Developing a Community of Practice for Applied Uses of Future PACE Data to Address Marine Food Security Challenges

External interaction:The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission will include a hyperspectral imaging radiometer to advance ecosystem monitoring beyond heritage retrievals of the concentration of surface chlorophyll and other traditional ocean color variables, offering potential for novel science and applications. PACE is the first NASA ocean color mission to occur under the agency's new and evolving effort to directly engage practical end users prior to satellite launch to increase adoption of this freely available data toward societal challenges. Here we describe early efforts to engage a community of practice around marine food-related resource management, business decisions, and policy analysis. Obviously one satellite cannot meet diverse end user needs at all scales and locations, but understanding downstream needs helps in the assessment of information gaps and planning how to optimize the unique strengths of PACE data in combination with the strengths of other satellite retrievals, in situ measurements, and models. Higher spectral resolution data from PACE can be fused with information from satellites with higher spatial or temporal resolution, plus other information, to enable identification and tracking of new marine biological indicators to guide sustainable management. Accounting for the needs of applied researchers as well as non-traditional users of satellite data early in the PACE mission process will ultimately serve to broaden the base of informed users and facilitate faster adoption of the most advanced science and technology toward the challenge of mitigating food insecurity

Broadening international perspectives on the legal environment for personnel selection

Perspectives from 22 countries on aspects of the legal environment for selection are presented in this article. Issues addressed include (a) whether there are racial/ethnic/religious subgroups viewed as "disadvantaged," (b) whether research documents mean differences between groups on individual difference measures relevant to job performance, (c) whether there are laws prohibiting discrimination against specific groups, (d) the evidence required to make and refute a claim of discrimination, (e) the consequences of violation of the laws, (f) whether particular selection methods are limited or banned, (g) whether preferential treatment of members of disadvantaged groups is permitted, and (h) whether the practice of industrial and organizational psychology has been affected by the legal environment

Earth Observations and Integrative Models in Support of Food and Water Security

Global food production depends upon many factors that Earth observing satellites routinely measure about water, energy, weather, and ecosystems. Increasingly sophisticated, publicly-available satellite data products can improve efficiencies in resource management and provide earlier indication of environmental disruption. Satellite remote sensing provides a consistent, long-term record that can be used effectively to detect large-scale features over time, such as a developing drought. Accuracy and capabilities have increased along with the range of Earth observations and derived products that can support food security decisions with actionable information. This paper highlights major capabilities facilitated by satellite observations and physical models that have been developed and validated using remotely-sensed observations. Although we primarily focus on variables relevant to agriculture, we also include a brief description of the growing use of Earth observations in support of aquaculture and fisheries

Ethics of Care on the Narrative Margins of Willa Cather’s \u3ci\u3eThe Professor’s House\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eDeath Comes for the Archbishop\u3c/i\u3e

Willa Cather’s Southwestern novels feature cultured male protagonists as the driving sources of action. The male characters explore the natural world and advance the plot, but Cather positions female figures, particularly spinster figures, on the sidelines of the protagonists’ plots to offer support and connection with the natural world. Using an ethic of care framework and ecofeminist Val Plumwood’s master model, this thesis examines the ways in which Cather marginalizes female figures even as they serve crucial roles in the male protagonists’ development. While the male protagonists link spinster figures and sexualized feminine bodies with the natural world, they imbue the natural world with feminized characteristics. In this way, Cather’s male protagonists reify the connection between women and nature that is used to dismiss and denigrate the autonomy of the natural world and women. Adviser: Melissa J. Homestea

Cooler sea surface west of the Sahara Desert correlated to dust events

Atmospheric particles scatter incoming solar radiation and cause regional cooling for areas in which they increase the net backscattering. Stratospheric aerosols have been widely observed to have this cooling effect on the Earth\u27s surface following major volcanic eruptions. A smaller effect is expected to result from the regular entrainment of aerosols in the troposphere from natural and anthropogenic surface sources. Over long time scales, even a small cooling by tropospheric aerosols could be significant in offsetting warming caused by greenhouse gases. We looked for indications of this effect at the ocean\u27s surface, when the albedo is raised in the presence of tropospheric aerosols. To test whether a correlation exists between tropospheric aerosol outbreaks and a cooler ocean surface, we compared satelalite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements to in situ sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over a four year period. We seolected a subtropical North Atlantic region where the upwind mobilization of desert dust results in an aerosol signal large enough to outweigh other factors which cause cooling of the sea surface. In this location, the differing seasonal variations of aerosol amount, mixed layer depth, and cloudiness permit a glimpse of the causal relationship between aerosols and temperature changes at the sea surface. Although we were limited by in situ SST coverage, we found temperature perturbations correlated to large aerosol outbreaks from the Sahara Desert

Influence of dust and sulfate aerosols on ocean color spectra and chlorophyll a concentrations derived from SeaWiFS off the U.S. east coast

The influence of two dominant aerosol species on satellite ocean color retrievals is examined off the U.S. East Coast in the western Sargasso subtropical gyre. Waters of very low chlorophyll concentration have normalized water‐leaving radiance (nLw) spectra highest in blue and decreasing monotonically with increasing wavelength. For water with chlorophyll concentrations less than 0.13 mg m−3 we compared the Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor (SeaWiFS) nLw spectra for different aerosol conditions (clear, dust‐dominated, and sulfate‐dominated) over 1 year between March 1999 and March 2000. With appropriate atmospheric correction, satellite‐derived nLw spectra should be insensitive to the presence of atmospheric aerosols, but we found the SeaWiFS spectra to be sensitive to the species and optical thickness of aerosols. The SeaWiFS bio‐optical chlorophyll algorithms use nLw(λ)/nLw(555) band ratios (where λ = 443, 490, or 510 nm): any biases in the band ratios result in incorrect chlorophyll concentration estimates. When aerosols were negligible, nLw spectra were consistent with in situ reference data between 443 and 510 nm. With increasing aerosol optical thickness during dust events, most common during summer, the nLw spectra were lowered between 412 and 510 nm, decreasing nLw(λ)/nLw(555) band ratios and resulting in artificially high chlorophyll a estimates. Sulfate‐dominated pixels were associated with elevated nLw spectra between 412 and 555 nm. Increasing sulfate optical thickness corresponded to decreases of the bio‐optical band ratios because of the increase at 555 nm, which also biased the chlorophyll a estimates high. The effect of sulfate upon ocean color retrievals is more problematic than dust off the U.S. east coast because of the nearly constant presence of sulfate along with commonly colocated pollutant aerosols that confound atmospheric correction algorithms

Adrenal gland fusion

A 22-year old female was referred to our hospital for CT-evaluation of the abdomen. Her medical history revealed a congenital lumbosacral spina bifida with meningomyelocele, which was surgically closed at the age of 22 months. She had a neurogenic bladder with hydronephrosis of the right kidney and recurrent upper urinary tract infections. Her left kidney had been resected for renal atrophy. She had a rudimentary uterus with imperforate hymen. A fusion of the adrenal glands, with retroaortic bridging, was incidentally found (A-C)

Gulf Stream cross-frontal exchange: Possible mechanisms to explain interannual variations in phytoplankton chlorophyll in the Slope Sea during the SeaWiFS years

During the first 4 years of the SeaWiFS mission (September 1997 through August 2001), the spring blooms in the Slope Sea increased in magnitude. During the same time, the mean path of the Gulf Stream shifted northward. The northward trend of the Gulf Stream is evidenced in satellite sea-surface temperature imagery as well as in situ temperature, salinity, and current vector information collected by the merchant vessel Oleander on its weekly trip between New Jersey and Bermuda. Surface temperature and salinity increased in the Slope Sea over the 4 years. It surprised us to find a collective increase in phytoplankton chlorophyll, temperature, and salinity, contrary to the commonly observed inverse relationship between temperature and chlorophyll in surface waters of this region. While the Gulf Stream surface waters are depleted of nutrients and low in biomass content, waters at depth are rich in nutrients. Although the Gulf Stream usually serves as a barrier between Sargasso waters to the south and Slope waters to the north, cross-stream exchange occurs when there is upward flow along isopycnals toward the surface waters of the Slope Sea. Under certain conditions, warm-core rings and associated streamers shed by the Gulf Stream may also bring nutrient-rich water up into the euphotic zone. The outflow of surface water from the Labrador Sea appears to influence both the size and horizontal transport of the Slope Sea. When the Slope waters are warm and saline there is less Labrador water present, resulting in less dilution of the Gulf Stream waters leaking into the Slope Sea and less horizontal advection within its cyclonic gyre. While the intensity of the spring blooms during this period has dramatic interannual variability, we found the total surface chlorophyll concentration integrated over the Slope Sea remains nearly unchanged. This suggests that the Labrador is not the major supplier of nutrients, but rather that the Slope Sea receives a steady nutrient supply from the sub-surface Gulf Stream waters. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Systematic Integration of Applications into the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) Earth Mission Architecture Study

The Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) concept is the first National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth mission to develop and implement systematic integration of science application needs at the architecture study stage. Prior NASA mission concept and planning activities presumed that science measurement needs would encompasss application measurement needs and so did not explicitly evaluate and include applications at this stage. However, the effort presented here identified, documented and integrated application needs that would not have been included by considering research science needs only. First, a low latency of no greater than 24 hr was identified as the optimal target to enable the maximum number of applications and was then carried through into all SBG candidate architectures. Second, many applications expressed needs around improved spatial and temporal resolution. While increased spatial resolution would not be possible under current cost and technology considerations, the need for improved resolution for temporal sampling helped drive and bolster discussions with international partners such as the European Space Agency, Italian Space Agency, and Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales. Lastly, we found that the applications and science were synergistic with one another; for example, mission concept decisions to consider additional measurement features were driven by both high relevance application and science priorities, and in particular, evapotranspiration for agriculture and high temperature features for fires and geologic hazards. This paper discusses the process and key contributions originating from the SBG Applications Working Group and how they shaped SBG at the architecture study stage. This stage in the mission planning considers the trade space of spacecraft instruments and architectures, and evaluates which formulations are suitable candidates for SBG. The approach described here may be utilized as a framework for applications and science to inform future NASA satellite mission studies

Exposure to Smoke From Wildfire, Prescribed, and Agricultural Burns Among At‐Risk Populations Across Washington, Oregon, and California

Abstract Wildfires, prescribed burns, and agricultural burns all impact ambient air quality across the Western U.S.; however, little is known about how communities across the region are differentially exposed to smoke from each of these fire types. To address this gap, we quantify smoke exposure stemming from wildfire, prescribed, and agricultural burns across Washington, Oregon, and California from 2014 to 2020 using a fire type‐specific biomass burning emissions inventory and the GEOS‐Chem chemical transport model. We examine fire type‐specific PM2.5 concentration by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and in relation to the Center for Disease Control's Social Vulnerability Index. Overall, population‐weighted PM2.5 concentrations are greater from wildfires than from prescribed and from agricultural burns. While we found limited evidence of exposure disparities among sub‐groups across the full study area, we did observe disproportionately higher exposures to wildfire‐specific PM2.5 exposures among Native communities in all three states and, in California, higher agricultural burn‐specific PM2.5 exposures among lower socioeconomic groups. We also identified, for all three states, areas of significant spatial clustering of smoke exposures from all fire types and increased social vulnerability. These results provide a first look at the differential contributions of smoke from wildfires, prescribed burns, and agricultural burns to PM2.5 exposures among demographic subgroups, which can be used to inform more tailored exposure reduction strategies across sources