Organization:
Research Title: Monitoring Natural Environmental Change
Funding Level (millions of dollars):
| FY94 | 1.2 |
|---|---|
| FY95 | 1.2 |
| FY96 | 1.2 |
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Component:
(a) Subcommittee: Subcommittee on Global Change Research (100%)
(b) Environmental Issue: Climate Change (20%); Ozone and UV radiation
(60%);
Large-scale changes in Land Use (20%)
(c) Research Activity: System structure and function: Observing (20%);
Understanding
(80%)
Organizational Component: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)
National
Air and Space Museum (NASM)
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Point of Contact:
Ted A. Maxwell
Phone: 202-357-1424
E-Mail: tmaxwell@ceps.nasm.edu
Research Goals:
Monitor and understand indicators of natural and anthropogenic
environmental change on daily to decadal time scales, including solar radiation,
including
UV-B, atmospheric composition, seal level fluctuations, and indicators of desertification.
Research Description:
Monitoring natural environmental change is performed under three programs at SAO,
one
at NASM, and one at SERC. SAO studies of atmosphere composition, the absorption
and
transmission of radiation, and atmospheric chemistry (20%). SAO scientists are engaged
in an ongoing program to carry out remote sensing measurements of trace species
in the
stratosphere which will play an important role in ozone chemistry, and in making
accurate
laboratory measurements of the photo absorption characteristics of atmospheric species
in
order to provide reliable data for atmospheric models. In order to understand the
causes of
solar variability and improve our capabilities in making solar predictions, SAO is
investigating the basic physical processes responsible for solar activity. We are
studying
such phenomena as chromospheric and coronal heating, heating and accelerations of
the
solar wind, the structure of the solar atmosphere, and the role of the Sun's magnetic
field.
Also at SAO, we are proposing to determine sea level change using space geodetic
measurements to correct for vertical crustal motions, and to use these same measurements
to study crustal movement. Modern space geodetic reference systems will allow
unprecedented accuracy in separating true sea level fluctuations from local crustal
motion.
NASM Environmental Monitoring of Earth's Drylands. (20%) At NASM, environmental
monitoring is focused on dryland sediment transport and climate change, and on the
effects
of climate change on vegetation dynamics, particularly as viewed from orbit. The
objectives are to determine linkages among drought, sand mobility, soil stability
and
vegetation dynamics, all of which are important components of change on vegetation
dynamics, particularly as viewed from orbit. The objectives are to determine linkages
among drought, sand mobility, soil stability and vegetation dynamics, all of which
are important components of change in areas prone to land degradation (desertification),
deforestation, and consequent loss of ecological complexity. Such studies combine
the
use of remote sensing data with field studies of sites in Africa and Europe. SERC
Studies
of Ecological Processes. (60%) At SERC, environmental monitoring activities
concentrate on long term studies of biological populations, the effects of land
use on
hydrology, the effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentrations on plant species,
ultraviolet-B (UV-B) monitoring in the Chesapeake Bay region, and ecological modeling
at
a variety of scales. Up to 20 years of continuous monitoring data are now available
for a
variety of biological and chemical parameters, and experiments such as carbon dioxide
chambers which are used to determine the effects of elevated CO
2 on plant species.
Spectral radiometers are used to continuously monitor UV-B, and a tunable infrared
diode
is used to monitor exchange rates between the atmosphere and a mature hardwood forest
canopy.
Program Interfaces:
These studies are coordinated with other federal and private efforts via program
reviews,
competition for funding, and scientific meetings. SAO and NASM receive competitive
grants from NASA, and SERC Programs are funded through the SI, NSF, and DOE.
SAO satellite measurement programs include the Global Ozone Monitoring
Experiment (GOME) funded by the European Space Agency as a core instrument on their
ERS-2 satellite and the Scanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric
CHemistry (SCIAMACHY) and on the ESA polar platform in 1997.
Program Milestones:
At SAO, continue laboratory activities to develop an absolute extreme-ultraviolet
solar
spectral irradiance monitor which can be recalibrated reliably in-orbit., and improve
understanding of atmospheric interactions that influence ozone loss. At NASM, continue
monitoring of drylands, and determine sediment transport mechanisms due to natural
causes for comparison with populated areas. At SERC, determine physiological and
ecological changes in response to elevated CO
2 levels.
Policy Payoffs:
Each of these programs deals primarily with the structure and function of the environmental
system, but all contribute to some degree to other elements. For example, human
impact
on atmospheric chemistry, dryland ecosystems or even sea level cannot be assessed
without knowledge of the natural fluctuations. These programs all contribute to
other
issues as well. The atmospheric modeling and monitoring work at SAO provides baseline
data for studies of air quality; sea level studies are relevant to coastal and marine
resources
and natural disaster reduction; work at NASM provides reflectance information necessary
to study arid region grasses; and monitoring activities at SERC are used for ecological
studies of species under different atmospheric conditions.