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By NASA
Credit: NASA NASA has selected Metis Technology Solutions Inc. of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to provide engineering services as well as develop and maintain software and hardware used to conduct simulations for aerospace research and development across the agency.
The Aerospace Research, Technology, and Simulations (ARTS) contract is a hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract with an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity component and has a maximum potential value of $177 million. The performance period begins Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, with a one-year base period, and options to extend performance through November 2029.
Under this contract, the company will support the preparation, development, operation, and maintenance of future and existing simulators, integration laboratories, aircraft research systems, simulation work areas, and aircraft research systems. The scope of work also will include the development, testing, and validation of advanced air traffic management automation tools, including, but not limited to, advanced concepts for aviation ecosystems. Work will primarily be performed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, as well as other agency or government locations, as needed.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov
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Tiernan Doyle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
Rachel Hoover
Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley, Calif.
650-604-4789
rachel.hoover@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Oct 10, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Ames Research Center Langley Research Center NASA Centers & Facilities NASA Headquarters View the full article
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By NASA
9 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The Oceans group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 13, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono Faculty Advisor: Dr. Henry Houskeeper, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Graduate Mentor: Lori Berberian, University of California, Los Angeles
Lori Berberian, Graduate Mentor
Lori Berberian graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP West Oceans group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.
Emory Gaddis
Leveraging High Resolution PlanetScope Imagery to Quantify oil slick Spatiotemporal Variability in the Santa Barbara Channel
Emory Gaddis, Colgate University
Located within the Santa Barbara Channel of California, Coal Oil Point is one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon seep fields. The area’s natural hydrocarbon seepage and oil production have sustained both scientific interest and commercial activity for decades. Historically, indigenous peoples in the region utilized the naturally occurring tar for waterproofing baskets, establishing early evidence of the natural presence of hydrocarbons long before modern oil extraction began. Gaseous hydrocarbons are released from the marine floor through the process of seeping, wherein a buildup of reservoir pressure relative to hydrostatic pressure causes bubbles, oily bubbles, and droplets to rise to the surface. This hydrocarbon seepage is a significant source of Methane CH4—a major greenhouse gas––emissions into the atmosphere. Current limitations of optical remote sensing of oil presence and absence in the ocean leverage geometrical as well as biogeochemical factors and include changes in observed sun glint, sea surface damping, and wind roughening due to changes in surface oil concentrations. We leverage high-resolution (3m) surface reflectance observations obtained from PlanetScope to construct a time series of oil slick surface area spanning 2017 to 2023 within the Coal Oil Point seep field. Our initial methods are based on manual annotations performed within ArcGIS-Pro. We assess potential relationships between wind speed and oil slick surface area to support a sensitivity analysis of our time series. Correcting for confounding outside factors (e.g., wind speed) that modify oil slick surface area improves determination of oil slick surface area and helps test for changes in natural seepage rates and whether anthropogenic activities, such as oil drilling, alter natural oil seepage. Future investigations into oil slick chemical properties and assessing how natural seepage impacts marine and atmospheric environments (e.g., surface oil releases methane into the atmosphere) can help to inform the science of optimizing oil extraction locations.
Rachel Emery
Investigating Airborne LiDAR Retrievals of an Emergent South African Macroalgae
Rachel Emery, The University of Oklahoma
Right now, the world is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis, with areas of high biodiversity at the greatest risk of species extinction. One of these biodiversity hotspots, the Western Cape Province of South Africa, features one of the world’s largest unique marine ecosystems due to the extensive growth of canopy forming kelps, such as Macrocystis and Ecklonia, which provide three-dimensional structure important for fostering biodiversity and productivity. Canopy-forming kelps face increasing threats by marine heatwaves and pollution related to climate change and local water quality perturbation. Though these ecosystems can be monitored using traditional field surveying methods, remote sensing via airborne and satellite observations support improved spatial coverage and resample rates, plus extensive historical continuity for tracking multidecadal scale changes. Passive remote sensing observations—such as those derived using observations from NASA’s Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer – Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) —provide high resolution, hyperspectral imagery of oceanic environments anticipated to help characterize community dynamics and quantify macroalga physiological change. Active remote sensing observations, e.g., Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), are less understood in terms of applications to marine ecosystems, but are anticipated to support novel observations of vertical structure not supported using passive aquatic remote sensing. Here we investigate the potential to observe an emergent canopy-forming macroalgae (i.e., Ecklonia, which can extend more than a decimeter above the ocean’s surface) using NASA’s Land, Vegetation, and Ice sensor (LVIS), which confers decimeter-scale vertical resolution. We validate LVIS observations using matchup observations from AVIRIS-NG imagery to test whether LiDAR remote sensing can improve monitoring of emergent kelps in key biodiversity regions such as the Western Cape.
Brayden Lipscomb
Vertical structure of the aquatic light field based on half a century of oceanographic records from the southern California Current
Brayden Lipscomb, West Virginia University
Understanding the optical properties of marine ecosystems is crucial for improving models related to oceanic productivity. Models relating satellite observations to oceanic productivity or subsurface (e.g., benthic) light availability often suffer from uncertainties in parameterizing vertical structure and deriving columnar parameters from surface observations. The most accurate models use in situ station data, minimizing assumptions such as atmospheric optical thickness or water column structure. For example, improved accuracy of satellite primary productivity models has previously been demonstrated by incorporating information on vertical structure obtained from gliders and floats. We analyze vertical profiles in photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) obtained during routine surveys of the southern California Current system by the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI). We find that depths of 1% and 10% light availability show coherent log-linear relationships with attenuation measured near surface (i.e., within the first 10 m), despite vertical variability in water column constituent concentrations and instrumentation challenges related to sensitivity, self-shading, and ship adjacency. Our results suggest that subsurface optical properties can be more reliably parameterized from near-surface measurements than previously understood.
Dominic Bentley
Comparing SWOT and PACE Satellite Observations to Assess Modification of Phytoplankton Biomass and Assemblage by North Atlantic Ocean Eddies
Dominic Bentley, Pennsylvania State University
Upwelling is the shoaling of the nutricline, thermocline, and isopycnals due to advection by eddies of the surface ocean layer. This shoaling effect leads to an increase in the productivity of algal blooms in a given body of water. Mesoscale to deformation scale eddy circulation modulates productivity based on latitude, season, direction, and other physical factors. However, many processes governing the effects of eddies on the ocean microbial environment remain unknown due to limitations in observations linking eddy strength and direction with productivity and ocean biogeochemistry. Currently, satellites are the only ocean observing system that allows for broad spatial coverage with high resample rates, albeit with limitations due to cloud obstructions (including storms that may stimulate productivity) and to observations being limited to the near-surface. A persisting knowledge gap in oceanography stems from limitations in the spatial resolution of observations resolving submesoscale dynamics. The recent launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission in December of 2022 supports observations of upper-ocean circulation with increased resolution relative to legacy missions (e.g. TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, OSTM/Jason-2). Meanwhile, the launch of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite in February of 2024 is anticipated to improve knowledge of ocean microbial ecosystem dynamics. We match up SWOT observations of sea surface height (SSH) anomalies—informative parameters of eddy vorticity—with PACE observations of surface phytoplankton biomass and community composition to relate the distribution of phytoplankton biomass and assemblage structure to oceanic eddies in the North Atlantic. We observe higher concentrations of Chlorophyll a (Chla) within SSH minima indicating the stimulation of phytoplankton productivity by cyclonic features associated with upwelling-driven nutrient inputs.
Abigail Heiser
Assessing EMIT observations of harmful algae in the Salton Sea
Abigail Heiser, University of Wisconsin- Madison
In 1905, flooding from the Colorado River gave rise to what would become California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea. Today, the majority of its inflow is sourced from agricultural runoff, which is rich in fertilizers and pollutants, leading to elevated lake nutrient levels that fuel harmful algal blooms (HAB) events. Increasingly frequent HAB events pose ecological, environmental, economic, and health risks to the region by degrading water quality and introducing environmental toxins. Using NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) imaging spectrometer we apply two hyperspectral aquatic remote sensing algorithms; cyanobacteria index (CI) and scattering line height (SLH). These algorithms detect and characterize spatiotemporal variability of cyanobacteria, a key HAB taxa. Originally designed to study atmospheric mineral dust, EMIT’s data products provide novel opportunities for detailed aquatic characterizations with both high spatial and high spectral resolution. Adding aquatic capabilities for EMIT would introduce a novel and cost-effective tool for monitoring and studying the drivers and timing of HAB onset, to improve our understanding of environmental dynamics.
Emma Iacono
Reassessing multidecadal trends in Water Clarity for the central and southern California Current System
Emma Iacono, North Carolina State University
Over the past several decades, the world has witnessed a steady rise in average global temperatures, a clear indication of the escalating effects of climate change. In 1990, Andrew Bakun hypothesized that unequal warming of sea and land surface temperatures would increase pressure gradients and lead to rising rates of alongshore upwelling within Eastern Boundary Currents, including the California Current System (CCS). An anticipated increase in upwelling-favorable winds would have profound implications for the productivity of the CCS, wherein upwelled waters supply nutrient injections that sustain and fuel coastal ocean phytoplankton stocks. Increasing upwelling, therefore, is anticipated to increase the turbidity of the upper ocean, corresponding with greater phytoplankton concentrations. Historical observations of turbidity are supported by observations obtained using a Secchi Disk, i.e., an opaque white instrument lowered into the water column. Observations of Secchi depth—or the depth at which light reflected from the Secchi Disk is no longer visible from the surface—provide a quantification of light penetration into the euphotic zone. The shoaling, or shallowing, of Secchi disk depths was previously reported for inshore, transition, and offshore waters of the central and southern CCS for historical observations spanning 1969 – 2007. Here, we reassess Secchi disk depths during the subsequent period spanning 2007 to 2021 and test for more recent changes in water clarity. Additionally, we evaluate the seasonality and spatial patterns of Secchi disk trends to test for potential changes to oceanic microbial ecology. Indications of long-term trends in some of the coastal domains assessed were found. Generally, our findings suggest a reversal of the trends previously reported. In particular, increases in water clarity likely associated with a recent marine heatwave (MHW) may be responsible for recent changes in Secchi disk depth observations, illustrating the importance of MHW events for modifying the CCS microbial ecosystem.
Click here watch the Atmospheric Aerosols Group presentations.
Click here watch the Terrestrial Ecology Group presentations.
Click here watch the Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group presentations.
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Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
10 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The Whole Air Sampling (WAS) group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 13, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono Faculty Advisor: Dr. Donald Blake, University of California, Irvine
Graduate Mentor: Katherine Paredero, Georgia Institute of Technology
Katherine Paredero, Graduate Mentor
Katherine Paredero, graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP West Whole Air Sampling (WAS) group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.
Mikaela Vaughn
Urban Planning Initiative: Investigation of Isoprene Emissions by Tree Species in the LA Basin
Mikaela Vaughn, Virginia Commonwealth University
Elevated ozone concentrations have been a concern in Southern California for decades. The interaction between volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrous oxides (𝑁𝑂!) in the presence of sunlight leads to enhanced formation of tropospheric ozone (𝑂”) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA). This can lead to increased health hazards, exposing humans to aerosols that can enter and be absorbed by the lungs, as well as a warming effect caused by ozone’s role as a greenhouse gas in the lower levels of the atmosphere. This study will focus on a VOC that is of particular interest, isoprene, which has an atmospheric lifetime of one hour, making it highly reactive in the presence of the hydroxyl radical (OH) and resulting in rapid ozone formation. Isoprene is a biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emitted by vegetation as a byproduct of photosynthesis. This BVOC has been overlooked but should be investigated further because of its potential to form large sums of ozone. In this study the reactivity of isoprene with OH dominated ozone formation as compared to other VOCs. Ambient isoprene concentrations were measured aboard NASA’s airborne science laboratory (King Air B200) along with whole air sampling canisters. Additionally, isoprene emissions of varying tree species, with one to three samples per type, were compared to propose certain trees to plant in urban areas. Results indicated that Northern Red Oaks and the Palms family emitted the most isoprene out of the nineteen species documented. The species with the lowest observed isoprene emissions was the Palo Verde and the Joshua trees. The difference in isoprene emissions between the Northern Red Oak and Joshua trees is approximately by a factor of 45. These observations show the significance of considering isoprene emissions when selecting tree species to plant in the LA Basin to combat tropospheric ozone formation.
Joshua Lozano
VOC Composition and Ozone Formation Potential Observed Over Long Beach, California
Joshua Lozano, Sonoma State University
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), when released into the atmosphere, undergo chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight that can generate tropospheric ozone, which can have various health effects. We can gauge this ozone formation by multiplying the observed mixing ratios of VOCs by their respective rate constants (with respect to OH radicals). The OH radical reacts very quickly in the atmosphere and accounts for a large sum of ozone formation from VOCs as a result, giving us an idea of the ozone formation potential (OFP) for each VOC. In this study, we investigate observed mixing ratios of VOCs in order to estimate their contribution to OFP over Long Beach, California. The observed species of VOCs with the highest mixing ratios differs from the observed species with the highest OFP, which highlights that higher mixing ratios of certain VOCs in the atmosphere do not necessarily equate to a higher contribution to ozone formation. This underscores the importance of understanding mixing ratios of VOC species and their reaction rates with OH to gauge impacts on ozone formation. In the summer there were significantly lower VOC concentrations compared to the winter, which was expected because of differences in boundary layer height within the seasons. Additionally, a decrease in average mixing ratios was observed between the summer of 2014 and the summer of 2022. A similar trend was observed in OFP, but by a much smaller factor. This may indicate that even though overall VOC emissions are decreasing in Long Beach, the species that dominate in recent years have a higher OFP. This research provides a more comprehensive view of how VOCs contribute to air quality issues across different seasons and over time, stressing the need for targeted strategies to mitigate ozone pollution based on current and accurate VOC composition and reactivity.
Sean Breslin
Investigating Enhanced Methane and Ethane Emissions over the Long Beach Airport
Sean Breslin, University of Delaware
As climate change continues to worsen, the investigation and tracking of greenhouse gas emissions has become increasingly important. Methane, the second most impactful greenhouse gas, has accounted for over 20% of planetary warming since preindustrial times. Methane emissions primarily originate from biogenic and thermogenic sources, such as dairy farms and natural gas extraction. Ethane, an abundant hydrocarbon emitted from biomass burning and natural gas, contributes to the formation of tropospheric ozone. The data for this project was collected in December 2021 and June 2022 aboard the DC-8 aircraft, where whole air samples were taken during low approaches to find potential sources of methane and ethane emissions. Analysis of these samples using gas chromatography revealed a noticeable increase in methane and ethane concentrations over Long Beach Airport, an area surrounded by numerous plugged oil and gas wells extracting crude oil and natural gas. In this study, we observe that methane and ethane concentrations were lower in the summer and higher in the winter, which can be primarily attributed to seasonal variations in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer height. Our results show that in both summer and winter campaigns, the ratio of these two gases over the airport was approximately 0.03, indicating that for every 100 methane molecules, there are 3 ethane molecules. This work identifies methane and ethane hotspots and provides a critical analysis on potential fugitive emission sources in the Long Beach area. These results emphasize a need to perform in depth analyses on potential point sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Long Beach area.
Katherine Skeen
Investigating Elevated Levels of Toluene during Winter in the Imperial Valley
Katherine Skeen, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The Imperial County in Southern California experiences pollutants that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and as a result, residents are suffering from adverse health effects. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds with a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are readily emitted into the atmosphere and form ground level ozone. Toluene is a VOC and exposure poses significant health risks, including neurological and respiratory effects. This study aims to use airborne data to investigate areas with high toluene concentrations and investigate potential source. Flights over the Imperial Valley were conducted in the B200 King Air. Whole air canisters were used to collect ambient air samples from outside the plane. These Whole Air Canisters were put through the UCI Rowland Blake Lab’s gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, which identifies different gasses and quantifies their concentrations. Elevated values of toluene were found in the winter as compared to the summer in the Imperial Valley, with the town of Brawley having the most elevated amounts in the air. Excel and QGIS were utilized to analyze data trends. Additionally, a backward trajectory calculated using the NOAA HYSPLIT model revealed the general air flow on days exhibiting high toluene concentrations. Here we suggest Long Beach may be a source of enhanced toluene levels in Brawley. Both areas exhibited enhanced levels of toluene with slightly lower concentrations observed in Brawley. We additionally observed other VOCs commonly emitted in urban areas, and saw a similar decrease in gasses from Long Beach to Brawley. This trend may indicate transport of toluene from Long Beach to Brawley. Further research could be done to investigate the potential for other regions that may contribute to high toluene concentrations in Brawley. My study contributes valuable insights to the poor air quality in the Imperial Valley, providing a foundation for future studies on how residents are specifically being affected.
Ella Erskine
Characterizing Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emissions from Surface Expressions of the Salton Sea Geothermal System (SSGS)
Ella Erskine, Tufts University
At the southeastern end of the Salton Sea, surface expressions of an active geothermal system are emitting an assemblage of potentially toxic and tropospheric ozone-forming gasses. Gas measurements were taken from ~1 to 8 ft tall mud cones, called gryphons, in the Davis-Schrimpf seep field (~50,000 ft2). The gaseous compounds emitted from the gryphons were collected using whole air sampling canisters. The canisters were then sent to the Rowland-Blake laboratory for analysis using gas chromatography techniques. Samples from June of 2022, 2023, and 2024 were utilized for a time-series analysis of VOC distribution. Originally, an emission makeup similar to petroleum was expected, as it has previously been found in some of the seeps. It is thought that hydrothermal fluid can rapidly mature organic matter into hydrothermal petroleum, so it is logical that the emission makeup could be similar. However, unexpectedly high levels of the VOC benzene were recorded, unlike concentrations generally observed in crude oil emissions. This may indicate a difference between the two sources in regard to their formation process or parent material composition. A possible cause of the elevated benzene could be its relatively high aqueous solubility compared to other hydrocarbons, which could allow it to be more readily incorporated into the hydrothermal fluid. Since the gryphons attract almost daily visitors, it is important to quantify their human health effects. Benzene harms the bone marrow, which can result in anemia. It is also a carcinogen. Additionally, benzene can react with the OH radical to form ozone, an additional health hazard. Future studies should revisit the Davis-Schrimpf field to continue the time series analysis and collect samples of the water seeps. Additionally, drone and ground studies should be conducted in the geothermal power plant adjacent to the gryphons to determine if benzene is being emitted from drilling activities.
Amelia Brown
Airborne and Ground-Based Analysis of Los Angeles County Landfill Gas Emissions
Amelia Brown, Hamilton College
California has the highest number of landfills of any individual US state. These landfills are concentrated in densely populated areas of California, especially within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Landfills produce three main byproducts: heat, leachate, and landfill gas (LFG). LFG is primarily composed of methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), with small concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other trace gases. The CH4 and CO2 components of LFG are well documented, but the VOCs and trace gases in LFG remain underexplored. This study investigates the emission of trace gases from four landfills in Los Angeles County, with a particular focus on substances known to have high Ozone Depletion Potentials (ODPs) and Global Warming Potentials (GWPs). The four landfills sampled were Chiquita Canyon Landfill, Lopez Canyon Landfill, Sunshine Canyon Landfill, and Toyon Canyon Landfill. Airborne samples were taken above the four landfills and ground samples were taken at Lopez Canyon as this was the only site accessible by our research team. The substances of interest were chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and halons. Airborne CH4 and CO2 measurements over the four landfills were obtained using the Picarro instrument onboard NASA’s B-200 aircraft. Ground samples were collected using whole air sampling canisters and were analyzed to determine the concentrations of these gases. The analytical approach for the ground samples combined Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) with Flame Ionization Detection (FID) and Mass Selective Detection (MSD), providing a comprehensive profile of the emitted compounds. Findings reveal elevated levels of substances with high ODP and GWP, which were banned under the Montreal Protocol of 1987 and its subsequent amendments due to their contributions to stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change. These results underscore the importance of monitoring and mitigating landfill gas emissions, particularly for those containing potent greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances.
Click here watch the Atmospheric Aerosols Group presentations.
Click here watch the Terrestrial Ecology Group presentations.
Click here watch the Ocean Group presentations.
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Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
10 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The Terrestrial Ecology group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 12, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dan Sousa, San Diego State University
Graduate Mentor: Megan Ward-Baranyay, San Diego State University
Megan Ward-Baranyay, Graduate Mentor
Megan Ward Baranyay, graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP West Land group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.
Gerrit Hoving
Predicting Ammonia Plume Presence at Feedlots in the San Joaquin Valley from VSWIR Spectroscopy of the Land Surface
Gerrit Hoving, Carleton College
Industrial-scale livestock farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), are a major source of air pollutants including ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. Ammonia in particular is a major contributor to rural air pollution that is released from the breakdown of livestock effluent. Mitigating regional air pollution through improved waste management practices is only possible if emissions can be accurately monitored. However, ammonia is challenging to measure directly due to its short atmospheric lifetime and lack of VSWIR spectral signature. Here we investigate the potential for spectroscopic
imaging of the CAFO land surface to predict the presence of detectable ammonia emissions. Data from the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) instrument were found to clearly identify plumes of ammonia emitted by specific feedlots. Plume presence or absence was then tied to pixel-level reflectance spectra from the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source (EMIT) instrument. Random forest classification models were found to predict ammonia plume presence/absence from VSWIR reflectance alone with an accuracy in the range of 70% to 80%. Our conclusions are limited by the limited number of
feedlots overflown by HyTES (n=96), the time gap between HyTES and EMIT data, and potential difficulty in comparing feedlots in different regions. While only tested over a modest area, our results suggest that ammonia plume presence/absence may be
predictable on the basis of surface features identifiable from VSWIR reflectance alone. Further investigation could focus on more comprehensive model validation, including characterization of the land surface processes and spectral signatures associated with feedlot surfaces with and without observable ammonia plumes. If generalizable, these results suggest that EMIT data may in some circumstances be used to predict the presence of ammonia emission plumes at feedlots in other areas, potentially enabling broader accounting of feedlot ammonia emissions.
Benjamin Marshburn
Burn to Bloom: Assessing the Impact of Coastal Wildfires on Phytoplankton Dynamics in California
Benjamin Marshburn, California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo
California is experiencing rising temperatures as well as increased frequency and length of drought conditions due to anthropogenic climate change. Wildfires are an intrinsic component of California and its Mediterranean ecosystems. However, this change in natural wildfire behavior increases the risk to ecosystems including soil erosion, poor plant regrowth, and ash/nutrient runoff that leads to the ocean. Previous work has attributed phytoplankton blooms in the coastal ocean to runoff from wildfires. This study aims to quantify the extent to which the concentration of chlorophyll-a, an indicator of phytoplankton abundance, can be predicted by wildfire parameters in coastal California and to evaluate which parameters are the most important predictors. Due to climatic variation in California we split the coast into three regions, northern, central and southern, and analyzed three fires from each area. For each fire, the stream length connecting the most severely burned area and the ocean was derived from analysis of a digital elevation model acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Additionally, differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) was used to analyze burn severity for each fire. The change in chlorophyll-a levels before and after each fire from the impacted coastal area were evaluated using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The Random Forest Regression machine learning model did not strongly predict the difference in chlorophyll-a from the fire parameters. However, our moderate R2 value (0.36) shows promising avenues for future work, including investigating post-fire chlorophyll-a after the first significant rain event, as well as the impact of wind-blown ash on coastal chlorophyll-a concentrations.
Hannah Samuelson
Species-specific Impact on Maximum Fire Temperature in Prescribed Burns at Sedgwick Reserve
Hannah Samuelson, University of St. Thomas
Fuel load plays a key role in determining severity (change in biomass), intensity (temperature), and frequency (length in time) of wildfires and prescribed fires. Fuel loads can vary in fuel conditions, like moisture content, amount, and flammability of the fuel, and are affected by species type and climatic conditions. Moreover, the difference in the chemical composition of plant species can affect its flammability. Anecdotal evidence from firefighters claim that Purple Sage burns hotter than other shrubs. Here we focus on two shrub species and two tree species that are broadly representative of California foothills; Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla), and California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), and aim to understand species-specific proclivity to burn with higher or lower severity and intensity. In fall of 2023, a prescribed fire was conducted at Sedgwick Reserve in Santa Barbara County, CA. Field data collection included maximum temperature point measurements with metal pyrometers, the change in 3D vegetation structure using UAV LiDAR, and orthomosaic images for species identification. Radial buffers were created around the locations of the metal pyrometers and used to evaluate the spatial distribution of species, which were verified through field-observed species identification. The relationship between dominant overstory species, change in biomass, and maximum fire temperature was investigated. Preliminary results suggest that Purple Sage produced the highest maximum fire temperatures. Additionally, preliminary results showed both tree species, Blue Oak and Coast Live Oak, exhibit similar biomass change at low maximum fire temperatures. This investigation confirmed the firefighters’ anecdotal evidence on the relationship between species and their wildfire dynamics. The results have the potential to refine fire spread models and ultimately land management practices, improving the protection of humans and infrastructure while preventing habitat destruction from wildfires.
Angelina Harris
Quantifying the Influence of Soil Type, Slope, and Aspect on Live Fuel Load in Sedgwick Reserve
Angelina Harris, William & Mary
The severity and increasing frequency of California wildfires requires investigation of factors that characterize pre-fire landscapes to improve approaches to wildland management and predict the spread of wildfire. Quantifying the relationship between soil type and fuel load could improve existing efforts to map both overall quantity and composition of live fuel for fire spread models which may assist in preventative wildfire measures and potentially active firefighting work. The southwest corner of Sedgwick Reserve, Santa Barbara County, CA hosts two dominant soil types that broadly represent soil variability in the area. The more northerly soil unit is a Chamise shaly loam, and the more southerly soil unit is a Shedd silty clay loam. The Chamise series has a mixed texture, abundant in clay with a significant amount of rock fragments (> 35%) composing its texture while the Shedd series has a fine texture dominated by silt-sized particles. Topography, specifically slope and aspect, plays a significant role in formation and characteristics of soil due to influence on erosion and deposition and sun exposure, respectively. This research aims to explore the relationship between soil type and topography and quantify their influence on live fuel using a Canopy Height Model (CHM) derived from airborne LiDAR collected on 11/04/2020 with a point density of 10.19 pts/m2. The LiDAR-based CHM was filtered to separate trees (> 2 m) and shrubs (.07 – 2 m). A Random Forest Regressor was used to investigate the relationship between soil type, slope, and aspect to identify which variable is the best predictor of canopy height. Preliminary results suggested that soil type and aspect were the most important variables to determine canopy height (variable importance of .50 and .41, respectively). Further studies investigating quantity and composition of live fuel load focusing on additional soil units within Sedgwick Reserve are encouraged.
Emily Rogers
From Canopy to Chemistry: Exploring the Relationship Between Vegetation Phenology and Isoprene Emission
Emily Rogers, Bellarmine University
Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) represents the most abundant non-methane biogenic volatile organic compound in the troposphere, with annual emissions almost equal to those of methane. Depending on the chemical environment, this effective thermoregulator and reactive oxygen species scavenger participates in photochemical reactions to produce climate pollutants and toxins such as ozone and secondary organic aerosols. Previous studies have revealed strong connections between isoprene emission and photosynthesis as its precursors are formed during the Calvin Cycle. This raises questions as to whether the periodic biological events of plants, collectively known as vegetation phenology, influences tropospheric isoprene quantities. In this study, we investigate the influence of vegetation phenology on isoprene emission in Southern California by comparing photosynthetic activity and the spatial distribution of the isoprene oxidation product, formaldehyde, for regions dominated by plants of two different physiologies: high altitude woodlands and coastal shrublands. We interrogate the annual phenology of these regions using high resolution solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) estimates from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, and formaldehyde vertical column measurements from the recently activated Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) geostationary satellite. We explore the seasonal trends in both formaldehyde formation and SIF as well as their bivariate relationship. Preliminary results indicate both heightened formaldehyde emission and heightened SIF during summer months relative to winter months, with a comparatively stronger correlation between the two metrics during the fall. Our findings will provide insight toward the response of plants to variations in their environment which directly influence chemical systems in the air. Whereas VOCs hold a great potential for environmental and anthropological harm if emitted in excess, it is crucial to understand the factors involved in their formation. As such, we hope that our findings provide information relevant to the development of air pollution mitigation strategies.
Sydney Kent
Keeping it Fresh(water): Understanding the Influence of Surface Mineralogy on Groundwater Quality within Volcanic Aquifer Systems
Sydney Kent, Miami University
Geology plays a key role in determining the chemical profile of groundwater through weathering and erosion, leading to minerals entering the groundwater. The Columbia Plateau, a geologic region that resides within the Pacific Northwest volcanic aquifer system, is known to have water management issues due to groundwater extraction for agriculture. Decreases in groundwater levels can lead to higher concentrations of rock-originated minerals, so the relationship between basaltic geology and well water quality is particularly important in these systems. This research aims to assess the extent in which the basaltic surface mineralogy of the Columbia Plateau impacts predetermined health benchmarks pertaining to trace elements, radionuclides, and nutrients. NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) instrument, a spaceborne imaging spectrometer on the International Space Station, was used to map surface minerals within and among distinct regions of the Columbia Plateau. Some basalt aquifers have uranium that decays to radon-222, a mineral that can be toxic when consumed, as well as lithium, which is commonly found during volcanic eruptions. Preliminary findings showed that where basalt and its secondary minerals were identified with EMIT, chlorite and calcite, well data also indicated raised levels of lithium and radon-222. The relationship between EMIT mineral maps and water quality data indicated that EMIT can potentially be used to identify basalt aquifer systems that may be at risk of poor water quality. Results from this study can be used to enact more personalized water purification methods in areas with water quality issues and individuals with private wells can be more informed about the hazards present in their water.
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