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RELEASE NO. 02-038
NASA Langley scientists to present new earth science
research at AGU
Scientists from NASA
Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., will report on new
atmospheric science research at the American Geophysical Union
(AGU) spring
meeting in Washington, D.C., May 28-31, 2002. Highlights of
scheduled sessions and papers follow:
CLAMS
Study the Ocean and Atmosphere
Last summer six research aircraft equipped with specialized
instrumentation measured properties of the ocean and atmosphere
surrounding the Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse under the observing eye
of NASA’s Terra satellite. This field campaign, called
CLAMS
(Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites),
will improve data from Terra and ultimately the understanding of
global climate change. Thomas Charlock and Bill Smith, Jr. will
chair a session highlighting key results from CLAMS.
Tuesday, May 28, 8:30 a.m.– Washington Convention Center
(WCC), Hall
13; Session A21D
Fires Leave Signature on Earth’s Energy Balance
Large
biomass burning events can alter the energy balance at the
Earth’s surface by producing plumes of smoke which contain
aerosols that absorb and reflect the sun's energy. A new analysis
of computer models and satellite and surface measurements of a
large forest fire in Manitoba, Canada, in 1989, is helping
scientists determine exactly how much fires impact the radiation
balance and, after further analysis, perhaps global climate.
Stephen Cox of Analytical Services and Materials, Inc., will
present this paper that is co-authored by Paul Stackhouse of NASA
Langley.
Tuesday, May 28, 3:05 p.m.– WCC, Hall 15; Session A22E
SAGE
Advice on Aerosols and Ozone
Over 17 years of satellite observations from NASA’s Stratospheric Aerosol
and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II revealed significant findings on
ozone trends and aerosols, including the effects of the 1991 Mount
Pinatubo eruption. NASA Langley scientists Joseph Zawodny and Larry
Thomason will chair a session on how new applications of the SAGE
II data are contributing to the understanding of these important
drivers of global climate change.
Wednesday, May 29, 1:30 p.m.– WCC, Hall 20; Session A32D
Cooling the Earth’s Middle Atmosphere
The atmospheric region 50-60 kilometers above the Earth’s
surface is undergoing a small but significant cooling trend,
atmospheric scientist Ellis Remsberg will report. This cooling is
roughly consistent with known increases in atmospheric carbon
dioxide. He analyzed nearly a decade’s worth of satellite
observations from the Halogen
Occultation Experiment (HALOE) instrument to
determine the temperature change.
Thursday, May 30, 2:15 p.m.–WCC, Hall 13; Session A42D
Studying the Last Atmospheric Frontier
The successful launch of a satellite carrying the SABER
(Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry)
instrument in December 2001 marked the beginning of the first
comprehensive global observations of the Earth’s upper
atmosphere. Marty Mlynczak, associate principal investigator for
SABER, will present initial findings on how sunlight and gases such
as carbon dioxide impact the temperature of the upper
atmosphere.
Friday, May 31, 10:40 a.m.–WCC, Hall 23; Session SA51A
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