Natural Hazards and Their Impact on the Near Space Environment

My research consists of observing natural hazards and their impact on near space. This research supports NASA’s Strategic Objective 1.1: Understand the Sun, Earth, Solar System, and Universe. This research project explores the link between terrestrial events, particularly fires, and resulting dynamics in the near space environment. I will organize data of recorded fires provided by Naval Research Labs, then I will use data collected by NASA’s satellites including AIRS1, CALIPSO2, VIIRS3, and GOES4 to examine and identify significant fires that have an observable impact on stratospheric gravity waves (also called buoyancy waves) that can propagate to the near space environment. Gravity waves are important in understanding dynamics and coupling throughout the atmosphere5. Additionally, gravity waves alter densities and temperatures in the atmosphere and near space environment, which can influence satellite orbit. Understanding satellite orbit is especially important for things such as monitoring space debris6.

Although theory suggests there is a link between fires and gravity waves in the upper atmosphere, there has not been significant research into this topic before. It is important to further study and develop the ideas that are supported by pre-existing data for future reference. This research project explores the near space environment in an innovative way, which should provide unique results for new data, analyses, and conclusions to be utilized for future research. An understanding of this topic is important for a deeper understanding how Earth’s surface events influence the near space environment, and how this change can alter space debris orbit. This research will open up further opportunities to explore and study the near space environment.