Atmospheric Corrections Using MODTRAN for TOA and Surface BRDF Characteristics from High Resolution Spectroradiometric/ Angular Measurements from a Helicopter Platform

l. IntroductionThe cIassicaI definition of bi--directional reflectance--distribution function (BRDF) is aderivative, distribution function, relatlng the irradiance incident from one given direction tolts contribution to the radiance renected in another direct1on (N1codemus et al., l977).f r (0,, rp,; 0,, rp, )= dL, (0,, P,; 0,, 9,; E, )/ dE, (0,, 9,) [sr-- 1 ], (l)where 0 (zenith angle) and 9 (azimuth angle) together indicate a direction, the subscr1pt i indi-cates quantities associated wi…     

Curved scanline theory

This work develops the theory of measuring fracture frequency with curved scanlines, as a direct development of work done by others on straight scanlines. Various possible shapes for curved scanlines range between triangular and rectangular, with circular as a reasonable preliminary selection. The discrepancy among different selections decreases with increasing roughness amplitude of the scanline. Analytic solutions for average fracture frequency are given for circular scanlines through single and multiple fracture sets. Results for single fracture sets are plotted. The analytic solution for the general situation of any shape scanline through multiple fracture sets is given. Analytic solutions are given and plotted for circular scanlines through a fracture fabric ellipsoid. A circular scanline spanning 180 degrees yields a global fracture frequency of statistical significance. This work was carried out under U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DEAC03-76SF00098 for the Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Office of External Relations, and was administered by the Nevada Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy. This work also was supported partially by the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation of Japan.     

Investigation of Possible Contamination of Shallow Ground Water by Deeply Injected Liquid Industrial Wastes

The objective of this study was to assess the possible impact of deep well disposal operations, conducted between 1958 and 1974, on the ground water quality in a shallow fresh water aquifer beneath Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Because of the breakout of formation fluids in Sarnia and Port Huron, Michigan, in the early 1970s, it had been hypothesized that liquid waste from the disposal zone in bedrock had leaked through numerous abandoned oil, gas, and salt wells in the area up to the shallow fresh water aquifer and from there to the surface.
A monitoring well network of 29 5cm (2 inch) diameter piezometers was established in the thin sand and shale aquifer system, which exists between 30 and 70m (100 and 230 feet) below ground surface. In addition, a 300m (1000 foot) deep borehole was drilled and instrumented with a Westbay multilevel casing, which permitted sampling of the disposal zone.
Ground water samples from the shallow monitoring wells and the Westbay multilevel casing were analyzed for volatiles by GC/MS. Those volatile aromatics that were conspicuously present in the deep disposal zone, e.g., ethyl toluenes and trimethyl benzene, were not detected in the shallow monitoring wells. Thus, if contaminants from the disposal zone did indeed migrate to the shallow aquifer, contamination was not widespread and probably consisted mostly of displaced chloride-rich formation waters.     

High-resolution plate reconstruction of the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

We use recently acquired magnetic and SeaBeam bathymetric data to examine the spreading rates and plate boundary geometry of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 30°–36° S. Using a statistically rigorous estimation of rotation poles we develop a precise spreading history of the African—South American plate boundary. The total opening rate for 1–4.23 Myr (Plio-Pleistocene) is nearly constant at 32.3 ± 1 km Myr^–1. The spreading rate apparently is faster in the Late Miocene (7.3-5.3 Myr), though this may reflect inaccuracies in the geomagnetic time scale. The rotation poles enable a plate boundary reconstruction with an accuracy of 2–3 km. The reconstructions also show that the plate boundary geometry underwent several changes since the late Miocene including the growth of one ridge segment from 40 to 105 km in length, and the reorientation of another ridge segment which has spread obliquely from 7 to 1 Myr. Pole calculations using both right- and left-stepping fracture zones show an offset of 1–2 km between the deepest, most linear part of a fracture zone trough and the former plate boundary location. The high-resolution plate kinematics suggests that the plate boundary, as a whole, evolves 2-dimensionally as prescribed by rigid plates. On a local scale, asymmetric accretion, asymmetric extension, small lateral ridge jumps (< 3 km), and intra-segment propagation result in minor plate boundary adjustments and deformation to the rigid plates.     

Testing of a towed CTD

The results of laboratory and field experiments on a CTD measuring unit attached to a controllable towed body is described. It was verified that the three-dimensional distribution of salinity and temperature could be observed with sufficient accuracy (to 0.03 in salinity and to 0.01°C in temperature if proper correction is adopted) while cruising at up to 4 knots. A double integrated A/D converter is used to compensate for effects of extraneous environmental changes.     

Application of a 3-D chemical fate prediction model (FATE3D) to predict dioxin concentrations in the Tokyo Bay

A 3-D chemical fate prediction model (FATE3D) was applied to predict the dioxin concentrations in the seawater of Tokyo Bay, Japan. The simulations were carried out for a period of one year (from September 2002 to August 2003). Parameters such as meteorological data, flow field conditions, concentrations and sinking rates of organic particulate matter, initial and boundary conditions, and loading fluxes and physico-chemical properties of dioxins were used as the model inputs.The simulation results compared favorably with the field measurements of dioxin concentrations in the bay for both the particulate and dissolved phases, indicating the validity and predictive capability of the model. Furthermore, the differences in the seasonal cycles and distributions between the particulate- and dissolved-phase dioxins in the bay were estimated from the simulation results.However, the particulate-phase dioxin concentrations in the bottom layers (+1 m from the bottom) were underestimated, probably because the resuspension process was not taken into account in the model. The improvement of the model's predictive capability, including the resuspension process, shall be the focus of our next study.     

Distribution of phytoplankton in the East China Sea in the winter of 1993

Phytoplankton distribution and its relationship to water masses were investigated in the East China Sea from February 15 to March 10, 1993. Diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophorids were examined by the Utermöhl method. Two distinct phytoplankton assemblages were identified: a shelf and oceanic assemblage. The shelf community was characterized by a high abundance of diatoms, particularly, a benthic diatomParalia sulcata, and the oceanic community by numerical dominance of coccolithophorids and occurrence of surface warm-water species of diatoms. A boundary of both communities was located at the shelf edge that coincided with the shelf side of a Kuroshio front.P. sulcata was the most dominant in the inner shelf area throughout the water column. The occurrence of this species near the surface was considered to be a good indicator of the enhanced vertical mixing driven by winter monsoon. The species survives under extremely low light intensity near the bottom during the stratified periods in summer. During the winter time when light condition at the bottom becomes most unfavorable, resuspension and upward traveling of the species due to enhanced vertical mixing seem to be advantageous to acquire suitable light condition. Because of its predominance, possible importance ofP. sulcata is suggested in material cycling on the shelf, particularly near the bottom.