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Parsons, C. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Parsons, C. L..

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

An intercomparison of ground-based total ozone instruments

Five ground-based total ozone spectrophotometers were intercompared at Wallops Island, VA between October 1979 and January 1981. The tests were conducted to evaluate the stability and accuracy of each instrument over an extended time period. Acceptable performance regarding these two characteristics is essential if an instrument is to be useful in field measurements and network monitoring of the atmospheric total ozone content. The Dobson spectrophotometer was used as the standard of comparison for the Brewer grating spectrophotometer, the USSR M-83 ozonometer, the Canterbury filter photometer, and the SenTran filter photometer. The grating instrument was found to be potentially the equal of the Dobson but was subject to unreliable performance by its rather sophisticated electronic components. The filter photometers performed acceptably for short periods but filter aging and eventual degradation rendered both units unusable before the end of the intercomparison. Finally, the M-83 results were found to be in acceptable agreement with the Dobson throughout the period when certain qualifications are invoked. The accuracy of a single M-83 ozone measurement may be low. Averages tend to improve its agreement with the Dobson.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Gulf of Mexico satellite radar altimetry

The dynamic topography of the sea surface was measured. The radar altimeter measurements yield average ocean topographic data which are mapped. Seasonal deviations from a 3 year mean topography are presented. The altimeters are also instrumented with sample and hold gates which provide information about the shape and amplitude of the return waveform. Parameters including ocean surface wind speed and the significant wave height are determined. One hundred eighty six wind speed and significant wave height histograms are presented.

Parra, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Preliminary results of an intercomparison of total ozone spectrophotometers

Preliminary results from an intercomparison of five total ozone spectrophotometers are presented. These are the Dobson spectrophotometer, the USSR M-83 ozonometer, the Canterbury filter photometer, the SenTran Company filter photometer, and the Brewer grating spectrophotometer. The pertinent characteristics of each are described, and conclusions are drawn about the agreement of each instrument's measurements with the Dobson's values over a time period of nearly one year. A discussion of the importance of calibration and long-term stability and reliability is included.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A preliminary assessment of the problems in the use of interference filter photometers to determine total ozone

In the spring of 1979 an investigation was started involving the intercomparison of five ground based instruments designed to measure total ozone. The instruments considered include the Dobson spectrometer, the Russian M-83 ozonometer, the Brewer Ozone Spectrophotometer, the New Zealand (Canterbury) filter photometer, and the SenTran Company filter photometer. Three of these instruments use optical filters to make spectrophotometric determinations of total atmospheric ozone. The M-83 uses glass absorption filters to isolate the ultraviolet bands used. The Canterbury and the SenTran instruments use narrow-bandpass dielectric interference filters for the same purpose. Instruments employing optical filters are very appealing since they can be made small, rugged, and relatively inexpensive. However, the results of the reported investigation show that serious problems must be resolved before any filter instrument can be considered reliable enough for the conduction of long term, meaningful ozone measurements.

Gerlach, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

GEOS-3 radar altimeter study for the South Atlantic Bight

Three years of radar altimeter data from GEOS-3 for the South Atlantic Bight were processed. Mean monthly topographic maps were produced which estimate geostrophic flow in the region. Statistical distribution of the surface wind speed and significant wave height as a function of both space and time are presented.

Leitao, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Dobson spectrophotometer ozone measurements during international ozone rocketsonde intercomparison

Measurements of the total ozone content of the atmosphere, made with seven ground based instruments at a site near Wallops Island, Virginia, are discussed in terms for serving as control values with which the rocketborne sensor data products can be compared. These products are profiles of O3 concentration with altitude. By integrating over the range of altitudes from the surface to the rocket apogee and by appropriately estimating the residual ozone amount from apogee to the top of the atmosphere, a total ozone amount can be computed from the profiles that can be directly compared with the ground based instrumentation results. Dobson spectrophotometers were used for two of the ground-based instruments. Preliminary data collected during the IORI from Dobson spectrophotometers 72 and 38 are presented. The agreement between the two and the variability of total ozone overburden through the experiment period are discussed.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The role of satellite altimetry in climate studies

The results of three generations of satellite-borne radar altimetry experiments are summarized. The diverse measurements possible from this instrument are shown to be directly applicable to studies of the importance of the oceans in climate. The radar altimeter has unique value for investigations seeking knowledge of the interconnections between ocean dynamics, heat and momentum transfer across the air-sea interface, sea ice extent, and polar ice sheet thickness.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The effect of the sea breeze circulation on surface ozone levels at Wallops Island, Virginia

Surface measurements of windspeed, direction, and ozone concentration collected at Wallops Island, Virginia, during the summers of 1977 and 1978 are analyzed to study the effects of the dominant mesoscale sea breeze circulation on the local photochemical oxidant levels. A bimodality in the atmospheric dynamics is linked to systematic variations in ozone concentration. It is concluded that during certain phases of the two circulation modes, increased wind speed reduces the resistance of the earth's surface to the deposition of ozone, and decreased ozone concentration levels result. For other phases, light winds occur, signifying high resistance to deposition and high ozone levels. This modulation by the local dynamics is a major impediment for pollutant studies in coastal environments, especially those centering on transport, because it tends to mask other processes that may be occurring.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

On the remote detection of swell by satellite radar altimeter

A technique is developed and discussed which utilizes only significant wave height and wind speed measurements available from the GEOS-3 radar altimeter in real time to locate swell dominated regions of the earth's oceans. It is shown that reasonable agreement exists between the GEOS-3 map of the North Atlantic for 24 February 1976 and a map produced from hindcasted values of sea and swell obtained from the Special Projects Branch of the National Weather Service. Only data presently available from existing satellite radar altimeters are needed to map those areas of the oceans dominated by swell. It is concluded that the example given indicates that the decision boundary developed in this study to distinguish swell-dominated seas is a realistic choice.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Geos 3 wave height measurements - An assessment during high sea state conditions in the North Atlantic

The sea state in the North Atlantic Ocean has been monitored in February, 1977 to obtain data for verification of Geos 3 radio altimeter wave form data. The altimeter sea state data were found to be in good agreement with in situ sea state measurements and with aircraft remote sensing measurements of wave height. The average difference between the supporting data and Geos 3 was 0.34 m, and the standard deviation 0.61 m. Contour maps of sea state constructed for large regions of the earth's oceans on the basis of Geos 3 altimeter measurements exhibited systematic differences from operationally available computerized maps. It is thought that the underestimation of significant wave height maxima in the operational maps and the underestimation of the speed of movement of oceanic cyclones may be due to basic errors in the output of atmospheric primitive-equation models. Because of the narrow swath width of the Geos-3 sensor, data from several satellite orbits must be combined to construct contour maps, leading to low values of significant wave heights.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The 1977 surface ozone study of eastern Virginia

Data were collected by primarily twelve ground stations positioned throughout the eastern shore - tidewater area of Virginia and North Carolina. From an analysis of the ozone and wind data, certain trends were found such as the existence of a bias in ozone concentrations between stations and a linear correlation between average ozone concentration and latitude. In addition, higher ozone levels were found with surface winds from certain preferred directions at the various sites. The results, however, do not substantiate ozone or ozone precursor transport.

Williams, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

An evaluation of in situ ozone sensor performance during a cold frontal passage

The capabilities of the electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde for measuring the vertical profile of atmospheric ozone were studied during a three day experiment at Wallops Island, Virginia, and Norfolk, Virginia. Using ancillary measurements at the surface and the spectrophotometer, it was concluded that the ozonesonde measures the total ozone overburden to within 10% of the real value. By releasing the balloon-borne instruments at a rate of four per day at each of the two sites, an indication was obtained of the temporal and spatial scales of atmospheric ozone variability. No significant effects of a weak cold front passage or of the loss of insolation at night were seen. An isolated incident of anomalously high ozone concentration at the peak of the profile was attributed to sporadic instrument performance effects. The data base currently available is not adequate for determining an exact cause of the anomaly.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

On the hysteresis of the sea surface and its applicability to wave height predictions

Because of the low dissipation rate of wave energy on the ocean's surface, the wave height at some location and time must be dependent upon wind fields in existence there at previous times and upon swell propagated there from other regions. To study these relationships, significant wave height (SWH) measurements from the Geos-3 radar altimeter are used in conjunction with anemometer windspeed measurements from weather ships, L, C, and R. During the passage of large cyclonic disturbances near the fixed locations of these vessels in the North Atlantic in February 1976, distinct hysteresis profiles that characterize the sea's memory during generation and dissipation conditions are observed. Examples are given that demonstrate the influences of cyclone intensity, movement, velocity, and shape on the configuration of these profiles.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Total attenuation measurements of the Intertropical Convergence Zone by satellite altimeter

The 13.9-GHz radar altimeter operating aboard Skylab detected incidences of intense attenuation during a passage over the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The signal returned to the instrument from the surface was reduced by 4.5 and 6 dB over two distinct meteorological disturbances near 8 deg N, 27.5 deg W. Although it is impossible to deduce the vertical composition of the ITCZ cloud band from these data, the usefulness of the radar altimeter as a meteorological sensor of total atmospheric attenuation is demonstrated.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

GEOS-3 phase B ground truth summary

Ground truth data collected during the experiment systems calibration and evaluation phase of the Geodynamics experimental Ocean Satellite (GEOS-3) experiment are summarized. Both National Weather Service analyses and aircraft sensor data are included. The data are structured to facilitate the use of the various data products in calibrating the GEOS-3 radar altimeter and in assessing the altimeter's sensitivity to geophysical phenomena. Brief statements are made concerning the quality and completeness of the included data.

Parsons, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Atmospheric correction of remotely sensed spacecraft data

A model designed to predict the transfer of radiative energy in the earth atmosphere is described. The computational procedure accounts for absorption and scattering processes at visible and near infrared wavelengths. This paper reports on application of the atmospheric model to the interpretation of ERTS Multispectral Scanner (MSS) data. Spectrally-averaged values of the radiance emerging at the top of the atmosphere are computed for each MSS Band. It is concluded that ERTS MSS Band 4 data are to a high degree influenced by the water vapor content of the atmospere. Knowledge of the meteorological conditions at the time of an ERTS overpass appears to be necessary in order to achieve maximum classification accuracy. The impact of this conclusion upon the accuracy of identification of surface features will next be determined.

Jurica, G. M.↗