Spatial Modeling of the Risk of Mosquito-borne Disease Transmission, Chesapeake, Virginia

The increase in mosquito populations following extreme weather events poses a major threat to humans because of mosquitoes' ability to carry disease-causing pathogens. In areas with reservoirs of disease, mosquito abundance information can help to identify the areas at higher risk of disease transmission. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), mosquito abundance is predicted across the city of Chesapeake, Virginia. The mosquito abundance model uses mosquito trap counts, habitat suitability, and environmental variables to predict the abundance of the species Culiseta melanura, as well as the combined abundance of Aedes vexans and Psorophora columbiae, for the year 2003. The mosquito abundance values are compared to vulnerable population indices to determine the spatial distribution of risk of disease transmission. The goal of this project is to create a reproducible model that could be embedded in a decision support system to aid in detecting areas at high risk of mosquito-borne disease transmission.  M.A

An automated thermal vacuum test system for use in environmental testing of flight systems and components

Unusual requirements for the Pressure Distribution/Air Data System (PD/ADS) transducer thermal vacuum testing led to the development of a conductively heated and cooled, fully automated, bell-jar test system. The system has proven to be easily adaptable for other tests and offers the advantages of quick turn-around and low operational cost

Design and evaluation of candidate pressure ports for the HYFLITE experiment

A concept for placing a pressure transducer directly in a shuttle type tile was developed at Langley Research Center. A 5 inch long quartz with a .020 inch inner diameter provides the thermal isolation necessary to allow 2800 F surface pressure measurements to be taken by pressure transducer rated at 250 F. The assembly is potted in place with RTV 560 in a piece of FRCI-12 thermal protection system insulation tile. The integrity of the thermal protection system is maintained even with the intrusion of the pressure port assembly and the pressure port does not disrupt the air flow across the lifting body. Approximately 200 of these pressure ports are to be used in each of the Hypersonic Flight Experiment (HYFLITE) flight tests. Initial vibroacoustic and aerothermal testing of the pressure port designs have been completed at Langley Research vibration laboratory and the 20 MWatt 2 x 9 turbulent duct facility at Ames Research Center. The performance of the pressure ports were found to be well within the required design limits for all cases. In addition, a failure mode in which the entire pressure port assembly was removed proved to be a begin case

Remote sensing and modeling of mosquito abundance and habitats in Coastal Virginia, USA

The increase in mosquito populations following extreme weather events poses a major threat to humans because of mosquitoes’ ability to carry disease-causing pathogens, particularly in low-lying, poorly drained coastal plains vulnerable to tropical cyclones. In areas with reservoirs of disease, mosquito abundance information can help to identify the areas at higher risk of disease transmission. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), mosquito abundance is predicted across the City of Chesapeake, Virginia. The mosquito abundance model uses mosquito light trap counts, a habitat suitability model, and dynamic environmental variables (temperature and precipitation) to predict the abundance of the species Culiseta melanura, as well as the combined abundance of the ephemeral species, Aedes vexans and Psorophora columbiae, for the year 2003. Remote sensing techniques were used to quantify environmental variables for a potential habitat suitability index for the mosquito species. The goal of this study was to produce an abundance model that could guide risk assessment, surveillance, and potential disease transmission. Results highlight the utility of integrating field surveillance, remote sensing for synoptic landscape habitat distributions, and dynamic environmental data for predicting mosquito vector abundance across low-lying coastal plains. Limitations of mosquito trapping and multi-source geospatial environmental data are highlighted for future spatial modeling of disease transmission risk

Airborne multiwavelength High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2) observations during TCAP 2012 : Vertical profiles of optical and microphysical properties of a smoke/urban haze plume over the northeastern coast of the US

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.We present measurements acquired by the world's first airborne 3 backscatter (β) + 2 extinction (α) High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2). HSRL-2 measures particle backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm, and particle extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm. The instrument has been developed by the NASA Langley Research Center. The instrument was operated during Phase 1 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) in July 2012. We observed pollution outflow from the northeastern coast of the US out over the western Atlantic Ocean. Lidar ratios were 50-60 sr at 355 nm and 60-70 sr at 532 nm. Extinction-related Ångström exponents were on average 1.2-1.7, indicating comparably small particles. Our novel automated, unsupervised data inversion algorithm retrieved particle effective radii of approximately 0.2 μm, which is in agreement with the large Ångström exponents. We find good agreement with particle size parameters obtained from coincident in situ measurements carried out with the DOE Gulfstream-1 aircraft.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Development of the Global Ozone Lidar Demonstrator (GOLD) Instrument for Deployment on the NASA Global Hawk

A compact ozone (O3) and aerosol lidar system is being developed for conducting global atmospheric investigations from the NASA Global Hawk Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and for enabling the development and test of a space-based O3 and aerosol lidar. GOLD incorporates advanced technologies and designs to produce a compact, autonomously operating O3 and aerosol Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system for a UAV platform. The GOLD system leverages advanced Nd:YAG and optical parametric oscillator laser technologies and receiver optics, detectors, and electronics. Significant progress has been made toward the development of the GOLD system, and this paper describes the objectives of this program, basic design of the GOLD system, and results from initial ground-based atmospheric tests

Framing the Next Nuclear Posture Review: A State-Centric, Strategic Approach

The Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), released by the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2010, announced an unprecedented shift in the U.S. nuclear policy away from state-based threats to nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism concerns. While these issues remain important, the evolving global strategic environment dictates that the next NPR return to a state-centric, strategic focus emphasizing four states: Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. The only strategic peer to the United States, Russia, is actively modernizing all aspects of its nuclear arsenal and has placed nonstrategic nuclear weapons (NSNWs) at the center of its national security.1 China has overhauled the structure of its nuclear weapons program and nuclear and missile developments in North Korea are ongoing. Not long ago Iran reached the cusp of nuclear capability before the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The United States must now ensure that this agreement is implemented effectively. All of these developments make it impossible to ignore the importance of nuclear weapons in the U.S. global strategic posture today

Net methylmercury production in 2 contrasting stream sediments and associated accumulation and toxicity to periphyton

Periphyton uptake of bioaccumulative methylmercury (MeHg) may be an important entryway into the food web of many stream ecosystems where periphyton can be dominant primary producers. The net production of MeHg in stream sediment, its bioaccumulation in periphyton, and the potential toxicity of divalent Hg (Hg[II]) and MeHg in sediment to periphyton were investigated with a 67‐d in situ incubation experiment using chemical exposure substrates containing either a fine‐grained, organic‐rich or a sandy, low‐organic sediment, each amended with varying concentrations of mercuric chloride. Methylmercury was produced in sediment, and concentrations increased with greater amounts of added Hg(II); however, the net production of MeHg was inhibited in the highest Hg(II) treatments of both sediments. The range of total Hg concentrations that inhibited MeHg production was between approximately 80 000 ng Hg and 350 000 ng Hg per gram of organic matter for both sediments. Periphyton colonizing substrates accumulated MeHg in proportion to the concentration in sediment, but periphyton exposed to the sandy sediment accumulated approximately 20‐fold more than those exposed to the organic‐rich sediment relative to sediment MeHg concentrations. Toxicity of either Hg(II) or MeHg to periphyton was not observed with either periphyton organic content, net primary production, or respiration as endpoints. These results suggest that in situ production and bioaccumulation of MeHg in stream ecosystems can vary as a function of sediment characteristics and Hg(II) loadings to the sediment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1759–1765. © 2015 SETACPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134236/1/etc3324_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134236/2/etc3324.pd

A13K-0336: Airborne Multi-Wavelength High Spectral Resolution Lidar for Process Studies and Assessment of Future Satellite Remote Sensing Concepts

NASA Langley recently developed the world's first airborne multi-wavelength high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL). This lidar employs the HSRL technique at 355 and 532 nm to make independent, unambiguous retrievals of aerosol extinction and backscatter. It also employs the standard backscatter technique at 1064 nm and is polarization-sensitive at all three wavelengths. This instrument, dubbed HSRL-2 (the secondgeneration HSRL developed by NASA Langley), is a prototype for the lidar on NASA's planned Aerosols- Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) mission. HSRL-2 completed its first science mission in July 2012, the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE) in Hyannis, MA. TCAP presents an excellent opportunity to assess some of the remote sensing concepts planned for ACE: HSRL-2 was deployed on the Langley King Air aircraft with another ACE-relevant instrument, the NASA GISS Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP), and flights were closely coordinated with the DOE's Gulfstream-1 aircraft, which deployed a variety of in situ aerosol and trace gas instruments and the new Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR). The DOE also deployed their Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility and their Mobile Aerosol Observing System at a ground site located on the northeastern coast of Cape Cod for this mission. In this presentation we focus on the capabilities, data products, and applications of the new HSRL-2 instrument. Data products include aerosol extinction, backscatter, depolarization, and optical depth; aerosol type identification; mixed layer depth; and rangeresolved aerosol microphysical parameters (e.g., effective radius, index of refraction, single scatter albedo, and concentration). Applications include radiative closure studies, studies of aerosol direct and indirect effects, investigations of aerosol-cloud interactions, assessment of chemical transport models, air quality studies, present (e.g., CALIPSO) and future (e.g., EarthCARE) satellite calibration/validation, and development/assessment of advanced retrieval techniques for future satellite applications (e.g., lidar+polarimeter retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties). We will also discuss the relevance of HSRL-2 measurement capabilities to the ACE remote sensing concept

Mercury concentrations in two “great waters”

Although many sources of Hg to surface waters have been identified including atmospheric deposition, resuspension of contaminated sediments, and direct discharges, there are very few recent data on ambient concentrations in the large lakes. Thus, an investigation of Hg concentrations in Lake Champlain and Lake Michigan was completed in the summer of 1993. Three depths of water including the microlayer, 30 cm below the surface, and 1 m below the thermocline were collected for each sampling event using ultra-clean techniques. All samples were processed in the field for dissolved and particulate fractions in a portable plastic enclosure equipped with a HEPA filter, and then analyzed by dual amalgamation and cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy in a Class 100 clean room at the University of Michigan. In addition, samples were analyzed for other trace metals by ICP-MS. Results from the two field investigations include the following: (1) On average, Lake Michigan water samples had higher concentrations of Hg than Lake Champlain; (2) There was no consistent pattern of Hg concentrations in the water column; (3) There was variability in the concentrations of Hg from the same depths over consecutive sampling periods. This paper discusses these results, and examines the relationship between the patterns in mercury concentrations and other physical and chemical data collected during the investigation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43914/1/11270_2005_Article_BF01189709.pd