 |
|
NASA airborne expedition chases climate, ozone questions
June 28, 2007WASHINGTON -- NASA's Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4) field campaign will begin this summer in San Jose, Costa Rica, with an investigation into how chemical compounds in the air are transported vertically into the stratosphere and how that transport affects cloud formation and climate.
The study will begin the week of July 16 with coordinated observations from satellites, high-flying NASA research aircraft, balloons and ground-based radar. The targets of these measurements are the gases, aerosols and ice crystals that flow from the top of the strong storm systems that form over the warm tropical ocean. These storm systems pump air more than 40,000 feet above Earth's surface, where it can influence the composition of the stratosphere, home of our planet's protective ozone layer.
The outflow of these storms also produces vast swaths of icy cirrus clouds that play an important role in how much infrared energy is trapped in Earth's atmosphere. Scientists want to document the full life cycle of these widespread clouds -- down to the size and shape of their tiny ice crystals -- to better understand how Earth will react to a warming climate.
"This campaign is an unprecedented opportunity to use NASA's complete suite of satellite and airborne Earth-observing capabilities to investigate a largely unexplored region of the atmosphere," said Michael J. Kurylo, a TC4 program scientist at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "This tropical transitional layer of the atmosphere between the troposphere and the stratosphere plays a key role in both climate change science and atmospheric ozone chemistry. The data will yield new insights into the composition of this layer and the impact of the deep clouds that penetrate the atmosphere up into this layer."
The effort runs through Aug. 8. It is NASA's largest Earth science field campaign of the year.
"A mission this complex, with three aircraft, deployment sites in Costa Rica and Panama, and more than 400 people involved, can be a real challenge," said Mission Project Manager Marilyn Vasques of NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Soaring high above the cloud systems will be a NASA ER-2 aircraft, which can reach an altitude of 70,000 feet, or 3 miles into the stratosphere. A NASA WB-57 aircraft will fly into the cirrus clouds and sample the chemical make-up of the storm systems' outflow. NASA's DC-8 aircraft will probe the region between the troposphere and the stratosphere (known as the tropopause transitional layer) with remote-sensing instruments. It also will sample cloud particles and air chemistry at lower altitudes. A weather radar and meteorological balloons will be deployed in Panama to support the campaign. Additional balloons will be launched from Costa Rica and San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Archipelago.
Observations from seven satellites will complement the aircraft measurements with large-scale views of many different features of the atmosphere. For example, the Aura spacecraft will focus on the chemical composition of the tropopause transitional layer and measure ozone, water vapor, carbon monoxide and particles. NASA's Aqua satellite will map thin cirrus clouds, some of which are so faint they are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Instruments on the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites will pierce the atmosphere to provide vertical profiles of clouds and aerosol particles that can change how clouds form.
Along the coasts of Colombia and Panama south of Costa Rica, the warm summer waters of the Pacific Ocean are a fertile breeding ground for the type of heat-driven, or convective, storm systems the mission is targeting. Clouds produced by these maritime systems produce heavy rainfall and cloud tops that can reach into the transitional layer.
Mission scientists want to know what effect a warming climate with rising ocean temperatures will have on the intensity of these storm systems. Another unknown is how aerosol particles swept up in these systems change the clouds and are, in turn, affected by the clouds.
These tropical convective systems also may play a role in the recovery of the ozone layer. Estimates of ozone destruction in the stratosphere typically minimize the impact of short-lived chemical compounds that presumably could not survive the long journey there. Mission scientists will investigate whether the rapid movement of air in these strong convective systems provides an express route for ozone-destroying compounds to reach the stratosphere.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
"This campaign is an unprecedented opportunity to use NASA's complete suite of satellite and airborne Earth-observing capabilities to investigate a largely unexplored region of the atmosphere," said Michael J. Kurylo, a TC4 program scientist at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "This tropical transitional layer of the atmosphere between the troposphere and the stratosphere plays a key role in both climate change science and atmospheric ozone chemistry. The data will yield new insights into the composition of this layer and the impact of the deep clouds that penetrate the atmosphere up into this layer."
The effort runs through Aug. 8. It is NASA's largest Earth science field campaign of the year.
"A mission this complex, with three aircraft, deployment sites in Costa Rica and Panama, and more than 400 people involved, can be a real challenge," said Mission Project Manager Marilyn Vasques of NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Soaring high above the cloud systems will be a NASA ER-2 aircraft, which can reach an altitude of 70,000 feet, or 3 miles into the stratosphere. A NASA WB-57 aircraft will fly into the cirrus clouds and sample the chemical make-up of the storm systems' outflow. NASA's DC-8 aircraft will probe the region between the troposphere and the stratosphere (known as the tropopause transitional layer) with remote-sensing instruments. It also will sample cloud particles and air chemistry at lower altitudes. A weather radar and meteorological balloons will be deployed in Panama to support the campaign. Additional balloons will be launched from Costa Rica and San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Archipelago.
Observations from seven satellites will complement the aircraft measurements with large-scale views of many different features of the atmosphere. For example, the Aura spacecraft will focus on the chemical composition of the tropopause transitional layer and measure ozone, water vapor, carbon monoxide and particles. NASA's Aqua satellite will map thin cirrus clouds, some of which are so faint they are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Instruments on the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites will pierce the atmosphere to provide vertical profiles of clouds and aerosol particles that can change how clouds form.
Along the coasts of Colombia and Panama south of Costa Rica, the warm summer waters of the Pacific Ocean are a fertile breeding ground for the type of heat-driven, or convective, storm systems the mission is targeting. Clouds produced by these maritime systems produce heavy rainfall and cloud tops that can reach into the transitional layer.
Mission scientists want to know what effect a warming climate with rising ocean temperatures will have on the intensity of these storm systems. Another unknown is how aerosol particles swept up in these systems change the clouds and are, in turn, affected by the clouds.
These tropical convective systems also may play a role in the recovery of the ozone layer. Estimates of ozone destruction in the stratosphere typically minimize the impact of short-lived chemical compounds that presumably could not survive the long journey there. Mission scientists will investigate whether the rapid movement of air in these strong convective systems provides an express route for ozone-destroying compounds to reach the stratosphere.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Stratosphere Current Events and Stratosphere News RSSOceans' uptake of manmade carbon may be slowing
The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air.
A bubbling ball of gas
The Sun is a bubbling mass. Packages of gas rise and sink, lending the sun its grainy surface structure, its granulation. Dark spots appear and disappear, clouds of matter dart up - and behind the whole thing are the magnetic fields, the engines of it all.
Tropical Storm Nepartak becoming extra-tropical at sea
Tropical Storm Nepartak is now speeding in a northeasterly direction in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where it is becoming extra-tropical and developing frontal qualities.
Ozone layer depletion levelling off
By merging more than a decade of atmospheric data from European satellites, scientists have compiled a homogeneous long-term ozone record that allows them to monitor total ozone trends on a global scale - and the findings look promising.
Typhoon Choi-Wan Triggers Tropical Storm Warnings for U.S. Commonwealth of No. Mariana Islands
Microwave imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed extremely high thunderstorms in Typhoon Choi-Wan as it began passing the island of Sai-Pan in the Western Pacific Ocean.
NOAA study shows nitrous oxide now top ozone-depleting emission
Nitrous oxide has now become the largest ozone-depleting substance emitted through human activities, and is expected to remain the largest throughout the 21st century, NOAA scientists say in a new study.
Scientists uncover solar cycle, stratosphere and ocean connections
Subtle connections between the 11-year solar cycle, the stratosphere, and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, according to research appearing this week in the journal Science.
Small fluctuations in solar activity, large influence on the climate
Our sun does not radiate evenly. The best known example of radiation fluctuations is the famous 11-year cycle of sun spots. Nobody denies its influence on the natural climate variability, but climate models have, to-date, not been able to satisfactorily reconstruct its impact on climate activity.
Connections among solar cycle, stratosphere and ocean discovered
Subtle connections between the 11-year-solar cycle, the stratosphere and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, according to research results appearing this week in the journal Science.
Vamco's Gusty Remnants Cause High Wind Warnings in Alaska's Aleutian Islands
The remnants from Typhoon Vamco are sweeping over Alaska's Aleutian Island chain today and tomorrow, and high wind warnings have been posted by the National Weather Service.
More Stratosphere Current Events and Stratosphere News Articles
 |
Transformers Movie 2 Voyager Stratosphere by Hasbro When the AUTOBOTS need to be delivered to the front lines fast, they rely on STRATOSPHERE. His cargo bay has enough room for an entire AUTOBOT strike team, and his engines have enough power to get them all the way to the other side of the world in only a couple of hours. High altitude weapons allow him to deliver a punishing barrage against DECEPTICON targets on the ground as his comrades move in for the finish. |
 |
Transformers Movie 2 Voyager Class - Stratosphere by Hasbro Transformers Movie 2 Voyager Class - Stratosphere |
 |
Hush Puppies Men's Stratosphere Slip On,Black,7.5 M US by Hush Puppies Blast into high heights of good taste in the amazing Stratosphere slip on loafers from Hush Puppies. Leather upper in a casual slip on loafer style with a round apron toe. Padded collar, elastic goring at sides. Leather insole cover and moisture wicking mesh lining. Flexible midsole, Bounce Air(R) outsoles. Bounce(R) pad technology with air construction in the heel and forefoot to create compression and shock absorption for great comfort. |
 |
Transformers Movie 2 Voyager Mixmaster by Hasbro Resident Chemist and Explosives Expert for Elite among the Decepticons, Mixmaster has spent his entire life learning all there is to know about chemical interaction. He can make thousands of poisons, explosives and deadly gasses from the materials around him. The other Decepticons rely on him to fashion powerful warheads for their missiles, and dangerous venoms in which to coat their blades. |
 |
Columbia Girls 7-16 Benton Springs Sweater, Stratosphere, 10/12 by Columbia Sportswear Your young lady can wear the Columbia Girls' Benton Springs Fleece Jacket on chilly days. Columbia made the Benton Springs Jacket from its Maximum Thermal Retention fleece, which traps her body heat so she stays toasty. This fleece also dries quickly and doesn't pill. Because this fleece is stretchy, it moves with her whether she plays on the jungle gym or layers it under her ski shell. This fleece jacket is water-resistant, so she'll stay comfortable in light precipitation. Product FeaturesMaterial: Polyester MTR fleeceWindproof: NoPockets: 2 HandRecommended Use: Outdoor playManufacturer Warranty: LifetimeCountry of Origin: China |
 |
No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower by John L. Smith (Author) A penetrating look at Bob Stupak, controversial casino owner and builder of the Stratosphere Tower, the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. Between his early years as the son of a notorious gambling operator in Pittsburgh and the grand opening of the Stratosphere, Stupak raced motorcycles, hustled coupons, gambled for high stakes, and battled the mob while he ran the infamous Vegas World casino. |
 |
Zombies of the Stratosphere Starring: Ray Boyle, Lane Bradford, Roy Engel, Judd Holdren, Gayle Kellogg Also With: John MacBurnie (Cinematographer), Stanley Wilson (Composer) Studio: Music Video Dist Release Date: 09/22/2009 Run time: 167 minutes |
 |
Stratosphere: Conquest of the Skies by Ripcord Games This software is BRAND NEW. Packaging may differ slightly from the stock photo above. Please click on our logo above to see over 15,000 titles in stock. |
 |
Master of the Stratosphere by Maynard Ferguson |
 |
Columbia Sportswear Benton Springs Full Zip Fleece, Stratosphere, 18 Months by Columbia Sportswear Baby Keep your little lady cozy on cool days in the Columbia Infant Girls' Benton Springs Fleece Jacket. Columbia made the Benton Springs Jacket from polyester fleece, which traps her body heat so she stays warm. This fleece dries quickly and is water-resistant, so your baby stays protected in light rain, too. Because this jacket stretches when she moves, it won't bunch up around her arms. Another nice feature about this jacket is the non-pilling fleece. Product FeaturesMaterial: Polyester MTR fleeceWindproof: NoPockets: 2 HandRecommended Use: Outdoors on cool days, layeringManufacturer Warranty: 1 YearCountry of Origin: China |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |