Weekly Report for the Week of August 11, 2008
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GSFC Laboratory for Atmospheres, Code 613
News Items
The 2008 International Radiation Symposium
The International Radiation Symposium (IRS2008), a quadrennial meeting of the International Radiation Commission (IRC) took place August 3-8, 2008 in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. This meeting marked the 60th anniversary of the IRC, and featured invited and solicited speakers and posters covering atmospheric radiation, climate, field experiments, clouds and aerosols. The Climate & Radiation Branch was well-represented with over 19 Branch members in attendance. Among the attendees were Ilan Koren, who has been associated with the Branch since spending his post-doc here. Dr. Koren was awarded a prestigious 'Outstanding Young Scientist Award' from the IRC for his work in aerosols, clouds and climate. Dr. Robert Cahalan, head of the Climate and Radiation Branch, assumed the role of President of the IRC during the meeting and will continue in this role for a four year term.
Seminars
Brendan G. DeLacy, August 15
SAIC/U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
"The Determination of Carbon Dioxide Concentration Using Atmospheric Pressure Ionization Mass Spectrometry Maximizing Visible and Infrared Mass Extinction Coefficients:Theoretical Aspects, Material Development, Dissemination Techniques, and Testing"
ABSTRACT
The development of an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry/isotopically labeled standard (APIMS/ILS) method for the determination of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration will be discussed in the first part of the presentation. Descriptions of the instrumental components, the ionization chemistry, and the statistics associated with the analytical method will be described. The APIMS/ILS method represents an alternative to the nondispersive infrared (NDIR) technique which is currently used in the atmospheric community to determine atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Both the APIMS/ILS method and the NDIR method are subject to moisture interferences. To circumvent these interferences, a dryer such as a Nafion dryer is used to remove water prior to detection. The APIMS/ILS method measures mixing ratios and demonstrates linearity and range in the presence or absence of a dryer. The NDIR technique on the other hand measures molar concentrations. Errors in molar concentration measurements that are caused by drying will be discussed. An equation describing the errors was derived from the ideal gas law, the conservation of mass, and Dalton’s Law. The purpose of this derivation was to quantify errors in the NDIR technique that are caused by drying. Laboratory experiments were conducted to verify the errors created solely by the dryer in CO2 concentration measurements post-dryer. The laboratory experiments verified the theoretically predicted errors in the derived equations. The impact that these errors have on flux measurements will also be discussed.
The second part of the presentation will focus on the improvement of visible and infrared obscurant aerosol materials. The U.S. Army currently has a need to improve the visible and infrared attenuation properties of obscurants in order to provide enhanced screening capabilities for soldiers and platforms from both visible and infrared (electro-optic) threats. Theoretical aspects of visible and infrared obscuration will be discussed in the context of material development. Additionally, challenges associated with material fabrication, including particle agglomeration and surface modification, will be discussed. A description of a 190 m3 aerosol test chamber, mass extinction coefficient measurements, and the impact of dissemination techniques (pneumatic and explosive) on extinction measurements will be provided. Finally, alternative material development involving Expancel microspheres and carbon nanorods will be discussed.
Proposals submitted or reviewed
G.J. Huffman (SSAI; 613.1) was named as a Collaborator for the proposal "Reducing uncertainties in national smoke emissions modeling as applied in the BlueSky Framework: dead and live fuel moisture, plume rise, and heat release", P.I. D. Sullivan (Sonomal Tech; U.S. Forest Service), submitted in response to the NASA ROSES Decision Support through Earth Science Research Results announcement.
Conferences attended
NASA PMM Science Team Meeting, Ft. Collins, CO, Aug. 4-7, 2008.
Amitai E (Chapman University, 613.1) and X. Llort, 2008: Comparison of TRMM Radar and NOAA Q2 Instantaneous Rain Rate Estimates.
Adler, Robert Jiang-Jiang Wang, Guojun Gu and G. Huffman A
Ten-Year Tropical Rainfall Climatology Based on a Composite of TRMM Products
Bliven, Larry Ali Tokay, Paul Bashor, Peter Rodriquez An
Inter-comparison of Snowflake Size Distributions (SSDs)
Grecu, Mircea Sara Zhang, Arthur Hou, William Olson, Ensemble
based methodology for precipitation retrieval and assimilation of satellite microwave radiances
Han, Mei Scott A. Braun, William S. Olson, P. Ola G. Persson,
Jian-Wen Bao Application of TRMM PR and TMI measurements to assess
cloud microphysical schemes in a mesoscale model
Huffman, George Robert F. Adler, David T. Bolvin, and Eric J. Nelkin
PREPARING FOR GPM: VALIDATION STUDIES OF EXTREME AND HIGH-LATITUDE PRECIPITATION
Jackson, Gail B. Johnson, A. Kramer, A. Tokay, and J.R. Wang
Falling Snow Retrieval Algorithm Development for GPM
Kwiatkowski, John, Ali Tokay and Robert Meneghini
Investigations on localized microphysics in the TRMM PR rain algorithm.
Lin, Xin Hou, Arthur Simulating the Global Precipitation
Measuring Mission in rainfall space
Marks, David David. B Wolff, Larry Carey, Ali Tokay and David S.
Silberstein, Ground Validation Product Improvement - Techniques
and Applications
Olson, Bill, Mircea Grecu, Chung-Lin Shie, Tristan L'Ecuyer,
George Huffman, Duane E. Waliser, Xianan Jiang, Jui-Lin Li, Baijun
Tian, Adrian Tompkins, and Wei-Kuo Tao Applications of
Remotely-Sensed Precipitation and Latent Heating Distributions Derived from a Satellite Microwave Radiometer Data
Smith, Eric, Amita Mehta, Song Yang, Alberto Mugnai, and Gregory
J. Tripoli, Using TRMM Data to Analyze Propagation of Warm Season
Rainfall due to Combined Effects of Mountain Slope Flow Circulations and Quasigeostrophic Advection of Downstream MCCs.
Tao, Wei-Kuo , Improving Goddard Bulk and Spectra-Bin
Microphysics using TRMM Satellite Observation and Multi-Frequency Satellite Simulators
Tokay, Ali, D. B. Wolff, D. A. Marks, C. Lawrence, L. Carey, C.
Schumacher, and T. Kasparis Raindrop Size Distribution:
Inter-Storm Variability
Wolff, David Brad L. Fisher Assessment of Satellite-Based
Microwave Retrievals Using TRMM Ground Validation Data
Zhang, Sara, Arthur Hou, Dusanka Zupanski, and Miljia Zupanski.
Application of an Ensemble Smoother to Precipitation Assimilation
Zupanski, Dusanka, Sara Q. Zhang, Milija Zupanski, Arthur Y.
Hou, and Samson Cheung, Development of an ensemble based algorithm
for downscaled precipitation analysis using WRF model
Discussion of ongoing field campaigns
Judd Welton (613.1) and Sebastian Stewart (SSAI/613.1) traveled to Barbados from August 2 - 7 to complete installation of the latest NASA MPLNET site. The new Barbados site is co-located with the University of Miami aerosol sampling station that has been on the island since the 1960s and the NASA AERONET site that was installed in August 2007. In addition, cooperative research is planned with the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, whose members are working with a new doppler radar installed on the island. Research activities at the Barbados site focus on the study of dust transport and deposition, and aerosol-cloud interactions.
Proposals submitted or reviewed
G.J. Huffman (SSAI; 613.1) was named as a Collaborator for the proposal "Reducing uncertainties in national smoke emissions modeling as applied in the BlueSky Framework: dead and live fuel moisture, plume rise, and heat release", P.I. D. Sullivan (Sonomal Tech; U.S. Forest Service), submitted in response to the NASA ROSES Decision Support through Earth Science Research Results announcement.
Conferences attended
Amitai E (Chapman University, 613.1) and X. Llort, 2008: Comparison of TRMM Radar and NOAA Q2 Instantaneous Rain Rate Estimates, NASA PMM Science Team Meeting, Ft. Collins, CO, Aug. 4-7, 2008.
Bill Olsen (UMBC/613.1) attended the PMM Science Team Meeting in Ft. Collins, CO 8/4 - 8/7, and presented reports on TRMM radiometer algorithm status, GPM combined radar/radiometer algorithm planning, ice- and mixed-phase precipitation working group planning and a poster on PMM grant activities. Basically a thoroughly draining experience.
G.J. Huffman (SSAI; 613.1) summarized Level 3 in the closing plenary session of the 2008 PMM Science Team Meeting, 4-7 August 2008, Ft. Collins, CO.
Discussion of ongoing field campaigns
Judd Welton (613.1) and Sebastian Stewart (SSAI/613.1) traveled to Barbados from August 2 - 7 to complete installation of the latest NASA MPLNET site. The new Barbados site is co-located with the University of Miami aerosol sampling station that has been on the island since the 1960s and the NASA AERONET site that was installed in August 2007. In addition, cooperative research is planned with the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, whose members are working with a new doppler radar installed on the island. Research activities at the Barbados site focus on the study of dust transport and deposition, and aerosol-cloud interactions.
Papers submitted
1) Dave Marks/SSAI - Submitted to Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic
Technology "Availability of High Quality TRMM Ground Validation Data from Kwajalein, RMI: A Practical Application of the Relative Calibration
Adjustment Technique"
2) Toshihisa Matsui/GEST - Submitted to the Journal of Atmospheric and
Oceanic Technology "Evaluation of Long-Term Cloud-Resolving Model
Simulations Using Satellite Radiance Observations and Multi-Frequency
Satellite Simulators"
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