DOCSLIB.ORG

Uncertainty Assessment and Applicability of an Inversion Method for Volcanic Ash Forecasting

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Uncertainty Assessment and Applicability of an Inversion Method for Volcanic Ash Forecasting Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 9205–9222, 2017 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9205-2017 © Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Uncertainty assessment and applicability of an inversion method for volcanic ash forecasting Birthe Marie Steensen1, Arve Kylling2, Nina Iren Kristiansen2, and Michael Schulz1 1Research department, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, 0131, Norway 2Atmosphere and Climate Department, Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Kjeller, 2007, Norway Correspondence to: Birthe Marie Steensen ([email protected]) Received: 30 November 2016 – Discussion started: 27 January 2017 Revised: 2 June 2017 – Accepted: 9 June 2017 – Published: 31 July 2017 Abstract. Significant improvements in the way we can ob- estimate is found in this case to have an order-of-magnitude- serve and model volcanic ash clouds have been obtained greater impact on the a posteriori solution than the mass load since the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption. One major devel- uncertainties in the satellite. Part of this is explained by a opment has been the application of data assimilation tech- too-high a priori estimate used in this study that is reduced niques, which combine models and satellite observations by around half in the a posteriori reference estimate. Setting such that an optimal understanding of ash clouds can be large uncertainties connected to both a priori and satellite gained. Still, questions remain regarding the degree to which mass load shows that they compensate each other, but the the forecasting capabilities are improved by inclusion of such a priori uncertainty is found to be most sensitive. Because of techniques and how these improvements depend on the data this, an inversion-based emission estimate in a forecasting input. This study explores how different satellite data and dif- setting needs well-tested and well-considered assumptions ferent uncertainty assumptions of the satellite and a priori on uncertainties for the a priori emission and satellite data. emissions affect the calculated volcanic ash emission esti- The quality of using the inversion in a forecasting environ- mate, which is computed by an inversion method that couples ment is tested by adding gradually, with time, more observa- the satellite retrievals and a priori emissions with dispersion tions to improve the estimated height versus time evolution model data. Two major ash episodes over 4 days in April of Eyjafjallajökull ash emissions. We show that the initially and May of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption are studied. too-high a priori emissions are reduced effectively when us- Specifically, inversion calculations are done for four differ- ing just 12 h of satellite observations. More satellite observa- ent satellite data sets with different size distribution assump- tions (> 12 h), in the Eyjafjallajökull case, place the volcanic tions in the retrieval. A reference satellite data set is chosen, injection at higher altitudes. Adding additional satellite ob- and the range between the minimum and maximum 4-day servations (> 36 h) changes the a posteriori emissions to only average load of hourly retrieved ash is 121 % in April and a small extent for May and minimal for the April period, be- 148 % in May, compared to the reference. The corresponding cause the ash is dispersed and transported effectively out of a posteriori maximum and minimum emission sum found for the domain after 1–2 days. A best-guess emission estimate these four satellite retrievals is 26 and 47 % of the a posteri- for the forecasting period was constructed by averaging the ori reference estimate for the same two periods, respectively. last 12 h of the a posteriori emission. Using this emission for Varying the assumptions made in the satellite retrieval is seen a forecast simulation leads to better performance, especially to affect the a posteriori emissions and modelled ash column compared to model simulations with no further emissions loads, and modelled column loads therefore have uncertain- over the forecast period in the case of a continued volcanic ties connected to them depending on the uncertainty in the eruption activity. Because of undetected ash in the satellite satellite retrieval. By further exploring our uncertainty esti- retrieval and diffusion in the model, the forecast simulations mates connected to a priori emissions and the mass load un- generally contain more ash than the observed fields, and the certainties in the satellite data, the uncertainty in the a priori model ash is more spread out. Overall, using the a posteri- Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 9206 B. M. Steensen et al.: Uncertainty assessment and applicability of an inversion method ori emissions in our model reduces the uncertainties in the Boichu et al. (2013) investigated the SO2 emissions of the ash plume forecast, because it corrects effectively for false- 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption in early May by a similar in- positive satellite retrievals, temporary gaps in observations, version method and found that SO2 source terms calculated and false a priori emissions in the window of observation. with only a single satellite image gave consistent results for young plumes but showed increased uncertainty as the plume evolved. A better source term for the entire episode studied may be found by assimilating several satellite observations 1 Introduction over the entire period studied. Wilkins et al. (2016a) used The fine-ash fraction (ash particles with diameter < 64 µm) of an insertion method for ash forecasting by initializing a dis- tephra from volcanic eruptions can be transported over large persion model with ash layers derived from retrievals of the distances and cause jet engine malfunction and damages Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) to airplane windshields (Casadevall, 1994). Both the 2010 on board the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG-2) satellite. April and May Eyjafjallajökull eruption and the May 2011 The study found that the model field calculated by includ- Grimsvötn eruption caused flight delays and cancellations ing up to six satellite observations gave a broader and more leading to economical loss (European Commission, 2011). extensive ash cloud, which compared worse to the satellite Although satellite observations can show snapshots of the in- observation on 8 May at 09:00 UTC than a single satellite re- stantaneous horizontal extension of ash, volcanic ash trans- trieval inserted 6 h before the observation time. The ash cloud port and dispersion models (VATDMs) are needed to fore- found by several retrievals is considered a more conservative cast the dispersion of the volcanic clouds. These models need choice for giving commercial air traffic advice, however, as a robust estimate of source parameters such as ash release it includes ash that may not be captured by a single observa- height, amount of ash released, and ash particle sizes. The tion. combined choice of these source parameters is below named In the previous studies using the inversion method by Stohl the source term. During an eruption, information about the et al. (2011), the a posteriori source terms were calculated af- source term is often limited. Stohl et al. (2011) present an ter the eruption had ceased and using all satellite data avail- inversion method to calculate a source term constrained by able for the entire eruption period. However, in this study satellite observations, using a priori source terms and model more satellite observations will be added gradually to the in- simulations. This inversion technique has been successfully version algorithm to simulate a real forecast scenario. The applied to calculate ash emissions from the Eyjafjallajökull purpose of using the inversion method is to make the model- and Grimsvötn eruptions as well the 2014 Kelut eruption simulated ash with the inversion-derived a posteriori source (Stohl et al., 2011; Kristiansen et al., 2012, 2015; Moxnes term more similar to the observed ash column loads than et al., 2014). The method has also been applied to volcanic model simulations with source terms calculated by empiri- cal plume height relationships like the one given in Mastin eruptions with SO2 emissions (Kristiansen et al. 2010; Eck- hardt et al., 2008). et al. (2009) (used here as a priori source term). The inver- The satellite data, a priori, and model input data required sion algorithm only calculates a constrained source term up by the inversion algorithm all have assumed uncertainties until the start of the forecast, as it requires satellite observa- connected to them that weight their relative contributions to tions. For emissions to be used during the forecast period the inversion results. Both the assumed a priori and satellite there are several possibilities: for example, (1) assume no uncertainties used in the studies mentioned above vary from further emissions, (2) use the latest a priori emission from around 100 % of the input data values down to 0 %, or a min- Mastin et al. (2009), or (3) use the average of the last hours imum value based on the confidence of the a priori source of the a posteriori from the inversion. Assuming the eruption term and satellite data available for the three eruption cases. continues, the third option includes some information from For the Kelut eruption, however, where the eruption reached the satellite observations that may limit the uncertainty of the stratosphere, the a priori source term was highly unreli- using a priori default emission. The use of an average of the able, so the uncertainty was set to 1000 % of the assumed a emission during the last 12 h will be compared here against priori values to make the result be almost exclusively driven zero emissions in the forecast period. by the satellite data. Eckhardt et al. (2008) found small differ- Meteorological clouds that contain ice, supercooled ences between the a posteriori estimates when using a zero or droplets, or unfrozen cloud droplets decrease the ability to a non-zero constant value a priori estimate for the 2007 Jebel identify ash in satellite retrievals or retrieve higher concen- at Tair eruption.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Appendix a Recovery of Ejecta Material from Confirmed, Probable
    Appendix A Recovery of Ejecta Material from Confirmed, Probable, or Possible Distal Ejecta Layers A.1 Introduction In this appendix we discuss the methods that we have used to recover and study ejecta found in various types of sediment and rock. The processes used to recover ejecta material vary with the degree of lithification. We thus discuss sample processing for unconsolidated, semiconsolidated, and consolidated material separately. The type of sediment or rock is also important as, for example, carbonate sediment or rock is processed differently from siliciclastic sediment or rock. The methods used to take and process samples will also vary according to the objectives of the study and the background of the investigator. We summarize below the methods that we have found useful in our studies of distal impact ejecta layers for those who are just beginning such studies. One of the authors (BPG) was trained as a marine geologist and the other (BMS) as a hard rock geologist. Our approaches to processing and studying impact ejecta differ accordingly. The methods used to recover ejecta from unconsolidated sediments have been successfully employed by BPG for more than 40 years. A.2 Taking and Handling Samples A.2.1 Introduction The size, number, and type of samples will depend on the objective of the study and nature of the sediment/rock, but there a few guidelines that should be followed regardless of the objective or rock type. All outcrops, especially those near industrialized areas or transportation routes (e.g., highways, train tracks) need to be cleaned off (i.e., the surface layer removed) prior to sampling.
    [Show full text]
  • Liquid Water on Mars
    Report, Planetary Sciences Unit (AST80015), Swinburne Astronomy Online Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 12/16/11 LIQUID WATER ON MARS M. Usatov1 Report, Planetary Sciences Unit (AST80015), Swinburne Astronomy Online ABSTRACT Geomorphological, mineralogical and other evidence of the conditions favoring the existence of water on Mars in liquid phase is reviewed. This includes signatures of past and, possibly, present aqueous environments, such as the northern ocean, lacustrine environments, sedimentary and thermokarst landforms, glacial activity and water erosion features. Reviewed also are hydrous weathering processes, observed on surface remotely and also via analysis of Martian meteorites. Chemistry of Martian water is discussed: the triple point, salts and brines, as well as undercooled liquid interfacial and solid-state greenhouse effect melted waters that may still be present on Mars. Current understanding of the evolution of Martian hydrosphere over geological timescales is presented from early period to the present time, along with the discussion of alternative interpretations and possibilities of dry and wet Mars extremes. 1. INTRODUCTION morphological and mineralogical evidence of aqueous en- The presence of water on Earth, as seen from space, vironments available in the past and, possibly, present can be implied from the observations of low-albedo fea- time is presented in x3 which will be correlated with the tures, like seas and oceans, fluvial features on its sur- current understanding of the evolution of Martian hy- face, atmospheric phenomena, polar ice caps, and the drosphere at x4. Alternative (dry) interpretations of the snow cover exhibiting seasonal variations, not to mention evidence are discussed in x5. spectroscopy.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Weiss. Andrei Platonov. Ragnvald Blix. Georg Henrik Von Wright. Adam Michnik
    A quarterly scholarly journal and news magazine. March 2011. Vol IV:1 From the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) Södertörn University, Stockholm FEATURE. Steklov – Russian BALTIC temple of pure thought W O Rbalticworlds.com L D S COPING WITH TRANSITIONS PETER WEISS. ANDREI PLATONOV. RAGNVALD BLIX. GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT. ADAM MICHNIK. SLAVENKA DRAKULIĆ. Sixty pages BETRAYED GDR REVOLUTION? / EVERYDAY BELARUS / WAVE OF RELIGION IN ALBANIA / RUSSIAN FINANCIAL MARKETS 2short takes Memory and manipulation. Transliteration. Is anyone’s suffering more important than anyone else’s? Art and science – and then some “IF YOU WANT TO START a war, call me. Transliteration is both art and science CH I know all about how it's done”, says – and, in many cases, politics. Whether MÄ author Slavenka Drakulić with a touch царь should be written as tsar, tzar, ANNA of gallows humor during “Memory and czar, or csar may not be a particu- : H Manipulation: Religion as Politics in the larly sensitive political matter today, HOTO Balkans”, a symposium held in Lund, but the question of the transliteration P Sweden, on December 2, 2010. of the name of the current president This issue of the journal includes a of Belarus is exceedingly delicate. contribution from Drakulić (pp. 55–57) First, and perhaps most important: in which she claims that top-down gov- which name? Both the Belarusian ernance, which started the war, is also Аляксандр Лукашэнка, and the Rus- the path to reconciliation in the region. sian Александр Лукашенко are in use. Balkan experts attending the sympo- (And, while we’re at it, should that be sium agree that the war was directed Belarusian, or Belarussian, or Belaru- from the top, and that “top-down” is san, or Byelorussian, or Belorussian?) the key to understanding how the war BW does not want to take a stand on began in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera: Interplanetary Cruise Through Primary Mission
    p. 1 The Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera: Interplanetary Cruise through Primary Mission Michael C. Malin and Kenneth S. Edgett Malin Space Science Systems P.O. Box 910148 San Diego CA 92130-0148 (note to JGR: please do not publish e-mail addresses) ABSTRACT More than three years of high resolution (1.5 to 20 m/pixel) photographic observations of the surface of Mars have dramatically changed our view of that planet. Among the most important observations and interpretations derived therefrom are that much of Mars, at least to depths of several kilometers, is layered; that substantial portions of the planet have experienced burial and subsequent exhumation; that layered and massive units, many kilometers thick, appear to reflect an ancient period of large- scale erosion and deposition within what are now the ancient heavily cratered regions of Mars; and that processes previously unsuspected, including gully-forming fluid action and burial and exhumation of large tracts of land, have operated within near- contemporary times. These and many other attributes of the planet argue for a complex geology and complicated history. INTRODUCTION Successive improvements in image quality or resolution are often accompanied by new and important insights into planetary geology that would not otherwise be attained. From the variety of landforms and processes observed from previous missions to the planet Mars, it has long been anticipated that understanding of Mars would greatly benefit from increases in image spatial resolution. p. 2 The Mars Observer Camera (MOC) was initially selected for flight aboard the Mars Observer (MO) spacecraft [Malin et al., 1991, 1992].
    [Show full text]
  • Did Mars Possess a Dense Atmosphere During the First ~400 Million Years?
    Did Mars possess a dense atmosphere during the first ~400 million years? M. Scherf1, H. Lammer1 1Austrian Academy of Sciences, Space Research Institute, Graz, Austria ([email protected], [email protected]); This is a preprint of an article published in Space Science Reviews. The final authenticated version can be found online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214- 020-00779-3 Abstract It is not yet entirely clear whether Mars began as a warm and wet planet that evolved towards the present-day cold and dry body or if it always was cold and dry with just some sporadic episodes of liquid water on its surface. An important clue into this question can be gained by studying the earliest evolution of the Mar- tian atmosphere and whether it was dense and stable to maintain a warm and wet climate or tenuous and susceptible to strong atmospheric escape. In this review we therefore discuss relevant aspects for the evolution and stability of a potential early Martian atmosphere. This contains the EUV flux evolution of the young Sun, the formation timescale and volatile inventory of the planet including volcanic degas- sing, impact delivery and removal, the loss of the catastrophically outgassed steam atmosphere, atmosphere-surface interactions, as well as thermal and non-thermal escape processes affecting a potential secondary atmosphere at early Mars. While early non-thermal escape at Mars before 4 billion years ago is poorly understood, in particular in view of its ancient intrinsic magnetic field, research on thermal es- cape processes and the stability of a CO2-dominated atmosphere around Mars against high EUV fluxes indicate that volatile delivery and volcanic degassing can- not counterbalance the strong thermal escape.
    [Show full text]
  • The Medusae Fossae Formation As the Single Largest Source of Dust on Mars
    ARTICLE DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05291-5 OPEN The Medusae Fossae Formation as the single largest source of dust on Mars Lujendra Ojha1, Kevin Lewis1, Suniti Karunatillake 2 & Mariek Schmidt3 Transport of fine-grained dust is one of the most widespread sedimentary processes occurring on Mars today. In the present climate, eolian abrasion and deflation of rocks are likely the most pervasive and active dust-forming mechanism. Martian dust is globally 1234567890():,; enriched in S and Cl and has a distinct mean S:Cl ratio. Here we identify a potential source region for Martian dust based on analysis of elemental abundance data. We show that a large sedimentary unit called the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) has the highest abundance of S and Cl, and provides the best chemical match to surface measurements of Martian dust. Based on volume estimates of the eroded materials from the MFF, along with the enrichment of elemental S and Cl, and overall geochemical similarity, we propose that long-term deflation of the MFF has significantly contributed to the global Martian dust reservoir. 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. 2 Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. 3 Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to L.O. (email: [email protected]) NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | (2018) 9:2867 | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05291-5 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 ARTICLE NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05291-5 ust is ubiquitous on Mars and plays a key role in con- formation on Mars today is likely abrasion of mechanically weak temporary atmospheric and surface processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of Major Sedimentary Mounds on Mars: Build-Up Via Anticompensational Stacking Modulated by Climate Change
    Evolution of major sedimentary mounds on Mars: build-up via anticompensational stacking modulated by climate change Edwin S. Kite1,*, Jonathan Sneed1, David P. Mayer1, Kevin W. Lewis2, Timothy I. Michaels3, Alicia Hore4, Scot C.R. Rafkin5. 1. University of Chicago. 2. Johns Hopkins University. 3. SETI Institute. 4. Brock University. 5. Southwest Research Institute. (*[email protected]) Abstract. We present a new database of >300 layer-orientations from sedimentary mounds on Mars. These layer orientations, together with draped landslides, and draping of rocks over differentially- eroded paleo-domes, indicate that for the stratigraphically-uppermost ~1 km, the mounds formed by the accretion of draping strata in a mound-shape. The layer-orientation data further suggest that layers lower down in the stratigraphy also formed by the accretion of draping strata in a mound-shape. The data are consistent with terrain-influenced wind erosion, but inconsistent with tilting by flexure, differential compaction over basement, or viscoelastic rebound. We use a simple landscape evolution model to show how the erosion and deposition of mound strata can be modulated by shifts in obliquity. The model is driven by multi-Gyr calculations of Mars’ chaotic obliquity and a parameterization of terrain-influenced wind erosion that is derived from mesoscale modeling. Our results suggest that mound-spanning unconformities with kilometers of relief emerge as the result of chaotic obliquity shifts. Our results support the interpretation that Mars’ rocks record intermittent liquid-water runoff during a 108-yr interval of sedimentary rock emplacement. 1. Introduction. Understanding how sediment accumulated is central to interpreting the Earth’s geologic records (Allen & Allen 2013, Miall 2010).
    [Show full text]
  • Global Catastrophes in Earth History
    GLOBAL CATASTROPHES IN EARTH HISTORY An Interdisciplinary Conference on Impacts, Volcanism, and Mass Mortality Snowbird, Utah October 20-23, 1988 N89-2 12E7 --?HEW- Sponsored by The Lunar and Planetary Institute and The National Academy of Sciences Abstracts Presented to the Topical Conference Global Catastrophes in Earth History: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Impacts, Volcanism, and Mass Mortality Snowbird, Utah October 20 - 23,1988 Sponsored by Lunar and Planetary Institute and The National Academy of Sciences LPI Contribution No. 673 Compiled in 1988 Lunar and Planetary Institute Material in this volume may be copied without restraint for library, abstract service, educational, or personal research purposes; however, republication of any paper or portion thereof requires the written permission of the authors as well as appropriate acknowledgment of this publication. PREFACE This volume contains abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the topical conference Global Catastrophes in Earth History: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Impacts, Volcanism and Mass Mortality. The Organizing Committee consisted of Robert Ginsburg, Chairman, University of Miami; Kevin Burke, Lunar and Planetary Institute; Lee M. Hunt, National Research Council; Digby McLaren, University of Ottawa; Thomas Simkin, National Museum of Natural History; Starley L. Thompson, National Center for Atmospheric Research; Karl K. Turekian, Yale University; George W. Wetherill, Carnegie Institution of Washington. Logistics and administrative support were provided by the Projects Ofice at the Lunar and Planetary Institute. This abstract volume was prepared by the Publications Office staff at the Lunar and Planetary Institute. The Lunar and Planetary Institute is operated by the Universities Space Research Association under contract No. NASW-4066 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
    [Show full text]
  • Low-Albedo Surfaces and Eolian Sediment: Mars Orbiter Camera Views of Western Arabia Terra Craters and Wind Streaks
    Low-albedo surfaces and eolian sediment: Mars Orbiter Camera views of western Arabia Terra craters and wind streaks Kenneth S. Edgett Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., San Diego, California, USA Abstract. High spatial resolution (1.5 to 6 m/pixel) Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera images obtained September 1997 to June 2001 show that each of the large, dark wind streaks of western Arabia Terra originate at a barchan dune field on a crater floor. The streaks consist of a relatively thin (< 1 m) coating of sediment deflated from the dune fields and their vicinity. In most cases, this sediment drapes over a previous mantle that more thickly covers nearly all of western Arabia Terra. No concurrent eolian bedforms are found within the dark streaks, nor do any dunes climb up crater walls to deliver sand via saltation to the streaks. The relations between dunes, wind streak, and subjacent terrain imply that dark-toned grains finer than those that comprise the dunes are lifted into suspension and carried out of the craters to be deposited on the adjacent terrain. Previous eolian physics and thermal inertia studies suggest that, under modern Martian conditions, such grains likely include silt (3.9–62.5 !m), very fine sand (62.5–125 !m), and possibly fine sand (to ~210 !m). The streaks change in terms of extent, relative albedo, and surface pattern over periods measured in years; however, through June 2001, very little evidence for recent eolian activity (dust plumes, storms, dune movement) was observed. received 18 July 2001, revised 21 December 2001, accepted 2 January 2002, published 13 June 2002 Citation: Edgett, K.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Regions’’: Findings of the Second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2)
    ASTROBIOLOGY Volume 14, Number 11, 2014 News & Views ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/ast.2014.1227 A New Analysis of Mars ‘‘Special Regions’’: Findings of the Second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2) John D. Rummel,1 David W. Beaty,2 Melissa A. Jones,2 Corien Bakermans,3 Nadine G. Barlow,4 Penelope J. Boston,5 Vincent F. Chevrier,6 Benton C. Clark,7 Jean-Pierre P. de Vera,8 Raina V. Gough,9 John E. Hallsworth,10 James W. Head,11 Victoria J. Hipkin,12 Thomas L. Kieft,5 Alfred S. McEwen,13 Michael T. Mellon,14 Jill A. Mikucki,15 Wayne L. Nicholson,16 Christopher R. Omelon,17 Ronald Peterson,18 Eric E. Roden,19 Barbara Sherwood Lollar,20 Kenneth L. Tanaka,21 Donna Viola,13 and James J. Wray22 Abstract A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological science and Mars exploration communities, focused on understanding when and where Special Regions could occur. The study applied recently available data about martian environments and about terrestrial organisms, building on a previous analysis of Mars Special Regions (2006) undertaken by a similar team. Since then, a new body of highly relevant information has been generated from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched in 2005) and Phoenix (2007) and data from Mars Express and the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (all 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • FY 2015-2016 Annual Report
    Oregon Wild 2016 ANNUAL REPORT FOLD-OUT MAP OF OREGON’S PUBLIC LANDS INSIDE n fscal year 2015-2016 Oregon Wild entered the fnal year of our four-year strategic plan. IAlong the way we have achieved numerous successes and have a lot to be proud of in defending and protecting Oregon’s special places. As 2016 got underway, a team of Oregon Wild board and staf took on the task of developing our new plan. After dozens of conversations, a deep dive analysis on our theory of change, and feedback from the entire team, we fnalized a new four-year plan after the November election. We are excited to have delineated aspirational long term goals alongside concrete objectives for the coming four years. We know that our work to protect our wildlands, wildlife, and waters for future generations is as important as it has ever been. We also realize that we face daunting challenges ahead and must adapt our approach to respond to the threats we are sure to face. We are fortunate to be in a strong fnancial position, with revenue topping one million dollars for the third straight year. With this fnancial stability and a solid reserve, we have expanded our staf to deepen our impact. Our work to protect wilderness, safeguard native species like wolves, and conserve the last of our ancient forests is resonating with the public. Te past two fscal years have seen the largest increases in new Oregon Wild members in over a decade and we expect that trend to continue. While many of our eforts are built for the long haul, we made marked progress in several campaigns and celebrated clear victories in other eforts over the past year.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Martian Radiative Transfer Model: Applications Using in Situ Measurements
    UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS FÍSICAS Departamento de Física de la Tierra, Astronomía y Astrofísica II TESIS DOCTORAL A new martian radiative transfer model: applications using in situ measurements Un nuevo modelo de transferencia radiativa en Marte: aplicaciones utilizando medidas in situ MEMORIA PARA OPTAR AL GRADO DE DOCTOR PRESENTADA POR Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo Rubalcaba Directores Francisco Valero Rodríguez Luis Vázquez Martínez Germán Martínez Martínez Madrid, 2017 © Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo Rubalcaba, 2017 UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS FÍSICAS Departamento de Física de la Tierra, Astronomía y Astrofísica II TESIS DOCTORAL A NEW MARTIAN RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODEL: APPLICATIONS USING IN SITU MEASUREMENTS UN NUEVO MODELO DE TRANSFERENCIA RADIATIVA EN MARTE: APLICACIONES UTILIZANDO MEDIDAS IN SITU Memoria para optar al grado de doctor con Mención Internacional Presentada por: Álvaro de Vicente-Retortillo Rubalcaba Directores de tesis: Prof. Francisco Valero Rodríguez1 Prof. Luis Vázquez Martínez1 Dr. Germán Martínez Martínez2 1Universidad Complutense de Madrid 2University of Michigan Madrid, 2017 ii A NEW MARTIAN RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODEL: APPLICATIONS USING IN SITU MEASUREMENTS UN NUEVO MODELO DE TRANSFERENCIA RADIATIVA EN MARTE: APLICACIONES UTILIZANDO MEDIDAS IN SITU PhD. Thesis Author: Álvaro de Vicente-Retortillo Rubalcaba Advisors: Prof. Francisco Valero Rodríguez1 Prof. Luis Vázquez Martínez1 Dr. Germán Martínez Martínez2 1Universidad Complutense de Madrid 2University of Michigan Madrid, 2017 iii iv La presente Tesis Doctoral se ha realizado gracias a la concesión por parte del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) de la ayuda predoctoral de Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI) con referencia BES-2012-059241, asociada al proyecto “Participación Científica en la Misión a Marte MEIGA-METNET-PRECURSOR” (AYA2011-29967-C05-02).
    [Show full text]