NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

undertook to survey the community of experts in the field and to present their views to the Navy as a basis for further planning.
The following is an edited compilation of the views of that panel of experts convened by the USA Arctic Research
Commission to assist the Navy in considering the effects of climate change on their operations in and around the Arctic Ocean
in the mid to late Twenty First Century.
NTIS
Marine Meteorology; Arctic Regions; Climate Change
20040111178 Arctic Research Commission, Arlington, VA, USA
Climate Change, Permafrost, and Impacts on Civil Infrastructure
Dec. 2003; In English
Report No.(s): PB2004-107253; ARC/SR-01-03; No Copyright; Avail: National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Permafrost, or perenially frozen ground, is a critical component of the cryosphere and the Arctic system. Permafrost
regions occupy approximately 24% of the terrestrial surface of the Northern Hemisphere; further, the distribution of subsea
permafrost in the Arctic Ocean is not well known, but new occurrences continue to be found. The effects of climatic warming
on permafrost and the seasonally thawed layer above it (the active layer) can severely disrupt ecosystems and human
infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, utilities, pipelines, and airstrips. The susceptibility of engineering works to
thaw-induced damage is particularly relevant to communities and structures throughout northern Alaska, Russia, and Canada.
It is clear from the long-term paleographic record in these areas that climatic warming can lead to increases in permafrost
temperature, thickening of the active layer, and a reduction in the percentage of the terrestrial surface underlain by near-surface
permafrost. Such changes can lead to extensive settlement of the ground surface, with attendant damage to infrastructure. To
advance U.S. and international permafrost research, the U.S. Arctic Research Commission in 2002 chartered a task force on
climate change, permafrost, and infrastructure impacts. The task force was asked to identify key issues and research needs to
foster a greater understanding of global change impacts on permafrost in the Arctic and their linkages to natural and human
systems. Permafrost was found to play three key roles in the context of climatic changes: as a record keeper (temperature
archive); as a translator of climatic change (subsidence and related impacts); and as a facilitator of climatic change (impact
on the global carbon cycle).
NTIS
Carbon Cycle; Climate Change; Climatology; Ice Environments; Permafrost
20040111205 RAND Europe, Leiden, Netherlands
Determination and Applications of Environmental Costs at Different Sized Airports: Aircraft Noise and Engine
Emissions
Lu, Cherie; Lierens, Abigail; The Conference Proceedings of the 2003 Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) World
Conference; July 2003; Volume 5; 18 pp.; In English; See also 20040111201; Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
With the increasing trend of charging for externalities and the aim of encouraging the sustainable development of the air
transport industry, there is a need to evaluate the social costs of these undesirable side effects, mainly aircraft noise and engine
emissions, for different airports. The aircraft noise and engine emissions social costs are calculated in monetary terms for five
different sized airports, ranging from hub airports to small regional airports. The number of residences within different levels
of airport noise contours and the aircraft noise classifications are the main determinants for accessing aircraft noise social
costs. Whist, based on the damages of different engine pollutants on the human health, vegetation, materials, aquatic
ecosystem and climate, the aircraft engine emissions social costs vary from engine types to aircraft categories. The results
indicate that the relationship appears to be curvilinear between environmental costs and the traffic volume of an airport. The
results and methodology of environmental cost calculation could input for to the proposed European wide harmonized noise
charges as well as the social cost benefit analysis of airports.
Author
Aircraft Noise; Airports; Cost Analysis; Cost Effectiveness; Exhaust Emission; Policies
20040111225 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Simulation of the 1994 Charlotte Microburst with Look-Ahead Windshear Radar
Proctor, F. H.; Bracalente, E. M.; Harrah, S. D.; Switzer, G. F.; Britt, C. L.; [1995]; 4 pp.; In English; 27th Conference on
radar Meteorology, 9-13 Oct. 1995, Vail, CO, USA
Report No.(s): Paper-10B.7; Copyright; Avail: CASI; A01, Hardcopy
A severe microburst occurred on 2 July 1994 at Charlotte, NC, and was associated with the crash of USAir Flight 1016
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