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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Faculty Advisors:

Dr. Dom Ciruzzi, College of William & Mary

Graduate Mentor:

Marley Majetic, Pennsylvania State University

Marley Majetic, Graduate Mentor

Marley Majetic, graduate mentor for the 2024 SARP Hydroecology group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.

Jordan DiPrima

How are different land cover types affected by land subsidence on the U.S. Atlantic Coast?

Jordan DiPrima

Land subsidence is a frequently overlooked geologic hazard that is caused by natural processes and, more recently, anthropogenic stressors. The goal of this study is to observe subsidence trends and hotspots among land cover types on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and Long Island, New York. This study utilizes interferometric synthetic aperture radar, or InSAR, satellite data from Sentinel-1 to map vertical land motion from 2017 to 2023. Land cover data were sourced from Landsat 8 satellite imagery. Subsidence was mapped within the following land cover types on the Eastern Shore: urban, wetland, cropland, temperate or sub-polar grassland, temperate or sub-polar shrubland, mixed forest, and temperate or subpolar needleleaf forest. These land cover types have mean vertical velocities ranging from -0.2 mm/yr to -5.2 mm/yr. Results suggest that land subsidence is most severe in cropland areas on the Eastern Shore, with a mean vertical velocity of -5.2 mm/yr. In contrast, wetlands display the most subsidence on Long Island with a mean vertical velocity of -2.1 mm/yr. Long Island lacked distinct trends among land cover types and instead showed evidence of subsidence hotspots. These hotspots exist in the following land cover types: temperate or sub-polar grassland, barren lands, wetland, cropland, and temperate or sub-polar broadleaf deciduous forest. Overall, Eastern Shore croplands and Long Island wetlands were determined to be the most susceptible land cover types. These findings highlight regions at risk of sea level rise, flooding, and coastal erosion as a result of subsidence. With further research, we can map subsiding landscapes on a global scale to improve resource allocation and mitigation techniques.

Isabelle Peterson

Total Thermokarst Lake Changes on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: 2016 to 2024

Isabelle Peterson

Thermokarst landscapes have and will continue to change as the arctic landscape warms due to climate change. Permafrost underlies much of these arctic landscapes, and as it melts, thermokarst landscapes are left behind. The Seward Peninsula in Alaska has an abundance of these landscapes, and thermokarst lakes are present in the northernmost portion. Several lakes have come and gone, but with increasing climate instability and warming of the area, there is a possibility of more permafrost melting, creating more of these lakes. To capture these changes, Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) imagery were used to create annual lake maps of the northern portion of the Seward Peninsula from 2016 to 2024. Much of the methodology was informed from Jones et al. (2011); however, their study used eCognition, while the present study used ArcGIS Pro. This caused some differences in results likely due to the differences in software, satellite imagery, and the proposed study area. Lake number changes were observed annually. From this annual change, several 10 to 40 ha lakes disappeared and reappeared within the study period, along with smaller lakes filling in where larger lakes once were. Thermokarst lake drainage is a process described by Jones and Arp (2015) which has devastating geomorphological impacts on the surrounding area, creating large drainage troughs which diminish surrounding permafrost in a quick time frame. To capture these events and overall changes, satellite imagery is essential. This is especially true in remote regions which are hard to reach by foot and require flight missions to be scheduled over the area for aerial photography. However, LVIS and other higher resolution aerial instruments would provide higher accuracy when identifying smaller lakes, as satellite imagery does not accurately capture lakes below 1 ha in the study area. This assertion is made due to conflicting results compared to Jones et al (2011). While the methodologies of this study have been executed manually, Qin, Zhang, and Lu (2023) have proposed the idea of using Sentinel-2 imagery to map thermokarst lakes through automatic methods. While automatization has not yet been perfected, the potential is there and can be used to analyze thermokarst areas effectively. With more satellite imagery, annual, monthly, and potentially daily changes can be captured in favorable months to monitor changing landscapes in arctic regions. Thermokarst lakes have been changing, and monitoring them can help in the process of understanding the changing climate in arctic areas, especially through the lens melting permafrost.

Emmanelle Cuasay

Finding Refuge in Climate Crisis: Analyzing the Differences between Refugia and Non-Refugia in the Northern Philippines Using Remote Sensing

Emmanelle Cuasay

Refugia are areas that are characterized by stable environmental conditions that can act as a refuge for species as Earth’s climate warms. In this study, fourteen Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 images from February 2014 – March 2024 of the northern Philippines region were used. The region of interest is the terrestrial biome by Lake Taal. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maps were created from all fourteen images to determine the NDVI 25th highest quartiles of the long-term average NDVI images and of a dry and wet year NDVI image. These values were then used to create refugia and non-refugia maps using ArcGIS Pro. Land cover data from Sentinel-2 and a digital elevation model (DEM), using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), were plotted in ArcGIS Pro to determine the slope and aspect of the area. Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) data were used to look at forest height of the study area, and the distribution of forest height, slope, aspect, and elevation were plotted to determine their probability densities in refugia and non-refugia areas. Results of this study show increased biomass in refugia areas. This suggests that conservation practices are crucial to aid in the preservation of biodiversity and biomass within these refugia areas.

Jayce Crayne

Site-Based Observations of a Saharan Dust Storm’s Impacts on Evapotranspiration in North-Central Florida

Jayce Crayne

Saharan dust storms serve an important role in the western Atlantic’s climate in their contribution to Earth’s radiation budget, modulating sea surface temperatures (SSTs), fertilizing ecosystems, and suppressing cloud and precipitation patterns (Yuan et al., 2020). However, Saharan dust storms are expected to become less frequent in this region as SSTs continue to rise (Yuan et al., 2020). Predicting the climate response to this change requires a keen understanding of how the presence of these storms affect evapotranspiration (ET) and its indicators. This study utilizes site-based observational data from an AmeriFlux tower near Gainesville, FL recorded during a large dust storm in late June 2020. The storm’s progression was documented using satellite imagery from Aqua and Terra and aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from an Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) station co-located with the AmeriFlux tower. Indicators of ET such as surface air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, photosynthetic photon flux density, and net radiation were analyzed. Findings were compared to modeled ET and latent energy flux reanalysis data provided by the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). Both model simulations and on-site observations support that ET decreased during the days dust concentrations were heaviest and for a short time thereafter. Cloud cover data adopted from meteorological aerodrome reports (METARs) provided by an automated surface observing system (ASOS) located in Gainesville showed that clouds were not a major contributor in decreasing ET during the days of heaviest dust. The results of this study show a considerable decrease in ET as a result of dust aerosols. Further research is necessary to determine whether changes in ET due to Saharan dust storms are significant enough to alter climates in the western Atlantic and, if so, what the climate response will be if the frequency of storms decreases.

Brandon Wilson

Predicting 2025 and 2028 dNBR and dNDIV for Csarf Smith River Complex / Evaluating the Effects of 2019 California Wildfire Fund

Brandon Wilson

Biodiverse regions across California remain vulnerable to harmful wildfires year round. Quantifying and measuring these regions’ wildfire resilience is necessary for understanding where/how to allocate environmental resources. Several ecological wildfire studies have been conducted utilizing artificial intelligence and remote sensing to analyze and predict biodiversity damage across wildfire prone regions, including Northern Algeria and Arkansas, USA. The current case study aims to analyze biodiversity damage from the 2023 Csarf Smith River Complex Fire in Six Rivers National Forest, California and predict the difference in Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and difference in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dNDVI) for 2025 and 2028 using remote-sensing-based random forest (RF) regression. Furthermore, to observe, holistically, a practical method California has implemented to address state-wide wildfire damage, the 2019 California Wildfire Fund (AB 1054 and AB 111) was evaluated using the synthetic control method (SCM). For this case study, remote sensing data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA (Landsat 9 Satellite C2 L2, TerraClimate and the Land Data Assimilation System) were utilized for processing relevant spectral indexes for the RF. Data from NOAA, Energy Information Agency, International Monetary Fund and Bureau of Economic Analysis were utilized as synthetic control datasets to evaluate the effects of the 2019 California Wildfire Fund. Elevated topography in this study area is susceptible to high severity burn effects, while less elevated topography burns less. This result affected dNBR and dNDVI predictions as elevated areas seemingly did not have strong resilience to rampant burns. This demonstrates a direct correlation to potential lower transpiration rates for elevated areas, warranting further analysis. Results of low variance, post-treatment, between the treated unit and the synthetic control unit, poses concern for the positive effect of the 2019 Wildfire Fund.

Carrie Hashimoto

Describing changes in evapotranspiration following the 2020 Creek Fire in the southern Sierra Nevada

Carrie Hashimoto

Climatic warming and high tree density have caused larger and more severe wildfires to occur in western United States forests over time. Wildfires affect both the hydrology and ecology of forests via alterations to the water balance (e.g., evapotranspiration, streamflow, infiltration, and more) and could shift vegetation communities and subsequent ecosystem structure and function. This project explores ecological characteristics of a landscape that predict the extent to which the Creek Fire in the southern Sierra Nevada has affected evapotranspiration. Strides in understanding of consequential evapotranspiration changes can create pathways to address emerging forest health challenges posed by similar western fires. For analysis, various remote sensing and modeled data were collected from OpenET, the North American Land Data Assimilation System, TerraClimate, Harmonized LandSat Sentinel-2 data, and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Multiple linear regression and generalized additive models were constructed. Relative change in evapotranspiration served as the response variable. Model covariates included average temperature, total precipitation in the preceding months, average soil moisture, elevation, slope, aspect, northness, latitude, pre-fire normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and post-fire change in normalized burn ratio (dNBR). Best subset selection with cross validation demonstrated minimization of cross-validation error with a 7-covariate model. This reduced model yields lower complexity and more interpretability while sustaining an adjusted R2 of 0.626, compared to the full model’s adjusted R2 of 0.663. A reduced generalized additive model (GAM) with interaction terms drawn from the linear model variable selection demonstrated an adjusted R2 of 0.695, indicating a better fit that comes at the cost of reduced interpretability and higher computational requirements than the linear models. The goal of this work is to disentangle environmental indicators of post-fire evapotranspiration change, such that predictive modeling of future wildfire impacts on evapotranspiration can be achieved.

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Last Updated
Nov 22, 2024

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      October 2014 Astrogram September 2010 Astrogram I have served as the editor of the Astrogram since February 1998. Over the past quarter century, it has been an interesting, and sometimes quite challenging, task for me to capture the breadth and depth of Ames’s story and ensure that we always published the newsletter on time. I still remember trekking over to the center’s imaging office to review the physical negatives and images that the Ames photographers had taken of events onsite and select the most compelling photos. I used a very early version of visual design software to craft the layout. When the paper was completed, I’d file it onto a CD and then hand it to the courier who would drive from the San Francisco printshop to pick it up from me. Once and awhile, someone would request to have an additional feature added, requiring multiple trips up the 101 and back. Sometimes I’d come in on the weekends to work on the paper, due to late submissions, much to the chagrin of my kids.
      July 2007 Astrogram It has been a pleasure serving as the editor over the past quarter century, almost as many years as my kids are old. A person once asked me if I had changed my name to Astrid since it’s so like the word Astrogram. Any relationship between the newsletter and my name is simply serendipity. I have enjoyed being behind the scenes, mostly working diligently at my computer. Many at Ames know my name because of the newsletter but may have never met me in person. It’s been amusing sometimes when I encounter someone who can’t put a finger as to why they knew my name but didn’t recognize me standing in front of them. Their usual response when they realized why they know me was, “Ah, Astrid of the Astrogram.”
      March 20, 1998 Astrogram Just as NASA innovates, the content of the Astrogram has to innovate as well. Many of the stories that you used to read in the Astrogram, you can now find on our NASA Ames web page here. If you would like to access past, archived issues of the Astrogram, going back to 1958, please consult the Ames Research Center Archives. I will continue to help tell Ames’s story, just using new platforms.
      Whether this is your first issue or you have been an Astrogram supporter for decades, thank you for reading!
      – Astrid of the Astrogram officially signing off


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      A series of ESA investigations studied diffusion, or how heat and particles move through liquids, in microgravity. Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument-Influence of VIbrations on DIffusion of Liquids examined how vibrations affect diffusion in mixtures with two components and SODI-DCMIX measured more-complex diffusion in mixtures of three or more components. Understanding and predicting the effects of thermal diffusion has applications in various industries such as modeling of underground oil reservoirs.
      NASA astronaut Kate Rubins works on Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument Experiment Diffusion Coefficient Mixture-3 (SODI) DCMix-3 installation inside the station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox.JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)/Takuya Onishi Research validates ferrofluid technology

      Researchers validated the concept of using ferrofluid technology to operate a thermal control switch in a spacecraft. This outcome could support development of more reliable and long-lasting spacecraft thermal management systems, increasing mission lifespan and improving crew safety.

      Überflieger 2: Ferrofluid Application Research Goes Orbital analyzed the performance of ferrofluids, a technology that manipulates components such as rotors and switches using magnetized liquids and a magnetic field rather than mechanical systems, which are prone to wear and tear. This technology could lower the cost of materials for thermal management systems, reduce the need for maintenance and repair, and help avoid equipment failure. The paper discusses possible improvements to the thermal switch, including optimizing the geometry to better manage heat flow.
      A view of the Ferrofluid Application Research Goes Orbital investigation hardware aboard the International Space Station. UAE (United Arab Emirates)/Sultan AlneyadiView the full article
    • By NASA
      4 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      NASA/Quincy Eggert NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is preparing today for tomorrow’s mission. Supersonic flight, next generation aircraft, advanced air mobility, climate changes, human exploration of space, and the next innovation are just some of the topics our researchers, engineers, and mission support teams focused on in 2024.
      NASA Armstrong began 2024 with the public debut of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. Through the unique design of the X-59, NASA aims to reduce the sonic boom to make it much quieter, potentially opening the future to commercial supersonic flight over land. Throughout the first part of the year, NASA and international researchers studied air quality across Asia as part of a global effort to better understand the air we breathe. Later in the year, for the first time, a NASA-funded researcher conducted an experiment aboard a commercial suborbital rocket, studying how changes in gravity during spaceflight affect plant biology.
      Here’s a look at more NASA Armstrong accomplishments throughout 2024:
      Our simulation team began work on NASA’s X-66 simulator, which will use an MD-90 cockpit and allow pilots and engineers to run real-life scenarios in a safe environment. NASA Armstrong engineers completed and tested a model of a truss-braced wing design, laying the groundwork for improved commercial aircraft aerodynamics. NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission and supporting projects worked with industry partners who are building innovative new aircraft like electric air taxis. We explored how these new designs may help passengers and cargo move between and inside cities efficiently. The team began testing with a custom virtual reality flight simulator to explore the air taxi ride experience. This will help designers create new aircraft with passenger comfort in mind. Researchers also tested a new technology that will help self-flying aircraft avoid hazards. A NASA-developed computer software tool called OVERFLOW helped several air taxi companies predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers to see how new design elements would perform, saving the aerospace industry time and money. Our engineers designed a camera pod with sensors at NASA Armstrong to help advance computer vision for autonomous aviation and flew this pod at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Quesst mission marked a major milestone with the start of tests on the engine that will power the quiet supersonic X-59 experimental aircraft. In February and March, NASA joined international researchers in Asia to investigate pollution sources. The now retired DC-8 and NASA Langley Gulfstream III aircraft collected air measurements over the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan. Combined with ground and satellite observations, these measurements continue to enrich global discussions about pollution origins and solutions. The Gulfstream IV joined NASA Armstrong’s fleet of airborne science platforms. Our teams modified the aircraft to accommodate a next-generation science instrument that will collect terrain information of the Earth in a more capable, versatile, and maintainable way. The ER-2 and the King Air supported the development of spaceborne instruments by testing them in suborbital settings. On the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment mission (PACE-PAX), the ER-2 validated data collected by the PACE satellite about the ocean, atmosphere, and surfaces. Operating over several countries, researchers onboard NASA’s C-20A collected data and images of Earth’s surface to understand global ecosystems, natural hazards, and land surface changes. Following Hurricane Milton, the C-20A flew over affected areas to collect data that could help inform disaster response in the future. We also tested nighttime precision landing technologies that safely deliver spacecraft to hazardous locations with limited visibility. With the goal to improve firefighter safety, NASA, the U.S. Forest Service, and industry tested a cell tower in the sky. The system successfully provided persistent cell coverage, enabling real-time communication between firefighters and command posts. Using a 1960s concept wingless, powered aircraft design, we built and tested an atmospheric probe to better and more economically explore giant planets. NASA Armstrong hosted its first Ideas to Flight workshop, where subject matter experts shared how to accelerate research ideas and technology development through flight. These are just some of NASA Armstrong’s many innovative research efforts that support NASA’s mission to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.
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      Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactSarah Mannsarah.mann@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
      Armstrong Flight Research Center Advanced Air Mobility Aeronautics C-20A DC-8 Earth Science ER-2 Flight Opportunities Program Quesst (X-59) Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Explore More
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