NASA Technical MemorandumNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1963 - Aeronautics |
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accuracy albedo altimeter areas biogeochemical cycles biological processes biomass biosphere boundary carbon changes chemical chemistry chlorophyll circulation climate cloud CO₂ coastal concentration continental convection decades determination Earth ecosystems effects emission evapotranspiration field flux forecasting forest gases global coverage global distribution H₂O heat hydrologic cycle ice dynamics ice sheets important improved interaction land Landsat lidar lithosphere long-term major mantle mantle convection mapping meas MEASUREMENT CHARACTERISTICS mesoscale mesosphere microwave middle atmosphere models monitor motions needed nitrogen nitrogen cycle nutrients Observation Requirements ocean oceanography orbit ozone parameter phosphorus phytoplankton plate tectonics polar Polynya ppbv precipitation productivity radar radiation radiometry rates regions remote sensing role satellite scales SCIENCE PROBLEM SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES sea ice sea surface sensors soil moisture space species spectral studies subduction sulfur surface temperature Table techniques thermal Thermospheric transport tropospheric understanding urements variability variations vegetation vertical visible wavelengths YES YES YES
Popular passages
Page A-15 - ... by life. The central issue of the science of the biosphere is the extent to which the Earth's surface, atmosphere and hydrosphere is the result of biological rather than abiotic processes. Space science and technology accelerates the understanding of global biological processes by providing repetive synoptic observations on large spatial scales once the relationships between the processes and the remotely sensed quantities are established. Especially promising applications of space technology...
Page A-16 - To provide the information required for the maintenance and effective future management of the atmospheric component of our global life support system.
Page A-5 - Uncertainty centers partly on the role of terrestrial biomes, in which at least two factors govern the level of carbon storage. First and most obvious is the alteration of the Earth's surface, such as the conversion of forest to agriculture which often results in a net release of CO2 to the atmosphere.
Page A-11 - Avail: NTIS HC A04/MF A01 CSCL 08A Within the framework of global biogeochemical cycles and ocean productivity, there are two areas that will be of particular interest to biological oceanography in the 1990s. The first is the mapping in space time of the biomass and productivity of phytoplankton in the world ocean. The second area is the coupling of biological and physical processes as it affects the distribution and growth rate of phytoplankton biomass. Certainly other areas will be of interest...
Page A-7 - ... biogeochemical equilibria among the major pools of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus represented by terrestrial biomes, the world's oceans, and the troposphere are disturbed. Since even the most rapid processes of adjustments among the reservoirs take decades, new equilibria are far from established. These human-induced perturbations and the system's subsequent responses constitute an on-going biogeochemical experiment at the global level. Current and new information must be combined in...
Page A-15 - ... 51010010361 10384 (N— 84-30440) Land biology. Kanemasu, ET (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center). Aug 1984. 3p. NTIS, PC A04/MF A01. In earth observing system, Volume 1, Part 2: science and mission requirements, A21-A23, N— 84-30433 20-42. The advancing technology of our civilization on Earth affects our environment on a local, regional and global scale. Local effects can feed into larger scale effects because of positive feedbacks...
Page A-16 - ... receiving, transporting, transforming, and depositing substances that either contribute to the efficiency of the system or deleteriously perturb it. Yet relatively little effort has been expended on obtaining a fundamental understanding of the global troposphere and its dynamical behavior and cycles. Perturbations can be expected to increase in frequency and variety during the next several decades, and their significant economic impact will grow. Because the atmosphere is a moving and restless...
Page A-20 - ... intrusive history of the area. The outcrop patterns of rocks produced by various sedimentary, magmatic, and tectonic processes sampled on a worldwide basis are the fundamental record for understanding the Earth's history. In addition, it is important to note that most of the Earth's nonrenewable resources occur within the continental crust. Consequently, a better understanding of the nature and distribution of crustal units will increase our understanding of both the deformational history of...
Page A-5 - ... than two times the pre-industrial level. The increase in CO2 is important because, in contrast to atmospheric O2 and N2, CO2 absorbs infrared radiation emitted by the Earth and prevents the escape of some of the normally outgoing radiation. This is now popularly known as the "greenhouse
Page A-5 - The possible effects of human interference with the natural cycle of carbon by burning fossil fuels, harvesting forests, and converting land to agriculture are reflected most clearly by the phenomenon of increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2 [see Figure 2.4].