Atmospheric Sciences Commons^™

Do We Understand What The Mercury Speciation Instruments Are Actually Measuring? Results Of Ramix, Mae Sexauer Gustin, Jiaoyan Huang, Matthieu B. Miller, Christianna Peterson, Daniel A. Jaffe, Jesse Ambrose, Brandon D. Finley, Seth N. Lyman, Kevin Call, Robert Talbotl, Dara Feddersen, Huiting Mao, Steven E. Lindberg

USU Uintah Basin Faculty Publications

From August 22 to September 16, 2012, atmospheric mercury (Hg) was measured from a common manifold in the field during the Reno Atmospheric Mercury Intercomparison eXperiment. Data were collected using Tekran systems, laser induced fluorescence, and evolving new methods. The latter included the University of Washington-Detector for Oxidized Mercury, the University of Houston Mercury instrument, and a filter-based system under development by the University of Nevada-Reno. Good transmission of total Hg was found for the manifold. However, despite application of standard protocols and rigorous quality control, systematic differences in operationally defined forms of Hg were measured by the sampling systems. …

Numerical Investigations Of Convective Initiation In Barbados, Kim Whitehall, Sen Chiao, Margarette Mayers-Als

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

Localized convection in Barbados accounts for hazardous conditions and a significant percentage of the island’s annual rainfall. The feature results in rainfall accumulations exceeding 50 mm in 3 hours or less, over isolated locations. Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) simulations are conducted for a rapid convective initiated and heavy precipitation event of 26 August 2008 over Barbados. The simulation results from the 1 km grid resolution domain depict that the shallow topography on the island plays a significant role in enhancing convective activity under weak synoptically disturbed conditions. The model results also demonstrate that the driving forces for the …

Evaluation Of Wrf-Sfire Performance With Field Observations From The Fireflux Experiment, A. Kochanski, M. Jenkins, J. Mandel, J. Beezley, Craig Clements, S. Krueger

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

This study uses in situ measurements collected during the FireFlux field experiment to evaluate and improve the performance of the coupled atmosphere–fire model WRF-SFIRE. The simulation by WRF-SFIRE of the experimental burn shows that WRF-SFIRE is capable of providing realistic head-fire rate of spread and vertical temperature structure of the fire plume, and fire-induced surface flow and vertical velocities within the plume up to 10 m above ground level. The simulation captured the changes in wind speed and direction before, during, and after fire front passage, along with the arrival times of wind speed, temperature, and updraft maxima, at the …

Kinematic Structure Of A Wildland Fire Plume Observed By Doppler Lidar, A. Charland, Craig Clements

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

Wildland fires present a challenging environment to make meteorological measurements. Observations in the vicinity of wildland fires are needed to better understand fire-atmosphere interactions and to provide data for the evaluation of coupled fire-atmosphere models. An observational study was conducted during a low-intensity prescribed fire in an area of complex terrain with grass fuels east of San José, California. A ground-based scanning Doppler lidar acquired radial wind velocities and backscatter intensity in and around the fire plume from multiple horizontal and vertical scans. The development of a convergence zone was consistently observed to exist downwind of the plume and was …

Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions From A Waste Lagoon, Arturo I. Quintanar, Rezaul Mamood, Nanh Lovanh, Justin M. Rawley, Evi Becerra-Acosta, John H. Loughrin

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

A cost-effective approach was used to investigate the relationship between emission of the greenhouse gases (GHG), namely, CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O and energy fluxes from a swine waste lagoon. Energy fluxes were calculated using the Penman method. The energy fluxes showed a diurnal pattern as expected of such fluxes. We found that air temperature and latent energy, lagoon surface temperature and solar radiation, as well as air temperature and wind speed can be used to predict for CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions, respectively. Comparison of observed and predicted …

Regional Climate Trends And Scenarios For The U.S. National Climate Assessment Part 4. Climate Of The U.S. Great Plains, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Laura E. Stevens, Scott E. Stevens, Liqiang Sun, Emily Janssen, Donald Wuebbles, Michael C. Kruk, Devin Thomas, Martha Shulski, Natalie A. Umphlett, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Kevin Robbins, Luigi Romolo, Adnan Akyuz, Tapan B. Pathak, Tony R. Bergantino, J. Greg Dobson

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

This document is one of series of regional climate descriptions designed to provide input that can be used in the development of the National Climate Assessment (NCA). As part of a sustained assessment approach, it is intended that these documents will be updated as new and well-vetted model results are available and as new climate scenario needs become clear. It is also hoped that these documents (and associated data and resources) are of direct benefit to decision makers and communities seeking to use this information in developing adaptation plans.

There are nine reports in this series, one each for eight …

Droughtscape, Winter 2013, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Contents

Director’s report

Climatological overview of drought in 2012

Climatological overview of drought, October-December 2012

Impacts of drought in 2012

Drought planning webinars scheduled for ranch advisors

UNL honors NDMC for exceptional service

Report from the emerging community of drought planners

Feb. 6 webinar on drought simulations

Climate Masters course starting

Climate Change in the Midwest book includes drought

Video highlights from coverage of drought of 2012

U.S. Drought Monitor Forum 2013

UN’s High Level Meeting on National Drought Policy

NDMC collaboration with India, Czech Republic

High-Latitude Short-Period Mesospheric Gravity Wave Dynamics And Winter Climatology, Michael Negale, Kim Nielsen, Michael J. Taylor, Dominique Pautet, Margit Dyrland

Physics Student Research

Short-period gravity wave observations over the Arctic region are few and their impact on the Arctic mesosphere lower thermosphere region via momentum deposition is of high interest. The Mesospheric Airglow Imaging and Dynamics project was initiated in January 2011 to investigate the presence and dynamics of these waves over the interior of Alaska. Observations were made from Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) using an all-sky imager. This site provides an exceptional opportunity to establish a long-term climatology of short-period gravity waves in the Arctic Region. We present summary measurements of prominent gravity waves over two consecutive winters and compare their …

Long-Term (1951-2007) Rainfall Trends Around Six Indian Cities: Current State, Meteorological, And Urban Dynamics, Shailesh Kumar Kharol, D. G. Kaskaoutis, Anu Rani Sharma, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The present study focuses on analyzing the precipitation trends over six Indian cities during the summer monsoon (June-September) covering the period 1951-2007 and also attempting to investigate possible urban forcing and dynamics by examining the variation in precipitation in the upwind and downwind directions. The analysis shows negative trends in the total number of rainy days over Hyderabad (-10.4%), Kanpur (-7.1%), Jaipur (-10.5%), and Nagpur (-4.8%) and positive trends over Delhi (7.4%) and Bangalore (22.9%). On the other hand, decreases of -21.3%, -5.9%, -14.2%, and -14.6% in seasonal rainfall are found over Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Kanpur, respectively, whereas Bangalore …

Climate Change: What Does It Mean For Nebraska?, Martha D. Shulski, Natalie A. Umphlett, Tapan B. Pathak, Kenneth G. Hubbard

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Because Nebraska’s location on the North American continent is far removed from large bodies of water, Nebraskans experience a strong continental type climate. As such, residents do not benefit from the moderating influence of the ocean, and temperatures can have wide swings from day to day and season to season. Typical characteristics for a continental climate at this latitude are large temperature variability with warm summers dominated by convective thunderstorms, and cold winters influenced by snow and wind from mid-latitude cyclones.

Hci And Cio Profiles Inside The Antarctic Vortex As Observed By Smiles In November 2009: Comparisons With Mls And Ace-Fts Instruments, T. Sugita, Y. Kasai, Y. Terao, S. Hayashida, G. L. Manney, W. H. Daffer, H. Sagawa, M. Suzuki, M. Shiotani, K. A. Walker, C. D. Boone, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We present vertical profiles of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and chlorine monoxide (ClO) as observed by the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) on the International Space Station (ISS) inside the Antarctic vortex on 19-24 November 2009. The SMILES HCl value reveals 2.8-3.1 ppbv between 450K and 500K levels in potential temperature (PT). The high value of HCl is highlighted since it is suggested that HCl is a main component of the total inorganic chlorine Cl_y, defined as Cl_y similar or equal to HCl + ClO + chlorine nitrate ClONO₂, inside the Antarctic vortex in spring, owing …

Stratospheric Loss And Atmospheric Lifetimes Of Cfc-11 And Cfc-12 Derived From Satellite Observations, K. Minschwaner, L. Hoffmann, A. Brown, M. Riese, R. Müller, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The lifetimes of CFC-11 and CFC-12 have been evaluated using global observations of their stratospheric distributions from satellite-based instruments over the time period from 1992 to 2010. The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) datasets are from the Cryogen Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES), the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere (CRISTA-1 and CRISTA-2), the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS), and the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE). Stratospheric loss rates were calculated using an ultraviolet radiative transfer code with updated cross section and solar irradiance data. Mean steady-state lifetimes based on these observations are 44.7 (36-58) yr for CFC-11 and 106.6 …

Observations Of Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (Pan) In The Upper Troposphere By The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Ace-Fts), K. A. Tereszchuk, D. P. Moore, J. J. Harrison, C. D. Boone, M. Park, J. J. Remedios, W. J. Randel, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (CH₃CO·O₂NO₂, abbreviated as PAN) is a trace molecular species present in the troposphere and lower stratosphere due primarily to pollution from fuel combustion and the pyrogenic outflows from biomass burning. In the lower troposphere, PAN has a relatively short lifetime and is principally destroyed within a few hours through thermolysis, but it can act as a reservoir and carrier of NO_x in the colder temperatures of the upper troposphere, where UV photolysis becomes the dominant loss mechanism. Pyroconvective updrafts from large biomass burning events can inject PAN into the upper troposphere …

Rose: Roadmaps Towards Sustainable Energy Futures And Climate Protection: A Synthesis Of Results From The Rose Project, Elmar Kriegler, Ioanna Mouratiadou, Gunnar Luderer, Nico Bauer, Katherine Calvin, Enrica Decian, Robert J. Brecha, Wenying Chen, Aleh Cherp, Jae Edmonds, Kejun Jiang, Shonali Pachauri, Fabio Sferra, Massimo Tavoni, Ottmar Edenhofer

Physics Faculty Publications

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Exploring energy demand and supply uncertainty: An exploration of uncertainty on drivers of energy demand and supply is indispensable for better understanding the prospects of long-tern climate stabilization. The RoSE study is the first of its kind to systematically explore the impact of economic growth, population and fossil fuel scarcity, in scenarios with and without climate policy, using a model ensemble. A feature of RoSE is the participation of five established integrated assessment modelling teams from three important regions in international climate policy negotiations: the EU, the USA and China.

Economic growth: Neither slow nor rapid economic growth …

An Analysis Of Surface Air Temperature Trends And Variability Along The Andes, Eric Franquist

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Climate change is difficult to study in mountainous regions such as the Andes since steep changes in elevation cannot always be resolved by climate models. However, it is important to examine temperature trends in this region as rises in surface air temperature are leading to the melting of tropical glaciers. Local communities rely on the glacier-fed streamflow to get their water for drinking, irrigation, and livestock. Moreover, communities also rely on the tourism of hikers who come to the region to view the glaciers. As the temperatures increase, these glaciers are no longer in equilibrium with their current climate and …

The Motion Of Mesoscale Snowbands In Northeast U.S. Winter Storms, Jaymes Kenyon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The distribution of snowfall accumulation attending winter storms is a product of both precipitation intensity and duration. Many heavy snowfall events are associated with distinct mesoscale snowbands that strongly modulate snowfall accumulation. Mesoscale snowbands are known to be favored within environments characterized by frontogenesis in the presence of weak moist symmetric or gravitational stabilities. Although the development of mesoscale snowbands often can be anticipated at 24–36-h ranges, anticipating band residence time at a fixed location remains a forecasting challenge. However, given that snowband residence time is related to characteristics of band motion, improved understanding of band motion presents an opportunity …

Solar Radiation Measurements And Their Applications In Climate Research, Bangsheng Yin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Aerosols and clouds play important roles in the climate system through their radiative effects and their vital link in the hydrological cycle. Accurate measurements of aerosol and cloud optical and microphysical properties are crucial for the study of climate and climate change. This study develops/improves retrieval algorithms for aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) and low liquid water path (LWP) cloud optical properties, evaluates a new spectrometer, and applies long-term measurements to establish climatology of aerosol and cloud optical properties. The following results were obtained.

Interactions Between African Easterly Waves And Moist Convection, Matthew Adam Janiga

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

African easterly waves (AEWs) over tropical Africa and the East Atlantic influence and are themselves influenced by moist convection. Data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, reanalyses, and in-situ observations are used to examine both directions of this two-way interaction.

Study Of Key Factors Influencing Dust Emission : An Assessment Of Geos-Chem And Dead Simulations With Observations, Kevin Scott Bartlett

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Mineral dust aerosols can impact air quality, climate change, biological cycles, tropical cyclone development and flight operations due to reduced visibility. Dust emissions are primarily limited to the extensive arid regions of the world, yet can negatively impact local to global scales, and are extremely complex to model accurately. Within this dissertation, the Dust Entrainment And Deposition (DEAD) model was adapted to run, for the first known time, using high temporal (hourly) and spatial (0.3°x0.3°) resolution data to methodically interrogate the key parameters and factors influencing global dust emissions. The dependence of dust emissions on key parameters under various conditions …

Evaluating Drought In The United States Using The Emissivity Difference Vegetation Index, Hanisha Hirani

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

As monitoring vegetation and crops becomes increasingly important due to climate change, there arises the need for a monitoring scheme that places more weight on water availability as an indication of vegetation health and vitality. The Emissivity Difference Vegetation Index (EDVI) is the first step towards that type of monitoring scheme. With the potential for diurnal studies, there are applications towards agriculture monitoring, wildfire monitoring, and much more. EDVI is a synergetic product retrieved from microwave, visible, and infrared satellite measurements, as well as reanalysis. Since microwave measurements are more sensitive to vegetation water content, EDVI has the potential to …

Air-Sea Dimethylsulfide (Dms) Gas Transfer In The North Atlantic: Evidence For Limited Interfacial Gas Exchange At High Wind Speed, T. G. Bell, Warren J. De Bruyn, S. D. Miller, B. Ward, K. Christensen, E. S. Saltzman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Shipboard measurements of eddy covariance dimethylsulfide (DMS) air-sea fluxes and seawater concentration were carried out in the North Atlantic bloom region in June/July 2011. Gas transfer coefficients (k(660)) show a linear dependence on mean horizontal wind speed at wind speeds up to 11 m s(-1). At higher wind speeds the relationship between k(660) and wind speed weakens. At high winds, measured DMS fluxes were lower than predicted based on the linear relationship between wind speed and interfacial stress extrapolated from low to intermediate wind speeds. In contrast, the transfer coefficient for sensible heat did not exhibit this effect. The apparent …

Black Carbon Measurements Of Snow And Ice Using The Single Particle Soot Photometer: Method Development And An Ad 1852-1999 Record Of Atmospheric Black Carbon From A Mount Logan Ice Core, James Andrew Menking

All Master's Theses

Black carbon (BC), produced by the combustion of fossil and biofuels, warms the climate by absorbing solar radiation when in the atmosphere and by reducing the albedo of snow and ice when deposited. Measuring BC in snow and ice is important for estimating albedo reduction and developing historical records of BC concentration. Experiments were conducted to further develop a method for measuring BC in snow and ice using the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2). Results suggest the optimal procedures for sample storage, treatment, and nebulization, and analysis and calibration of BC concentrations measured using the SP2 coupled to a CETAC …

Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Fact sheets:

1. Applying biochar to improve soil quality and crop productivity

2. Reducing methane emissions from cattle using feed additives

3. Cattle breeding for lower greenhouse gas emissions

4. Managing genetic codes to reduce methane emissions from cattle

5. Managing pastures and stocking rate to reduce methane emissions from cattle

6. Claying as a method of increasing soil carbon content

7. Green and brown manuring as part of carbon farming

8. Permanent environmental plantings to earn carbon credits

9. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

10. Sheep genetics in methane reduction

11. Managing sheep pastures to reduce methane production …

Tropical Cyclone Intensity Estimation Using Temporal And Spatial Features From Satellite Data, Gholamreza Fetanat Haghighi

Dissertations

Accurate intensity estimation of tropical cyclones (TC) is an important topic of research due to its economic impact and public safety concerns. An accurate measure of the current wind strength is necessary to accurately predict TC intensity. We have developed and tested automated method to estimate TC intensity based on the existing historical satellite images alone. The Hurricane Satellite data (HURSAT-B1) is used to develop the algorithm, which focuses on the North Atlantic from 1978-2009. The algorithm is trained and validated using aircraft reconnaissance-based data. Here, the data is restricted to include only fixes that are over water and are …

Production Mechanisms, Number Concentration, Size Distribution, Chemical Composition, And Optical Properties Of Sea Spray Aerosols, Nicholas Meskhidze, Markus D. Petters, Kostas Tsigaridis, Tim Bates, Colin O'Dowd, Jeff Reid, Ernie R. Lewis, Brett Gantt, Magdalena D. Anguelova, Prakash V. Bhave, Andrew Wozniak

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

(First paragraph)

The impact of sea spray aerosols on global climate remains one of the most uncertain components of the aerosol–radiation–climate problem, but has received less attention than the impacts of terrestrial and anthropogenic aerosols. The last decade has produced a large body of information regarding the sources and composition of marine aerosols, resulting in a reassessment of the complex role that sea spray particles play in climate and various geophysical phenomena. As sea spray aerosol contributes substantially to the preindustrial, natural background which provides the baseline on top of which anthropogenic forcing should be quantified, and because the ocean …

Ace-Fts Observations Of Acetonitrile In The Lower Stratosphere, J. J. Harrison, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

This work reports the first infrared satellite remote-sensing measurements of acetonitrile (CH₃CN) in the Earth's atmosphere using solar occultation measurements made by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE-FTS) between 2004 and 2011. The retrieval scheme uses new quantitative laboratory spectroscopic measurements of acetonitrile (Harrison and Bernath, 2012). Although individual ACE-FTS profile measurements are dominated by measurement noise, median profiles in 10 degrees latitude bins show a steady decline in volume mixing ratio from similar to 150 ppt (parts per trillion) at 11.5 km to < 40 ppt at 25.5-29.5 km. These new measurements agree well with the scant available air-and balloon-borne data in the lower stratosphere. An acetonitrile stratospheric lifetime of 73 ± 20 yr has been determined.

Quantifying The Impact Of Boreal Forest Fires On Tropospheric Oxidants Over The Atlantic Using Aircraft And Satellites (Bortas) Experiment: Design, Execution And Science Overview, P. I. Palmer, M. Parrington, J. D. Lee, A, C. Lewis, A. R. Rickard, P. F. Bernath, T. J. Duck, D. L. Waugh, D. W. Tarasick, S. Andrews

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We describe the design and execution of the BORTAS (Quantifying the impact of BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites) experiment, which has the overarching objective of understanding the chemical aging of air masses that contain the emission products from seasonal boreal wildfires and how these air masses subsequently impact downwind atmospheric composition. The central focus of the experiment was a two-week deployment of the UK BAe-146-301 Atmospheric Research Aircraft (ARA) over eastern Canada, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Atmospheric ground-based and sonde measurements over Canada and the Azores associated with the planned …

Ace-Fts Observations Of Pyrogenic Trace Species In Boreal Biomass Burning Plumes During Bortas, K. A. Tereszchuk, G. G. Abad, C. Clerbaux, J. Hadji-Lazaro, D. Hurtmans, P. F. Coheur, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

To further our understanding of the effects of biomass burning emissions on atmospheric composition, the BORTAS campaign (BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites) was conducted on 12 July to 3 August 2011 during the boreal forest fire season in Canada. The simultaneous aerial, ground and satellite measurement campaign sought to record instances of boreal biomass burning to measure the tropospheric volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of short- and long-lived trace molecular species from biomass burning emissions. The goal was to investigate the connection between the composition and the distribution of these pyrogenic outflows and …

Stratospheric Lifetimes Of Cfc-12, Ccl4, Ch4, Ch3cl And N20 From Measurements Made By The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer, A. T. Brown, C. M. Volk, M. R. Schoebert, C. D. Boone, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Long lived halogen-containing compounds are important atmospheric constituents since they can act both as a source of chlorine radicals, which go on to catalyse ozone loss, and as powerful greenhouse gases. The long-term impact of these species on the ozone layer is dependent on their stratospheric lifetimes. Using observations from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) we present calculations of the stratospheric lifetimes of CFC-12, CCl₄, CH₄, CH₃Cl and N₂O. The lifetimes were calculated using the slope of the tracer-tracer correlation of these species with CFC-11 at the tropopause. The …

Harmonized Dataset Of Ozone Profiles From Satellite Limb And Occultation Measurements, V. F. Sofieva, N. Rahpoe, J. Tamminen, E. Kyrölä, N. Kalakoski, M. Weber, A. Rozanov, C. Von Savigny, A Laeng, T. Von Clarmann, P. Bernath, R. J. Hargreaves

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present a HARMonized dataset of OZone profiles (HARMOZ) based on limb and occultation measurements from Envisat (GOMOS, MIPAS and SCIAMACHY), Odin (OSIRIS, SMR) and SCISAT (ACE-FTS) satellite instruments. These measurements provide high-vertical-resolution ozone profiles covering the altitude range from the upper troposphere up to the mesosphere in years 2001-2012. HARMOZ has been created in the framework of the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative project. The harmonized dataset consists of original retrieved ozone profiles from each instrument, which are screened for invalid data by the instrument teams. While the original ozone profiles are presented in different …