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Fentanyls are highly potent synthetic opioids (10 to 1,000 times more potent than heroin) that have contributed to many overdose deaths around the globe in recent years (1). In this study performed by Agilent (2) and summarised here, Nikalyte gold SERS substrates were used in conjunction with an Agilent Resolve handheld 830nm Raman Spectrometer for trace detection of fentanyls and other narcotics. Successful identification of fentanyl in street samples was improved from 5% using non-SERS spectroscopy methods to 60% when using Nikalyte SERS substrates., Fentanyls are typically present at trace-level concentrations in street narcotics and therefore are very difficult to detect. Nikalyte's SERS filter paper substrates utilize gold nanoparticles, generated in vacuum by terminated [...]

This paper introduces the Ocean Derived Column Optical Depth (ODCOD) algorithm. ODCOD is now being used to retrieve full-column optical depths from the 532 nm measurements acquired by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) aboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) spacecraft. ODCOD uses the lidar integrated attenuated backscatter from the ocean surface, together with collocated wind speed estimates from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), to estimate the full-column optical depths of particulates (i.e., clouds and aerosols) in the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike CALIOP's standard retrievals, which estimate optical depths only when particulate layers are detected, ODCOD retrievals deliver a comprehensive estimate that accounts for attenuation by all particulates present within the lidar profiles. This paper describes the ODCOD algorithm, develops random uncertainty estimates, and characterizes the systematic differences between ODCOD optical depths and those reported by previously validated data sets. This paper presents performance assessments of ODCOD cloud-free profiles to compare the ODCOD aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals to collocated measurements made by the airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) instruments flown by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), to daytime estimates derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and to daytime and nighttime retrievals using the Synergized Optical Depth of Aerosols (SODA) algorithm. ODCOD AODs are biased high relative to LaRC HSRL AODs by 0.009 ± 0.043 (median ± median absolute deviation), with a correlation coefficient of 0.724, and biased low relative to MODIS by 0.009 ± 0.041, with a correlation coefficient of 0.834. Relative to SODA, which derives AOD from a combination of CALIOP and CloudSat ocean surface measurements, ODCOD is biased high in the daytime by 0.004 ± 0.035 and higher at night by 0.027 ± 0.034, with correlation coefficients of 0.887 and 0.891, respectively. Because ODCOD estimates are independent from the standard CALIOP optical depth retrievals, they offer potential for future advances in the CALIPSO data record, both in validating CALIOP's standard estimates and as a potential total column constraint to improve extinction coefficient retrievals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric mineral dust aerosol constitutes a threat to aircraft engines from deterioration of internal components. Here we fulfil an overdue need to quantify engine dust ingestion at airports worldwide. The vertical distribution of dust is of key importance since ascent/descent rates and engine power both vary with altitude and affect dust ingestion. We use representative jet engine power profile information combined with vertically and seasonally varying dust concentrations to calculate the "dust dose" ingested by an engine over a single ascent or descent. Using the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model reanalysis, we calculate climatological and seasonal dust dose at 10 airports for 2003–2019. Dust doses are mostly largest in Northern Hemisphere summer for descent, with the largest at Delhi in June–August (JJA; 6.6 g) followed by Niamey in March–May (MAM; 4.7 g) and Dubai in JJA (4.3 g). Holding patterns at altitudes coincident with peak dust concentrations can lead to substantial quantities of dust ingestion, resulting in a larger dose than the take-off, climb, and taxi phases. We compare dust dose calculated from CAMS to spaceborne lidar observations from two dust datasets derived from the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). In general, seasonal and spatial patterns are similar between CAMS and CALIOP, though large variations in dose magnitude are found, with CAMS producing lower doses by a factor of 1.9 to 2.8, particularly when peak dust concentration is very close to the surface. We show that mitigating action to reduce engine dust damage could be achieved, firstly by moving arrivals and departures to after sunset and secondly by altering the altitude of the holding pattern away from that of the local dust peak altitude, reducing dust dose by up to 44 % and 41 % respectively. We suggest that a likely low bias of dust concentration in the CAMS reanalysis should be considered by aviation stakeholders when estimating dust-induced engine wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clouds play important roles in weather, climate, and the global water cycle. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft has measured global vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere since June 2006. CALIOP provides vertically resolved information on cloud occurrence, thermodynamic phase, and properties. We describe version 1.0 of a monthly gridded ice cloud product derived from over 12 years of global, near-continuous CALIOP measurements. The primary contents are monthly vertically resolved histograms of ice cloud extinction coefficient and ice water content (IWC) retrievals. The CALIOP Level 3 Ice Cloud product is built from the CALIOP Version 4.20 Level 2 5 km Cloud Profile product that, relative to previous versions, features substantial improvements due to more accurate lidar backscatter calibration, better extinction coefficient retrievals, and a temperature-sensitive parameterization of IWC. The gridded ice cloud data are reported as histograms, which provides data users with the flexibility to compare CALIOP's retrieved ice cloud properties with those from other instruments with different measurement sensitivities or retrieval capabilities. It is also convenient to aggregate monthly histograms for seasonal, annual, or decadal trend and climate analyses. This CALIOP gridded ice cloud product provides a unique characterization of the global and regional vertical distributions of optically thin ice clouds and deep convection cloud tops, and it should provide significant value for cloud research and model evaluation. A DOI has been issued for the product: 10.5067/CALIOP/CALIPSO/L3_ICE_CLOUD-STANDARD-V1-00. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clouds play important roles in weather, climate, and the global water cycle. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft has measured global vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere since June 2006. CALIOP provides vertically resolved information on cloud occurrence, thermodynamic phase, and properties. We describe Version 1.0 of a monthly gridded ice cloud product derived from over ten years of global, near-continuous CALIOP measurements. The primary contents are monthly, vertically resolved histograms of ice cloud extinction coefficient and ice water content (IWC) retrievals. The CALIOP Level 3 Ice Cloud Product Version 1.0 is built from the CALIOP Version 4.20 Level 2 5-km Cloud Profile product, which, relative to previous versions, features substantial improvements due to more accurate lidar backscatter calibration, better extinction coefficient retrievals, and a temperature-sensitive parameterization of IWC. The gridded ice cloud data are reported as histograms, which provides data users with the flexibility to compare CALIOP’s retrieved ice cloud properties with those from other instruments with different measurement sensitivities or retrieval capabilities. It is also convenient to aggregate monthly histograms for seasonal, annual or decadal trend and climate analyses. This CALIOP gridded ice cloud product provides a unique characterization of the global and regional vertical distributions of optically thin ice clouds and deep convection cloud tops and should provide significant value for cloud research and model evaluation. A DOI has been issued for the product: https://doi.org/10.5067/CALIOP/CALIPSO/L3_ICE_CLOUD-STANDARD-V1-00 (Winker et al., 2018). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]