the same time, trees at higher air humidity demonstrated a reduced sensitivity of IWUE to factors inducing stomatal closure and a steeper decline in canopy conductance in response to water deficit, implying higher dehydration risk. Despite the mitigating impact of increased air humidity under moderate drought, a future rise in atmospheric humidity at high latitudes may be disadvantageous for trees during weather extremes and represents a potential threat in hemiboreal forest ecosystems. PMID:24887000

Effect of Air Temperature and Relative Humidity at Various Fuel-Air Ratios on Exhaust Emissions on a Per-Mode Basis of an AVCO Lycoming 0-320 Diad Light Aircraft Engine: Volume 1: Results and Plotted Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skorobatckyi, M.; Cosgrove, D. V.; Meng, P. R.; Kempe, E. E., Jr.

1978-01-01

A carbureted four cylinder air cooled 0-320 DIAD Lycoming aircraft engine was tested to establish the effects of air temperature and humidity at various fuel-air ratios on the exhaust emissions on a per-mode basis. The test conditions include carburetor lean out at air temperatures of 50, 59, 80, and 100 F at relative humidities of 0, 30, 60, and 80 percent. Temperature humidity effects at the higher values of air temperature and relative humidity tested indicated that the HC and CO emissions increased significantly, while the NOx emissions decreased. Even at a fixed fuel air ratio, the HC emissions increase and the NOx emissions decrease at the higher values of air temperature and humidity.

Effect of air temperature and relative humidity at various fuel-air ratios on exhaust emissions on a per-mode basis of an Avco Lycoming 0-320 DIAD light aircraft engine. Volume 2: Individual data points

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skorobatckyi, M.; Cosgrove, D. V.; Meng, P. R.; Kempke, E. R.

1976-01-01

A carbureted four cylinder air cooled 0-320 DIAD Lycoming aircraft engine was tested to establish the effects of air temperature and humidity at various fuel-air ratios on the exhaust emissions on a per-mode basis. The test conditions included carburetor lean-out at air temperatures of 50, 59, 80, and 100 F at relative humidities of 0, 30, 60, and 80 percent. Temperature-humidity effects at the higher values of air temperature and relative humidity tested indicated that the HC and CO emissions increased significantly, while the NOx emissions decreased. Even at a fixed fuel-air ratio, the HC emissions increase and the NOx emissions decrease at the higher values of air temperature and humidity. Volume II contains the data taken at each of the individual test points.

Particulate Matter Mass Concentration in Residential Prefabricated Buildings Related to Temperature and Moisture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, Michal; Juhásová Šenitková, Ingrid

2017-10-01

Building environmental audit and the assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) in typical residential buildings is necessary process to ensure users’ health and well-being. The paper deals with the concentrations on indoor dust particles (PM10) in the context of hygrothermal microclimate in indoor environment. The indoor temperature, relative humidity and air movement are basic significant factors determining the PM10 concentration [μg/m3]. The experimental measurements in this contribution represent the impact of indoor physical parameters on the concentration of particulate matter mass concentration. The occurrence of dust particles is typical for the almost two-thirds of interiors of the buildings. Other parameters indoor environment, such as air change rate, volume of the room, roughness and porosity of the building material surfaces, static electricity, light ions and others, were set constant and they are not taken into account in this study. The mass concentration of PM10 is measured during summer season in apartment of residential prefabricated building. The values of global temperature [°C] and relative humidity of indoor air [%] are also monitored. The quantity of particulate mass matter is determined gravimetrically by weighing according to CSN EN 12 341 (2014). The obtained results show that the temperature difference of the internal environment does not have a significant effect on the concentration PM10. Vice versa, the difference of relative humidity exhibits a difference of the concentration of dust particles. Higher levels of indoor particulates are observed for low values of relative humidity. The decreasing of relative air humidity about 10% caused 10µg/m3 of PM10 concentration increasing. The hygienic limit value of PM10 concentration is not exceeded at any point of experimental measurement.

Effect of Inoculation Techniques and Relative Humidity on the Growth of Molds on the Surfaces of Yellow Layer Cakes

PubMed Central

Fustier, Patrick; Lafond, Alain; Champagne, Claude P.; Lamarche, François

1998-01-01

Four inoculation techniques were compared for initiation of growth on cake surfaces: spot, air cabinet, spray (atomizer), and talc addition methods. Molds were isolated from commercial cakes and were identified as Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium funiculosum, and Eurotium herbariorum. Cake surfaces were inoculated with mold spores and incubated under three equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) levels: 97, 85, and 75%. Random contamination by spores in a ventilated air cabinet was the simplest method of inoculation, but standard deviations in the inoculation rates (20% on a relative scale) were almost twice those observed with the other methods. The spot method was the most reproducible. Cake samples inoculated in the air cabinet had colony counts 10 times lower than those obtained for potato dextrose agar plates at 97% ERH, which was not the case with the spray and talc methods. Growth of molds was much slower in the samples incubated in 75% relative humidity, with all methods. Colony counts were generally similar in systems adjusted at 85 to 97% ERH but were lower for samples incubated at 75% ERH. In comparisons of the shelf life estimates obtained by the various inoculation methods, a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.70 was obtained between the spot method and the other methods of inoculation, while talc, air cabinet, and spray shelf life data were correlated better (r2 ≈ 0.97). The spot method appeared to be the method of choice in consideration of ease of use, precision, and the ability to enable the study of the effects of the environment on mold-free shelf life as well as on the rate of growth of molds on cakes. PMID:16349479

NBC Contamination Survivability, Large Item Exteriors

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-04-17

environment. Ability to control temperature , relative humidity (RH), and wind speed is required. The facility must be designed to ensure safe and...2.2 Instrumentation. Measuring Devices Permissible Error of Measurement Air temperature ±0.5°C Relative humidity (RH) ±5 % Wind speed ±0.1 rm/sec Still...process, excluding monitoring, should last no longer than 75 minutes. (3) The item surface temperature is 30’C and exterior wind speed is no greater

Installation Restoration Program. Preliminary Assessment for the 153rd Tactical Airlift Group, Wyoming Air National Guard, Cheyenne Municipal Airport, Cheyenne, Wyoming

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-01

Cheyenne area is characterized by semi-arid conditions and large diurnal and annual temperature changes. The summers are generally warm with humidity...contaminants through pathways (groundwater, surface water, soil, and air). MIOCENE - An epoch of the upper Tertiary period, after the Oligocene and before the

AIRS Data Subsetting Service at the Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) DISC/DAAC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vicente, Gilberto A.; Qin, Jianchun; Li, Jason; Gerasimov, Irina; Savtchenko, Andrey

2004-01-01

The AIRS mission, as a combination of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB), brings climate research and weather prediction into 21st century. From NASA' Aqua spacecraft, the AIRS/AMSU/HSB instruments measure humidity, temperature, cloud properties and the amounts of greenhouse gases. The AIRS also reveals land and sea- surface temperatures. Measurements from these three instruments are analyzed . jointly to filter out the effects of clouds from the IR data in order to derive clear-column air-temperature profiles and surface temperatures with high vertical resolution and accuracy. Together, they constitute an advanced operational sounding data system that have contributed to improve global modeling efforts and numerical weather prediction; enhance studies of the global energy and water cycles, the effects of greenhouse gases, and atmosphere-surface interactions; and facilitate monitoring of climate variations and trends. The high data volume generated by the AIRS/AMSU/HSB instruments and the complexity of its data format (Hierarchical Data Format, HDF) are barriers to AIRS data use. Although many researchers are interested in only a fraction of the data they receive or request, they are forced to run their algorithms on a much larger data set to extract the information of interest. In order to better server its users, the GES DISC/DAAC, provider of long-term archives and distribution services as well science support for the AIRS/AMSU/HSB data products, has developed various tools for performing channels, variables, parameter, spatial and derived products subsetting, resampling and reformatting operations. This presentation mainly describes the web-enabled subsetting services currently available at the GES DISC/DAAC that provide subsetting functions for all the Level 1B and Level 2 data products from the AIRS/AMSU/HSB instruments.

Effect of Water Vapor and Surface Morphology on the Low Temperature Response of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Gas Sensors

PubMed Central

Maier, Konrad; Helwig, Andreas; Müller, Gerhard; Hille, Pascal; Eickhoff, Martin

2015-01-01

In this work the low temperature response of metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors is analyzed. Important characteristics of this low-temperature response are a pronounced selectivity to acid- and base-forming gases and a large disparity of response and recovery time constants which often leads to an integrator-type of gas response. We show that this kind of sensor performance is related to the trend of semiconductor gas sensors to adsorb water vapor in multi-layer form and that this ability is sensitively influenced by the surface morphology. In particular we show that surface roughness in the nanometer range enhances desorption of water from multi-layer adsorbates, enabling them to respond more swiftly to changes in the ambient humidity. Further experiments reveal that reactive gases, such as NO2 and NH3, which are easily absorbed in the water adsorbate layers, are more easily exchanged across the liquid/air interface when the humidity in the ambient air is high. PMID:28793583

The course, stratification and possibility of simulating relative air humidity in winter wheat stand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krčmářová, Jana; Pokorný, Radovan; Středa, Tomáš

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was: (i) long-term (2010, 2011 and 2013) evaluation of the relative air humidity in the winter wheat canopy, (ii) finding of relationships between relative air humidity in canopy and computed or measured meteorological values (precipitation totals, evapotranspiration, moisture balance, specific air humidity, volume soil moisture, % of available soil water content, value of soil water potential), (iii) testing of simulation of daily relative air humidity, based on selected meteorological values and potential evapotranspiration (FAO Penman-Monteith method) and actual evapotranspiration, (iv) testing of simulation of relative air humidity hourly values in the wheat canopy, (v) evaluation of dependence between relative air humidity and leaf wetness. The measurement was performed at the experimental field station of Mendel University in Žabčice (South Moravia, the Czech Republic). Data recording for wheat canopy was conducted by means of a meteostation equipped with digital air humidity and air temperature sensors positioned in the ground, effective height of the stand and in 2 m above the ground. The main vegetation period of wheat was divided into three stages to evaluate differences in various growing phases of wheat. The data from nearby standard climatological stations and from agrometeorological station in Žabčice were used for establishment of relationships between relative air humidity in winter wheat canopy and surrounding environment by correlation and regression analysis. Relative air humidity above 90% occurred substantially longer on the ground and at the effective height of the stand in comparison with the height of 2 m. By means of regression analysis we determined that the limit of 90% was reached in the canopy when at the climatological station it was just 60 to 90% for ground level and 70 to 90% for effective height, especially during the night. Slight dependence between measured or computed meteorological variables and relative air humidity in winter wheat canopy was found (r = 0.23 - 0.56 for precipitation totals, r = 0.27 - 0.57 for % of available soil water capacity, etc.). The simulation of hourly values of relative air humidity in wheat canopy is partially possible just when using the data of relative air humidity from the relevant standard climatological station.

Understanding interactions in the adsorption of gaseous organic compounds to indoor materials.

PubMed

Ongwandee, Maneerat; Chatsuvan, Thabtim; Suksawas Na Ayudhya, Wichitsawat; Morris, John

2017-02-01

We studied adsorption of organic compounds to a wide range of indoor materials, including plastics, gypsum board, carpet, and many others, under various relative humidity conditions by applying a conceptual model of the free energy of interfacial interactions of both van der Waals and Lewis acid-base (e-donor/acceptor) types. Data used for the analyses were partitioning coefficients of adsorbates between surface and gas phase obtained from three sources: our sorption experiments and two other published studies. Target organic compounds included apolars, monopolars, and bipolars. We established correlations of partitioning coefficients of adsorbates for a considered surface with the corresponding hexadecane/air partitioning coefficients of the adsorbates which are used as representative of a van der Waals descriptor instead of vapor pressure. The logarithmic adsorption coefficients of the apolars and weak bases, e.g., aliphatics and aromatics, to indoor materials linearly correlates well with the logarithmic hexadecane/air partitioning coefficients regardless of the surface polarity. The surface polarity in terms of e-donor/acceptor interactions becomes important for adsorption of the strong bases and bipolars, e.g., amines, phenols, and alcohols, to unpainted gypsum board. Under dry or humid conditions, the adsorption to flat plastic materials still linearly correlates well with the van der Waals interactions of the adsorbates, but no correlations were observed for the adsorption to fleecy or plush materials, e.g., carpet. Adsorption of highly bipolar compounds, e.g., phenol and isopropanol, is strongly affected by humidity, attributed to Lewis acid-base interactions with modified surfaces.

Influence of relative humidity on VOC concentrations in indoor air.

PubMed

Markowicz, Pawel; Larsson, Lennart

2015-04-01

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be emitted from surfaces indoors leading to compromised air quality. This study scrutinized the influence of relative humidity (RH) on VOC concentrations in a building that had been subjected to water damage. While air samplings in a damp room at low RH (21-22%) only revealed minor amounts of 2-ethylhexanol (3 μg/m(3)) and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutyrate (TXIB, 8 μg/m(3)), measurements performed after a rapid increase of RH (to 58-75%) revealed an increase in VOC concentrations which was 3-fold for 2-ethylhexanol and 2-fold for TXIB. Similar VOC emission patterns were found in laboratory analyses of moisture-affected and laboratory-contaminated building materials. This study demonstrates the importance of monitoring RH when sampling indoor air for VOCs in order to avoid misleading conclusions from the analytical results.

Quantifying the effects of altering ambient humidity on ionic composition of vocal fold surface fluid.

PubMed

Sivasankar, M Preeti; Carroll, Thomas L; Kosinski, Aaron M; Rosen, Clark A

2013-07-01

Vocal fold surface fluid (VFSF) is important in hydration and defense of underlying epithelial cells. The objective of this study was to quantify changes in the ionic composition of VFSF after altering the humidity of inhaled air. We tested the hypothesis that low humidity exposure would increase the concentration of VFSF sodium (Na(+)) and chloride (Cl(-)) ions but that high humidity exposure would decrease the concentration of VFSF Na(+) and Cl(-) ions as compared to the low humidity challenge. Prospective design. Eighteen healthy adults participated in this study. VFSF was collected from each subject at baseline and following exposure to low humidity and high humidity environments. VFSF Na(+) concentration was assessed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. VFSF Cl(-) concentration was measured with indirect potentiometry. All analyses were completed by personnel blinded to the hypothesis being tested. The low humidity environment increased Na(+) concentration in the majority of the subjects. Data for changes in Cl(-) concentrations were variable. Overall the data did not reach statistical significance (P > .05). Subjective impressions suggested that VFSF collection was more difficult in low humidity as compared to the high humidity and baseline conditions. This study is the first attempt to measure the ionic concentration of VFSF. The results from the current study have important implications for future programmatic research quantifying the effects of pollutants and laryngopharyngeal reflux on VFSF composition, epithelial hydration, and vocal fold defense. Copyright © 2012 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Quantifying the Effects of Altering Ambient Humidity on Ionic Composition of Vocal Fold Surface Fluid

PubMed Central

Sivasankar, M. Preeti; Carroll, Thomas L.; Kosinski, Aaron M.; Rosen, Clark A.

2013-01-01

Objective Vocal fold surface fluid (VFSF) is important in hydration and defense of underlying epithelial cells. The objective of this study was to quantify changes in the ionic composition of VFSF after altering the humidity of inhaled air. We tested the hypothesis that low humidity exposure would increase the concentration of VFSF sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−) ions but that high humidity exposure would decrease the concentration of VFSF Na+ and Cl− ions as compared to the low humidity challenge. Study Design Prospective design. Methods Eighteen healthy adults participated in this study. VFSF was collected from each subject at baseline, and following exposure to low humidity and high humidity environments. VFSF Na+ concentration was assessed using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. VFSF Cl− concentration was measured with indirect potentiometry. All analyses were completed by personnel blinded to the hypothesis being tested. Results The low humidity environment increased Na+ concentration in the majority of the subjects. Data for changes in Cl− concentrations were variable. Overall the data did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). Subjective impressions suggested that VFSF collection was more difficult in low humidity as compared to the high humidity and baseline conditions. Conclusions This study is the first attempt to measure the ionic concentration of VFSF. The results from the current study have important implications for future programmatic research quantifying the effects of pollutants and laryngopharyngeal reflux on VFSF composition, epithelial hydration, and vocal fold defense. PMID:23529891

Nanoscale mechanochemical wear of phosphate laser glass against a CeO2 particle in humid air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jiaxin; He, Hongtu; Zhang, Yafeng; Hu, Hailong

2017-01-01

Using an atomic force microscope, the friction and wear of phosphate laser glass against a CeO2 particle were quantitatively studied both in humid air and in vacuum, to reveal the water molecules induced mechanochemical wear mechanism of phosphate laser glass. The friction coefficient of the glass/CeO2 pair in air was found to be 5-7 times higher than that in vacuum due to the formation of a capillary water bridge at the friction interface, with a contribution of the capillary-related friction to the total friction coefficient as high as 65-79%. The capillary water bridge further induced a serious material removal of glass and CeO2 particle surfaces, while supplying both a local liquid water environment to corrode the glass surface and a high shearing force to assist the stretching of the Cesbnd Osbnd P bond, accelerating the reaction between water and the glass/CeO2 pair. In vacuum, however, no discernable wear phenomena were observed, but the phase images captured by AFM tapping mode suggested the occurrence of potential strain hardening in the friction area of the glass surface.

Global estimation of evapotranspiration using a leaf area index-based surface energy and water balance model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Studies of global hydrologic cycles, carbon cycles and climate change are greatly facilitated when global estimates of evapotranspiration (E) are available. We have developed an air-relative-humidity-based two-source (ARTS) E model that simulates the surface energy balance, soil water balance, and e...

Stable and Selective Humidity Sensing Using Stacked Black Phosphorus Flakes.

PubMed

Yasaei, Poya; Behranginia, Amirhossein; Foroozan, Tara; Asadi, Mohammad; Kim, Kibum; Khalili-Araghi, Fatemeh; Salehi-Khojin, Amin

2015-10-27

Black phosphorus (BP) atomic layers are known to undergo chemical degradation in humid air. Yet in more robust configurations such as films, composites, and embedded structures, BP can potentially be utilized in a large number of practical applications. In this study, we explored the sensing characteristics of BP films and observed an ultrasensitive and selective response toward humid air with a trace-level detection capability and a very minor drift over time. Our experiments show that the drain current of the BP sensor increases by ∼4 orders of magnitude as the relative humidity (RH) varies from 10% to 85%, which ranks it among the highest ever reported values for humidity detection. The mechanistic studies indicate that the operation principle of the BP film sensors is based on the modulation in the leakage ionic current caused by autoionization of water molecules and ionic solvation of the phosphorus oxoacids produced on moist BP surfaces. Our stability tests reveal that the response of the BP film sensors remains nearly unchanged after prolonged exposures (up to 3 months) to ambient conditions. This study opens up the route for utilizing BP stacked films in many potential applications such as energy generation/storage systems, electrocatalysis, and chemical/biosensing.

Steady-State Diffusion of Water through Soft-Contact LensMaterials

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

Fornasiero, Francesco; Krull, Florian; Radke, Clayton J.

2005-01-31

Water transport through soft contact lenses (SCL) is important for acceptable performance on the human eye. Chemical-potential gradient-driven diffusion rates of water through soft-contact-lens materials are measured with an evaporation-cell technique. Water is evaporated from the bottom surface of a lens membrane by impinging air at controlled flow rate and humidity. The resulting weight loss of a water reservoir covering the top surface of the contact-lens material is recorded as a function of time. New results are reported for a conventional hydrogel material (SofLens{trademark} One Day, hilafilcon A, water content at saturation W{sub 10} = 70 weight %) and amore » silicone hydrogel material (PureVision{trademark}, balafilcon A, W{sub 10} = 36 %), with and without surface oxygen plasma treatment. Also, previously reported data for a conventional HEMA-SCL (W{sub 10} = 38 %) hydrogel are reexamined and compared with those for SofLens{trademark} One Day and PureVision{trademark} hydrogels. Measured steady-state water fluxes are largest for SofLens{trademark} One Day, followed by PureVision{trademark} and HEMA. In some cases, the measured steady-state water fluxes increase with rising relative air humidity. This increase, due to an apparent mass-transfer resistance at the surface (trapping skinning), is associated with formation of a glassy skin at the air/membrane interface when the relative humidity is below 55-75%. Steady-state water-fluxes are interpreted through an extended Maxwell-Stefan diffusion model for a mixture of species starkly different in size. Thermodynamic nonideality is considered through Flory-Rehner polymer-solution theory. Shrinking/swelling is self-consistently modeled by conservation of the total polymer mass. Fitted Maxwell-Stefan diffusivities increase significantly with water concentration in the contact lens.« less

Estimates of surface humidity and latent heat fluxes over oceans from SSM/I data

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

Cho, S.H.; Atlas, R.M.; Shie, C.L.

1995-08-01

Monthly averages of daily latent heat fluxes over the oceans for February and August 1988 are estimated using a stability-dependent bulk scheme. Daily fluxes are computed from daily SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave/Imager) wind speeds and EOF-retrieved SSM/I surface humidity, National Meteorological Center sea surface temperatures, and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analyzed 2-m temperatures. Daily surface specific humidity (Q) is estimated from SSM/I precipitable water of total (W) and a 500-m bottom layer (W{sub B}) using an EOF (empirical orthogonal function) method. This method has six W-based categories of EOFs (independent of geographical locations) and is developed usingmore » 23 177 FGGE IIb humidity soundings over the global oceans. For 1200 FGGE IIb humidity soundings, the accuracy of EOF-retrieved Q is 0.75 g kg{sup -1} for the case without errors in W and W{sub B} and increases to 1.16 g kg{sup -1} for the case with errors in W and W{sub B}. Compared to 342 collocated radiosonde observations, the EOF-retrieved SSM/I Q has an accuracy of 1.7 g kg{sup -1}. The method improves upon the humidity retrieval of Liu and is competitive with that of Schulz et al. The SSM/I surface humidity and latent heat fluxes of these two months agree reasonably well with those of COADS (Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set). Compared to the COADS, the sea-air humidity difference of SSM/I has a positive bias of approximately 1-3 g kg{sup -1} (an overestimation of flux) over the wintertime eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, it has a negative bias of about 1-2 g kg{sup -1} (an underestimation of flux). The results further suggest that the two monthly flux estimates, computed from daily and monthly mean data, do not differ significantly over the oceans. 35 refs., 12 figs., 4 tabs.« less

40 CFR 1065.670 - NOX intake-air humidity and temperature corrections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... concentrations for intake-air humidity. You may use a time-weighted mean combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a tolerance of ±0.0025 mol/mol of the... equation: ER30AP10.095 Example: x NOxuncor = 700.5 µmol/mol x H2O = 0.022 mol/mol x NOxcor = 700.5 · (9.953...

40 CFR 1065.670 - NOX intake-air humidity and temperature corrections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... concentrations for intake-air humidity. You may use a time-weighted mean combustion air humidity to calculate this correction if your combustion air humidity remains within a tolerance of ±0.0025 mol/mol of the... equation: ER30AP10.095 Example: x NOxuncor = 700.5 µmol/mol x H2O = 0.022 mol/mol x NOxcor = 700.5 · (9.953...

Twin-cuvette measurement technique for investigation of dry deposition of O3 and PAN to plant leaves under controlled humidity conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shang; Moravek, Alexander; von der Heyden, Lisa; Held, Andreas; Sörgel, Matthias; Kesselmeier, Jürgen

2016-02-01

We present a dynamic twin-cuvette system for quantifying the trace-gas exchange fluxes between plants and the atmosphere under controlled temperature, light, and humidity conditions. Compared with a single-cuvette system, the twin-cuvette system is insensitive to disturbing background effects such as wall deposition. In combination with a climate chamber, we can perform flux measurements under constant and controllable environmental conditions. With an Automatic Temperature Regulated Air Humidification System (ATRAHS), we are able to regulate the relative humidity inside both cuvettes between 40 and 90 % with a high precision of 0.3 %. Thus, we could demonstrate that for a cuvette system operated with a high flow rate (> 20 L min-1), a temperature-regulated humidification system such as ATRAHS is an accurate method for air humidification of the flushing air. Furthermore, the fully automatic progressive fill-up of ATRAHS based on a floating valve improved the performance of the entire measurement system and prevented data gaps. Two reactive gas species, ozone (O3) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), were used to demonstrate the quality and performance of the twin-cuvette system. O3 and PAN exchange with Quercus ilex was investigated over a 14 day measurement period under controlled climate chamber conditions. By using O3 mixing ratios between 32 and 105 ppb and PAN mixing ratios between 100 and 350 ppt, a linear dependency of the O3 flux as well as the PAN flux in relation to its ambient mixing ratio could be observed. At relative humidity (RH) of 40 %, the deposition velocity ratio of O3 and PAN was determined to be 0.45. At that humidity, the deposition of O3 to the plant leaves was found to be only controlled by the leaf stomata. For PAN, an additional resistance inhibited the uptake of PAN by the leaves. Furthermore, the formation of water films on the leaf surface of plants inside the chamber could be continuously tracked with our custom built leaf wetness sensors. Using this modified leaf wetness sensor measuring the electrical surface conductance on the leaves, an exponential relationship between the ambient humidity and the electrical surface conductance could be determined.

Twin-cuvette measurement technique for investigation of dry deposition of O3 and PAN to plant leaves under controlled humidity conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, S.; Moravek, A.; von der Heyden, L.; Held, A.; Sörgel, M.; Kesselmeier, J.

2015-11-01

We present a dynamic twin-cuvette system for quantifying the trace gas exchange fluxes between plants and the atmosphere under controlled temperature, light and humidity conditions. Compared with a single cuvette system, the twin-cuvette system is insensitive for disturbing background effects such as wall deposition. In combination with a climate chamber we can perform flux measurements under constant and controllable environmental conditions. With an Automatic Temperature Regulated Air Humidification System (ATRAHS) we are able to regulate the relative humidity inside both cuvettes between 40 to 90 % with a high precision of 0.3 %. Thus, we could demonstrate that for a cuvette system operated with a high flow rate (> 20 L min-1) such a temperature regulated humidification system as ATRAHS is an accurate method for air humidification of the flushing air. Furthermore, the fully automatic progressive fill-up of ATRAHS based on a floating valve improved the performance of the entire measurement system and prevented data gaps. Two reactive gas species, ozone (O3) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), were used to demonstrate the quality and performance of the twin-cuvette system. O3 and PAN exchange with Quercus ilex was investigated over a 14 day measurement period under controlled climate chamber conditions. By using O3 mixing ratios between 32-105 ppb and PAN mixing ratios between 100-350 ppt a linear dependency of the O3 flux as well as the PAN flux in relation to its ambient mixing ratio could be observed. At relative humidity (RH) of 40 %, the deposition velocity ratio of O3 and PAN was determined to be 0.45. At that humidity, the deposition of O3 to the plant leaves was found to be only controlled by the leaf stomata. For PAN an additional resistance inhibited the uptake of PAN by the leaves. Furthermore, the formation of water films on the leaf surface of plants inside the chamber could be continuously tracked with our custom built leaf wetness sensors. Using this modified leaf wetness sensor measuring the electrical surface conductance on the leaves, an exponential relationship between the ambient humidity and the electrical surface conductance could be determined.

Unique relation between surface-limited evaporation and relative humidity profiles holds in both field data and climate model simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvucci, G.; Rigden, A. J.; Gentine, P.; Lintner, B. R.

2013-12-01

A new method was recently proposed for estimating evapotranspiration (ET) from weather station data without requiring measurements of surface limiting factors (e.g. soil moisture, leaf area, canopy conductance) [Salvucci and Gentine, 2013, PNAS, 110(16): 6287-6291]. Required measurements include diurnal air temperature, specific humidity, wind speed, net shortwave radiation, and either measured or estimated incoming longwave radiation and ground heat flux. The approach is built around the idea that the key, rate-limiting, parameter of typical ET models, the land-surface resistance to water vapor transport, can be estimated from an emergent relationship between the diurnal cycle of the relative humidity profile and ET. The emergent relation is that the vertical variance of the relative humidity profile is less than what would occur for increased or decreased evaporation rates, suggesting that land-atmosphere feedback processes minimize this variance. This relation was found to hold over a wide range of climate conditions (arid to humid) and limiting factors (soil moisture, leaf area, energy) at a set of Ameriflux field sites. While the field tests in Salvucci and Gentine (2013) supported the minimum variance hypothesis, the analysis did not reveal the mechanisms responsible for the behavior. Instead the paper suggested, heuristically, that the results were due to an equilibration of the relative humidity between the land surface and the surface layer of the boundary layer. Here we apply this method using surface meteorological fields simulated by a global climate model (GCM), and compare the predicted ET to that simulated by the climate model. Similar to the field tests, the GCM simulated ET is in agreement with that predicted by minimizing the profile relative humidity variance. A reasonable interpretation of these results is that the feedbacks responsible for the minimization of the profile relative humidity variance in nature are represented in the climate model. The climate model components, in particular the land surface model and boundary layer representation, can thus be analyzed in controlled numerical experiments to discern the specific processes leading to the observed behavior. Results of this analysis will be presented.

Surface-atmosphere decoupling limits accumulation at Summit, Greenland.

PubMed

Berkelhammer, Max; Noone, David C; Steen-Larsen, Hans Christian; Bailey, Adriana; Cox, Christopher J; O'Neill, Michael S; Schneider, David; Steffen, Konrad; White, James W C

2016-04-01

Despite rapid melting in the coastal regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet, a significant area (~40%) of the ice sheet rarely experiences surface melting. In these regions, the controls on annual accumulation are poorly constrained owing to surface conditions (for example, surface clouds, blowing snow, and surface inversions), which render moisture flux estimates from myriad approaches (that is, eddy covariance, remote sensing, and direct observations) highly uncertain. Accumulation is partially determined by the temperature dependence of saturation vapor pressure, which influences the maximum humidity of air parcels reaching the ice sheet interior. However, independent proxies for surface temperature and accumulation from ice cores show that the response of accumulation to temperature is variable and not generally consistent with a purely thermodynamic control. Using three years of stable water vapor isotope profiles from a high altitude site on the Greenland Ice Sheet, we show that as the boundary layer becomes increasingly stable, a decoupling between the ice sheet and atmosphere occurs. The limited interaction between the ice sheet surface and free tropospheric air reduces the capacity for surface condensation to achieve the rate set by the humidity of the air parcels reaching interior Greenland. The isolation of the surface also acts to recycle sublimated moisture by recondensing it onto fog particles, which returns the moisture back to the surface through gravitational settling. The observations highlight a unique mechanism by which ice sheet mass is conserved, which has implications for understanding both past and future changes in accumulation rate and the isotopic signal in ice cores from Greenland.

Surface-atmosphere decoupling limits accumulation at Summit, Greenland

PubMed Central

Berkelhammer, Max; Noone, David C.; Steen-Larsen, Hans Christian; Bailey, Adriana; Cox, Christopher J.; O’Neill, Michael S.; Schneider, David; Steffen, Konrad; White, James W. C.

2016-01-01

Despite rapid melting in the coastal regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet, a significant area (~40%) of the ice sheet rarely experiences surface melting. In these regions, the controls on annual accumulation are poorly constrained owing to surface conditions (for example, surface clouds, blowing snow, and surface inversions), which render moisture flux estimates from myriad approaches (that is, eddy covariance, remote sensing, and direct observations) highly uncertain. Accumulation is partially determined by the temperature dependence of saturation vapor pressure, which influences the maximum humidity of air parcels reaching the ice sheet interior. However, independent proxies for surface temperature and accumulation from ice cores show that the response of accumulation to temperature is variable and not generally consistent with a purely thermodynamic control. Using three years of stable water vapor isotope profiles from a high altitude site on the Greenland Ice Sheet, we show that as the boundary layer becomes increasingly stable, a decoupling between the ice sheet and atmosphere occurs. The limited interaction between the ice sheet surface and free tropospheric air reduces the capacity for surface condensation to achieve the rate set by the humidity of the air parcels reaching interior Greenland. The isolation of the surface also acts to recycle sublimated moisture by recondensing it onto fog particles, which returns the moisture back to the surface through gravitational settling. The observations highlight a unique mechanism by which ice sheet mass is conserved, which has implications for understanding both past and future changes in accumulation rate and the isotopic signal in ice cores from Greenland. PMID:27386509

Increased Air Velocity Reduces Thermal and Cardiovascular Strain in Young and Older Males during Humid Exertional Heat Stress.

PubMed

Wright Beatty, Heather E; Hardcastle, Stephen G; Boulay, Pierre; Flouris, Andreas D; Kenny, Glen P

2015-01-01

Older adults have been reported to have a lower evaporative heat loss capacity than younger adults during exercise when full sweat evaporation is permitted. However, it is unclear how conditions of restricted evaporative and convective heat loss (i.e., high humidity, clothing insulation) alter heat stress. to the purpose of this study was to examine the heat stress responses of young and older males during and following exercise in a warm/humid environment under two different levels of air velocity. Ten young (YOUNG: 24±2 yr) and 10 older (OLDER: 59±3 yr) males, matched for body surface area performed 4×15-min cycling bouts (15-min rest) at a fixed rate of heat production (400 W) in warm/humid conditions (35°C, 60% relative humidity) under 0.5 (Low) and 3.0 (High) m·s(-1) air velocity while wearing work coveralls. Rectal (Tre) and mean skin (MTsk) temperatures, heart rate (HR), local sweat rate, % max skin blood flow (SkBF) (recovery only), and blood pressure (recovery only) were measured. High air velocity reduced core and skin temperatures (p < 0.05) equally in YOUNG and OLDER males (p > 0.05) but was more effective in reducing cardiovascular strain (absolute and % max HR; p < 0.05) in YOUNG males (p < 0.05). Greater increases in local dry heat loss responses (% max SkBF and cutaneous vascular conductance) were detected across time in OLDER than YOUNG males in both conditions (p < 0.05). Local dry heat loss responses and cardiovascular strain were attenuated during the High condition in YOUNG compared to OLDER (p < 0.05). High air velocity reduced the number of males surpassing the 38.0°C Tre threshold from 90% (Low) to 50% (High). Despite age-related local heat loss differences, YOUNG and OLDER males had similar levels of heat stress during intermittent exercise in warm and humid conditions while wearing work coveralls. Increased air velocity was effective in reducing heat stress equally, and cardiovascular strain to a greater extent, in YOUNG and OLDER males, and may be useful for mitigating heat stress in all workers.

Kinetic Effects on Self-Assembly and Function of Protein-Polymer Bioconjugates in Thin Films Prepared by Flow Coating.

PubMed

Chang, Dongsook; Huang, Aaron; Olsen, Bradley D

2017-01-01

The self-assembly of nanostructured globular protein arrays in thin films is demonstrated using protein-polymer block copolymers based on a model protein mCherry and the polymer poly(oligoethylene glycol acrylate) (POEGA). Conjugates are flow coated into thin films on a poly(ethylene oxide) grafted Si surface, forming self-assembled cylindrical nanostructures with POEGA domains selectively segregating to the air-film interface. Long-range order and preferential arrangement of parallel cylinders templated by selective surfaces are demonstrated by controlling relative humidity. Long-range order increases with coating speed when the film thicknesses are kept constant, due to reduced nucleation per unit area of drying film. Fluorescence emission spectra of mCherry in films prepared at <25% relative humidity shows a small shift suggesting that proteins are more perturbed at low humidity than high humidity or the solution state. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Passive anti-frosting surfaces using microscopic ice arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadi, Farzad; Nath, Saurabh; Iliff, Grady; Boreyko, Jonathan

2017-11-01

Despite exceptional advances in surface chemistry and micro/nanofabrication, no engineered surface has been able to passively suppress the in-plane growth of frost occurring in humid, subfreezing environments. Motivated by this, and inspired by the fact that ice itself can evaporate nearby liquid water droplets, we present a passive anti-frosting surface in which the majority of the surface remains dry indefinitely. We fabricated an aluminum surface exhibiting an array of small metallic fins, where a wicking micro-groove was laser-cut along the top of each fin to produce elevated water ``stripes'' that freeze into ice. As the saturation vapor pressure of ice is less than that of supercooled liquid water, the ice stripes serve as overlapping humidity sinks that siphon all nearby moisture from the air and prevent condensation and frost from forming anywhere else on the surface. Our experimental results show that regions between stripes remain dry even after 24 hours of operation under humid and supercooled conditions. We believe that the presented anti-frosting technology has the potential to help solve the world's multi-billion dollar frosting problem that adversely affects transportation, power generation, and HVAC systems.

Biofilm formation and sporulation by Bacillus cereus on a stainless steel surface and subsequent resistance of vegetative cells and spores to chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and a peroxyacetic acid-based sanitizer.

PubMed

Ryu, Jee-Hoon; Beuchat, Larry R

2005-12-01

Biofilm formation by Bacillus cereus 038-2 on stainless steel coupons, sporulation in the biofilm as affected by nutrient availability, temperature, and relative humidity, and the resistance of vegetative cells and spores in biofilm to sanitizers were investigated. Total counts in biofilm formed on coupons immersed in tryptic soy broth (TSB) at 12 and 22 degrees C consisted of 99.94% of vegetative cells and 0.06% of spores. Coupons on which biofilm had formed were immersed in TSB or exposed to air with 100, 97, 93, or 85% relative humidity. Biofilm on coupons immersed in TSB at 12 degrees C for an additional 6 days or 22 degrees C for an additional 4 days contained 0.30 and 0.02% of spores, respectively, whereas biofilm exposed to air with 100 or 97% relative humidity at 22 degrees C for 4 days contained 10 and 2.5% of spores, respectively. Sporulation did not occur in biofilm exposed to 93 or 85% relative humidity at 22 degrees C. Treatment of biofilm on coupons that had been immersed in TSB at 22 degrees C with chlorine (50 microg/ml), chlorine dioxide (50 microg/ml), and a peroxyacetic acid-based sanitizer (Tsunami 200, 40 microg/ml) for 5 min reduced total cell counts (vegetative cells plus spores) by 4.7, 3.0, and 3.8 log CFU per coupon, respectively; total cell counts in biofilm exposed to air with 100% relative humidity were reduced by 1.5, 2.4, and 1.1 log CFU per coupon, respectively, reflecting the presence of lower numbers of vegetative cells. Spores that survived treatment with chlorine dioxide had reduced resistance to heat. It is concluded that exposure of biofilm formed by B. cereus exposed to air at high relative humidity (> or =97%) promotes the production of spores. Spores and, to a lesser extent, vegetative cells embedded in biofilm are protected against inactivation by sanitizers. Results provide new insights to developing strategies to achieve more effective sanitation programs to minimize risks associated with B. cereus in biofilm formed on food contact surfaces and on foods.

Influence of humidity on the characteristics of negative corona discharge in air

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

Xu, Pengfei, E-mail: xpftsh@126.com; Zhang, Bo, E-mail: shizbcn@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn; He, Jinliang, E-mail: hejl@tsinghua.edu.cn

Detailed negative corona discharge characteristics, such as the pulse amplitude, repetition frequency, average corona current, rise time, and half-wave time, are systematically studied under various air humidities with a single artificial defect electrode. The experimental result reveals that the pulse amplitude increases with the increase of air humidity; meanwhile, the repetition frequency deceases as the air humidity increases. Empirical formulae are first established for the pulse amplitude and repetition frequency with the humidity factor taken into consideration. The effective ionization integral is calculated and a positive correlation is found between the integral and the pulse amplitude. Furthermore, a simplified negative-ionmore » cloud model is built up to investigate the mechanism of the humidity's influence on negative corona discharge. Based on the theoretical analyses, the correlation between pulse amplitude, repetition frequency, and air humidity is well explained.« less

Air-sea interaction with SSM/I and altimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

A number of important developments in satellite remote sensing techniques have occurred recently which offer the possibility of studying over vast areas of the ocean the temporally evolving energy exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere. Commencing in spring of 1985, passive and active microwave sensors that can provide valuable data for scientific utilization will start to become operational on Department of Defense (DOD) missions. The passive microwave radiometer can be used to estimate surface wind speed, total air column humidity, and rain rate. The active radar, or altimeter, senses surface gravity wave height and surface wind speed.

Interface Reaction of Nickel-Oxide on Steel.

DTIC Science & Technology

In vacuum or an argon atmosphere, nickel oxide reacts with steel at 600 to 750C to form a surface layer of gamma- NiFe which affords corrosion protection to the steel in air and warm humid conditions. (Author)

Aerosol optical properties over the midcontinental United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halthore, Rangasayi N.; Markham, Brian L.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Aro, Theo. O.

1992-01-01

Solar and sky radiation measurements were analyzed to obtain aerosol properties such as the optical thickness and the size distribution. The measurements were conducted as part of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Field Experiment during the second intensive field campaign (IFC) from June 25 to July 14, 1987, and the fifth IFC from July 25 to August 12, 1989, on the Konza Prairie near Manhattan, Kansas. Correlations with climatological and meteorological parameters show that during the period of observations in 1987, two types of air masses dominated the area: an air mass with low optical thickness and low temperature air associated with a northerly breeze, commonly referred to as the continental air, and an air mass with a higher optical thickness and higher temperature air associated with a southerly wind which we call 'Gulf air'. The size distributions show a predominance of the larger size particles in 'Gulf air'. Because of the presence of two contrasting air masses, correlations with parameters such as relative humidity, specific humidity, pressure, temperature, and North Star sky radiance reveal some interesting aspects. In 1989, clear distinctions between continental and Gulf air cannot be made; the reason for this will be discussed.

Characteristics of Mesoscale Organization in WRF Simulations of Convection during TWP-ICE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Del Genio, Anthony D.; Wu, Jingbo; Chen, Yonghua

2013-01-01

Compared to satellite-derived heating profiles, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation model (GCM) convective heating is too deep and its stratiform upper-level heating is too weak. This deficiency highlights the need for GCMs to parameterize the mesoscale organization of convection. Cloud-resolving model simulations of convection near Darwin, Australia, in weak wind shear environments of different humidities are used to characterize mesoscale organization processes and to provide parameterization guidance. Downdraft cold pools appear to stimulate further deep convection both through their effect on eddy size and vertical velocity. Anomalously humid air surrounds updrafts, reducing the efficacy of entrainment. Recovery of cold pool properties to ambient conditions over 5-6 h proceeds differently over land and ocean. Over ocean increased surface fluxes restore the cold pool to prestorm conditions. Over land surface fluxes are suppressed in the cold pool region; temperature decreases and humidity increases, and both then remain nearly constant, while the undisturbed environment cools diurnally. The upper-troposphere stratiform rain region area lags convection by 5-6 h under humid active monsoon conditions but by only 1-2 h during drier break periods, suggesting that mesoscale organization is more readily sustained in a humid environment. Stratiform region hydrometeor mixing ratio lags convection by 0-2 h, suggesting that it is strongly influenced by detrainment from convective updrafts. Small stratiform region temperature anomalies suggest that a mesoscale updraft parameterization initialized with properties of buoyant detrained air and evolving to a balance between diabatic heating and adiabatic cooling might be a plausible approach for GCMs.

Effects of water nanodroplets on skin moisture and viscoelasticity during air-conditioning.

PubMed

Ohno, Hideo; Nishimura, Naoki; Yamada, Kuniyuki; Shimizu, Yuuki; Iwase, Satoshi; Sugenoya, Junichi; Sato, Motohiko

2013-11-01

In air-conditioned rooms, dry air exacerbates some skin diseases, for example, senile xerosis, atopic dermatitis, and surface roughness. Humidifiers are used to improve air dryness, which often induces excess humidity and thermal discomfort. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of water nanodroplets (mist) on skin hydration, which may increase skin hydration by penetrating into the interstitial spaces between corneocytes of the stratum corneum (SC) without increasing air humidity. We examined biophysical parameters, including skin conductance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and biomechanical parameters of skin distension/retraction before and after suction at the forehead, lateral canthus, and cheek, with or without mist, in a testing environment (24°C, 35% relative humidity) for 120 min. In the group without mist, TEWL values significantly decreased at all the sites after 1 h compared with the initial values. However, in the presence of mist, TEWL values were maintained at the initial values through the test, yielding significant differences vs. the group without mist. There were no significant differences between mist and mist-free groups in terms of skin conductance. Skin distension was significantly increased in the group with mist compared with that in the group without mist at the forehead and cheek, suggesting a softening effect of mist. Skin deformation of the face was improved by mist, suggesting hydration of the SC by mist. The change in TEWL was influenced by mist, suggesting supply of water to the skin, particularly the SC, by mist. These data indicated that a mist of water nanodroplets played an important role in softening skin in an air-conditioned room without increasing excess humidity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Experimental research on the indoor temperature and humidity fields in radiant ceiling air-conditioning system under natural ventilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Tao; Xiang, Yutong; Wang, Yonghong

2017-05-01

In this paper, the indoor temperature and humidity fields of the air in a metal ceiling radiant panel air conditioning system with fresh air under natural ventilation were researched. The temperature and humidity distributions at different height and different position were compared. Through the computation analysis of partial pressure of water vapor, the self-recovery characteristics of humidity after the natural ventilation was discussed.

Moisture harvesting and water transport through specialized micro-structures on the integument of lizards.

PubMed

Comanns, Philipp; Effertz, Christian; Hischen, Florian; Staudt, Konrad; Böhme, Wolfgang; Baumgartner, Werner

2011-01-01

Several lizard species that live in arid areas have developed special abilities to collect water with their bodies' surfaces and to ingest the so collected moisture. This is called rain- or moisture-harvesting. The water can originate from air humidity, fog, dew, rain or even from humid soil. The integument (i.e., the skin plus skin derivatives such as scales) has developed features so that the water spreads and is soaked into a capillary system in between the reptiles' scales. Within this capillary system the water is transported to the mouth where it is ingested. We have investigated three different lizard species which have developed the ability for moisture harvesting independently, viz. the Australian thorny devil (Moloch horridus), the Arabian toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus arabicus) and the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum). All three lizards have a honeycomb like micro ornamentation on the outer surface of the scales and a complex capillary system in between the scales. By investigation of individual scales and by producing and characterising polymer replicas of the reptiles' integuments, we found that the honeycomb like structures render the surface superhydrophilic, most likely by holding a water film physically stable. Furthermore, the condensation of air humidity is improved on this surface by about 100% in comparison to unstructured surfaces. This allows the animals to collect moisture with their entire body surface. The collected water is transported into the capillary system. For Phrynosoma cornutum we found the interesting effect that, in contrast to the other two investigated species, the water flow in the capillary system is not uniform but directed to the mouth. Taken together we found that the micro ornamentation yields a superhydrophilic surface, and the semi-tubular capillaries allow for an efficient passive - and for Phrynosoma directed - transport of water.

An Indirect Data Assimilation Scheme for Deep Soil Temperature in the Pleim-Xiu Land Surface Model

EPA Science Inventory

The Pleim-Xiu land surface model (PX LSM) has been improved by the addition of a 2nd indirect data assimilation scheme. The first, which was described previously, is a technique where soil moisture in nudged according to the biases in 2-m air temperature and relative humidity be...

Correlation of Water Frost Porosity in Laminar Flow over Flat Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kandula, Max

2011-01-01

A dimensionless correlation has been proposed for water frost porosity expressing its dependence on frost surface temperature and Reynolds number for laminar forced flow over a flat surface. The correlation is presented in terms of a dimensionless frost surface temperature scaled with the cold plate temperature, and the freezing temperature. The flow Reynolds number is scaled with reference to the critical Reynolds number for laminar-turbulent transition. The proposed correlation agrees satisfactorily with the simultaneous measurements of frost density and frost surface temperature covering a range of plate temperature, ambient air velocity, humidity, and temperature. It is revealed that the frost porosity depends primarily on the frost surface and the plate temperatures and the flow Reynolds number, and is only weakly dependent on the relative humidity. The results also point out the general character of frost porosity displaying a decrease with an increase in flow Reynolds number.

Influence of the aqueous film coating process on the properties and stability of tablets containing a moisture-labile drug.

PubMed

Ruotsalainen, Mirja; Heinämäki, Jyrki; Taipale, Krista; Yliruusi, Jouko

2003-01-01

The effects of an aqueous film coating process on the morphology and storage stability of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-coated tablets containing a moisture-labile model drug (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) were evaluated using an instrumented side-vented tablet pan coater. Coating parameters studied were inlet air absolute humidity 5 g/m3 and 12 g/m3, spraying air pressure 100 kPa and 500 kPa, pan air temperature 35 degrees C and 55 degrees C, and coating solution flow rate 2.2 g/min and 7.8 g/min. The surface roughness of the coatings was measured with a laser profilometer and the chemical hydrolysis of the model drug ASA with an UV-spectrophotometer. The film-coated tablets were stored at 25 degrees C/60% RH and 40 degrees C/75% RH for three months. The high absolute humidity of the inlet air increased the residual water content and surface roughness of the coated tablets. Using a lower coating solution flow rate, higher spraying air pressure and pan temperature the coatings were smooth and homogeneous. In both ambient and accelerated storage conditions, the roughness of the coatings and the hydrolysis of ASA increased, but this was independent of the film coating process. Uniform and smooth hydroxypropyl methylcellulose coatings can be achieved by improved control of process parameters related to the application of the coating solution and water evaporation of the tablet surface.

Effect of inspired air conditions on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and urinary CC16 levels in athletes.

PubMed

Bolger, C; Tufvesson, E; Anderson, S D; Devereux, G; Ayres, J G; Bjermer, L; Sue-Chu, M; Kippelen, P

2011-10-01

Injury to the airway epithelium has been proposed as a key susceptibility factor for exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Our goals were to establish whether airway epithelial cell injury occurs during EIB in athletes and whether inhalation of warm humid air inhibits this injury. Twenty-one young male athletes (10 with a history of EIB) performed two 8-min exercise tests near maximal aerobic capacity in cold dry (4°C, 37% relative humidity) and warm humid (25°C, 94% relative humidity) air on separate days. Postexercise changes in urinary CC16 were used as a biomarker of airway epithelial cell perturbation and injury. Bronchoconstriction occurred in eight athletes in the cold dry environment and was completely blocked by inhalation of warm humid air [maximal fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s = 18.1 ± 2.1% (SD) in cold dry air and 1.7 ± 0.8% in warm humid air, P < 0.01]. Exercise caused an increase in urinary excretion of CC16 in all subjects (P < 0.001), but this rise in CC16 was blunted following inhalation of warm humid air [median CC16 increase pre- to postchallenge = 1.91 and 0.35 ng/μmol in cold dry and warm humid air, respectively, in athletes with EIB (P = 0.017) and 1.68 and 0.48 ng/μmol in cold dry and warm humid air, respectively, in athletes without EIB (P = 0.002)]. The results indicate that exercise hyperpnea transiently disrupts the airway epithelium of all athletes (not only in those with EIB) and that inhalation of warm moist air limits airway epithelial cell perturbation and injury.

Observations of the convective plume of a lake under cold-air advective conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bill, R. G., Jr.; Sutherland, R. A.; Bartholic, J. F.; Chen, E.

1978-01-01

Moderating effects of Lake Apopka, Florida, on downwind surface temperatures were evaluated under cold-air advective conditions. Point temperature measurements north and south of the lake and data obtained from a thermal scanner flown at 1.6 km indicate that surface temperatures directly downwind may be higher than surrounding surface temperatures by as much as 5 C under conditions of moderate winds (about 4 m/s). No substantial temperature effects were observed with surface wind speed less than 1 m/s. Fluxes of sensible and latent heat from Lake Apopka were calculated from measurements of lake temperature, net radiation, relative humidity, and air temperature above the lake. Bulk transfer coefficients and the Bowen ratio were calculated and found to be in agreement with reported data for nonadvective conditions.

Extreme heat in India and anthropogenic climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Oldenborgh, Geert Jan; Philip, Sjoukje; Kew, Sarah; van Weele, Michiel; Uhe, Peter; Otto, Friederike; Singh, Roop; Pai, Indrani; Cullen, Heidi; AchutaRao, Krishna

2018-01-01

On 19 May 2016 the afternoon temperature reached 51.0 °C in Phalodi in the northwest of India - a new record for the highest observed maximum temperature in India. The previous year, a widely reported very lethal heat wave occurred in the southeast, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, killing thousands of people. In both cases it was widely assumed that the probability and severity of heat waves in India are increasing due to global warming, as they do in other parts of the world. However, we do not find positive trends in the highest maximum temperature of the year in most of India since the 1970s (except spurious trends due to missing data). Decadal variability cannot explain this, but both increased air pollution with aerosols blocking sunlight and increased irrigation leading to evaporative cooling have counteracted the effect of greenhouse gases up to now. Current climate models do not represent these processes well and hence cannot be used to attribute heat waves in this area. The health effects of heat are often described better by a combination of temperature and humidity, such as a heat index or wet bulb temperature. Due to the increase in humidity from irrigation and higher sea surface temperatures (SSTs), these indices have increased over the last decades even when extreme temperatures have not. The extreme air pollution also exacerbates the health impacts of heat. From these factors it follows that, from a health impact point of view, the severity of heat waves has increased in India. For the next decades we expect the trend due to global warming to continue but the surface cooling effect of aerosols to diminish as air quality controls are implemented. The expansion of irrigation will likely continue, though at a slower pace, mitigating this trend somewhat. Humidity will probably continue to rise. The combination will result in a strong rise in the temperature of heat waves. The high humidity will make health effects worse, whereas decreased air pollution would decrease the impacts.

Lanthanide-halide based humidity indicators

DOEpatents

Beitz, James V [Hinsdale, IL; Williams, Clayton W [Chicago, IL

2008-01-01

The present invention discloses a lanthanide-halide based humidity indicator and method of producing such indicator. The color of the present invention indicates the humidity of an atmosphere to which it is exposed. For example, impregnating an adsorbent support such as silica gel with an aqueous solution of the europium-containing reagent solution described herein, and dehydrating the support to dryness forms a substance with a yellow color. When this substance is exposed to a humid atmosphere the water vapor from the air is adsorbed into the coating on the pore surface of the silica gel. As the water content of the coating increases, the visual color of the coated silica gel changes from yellow to white. The color change is due to the water combining with the lanthanide-halide complex on the pores of the gel.

Documentation for Program SOILSIM: A computer program for the simulation of heat and moisture flow in soils and between soils, canopy and atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Field, Richard T.

1990-01-01

SOILSIM, a digital model of energy and moisture fluxes in the soil and above the soil surface, is presented. It simulates the time evolution of soil temperature and moisture, temperature of the soil surface and plant canopy the above surface, and the fluxes of sensible and latent heat into the atmosphere in response to surface weather conditions. The model is driven by simple weather observations including wind speed, air temperature, air humidity, and incident radiation. The model intended to be useful in conjunction with remotely sensed information of the land surface state, such as surface brightness temperature and soil moisture, for computing wide area evapotranspiration.

Simulating the moderating effect of a lake on downwind temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bill, R. G., Jr.; Chen, E.; Sutherland, R. A.; Bartholic, J. F.

1979-01-01

A steady-state, two-dimensional numerical model is used to simulate air temperatures and humidity downwind of a lake at night. Thermal effects of the lake were modelled for the case of moderate and low surface winds under the cold-air advective conditions that occur following the passage of a cold front. Surface temperatures were found to be in good agreement with observations. A comparison of model results with thermal imagery indicated the model successfully predicts the downwind distance for which thermal effects due to the lake are significant.

Rate and reaction probability of the surface reaction between ozone and dihydromyrcenol measured in a bench scale reactor and a room-sized chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Shi; Morrison, Glenn C.

2012-02-01

Low volatility terpenoids emitted from consumer products can react with ozone on surfaces and may significantly alter concentrations of ozone, terpenoids and reaction products in indoor air. We measured the reaction probability and a second-order surface-specific reaction rate for the ozonation of dihydromyrcenol, a representative indoor terpenoid, adsorbed onto polyvinylchloride (PVC), glass, and latex paint coated spheres. The reaction probability ranged from (0.06-8.97) × 10 -5 and was very sensitive to humidity, substrate and mass adsorbed. The average surface reaction probability is about 10 times greater than that for the gas-phase reaction. The second-order surface-specific rate coefficient ranged from (0.32-7.05) × 10 -15 cm 4 s -1 molecule -1and was much less sensitive to humidity, substrate, or mass adsorbed. We also measured the ozone deposition velocity due to adsorbed dihydromyrcenol on painted drywall in a room-sized chamber, Based on that, we calculated the rate coefficient ((0.42-1.6) × 10 -15 cm 4 molecule -1 s -1), which was consistent with that derived from bench-scale experiments for the latex paint under similar conditions. We predict that more than 95% of dihydromyrcenol oxidation takes place on indoor surfaces, rather than in building air.

Elevated Air Humidity Changes Soil Bacterial Community Structure in the Silver Birch Stand.

PubMed

Truu, Marika; Ostonen, Ivika; Preem, Jens-Konrad; Lõhmus, Krista; Nõlvak, Hiie; Ligi, Teele; Rosenvald, Katrin; Parts, Kaarin; Kupper, Priit; Truu, Jaak

2017-01-01

Soil microbes play a fundamental role in forest ecosystems and respond rapidly to changes in the environment. Simultaneously with the temperature increase the climate change scenarios also predict an intensified hydrological cycle for the Baltic Sea runoff region. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of elevated air humidity on the top soil microbial community structure of a silver birch ( Betula pendula Roth.) stand by using a free air humidity manipulation facility (FAHM). The bacterial community structures of bulk soil and birch rhizosphere were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of bacteria-specific16S rRNA gene fragments and quantification of denitrification related genes. The increased air humidity altered both bulk soil and rhizosphere bacterial community structures, and changes in the bacterial communities initiated by elevated air humidity were related to modified soil abiotic and biotic variables. Network analysis revealed that variation in soil bacterial community structural units is explained by altered abiotic conditions such as increased pH value in bulk soil, while in rhizosphere the change in absorptive root morphology had a higher effect. Among root morphological traits, the absorptive root diameter was strongest related to the bacterial community structure. The changes in bacterial community structures under elevated air humidity are associated with shifts in C, N, and P turnover as well as mineral weathering processes in soil. Increased air humidity decreased the nir and nosZ gene abundance in the rhizosphere bacterial community. The potential contribution of the denitrification to the N 2 O emission was not affected by the elevated air humidity in birch stand soil. In addition, the study revealed a strong link between the bacterial community structure, abundance of denitrification related genes, and birch absorptive root morphology in the ecosystem system adaptation to elevated air humidity.

Elevated Air Humidity Changes Soil Bacterial Community Structure in the Silver Birch Stand

PubMed Central

Truu, Marika; Ostonen, Ivika; Preem, Jens-Konrad; Lõhmus, Krista; Nõlvak, Hiie; Ligi, Teele; Rosenvald, Katrin; Parts, Kaarin; Kupper, Priit; Truu, Jaak

2017-01-01

Soil microbes play a fundamental role in forest ecosystems and respond rapidly to changes in the environment. Simultaneously with the temperature increase the climate change scenarios also predict an intensified hydrological cycle for the Baltic Sea runoff region. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of elevated air humidity on the top soil microbial community structure of a silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) stand by using a free air humidity manipulation facility (FAHM). The bacterial community structures of bulk soil and birch rhizosphere were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of bacteria-specific16S rRNA gene fragments and quantification of denitrification related genes. The increased air humidity altered both bulk soil and rhizosphere bacterial community structures, and changes in the bacterial communities initiated by elevated air humidity were related to modified soil abiotic and biotic variables. Network analysis revealed that variation in soil bacterial community structural units is explained by altered abiotic conditions such as increased pH value in bulk soil, while in rhizosphere the change in absorptive root morphology had a higher effect. Among root morphological traits, the absorptive root diameter was strongest related to the bacterial community structure. The changes in bacterial community structures under elevated air humidity are associated with shifts in C, N, and P turnover as well as mineral weathering processes in soil. Increased air humidity decreased the nir and nosZ gene abundance in the rhizosphere bacterial community. The potential contribution of the denitrification to the N2O emission was not affected by the elevated air humidity in birch stand soil. In addition, the study revealed a strong link between the bacterial community structure, abundance of denitrification related genes, and birch absorptive root morphology in the ecosystem system adaptation to elevated air humidity. PMID:28421053

Further evidence for particle nucleation in clear air adjacent to marine cumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, Kevin D.; Hobbs, Peter V.

1994-11-01

Observational evidence is presented for the nucleation of condensation nuclei (CN) in the clear air adjacent to an isolated, marine, cumulus cloud. Two separate regions of particle nucleation are identified: one located above the cloud top, and the second located downwind of the cloud near the level of the anvil outflow. The regions of high CN concentrations were located in extremely clean marine air, with unactivated aerosol surface area (excluding the nucleation mode) less than 2 sq micrometers/cu cm, air temperature -31 C, and higher relative humidities than the undisturbed environment. Vertical profile measurements downwind of the cloud showed that CN concentrations at the level of the anvil outflow (4.9 km) were 8 times greater than at any other level between the surface and 5.3 km. A conceptual model is formulated in which aerosol particles, sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfuric acid vapor (H2SO4), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and ozone (O3) from the boundary layer are entrained into the cumulus cloud. Total aerosol number concentrations and unactivated aerosol surface area decrease with height in the cloud due to Brownian diffusion and diffusiophoresis of cloud interstitial aerosol to hydrometeors, coalescence scavenging by cloud droplets, collisional scavenging by ice particles, and subsequent removal by precipitation. The air that is detrained from the cloud raises the relative humidity and vents the clean air, SO2, H2SO4, DMS, and O3 to the near-cloud environment. Hydroxyl radicals then oxidize the SO2 and DMS to H2SO4. Under the conditions of high relative humidity, low total aerosol surface area, low temperatures, and high SO2 concentrations near cloud top, significant concentrations of new particles can be produced by homogeneous-bimolecular nucleation of sulfuric acid solution droplets from H2SO4 and H2O vapor molecules. The concentration of CN as a function of time is calculated for the case described in this paper using a bimodal integral nucleation model. The model results show that significant numbers of CN could have been produced within a few hours by the homogeneous-bimolecular nucleation of sulfuric acid solution droplets under the observed conditions provided the concentration of SO2 near cloud top was enhanced by vertical transport.

Forced convection heat transfer to air/water vapor mixtures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, D. R.; Florschuetz, L. W.

1984-01-01

Heat transfer coefficients were measured using both dry and humid air in the same forced convection cooling scheme and were compared using appropriate nondimensional parameters (Nusselt, Prandtl and Reynolds numbers). A forced convection scheme with a complex flow field, two dimensional arrays of circular jets with crossflow, was utilized with humidity ratios (mass ratio of water vapor to air) up to 0.23. The dynamic viscosity, thermal conductivity and specific heat of air, steam and air/steam mixtures are examined. Methods for determining gaseous mixture properties from the properties of their pure components are reviewed as well as methods for determining these properties with good confidence. The need for more experimentally determined property data for humid air is discussed. It is concluded that dimensionless forms of forced convection heat transfer data and empirical correlations based on measurements with dry air may be applied to conditions involving humid air with the same confidence as for the dry air case itself, provided that the thermophysical properties of the humid air mixtures are known with the same confidence as their dry air counterparts.

Global Changes In Relative Humidity: Moisture Recycling, Transport Processes And Implications For Drought Severity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vicente-Serrano, S. M.; Gimeno, L.; Nieto, R. O.; Azorin-Molina, C.

2016-12-01

Climate models and observations suggest that atmospheric humidity is increasing as a consequence of warmer air temperatures according to the Classius-Clapeyron relationship. In addition, given unlimited water availability in oceans it is suggested that relative humidity (RH) would remain constant. Nevertheless, recent global and regional studies have pointed out that RH may be decreasing in large areas of the world, and there are different hypotheses that could explain the possible decrease in RH as related to changes in: (i) the atmospheric circulation and moisture transport processes; (ii) precipitation; (iii) air vapour saturation given different warming in lands and oceans; etc. These trends have strong implications for the atmospheric evaporative demand (AED) and drought severity. We analysed changes in RH observed at the global scale for 1979-2014. For this purpose we have used 3462 stations across the world from the HadISDH data set. RH data have been also calculated from daily records of specific humidity, air pressure and air temperature from the ERA-Interim Reanalysis data set. The comparison results between observations and ERA-Interim show a strong agreement in the spatio-temporal variability and magnitude of trends of RH. We have analysed the relationship between the variability and changes in RH, precipitation, air temperature and evaporation at the global scale, concluding that the observed spatial patterns of RH are not well explained by the observed changes in the variability of precipitation and temperature. To improve the knowledge of the possible drivers of the observed trends in RH, we have selected 15 representative areas that showed a different temporal behaviour and applied a Lagrangian model (Flexpart). This has served to identify the humidity sources corresponding to each region, and to know the behaviour showed by Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and the evolution of oceanic and continental evaporation processes on the RH variability and trends. The effect of observed RH trends on AED and drought severity has been evaluated by means of the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI).

Influence of Air Humidity and Water Particles on Dust Control Using Ultrasonic Atomization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okawa, Hirokazu; Nishi, Kentaro; Shindo, Dai; Kawamura, Youhei

2012-07-01

The influence of air humidity and water particles on dust control was examined using ultrasonic atomization at 2.4 MHz, an acrylic box (61 L), and four types of ore dust samples: green tuff (4 µm), green tuff (6 µm), kaolin, and silica. It was clearly demonstrated that ultrasonic atomization was effective in raising humidity rapidly. However, at high relative air humidity, the water particles remained stable in the box without changing to water vapor. Ultrasonic atomization was applied to suppress dust dispersion and 40-95% dust reduction was achieved at 83% relative air humidity. Dust dispersion was more effective with ultrasonic atomization than without.

Microbes at Surface-Air Interfaces: The Metabolic Harnessing of Relative Humidity, Surface Hygroscopicity, and Oligotrophy for Resilience

PubMed Central

Stone, Wendy; Kroukamp, Otini; Korber, Darren R.; McKelvie, Jennifer; Wolfaardt, Gideon M.

2016-01-01

The human environment is predominantly not aqueous, and microbes are ubiquitous at the surface-air interfaces with which we interact. Yet microbial studies at surface-air interfaces are largely survival-oriented, whilst microbial metabolism has overwhelmingly been investigated from the perspective of liquid saturation. This study explored microbial survival and metabolism under desiccation, particularly the influence of relative humidity (RH), surface hygroscopicity, and nutrient availability on the interchange between these two phenomena. The combination of a hygroscopic matrix (i.e., clay or 4,000 MW polyethylene glycol) and high RH resulted in persistent measurable microbial metabolism during desiccation. In contrast, no microbial metabolism was detected at (a) hygroscopic interfaces at low RH, and (b) less hygroscopic interfaces (i.e., sand and plastic/glass) at high or low RH. Cell survival was conversely inhibited at high RH and promoted at low RH, irrespective of surface hygroscopicity. Based on this demonstration of metabolic persistence and survival inhibition at high RH, it was proposed that biofilm metabolic rates might inversely influence whole-biofilm resilience, with ‘resilience’ defined in this study as a biofilm’s capacity to recover from desiccation. The concept of whole-biofilm resilience being promoted by oligotrophy was supported in desiccation-tolerant Arthrobacter spp. biofilms, but not in desiccation-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. The ability of microbes to interact with surfaces to harness water vapor during desiccation was demonstrated, and potentially to harness oligotrophy (the most ubiquitous natural condition facing microbes) for adaptation to desiccation. PMID:27746774

[Hygienic aspects of the microclimate in intensive management of rabbits].

PubMed

Fiser, A

1994-01-01

In a four-row cowshed adapted for rabbit housing, air temperatures and humidity were recorded ambulantly and instrumentally, air flow rate, cooling variable, gas content in the air, microbial contamination of air and dust deposition were determined ambulantly in the years 1991-1992 and in January to April 1993. The values of ambulant measurings show that at the outside temperature -0.5 degrees C to -5.0 degrees C the microclimate quality decreases particularly with respect to the drop of air temperature in the cowshed below 10.0 degrees C, to the increase in cooling variable up to the value 53.17 mW/cm2 and to the increase in NH3 and CO2 content to 50 ppm and/or 0.45 vol.% in absolute maximum values. In these circumstances, the average determined values of both gases are higher than the standard prescription. At outside temperatures above 27.0 degrees C the average relative air humidity in the cowshed made 69.20% for the average temperature of 25.0 degrees C. To avoid the water vapor tension exceeding the limit in the cowshed air above the value 14.1 mm Hg, when sultry atmosphere sets in, the average relative air humidity should be maximally 59.0%. Hence the cowshed was found to be insufficiently ventilated at high outside temperatures above 27.0 degrees C, and it is recommended to increase the ventilator performance and at the same time to reduce water evaporation from catchpit surfaces when urine output of rabbits is excessive as a result of the increased water intake. Temperature and air humidity readings confirmed the need of heating source installation when the outside temperatures drop below 0.0 degrees C. Evaluation of air microbial contamination showed high counts of molds and particularly of micrococci in comparison with the ambience of a cage facility for piglet raising at a repopulation station with strict hygienic regime. Microbial picture of dust deposition was positively influenced by longitudinal aerosol disinfection of the air in the cowshed.

Frost Growth and Densification in Laminar Flow Over Flat Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kandula, Max

2011-01-01

One-dimensional frost growth and densification in laminar flow over flat surfaces has been theoretically investigated. Improved representations of frost density and effective thermal conductivity applicable to a wide range of frost circumstances have been incorporated. The validity of the proposed model considering heat and mass diffusion in the frost layer is tested by a comparison of the predictions with data from various investigators for frost parameters including frost thickness, frost surface temperature, frost density and heat flux. The test conditions cover a range of wall temperature, air humidity ratio, air velocity, and air temperature, and the effect of these variables on the frost parameters has been exemplified. Satisfactory agreement is achieved between the model predictions and the various test data considered. The prevailing uncertainties concerning the role air velocity and air temperature on frost development have been elucidated. It is concluded that that for flat surfaces increases in air velocity have no appreciable effect on frost thickness but contribute to significant frost densification, while increase in air temperatures results in a slight increase the frost thickness and appreciable frost densification.

Heat pipes for low-humidity applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khattar, Mukesh K.

1989-01-01

A novel application of an air-to-air heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) in a cooling and dehumidification process of an air-conditioning system is described which provides significant energy savings in applications requiring reheat of cold supply air to maintain low humidity. The efficiency of the system has been demonstrated in an application requiring a humidity of 40 percent. The use of the HPHX and fine tuning of the air-conditioning system and controls has resulted in significant energy savings. The technology can be advantageously used in many low-humidity applications commonly encountered in high-tech and aerospace facilities.

Modeling validation and control analysis for controlled temperature and humidity of air conditioning system.

PubMed

Lee, Jing-Nang; Lin, Tsung-Min; Chen, Chien-Chih

2014-01-01

This study constructs an energy based model of thermal system for controlled temperature and humidity air conditioning system, and introduces the influence of the mass flow rate, heater and humidifier for proposed control criteria to achieve the controlled temperature and humidity of air conditioning system. Then, the reliability of proposed thermal system model is established by both MATLAB dynamic simulation and the literature validation. Finally, the PID control strategy is applied for controlling the air mass flow rate, humidifying capacity, and heating, capacity. The simulation results show that the temperature and humidity are stable at 541 sec, the disturbance of temperature is only 0.14 °C, 0006 kg(w)/kg(da) in steady-state error of humidity ratio, and the error rate is only 7.5%. The results prove that the proposed system is an effective controlled temperature and humidity of an air conditioning system.

Modeling Validation and Control Analysis for Controlled Temperature and Humidity of Air Conditioning System

PubMed Central

Lee, Jing-Nang; Lin, Tsung-Min

2014-01-01

This study constructs an energy based model of thermal system for controlled temperature and humidity air conditioning system, and introduces the influence of the mass flow rate, heater and humidifier for proposed control criteria to achieve the controlled temperature and humidity of air conditioning system. Then, the reliability of proposed thermal system model is established by both MATLAB dynamic simulation and the literature validation. Finally, the PID control strategy is applied for controlling the air mass flow rate, humidifying capacity, and heating, capacity. The simulation results show that the temperature and humidity are stable at 541 sec, the disturbance of temperature is only 0.14°C, 0006 kgw/kgda in steady-state error of humidity ratio, and the error rate is only 7.5%. The results prove that the proposed system is an effective controlled temperature and humidity of an air conditioning system. PMID:25250390

Chemo-Mechanical Characteristics of Mud Formed from Environmental Dust Particles in Humid Ambient Air

PubMed Central

Hassan, Ghassan; Yilbas, B. S.; Said, Syed A. M.; Al-Aqeeli, N.; Matin, Asif

2016-01-01

Mud formed from environmental dust particles in humid ambient air significantly influences the performance of solar harvesting devices. This study examines the characterization of environmental dust particles and the chemo-mechanics of dry mud formed from dust particles. Analytical tools, including scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, particle sizing, and X-ray diffraction, are used to characterize dry mud and dust particles. A micro/nano tribometer is used to measure the tangential force and friction coefficient while tensile tests are carried out to assess the binding forces of dry mud pellets. After dry mud is removed, mud residuals on the glass surface are examined and the optical transmittance of the glass is measured. Dust particles include alkaline compounds, which dissolve in water condensate and form a mud solution with high pH (pH = 7.5). The mud solution forms a thin liquid film at the interface of dust particles and surface. Crystals form as the mud solution dries, thus, increasing the adhesion work required to remove dry mud from the surface. Optical transmittance of the glass is reduced after dry mud is removed due to the dry mud residue on the surface. PMID:27445272

Chemo-Mechanical Characteristics of Mud Formed from Environmental Dust Particles in Humid Ambient Air.

PubMed

Hassan, Ghassan; Yilbas, B S; Said, Syed A M; Al-Aqeeli, N; Matin, Asif

2016-07-22

Mud formed from environmental dust particles in humid ambient air significantly influences the performance of solar harvesting devices. This study examines the characterization of environmental dust particles and the chemo-mechanics of dry mud formed from dust particles. Analytical tools, including scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, particle sizing, and X-ray diffraction, are used to characterize dry mud and dust particles. A micro/nano tribometer is used to measure the tangential force and friction coefficient while tensile tests are carried out to assess the binding forces of dry mud pellets. After dry mud is removed, mud residuals on the glass surface are examined and the optical transmittance of the glass is measured. Dust particles include alkaline compounds, which dissolve in water condensate and form a mud solution with high pH (pH = 7.5). The mud solution forms a thin liquid film at the interface of dust particles and surface. Crystals form as the mud solution dries, thus, increasing the adhesion work required to remove dry mud from the surface. Optical transmittance of the glass is reduced after dry mud is removed due to the dry mud residue on the surface.

[Distribution of environmental temperature and relative humidity according to the number of conditioned air changes in laboratory animals rooms].

PubMed

Fujita, S; Obara, T; Tanaka, I; Yamauchi, C

1981-01-01

The relation of the rate of circulating air change to room temperature and relative humidity in animal quarters with a central air-conditioning system during heating and cooling seasons was investigated, with the results as follows: During the period of heating, the ambient temperature generally rose with a fall of relative humidity as the number of conditioned air changes per hour was increased. Vertical differences in temperature and humidity between levels of 0.5 and 1.5 m above the floor also diminished with increasing air change rate. This tendency was more conspicuous in small animals rooms with outer walls facing north and west. With increasing rate of air changes, the room temperature was prone to decline and the relative humidity to rise during the period of cooling. There were less vertical differences in temperature and humidity during this period. The velocity of air circulation within the animal quarters and its variations tended to increase progressively with increasing rate of ventilation, though the changes were modest.

Method and apparatus for controlling fuel/air mixture in a lean burn engine

DOEpatents

Kubesh, John Thomas; Dodge, Lee Gene; Podnar, Daniel James

1998-04-07

The system for controlling the fuel/air mixture supplied to a lean burn engine when operating on natural gas, gasoline, hydrogen, alcohol, propane, butane, diesel or any other fuel as desired. As specific humidity of air supplied to the lean burn engine increases, the oxygen concentration of exhaust gas discharged by the engine for a given equivalence ratio will decrease. Closed loop fuel control systems typically attempt to maintain a constant exhaust gas oxygen concentration. Therefore, the decrease in the exhaust gas oxygen concentration resulting from increased specific humidity will often be improperly attributed to an excessive supply of fuel and the control system will incorrectly reduce the amount of fuel supplied to the engine. Also, the minimum fuel/air equivalence ratio for a lean burn engine to avoid misfiring will increase as specific humidity increases. A relative humidity sensor to allow the control system to provide a more enriched fuel/air mixture at high specific humidity levels. The level of specific humidity may be used to compensate an output signal from a universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor for changing oxygen concentrations at a desired equivalence ratio due to variation in specific humidity specific humidity. As a result, the control system will maintain the desired efficiency, low exhaust emissions and power level for the associated lean burn engine regardless of the specific humidity level of intake air supplied to the lean burn engine.

Black carbon solar absorption suppresses turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer.

PubMed

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

2016-10-18

The introduction of cloud condensation nuclei and radiative heating by sunlight-absorbing aerosols can modify the thickness and coverage of low clouds, yielding significant radiative forcing of climate. The magnitude and sign of changes in cloud coverage and depth in response to changing aerosols are impacted by turbulent dynamics of the cloudy atmosphere, but integrated measurements of aerosol solar absorption and turbulent fluxes have not been reported thus far. Here we report such integrated measurements made from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the CARDEX (Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Dynamics Experiment) investigation conducted over the northern Indian Ocean. The UAV and surface data reveal a reduction in turbulent kinetic energy in the surface mixed layer at the base of the atmosphere concurrent with an increase in absorbing black carbon aerosols. Polluted conditions coincide with a warmer and shallower surface mixed layer because of aerosol radiative heating and reduced turbulence. The polluted surface mixed layer was also observed to be more humid with higher relative humidity. Greater humidity enhances cloud development, as evidenced by polluted clouds that penetrate higher above the top of the surface mixed layer. Reduced entrainment of dry air into the surface layer from above the inversion capping the surface mixed layer, due to weaker turbulence, may contribute to higher relative humidity in the surface layer during polluted conditions. Measurements of turbulence are important for studies of aerosol effects on clouds. Moreover, reduced turbulence can exacerbate both the human health impacts of high concentrations of fine particles and conditions favorable for low-visibility fog events.

Black carbon solar absorption suppresses turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer

PubMed Central

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

2016-01-01

The introduction of cloud condensation nuclei and radiative heating by sunlight-absorbing aerosols can modify the thickness and coverage of low clouds, yielding significant radiative forcing of climate. The magnitude and sign of changes in cloud coverage and depth in response to changing aerosols are impacted by turbulent dynamics of the cloudy atmosphere, but integrated measurements of aerosol solar absorption and turbulent fluxes have not been reported thus far. Here we report such integrated measurements made from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the CARDEX (Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Dynamics Experiment) investigation conducted over the northern Indian Ocean. The UAV and surface data reveal a reduction in turbulent kinetic energy in the surface mixed layer at the base of the atmosphere concurrent with an increase in absorbing black carbon aerosols. Polluted conditions coincide with a warmer and shallower surface mixed layer because of aerosol radiative heating and reduced turbulence. The polluted surface mixed layer was also observed to be more humid with higher relative humidity. Greater humidity enhances cloud development, as evidenced by polluted clouds that penetrate higher above the top of the surface mixed layer. Reduced entrainment of dry air into the surface layer from above the inversion capping the surface mixed layer, due to weaker turbulence, may contribute to higher relative humidity in the surface layer during polluted conditions. Measurements of turbulence are important for studies of aerosol effects on clouds. Moreover, reduced turbulence can exacerbate both the human health impacts of high concentrations of fine particles and conditions favorable for low-visibility fog events. PMID:27702889

Microclimatic conditions in different land-use systems in Sumatra, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meijide, Ana; Tiralla, Nina; Sabajo, Clifton; Panferov, Oleg; Gunawan, Dodo; Knohl, Alexander

2015-04-01

Over the last decades, Indonesia has experienced an unprecedented transformation of the land surface through deforestation and conversion from forest to other land-uses such as oil palm and rubber plantations. These transformations are expected to affect not only biodiversity and carbon storage, but also the biophysical conditions of the land surface, i.e. air and surface temperature, surface albedo, air humidity, and soil moisture. There is, however, a lack of quantitative information characterizing these differences with a systematic experimental design. We report results from micrometeorological measurements in four different land-use types (forest, rubber plantation, jungle rubber, and oil palm plantation, n=4) in two different landscapes in Jambi Province in Sumatra/Indonesia as well as remote sensing data from Landsat. Preliminary results show differences on the average within-canopy air temperature, with lowest values in the forest (24.70°C ± 0.01°C) and highest in oil palm and rubber plantations (25.45°C ± 0.02°C and 25.55°C ± 0.01°C respectively). The temperature ranges also varied between different land uses, from 6.27°C in the forest and up to 9.40 °C in oil palm between the 5 and 95% percentile. Relative air humidity followed an inverse trend to air temperature, with rubber and oil palm plantations being on average 6.29 and 5.37 % drier than the forest. Soil temperature was up to 1°C warmer in oil palm than in forest plots, while soil moisture was more influenced by the soil type in the different landscapes than by the land uses. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that land transformation in Indonesia results in distinctly different microclimatic conditions across land-use types.

Visible and Near-IR Reflectance Spectra for Smectite, Sulfate And Perchlorate under Dry Conditions for Interpretation of Martian Surface Mineralogy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, R.V.; Ming, W.; Golden, D.C.; Arvidson, R.E.; Wiseman, S.M.; Lichtenberg, K.A.; Cull, S.; Graff, T.G.

2009-01-01

Visible and near-IR (VNIR) spectral data for the martian surface obtained from orbit by the MRO-CRISM and OMEGA instruments are interpreted as having spectral signatures of H2O/OH-bearing phases, including smectites and other phyllosilicates, sulfates, and high-SiO2 phases [e.g., 1-4]. Interpretations of martian spectral signatures are based on and constrained by spectra that are obtained in the laboratory on samples with known mineralogical compositions and other physicochemical characteristics under, as appropriate, Mars-like environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, and humidity). With respect to environmental conditions, differences in the absolute concentration of atmospheric H2O can effect the hydration state and therefore the spectra signatures of smectite phyllosilicates (solvation H2O) and certain sulfates (hydration H2O) [e.g., 5-7]. We report VNIR spectral data acquired under humid (laboratory air) and dry (dry N2 gas) environments for two natural smectites (nontronite API-33A and saponite SapCa-1) to characterize the effect of solvation H2O on spectral properties. We also report spectral data for the thermal dehydration products of (1) melanterite (FeSO4.7H2O) in both air and dry N2 gas and (2) Mg-perchlorate (Mg(ClO4)2.6H2O) in dry N2 environments. Spectral measurements for samples dehydrated in dry N2 were made without exposing them to humid laboratory air.

Properties data for opening the Galileo's partially unfurled main antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Pepper, Stephen V.

1992-01-01

An investigation was conducted into the friction and wear behavior of both unlubricated and dry-film-lubricated (Tiolube 460) titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) in contact with an uncoated high-nickel-content superalloy (Inconel 718) both in vacuum and in air. The acquisition of friction and wear data for this sliding couple was motivated by the need for input data for the 'antenna stuck ribs model' effort to free Galileo's High Gain Antenna. The results of the investigation indicate that galling occurred in the unlubricated system in vacuum and that the coefficient of friction increased to 1.2. The abnormally high friction (1.45) was observed when relatively large wear debris clogged at the sliding interface. The coefficient of friction for the dry-film-lubricated system in vacuum is 0.04, while the value in air is 0.13. The endurance life of the dry-film lubricant is about three orders of magnitude greater in vacuum than in air. The worn surfaces of the dry-film-lubricated Ti-6Al-4V pin and Inconel 718 disk first run in humid air and then rerun in vacuum was completely different from that of the pin and disk run only in vacuum. When galling occurred in the humid-air and vacuum contact, coefficient of friction rose to 0.32 when sliding in humid air and to 1.4 when sliding in vacuum. The galling was accompanied by severe surface damage and extensive transfer of the Ti-6Al-4V to the Inconel 718, or vice versa. When spalling occurred in the dry-film-lubricated Ti-6Al-4V pin run only in vacuum, the coefficient of friction rose to 0.36 or greater. The wear damage caused by spalling can self-heal when rerun in vacuum - the coefficient of friction decreased to 0.05. The friction and wear data obtained can be used for the 'antenna stuck ribs model' effort to free Galileo's high gain antenna.

Influence of humidity on the characteristics of positive corona discharge in air

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

Xu, Pengfei, E-mail: xpftsh@126.com; Zhang, Bo, E-mail: shizbcn@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn; Chen, Shuiming, E-mail: chensm@tsinghua.edu.cn

Detailed positive corona discharge characteristics, such as the corona onset voltage, pulse amplitude, repetition frequency, average corona current, rise time, and half-wave time, are systematically studied under different air humidity with a single artificial defect electrode. The experimental results indicate that the pulse amplitude decreases with the increase of air humidity; meanwhile, the repetition frequency increases as the air humidity increases. This phenomenon is different from that of negative corona discharge. Therefore, to have an insight into the mechanism of humidity influence on positive corona discharge, a positive corona discharge model based on the continuity equations is utilized. The simulationsmore » present a dynamic development of positive corona discharge and, meanwhile, reveal the humidity influence on positive corona discharge.« less

A Novel Scale Up Model for Prediction of Pharmaceutical Film Coating Process Parameters.

PubMed

Suzuki, Yasuhiro; Suzuki, Tatsuya; Minami, Hidemi; Terada, Katsuhide

2016-01-01

In the pharmaceutical tablet film coating process, we clarified that a difference in exhaust air relative humidity can be used to detect differences in process parameters values, the relative humidity of exhaust air was different under different atmospheric air humidity conditions even though all setting values of the manufacturing process parameters were the same, and the water content of tablets was correlated with the exhaust air relative humidity. Based on this experimental data, the exhaust air relative humidity index (EHI), which is an empirical equation that includes as functional parameters the pan coater type, heated air flow rate, spray rate of coating suspension, saturated water vapor pressure at heated air temperature, and partial water vapor pressure at atmospheric air pressure, was developed. The predictive values of exhaust relative humidity using EHI were in good correlation with the experimental data (correlation coefficient of 0.966) in all datasets. EHI was verified using the date of seven different drug products of different manufacturing scales. The EHI model will support formulation researchers by enabling them to set film coating process parameters when the batch size or pan coater type changes, and without the time and expense of further extensive testing.

[How much water is lost during breathing?].

PubMed

Zieliński, Jakub; Przybylski, Jacek

2012-01-01

Arising from the Antoine equation and the ideal gas law, the volume of exhaled water has been calculated. Air temperature, humidity and minute ventilation has been taken into account. During physical exercise amount of exhaled H(2)O is linear, but not proportional to heart rate. And so at the heart rate of 140 bpm amount of exhaled water is approximately four times higher than during the rest and equals about 60-70 ml/h. The effect of external temperature and humidity on water lost via lungs was assessed as well. When temperature of inspired air and its humidity is 35°C an 75% respectively loss of water is 7 ml/h. Whereas when above parameters are changed to minus 10°C and 25% lung excretion of H(2)O increases up to 20 ml/h. The obtained results may become the basis for the assessment of osmolarity changes on the surface of the lower airways. The increase of which is recently considered as one of the factors responsible for exercise induced bronchospasm.

Effect of inlet-air humidity on the formation of oxides of nitrogen in a gas-turbine combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchionna, N. R.

1973-01-01

Tests were conducted to determine the effect of inlet-air humidity on the formation of oxides of nitrogen from a gas-turbine combustor. Combustor inlet-air temperature ranged from 450 F to 1050 F. The tests were run at a constant pressure of 6 atmospheres and reference Mach number of 0.065. The NO sub x emission index was found to decrease with increasing inlet-air humidity at a constant exponential rate of 19 percent per mass percent water vapor in the air. This decrease of NO sub x emission index with increasing humidity was found to be independent of inlet-air temperature.

Nanocomposite tribological coatings with "chameleon" surface adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voevodin, A. A.; Fitz, T. A.; Hu, J. J.; Zabinski, J. S.

2002-07-01

Nanocomposite tribological coatings were designed to respond to changing environmental conditions by self-adjustment of their surface properties to maintain good tribological performance in any environment. These smart coatings have been dubbed "chameleon" because, analogous to a chameleon changing its skin color to avoid predators, the coating changes its "skin" chemistry and structure to avoid wear. The concept was originally developed using WC, diamondlike carbon, and WS2 material combination for adaptation to a humid/dry environment cycling. In order to address temperature variation, nanocomposite coatings made of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in a gold matrix were developed with encapsulated nanosized reservoirs of MoS2 and diamondlike carbon (DLC). Coatings were produced using a combination of laser ablation and magnetron sputtering. They were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Results were correlated with mechanical and tribological characterization. Coating hardness was evaluated using nanoindentation, while coating adhesion and toughness were estimated using scratch and Vickers indentation tests. Friction and wear endurance measurements of YSZ/Au/MoS2/DLC coatings against steel and Si3N4 balls were performed at room temperature in controlled humidity air, dry nitrogen, and vacuum environments, as well as at 500 degC in air. Depending on the environment, coating friction surface changed its chemistry and structure between (i) graphitic carbon for sliding in humid air [coating friction coefficients (c.o.f. 0.10-0.15)], (ii) hexagonal MoS2 for sliding in dry N2 and vacuum (c.o.f. 0.02-0.05), and (iii) metallic Au for sliding in air at 500 degC (c.o.f. 0.10-0.20). The unique coating skin adaptation realized with YSZ/Au/MoS2/DLC and WC/DLC/WS composites proves a universal applicability of the chameleon design concept. copyright 2002 American Vacuum Society.

Comparison of land surface humidity between observations and CMIP5 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunn, Robert J. H.; Willett, Kate M.; Ciavarella, Andrew; Stott, Peter A.

2017-08-01

We compare the latest observational land surface humidity dataset, HadISDH, with the latest generation of climate models extracted from the CMIP5 archive and the ERA-Interim reanalysis over the period 1973 to present. The globally averaged behaviour of HadISDH and ERA-Interim are very similar in both humidity measures and air temperature, on decadal and interannual timescales. The global average relative humidity shows a gradual increase from 1973 to 2000, followed by a steep decline in recent years. The observed specific humidity shows a steady increase in the global average during the early period but in the later period it remains approximately constant. None of the CMIP5 models or experiments capture the observed behaviour of the relative or specific humidity over the entire study period. When using an atmosphere-only model, driven by observed sea surface temperatures and radiative forcing changes, the behaviour of regional average temperature and specific humidity are better captured, but there is little improvement in the relative humidity. Comparing the observed climatologies with those from historical model runs shows that the models are generally cooler everywhere, are drier and less saturated in the tropics and extra-tropics, and have comparable moisture levels but are more saturated in the high latitudes. The spatial pattern of linear trends is relatively similar between the models and HadISDH for temperature and specific humidity, but there are large differences for relative humidity, with less moistening shown in the models over the tropics and very little at high latitudes. The observed drying in mid-latitudes is present at a much lower magnitude in the CMIP5 models. Relationships between temperature and humidity anomalies (T-q and T-rh) show good agreement for specific humidity between models and observations, and between the models themselves, but much poorer for relative humidity. The T-q correlation from the models is more steeply positive than the observations in all regions, and this over-correlation may be due to missing processes in the models. The observed temporal behaviour appears to be a robust climate feature rather than observational error. It has been previously documented and is theoretically consistent with faster warming rates over land compared to oceans. Thus, the poor replication in the models, especially in the atmosphere-only model, leads to questions over future projections of impacts related to changes in surface relative humidity. It also precludes any formal detection and attribution assessment.

Single-footprint retrievals of temperature, water vapor and cloud properties from AIRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irion, Fredrick W.; Kahn, Brian H.; Schreier, Mathias M.; Fetzer, Eric J.; Fishbein, Evan; Fu, Dejian; Kalmus, Peter; Wilson, R. Chris; Wong, Sun; Yue, Qing

2018-02-01

Single-footprint Atmospheric Infrared Sounder spectra are used in an optimal estimation-based algorithm (AIRS-OE) for simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric temperature, water vapor, surface temperature, cloud-top temperature, effective cloud optical depth and effective cloud particle radius. In a departure from currently operational AIRS retrievals (AIRS V6), cloud scattering and absorption are in the radiative transfer forward model and AIRS single-footprint thermal infrared data are used directly rather than cloud-cleared spectra (which are calculated using nine adjacent AIRS infrared footprints). Coincident MODIS cloud data are used for cloud a priori data. Using single-footprint spectra improves the horizontal resolution of the AIRS retrieval from ˜ 45 to ˜ 13.5 km at nadir, but as microwave data are not used, the retrieval is not made at altitudes below thick clouds. An outline of the AIRS-OE retrieval procedure and information content analysis is presented. Initial comparisons of AIRS-OE to AIRS V6 results show increased horizontal detail in the water vapor and relative humidity fields in the free troposphere above the clouds. Initial comparisons of temperature, water vapor and relative humidity profiles with coincident radiosondes show good agreement. Future improvements to the retrieval algorithm, and to the forward model in particular, are discussed.

Climate-sensitive urban design through Envi-Met simulation: case study in Kemayoran, Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusumastuty, K. D.; Poerbo, H. W.; Koerniawan, M. D.

2018-03-01

Indonesia as a tropical country which the character of its climate are hot and humid, the outdoor activity applications are often disrupted due to discomfort in thermal conditions. Massive construction of skyscrapers in urban areas are caused by the increase of human population leads to reduced green and infiltration areas that impact to environmental imbalances and triggering microclimate changes with rising air temperatures on the surface. The area that significantly experiences the rise of temperature in the Central Business District (CBD), which has need an analysis to create thermal comfort conditions to improve the ease of outdoor activities by an approach. This study aims to design the Kemayoran CBD through Climate Sensitive Urban Design especially in hot and humid tropical climate area and analyze thermal comfort level and optimal air conditioning in the outdoor area. This research used a quantitative method by generating the design using Climate Sensitive Urban Design principle through Envi-met 4.1 simulation program to find out the value of PMV, air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity conditions. The design area considers the configuration of buildings such as the distance between buildings, the average height, the orientation of the building, and the width of the road.

Simultaneous Online Measurement of H2O and CO2 in the Humid CO2 Adsorption/Desorption Process.

PubMed

Yu, Qingni; Ye, Sha; Zhu, Jingke; Lei, Lecheng; Yang, Bin

2015-01-01

A dew point meter (DP) and an infrared (IR) CO2 analyzer were assembled in a humid CO2 adsorption/desorption system in series for simultaneous online measurements of H2O and CO2, respectively. The humidifier, by using surface-flushing on a saturated brine solution was self-made for the generation of humid air flow. It was found that by this method it became relatively easy to obtain a low H2O content in air flow and that its fluctuation could be reduced compared to the bubbling method. Water calibration for the DP-IR detector is necessary to be conducted for minimizing the measurement error of H2O. It demonstrated that the relative error (RA) for simultaneous online measurements H2O and CO2 in the desorption process is lower than 0.1%. The high RA in the adsorption of H2O is attributed to H2O adsorption on the transfer pipe and amplification of the measurement error. The high accuracy of simultaneous online measurements of H2O and CO2 is promising for investigating their co-adsorption/desorption behaviors, especially for direct CO2 capture from ambient air.

Effect of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) on drying and quality of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).

PubMed

Wang, Jun; Fang, Xiao-Ming; Mujumdar, A S; Qian, Jing-Ya; Zhang, Qian; Yang, Xu-Hai; Liu, Yan-Hong; Gao, Zhen-Jiang; Xiao, Hong-Wei

2017-04-01

Effects of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) under different times (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240s) on drying characteristics and quality attributes of red peppers in terms of surface colour, red pigment content, microstructure and texture were investigated. Results showed that polyphenol oxidase (PPO) residual activity of the samples decreased with increasing blanching time; it was decreased to 7% after 120s. A first-order fraction model described PPO inactivation well. Suitable HHAIB time can reduce drying time extensively. Pepper surface colour was influenced by different treatments. In terms of red pigment content, there was no significant difference for blanching time under 120s, whereas over blanching (blanching time ⩾150s) can significantly reduce the red pigment content. Microstructure observations indicate that superficial micro-cracks occur, which explain, why HHAIB enhances drying rate. The firmness, hardness, and gumminess of the samples decreased with increase of HHAIB time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of Water Vapors and Hydrogen on the Energy Band Bending in the SnO2 Microcrystals of Polycrystalline Tin Dioxide Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaman, V. I.; Almaev, A. V.; Sevast'yanov, E. Yu.; Maksimova, N. K.

2015-06-01

The results of studying the dependence of the energy band bending at the interface of contacting SnO2 microcrystals in the polycrystalline tin dioxide film on the humidity level of clean air and hydrogen concentration in the gas mixture of clean air + H2 are presented. The experimental results showed that the bending of energy bands in SnO2 is decreased under exposure to the water vapors and molecular hydrogen. The presence of two types of the adsorption centers for water molecules on the surface of SnO2 is found. It is shown that at the absolute humidity of the gas mixture above 12 g/m3, the H2O and H2 molecules are adsorbed on the same centers, whose surface density is of 1012 сm-2 at a concentration of donor impurity in SnO2 equal to 1018 сm-3.

Analysis of the surface heat balance over the world ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esbensen, S. K.

1981-01-01

It is possible to estimate long term monthly mean latent and sensible heat fluxes over the ocean to within or approximately 20% relative accuracy of the bulk aerodynamic formulas, by using observations of the monthly mean surface wind speed and the monthly mean sea air temperature and humidity differences. It is possible to make an estimate of the fluxes on a month to month basis from monthly averaged surface data.

Optimizing Street Canyon Orientation for Rajarhat Newtown, Kolkata, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De, Bhaskar; Mukherjee, Mahua

2017-12-01

Air temperature in urban street canyons is increased due to the morphed urban geometry, increased surface area, decreased long wave radiation and evapo-transpiration, different thermo-physical properties of surface materials and anthropogenic heat which results in thermal discomfort. Outdoor thermal stress can be mitigated substantially by properly orienting the canyons. It is crucial for the urban planners and designers to orient street canyons optimally considering variable local climatic context. It is important especially for cities in warm humid climatic context as these cities receive higher insolation with higher relative humidity and low level macro wind flow. This paper examines influence of canyon orientation on outdoor thermal comfort and proposes the optimum canyon orientation for the Rajarhat Newtown, Kolkata - a city in warm humid climate zone. Different scenarios are generated with different orientations. Change in air temperature, wind speed, Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) of different scenarios are compared to find out the optimum orientation by parametric simulation in ENVI_met. Analysing the simulation results it is observed that orientation angle between 30°-60° to north performs the best for the study area of the Rajarhat Newtown. The findings of this research will be helpful for the planners to orient the street canyons optimally for future development and extension of the Rajarhat Newtown, Kolkata.

Moisture parameters and fungal communities associated with gypsum drywall in buildings.

PubMed

Dedesko, Sandra; Siegel, Jeffrey A

2015-12-08

Uncontrolled excess moisture in buildings is a common problem that can lead to changes in fungal communities. In buildings, moisture parameters can be classified by location and include assessments of moisture in the air, at a surface, or within a material. These parameters are not equivalent in dynamic indoor environments, which makes moisture-induced fungal growth in buildings a complex occurrence. In order to determine the circumstances that lead to such growth, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of in situ moisture measurement, the influence of building factors on moisture parameters, and the levels of these moisture parameters that lead to indoor fungal growth. Currently, there are disagreements in the literature on this topic. A literature review was conducted specifically on moisture-induced fungal growth on gypsum drywall. This review revealed that there is no consistent measurement approach used to characterize moisture in laboratory and field studies, with relative humidity measurements being most common. Additionally, many studies identify a critical moisture value, below which fungal growth will not occur. The values defined by relative humidity encompassed the largest range, while those defined by moisture content exhibited the highest variation. Critical values defined by equilibrium relative humidity were most consistent, and this is likely due to equilibrium relative humidity being the most relevant moisture parameter to microbial growth, since it is a reasonable measure of moisture available at surfaces, where fungi often proliferate. Several sources concur that surface moisture, particularly liquid water, is the prominent factor influencing microbial changes and that moisture in the air and within a material are of lesser importance. However, even if surface moisture is assessed, a single critical moisture level to prevent fungal growth cannot be defined, due to a number of factors, including variations in fungal genera and/or species, temperature, and nutrient availability. Despite these complexities, meaningful measurements can still be made to inform fungal growth by making localised, long-term, and continuous measurements of surface moisture. Such an approach will capture variations in a material's surface moisture, which could provide insight on a number of conditions that could lead to fungal proliferation.

A 7.5-Year Dataset of SSM/I-Derived Surface Turbulent Fluxes Over Global Oceans

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. Wind stress is the major forcing for driving the oceanic circulation, while Evaporation is a key component of hydrological cycle and surface heat budget. We have produced a 7.5-year (July 1987-December 1994) dataset of daily, individual monthly-mean and climatological (1988-94) monthly-mean surface turbulent fluxes over the global oceans from measurements of the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) on board the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F8, F10, and F11 satellites. It has a spatial resolution of 2.0x2.5 latitude-longitude. Daily turbulent fluxes are 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) IS found to be generally accurate as compared to the collocated radiosonde observations over global oceans. The surface wind speed and specific humidity (latent heat flux) derived from the F10 SSM/I are found to be -encrally smaller (larger) than those retrieved from the F11 SSM/I. The F11 SSM/I appears to have slightly better retrieval accuracy for surface wind speed and humidity as compared to the F10 SSM/I. This difference may be due to the orbital drift of the F10 satellite. The daily wind stresses and latent heat fluxes retrieved from F10 and F11 SSM/Is show useful accuracy as verified against the research quality in si -neasurerrients (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 1988-94 seasonal-mean turbulent fluxes and input variables derived from FS and F11 SSM/Is show reasonable patterns related to seasonal variations of atmospheric general circulation. This dataset of SSM/I-derived turbulent fluxes is useful for climate studies, forcing of ocean models, and validation of coupled ocean-atmosphere global models and can be accessed through the NASA/GSFC Distributed Active Archive Center.

Satellite monitoring of sea surface pollution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fielder, G.; Telfer, D. J. (Principal Investigator)

1979-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Image processing techniques developed are well adapted to the exploration and isolation of local areas which exhibit small temperature differences between themselves and their surroundings. In the worst case of imagery of small areal extent of sea surface having no coastal boundary in the area, there is yet no method of distinguishing unambiguously an oil spill from fog, cloud, the effect produced by shallow sediments, or the effects of naturally occuring thermal fronts. In the case of uniform slicks of liquid North Sea oil in still air, laboratory simulation experiments show that, for oil thicknesses in excess of 1 or 2 mm, there is, under equilibrium conditions, little dependence of oil surface temperature on the thickness of the oil layer. The surface temperature of oil is consistently higher than that of water, the difference being about 1 K at low values of relative humidity, but tending to increase as the relative humidity increases.

Air temperature and humidity diversity in the Hornsund fjord area (Spitsbergen) in the period 1 July 2014 - 30 June 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Przybylak, Rajmund; Araźny, Andrzej; Wyszyński, Przemysław; Budzik, Tomasz; Wawrzyniak, Tomasz

2016-04-01

The article presents preliminary results of studies into the spatial diversity of air temperature and relative humidity (overground layer, 2 m a.g.l.) in the area of the Hornsund fjord (S Spitsbergen, approx. 77°N), based on data collected between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015. The Hornsund fjord runs latitudinal along approx. 40 km and its average width is about 10 km. Numerous glaciers flow into the fjord and the mountain ridges around it often exceed 700 m a.s.l. Data series obtained from 11 sites equipped with automatic weather stations (Vaisala, Campbell, Davis) or HOBO temperature and humidity sensors were used. Two sites (Hornsund HOR and the Hans Glacier HG4) have been operating for years, whereas 9 new ones (Bogstranda BOG, Fugleberget FUG, Gnålodden GNA, Gåshamnoyra GAS, Hyttevika HYT, Lisbetdalen LIS, Ostrogradskijfjella OST, Treskelodden TRE and Wilczekodden WIL) were established within the Polish-Norwegian AWAKE-2 project. Three of the sites (BOG, GAS and OST) were damaged by polar bears, hence their measurement series are shorter. A substantial spatial diversity was found in the air temperature and relative humidity in the area, mostly influenced by elevation, type of surface and distance from the Greenland Sea's open water. During the year (July 2014 - June 2015), the areas of HYT (-1.1°C) and WIL (-1.9°C) were the warmest. Both sites are located on the west coast of the fjord. The HYT demonstrates the most favourable temperature conditions, being orographically sheltered from the east and its cold and dry air masses. The coldest sites were the mountain-top site of FUG (-5.9°C) and the glacier-located HG4 (-4.3°C). The low temperature at FUG resulted from its elevation (568 m a.s.l.), whereas at HG4 (184 m a.s.l) the glaciated surface also added up to the result. In the analysed period, the annual course of air temperature in the area had a clear minimum in February, when the lowest mean monthly values ranged from -9.4°C at HYT to -15.1°C at FUG. The highest temperature was recorded at all the sites in July, when its highest mean values were observed at GAS and HYT (6.1°C and 6.0°C, respectively), while the lowest occurred at FUG (2.4°C) and HG4 (3.1°C). The other meteorological element considered was relative humidity, which positively correlates with the course of air temperature. During the year, the most humid sites were those located at the mountain top (FUG) and on the Treskelen peninsula (TRE), towards the end of the fjord (94% and 91%, respectively). The lowest RH values were measured at HOR and HYT (80% in both). In the annual course, the lowest RH was observed in February with the lowest mean monthly values (74%) at HOR and HYT, and the highest at FUG (88%) and TRE (87%). As with air temperature, the highest relative humidity occurred in July. Its lowest mean values were recorded at HOR (87%), and the highest - at FUG (96%).

NFLUX PRE: Validation of New Specific Humidity, Surface Air Temperature, and Wind Speed Algorithms for Ascending/Descending Directions and Clear or Cloudy Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-18

providing all three surface state variables: TA, QA, and U10. It flies as part of the “A-Train” afternoon constellation (see http://atrain.nasa.gov...Chao (2006). Rainfall Estimation of Mesoscale Convective Systems using AMSU-A data during the Mei-Yu Season . Terr. Atmos. Ocean. Sci., 17, 91-109

Comparison of AIRS Version-6 OLR Climatologies and Anomaly Time Series with Those of CERES and MERRA-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Lee, Jae; Iredell, Lena

2016-01-01

RCs of AIRS and MERRA-2 500 mb specific humidity agree very well in terms of spatial patterns, but MERRA-2 ARCs are larger in magnitude and show a spurious moistening globally and over Central Africa. AIRS and MERRA-2 fractional cloud cover ARCs agree less well with each other. MERRA-2 shows a spurious global mean increase in cloud cover that is not found in AIRS, including a large spurious cloud increase in Central Africa. AIRS and MERRA-2 ARCs of surface skin and surface air temperatures are all similar to each other in patterns. AIRS shows a small global warming over the 13 year period, while MERRA-2 shows a small global cooling. This difference results primarily from spurious MERRA-2 temperature trends at high latitudes and over Central Africa. These differences all contribute to the spurious negative global MERRA-2 OLR trend. AIRS Version-6 confirms that 2015 is the warmest year on record and that the Earth's surface is continuing to warm.

The effect of ozone on nicotine desorption from model surfaces:evidence for heterogeneous chemistry

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

Destaillats, Hugo; Singer, Brett C.; Lee, Sharon K.

Assessment of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure using nicotine as a tracer or biomarker is affected by sorption of the alkaloid to indoor surfaces and by its long-term re-emission into the gas phase. However, surface chemical interactions of nicotine have not been sufficiently characterized. Here, the reaction of ozone with nicotine sorbed to Teflon and cotton surfaces was investigated in an environmental chamber by monitoring nicotine desorption over a week following equilibration in dry or humid air (65-70 % RH). The Teflon and cotton surfaces had N{sub 2}-BET surface areas of 0.19 and 1.17 m{sup 2} g{sup -1}, and water massmore » uptakes (at 70 % RH) of 0 and 7.1 % respectively. Compared with dry air baseline levels in the absence of O{sub 3}, gas phase nicotine concentrations decrease, by 2 orders of magnitude for Teflon after 50 h at 20-45 ppb O{sub 3}, and by a factor of 10 for cotton after 100 h with 13-15 ppb O{sub 3}. The ratios of pseudo first-order rate constants for surface reaction (r) to long-term desorption (k) were r/k = 3.5 and 2.0 for Teflon and cotton surfaces, respectively. These results show that surface oxidation was competitive with desorption. Hence, oxidative losses could significantly reduce long-term re-emissions of nicotine from indoor surfaces. Formaldehyde, N-methylformamide, nicotinaldehyde and cotinine were identified as oxidation products, indicating that the pyrrolidinic N was the site of electrophilic attack by O{sub 3}. The presence of water vapor had no effect on the nicotine-O{sub 3} reaction on Teflon surfaces. By contrast, nicotine desorption from cotton in humid air was unaffected by the presence of ozone. These observations are consistent with complete inhibition of ozone-nicotine surface reactions in an aqueous surface film present in cotton but not in Teflon surfaces.« less

Environment surveillance of filamentous fungi in two tertiary care hospitals in China.

PubMed

Hao, Zhen-feng; Ao, Jun-hong; Hao, Fei; Yang, Rong-ya; Zhu, He; Zhang, Jie

2011-07-05

Invasive fungal infections have constituted an increasingly important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. In this study, a surveillance project was conducted in three different intensive care units of two large tertiary hospitals in China. A one-year surveillance project was conducted in two tertiary hospitals which located in northern China and southwest China respectively. Air, surfaces and tap water were sampled twice a month in a central intensive care unit, a bone marrow transplant unit, a neurosurgery intensive care unit and a live transplant department. Environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature and events taking place, for example the present of the visitors, healthcare staff and cleaning crew were also recorded at the time of sampling. The air fungal load was 91.94 cfu/m(3) and 71.02 cfu/m(3) in the southwest China hospital and the northern China hospital respectively. The five most prevalent fungi collected from air and surfaces were Penicillium spp., Cladospcrium spp., Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp. and Saccharomyces spp. in the southwest China hospital, meanwhile Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp. and Cladospcrium spp. in the northern China hospital. The least contaminated department was intensive care units, and the heaviest contaminated department was neurosurgery intensive care unit. Seventy-three percent of all surfaces examined in the northern China hospital and eighty-six percent in the southwest China hospital yielded fungi. Fifty-four percent of water samples from the northern China hospital and forty-nine percent from the southwest China hospital yielded fungi. These findings suggested that the fungus exist in the environment of the hospital including air, surface and water. Air and surface fungal load fluctuated over the year. Air fungal load was lower in winter and higher in summer and autumn, but seldom exceeded acceptable level. The higher values were created during May to August in the northern China hospital and May to June and September to October in the southwest China hospital. A correlation between air fungal load and humidity, as well as personnel was observed.

Meteorological conditions during a severe, prolonged regional heavy air pollution episode in eastern China from December 2016 to January 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xueliang; Cao, Weihua; Huo, Yanfeng; Yang, Guanying; Yu, Caixia; He, Dongyan; Deng, Weitao; Fu, Wei; Ding, Heming; Zhai, Jing; Cheng, Long; Zhao, Xuhui

2018-03-01

A severe, prolonged and harmful regional heavy air pollution episode occurred in eastern China from December 2016 to January 2017. In this paper, the pollutant characteristics and the meteorological formation mechanism of this pollution event, including climate anomalies, surface weather conditions, planetary boundary layer structure and large-scale circulation features, were analysed based on observational pollution data, surface meteorological data, sounding data and ERA-Interim reanalysis data. The results are as follows. (1) Five pollution stages were identified in eastern China. The two most severe episodes occurred from December 27, 2016 to January 4, 2017 and from January 8 to 12 2017. During these two pollution episodes, fine mode particles were major contributors, and hourly PM2.5 concentrations often exceeded 150 μg/m3, reaching a maximum of 333 μg/m3 at Fuyang station. Gaseous pollutants were transformed into secondary aerosols through heterogeneous reactions on the surface of PM2.5. (2) Compared with the same period over the years 2000-2016, 2017 presented meteorological field climate anomalies in conjunction with unfavourable surface conditions (weak winds, high relative humidity, fewer hours of sunshine, high cloud cover) and adverse atmospheric circulation (weak East Asian winter monsoon and an abnormal geopotential height of 500 hPa), which caused poorer visibility in 2017 than in the other analysed years. (3) During the development of heavy pollution event, unfavourable surface weather conditions, including poorer visibility, weaker pressure, higher relative humidity, lower wind speed with unfavourable wind direction and less precipitation suppressed the horizontal diffusion ability of air pollutants. Furthermore, the unfavourable structure of the atmospheric boundary layer was the key cause of the rapid PM2.5 increase. The deep, strong temperature inversion layer and weak vertical wind velocity could have suppressed vertical motion and enhanced the stability of the near-surface atmosphere, causing the air pollutants to accumulate at low levels and exacerbating the air pollution problem. Finally, a persistent stagnant weather system with a weak geopotential height field of 1000 hPa and warm air advection at 850 hPa was the main feature of atmospheric circulation associated with the heavy pollution.

Control of membrane permeability in air-stable droplet interface bilayers

DOE PAGES

Mruetusatorn, Prachya; Polizos, Georgios; Datskos, Panos G.; ...

2015-03-19

Air-stable droplet interface bilayers (airDIBs) on oil-infused surfaces are versatile model membranes for synthetic biology applications, including biosensing of airborne species. However, air-DIBs are subject to evaporation, which can, over time, destabilize them and reduce their useful lifetime compared to traditional DIBs that are fully submerged in oil. Here, we show that lifetimes of air-DIBs can be extended by as much as an order of magnitude by maintaining them at a temperature just above the dew point. We find that raising the temperature from near the dew point (7 C at 38.5 % relative humidity) to room temperature results inmore » loss of water molecules of hydration from the polar head groups of the lipid bilayer membrane due to evaporation in an irreversible process that increases the overall entropy of the system. This dehydration transition affects primarily the bilayer resistance, by increasing ion permeability through the increasingly disordered polar head group region of the bilayer. Temperature and/or relative humidity are conveniently tunable parameters for controlling the stability and composition of air-DIBs membranes, while still allowing for operation in ambient environments.« less

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.

Memory of irrigation effects on hydroclimate and its modeling challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Fei; Xu, Xiaoyu; Barlage, Michael; Rasmussen, Roy; Shen, Shuanghe; Miao, Shiguang; Zhou, Guangsheng

2018-06-01

Irrigation modifies land-surface water and energy budgets, and also influences weather and climate. However, current earth-system models, used for weather prediction and climate projection, are still in their infancy stage to consider irrigation effects. This study used long-term data collected from two contrasting (irrigated and rainfed) nearby maize-soybean rotation fields, to study the effects of irrigation memory on local hydroclimate. For a 12 year average, irrigation decreases summer surface-air temperature by less than 1 °C and increases surface humidity by 0.52 g kg‑1. The irrigation cooling effect is more pronounced and longer lasting for maize than for soybean. Irrigation reduces maximum, minimum, and averaged temperature over maize by more than 0.5 °C for the first six days after irrigation, but its temperature effect over soybean is mixed and negligible two or three days after irrigation. Irrigation increases near-surface humidity over maize by about 1 g kg‑1 up to ten days and increases surface humidity over soybean (~ 0.8 g kg‑1) with a similar memory. These differing effects of irrigation memory on temperature and humidity are associated with respective changes in the surface sensible and latent heat fluxes for maize and soybean. These findings highlight great need and challenges for earth-system models to realistically simulate how irrigation effects vary with crop species and with crop growth stages, and to capture complex interactions between agricultural management and water-system components (crop transpiration, precipitation, river, reservoirs, lakes, groundwater, etc.) at various spatial and temporal scales.

Influence of air humidity and the distance from the source on negative air ion concentration in indoor air.

PubMed

Wu, Chih Cheng; Lee, Grace W M; Yang, Shinhao; Yu, Kuo-Pin; Lou, Chia Ling

2006-10-15

Although negative air ionizer is commonly used for indoor air cleaning, few studies examine the concentration gradient of negative air ion (NAI) in indoor environments. This study investigated the concentration gradient of NAI at various relative humidities and distances form the source in indoor air. The NAI was generated by single-electrode negative electric discharge; the discharge was kept at dark discharge and 30.0 kV. The NAI concentrations were measured at various distances (10-900 cm) from the discharge electrode in order to identify the distribution of NAI in an indoor environment. The profile of NAI concentration was monitored at different relative humidities (38.1-73.6% RH) and room temperatures (25.2+/-1.4 degrees C). Experimental results indicate that the influence of relative humidity on the concentration gradient of NAI was complicated. There were four trends for the relationship between NAI concentration and relative humidity at different distances from the discharge electrode. The changes of NAI concentration with an increase in relative humidity at different distances were quite steady (10-30 cm), strongly declining (70-360 cm), approaching stability (420-450 cm) and moderately increasing (560-900 cm). Additionally, the regression analysis of NAI concentrations and distances from the discharge electrode indicated a logarithmic linear (log-linear) relationship; the distance of log-linear tendency (lambda) decreased with an increase in relative humidity such that the log-linear distance of 38.1% RH was 2.9 times that of 73.6% RH. Moreover, an empirical curve fit based on this study for the concentration gradient of NAI generated by negative electric discharge in indoor air was developed for estimating the NAI concentration at different relative humidities and distances from the source of electric discharge.

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on NASA's Aqua Satellite: Applications for Volcano Rapid Response, Influenza Outbreak Prediction, and Drought Onset Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, S. E.; Fetzer, E. J.; Lambrigtsen, B.; Olsen, E. T.; Licata, S. J.; Hall, J. R.; Penteado, P. F.; Realmuto, V. J.; Thrastarson, H. T.; Teixeira, J.; Granger, S. L.; Behrangi, A.; Farahmand, A.

2017-12-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) has been returning daily global observations of Earth's atmospheric constituents and properties since 2002. With its 15-year data record and near real-time capability, AIRS data are being used in the development of applications that fall within many of the NASA Applied Science focus areas. An automated alert system for volcanic plumes has been developed that triggers on threshold breaches of SO2, ash and dust in granules of AIRS data. The system generates a suite of granule-scale maps that depict both plume and clouds, all accessible from the AIRS web site. Alerts are sent to a curated list of volcano community members, and links to views in NASA Worldview and Google Earth are also available. Seasonal influenza epidemics are major public health concern with millions of cases of severe illness and large economic impact. Recent studies have highlighted the role of absolute or specific humidity as a likely player in the seasonal nature of these outbreaks. A quasi-operational influenza outbreak prediction system has been developed based on the SIRS model which uses AIRS and NCEP humidity data, Center for Disease Control reports on flu and flu-like illnesses, and results from Google Flu Trends. Work is underway to account for diffusion (spatial) in addition to the temporal spreading of influenza. The US Drought Monitor (USDM) is generated weekly by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and is used by policymakers for drought decision-making. AIRS data have demonstrated utility in monitoring the development and detection of meteorological drought with both AIRS-derived standardized vapor pressure deficit and standardized relative humidity, showing early detection lead times of up to two months. An agreement was secured with the NDMC to begin a trial period using AIRS products in the production of the USDM, and in July of 2017 the operational delivery of weekly CONUS AIRS images of Relative Humidity, Surface Air Temperature, and Vapor Pressure Deficit to the National Drought Mitigation Center commenced. Next objectives include determining whether AIRS drought products can also be useful in the NDMC's VegDRI and QuickDRI products. This poster provides an overview of the work being done in these three application areas and summarize additional application efforts using data from AIRS.

NREL's Energy-Saving Technology for Air Conditioning Cuts Peak Power Loads Without Using Harmful Refrigerants (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2012-07-01

This fact sheet describes how the DEVAP air conditioner was invented, explains how the technology works, and why it won an R&D 100 Award. Desiccant-enhanced evaporative (DEVAP) air-conditioning will provide superior comfort for commercial buildings in any climate at a small fraction of the electricity costs of conventional air-conditioning equipment, releasing far less carbon dioxide and cutting costly peak electrical demand by an estimated 80%. Air conditioning currently consumes about 15% of the electricity generated in the United States and is a major contributor to peak electrical demand on hot summer days, which can lead to escalating power costs, brownouts,more » and rolling blackouts. DEVAP employs an innovative combination of air-cooling technologies to reduce energy use by up to 81%. DEVAP also shifts most of the energy needs to thermal energy sources, reducing annual electricity use by up to 90%. In doing so, DEVAP is estimated to cut peak electrical demand by nearly 80% in all climates. Widespread use of this cooling cycle would dramatically cut peak electrical loads throughout the country, saving billions of dollars in investments and operating costs for our nation's electrical utilities. Water is already used as a refrigerant in evaporative coolers, a common and widely used energy-saving technology for arid regions. The technology cools incoming hot, dry air by evaporating water into it. The energy absorbed by the water as it evaporates, known as the latent heat of vaporization, cools the air while humidifying it. However, evaporative coolers only function when the air is dry, and they deliver humid air that can lower the comfort level for building occupants. And even many dry climates like Phoenix, Arizona, have a humid season when evaporative cooling won't work well. DEVAP extends the applicability of evaporative cooling by first using a liquid desiccant-a water-absorbing material-to dry the air. The dry air is then passed to an indirect evaporative cooling stage, in which the incoming air is in thermal contact with a moistened surface that evaporates the water into a separate air stream. As the evaporation cools the moistened surface, it draws heat from the incoming air without adding humidity to it. A number of cooling cycles have been developed that employ indirect evaporative cooling, but DEVAP achieves a superior efficiency relative to its technological siblings.« less

Odors and Sensations of Humidity and Dryness in Relation to Sick Building Syndrome and Home Environment in Chongqing, China

PubMed Central

Wang, Juan; Li, Baizhan; Yang, Qin; Yu, Wei; Wang, Han; Norback, Dan; Sundell, Jan

2013-01-01

The prevalence of perceptions of odors and sensations of air humidity and sick building syndrome symptoms in domestic environments were studied using responses to a questionnaire on the home environment. Parents of 4530 1–8 year old children from randomly selected kindergartens in Chongqing, China participated. Stuffy odor, unpleasant odor, pungent odor, mold odor, tobacco smoke odor, humid air and dry air in the last three month (weekly or sometimes) was reported by 31.4%, 26.5%, 16.1%, 10.6%, 33.0%, 32.1% and 37.2% of the parents, respectively. The prevalence of parents’ SBS symptoms (weekly or sometimes) were: 78.7% for general symptoms, 74.3% for mucosal symptoms and 47.5% for skin symptoms. Multi-nominal regression analyses for associations between odors/sensations of air humidity and SBS symptoms showed that the odds ratio for “weekly” SBS symptoms were consistently higher than for “sometimes” SBS symptoms. Living near a main road or highway, redecoration, and new furniture were risk factors for perceptions of odors and sensations of humid air and dry air. Dampness related problems (mold spots, damp stains, water damage and condensation) were all risk factors for perceptions of odors and sensations of humid air and dry air, as was the presence of cockroaches, rats, and mosquitoes/flies, use of mosquito-repellent incense and incense. Protective factors included cleaning the child’s bedroom every day and frequently exposing bedding to sunshine. In conclusion, adults’ perceptions of odors and sensations of humid air and dry air are related to factors of the home environment and SBS symptoms are related to odor perceptions. PMID:23991107

The effect of increased air humidity on fine root and rhizome biomass and turnover of silver birch forest ecosystem - a FAHM study.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostonen, I.; Kupper, P.; Sõber, J.; Aosaar, J.; Varik, M.; Lõhmus, K.

2012-04-01

A facility for free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) was established to investigate the effect of increased air humidity on belowground biomass and turnover in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) forest ecosystems with respect to rising air humidity predicted for Northern Europe. Fine root and rhizomes are short-lived and recognized as the most important component contributing to below-ground C fluxes in forests. The FAHM system enables air relative humidity to be increased on average 7 units (%) over the ambient level during mist fumigation. The experimental site contains humidified (H) and control (C) plots; each plot contains sectors with diverse "forest" understory and early successional grasses. The trees were planted in 2006, humidification started in spring 2008, and soil cores to study fine root and rhizome biomass and turnover were taken in 2007, 2009 and 2010. In July 2009, total fine root and rhizome biomass was 8 tons per ha in C and 16 tons per ha in H plots. The roots of understory formed 86% in C and 93% H plots, respectively. Our preliminary data suggest that the increased humidity affected more the roots of understory plants: fine root and rhizome biomass and production increased approximately twice by increasing air humidity. However, the tendency was similar for fine root biomass and production of silver birch. Fine root turnover speeded up for both silver birch and understory roots in H plots. Hence, changes in air humidity can significantly affect forest carbon cycling.

No-reheat air-conditioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obler, H. D.

1980-01-01

Air conditioning system, for environmentally controlled areas containing sensitive equipment, regulates temperature and humidity without wasteful and costly reheating. System blends outside air with return air as dictated by various sensors to ensure required humidity in cooled spaces (such as computer room).

Lightning Activity Analyses with Respect to the SPCZ Location and to Surface Air Humidity Around Tahiti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega, P.; Guignes, T.

2006-12-01

The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is located from the West Pacific warm pool and trends Southeast towards French Polynesia. The Island Climate Update monthly publishes the mean location deduced from the outgoing long-wave radiation anomalies or higher rainfall. On the other hand, the Wide World Lightning Location Network monthly provides data from which the lightning activity distribution in the 0°-30° South latitude and 150°-240° West longitude area can be drawn. Scanning this rectangle from West to East the location of the maximum lightning activity can be located versus the longitude. Fitting the location of these maximum with a polynomial function leads to a curve comparable with the monthly mean position of the SPCZ, showing that this band of cloudiness is the main source of lightning in this whole area. Besides, relations between surface atmospheric parameters, the number of thunder days and the number of flashes recorded around Tahiti have been analyzed using, the absolute humidity and the lightning activity recorded during the last nine years with the help of CIGRE Lightning Flash Counters. Since it is known that the cloud base is closely related to the boundary layer relative humidity, the aim of the analysis was to sort out a correlation between this parameter and the lightning activity. No correlation has been clearly put in evidence with the number of thunder days but the monthly mean values of the amount of flashes recorded exhibit similar oscillation with air humidity over a 9 year long period including the several phases of the ENSO.

Moisture harvesting and water transport through specialized micro-structures on the integument of lizards

PubMed Central

Comanns, Philipp; Effertz, Christian; Hischen, Florian; Staudt, Konrad; Böhme, Wolfgang

2011-01-01

Summary Several lizard species that live in arid areas have developed special abilities to collect water with their bodies' surfaces and to ingest the so collected moisture. This is called rain- or moisture-harvesting. The water can originate from air humidity, fog, dew, rain or even from humid soil. The integument (i.e., the skin plus skin derivatives such as scales) has developed features so that the water spreads and is soaked into a capillary system in between the reptiles' scales. Within this capillary system the water is transported to the mouth where it is ingested. We have investigated three different lizard species which have developed the ability for moisture harvesting independently, viz. the Australian thorny devil (Moloch horridus), the Arabian toadhead agama (Phrynocephalus arabicus) and the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum). All three lizards have a honeycomb like micro ornamentation on the outer surface of the scales and a complex capillary system in between the scales. By investigation of individual scales and by producing and characterising polymer replicas of the reptiles' integuments, we found that the honeycomb like structures render the surface superhydrophilic, most likely by holding a water film physically stable. Furthermore, the condensation of air humidity is improved on this surface by about 100% in comparison to unstructured surfaces. This allows the animals to collect moisture with their entire body surface. The collected water is transported into the capillary system. For Phrynosoma cornutum we found the interesting effect that, in contrast to the other two investigated species, the water flow in the capillary system is not uniform but directed to the mouth. Taken together we found that the micro ornamentation yields a superhydrophilic surface, and the semi-tubular capillaries allow for an efficient passive – and for Phrynosoma directed – transport of water. PMID:21977432

THE MECHANISM OF AERIAL DISINFECTION BY GLYCOLS AND OTHER CHEMICAL AGENTS

PubMed Central

Puck, Theodore T.

1947-01-01

The effectiveness of any compound as an aerial germicide depends upon the extent of condensation of its vapor on air-suspended bacteria, and on the rate at which the resulting concentration of germicide can produce death of the microorganisms. The properties of any compound conducive to production of the highest rate of kill of air-borne microorganisms by means of the smallest possible concentration of germicide vapor, are as folows: (a) a low vapor pressure, but not lower than 0.001 mm. Hg at 25°C.; (b) high hygroscopicity; (c) toxicity for bacterial metabolism—a high degree of potency is not necessary although the killing action will be more efficient the higher the antibacterial activity of the compound employed. For any compound the killing action is always a direct function of the concentration of its vapor in the air. The maximum amount of a hygroscopic substance which can exist in the vapor state decreases as the relative humidity increases. Hence, at high relative humidities the bactericidal efficiency is lowest. At lower relative humidities the air can contain more vapor, and hence a greater effect is possible. At any relative humidity, the killing action is greater, the more closely the germicide vapor concentration approaches the saturation point. The presence of soluble compounds in droplets containing bacteria promotes more extensive condensation of the germicide than would otherwise occur, and so enhances its effectiveness. In the absence of such soluble substances, low atmospheric humidities may cause complete desiccation of a bacterial particle. Under these conditions its surface may become resistant to the condensation of the vapor, and thus prevent effective germicidal action. The influence of temperature changes on the killing efficiency maybe correctly deduced from a consideration of the effect of a rise in temperature on the vapor pressure of the germicide and on the rate of its bactericidal action in vitro. Equations are presented for estimating quantitatively the magnitude of some of the effects discussed. PMID:19871647

Calculating osmotic pressure of glucose solutions according to ASOG model and measuring it with air humidity osmometry.

PubMed

Wei, Guocui; Zhan, Tingting; Zhan, Xiancheng; Yu, Lan; Wang, Xiaolan; Tan, Xiaoying; Li, Chengrong

2016-09-01

The osmotic pressure of glucose solution at a wide concentration range was calculated using ASOG model and experimentally determined by our newly reported air humidity osmometry. The measurements from air humidity osmometry were compared with the well-established freezing point osmometry and ASOG model calculations at low concentrations and with only ASOG model calculations at high concentrations where no standard experimental method could serve as a reference for comparison. Results indicate that air humidity osmometry measurements are comparable to ASOG model calculations at a wide concentration range, while at low concentrations freezing point osmometry measurements provide better comparability with ASOG model calculations.

Effect of humidity on posterior lens opacification during fluid-air exchange.

PubMed

Harlan, J B; Lee, E T; Jensen, P S; de Juan, E

1999-06-01

To study the relationship of humidity and the rate of lens opacity formation during fluid-air exchange using an animal model. Vitrectomy and fluid-air exchange was carried out using 16 eyes of 8 pigmented rabbits. One eye of each rabbit was exposed to dry air and the fellow eye received humidified air using an intraocular air humidifier. In each case, the percent humidity of the intraocular air was measured using an in-line hygrometer. Elapsed time from initial air entry to lens feathering was recorded for each eye, with the surgeon-observer unaware of the percent humidity of the air infusion. In each rabbit, use of humidified air resulted in a delay in lens feathering (P<.02), with an overall increase in time to feathering of 80% for humidified air vs room air. Use of a humidifier during fluid-air exchange prolongs intraoperative lens clarity in the rabbit model, suggesting that humidified air should prolong lens clarity during phakic fluid-air exchange in patients. Use of humidified air during vitrectomy and fluid-air exchange may retard the intraoperative loss of lens clarity, promoting better visualization of the posterior segment and enhancing surgical performance.

Effects of Water Vapor on the Data Quality of the Stable Oxygen Isotopic Ratio of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, C. U.; White, J. W.; Vaughn, B.; Tans, P. P.; Pardo, L.

2007-12-01

The stable oxygen isotopic ratio of carbon dioxide can potentially track fundamental indicators of environmental change such as the balance between photosynthesis and respiration on regional to global scales. The Stable Isotope Laboratory (SIL) at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado at Boulder, has measured the stable isotopes of atmospheric carbon dioxide from more than 60 NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) air flask-sampling sites since the early 1990s. If air is sampled without drying, oxygen can exchange between carbon dioxide and water in the flasks, entirely masking the desired signal. An attempt to investigate how water vapor is affecting the δ18O signal is accomplished by comparing the SIL measurements with specific humidity, calculated from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) global integrated surface hourly temperature and dew point database, at the time of sampling. Analysis of sites where samples have been collected initially without drying, and subsequently with a drying kit, in conjunction with the humidity data, has led to several conclusions. Samples that initially appear isotopically unaltered, in that their δ18O values are within the expected range, are being subtly influenced by the water vapor in the air. At Bermuda and other tropical to semi-tropical sites, the 'wet' sampling values have a seasonal cycle that is strongly anti-correlated to the specific humidity, while the 'dry' values have a seasonal cycle that is shifted earlier than the specific humidity cycle by 1-2 months. The latter phasing is expected given the seasonal phasing between climate over the ocean and land, while the former is consistent with a small, but measurable isotope exchange in the flasks. In addition, we note that there is a strong (r > 0.96) correlation between the average specific humidity and the percent of rejected samples for 'wet' sampling. This presents an opportunity for determining a threshold of specific humidity, below which air flask samples can be trusted. This approach may allow segregation of suspect and trusted data, and thus provide an improved record of oxygen isotopic ratios of carbon dioxide over the past two decades.

Smart Nanocomposite Coatings with Chameleon Surface Adaptation in Tribological Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voevodin, A. A.; Zabinski, J. S.

Smart nanocomposite tribological coatings were designed to respond to changing environmental conditions by self-adjustment of their surface properties to maintain good tribological performance in any environment. These coatings have been dubbed "chameleon" because of their ability to change their surface chemistry and structure to avoid wear. The first "chameleon" coatings were made of WC, WS2, and DLC; these coatings provided superior mechanical toughness and performance in dry/humid environmental cycling. In order to address temperature variation, the second generation of "chameleon" coatings were made of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in a gold matrix with encapsulated nano-sized reservoirs of MoS2 and DLC. High temperature lubrication with low melting point glassy ceramic phases was also explored. All coatings were produced using a combination of laser ablation and magnetron sputtering. They were thoroughly characterized by various analytical, mechanical, and tribological methods. Coating toughness was remarkably enhanced by activation of a grain boundary sliding mechanism. Friction and wear endurance measurements were performed in controlled humidity air, dry nitrogen, and vacuum environments, as well as at 500-600 °C in air. Unique friction and wear performance in environmental cycling was demonstrated.

The nature of the air-cleaved mica surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christenson, Hugo K.; Thomson, Neil H.

2016-06-01

The accepted image of muscovite mica is that of an inert and atomically smooth surface, easily prepared by cleavage in an ambient atmosphere. Consequently, mica is extensively used a model substrate in many fundamental studies of surface phenomena and as a substrate for AFM imaging of biomolecules. In this review we present evidence from the literature that the above picture is not quite correct. The mica used in experimental work is almost invariably cleaved in laboratory air, where a reaction between the mica surface, atmospheric CO2 and water occurs immediately after cleavage. The evidence suggests very strongly that as a result the mica surface becomes covered by up to one formula unit of K2CO3 per nm2, which is mobile under humid conditions, and crystallises under drier conditions. The properties of mica in air or water vapour cannot be fully understood without reference to the surface K2CO3, and many studies of the structure of adsorbed water on mica surfaces may need to be revisited. With this new insight, however, the air-cleaved mica should provide exciting opportunities to study phenomena such as two-dimensional ion diffusion, electrolyte effects on surface conductivity, and two-dimensional crystal nucleation.

Planetary Boundary Layer Dynamics over Reno, Nevada in Summer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liming, A.; Sumlin, B.; Loria Salazar, S. M.; Holmes, H.; Arnott, W. P.

2014-12-01

Quantifying the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is important to understand the transport behavior, mixing, and surface concentrations of air pollutants. In Reno, NV, located in complex, mountainous terrain with high desert climate, the daytime boundary layer can rise to an estimated 3km or more on a summer day due to surface heating and convection. The nocturnal boundary layer, conversely, tends to be much lower and highly stable due to radiative cooling from the surface at night and downslope flow of cool air from nearby mountains. With limited availability of radiosonde data, current estimates of the PBL height at any given time or location are potentially over or underestimated. To better quantify the height and characterize the PBL physics, we developed portable, lightweight sensors that measure CO2 concentrations, temperature, pressure, and humidity every 5 seconds. Four of these sensors are used on a tethered balloon system to monitor CO2 concentrations from the surface up to 300m. We will combine this data with Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) data that measures vertical profiles of wind speed, temperature, and humidity from 40m to 400m. This experiment will characterize the diurnal evolution of CO2 concentrations at multiple heights in the PBL, provide insight into PBL physics during stability transition periods at sunrise and sunset, and estimate the nighttime PBL depth during August in Reno. Further, we expect to gain a better understanding of the impact of mixing volume changes (i.e., PBL height) on air quality and pollution concentrations in Reno. The custom portable sensor design will also be presented. It is expected that these instruments can be used for indoor or outdoor air quality studies, where lightness, small size, and battery operation can be of benefit.

Uncertainties of Gaseous Oxidized Mercury Measurements Using KCl-Coated Denuders, Cation-Exchange Membranes, and Nylon Membranes: Humidity Influences.

PubMed

Huang, Jiaoyan; Gustin, Mae Sexauer

2015-05-19

Quantifying the concentration of gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and identifying the chemical compounds in the atmosphere are important for developing accurate local, regional, and global biogeochemical cycles. The major hypothesis driving this work was that relative humidity affects collection of GOM on KCl-coated denuders and nylon membranes, both currently being applied to measure GOM. Using a laboratory manifold system and ambient air, GOM capture efficiency on 3 different collection surfaces, including KCl-coated denuders, nylon membranes, and cation-exchange membranes, was investigated at relative humidity ranging from 25 to 75%. Recovery of permeated HgBr2 on KCl-coated denuders declined by 4-60% during spikes of relative humidity (25 to 75%). When spikes were turned off GOM recoveries returned to 60 ± 19% of permeated levels. In some cases, KCl-coated denuders were gradually passivated over time after additional humidity was applied. In this study, GOM recovery on nylon membranes decreased with high humidity and ozone concentrations. However, additional humidity enhanced GOM recovery on cation-exchange membranes. In addition, reduction and oxidation of elemental mercury during experiments was observed. The findings in this study can help to explain field observations in previous studies.

Skin temperature changes induced by strong static magnetic field exposure.

PubMed

Ichioka, Shigeru; Minegishi, Masayuki; Iwasaka, Masakazu; Shibata, Masahiro; Nakatsuka, Takashi; Ando, Joji; Ueno, Shoogo

2003-09-01

High intensity static magnetic fields, when applied to the whole body of the anesthetized rat, have previously been reported to decrease skin temperature. The hypothesis of the present study was that in diamagnetic water, molecules in the air play significant roles in the mechanism of skin temperature decrease. We used a horizontal cylindrical superconducting magnet. The magnet produced 8 T at its center. A thermistor probe was inserted in a subcutaneous pocket of the anesthetized rats to measure skin temperature. Animals (n=10) were placed in an open plastic holder in which the ambient air was free to move in any direction (group I). Animals (n=10) were placed in a closed holder in which the air circulation toward the direction of weak magnetic field was restricted (group II). Each holder was connected to a hydrometer to measure humidity around the animal in the holder. The data acquisition phase consisted of a 5 min baseline interval, followed by inserting the animal together with the holder into the center of the magnet bore for a 5 min exposure and a 5 min postexposure period outside the bore. In group I, skin temperature and humidity around the animal significantly decreased during exposure, followed by recovery after exposure. In group II, skin temperature and humidity did not decrease during the measurement. The skin temperature decrease was closely related to the decrease in humidity around the body of the animal in the holder, and the changes were completely blocked by restricting the air circulation in the direction of the bore entrance. Possible mechanisms responsible for the decrease in skin temperature may be associated with magnetically induced movement of water vapor at the skin surface, leading to skin temperature decrease. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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

Rudd, A.

This document covers a description of the need and applied solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates, especially for energy efficient homes where the sensible cooling load has been dramatically reduced. In older homes in warm-humid climates, cooling loads are typically high and cooling equipment runs a lot to cool the air. The cooling process also removes indoor moisture, reducing indoor relative humidity. However, at current residential code levels, and especially for above-code programs, sensible cooling loads have been so dramatically reduced that the cooling system does not run a lot to cool the air, resulting in much less moisturemore » being removed. In these new homes, cooling equipment is off for much longer periods of time especially during spring/fall seasons, summer shoulder months, rainy periods, some summer nights, and some winter days. In warm-humid climates, those long off periods allow indoor humidity to become elevated due to internally generated moisture and ventilation air change. Elevated indoor relative humidity impacts comfort, indoor air quality, and building material durability. Industry is responding with supplemental dehumidification options, but that effort is really in its infancy regarding year-round humidity control in low-energy homes. Available supplemental humidity control options are discussed. Some options are less expensive but may not control indoor humidity as well as more expensive and comprehensive options. The best performing option is one that avoids overcooling and avoids adding unnecessary heat to the space by using waste heat from the cooling system to reheat the cooled and dehumidified air to room-neutral temperature.« less

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

Rudd, Armin

This document covers a description of the need and applied solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates, especially for energy efficient homes where the sensible cooling load has been dramatically reduced. Cooling loads are typically high and cooling equipment runs a lot to cool the air in older homes in warm-humid climates. The cooling process also removes indoor moisture, reducing indoor relative humidity. However, at current residential code levels, and especially for above-code programs, sensible cooling loads have been so dramatically reduced that the cooling system does not run a lot to cool the air, resulting in much less moisturemore » being removed. In these new homes, cooling equipment is off for much longer periods of time especially during spring/fall seasons, summer shoulder months, rainy periods, some summer nights, and winter days. In warm-humid climates, those long-off periods allow indoor humidity to become elevated due to internally generated moisture and ventilation air change. Elevated indoor relative humidity impacts comfort, indoor air quality, and building material durability. Industry is responding with supplemental dehumidification options, but that effort is really in its infancy regarding year-round humidity control in low-energy homes. Available supplemental humidity control options are discussed. Some options are less expensive but may not control indoor humidity as well as more expensive and comprehensive options. The best performing option is one that avoids overcooling and adding unnecessary heat to the space by using waste heat from the cooling system to reheat the cooled and dehumidified air to room-neutral temperature.« less

Humidity-swing mechanism for CO2 capture from ambient air.

PubMed

Yang, Hao; Singh, Manmilan; Schaefer, Jacob

2018-05-10

A humidity-swing polymeric sorbent captures CO2 from ambient air at room temperature simply by changing the humidity level. To date there has been no direct experimental evidence to characterize the chemical mechanism for this process. In this report we describe the use of solid-state NMR to study the humidity-swing CO2 absorption/desorption cycle directly. We find that at low humidity levels CO2 is absorbed as HCO3-. At high humidity levels, HCO3- is replaced by hydrated OH- and the absorbed CO2 is released.

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

Miller, William A; Railkar, Sudhir; Shiao, Ming C

Field studies in a hot, humid climate were conducted to investigate the thermal and hygrothermal performance of ventilated attics and non-ventilated semi-conditioned attics sealed with open-cell and with closed-cell spray polyurethane foam insulation. Moisture pin measurements made in the sheathing and absolute humidity sensor data from inside the foam and from the attic air show that moisture is being stored in the foam. The moisture in the foam diffuses to and from the sheathing dependent on the pressure gradient at the foam-sheathing interface which is driven by the irradiance and night-sky radiation. Ventilated attics in the same hot, humid climatemore » showed less moisture movement in the sheathing than those sealed with either open- or closed-cell spray foam. In the ventilated attics the relative humidity drops as the attic air warms; however, the opposite was observed in the sealed attics. Peaks in measured relative humidity in excess of 80 90% and occasionally near saturation (i.e., 100%) were observed from solar noon till about 8 PM on hot, humid days. The conditioned space of the test facility is heated and cooled by an air-to-air heat pump. Therefore the partial pressure of the indoor air during peak irradiance is almost always less than that observed in the sealed attics. Field data will be presented to bring to light the critical humidity control issues in sealed attics exposed to hot, humid climates.« less

AIRS Data Service at NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services (GES DISC) and Its Application to Climate Change Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Won, Young-In; Vollimer, Bruce; Theobald, Mike; Hua, Xin-Min

2008-01-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument suite is designed to observe and characterize the entire atmospheric column from the surface to the top of the atmosphere in terms of surface emissivity and temperature, atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, cloud amount and height, and the spectral outgoing infrared radiation on a global scale. The AIRS Data Support Team at the GES DISC provides data support to assist others in understanding, retrieving and extracting information from the AIRS/AMSU/HSB data products. Because a number of years has passed since its operation started, the amount of data has reached a certain level of maturity where we can address the climate change study utilizing AIRS data, In this presentation we will list various service we provide and to demonstrate how to utilize/apply the existing service to long-term and short-term variability study.

Environmentally stable perovskite film for active material of high stability solid state solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahtiar, A.; Putri, M.; Nurazizah, E. S.; Risdiana; Furukawa, Y.

2018-05-01

We studied new perovskite material lead (II) thiocyanate [Pb(SCN)2] in ambient air with humidity above 90%. We prepared perovskite film by use of two-step method combination of spin-coating and dip-coating technique. The Pb(SCN)2 film was first spin-coated either on bare glass or TiO2 coated glass and then followed by dipping it into methylammonium iodide (MAI) solution. The UV-Vis spectrum of Pb(SCN)2 film shows absorption at wavelength shorter than 400 nm. Meanwhile, perovskite MAPb(SCN)xI3-x film absorps light ranging from 300 nm to 760 nm, which shows that the perovskite film can absorp more light to be converted into free charge carrier for generating electricity in solar cells. The XRD patterns shows that perovskite peaks are clearly observed which confirms that perovskite is already well formed. We also observe no significant changes in XRD pattern of perovskite films after stored for five days at ambient air with humidity exceed 90%. This result shows that perovskite MAPb(SCN)XI3-X film is environmentally stable, therefore high stability perovskite solar cells is expected to be produced in ambient air with high humidity. This is in accordance with the SEM images of surface morphology that shows no “pin-hole”.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Formaldehyde Sensing with QCM.

PubMed

Hussain, Munawar; Kotova, Kira; Lieberzeit, Peter A

2016-06-30

Herein, we report on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for detecting formaldehyde vapors in air streams. A copolymer thin film consisting of styrene, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) yielded a detection limit of 500 ppb formaldehyde in dry air. Surprisingly, these MIPs showed specific behavior when tested against a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as acetaldehyde, methanol, formic acid, and dichloromethane. Despite thus being a suitable receptor in principle, the MIPs were not useful for measurements at 50% humidity due to surface saturation by water. This was overcome by introducing primary amino groups into the polymer via allyl amine and by changing the coating morphology from thin film to nanoparticles. This led to the same limit of detection (500 ppb) and selectivity as before, but at the real-life conditions of 50% relative humidity.

The Ocean-Atmosphere Hydrothermohaline Conveyor Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Döös, Kristofer; Kjellsson, Joakim; Zika, Jan; Laliberté, Frédéric; Brodeau, Laurent

2015-04-01

The ocean thermohaline circulation is linked to the hydrothermal circulation of the atmosphere. The ocean thermohaline circulation is expressed in potential temperature-salinity space and comprises a tropical upper-ocean circulation, a global conveyor belt cell and an Antarctic Bottom Water cell. The atmospheric hydrothermal circulation in a potential temperature-specific humidity space unifies the tropical Hadley and Walker cells as well as the midlatitude eddies into a single, global circulation. Superimposed, these thermohaline and hydrothermal stream functions reveal the possibility of a close connection between some parts of the water and air mass conversions. The exchange of heat and fresh water through the sea surface (precipiation-evaporation) and incoming solar radiation act to make near-surface air warm and moist while making surface water warmer and saltier as both air and water travel towards the Equator. In the tropics, air masses can undergo moist convection releasing latent heat by forming precipitation, thus acting to make warm surface water fresher. We propose that the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship for moist near-surface air acts like a lower bound for the atmospheric hydrothermal cell and an upper bound for the ocean thermohaline Conveyor-Belt cell. The analysis is made by combining and merging the overturning circulation of the ocean and atmosphere by relating the salinity of the ocean to the humidity of the atmosphere, where we set the heat and freshwater transports equal in the two stream functions By using simulations integrated with our Climate-Earth system model EC-Earth, we intend to produce the "hydrothermohaline" stream function of the coupled ocean-atmosphere overturning circulation in one single picture. We explore how the oceanic thermohaline Conveyor Belt can be linked to the global atmospheric hydrothermal circulation and if the water and air mass conversions in humidity-temperature-salinity space can be related and linked to each other along a "line" corresponding to the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship. A geographical description of how and where this occurs together with this new hydrothermohaline stream function will be searched for. The net heat and freshwater transport of the ocean and atmosphere can aslo be calculated from the thermohaline and hydrothermal stream functions. The heat transport across isohumes in the atmosphere and isohalines in the ocean as well as the freshwater transport across isotherms in both the atmosphere and ocean are computed. The maximum heat transport is about 16 PW in the atmosphere, while that of the ocean is just about 1 PW. The freshwater transport across isotherms in the atmosphere and ocean are shown to be tightly connected with a net maximum freshwater transport of 4 SV in the atmosphere and 2 Sv in the ocean.

Analytical study on the thermal performance of a partially wet constructal T-shaped fin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazarika, Saheera Azmi; Zeeshan, Mohd; Bhanja, Dipankar; Nath, Sujit

2017-07-01

The present paper addresses the thermal analysis of a T-shaped fin under partially wet condition by adopting a cubic variation of the humidity ratio of saturated air with the corresponding fin surface temperature. The point separating the dry and wet parts may lie either in the flange or stem part of the fin and so, two different cases having different governing equations and boundary conditions are analyzed in this paper. Since the governing equations are highly non-linear, they are solved by using an analytical technique called the Differential Transform Method and subsequently, the dry fin length, temperature distribution and fin performances are evaluated and analyzed for a wide range of the various psychometric, geometric and thermo-physical parameters. Finally, it can be highlighted that relative humidity has a pronounced effect on the performance parameters when the fin surface is partially wet whereas this effect is marginally small for fully wet surface.

Evaluation of the response of tritium-in-air instrumentation to HT in dry and humid conditions and to HTO vapor

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

Phillips, H.; Dean, J.; Privas, E.

2015-03-15

Nuclear plant operators (power generation, decommissioning and reprocessing operations) are required to monitor releases of tritium species for regulatory compliance and radiation protection purposes. Tritium monitoring is performed using tritium-in-air gas monitoring instrumentation based either on flow-through ion chambers or proportional counting systems. Tritium-in-air monitors are typically calibrated in dry conditions but in service may operate at elevated levels of relative humidity. The NPL (National Physical Laboratory) radioactive gas-in-air calibration system has been used to study the effect of humidity on the response to tritium of two tritium-in-air ion chamber based monitors and one proportional counting system which uses amore » P10/air gas mixture. The response of these instruments to HTO vapour has also been evaluated. In each case, instrument responses were obtained for HT in dry conditions (relative humidity (RH) about 2%), HT in 45% RH, and finally HTO at 45% RH. Instrumentation response to HT in humid conditions has been found to slightly exceed that in dry conditions. (authors)« less

Effect of inlet-air humidity, temperature, pressure, and reference Mach number on the formation of oxides of nitrogen in a gas turbine combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchionna, N. R.; Diehl, L. A.; Trout, A. M.

1973-01-01

Tests were conducted to determine the effect of inlet air humidity on the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from a gas turbine combustor. Combustor inlet air temperature ranged from 506 K (450 F) to 838 K (1050 F). The tests were primarily run at a constant pressure of 6 atmospheres and reference Mach number of 0.065. The NOx emission index was found to decrease with increasing inlet air humidity at a constant exponential rate: NOx = NOx0e-19H (where H is the humidity and the subscript 0 denotes the value at zero humidity). the emission index increased exponentially with increasing normalized inlet air temperature to the 1.14 power. Additional tests made to determine the effect of pressure and reference Mach number on NOx showed that the NOx emission index varies directly with pressure to the 0.5 power and inversely with reference Mach number.

Parameterization of N2O5 Reaction Probabilities on the Surface of Particles Containing Ammonium, Sulfate, and Nitrate

EPA Science Inventory

A comprehensive parameterization was developed for the heterogeneous reaction probability (γ) of N₂O₅ as a function of temperature, relative humidity, particle composition, and phase state, for use in advanced air quality models. The reaction probabilities o...

Effect of production microclimate on female thermal state with increased temperature and air humidity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Machablishvili, O. G.

1980-01-01

The thermal state of women during the effect of high air temperature and relative humidity with a varying degree of physical loads was studied. Parameters for air temperature, relative humidity, and air movement were established. It was established that in women the thermo-regulatory stress occurs at lower air temperatures and with lower physical loads than in men. The accumulation of heat in women was revealed with lower air temperature than in men. It is concluded that to preserve the normal physiological state of the female organism it is necessary to create more favorable microclimate conditions and decrease the physical loads.

Ion-Implanted Diamond Films and Their Tribological Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Richard L. C.; Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Korenyi-Both, Andras L.; Garscadden, Alan; Barnes, Paul N.

1993-01-01

This paper reports the physical characterization and tribological evaluation of ion-implanted diamond films. Diamond films were produced by microwave plasma, chemical vapor deposition technique. Diamond films with various grain sizes (0.3 and 3 microns) and roughness (9.1 and 92.1 nm r.m.s. respectively) were implanted with C(+) (m/e = 12) at an ion energy of 160 eV and a fluence of 6.72 x 10(exp 17) ions/sq cm. Unidirectional sliding friction experiments were conducted in ultrahigh vacuum (6.6 x 10(exp -7)Pa), dry nitrogen and humid air (40% RH) environments. The effects of C(+) ion bombardment on fine and coarse-grained diamond films are as follows: the surface morphology of the diamond films did not change; the surface roughness increased (16.3 and 135.3 nm r.m.s.); the diamond structures were damaged and formed a thin layer of amorphous non-diamond carbon; the friction coefficients dramatically decreased in the ultrahigh vacuum (0.1 and 0.4); the friction coefficients decreased slightly in the dry nitrogen and humid air environments.

Precipitable water and surface humidity over global oceans from special sensor microwave imager and European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, W. T.; Tang, Wenqing; Wentz, Frank J.

1992-01-01

Global fields of precipitable water W from the special sensor microwave imager were compared with those from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model. They agree over most ocean areas; both data sets capture the two annual cycles examined and the interannual anomalies during an ENSO episode. They show significant differences in the dry air masses over the eastern tropical-subtropical oceans, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere. In these regions, comparisons with radiosonde data indicate that overestimation by the ECMWF model accounts for a large part of the differences. As a check on the W differences, surface-level specific humidity Q derived from W, using a statistical relation, was compared with Q from the ECMWF model. The differences in Q were found to be consistent with the differences in W, indirectly validating the Q-W relation. In both W and Q, SSMI was able to discern clearly the equatorial extension of the tongues of dry air in the eastern tropical ocean, while both ECMWF and climatological fields have reduced spatial gradients and weaker intensity.

Hygrothermal Analysis of Indoor Environment of Residential Prefabricated Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, Michal

2017-10-01

Recent studies show that the relative humidity and the indoor air temperature constitute an important determinant of the quality of indoor air. Hygrothermal microclimate has a significant impact on occupant’s health and their comfort. The study presents the results of experimental measurement of indoor air temperature and relative humidity in selected apartment in prefabricated panel house situated in Ostrava, Czechia. The contribution describes and analysis the relation between indoor air temperature [°C] and relative humidity [%] in this apartment. The experimental object is selected with respect to the housing stock in the Czech Republic. A third of the housing stock in the Czech Republic is composed of prefabricated panel houses. Regeneration and revitalization of these buildings were in the focus of interest during recent years. Building modifications, such as thermal insulation of building envelope or window replacement, lead to a significantly higher level of airtightness of these objects. Humidity and indoor air temperature are measured in 10-minute cycles for two periods. The values of temperature and humidity are measured for the non-heating and the heating season. The length of each experimental period is 30 days. The mean value of indoor air temperature is 22.21 °C and average relative humidity is 45.87% in the non-heating period. The values of 22.62 °C and 35.20% represent average values for the heating period. A slight increase of the average temperature of the indoor environment (+1.85%) is observed. The decrease of the relative humidity is evident at first glance. The relative humidity of the internal environment is approximately 10% lower in the heating period. Long-term decline of relative humidity below 30% brings many problems. It is necessary to take measures to increase of relative humidity in residential prefabricated building. The aquarium appears to be ineffective. The solution may be forced artificial ventilation or humidifiers.

Air pollutant intrusion into the Wieliczka Salt Mine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Salmon, L.G.; Cass, G.R.; Kozlowski, R.; Hejda, A.; Spiker, E. C.; Bates, A.L.

1996-01-01

The Wieliczka Salt Mine World Cultural Heritage Site contains many rock salt sculptures that are threatened by water vapor condensation from the mine ventilation air. Gaseous and particulate air pollutant concentrations have been measured both outdoors and within the Wieliczka Salt Mine, along with pollutant deposition fluxes to surfaces within the mine. One purpose of these measurements was to determine whether or not low deliquescence point ionic materials (e.g., NH4NO3) are accumulating on surfaces to an extent that would exacerbate the water vapor condensation problems in the mine. It was found that pollutant gases including SO2 and HNO3 present in outdoor air are removed rapidly and almost completely from the air within the mine by deposition to surfaces. Sulfur isotope analyses confirm the accumulation of air pollutant-derived sulfur in liquid dripping from surfaces within the mine. Particle deposition onto interior surfaces in the mine is apparent, with resulting soiling of some of those sculptures that have been carved from translucent rock salt. Water accumulation by salt sculpture surfaces was studied both experimentally and by approximate thermodynamic calculations. Both approaches suggest that the pollutant deposits on the sculpture surfaces lower the relative humidity (RH) at which a substantial amount of liquid water will accumulate by 1% to several percent. The extraordinarily low SO2 concentrations within the mine may explain the apparent success of a respiratory sanatorium located deep within the mine.

Modeling the airborne survival of influenza virus in a residential setting: the impacts of home humidification.

PubMed

Myatt, Theodore A; Kaufman, Matthew H; Allen, Joseph G; MacIntosh, David L; Fabian, M Patricia; McDevitt, James J

2010-09-03

Laboratory research studies indicate that aerosolized influenza viruses survive for longer periods at low relative humidity (RH) conditions. Further analysis has shown that absolute humidity (AH) may be an improved predictor of virus survival in the environment. Maintaining airborne moisture levels that reduce survival of the virus in the air and on surfaces could be another tool for managing public health risks of influenza. A multi-zone indoor air quality model was used to evaluate the ability of portable humidifiers to control moisture content of the air and the potential related benefit of decreasing survival of influenza viruses in single-family residences. We modeled indoor AH and influenza virus concentrations during winter months (Northeast US) using the CONTAM multi-zone indoor air quality model. A two-story residential template was used under two different ventilation conditions - forced hot air and radiant heating. Humidity was evaluated on a room-specific and whole house basis. Estimates of emission rates for influenza virus were particle-size specific and derived from published studies and included emissions during both tidal breathing and coughing events. The survival of the influenza virus was determined based on the established relationship between AH and virus survival. The presence of a portable humidifier with an output of 0.16 kg water per hour in the bedroom resulted in an increase in median sleeping hours AH/RH levels of 11 to 19% compared to periods without a humidifier present. The associated percent decrease in influenza virus survival was 17.5 - 31.6%. Distribution of water vapor through a residence was estimated to yield 3 to 12% increases in AH/RH and 7.8-13.9% reductions in influenza virus survival. This modeling analysis demonstrates the potential benefit of portable residential humidifiers in reducing the survival of aerosolized influenza virus by controlling humidity indoors.

Modeling the airborne survival of influenza virus in a residential setting: the impacts of home humidification

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Laboratory research studies indicate that aerosolized influenza viruses survive for longer periods at low relative humidity (RH) conditions. Further analysis has shown that absolute humidity (AH) may be an improved predictor of virus survival in the environment. Maintaining airborne moisture levels that reduce survival of the virus in the air and on surfaces could be another tool for managing public health risks of influenza. Methods A multi-zone indoor air quality model was used to evaluate the ability of portable humidifiers to control moisture content of the air and the potential related benefit of decreasing survival of influenza viruses in single-family residences. We modeled indoor AH and influenza virus concentrations during winter months (Northeast US) using the CONTAM multi-zone indoor air quality model. A two-story residential template was used under two different ventilation conditions - forced hot air and radiant heating. Humidity was evaluated on a room-specific and whole house basis. Estimates of emission rates for influenza virus were particle-size specific and derived from published studies and included emissions during both tidal breathing and coughing events. The survival of the influenza virus was determined based on the established relationship between AH and virus survival. Results The presence of a portable humidifier with an output of 0.16 kg water per hour in the bedroom resulted in an increase in median sleeping hours AH/RH levels of 11 to 19% compared to periods without a humidifier present. The associated percent decrease in influenza virus survival was 17.5 - 31.6%. Distribution of water vapor through a residence was estimated to yield 3 to 12% increases in AH/RH and 7.8-13.9% reductions in influenza virus survival. Conclusion This modeling analysis demonstrates the potential benefit of portable residential humidifiers in reducing the survival of aerosolized influenza virus by controlling humidity indoors. PMID:20815876

Nitrogenous compounds changes in emersed oysters: Crassostrea gigas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafrafi, Sarra; Uglow, Roger F.

2009-01-01

The effects of emersing oysters ( Crassostrea gigas) for up to 66 h at 4 °C under humid air and nitrogen atmospheres were studied. A significant, gradual body mass loss occurred under nitrogen (8.36 ± 0.85% final weight loss) but no significant loss occurred under humid air (4.92 ± 2.67% final weight loss). Emersion duration and the mantle cavity fluid (MCF) total ammonia (TA) concentration showed a positive, linear relationship ( r2 = 0.73 and 0.74 under humid air and N 2, respectively). The MCF TA and trimethylamine (TMA) contents were also positively related ( r2 = 0.64 and 0.69 under humid air and N 2, respectively). Proline was the most abundant soft tissue free amino acid (71.07 ± 11.8%) in the control group and its concentration did not change significantly under either treatment. The concentration of alanine and valine increased significantly only under humid air. Under N 2, the concentrations of valine and lysine increased significantly and aspartate decreased significantly. Succinate showed a large increase during the first 6 h of emersion under both treatments but significantly more was accumulated in the N 2-exposed group (4.2-fold increase and 8.1-fold increase for the humid air- and N 2-exposed groups, respectively). The succinate concentration difference remained higher in the N 2-treated groups but, in the final 24 h, levels decreased again (quadratic regressions of r2 = 0.97 and 0.95 under humid air and N 2, respectively). Although the trend of succinate accumulation was similar under both treatments, the groups held under nitrogen did not gape (whereas those under humid air did). It is concluded that the implications of gaping behaviour on succinate accumulation in the initial hours of emersion have considerable ecological significance for oysters which occupy habitats in which they may become emersed for some hours naturally. Gaping behaviour also has considerable commercial implications because emersion occurs frequently during the marketing of live oysters.

Coplanar surface barrier discharge ignited in water vapor—a selective source of OH radicals proved by (TA)LIF measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Procházka, V.; Tučeková, Z.; Dvořák, P.; Kováčik, D.; Slavíček, P.; Zahoranová, A.; Voráč, J.

2018-01-01

Coplanar dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was ignited in pure water vapor at atmospheric pressure in order to generate highly oxidizing plasma with one specific type of reactive radicals. In order to prevent water condensation the used plasma reactor was heated to 120 {}\\circ C. The composition of the radical species in the discharge was studied by methods based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and compared with analogous measurements realized in the same coplanar DBD ignited in air. Fast collisional processes and laser-surface interaction were taken into account during LIF data processing. It was found that coplanar DBD ignited in water vapor produces hydroxyl (OH) radicals with concentration in the order of 1020 m-3, which is 10× higher than the value measured in discharge in humid air (40% relative humidity at 21 {}\\circ C). The concentration of atomic hydrogen radicals in the DBD ignited in water vapor was below the detection limit, which proves that the generation of oxidizing plasma with dominance of one specific type of reactive radicals was achieved. The temporal evolution, spatial distribution, power dependence and rotational temperature of the OH radicals was determined in the DBD ignited in both water vapor and air.

High Lapse Rates in AIRS Retrieved Temperatures in Cold Air Outbreaks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fetzer, Eric J.; Kahn, Brian; Olsen, Edward T.; Fishbein, Evan

2004-01-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) experiment, on NASA's Aqua spacecraft, uses a combination of infrared and microwave observations to retrieve cloud and surface properties, plus temperature and water vapor profiles comparable to radiosondes throughout the troposphere, for cloud cover up to 70%. The high spectral resolution of AIRS provides sensitivity to important information about the near-surface atmosphere and underlying surface. A preliminary analysis of AIRS temperature retrievals taken during January 2003 reveals extensive areas of superadiabatic lapse rates in the lowest kilometer of the atmosphere. These areas are found predominantly east of North America over the Gulf Stream, and, off East Asia over the Kuroshio Current. Accompanying the high lapse rates are low air temperatures, large sea-air temperature differences, and low relative humidities. Imagery from a Visible / Near Infrared instrument on the AIRS experiment shows accompanying clouds. These lines of evidence all point to shallow convection in the bottom layer of a cold air mass overlying warm water, with overturning driven by heat flow from ocean to atmosphere. An examination of operational radiosondes at six coastal stations in Japan shows AIRS to be oversensitive to lower tropospheric lapse rates due to systematically warm near-surface air temperatures. The bias in near-surface air temperature is seen to be independent of sea surface temperature, however. AIRS is therefore sensitive to air-sea temperature difference, but with a warm atmospheric bias. A regression fit to radiosondes is used to correct AIRS near-surface retrieved temperatures, and thereby obtain an estimate of the true atmosphere-ocean thermal contrast in five subtropical regions across the north Pacific. Moving eastward, we show a systematic shift in this air-sea temperature differences toward more isothermal conditions. These results, while preliminary, have implications for our understanding of heat flow from ocean to atmosphere. We anticipate future improvements in the AIRS retrieval algorithm will lead to improved understanding of the exchange of sensible and latent heat from ocean to atmosphere, and more realistic near-surface lapse rates.

Precipitation phase partitioning variability across the Northern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennings, K. S.; Winchell, T. S.; Livneh, B.; Molotch, N. P.

2017-12-01

Precipitation phase drives myriad hydrologic, climatic, and biogeochemical processes. Despite its importance, many of the land surface models used to simulate such processes and their sensitivity to climate warming rely on simple, spatially uniform air temperature thresholds to partition rainfall and snowfall. Our analysis of a 29-year dataset with 18.7 million observations of precipitation phase from 12,143 stations across the Northern Hemisphere land surface showed marked spatial variability in the near-surface air temperature at which precipitation is equally likely to fall as rain and snow, the 50% rain-snow threshold. This value averaged 1.0°C and ranged from -0.4°C to 2.4°C for 95% of the stations analyzed. High-elevation continental areas such as the Rocky Mountains of the western U.S. and the Tibetan Plateau of central Asia generally exhibited the warmest thresholds, in some cases exceeding 3.0°C. Conversely, the coldest thresholds were observed on the Pacific Coast of North America, the southeast U.S., and parts of Eurasia, with values dropping below -0.5°C. Analysis of the meteorological conditions during storm events showed relative humidity exerted the strongest control on phase partitioning, with surface pressure playing a secondary role. Lower relative humidity and surface pressure were both associated with warmer 50% rain-snow thresholds. Additionally, we trained a binary logistic regression model on the observations to classify rain and snow events and found including relative humidity as a predictor variable significantly increased model performance between 0.6°C and 3.8°C when phase partitioning is most uncertain. We then used the optimized model and a spatially continuous reanalysis product to map the 50% rain-snow threshold across the Northern Hemisphere. The map reproduced patterns in the observed thresholds with a mean bias of 0.5°C relative to the station data. The above results suggest land surface models could be improved by incorporating relative humidity into their precipitation phase prediction schemes or by using a spatially variable, optimized rain-snow temperature threshold. This is particularly important for climate warming simulations where misdiagnosing a shift from snow to rain or inaccurately quantifying snowfall fraction would likely lead to biased results.

Stomata of the CAM plant Tillandsia recurvata respond directly to humidity.

PubMed

Lange, O L; Medina, E

1979-01-01

Under controlled conditions, CO 2 exchange of Tillandsia recurvata showed all characteristics of CAM. During the phase of nocturnal CO 2 fixation stomata of the plant responded sensitively to changes in ambient air humidity. Dry air resulted in an increase, moist air in a decrease of diffusion resistance. The evaporative demand of the air affected the level of stomatal resistance during the entire night period. Due to stomatal closure, the total nocturnal water loss of T. recurvata was less at low than at high humidity. It is concluded that stomata respond directly to humidity and not via bulk tissue water conditions of the leaves. Such control of transpiration may optimize water use efficiency for this almost rootless, extreme epiphyte.

Friction and Wear Properties of As-deposited and Carbon Ion-implanted Diamond Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1994-01-01

Recent work on the friction and wear properties of as-deposited and carbon ion-implanted diamond films was reviewed. Diamond films were produced by the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. Diamond films with various grain sizes and surface roughnesses were implanted with carbon ions at 60 ke V ion energy, resulting in a dose of 1.2310(exp 17) carbon ions/cm(exp 2). Various analytical techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, proton recoil analysis, Rutherford backscattering, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction, were utilized to characterize the diamond films. Sliding friction experiments were conducted with a polished natural diamond pin in contact with diamond films in the three environments: humid air (40 percent relative humidity), dry nitrogen (less than 1 percent relative humidity), and ultrahigh vacuum (10(exp -7) Pa). The CVD diamond films indeed have friction and were properties similar to those of natural diamond in the three environments. The as-deposited, fine-grain diamond films can be effectively used as self-lubricating, wear-resistant coatings that have low coefficients of friction (0.02 to 0.04) and low wear rates (10(exp -7) to 10(exp -8)mm(exp 3)/N-m) in both humid air and dry nitrogen. However, they have high coefficients of friction (1.5 to 1.7) and a high wear rate (10(exp -4)mm(exp 3/N-m) in ultrahigh vacuum. The carbon ion implanation produced a thin surficial layer (less than 0.1 micron thick) of amorphous, nondiamond carbon on the diamond films. In humid air and dry nitrogen, the ion-implanted, fine- and coarse-grain diamond films have a low coefficient of friction (around 0.1) and a low wear rate (10(exp -7)mm(exp 3/N-m). Even in ultrahigh vacuum, the presence of the nondiamond carbon layer reduced the coefficient of friction of fine-grain diamond films to 0.1 or lower and the wear rate to 10(exp -6)mm(exp 3)/N-m. Thus, the carbon ion-implanted, fine-grain diamond films can be effectively used as wear-resistant, self-lubricating coatings not only in air and dry nitrogen, but also in ultrahigh vacuum. The wear mechanism of diamond films is that of small fragments chipping off the surface. The size of wear particles is related to the extent of wear rates.

Modeling of microclimatic characteristics of highland area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitdikova, Iuliia; Rusin, Igor

2013-04-01

Microclimatic characteristics of highlands may vary considerably over distances of a few meters depending on slope and aspect. There is a problem of estimation of components of surface energy balance based on observation of single stations for description of microclimate highlands. The aim of this paper is to develop a method that would restore microclimatic characteristics of terrain, based on observations of the single station, by physical extrapolation. The input parameters to obtain the microclimatic characteristics are as follows: air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed on two vertical levels, air pressure, surface temperature, direct and diffused solar radiation and surface albedo. The recent version of the Meteorological Radiation Model (MRM) has been used to calculate a solar radiation over the area and to estimate an influence of cloudiness amounts. The height, slope and aspect were accounted at each point with using a digital elevation model. Have been supposed that air temperature and specific humidity vary with altitude only. Net radiation was calculated at all points of the area. Supposed that the difference between the surface temperature and the air temperature is a linear function of net radiation. The empirical coefficient, which depends on wind speed with adjustment of given area. Latent and sensible fluxes are calculated by using the modified Bowen ratio, which varies on the area. Method was tested on field research in Krasnodar region (RF). The meteorological observations were made every three hour on actinometric and gradient sites. The editional gradient site with different orientation of the slope was organized from 400 meters of the main site. Topographic survey of area was made 1x1,3 km in size for a digital elevation model constructing. At all points of the area of radiation and heat balance were calculated. The results of researches are the maps of surface temperature, net radiation, latent and sensible fluxes. The calculations showed that the average value of components of heat balance by area differ significantly from the data observed on meteorological station.

Modelling dengue fever risk in the State of Yucatan, Mexico using regional-scale satellite-derived sea surface temperature.

PubMed

Laureano-Rosario, Abdiel E; Garcia-Rejon, Julian E; Gomez-Carro, Salvador; Farfan-Ale, Jose A; Muller-Karger, Frank E

2017-08-01

Accurately predicting vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, is essential for communities worldwide. Changes in environmental parameters such as precipitation, air temperature, and humidity are known to influence dengue fever dynamics. Furthermore, previous studies have shown how oceanographic variables, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-related sea surface temperature from the Pacific Ocean, influences dengue fever in the Americas. However, literature is lacking on the use of regional-scale satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) to assess its relationship with dengue fever in coastal areas. Data on confirmed dengue cases, demographics, precipitation, and air temperature were collected. Incidence of weekly dengue cases was examined. Stepwise multiple regression analyses (AIC model selection) were used to assess which environmental variables best explained increased dengue incidence rates. SST, minimum air temperature, precipitation, and humidity substantially explained 42% of the observed variation (r 2 =0.42). Infectious diseases are characterized by the influence of past cases on current cases and results show that previous dengue cases alone explained 89% of the variation. Ordinary least-squares analyses showed a positive trend of 0.20±0.03°C in SST from 2006 to 2015. An important element of this study is to help develop strategic recommendations for public health officials in Mexico by providing a simple early warning capability for dengue incidence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 86-372-1796, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Department of Commerce, Pascagoula, Mississippi

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

Boiano, J.M.; Cantor, F.L.; Burr, G.A.

In response to a request from the U.S. Department of Commerce, an evaluation was made of an ongoing mold and mildew problem at the Southeastern Regional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service located in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Office workers indicated they were suffering from throat irritation, itchy eyes, sneezing, and coughing symptoms. The problem was traced to an improperly installed all-water heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system. Deficiencies in the system resulted in water damage, high humidity, and the growth of mold and mildew on all surfaces. Dehumidifiers were useful in reducing the humidity level, and therefore the growth of mildewmore » and mold, but there was still some visible contamination on room surfaces. Airborne levels of total viable microorganisms averaged 1,236 colony-forming units per cubic meter of air. The most-abundant fungal species isolated was Acremonium species. When the results of a medical questionnaire were compared to levels of fungal contamination there was no statistically significant association between the occurrence of illness and exposure to microorganisms. The authors recommend that insulation on the pipes and condenser drain lines be replaced to eliminate the moisture-incursion problems, that all nonporous surfaces be disinfected, and that all nondisposable building contents be cleaned with a vacuum incorporating a high-efficiency particulate air filter. Materials which could not be adequately cleaned were to be discarded.« less

Enhancing Water Evaporation with Floating Synthetic Leaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boreyko, Jonathan; Vieitez, Joshua; Berrier, Austin; Roseveare, Matthew; Shi, Weiwei

2017-11-01

When a wetted nanoporous medium is exposed to a subsaturated ambient environment, the water menisci assume a concave curvature to achieve a negative pressure. This negative water pressure is required to balance the mismatch in water activity across the water-air interface to achieve local equilibrium. Here, we show that the diffusive evaporation rate of water can be greatly modulated by floating a nanoporous synthetic leaf at the water's free interface. For high ambient humidities, adding the leaf serves to enhance the evaporation rate, presumably by virtue of the menisci enhancing the effective liquid-vapor surface area. For low humidities, the menisci cannot achieve a local equilibrium and retreat partway into the leaf, which increases the local humidity directly above the menisci. In light of these two effects, we find the surprising result that leaves exposed to an ambient humidity of 90 percent can evaporate water at the same rate as leaves exposed to only 50 percent humidity. These findings have implications for using synthetic trees to enhance steam generation or water harvesting. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (CBET-1653631).

Cyclic deformations in the Opalinus clay: a laboratory experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, Emanuel; Huggenberger, Peter; Möri, Andreas; Meier, Edi

2015-04-01

The influence of tunnel climate on deformation cycles of joint openings and closings is often observed immediately after excavation. At the EZ-B niche in the Mt. Terri rock laboratory (Switzerland), a cyclic deformation of the shaly Opalinus clay has been monitored for several years. The deformation cycles of the joints parallel to the clay bedding planes correlate with seasonal variations in relative humidity of the air in the niche. In winter, when the relative humidity is the lowest (down to 65%), the joints open as the clay volume decreases, whereas they tend to close in the summer when the relative humidity reaches up to 100%. Furthermore, in situ measurements have shown the trend of an increasingly smaller aperture of joints with time. A laboratory experiment was carried out to reproduce the observed cyclic deformation in a climate chamber using a core sample of Opalinus clay. The main goal of the experiment was to investigate the influence of the relative humidity on the deformation of the Opalinus clay while excluding the in situ effects (e.g. confining stress). The core sample of Opalinus clay was put into a closed ended PVC tube and the space between the sample and the tube was filled with resin. Then, the sample (size: 28 cm × 14 cm × 6.5 cm) was cut in half lengthways and the open end was cut, so that the half-core sample could move in one direction. The mounted sample was exposed to wetting and drying cycles in a climate chamber. Air temperature, air humidity and sample weight were continuously recorded. Photographs taken at regular time intervals by a webcam allowed the formation/deformation of cracks on the surface of the sample to be monitored. A crackmeter consisting of a double-plate capacitor attached to the core sample was developed to measure the dynamics of the crack opening and closing. Preliminary results show that: - Deformation movements during different climate cycles can be visualized with the webcam - The crackmeter signal gives a relatively precise response for relative humidity below 80% - The sample weight variations are clearly related to the climatic conditions (temperature and relative humidity) and associated with deformation of the sample (widening and narrowing of the cracks) - The control of the relative humidity in the climate chamber turned out to be difficult in a laboratory without climate conditioning, especially during summer time

Scanning Surface Potential Microscopy of Spore Adhesion on Surfaces

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

Lee, Ida; Chung, Eunhyea; Kweon, Hyojin

2012-01-01

The adhesion of spores of Bacillus anthracis - the cause of anthrax and a likely biological threat - to solid surfaces is an important consideration in cleanup after an accidental or deliberate release. However, because of safety concerns, directly studying B. anthracis spores with advanced instrumentation is problematic. As a first step, we are examining the electrostatic potential of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is a closely related species that is often used as a simulant to study B. anthracis. Scanning surface potential microscopy (SSPM), also known as Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), was used to investigate the influence of relativemore » humidity (RH) on the surface electrostatic potential of Bt that had adhered to silica, mica, or gold substrates. AFM/SSPM side-by-side images were obtained separately in air, at various values of RH, after an aqueous droplet with spores was applied on each surface and allowed to dry before measurements. In the SSPM images, a negative potential on the surface of the spores was observed compared with that of the substrates. The surface potential decreased as the humidity increased. Spores were unable to adhere to a surface with an extremely negative potential, such as mica.« less

Evaporative Cooler Use Influences Temporal Indoor Relative Humidity but Not Dust Mite Allergen Levels in Homes in a Semi-Arid Climate

PubMed Central

Johnston, James D.; Tuttle, Steven C.; Nelson, Morgan C.; Bradshaw, Rebecca K.; Hoybjerg, Taylor G.; Johnson, Julene B.; Kruman, Bryce A.; Orton, Taylor S.; Cook, Ryan B.; Eggett, Dennis L.; Weber, K. Scott

2016-01-01

Concerns about energy consumption and climate change make residential evaporative coolers a popular alternative to central air conditioning in arid and semi-arid climates. However, evaporative coolers have been shown to significantly increase indoor relative humidity and dust mite allergen levels in some studies, while showing no association in other studies. Improved measurement of temporal fluctuations in indoor relative humidity may help identify factors that promote mite growth in homes in dry climates. Dust samples and continuous indoor relative humidity measurements were collected from homes with central air conditioning and homes with evaporative coolers in Utah. Samples were collected over two seasons, winter/spring (Jan–Apr) and summer (July–Sept), 2014. Dust samples were analyzed for Der p 1 and Der f 1 using a two-site monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. Housing characteristics including age of home, occupant density, and age of mattresses, furniture, and carpeting were also measured. Positive Der p 1 or Der f 1 samples were found in 25.0% of the homes and there was no difference in mean allergen levels by type of air conditioning. Indoor relative humidity was significantly higher in homes with evaporative coolers compared to those with central air conditioning during the summer. Homes with evaporative coolers also spent significantly more time during summer above 55.0% and 65.0% relative humidity compared to central air homes, but not above 75.0%. Findings from this study suggest that increased humidity from evaporative coolers may not be sufficient to exceed the critical equilibrium humidity or maintain humidity excursions for sufficient duration in relatively larger single-family homes in semi-arid climates to support mite growth and reproduction. PMID:26808528

Evaporative Cooler Use Influences Temporal Indoor Relative Humidity but Not Dust Mite Allergen Levels in Homes in a Semi-Arid Climate.

PubMed

Johnston, James D; Tuttle, Steven C; Nelson, Morgan C; Bradshaw, Rebecca K; Hoybjerg, Taylor G; Johnson, Julene B; Kruman, Bryce A; Orton, Taylor S; Cook, Ryan B; Eggett, Dennis L; Weber, K Scott

2016-01-01

Concerns about energy consumption and climate change make residential evaporative coolers a popular alternative to central air conditioning in arid and semi-arid climates. However, evaporative coolers have been shown to significantly increase indoor relative humidity and dust mite allergen levels in some studies, while showing no association in other studies. Improved measurement of temporal fluctuations in indoor relative humidity may help identify factors that promote mite growth in homes in dry climates. Dust samples and continuous indoor relative humidity measurements were collected from homes with central air conditioning and homes with evaporative coolers in Utah. Samples were collected over two seasons, winter/spring (Jan-Apr) and summer (July-Sept), 2014. Dust samples were analyzed for Der p 1 and Der f 1 using a two-site monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. Housing characteristics including age of home, occupant density, and age of mattresses, furniture, and carpeting were also measured. Positive Der p 1 or Der f 1 samples were found in 25.0% of the homes and there was no difference in mean allergen levels by type of air conditioning. Indoor relative humidity was significantly higher in homes with evaporative coolers compared to those with central air conditioning during the summer. Homes with evaporative coolers also spent significantly more time during summer above 55.0% and 65.0% relative humidity compared to central air homes, but not above 75.0%. Findings from this study suggest that increased humidity from evaporative coolers may not be sufficient to exceed the critical equilibrium humidity or maintain humidity excursions for sufficient duration in relatively larger single-family homes in semi-arid climates to support mite growth and reproduction.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Formaldehyde Sensing with QCM

PubMed Central

Hussain, Munawar; Kotova, Kira; Lieberzeit, Peter A.

2016-01-01

Herein, we report on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for detecting formaldehyde vapors in air streams. A copolymer thin film consisting of styrene, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) yielded a detection limit of 500 ppb formaldehyde in dry air. Surprisingly, these MIPs showed specific behavior when tested against a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as acetaldehyde, methanol, formic acid, and dichloromethane. Despite thus being a suitable receptor in principle, the MIPs were not useful for measurements at 50% humidity due to surface saturation by water. This was overcome by introducing primary amino groups into the polymer via allyl amine and by changing the coating morphology from thin film to nanoparticles. This led to the same limit of detection (500 ppb) and selectivity as before, but at the real-life conditions of 50% relative humidity. PMID:27376287

Steady-state equation of water vapor sorption for CaCl2-based chemical sorbents and its application

PubMed Central

Zhang, Haiquan; Yuan, Yanping; Sun, Qingrong; Cao, Xiaoling; Sun, Liangliang

2016-01-01

Green CaCl2-based chemical sorbent has been widely used in sorption refrigeration, air purification and air desiccation. Methods to improve the sorption rate have been extensively investigated, but the corresponding theoretical formulations have not been reported. In this paper, a sorption system of solid-liquid coexistence is established based on the hypothesis of steady-state sorption. The combination of theoretical analysis and experimental results indicates that the system can be described by steady-state sorption process. The steady-state sorption equation, μ = (η − γT) , was obtained in consideration of humidity, temperature and the surface area. Based on engineering applications and this equation, two methods including an increase of specific surface area and adjustment of the critical relative humidity (γ) for chemical sorbents, have been proposed to increase the sorption rate. The results indicate that the CaCl2/CNTs composite with a large specific surface area can be obtained by coating CaCl2 powder on the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The composite reached sorption equilibrium within only 4 h, and the sorption capacity was improved by 75% compared with pure CaCl2 powder. Furthermore, the addition of NaCl powder to saturated CaCl2 solution could significantly lower the solution’s γ. The sorption rate was improved by 30% under the same environment. PMID:27682811

Steady-state equation of water vapor sorption for CaCl2-based chemical sorbents and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haiquan; Yuan, Yanping; Sun, Qingrong; Cao, Xiaoling; Sun, Liangliang

2016-09-01

Green CaCl2-based chemical sorbent has been widely used in sorption refrigeration, air purification and air desiccation. Methods to improve the sorption rate have been extensively investigated, but the corresponding theoretical formulations have not been reported. In this paper, a sorption system of solid-liquid coexistence is established based on the hypothesis of steady-state sorption. The combination of theoretical analysis and experimental results indicates that the system can be described by steady-state sorption process. The steady-state sorption equation, μ = (η - γT) , was obtained in consideration of humidity, temperature and the surface area. Based on engineering applications and this equation, two methods including an increase of specific surface area and adjustment of the critical relative humidity (γ) for chemical sorbents, have been proposed to increase the sorption rate. The results indicate that the CaCl2/CNTs composite with a large specific surface area can be obtained by coating CaCl2 powder on the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The composite reached sorption equilibrium within only 4 h, and the sorption capacity was improved by 75% compared with pure CaCl2 powder. Furthermore, the addition of NaCl powder to saturated CaCl2 solution could significantly lower the solution’s γ. The sorption rate was improved by 30% under the same environment.

On the contribution of atmospheric moisture to dew formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.; Segal, M.

1988-09-01

The relative contributions of dewfall (a flux of water vapour from air to surface) and distillation (a flux of water vapour from soil to canopy) to dew formation on closed canopy and bare soil surfaces are assessed, and the dependence of dew amount upon wind speed, absolute temperature, atmospheric stability, relative humidity, soil characteristics and cloudiness, all of which are significant factors, is evaluated. Some of these evaluations provide refinements to similar ones given in Monteith (1961). High dewfall rates are usually ≲0.06 mm hr-1 over canopy or bare soil, though upon a canopy under soil-saturated and air-saturated conditions, rates of dew formation may reach 0.07 0.09 mm hr-1 with contributions from distillation. Various sets of observations are reanalyzed to illustrate the importance of the horizontal advection of moisture in the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) to observed high rates of dew formation arising from the atmospheric contribution of water vapour (dewfall). These locally observed high dewfall rates must be the result of small-scale or mesoscale horizontal advection of moisture in the NBL, since the humidity changes within the typically shallow NBL required to balance the loss of water at the surface are not observed. Over extensive areas of uniform surface (horizontal scales ≫10 km), such continuously high dewfall rates could only be balanced by a local supply of atmospheric moisture since advection of moisture would necessarily be small.

Device and method for measuring the energy content of hot and humid air streams

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

Rosen, H. N.; Girod, G. F.; Kent, A. C.

1985-12-24

a portable device and method for measuring enthalpy and humidity of humid air from a space or flow channel at temperatures from 80/sup 0/ to 400/sup 0/ F. is described. the device consists of a psychrometer for measuring wet-bulb temperature, a vacuum pump for inducing sample air flow through the unit, a water-heating system for accurate psychrometer readings, an electronic computer system for evaluation of enthalpy and humidity from corrected and averaged values of wet- and dry- bulb temperatures, and a monitor for displaying the values. The device is programmable by the user to modify evaluation methods as necessary.

Climatological and statistical characteristics of the Haines Index for North America

Treesearch

Julie A. Winkler; Brian E. Potter; Dwight F. Wilhelm; Ryan P. Shadbolt; Krerk Piromsopa; Xindi Bian

2007-01-01

The Haines Index is an operational tool for evaluating the potential contribution of dry, unstable air to the development of large or erratic plume-dominated wildfires. The index has three variants related to surface elevation, and is calculated from temperature and humidity measurements at atmospheric pressure levels. To effectively use the Haines Index, fire...

Solar and Net Radiation for Estimating Potential Evaporation from Three Vegetation Canopies

Treesearch

D.M. Amatya; R.W. Skaggs; G.W. Cheschier; G.P. Fernandez

2000-01-01

Solar and net radiation data are frequent/y used in estimating potential evaporation (PE) from various vegetative surfaces needed for water balance and hydrologic modeling studies. Weather parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, and net radiation have been continuously monitored using automated sensors to estimate PE for...

AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3

These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft.

The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom.

The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere.

The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere.

The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change.

The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models.

The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

The simulation of temperature distribution and relative humidity with liquid concentration of 50% using computational fluid dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yohana, Eflita; Yulianto, Mohamad Endy; Kwang-Hwang, Choi; Putro, Bondantio; Yohanes Aditya W., A.

2015-12-01

The study of humidity distribution simulation inside a room has been widely conducted by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Here, the simulation was done by employing inputs in the experiment of air humidity reduction in a sample house. Liquid dessicant CaCl2was used in this study to absorb humidity in the air, so that the enormity of humidity reduction occured during the experiment could be obtained.The experiment was conducted in the morning at 8 with liquid desiccant concentration of 50%, nozzle dimension of 0.2 mms attached in dehumidifier, and the debit of air which entered the sample house was 2.35 m3/min. Both in inlet and outlet sides of the room, a DHT 11 censor was installed and used to note changes in humidity and temperature during the experiment. In normal condition without turning on the dehumidifier, the censor noted that the average temperature inside the room was 28°C and RH of 65%.The experiment result showed that the relative humidity inside a sample house was decreasing up to 52% in inlet position. Further, through the results obtained from CFD simulation, the temperature distribution and relative humidity inside the sample house could be seen. It showed that the concentration of liquid desiccant of 50% experienced a decrease while the relative humidity distribution was considerably good since the average RH was 55% followed by the increase in air temperature of 29.2° C inside the sample house.

A Multilayer 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; Einaud, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A dataset including daily- and monthly-mean turbulent fluxes (momentum, latent heat, and sensible heat) and some relevant parameters over global oceans, derived from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data, for the period July 1987-December 1994 and the 1988-94 annual and monthly-mean climatologies of the same variables is created. It has a spatial resolution of 2.0deg x 2.5deg latitude-longitude. The retrieved surface air humidity is found to be generally accurate as compared to the collocated radiosonde observations over global oceans. The retrieved wind stress and latent heat flux show useful accuracy as verified against research quality measurements of ship and buoy in the western equatorial Pacific. The 1988-94 seasonal-mean wind stress and latent heat flux show reasonable patterns related to seasonal variations of the atmospheric general circulation. The patterns of 1990-93 annual-mean turbulent fluxes and input variables are generally in good agreement with one of the best global analyzed flux datasets that based on COADS (comprehensive ocean-atmosphere data set) with corrections on wind speeds and covered the same period. The retrieved wind speed is generally within +/-1 m/s of the COADS-based, but is stronger by approx. 1-2 m/s in the northern extratropical oceans. The discrepancy is suggested to be mainly due to higher COADS-modified wind speeds resulting from underestimation of anemometer heights. Compared to the COADS-based, the retrieved latent heat flux and sea-air humidity difference are generally larger with significant differences in the trade wind zones and the ocean south of 40degS (up to approx. 40-60 W/sq m and approx. 1-1.5 g/kg). The discrepancy is believed to be mainly caused by higher COADS-based surface air humidity arising from the overestimation of dew point temperatures and from the extrapolation of observed high humidity southward into data-void regions south of 40degS. The retrieved sensible heat flux is generally within +/-5 W/sq m of UWM/COADS, except for some areas in the extratropical oceans, where the differences in wind speed have large impact on the difference in sensible heat flux. The dataset of SSM/I-derived turbulent fluxes is useful for climate studies, forcing of ocean models, and validation of coupled ocean-atmosphere global models.

Elimination of Drifts in Long-Duration Monitoring for Apnea-Hypopnea of Human Respiration.

PubMed

Jiang, Peng; Zhu, Rong

2016-10-25

This paper reports a methodology to eliminate an uncertain baseline drift in respiratory monitoring using a thermal airflow sensor exposed in a high humidity environment. Human respiratory airflow usually contains a large amount of moisture (relative humidity, RH > 85%). Water vapors in breathing air condense gradually on the surface of the sensor so as to form a thin water film that leads to a significant sensor drift in long-duration respiratory monitoring. The water film is formed by a combination of condensation and evaporation, and therefore the behavior of the humidity drift is complicated. Fortunately, the exhale and inhale responses of the sensor exhibit distinguishing features that are different from the humidity drift. Using a wavelet analysis method, we removed the baseline drift of the sensor and successfully recovered the respiratory waveform. Finally, we extracted apnea-hypopnea events from the respiratory signals monitored in whole-night sleeps of patients and compared them with golden standard polysomnography (PSG) results.

Elimination of Drifts in Long-Duration Monitoring for Apnea-Hypopnea of Human Respiration

PubMed Central

Jiang, Peng; Zhu, Rong

2016-01-01

This paper reports a methodology to eliminate an uncertain baseline drift in respiratory monitoring using a thermal airflow sensor exposed in a high humidity environment. Human respiratory airflow usually contains a large amount of moisture (relative humidity, RH > 85%). Water vapors in breathing air condense gradually on the surface of the sensor so as to form a thin water film that leads to a significant sensor drift in long-duration respiratory monitoring. The water film is formed by a combination of condensation and evaporation, and therefore the behavior of the humidity drift is complicated. Fortunately, the exhale and inhale responses of the sensor exhibit distinguishing features that are different from the humidity drift. Using a wavelet analysis method, we removed the baseline drift of the sensor and successfully recovered the respiratory waveform. Finally, we extracted apnea-hypopnea events from the respiratory signals monitored in whole-night sleeps of patients and compared them with golden standard polysomnography (PSG) results. PMID:27792151

Leveraging Oceanic and Surface Intensive Field Campaign Data Sets for Validation and Improvement of Recent Hyperspectral IR Satellite Data Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, E.; Nalli, N. R.; Oyola, M. I.; Morris, V. R.; Sakai, R.

2014-12-01

An overview is given of research to validate or improve the retrieval of environmental data records (EDRs) from recently deployed hyperspectral IR satellite sensors such as Suomi NPP Cross-track Infrared Microwave Sounder Suite (CrIMSS). The effort centers around several surface field intensive campaigns that are designed or leveraged for EDR validation. These data include ship-based observations of upper air ozone, pressure, temperature and relative humidity soundings; aerosol and cloud properties; and sea surface temperature. Similar intensive data from two land-based sites are also utilized as well. One site, the Howard University Beltsville site, is at a single point location but has a comprehensive array of observations for an extended period of time. The other land site, presently being deployed by the University at Albany, is under development with limited upper air soundings but will have regionally distributed surface based microwave profiling of temperature and relative humidity on the scale of 10 - 50 km and other standard meteorological observations. Combined these observations provide data that are unique in their wide range including, a variety of meteorological conditions and atmospheric compositions over the ocean and urban-suburban environments. With the distributed surface sites the variability of atmospheric conditions are captured concurrently across a regional spatial scale. Some specific examples are given of comparisons of moisture and temperature correlative EDRs from the satellite sensors and surface based observations. An additional example is given of the use of this data to correct sea surface temperature (SST) retrieval biases from the hyperspectral IR satellite observations due to aerosol contamination.

Penicillium populations in dry-cured ham manufacturing plants.

PubMed

Battilani, Paola; Pietri, V Amedeo; Giorni, Paola; Formenti, Silvia; Bertuzzi, Terenzio; Toscani, Tania; Virgili, Roberta; Kozakiewicz, Zofia

2007-04-01

Seven ham manufacturing plants were sampled for 1 year to assess the mycoflora present in the air and on hams, with special attention given to potential mycotoxin producers. Temperature and relative humidity were recorded in the ripening rooms. Maturing rooms held hams from 2 to 3 through 6 to 7 ripening months, and aging rooms held hams for the following 6 to 7 months, until the 14-month ripening point, when they were ready for the market. Mean temperatures and relative humidities registered during the study were 14.9 degrees C and 62.4%, respectively, in maturing rooms and 16.3 degrees C and 57.6% in aging rooms. Aspergilli and penicillia, potential mycotoxin producers, were isolated in all the plants from the air and the ham. Aspergilli represented 5% of the isolates, while penicillia were largely dominant, with Penicillium nalgiovense being the most represented species (around 60% of the penicillia), followed by Penicillium nordicum, with 10 and 26% of the penicillia isolated, respectively, from the air or the ham. Ochratoxin A production ability, checked in vitro at 250C, was observed in 50% of the P. nordicum isolates obtained both from the air and the ham. Air and ham surface contamination by penicillia was greater in the ripening rooms, where higher temperatures were registered. A certain correlation was also observed between air and ham surface contamination. On the basis of this study, P. nordicum, the ochratoxin A producer that is notable on proteinaceous substrates, is normally present in ham manufacturing plants in Italy, even though not a dominant species. Further studies are necessary to clarify and ensure if dry-curing conditions minimize the potential risk of ochratoxin A formation in the product.

Effect of Humid Aging on the Oxygen Adsorption in SnO₂ Gas Sensors.

PubMed

Suematsu, Koichi; Ma, Nan; Watanabe, Ken; Yuasa, Masayoshi; Kida, Tetsuya; Shimanoe, Kengo

2018-01-16

To investigate the effect of aging at 580 °C in wet air (humid aging) on the oxygen adsorption on the surface of SnO₂ particles, the electric properties and the sensor response to hydrogen in dry and humid atmospheres for SnO₂ resistive-type gas sensors were evaluated. The electric resistance in dry and wet atmospheres at 350 °C was strongly increased by humid aging. From the results of oxygen partial pressure dependence of the electric resistance, the oxygen adsorption equilibrium constants ( K ₁; for O - adsorption, K ₂; for O 2- adsorption) were estimated on the basis of the theoretical model of oxygen adsorption. The K ₁ and K ₂ in dry and wet atmospheres at 350 °C were increased by humid aging at 580 °C, indicating an increase in the adsorption amount of both O - and O 2- . These results suggest that hydroxyl poisoning on the oxygen adsorption is suppressed by humid aging. The sensor response to hydrogen in dry and wet atmosphere at 350 °C was clearly improved by humid aging. Such an improvement of the sensor response seems to be caused by increasing the oxygen adsorption amount. Thus, the humid aging offers an effective way to improve the sensor response of SnO₂ resistive-type gas sensors in dry and wet atmospheres.

Effects of Humidity Swings on Adsorption Columns for Air Revitalization: Modeling and Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeVan, M. Douglas; Finn, John E.

1997-01-01

Air purification systems are necessary to provide clean air in the closed environments aboard spacecraft. Trace contaminants are removed using adsorption. One major factor concerning the removal of trace contaminants is relative humidity. Water can reduce adsorption capacity and, due to constant fluctuations, its presence is difficult to incorporate into adsorption column designs. The purpose of the research was to allow for better design techniques in trace contaminant adsorption systems, especially for feeds with water present. Experiments and mathematical modeling research on effects of humidity swings on adsorption columns for air revitalization were carried out.

AIRS First Light Data: Eastern Mediterranean, June 14, 2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3

Four images of the Mediterranean obtained concurrently on June 14, 2002 from the three instruments that make up the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The system features thousands of individual channels that observe Earth in the visible, infrared and microwave spectral regions. Each channel has a unique sensitivity to temperature, moisture, surface conditions and clouds.

This visible light image from the AIRS instrument shows a band of white clouds extending from the Adriatic Sea over Greece to the Black Sea.

The AIRS image (figure 1) at 900 cm-1 (11 micrometers) measures actual surface or cloud top temperatures. In it, land and ocean boundaries are well defined, with land appearing as warmer (darker red) than the ocean. The band of cold high cumulus clouds appears blue, with the darkest blue most likely a large thunderstorm.

The 150 gigahertz channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument (figure 2) is sensitive to moisture, ice particles and precipitation. The dry land temperature is comparable to the 11 micrometer temperatures, but over ocean this channel measures the temperature of moisture in the mid troposphere. The cold, blue areas off Sicily and in the Aegean Sea represent unusually dry areas over the ocean. There, clouds appear as green filaments--likely areas of precipitation.

The 31.4 gigahertz channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument (figure 3) is not affected by clouds.

NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, began sending high quality data on June 12, 2002. This 'first light' data is exceeding the expectations of scientists, confirming that the AIRS experiment is well on its way to meeting its goals of improving weather forecasting, establishing the connection between severe weather and climate change, determining if the global water cycle is accelerating, and detecting the effects of increased greenhouse gases.

The AIRS sounding suite is a tightly integrated remote sensing system that will be used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This will lead to better weather forecasts as well as a wealth of data that will be used to study and characterize and eventually predict the global climate. The AIRS system is made up of three of the six Aqua instruments - AIRS itself, which is an infrared sounder with an unprecedented 2378 spectral channels, complemented with a 4-channel visible/near-infrared imaging module; AMSU-A, which is a 15-channel microwave temperature sounder; and HSB, which is a 4-channel microwave humidity sounder. These instruments are carefully aligned with each other and scan the atmosphere in a synchronized way, giving us simultaneous multispectral views of a highly variable target.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models.

The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Mapping near-surface air temperature, pressure, relative humidity and wind speed over Mainland China with high spatiotemporal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tao; Zheng, Xiaogu; Dai, Yongjiu; Yang, Chi; Chen, Zhuoqi; Zhang, Shupeng; Wu, Guocan; Wang, Zhonglei; Huang, Chengcheng; Shen, Yan; Liao, Rongwei

2014-09-01

As part of a joint effort to construct an atmospheric forcing dataset for mainland China with high spatiotemporal resolution, a new approach is proposed to construct gridded near-surface temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and surface pressure with a resolution of 1 km×1 km. The approach comprises two steps: (1) fit a partial thin-plate smoothing spline with orography and reanalysis data as explanatory variables to ground-based observations for estimating a trend surface; (2) apply a simple kriging procedure to the residual for trend surface correction. The proposed approach is applied to observations collected at approximately 700 stations over mainland China. The generated forcing fields are compared with the corresponding components of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis dataset and the Princeton meteorological forcing dataset. The comparison shows that, both within the station network and within the resolutions of the two gridded datasets, the interpolation errors of the proposed approach are markedly smaller than the two gridded datasets.

Influence of hydrophobic surface treatment toward performance of air filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahfiq Zulkifli, Nazrul; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Ahmad, Azlinnorazia; Harun, Zawati; Akhair, Siti Hajar Mohd; Adibah Raja Ahmad, Raja; Hafeez Azhar, Faiz; Rashid, Abdul Qaiyyum Abd; Ismail, Al Emran

2017-08-01

This study investigated the performance of hydrophobic surface treatment by using silica aerogel powder via spray coating techniques. Hydrophobic properties were determined by measuring the level of the contact angle. Meanwhile, performance was evaluated in term of the hydrogen gas flow and humidity rejection. The results are shown by contact angle that the microstructure filter, especially in the upper layer and sub-layer has been changed. The results also show an increase of hydrophobicity due to the increased quantity of silica aerogel powder. Results also showed that the absorption and rejection filter performance filter has increased after the addition of silica aerogel powder. The results showed that with the addition of 5 grams of powder of silica aerogel have the highest result of wetting angle 134.11°. The highest humidity rejection found with 5 grams of powder of silica aerogel.

Thermal Comfort: An Index for Hot, Humid Asia. Educational Building Digest 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

The sensation of thermal comfort is determined by a combination of air temperature, humidity of the air, rate of movement of the air, and radiant heat. This digest is intended to assist architects to design educational facilities that are as thermally comfortable as is possible without recourse to mechanical air conditioning. A nomogram is…

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

Aslan, Z.; Topcu, S.

A central objective of micrometeorological research is to establish fluxes from a knowledge of the mean temperature, humidity and wind speed profiles. The effect of time and spatial variations of surface heat and momentum fluxes is studied for various geographic regions. These analysis show the principal boundary conditions for micro and meso-scale analysis, air-sea interactions, weather forecasting air pollution, agrometeorology and climate changing models. The fluxes of heat and momentum can be obtained from observed profiles of wind speed and temperature using the similarity relations for the atmospheric surface layer. In recent years, harmonic analysis is a particularly useful toolmore » in studying annual patterns of some meteorological parameters at the field of micrometeorological studies.« less

Characterization of simultaneous heat and mass transfer phenomena for water vapour condensation on a solid surface in an abiotic environment--application to bioprocesses.

PubMed

Tiwari, Akhilesh; Kondjoyan, Alain; Fontaine, Jean-Pierre

2012-07-01

The phenomenon of heat and mass transfer by condensation of water vapour from humid air involves several key concepts in aerobic bioreactors. The high performance of bioreactors results from optimised interactions between biological processes and multiphase heat and mass transfer. Indeed in various processes such as submerged fermenters and solid-state fermenters, gas/liquid transfer need to be well controlled, as it is involved at the microorganism interface and for the control of the global process. For the theoretical prediction of such phenomena, mathematical models require heat and mass transfer coefficients. To date, very few data have been validated concerning mass transfer coefficients from humid air inflows relevant to those bioprocesses. Our study focussed on the condensation process of water vapour and developed an experimental set-up and protocol to study the velocity profiles and the mass flux on a small size horizontal flat plate in controlled environmental conditions. A closed circuit wind tunnel facility was used to control the temperature, hygrometry and hydrodynamics of the flow. The temperature of the active surface was controlled and kept isothermal below the dew point to induce condensation, by the use of thermoelectricity. The experiments were performed at ambient temperature for a relative humidity between 35-65% and for a velocity of 1.0 ms⁻¹. The obtained data are analysed and compared to available theoretical calculations on condensation mass flux.

[Soil moisture estimation method based on both ground-based remote sensing data and air temperature in a summer maize ecosystem.

PubMed

Wang, Min Zheng; Zhou, Guang Sheng

2016-06-01

Soil moisture is an important component of the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum (SPAC). It is a key factor to determine the water status of terrestrial ecosystems, and is also the main source of water supply for crops. In order to estimate soil moisture at different soil depths at a station scale, based on the energy balance equation and the water deficit index (WDI), a soil moisture estimation model was established in terms of the remote sensing data (the normalized difference vegetation index and surface temperature) and air temperature. The soil moisture estimation model was validated based on the data from the drought process experiment of summer maize (Zea mays) responding to different irrigation treatments carried out during 2014 at Gucheng eco-agrometeorological experimental station of China Meteorological Administration. The results indicated that the soil moisture estimation model developed in this paper was able to evaluate soil relative humidity at different soil depths in the summer maize field, and the hypothesis was reasonable that evapotranspiration deficit ratio (i.e., WDI) linearly depended on soil relative humidity. It showed that the estimation accuracy of 0-10 cm surface soil moisture was the highest (R 2 =0.90). The RMAEs of the estimated and measured soil relative humidity in deeper soil layers (up to 50 cm) were less than 15% and the RMSEs were less than 20%. The research could provide reference for drought monitoring and irrigation management.

Mass and heat transfer model of Tubular Solar Still

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

Ahsan, Amimul; Fukuhara, Teruyuki

2010-07-15

In this paper, a new mass and heat transfer model of a Tubular Solar Still (TSS) was proposed incorporating various mass and heat transfer coefficients taking account of the humid air properties inside the still. The heat balance of the humid air and the mass balance of the water vapor in the humid air were formulized for the first time. As a result, the proposed model enabled to calculate the diurnal variations of the temperature, water vapor density and relative humidity of the humid air, and to predict the hourly condensation flux besides the temperatures of the water, cover andmore » trough, and the hourly evaporation flux. The validity of the proposed model was verified using the field experimental results carried out in Fukui, Japan and Muscat, Oman in 2008. The diurnal variations of the calculated temperatures and water vapor densities had a good agreement with the observed ones. Furthermore, the proposed model can predict the daily and hourly production flux precisely. (author)« less

A Model for the Formation and Melting of Ice on Surface Waters.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Bruin, H. A. R.; Wessels, H. R. A.

1988-02-01

Ice covers have an important influence on the hydrology of surface waters. The growth of ice layer on stationary waters, such as lakes or canals, depends primarily on meteorological parameters like temperature and humidity of the air, windspeed and radiation balance. The more complicated ice formation in rapidly flowing rivers is not considered in this study. A model is described that simulates ice growth and melting utilizing observed or forecast weather data. The model includes situations with a snow cover. Special attention is given to the optimal estimation of the net radiation and to the role of the stability of the near-surface air. Since a major practical application in the Netherlands is the use of frozen waters for recreation skating, the model is extended to include artificial ice tracks.

The competitive status of trees determines their responsiveness to increasing atmospheric humidity - a climate trend predicted for northern latitudes.

PubMed

Tullus, Arvo; Kupper, Priit; Kaasik, Ants; Tullus, Hardi; Lõhmus, Krista; Sõber, Anu; Sellin, Arne

2017-05-01

The interactive effects of climate variables and tree-tree competition are still insufficiently understood drivers of forest response to global climate change. Precipitation and air humidity are predicted to rise concurrently at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. We investigated whether the growth response of deciduous trees to elevated air humidity varies with their competitive status. The study was conducted in seed-originated silver birch and monoclonal hybrid aspen stands grown at the free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) experimental site in Estonia, in which manipulated stands (n = 3 for both species) are exposed to artificially elevated relative air humidity (6-7% over the ambient level). The study period included three growing seasons during which the stands had reached the competitive stage (trees were 7 years old in the final year). A significant 'treatment×competitive status' interactive effect on growth was detected in all years in birch (P < 0.01) and in one year in aspen stands (P = 0.015). Competitively advantaged trees were always more strongly affected by elevated humidity. Initially the growth of advantaged and neutral trees of both species remained significantly suppressed in humidified stands. In the following years, dominance and elevated humidity had a synergistic positive effect on the growth of birches. Aspens with different competitive status recovered more uniformly, attaining similar relative growth rates in manipulated and control stands, but preserved a significantly lower total growth yield due to severe initial growth stress. Disadvantaged trees of both species were never significantly affected by elevated humidity. Our results suggest that air humidity affects trees indirectly depending on their social status. Therefore, the response of northern temperate and boreal forests to a more humid climate in future will likely be modified by competitive relationships among trees, which may potentially affect species composition and cause a need to change forestry practices. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of processing history on the surface interfacial properties of budesonide in carrier-based dry-powder inhalers.

PubMed

Shur, Jagdeep; Pitchayajittipong, Chonladda; Rogueda, Philippe; Price, Robert

2013-08-01

Influence of air-jet micronization, post-micronization conditioning and storage on the surface properties of budesonide in dry-powder inhaler formulations was investigated. Crystalline budesonide was air jet-micronized and conditioned using organic vapor. Particle engineering was also used to fabricate respirable particles of budesonide. Surface imaging by atomic force microscopy suggested that micronized material possessed process-induced surface disorder, which relaxed upon conditioning with organic vapor. Particle engineered material was devoid of such surface disorder. Surface interfacial properties of all batches were different and correlated to in vitro fine particle delivery. The surface properties and in vitro performance of the conditioned material changed upon storage of the budesonide at 44% relative humidity and 25°C, while the micronized and particle-engineered material remained stable. These data suggest that processing conditions of budesonide affected the surface properties of the material, which was demonstrated to have direct affect on dry-powder inhaler formulation performance.

Influences of calcium oxide content in marine fuel oil on emission characteristics of marine furnaces under varying humidity and temperature of the inlet air.

PubMed

Lin, Cherng-Yuan; Chen, Wei-Cheng

2004-01-01

A marine furnace made of stainless steel. combined with an automatic small-size oil-fired burner, was used to experimentally investigate the influences of calcium oxide content in fuel oil on the combustion and emission characteristics under varying temperatures and humidity of the inlet air. Marine fuel oil generally contains various extents of metallic oxides such as CaO, Fe2O3, V2O5, etc which might affect its burning properties. In this study, an air-conditioner was used to adjust the humidity and temperatures of the inlet air to preset values prior to entering the burner. The adjusted inlet air atomized the marine diesel oil A containing a calcium oxide compound, to form a heterogeneous reactant mixture. The reactant mixture was thereafter ignited by a high-voltage electrode in the burner and burned within the marine furnace. The probes of a gas analyzer, H2S analyzer and a K-type thermocouple were inserted into the radial positions of the furnace through the eight rectangular slots which were cut in the upper side of the furnace. The experimental results showed that an increase of either humidity or temperature of the inlet air caused the promotion of the reaction rate of the fuel. The existence of calcium oxide compound in the diesel fuel also facilitated the oxidation reaction in the combustion chamber. The addition of CaO in the diesel fuel under the conditions of higher temperature or higher relative humidity of the inlet air produced the following: higher concentrations of CO2, SO2, and H2S emissions, an increased burning efficiency, a lowered O2 level, production of excess air and NOx emissions as well as a lower thermal loss and a lower burning gas temperature, as compared with the conditions of a lower temperature or a lower humidity of the inlet air. In addition, the burning of diesel fuel with added CaO compound caused a large variation in the burning efficiency, thermal loss, plus CO2, O2, and excess air emissions between the conditions of higher temperature/higher humidity and lower temperature/lower humidity inlet air compared with no CaO addition in the fuel. Moreover, the burning efficiency and the concentrations of excess air and O2 emissions increased, while the thermal loss, burning gas temperature and H2S, SO2, NOx, and CO2 emissions decreased with the increase of the axial distance from the measured location to the burner nozzle.

Influence of Different Factors on Relative Air Humidity in Zaragoza, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuadrat, José M.

2015-03-01

In this study, the spatial patterns of relative air humidity and its relation to urban, geographical and meteorological factors in the city of Zaragoza (Spain) is discussed. We created a relative humidity database by means of 32 urban transects. Data were taken on different days and with different weather types. This data set was used to map the mean spatial distribution of urban dry island (UDI). Using stepwise multiple regression analysis and Landsat ETM+ images the relationships between mean UDI and the main geographic-urban factors: topography, land cover and surface reflectivity, have been analyzed. Different spatial patterns of UDI were determined using Principal Component Analysis (Varimax rotation). The three components extracted accounted for 91% of the total variance. PC1 accounted for the most general patterns (similar to mean UDI); PC2 showed a shift of dry areas to the SE and PC3 a shift to NW. Using data on wind direction in Zaragoza, we have found that the displacement of dry areas to the SE (PC 2) was greater during NW winds while the shift to the NW (PC 3) was produced mainly by SE winds.

Friction and Wear Properties of Selected Solid Lubricating Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Iwaki, Masanori; Gotoh, Kenichi; Obara, Shingo; Imagawa, Kichiro

1999-01-01

To evaluate commercially developed solid film lubricants for aerospace bearing applications, we investigated the friction and wear behavior of bonded molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), magnetron-sputtered MoS2 and ion-plated silver films in sliding contact with 6-mm-diameter American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 440 C stainless steel balls. Unidirectional sliding friction experiments were conducted with a load of 5.9 N (600 g), a mean Herizian contact pressure of 0.79 GPa maximum 1.19 GPa), and a sliding velocity of 0.2 m/s at room temperature in three environments: ultrahigh vacuum (7x10 (exp -7Pa)), humid air (approx. 20 percent humidity), and dry nitrogen (less than 1 percent humidity). The resultant films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and surface profilometry. Marked differences in friction and wear resulted front the environmental conditions and the film materials. The main criteria for judging the performance were coefficient of friction and wear rate, which had to be less than 0.3 and on the order of 10 (exp -6mm exp 3/Nm or less), respectively. The bonded MoS2 and magnetron-sputtered MoS2 films met the criteria in all three environments. Also, the wear rates of the counterpart AISI 440 C stainless steel balls met that criterion in all three environments. The ion-plated silver films met the criteria only in ultrahigh vacuum. In ultrahigh vacuum the bonded MoS2 films were superior. In humid air the bonded MoS2 films had higher coefficient of friction and shorter wear life than did the magnetron-sputtered MoS2 films. The ion-plated silver films had a high coefficient of friction in humid air but relatively low coefficients of friction in the nonoxidative environments. Adhesion and plastic deformation played important roles in all three environments. All sliding involved adhesive transfer of materials.

Enhanced effect of water vapor on complete oxidation of formaldehyde in air with ozone over MnOx catalysts at room temperature.

PubMed

Zhao, De-Zhi; Shi, Chuan; Li, Xiao-Song; Zhu, Ai-Min; Jang, Ben W-L

2012-11-15

At room temperature, the enhanced effect of water vapor on ozone catalytic oxidation (OZCO) of formaldehyde to CO2 over MnOx catalysts and the reaction stability was reported. In a dry air stream, only below 20% of formaldehyde could be oxidized into CO2 by O3. In humid air streams (RH≥55%), ∼100% of formaldehyde were oxidized into CO2 by O3 and the reaction stability was significantly enhanced. Meanwhile, in situ Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) spectra of OZCO of HCHO demonstrate that the amount of both monodentate and bidentate carbonate species on MnOx, in the dry stream, increased gradually with time on stream (TOS). However, in the humid stream, almost no accumulation of carbonate species on the catalysts was observed. To clarify the enhanced mechanism, formaldehyde surface reactions and CO2 adsorption/desorption on the fresh, O3 and O3+H2O treated MnOx catalysts were examined comparatively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preliminary simulation study on regional climate change in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chunqiong; Guo, Qingyu; Xie, Hongbing; Pan, Xiaoling; Anabiek, Subai

2004-01-01

Under the conditions of global warming, the degenerated ecological environment has threatened human survival. Therefore, people will gradually pay more attention to the environmental problem of climate change. This paper analyzes the distribution features of air temperature, relative humidity (precipitation), and the horizontal stream field in Xinjiang for July 1997. In order to do the integration of one month (July, 1997) we ran the model NCAP/PENN MM5V3. Data from WLCCD (the latest World Land Cover Characteristics Database) was used to relate the two research domains of the model, and also to replace the vegetation in the MM5. The data in the WWLCD depends on the actual land surface characteristics. It was found that the general law of air temperature, relative humidity (precipitation) and the horizontal stream field of 1000hPa in Xinjiang in July of 1997 by means of the model. The mean regional data for July helped prefect the theory that humans are controlling the ecological environment in order to prevent and control desertification. Among these results, the simulated air temperature was the best.

Influence of low air humidity and low root temperature on water uptake, growth and aquaporin expression in rice plants.

PubMed

Kuwagata, Tsuneo; Ishikawa-Sakurai, Junko; Hayashi, Hidehiro; Nagasuga, Kiyoshi; Fukushi, Keiko; Ahamed, Arifa; Takasugi, Katsuko; Katsuhara, Maki; Murai-Hatano, Mari

2012-08-01

The effects of low air humidity and low root temperature (LRT) on water uptake, growth and aquaporin gene expression were investigated in rice plants. The daily transpiration of the plants grown at low humidity was 1.5- to 2-fold higher than that at high humidity. LRT at 13°C reduced transpiration, and the extent was larger at lower humidity. LRT also reduced total dry matter production and leaf area expansion, and the extent was again larger at lower humidity. These observations suggest that the suppression of plant growth by LRT is associated with water stress due to decreased water uptake ability of the root. On the other hand, the net assimilation rate was not affected by low humidity and LRT, and water use efficiency was larger for LRT. We found that low humidity induced coordinated up-regulation of many PIP and TIP aquaporin genes in both the leaves and the roots. Expression levels of two root-specific aquaporin genes, OsPIP2;4 and OsPIP2;5, were increased significantly after 6 and 13 d of LRT exposure. Taken together, we discuss the possibility that aquaporins are part of an integrated response of this crop to low air humidity and LRT.

Cross-validation of the osmotic pressure based on Pitzer model with air humidity osmometry at high concentration of ammonium sulfate solutions.

PubMed

Wang, Xiao-Lan; Zhan, Ting-Ting; Zhan, Xian-Cheng; Tan, Xiao-Ying; Qu, Xiao-You; Wang, Xin-Yue; Li, Cheng-Rong

2014-01-01

The osmotic pressure of ammonium sulfate solutions has been measured by the well-established freezing point osmometry in dilute solutions and we recently reported air humidity osmometry in a much wider range of concentration. Air humidity osmometry cross-validated the theoretical calculations of osmotic pressure based on the Pitzer model at high concentrations by two one-sided test (TOST) of equivalence with multiple testing corrections, where no other experimental method could serve as a reference for comparison. Although more strict equivalence criteria were established between the measurements of freezing point osmometry and the calculations based on the Pitzer model at low concentration, air humidity osmometry is the only currently available osmometry applicable to high concentration, serves as an economic addition to standard osmometry.

Mapping the downwelling atmospheric radiation at the Earth's surface: A research strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raschke, E.

1986-01-01

A strategy is presented along with background material for determining downward atmospheric radiation at the Earth's surface on a regional scale but over the entire globe, using available information on the temperature and humidity of the air near the ground and at cloud base altitudes. Most of these parameters can be inferred from satellite radiance measurements. Careful validation of the derived radiances will be required using ground-based direct measurements of radiances, to avoid systematic biases of these derived field quantities.

Revisiting Theories of Humidity Transduction: A Focus on Electrophysiological Data.

PubMed

Tichy, Harald; Hellwig, Maria; Kallina, Wolfgang

2017-01-01

Understanding the mechanism of humidity transduction calls for experimental data and a theory to interpret the data and design new experiments. A comprehensive theory of humidity transduction must start with agreement on what humidity parameters are measured by hygroreceptors and processed by the brain. Hygroreceptors have been found in cuticular sensilla of a broad range of insect species. Their structural features are far from uniform. Nevertheless, these sensilla always contain an antagonistic pair of a moist cell and a dry cell combined with a thermoreceptive cold cell. The strategy behind this arrangement remains unclear. Three main models of humidity transduction have been proposed. Hygroreceptors could operate as mechanical hygrometers, psychrometers or evaporation detectors. Each mode of action measures a different humidity parameter. Mechanical hygrometers measure the relative humidity, psychrometers indicate the wet-bulb temperature, and evaporimeters refer to the saturation deficit of the air. Here we assess the validity of the different functions by testing specific predictions drawn from each of the models. The effect of air temperature on the responses to humidity stimulation rules out the mechanical hygrometer function, but it supports the psychrometer function and highlights the action as evaporation rate detector. We suggest testing the effect of the flow rate of the air stream used for humidity stimulation. As the wind speed strongly affects the power of evaporation, experiments with changing saturation deficit at different flow rates would improve our knowledge on humidity transduction.

Air quality and ocular discomfort aboard commercial aircraft.

PubMed

Backman, H; Haghighat, F

2000-10-01

Aircraft cabin air quality has been a subject of recent public health interest. Aircraft environments are designed according to standards to ensure the comfort and well-being of the occupants. The upper and lower limits of humidity set by ASHRAE standards are based on the maintenance of acceptable thermal conditions established solely on comfort considerations, including thermal sensation, skin wetness, skin dryness, dry eyes and ocular discomfort. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of air (carbon dioxide level, relative humidity, and temperature) aboard commercial aircraft on ocular discomfort and dry eye of aircraft personnel and passengers. Measurements of indoor air quality were performed in 15 different aircraft at different times and altitudes. Forty-two measurements of carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity were performed with portable air samplers every 5 minutes. Passenger loads did not exceed 137 passengers. Thermal comfort rarely met ASHRAE standards. Low humidity levels and high carbon dioxide levels were found on the Airbus 320. The DC-9 had the highest humidity level and the Boeing-767 had the lowest carbon dioxide level. Air quality was poorest on the Airbus 320 aircraft. This poor level of air quality may cause intolerance to contact lenses, dry eyes, and may be a health hazard to both passengers and crew members. Improved ventilation and aircraft cabin micro-environments need to be made for the health and comfort of the occupants.

Meteorological drivers of hypolimnetic anoxia in a eutrophic, north temperate lake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snortheim, Craig A.; Hanson, Paul C.; McMahon, Katherine D.; Read, Jordan S.; Carey, Cayelan C.; Dugan, Hilary

2017-01-01

Oxygen concentration is both an indicator and driver of water quality in lakes. Decreases in oxygen concentration leads to altered ecosystem function as well as harmful consequences for aquatic biota, such as fishes. The responses of oxygen dynamics in lakes to climate-related drivers, such as temperature and wind speed, are well documented for lake surface waters. However, much less is known about how the oxic environment of bottom waters, especially the timing and magnitude of anoxia in eutrophic lakes, responds to changes in climate drivers. Understanding how important ecosystem states, such as hypolimnetic anoxia, may respond to differing climate scenarios requires a model that couples physical-biological conditions and sufficiently captures the density stratification that leads to strong oxygen gradients. Here, we analyzed the effects of changes in three important meteorological drivers (air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity) on hypolimnetic anoxia in a eutrophic, north temperate lake using the anoxic factor as an index that captures both the temporal and spatial extent of anoxia. Air temperature and relative humidity were found to have a positive correlation with anoxic factor, while wind speed had a negative correlation. Air temperature was found to have the greatest potential impact of the three drivers on the anoxic factor, followed by wind speed and then relative humidity. Across the scenarios of climate variability, variation in the simulated anoxic factor was primarily due to changes in the timing of onset and decay of stratification. Given the potential for future changes in climate, especially increases in air temperature, this study provides important insight into how these changes will alter lake water quality.

A case study of atmospheric boundary layer features during winter over a tropical inland station — Kharagpur (22.32°N, 87.32°E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alappattu, Denny P.; Kunhikrishnan, P. K.; Aloysius, Marina; Mohan, M.

2009-08-01

The local weather and air quality over a region are greatly influenced by the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) structure and dynamics. ABL characteristics were measured using a tethered balloon-sonde system over Kharagpur (22.32°N, 87.32°E, 40m above MSL), India, for the period 7 December 2004 to 30 December 2004, as a part of the Indian Space Research Organization-Geosphere Biosphere Program (ISRO-GBP) Aerosol Land Campaign II. High-resolution data of pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction were archived along with surface layer measurements using an automatic weather station. This paper presents the features of ABL, like ABL depth and nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) depth. The sea surface winds from Quikscat over the oceanic regions near the experiment site were analyzed along with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis winds over Kharagpur to estimate the convergence of wind, moisture and vorticity to understand the observed variations in wind speed and relative humidity, and also the increased aerosol concentrations. The variation of ventilation coefficient ( V C), a factor determining the air pollution potential over a region, is also discussed in detail.

A complexity measure based method for studying the dependance of 222Rn concentration time series on indoor air temperature and humidity.

PubMed

Mihailovic, D T; Udovičić, V; Krmar, M; Arsenić, I

2014-02-01

We have suggested a complexity measure based method for studying the dependence of measured (222)Rn concentration time series on indoor air temperature and humidity. This method is based on the Kolmogorov complexity (KL). We have introduced (i) the sequence of the KL, (ii) the Kolmogorov complexity highest value in the sequence (KLM) and (iii) the KL of the product of time series. The noticed loss of the KLM complexity of (222)Rn concentration time series can be attributed to the indoor air humidity that keeps the radon daughters in air. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Rates of cuticular penetration of chelated Fe(III): role of humidity, concentration, adjuvants, temperature, and type of chelate.

PubMed

Schönherr, Jörg; Fernández, Victoria; Schreiber, Lukas

2005-06-01

Time courses of cuticular penetration of FeCl3 and Fe(III) complexes of citric acid, EDTA, EDDHA (Sequestrene 138Fe), imidodisuccinic acid (IDHA), and ligninsulfonic acid (Natrel) were studied using astomatous cuticular membranes (CMs) isolated from Populus x canescens leaves. At 100% relative humidity, the Fe(III) chelates disappeared exponentially with time from the surface of the CMs; that is, penetration was a first-order process that can be described using rate constants or half-times of penetration (t(1/2)). Half-times ranged from 20 to 30 h. At 90% humidity, penetration rates were insignificant with the exception of Natrel, for which t(1/2) amounted to 58 h. Rate constants were independent of temperature (15, 25, and 35 degrees C). Permeability decreased with increasing Fe chelate concentration (IDHA and EDTA). At 100% humidity, half-times measured with FeIDHA were 11 h (2 mmol L(-1)), 17 h (10 mmol L(-1)) and 36 h (20 mmol L(-1)), respectively. In the presence of FeEDTA, penetration of CaCl2 was slowed greatly. Half-times for penetration of CaCl2, which were 1.9 h in the absence of FeEDTA, rose to 3.12 h in the presence of an equimolar concentration of EDTA and 13.3 h when the FeEDTA concentration was doubled. Hence, Fe chelates reduced permeability of CMs to CaCl2 and to the Fe chelates themselves. It is suggested that Fe chelates reduced the size of aqueous pores. This view is supported by the fact that rate constants for calcium salts were about 5 times higher than for Fe chelates with the same molecular weights. Adding Tween 20 (5 g L(-1)) as a humectant did not increase permeability to FeIDHA at 90% humidity and below, while addition of glycine betaine did. Penetration of FeCl3 applied at 5 g L(-1) (pH 1.5) was not a first order process as rate constants decreased rapidly with time. Only 2% of the dose penetrated during the first 2 h and less than that in the subsequent 8 h. Recovery was only 70%. This was attributed to the formation of insoluble Fe hydroxide precipitates on CMs. These results explain why in the past foliar application of Fe compounds had limited success. Inorganic Fe salts are instable and phytotoxic because of low pH, while Fe chelates penetrate slowly and 100% humidity is required for significant penetration rates. Concentrations as low as reasonably possible should be used. These physical facts are expected to apply to stomatous leaf surfaces as well, but absolute rates probably depend on leaf age and plant species. High humidity in stagnant air layers may favor penetration rates across stomatous leaf surfaces when humidity in bulk air is below 100%.

Decomposition of Potassium Ferrate(VI) (K2FeO4) and Potassium Ferrate(III) (KFeO2): In-situ Mössbauer Spectroscopy Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machala, Libor; Zboril, Radek; Sharma, Virender K.; Homonnay, Zoltan

2008-10-01

Mössbauer spectroscopy was shown to be very useful technique studying the mechanism of thermal decomposition or aging processes of the most known ferrate(VI), K2FeO4. In-situ Mössbauer spectroscopy approach was used to monitor the phase composition during the studied processes. The experimental set-up was designed to perform in-situ measurements at high temperatures and at different air humid conditions at room temperature. The potassium ferrate(III), KFeO2 was demonstrated to be the primary product of thermal decomposition of K2FeO4. The KFeO2 was unstable in a humid air at room temperature and reacted with components of air, H2O and CO2 to give Fe2O3 nanoparticles and KHCO3. The aging kinetics of K2FeO4 and KFeO2 under humid air were significantly dependent on the relative air humidity.

Humidity-dependent compression-induced glass transition of the air-water interfacial Langmuir films of poly(D,L-lactic acid-ran-glycolic acid) (PLGA).

PubMed

Kim, Hyun Chang; Lee, Hoyoung; Jung, Hyunjung; Choi, Yun Hwa; Meron, Mati; Lin, Binhua; Bang, Joona; Won, You-Yeon

2015-07-28

Constant rate compression isotherms of the air-water interfacial Langmuir films of poly(D,L-lactic acid-ran-glycolic acid) (PLGA) show a distinct feature of an exponential increase in surface pressure in the high surface polymer concentration regime. We have previously demonstrated that this abrupt increase in surface pressure is linked to the glass transition of the polymer film, but the detailed mechanism of this process is not fully understood. In order to obtain a molecular-level understanding of this behavior, we performed extensive characterizations of the surface mechanical, structural and rheological properties of Langmuir PLGA films at the air-water interface, using combined experimental techniques including the Langmuir film balance, X-ray reflectivity and double-wall-ring interfacial rheometry methods. We observed that the mechanical and structural responses of the Langmuir PLGA films are significantly dependent on the rate of film compression; the glass transition was induced in the PLGA film only at fast compression rates. Surprisingly, we found that this deformation rate dependence is also dependent on the humidity of the environment. With water acting as a plasticizer for the PLGA material, the diffusion of water molecules through the PLGA film seems to be the key factor in the determination of the glass transformation properties and thus the mechanical response of the PLGA film against lateral compression. Based on our combined results, we hypothesize the following mechanism for the compression-induced glass transformation of the Langmuir PLGA film; (1) initially, a humidified/non-glassy PLGA film is formed in the full surface-coverage region (where the surface pressure shows a plateau) during compression; (2) further compression leads to the collapse of the PLGA chains and the formation of new surfaces on the air side of the film, and this newly formed top layer of the PLGA film is transiently glassy in character because the water evaporation rate in the top surface region is momentarily faster than the humidification rate (due to the initial roughness of the newly formed surface); (3) after some time, the top layer itself becomes humidified through diffusion of water from the subphase, and thus it becomes non-glassy, leading to the relaxation of the applied compressive stress.

Influence of Sub-grid-Scale Isentropic Transports on McRAS Evaluations using ARM-CART SCM Datasets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.; Tao, W. K.

2004-01-01

In GCM-physics evaluations with the currently available ARM-CART SCM datasets, McRAS produced very similar character of near surface errors of simulated temperature and humidity containing typically warm and moist biases near the surface and cold and dry biases aloft. We argued it must have a common cause presumably rooted in the model physics. Lack of vertical adjustment of horizontal transport was thought to be a plausible source. Clearly, debarring such a freedom would force the incoming air to diffuse into the grid-cell which would naturally bias the surface air to become warm and moist while the upper air becomes cold and dry, a characteristic feature of McRAS biases. Since, the errors were significantly larger in the two winter cases that contain potentially more intense episodes of cold and warm advective transports, it further reaffirmed our argument and provided additional motivation to introduce the corrections. When the horizontal advective transports were suitably modified to allow rising and/or sinking following isentropic pathways of subgrid scale motions, the outcome was to cool and dry (or warm and moisten) the lower (or upper) levels. Ever, crude approximations invoking such a correction reduced the temperature and humidity biases considerably. The tests were performed on all the available ARM-CART SCM cases with consistent outcome. With the isentropic corrections implemented through two different numerical approximations, virtually similar benefits were derived further confirming the robustness of our inferences. These results suggest the need for insentropic advective transport adjustment in a GCM due to subgrid scale motions.

Cold air systems: Sleeping giant

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

MacCracken, C.D.

1994-04-01

This article describes how cold air systems help owners increase the profits from their buildings by reducing electric costs and improving indoor air quality through lower relative humidity levels. Cold air distribution involves energy savings, cost savings, space savings, greater comfort, cleaner air, thermal storage, tighter ducting, coil redesign, lower relative humidities, retrofitting, and improved indoor air quality (IAQ). It opens a door for architects, engineers, owners, builders, environmentalists, retrofitters, designers, occupants, and manufacturers. Three things have held up cold air's usage: multiple fan-powered boxes that ate up the energy savings of primary fans. Cold air room diffusers that providedmore » inadequate comfort. Condensation from ducts, boxes, and diffusers. Such problems have been largely eliminated through research and development by utilities and manufacturers. New cold air diffusers no longer need fan powered boxes. It has also been found that condensation is not a concern so long as the ducts are located in air conditioned space, such as drop ceilings or central risers, where relative humidity falls quickly during morning startup.« less

Influence of Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Soil Properties on the Soil-Air Partitioning of Semivolatile Pesticides: Laboratory Measurements and Predictive Models.

PubMed

Davie-Martin, Cleo L; Hageman, Kimberly J; Chin, Yu-Ping; Rougé, Valentin; Fujita, Yuki

2015-09-01

Soil-air partition coefficient (Ksoil-air) values are often employed to investigate the fate of organic contaminants in soils; however, these values have not been measured for many compounds of interest, including semivolatile current-use pesticides. Moreover, predictive equations for estimating Ksoil-air values for pesticides (other than the organochlorine pesticides) have not been robustly developed, due to a lack of measured data. In this work, a solid-phase fugacity meter was used to measure the Ksoil-air values of 22 semivolatile current- and historic-use pesticides and their degradation products. Ksoil-air values were determined for two soils (semiarid and volcanic) under a range of environmentally relevant temperature (10-30 °C) and relative humidity (30-100%) conditions, such that 943 Ksoil-air measurements were made. Measured values were used to derive a predictive equation for pesticide Ksoil-air values based on temperature, relative humidity, soil organic carbon content, and pesticide-specific octanol-air partition coefficients. Pesticide volatilization losses from soil, calculated with the newly derived Ksoil-air predictive equation and a previously described pesticide volatilization model, were compared to previous results and showed that the choice of Ksoil-air predictive equation mainly affected the more-volatile pesticides and that the way in which relative humidity was accounted for was the most critical difference.

U-shaped micro-groove fiber based on femtosecond laser processing for humidity sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Gui; Ma, Li-li; Su, Fu-fang; Shi, Meng

2018-05-01

A novel optical fiber sensor with a U-shaped micro-groove structure ablated by femtosecond laser on single-mode fiber for measuring air relative humidity (RH) is reported in this paper. In order to improve the accuracy of sensor, a graphene oxide (GO)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film is coated on the surface of micro-groove structure. In the U-shaped micro-groove structure, the remaining core and micro-cavity in the micro-groove make up two major optical propagation paths, forming a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The sensor has a good linear response within the RH range of 30%—85%, and the maximum sensitivity can reach 0.638 1 nm/%RH. The effect of temperature on the overall performance of the humidity sensor is also investigated. As a new type of all-fiber device, the sensor shows excellent sensitivity and stability.

Improving the Traceability of Meteorological Measurements at Automatic Weather Stations in Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keawprasert, T.; Sinhaneti, T.; Phuuntharo, P.; Phanakulwijit, S.; Nimsamer, A.

2017-08-01

A joint project between the National Institute of Metrology Thailand (NIMT) and the Thai Meteorology Department (TMD) was established for improving the traceability of meteorology measurements at automatic weather stations (AWSs) in Thailand. The project aimed to improve traceability of air temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure by implementing on-site calibration facilities and developing of new calibration procedures. First, new portable calibration facilities for air temperature, humidity and pressure were set up as working standard of the TMD. A portable humidity calibrator was applied as a uniform and stable source for calibration of thermo-hygrometers. A dew-point hygrometer was employed as reference hygrometer and a platinum resistance thermometer (PRT) traceable to NIMT was used as reference thermometer. The uniformity and stability in both temperature and relative humidity were characterized at NIMT. A transportable pressure calibrator was used for calibration of air pressure sensor. The estimate overall uncertainty of the calibration setup is 0.2 K for air temperature, 1.0 % for relative humidity and 0.2 hPa for atmospheric pressure, respectively. Second, on-site calibration procedures were developed and four AWSs in the central part and the northern of Thailand were chosen as pilot stations for on-site calibration using the new calibration setups and developed calibration procedures. At each station, the calibration was done at the minimum temperature, average temperature and maximum temperature of the year, for air temperature, 20 %, 55 % and 90 % for relative humidity at the average air temperature of that station and at a one-year statistics pressure range for atmospheric pressure at ambient temperature. Additional in-field uncertainty contributions such as the temperature dependence on relative humidity measurement were evaluated and included in the overall uncertainty budget. Preliminary calibration results showed that using a separate PRT probe at these AWSs would be recommended for improving the accuracy of air temperature measurement. In case of relative humidity measurement, the data logger software is needed to be upgraded for achieving higher accuracy of less than 3 %. For atmospheric pressure measurement, a higher accuracy barometer traceable to NIMT could be used to reduce the calibration uncertainty to below 0.2 hPa.

Model, Proxy and Isotopic Perspectives on the East African Humid Period

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tierney, Jessica E.; Lewis, Sophie C.; Cook, Benjamin I.; LeGrande, Allegra N.; Schmidt, Gavin A.

2011-01-01

Both North and East Africa experienced more humid conditions during the early and mid-Holocene epoch (11,000-5000yr BP; 11-5 ka) relative to today. The North African Humid Period has been a major focus of paleoclimatic study, and represents a response of the hydrological cycle to the increase in boreal summer insolation and associated ocean, atmosphere and land surface feedbacks. Meanwhile, the mechanisms that caused the coeval East African Humid Period are poorly understood. Here, we use results from isotopeenabled coupled climate modeling experiments to investigate the cause of the East African Humid Period. The modeling results are interpreted alongside proxy records of both water balance and the isotopic composition of rainfall. Our simulations show that the orbitally-induced increase in dry season precipitation and the subsequent reduction in precipitation seasonality can explain the East African Humid Period, and this scenario agrees well with regional lake level and pollen paleoclimate data. Changes in zonal moisture flux from both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean account for the simulated increase in precipitation from June through November. Isotopic paleoclimate data and simulated changes in moisture source demonstrate that the western East African Rift Valley in particular experienced more humid conditions due to the influx of Atlantic moisture and enhanced convergence along the Congo Air Boundary. Our study demonstrates that zonal changes in moisture advection are an important determinant of climate variability in the East African region.

Kinetic Stability of MOF-5 in Humid Environments: Impact of Powder Densification, Humidity Level, and Exposure Time.

PubMed

Ming, Yang; Purewal, Justin; Yang, Jun; Xu, Chunchuan; Soltis, Rick; Warner, James; Veenstra, Mike; Gaab, Manuela; Müller, Ulrich; Siegel, Donald J

2015-05-05

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of microporous, crystalline materials with potential applications in the capture, storage, and separation of gases. Of the many known MOFs, MOF-5 has attracted considerable attention because of its ability to store gaseous fuels at low pressure with high densities. Nevertheless, MOF-5 and several other MOFs exhibit limited stability upon exposure to reactive species such as water. The present study quantifies the impact of humid air exposure on the properties of MOF-5 as a function of exposure time, humidity level, and morphology (i.e., powders vs pellets). Properties examined include hydrogen storage capacity, surface area, and crystallinity. Water adsorption/desorption isotherms are measured using a gravimetric technique; the first uptake exhibits a type V isotherm with a sudden increase in uptake at ∼50% relative humidity. For humidity levels below this threshold only minor degradation is observed for exposure times up to several hours, suggesting that MOF-5 is more stable than generally assumed under moderately humid conditions. In contrast, irreversible degradation occurs in a matter of minutes for exposures above the 50% threshold. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that molecular and/or dissociated water is inserted into the skeletal framework after long exposure times. Densification into pellets can slow the degradation of MOF-5 significantly, and may present a pathway to enhance the stability of some MOFs.

Controlling water evaporation through self-assembly

PubMed Central

Roger, Kevin; Liebi, Marianne; Heimdal, Jimmy; Pham, Quoc Dat; Sparr, Emma

2016-01-01

Water evaporation concerns all land-living organisms, as ambient air is dryer than their corresponding equilibrium humidity. Contrarily to plants, mammals are covered with a skin that not only hinders evaporation but also maintains its rate at a nearly constant value, independently of air humidity. Here, we show that simple amphiphiles/water systems reproduce this behavior, which suggests a common underlying mechanism originating from responding self-assembly structures. The composition and structure gradients arising from the evaporation process were characterized using optical microscopy, infrared microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. We observed a thin and dry outer phase that responds to changes in air humidity by increasing its thickness as the air becomes dryer, which decreases its permeability to water, thus counterbalancing the increase in the evaporation driving force. This thin and dry outer phase therefore shields the systems from humidity variations. Such a feedback loop achieves a homeostatic regulation of water evaporation. PMID:27573848

Measurement of the radon diffusion through a nylon foil for different air humidities

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

Mamedov, Fadahat; Štekl, Ivan; Smolek, Karel

The dependency of the radon penetration through a nylon foil on air humidity was measured. Such information is needed for the tracking part of the SuperNEMO detector, which is planned to be shielded against radon by nylon foil and in which the air humidity is not negligible. The long term measurements of radon penetration through nylon foils for different air humidities were performed with the radon diffusion setup constructed at the IEAP, CTU in Prague. The setup consists of two stainless steel hemispheres with Si detector in each of them. Both hemispheres are separated by the tested foil. While themore » left hemisphere contains high Rn activity, the right part contains only activity caused by the radon penetration through the tested foil. Obtained results of this study with a nylon foil with the thickness of 50 µm are presented.« less

Controlling water evaporation through self-assembly.

PubMed

Roger, Kevin; Liebi, Marianne; Heimdal, Jimmy; Pham, Quoc Dat; Sparr, Emma

2016-09-13

Water evaporation concerns all land-living organisms, as ambient air is dryer than their corresponding equilibrium humidity. Contrarily to plants, mammals are covered with a skin that not only hinders evaporation but also maintains its rate at a nearly constant value, independently of air humidity. Here, we show that simple amphiphiles/water systems reproduce this behavior, which suggests a common underlying mechanism originating from responding self-assembly structures. The composition and structure gradients arising from the evaporation process were characterized using optical microscopy, infrared microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. We observed a thin and dry outer phase that responds to changes in air humidity by increasing its thickness as the air becomes dryer, which decreases its permeability to water, thus counterbalancing the increase in the evaporation driving force. This thin and dry outer phase therefore shields the systems from humidity variations. Such a feedback loop achieves a homeostatic regulation of water evaporation.

The analysis of aridity in Central Serbia from 1949 to 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radaković, Milica G.; Tošić, Ivana; Bačević, Nikola; Mladjan, Dragan; Gavrilov, Milivoj B.; Marković, Slobodan B.

2017-07-01

In this study, we apply De Martonne and Pinna combinative indices to analyze the aridity in Central Serbia. Our dataset consists of mean monthly surface air temperature (MMT) and mean monthly precipitation (MMP) for 26 meteorological stations during the period 1949-2015. MMT and MMP are used for calculating monthly, seasonal, and annual aridity indices for period of 66 years. According to the De Martonne climate classification, we determine five, three, and four types of climate on the monthly, seasonal, and annual basis, respectively. During the observed period, winter was extremely humid, spring and autumn were humid, and summer was semi-humid. Humid and semi-humid climate with Mediterranean vegetation are identified by the annual Pinna combinative index. We find that there is no change in aridity trend in Central Serbia for the period 1949-2015. Aridity indices are additionally compared with the North Atlantic Oscillation and El-Niño South Oscillation in order to establish a possible connection with the large-scale processes. Results are further compared with several earlier studies of aridity in Serbia. With this study, the analysis of aridity in whole Serbia has become complete.

Organic textile waste as a resource for sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas.

PubMed

Eriksson, Bo G

2017-03-01

New vegetation in barren areas offers possibilities for sequestering carbon in the soil. Arid and semi-arid areas (ASAs) are candidates for new vegetation. The possibility of agriculture in ASAs is reviewed, revealing the potential for cultivation by covering the surface with a layer of organic fibres. This layer collects more water from humidity in the air than does the uncovered mineral surface, and creates a humid environment that promotes microbial life. One possibility is to use large amounts of organic fibres for soil enhancement in ASAs. In the context of the European Commission Waste Framework Directive, the possibility of using textile waste from Sweden is explored. The costs for using Swedish textile waste are high, but possible gains are the sale of agricultural products and increased land prices as well as environmental mitigation. The findings suggest that field research on such agriculture in ASAs should start as soon as possible.

Greater Baltimore Open Air: an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to citizen science and community-driven climate, air quality, and urban heat island monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, A.; Kelley, C.; Azdoud, Y.; Ambikapathi, R.; Hobson, M.; Lehman, A.; Ghugare, P.; He, C.; Zaitchik, B. F.; Waugh, D.; McCormack, M.; Baja, K.

2017-12-01

Anthropogenic activities alter the urban surface and surface atmosphere, generating heat and pollutants that have known detrimental impacts on health. Monitoring these environmental variables in urban environments is made difficult by the spatial heterogeneity of urban environments, meaning that two nearby locations may have significantly different temperatures, humidities, or gas concentrations. Thus, urban monitoring often requires more densely placed monitors than current standards or budgets allow. Recent advances in low-cost sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) enabled hardware offer possible solutions. We present an autonomous wireless, open-source, IoT-enabled environmental monitor called a WeatherCube, developed for the Greater Baltimore Open Air project, funded in part by the EPA SmartCity Challenge. The WeatherCube is suitable for urban monitoring and capable of measuring meteorological variables (temperature and humidity) as well as air quality (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide). The WeatherCube devices were built in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, local government, and community members, including through an innovative job training program. Monitors are hosted by community partners and libraries throughout Baltimore city and surrounding communities. We present the first wave of data collected by the Greater Baltimore Open Air project and compare it to data collected by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Additionally, we will provide an overview of our experience engaging with the local makers, citizen scientists, and environmental groups to improve their urban environmental monitoring. By developing low-cost devices tailored for urban environmental monitoring, we present an innovative model for both conducting research and community outreach.

Sulfate and nitrate in Asian dust particles observed in desert, coastal and marine air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, D.; Wu, F.; Junji, C.

2016-12-01

Sulfate and nitrate in dust particles are believed to be two key species which can largely alter the physical and chemical properties of the particles in the atmosphere, in particular under humid conditions. Their occurrence in the particles has usually been considered to be the consequence of particles' aging during their long-distance travel in the air although they are present in some crustal minerals. Our observations at two deserts in China during dust episodes revealed that there were soil-derived sulfate and background-like nitrate in atmospheric dust samples. Sulfate in dust samples was proportional to samples' mass and comprised at steady mass percentages in differently sized samples. In contrast, nitrate concentration was approximately stable and independent from dust loading. Our observations at inland and coastal areas of China during dust episodes revealed that sulfate and nitrate were hardly produced on the surface of dust particles that were originated from the deserts areas in northwestern China. This is because the dust particles were in the postfrontal air, where the temperature was low and the relative humidity was small due to the adiabatic properties of the air mass. There are a number studies reporting that sulfate and nitrate had been efficiently produced on mineral particles in inland areas of China. However, those mineral particles were more likely from the local areas rather than from the desert areas. Our observations in the coastal areas of Japan, which is located in the downstream areas of the Asian continent and surrounded by sea areas revealed that dust particles appearing there frequently contained sulfate and nitrate, indicating sulfate and nitrate had been efficiently produced on the surface of the particles when the particles traveled in the marine air between China and Japan.

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-Situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinez, G. M.; Newman, C. N.; De Vicente-Retortillo, A.; Fischer, E.; Renno, N. O.; Richardson, M. I.; Fairén, A. G.; Genzer, M.; Guzewich, S. D.; Haberle, R. M.;

Using GPS radio occultations to infer the water vapor feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergados, Panagiotis; Mannucci, Anthony J.; Ao, Chi O.; Fetzer, Eric J.

2016-11-01

The air refractive index at L-band frequencies depends on the air's water vapor content and density. Exploiting this relationship, we derive for the first time a theoretical model to infer the specific humidity response to surface temperature variations, dq/dTs, given knowledge of how the air refractive index and temperature vary with surface temperature. We validate this model by using 1.2-1.6 GHz Global Positioning System Radio Occultation (GPS RO) observations from 2007 to 2010 at 250 hPa, where the water vapor feedback on surface warming is strongest. The dq/dTs estimation from GPS RO observations shows excellent agreement with previously published results and the responses estimated by using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and the NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications data sets. Because of their high sensitivity to fractional changes in water vapor, current and future GPS RO observations show great promise in monitoring climate feedback and their trends.

Mars Science Laboratory relative humidity observations: Initial results.

PubMed

Harri, A-M; Genzer, M; Kemppinen, O; Gomez-Elvira, J; Haberle, R; Polkko, J; Savijärvi, H; Rennó, N; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J A; Schmidt, W; Richardson, M; Siili, T; Paton, M; Torre-Juarez, M De La; Mäkinen, T; Newman, C; Rafkin, S; Mischna, M; Merikallio, S; Haukka, H; Martin-Torres, J; Komu, M; Zorzano, M-P; Peinado, V; Vazquez, L; Urqui, R

2014-09-01

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) made a successful landing at Gale crater early August 2012. MSL has an environmental instrument package called the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) as a part of its scientific payload. REMS comprises instrumentation for the observation of atmospheric pressure, temperature of the air, ground temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity (REMS-H), and UV measurements. We concentrate on describing the REMS-H measurement performance and initial observations during the first 100 MSL sols as well as constraining the REMS-H results by comparing them with earlier observations and modeling results. The REMS-H device is based on polymeric capacitive humidity sensors developed by Vaisala Inc., and it makes use of transducer electronics section placed in the vicinity of the three humidity sensor heads. The humidity device is mounted on the REMS boom providing ventilation with the ambient atmosphere through a filter protecting the device from airborne dust. The final relative humidity results appear to be convincing and are aligned with earlier indirect observations of the total atmospheric precipitable water content. The water mixing ratio in the atmospheric surface layer appears to vary between 30 and 75 ppm. When assuming uniform mixing, the precipitable water content of the atmosphere is ranging from a few to six precipitable micrometers. Atmospheric water mixing ratio at Gale crater varies from 30 to 140 ppmMSL relative humidity observation provides good dataHighest detected relative humidity reading during first MSL 100 sols is RH75.

Mars Science Laboratory relative humidity observations: Initial results

PubMed Central

Harri, A-M; Genzer, M; Kemppinen, O; Gomez-Elvira, J; Haberle, R; Polkko, J; Savijärvi, H; Rennó, N; Rodriguez-Manfredi, JA; Schmidt, W; Richardson, M; Siili, T; Paton, M; Torre-Juarez, M De La; Mäkinen, T; Newman, C; Rafkin, S; Mischna, M; Merikallio, S; Haukka, H; Martin-Torres, J; Komu, M; Zorzano, M-P; Peinado, V; Vazquez, L; Urqui, R

2014-01-01

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) made a successful landing at Gale crater early August 2012. MSL has an environmental instrument package called the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) as a part of its scientific payload. REMS comprises instrumentation for the observation of atmospheric pressure, temperature of the air, ground temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity (REMS-H), and UV measurements. We concentrate on describing the REMS-H measurement performance and initial observations during the first 100 MSL sols as well as constraining the REMS-H results by comparing them with earlier observations and modeling results. The REMS-H device is based on polymeric capacitive humidity sensors developed by Vaisala Inc., and it makes use of transducer electronics section placed in the vicinity of the three humidity sensor heads. The humidity device is mounted on the REMS boom providing ventilation with the ambient atmosphere through a filter protecting the device from airborne dust. The final relative humidity results appear to be convincing and are aligned with earlier indirect observations of the total atmospheric precipitable water content. The water mixing ratio in the atmospheric surface layer appears to vary between 30 and 75 ppm. When assuming uniform mixing, the precipitable water content of the atmosphere is ranging from a few to six precipitable micrometers. Key Points Atmospheric water mixing ratio at Gale crater varies from 30 to 140 ppm MSL relative humidity observation provides good data Highest detected relative humidity reading during first MSL 100 sols is RH75% PMID:26213667

Effect of occupant behavior and air-conditioner controls on humidity in typical and high-efficiency homes

DOE PAGES

Winkler, Jon; Munk, Jeffrey; Woods, Jason

2018-04-01

Increasing insulation levels and improved windows are reducing sensible cooling loads in high-efficiency homes. This trend raises concerns that the resulting shift in the balance of sensible and latent cooling loads may result in higher indoor humidity, occupant discomfort, and stunted adoption of high-efficiency homes. This study utilizes established moisture-buffering and air-conditioner latent degradation models in conjunction with an approach to stochastically model internal gains. Building loads and indoor humidity levels are compared for simulations of typical new construction homes and high-efficiency homes in 10 US cities. The sensitivity of indoor humidity to changes in cooling set point, air-conditioner capacity,more » and blower control parameters are evaluated. The results show that high-efficiency homes in humid climates have cooling loads with a higher fraction of latent loads than the typical new construction home, resulting in higher indoor humidity. Reducing the cooling set point is the easiest method to reduce indoor humidity, but it is not energy efficient, and overcooling may lead to occupant discomfort. Eliminating the blower operation at the end of cooling cycles and reducing the cooling airflow rate also reduce indoor humidity and with a smaller impact on energy use and comfort.« less

Effect of occupant behavior and air-conditioner controls on humidity in typical and high-efficiency homes

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

Winkler, Jon; Munk, Jeffrey; Woods, Jason

Increasing insulation levels and improved windows are reducing sensible cooling loads in high-efficiency homes. This trend raises concerns that the resulting shift in the balance of sensible and latent cooling loads may result in higher indoor humidity, occupant discomfort, and stunted adoption of high-efficiency homes. This study utilizes established moisture-buffering and air-conditioner latent degradation models in conjunction with an approach to stochastically model internal gains. Building loads and indoor humidity levels are compared for simulations of typical new construction homes and high-efficiency homes in 10 US cities. The sensitivity of indoor humidity to changes in cooling set point, air-conditioner capacity,more » and blower control parameters are evaluated. The results show that high-efficiency homes in humid climates have cooling loads with a higher fraction of latent loads than the typical new construction home, resulting in higher indoor humidity. Reducing the cooling set point is the easiest method to reduce indoor humidity, but it is not energy efficient, and overcooling may lead to occupant discomfort. Eliminating the blower operation at the end of cooling cycles and reducing the cooling airflow rate also reduce indoor humidity and with a smaller impact on energy use and comfort.« less

Sources of Propylene Glycol and Glycol Ethers in Air at Home

PubMed Central

Choi, Hyunok; Schmidbauer, Norbert; Spengler, John; Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf

2010-01-01

Propylene glycol and glycol ether (PGE) in indoor air have recently been associated with asthma and allergies as well as sensitization in children. In this follow-up report, sources of the PGEs in indoor air were investigated in 390 homes of pre-school age children in Sweden. Professional building inspectors examined each home for water damages, mold odour, building’s structural characteristics, indoor temperature, absolute humidity and air exchange rate. They also collected air and dust samples. The samples were analyzed for four groups of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-VOCs (SVOCs), including summed concentrations of 16 PGEs, 8 terpene hydrocarbons, 2 Texanols, and the phthalates n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). Home cleaning with water and mop ≥ once/month, repainting ≥ one room prior to or following the child’s birth, and “newest” surface material in the child’s bedroom explained largest portion of total variability in PGE concentrations. High excess indoor humidity (g/m3) additionally contributed to a sustained PGE levels in indoor air far beyond several months following the paint application. No behavioral or building structural factors, except for water-based cleaning, predicted an elevated terpene level in air. No significant predictor of Texanols emerged from our analysis. Overall disparate sources and low correlations among the PGEs, terpenes, Texanols, and the phthalates further confirm the lack of confounding in the analysis reporting the associations of the PGE and the diagnoses of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, respectively. PMID:21318004

Sources of propylene glycol and glycol ethers in air at home.

PubMed

Choi, Hyunok; Schmidbauer, Norbert; Spengler, John; Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf

2010-12-01

Propylene glycol and glycol ether (PGE) in indoor air have recently been associated with asthma and allergies as well as sensitization in children. In this follow-up report, sources of the PGEs in indoor air were investigated in 390 homes of pre-school age children in Sweden. Professional building inspectors examined each home for water damages, mold odour, building's structural characteristics, indoor temperature, absolute humidity and air exchange rate. They also collected air and dust samples. The samples were analyzed for four groups of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-VOCs (SVOCs), including summed concentrations of 16 PGEs, 8 terpene hydrocarbons, 2 Texanols, and the phthalates n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). Home cleaning with water and mop ≥ once/month, repainting ≥ one room prior to or following the child's birth, and "newest" surface material in the child's bedroom explained largest portion of total variability in PGE concentrations. High excess indoor humidity (g/m³) additionally contributed to a sustained PGE levels in indoor air far beyond several months following the paint application. No behavioral or building structural factors, except for water-based cleaning, predicted an elevated terpene level in air. No significant predictor of Texanols emerged from our analysis. Overall disparate sources and low correlations among the PGEs, terpenes, Texanols, and the phthalates further confirm the lack of confounding in the analysis reporting the associations of the PGE and the diagnoses of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, respectively.

Discussion on fresh air volume in Temperature and Humidity Independent Control of Air-conditioning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Xiaolong; Liu, Jinxiang; Wang, Yu; Yuan, Xiaolei; Jin, Hui

2018-05-01

The fresh air volume in Temperature and Humidity Independent Control of Air-conditioning System(THIC) of a typical office was comfirmed, under the premise of adopting the refrigeration dehumidifying fresh air unit(7°C/12°C). By detailed calculating the space moisture load and the fresh air volume required for dehumidification in 120 selected major cities in China, it can be inferred that the minimum fresh air volume required for dehumidification in THIC is mainly determined by the local outdoor air moisture and the outdoor wind speed; Then the mathematical fitting software Matlab was used to fit the three parameters, and a simplified formula for calculating the minimum per capita fresh air volume required for dehumidification was obtained; And the indoor relative humidity was simulated by the numerical software Airpak and the results by using the formula data and the data for hygiene were compared to verify the relibility of the simplified formula.

Revisiting Theories of Humidity Transduction: A Focus on Electrophysiological Data

PubMed Central

Tichy, Harald; Hellwig, Maria; Kallina, Wolfgang

2017-01-01

Understanding the mechanism of humidity transduction calls for experimental data and a theory to interpret the data and design new experiments. A comprehensive theory of humidity transduction must start with agreement on what humidity parameters are measured by hygroreceptors and processed by the brain. Hygroreceptors have been found in cuticular sensilla of a broad range of insect species. Their structural features are far from uniform. Nevertheless, these sensilla always contain an antagonistic pair of a moist cell and a dry cell combined with a thermoreceptive cold cell. The strategy behind this arrangement remains unclear. Three main models of humidity transduction have been proposed. Hygroreceptors could operate as mechanical hygrometers, psychrometers or evaporation detectors. Each mode of action measures a different humidity parameter. Mechanical hygrometers measure the relative humidity, psychrometers indicate the wet-bulb temperature, and evaporimeters refer to the saturation deficit of the air. Here we assess the validity of the different functions by testing specific predictions drawn from each of the models. The effect of air temperature on the responses to humidity stimulation rules out the mechanical hygrometer function, but it supports the psychrometer function and highlights the action as evaporation rate detector. We suggest testing the effect of the flow rate of the air stream used for humidity stimulation. As the wind speed strongly affects the power of evaporation, experiments with changing saturation deficit at different flow rates would improve our knowledge on humidity transduction. PMID:28928673

Flux measurements in the surface Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer over the Aegean Sea, Greece.

PubMed

Kostopoulos, V E; Helmis, C G

2014-10-01

Micro-meteorological measurements within the surface Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer took place at the shoreline of two islands at northern and south-eastern Aegean Sea of Greece. The primary goal of these experimental campaigns was to study the momentum, heat and humidity fluxes over this part of the north-eastern Mediterranean Sea, characterized by limited spatial and temporal scales which could affect these exchanges at the air-sea interface. The great majority of the obtained records from both sites gave higher values up to factor of two, compared with the estimations from the most widely used parametric formulas that came mostly from measurements over open seas and oceans. Friction velocity values from both campaigns varied within the same range and presented strong correlation with the wind speed at 10 m height while the calculated drag coefficient values at the same height for both sites were found to be constant in relation with the wind speed. Using eddy correlation analysis, the heat flux values were calculated (virtual heat fluxes varied from -60 to 40 W/m(2)) and it was found that they are affected by the limited spatial and temporal scales of the responding air-sea interaction mechanism. Similarly, the humidity fluxes appeared to be strongly influenced by the observed intense spatial heterogeneity of the sea surface temperature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the impacts of seasonal and vertical atmospheric conditions on air quality over the Pearl River Delta region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Cheuk Hei Marcus; Yim, Steve Hung Lam; Rothenberg, Daniel; Wang, Chien; Lin, Chuan-Yao; Chen, Yongqin David; Lau, Ngar Cheung

2018-05-01

Air pollution is an increasingly concerning problem in many metropolitan areas due to its adverse public health and environmental impacts. Vertical atmospheric conditions have strong effects on vertical mixing of air pollutants, which directly affects surface air quality. The characteristics and magnitude of how vertical atmospheric conditions affect surface air quality, which are critical to future air quality projections, have not yet been fully understood. This study aims to enhance understanding of the annual and seasonal sensitivities of air pollution to both surface and vertical atmospheric conditions. Based on both surface and vertical meteorological characteristics provided by 1994-2003 monthly dynamic downscaling data from the Weather and Research Forecast Model, we develop generalized linear models (GLMs) to study the relationships between surface air pollutants (ozone, respirable suspended particulates, and sulfur dioxide) and atmospheric conditions in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Applying Principal Component Regression (PCR) to address multi-collinearity, we study the contributions of various meteorological variables to pollutants' concentration levels based on the loading and model coefficient of major principal components. Our results show that relatively high pollutant concentration occurs under relatively low mid-level troposphere temperature gradients, low relative humidity, weak southerly wind (or strong northerly wind) and weak westerly wind (or strong easterly wind). Moreover, the correlations vary among pollutant species, seasons, and meteorological variables at various altitudes. In general, pollutant sensitivity to meteorological variables is found to be greater in winter than in other seasons, and the sensitivity of ozone to meteorology differs from that of the other two pollutants. Applying our GLMs to anomalous air pollution episodes, we find that meteorological variables up to mid troposphere (∼700 mb) play an important role in influencing surface air quality, pinpointing the significant and unique associations between meteorological variables at higher altitudes and surface air quality.

New approach to resolve the humidity problem in VOC determination in outdoor air samples using solid adsorbent tubes followed by TD-GC-MS.

PubMed

Maceira, Alba; Vallecillos, Laura; Borrull, Francesc; Marcé, Rosa Maria

2017-12-01

This study describes the humidity effect in the sampling process by adsorbent tubes followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air samples and evaluates possible solutions to this problem. Two multi-sorbent bed tubes, Tenax TA/Carbograph 1TD and Carbotrap B/Carbopack X/Carboxen 569, were tested in order to evaluate their behaviour in the presence of environmental humidity. Humidity problems were demonstrated with carbon-based tubes, while Tenax-based tubes did not display any influence. Silica gel, a molecular sieve and CaCl 2 were tried out as materials for drying tube to remove air humidity, placed prior to the sampling tube to prevent water from entering. The pre-tubes filled with 0.5g of CaCl 2 showed the best results with respect to their blanks, the analytes recoveries and their ability to remove ambient humidity. To avoid the possible agglomeration of CaCl 2 during the sampling process in high relative humidity atmospheres, 0.1g of diatomaceous earth were mixed with the desiccant agent. The applicability of the CaCl 2 pre-tube as drying agent prior to Carbotrap B/Carbopack X/Carboxen 569 tubes was tested in urban and industrial locations with samplings of air at high relative humidity. In addition, the results were compared with those obtained using Tenax TA/Carbograph 1TD tubes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Air-Sea Enthalpy and Momentum Exchange at Major Hurricane Wind Speeds

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

momentum fluxes. Hurricane simulations using the Navy Coupled Ocean / Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System are also sensitive to the surface flux and sea... Atmospheric Research NWP Numerical Weather Prediction NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration PTH Pressure, Temperature, relative Humidity RE87... Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for organizing the CBLAST field program and collecting the data used for this study. xx THIS PAGE

Flow structure of natural dehumidification over a horizontal finned-tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirbodi, Kamran; Yaghoubi, Mahmood

2016-08-01

In the present study, structure of water drops formation, growth, coalescence and departure over a horizontal finned-tube during natural dehumidification is investigated experimentally. Starting time of repelling the drops as well as heat transfer rate and the rate of dripping condensates in quasi-steady-state conditions are presented. Furthermore, cold airflow pattern around the horizontal finned-tube is visualized by using smoke generation scheme during natural dehumidification process. The finned-tube has a length of 300 mm, and inner and outer fin diameters, fin thickness and fin spacing are 25.4, 56, 0.4 and 2 mm, respectively. The tests are conducted in an insulated control room with dimensions of 5.8 m × 3 m × 4 m. Ambient air temperature, relative humidity and fin base temperature are selected from 25 to 35 °C, from 40 to 70 % and from 4 to 8 °C, respectively. Observations show that natural condensation from humid air over the test case is completely dropwise. Droplets only form on the edge of the fin and lateral fin surfaces remain almost dry. Dehumidification process over the tested finned-tube is divided into four stages; nucleation, formation, growth and departure of drops. It is also observed that the condensate inundation leaves the tube bottom in the form of droplets. Smoke visualization depicts that humid airflows downward around the cold finned-tube surface without noticeable turbulence and separation in the initial stages of dehumidification process. But the airflow has some disturbances in the intermediate stage and especially during drop departure on the edge of the fins.

TiO2-TiO2 composite resistive humidity sensor: ethanol crosssensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghalamboran, Milad; Saedi, Yasin

2016-03-01

The fabrication method and characterization results of a TiO2-TiO2 composite bead used for humidity sensing along with its negative cross-sensitivity to ethanol vapor are reported. The bead shaped resistive sample sensors are fabricated by the drop-casting of a TiO2 slurry on two Pt wire segments. The dried bead is pre-fired at 750°C and subsequently impregnated with a Ti-based sol. The sample is ready for characterization after a thermal annealing at 600°C in air. Structurally, the bead is a composite of the micron-sized TiO2 crystallites embedded in a matrix of nanometric TiO2 particle aggregates. The performance of the beads as resistive humidity sensors is recorded at room temperature in standard humidity level chambers. Results evince the wide dynamic range of the sensors fabricated in the low relative humidity range. While the sensor conductance is not sensitive to ethanol vapor in dry air, in humid air, sensor's responses are negatively affected by the contaminant.

Zero dimensional model of atmospheric SMD discharge and afterglow in humid air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Ryan; Kemaneci, Efe; Offerhaus, Bjoern; Stapelmann, Katharina; Peter Brinkmann, Ralph

2016-09-01

A novel mesh-like Surface Micro Discharge (SMD) device designed for surface wound treatment is simulated by multiple time-scaled zero-dimensional models. The chemical dynamics of the discharge are resolved in time at atmospheric pressure in humid conditions. Simulated are the particle densities of electrons, 26 ionic species, and 26 reactive neutral species including: O3, NO, and HNO3. The total of 53 described species are constrained by 624 reactions within the simulated plasma discharge volume. The neutral species are allowed to diffuse into a diffusive gas regime which is of primary interest. Two interdependent zero-dimensional models separated by nine orders of magnitude in temporal resolution are used to accomplish this; thereby reducing the computational load. Through variation of control parameters such as: ignition frequency, deposited power density, duty cycle, humidity level, and N2 content, the ideal operation conditions for the SMD device can be predicted. The described model has been verified by matching simulation parameters and comparing results to that of previous works. Current operating conditions of the experimental mesh-like SMD were matched and results are compared to the simulations. Work supported by SFB TR 87.

Mechanism and Characteristics of Humidity Sensing with Polyvinyl Alcohol-Coated Fiber Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor.

PubMed

Shao, Yu; Wang, Ying; Cao, Shaoqing; Huang, Yijian; Zhang, Longfei; Zhang, Feng; Liao, Changrui; Wang, Yiping

2018-06-25

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a side-polished single mode fiber coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is demonstrated for relative humidity (RH) sensing. The SPR sensor exhibits a resonant dip in the transmission spectrum in ambient air after PVA film coating, and the resonant wavelength shifts to longer wavelengths as the thickness of the PVA film increases. When RH changes, the resonant dip of the sensor with different film-thicknesses exhibits interesting characteristics for optical spectrum evolution. For sensors with initial wavelengths between 550 nm and 750 nm, the resonant dip shifts to longer wavelengths with increasing RH. The averaged sensitivity increases firstly and then drops, and shows a maximal sensitivity of 1.01 nm/RH%. Once the initial wavelength of the SPR sensor exceeds 850 nm, an inflection point of the resonant wavelength shift can be observed with RH increasing, and the resonant dip shifts to shorter wavelengths for RH values exceeding this point, and sensitivity as high as −4.97 nm/RH% can be obtained in the experiment. The sensor is expected to have potential applications in highly sensitive and cost effective humidity sensing.

The Mars atmosphere as seen from Curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mischna, Michael

Study of the Mars atmosphere by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has been ongoing since immediately after landing on August 6, 2012 (UTC) at the bottom of Gale Crater. The MSL Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) has been the primary payload for atmospheric monitoring, while additional observations from the ChemCam, Mastcam, Navcam and Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instruments have augmented our understanding of the local martian environment at Gale. The REMS instrument consists of six separate sensor types, observing air and ground temperature, near-surface winds, relative humidity, surface pressure and UV radiation. The standard cadence of REMS observations consists of five-minute observations of 1 Hz frequency at the top of each hour, augmented by several one-hour “extended blocks” each sol, also at 1 Hz frequency, together yielding one of the most richly diverse and detailed samplings of the martian atmosphere. Among the intriguing atmospheric phenomena observed during the first 359 sols of the mission is a substantially greater (˜12% of the diurnal mean) diurnal pressure cycle than found in previous surface measurements by Viking at a similar season (˜3-4%), likely due to the topography of the crater environment. Measurements of air and ground temperature by REMS are seen to reflect both changes in atmospheric opacity as well as transitions in the surface geology (and surface thermal properties) along the rover’s traverse. The REMS UV sensor has provided the first measurements of ultraviolet flux at the martian surface, and identified dust events that reduce solar insolation at the surface. The REMS RH sensor has observed a seasonal change in humidity in addition to the expected diurnal variations in relative humidity; however, no surface frost has been detected through the first 360 sols of the mission. With a weekly cadence, Navcam images the local zenith for purposes of tracking cloud motion and wind direction, and likewise observes the horizon to search (thus far unsuccessfully) for visible dust devil activity. The Mastcam operates with a similar observing frequency for quantifying atmospheric opacity, while ChemCam is used in its ‘passive’ mode, while pointed at the sky, to measure atmospheric water vapor abundance. Lastly, the SAM suite has provided information about atmospheric composition, including trace species abundances and isotopic ratios, which may be used to infer the history and evolution of the martian atmosphere.

Physical activity profile of 2014 FIFA World Cup players, with regard to different ranges of air temperature and relative humidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chmura, Paweł; Konefał, Marek; Andrzejewski, Marcin; Kosowski, Jakub; Rokita, Andrzej; Chmura, Jan

2017-04-01

The present study attempts to assess changes in soccer players' physical activity profiles under the simultaneous influence of the different combinations of ambient temperature and relative humidity characterising matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil. The study material consisted of observations of 340 players representing 32 national teams taking part in the tournament. The measured indices included total distances covered; distances covered with low, moderate, or high intensity; numbers of sprints performed, and peak running speeds achieved. The analysis was carried out using FIFA official match data from the Castrol Performance Index system. Ultimately, consideration was given to a combination of three air temperature ranges, i.e. below 22 °C, 22-28 °C, and above 28 °C; and two relative humidity ranges below 60 % and above 60 %. The greatest average distance recorded (10.54 ± 0.91 km) covered by players at an air temperature below 22 °C and a relative humidity below 60 %, while the shortest (9.83 ± 1.08 km) characterised the same air temperature range, but conditions of relative humidity above 60 % ( p ≤ 0.001). Two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences ( p ≤ 0.001) in numbers of sprints performed by players, depending on whether the air temperature range was below 22 °C (40.48 ± 11.17) or above 28 °C (30.72 ± 9.40), but only where the relative humidity was at the same time below 60 %. Results presented indicate that the conditions most comfortable for physical activity on the part of players occur at 22 °C, and with relative humidity under 60 %.

Understanding the tropical warm temperature bias simulated by climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brient, Florent; Schneider, Tapio

2017-04-01

The state-of-the-art coupled general circulation models have difficulties in representing the observed spatial pattern of surface tempertaure. A majority of them suffers a warm bias in the tropical subsiding regions located over the eastern parts of oceans. These regions are usually covered by low-level clouds scattered from stratus along the coasts to more vertically developed shallow cumulus farther from them. Models usually fail to represent accurately this transition. Here we investigate physical drivers of this warm bias in CMIP5 models through a near-surface energy budget perspective. We show that overestimated solar insolation due to a lack of stratocumulus mostly explains the warm bias. This bias also arises partly from inter-model differences in surface fluxes that could be traced to differences in near-surface relative humidity and air-sea temperature gradient. We investigate the role of the atmosphere in driving surface biases by comparing historical and atmopsheric (AMIP) experiments. We show that some differences in boundary-layer characteristics, mostly those related to cloud fraction and relative humidity, are already present in AMIP experiments and may be the drivers of coupled biases. This gives insights in how models can be improved for better simulations of the tropical climate.

Thermal and photochemical reactions of NO2 on chromium(III) oxide surfaces at atmospheric pressure.

PubMed

Nishino, Noriko; Finlayson-Pitts, Barbara J

2012-12-05

While many studies of heterogeneous chemistry on Cr(2)O(3) surfaces have focused on its catalytic activity, less is known about chemistry on this surface under atmospheric conditions. We report here studies of the thermal and photochemical reactions of NO(2) on Cr(2)O(3) at one atm in air. In order to follow surface species, the interaction of 16-120 ppm NO(2) with a 15 nm Cr(2)O(3) thin film deposited on a germanium crystal was monitored in a flow system using attenuated total reflectance (ATR) coupled to a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Gas phase products were monitored in the effluent of an ~285 ppm NO(2)-air mixture that had passed over Cr(2)O(3) powder in a flow system. A chemiluminescence NO(y) analyzer, a photometric O(3) analyzer and a long-path FTIR spectrometer were used to probe the gaseous products. In the absence of added water vapor, NO(2) formed nitrate (NO(3)(-)) ions coordinated to Cr(3+). These surface coordinated NO(3)(-) were reversibly solvated by water under humid conditions. In both dry and humid cases, nitrate ions decreased during irradiation of the surface at 302 nm, and NO and NO(2) were generated in the gas phase. Under dry conditions, NO was the major gaseous product while NO(2) was the dominant species in the presence of water vapor. Heating of the surface after exposure to NO(2) led to the generation of both NO(2) and NO under dry conditions, but only NO(2) in the presence of water vapor. Elemental chromium incorporated into metal alloys such as stainless steel is readily oxidized in contact with ambient air, forming a chromium-rich metal oxide surface layer. The results of these studies suggest that active photo- and thermal chemistry will occur when boundary layer materials containing chromium(III) or chromium oxide such as stainless steel, roofs, automobile bumpers etc. are exposed to NO(2) under tropospheric conditions.

Integrated CMOS dew point sensors for relative humidity measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savalli, Nicolo; Baglio, Salvatore; Castorina, Salvatore; Sacco, Vincenzo; Tringali, Cristina

2004-07-01

This work deals with the development of integrated relative humidity dew point sensors realized by adopting standard CMOS technology for applications in various fields. The proposed system is composed by a suspended plate that is cooled by exploiting integrated Peltier cells. The cold junctions of the cells have been spread over the plate surface to improve the homogeneity of the temperature distribution over its surface, where cooling will cause the water condensation. The temperature at which water drops occur, named dew point temperature, is a function of the air humidity. Measurement of such dew point temperature and the ambient temperature allows to know the relative humidity. The detection of water drops is achieved by adopting a capacitive sensing strategy realized by interdigited fixed combs, composed by the upper layer of the adopted process. Such a capacitive sensor, together with its conditioning circuit, drives a trigger that stops the cooling of the plate and enables the reading of the dew point temperature. Temperature measurements are achieved by means of suitably integrated thermocouples. The analytical model of the proposed system has been developed and has been used to design a prototype device and to estimate its performances. In such a prototype, the thermoelectric cooler is composed by 56 Peltier cells, made by metal 1/poly 1 junctions. The plate has a square shape with 200 μm side, and it is realized by exploiting the oxide layers. Starting from the ambient temperature a temperature variation of ΔT = 15 K can be reached in 10 ms thus allowing to measure a relative humidity greater than 40%.

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

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

Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M.

There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric vertical structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and 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. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season.In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements were made of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV)more » and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol from instrumentation at a ground observatory and on small unmanned aircraft. We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV < 40 kg m –2), a criterion which acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region.We then use the aircraft and ground-based measurements to explore possible mechanisms behind this observed aerosol–LWP correlation. The increase in cloud liquid water is found to coincide with a lowering of the cloud base, which is itself attributable to increased boundary layer humidity in polluted conditions. High pollution is found to correlate with both higher temperatures and higher humidity measured throughout the boundary layer. A large-scale analysis, using satellite observations and meteorological reanalysis, corroborates these covariations: high-pollution cases are shown to originate as a highly polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. The source air mass exhibits both higher temperatures and higher humidity in the polluted cases. While the warmer temperatures may be attributable to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent, the factors responsible for the coincident high humidity are less evident: the high-aerosol conditions are observed to disperse with air mass evolution, along with a weakening of the high-temperature anomaly, while the high-humidity condition is observed to strengthen in magnitude as the polluted air mass moves over the ocean toward the site of the CARDEX observations. In conclusion, potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, including meteorological or aerosol-induced factors, are explored, though future research will be needed for a more complete and quantitative understanding of the aerosol–humidity relationship.« less

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.

2016-04-01

There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric vertical structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and 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. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season.In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements were made of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV) and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol from instrumentation at a ground observatory and on small unmanned aircraft. We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV < 40 kg m-2), a criterion which acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region.We then use the aircraft and ground-based measurements to explore possible mechanisms behind this observed aerosol-LWP correlation. The increase in cloud liquid water is found to coincide with a lowering of the cloud base, which is itself attributable to increased boundary layer humidity in polluted conditions. High pollution is found to correlate with both higher temperatures and higher humidity measured throughout the boundary layer. A large-scale analysis, using satellite observations and meteorological reanalysis, corroborates these covariations: high-pollution cases are shown to originate as a highly polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. The source air mass exhibits both higher temperatures and higher humidity in the polluted cases. While the warmer temperatures may be attributable to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent, the factors responsible for the coincident high humidity are less evident: the high-aerosol conditions are observed to disperse with air mass evolution, along with a weakening of the high-temperature anomaly, while the high-humidity condition is observed to strengthen in magnitude as the polluted air mass moves over the ocean toward the site of the CARDEX observations. Potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, including meteorological or aerosol-induced factors, are explored, though future research will be needed for a more complete and quantitative understanding of the aerosol-humidity relationship.

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

DOE PAGES

Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M.; ...

2016-04-27

There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric vertical structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and 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. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season.In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements were made of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV)more » and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol from instrumentation at a ground observatory and on small unmanned aircraft. We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV < 40 kg m –2), a criterion which acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region.We then use the aircraft and ground-based measurements to explore possible mechanisms behind this observed aerosol–LWP correlation. The increase in cloud liquid water is found to coincide with a lowering of the cloud base, which is itself attributable to increased boundary layer humidity in polluted conditions. High pollution is found to correlate with both higher temperatures and higher humidity measured throughout the boundary layer. A large-scale analysis, using satellite observations and meteorological reanalysis, corroborates these covariations: high-pollution cases are shown to originate as a highly polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. The source air mass exhibits both higher temperatures and higher humidity in the polluted cases. While the warmer temperatures may be attributable to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent, the factors responsible for the coincident high humidity are less evident: the high-aerosol conditions are observed to disperse with air mass evolution, along with a weakening of the high-temperature anomaly, while the high-humidity condition is observed to strengthen in magnitude as the polluted air mass moves over the ocean toward the site of the CARDEX observations. In conclusion, potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, including meteorological or aerosol-induced factors, are explored, though future research will be needed for a more complete and quantitative understanding of the aerosol–humidity relationship.« less

AIRS First Light Data: Typhoon Ramasun, July 3, 2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3

Four images of Tropical Cyclone Ramasun were obtained July 3, 2002 by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The AIRS experiment, with its wide spectral coverage in four diverse bands, provides the ability to obtain complete 3-D observations of severe weather, from the surface, through clouds to the top of the atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This accuracy is the key to understanding weather patterns and improving weather predictions.

Viewed separately, none of these images can provide accurate 3-D descriptions of the state of the atmosphere because of interference from clouds. However, the ability to make simultaneous observations at a wide range of wavelengths allows the AIRS experiment to 'see' through clouds.

This visible light picture from the AIRS instrument provides important information about the location of the cyclone, cloud structure and distribution.

The AIRS instrument image at 900 cm-1 (Figure 1) is from a 10 micron transparent 'window channel' that is little affected by water vapor but still cannot see through clouds. In clear areas (like the eye of the cyclone and over northwest Australia) it measures a surface temperature of about 300K (color encoded red). In cloudy areas it measures the cloud top temperature, about 200K for the cyclone, which translates to a cloud top height of about 50,000 feet.

On the other hand, most clouds are relatively transparent in microwave, and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Instrument channel image (Figure 2) can see through all but the densest clouds. For example, Taiwan, which is covered by clouds, is clearly visible.

The Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument channel (Figure 3), also in the microwave, is more sensitive to both clouds and humidity. Only in clear, dry regions, such as the eye of the cyclone or the area north of Australia, does it see the surface. It is also severely affected by suspended ice particles formed by strong convection, which causes scattering and appears to be extremely cold. These blue areas indicate intense precipitation.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models.

The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Meteorological data for four sites at surface-disruption features in Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, 1985-86

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carman, Rita L.

1994-01-01

Surface-disruption features, or craters, resulting from underground nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site may increase the potential for ground-water recharge in an area that would normally produce little, if any, recharge. This report presents selected meteorological data resulting from a study of two surface-disruption features during May 1985 through June 1986. The data were collected at four adjacent sites in Yucca Flat, about 56 kilometers north of Mercury, Nevada. Three sites (one in each of two craters and one at an undisturbed site at the original land surface) were instrumented to collect meteorological data for calculating bare-soil evaporation. These data include (1) long-wave radiation, (2) short-wave radiation, (3) net radiation, (4) air temperae, and (5) soil surface temperature. Meteorological data also were collected at a weather station at an undisturbed site near the study craters. Data collected at this site include (1) air temperature, (2) relative humidity, (3) wind velocity, and (4) wind direction.

Climatic variability of river outflow in the Pantanal region and the influence of sea surface temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Carlos Batista; Silva, Maria Elisa Siqueira; Ambrizzi, Tércio

2017-07-01

This paper investigates possible linear relationships between climate, hydrology, and oceanic surface variability in the Pantanal region (in South America's central area), over interannual and interdecadal time ranges. In order to verify the mentioned relations, lagged correlation analysis and linear adjustment between river discharge at the Pantanal region and sea surface temperature were used. Composite analysis for atmospheric fields, air humidity flux divergence, and atmospheric circulation at low and high levels, for the period between 1970 and 2003, was analyzed. Results suggest that the river discharge in the Pantanal region is linearly associated with interdecadal and interannual oscillations in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, making them good predictors to continental hydrological variables. Considering oceanic areas, 51 % of the annual discharge in the Pantanal region can be linearly explained by mean sea surface temperature (SST) in the Subtropical North Pacific, Tropical North Pacific, Extratropical South Pacific, and Extratropical North Atlantic over the period. Considering a forecast approach in seasonal scale, 66 % of the monthly discharge variance in Pantanal, 3 months ahead of SST, is explained by the oceanic variables, providing accuracy around 65 %. Annual discharge values in the Pantanal region are strongly related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) variability (with 52 % of linear correlation), making it possible to consider an interdecadal variability and a consequent subdivision of the whole period in three parts: 1st (1970-1977), 2nd (1978-1996), and 3rd (1997-2003) subperiods. The three subperiods coincide with distinct PDO phases: negative, positive, and negative, respectively. Convergence of humidity flux at low levels and the circulation pattern at high levels help to explain the drier and wetter subperiods. During the wetter 2nd subperiod, the air humidity convergence at low levels is much more evident than during the other two drier subperiods, which mostly show air humidity divergence. While the drier periods are particularly characterized by the strengthening of northerly wind over the center of South America, including the Pantanal region, the wetter period is characterized by its weakening. The circulation pattern at 850 hPa levels during the drier subperiods shows anticyclonic anomalies centered over east central South America. Also, the drier subperiods (1st and 3rd) are characterized by negative stream function anomalies over southeastern South America and adjacent South Atlantic, and the wetter subperiod is characterized by positive stream function anomalies. In the three subperiods, one can see mean atmospheric patterns associated with Rossby wave propagation coming from the South Pacific basin—similar to the Pacific South America pattern, but with reverse signals between the wetter and the drier periods. This result suggests a possible relationship between climatic patterns over southeastern South America regions and the Pacific conditions in a decadal scale.

Water vapor mass balance method for determining air infiltration rates in houses

Treesearch

David R. DeWalle; Gordon M. Heisler

1980-01-01

A water vapor mass balance technique that includes the use of common humidity-control equipment can be used to determine average air infiltration rates in buildings. Only measurements of the humidity inside and outside the home, the mass of vapor exchanged by a humidifier/dehumidifier, and the volume of interior air space are needed. This method gives results that...

Electro-Hydrodynamics and Kinetic Modeling of Dry and Humid Air Flows Activated by Corona Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

P. Sarrette, J.; Eichwald, O.; Marchal, F.; Ducasse, O.; Yousfi, M.

2016-05-01

The present work is devoted to the 2D simulation of a point-to-plane Atmospheric Corona Discharge Reactor (ACDR) powered by a DC high voltage supply. The corona reactor is periodically crossed by thin mono filamentary streamers with a natural repetition frequency of some tens of kHz. The study compares the results obtained in dry air and in air mixed with a small amount of water vapour (humid air). The simulation involves the electro-dynamics, chemical kinetics and neutral gas hydrodynamics phenomena that influence the kinetics of the chemical species transformation. Each discharge lasts about one hundred of a nanosecond while the post-discharge occurring between two successive discharges lasts one hundred of a microsecond. The ACDR is crossed by a lateral dry or humid air flow initially polluted with 400 ppm of NO. After 5 ms, the time corresponding to the occurrence of 50 successive discharge/post-discharge phases, a higher NO removal rate and a lower ozone production rate are found in humid air. This change is due to the presence of the HO2 species formed from the H primary radical in the discharge zone.

Emissions of an AVCO Lycoming 0-320-DIAD air cooled light aircraft engine as a function of fuel-air ratio, timing, and air temperature and humidity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meng, P. R.; Skorobatckyi, M.; Cosgrove, D. V.; Kempke, E. E., Jr.

1976-01-01

A carbureted aircraft engine was operated over a range of test conditions to establish the exhaust levels over the EPA seven-mode emissions cycle. Baseline (full rich production limit) exhaust emissions at an induction air temperature of 59 F and near zero relative humidity were 90 percent of the EPA standard for HC, 35 percent for NOx, and 161 percent for CO. Changes in ignition timing around the standard 25 deg BTDC from 30 deg BTDC to 20 deg BTDC had little effect on the exhaust emissions. Retarding the timing to 15 deg BTDC increased both the HC and CO emissions and decreased NOx emissions. HC and CO emissions decreased as the carburetor was leaned out, while NOx emissions increased. The EPA emission standards were marginally achieved at two leanout conditions. Variations in the quantity of cooling air flow over the engine had no effect on exhaust emissions. Temperature-humidity effects at the higher values of air temperature and relative humidity tested indicated that the HC and CO emissions increased significantly, while the NOx emissions decreased.

A Calibration Facility for Dew Point in Air up to 1 MPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, P. A.; Bell, S. A.; Stevens, M.

2015-12-01

The provision of primary dew-point standards for humidified air and nitrogen at atmospheric pressure is well established, and measurement traceability to these standards provides confidence in a vast number of air humidity measurements. However, hygrometers are used industrially at a wide range of pressures. Both the performance of hygrometers and the properties of humid gases are known to vary with gas pressure. The pressure-dependence of gas non-ideality for air-water mixtures (water-vapor enhancement factor) is well enough known at moderate pressures, but there remains a need to characterize hygrometers at the pressure of use. To address this, a humidity calibration capability of wider scope is under development at the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL). As an initial stage in the development of this capability, a humidity standard generating air or nitrogen in the dew-point range from -60° C to +10° C, at pressures up to 1 MPa (10 bar) has been validated for the calibration of hygrometers. The expanded uncertainty of the dew-point generator in this range with a coverage factor k= 2 is ± 0.07° C.

Decomposition of Potassium Ferrate(VI)(K{sub 2}FeO{sub 4}) and Potassium Ferrate(III)(KFeO{sub 2}): In-situ Moessbauer Spectroscopy Approach

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

Machala, Libor; Zboril, Radek; Sharma, Virender K.

2008-10-28

Moessbauer spectroscopy was shown to be very useful technique studying the mechanism of thermal decomposition or aging processes of the most known ferrate(VI), K{sub 2}FeO{sub 4}. In-situ Moessbauer spectroscopy approach was used to monitor the phase composition during the studied processes. The experimental set-up was designed to perform in-situ measurements at high temperatures and at different air humid conditions at room temperature. The potassium ferrate(III), KFeO{sub 2} was demonstrated to be the primary product of thermal decomposition of K{sub 2}FeO{sub 4}. The KFeO{sub 2} was unstable in a humid air at room temperature and reacted with components of air, H{submore » 2}O and CO{sub 2} to give Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles and KHCO{sub 3}. The aging kinetics of K{sub 2}FeO{sub 4} and KFeO{sub 2} under humid air were significantly dependent on the relative air humidity.« less

Impact of Nanometer Graphite Addition on the Anti-deliquescence and Tribological Properties of Ni/MoS2 Lubricating Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Li, G. L.; Wang, H. D.; Xu, B. S.; Ma, G. Z.

In order to improve the long-standing problem of MoS2 coating that lubrication performance drop dramatic after storage in humid air, using nano-composite electro brush plating technology and Ni/MoS2-C combination coating with thinness of 100 μm was succeed deposited on GCr15 substrate. Microstructure, surface morphology and elements of this composite coating were analyzed using SEM, XPS and TEM while phase structure was tested by XRD. The tribological properties of this composite coating were tested by MSTS-1; Test the preceding tribological properties of Ni/MoS2-C composite coatings to the pure Ni/MoS2 after different period storage at room temperature and 100% relative humidity atmosphere of 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h as well as the element of the chemical changes. Research shows that there is a small amount of MoS2 in pure MoS2 coatings behind a 12 hours storage in humid air became MoO3 and the tribological performance decreased significantly followed, in the same conditions composite coating with nanometer graphite addition get a preferably tribological properties while the hardness of this coating was improved by the nanometer graphite addition and combination plating showed a well duration tribological properties as a result.

Surface-atmospheric water cycle at Gale crater through multi-year MSL/REMS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harri, A. M.; Genzer, M.; McConnochie, T. H.; Savijarvi, H. I.; Smith, M. D.; Martinez, G.; de la Torre Juarez, M.; Haberle, R. M.; Polkko, J.; Gomez-Elvira, J.; Renno, N. O.; Kemppinen, O.; Paton, M.; Richardson, M. I.; Newman, C. E.; Siili, T. T.; Mäkinen, T.

2017-12-01

The Mars Science laboratory (MSL) has been successfully operating for almost three Martian years. That includes an unprecedented long time series of atmospheric observations by the REMS instrument performing measurements of atmospheric pressure, relative humidity (REMS-H), temperature of the air, ground temperature, UV and wind speed and direction. The REMS-H relative humidity device is based on polymeric capacitive humidity sensors developed by Vaisala Inc. and it makes use of three (3) humidity sensor heads. The humidity device is mounted on the REMS boom providing ventilation with the ambient atmosphere through a filter protecting the device from airborne dust. The REMS-H humidity instrument has created an unprecedented data record of more than two full Martian. REMS-H measured the relative humidity and temperature at 1.6 m height for a period of 5 minutes every hour as part of the MSL/REMS instrument package. We focus on describing the annual in situ water cycle with the REMS-H instrument data for the period of almost three Martian years. The results will be constrained through comparison with independent indirect observations and through modeling efforts. We inferred the hourly atmospheric VMR from the REMS-H observations and compared these VMR measurements with predictions of VMR from our 1D column Martian atmospheric model and regolith to investigate the local water cycle, exchange processes and the local climate in Gale Crater. The strong diurnal variation suggests there are surface-atmosphere exchange processes at Gale Crater during all seasons, which depletes moisture to the ground in the evening and nighttime and release the moisture back to the atmosphere during the daytime. On the other hand, these processes do not seem to result in significant water deposition on the ground. Hence, our modelling results presumably indicate that adsorption processes take place during the nighttime and desorption during the daytime. Other processes, e.g. convective turbulence play a significant role in the daytime in conveying the moisture into the atmosphere.

Influence of different land surfaces on atmospheric conditions measured by a wireless sensor network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lengfeld, Katharina; Ament, Felix

2010-05-01

Atmospheric conditions close to the surface, like temperature, wind speed and humidity, vary on small scales because of surface heterogeneities. Therefore, the traditional measuring approach of using a single, highly accurate station is of limited representativeness for a larger domain, because it is not able to determine these small scale variabilities. However, both the variability and the domain averages are important information for the development and validation of atmospheric models and soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer (SVAT) schemes. Due to progress in microelectronics it is possible to construct networks of comparably cheap meteorological stations with moderate accuracy. Such a network provides data in high spatial and temporal resolution. The EPFL Lausanne developed such a network called SensorScope, consisting of low cost autonomous stations. Each station observes air and surface temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, incoming solar radiation, precipitations, soil moisture and soil temperature and sends the data via radio communication to a base station. This base station forwards the collected data via GSM/GPRS to a central server. Within the FLUXPAT project in August 2009 we deployed 15 stations as a twin transect near Jülich, Germany. One aim of this first experiment was to test the quality of the low cost sensors by comparing them to more accurate reference measurements. It turned out, that although the network is not highly accurate, the measurements are consistent. Consequently an analysis of the pattern of atmospheric conditions is feasible. For example, we detect a variability of ± 0.5K in the mean temperature at a distance of only 2.3 km. The transect covers different types of vegetation and a small river. Therefore, we analyzed the influence of different land surfaces and the distance to the river on meteorological conditions. On the one hand, some results meet our expectations, e.g. the relative humidity decreases with increasing distance to the river. But on the other hand we found unexpected anomalies in the air temperature, which will be discussed in detail by selected case studies.

INVESTIGATION OF THE HUMIDITY EFFECT ON THE FAC-IR-300 IONIZATION CHAMBER RESPONSE.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Seyed Mostafa; Tavakoli-Anbaran, Hossein

2018-02-01

The free-air ionization chamber is communicating with the ambient air, therefore, the atmospheric parameters such as temperature, pressure and humidity effect on the ionization chamber performance. The free-air ionization chamber, entitled as FAC-IR-300, that design at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, AEOI, is required the atmospheric correction factors for correct the chamber reading. In this article, the effect of humidity on the ionization chamber response was investigated. For this reason, was introduced the humidity correction factor, kh. In this article, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to determine the kh factor. The simulation results show in relative humidities between 30% to 80%, the kh factor is equal 0.9970 at 20°C and 0.9975 at 22°C. From the simulation results, at low energy the energy dependence of the kh factor is significant and with increasing energy this dependence is negligible. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Infrared thermography as a diagnostic tool to indicate sick-house-syndrome: a case-study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ljungberg, Sven-Ake

1996-03-01

Every third child and many adults in Sweden have allergic reactions caused by indoor environmental problems. A lot of buildings constructed during the building-boom period of 1950 - 1990 expose the sick-house-syndrome, due to built-in moisture problems and poor ventilation performance of the building. Leaky building construction, transport of humid air condensing on thermal bridges within the construction gives rise to a humid environment, and forms a base for a microbial deterioration process of organic materials, with emissions hazardous for human health. So far there are no universal and cost efficient techniques or methods developed which could be used to reveal the sick-house-syndrome. In this paper we present the results of a case-study of the sick-house-syndrome, and an investigation concept with a combination of different techniques and methods to detect and to map underlying factors that form the base for microbial activities. The concept includes mobile and indoor thermography, functional control of ventilation systems, tracer gas techniques for measurement of air flow exchange rate in different rooms, microbial investigation of emissions, field inspections within the building construction and the building envelope, and medical investigation of the health status of the people working in the building. Mobile thermography of the exterior facades has been performed with a longwave AGEMA THV 900, respectively THV 1000 infrared system, during the period December 1994 - June 1995, at different and similar weather and radiation conditions, and with the building pressurized at one accession. Indoor thermography has been performed with a shortwave AGEMA THV 470 system, for a selection of objects/surfaces with thermal deviations, indicated in thermograms from the different mobile thermographic surveys. Functional control was performed for the ventilation systems, and air flow rates were measured using tracer gas technique for a selection of rooms with different function, manload and demand of air flow. Field control inspections were performed partly from the inside and partly from the outside of the building. Microbial activities were investigated by traditional measurements of the emissions and contamination of indoor air, and by ocular inspections and laboratory tests of building materials. Despite the fact that the building studied has a complicated composition of surface materials, including glass, wood, steel and concrete panels, it was possible to indirectly indicate surface anomalies, related to microbial deterioration of organic materials, through mold and rot activities, due to in-exfiltration of humid air, causing moisture problems within the construction. The result from this case-study shows that thermography can become an important diagnostic tool in order to detect and map sick-house-syndromes. The project is to be continued.

Friction and Wear Properties of As-Deposited and Carbon Ion-Implanted Diamond Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1996-01-01

Recent work on the friction and wear properties of as-deposited and carbon ion-implanted diamond films was reviewed. Diamond films were produced by the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. Diamond films with various grain sizes and surface roughnesses were implanted with carbon ions at 60 keV ion energy, resulting in a dose of 1.2 x 10(exp 17) carbon ions per cm(exp 2). Various analytical techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, proton recoil analysis, Rutherford backscattering, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, were utilized to characterize the diamond films. Sliding friction experiments were conducted with a polished natural diamond pin in contact with diamond films in the three environments: humid air (40% relative humidity), dry nitrogen (less than 1 percent relative humidity), and ultrahigh vacuum (10(exp -7) Pa). The CVD diamond films indeed have friction and wear properties similar to those of natural diamond in the three environments. The as-deposited, fine-grain diamond films can be effectively used as self-lubricating, wear-resistant coatings that have low coefficients of friction (0.02 to 0.04) and low wear rates (10(exp -7) to lO(exp -8) mm(exp 3) N(exp -1) m(exp -1)) in both humid air and dry nitrogen. However, they have high coefficients of friction (1.5 to 1.7) and a high wear rate (10(exp -4) mm(exp 7) N(exp -1) m(exp -1)) in ultrahigh vacuum. The carbon ion implantation produced a thin surficial layer (less than 0.1 micron thick) of amorphous, non-diamond carbon on the diamond films. In humid air and dry nitrogen, the ion-implanted, fine and coarse-grain diamond films have a low coefficient of friction (around 0.1) and a low wear rate (10(exp -7) mm(exp 3) N(exp -1) m(exp-1)). Even in ultrahigh vacuum, the presence of the non-diamond carbon layer reduced the coefficient of friction of fine-grain diamond films to 0.1 or lower and the wear rate to 10(exp -6) mm(exp 3) N(exp -1) m(exp -1). Thus, the carbon ion-implanted, fine-grain diamond films can be effectively used as wear-resistant, self-lubricating coatings not only in air and dry nitrogen, but also in ultrahigh vacuum.

Perceiving nasal patency through mucosal cooling rather than air temperature or nasal resistance.

PubMed

Zhao, Kai; Blacker, Kara; Luo, Yuehao; Bryant, Bruce; Jiang, Jianbo

2011-01-01

Adequate perception of nasal airflow (i.e., nasal patency) is an important consideration for patients with nasal sinus diseases. The perception of a lack of nasal patency becomes the primary symptom that drives these patients to seek medical treatment. However, clinical assessment of nasal patency remains a challenge because we lack objective measurements that correlate well with what patients perceive. The current study examined factors that may influence perceived patency, including air temperature, humidity, mucosal cooling, nasal resistance, and trigeminal sensitivity. Forty-four healthy subjects rated nasal patency while sampling air from three facial exposure boxes that were ventilated with untreated room air, cold air, and dry air, respectively. In all conditions, air temperature and relative humidity inside each box were recorded with sensors connected to a computer. Nasal resistance and minimum airway cross-sectional area (MCA) were measured using rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry, respectively. General trigeminal sensitivity was assessed through lateralization thresholds to butanol. No significant correlation was found between perceived patency and nasal resistance or MCA. In contrast, air temperature, humidity, and butanol threshold combined significantly contributed to the ratings of patency, with mucosal cooling (heat loss) being the most heavily weighted predictor. Air humidity significantly influences perceived patency, suggesting that mucosal cooling rather than air temperature alone provides the trigeminal sensation that results in perception of patency. The dynamic cooling between the airstream and the mucosal wall may be quantified experimentally or computationally and could potentially lead to a new clinical evaluation tool.

Perceiving Nasal Patency through Mucosal Cooling Rather than Air Temperature or Nasal Resistance

PubMed Central

Zhao, Kai; Blacker, Kara; Luo, Yuehao; Bryant, Bruce; Jiang, Jianbo

2011-01-01

Adequate perception of nasal airflow (i.e., nasal patency) is an important consideration for patients with nasal sinus diseases. The perception of a lack of nasal patency becomes the primary symptom that drives these patients to seek medical treatment. However, clinical assessment of nasal patency remains a challenge because we lack objective measurements that correlate well with what patients perceive.The current study examined factors that may influence perceived patency, including air temperature, humidity, mucosal cooling, nasal resistance, and trigeminal sensitivity. Forty-four healthy subjects rated nasal patency while sampling air from three facial exposure boxes that were ventilated with untreated room air, cold air, and dry air, respectively. In all conditions, air temperature and relative humidity inside each box were recorded with sensors connected to a computer. Nasal resistance and minimum airway cross-sectional area (MCA) were measured using rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry, respectively. General trigeminal sensitivity was assessed through lateralization thresholds to butanol. No significant correlation was found between perceived patency and nasal resistance or MCA. In contrast, air temperature, humidity, and butanol threshold combined significantly contributed to the ratings of patency, with mucosal cooling (heat loss) being the most heavily weighted predictor. Air humidity significantly influences perceived patency, suggesting that mucosal cooling rather than air temperature alone provides the trigeminal sensation that results in perception of patency. The dynamic cooling between the airstream and the mucosal wall may be quantified experimentally or computationally and could potentially lead to a new clinical evaluation tool. PMID:22022361

Adsorption performance of titanium dioxide (TiO2) coated air filters for volatile organic compounds.

PubMed

Zhong, Lexuan; Lee, Chang-Seo; Haghighat, Fariborz

2012-12-01

The photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) technology as an alternative method for air purification has been studied for decades and a variety of PCO models indicate that the adsorption of reactants on the catalyst surface is one of the major physical and chemical processes occurring at a heterogeneous photocatalytic reaction. However, limited study explored the adsorption effect of a photocatalyst. This study carried out a systematic evaluation of adsorption performance of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) coated fiberglass fibers (FGFs), TiO(2) coated carbon cloth fibers (CCFs), and original CCFs air filters at various relative humidity conditions for nine volatile organic compounds. TiO(2)/FGFs, TiO(2)/CCFs, and CCFs were characterized by SEM for morphology and N(2) adsorption isotherm for BET surface area and pore structure. A bench-scale adsorption test setup was constructed and adsorption tests were performed at various relative humidity conditions and four different injected concentrations for each compound. The isothermal adsorption curves at low concentration levels were obtained and they were well described by Langmuir isotherm model. It was noticed that there were significant differences between the adsorption behaviors and photocatalytic activities of TiO(2)/FGFs and TiO(2)/CCFs. It was concluded that adsorption performance is closely related to the characteristics of substrates and therefore, the development of a substrate with high adsorption ability is a promising trend for improving the performance of the UV-PCO technology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of high-temperature hydrogenation treatment on sliding friction and wear behavior of carbide-derived carbon films.

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

Erdemir, A.; Kovalchenko, A.; McNallan, M. J.

2004-01-01

In this study, we investigated the effects of a high-temperature hydrogenation treatment on the sliding friction and wear behavior of nanostructured carbide-derived carbon (CDC) films in dry nitrogen and humid air environments. These films are produced on the surfaces of silicon carbide substrates by reacting the carbide phase with chlorine or chlorine-hydrogen gas mixtures at 1000 to 1100 C in a sealed tube furnace. The typical friction coefficients of CDC films in open air are in the range of 0.2 to 0.25, but in dry nitrogen, the friction coefficients are 0.15. In an effort to achieve lower friction on CDCmore » films, we developed and used a special hydrogenation process that was proven to be very effective in lowering friction of CDC films produced on SiC substrates. Specifically, the films that were post-hydrogen-treated exhibited friction coefficients as low as 0.03 in dry nitrogen, while the friction coefficients in humid air were 0.2. The wear of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} counterface balls was hard to measure after the tests, while shallow wear tracks had formed on CDC films on SiC disks. Detailed mechanical and structural characterizations of the CDC films and sliding contact surfaces were done using a series of analytical techniques and these findings were correlated with the friction and wear behaviors of as-produced and hydrogen-treated CDC films.« less

Prevalence and risk factors of mucous retention cysts in a Brazilian population.

PubMed

Rodrigues, C D; Freire, G F; Silva, L B; Fonseca da Silveira, M M; Estrela, C

2009-10-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and analyse the risk factors of mucous retention cysts (MRCs) of the maxillary sinus. From November 2002 to May 2007, 6293 panoramic radiographs were taken and retrospectively reviewed to estimate the prevalence of MRCs and to analyse risk factors (month, relative air humidity and mean temperature). The months in which MRCs occurred were recorded and analysed. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to correlate MRCs with relative air humidity, environmental temperature and month (significance level R(2)>0.85). Of the 6293 radiographs analysed, 201 (3.19%) images were suggestive of MRCs. No significant correlation was found between MRCs and relative humidity (R(2) = 0.15) of the air or temperature (R(2) = 0.40). The months with the highest numbers of MRC cases were September, October and November. The prevalence of MRCs was low, and no statistical correlation was found between MRCs and relative humidity of the air, mean temperature or month.

Influence of Courtyard Ventilation on Thermal Performance of Office Building in Hot-Humid Climate: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbaas, Esra'a. Sh.; Saif, Ala'eddin A.; Munaaim, MAC; Azree Othuman Mydin, Md.

2018-03-01

The influence of courtyard on the thermal performance of Development Department office building in University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP, Pauh Putra campus) is investigated through simulation study for the effect of ventilation on indoor air temperature and relative humidity of the building. The study is carried out using EnergyPlus simulator interface within OpenStudio and SketchUp plug in software to measure both of air temperature and relative humidity hourly on 21 April 2017 as a design day. The results show that the ventilation through the windows facing the courtyard has sufficient effect on reducing the air temperature compared to the ventilation through external windows since natural ventilation is highly effective on driving the indoor warm air out to courtyard. In addition, the relative humidity is reduced due to ventilation since the courtyard has high ability to remove or dilute indoor airborne pollutants coming from indoor sources. This indicates that the presence of courtyard is highly influential on thermal performance of the building.

Life cycle and reproduction of house-dust mites: environmental factors influencing mite populations.

PubMed

Hart, B J

1998-01-01

An understanding of the life cycle of house-dust mites, as well as environmental factors influencing mite populations, can be exploited in mite control. The most important limiting factor for house-dust-mite populations is air humidity. House-dust mites osmoregulate through the cuticle and therefore require a high ambient air humidity to prevent excessive water loss. In addition, the supracoxal glands actively take up ambient water vapour, and the protonynph stage of the life cycle is resistant to desiccation. Larger house-dust-mite populations are found when the absolute indoor air humidity is above 7 g/kg (45% relative humidity at 20 degrees C). Consequently, ventilation by air-conditioning systems is being developed as a means of control. A number of other aspects of the domestic environment are also being manipulated in an integrated approach to render the habitat less suitable for mites. The potential exists for developing models for house-dust mite populations, environmental characteristics, and the effects of various approaches to control.

Desiccant outdoor air preconditioners maximize heat recovery ventilation potentials

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

Meckler, M.

1995-12-31

Microorganisms are well protected indoors by the moisture surrounding them if the relative humidity is above 70%. They can cause many acute diseases, infections, and allergies. Humidity also has an effect on air cleanliness and causes the building structure and its contents to deteriorate. Therefore, controlling humidity is a very important factor to human health and comfort and the structural longevity of a building. To date, a great deal of research has been done, and is continuing, in the use of both solid and liquid desiccants. This paper introduces a desiccant-assisted system that combines dehumidification and mechanical refrigeration by meansmore » of a desiccant preconditioning module that can serve two or more conventional air-conditioning units. It will be demonstrated that the proposed system, also having indirect evaporative cooling within the preconditioning module, can reduce energy consumption and provide significant cost savings, independent humidity and temperature control, and, therefore, improved indoor air quality and enhanced occupant comfort.« less

Ozone reaction with interior building materials: Influence of diurnal ozone variation, temperature and humidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rim, Donghyun; Gall, Elliott T.; Maddalena, Randy L.; Nazaroff, William W.

2016-01-01

Elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Indoor ozone chemistry affects human exposure to ozone and reaction products that also may adversely affect health and comfort. Reactive uptake of ozone has been characterized for many building materials; however, scant information is available on how diurnal variation of ambient ozone influences ozone reaction with indoor surfaces. The primary objective of this study is to investigate ozone-surface reactions in response to a diurnally varying ozone exposure for three common building materials: ceiling tile, painted drywall, and carpet tile. A secondary objective is to examine the effects of air temperature and humidity. A third goal is to explore how conditioning of materials in an occupied office building might influence subsequent ozone-surface reactions. Experiments were performed at bench-scale with inlet ozone concentrations varied to simulate daytime (ozone elevated) and nighttime (ozone-free in these experiments) periods. To simulate office conditions, experiments were conducted at two temperatures (22 °C and 28 °C) and three relative humidity values (25%, 50%, 75%). Effects of indoor surface exposures were examined by placing material samples in an occupied office and repeating bench-scale characterization after exposure periods of 1 and 2 months. Deposition velocities were observed to be highest during the initial hour of ozone exposure with slow decrease in the subsequent hours of simulated daytime conditions. Daily-average ozone reaction probabilities for fresh materials are in the respective ranges of (1.7-2.7) × 10-5, (2.8-4.7) × 10-5, and (3.0-4.5) × 10-5 for ceiling tile, painted drywall, and carpet tile. The reaction probability decreases by 7%-47% across the three test materials after two 8-h periods of ozone exposure. Measurements with the samples from an occupied office reveal that deposition velocity can decrease or increase with time. Influence of temperature and humidity on ozone-surface reactivity was not strong.

Surface Chemistry, Friction, and Wear Properties of Untreated and Laser-Annealed Surfaces of Pulsed-Laser-Deposited WS(sub 2) Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Wheeler, Donald R.; Zabinski, Jeffrey S.

1996-01-01

An investigation was conducted to examine the surface chemistry, friction, and wear behavior of untreated and annealed tungsten disulfide (WS2) coatings in sliding contact with a 6-mm-diameter 440C stainless-steel ball. The WS2 coatings and annealing were performed using the pulsed-laser-deposition technique. All sliding friction experiments were conducted with a load of 0.98 N (100 g), an average Hertzian contact pressure of 0.44 GPa, and a constant rotating speed of 120 rpm. The sliding velocity ranged from 31 to 107 mm/s because of the range of wear track radii involved in the experiments. The experiment was performed at room temperature in three environments: ultrahigh vacuum (vacuum pressure, 7X(exp -10) Pa), dry nitrogen (relative humidity, less than 1 percent), and humid air (relative humidity, 15 to 40 percent). Analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), surface profilometry, and Vickers hardness testing, were used to characterize the tribological surfaces of WS2 coatings. The results of the investigation indicate that the laser annealing decreased the wear of a WS2 coating in an ultrahigh vacuum. The wear rate was reduced by a factor of 30. Thus, the laser annealing increased the wear life and resistance of the WS2 coating. The annealed WS 2 coating had a low coefficient of friction (less than O.1) and a low wear rate ((10(exp -7) mm(exp 3)/N-m)) both of which are favorable in an ultrahigh vacuum.

Polyethylene Nanocomposites for the Next Generation of Ultralow-Transmission-Loss HVDC Cables: Insulation Containing Moisture-Resistant MgO Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Pourrahimi, Amir Masoud; Pallon, Love K H; Liu, Dongming; Hoang, Tuan Anh; Gubanski, Stanislaw; Hedenqvist, Mikael S; Olsson, Richard T; Gedde, Ulf W

2016-06-15

The use of MgO nanoparticles in polyethylene for cable insulation has attracted considerable interest, although in humid media the surface regions of the nanoparticles undergo a conversion to a hydroxide phase. A facile method to obtain MgO nanoparticles with a large surface area and remarkable inertness to humidity is presented. The method involves (a) low temperature (400 °C) thermal decomposition of Mg(OH)2, (b) a silicone oxide coating to conceal the nanoparticles and prevent interparticle sintering upon exposure to high temperatures, and (c) heat treatment at 1000 °C. The formation of the hydroxide phase on these silicone oxide-coated MgO nanoparticles after extended exposure to humid air was assessed by thermogravimetry, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The nanoparticles showed essentially no sign of any hydroxide phase compared to particles prepared by the conventional single-step thermal decomposition of Mg(OH)2. The moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles showed improved dispersion and interfacial adhesion in the LDPE matrix with smaller nanosized particle clusters compared with conventionally prepared MgO. The addition of 1 wt % moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles was sufficient to decrease the conductivity of polyethylene 30 times. The reduction in conductivity is discussed in terms of defect concentration on the surface of the moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles at the polymer/nanoparticle interface.

Empirical relationships among atmospheric variables from rawinsonde and field data as surrogates for AVIRIS measurements: Estimation of regional land surface evapotranspiration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conel, James E.; Hoover, Gordon; Nolin, Anne; Alley, Ron; Margolis, Jack

1992-01-01

Empirical relationships between variables are ways of securing estimates of quantities difficult to measure by remote sensing methods. The use of empirical functions was explored between: (1) atmospheric column moisture abundance W (gm H2O/cm(sup 2) and surface absolute water vapor density rho(q-bar) (gm H2O/cm(sup 3), with rho density of moist air (gm/cm(sup 3), q-bar specific humidity (gm H2O/gm moist air), and (2) column abundance and surface moisture flux E (gm H2O/(cm(sup 2)sec)) to infer regional evapotranspiration from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometers (AVIRIS) water vapor mapping data. AVIRIS provides, via analysis of atmospheric water absorption features, estimates of column moisture abundance at very high mapping rate (at approximately 100 km(sup 2)/40 sec) over large areas at 20 m ground resolution.

Measuring Relative Humidity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinkham, Chester A.; Barrett, Kristin Burrows

1992-01-01

Describes four experiments that enable students to explore the phenomena of evaporation and condensation and determine the relative humidity by measuring air temperature and dew point on warm September days. Provides tables to calculate saturation points and relative humidity. (MDH)

A universal glue: underwater adhesion of the secretion of the carnivorous flypaper plant Roridula gorgonias

PubMed Central

Voigt, Dagmar; Konrad, Wilfried; Gorb, Stanislav

2015-01-01

Glandular trichomes of the carnivorous plant Roridula gorgonias release a viscous resinous secretion. Its adhesion to hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass surfaces was measured in air and underwater. The underwater adhesion reached up to 91% (on hydrophilic glass) and 28% (on hydrophobic glass) of that measured in the air. After being submersed for 24 h in water, trichomes did not lose their ability to adhere to both types of glass surfaces underwater. We assume that acylglycerides and triterpenoids, which have been demonstrated previously to be main compounds of the secretion, cause the predominantly non-polar character and the insolubility in water. The robustness of the secretion to a wet environment presumably enables the plant to maintain its trapping function also under humid conditions and during rainy weather. PMID:25657836

Impact of air-drying lens cases in various locations and positions.

PubMed

Wu, Yvonne T; Zhu, Hua; Willcox, Mark; Stapleton, Fiona

2010-07-01

To determine the rate and type of microbial contamination when contact lens cases are air-dried in two different positions (face up and face down) and in four different locations (toilet, bathroom, office, and bedroom). Unused contact lens cases (n = 97) were rinsed with 2-ml sterile phosphate buffered saline and then placed on facial tissue paper in different locations: humid (toilet and bathroom) and non-humid (office and bedroom) and air-dried at room temperature. After 24 h, the contact lens cases were collected and sampled for microbial numbers and microbial types identified using standard techniques. The microbial profile and the rate of contamination between different locations and positions were compared. Irrespective of the air-drying location, contact lens cases positioned face up had a significantly higher contamination rate (34/48, 71%) compared with contact lens cases air-dried face down (6/49, 12%) (p < 0.001). For those contact lens cases air-dried face up, there was more contamination when placed in humid environments (toilet and bathroom) than in the non-humid environments (office and bedroom) (p = 0.01). However, the contact lens case contamination rate among various locations was similar when contact lens cases were air-dried face down. Total microorganisms recovered from contact lens cases ranged from 0 to 275 colony forming unit per well. The most frequently recovered microorganisms from the contaminated contact lens cases were coagulase-negative Staphylococci, fungi, and Bacillus spp. Thirty-three percent (13/40) of contact lens cases were contaminated with multiple species. Small numbers of microorganisms from the environment may contaminate contact lens cases while cases are air-dried face up. Cases air-dried in humid environments have higher levels of microbial contamination; this is particularly true when contact lens cases are positioned face up. On the basis of this limited study, we would recommend contact lens cases be air-dried face down.

Atmospheric conditions measured by a wireless sensor network on the local scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lengfeld, K.; Ament, F.

2010-09-01

Atmospheric conditions close to the surface, like temperature, wind speed and humidity, vary on small scales because of surface heterogeneities. Therefore, the traditional measuring approach of using a single, highly accurate station is of limited representativeness for a larger domain, because it is not able to determine these small scale variabilities. However, both the variability and the domain averages are important information for the development and validation of atmospheric models and soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer (SVAT) schemes. Due to progress in microelectronics it is possible to construct networks of comparably cheap meteorological stations with moderate accuracy. Such a network provides data in high spatial and temporal resolution. The EPFL Lausanne developed such a network called SensorScope, consisting of low cost autonomous stations. Each station observes air and surface temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, incoming solar radiation, precipitation, soil moisture and soil temperature and sends the data via radio communication to a base station. This base station forwards the collected data via GSM/GPRS to a central server. The first measuring campaign took place within the FLUXPAT project in August 2009. We deployed 15 stations as a twin transect near Jülich, Germany. To test the quality of the low cost sensors we compared two of them to more accurate reference systems. It turned out, that although the network sensors are not highly accurate, the measurements are consistent. Consequently an analysis of the pattern of atmospheric conditions is feasible. The transect is 2.3 km long and covers different types of vegetation and a small river. Therefore, we analyse the influence of different land surfaces and the distance to the river on meteorological conditions. For example, we found a difference in air temperature of 0.8°C between the station closest to and the station farthest from the river. The decreasing relative humidity with increasing distance to the river meets our expectations. But there are also some unexpected anomalies in the air temperature, which will be discussed in detail by selected case studies. By analysing the correlation of the fluctuation of the meteorological conditions, we want to detect clusters depending on different land surfaces and distance to the river. Since April 2010 a second deployment is set up at the Airport Hamburg. It consists of 14 stations placed along the two runways in northward and in eastward direction. The aim of this project is to analyse whether the atmospheric conditions in such an uniform environment are really homogeneous. To do so we will apply the same analyses for these measurements we used for FLUXPAT.

High Accuracy Acoustic Relative Humidity Measurement in Duct Flow with Air

PubMed Central

van Schaik, Wilhelm; Grooten, Mart; Wernaart, Twan; van der Geld, Cees

2010-01-01

An acoustic relative humidity sensor for air-steam mixtures in duct flow is designed and tested. Theory, construction, calibration, considerations on dynamic response and results are presented. The measurement device is capable of measuring line averaged values of gas velocity, temperature and relative humidity (RH) instantaneously, by applying two ultrasonic transducers and an array of four temperature sensors. Measurement ranges are: gas velocity of 0–12 m/s with an error of ±0.13 m/s, temperature 0–100 °C with an error of ±0.07 °C and relative humidity 0–100% with accuracy better than 2 % RH above 50 °C. Main advantage over conventional humidity sensors is the high sensitivity at high RH at temperatures exceeding 50 °C, with accuracy increasing with increasing temperature. The sensors are non-intrusive and resist highly humid environments. PMID:22163610

High accuracy acoustic relative humidity measurement in duct flow with air.

PubMed

van Schaik, Wilhelm; Grooten, Mart; Wernaart, Twan; van der Geld, Cees

2010-01-01

An acoustic relative humidity sensor for air-steam mixtures in duct flow is designed and tested. Theory, construction, calibration, considerations on dynamic response and results are presented. The measurement device is capable of measuring line averaged values of gas velocity, temperature and relative humidity (RH) instantaneously, by applying two ultrasonic transducers and an array of four temperature sensors. Measurement ranges are: gas velocity of 0-12 m/s with an error of ± 0.13 m/s, temperature 0-100 °C with an error of ± 0.07 °C and relative humidity 0-100% with accuracy better than 2 % RH above 50 °C. Main advantage over conventional humidity sensors is the high sensitivity at high RH at temperatures exceeding 50 °C, with accuracy increasing with increasing temperature. The sensors are non-intrusive and resist highly humid environments.

Hurricane Frances as Observed by NASA Spaceborne Atmospheric Infrared Sounder AIRS and SeaWinds Scatterometer

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-08-30

This image shows Hurricane Frances in August 2004 as captured by instruments onboard two different NASA satellites: the AIRS infrared instrument onboard Aqua, and the SeaWinds scatterometer onboard QuikSCAT. Both are JPL-managed instruments. AIRS data are used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds, while scatterometers measure surface wind speed and direction over the ocean. The red vectors in the image show Frances' surface winds as measured by SeaWinds on QuikSCAT. The background colors show the temperature of clouds and surface as viewed in the infrared by AIRS, with cooler areas pushing to purple and warmer areas are pushing to red. The color scale on the right gives the temperatures in degrees Kelvin. (The top of the scale, 320 degrees Kelvin, corresponds to 117 degrees Fahrenheit, and the bottom, 180 degrees K is -135 degrees F.) The powerful circulation of this storm is evident from the combined data as well as the development of a clearly-defined central "eye." The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds, so the light blue areas reveal the cold clouds tops associated with strong thunderstorms embedded within the storm. In cloud-free areas the infrared signal comes from Earth's surface, revealing warmer temperatures. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00435

Humidity does not appear to trigger leaf out in woody plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zipf, Lucy; Primack, Richard B.

2017-12-01

In order to anticipate the ecological impacts of climate change and model changes to forests, it is important to understand the factors controlling spring leaf out. Leaf out phenology in woody trees and shrubs is generally considered to be strongly controlled by a combination of spring warming, winter chilling requirement, and photoperiod. However, researchers have recently suggested that temperature-related air humidity, rather than temperature itself, might be the main trigger of the spring leaf-out of woody plants. Here, we sought to examine the relationship between air humidity and leaf-out across a range of humidities and plant functional groups. We did not find any consistent, measurable effect of high humidity advancing leaf-out in the 15 woody shrubs and trees examined in this study, and we did not see progressive patterns of earlier leaf-out in successively higher humidities. Our results indicate that more work must be done on this topic before researchers can properly determine the effect of humidity on the leafing out process for woody species.

Noncontact Measurement of Humidity and Temperature Using Airborne Ultrasound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kon, Akihiko; Mizutani, Koichi; Wakatsuki, Naoto

2010-04-01

We describe a noncontact method for measuring humidity and dry-bulb temperature. Conventional humidity sensors are single-point measurement devices, so that a noncontact method for measuring the relative humidity is required. Ultrasonic temperature sensors are noncontact measurement sensors. Because water vapor in the air increases sound velocity, conventional ultrasonic temperature sensors measure virtual temperature, which is higher than dry-bulb temperature. We performed experiments using an ultrasonic delay line, an atmospheric pressure sensor, and either a thermometer or a relative humidity sensor to confirm the validity of our measurement method at relative humidities of 30, 50, 75, and 100% and at temperatures of 283.15, 293.15, 308.15, and 323.15 K. The results show that the proposed method measures relative humidity with an error rate of less than 16.4% and dry-bulb temperature with an error of less than 0.7 K. Adaptations of the measurement method for use in air-conditioning control systems are discussed.

Validation of a weather forecast model at radiance level against satellite observations allowing quantification of temperature, humidity, and cloud-related biases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bani Shahabadi, Maziar; Huang, Yi; Garand, Louis; Heilliette, Sylvain; Yang, Ping

2016-09-01

An established radiative transfer model (RTM) is adapted for simulating all-sky infrared radiance spectra from the Canadian Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model in order to validate its forecasts at the radiance level against Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) observations. Synthetic spectra are generated for 2 months from short-term (3-9 h) GEM forecasts. The RTM uses a monthly climatological land surface emissivity/reflectivity atlas. An updated ice particle optical property library was introduced for cloudy radiance calculations. Forward model brightness temperature (BT) biases are assessed to be of the order of ˜1 K for both clear-sky and overcast conditions. To quantify GEM forecast meteorological variables biases, spectral sensitivity kernels are generated and used to attribute radiance biases to surface and atmospheric temperatures, atmospheric humidity, and clouds biases. The kernel method, supplemented with retrieved profiles based on AIRS observations in collocation with a microwave sounder, achieves good closure in explaining clear-sky radiance biases, which are attributed mostly to surface temperature and upper tropospheric water vapor biases. Cloudy-sky radiance biases are dominated by cloud-induced radiance biases. Prominent GEM biases are identified as: (1) too low surface temperature over land, causing about -5 K bias in the atmospheric window region; (2) too high upper tropospheric water vapor, inducing about -3 K bias in the water vapor absorption band; (3) too few high clouds in the convective regions, generating about +10 K bias in window band and about +6 K bias in the water vapor band.

Real-time monitoring of peanut drying parameters in semitrailers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Knowledge of peanut drying parameters such as temperature and relative humidity of the ambient air, temperature and relative humidity of the air being blown into the peanuts and kernel moisture content is essential in managing the dryer for optimal drying rate. The optimal drying rate is required to...

40 CFR 86.605-88 - Maintenance of records; submittal of information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of the mixture of exhaust and dilution air entering the positive displacement pump, pressure increase... being collected. (3) Humidity of dilution air. (4) Manufacturer, model, type and serial number. (C... temperature and humidity. (2) Data and time of day. (ii) In lieu of recording test equipment information...

ORGANIC AEROSOL FORMATION IN THE HUMID, PHOTOCHEMICALLY-ACTIVE SOUTHEASTERN US: SOAS EXPERIMENTS AND SIMULATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

A better understanding of SOA formation, properties and behavior in the humid eastern U.S. including dependence on anthropogenic emissions (RFA Q #1, 2). More accurate air quality prediction enabling more accurate air quality management (EPA Goal #1). Scientific insights co...

Supertyphoon Pongsona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Vis/NIR image close-upAIRS infrared window channelHSB microwave channel Three Different Views of Supertyphoon Pongsona, December 2002

Packing gusts of 296.1 kilometers per hour (184 miles per hour) and sustained winds of 241.4 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), Supertyphoon Pongsona struck the U.S. Island of Guam on Sunday, December 8. The storm cut off electricity over the entire island along with telephone and water service, and President George W. Bush declared the U.S. territory a federal disaster area. Pongsona is the third typhoon to hit Guam since June, and the second cyclone of supertyphoon status to hit in five years.

These images were made from data acquired by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounding System (AIRS) instrument suite aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft just as the eye of the storm was about to pass over Guam.

This image was made using visible/near-infrared data using the AIRS instrument. Its 2-kilometer (1.24-mile) resolution shows fine details of the cloud structure and can be used to help interpret the other images. It confirms that the eye was not cloud free at the time the data was acquired, and pinpoints towering thunderheads rising up in several areas of the spiral arms (see figure 1 for close-up).

The image in figure 2 shows how the typhoon looks through an AIRS infrared 'window' channel, which measures the temperature of the nearest impenetrable surface. Where the sky is clear, this window channel shows the surface of the Earth, otherwise it will show cloud tops. High cold clouds appear blue, while lower warmer clouds are green through orange. The Earth's surface, where it can be seen between the clouds, is warmest and appears red. Although the storm has a clearly defined eye, it is not cloud free and therefore shows up as yellow in this infrared image.

The image in figure 3 shows how the typhoon looks through a microwave channel of the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB), a component of the AIRS instrument suite. This channel, which is sensitive to humidity, clouds and rain, sees through much of the clouds and reveals some of the inner structure of the storm. Here the eye is more clearly defined than in the infrared image and appears to be very large - perhaps 80.5 kilometers (50 miles) across. Rain areas appear as blue patches, and a very intense rain cell can be seen right over Guam itself. This cell is in the leading eye wall and is probably associated with the highest wind speeds. It is likely that much of the damage in Guam was caused by this particular part of the storm.

In the near future, when estimates of the three-dimensional distribution of the temperature, humidity and clouds in the atmosphere are also routinely derived from the AIRS sounding system, it will be possible to get a unique view of the interior of destructive storms like Pongsona. The new knowledge gained will eventually make for more accurate forecasts of such events.

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

In Situ Air Temperature and Humidity Measurements Over Diverse Land Covers in Greenbelt, Maryland, November 2013-November 2015

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, Mark L.; Brown, Molly E.; Wooten, Margaret R.; Donham, Joel E.; Hubbard, Alfred B.; Ridenhour, William B.

2016-01-01

As our climate changes through time there is an ever-increasing need to quantify how and where it is changing so that mitigation strategies can be implemented. Urban areas have a disproportionate amount of warming due, in part, to the conductive properties of concrete and asphalt surfaces, surface albedo, heat capacity, lack of water, etc. that make up an urban environment. The NASA Climate Adaptation Science Investigation working group at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, conducted a study to collect temperature and humidity data at 15 min intervals from 12 sites at the center. These sites represent the major surface types at the center: asphalt, building roof, grass field, forest, and rain garden. The data show a strong distinction in the thermal properties of these surfaces at the center and the difference between the average values for the center compared to a local meteorological station. The data have been submitted to Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL-DAAC) for archival in comma separated value (csv) file format (Carroll et al.,2016) and can be found by following this link: http:daac.ornl.govcgi-bindsviewer.pl?ds_id1319.

Spatial and Temporal Inter-Relationships Between Anomalies of Temperature, Moisture, Cloud Cover, and OLR as Observed by AIRS/AMSU on Aqua

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel

2008-01-01

AIRS/AMSU is the advanced IR/MW atmospheric sounding system launched on EOS Aqua in May 2002. Products derived from AIRS/AMSU include surface skin temperature and atmospheric temperature profiles; atmospheric humidity profiles, percent cloud cover and cloud top pressure, and OLR. Near real time products, stating with September 2002, have been derived from AIRS/AMSU using the AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm. Results in this paper included products through April 2008. The time period studied is marked by a substantial warming trend of Northern Hemisphere Extropical land surface skin temperatures, as well as pronounced El Nino - La Nina episodes. These both influence the spatial and temporal anomaly patterns of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, as well as of cloud cover and Clear Sky and All Sky OLR The relationships between temporal and spatial anomalies of these parameters over this time period, as determined from AIRS/AMSU observations, are shown below, with particular emphasis on which contribute significantly to OLR anomalies in each of the tropics and extra-tropics. The ability to match this data represents a good test of a model's response to El Nino.

Responses of epidermal cell turgor pressure and photosynthetic activity of leaves of the atmospheric epiphyte Tillandsia usneoides (Bromeliaceae) after exposure to high humidity.

PubMed

Martin, Craig E; Rux, Guido; Herppich, Werner B

2013-01-01

It has been well-established that many epiphytic bromeliads of the atmospheric-type morphology, i.e., with leaf surfaces completely covered by large, overlapping, multicellular trichomes, are capable of absorbing water vapor from the atmosphere when air humidity increases. It is much less clear, however, whether this absorption of water vapor can hydrate the living cells of the leaves and, as a consequence, enhance physiological processes in such cells. The goal of this research was to determine if the absorption of atmospheric water vapor by the atmospheric epiphyte Tillandsia usneoides results in an increase in turgor pressure in leaf epidermal cells that subtend the large trichomes, and, by using chlorophyll fluorescence techniques, to determine if the absorption of atmospheric water vapor by leaves of this epiphyte results in increased photosynthetic activity. Results of measurements on living cells of attached leaves of this epiphytic bromeliad, using a pressure probe and of whole-shoot fluorescence imaging analyses clearly illustrated that the turgor pressure of leaf epidermal cells did not increase, and the photosynthetic activity of leaves did not increase, following exposure of the leaves to high humidity air. These results experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, that the absorption of water vapor following increases in atmospheric humidity in atmospheric epiphytic bromeliads is mostly likely a physical phenomenon resulting from hydration of non-living leaf structures, e.g., trichomes, and has no physiological significance for the plant's living tissues. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Short-term effect of humid airflow on antimicrobial air filters using Sophora flavescens nanoparticles.

PubMed

Hwang, Gi Byoung; Lee, Jung Eun; Nho, Chu Won; Lee, Byung Uk; Lee, Seung Jae; Jung, Jae Hee; Bae, Gwi-Nam

2012-04-01

Bioaerosols have received social and scientific attention because they can be hazardous to human health. Recently, antimicrobial treatments using natural products have been used to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) since they are typically less toxic to humans compared to other antimicrobial substances such as silver, carbon nanotubes, and metal oxides. Few studies, however, have examined how environmental conditions such as the relative humidity (RH), surrounding temperature, and retention time of bacteria on filters affect the filtration and antimicrobial characteristics of a filter treated with such natural products. In this study, we investigated changes in the morphology of the natural nanoparticles, pressure drop, filtration efficiency, and the inactivation rate caused by the short-term effect of humid airflow on antimicrobial fiber filters. Nanoparticles of Sophora flavescens were deposited on the filter media surface using an aerosol process. We observed coalescence and morphological changes of the nanoparticles on fiber filters under humid conditions of an RH >50%. The level of coalescence in these nanoparticles increased with increasing RH. Filters exposed to an RH of 25% have a higher pressure drop than those exposed to an RH >50%. In an inactivation test against Staphylococcus epidermidis bacterial aerosol, the inactivation efficiency at an RH of 25% was higher than that at an RH of 57% or 82%. To effectively apply antimicrobial filters using natural products in the environment, one must characterize the filters under various environmental conditions. Thus, this study provides important information on the use of antimicrobial filters made of natural products. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design and implementation of atmospheric multi-parameter sensor for UAVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, F.; Zhao, Y.; Chen, G.; Liu, Y.; Han, Y.

2017-12-01

With the rapid development of industry and the increase of cars in developing countries, air pollutants have caused a series of environmental issues such as haze and smog. However, air pollution is a process of surface-to-air mass exchange, and various kinds of atmospheric factors have close association with aerosol concentration, such as temperature, humidity, etc. Vertical distributions of aerosol in the region provide an important clue to reveal the exchange mechanism in the atmosphere between atmospheric boundary layer and troposphere. Among the various kinds of flying platforms, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) shows more advantages in vertical measurement of aerosol owned to its flexibility and low cost. However, only few sensors could be mounted on the UAVs because of the limited size and power requirement. Here, a light-weight, low-power atmospheric multi-parameter sensor (AMPS) is proposed and could be mounted on several kinds of UAV platforms. The AMPS integrates multi-sensors, which are the laser aerosol particle sensor, the temperature probe, the humidity probe and the pressure probe, in order to simultaneously sample the vertical distribution characters of aerosol particle concentration, temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. The data from the sensors are synchronized by a proposed communication mechanism based on GPS. Several kinds of housing are designed to accommodate the different payload requirements of UAVs in size and weight. The experiments were carried out with AMPS mounted on three kinds of flying platforms. The results shows that the power consumption is less than 1.3 W, with relatively high accuracy in temperature (±0.1°C), relative humidity (±0.8%RH), PM2.5 (<20%) and PM10 (<20%). Vertical profiles of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were observed simultaneously by the AMPS three times every day in five days. The results revealed the significant correlation between the aerosol particle concentration and atmospheric parameters. With low cost and flexibility, AMPS for UAVs provides an effective way to explore the properties of aerosol vertical distribution, and to monitor air pollutants flexibly.

Process analysis of regional aerosol pollution during spring in the Pearl River Delta region, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Qi; Lan, Jing; Liu, Yiming; Wang, Xuemei; Chan, Pakwai; Hong, Yingying; Feng, Yerong; Liu, Yexin; Zeng, Yanjun; Liang, Guixiong

2015-12-01

A numerical simulation analysis was performed for three air pollution episodes in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region during March 2012 using the third-generation air quality modeling system Models-3/CMAQ. The results demonstrated that particulate matter was the primary pollutant for all three pollution episodes and was accompanied by relatively low visibility in the first two episodes. Weather maps indicate that the first two episodes occurred under the influence of warm, wet southerly air flow systems that led to high humidity throughout the region. The liquid phase reaction of gaseous pollutants resulted in the generation of fine secondary particles, which were identified as the primary source of pollution in the first two episodes. The third pollution episode occurred during a warming period following a cold front. Relative humidity was lower during this episode, and coarse particles were the major pollution contributor. Results of process analysis indicated that emissions sources, horizontal transport and vertical transport were the primary factors affecting pollutant concentrations within the near-surface layer during all three episodes, while aerosol processes, cloud processes, horizontal transport and vertical transport had greater influence at approximately 900 m above ground. Cloud processes had a greater impact during the first two pollution episodes because of the higher relative humidity. In addition, by comparing pollution processes from different cities (Guangzhou and Zhongshan), the study revealed that the first two pollution episodes were the result of local emissions within the PRD region and transport between surrounding cities, while the third episode exhibited prominent regional pollution characteristics and was the result of regional pollutant transport.

Differences of atmospheric boundary layer characteristics between pre-monsoon and monsoon period over the Erhai Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lujun; Liu, Huizhi; Du, Qun; Wang, Lei; Yang, Liu; Sun, Jihua

2018-01-01

The differences in planetary boundary layer characteristics, in particular atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH), humidity, and local circulations in pre-monsoon and monsoon period over the Erhai Lake, were simulated by the lake-atmosphere coupled model WRF v3.7.1. No lake simulations were also conducted to investigate lake effects over complex topography. During pre-monsoon period, local circulation was fully developed under weak synoptic system. The ABLH ran up to 2300 m or so. During monsoon period, temperature difference between land and lake became smaller, resulting in weaker local circulations. The height of circulation reduced by 500 m, and ABLH ran up to 1100 m during the day. Enhanced soil moisture and low surface temperature due to monsoon rainfalls in July could be the main reason for the slightly lower ABLH over the Erhai Lake area. Specific humidity of the boundary layer increased 8.8 g kg-1 or so during monsoon period. The Erhai Lake enlarged thermal contrast between valley and mountain slope in the Dali Basin. The lake reduced air temperature by 2 3 °C during daytime and increased air temperature by nearly 2 °C in the evening. Due to its small roughness length and large thermal capacity, the Erhai Lake enlarged lake-land temperature difference and local wind speed. A cyclonic circulation was maintained by the combination of mountain breeze and land breeze in the south of the lake. The lake decreased air temperature, increased specific humidity, and reduced ABLH during daytime, whereas the opposite effect is presented at night.

The influence of air humidity on an unsealed ionization chamber in a linear accelerator.

PubMed

Blad, B; Nilsson, P; Knöös, T

1996-11-01

The safe and accurate delivery of the prescribed absorbed dose is the central function of the dose monitoring and beam stabilization system in a medical linear accelerator. The absorbed dose delivered to the patient during radiotherapy is often monitored by a transmission ionization chamber. Therefore it is of utmost importance that the chamber behaves correctly. We have noticed that the sensitivity of an unsealed chamber in a Philips SL linear accelerator changes significantly, especially during and after the summer season. The reason for this is probably a corrosion effect of the conductive plates in the chamber due to the increased relative humidity during hot periods. We have found that the responses of the different ion chamber plates change with variations in air humidity and that they do not return to their original values when the air humidity is returned to ambient conditions.

Seasonal mapping of NICU temperature.

PubMed

Thomas, Karen A; Magbalot, Almita; Shinabarger, Kelley; Mokhnach, Larisa; Anderson, Marilyn; Diercks, Kristi; Millar, April; Thorngate, Lauren; Walker, Wendy; Dilback, Nancy; Berkan, Maureen

2010-04-01

To create a thermal map of ambient air, radiant, and evaporative temperatures and humidity throughout the NICU nursery by season across a calendar year. Each cubicle of the 32-bed NICU, distributed across 5 rooms, in a level III nursery was measured. Temperatures were recorded at a consistent time on one day during January, April, July, and October. An electronic monitor (QUESTemp degrees 34; Quest Technologies, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) was used to measure dry bulb, wet bulb, and globe thermometer temperatures. Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant (P < .000) differences in season, room, and season by room interaction. Room ambient air temperatures differed by less than 2 degrees F across season. Radiant temperature paralleled air temperature. Humidity, the predominant difference across season, produced evaporative temperatures considerably lower than room air temperature, and the gradient between mean nursery dry bulb temperature and wet bulb temperature was 9.3 degrees F in summer and 16.8 degrees F in winter. The thermal map revealed seasonal thermal differences, particularly in humidity level and evaporative temperature. Room temperature alone does not reflect the total thermal environment. Recommendations include periodic assessment of nurseries along with air, evaporative, and radiant temperatures as well as humidity to fully appreciate the impact of the thermal environment on infants.

Seasonal mapping of NICU temperature.

PubMed

Thomas, Karen A; Magbalot, Almita; Shinabarger, Kelley; Mokhnach, Larisa; Anderson, Marilyn; Diercks, Kristi; Millar, April; Thorngate, Lauren; Walker, Wendy; Dilback, Nancy; Berkan, Maureen

2010-10-01

To create a thermal map of ambient air, radiant, and evaporative temperatures and humidity throughout the NICU nursery by season across a calendar year. Each cubicle of the 32-bed NICU, distributed across 5 rooms, in a level III nursery was measured. Temperatures were recorded at a consistent time on one day during January, April, July, and October. : An electronic monitor (QUESTemp ° 34; Quest Technologies, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) was used to measure dry bulb, wet bulb, and globe thermometer temperatures. Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant (P ≤ .000) differences in season, room, and season by room interaction. Room ambient air temperatures differed by less than 2 ° F across season. Radiant temperature paralleled air temperature. Humidity, the predominant difference across season, produced evaporative temperatures considerably lower than room air temperature, and the gradient between mean nursery dry bulb temperature and wet bulb temperature was 9.3 ° F in summer and 16.8 ° F in winter. The thermal map revealed seasonal thermal differences, particularly in humidity level and evaporative temperature. Room temperature alone does not reflect the total thermal environment. Recommendations include periodic assessment of nurseries along with air, evaporative, and radiant temperatures as well as humidity to fully appreciate the impact of the thermal environment on infants.

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, G. M.; Newman, C. N.; De Vicente-Retortillo, A.; Fischer, E.; Renno, N. O.; Richardson, M. I.; Fairén, A. G.; Genzer, M.; Guzewich, S. D.; Haberle, R. M.; Harri, A.-M.; Kemppinen, O.; Lemmon, M. T.; Smith, M. D.; de la Torre-Juárez, M.; Vasavada, A. R.

2017-10-01

We analyze the complete set of in-situ meteorological data obtained from the Viking landers in the 1970s to today's Curiosity rover to review our understanding of the modern near-surface climate of Mars, with focus on the dust, CO2 and H2O cycles and their impact on the radiative and thermodynamic conditions near the surface. In particular, we provide values of the highest confidence possible for atmospheric opacity, atmospheric pressure, near-surface air temperature, ground temperature, near-surface wind speed and direction, and near-surface air relative humidity and water vapor content. Then, we study the diurnal, seasonal and interannual variability of these quantities over a span of more than twenty Martian years. Finally, we propose measurements to improve our understanding of the Martian dust and H2O cycles, and discuss the potential for liquid water formation under Mars' present day conditions and its implications for future Mars missions. Understanding the modern Martian climate is important to determine if Mars could have the conditions to support life and to prepare for future human exploration.

Applying Outdoor Environment to Develop Health, Comfort, and Energy Saving in the Office in Hot-Humid Climate

PubMed Central

Chen, Rong; Sung, Wen-Pei; Chang, Hung-Chang; Chi, Yi-Rou

2013-01-01

A human life demand set to emerge in the future is the achievement of sustainability by maintaining a comfortable indoor environment without excessive reliance on energy-consuming air conditioners. The major research processes in this study are: (1) measuring indoor air quality and thermal comfort to evaluate the comfort of an indoor environment; (2) implementing questionnaire survey analysis to explore people's environmental self-perceptions and conducting a meta-analysis of the measurement results for air quality and physical aspects; and (3) constructing an indoor monitoring and management system. The experimental and analysis results of this research reveal that most of the office occupants preferred a cooler environment with a lower temperature. Additionally, because the summers in Taiwan are humid and hot, the occupants of an indoor space tend to feel uncomfortable because of the high humidity and poor indoor air quality. Therefore, Variable Air Volume (VAV), two air intakes, and exhaust plant are installed to improve indoor environment. After improvement, a lower temperature (approximately 21.2–23.9°C) indirectly reduces humidity, thereby making the occupants comfortable. Increasing air velocity to 0.1 ~ 0.15 m/s, the carbon dioxide concentrations decrease below the requirement of the WHO. Ninety-five percent of the workers corresponded to the standard comfort zone after this improvement. PMID:24311976

Air humidity as key determinant of morphogenesis and productivity of the rare temperate woodland fern Polystichum braunii.

PubMed

Schwerbrock, R; Leuschner, C

2016-07-01

(1) Most ferns are restricted to moist and shady habitats, but it is not known whether soil moisture or atmospheric water status are decisive limiting factors, or if both are equally important. (2) Using the rare temperate woodland fern Polystichum braunii, we conducted a three-factorial climate chamber experiment (soil moisture (SM) × air humidity (RH) × air temperature (T)) to test the hypotheses that: (i) atmospheric water status (RH) exerts a similarly large influence on the fern's biology as soil moisture, and (ii) both a reduction in RH and an increase in air temperature reduce vigour and growth. (3) Nine of 11 morphological, physiological and growth-related traits were significantly influenced by an increase in RH from 65% to 95%, leading to higher leaf conductance, increased above- and belowground productivity, higher fertility, more epidermal trichomes and fewer leaf deformities under high air humidity. In contrast, soil moisture variation (from 66% to 70% in the moist to ca. 42% in the dry treatment) influenced only one trait (specific leaf area), and temperature variation (15 °C versus 19 °C during daytime) only three traits (leaf conductance, root/shoot ratio, specific leaf area); RH was the only factor affecting productivity. (4) This study is the first experimental proof for a soil moisture-independent air humidity effect on the growth of terrestrial woodland ferns. P. braunii appears to be an air humidity hygrophyte that, whithin the range of realistic environmental conditions set in this study, suffers more from a reduction in RH than in soil moisture. A climate warming-related increase in summer temperatures, however, seems not to directly threaten this endangered species. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Effects of suspension of air-conditioning on airtight-type racks.

PubMed

Kanzaki, M; Fujieda, M; Furukawa, T

2001-10-01

Although isolation racks are superior to open-type racks in terms of securing breeding conditions for laboratory animals, the contingency-proofing capability of the former has yet to be determined. Therefore, from the view of risk management, we studied the environmental change in isolation racks by forcibly suspending ventilation and air-conditioning and confirming the maximal time length for complete recovery to the original condition after restarting their operations. The isolation racks were placed in a room that was equipped with an independent air-conditioning system. When the inside condition of the racks reached 22-24 degrees C and 59-64% of relative humidity, the air-conditioning and ventilation were forcibly suspended and the subsequent temperature, relative humidity, ammonium and CO2 concentrations in the racks were measured over time. We found that after suspending the air-conditioning and ventilation, it took 40-60 min for temperature, and about 10 min for relative humidity to exceed the maximum values (temperature and relative humidity) referred to in the Showa 58 Nenban Guideline Jikken Doubutsu Shisetsu no Kenchiku oyobi Setsubi (Guidelines of buildings and facilities for experimental animals in Japan; Year 1983 edition). After 17 hr 25 min of the suspension of air-conditioning and ventilation, two rats were found dead. Then, the air-conditioning and ventilation were restarted. It took about 2 hr for temperature, and 50 min for relative humidity to regain the guideline values. The ammonium concentration stayed within the guideline value with a maximum concentration of 2 ppm in the experimental period, whereas the CO2 concentration was found to exceed 9% at the time of animal death.

Research on Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation in CRIEPI (Part 2 Concrete Cask Storage)

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

Koji Shirai; Jyunichi Tani; Taku Arai

2008-10-01

Concrete cask storage has been implemented in the world. At a later stage of storage period, the containment of the canister may deteriorate due to stress corrosion cracking phenomena in a salty air environment. High resistant stainless steels against SCC have been tested as compared with normal stainless steel. Taking account of the limited time-length of environment with certain level of humidity and temperature range, the high resistant stainless steels will survive from SCC damage. In addition, the adhesion of salt from salty environment on the canister surface will be further limited with respect to the canister temperature and anglemore » of the canister surface against the salty air flow in the concrete cask. Optional countermeasure against SCC with respect to salty air environment has been studied. Devices consisting of various water trays to trap salty particles from the salty air were designed to be attached at the air inlet for natural cooling of the cask storage building. Efficiency for trapping salty particles was evaluated. Inspection of canister surface was carried out using an optical camera inserted from the air outlet through the annulus of a concrete cask that has stored real spent fuel for more than 15 years. The camera image revealed no gross degradation on the surface of the canister. Seismic response of a full-scale concrete cask with simulated spent fuel assemblies has been demonstrated. The cask did not tip over, but laterally moved by the earthquake motion. Stress generated on the surface of the spent fuel assemblies during the earthquake motion were within the elastic region.« less

Hurricane Isadore

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1: AIRS channel 2333 (2616 cm-1)Figure 2: HSB channel 2 (150 GHz)

Three different Views of Hurricane Isidore from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounding System (AIRS) on Aqua.

At the time Aqua passed over Isidore, it was classified as a Category 3 (possibly 4) hurricane, with minimum pressure of 934 mbar, maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 knots (gusting to 135) and an eye diameter of 20 nautical miles. Isidore was later downgraded to a Tropical Storm before gathering strength again.

This is a visible/near-infrared image, made with the AIRS instrument. Its 2 km resolution shows fine details of the cloud structure, and can be used to help interpret the other images. For example, some relatively cloud-free regions in the eye of the hurricane can be distinguished. This image was made with wavelengths slightly different than those seen by the human eye, causing plants to appear very red.

Figure 1 shows high and cold clouds in blue. Figure 2 shows heavy rain cells over Alabama in blue. This image shows the swirling clouds in white and the water of the Gulf of Mexico in blue. The eye of the hurricane is apparent in all three images.

Figure 1 shows how the hurricane looks through an AIRS Infrared window channel. Window channels measure the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in clear regions. The lowest temperatures are over Alabama and are associated with high, cold cloud tops at the end of the cloud band streaming from the hurricane. Although the eye is visible, it does not appear to be completely cloud free.

Figure 2 shows the hurricane as seen through a microwave channel of the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB). This channel is sensitive to humidity, clouds and rain. Unlike the AIRS infrared channel, it can penetrate through cloud layers and therefore reveals some of the internal structure of the hurricane. In this image, the green and yellow colors indicate clouds and heavy moisture, while blue indicates scattering by precipitation in intense convection. Orange indicates warm, moist air near the surface. The ocean surface, could it be seen, would appear slightly colder (yellow to green) due to the relatively low emissivity of water. Three sets of eye walls are apparent, and a number of intense convective cells can also be distinguished.

In the near future, weather data derived from these images will allow us to improve our forecasts and track the paths of hurricanes more accurately. The AIRS sounding system provides 2400 such images, or channels, continuously.

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.

Air Conditioner/Dehumidifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

An ordinary air conditioner in a very humid environment must overcool the room air, then reheat it. Mr. Dinh, a former STAC associate, devised a heat pipe based humidifier under a NASA Contract. The system used heat pipes to precool the air; the air conditioner's cooling coil removes heat and humidity, then the heat pipes restore the overcooled air to a comfortable temperature. The heat pipes use no energy, and typical savings are from 15-20%. The Dinh Company also manufactures a "Z" coil, a retrofit cooling coil which may be installed on an existing heater/air conditioner. It will also provide free hot water. The company has also developed a photovoltaic air conditioner and solar powered water pump.

Using Tropospheric Ozone Profiles and Surface Data (2004 - 2012) to Determine Background Ozone Levels in Houston, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spychala, M. D.; Morris, G. A.; Lefer, B. L.; Rappenglueck, B.; Cohan, D. S.; zhou, W.

2012-12-01

The Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project (TOPP) at Rice University (2004 - 2006) and the University of Houston (2006 - present) has gathered > 400 profiles of ozone, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity, and > 250 of those also have wind speed and wind direction near the core of the City of Houston, Texas. Houston continues to be plagued with difficulty in coming into compliance with EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) due to a combination of its geographic location, large commuter population, significant petrochemical and energy production, and favorable weather patterns. An outstanding question remains the relative partitioning of ozone between local and remote, anthropogenic and natural sources. In this presentation, we use TOPP ozone profiles to determine a "background" ozone concentration and compare this measure with surface monitor "background" ozone as determined from upwind and downwind Continuous Air Monitoring Stations (CAMS) in an effort to further our understanding of this partitioning. For periods studied with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model, we also compare the sonde and surface "background" ozone with that suggested by the model.

Comparison of Several Different Sputtered Molybdenum Disulfide Coatings for Use in Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusaro, Robert L.; Siebert, Mark

2002-01-01

Tribology experiments on different types of sputtered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) coatings (obtained from different vendors) using accelerated testing techniques were conducted. The purpose was to determine which would be the best coating for use with auxiliary journal bearings for spacecraft energy storage flywheels. Experiments were conducted in moist air (50% relative humidity) and in dry air (<100 PPM water vapor content) on a Pin-on-Disk Tribometer to determine how well the coatings would perform in air. Experiments were also conducted on a Block-on-Ring Tribometer in dry nitrogen (<100 PPM water vapor) to simulate how well the coatings would perform in vacuum. Friction, counterface wear, coating wear, endurance life and surface morphology were investigated.

Simultaneous tuning of chemical composition and topography of copolymer surfaces: micelles as building blocks.

PubMed

Zhao, Ning; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Xiaoli; Xu, Jian

2007-05-14

A simple method is described for controlling the surface chemical composition and topography of the diblock copolymer poly(styrene)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PS-b-PDMS) by casting the copolymer solutions from solvents with different selectivities. The surface morphology and chemical composition were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively, and the wetting behavior was studied by water contact angle (CA) and sliding angle (SA) and by CA hysteresis. Chemical composition and morphology of the surface depend on solvent properties, humidity of the air, solution concentration, and block lengths. If the copolymer is cast from a common solvent, the resultant surface is hydrophobic, with a flat morphology, and dominated by PDMS on the air side. From a PDMS-selective solvent, the surface topography depends on the morphology of the micelles. Starlike micelles give rise to a featureless surface nearly completely covered by PDMS, while crew-cut-like micelles lead to a rough surface with a hierarchical structure that consists partly of PDMS. From a PS-selective solvent, however, surface segregation of PDMS was restricted, and the surface morphology can be controlled by vapor-induced phase separation. On the basis of the tunable surface roughness and PDMS concentration on the air side, water repellency of the copolymer surface could be tailored from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic. In addition, reversible switching behavior between hydrophobic and superhydrophobic can be achieved by exposing the surface to solvents with different selectivities.

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

Baba, Seiki; Hoshino, Takeshi; Ito, Len

A new crystal-mounting method has been developed that involves a combination of controlled humid air and polymer glue for crystal coating. This method is particularly useful when applied to fragile protein crystals that are known to be sensitive to subtle changes in their physicochemical environment. Protein crystals are fragile, and it is sometimes difficult to find conditions suitable for handling and cryocooling the crystals before conducting X-ray diffraction experiments. To overcome this issue, a protein crystal-mounting method has been developed that involves a water-soluble polymer and controlled humid air that can adjust the moisture content of a mounted crystal. Bymore » coating crystals with polymer glue and exposing them to controlled humid air, the crystals were stable at room temperature and were cryocooled under optimized humidity. Moreover, the glue-coated crystals reproducibly showed gradual transformations of their lattice constants in response to a change in humidity; thus, using this method, a series of isomorphous crystals can be prepared. This technique is valuable when working on fragile protein crystals, including membrane proteins, and will also be useful for multi-crystal data collection.« less

[Examination of upper airway function using the dew point hygrometer with semiconductor detector].

PubMed

Weremczuk, Jerzy; Paczesny, Daniel; Rapiejko, Piotr; Jachowicz, Ryszard; Jurkiewicz, Dariusz

2005-09-01

The nasal mucosa with blood capillary network has a remarkable role in respiration process. The most important nose functions are heating and humidifying to optimal level of reaching throat and lungs air and partly absorption of humidity and temperature from expired air. Variations of humidifying and heating processes can invoke some upper airways disorders. The paper presents dew point hygrometer which was specially design for laryngological purposes. The hygrometer can measure dynamic changes of humidity in upper airways. The device is fully automated, easy to operate and can communicate with external personal computer. Database application allows saving patient data with archive examination results and can display them easily. During ongoing clinical tests, still increasing amount of data will allow precisely investigate correlations between humidifying process and some diseases. The main advantage of the device is a short response time on humidity changing. The number of readings (detections) can reach 5 readings per second (slightly depending on humidity level) which is much faster than in available on the market hygrometers with sorption sensors. The paper also presents some results obtained in group of healthy volunteers and one patient with tracheostomy The tests figured out actual humidity in certain parts of upper airways: nose, throat, trachea in breathing cycles under various surrounding conditions. The constructed hygrometer can be used for air humidity measurement in upper airways during some diseases and for evaluation of an influence of some drugs and environmental conditions changing on air upper ways mucosa.

Evaluating tropospheric humidity from GPS radio occultation, radiosonde, and AIRS from high-resolution time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieckh, Therese; Anthes, Richard; Randel, William; Ho, Shu-Peng; Foelsche, Ulrich

2018-05-01

While water vapor is the most important tropospheric greenhouse gas, it is also highly variable in both space and time, and water vapor concentrations range over 3 orders of magnitude in the troposphere. These properties challenge all observing systems to accurately measure and resolve the vertical structure and variability of tropospheric humidity. In this study we characterize the humidity measurements of various observing techniques, including four separate Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) humidity retrievals (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) direct, UCAR one-dimensional variational retrieval (1D-Var), Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change (WEGC) 1D-Var, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) direct), radiosonde, and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data. Furthermore, we evaluate how well the ERA-Interim reanalysis and NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) model perform in analyzing water vapor at different levels. To investigate detailed vertical structure, we analyzed time-height cross sections over four radiosonde stations in the tropical and subtropical western Pacific for the year 2007. We found that the accuracy of RO humidity is comparable to or better than both radiosonde and AIRS humidity over 800 to 400 hPa, as well as below 800 hPa if super-refraction is absent. The various RO retrievals of specific humidity agree within 20 % in the 1000-400 hPa layer, and differences are most pronounced above 600 hPa.

[Time lag effect between poplar' s sap flow velocity and microclimate factors in agroforestry system in West Liaoning Province].

PubMed

Di, Sun; Guan, De-xin; Yuan, Feng-hui; Wang, An-zhi; Wu, Jia-bing

2010-11-01

By using Granier's thermal dissipation probe, the sap flow velocity of the poplars in agroforestry system in west Liaoning was continuously measured, and the microclimate factors were measured synchronously. Dislocation contrast method was applied to analyze the sap flow velocity and corresponding air temperature, air humidity, net radiation, and vapor pressure deficit to discuss the time lag effect between poplar' s sap flow velocity and microclimate factors on sunny days. It was found that the poplar's sap flow velocity advanced of air temperature, air humidity, and vapor pressure deficit, and lagged behind net radiation. The sap flow velocity in June, July, August, and September was advanced of 70, 30, 50, and 90 min to air temperature, of 80, 30, 40, and 90 min to air humidity, and of 90, 50, 70, and 120 min to vapor pressure deficit, but lagged behind 10, 10, 40, and 40 min to net radiation, respectively. The time lag time of net radiation was shorter than that of air temperature, air humidity, and vapor pressure. The regression analysis showed that in the cases the time lag effect was contained and not, the determination coefficients between comprehensive microclimate factor and poplar's sap flow velocity were 0.903 and 0.855, respectively, indicating that when the time lag effect was contained, the determination coefficient was ascended by 2.04%, and thus, the simulation accuracy of poplar's sap flow velocity was improved.

Characterization of freezing precipitation events through other meteorological variables and their recent changes over Northern Extratropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groisman, P. Y.; Yin, X.; Bulygina, O.

2017-12-01

Freezing precipitation events intertwine with agriculture, recreation, energy consumption, and seasonal transportation cycles of human activities. Using supplementary synoptic reports at 1,500 long-term stations of North America and Northern Eurasia, we created climatology of freezing precipitation near the surface and found significant changes (increases) in these occurrences in the past decade at high latitudes/elevations (Groisman et al. 2016; updated). Firstly, we document narrow boundaries of near surface temperature and humidity fields when freezing precipitation events occur; these are necessary but insufficient conditions of their occurrence. Secondly, using the upper air data at the sites collocated with in situ observations of freezing events, we quantify the typical pattern of lower troposphere temperature anomalies during freezing events: At the same locations and Julian days, the presence of freezing event at the surface is associated with significantly warmer temperatures in the lower troposphere; comparison of temperatures at nearest days before and after the freezing events with days during these events also shows statistically significant positive temperature anomalies in the lower troposphere to 500 hPa (on average, +3 to 4 °C) In the days with freezing events, vertical air temperature gradients between surface and 850 hPa become less than usual with frequent inversions, when the tropospheric air is warmer than at the surface. The above features of the lower tropospheric temperature, near-surface temperature and humidity represent a combination of weather conditions conducive for precipitation, if it happens, falling in the freezing rain form. The in situ reports of freezing events at synoptic stations allow us to estimate temporary and spatial distributions of such "special weather conditions". Thus, a posteriori high probability of freezing events under these weather conditions invokes similar probabilities of freezing rain over the ungauged terrain, where we do not have special synoptic reports but can reproduce these "special weather conditions" from less sophisticated observational networks and/or reanalyses. Reference: Groisman et al. 2016: Recent changes in the frequency of freezing precipitation in North America and Northern Eurasia. Environ Res Lett 11 045007.

More frequent showers and thunderstorm days under a warming climate: evidence observed over Northern Eurasia from 1966 to 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Hengchun; Fetzer, Eric J.; Wong, Sun; Lambrigtsen, Bjorn H.; Wang, Tao; Chen, Luke; Dang, Van

2017-09-01

This study uses 3-hourly synoptic observations at 547 stations to examine changes in convective and non-convective precipitation days and their associations with surface air temperature and specific humidity over Northern Eurasia. We found that convective days (showers and those associated with thunder and lightning) have become more frequent possibly at the expense of non-convective ones for all seasons during the study period of 1966-2000. The mean trends for convective day fraction (total convective precipitation events divided by all precipitation events for each season) are very similar among all four seasons at around 0.61-0.76% per year averaged over the study region. The temperature and humidity associated with convective events are on average 2.4-5.6 °C and 0.4-0.9 g/kg higher than those of non-convective events, respectively. This study suggests that surface warming and moistening lead to increased tropospheric static instability, contributing to the observed trends.

On the Nature of Aerosol Particles in the Atmosphere of Irkutsk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yermakov, A. N.; Golobokova, L. P.; Netsvetaeva, O. G.; Aloyan, A. E.; Arutyunyan, V. O.; Khodzher, T. V.

2018-03-01

Monitoring data on the ion composition of precipitation and the water-soluble fraction of aerosol have been used to identify two types of aerosol particles in the surface atmosphere of Irkutsk ("metal" and "ammonia" groups). The aerosol acidity is basically governed by the acidity of ammonia particles, and the ion composition depends on air relative humidity (RH). Preliminary estimates are given for the distribution of major cations and anions by aerosol groups.

Influence of alkane and perfluorocarbon vapors on adsorbed surface layers and spread insoluble monolayers of surfactants, proteins and lipids.

PubMed

Fainerman, V B; Aksenenko, E V; Miller, R

2017-06-01

The influence of hexane vapor in the air atmosphere on the surface tension of water and solutions of C 10 EO 8 , C n TAB and proteins are presented. For dry air, a fast and strong decrease of surface tension of water was observed. In humid air, the process is slower and the surface tension higher. There are differences between the results obtained by the maximum bubble pressure, pendant drop and emerging bubble methods, which are discussed in terms of depletion and initial surface load. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of β-сasein (BCS), β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and human serum albumin (HSA) at the interfaces with air and air-saturated hexane vapor were measured. The results indicate that the equilibrium surface tension in the hexane vapor atmosphere is considerably lower (at 13-20mN/m) as compared to the values at the interface with pure air. A reorientation model is proposed assuming several states of adsorbed molecules with different molar area values. The newly developed theoretical model is used to describe the effect of alkane vapor in the gas phase on the surface tension. This model assumes that the first layer is composed of surfactant (or protein) molecules mixed with alkane, and the second layer is formed by alkane molecules only. The processing of the experimental data for the equilibrium surface tension for the C 10 EO 8 and BCS solutions results in a perfect agreement between the observed and calculated values. The co-adsorption mechanism of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC) and the fluorocarbon molecules leads to remarkable differences in the surface pressure term of cohesion Π coh . This in turn leads to a very efficient fluidization of the monolayer. It was found that the adsorption equilibrium constant for dioctanoyl phosphatidyl choline is increased in the presence of perfluorohexane, and the intermolecular interaction of the components is strong. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A simple analytical method to estimate all exit parameters of a cross-flow air dehumidifier using liquid desiccant.

PubMed

Bassuoni, M M

2014-03-01

The dehumidifier is a key component in liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems. Analytical solutions have more advantages than numerical solutions in studying the dehumidifier performance parameters. This paper presents the performance results of exit parameters from an analytical model of an adiabatic cross-flow liquid desiccant air dehumidifier. Calcium chloride is used as desiccant material in this investigation. A program performing the analytical solution is developed using the engineering equation solver software. Good accuracy has been found between analytical solution and reliable experimental results with a maximum deviation of +6.63% and -5.65% in the moisture removal rate. The method developed here can be used in the quick prediction of the dehumidifier performance. The exit parameters from the dehumidifier are evaluated under the effects of variables such as air temperature and humidity, desiccant temperature and concentration, and air to desiccant flow rates. The results show that hot humid air and desiccant concentration have the greatest impact on the performance of the dehumidifier. The moisture removal rate is decreased with increasing both air inlet temperature and desiccant temperature while increases with increasing air to solution mass ratio, inlet desiccant concentration, and inlet air humidity ratio.

[The microclimate of an unoccupied wintering sett of the badger, Meles meles (Carnivora: Mustelidae), in the Darwin State Nature Reserve, Vologda Region].

PubMed

Sidorchuk, N V; Rozhnov, V V

2008-01-01

Data on the microclimate (air temperature and humidity) within an unoccupied badger sett in the Darwin Reserve (the Vologda Region) between September 2005 and May 2006 have been analyzed in relation to changes in the temperature and humidity of the ground air layer and soil. A positive correlation has been revealed between the temperature regime of the soil and air temperature within the sett. After the establishment of snow cover, air and soil temperatures within the sett vary slightly and barely depend on ambient air temperature.

Humidity data for 9975 shipping packages with cane fiberboard

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

Daugherty, W. L.

The 9975 surveillance program is developing a technical basis to support extending the storage period of 9975 packages in K-Area Complex beyond the currently approved 15 years. A key element of this effort is developing a better understanding of degradation of the fiberboard assembly under storage conditions. This degradation is influenced greatly by the moisture content of the fiberboard, which is not well characterized on an individual package basis. Direct measurements of humidity and fiberboard moisture content have been made on two test packages with cane fiberboard and varying internal heat levels from 0 up to 19W. With an internalmore » heat load, a temperature gradient in the fiberboard assembly leads to varying relative humidity in the air around the fiberboard. However, the absolute humidity tends to remain approximately constant throughout the package. The moisture content of fiberboard varies under the influence of several phenomena. Changes in local fiberboard temperature (from an internal heat load) can cause fiberboard moisture changes through absorption or evaporation. Fiberboard degradation at elevated temperature will produce water as a byproduct. And the moisture level within the package is constantly seeking equilibrium with that of the surrounding room air, which varies on a daily and seasonal basis. One indicator of the moisture condition within a 9975 package might be obtained by measuring the relative humidity in the upper air space, by inserting a humidity probe through a caplug hole. However, the data indicate that for the higher internal heat loads (15 and 19 watts), a large variation in internal moisture conditions produces little or no variation in the air space relative humidity. Therefore, this approach does not appear to be sensitive to fiberboard moisture variations at the higher heat loads which are of most interest to maintaining fiberboard integrity.« less

Efficacy and safety of a new coverlet device on skin microclimate management: a pilot study in critical care patients.

PubMed

Forriez, O; Masseline, J; Coadic, D; David, V; Trouiller, P; Sztrymf, B

2017-02-02

To test the effect of a new coverlet device, allowing air circulation at the body/underlying surface interface, on skin microclimate management. This prospective observational pilot study took place in a 15-bed university-affiliated intensive care unit. Overall, 34 mechanically ventilated patients were included. Skin humidity and temperature were monitored before and after the implementation of the tested device at the occiput, scapulas, buttocks and sacrum. Humidity and temperature were evaluated through surface skin impedance and an infra-red thermometer, respectively. Health professionals were asked to evaluate the device. After implementation of the coverlet device, there was a rapid, sustained and significant decrease in skin humidity at all sites ranging from 6 % to 15 %, excluding the occiput. Skin temperature also significantly decreased from 1 % at both scapulas, but not at the other studied body sites. No side effects were observed. Health professionals reported that the device was easy and quick to install. Although they did not report a subjective improvement in skin moisture or temperature, they considered the device to be efficient. Although limited by its design, this pilot study suggests a good efficacy of the studied device on skin microclimate management. Further data are warranted to test the clinical implications of our findings.

Key Role of Nitrate in Phase Transitions of Urban Particles: Implications of Important Reactive Surfaces for Secondary Aerosol Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jiaxing; Liu, Lei; Xu, Liang; Wang, Yuanyuan; Wu, Zhijun; Hu, Min; Shi, Zongbo; Li, Yongjie; Zhang, Xiaoye; Chen, Jianmin; Li, Weijun

2018-01-01

Ammonium sulfate (AS) and ammonium nitrate (AN) are key components of urban fine particles. Both field and model studies showed that heterogeneous reactions of SO2, NO2, and NH3 on wet aerosols accelerated the haze formation in northern China. However, little is known on phase transitions of AS-AN containing haze particles. Here hygroscopic properties of laboratory-generated AS-AN particles and individual particles collected during haze events in an urban site were investigated using an individual particle hygroscopicity system. AS-AN particles showed a two-stage deliquescence at mutual deliquescence relative humidity (MDRH) and full deliquescence relative humidity (DRH) and three physical states: solid before MDRH, solid-aqueous between MDRH and DRH, and aqueous after DRH. During hydration, urban haze particles displayed a solid core and aqueous shell at RH = 60-80% and aqueous phase at RH > 80%. Most particles were in aqueous phase at RH > 50% during dehydration. Our results show that AS content in individual particles determines their DRH and AN content determines their MDRH. AN content increase can reduce MDRH, which indicates occurrence of aqueous shell at lower RH. The humidity-dependent phase transitions of nitrate-abundant urban particles are important to provide reactive surfaces of secondary aerosol formation in the polluted air.

Performance evaluations of oxidation-resistant carbon-carbon composites in simulated hypersonic vehicle environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrett, D. M.; Maahs, H. G.; Ohlhorst, C. W.; Vaughn, W. L.; Martin, R. H.

1989-01-01

An evaluation is made of the oxidation-protection requirements of carbon-carbon composite (CCC) structural components in a hypersonic vehicle aerothermodynamic environment, where maximum test temperatures in air are of the order of 2800 F, and pressures range from 0.03 to 1.0 atm. The specimens were exposed to high humidity between tests. Attention was given to the effects of coating composition and thickness, and of substrate architecture and surface preparation, on the oxidation resistance of CCCs. Both surface preparation and coating chemistry have a profound effect on coating adherence and longevity.

Condenser-type diffusion denuders for the collection of sulfur dioxide in a cleanroom.

PubMed

Chang, In-Hyoung; Lee, Dong Soo; Ock, Soon-Ho

2003-02-01

High-efficiency condenser-type diffusion denuders of cylindrical and planar geometries are described. The film condensation of water vapor onto a cooled denuder surface can be used as a method for collecting water-soluble gases. By using SO(2) as the test gas, the planar design offers quantitative collection efficiency at air sampling rates up to 5 L min(-1). Coupled to ion chromatography, the limit of detection (LOD) for SO(2) is 0.014 ppbv with a 30-min successive analysis sequence. The method has been successfully applied to the analysis of temperature- and humidity-controlled cleanroom air.

Effect of curing condition on the concrete moisture retention and its shielding implication for the design of fusion facilities

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

Huang, S.; Chang, J.; Amin, S.

1981-01-01

Teste were conducted to determine the moisture retention for the 0.5 wt% borated concrete under three curing conditions. The three curing conditions are (1) curing at 100% relative humidity for a 28-day period at 21/degree/C, (2) curing at 100% relative humidity for a 7-day period, then at air-dry 50% relative humidity for the remaining 28-day curing period at 21/degree/C, and (3) curing at 100% relative humidity for a period of 7 days and then curing at air-dry 20% relative humidity for the remaining curing period at 21/degree/C. The concrete shielding curves are presented for several mositure contents. The results shouldmore » be helpful to assist the design of a cost effective concrete shield for fusion facilities.« less

International Space Station Common Cabin Air Assembly Condensing Heat Exchanger Hydrophilic Coating Operation, Recovery, and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balistreri, Steven F.; Steele, John W.; Caron, Mark E.; Laliberte, Yvon J.; Shaw, Laura A.

2013-01-01

The ability to control the temperature and humidity of an environment or habitat is critical for human survival. These factors are important to maintaining human health and comfort, as well as maintaining mechanical and electrical equipment in good working order to support the human and to accomplish mission objectives. The temperature and humidity of the International Space Station (ISS) United States On-orbit Segment (USOS) cabin air is controlled by the Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA). The CCAA consists of a fan, a condensing heat exchanger (CHX), an air/water separator, temperature and liquid sensors, and electrical controlling hardware and software. The CHX is the primary component responsible for control of temperature and humidity. The CCAA CHX contains a chemical coating that was developed to be hydrophilic and thus attract water from the humid influent air. This attraction forms the basis for water removal and therefore cabin humidity control. However, there have been several instances of CHX coatings becoming hydrophobic and repelling water. When this behavior is observed in an operational CHX in the ISS segments, the unit s ability to remove moisture from the air is compromised and the result is liquid water carryover into downstream ducting and systems. This water carryover can have detrimental effects on the ISS cabin atmosphere quality and on the health of downstream hardware. If the water carryover is severe and widespread, this behavior can result in an inability to maintain humidity levels in the USOS. This paper will describe the operation of the five CCAAs within the USOS, the potential causes of the hydrophobic condition, and the impacts of the resulting water carryover to downstream systems. It will describe the history of this behavior and the actual observed impacts to the ISS USOS. Information on mitigation steps to protect the health of future CHX hydrophilic coatings as well as remediation and recovery of the full heat exchanger will be discussed.

International Space Station Common Cabin Air Assembly Condensing Heat Exchanger Hydrophilic Coating Failures and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balistreri, Steven F.; Shaw, Laura A.; Laliberte, Yvon

2010-01-01

The ability to control the temperature and humidity of an environment or habitat is critical for human survival. These factors are important to maintaining human health and comfort, as well as maintaining mechanical and electrical equipment in good working order to support the human and to accomplish mission objectives. The temperature and humidity of the International Space Station (ISS) United States On-orbit Segment (USOS) cabin air is controlled by the Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA). The CCAA consists of a fan, a condensing heat exchanger (CHX), an air/water separator, temperature and liquid sensors, and electrical controlling hardware and software. The CHX is the primary component responsible for control of temperature and humidity. The CCAA CHX contains a chemical coating that was developed to be hydrophilic and thus attract water from the humid influent air. This attraction forms the basis for water removal and therefore cabin humidity control. However, there have been several instances of CHX coatings becoming hydrophobic and repelling water. When this behavior is observed in an operational CHX, the unit s ability to remove moisture from the air is compromised and the result is liquid water carryover into downstream ducting and systems. This water carryover can have detrimental effects on the cabin atmosphere quality and on the health of downstream hardware. If the water carryover is severe and widespread, this behavior can result in an inability to maintain humidity levels in the USOS. This paper will describe the operation of the five CCAAs within in the USOS, the potential causes of the hydrophobic condition, and the impacts of the resulting water carryover to downstream systems. It will describe the history of this behavior and the actual observed impacts to the ISS USOS. Information on mitigation steps to protect the health of future CHX hydrophilic coatings and potential remediation techniques will also be discussed.

Research on the operation control strategy of the cooling ceiling combined with fresh air system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Tao; Li, Hao

2018-03-01

The cooling ceiling combined with independent fresh air system was built by TRNSYS. And the cooling effects of the air conditioning system of an office in Beijing in a summer typical day were simulated. Based on the “variable temperature” control strategy, the operation strategy of “variable air volume auxiliary adjustment” was put forward. The variation of the indoor temperature, the indoor humidity, the temperature of supplying water and the temperature of returning water were simulated under the two control strategies. The energy consumption of system during the whole summer was compared by utilizing the two control strategies, and the indoor thermal comfort was analyzed. The optimal control strategy was proposed under the condition that the condensation on the surface of the cooling ceiling is not occurred and the indoor thermal comfort is satisfied.

A temperature/humidity tolerance index for transporting Beagle dogs in hot weather.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1987-11-01

Male beagle dogs were subjected to various hot air temperature/humidity combinations in an attempt to develop a safe temperature/humidity index for dogs being transported by aircraft. Only those environments in which all exposed dogs could maintain a...

The influence of water table depth and the free atmospheric state on convective rainfall predisposition

DOE PAGES

Bonetti, Sara; Manoli, Gabriele; Domec, Jean-Christophe; ...

2015-03-16

Here, we report a mechanistic model for the soil-plant system is coupled to a conventional slab representation of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) to explore the role of groundwater table (WT) variations and free atmospheric (FA) states on convective rainfall predisposition (CRP) at a Loblolly pine plantation site situated in the lower coastal plain of North Carolina. Predisposition is quantified using the crossing between modeled lifting condensation level (LCL) and convectively grown ABL depth. The LCL-ABL depth crossing is necessary for air saturation but not sufficient for cloud formation and subsequent convective rainfall occurrence. However, such crossing forms the mainmore » template for which all subsequent dynamical processes regulating the formation (or suppression) of convective rainfall operate on. If the feedback between surface fluxes and FA conditions is neglected, a reduction in latent heat flux associated with reduced WT levels is shown to enhance the ABL-LCL crossing probability. When the soil-plant system is fully coupled with ABL dynamics thereby allowing feedback with ABL temperature and humidity, FA states remain the leading control on CRP. However, vegetation water stress plays a role in controlling ABL-LCL crossing when the humidity supply by the FA is within an intermediate range of values. When FA humidity supply is low, cloud formation is suppressed independent of surface latent heat flux. Similarly, when FA moisture supply is high, cloud formation can occur independent of surface latent heat flux. In an intermediate regime of FA moisture supply, the surface latent heat flux controlled by soil water availability can supplement (or suppress) the necessary water vapor leading to reduced LCL and subsequent ABL-LCL crossing. Lastly, it is shown that this intermediate state corresponds to FA values around the mode in observed humidity lapse rates γ w (between -2.5 × 10 -6 and -1.5 × 10 -6 kg kg -1m -1), suggesting that vegetation water uptake may be controlling CRP at the study site.« less

Humidification of inspired oxygen is increased with pre-nasal cannula, compared to intranasal cannula.

PubMed

Dellweg, Dominic; Wenze, Markus; Hoehn, Ekkehard; Bourgund, Olaf; Haidl, Peter

2013-08-01

Oxygen therapy is usually combined with a humidification device, to prevent mucosal dryness. Depending on the cannula design, oxygen can be administered pre- or intra-nasally (administration of oxygen in front of the nasal ostia vs cannula system inside the nasal vestibulum). The impact of cannula design on intra-nasal humidity, however, has not been investigated to date. First, to develop a system, that samples air from the nasal cavity and analyzes the humidity of these samples. Second, to investigate nasal humidity during pre-nasal and intra-nasal oxygen application, with and without humidification. We first developed and validated a sampling and analysis system to measure humidity from air samples. By means of this system we measured inspiratory air samples from 12 subjects who received nasal oxygen with an intra-nasal and pre-nasal cannula at different flows, with and without humidification. The sampling and analysis system showed good correlation to a standard hygrometer within the tested humidity range (r = 0.99, P < .001). In our subjects intranasal humidity dropped significantly, from 40.3 ± 8.7% to 35.3 ± 5.8%, 32 ± 5.6%, and 29.0 ± 6.8% at flows of 1, 2, and 3 L, respectively, when oxygen was given intra-nasally without humidification (P = .001, P < .001, and P < .001, respectively). We observed no significant change in airway humidity when oxygen was given pre-nasally without humidification. With the addition of humidification we observed no significant change in humidity at any flow, and independent of pre- or intranasal oxygen administration. Pre-nasal administration of dry oxygen achieves levels of intranasal humidity similar to those achieved by intranasal administration in combination with a bubble through humidifier. Pre-nasal oxygen simplifies application and may reduce therapy cost.

Sea ice simulations based on fields generated by the GLAS GCM. [Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences General Circulation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, C. L.; Herman, G. F.

1980-01-01

The GLAS General Circulation Model (GCM) was applied to the four-month simulation of the thermodynamic part of the Parkinson-Washington sea ice model using atmospheric boundary conditions. The sea ice thickness and distribution were predicted for the Jan. 1-Apr. 30 period using the GCM-fields of solar and infrared radiation, specific humidity and air temperature at the surface, and snow accumulation; the sensible heat and evaporative surface fluxes were consistent with the ground temperatures produced by the ice model and the air temperatures determined by the atmospheric concept. It was concluded that the Parkinson-Washington sea ice model results in acceptable ice concentrations and thicknesses when used with GLAS GCM for the Jan.-Apr. period suggesting the feasibility of fully coupled ice-atmosphere simulations with these two approaches.

Estimation of evaporation from equilibrium diurnal boundary layer humidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvucci, G.; Rigden, A. J.; Li, D.; Gentine, P.

2017-12-01

Simplified conceptual models of the convective boundary layer as a well mixed profile of potential temperature (theta) and specific humidity (q) impinging on an initially stably stratified linear potential temperature profile have a long history in atmospheric sciences. These one dimensional representations of complex mixing are useful for gaining insights into land-atmosphere interactions and for prediction when state of the art LES approaches are infeasible. As previously shown (e.g. Betts), if one neglects the role of q in bouyancy, the framework yields a unique relation between mixed layer Theta, mixed layer height (h), and cumulative sensible heat flux (SH) throughout the day. Similarly assuming an initially q profile yields a simple relation between q, h, and cumulative latent heat flux (LH). The diurnal dynamics of theta and q are strongly dependent on SH and the initial lapse rates of theta (gamma_thet) and q (gamma q). In the estimation method proposed here, we further constrain these relations with two more assumptions: 1) The specific humidity is the same at the start of the period of boundary layer growth and at the collapse; and 2) Once the mixed layer reaches the LCL, further drying occurs proportionally to the deardorff convective velocity scale (omega) multiplied by q. Assumption (1) is based on the idea that below the cloud layer, there are no sinks of moisture within the mixed layer (neglecting lateral humidity divergence). Thus the net mixing of dry air aloft with evaporation from the surface must balance. Inclusion of the simple model of moisture loss above the LCL into the bulk-CBL model allows definition of an equilibrium humidity (q) condition at which the diurnal cycle of q repeats (i.e. additions of q from surface balance entrainment of dry air from above). Surprisingly, this framework allows estimation of LH from q, theta, and estimated net radiation by solving for the value of Evaporative Fraction (EF) for which the diurnal cycle of q repeats. Three parameters need specification: cloud area fraction, entrainment factor, and morning lapse rate. Surprisingly, a single set of values for these parameters are adequate to estimate EF at over 70 tested Ameriflux sites to within about 20%, though improvements are gained using a single regression model for gamma_thet that has been fitted to radiosonde data.

Intercalated graphitic carbon nitride: a fascinating two-dimensional nanomaterial for an ultra-sensitive humidity nanosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhenyi; Huang, Jindou; Yuan, Qing; Dong, Bin

2014-07-01

We develop a novel humidity nanosensor based on intercalated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets fabricated by a facile thermal polymerization of common urea in the presence of LiCl as the intercalated guest under air and ambient pressure. The response and recovery times of an optimal nanosensor can reach ~0.9 s and ~1.4 s, respectively, which are superior to most of the traditional oxide ceramic-based humidity nanosensors tested under similar conditions. By combining with the theoretical calculations, it is proposed that the ultrafast response-recovery time for this nanosensor is attributed to their unique 2D intercalated nanostructure by which Li species linked with the ``nitrogen pots'' of g-C3N4 can make the protons conduct in the first adsorbed water layer. Meanwhile, the physically adsorbed water on the surface of LiCl-intercalated g-C3N4 nanosheets can be desorbed rapidly at a relative lower RH environment due to their high adsorption energy and the strong diffusion effect of water molecules.We develop a novel humidity nanosensor based on intercalated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets fabricated by a facile thermal polymerization of common urea in the presence of LiCl as the intercalated guest under air and ambient pressure. The response and recovery times of an optimal nanosensor can reach ~0.9 s and ~1.4 s, respectively, which are superior to most of the traditional oxide ceramic-based humidity nanosensors tested under similar conditions. By combining with the theoretical calculations, it is proposed that the ultrafast response-recovery time for this nanosensor is attributed to their unique 2D intercalated nanostructure by which Li species linked with the ``nitrogen pots'' of g-C3N4 can make the protons conduct in the first adsorbed water layer. Meanwhile, the physically adsorbed water on the surface of LiCl-intercalated g-C3N4 nanosheets can be desorbed rapidly at a relative lower RH environment due to their high adsorption energy and the strong diffusion effect of water molecules. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Fig. S1-S8 and Table S1 including SEM, TEM and theoretical calculations. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr01570c

Cloudy Sounding and Cloud-Top Height Retrieval From AIRS Alone Single Field-of-View Radiance Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisz, Elisabeth; Li, Jun; Li, Jinlong; Zhou, Daniel K.; Huang, Hung-Lung; Goldberg, Mitchell D.; Yang, Ping

2007-01-01

High-spectral resolution measurements from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the EOS (Earth Observing System) Aqua satellite provide unique information about atmospheric state, surface and cloud properties. This paper presents an AIRS alone single field-of-view (SFOV) retrieval algorithm to simultaneously retrieve temperature, humidity and ozone profiles under all weather conditions, as well as cloud top pressure (CTP) and cloud optical thickness (COT) under cloudy skies. For optically thick cloud conditions the above-cloud soundings are derived, whereas for clear skies and optically thin cloud conditions the profiles are retrieved from 0.005 hPa down to the earth's surface. Initial validation has been conducted by using the operational MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) product, ECMWF (European Center of Medium range Weather Forecasts) analysis fields and radiosonde observations (RAOBs). These inter-comparisons clearly demonstrate the potential of this algorithm to process data from 38 high-spectral infrared (IR) sounder instruments.

The construction of ventilation turrets in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutting ants: Carbon dioxide levels in the nest tunnels, but not airflow or air humidity, influence turret structure

PubMed Central

Roces, Flavio

2017-01-01

Nest ventilation in the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri is driven via a wind-induced mechanism. On their nests, workers construct small turrets that are expected to facilitate nest ventilation. We hypothesized that the construction and structural features of the turrets would depend on the colony’s current demands for ventilation and thus might be influenced by the prevailing environmental conditions inside the nest. Therefore, we tested whether climate-related parameters, namely airflow, air humidity and CO2 levels in the outflowing nest air influenced turret construction in Atta vollenweideri. In the laboratory, we simulated a semi-natural nest arrangement with fungus chambers, a central ventilation tunnel providing outflow of air and an aboveground building arena for turret construction. In independent series, different climatic conditions inside the ventilation tunnel were experimentally generated, and after 24 hours, several features of the built turret were quantified, i.e., mass, height, number and surface area (aperture) of turret openings. Turret mass and height were similar in all experiments even when no airflow was provided in the ventilation tunnel. However, elevated CO2 levels led to the construction of a turret with several minor openings and a larger total aperture. This effect was statistically significant at higher CO2 levels of 5% and 10% but not at 1% CO2. The construction of a turret with several minor openings did not depend on the strong differences in CO2 levels between the outflowing and the outside air, since workers also built permeated turrets even when the CO2 levels inside and outside were both similarly high. We propose that the construction of turrets with several openings and larger opening surface area might facilitate the removal of CO2 from the underground nest structure and could therefore be involved in the control of nest climate in leaf-cutting ants. PMID:29145459

The construction of ventilation turrets in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutting ants: Carbon dioxide levels in the nest tunnels, but not airflow or air humidity, influence turret structure.

PubMed

Halboth, Florian; Roces, Flavio

2017-01-01

Nest ventilation in the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri is driven via a wind-induced mechanism. On their nests, workers construct small turrets that are expected to facilitate nest ventilation. We hypothesized that the construction and structural features of the turrets would depend on the colony's current demands for ventilation and thus might be influenced by the prevailing environmental conditions inside the nest. Therefore, we tested whether climate-related parameters, namely airflow, air humidity and CO2 levels in the outflowing nest air influenced turret construction in Atta vollenweideri. In the laboratory, we simulated a semi-natural nest arrangement with fungus chambers, a central ventilation tunnel providing outflow of air and an aboveground building arena for turret construction. In independent series, different climatic conditions inside the ventilation tunnel were experimentally generated, and after 24 hours, several features of the built turret were quantified, i.e., mass, height, number and surface area (aperture) of turret openings. Turret mass and height were similar in all experiments even when no airflow was provided in the ventilation tunnel. However, elevated CO2 levels led to the construction of a turret with several minor openings and a larger total aperture. This effect was statistically significant at higher CO2 levels of 5% and 10% but not at 1% CO2. The construction of a turret with several minor openings did not depend on the strong differences in CO2 levels between the outflowing and the outside air, since workers also built permeated turrets even when the CO2 levels inside and outside were both similarly high. We propose that the construction of turrets with several openings and larger opening surface area might facilitate the removal of CO2 from the underground nest structure and could therefore be involved in the control of nest climate in leaf-cutting ants.

Temperature and Humidity Profiles in the TqJoint Data Group of AIRS Version 6 Product for the Climate Model Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Feng; Fang, Fan; Hearty, Thomas J.; Theobald, Michael; Vollmer, Bruce; Lynnes, Christopher

2014-01-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) mission is entering its 13th year of global observations of the atmospheric state, including temperature and humidity profiles, outgoing long-wave radiation, cloud properties, and trace gases. Thus AIRS data have been widely used, among other things, for short-term climate research and observational component for model evaluation. One instance is the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) which uses AIRS version 5 data in the climate model evaluation. The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) is the home of processing, archiving, and distribution services for data from the AIRS mission. The GES DISC, in collaboration with the AIRS Project, released data from the version 6 algorithm in early 2013. The new algorithm represents a significant improvement over previous versions in terms of greater stability, yield, and quality of products. The ongoing Earth System Grid for next generation climate model research project, a collaborative effort of GES DISC and NASA JPL, will bring temperature and humidity profiles from AIRS version 6. The AIRS version 6 product adds a new "TqJoint" data group, which contains data for a common set of observations across water vapor and temperature at all atmospheric levels and is suitable for climate process studies. How different may the monthly temperature and humidity profiles in "TqJoint" group be from the "Standard" group where temperature and water vapor are not always valid at the same time? This study aims to answer the question by comprehensively comparing the temperature and humidity profiles from the "TqJoint" group and the "Standard" group. The comparison includes mean differences at different levels globally and over land and ocean. We are also working on examining the sampling differences between the "TqJoint" and "Standard" group using MERRA data.

Combined effect of moisture and electrostatic charges on powder flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rescaglio, Antonella; Schockmel, Julien; Vandewalle, Nicolas; Lumay, Geoffroy

2017-06-01

It is well known in industrial applications involving powders and granular materials that the relative air humidity and the presence of electrostatic charges influence drastically the material flowing properties. The relative air humidity induces the formation of capillary bridges and modify the grain surface conductivity. The presence of capillary bridges produces cohesive forces. On the other hand, the apparition of electrostatic charges due to the triboelectric effect at the contacts between the grains and at the contacts between the grains and the container produces electrostatic forces. Therefore, in many cases, the powder cohesiveness is the result of the interplay between capillary and electrostatic forces. Unfortunately, the triboelectric effect is still poorly understood, in particular inside a granular material. Moreover, reproducible electrostatic measurements are difficult to perform. We developed an experimental device to measures the ability of a powder to charge electrostatically during a flow in contact with a selected material. Both electrostatic and flow measurements have been performed in different hygrometric conditions. The correlation between the powder electrostatic properties, the hygrometry and the flowing behavior are analyzed.

Fast and reversible direct CO2 capture from air onto all-polymer nanofibrillated cellulose-polyethylenimine foams.

PubMed

Sehaqui, Houssine; Gálvez, María Elena; Becatinni, Viola; cheng Ng, Yi; Steinfeld, Aldo; Zimmermann, Tanja; Tingaut, Philippe

2015-03-03

Fully polymeric and biobased CO2 sorbents composed of oxidized nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and a high molar mass polyethylenimine (PEI) have been prepared via a freeze-drying process. This resulted in NFC/PEI foams displaying a sheet structure with porosity above 97% and specific surface area in the range 2.7-8.3 m(2)·g(-1). Systematic studies on the impact of both PEI content and relative humidity on the CO2 capture capacity of the amine functionalized sorbents have been conducted under atmospheric conditions (moist air with ∼400 ppm of CO2). At 80% RH and an optimum PEI content of 44 wt %, a CO2 capacity of 2.22 mmol·g(-1), a stability over five cycles, and an exceptionally low adsorption half time of 10.6 min were achieved. In the 20-80% RH range studied, the increase in relative humidity increased CO2 capacity of NFC/PEI foams at the expense of a high H2O uptake in the range 3.8-28 mmol·g(-1).

40 CFR 1065.125 - Engine intake air.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... engines with multiple intakes with separate humidity measurements at each intake, use a flow-weighted average humidity for NOX corrections. If individual flows of each intake are not measured, use good engineering judgment to estimate a flow-weighted average humidity. (3) Temperature. Good engineering judgment...

Spatial and Temporal Inter-Relationships between Anomalies and Trends of Temperature, Moisture, Cloud Cover, and OLR as Observed by AIRS/AMSU on Aqua

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel

2008-01-01

AIRS/AMSU is the advanced IR/MW atmospheric sounding system launched on EOS Aqua in May 2002. Products derived from AIRS/AMSU by the AIRS Science Team include surface skin temperature and atmospheric temperature profiles; atmospheric humidity profiles, fractional cloud cover and cloud top pressure, and OLR. Products covering the period September 2002 through the present have been derived from AIRS/AMSU using the AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm. In this paper, we will show results covering the time period September 2006 - November 2008. This time period is marked by a substantial warming trend of Northern Hemisphere Extratropical land surface skin temperatures, as well as pronounced El Nino - La Nina episodes. These both influence the spatial and temporal anomaly patterns of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, as well as of cloud cover and Clear sky and All Sky OLR. The relationships between temporal and spatial anomalies of these parameters over this time period, as determined from AIRS/AMSU observations, will be shown, with particular emphasis on which contribute significantly to OLR anomalies in each of the tropics and extra-tropics. Results will also be shown to validate the anomalies and trends of temperature profiles and OLR as determined from analysis of AIRS/AMSU data. Global and regional trends during the 6 1/3 year period are not necessarily indicative of what has happened in the past, or what may happen in the future. Nevertheless, the inter-relationships of spatial and temporal anomalies of atmospheric geophysical parameters with those of surface skin temperature are indicative of climate processes, and can be used to test the performance of climate models when driven by changes in surface temperatures.

Spatial and Temporal Inter-Relationship between Anomalies and Trends of Temperature, Moisture, Cloud Cover and OLR as Observed by AIRS/AMSU on Aqua

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Molnar, Gyula

2009-01-01

AIRS/AMSU is the advanced IR/MW atmospheric sounding system launched on EOS Aqua in May 2002. Products derived from AIRS/AMSU by the AIRS Science Team include surface skin temperature and atmospheric temperature profiled; atmospheric humidity profiles, fractional cloud clover and cloud top pressure, and OLR. Products covering the period September 2002 through the present have been derived from AIRS/AMSU using the AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm. In this paper, we will show results covering the time period September 2006 - November 2008. This time period is marked by a substantial warming trend of Northern Hemisphere Extra-tropical land surface skin temperatures, as well as pronounced El Nino - La Nina episodes. These both influence the spatial and temporal anomaly patterns of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, as well as of cloud cover and Clear Sky and All Sky OLR. The relationships between temporal and spatial anomalies of these parameters over this time period, as determined from AIRS/AMSU observations, will be shown with particular emphasis on which contribute significantly to OLR anomalies in each of the tropics and extra-tropics. Results will also be shown to evaluate the anomalies and trends of temperature profiles and OLR as determined from analysis of AIRS/AMSU data. Global and regional trends during the 6 1/3 year time period are not necessarily indicative of what has happened in the past, or what may happen in the future. Nevertheless, the inter-relationships of spatial and temporal anomalies of atmospheric geophysical parameters with those of surface skin temperature are indicative of climate processes, and can be used to test the performance of climate models when driven by changes in surface temperatures.

Preventing Indoor Air Quality Problems in Educational Facilities: Guidelines for Hot, Humid Climates. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, J. David; DuBose, George

This manual addresses the errors that occur during new construction that subsequently contribute to indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in newly constructed buildings in hot and humid climates, and offers guidelines for preventing them during the design and construction phases. It defines the roles and responsibilities of the design team, the…

Data set: 31 years of spatially distributed air temperature, humidity, precipitation amount and precipitation phase from a mountain catchment in the rain-snow transition zone

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thirty one years of spatially distributed air temperature, relative humidity, dew point temperature, precipitation amount, and precipitation phase data are presented for the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed. The data are spatially distributed over a 10m Lidar-derived digital elevation model at ...

STS-32 OV-102 air revitalization system (ARS) humidity separator problem

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-01-20

During STS-32, onboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, a leakage problem at environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) air revitalization system (ARS) humidity separator A below the middeck is solved with a plastic bag and a towel. The towel inserted inside a plastic bag absorbed the water that had collected at the separator inlet.

STS-32 OV-102 air revitalization system (ARS) humidity separator problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

During STS-32, onboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, a leakage problem at environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) air revitalization system (ARS) humidity separator A below the middeck is solved with a plastic bag and a towel. The towel inserted inside a plastic bag absorbed the water that had collected at the separator inlet.

Influence of cooling face masks on nasal air conditioning and nasal geometry.

PubMed

Lindemann, J; Hoffmann, T; Koehl, A; Walz, E M; Sommer, F

2017-06-01

Nasal geometries and temperature of the nasal mucosa are the primary factors affecting nasal air conditioning. Data on intranasal air conditioning after provoking the trigeminal nerve with a cold stimulus simulating the effects of an arctic condition is still missing. The objective was to investigate the influence of skin cooling face masks on nasal air conditioning, mucosal temperature and nasal geometry. Standardized in vivo measurements of intranasal air temperature, humidity and mucosal temperature were performed in 55 healthy subjects at defined detection sites before and after wearing a cooling face mask. Measurements of skin temperature, rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry were accomplished. After wearing the face mask the facial skin temperature was significantly reduced. Intranasal air temperature did not change. Absolute humidity and mucosal temperature increased significantly. The acoustic rhinometric results showed a significant increase of the volumes and the cross-sectional areas. There was no change in nasal airflow. Nasal mucosal temperature, humidity of inhaled air, and volume of the anterior nose increased after application of a cold face mask. The response is mediated by the trigeminal nerve. Increased mucosal temperatures as well as changes in nasal geometries seem to guarantee sufficient steady intranasal nasal air conditioning.

Thermodynamic properties of sea air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feistel, R.; Wright, D. G.; Kretzschmar, H.-J.; Hagen, E.; Herrmann, S.; Span, R.

2010-02-01

Very accurate thermodynamic potential functions are available for fluid water, ice, seawater and humid air covering wide ranges of temperature and pressure conditions. They permit the consistent computation of all equilibrium properties as, for example, required for coupled atmosphere-ocean models or the analysis of observational or experimental data. With the exception of humid air, these potential functions are already formulated as international standards released by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS), and have been adopted in 2009 for oceanography by IOC/UNESCO. In this paper, we derive a collection of formulas for important quantities expressed in terms of the thermodynamic potentials, valid for typical phase transitions and composite systems of humid air and water/ice/seawater. Particular attention is given to equilibria between seawater and humid air, referred to as "sea air" here. In a related initiative, these formulas will soon be implemented in a source-code library for easy practical use. The library is primarily aimed at oceanographic applications but will be relevant to air-sea interaction and meteorology as well. The formulas provided are valid for any consistent set of suitable thermodynamic potential functions. Here we adopt potential functions from previous publications in which they are constructed from theoretical laws and empirical data; they are briefly summarized in the appendix. The formulas make use of the full accuracy of these thermodynamic potentials, without additional approximations or empirical coefficients. They are expressed in the temperature scale ITS-90 and the 2008 Reference-Composition Salinity Scale.

Thermodynamic properties of sea air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feistel, R.; Kretzschmar, H.-J.; Span, R.; Hagen, E.; Wright, D. G.; Herrmann, S.

2009-10-01

Very accurate thermodynamic potential functions are available for fluid water, ice, seawater and humid air covering wide ranges of temperature and pressure conditions. They permit the consistent computation of all equilibrium properties as, for example, required for coupled atmosphere-ocean models or the analysis of observational or experimental data. With the exception of humid air, these potential functions are already formulated as international standards released by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS), and have been adopted in 2009 for oceanography by IOC/UNESCO. In this paper, we derive a collection of formulas for important quantities expressed in terms of the thermodynamic potentials, valid for typical phase transitions and composite systems of humid air and water/ice/seawater. Particular attention is given to equilibria between seawater and humid air, referred to as ''sea air'' here. In a related initiative, these formulas will soon be implemented in a source-code library for easy practical use. The library is primarily aimed at oceanographic applications but will be relevant to air-sea interaction and meteorology as well. The formulas provided are valid for any consistent set of suitable thermodynamic potential functions. Here we adopt potential functions from previous publications in which they are constructed from theoretical laws and empirical data; they are briefly summarized in the appendix. The formulas make use of the full accuracy of these thermodynamic potentials, without additional approximations or empirical coefficients. They are expressed in the temperature scale ITS-90 and the 2008 Reference-Composition Salinity Scale.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder- An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larnbrigtsen, Bjorn; Fetzer, Eric; Lee, Sung-Yung; Irion, Fredrick; Hearty, Thomas; Gaiser, Steve; Pagano, Thomas; Aumann, Hartmut; Chahine, Moustafa

2004-01-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) was launched in May 2002. Along with two companion microwave sensors, it forms the AIRS Sounding Suite. This system is the most advanced atmospheric sounding system to date, with measurement accuracies far surpassing those available on current weather satellites. The data products are calibrated radiances from all three sensors and a number of derived geophysical parameters, including vertical temperature and humidity profiles, surface temperature, cloud fraction, cIoud top pressure, and profiles of ozone. These products are generated under cloudy as well as clear conditions. An ongoing calibration validation effort has confirmed that the system is very accurate and stable, and many of the geophysical parameters have been validated. AIRS is in some cases more accurate than any other source and can therefore be difficult to validate, but this offers interesting new research opportunities. The applications for the AIRS products range from numerical weather prediction to atmospheric research - where the AIRS water vapor products near the surface and in the mid to upper troposphere will make it possible to characterize and model phenomena that are key for short-term atmospheric processes, such as weather patterns, to long-term processes, such as interannual cycles (e.g., El Nino) and climate change.

Seasonal Variations of Indoor Microbial Exposures and Their Relation to Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Air Exchange Rate

PubMed Central

Bekö, Gabriel; Timm, Michael; Gustavsen, Sine; Hansen, Erik Wind

2012-01-01

Indoor microbial exposure has been related to adverse pulmonary health effects. Exposure assessment is not standardized, and various factors may affect the measured exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal variation of selected microbial exposures and their associations with temperature, relative humidity, and air exchange rates in Danish homes. Airborne inhalable dust was sampled in five Danish homes throughout the four seasons of 1 year (indoors, n = 127; outdoors, n = 37). Measurements included culturable fungi and bacteria, endotoxin, N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase, total inflammatory potential, particles (0.75 to 15 μm), temperature, relative humidity, and air exchange rates. Significant seasonal variation was found for all indoor microbial exposures, excluding endotoxin. Indoor fungi peaked in summer (median, 235 CFU/m3) and were lowest in winter (median, 26 CFU/m3). Indoor bacteria peaked in spring (median, 2,165 CFU/m3) and were lowest in summer (median, 240 CFU/m3). Concentrations of fungi were predominately higher outdoors than indoors, whereas bacteria, endotoxin, and inhalable dust concentrations were highest indoors. Bacteria and endotoxin correlated with the mass of inhalable dust and number of particles. Temperature and air exchange rates were positively associated with fungi and N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase and negatively with bacteria and the total inflammatory potential. Although temperature, relative humidity, and air exchange rates were significantly associated with several indoor microbial exposures, they could not fully explain the observed seasonal variations when tested in a mixed statistical model. In conclusion, the season significantly affects indoor microbial exposures, which are influenced by temperature, relative humidity, and air exchange rates. PMID:23001651

Thermal performance trials on the habitability of private bushfire shelters: part 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Nigel A. S.; Haberley, Benjamin J.

2015-08-01

In the preceding communication, an investigation was described in which the thermal specifications for the design of private bushfire shelters were evaluated. Since those trials were undertaken with the thermal characteristics of the air clamped, survival uncertainty persisted if the internal ambient conditions were progressively changing, as would occur within an air-tight shelter. Therefore, two further investigations were performed. In the first, changes in the physical properties of air within an air-tight shelter simulator (1.2 m3), initially equilibrated to 43.7 °C and 42.3 % relative humidity, were studied when pre-heated, well-hydrated males were sealed inside ( N = 16; 60 min; experimental series 2). Air temperature and humidity moved sigmoidally to 40.5 °C (standard deviation (SD), 0.5) and 90.1 % (SD, 2.1). Oxygen and carbon dioxide fractional concentrations changed reciprocally, with respective terminal averages of 16.7 % (SD, 0.8) and 3.94 % (SD, 0.72). Deep-body temperature rose beyond the tenth minute to a terminal mean of 39.3 °C (SD, 0.2). In the third experimental series, these air temperature and humidity changes were reproduced in trials commencing at two different thermal states (40 °C and 70 % relative humidity; 45 °C and 50 % relative humidity). Sixteen pre-heated and slightly dehydrated men and women were investigated. In neither condition did the auditory canal temperature of any individual change by more than 2 °C or exceed 40 °C. It may be concluded, within the limits of these experiments, that the recommended thermal and dimensional specifications for bushfire shelters can provide tenable conditions for healthy, young adults.

Thermal performance trials on the habitability of private bushfire shelters: part 2.

PubMed

Taylor, Nigel A S; Haberley, Benjamin J

2015-08-01

In the preceding communication, an investigation was described in which the thermal specifications for the design of private bushfire shelters were evaluated. Since those trials were undertaken with the thermal characteristics of the air clamped, survival uncertainty persisted if the internal ambient conditions were progressively changing, as would occur within an air-tight shelter. Therefore, two further investigations were performed. In the first, changes in the physical properties of air within an air-tight shelter simulator (1.2 m(3)), initially equilibrated to 43.7 °C and 42.3 % relative humidity, were studied when pre-heated, well-hydrated males were sealed inside (N = 16; 60 min; experimental series 2). Air temperature and humidity moved sigmoidally to 40.5 °C (standard deviation (SD), 0.5) and 90.1 % (SD, 2.1). Oxygen and carbon dioxide fractional concentrations changed reciprocally, with respective terminal averages of 16.7 % (SD, 0.8) and 3.94 % (SD, 0.72). Deep-body temperature rose beyond the tenth minute to a terminal mean of 39.3 °C (SD, 0.2). In the third experimental series, these air temperature and humidity changes were reproduced in trials commencing at two different thermal states (40 °C and 70 % relative humidity; 45 °C and 50 % relative humidity). Sixteen pre-heated and slightly dehydrated men and women were investigated. In neither condition did the auditory canal temperature of any individual change by more than 2 °C or exceed 40 °C. It may be concluded, within the limits of these experiments, that the recommended thermal and dimensional specifications for bushfire shelters can provide tenable conditions for healthy, young adults.

Elevated air humidity affects hydraulic traits and tree size but not biomass allocation in young silver birches (Betula pendula)

PubMed Central

Sellin, Arne; Rosenvald, Katrin; Õunapuu-Pikas, Eele; Tullus, Arvo; Ostonen, Ivika; Lõhmus, Krista

2015-01-01

As changes in air temperature, precipitation, and air humidity are expected in the coming decades, studies on the impact of these environmental shifts on plant growth and functioning are of major importance. Greatly understudied aspects of climate change include consequences of increasing air humidity on forest ecosystems, predicted for high latitudes. The main objective of this study was to find a link between hydraulic acclimation and shifts in trees’ resource allocation in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in response to elevated air relative humidity (RH). A second question was whether the changes in hydraulic architecture depend on tree size. Two years of application of increased RH decreased the biomass accumulation in birch saplings, but the biomass partitioning among aboveground parts (leaves, branches, and stems) remained unaffected. Increased stem Huber values (xylem cross-sectional area to leaf area ratio) observed in trees under elevated RH did not entail changes in the ratio of non-photosynthetic to photosynthetic tissues. The reduction of stem–wood density is attributable to diminished mechanical load imposed on the stem, since humidified trees had relatively shorter crowns. Growing under higher RH caused hydraulic conductance of the root system (KR) to increase, while KR (expressed per unit leaf area) decreased and leaf hydraulic conductance increased with tree size. Saplings of silver birch acclimate to increasing air humidity by adjusting plant morphology (live crown length, slenderness, specific leaf area, and fine-root traits) and wood density rather than biomass distribution among aboveground organs. The treatment had a significant effect on several hydraulic properties of the trees, while the shifts were largely associated with changes in tree size but not in biomass allocation. PMID:26528318

Improvements to the swath-level near-surface atmospheric state parameter retrievals within the NRL Ocean Surface Flux System (NFLUX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, J. C.; Rowley, C. D.; Meyer, H.

2017-12-01

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Ocean Surface Flux System (NFLUX) is an end-to-end data processing and assimilation system used to provide near-real-time satellite-based surface heat flux fields over the global ocean. The first component of NFLUX produces near-real-time swath-level estimates of surface state parameters and downwelling radiative fluxes. The focus here will be on the satellite swath-level state parameter retrievals, namely surface air temperature, surface specific humidity, and surface scalar wind speed over the ocean. Swath-level state parameter retrievals are produced from satellite sensor data records (SDRs) from four passive microwave sensors onboard 10 platforms: the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) sensor onboard the DMSP F16, F17, and F18 platforms; the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) sensor onboard the NOAA-15, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, Metop-A, and Metop-B platforms; the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) sensor onboard the S-NPP platform; and the Advanced Microwave Scannin Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) sensor onboard the GCOM-W1 platform. The satellite SDRs are translated into state parameter estimates using multiple polynomial regression algorithms. The coefficients to the algorithms are obtained using a bootstrapping technique with all available brightness temperature channels for a given sensor, in addition to a SST field. For each retrieved parameter for each sensor-platform combination, unique algorithms are developed for ascending and descending orbits, as well as clear vs cloudy conditions. Each of the sensors produces surface air temperature and surface specific humidity retrievals. The SSMIS and AMSR2 sensors also produce surface scalar wind speed retrievals. Improvement is seen in the SSMIS retrievals when separate algorithms are used for the even and odd scans, with the odd scans performing better than the even scans. Currently, NFLUX treats all SSMIS scans as even scans. Additional improvement in all of the surface retrievals comes from using a 3-hourly SST field, as opposed to a daily SST field.

Intercomparison of Air-Sea Fluxes in the Bay of Bengal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckley, J.; Weller, R. A.; Farrar, J. T.; Tandon, A.

2016-02-01

Heat and momentum exchange between the air and sea in the Bay of Bengal is an important driver of atmospheric convection during the Asian Monsoon. Warm sea surface temperatures resulting from salinity stratified shallow mixed layers trigger widespread showers and thunderstorms. In this study, we compare atmospheric reanalysis flux products to air-sea flux values calculated from shipboard observations from four cruises and an air-sea flux mooring in the Bay of Bengal as part of the Air-Sea Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean (ASIRI) experiment. Comparisons with months of mooring data show that most long timescale reanalysis error arises from the overestimation of longwave and shortwave radiation. Ship observations and select data from the air-sea flux mooring reveals significant errors on shorter timescales (2-4 weeks) which are greatly influenced by errors in shortwave radiation and latent and sensible heat. During these shorter periods, the reanalyses fail to properly show sharp decreases in air temperature, humidity, and shortwave radiation associated with mesoscale convective systems. Simulations with the Price-Weller-Pinkel (PWP) model show upper ocean mixing and deepening mixed layers during these events that effect the long term upper ocean stratification. Mesoscale convective systems associated with cloudy skies and cold and dry air can reduce net heat into the ocean for minutes to a few days, significantly effecting air-sea heat transfer, upper ocean stratification, and ocean surface temperature and salinity.

Temperature and Relative Humidity Vertical Profiles within Planetary Boundary Layer in Winter Urban Airshed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bendl, Jan; Hovorka, Jan

2017-12-01

The planetary boundary layer is a dynamic system with turbulent flow where horizontal and vertical air mixing depends mainly on the weather conditions and geomorphology. Normally, air temperature from the Earth surface decreases with height but inversion situation may occur, mainly during winter. Pollutant dispersion is poor during inversions so air pollutant concentration can quickly rise, especially in urban closed valleys. Air pollution was evaluated by WHO as a human carcinogen (mostly by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and health effects are obvious. Knowledge about inversion layer height is important for estimation of the pollution impact and it can give us also information about the air pollution sources. Temperature and relative humidity vertical profiles complement ground measurements. Ground measurements were conducted to characterize comprehensively urban airshed in Svermov, residential district of the city of Kladno, about 30 km NW of Prague, from the 2nd Feb. to the 3rd of March 2016. The Svermov is an air pollution hot-spot for long time benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) limit exceedances, reaching the highest B[a]P annual concentration in Bohemia - west part of the Czech Republic. Since the Svermov sits in a shallow valley, frequent vertical temperature inversion in winter and low emission heights of pollution sources prevent pollutant dispersal off the valley. Such orography is common to numerous small settlements in the Czech Republic. Ground measurements at the sports field in the Svermov were complemented by temperature and humidity vertical profiles acquired by a Vaisala radiosonde positioned at tethered He-filled balloon. Total number of 53 series of vertical profiles up to the height of 300 m was conducted. Meteorology parameters were acquired with 4 Hz frequency. The measurements confirmed frequent early-morning and night formation of temperature inversion within boundary layer up to the height of 50 m. This rather shallow inversion had significant influence on air quality due to inversion cap over the valley. Nevertheless, formation of an inversion showed strong diurnal variability. For example, on the 18th Feb. early morning shallow inversion quickly disappeared within less than 2 hours. According to this study tethered balloon measurements has proved to be a good tool for completion comprehensive ground air quality measurements.

Water Collection from Air Humidity in Bahrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahman, Nidal A.; Al Juboori, Khalil J.; BuKamal, Eman A.; Ali, Fatima M.; AlSharooqi, Khadija K.; Al-Banna, Shaima A.

2017-11-01

The Kingdom of Bahrain falls geographically in one of the driest regions in the world. Conventional fresh surface water bodies, such as rivers and lakes, are nonexistent and for water consumption, Bahrain prominently relies on the desalination of sea water. This paper presents an ongoing project that is being pursued by a group of student and their advising professors to investigate the viability of extracting water from air humidity. Dehumidifiers have been utilized as water extraction devices. Those devices have been distributed on six areas that were selected based on a rigorous geospatial modeling of historical meteorological data. The areas fall in residential and industrial neighborhoods that are located in the main island and the island of Muharraq. Water samples have been collected three times every week since May of 2016 and the collection process will continue until May of 2017. The collected water samples have been analyzed against numerous variables individually and in combinations including: amount of water collected per hour versus geographical location, amount of water collected per hour versus meteorological factors, suitability of collected water for potable human consumption, detection of air pollution in the areas of collection and the economy of this method of water collection in comparison to other nonconventional methods. An overview of the completed analysis results is presented in this paper.

Bias Correction for Assimilation of Retrieved AIRS Profiles of Temperature and Humidity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakenship, Clay; Zavodsky, Bradley; Blackwell, William

2014-01-01

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a hyperspectral radiometer aboard NASA's Aqua satellite designed to measure atmospheric profiles of temperature and humidity. AIRS retrievals are assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model over the North Pacific for some cases involving "atmospheric rivers". These events bring a large flux of water vapor to the west coast of North America and often lead to extreme precipitation in the coastal mountain ranges. An advantage of assimilating retrievals rather than radiances is that information in partly cloudy fields of view can be used. Two different Level 2 AIRS retrieval products are compared: the Version 6 AIRS Science Team standard retrievals and a neural net retrieval from MIT. Before assimilation, a bias correction is applied to adjust each layer of retrieved temperature and humidity so the layer mean values agree with a short-term model climatology. WRF runs assimilating each of the products are compared against each other and against a control run with no assimilation. Forecasts are against ERA reanalyses.

Verification of Energy Reduction Effect through Control Optimization of Supply Air Temperature in VRF-OAP System

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

Lee, Je; Yoon, Hyun; Im, Piljae

This paper developed an algorithm that controls the supply air temperature in the variable refrigerant flow (VRF), outdoor air processing unit (OAP) system, according to indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, and verified the effects after applying the algorithm to real buildings. The VRF-OAP system refers to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to complement a ventilation function, which is not provided in the VRF system. It is a system that supplies air indoors by heat treatment of outdoor air through the OAP, as a number of indoor units and OAPs are connected to the outdoor unit inmore » the VRF system simultaneously. This paper conducted experiments with regard to changes in efficiency and the cooling capabilities of each unit and system according to supply air temperature in the OAP using a multicalorimeter. Based on these results, an algorithm that controlled the temperature of the supply air in the OAP was developed considering indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity. The algorithm was applied in the test building to verify the effects of energy reduction and the effects on indoor temperature and humidity. Loads were then changed by adjusting the number of conditioned rooms to verify the effect of the algorithm according to various load conditions. In the field test results, the energy reduction effect was approximately 15–17% at a 100% load, and 4–20% at a 75% load. However, no significant effects were shown at a 50% load. The indoor temperature and humidity reached a comfortable level.« less

Verification of Energy Reduction Effect through Control Optimization of Supply Air Temperature in VRF-OAP System

DOE PAGES

Lee, Je; Yoon, Hyun; Im, Piljae; ...

2017-12-27

This paper developed an algorithm that controls the supply air temperature in the variable refrigerant flow (VRF), outdoor air processing unit (OAP) system, according to indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, and verified the effects after applying the algorithm to real buildings. The VRF-OAP system refers to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to complement a ventilation function, which is not provided in the VRF system. It is a system that supplies air indoors by heat treatment of outdoor air through the OAP, as a number of indoor units and OAPs are connected to the outdoor unit inmore » the VRF system simultaneously. This paper conducted experiments with regard to changes in efficiency and the cooling capabilities of each unit and system according to supply air temperature in the OAP using a multicalorimeter. Based on these results, an algorithm that controlled the temperature of the supply air in the OAP was developed considering indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity. The algorithm was applied in the test building to verify the effects of energy reduction and the effects on indoor temperature and humidity. Loads were then changed by adjusting the number of conditioned rooms to verify the effect of the algorithm according to various load conditions. In the field test results, the energy reduction effect was approximately 15–17% at a 100% load, and 4–20% at a 75% load. However, no significant effects were shown at a 50% load. The indoor temperature and humidity reached a comfortable level.« less

Water vapor effect on high-temperature oxidation behavior of Fe3Al intermetallics

PubMed Central

Chevalier, Sebastian; Juzon, Pitor; Przybylski, Kazimierz; Larpin, Jean-Pierre

2009-01-01

Fe3Al intermetallics (Fe3Al, Fe3Al-Zr, Fe3Al-Zr,Mo and Fe3Al-Zr, Mo, Nb) were oxidized at 950 °C in dry and humid (11 vol% water) synthetic air. Thermogravimetric measurements showed that the oxidation rates of the tested intermetallics were lower in humid air than in dry air (especially for Fe3Al-Zr, Mo and Fe3Al-Zr, Mo, Nb). The addition of small amounts of Zr, Mo or Nb improved the kinetics compared with that of the undoped Fe3Al. Fe3Al showed massive spallation, whereas Fe3Al-Zr, Fe3Al-Zr, Mo and Fe3Al-Zr, Mo, Nb produced a flat, adherent oxide layer. The rapid transformation of transient alumina into alpha alumina may explain the decrease in the oxidation rate in humid air. PMID:27877306

Apparatus for investigating the reactions of soft-bodied invertebrates to controlled humidity gradients

PubMed Central

Russell, Joshua; Pierce-Shimomura, Jonathan T.

2015-01-01

Background While many studies have assayed behavioral responses of animals to chemical, temperature and light gradients, fewer studies have assayed how animals respond to humidity gradients. Our novel humidity chamber has allowed us to study the neuromolecular basis of humidity sensation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Russell et al. 2014). New Method We describe an easy-to-construct, low-cost humidity chamber to assay the behavior of small animals, including soft-bodied invertebrates, in controlled humidity gradients. Results We show that our humidity-chamber design is amenable to soft-bodied invertebrates and can produce reliable gradients ranging 0.3–8% RH/cm across a 9-cm long x 7.5-cm wide gel-covered arena. Comparison with Existing Method(s) Previous humidity chambers relied on circulating dry and moist air to produce a steep humidity gradient in a small arena (e.g. Sayeed & Benzer, 1996). To remove the confound of moving air that may elicit mechanical responses independent of humidity responses, our chamber controlled the humidity gradient using reservoirs of hygroscopic materials. Additionally, to better observe the behavioral mechanisms for humidity responses, our chamber provided a larger arena. Although similar chambers have been described previously, these approaches were not suitable for soft-bodied invertebrates or for easy imaging of behavior because they required that animals move across wire or fabric mesh. Conclusion The general applicability of our humidity chamber overcomes limitations of previous designs and opens the door to observe the behavioral responses of soft-bodied invertebrates, including genetically powerful C. elegans and Drosophila larvae. PMID:25176025

Influence of environment factors on humidity conditions of selected external wall solutions in a heated building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaczmarek, Anna

2017-10-01

Contemporary single-family houses in Poland are often built during 3 quarters of a year (spring to autumn) are usually settled in a winter season. It is a special case when exploitation humidity coincides with technological one, causing unfavourable humidity conditions during the first years of exploitation. In consequence, thermal parameters of partitions differ from those assumed in the project. In construction stage the humidity state of a wall stabilizes as a result of water: associated with storage, entered technologically during wall construction and plastering, coming from rainfall. Thermo-insulation materials are built-in at dry state. During erection and exploitation of a building their thermal conductivity is changing depending on humidity conditions. According to building rules, construction humidity should be removed from a partition before the building transfer to usage, because it lowers the thermal partition insulation ability and increases air humidity of building interior. Walls are plastered and insulated in condition of simultaneous presence of atmospheric and technological humidity which cause special humidity condition during first years of exploitation. As a consequence, heating costs are substantially higher. In this article the results of simulation are shown performed with WUFI ®PRO 5 software, which was intended to define the time necessary for reaching the stabilised humidity in selected solutions of two-layer walls applied in a heated building. In the research performed, the partition orientation along geographic directions, short and long wave radiation, and environment humidity (air humidity, driving rain) coincidence with technological humidity in assumed wall solutions were taken into account.

Sliding Wear and Fretting Wear of DLC-Based, Functionally Graded Nanocomposite Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, K.; Pohlchuck, B.; Street, Kenneth W.; Zabinski, J. S.; Sanders, J. H.; Voevodin, A. a.; Wu, R. L. C.

1999-01-01

Improving the tribological functionality of diamondlike carbon (DLC) films--developing, good wear resistance, low friction, and high load-carrying capacity-was the aim of this investigation. Nanocomposite coatings consisting of an amorphous DLC (a-DLC) top layer and a functionally graded titanium-titanium carbon-diamondlike carbon (Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC) underlayer were produced on AISI 440C stainless steel substrates by the hybrid technique of magnetron sputtering and pulsed-laser deposition. The resultant DLC films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and surface profilometry. Two types of wear experiment were conducted in this investioation: sliding friction experiments and fretting wear experiments. Unidirectional ball-on-disk sliding friction experiments were conducted to examine the wear behavior of an a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC-coated AISI 440C stainless steel disk in sliding contact with a 6-mm-diameter AISI 440C stainless steel ball in ultrahigh vacuum, dry nitrogen, and humid air. Although the wear rates for both the coating and ball were low in all three environments, the humid air and dry nitrogen caused mild wear with burnishing, in the a-DLC top layer, and the ultrahigh vacuum caused relatively severe wear with brittle fracture in both the a-DLC top layer and the Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC underlayer. For reference, amorphous hydrogenated carbon (H-DLC) films produced on a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC nanocomposite coatings by using an ion beam were also examined in the same manner. The H-DLC films markedly reduced friction even in ultrahigh vacuum without sacrificing wear resistance. The H-DLC films behaved much like the a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC nanocomposite coating in dry nitrogen and humid air, presenting low friction and low wear. Fretting wear experiments were conducted in humid air (approximately 50% relative humidity) at a frequency of 80 Hz and an amplitude of 75 micron on an a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC-coated AISI 440C disk and on a titanium-6 wt % aluminum-4 wt% vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) flat, both in contact with a 9.4-mm-diameter, hemispherical Ti-6Al-4V pin. The resistance to fretting wear and damage of the a-DLC/Ti-6Al-4V materials pair was superior to that of the Ti-6Al-4V/Ti-6AI-4V materials pair.

[Effects of urban river width on the temperature and humidity of nearby green belts in summer].

PubMed

Ji, Peng; Zhu, Chun-Yang; Li, Shu-Hua

2012-03-01

As an important part of urban ecosystem, urban river plays a vital role in improving urban ecological environment. By the methods of small scale quantitative measurement, this paper analyzed the effects of seven urban rivers with different widths along the Third to Fifth Ring in Beijing on the air temperature and relative humidity of nearby green belts. The results showed that urban river width was the main factor affecting the temperature and humidity of nearby green belts. When the river had a width of 8 m, it had no effects in decreasing temperature but definite effects in increasing humidity; when the river width was 14-33 m, obvious effects were observed in decreasing temperature and increasing humidity; when the river had a width larger than 40 m, the effects in decreasing temperature and increasing humidity were significant and tended to be stable. There existed significant differences in the temperature and humidity between the green belts near the seven rivers and the corresponding controls. The critical width of urban river for the obvious effects in decreasing temperature and increasing humidity was 44 m. The regression equation of the temperature (x) and humidity (y) for the seven green belts nearby the urban rivers in summer was y = 173.191-3.247x, with the relative humidity increased by 1.0% when the air temperature decreased by about 0.3 degrees C.

Humidity control and hydrophilic glue coating applied to mounted protein crystals improves X-ray diffraction experiments

PubMed Central

Baba, Seiki; Hoshino, Takeshi; Ito, Len; Kumasaka, Takashi

2013-01-01

Protein crystals are fragile, and it is sometimes difficult to find conditions suitable for handling and cryocooling the crystals before conducting X-ray diffraction experiments. To overcome this issue, a protein crystal-mounting method has been developed that involves a water-soluble polymer and controlled humid air that can adjust the moisture content of a mounted crystal. By coating crystals with polymer glue and exposing them to controlled humid air, the crystals were stable at room temperature and were cryocooled under optimized humidity. Moreover, the glue-coated crystals reproducibly showed gradual transformations of their lattice constants in response to a change in humidity; thus, using this method, a series of isomorphous crystals can be prepared. This technique is valuable when working on fragile protein crystals, including membrane proteins, and will also be useful for multi-crystal data collection. PMID:23999307

A cellulose liquid crystal motor: a steam engine of the second kind

PubMed Central

Geng, Yong; Almeida, Pedro Lúcio; Fernandes, Susete Nogueira; Cheng, Cheng; Palffy-Muhoray, Peter; Godinho, Maria Helena

2013-01-01

The salient feature of liquid crystal elastomers and networks is strong coupling between orientational order and mechanical strain. Orientational order can be changed by a wide variety of stimuli, including the presence of moisture. Changes in the orientation of constituents give rise to stresses and strains, which result in changes in sample shape. We have utilized this effect to build soft cellulose-based motor driven by humidity. The motor consists of a circular loop of cellulose film, which passes over two wheels. When humid air is present near one of the wheels on one side of the film, with drier air elsewhere, rotation of the wheels results. As the wheels rotate, the humid film dries. The motor runs so long as the difference in humidity is maintained. Our cellulose liquid crystal motor thus extracts mechanical work from a difference in humidity. PMID:23293743

A cellulose liquid crystal motor: a steam engine of the second kind.

PubMed

Geng, Yong; Almeida, Pedro Lúcio; Fernandes, Susete Nogueira; Cheng, Cheng; Palffy-Muhoray, Peter; Godinho, Maria Helena

2013-01-01

The salient feature of liquid crystal elastomers and networks is strong coupling between orientational order and mechanical strain. Orientational order can be changed by a wide variety of stimuli, including the presence of moisture. Changes in the orientation of constituents give rise to stresses and strains, which result in changes in sample shape. We have utilized this effect to build soft cellulose-based motor driven by humidity. The motor consists of a circular loop of cellulose film, which passes over two wheels. When humid air is present near one of the wheels on one side of the film, with drier air elsewhere, rotation of the wheels results. As the wheels rotate, the humid film dries. The motor runs so long as the difference in humidity is maintained. Our cellulose liquid crystal motor thus extracts mechanical work from a difference in humidity.

A Study of Mesoscale Probability Forecasting Performance Based on an Advanced Image Display System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-30

CLASSIFICATION lb. RESTRICTIVE MARKINGS Uncl assified 2&. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY 3. DISTRIBUTION/AVAI LABILITY OF REPORT 2b. DE CLASSI FICAT... sensors in the surface network, an air-to-ground lightning detection system, and NWS 6Brown, R. C., 1983: Anatomy of a nesoscale instrumentation system...W. B. Sweezy, R. G. Strauch, E. R. Westwater, and C. G. Little, 1983: An automatic Profiler of the temperatura , wind, and humidity in the troposphere

Instruments for measuring the amount of moisture in the air

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, D. L.

1978-01-01

A summarization and discussion of the many systems available for measuring moisture in the atmosphere is presented. Conventional methods used in the field of meteorology and methods used in the laboratory are discussed. Performance accuracies, and response of the instruments were reviewed as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. Methods of measuring humidity aloft by instrumentation onboard aircraft and balloons are given, in addition to the methods used to measure moisture at the Earth's surface.

Design, Packaging and Reliability of MEMS S&A Components and Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-26

different parameters on stiction likelihood has been studied. The parameters are relative humidity, contact angles, surface roughness, Hamaker constant...cutoff distance of the attractive Van der Waals interaction d, =.2 nm Ah. is the Hamaker media of the materials of the sphere and the half space...interaction in air. Ah.. is the Hamaker media of the materials of the sphere and the half space interaction in water. Hamaker constant can be found using

Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase-Protected LixSi Nanoparticles: An Efficient and Stable Prelithiation Reagent for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Zhao, Jie; Lu, Zhenda; Wang, Haotian; Liu, Wei; Lee, Hyun-Wook; Yan, Kai; Zhuo, Denys; Lin, Dingchang; Liu, Nian; Cui, Yi

2015-07-08

Prelithiation is an important strategy to compensate for lithium loss in lithium-ion batteries, particularly during the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) from reduced electrolytes in the first charging cycle. We recently demonstrated that LixSi nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by thermal alloying can serve as a high-capacity prelithiation reagent, although their chemical stability in the battery processing environment remained to be improved. Here we successfully developed a surface modification method to enhance the stability of LixSi NPs by exploiting the reduction of 1-fluorodecane on the LixSi surface to form a continuous and dense coating through a reaction process similar to SEI formation. The coating, consisting of LiF and lithium alkyl carbonate with long hydrophobic carbon chains, serves as an effective passivation layer in the ambient environment. Remarkably, artificial-SEI-protected LixSi NPs show a high prelithiation capacity of 2100 mA h g(-1) with negligible capacity decay in dry air after 5 days and maintain a high capacity of 1600 mA h g(-1) in humid air (∼10% relative humidity). Silicon, tin, and graphite were successfully prelithiated with these NPs to eliminate the irreversible first-cycle capacity loss. The use of prelithiation reagents offers a new approach to realize next-generation high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.

Comparison of the meteorology and surface energy fluxes of debris-free and debris-covered glaciers in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W.

2017-12-01

Knowledge of the meteorology and energy fluxes of debris-free and debris-covered glaciers is important for understanding the varying response of glaciers to climate change. Field measurements at the debris-free Parlung No. 4 Glacier and the debris-covered 24K Glacier in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau were carried out to compare the meteorology and surface energy fluxes and to understand the factors controlling the melting process. The meteorological comparisons displayed temporally synchronous fluctuations in air temperature, relative humidity, incoming longwave radiation (Lin), but notable differences in precipitation, incoming shortwave radiation (Sin) and wind speed. Under the prevailing regional precipitation and debris conditions, more Lin (42 W/m2) was supplied from warmer and more humid air and more Sin (58 W/m2) was absorbed at the 24K Glacier. The relatively high energy supply led mainly to an increased energy output via turbulent heat fluxes and outgoing longwave radiation, rather than glacier melting beneath the thick debris. The sensitivity experiment showed that melting rates were sensitive to variations in energy supply with debris thicknesses of less than 10 cm. In contrast, energy supply to the ablation zone of the Parlung No. 4 Glacier mainly resulted in snow/ice melting, the magnitude of which was significantly influenced by the energy supplied by Sin and the sensible heat flux.

Effect of air humidification on the sick building syndrome and perceived indoor air quality in hospitals: a four month longitudinal study.

PubMed Central

Nordström, K; Norbäck, D; Akselsson, R

1994-01-01

The sensation of dryness and irritation is essential in the sick building syndrome (SBS), and such symptoms are common in both office and hospital employees. In Scandinavia, the indoor relative humidity in well ventilated buildings is usually in the range 10-35% in winter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of steam air humidification on SBS and perceived air quality during the heating season. The study base consisted of a dynamic population of 104 hospital employees, working in four new and well ventilated geriatric hospital units in southern Sweden. Air humidification raised the relative air humidity to 40-45% in two units during a four months period, whereas the other two units served as controls with relative humidity from 25-35%. Symptoms and perceived indoor air quality were measured before and after the study period by a standardised self administered questionnaire. The technical measurements comprised room temperature, air humidity, static electricity, exhaust air flow, aerosols, microorganisms, and volatile organic compounds in the air. The most pronounced effect of the humidification was a significant decrease of the sensation of air dryness, static electricity, and airway symptoms. After four months of air humidification during the heating season, 24% reported a weekly sensation of dryness in humidified units, compared with 73% in controls. No significant changes in symptoms of SBS or perceived air quality over time were found in the control group. The room temperature in all units was between 21-23 degrees C, and no significant effect of air humidification on the air concentration of aerosols or volatile organic compounds was found. No growth of microorganisms was found in the supply air ducts, and no legionella bacteria were found in the supply water of the humidifier. Air humidification, however, significantly reduced the measured personal exposure to static electricity. It is concluded that air humidification during the heating season in colder climates can decrease symptoms of SBS and perception of dry air. PMID:8000493

Laboratory evaluation of 10 heat and moisture exchangers using simulated aeromedical evacuation conditions.

PubMed

Suliman, Huda S; Fecura, Stephen E; Baskin, Jonathan; Kalns, John E

2011-06-01

Heat and moisture exchangers (HMEs) are used for airway humidification in mechanically ventilated patients and have been evaluated only under hospital conditions. U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation transports are performed under rugged conditions further complicated by the cold and dry environment in military aircrafts, and HMEs are used to provide airway humidification for patients. This study evaluated 10 commercial HMEs using a test system that simulated aeromedical evacuation conditions. Although the American National Standards Institute recommends inspired air to be at an absolute humidity value of > or = 30 mg/L for mechanically ventilated patients, the highest absolute humidity by any HME was approximately 20 mg/L. Although none of the HMEs were able to maintain a temperature high enough to achieve the humidity standard of the American National Standards Institute, the clinical significance of this standard may be less important than the relative humidity maintained in the respired air, especially on evacuation flights of short duration.

Design of a solar energy assisted air conditioning system

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

Varlet, J.L.P.; Johnson, B.R.; Vora, J.N.

1976-03-24

Energy consumption in air conditioning systems can be reduced by reducing the water content of air before cooling. This reduction in humidity can be accomplished by contacting the humid air with a hygroscopic solution in a spray tower. The hydroscopic solution, diluted by water from the air, can be reconcentrated in a solar evaporator. A solar evaporator for this purpose was evaluated by formulating simultaneous energy and mass balances for forced air convection through the evaporator. Temperatures in the evaporator were calculated by numerical integration of the mathematical model. The calculations indicated that the salt solution cannot be reconcentrated inmore » a forced convection evaporator because of the large energy losses associated with the air stream passing through the evaporator.« less

Effects of cold front passage on turbulent fluxes over a large inland water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q.; Liu, H.

2011-12-01

Turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat over a large inland water in southern USA were measured using the eddy covariance method through the year of 2008. In addition, net radiation, air temperatures and relative humidity, and water temperature in different depths were also measured. The specific objective of this study is to examine effects of a cold front passage on the surface energy fluxes. For the typical cold front event selected from April 11 to 14, air temperature decreased by 16°C, while surface temperature only dropped 6°C. Atmospheric vapor pressure decreased by 1.6 kPa, while that in the water-air interface dropped 0.7 kPa. The behavior difference in the water-air interface was caused by the passage of cold, dry air masses immediately behind the cold front. During the cold front event, sensible heat and latent heat flux increased by 171 W m-2 and 284 W m-2, respectively. Linear aggression analysis showed that the sensible heat flux was proportional to the product of wind speed and the temperature gradient of water-air interface, with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. Latent heat flux was proportional to the product of wind speed and vapor pressure difference between the water surface and overlaying atmosphere, with a correlation coefficient of 0.81. Also, the correlations between both fluxes and the wind speed were weak. This result indicated that the strong wind associated with the cold front event contributed to the turbulent mixing, which indirectly enhanced surface energy exchange between the water surface and the atmosphere. The relationship between the water heat storage energy and turbulent fluxes was also examined.

Analysis of Heat Stress and the Indoor Climate Control Requirements for Movable Refuge Chambers

PubMed Central

Hao, Xiaoli; Guo, Chenxin; Lin, Yaolin; Wang, Haiqiao; Liu, Heqing

2016-01-01

Movable refuge chambers are a new kind of rescue device for underground mining, which is believed to have a potential positive impact on reducing the rate of fatalities. It is likely to be hot and humid inside a movable refuge chamber due to the metabolism of trapped miners, heat generated by equipment and heat transferred from outside. To investigate the heat stress experienced by miners trapped in a movable refuge chamber, the predicted heat strain (PHS) model was used to simulate the heat transfer process between the person and the thermal environment. The variations of heat stress with the temperature and humidity inside the refuge chamber were analyzed. The effects of air temperature outside the refuge chamber and the overall heat transfer coefficient of the refuge chamber shell on the heat stress inside the refuge chamber was also investigated. The relationship between the limit of exposure duration and the air temperature and humidity was numerically analyzed to determine the upper limits of temperature and humidity inside a refuge chamber. Air temperature of 32 °C and relative humidity of 70% are recommended as the design standard for internal thermal environment control of movable refuge chambers. PMID:27213422

Variations in incubator temperature and humidity management: a survey of current practice.

PubMed

Deguines, C; Décima, P; Pelletier, A; Dégrugilliers, L; Ghyselen, L; Tourneux, P

2012-03-01

To describe and assess routine procedures and practices for incubator temperature and humidity management in France in 2009. A questionnaire was sent to all the 186 neonatal care units in France. The questionnaire return rate was 86%. Seventy-five per cent of the units preferred skin servo-control to air temperature control in routine practice. Air temperature control was mainly used for infants with a gestational age of more than 28 weeks and aged over 7 days of life. In general, thermal management decisions did not depend on the infant's age but were based on a protocol applied specifically by each unit. All units humidified the incubator air, but there was a large difference between the lowest and highest reported humidity values (45% and 100% assumed to be a maximal value, respectively). More than 65% of the units used a fixed humidity value, rather than a variable, protocol-derived value. We observed large variations in incubator temperature and humidity management approaches from one neonatal care unit to another. There is a need for more evidence to better inform practice. A task force should be formed to guide clinical practice. © 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Analysis of Heat Stress and the Indoor Climate Control Requirements for Movable Refuge Chambers.

PubMed

Hao, Xiaoli; Guo, Chenxin; Lin, Yaolin; Wang, Haiqiao; Liu, Heqing

2016-05-20

Movable refuge chambers are a new kind of rescue device for underground mining, which is believed to have a potential positive impact on reducing the rate of fatalities. It is likely to be hot and humid inside a movable refuge chamber due to the metabolism of trapped miners, heat generated by equipment and heat transferred from outside. To investigate the heat stress experienced by miners trapped in a movable refuge chamber, the predicted heat strain (PHS) model was used to simulate the heat transfer process between the person and the thermal environment. The variations of heat stress with the temperature and humidity inside the refuge chamber were analyzed. The effects of air temperature outside the refuge chamber and the overall heat transfer coefficient of the refuge chamber shell on the heat stress inside the refuge chamber was also investigated. The relationship between the limit of exposure duration and the air temperature and humidity was numerically analyzed to determine the upper limits of temperature and humidity inside a refuge chamber. Air temperature of 32 °C and relative humidity of 70% are recommended as the design standard for internal thermal environment control of movable refuge chambers.

Natural convection liquid desiccant loop as an auxiliary air conditioning system: investigating the operational parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazilati, Mohammad Ali; Alemrajabi, Ali Akbar; Sedaghat, Ahmad

2018-03-01

Liquid desiccant air conditioning system with natural convection was presented previously as a new generation of AC systems. The system consists of two three-fluid energy exchangers namely absorber and regenerator in which the action of air dehumidifying and desiccant regeneration is done, respectively. The influence of working parameters on system performance including the heat source and heat sink temperature, concentration of desiccant solution fills the system initially and humidity content of inlet air to regenerator is investigated experimentally. The heat source temperatures of 50 °C and 60 °C, heat sink temperatures of 15 °C and 20 °C and desiccant concentrations of 30% and 34%, are examined here. The inlet air to regenerator has temperature of 38.5 °C and three relative humidity of 14%, 38% and 44%. In all experiments, the inlet air to absorber has temperature of 31 °C and relative humidity of 75%. By inspecting evaluation indexes of system, it is revealed that higher startup desiccant concentration solution is more beneficial for all study cases. It is also observed although the highest/lowest temperature heat source/heat sink is most suitable for best system operation, increasing the heat source temperature should be accompanied with decreasing heat sink temperature. Using drier air stream for regenerator inlet does not necessarily improve system performance; and the air stream with proper value of humidity content should be employed. Finally after running the system in its best working condition, the coefficient of performance (COP) reached 4.66 which verified to be higher than when the same air conditioning task done by a conventional vapor compression system, in which case the COP was 3.38.

Indoor Environment in Residential Prefabricated Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, Michal; Juhásová Šenitková, Ingrid

2017-10-01

The contribution presents results of the experimental measurement of indoor air quality in residential prefabricated buildings. People spend about 90% of their life in the indoor environment of buildings. Hygrothermal parameters and indoor air quality are the essential component that define the quality of the indoor environment. The results of case study characterize the quality of the indoor environment of the ordinary occupants in housing unit of residential prefabricated building. A current problem of revitalized prefabricated buildings is inadequate air exchange and related thereto to poor indoor air quality. The experimental measurements were carried out just before and at the beginning of the heating season (from 1st October to 30th November 2016). Heating season was launched in the middle of experimental measurement. The wireless indoor sensor Elgato Eve Room was used for measurements. The obtained values of indoor air temperature [°C], relative humidity [%] and indoor air quality [ppm] are describe and analysis in this study. The results of the study indicate that the values of temperature and indoor air quality meet optimal levels during the experiment with nuances. The mean air temperature in the indoor environment is 22.43 °C. The temperature of the indoor environment is held at the optimum level (18-24 °C) for 94.50% time of the experimental measurements. In addition, the indoor air quality in the context of the content of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been excellent for almost 91% time of the total experiment. However, the values of relative humidity were less than the optimum value nearly 40% of the total observed time. The mean 10-minutes values of relative humidity during the heating season is about 10% lower than the mean 10-minutes relative humidity before the heating season.

Improving the performance of air-conditioning systems in an ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) climate

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

Busch, J.F.; Warren, M.L.

1988-09-01

This paper describes an analysis of air conditioning performance under hot and humid tropical climate conditions appropriate to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. This region, with over 280 million people, has one of the fastest economic and energy consumption growth rates in the world. The work reported here is aimed at estimating the conservation potential derived from good design and control of air conditioning systems in commercial buildings. To test the performance of different air conditioning system types and control options, whole building energy performance was simulated using DOE-2. The 5100 m/sup 2/ (50,000 ft/sup 2/)more » prototype office building module was previously used in earlier commercial building energy standards analysis for Malaysia and Singapore. In general, the weather pattern for ASEAN countries is uniform, with hot and humid air masses known as ''monsoons'' dictating the weather patterns. Since a concentration of cities occurs near the tip of the Malay peninsula, hourly temperature, humidity, and wind speed data for Kuala Lumpur was used for the analysis. Because of the absence of heating loads in ASEAN regions, we have limited air conditioning configurations to two pipe fan coil, constant volume, variable air volume, powered induction, and ceiling bypass configurations. Control strategies were varied to determine the conservation potential in both energy use and peak electric power demands. Sensitivities including fan control, pre-cooling and night ventilation, supply air temperature control, zone temperature set point, ventilation and infiltration, daylighting and internal gains, and system sizing were examined and compared with a base case which was a variable air volume system with no reheat or economizer. Comfort issues, such as over-cooling and space humidity, were also examined.« less

40 CFR 86.344-79 - Humidity calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... = Web-bulb temperature (°K) B = − 12.150799 F 0 = − 8.49922(10)3 F 1 = − 7.4231865(10)3 F 2 = 96.1635147...). ER06OC93.088 Figure D79-5—Saturation Vapor Pressure Over Water (pascals) Temperature °C 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4... = barometric pressure (Pa) H = specific humidity, (gm H2O/gm of dry air) K = 0.6220 gm H2O/gm dry air M air...

40 CFR 86.344-79 - Humidity calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... = Web-bulb temperature (°K) B = − 12.150799 F 0 = − 8.49922(10)3 F 1 = − 7.4231865(10)3 F 2 = 96.1635147...). ER06OC93.088 Figure D79-5—Saturation Vapor Pressure Over Water (pascals) Temperature °C 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4... = barometric pressure (Pa) H = specific humidity, (gm H2O/gm of dry air) K = 0.6220 gm H2O/gm dry air M air...

Post-discharge gas composition of a large-gap DBD in humid air by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moiseev, T.; Misra, N. N.; Patil, S.; Cullen, P. J.; Bourke, P.; Keener, K. M.; Mosnier, J. P.

2014-12-01

Large gap dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) provide non-thermal, non-equilibrium plasmas that can generate specific gas chemistry with enhanced bactericidal effects when working in humid air. The present study investigates the post-discharge gas composition of such plasmas operated in humid air using UV-Vis (200-800 nm) absorption spectroscopy. Absorbance spectra have been de-convoluted using direct deconvolution and iterative methods and results are correlated to the DBD electrical parameters. The high-voltage (56 and 70 kV rms) DBD plasma generated at 50 Hz frequency in a closed container over a 20 mm gap in air with relative humidity (RH) of 5-70% has been characterized by I-V and capacitive methods. The post-discharge gas composition at each RH is assessed by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy for plasma exposure times of 15-120 s. The concentration of ozone and nitrogen oxides (O3, NO2, NO3, N2O4) increases with plasma exposure time but a strong decrease in [O3] levels is obtained with increase in RH. The decrease in [O3] and an abundance of nitrogen oxides is ascribed to high specific power densities in the closed container and to increasing RH levels. The absorbance residual following deconvolution shows a strong band at 230-270 nm consistent with the presence of pernitric acid (HNO4) and other HNOx (x = 1, 3) species. Humid air large gap DBD plasmas in closed containers generate along with O3, high levels of nitrogen oxides and HNOx (x = 1, 4) acids leading to increased bactericidal rates.

Analyte detection with Cu-BTC metal-organic framework thin films by means of mass-sensitive and work-function-based readout.

PubMed

Davydovskaya, Polina; Ranft, Annekatrin; Lotsch, Bettina V; Pohle, Roland

2014-07-15

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) constitute a new generation of porous crystalline materials, which have recently come into focus as analyte-specific active elements in thin-film sensor devices. Cu-BTC--also known as HKUST-1--is one of the most theoretically and experimentally investigated members of the MOF family. Its capability to selectively adsorb different gas molecules renders this material a promising candidate for applications in chemical gas and vapor sensing. Here, we explore details of the host-guest interactions between HKUST-1 and various analytes under different environmental conditions and study the vapor adsorption mechanism by mass-sensitive and work-function-based readouts. These complementary transduction mechanisms were successfully applied for the detection of low ppm (2 to 50 ppm) concentrations of different alcohols (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and 2-propanol) adsorbed into Cu-BTC thin films. Evaluation of the results allows for the comparison of the amounts of adsorbed vapors and the contribution of each vapor to the changes of the electronic properties of Cu-BTC. The influence of the length of the alcohol chain (C1-C3) and geometry (1-propanol, 2-propanol) as well as their polarity on the sensing performance was investigated, revealing that in dry air, short chain alcohols are more likely adsorbed than long chain alcohols, whereas in humid air, this preference is changed, and the sensitivity toward alcohols is generally decreased. The adsorption mechanism is revealed to differ for dry and humid atmospheres, changing from a site-specific binding of alcohols to the open metal sites under dry conditions to weak physisorption of the analytes dissolved in surface-adsorbed water reservoirs in humid air, with the signal strength being governed by their relative concentration.

Improving prediction of conditions that modulate dengue fever risks in Yucatán, México.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laureano-Rosario, A. E.; Garcia-Rejon, J. E.; Gomez-Carro, S.; Farfan-Ale, J.; Muller-Karger, F. E.

2015-12-01

Accurately predicting vector-borne diseases is essential for communities everywhere around the world. Yet this is a difficult task, even in areas where annual epidemics occur. The primary vector for dengue virus disease (DENV) is Aedes aegypti. This is a tropical-subtropical mosquito that proliferates in urban areas. Precipitation and increased temperatures are known to promote growth, reproduction and transmission of DENV. This study assesses potential health risks on coastal communities in the northwest Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. We studied the relation between DENV incidences and environmental data. We hypothesized that environmental parameters such as rainfall, sea surface temperature (SST), air temperature, humidity, and past DENV cases are the primary drivers of DENV incidences. We collected DENV data from the National Health Information System and demographic data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Precipitation and air temperature were obtained from the National Water Commission. SST was derived from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite sensor. In addition, incidence of DENV cases per year was calculated. Multiple regression analyses show that previous DENV cases, minimum air temperature, humidity, and precipitation are positively related to DENV cases and explain 82% of the variation, with 77% explained by previous DENV cases (cases that took place 2-weeks before the target). A second regression model without the previous DENV cases showed 30% of the variation explained by humidity and precipitation (p<0.05). Satellite-derived SST was also included to test whether the percent variation of DENV explained increased. These results imply that if these environmental variables continue to increase with time, the trend of DENV cases will also increase. This study suggests that it is possible to significantly improve DENV prevention and prediction of potential outcomes in Yucatan using remote sensing data.

A simple analytical method to estimate all exit parameters of a cross-flow air dehumidifier using liquid desiccant

PubMed Central

Bassuoni, M.M.

2013-01-01

The dehumidifier is a key component in liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems. Analytical solutions have more advantages than numerical solutions in studying the dehumidifier performance parameters. This paper presents the performance results of exit parameters from an analytical model of an adiabatic cross-flow liquid desiccant air dehumidifier. Calcium chloride is used as desiccant material in this investigation. A program performing the analytical solution is developed using the engineering equation solver software. Good accuracy has been found between analytical solution and reliable experimental results with a maximum deviation of +6.63% and −5.65% in the moisture removal rate. The method developed here can be used in the quick prediction of the dehumidifier performance. The exit parameters from the dehumidifier are evaluated under the effects of variables such as air temperature and humidity, desiccant temperature and concentration, and air to desiccant flow rates. The results show that hot humid air and desiccant concentration have the greatest impact on the performance of the dehumidifier. The moisture removal rate is decreased with increasing both air inlet temperature and desiccant temperature while increases with increasing air to solution mass ratio, inlet desiccant concentration, and inlet air humidity ratio. PMID:25685485

Visible and Near-IR Reflectance Spectra of Smectite Acquired Under Dry Conditions for Interpretation of Martian Surface Mineralogy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Richard V.; Achilles, Cherie N; Archer, Paul D.; Graff, Trevor G.; Agresti, David G.; Ming, Douglas W; Golden, Dadi C.; Mertzman, Stanley A.

2011-01-01

Visible and near-IR (VNIR) spectra from the MEx OMEGA and the MRO CRISM hyper-spectral imaging instruments have spectral features associated with the H2O molecule and M OH functional groups (M = Mg, Fe, Al, and Si). Mineralogical assignments of martian spectral features are made on the basis of laboratory VNIR spectra, which were often acquired under ambient (humid) conditions. Smectites like nontronite, saponite, and montmorillionite have interlayer H2O that is exchangeable with their environment, and we have acquired smectite reflectance spectra under dry environmental conditions for interpretation of martian surface mineralogy. We also obtained chemical, Moessbauer (MB), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric (TG) data to understand variations in spectral properties. VNIR spectra were recorded in humid lab air at 25-35C, in a dynamic dry N2 atmosphere (50-150 ppmv H2O) after exposing the smectite samples (5 nontronites, 3 montmorillionites, and 1 saponite) to that atmosphere for up to approximately l000 hr each at 25-35C, approximately 105C, and approximately 215C, and after re-exposure to humid lab air. Heating at 105C and 215C for approximately 1000 hr is taken as a surrogate for geologic time scales at lower temperatures. Upon exposure to dry N2, the position and intensity of spectral features associated with M-OH were relatively insensitive to the dry environment, and the spectral features associated with H2O (e.g., approximately 1.90 micrometers) decreased in intensity and are sometimes not detectable by the end of the 215C heating step. The position and intensity of H2O spectral features recovered upon re-exposure to lab air. XRD data show interlayer collapse for the nontronites and Namontmorillionites, with the interlayer remaining collapsed for the latter after re-exposure to lab air. The interlayer did not collapse for the saponite and Ca-montmorillionite. TG data show that the concentration of H2O derived from structural OH was invariant to the dry N2 treatment for saponite and the montmorillionites, but the nontronites had additional structural OH after treatment. Upon exposure to dry N2, the VNIR spectra also acquired a red slope with decreasing albedo between approximately 0.4 and approximately 2.0 micrometers. The magnitude of the effects covaries with exposure time to dry N2 and heating temperature. Upon re-exposure to lab air, the slope and albedo do not completely recover to pre-exposure values. MB data show that these effects do not result from partial reduction of ferric to ferrous iron, and TG data show they do not result from loss of structural OH. Possible explanations include formation of small clusters of (superparamagnetic) ferric oxide and reduced smectite crystallinity. The difference in spectral properties between spectra acquired in humid lab air and under dry conditions are consequential for interpretation of CRISM and OMEGA spectra. For example, nontronite by itself and not nontronite plus ferrihydrite can account for the red spectral slope in martian spectra where nontronite is indicated by the Fe-OH spectral features.

Effects of humidity and surfaces on the melt crystallization of ibuprofen.

PubMed

Lee, Dong-Joo; Lee, Suyang; Kim, Il Won

2012-01-01

Melt crystallization of ibuprofen was studied to understand the effects of humidity and surfaces. The molecular self-assembly during the amorphous-to-crystal transformation was examined in terms of the nucleation and growth of the crystals. The crystallization was on Al, Au, and self-assembled monolayers with -CH(3), -OH, and -COOH functional groups. Effects of the humidity were studied at room temperature (18-20 °C) with relative humidity 33%, 75%, and 100%. Effects of the surfaces were observed at -20 °C (relative humidity 36%) to enable close monitoring with slower crystal growth. The nucleation time of ibuprofen was faster at high humidity conditions probably due to the local formation of the unfavorable ibuprofen melt/water interface. The crystal morphologies of ibuprofen were governed by the nature of the surfaces, and they could be associated with the growth kinetics by the Avrami equation. The current study demonstrated the effective control of the melt crystallization of ibuprofen through the melt/atmosphere and melt/surface interfaces.

Emergent relation between surface vapor conductance and relative humidity profiles yields evaporation rates from weather data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvucci, Guido D.; Gentine, Pierre

2013-04-01

The ability to predict terrestrial evapotranspiration (E) is limited by the complexity of rate-limiting pathways as water moves through the soil, vegetation (roots, xylem, stomata), canopy air space, and the atmospheric boundary layer. The impossibility of specifying the numerous parameters required to model this process in full spatial detail has necessitated spatially upscaled models that depend on effective parameters such as the surface vapor conductance (Csurf). Csurf accounts for the biophysical and hydrological effects on diffusion through the soil and vegetation substrate. This approach, however, requires either site-specific calibration of Csurf to measured E, or further parameterization based on metrics such as leaf area, senescence state, stomatal conductance, soil texture, soil moisture, and water table depth. Here, we show that this key, rate-limiting, parameter can be estimated from an emergent relationship between the diurnal cycle of the relative humidity profile and E. The relation is that the vertical variance of the relative humidity profile is less than would occur for increased or decreased evaporation rates, suggesting that land-atmosphere feedback processes minimize this variance. It is found to hold over a wide range of climate conditions (arid-humid) and limiting factors (soil moisture, leaf area, energy). With this relation, estimates of E and Csurf can be obtained globally from widely available meteorological measurements, many of which have been archived since the early 1900s. In conjunction with precipitation and stream flow, long-term E estimates provide insights and empirical constraints on projected accelerations of the hydrologic cycle.

Emergent relation between surface vapor conductance and relative humidity profiles yields evaporation rates from weather data.

PubMed

Salvucci, Guido D; Gentine, Pierre

2013-04-16

The ability to predict terrestrial evapotranspiration (E) is limited by the complexity of rate-limiting pathways as water moves through the soil, vegetation (roots, xylem, stomata), canopy air space, and the atmospheric boundary layer. The impossibility of specifying the numerous parameters required to model this process in full spatial detail has necessitated spatially upscaled models that depend on effective parameters such as the surface vapor conductance (C(surf)). C(surf) accounts for the biophysical and hydrological effects on diffusion through the soil and vegetation substrate. This approach, however, requires either site-specific calibration of C(surf) to measured E, or further parameterization based on metrics such as leaf area, senescence state, stomatal conductance, soil texture, soil moisture, and water table depth. Here, we show that this key, rate-limiting, parameter can be estimated from an emergent relationship between the diurnal cycle of the relative humidity profile and E. The relation is that the vertical variance of the relative humidity profile is less than would occur for increased or decreased evaporation rates, suggesting that land-atmosphere feedback processes minimize this variance. It is found to hold over a wide range of climate conditions (arid-humid) and limiting factors (soil moisture, leaf area, energy). With this relation, estimates of E and C(surf) can be obtained globally from widely available meteorological measurements, many of which have been archived since the early 1900s. In conjunction with precipitation and stream flow, long-term E estimates provide insights and empirical constraints on projected accelerations of the hydrologic cycle.

Significance of air humidity and air velocity for fungal spore release into the air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasanen, A.-L.; Pasanen, P.; Jantunen, M. J.; Kalliokoski, P.

Our previous field studies have shown that the presence of molds in buildings does not necessarily mean elevated airborne spore counts. Therefore, we investigated the release of fungal spores from cultures of Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium sp. and Cladosporium sp. at different air velocities and air humidities. Spores of A. fumigatus and Penicillium sp. were released from conidiophores already at air velocity of 0.5 ms -1, whereas Cladosporium spores required at least a velocity of 1.0 ms -1. Airborne spore counts of A. fumigatus and Penicillium sp. were usually higher in dry than moist air, being minimal at relative humidities (r.h.) above 70%, while the effect of r.h. on the release of Cladosporium sp. was ambivalent. The geometric mean diameter of released spores increased when the r.h. exceeded a certain level which depends on fungal genus. Thus, spores of all three fungi were hygroscopic but the hygroscopicity of various spores appeared at different r.h.-ranges. This study indicates that spore release is controlled by external factors and depends on fungal genus which can be one reason for considerable variation of airborne spore counts in buildings with mold problems.

Growing importance of atmospheric water demands on the hydrologcial condition of East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, C. E.; Ho, C. H.; Jeong, S. J.; Park, H.

2015-12-01

As global temperature increases, enhanced exchange of fresh water between the surface and atmosphere expected to make dry regions drier and wet regions wetter. This concept is well fitted for the ocean, but oversimplified for the land. How the climate change causes the complex patterns of the continental dryness change is one of challenging questions. Here we investigate the observed dryness changes of the land surface by examining the quantitative influence of several climate parameters on the background aridity changes over East Asia, containing various climate regimes from cold-arid to warm-humid regions, using observations of 189 stations covering the period from 1961 to 2010. Overall mean aridity trend is changed from negative to positive around early 1990s. The turning of dryness trend is largely influenced by sharp increase in atmospheric water demands, regardless of the background climate. The warming induced increase in water demands is larger in warm-humid regions than in cold-arid region due to the Clausius-Clapeyron relation between air temperature and saturation vapor pressure. The results show the drying of anthropogenic warming already begins and influences on the patterns of dryness change over the land surface.

Formaldehyde gas exposure increases inflammation in an in vitro model of dry eye.

PubMed

Vitoux, Michael-Adrien; Kessal, Karima; Baudouin, Christophe; Melik Parsadaniantz, Stéphane; Achard, Sophie; Brignole-Baudouin, Françoise

2018-05-31

Dry eye (DE) is a multifactorial ocular surface disease whose incidence continues to rise. Various environmental stresses such as low air humidity and pollution are known to be involved in epithelial alterations inducing ocular discomfort. However, no experimental study assessing the combined effects of dry air and polluted atmospheres has been conducted so far. Formaldehyde (FA) is a ubiquitous pollutant present in the living spaces where humans spend most of their time. Using an in vitro DE model, we evaluated the cytotoxic and inflammatory responses of a conjunctival cell line exposed at the air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions to various controlled atmospheres combining low humidity (LH), airflow (AF) and formaldehyde gas (FG). Conjunctiva-derived cells grown onto transwell inserts were directly exposed to LH conditions without AF, with AF or with FG flow at 100 or 1200 µg/m3 for 15-30 min. Cell viability assays revealed an increase in cell death after a 15-min exposure to FG at 100 or 1200 µg/m3, whatever the recovery period. After a 1-h recovery period, an increase in IL-6 and CXCL8/IL-8 gene expression was observed with the 15-min exposure at 100 µg/m3 FG and with 30 min of exposure at 1200 µg/m3 FG. After 24 h of recovery, we also noted increased secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine MIF with 100 µg/m3 FG exposure and CXCL8/IL-8 at 1200 µg/m3, for both exposure periods. Together, these findings suggest that the exposure to FG at environmental levels aggravates cell death and inflammation observed in dry air conditions. This in vitro model of DE seems to be a relevant tool to study and explain the inflammatory responses observed in dry eye patients when exposed to combined environmental disturbances such as low humidity, airflow, and the presence of airborne pollutants.

Assessment of the natural sources of particulate matter on the opencast mines air quality.

PubMed

Huertas, J I; Huertas, M E; Cervantes, G; Díaz, J

2014-09-15

Particulate matter is the main air pollutant in open pit mining areas. Preferred models that simulate the dispersion of the particles have been used to assess the environmental impact of the mining activities. Results obtained through simulation have been compared with the particle concentration measured in several sites and a coefficient of determination R(2)<0.78 has been reported. This result indicates that in the open pit mining areas there may be additional sources of particulate matter that have not been considered in the modeling process. This work proposes that the unconsidered sources of emissions are of regional scope such as the re-suspension particulate matter due to the wind action over uncovered surfaces. Furthermore, this work proposes to estimate the impact of such emissions on air quality as a function of the present and past meteorological conditions. A statistical multiple regression model was implemented in one of the world's largest open pit coal mining regions which is located in northern Colombia. Data from 9 particle-concentration monitoring stations and 3 meteorological stations obtained from 2009 to 2012 were statistically compared. Results confirmed the existence of a high linear relation (R(2)>0.95) between meteorological variables and particulate matter concentration being humidity, humidity of the previous day and temperature, the meteorological variables that contributed most significantly in the variance of the particulate matter concentration measured in the mining area while the contribution of the AERMOD estimations to the short term TSP (Total Suspended Particles) measured concentrations was negligible (<5%). The multiple regression model was used to identify the meteorological condition that leads to pollution episodes. It was found that conditions drier than 54% lead to pollution episodes while humidities greater than 70% maintain safe air quality conditions in the mining region in northern Colombia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

WRF Model Simulations of Terrain-Driven Atmospheric Eddies in Marine Stratocumulus Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, B. M.; Herbster, C. G.; Mosher, F. R.

2014-12-01

It is not unusual to observe atmospheric eddies in satellite imagery of the marine stratus and stratocumulus clouds that characterize the summertime weather of the California coastal region and near-shore oceanic environment. The winds of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) over the ocean interact with the high terrain of prominent headlands and islands to create order-10 km scale areas of swirling air that can contain a cloud-free eye, 180-degree wind reversals at the surface over a period of minutes, and may be associated with mixing and turbulence between the high-humidity air of the MABL and the much warmer and drier inversion layer air above. However, synoptic and even subsynoptic surface weather measurements, and the synoptic upper-air observing network are inadequate, or in some cases, completely unable, to detect and characterize the formation, movement, and even the existence of the eddies. They can literally slip between land-based surface observation locations, or stay over the near-shore ocean environment where there may be no surface meteorological measurements. This study presents Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model simulations of these small-scale, terrain-driven, atmospheric features in the MABL from cases detected in GOES satellite imagery. The purpose is to use model output to diagnose the formation mechanisms, sources of vorticity, and the air flow in and around the eddies. Satellite imagery is compared to simulated atmospheric variables to validate features generated within the model atmosphere, and model output is employed as a surrogate atmosphere to better understand the atmospheric characteristics of the eddies. Model air parcel trajectories are estimated to trace the movement and sources of the air contained in and around these often-observed, but seldom-measured features.

In situ air temperature and humidity measurements over diverse land covers in Greenbelt, Maryland, November 2013-November 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, Mark L.; Brown, Molly E.; Wooten, Margaret R.; Donham, Joel E.; Hubbard, Alfred B.; Ridenhour, William B.

2016-09-01

As our climate changes through time there is an ever-increasing need to quantify how and where it is changing so that mitigation strategies can be implemented. Urban areas have a disproportionate amount of warming due, in part, to the conductive properties of concrete and asphalt surfaces, surface albedo, heat capacity, lack of water, etc. that make up an urban environment. The NASA Climate Adaptation Science Investigation working group at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, conducted a study to collect temperature and humidity data at 15 min intervals from 12 sites at the center. These sites represent the major surface types at the center: asphalt, building roof, grass field, forest, and rain garden. The data show a strong distinction in the thermal properties of these surfaces at the center and the difference between the average values for the center compared to a local meteorological station. The data have been submitted to Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL-DAAC) for archival in comma separated value (csv) file format (Carroll et al., 2016) and can be found by following this link: http://daac.ornl.gov/cgi-bin/dsviewer.pl?ds_id=1319.

Dynamics of spider glue adhesion: effect of surface energy and contact area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarpuri, Gaurav; Chen, Yizhou; Blackledge, Todd; Dhinojwala, Ali

Spider glue is a unique biological adhesive which is humidity responsive such that the adhesion continues to increase upto 100% relative humidity (RH) for some species. This is unlike synthetic adhesives that significantly drop in adhesion with an increase in humidity. However, most of adhesion data reported in literature have used clean hydrophilic glass substrate, unlike the hydrophobic, and charged insect cuticle surface that adheres to spider glue in nature. Previously, we have reported that the spider glue viscosity changes over five orders of magnitude with humidity. Here, we vary the surface energy and surface charge of the substrate to test the change in Larnioides cornutus spider glue adhesion with humidity. We find that an increase in both surface energy and surface charge density increases the droplet spreading and there exists an optimum droplet contact area where adhesion is maximized. Moreover, spider glue droplets act as reusable adhesive for low energy hydrophobic surface at the optimum humidity. These results explain why certain prey are caught more efficiently by spiders in their habitat. The mechanism by which spider species tune its glue adhesion for local prey capture can inspire new generation smart adhesives.

Tidal and atmospheric forcing of the upper ocean in the Gulf of California. 2: Surface heat flux

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paden, Cynthia A.; Winant, Clinton D.; Abbott, Mark R.

1993-01-01

Satellite infrared imagery and coastal meteorological data for March 1984 through February 1985 are used to estimate the net annual surface heat flux for the northern Gulf of California. The average annual surface heat flux for the area north of Guaymas and Santa Rosalia is estimated to be +74 W/sq m for the 1984-1985 time period. This is comparable to the +20-50 W/sq m previously obtained from heat and freshwater transport estimates made with hydrographic surveys from different years and months. The spatial distribution of the net surface heat flux shows a net gain of heat over the whole northern gulf. Except for a local maximum near San Esteban Island, the largest heat gain (+110-120 W/sq m) occurs in the Ballenas and Salsipuedes channels, where strong tidal mixing produces anomalously cold sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over much of the year. The lowest heat gain occurs in the Guayamas Basin (+40-50 W/sq m), where SSTs are consistently warmer. In the relatively shallow northern basin the net surface heat flux is farily uniform, with a net annual gain of approxmately +70 W/sq m. A local minimum in heat gain (approximately +60 W/sq m) is observed over the shelf in the northwest, where spring and summer surface temperatures are particularly high. A similar minimum in heat gain over the shelf was observed in a separate study in which historical SSTs and 7 years (1979-1986) of meteorological data from Puerto Penasco were used to estimate the net surface heat flux for the northern basin. In that study, however, the heat fluxes were higher, with a gain of +100 W/sq m over the shelf and +114 W/sq m in the northern basin. These larger values are directly attributable to the higher humidities in the 1979-1986 study compared to the 1984-1985 satellite study. High humidities reduce evaporation and the associated latent heat loss, promoting a net annual heat gain. In the norther Gulf of California, however, tidal mixing appears to play a key role in the observed gain of heat. Deep mixing in the island region produces a persistent pool of cold water which is mixed horizontally by the large-scale circulation, lowering surface temperatures over most of the northern gulf. These cold SSTs decrease evaporation by reducing the saturation vapor pressure of the overlying air. As a result, heat loss is substantially reduced, even when humidities are low. By removing heat from the surface, tidal mixing alters the time scale of air-sea interaction and reduces or possibly even inhibits the formation of deep water masses via convection.

Predicting the Spatial Variability of Fuel Moisture Content in Mountainous Eucalyptus Forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheridan, G. J.; Nyman, P.; Lane, P. N. J.; Metzen, D.

2014-12-01

In steep mountainous landscapes, topographic aspect can play a significant role in small-scale (ie. scales in the order of 10's ha) variability in surface fuel moisture. Experimental sites for monitoring microclimate variables and moisture content in litter and in near-surface soils were established at a control site and on four contrasting aspects (north, south, east and west) in southeast Australia. At each of the four microclimate sites sensors are arranged to measure the soil moisture (2 replicates), surface fuel moisture at 2.5cm depth (12 replicates), precipitation throughfall (3 replicates), radiation (3 replicates), and screen level relative humidity, air temperature, leaf wetness, and wind speed (1 replicate of each). Temperature and relative humidity are also measured within the dead fine surface fuel using Ibutton's (4 replicates). All measurements are logged continuously at 15 min intervals. The moisture content of the surface fuel is estimated using a novel method involving high-replication of low-cost continuous soil moisture sensors placed at the centre of a 5cm deep sample of fine dead surface fuel, referred to here as "litter-packs". The litter-packs were constructed from fuels collected from the area surrounding the microclimate site. The initial results show the moisture regime on the forest floor was highly sensitive to the incoming shortwave radiation, which was up to 6 times higher in the north-facing (equatorial) slopes due to slope orientation and the sparse vegetation compared to vegetation on the south-facing (polar facing) slopes. Differences in shortwave radiation resulted in peak temperatures within the litter that were up to 2 times higher on the equatorial-facing site than those on the polar-facing site. For instance, on a day in November 2013 with maximum open air temperature of 35o C, the temperatures within the litter layer at the north-facing and south-facing sites were 54o C and 32o C, respectively, despite air temperature at the two sites differing by less than 2o C. The minimum gravimetric water content in the litter layer on the same day was 21% on the equatorial-facing slope and 85% on the polar-facing slope. The experimental data has been used to calibrate a topographic downscaling algorithm, yielding estimates of surface fuel moisture at 20m resolution.

Surface mechanical properties of pHEMA contact lenses: viscoelastic and adhesive property changes on exposure to controlled humidity.

PubMed

Opdahl, Aric; Kim, Seong H; Koffas, Telly S; Marmo, Chris; Somorjai, Gabor A

2003-10-01

The surface mechanical properties of poly(hydroxyethyl)methacrylate (pHEMA)-based contact lenses were monitored as a function of humidity by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface viscoelastic and adhesion values were extracted from AFM force versus distance interaction curves and were found to be strongly dependent on the bulk water content of the lens and on the relative humidity. At low relative humidity, 40-50%, the dehydration rate from the surface is faster than the hydration rate from the bulk, leading to a rigid surface region that has mechanical properties similar to those measured on totally dehydrated lenses. At relative humidity values > 60%, the dehydration rate from the lens surface rapidly decreases, leading to higher surface water content and a softer surface region. The results indicate that, in an ocular environment, although the bulk of the pHEMA contact lens is hydrated, the surface region may be in a transition between a dehydrated glassy state and a hydrated rubbery state. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 67A: 350-356, 2003

Rapid and long-term effects of water deficit on gas exchange and hydraulic conductance of silver birch trees grown under varying atmospheric humidity.

PubMed

Sellin, Arne; Niglas, Aigar; Õunapuu-Pikas, Eele; Kupper, Priit

2014-03-24

Effects of water deficit on plant water status, gas exchange and hydraulic conductance were investigated in Betula pendula under artificially manipulated air humidity in Eastern Estonia. The study was aimed to broaden an understanding of the ability of trees to acclimate with the increasing atmospheric humidity predicted for northern Europe. Rapidly-induced water deficit was imposed by dehydrating cut branches in open-air conditions; long-term water deficit was generated by seasonal drought. The rapid water deficit quantified by leaf (ΨL) and branch water potentials (ΨB) had a significant (P < 0.001) effect on gas exchange parameters, while inclusion of ΨB in models resulted in a considerably better fit than those including ΨL, which supports the idea that stomatal openness is regulated to prevent stem rather than leaf xylem dysfunction. Under moderate water deficit (ΨL≥-1.55 MPa), leaf conductance to water vapour (gL), transpiration rate and leaf hydraulic conductance (KL) were higher (P < 0.05) and leaf temperature lower in trees grown in elevated air humidity (H treatment) than in control trees (C treatment). Under severe water deficit (ΨL<-1.55 MPa), the treatments showed no difference. The humidification manipulation influenced most of the studied characteristics, while the effect was to a great extent realized through changes in soil water availability, i.e. due to higher soil water potential in H treatment. Two functional characteristics (gL, KL) exhibited higher (P < 0.05) sensitivity to water deficit in trees grown under increased air humidity. The experiment supported the hypothesis that physiological traits in trees acclimated to higher air humidity exhibit higher sensitivity to rapid water deficit with respect to two characteristics - leaf conductance to water vapour and leaf hydraulic conductance. Disproportionate changes in sensitivity of stomatal versus leaf hydraulic conductance to water deficit will impose greater risk of desiccation-induced hydraulic dysfunction on the plants, grown under high atmospheric humidity, in case of sudden weather fluctuations, and might represent a potential threat in hemiboreal forest ecosystems. There is no trade-off between plant hydraulic capacity and photosynthetic water-use efficiency on short time scale.

Moisture Fluxes Derived from EOS Aqua Satellite Data for the North Water Polynya Over 2003-2009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boisvert, Linette N.; Markus, Thorsten; Parkinson, Claire L.; Vihma, Timo

2012-01-01

Satellite data were applied to calculate the moisture flux from the North Water polynya during a series of events spanning 2003-2009. The fluxes were calculated using bulk aerodynamic formulas with the stability effects according to the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. Input parameters were taken from three sources: air relative humidity, air temperature, and surface temperature from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua satellite, sea ice concentration from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E, also onboard Aqua), and wind speed from the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis. Our results show the progression of the moisture fluxes from the polynya during each event, as well as their atmospheric effects after the polynya has closed up. These results were compared to results from studies on other polynyas, and fall within one standard deviation of the moisture flux estimates from these studies. Although the estimated moisture fluxes over the entire study region from AIRS are smaller in magnitude than ERA-Interim, they are more accurate due to improved temperature and relative humidity profiles and ice concentration estimates over the polynya. Error estimates were calculated to be 5.56 x10(exp -3) g/sq. m/ s, only 25% of the total moisture flux, thus suggesting that AIRS and AMSR-E can be used with confidence to study smaller scale features in the Arctic sea ice pack and can capture their atmospheric effects. These findings bode well for larger-scale studies of moisture fluxes over the entire Arctic Ocean and the thinning ice pack.

Numerical simulation of humidification and heating during inspiration within an adult nose.

PubMed

Sommer, F; Kroger, R; Lindemann, J

2012-06-01

The temperature of inhaled air is highly relevant for the humidification process. Narrow anatomical conditions limit possibilities for in vivo measurements. Numerical simulations offer a great potential to examine the function of the human nose. In the present study, the nasal humidification of inhaled air was simulated simultaneously with temperature distribution during a respiratory cycle. A realistic nose model based on a multislice CT scan was created. The simulation was performed by the Software Fluent(r). Boundary conditions were based on previous in vivo measurements. Inhaled air had a temperature of 20(deg)C and relative humidity of 30%. The wall temperature was assumed to be variable from 34(deg)C to 30(deg)C with constant humidity saturation of 100% during the respiratory cycle. A substantial increase in temperature and humidity can be observed after passing the nasal valve area. Areas with high speed air flow, e.g. the space around the turbinates, show an intensive humidification and heating potential. Inspired air reaches 95% humidity and 28(deg)C within the nasopharynx. The human nose features an enormous humidification and heating capability. Warming and humidification are dependent on each other and show a similar spacial pattern. Concerning the climatisation function, the middle turbinate is of high importance. In contrast to in vivo measurements, numerical simulations can explore the impact of airflow distribution on nasal air conditioning. They are an effective method to investigate nasal pathologies and impacts of surgical procedures.

Characterization of cobalt(II) chloride-modified condensation polyimide films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rancourt, J. D.; Taylor, L. T.

1988-01-01

The effect of solvent extraction on the properties of cobalt(II) chloride-modified polyimide films was investigated. Solvent-cast films were prepared from solutions of cobalt chloride in poly(amide acid)/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and were subsequently dried and cured in static air, forced air, or inert gas ovens with controlled humidity. The films were extracted by either of the three processes (1) soaking in a tray with distilled water at room temperature, (2) soxhlett extraction with distilled water, or (3) soxhell extraction with DMAc. Extraction with DMAc was found to remove both cobalt and chlorine from the films and to slightly increase bulk thermal stability and both surface resistivity and electrical resistivity.

Molecular dynamics simulations of Palmitic acid adsorbed on NaCl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovrić, Josip; Brizquez, Stéphane; Duflot, Denis; Monnerville, Maurice; Pouilly, Brigitte; Toubin, Céline

2015-04-01

The aerosol and gases effects in the atmosphere play an important role on health, air quality and climate, affecting both political decisions and economic activities around the world [1]. Among the several approaches of studying the origin of these effects, computational modeling is of fundamental importance, providing insights on the elementary chemical processes. Sea salts are the most important aerosol in the troposphere (109T/year) [2]. Our theoretical work consists in modeling a (100) NaCl surface coated with palmitic acid (PA) molecules. Molecular dynamics simulations are carried out with the GROMACS package [3], in the NPT ensemble at different temperatures, different PA coverages and various humidity. We focus on two aspects of the PA organization at the salt surface: the first one is related to transition in molecular orientation of the adsorbate as a function of PA coverage. The second one implies the effect of humidity, by adding water molecules, on the organization of the fatty acid at the salt surface, and especially on the occurrence of PA isolated islands as observed in the experiments [4]. For high humidity conditions, PA are removed from the salt surface and form islands on top of the water. This effect is enhanced when temperature increases. Acknowledgments: this research has been supported by the CaPPA project (Chemical and Physical Properties of the Atmosphere), funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) through the PIA (Programme d'Investissement d'Avenir) under contract ANR-10-LABX-005. [1] O. Boucher et al, 5th Assessment Report IPCC, (2013) [2] B. J. Finlayson-Pitts, Chem. Rev.103, 4801-4822 (2003) [3] http://www.gromacs.org/ [4] S. Sobanska et al, private communication

Hyperspectral retrieval of surface reflectances: A new scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thelen, Jean-Claude; Havemann, Stephan

2013-05-01

Here, we present a new prototype algorithm for the simultaneous retrieval of the atmospheric profiles (temperature, humidity, ozone and aerosol) and the surface reflectance from hyperspectral radiance measurements obtained from air/space borne, hyperspectral imagers. The new scheme, proposed here, consists of a fast radiative transfer code, based on empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs), in conjunction with a 1D-Var retrieval scheme. The inclusion of an 'exact' scattering code based on spherical harmonics, allows for an accurate treatment of Rayleigh scattering and scattering by aerosols, water droplets and ice-crystals, thus making it possible to also retrieve cloud and aerosol optical properties, although here we will concentrate on non-cloudy scenes.

Youngstown MAP, Ohio. Revised Uniform Summary of Surface Weather Observations (RUSSWO). Parts A-F.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-10

Air Weather Service ( MAC ) SCuOL2., IL 6222 R- UmmRm m "PJ M MOP Fr 4 JUN SURFACE WEATHER OSVAIWJ YOUNGSTOWN MAP OH MC #725250 N 41 16 W 080 40 ELD...percentage frequency of distribution tables OHIO YOUNGSTIOWN M "P, OHIO 20. and dew point temperatures and relative humidity); and (F) Pressure Summnary...p.ouIwuIis P i o m Qm 1 ---- .0 YN - :, 7 -AL CLIMATOLO’Y RA"CH 7 .I*.T 7C WEATHER CONDITIONS .ATH’p SEPVICE/mAC CNIIN -, JN,.S7 %N MAP OH 73-81 A U G

Evaluation of various activated carbons for air cleaning - Towards design of immune and sustainable buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghighat, Fariborz; Lee, Chang-Seo; Pant, Bhuvan; Bolourani, Golnoush; Lakdawala, Ness; Bastani, Arash

There are increased demands for security, sustainability and indoor air quality in today's building design, construction, operation and maintenance. Installation of air cleaning systems can improve the indoor air quality by reducing the air pollution levels, and enhance the building security against sudden release of chemical and/or biological agents. At the same time, air cleaning techniques may reduce the building energy consumption by reducing the outdoor air supply rate, hence lowering the needs for conditioning of outdoor air. While the air filtration of particulate matter is well standardized, the standards against which the performance of air cleaning for gaseous contaminants is measured or classified are still under development. This study examined the performance of various granular activated carbons (GACs) for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from mechanically ventilated buildings. Eight different GACs (three virgin and five impregnated) were tested against toluene using a dynamic test system. The virgin GACs showed better performance than impregnated ones, the percentage and the type of impregnation affected the removal efficiencies. Tests were also conducted with selected GACs against toluene, cyclohexane and ethyl acetate at relative humidity (RH) values of 30%, 50% and 70%. The effect of humidity was dependant on the VOC used. Both for toluene and cyclohexane, the removal efficiency decreased as RH increased. However, higher humidity showed a positive impact on the removal of ethyl acetate.

Moisture analysis from radiosonde and microwave spectrometer data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haydu, K. J.; Krishnamurti, T. N.

1981-01-01

A method for analysis of the horizontal and vertical distributions of the moisture field utilizing satellite, upper air and surface data is proposed in this paper. A brief overview of the microwave sensors on board Nimbus 5 and 6 is also presented. A technique is provided utilizing the radiosonde data sets to calibrate the satellite field of total precipitable water. Next, the calibrated satellite-derived field is utilized along with ship and coastal reports of moisture, and a vertical structure function to generate vertical distribution of moisture and thus provide a mapping of specific humidity at several levels in the troposphere. Utilizing these procedures, analyses for several case studies were performed. The resultant maps show detailed distribution of specific humidity along with some interesting climatological features. A reasonable acceptance of the available aerological data sets by the analysis scheme is demonstrated.

Improving Comfort in Hot-Humid Climates with a Whole-House Dehumidifier, Windermere, Florida (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2013-11-01

Maintaining comfort in a home can be challenging in hot-humid climates. At the common summer temperature set point of 75 degrees F, the perceived air temperature can vary by 11 degrees F because higher indoor humidity reduces comfort. Often the air conditioner (AC) thermostat set point is lower than the desirable cooling level to try to increase moisture removal so that the interior air is not humid or "muggy." However, this method is not always effective in maintaining indoor relative humidity (RH) or comfort. In order to quantify the performance of a combined whole-house dehumidifier (WHD) AC system, researchers frommore » the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America team Consortium of Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) monitored the operation of two Lennox AC systems coupled with a Honeywell DH150 TrueDRY whole-house dehumidifier for a six-month period. By using a WHD to control moisture levels (latent cooling) and optimizing a central AC to control temperature (sensible cooling), improvements in comfort can be achieved while reducing utility costs. Indoor comfort for this study was defined as maintaining indoor conditions at below 60% RH and a humidity ratio of 0.012 lbm/lbm while at common dry bulb set point temperatures of 74 degrees -80 degrees F. In addition to enhanced comfort, controlling moisture to these levels can reduce the risk of other potential issues such as mold growth, pests, and building component degradation. Because a standard AC must also reduce dry bulb air temperature in order to remove moisture, a WHD is typically needed to support these latent loads when sensible heat removal is not desired.« less

Artificial intelligence modeling to evaluate field performance of photocatalytic asphalt pavement for ambient air purification.

PubMed

Asadi, Somayeh; Hassan, Marwa; Nadiri, Ataallah; Dylla, Heather

2014-01-01

In recent years, the application of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as a photocatalyst in asphalt pavement has received considerable attention for purifying ambient air from traffic-emitted pollutants via photocatalytic processes. In order to control the increasing deterioration of ambient air quality, urgent and proper risk assessment tools are deemed necessary. However, in practice, monitoring all process parameters for various operating conditions is difficult due to the complex and non-linear nature of air pollution-based problems. Therefore, the development of models to predict air pollutant concentrations is very useful because it can provide early warnings to the population and also reduce the number of measuring sites. This study used artificial neural network (ANN) and neuro-fuzzy (NF) models to predict NOx concentration in the air as a function of traffic count (Tr) and climatic conditions including humidity (H), temperature (T), solar radiation (S), and wind speed (W) before and after the application of TiO₂ on the pavement surface. These models are useful for modeling because of their ability to be trained using historical data and because of their capability for modeling highly non-linear relationships. To build these models, data were collected from a field study where an aqueous nano TiO₂ solution was sprayed on a 0.2-mile of asphalt pavement in Baton Rouge, LA. Results of this study showed that the NF model provided a better fitting to NOx measurements than the ANN model in the training, validation, and test steps. Results of a parametric study indicated that traffic level, relative humidity, and solar radiation had the most influence on photocatalytic efficiency.

[The balance of harmful trace contaminants between the air humidity condensate and air in a simulator of the Mir orbit station moisture condensation unit].

PubMed

Zlotopol'skiĭ, V M; Smolenskaia, T S

2000-01-01

Subject of the investigation was the balance of harmful trace contaminants (HTC) between the air moisture condensate and air in a simulator of the MIR moisture condensation unit. Experiments involved various classes of water-solvent compounds including alcohols (C1-C4), ketons (C1-C2), aldehydes (C1-C2), fatty acids (C2-C4), esters (acetates C4-C6), and ammonium. For most of the compounds, removal efficiency correlates with air humidity and virtually does not depend on the HTC concentration within the range of 0.25 to 59.1 mg/m3.

36 CFR 1234.14 - What are the requirements for environmental controls for records storage facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... through leaks or condensation, relative humidities in excess of 70%, extremes of heat combined with relative humidity in excess of 55%, and poor air circulation during periods of elevated heat and relative humidity are all factors that contribute to mold growth. (b) Nontextual temporary records. Nontextual...

36 CFR § 1234.14 - What are the requirements for environmental controls for records storage facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... through leaks or condensation, relative humidities in excess of 70%, extremes of heat combined with relative humidity in excess of 55%, and poor air circulation during periods of elevated heat and relative humidity are all factors that contribute to mold growth. (b) Nontextual temporary records. Nontextual...

36 CFR 1234.14 - What are the requirements for environmental controls for records storage facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... through leaks or condensation, relative humidities in excess of 70%, extremes of heat combined with relative humidity in excess of 55%, and poor air circulation during periods of elevated heat and relative humidity are all factors that contribute to mold growth. (b) Nontextual temporary records. Nontextual...

Climatic and lake temperature data for Wetland P1, Cottonwood Lake Area, Stutsman County, North Dakota, 1982-87

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parkhurst, Renee S.; Sturrock, A.M.; Rosenberry, D.O.; Winter, T.C.

1995-01-01

Research on the hydrology of Wetland P1 and the Cottonwood Lake Area includes the study of evaporation. Presented here in a graphical format are those data collected during the open-water seasons of 1982-87 that were needed for energy- budget and mass-transfer evaporation studies. The data include air temperatures, water surface and lake-bottom temperatures, windspeed, radiation, humidity, and precipitation. Data were collected at a raft station and two land stations.

Preservation of Cognitive Performance with Age during Exertional Heat Stress under Low and High Air Velocity

PubMed Central

Wright Beatty, Heather E.; Keillor, Jocelyn M.; Hardcastle, Stephen G.; Boulay, Pierre; Kenny, Glen P.

2015-01-01

Older adults may be at greater risk for occupational injuries given their reduced capacity to dissipate heat, leading to greater thermal strain and potentially cognitive decrements. Purpose. To examine the effects of age and increased air velocity, during exercise in humid heat, on information processing and attention. Methods. Nine young (24 ± 1 years) and 9 older (59 ± 1 years) males cycled 4 × 15 min (separated by 15 min rest) at a fixed rate of heat production (400 W) in humid heat (35°C, 60% relative humidity) under 0.5 (low) and 3.0 (high) m·s−1 air velocity wearing coveralls. At rest, immediately following exercise (end exercise), and after the final recovery, participants performed an abbreviated paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT, 2 sec pace). Results. PASAT numbers of correct responses at end exercise were similar for young (low = 49 ± 3; high = 51 ± 3) and older (low = 46 ± 5; high = 47 ± 4) males and across air velocity conditions, and when scored relative to age norms. Psychological sweating, or an increased sweat rate with the administration of the PASAT, was observed in both age groups in the high condition. Conclusion. No significant decrements in attention and speeded information processing were observed, with age or altered air velocity, following intermittent exercise in humid heat. PMID:25874223

Marked surface inversions and wind shear: A safety risk for departing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korhonen, O.

1983-01-01

Marked surface inversions occur most frequently in dry continental climates, where low atmospheric humidity allows heat transfer by long wave thermal radiation. In the northern latitudes, surface inversions reach their maximum intensity during the winter, when the incoming Sun's radiation is negligible and radiative cooling is dominant during the long nights. During winter, air mass boundaries are sharp, which causes formation of marked surface inversions. The existence of these inversions and sharp boundaries increase the risk of wind shear. The information should refer to marked inversions exceeding a temperature difference of 10 deg C up to 1000 feet. The need to determine the temperature range over which he information is operationally needed and the magnitude of the inversion required before a notification to pilots prior to departure is warranted are outlined.

Dominance of climate warming effects on recent drying trends over wet monsoon regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Chang-Eui; Jeong, Su-Jong; Ho, Chang-Hoi; Park, Hoonyoung; Piao, Shilong; Kim, Jinwon; Feng, Song

2017-09-01

Understanding changes in background dryness over land is key information for adapting to climate change because of its critical socioeconomic consequences. However, causes of continental dryness changes remain uncertain because various climate parameters control dryness. Here, we verify dominant climate variables determining dryness trends over continental eastern Asia, which is characterized by diverse hydroclimate regimes ranging from arid to humid, by quantifying the relative effects of changes in precipitation, solar radiation, wind speed, surface air temperature, and relative humidity on trends in the aridity index based on observed data from 189 weather stations for the period of 1961-2010. Before the early 1980s (1961-1983), change in precipitation is a primary condition for determining aridity trends. In the later period (1984-2010), the dominant climate parameter for aridity trends varies according to the hydroclimate regime. Drying trends in arid regions are mostly explained by reduced precipitation. In contrast, the increase in potential evapotranspiration due to increased atmospheric water-holding capacity, a secondary impact of warming, works to increase aridity over the humid monsoon region despite an enhanced water supply and relatively less warming. Our results show significant drying effects of warming over the humid monsoon region in recent decades; this also supports the drying trends over warm and water-sufficient regions in future climate.

Accuracy of Geophysical Parameters Derived from AIRS/AMSU as a Function of Fractional Cloud Cover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Barnet, Chris; Blaisdell, John; Iredell, Lena; Keita, Fricky; Kouvaris, Lou; Molnar, Gyula; Chahine, Moustafa

2006-01-01

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 4,2002, together with AMSU A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The sounding goals of AIRS are to produce 1 km tropospheric layer mean temperatures with an rms error of lK, and layer precipitable water with an rms error of 20 percent, in cases with up to 80 percent effective cloud cover. The basic theory used to analyze Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit/Humidity Sounder Brazil (AIRS/AMSU/HSB) data in the presence of clouds, called the at-launch algorithm, was described previously. Pre-launch simulation studies using this algorithm indicated that these results should be achievable. Some modifications have been made to the at-launch retrieval algorithm as described in this paper. Sample fields of parameters retrieved from AIRS/AMSU/HSB data are presented and validated as a function of retrieved fractional cloud cover. As in simulation, the degradation of retrieval accuracy with increasing cloud cover is small and the RMS accuracy of lower tropospheric temperature retrieved with 80 percent cloud cover is about 0.5 K poorer than for clear cases. HSB failed in February 2003, and consequently HSB channel radiances are not used in the results shown in this paper. The AIRS/AMSU retrieval algorithm described in this paper, called Version 4, become operational at the Goddard DAAC (Distributed Active Archive Center) in April 2003 and is being used to analyze near-real time AIRS/AMSU data. Historical AIRS/AMSU data, going backwards from March 2005 through September 2002, is also being analyzed by the DAAC using the Version 4 algorithm.

Humidity sensitive polymers In solution processed adjustable pore-volume Cu(In,Ga)S2 photocathodes for solar hydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chuan; Luo, Wenjun; Wen, Xin; Guan, Zhongjie; Zou, Zhigang

2017-11-01

P-type Cu(In,Ga)S2 semiconductors are promising candidates to be used as photocathodes for solar water splitting. Porous structures have been widely used to improve the performances of photoelectrodes due to good minority carrier transport. However, a porous photoelectrode has longer transport distance of majority carriers, which limits its performance. Controlling pore volume of a photoelectrode can balance minority and majority carrier transport and improve the performance. Here, a porous Cu(In,Ga)S2 film is prepared by facile spin-coating method. The pore volume of Cu(In,Ga)S2 film is controlled by adjusting relative humidity (RH) of air during spin-coating process. Further studies suggest that polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) in precursor solution is a humidity sensitive polymer and plays a key role to form different pore volume. The 40% RH sample has the best performance due to its optimum pore volume. After further coated with CdS surface passivation layer and Pt electrocatalyst on the surface, a 40% RH Cu(In,Ga)S2 photocathode indicates a photocurrent density of 8.6 mA cm-2 at 0 V RHE, which is one of the highest photocurrents of Cu(In,Ga)S2 photocathodes. This new strategy for adjusting pore volume is also suitable to prepare other solution-processed inorganic materials.

ICOADS: A Foundational Database with a new Release

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angel, W.; Freeman, E.; Woodruff, S. D.; Worley, S. J.; Brohan, P.; Dumenil-Gates, L.; Kent, E. C.; Smith, S. R.

2016-02-01

The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) offers surface marine data spanning the past three centuries and is the world's largest collection of marine surface in situ observations with approximately 300 million unique records from 1662 to the present in a common International Maritime Meteorological Archive (IMMA) format. Simple gridded monthly summary products (including netCDF) for 2° latitude x 2° longitude boxes back to 1800 and 1° x 1° boxes since 1960 are computed for each month. ICOADS observations made available in the IMMA format are taken primarily from ships (merchant, ocean research, fishing, navy, etc.) and moored and drifting buoys. Each report contains individual observations of meteorological and oceanographic variables, such as sea surface and air temperatures, winds, pressure, humidity, wet bulb, dew point, ocean waves and cloudiness. A monthly summary for an area box includes ten statistics (e.g. mean, median, standard deviation, etc.) for 22 observed and computed variables (e.g. sea surface and air temperature, wind, pressure, humidity, cloudiness, etc.). ICOADS is the most complete and heterogeneous collection of surface marine data in existence. A major new historical update, Release 3.0 (R3.0), now in production (with availability anticipated in mid-2016) will contain a variety of important updates. These updates will include unique IDs (UIDs), new IMMA attachments, ICOADS Value-Added Database (IVAD), and numerous new or improved historical and contemporary data sources. UIDs are assigned to each individual marine report, which will greatly facilitate interaction between users and data developers, and affords record traceability. A new Near-Surface Oceanographic (Nocn) attachment has been developed to include oceanographic profile elements, such as sea surface salinity, sea surface temperatures, and their associated measurement depths. Additionally, IVAD allows a feedback mechanism of data adjustments which can be stored within each IMMA report. R3.0 includes near-surface ocean profile measurements from sources such as the World Ocean Database (WOD), Shipboard Automated Meteorological and Oceanographic System (SAMOS), as well as many others. An in-depth look at the improvements and the data inputs planned for R3.0 will be further discussed.