Inferring Land Surface Model Parameters for the Assimilation of Satellite-Based L-Band Brightness Temperature Observations into a Soil Moisture Analysis System

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite mission provides global measurements of L-band brightness temperatures at horizontal and vertical polarization and a variety of incidence angles that are sensitive to moisture and temperature conditions in the top few centimeters of the soil. These L-band observations can therefore be assimilated into a land surface model to obtain surface and root zone soil moisture estimates. As part of the observation operator, such an assimilation system requires a radiative transfer model (RTM) that converts geophysical fields (including soil moisture and soil temperature) into modeled L-band brightness temperatures. At the global scale, the RTM parameters and the climatological soil moisture conditions are still poorly known. Using look-up tables from the literature to estimate the RTM parameters usually results in modeled L-band brightness temperatures that are strongly biased against the SMOS observations, with biases varying regionally and seasonally. Such biases must be addressed within the land data assimilation system. In this presentation, the estimation of the RTM parameters is discussed for the NASA GEOS-5 land data assimilation system, which is based on the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the Catchment land surface model. In the GEOS-5 land data assimilation system, soil moisture and brightness temperature biases are addressed in three stages. First, the global soil properties and soil hydraulic parameters that are used in the Catchment model were revised to minimize the bias in the modeled soil moisture, as verified against available in situ soil moisture measurements. Second, key parameters of the "tau-omega" RTM were calibrated prior to data assimilation using an objective function that minimizes the climatological differences between the modeled L-band brightness temperatures and the corresponding SMOS observations. Calibrated parameters include soil roughness parameters, vegetation structure parameters, and the single scattering albedo. After this climatological calibration, the modeling system can provide L-band brightness temperatures with a global mean absolute bias of less than 10K against SMOS observations, across multiple incidence angles and for horizontal and vertical polarization. Third, seasonal and regional variations in the residual biases are addressed by estimating the vegetation optical depth through state augmentation during the assimilation of the L-band brightness temperatures. This strategy, tested here with SMOS data, is part of the baseline approach for the Level 4 Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture data product from the planned Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission

Chemical Recycling of Polystyrene Using Pyrolysis

There are significant economic and environmental benefits to the recycling of waste plastics, especially that of polystyrene. Currently, much of polystyrene waste is sent to landfills due to the difficulty in separation and cleaning processes, where it accumulates indefinitely. It contributes to plastic pollution and adversely affects wildlife, oceans and humans. Pyrolysis of waste polystyrene is explored in this paper as a chemical recycling method. This reaction yields useful liquid fuel products such as styrene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and methylstyrene, which can be sold to provide project revenues. Beginning with a polystyrene feed of 100 tons per day, the suggested design achieves a liquid styrene product purity of 99.9%. The plant includes a rotary- kiln reactor to carry out the pyrolysis reaction and a distillation train to isolate the liquid products. Pumps, blowers and storage equipment are also included in the design. Heat and energy are optimally integrated using heat exchangers to reduce the cost of purchased utilities. The suggested design requires a capital investment of $25.0 MM and yields a fifteen-year net present value of$5.1 MM. The internal rate of return it achieves is equal to 18.5%. The projected cash flows of this plant suggest that it will break even by 2030 on a cumulative discounted free cash flow basis. The design is recommended based on project specifications and current price projections, though investors should exercise caution with regards to the effect of realistic market prices of styrene and polystyrene on the project’s profitability measures

DAF Project Report for ‘Inside Edge for graziers to adapt to Queensland’s drought-prone climate – grazing extension tools’.

The Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI) led a $4.4 M four-year (2017-2021) ‘Inside Edge grazing extension tools for graziers to adapt to Queensland’s drought prone climate’ project in collaboration with Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF,$1.4 M). The project was co-funded by the Queensland Drought and Climate Adaptation Program (DCAP) and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) Reef Water Quality (RWQ). The ‘Inside Edge - Honing the Edge’ project was extended until September 2022. The purpose of the ’Inside Edge’ project was to develop property-based decision support tools and products that promote both sustainable natural resource use in grazing lands and profitable beef and sheep industries in Queensland. FORAGE (www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/forage/) is an online, web and email-based decision support system that generates and distributes climate and pasture related information in customised reports for a requested location. The information generated through FORAGE can be used to facilitate grazing and environmental land management decisions. The FORAGE system is maintained by the Queensland Government and is a free service. A fully-automated approach to modelling long-term carrying capacity (LTCC) through the FORAGE online system was developed through the ‘Inside Edge Project’. Review, refinement and validation of key input data (e.g. land type descriptions, mapping, GRASP parameters), and incorporation of new and existing data and local knowledge, was undertaken by DAF to ensure the FORAGE decision support tool provided consistent and scientifically robust long-term carrying capacity information. This report details the achievements of DAF delivered through the Inside Edge project (2017-2022) and provides recommendations for future work

A lunar space station

A concept for a space station to be placed in low lunar orbit in support of the eventual establishment of a permanent moon base is proposed. This space station would have several functions: (1) a complete support facility for the maintenance of the permanent moon base and its population; (2) an orbital docking area to facilitate the ferrying of materials and personnel to and from Earth; (3) a zero gravity factory using lunar raw materials to grow superior GaAs crystals for use in semiconductors and mass produce inexpensive fiber glass; and (4) a space garden for the benefit of the air food cycles. The mission scenario, design requirements, and technology needs and developments are included as part of the proposal

Public geospatial datasets as an approach to maximizing efficiency in the collection of site covariates in wildlife–vehicle collision studies

Wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVCs) are a major research focus because of increasing human health and safety concerns and the potential for biological impacts on wildlife. A key component of both understanding the causes of WVCs and designing mitigation measures is the collection and analysis of environmental and roadway data at WVC sites. However, collecting these site data can be logistically challenging and potentially dangerous to researchers. We studied the feasibility and accuracy of using public geospatial datasets, particularly Google Earth and Street View, as an alternative approach to assessing WVC onsite covariates. We randomly selected 50 sites from a larger WVC study and measured the topography, habitat type, width of the road median, and presence of fencing at each site as representatives of typical WVC site covariates. We compared the measurements recorded in the fi eld to estimates obtained from public geospatial datasets in the lab. We determined that median topography had the lowest overall accuracy (60%), followed by presence of fencing with accuracy at 75% of sites. By contrast, median habitat type was identified correctly in almost all comparisons (96% overall accuracy). The root mean squared error for median width was 1.15 m overall. Our results suggest that Google platforms may serve as viable alternatives to fi eld data collection for site covariates related to coarse measures of habitat type and some characteristics of road topography, thus reducing time requirements and potential safety risks to researchers in the fi eld. However, there are several crucial caveats to consider when using geospatial platforms, particularly as they relate to 3-dimensional depictions of roadway features. Thus, we urge caution when attempting to use digital platforms to collect data on these covariates

Uncertainty Quantification of GEOS-5 L-band Radiative Transfer Model Parameters Using Bayesian Inference and SMOS Observations

Uncertainties in L-band (1.4 GHz) radiative transfer modeling (RTM) affect the simulation of brightness temperatures (Tb) over land and the inversion of satellite-observed Tb into soil moisture retrievals. In particular, accurate estimates of the microwave soil roughness, vegetation opacity and scattering albedo for large-scale applications are difficult to obtain from field studies and often lack an uncertainty estimate. Here, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation method is used to determine satellite-scale estimates of RTM parameters and their posterior uncertainty by minimizing the misfit between long-term averages and standard deviations of simulated and observed Tb at a range of incidence angles, at horizontal and vertical polarization, and for morning and evening overpasses. Tb simulations are generated with the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) and confronted with Tb observations from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. The MCMC algorithm suggests that the relative uncertainty of the RTM parameter estimates is typically less than 25 of the maximum a posteriori density (MAP) parameter value. Furthermore, the actual root-mean-square-differences in long-term Tb averages and standard deviations are found consistent with the respective estimated total simulation and observation error standard deviations of m3.1K and s2.4K. It is also shown that the MAP parameter values estimated through MCMC simulation are in close agreement with those obtained with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)

Determinants of objective and subjective auditory disability in patients with normal hearing

A proportion of individuals consulting audiology clinics complain of difficulties discriminating speech in noisy environments but have clinically 'normal' hearing, do not have signs of middle ear pathology, nor any other obvious basis for their complaints. The syndrome was named 'Obscure Auditory Dysfunction (OAD)'. Following a small scale study, a Special Investigative Clinic was started to investigate factors underlying OAD. Patients' performance on psychoacoustic, central/cognitive and personality-related tests was compared with the performance of matched controls. Results showed OAD to be a multifactorial syndrome. Patients have a genuine performance deficit for discrimination of speech-in-noise, influenced by a combination of psychoacoustic and central/cognitive deficits. Patients' relatively minor performance deficit did not completely explain their reported disability and handicap; this was mainly influenced by their underestimating their hearing ability. Anxiety-related factors and a history of otological disorder were found to underlie the seeking of medical attention. Based on these results, a clinical package was devised to enable diagnosis and understanding of OAD in individuals consulting in the clinic. The parallels between OAD and another syndrome without obvious organic pathology (women complaining of lower abdominal pain) were investigated. A double dissociation between personality-related factors and psychoacoustic/cognitive factors was demonstrated. It was concluded that personality factors should be considered when dealing with individuals seeking medical advice for minor organic pathology, but that such individuals should not simply be dismissed as being neurotic. Finally, correlational analyses using the combined data of all subjects, were carried out to investigate relationships between self-rated auditory disability/handicap, psychoacoustic, central/cognitive and personality-related variables. Self-rated disability/handicap were found to correlate best with performance on a test of speech-in-noise, less well with subtle auditory function but not with pure tone sensitivity. Cognitive function also correlated with reported disability/handicap, as did anxiety level and otological history. It was concluded that performance measures could be used to validate reports of disability/handicap, but that personality factors should be taken into account when interpreting such reports. Performance on a speech-in-noise test correlated with psychoacoustic and central/cognitive functions, but not with personality factors. It was concluded that minor sensory dysfunction can be reflected in a sensitive performance test but that performance is not affected by 'normal' personality traits

Real Men Go Green: Environmentalism, Threatened Masculinity, and Identity Recovery

Masculinity is a precarious and highly valued social identity. Threatening masculinity leads to a range of compensatory responses to recover manhood, which may also impact men’s engagement in sustainable behaviors. Men might embrace or avoid pro-environmentalism when a masculine or feminine gender identity is signaled. The current research applied processes of gender socialization and identity maintenance to the context of environmentalism across two studies. Overall findings showed that masculinity threats can have varied consequences in sustainable contexts, moderated by men’s level of identification with their gender. Study 1 (N = 208) examined if pro-environmental behaviors acted as a threat to masculinity, leading to general compensatory strategies to reassert manhood through embracing masculine attributes and preferences and rejecting feminine attributes and preferences, moderated by masculine identification. Results showed that men with low masculine identification expressed less endorsement of masculine attributes when threatened, but higher identification overall was related to higher masculine attribute endorsement. Study 2 (N = 394) assessed if pro-environmental behaviors, specifically those aligned with masculine norms, would be embraced as recovery strategy in response to a general masculinity threat. Results showed an overall pattern of men with higher masculine identification distancing from all pro-environmental behaviors, demonstrating that even sustainable behaviors that align with masculine norms may have underlying feminine associations. This research provides insight into the environmentalism gender gap and highlights the importance of masculine identification in how men experience and recover from identity threats in sustainable contexts