Earth Observation Data Group

Abstract:

Abstract The chemical environments of young planets are assumed to be largely influenced by the impacts of bodies lingering on unstable trajectories after the dissolution of the protoplanetary disk. We explore the chemical consequences of impacts within the context of reducing planetary atmospheres dominated by carbon monoxide, methane, and molecular nitrogen. A terawatt high-power laser was selected in order to simulate the airglow plasma and blast wave surrounding the impactor. The chemical results of these experiments are then applied to a theoretical atmospheric model. The impact simulation results in substantial volume mixing ratios within the reactor of 5% hydrogen cyanide (HCN), 8% acetylene (C2H2), 5% cyanoacetylene (HC3N), and 1% ammonia (NH3). These yields are combined with estimated impact rates for the early Earth to predict surface boundary conditions for an atmospheric model. We show that impacts might have served as sources of energy that would have led to steady-state surface quantities of 0.4% C2H2, 400 ppm HCN, and 40 ppm NH3. We provide simulated transit spectra for an Earth-like exoplanet with this reducing atmosphere during and shortly after eras of intense impacts. We predict that acetylene is as observable as other molecular features on exoplanets with reducing atmospheres that have recently gone through their own “heavy bombardments,” with prominent features at 3.05 and 10.5 μm.

Abstract:

Context. Meteor spectra are commonly interpreted using data from databases and tables. Several studies have demonstrated very sophisticated calculations of elemental compositions of meteoroid bodies based on the computation of synthetic meteor spectra or on the spectral analysis of airglow plasma containing evaporated, atomized, and ionized meteoroid matter. However, considering accuracy, reliability of computations, lack of laboratory experimental data in this field, as well as the complicated physical structure of meteor plasma, such qualitative assignment or quantitative calculations are still extensively discussed in the scientific community. Even on the laboratory level, many studies have shown the high complexity of the acquisition and interpretation of the data that are recorded with techniques of emission spectroscopy that are in fashion and philosophy similar to the spectral analysis of meteor plasma, that is, detection and quantification of the elements that are ablated from complicated multicomponent matrices. Aims. The current study is focused on the application of terawatt-class laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (TC-LIBS) of real samples of chondritic meteorites. We recorded emission spectra with high resolution and high precision that contain spectral lines that are typical for real meteoric spectra. Experimental data were compiled in a form that is convenient for the meteoric spectra interpretation and calibration. Methods. TC-LIBS was carried out by a high-power terawatt-class laser facility, the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS). The spectra were simultaneously recorded by an echelle high-resolution spectrograph in the UV/VIS spectral ranges and by a low-resolution spectrograph that was used for real observation of meteor spectra. We also present calculated synthetic spectra based on data from the NIST atomic spectra database. Results. We assembled etalon qualitative tables of major meteoric spectral features that can be used both for the spectral wavelength calibration of low-resolution observational instruments and for the exact interpretation of meteor spectra. The data are compared with real meteor spectra.

Abstract:

Besides delivering plausible prebiotic feedstock molecules and high-energy initiators, extraterrestrial impacts could also affect the process of abiogenesis by altering the early Earth's geological environment in which primitive life was conceived. We show that iron-rich smectites formed by reprocessing of basalts due to the residual post-impact heat could catalyze the synthesis and accumulation of important prebiotic building blocks such as nucleobases, amino acids and urea.

Abstract:

Ash clouds are a geographically far-reaching hazard associated with volcanic eruptions. To minimise the risk that these pose to aircraft and to limit disruption to the aviation industry, it is important to closely monitor the emission and atmospheric dispersion of these plumes. The altitude of the plume is an important consideration and is an essential input into many models of ash cloud propagation. CO2 slicing is an established technique for obtaining the top height of aqueous clouds, and previous studies have demonstrated that there is potential for this method to be used for volcanic ash. In this study, the CO2 slicing technique has been adapted for volcanic ash and applied to spectra obtained from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI). Simulated ash spectra are first used to select the most appropriate channels and then demonstrate that the technique has merit for determining the altitude of the ash. These results indicate a strong match between the true heights and CO2 slicing output with a root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 800 m. Following this, the technique was applied to spectra obtained with IASI during the Eyjafjallajökull and Grímsvötn eruptions in 2010 and 2011 respectively, both of which emitted ash clouds into the troposphere, and which have been extensively studied with satellite imagery. The CO2 slicing results were compared against those from an optimal estimation scheme, also developed for IASI, and a satellite-borne lidar is used for validation. The CO2 slicing heights returned an RMSE value of 2.2 km when compared against the lidar. This is lower than the RMSE for the optimal estimation scheme (2.8 km). The CO2 slicing technique is a relatively fast tool and the results suggest that this method could be used to get a first approximation of the ash cloud height, potentially for use for hazard mitigation, or as an input for other retrieval techniques or models of ash cloud propagation.