Showing papers by "University of Maryland, Baltimore County published in 2006"

A Landsat surface reflectance dataset for North America, 1990-2000

Abstract: The Landsat Ecosystem Disturbance Adaptive Processing System (LEDAPS) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center has processed and released 2100 Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus surface reflectance scenes, providing 30-m resolution wall-to-wall reflectance coverage for North America for epochs centered on 1990 and 2000. This dataset can support decadal assessments of environmental and land-cover change, production of reflectance-based biophysical products, and applications that merge reflectance data from multiple sensors [e.g., the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)]. The raw imagery was obtained from the orthorectified Landsat GeoCover dataset, purchased by NASA from the Earth Satellite Corporation. Through the LEDAPS project, these data were calibrated, converted to top-of-atmosphere reflectance, and then atmospherically corrected using the MODIS/6S methodology. Initial comparisons with ground-based optical thickness measurements and simultaneously acquired MODIS imagery indicate comparable uncertainty in Landsat surface reflectance compared to the standard MODIS reflectance product (the greater of 0.5% absolute reflectance or 5% of the recorded reflectance value). The rapid automated nature of the processing stream also paves the way for routine high-level products from future Landsat sensors.

Application of spheroid models to account for aerosol particle nonsphericity in remote sensing of desert dust

Abstract: [ 1] The possibility of using shape mixtures of randomly oriented spheroids for modeling desert dust aerosol light scattering is discussed. For reducing calculation time, look-up tables were simulated for quadrature coefficients employed in the numerical integration of spheroid optical properties over size and shape. The calculations were done for 25 bins of the spheroid axis ratio ranging from similar to 0.3 ( flattened spheroids) to similar to 3.0 ( elongated spheroids) and for 41 narrow size bins covering the size parameter range from similar to 0.012 to similar to 625. The look-up tables were arranged into a software package, which allows fast, accurate, and flexible modeling of scattering by randomly oriented spheroids with different size and shape distributions. In order to evaluate spheroid model and explore the possibility of aerosol shape identification, the software tool has been integrated into inversion algorithms for retrieving detailed aerosol properties from laboratory or remote sensing polarimetric measurements of light scattering. The application of this retrieval technique to laboratory measurements by Volten et al. ( 2001) has shown that spheroids can closely reproduce mineral dust light scattering matrices. The spheroid model was utilized for retrievals of aerosol properties from atmospheric radiation measured by AERONET ground-based Sun/sky-radiometers. It is shown that mixtures of spheroids allow rather accurate fitting of measured spectral and angular dependencies of observed intensity and polarization. Moreover, it is shown that for aerosol mixtures with a significant fraction of coarse-mode particles ( radii >= similar to 1 mu m), the nonsphericity of aerosol particles can be detected as part of AERONET retrievals. The retrieval results indicate that nonspherical particles with aspect ratios similar to 1.5 and higher dominate in desert dust plumes, while in the case of background maritime aerosol spherical particles are dominant. Finally, the potential of using AERONET derived spheroid mixtures for modeling the effects of aerosol particle nonsphericity in other remote sensing techniques is discussed. For example, the variability of lidar measurements ( extinction to backscattering ratio and signal depolarization ratio) is illustrated and analyzed. Also, some potentially important differences in the sensitivity of angular light scattering to parameters of nonspherical versus spherical aerosols are revealed and discussed.

The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

Abstract: We report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome. The genome encodes about 23,300 genes, including many previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or known only outside the deuterostomes. This echinoderm genome provides an evolutionary outgroup for the chordates and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes.

The versatile epsilon-proteobacteria: key players in sulphidic habitats.

Abstract: The epsilon-proteobacteria have recently been recognized as globally ubiquitous in modern marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and have had a significant role in biogeochemical and geological processes throughout Earth's history. To place this newly expanded group, which consists mainly of uncultured representatives, in an evolutionary context, we present an overview of the taxonomic classification for the class, review ecological and metabolic data in key sulphidic habitats and consider the ecological and geological potential of the epsilon-proteobacteria in modern and ancient systems. These integrated perspectives provide a framework for future culture- and genomic-based studies.

A distinct urban biogeochemistry

Abstract: Most of the global human population lives in urban areas where biogeochemical cycles are controlled by complex interactions between society and the environment. Urban ecology is an emerging discipline that seeks to understand these interactions, and one of the grand challenges for urban ecologists is to develop models that encompass the myriad influences of people on biogeochemistry. We suggest here that existing models, developed primarily in unmanaged and agricultural ecosystems, work poorly in urban ecosystems because they do not include human biogeochemical controls such as impervious surface proliferation, engineered aqueous flow paths, landscaping choices, and human demographic trends. Incorporating these human controls into biogeochemical models will advance urban ecology and will require enhanced collaborations with engineers and social scientists.

Land information system: An interoperable framework for high resolution land surface modeling

Abstract: Knowledge of land surface water, energy, and carbon conditions are of critical importance due to their impact on many real world applications such as agricultural production, water resource management, and flood, weather, and climate prediction. Land Information System (LIS) is a software framework that integrates the use of satellite and ground-based observational data along with advanced land surface models and computing tools to accurately characterize land surface states and fluxes. LIS employs the use of scalable, high performance computing and data management technologies to deal with the computational challenges of high resolution land surface modeling. To make the LIS products transparently available to the end users, LIS includes a number of highly interactive visualization components as well. The LIS components are designed using object-oriented principles, with flexible, adaptable interfaces and modular structures for rapid prototyping and development. In addition, the interoperable features in LIS enable the definition, intercomparison, and validation of land surface modeling standards and the reuse of a high quality land surface modeling and computing system.

Inflammation Induces Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells that Facilitate Tumor Progression

Abstract: Epidemiological and experimental observations support the hypothesis that chronic inflammation contributes to cancer development and progression; however, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between inflammation and cancer are poorly understood. To study these mechanisms, we have transfected the mouse 4T1 mammary carcinoma with the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β to produce a chronic inflammatory microenvironment at the tumor site. Mice with 4T1/IL-1β tumors have a decreased survival time and elevated levels of immature splenic Gr1+CD11b+ myeloid-derived cells. These myeloid suppressor cells (MSC) are present in many patients with cancer and inhibit the activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. 4T1/IL-1β-induced MSC do not express the IL-1R, suggesting that the cytokine does not directly activate MSC. Neither T or B cells nor NKT cells are involved in the IL-1β-induced increase of MSC because RAG2−/− mice and nude mice with 4T1/IL-1β tumors also have elevated MSC levels. MSC levels remain elevated in mice inoculated with 4T1/IL-1β even after the primary tumor is surgically removed, indicating that the IL-1β effect is long lived. Collectively, these findings suggest that inflammation promotes malignancy via proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, which enhance immune suppression through the induction of MSC, thereby counteracting immune surveillance and allowing the outgrowth and proliferation of malignant cells.

A New Growing Method for Simplex-Based Endmember Extraction Algorithm

Abstract: A new growing method for simplex-based endmember extraction algorithms (EEAs), called simplex growing algorithm (SGA), is presented in this paper. It is a sequential algorithm to find a simplex with the maximum volume every time a new vertex is added. In order to terminate this algorithm a recently developed concept, virtual dimensionality (VD), is implemented as a stopping rule to determine the number of vertices required for the algorithm to generate. The SGA improves one commonly used EEA, the N-finder algorithm (N-FINDR) developed by Winter, by including a process of growing simplexes one vertex at a time until it reaches a desired number of vertices estimated by the VD, which results in a tremendous reduction of computational complexity. Additionally, it also judiciously selects an appropriate initial vector to avoid a dilemma caused by the use of random vectors as its initial condition in the N-FINDR where the N-FINDR generally produces different sets of final endmembers if different sets of randomly generated initial endmembers are used. In order to demonstrate the performance of the proposed SGA, the N-FINDR and two other EEAs, pixel purity index, and vertex component analysis are used for comparison

Science objectives of the ozone monitoring instrument

Abstract: The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) flies on NASA's Earth Observing System AURA satellite, launched in July 2004. OMI is an ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) nadir solar backscatter spectrometer, which provides nearly global coverage in one day, with a spatial resolution of 13 km/spl times/24 km. Trace gases measured include O/sub 3/, NO/sub 2/, SO/sub 2/, HCHO, BrO, and OClO. In addition OMI measures aerosol characteristics, cloud top heights and cloud coverage, and UV irradiance at the surface. OMI's unique capabilities for measuring important trace gases with daily global coverage and a small footprint will make a major contribution to our understanding of stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry and climate change along with Aura's other three instruments. OMI's high spatial resolution enables detection of air pollution at urban scales. Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer and differential optical absorption spectroscopy heritage algorithms, as well as new ones developed by the international (Dutch, Finnish, and U.S.) OMI science team, are used to derive OMI's advanced backscatter data products. In addition to providing data for Aura's prime objectives, OMI will provide near-real-time data for operational agencies in Europe and the U.S. Examples of OMI's unique capabilities are presented in this paper.

The Early X-Ray Emission from GRBs

Abstract: We present observations of the early X-ray emission for a sample of 40 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) obtained using the Swift satellite, for which the narrow-field instruments were pointed at the burst within 10 minutes of the trigger. Using data from the Burst Alert Telescope and the X-Ray Telescope, we show that the X-ray light curve can be well described by an exponential that relaxes into a power law, often with flares superimposed. The transition time between the exponential and the power law provides a physically defined timescale for the burst duration. In most bursts, the power law breaks to a shallower decay within the first hour, and a late emission hump is observed, which can last for many hours. In other GRBs the hump is weak or absent. The observed variety in the shape of the early X-ray light curve can be explained as a combination of three components: prompt emission from the central engine, afterglow, and the late hump. In this scenario, afterglow emission begins during or soon after the burst, and the observed shape of the X-ray light curve depends on the relative strengths of the emission due to the central engine and that of the afterglow. There is a strong correlation such that those GRBs with stronger afterglow components have brighter early optical emission. The late emission hump can have a total fluence equivalent to that of the prompt phase. GRBs with the strongest late humps have weak or no X-ray flares.

The Complete Spectral Catalog of Bright BATSE Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract: We present a systematic spectral analysis of 350 bright gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed with the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE; ~30 keV-2 MeV) with high temporal and spectral resolution. Our sample was selected from the complete set of 2704 BATSE GRBs based on their energy fluence or peak photon flux values to assure good statistics and included 17 short GRBs. To obtain well-constrained spectral parameters, several photon models were used to fit each spectrum. We compared spectral parameters resulting from the fits using different models, and the spectral parameters that best represent each spectrum were statistically determined, taking into account the parameterization differences among the models. A thorough analysis was performed on 350 time-integrated and 8459 time-resolved burst spectra, and the effects of integration times in determining the spectral parameters were explored. Using the results, we studied correlations among spectral parameters and their evolution pattern within each burst. The resulting spectral catalog is the most comprehensive study of spectral properties of GRB prompt emission to date and is available electronically from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). The catalog provides reliable constraints on particle acceleration and emission mechanisms in GRBs.

The impact of food allergy on the daily activities of children and their families.

Abstract: Background Food allergy affects a significant number of children, and its management requires considerable time and vigilance. Objective To determine the impact of food allergy on the daily activities of food allergic children and their families. Methods Caregivers of food allergic children from a university-based allergy practice completed a questionnaire that evaluated their perception of the impact of their child's food allergy on family activities. Results Of the 87 families who completed the study, more than 60% of caregivers reported that food allergy significantly affected meal preparation and 49% or more indicated that food allergy affected family social activities. Forty-one percent of parents reported a significant impact on their stress levels and 34% reported that food allergy had an impact on school attendance, with 10% choosing to home school their children because of food allergy. The number of food allergies had a significant impact on activity scores, but the existence of comorbid conditions such as asthma and atopic dermatitis did not significantly affect the results. Conclusions Food allergy has a significant effect on activities of families of food allergic children. Further study is needed to determine more detailed effects of food allergy on parent-child interactions and development.

The Bodélé depression: a single spot in the Sahara that provides most of the mineral dust to the Amazon forest

Abstract: About 40 million tons of dust are transported annually from the Sahara to the Amazon basin. Saharan dust has been proposed to be the main mineral source that fertilizes the Amazon basin, generating a dependence of the health and productivity of the rain forest on dust supply from the Sahara. Here we show that about half of the annual dust supply to the Amazon basin is emitted from a single source: the Bodele depression located northeast of Lake Chad, approximately 0.5% of the size of the Amazon or 0.2% of the Sahara. Placed in a narrow path between two mountain chains that direct and accelerate the surface winds over the depression, the Bodele emits dust on 40% of the winter days, averaging more than 0.7 million tons of dust per day

Keyframe-based video summarization using Delaunay clustering

Abstract: Recent advances in technology have made tremendous amounts of multimedia information available to the general population. An efficient way of dealing with this new development is to develop browsing tools that distill multimedia data as information oriented summaries. Such an approach will not only suit resource poor environments such as wireless and mobile, but also enhance browsing on the wired side for applications like digital libraries and repositories. Automatic summarization and indexing techniques will give users an opportunity to browse and select multimedia document of their choice for complete viewing later. In this paper, we present a technique by which we can automatically gather the frames of interest in a video for purposes of summarization. Our proposed technique is based on using Delaunay Triangulation for clustering the frames in videos. We represent the frame contents as multi-dimensional point data and use Delaunay Triangulation for clustering them. We propose a novel video summarization technique by using Delaunay clusters that generates good quality summaries with fewer frames and less redundancy when compared to other schemes. In contrast to many of the other clustering techniques, the Delaunay clustering algorithm is fully automatic with no user specified parameters and is well suited for batch processing. We demonstrate these and other desirable properties of the proposed algorithm by testing it on a collection of videos from Open Video Project. We provide a meaningful comparison between results of the proposed summarization technique with Open Video storyboard and K-means clustering. We evaluate the results in terms of metrics that measure the content representational value of the proposed technique.

MODIS leaf area index products: from validation to algorithm improvement

Abstract: Global products of vegetation green Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation absorbed by vegetation (FPAR) are being operationally produced from Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) at 1-km resolution and eight-day frequency. This paper summarizes the experience of several collaborating investigators on validation of MODIS LAI products and demonstrates the close connection between product validation and algorithm refinement activities. The validation of moderate resolution LAI products includes three steps: 1) field sampling representative of LAI spatial distribution and dynamic range within each major land cover type at the validation site; 2) development of a transfer function between field LAI measurements and high resolution satellite data to generate a reference LAI map over an extended area; and 3) comparison of MODIS LAI with aggregated reference LAI map at patch (multipixel) scale in view of geo-location and pixel shift uncertainties. The MODIS LAI validation experiences, summarized here, suggest three key factors that influence the accuracy of LAI retrievals: 1) uncertainties in input land cover data, 2) uncertainties in input surface reflectances, and 3) uncertainties from the model used to build the look-up tables accompanying the algorithm. This strategy of validation efforts guiding algorithm refinements has led to progressively more accurate LAI products from the MODIS sensors aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua platforms

Tropospheric Ozone Determined from Aura OMI and MLS: Evaluation of Measurements and Comparison with the Global Modeling Initiative's Chemical Transport Model

Abstract: Ozone measurements from the OMI and MLS instruments on board the Aura satellite are used for deriving global distributions of tropospheric column ozone (TCO). TCO is determined using the tropospheric ozone residual method which involves subtracting measurements of MLS stratospheric column ozone (SCO) from OMI total column ozone after adjusting for intercalibration differences of the two instruments using the convective-cloud differential method. The derived TCO field, which covers one complete year of mostly continuous daily measurements from late August 2004 through August 2005, is used for studying the regional and global pollution on a timescale of a few days to months. The seasonal and zonal characteristics of the observed TCO fields are also compared with TCO fields derived from the Global Modeling Initiative's Chemical Transport Model. The model and observations show interesting similarities with respect to zonal and seasonal variations. However, there are notable differences, particularly over the vast region of the Saharan desert.

Unmixing fMRI with independent component analysis

Abstract: Independent component analysis (ICA) is a statistical method used to discover hidden factors (sources or features) from a set of measurements or observed data such that the sources are maximally independent. Typically, it assumes a generative model where observations are assumed to be linear mixtures of independent sources and works with higher-order statistics to achieve independence. ICA has recently demonstrated considerable promise in characterizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, primarily due to its intuitive nature and ability for flexible characterization of the brain function. In this article, ICA is introduced and its application to fMRI data analysis is reviewed.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site atmospheric state best estimates for Atmospheric Infrared Sounder temperature and water vapor retrieval validation

Abstract: [1] The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is the first of a new generation of advanced satellite-based atmospheric sounders with the capability of obtaining high–vertical resolution profiles of temperature and water vapor. The high-accuracy retrieval goals of AIRS (e.g., 1 K RMS in 1 km layers below 100 mbar for air temperature, 10% RMS in 2 km layers below 100 mbar for water vapor concentration), combined with the large temporal and spatial variability of the atmosphere and difficulties in making accurate measurements of the atmospheric state, necessitate careful and detailed validation using well-characterized ground-based sites. As part of ongoing AIRS Science Team efforts and a collaborative effort between the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) project and the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, data from various ARM and other observations are used to create best estimates of the atmospheric state at the Aqua overpass times. The resulting validation data set is an ensemble of temperature and water vapor profiles created from radiosondes launched at the approximate Aqua overpass times, interpolated to the exact overpass time using time continuous ground-based profiles, adjusted to account for spatial gradients within the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) footprints, and supplemented with limited cloud observations. Estimates of the spectral surface infrared emissivity and local skin temperatures are also constructed. Relying on the developed ARM infrastructure and previous and ongoing characterization studies of the ARM measurements, the data set provides a good combination of statistics and accuracy which is essential for assessment of the advanced sounder products. Combined with the collocated AIRS observations, the products are being used to study observed minus calculated AIRS spectra, aimed at evaluation of the AIRS forward radiative transfer model, AIRS observed radiances, and temperature and water vapor profile retrievals. This paper provides an introduction to the ARM site best estimate validation products and characterizes the accuracy of the AIRS team version 4 atmospheric temperature and water vapor retrievals using the ARM products. The AIRS retrievals over tropical ocean are found to have very good accuracy for both temperature and water vapor, with RMS errors approaching the theoretical expectation for clear sky conditions, while retrievals over a midlatitude land site have poorer performance. The results demonstrate the importance of using specialized “truth” sites for accurate assessment of the advanced sounder performance and motivate the continued refinement of the AIRS science team retrieval algorithm, particularly for retrievals over land.

A comparison of perceived and real shoulder-surfing risks between alphanumeric and graphical passwords

Abstract: Previous research has found graphical passwords to be more memorable than non-dictionary or "strong" alphanumeric passwords. Participants in a prior study expressed concerns that this increase in memorability could also lead to an increased susceptibility of graphical passwords to shoulder-surfing. This appears to be yet another example of the classic trade-off between usability and security for authentication systems. This paper explores whether graphical passwords' increased memorability necessarily leads to risks of shoulder-surfing. To date, there are no studies examining the vulnerability of graphical versus alphanumeric passwords to shoulder-surfing.This paper examines the real and perceived vulnerability to shoulder-surfing of two configurations of a graphical password, Passfaces™[30], compared to non-dictionary and dictionary passwords. A laboratory experiment with 20 participants asked them to try to shoulder surf the two configurations of Passfaces™ (mouse versus keyboard data entry) and strong and weak passwords. Data gathered included the vulnerability of the four authentication system configurations to shoulder-surfing and study participants' perceptions concerning the same vulnerability. An analysis of these data compared the relative vulnerability of each of the four configurations to shoulder-surfing and also compared study participants' real and perceived success in shoulder-surfing each of the configurations. Further analysis examined the relationship between study participants' real and perceived success in shoulder-surfing and determined whether there were significant differences in the vulnerability of the four authentication configurations to shoulder-surfing.Findings indicate that configuring data entry for Passfaces™ through a keyboard is the most effective deterrent to shoulder-surfing in a laboratory setting and the participants' perceptions were consistent with that result. While study participants believed that Passfaces™ with mouse data entry would be most vulnerable to shoulder-surfing attacks, the empirical results found that strong passwords were actually more vulnerable.

The Complete Spectral Catalog of Bright BATSE Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract: We present a systematic spectral analysis of 350 bright GRBs observed with BATSE, with high spectral and temporal resolution. Our sample was selected from the complete set of 2704 BATSE GRBs, and included 17 short GRBs. To obtain well-constrained spectral parameters, four different photon models were fitted and the spectral parameters that best represent each spectrum were statistically determined. A thorough analysis was performed on 350 time-integrated and 8459 time-resolved burst spectra. Using the results, we compared time-integrated and time-resolved spectral parameters, and also studied correlations among the parameters and their evolution within each burst. The resulting catalog is the most comprehensive study of spectral properties of GRB prompt emission to date, and provides constraints with exceptional statistics on particle acceleration and emission mechanisms in GRBs.

Band residual difference algorithm for retrieval of SO/sub 2/ from the aura ozone monitoring instrument (OMI)

Abstract: The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on EOS/Aura offers unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution, coupled with global coverage, for space-based UV measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/). This paper describes an OMI SO/sub 2/ algorithm (the band residual difference) that uses calibrated residuals at SO/sub 2/ absorption band centers produced by the NASA operational ozone algorithm (OMTO3). By using optimum wavelengths for retrieval of SO/sub 2/, the retrieval sensitivity is improved over NASA predecessor Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) by factors of 10 to 20, depending on location. The ground footprint of OMI is eight times smaller than TOMS. These factors produce two orders of magnitude improvement in the minimum detectable mass of SO/sub 2/. Thus, the diffuse boundaries of volcanic clouds can be imaged better and the clouds can be tracked longer. More significantly, the improved sensitivity now permits daily global measurement of passive volcanic degassing of SO/sub 2/ and of heavy anthropogenic SO/sub 2/ pollution to provide new information on the relative importance of these sources for climate studies.

Toward Distributed service discovery in pervasive computing environments

Abstract: The paper proposes a novel distributed service discovery protocol for pervasive environments. The protocol is based on the concepts of peer-to-peer caching of service advertisements and group-based intelligent forwarding of service requests. It does not require a service to be registered with a registry or lookup server. Services are described using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). We exploit the semantic class/subClass hierarchy of OWL to describe service groups and use this semantic information to selectively forward service requests. OWL-based service description also enables increased flexibility in service matching. We present simulation results that show that our protocol achieves increased efficiency in discovering services (compared to traditional broadcast-based mechanisms) by efficiently utilizing bandwidth via controlled forwarding of service requests.

Satellite-observed pollution from Southern Hemisphere biomass burning.

Abstract: Biomass burning is a major source of pollution in the tropical Southern Hemisphere, and fine mode carbonaceous particles are produced by the same combustion processes that emit carbon monoxide (CO). In this paper we examine these emissions with data from the Terra satellite, CO profiles from the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument, and fine-mode aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The satellite measurements are used in conjunction with calculations from the MOZART chemical transport model to examine the 2003 Southern Hemisphere burning season with particular emphasis on the months of peak fire activity in September and October. Pollutant emissions follow the occurrence of dry season fires, and the temporal variation and spatial distributions of MOPITT CO and MODIS AOD are similar. We examine the outflow from Africa and South America with emphasis on the impact of these emissions on clean remote regions. We present comparisons of MOPITT observations and ground-based interferometer data from Lauder, New Zealand, which indicate that intercontinental transport of biomass burning pollution from Africa often determines the local air quality. The correlation between enhancements of AOD and CO column for distinct biomass burning plumes is very good with correlation coefficients greater than 0.8. We present a method using MOPITT and MODIS data for estimating the emission ratio of aerosol number density to CO concentration which could prove useful as input to modeling studies. We also investigate decay of plumes from African fires following export into the Indian Ocean and compare the MOPITT and MODIS measurements as a way of estimating the regional aerosol lifetime. Vertical transport of biomass burning emissions is also examined using CO profile information. Low-altitude concentrations are very high close to source regions, but further downwind of the continents, vertical mixing takes place and results in more even CO vertical distributions. In regions of significant convection, particularly in the equatorial Indian Ocean, the CO mixing ratio is greater at higher altitudes, indicating vertical transport of biomass burning emissions to the upper troposphere.

Can Two-Photon Correlation of Chaotic Light Be Considered as Correlation of Intensity Fluctuations?

Abstract: Two-photon correlation phenomena, including the historical experiment of Hanbury Brown and Twiss, may have to be described quantum mechanically, regardless of whether the source of radiation is classical or quantum. Supporting this point, we present a ghost imaging type of second-order spatial correlation experiment of chaotic light to show that the classical understanding based on the concept of statistical intensity fluctuations does not give a correct interpretation for the observation. From a practical point of view, this experiment demonstrates the possibility of having high contrast lensless two-photon imaging with chaotic light, suggesting imaging applications for radiations for which no effective lens is available.

Absolute accuracy of water vapor measurements from six operational radiosonde types launched during AWEX-G and implications for AIRS validation

Abstract: [1] A detailed assessment of radiosonde water vapor measurement accuracy throughout the tropospheric column is needed for assessing the impact of observational error on applications that use the radiosonde data as input, such as forecast modeling, radiative transfer calculations, remote sensor retrieval validation, climate trend studies, and development of climatologies and cloud and radiation parameterizations. Six operational radiosonde types were flown together in various combinations with a reference-quality hygrometer during the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Water Vapor Experiment-Ground (AWEX-G), while simultaneous measurements were acquired from Raman lidar and microwave radiometers. This study determines the mean accuracy and variability of the radiosonde water vapor measurements relative to simultaneous measurements from the University of Colorado (CU) Cryogenic Frostpoint Hygrometer (CFH), a reference-quality standard of known absolute accuracy. The accuracy and performance characteristics of the following radiosonde types are evaluated: Vaisala RS80-H, RS90, and RS92; Sippican Mark IIa; Modem GL98; and the Meteolabor Snow White hygrometer. A validated correction for sensor time lag error is found to improve the accuracy and reduce the variability of upper tropospheric water vapor measurements from the Vaisala radiosondes. The AWEX data set is also used to derive and validate a new empirical correction that improves the mean calibration accuracy of Vaisala measurements by an amount that depends on the temperature, relative humidity, and sensor type. Fully corrected Vaisala radiosonde measurements are found to be suitably accurate for AIRS validation throughout the troposphere, whereas the other radiosonde types are suitably accurate under only a subset of tropospheric conditions. Although this study focuses on the accuracy of nighttime radiosonde measurements, comparison of Vaisala RS90 measurements to water vapor retrievals from a microwave radiometer reveals a 6–8% dry bias in daytime RS90 measurements that is caused by solar heating of the sensor. An AWEX-like data set of daytime measurements is highly desirable to complete the accuracy assessment, ideally from a tropical location where the full range of tropospheric temperatures can be sampled.

Soil Moisture Memory in AGCM Simulations: Analysis of Global Land–Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (GLACE) Data

Abstract: Soil moisture memory is a key aspect of land–atmosphere interaction and has major implications for seasonal forecasting. Because of a severe lack of soil moisture observations on most continents, existing analyses of global-scale soil moisture memory have relied previously on atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) experiments, with derived conclusions that are probably model dependent. The present study is the first survey examining and contrasting global-scale (near) monthly soil moisture memory characteristics across a broad range of AGCMs. The investigated simulations, performed with eight different AGCMs, were generated as part of the Global Land–Atmosphere Coupling Experiment. Overall, the AGCMs present relatively similar global patterns of soil moisture memory. Outliers are generally characterized by anomalous water-holding capacity or biases in radiation forcing. Water-holding capacity is highly variable among the analyzed AGCMs and is the main factor responsible for intermodel diffe...

In-Network Outlier Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract: To address the problem of unsupervised outlier detection in wireless sensor networks, we develop an algorithm that (1) is flexible with respect to the outlier definition, (2) works in-network with a communication load proportional to the outcome, and (3) reveals its outcome to all sensors. We examine the algorithm’s performance using simulation with real sensor data streams. Our results demonstrate that the algorithm is accurate and imposes a reasonable communication load and level of power consumption.