ALBERT

Description: The Ocean Color component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC) has been implemented to support long-term satellite ocean color investigations through cross-site consistent and accurate measurements collected by autonomous radiometer systems deployed on offshore fixed platforms. The ultimate purpose of AERONET-OC is the production of standardized measurements performed at different sites with identical measuring systems and protocols, calibrated using a single reference source and method, and processed with the same code. The AERONET-OC primary data product is the normalized water leaving radiance determined at center-wavelengths of interest for satellite ocean color applications, with an uncertainty lower than 5% in the blue-green spectral regions and higher than 8% in the red. Measurements collected at 6 sites counting the northern Adriatic Sea, the Baltic Proper, the Gulf of Finland, the Persian Gulf, and, the northern and southern margins of the Middle Atlantic Bay, have shown the capability of producing quality assured data over a wide range of bio-optical conditions including Case-2 yellow substance- and sedimentdominated waters. This work briefly introduces network elements like: deployment sites, measurement method, instrument calibration, processing scheme, quality-assurance, uncertainties, data archive and products accessibility. Emphases is given to those elements which underline the network strengths (i.e., mostly standardization of any network element) and its weaknesses (i.e., the use of consolidated, but old-fashioned technology). The work also addresses the application of AERONET-OC data to the validation of primary satellite radiometric products over a variety of complex coastal waters and finally provides elements for the identification of new deployment sites most suitable to support satellite ocean color missions.

Description: Phytoplankton photosynthesis in the sun lit upper layer of the global ocean is the overwhelmingly dominant source of organic matter that fuels marine ecosystems. Phytoplankton contribute roughly half of the global (land and ocean) net primary production (NPP; gross photosynthesis minus plant respiration) and phytoplankton carbon fixation is the primary conduit through which atmospheric CO2 concentrations interact with the ocean s carbon cycle. Phytoplankton productivity depends on the availability of sunlight, macronutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous), and micronutrients (e.g., iron), and thus is sensitive to climate-driven changes in the delivery of these resources to the euphotic zone

Description: Fixation of organic carbon by phytoplankton is the foundation of nearly all open-ocean ecosystems and a critical part of the global carbon cycle. But quantification and validation of ocean primary productivity at large scale remains a major challenge, due to limited coverage of ship-based measurements and the difficulty of validating diverse measurement techniques. Accurate primary productivity measurements from autonomous platforms would be highly desirable, due to much greater potential coverage. In pursuit of this goal we estimate gross primary productivity over two months in the springtime North Atlantic from an autonomous Lagrangian float using diel cycles of particulate organic carbon derived from optical beam attenuation. We test method precision and accuracy by comparison against entirely independent estimates from a locally parameterized model based on chlorophyll a and light measurements from the same float. During nutrient replete conditions (80% of the study period), we obtain strong relative agreement between the independent methods across an order of magnitude of productivities (r(sq.)=0.97), with slight under-estimation by the diel cycles method (-19+/-5 %). At the end of the diatom bloom, this relative difference increases to -58 % for a six-day period, likely a response to SiO4 limitation, which is not included in the model. In addition, we estimate gross oxygen productivity from O2 diel cycles and find strong correlation with diel cycles-based gross primary productivity over the entire deployment, providing further qualitative support to both methods. Finally, simultaneous estimates of net community productivity, carbon export and particle size suggest that bloom growth is halted by a combination of reduced productivity due to SiO4 limitation and increased export efficiency due to rapid aggregation. After the diatom bloom, high chlorophyll a normalized productivity indicates that low net growth during this period is due to increased heterotrophic respiration and not nutrient limitation. These findings represent a significant advance in the accuracy and completeness of upper ocean carbon cycle measurements from an autonomous platform.

Description: NASA's projects for the Mississippi River Coastal Margin Study include Mississippi River Interdisciplinary Research (MiRIR) and NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). These projects, undertaken with the help of Tulane University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) sampled water in the Gulf of Mexico to measure colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). This viewgraph presentation contains images of each program's sampling strategy and equipment.

Description: The accurate determination of upper ocean apparent optical properties (AOPs) is essential for the vicarious calibration of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument and the validation of the derived data products. To evaluate the importance of data analysis methods upon derived AOP values, the Second Data Analysis Round Robin (DARR-00) activity was planned during the latter half of 1999 and executed during March 2000. The focus of the study was the intercomparison of several standard AOP parameters: (1) the upwelled radiance immediately below the sea surface, L(sub u)(0(-),lambda); (2) the downward irradiance immediately below the sea surface, E(sub d)(0(-),lambda); (3) the diffuse attenuation coefficients from the upwelling radiance and the downward irradiance profiles, L(sub L)(lambda) and K(sub d)(lambda), respectively; (4) the incident solar irradiance immediately above the sea surface, E(sub d)(0(+),lambda); (5) the remote sensing reflectance, R(sub rs)(lambda); (6) the normalized water-leaving radiance, [L(sub W)(lambda)](sub N); (7) the upward irradiance immediately below the sea surface, E(sub u)(0(-)), which is used with the upwelled radiance to derive the nadir Q-factor immediately below the sea surface, Q(sub n)(0(-),lambda); and (8) ancillary parameters like the solar zenith angle, theta, and the total chlorophyll concentration, C(sub Ta), derived from the optical data through statistical algorithms. In the results reported here, different methodologies from three research groups were applied to an identical set of 40 multispectral casts in order to evaluate the degree to which differences in data analysis methods influence AOP estimation, and whether any general improvements can be made. The overall results of DARR-00 are presented in Chapter 1 and the individual methods used by the three groups and their data processors are presented in Chapters 2-4.

Description: This report presents the Bouee pour l'acquisition de Series Optiques a Long Terme (BOUSSOLE) project, the primary objectives of which are to provide a long-term time series of optical properties in support of a) calibration and validation activities associated with satellite ocean color missions, and b) bio-optical research in oceanic waters. The following are included in the report: 1) an introduction to the rationale for establishing the project; 2) a definition of vicarious calibration and the specific requirements attached to it; 3) the organization of the project and the characteristics of the measurement site--in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea; 4) a qualitative overview of the collected data; 5) details about the buoy that was specifically designed and built for this project; 6) data collection protocols and data processing techniques; 7) a quantitative summary of the collected data, and a discussion of some sample results, including match-up analyses for the currently operational ocean color sensors, namely MERIS, SeaWiFS, and MODIS; and 8) preliminary results of the vicarious radiometric calibration of MERIS, including a tentative uncertainty budget. The results of this match-up analysis allow performance comparisons of various ocean color sensors to be performed, demonstrating the ability of the BOUSSOLE activity, i.e., combining a dedicated platform and commercial-off-the-shelf instrumentation, to provide data qualified to monitor the quality of ocean color products on the long term.

Description: During the passage of a cold front in March 2002, bio-optical properties examined in coastal waters impacted by the Mississippi River indicated westward advective flows and increasing river discharge containing a larger nonalgal particle content contributed significantly to surface optical variability. A comparison of seasonal data from three cruises indicated spectral models of absorption and scattering to be generally consistent with other coastal environments, while their parameterization in terms of chlorophyll a concentration (Chl) showed seasonal variability. The exponential slope of the colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) averaged 0.0161 plus or minus 0.00054 per nanometer, and for nonalgal absorption it averaged 0.011 per nanometer with deviations from general trends observed due to anomalous water properties. Although the phytoplankton specific absorption coefficients varied over a wide range (0.02 to 0.1 square meters (mg Chl) sup -1)) being higher in offshore surface waters, values of phytoplankton absorption spectra at the SeaWiFS wavebands were highly correlated to modeled values. The normalized scattering spectral shapes and the mean spectrum were in agreement to observations in other coastal waters, while the backscattering ratios were on average lower in phytoplankton dominated surface waters (0.0101 plus or minus 0.002) and higher in near-bottom waters (0.0191 plus or minus 0.0045) with low Chl. Average percent differences in remote sensing reflectance R (sub rs) derived form modeled and in-eater radiometric measurements were highest in the blue wavebands (52%) and at sampling stations with a ore stratified water column. Estimates of Chl and CDOM absorption derived from SeaWiFS images generated using regional empirical algorithms were highly correlated to in situ data.

Description: The Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) is operated by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as part of its Coral Reef Watch program in response to the deteriorating global state of coral reef and related benthic ecosystems. In addition to sea surface temperatures (SSTs), the two most important parameters used by the CREWS network in generating coral reef bleaching alerts are 1) wind speed and direction and 2) photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). NASA remote sensing products that can enhance CREWS in these areas include SST and PAR products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and wind data from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT). CREWS researchers are also interested in chlorophyll, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and salinity. Chlorophyll and CDOM are directly available as NASA products, while rainfall (an available NASA product) can be used as a proxy for salinity. Other potential NASA inputs include surface reflectance products from MODIS, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, and Landsat. This report also identifies NASA-supported ocean circulation models and products from future satellite missions that might enchance the CREWS DST.

Description: Durante gli ultimi due anni l’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) ha sviluppato un importante infrastruttura di pronto intervento (la Rete Mobile Real-Time di Pronto Intervento), al fine di incrementare il numero di stazioni della Rete Sismica Nazionale dell’INGV (RSN) in zona epicentrale a seguito di eventi sismici rilevanti. Gli obiettivi principali della Rete Mobile Real-Time di Pronto Intervento sono il miglioramento delle localizzazioni epicentrali calcolate dalla Sala di Monitoraggio dell’INGV e l’abbassamento della soglia di detezione della micro-sismicità in area epicentrale durante una sequenza sismica. La Rete Mobile Real-Time di Pronto Intervento è composta da stazioni sismiche remote i cui dati sono telemetrati tramite ponte radio UHF (Ultra High Frequency) presso dei centri d’acquisizione intermedi (definiti “sottonodi”). I sottonodi sono a loro volta connessi tramite Wi-Fi ad un “centro stella” (nodo), ove è situato un sistema di trasmissione satellitare (Libra VSAT Nanometrics), tramite il quale vengono inviati i dati in tempo reale al centro acquisizione della Sala di Monitoraggio dell’INGV di Roma. L’acquisizione dati è ridondata inoltre presso la sala Disaster Recovery dell’Osservatorio di Grottaminarda. Il sistema d’acquisizione di dati sismici è costituito da un datalogger a tre canali, equipaggiato con un convertitore AD ad alta risoluzione (a 24 bit), dotato di un clock di precisione basato su timing GPS. I sensori sismici utilizzati presso le stazioni remote sono accelerometri Episensor FBA ES-T (Kinemetrics) con fondo scala a 2G e velocimetri a corto periodo (Lennartz Le Lite 3D). Il sistema di trasmissione dati, come accennato, si avvale di diversi apparati installati presso le stazioni remote, i sottonodi, ed il centro stella. Presso le stazioni remote è installato un radio modem operante in banda UHF (da 380 a 470 MHz), per il trasferimento trasparente di dati asincroni in modalità half-duplex. L’apparato modula in etere a 9.600 bps, realizzando collegamenti da 2 a 50 chilometri, in funzione dell’orografia locale e del sistema d’antenna utilizzato. Presso i sottonodi viene utilizzato un apparato WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) operante con frequenza di 2.4 GHz per collegamenti IP fino a 54 Mbit/s. Presso i sottonodi i dati sismici ricevuti dalle stazioni remote vengono inviati, tramite ponte Wi-Fi, al centro stella. Presso il centro stella la trasmissione dati avviene tramite il ricetrasmettitore Cygnus Nanometrics. Esso permette l’invio dei dati ricevuti alla Sala di Monitoraggio tramite collegamento satellitare. Il protocollo di trasmissione satellitare dedicato sul link VSAT è di tipo IP, ma può avvenire anche su apparati esterni quali fibra ottica, linee telefoniche, ecc. Per conseguire una maggiore flessibilità d’impiego, tale sistema dispone di due differenti frequenze di trasmissione, disponibili su satellite Intelsat ed HellaSat. Tutto ciò permette di orientare la parabola in due diverse direzioni, in modo da poter ovviare l’eventuale presenza di ostacoli come alberi, montagne o edifici. L’intera struttura racchiude queste tre diverse tecnologie di trasmissione dati (UHF, Wi-Fi e satellitare) al fine di garantire maggiore flessibilità di utilizzo; questo permette di affrontare l’emergenza sismica in tutte le condizioni logistiche e/o meteorologiche mirando a rapidi tempi di intervento (raggiungimento della zona epicentrale e istallazione). L’installazione della Rete Mobile Real-Time di Pronto Intervento viene gestita e coordinata all’interno di un Sistema Informativo Geografico (GIS) che consente la scelta della disposizione geografica ottimale delle stazioni della rete di pronto intervento intorno all’area epicentrale. Il database geografico utilizzato durante l’emergenza sismica contiene informazioni territoriali di vario tipo in area epicentrale. L’INGV dispone infatti di database geografici contenenti dati territoriali di tutto il territorio nazionale le cui categorie, utili ai fini della gestione dell’emergenza sismica, sono: Ubicazione delle stazioni delle reti di monitoraggio; Cartografia topografica IGM (1:25000, 1:50000, 1:100000); Modello digitale del terreno IGM; Uso del suolo; Viabilità e grafo stradale; Catologhi di sismicità storica e strumentale; Mappe di pericolosità sismica e del territorio; Database delle Sorgenti sismogenetiche; Mappe di scuotimento; Mappe di osservazioni macrosismiche. I dati sopra elencati sono utilizzati per la realizzazione di analisi di superficie (surface spatial analysis, Viewshed, Observer Point) che consentono la produzione di scenari utili per l’individuazione delle aree più favorevoli alla collocazione degli apparati della rete Real Time. Il terremoto de L’Aquila del 6 aprile 2009 è stato il primo caso di utilizzo dell’intera infrastruttura di pronto intervento. A meno di 6 ore dalla scossa principale (Mw 6.3 delle ore 01:32 GMT) il primo accelerometro inviava già dati alla Sala di Monitoraggio dell’INGV di Roma. A 3 giorni dall’evento la struttura di pronto intervento installata era costituita da 9 stazioni sismiche real-time. Oltre alla Rete Real Time di Pronto Intervento l’INGV ha installato 5 nuove stazioni GPS permanenti nel territorio abruzzese a seguito dell’evento del 6 aprile (Fig. 3). Le stazioni GPS permanenti presenti nel settore aquilano precedentemente al terremoto erano infatti caratterizzate da un’interdistanza troppo elevata, tale da non consentire una risoluzione spaziale adeguata del campo di spostamento co- e postsismico. A poche ore di distanza dall’evento sismico del 6 aprile si è quindi attivata una squadra di pronto intervento dell’INGV coadiuvata anche da personale del DPC-Ufficio Sismico e dell’ISPRA. A partire dal 7 aprile 2009, e fino al 17 dello stesso mese, sono state installate 5 nuove stazioni GPS permanenti (3 stazioni appartenenti alla Rete Integrata Nazionale GPS dell’INGV, 1 stazione del DPC-Ufficio Sismico ed una stazione dell’ISPRA) nei settori limitrofi all’epicentro della scossa principale della sequenza dell’aquilano. In tutte e 5 i casi la stazione GPS è stata monumentata, installata e avviata nell’arco di 5-6 ore. Su tutte le stazioni GPS è stata impostata sia un’acquisizione del dato GPS a 30 secondi sia un ringbuffer con campionamento a 10 Hz, in modo da permettere la registrazione dell’intera deformazione cosismica (sia statica che dinamica) in caso di ulteriore evento sismico. Nelle settimane successive è stata poi ottimizzata la trasmissione dei dati GPS, utilizzando un sistema di trasmissione dati via GPRS/UMTS implementato dal ST-Osservatorio di Grottaminarda.

Description: Published

Description: Trieste- Italy

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: open

Description: The plate boundary between Africa and Eurasia represents an interesting geodynamical region characterized by a complex pattern of deformation. First-order scientific problems regarding the existence of rigid blocks within the plate boundary, the present-day activity of the Calabrian slab and the regional crust and upper mantle structures are still awaiting for a better understanding. For answering these open questions, INGV deployed a permanent, integrated and real-time monitoring GPS network (RING) all over Italy. The RING is now constituted by about 120 stations. The CGPS sites, acquiring at 1Hz and 30s sampling rate, are integrated either with broad band and very broad band seismometers or accelerometers to improve the monitoring of the background seismicity in the Apennines seismic belts and to better constrain the geometry of the seismogenic structures. Most of the network is connected to the acquisition centre (located in Rome and duplicated in Grottaminarda) by a satellite system (VSAT), while the remaining sites transmit data by Internet and classical phone connections. The satellite data transmission and the integration with seismic instruments makes this network one of the most innovative CGPS networks in Europe. Either the heterogeneity of the installed instrumentation and of the transmission types or the continuous increasing number of stations needed a central monitoring and acquisition system. Thus, in Grottaminarda, for the seismic monitoring we chose to use the open source system Earthworm, developed by USGS, with which we store waveforms and implement automatic localization of the seismic events occurred in the area. As most of the GPS sites are acquired by means of Nanometrics satellite technology, we decided to develop a new software (GpsView), written in Java, to monitor the state of health of those CGPS. This software receives GPS data from NaqsServer (Nanometrics acquisition system) and outputs information about the sites (i.e. position, number of satellites) in real-time. Furthermore, we developed also a web-based application for the management of the data and the metadata relative to the GPS sites of the RING. We present (a) the existing and planned CGPS site distribution, (b) the technological description of the seismic and GPS data acquisitions in Grottaminarda INGV centre, and (c) the first results of CGPS data analysis.

Description: Unpublished

Description: San Francisco, USA

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: 1.9. Rete GPS nazionale

Description: open