Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “heat tracer”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

A picture of the moon's atmosphere

Atomic sodium is a useful tracer of the tenuous lunar atmosphere because of its high efficiency in scattering sunlight at the D1 (5896 angstroms) and D2 (5890 angstroms) wavelengths. In 1988, Earth-based instruments revealed the presence of sodium at a density of less than 50 atoms per cubic centimeter at lunar altitudes below 100 kilometers. Telescopic observations that are made with a coronograph technique to block out the disk of the moon allow a true picture of the circumlunar atmosphere to be obtained and show the presence of sodium out to a distance of several lunar radii. The distribution of sodium has a solar zenith angle dependence, suggesting that most of the sodium that reaches great altitudes is liberated from the moon's surface by solar photons (by heating or sputtering) or by solar wind impact, in contrast to a source driven by uniform micrometeor bombardment.

Flynn, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2004

Effect of Heating on Turbulent Density Fluctuations and Noise Generation From High Speed Jets

Heated jets in a wide range of temperature ratios (TR), and acoustic Mach numbers (Ma) were investigated experimentally using far field microphones and a molecular Rayleigh scattering technique. The latter provided density fluctuations measurements. Two sets of operating conditions were considered: (1) TR was varied between 0.84 and 2.7 while Ma was fixed at 0.9; (2) Ma was varied between 0.6 and 1.48, while TR was fixed at 2.27. The implementation of the molecular Rayleigh scattering technique required dust removal and usage of a hydrogen combustor to avoid soot particles. Time averaged density measurements in the first set of data showed differences in the peripheral density shear layers between the unheated and heated jets. The nozzle exit shear layer showed increased turbulence level with increased plume temperature. Nevertheless, further downstream the density fluctuations spectra are found to be nearly identical for all Mach number and temperature ratio conditions. To determine noise sources a correlation study between plume density fluctuations and far field sound pressure fluctuations was conducted. For all jets the core region beyond the end of the potential flow was found to be the strongest noise source. Except for an isothermal jet, the correlations did not differ significantly with increasing temperature ratio. The isothermal jet created little density fluctuations. Although the far field noise from this jet did not show any exceptional trend, the flow-sound correlations were very low. This indicated that the density fluctuations only acted as a "tracer parameter" for the noise sources.

Panda, Jayanta↗
NASA NTRS2024

UV-Dark Polar Ovals on Jupiter as Tracers of Magnetosphere-Atmosphere Connection

Aerosols in Jupiter’s stratosphere form intriguing polar hoods, which have been investigated by ultraviolet cameras on Cassini and the Hubble Space Telescope. Transient, concentrated dark ovals of unknown origin have been noted within both the northern and southern polar hoods. Here, we use twenty-six global maps of Jupiter taken by Hubble between1994 and 2022, detecting transient UV-dark ovals with a 48 to 53%frequency of occurrence in the south. We find the southern dark oval to be 4 to 6 times more common than its northern counterpart. The southern feature is an anticyclonic vortex, remaining within the auroral oval during most of its lifetime. The oval’s darkness is consistent with a 20 to 50 times increase in haze abundance and/or an overall upward shift in the stratospheric haze distribution. The anticyclonic vorticity of the dark oval is enhanced relative to its surroundings, representing a deep extension of higher-altitude vortices previously reported in the thermosphere and upper stratosphere. The haze enhancement is likely driven by magnetospheric momentum exchange, with enhanced aerosols producing the localized heating detected in prior infrared retrievals.

Troy K Tsubota↗
DOE OSTI2023

Water vapor isotopic composition during TRACER IOP

The TRACER-Iso project took place from June 1 to September 30, 2022 as part of the intensive observation period (IOP) of the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions (TRACER) project at the main project site at the La Porte, Texas, municipal airport. The project sought to use measurements of the stable isotopic composition of water vapor to better understand cloud-aerosol interactions in deep convection in a polluted urban setting. Water vapor isotopologue and humidity measurements were determined using a Picarro L2130 Water Vapor Isotope Analyzer. The instrument was deployed in the guest van and consists of three main components: a water vapor isotope analyzer, and a Los Gatos Research Water Vapor Isotope Standard Source (WVISS), and a Los Gatos Research Dry Air Source. Ambient air samples were collected through an inlet located about one meter above roof of the shipping container. Samples were then delivered to the analyzer through teflon tubing by use of an external pump to minimize the transport time between the inlet and analyzer. The inlet tubing was surrounded by a Briskheat heat trace and insulating material to ensure ambient air samples did not fall below the dew point and result in condensation. The analyzer uses cavity ringdown spectroscopy to report isotopic ratios of ambient air samples at a frequency of 1 Hz. The calibration unit of the instrument was used in conjunction with the dry air source to periodically measure the δ values of standard waters. It uses a nebulizer to push small water droplets into a hot chamber that vaporizes the water without fractionation. This vapor was then transported to the analyzer using a built-in compressor and the dry air source, which allows each standard with known δ values to be measured at a wide range of humidity values for post-measurement calibration of ambient air samples. There are multiple sources of uncertainty introduced at different stages during the data collection and processing. These include (1) instrument precision, (2) uncertainty in the secondary standards, (3) humidity-correction uncertainty, and (4) VSMOW-SLAP calibration uncertainty. Uncertainty from each step is propagated in quadrature to calculate a total uncertainty of each isotopologue. Uncertainty was determined to be 2.3‰ for δD and 0.4‰ for δ18O.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Global Magnetic Reconnection with Weakly Shocked Solar Wind During Geomagnetic Storms

The solar wind and magnetic field emanating from the sun typically reaches Earth moving at a super-Alfvénic velocity (multiple times the local Alfvén wave speed). This leads to the formation of a bow shock upstream of the planet where the plasma is slowed and heated and the interplanetary magnetic field is compressed before it interacts with Earth's magnetic field. However, a number of recent geomagnetic storm events have been associated with sustained intervals of nearly or indeed fully sub-Alfvénic flows. A weakly- or un-shocked magnetosheath changes the conditions for magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause and subsequently the storm-time evolution of the magnetosphere. We perform Multiscale Atmosphere-Geospace Environment (MAGE) simulations of three different geomagnetic storms each containing a period of nearly or fully sub-Alfvénic solar wind driving and examine the properties of global reconnection. The structure of the night-side magnetosphere and polar cusps are also examined. The dynamical evolution of the global magnetosphere during strong driving represents a key science target for the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, particularly Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) targeting magnetotail/magnetopause reconnection and Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) observing ion dispersion in the cusps.

Brandon Burkholder↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Evolution of Friction Stir Welding Theory at Marshall Space Flight Center

From 1995 to the present the friction stir welding (FSW) process has been under study at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This is an account of the progressive emergence of a set of conceptual tools beginning with the discovery of the shear surface, wiping metal transfer, and the invention of a kinematic model and making possible a treatment of both metallurgical structure formation and process dynamics in friction stir welding from a unified point of view. It is generally observed that the bulk of the deformation of weld metal around the FSW pin takes place in a very narrow, almost discontinuous zone with high deformation rates characteristic of metal cutting. By 1999 it was realized that this zone could be treated as a shear surface like that in simple metal cutting models. At the shear surface the seam is drawn out and compressed and pressure and flow conditions determine whether or not a sound weld is produced. The discovery of the shear surface was followed by the synthesis of a simple 3- flow kinematic model of the FSW process. Relative to the tool the flow components are: (1) an approaching translational flow at weld speed V, (2) a rotating cylindrical plug flow with the angular velocity of the tool , and (3) a relatively slow ring vortex flow (like a smoke ring) encircling the tool and driven by shoulder scrolls and pin threads. The rotating plug flow picks up an element of weld metal, rotates it around with the tool, and deposits it behind the tool ( wiping metal transfer ); it forms plan section loops in tracers cut through by the tool. Radially inward flow from the ring vortex component retains metal longer in the rotating plug and outward flow expels metal earlier; this interaction forms the looping weld seam trace and the tongue and groove bimetallic weld contour. The radial components of the translational and ring vortex flows introduce parent metal intrusions into the small grained nugget material close to the tool shoulder; if this feature is pronounced, nugget collapse may result. Certain weld features, in particular internal banding seen in transverse section as onion rings and associated surface ridges called tool marks , have long implied an oscillation flow component, but have only recently been attributed in the literature to tool eccentricity. Rotating plug shape, typically a hollow cylinder flared at the end where it sticks to the shoulder, varies as pressure distribution on the tool determines where sticking occurs. Simplified power input estimates balanced against heat loss estimates give reasonable temperature estimates, explain why the power requirement changes hardly at all over a wide range of RPM s, and yield isotherms that seem to fall along boundaries of parameter windows of operation.

Nunes, Arthur C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flow Measurements in Pressurized Helium Gas Cooling Channels

Production of metastable Technetium-99 (Tc-99m) is vital to the medical imaging community. It is a radioactive tracer that emits gamma rays as it decays and it is these gamma rays that are then detected through imaging. Tc-99m is extracted from the decay of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) which has a half-life of about 2-3 days. One method of generating Mo-99 is using accelerator based technology, through the irradiation of Mo-100 using an electron beam. This is part of the NNSA’s mission to produce Mo-99 commercially, within the US, without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in support of nonproliferation and global security. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is working with NorthStar medical Radioisotopes (NMR) on their efforts to produce Mo-99 from the irradiation of Mo-100 targets. The NMR target consists of an Inconel window that allows the electron beam to penetrate and irradiate a stack of Mo-100 discs. The irradiation process generates large amounts of heat and requires extensive cooling of the Mo-100 targets and target housing using pressurized helium gas. Before beam on target, the design of the target stack and target housing is tested at LANL using laser based diagnostics experiments. We quantify the velocity field of the helium gas around the target housing to estimate whether the cooling provided is sufficient for the design and to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. Fiber optic imaging is also developed for use during cold testing (without beam on target) as well as during irradiation, to obtain real time information on disc performance.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
NASA NTRS2014

Chemical Zoning of Feldspars in Lunar Granitoids: Implications for the Origins of Lunar Silicic Magmas

Fine-scale chemical and textural measurements of alkali and plagioclase feldspars in the Apollo granitoids (ex. Fig. 1) can be used to address their petrologic origin(s). Recent findings suggest that these granitoids may hold clues of global importance, rather than of only local significance for small-scale fractionation. Observations of morphological features that resemble silicic domes on the unsampled portion of the Moon suggest that local, sizable net-works of high-silica melt (>65 wt % SiO2) were present during crust-formation. Remote sensing data from these regions suggest high concentrations of Si and heat-producing elements (K, U, and Th). To help under-stand the role of high-silica melts in the chemical differentiation of the Moon, three questions must be answered: (1) when were these magmas generated?, (2) what was the source material?, and (3) were these magmas produced from internal differentiation. or impact melting and crystallization? Here we focus on #3. It is difficult to produce high-silica melts solely by fractional crystallization. Partial melting of preexisting crust may therefore also have been important and pos-sibly the primary mechanism that produced the silicic magmas on the Moon. Experimental studies demonstrate that partial melting of gabbroic rock under mildly hydrated conditions can produce high-silica compositions and it has been suggested by that partial melting by basaltic underplating is the mechanism by which high-silica melts were produced on the Moon. TEM and SIMS analyses, coordinated with isotopic dating and tracer studies, can help test whether the minerals in the Apollo granitoids formed in a plutonic setting or were the result of impact-induced partial melting. We analyzed granitoid clasts from 3 Apollo samples: polymict breccia 12013,141, crystalline-matrix breccia 14303,353, and breccia 15405,78

Mills, R. D↗
DOE OSTI2025

Revisiting the Role of Ocean Circulation Changes in Polar Ocean Heat Transport Anomalies under Global Warming

In response to greenhouse gas forcing, climate models predict that poleward ocean heat transport (OHT) weakens in the Southern Ocean but increases in the Arctic. The role of ocean circulation changes in this OHT response has been evaluated by decomposing OHT anomalies into a dynamic component (holding ocean temperature fixed while circulation evolves) and a thermodynamic component (holding ocean circulation fixed while temperature evolves). However, ocean temperature changes are themselves shaped by circulation changes through redistribution of the existing heat reservoir and subsequent effects on air–sea heat fluxes. The thermodynamic component can therefore be influenced by circulation changes, making the standard thermodynamic–dynamic decomposition incomplete for isolating the role of circulation changes in OHT anomalies. To address this issue, we use a passive–active decomposition to assess the relative contributions of ocean circulation and passive ocean temperature changes to polar OHT anomalies in a fully coupled climate model. Passive temperature changes are defined as those thermally forced by the atmosphere in the absence of circulation changes. In this passive–active decomposition, an advective term involving both circulation and passive temperature changes remains ambiguous—classifying it as active implies circulation changes dominate Southern Ocean OHT anomalies, whereas classifying it as passive implies temperature changes dominate. However, both interpretations imply that ocean circulation changes have a much weaker effect on polar OHT anomalies than inferred from the standard decomposition. In conclusion, these results help reconcile conclusions from studies using the standard decomposition with those using passive tracer methods to assess the role of circulation changes in polar OHT anomalies.

Arctic↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dependence of Deep Convective Cell Properties on Meteorological and Aerosol Conditions during TRACER

Deep convective cells significantly influence Earth’s energy balance and water cycle. However, their accurate representation in numerical models remains challenging due to their small spatiotemporal scales and limited observational constraints. This study examines over ∼400 deep convective cells near Houston, observed by a dual-polarization C-band radar during the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) intensive observation period (June–September 2022). Cells are categorized by lifetime into short-lived (<40 min), intermediate-lived (40–80 min), and long-lived (80+ min) groups. Long-lived cells were broader (∼13.2 km at 2–4-km height) and deeper (∼11.4 km) than short-lived cells (∼6.4-km width, ∼7.31-km height). Using random forest (RF) modeling and correlation analyses, precipitable water vapor (PWV), 2–6-km lapse rate, 0–8-km bulk shear, and fine aerosol mass concentration (Mass_f) are identified as key predictors of cell lifetime. Higher PWV is associated with significantly longer convective cell lifetimes compared to the low-PWV group, particularly within low 2–6-km temperature lapse rate (LR_26km), moderate-to-higher 0–8-km bulk shear (BS_08km), and low-to-moderate Mass_f environments. RF analysis also identifies low-level (0–2 km) equivalent potential temperature, PWV, Mass_f, and surface latent heat flux as key predictors for cell width and height. Short-lived cells have higher aerosol number concentrations (500–1000-nm size range), linked to onshore wind conditions and marine aerosols; however, their low concentration suggests the sensitivity may reflect associated meteorological regimes rather than a direct aerosol effect. Long-lived cells have higher concentrations of organic and sulfate aerosols, while short-lived cells exhibit higher black carbon concentrations. These results highlight the intricate dependence of convective cell lifetimes and structure on environmental moisture, thermodynamics, wind shear, and aerosol characteristics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Rapid RASER MRI

Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) relies on high-power Radio-Frequency (RF) pulses to excite nuclear spins and in turn generate NMR signals. These pulses require large high-power RF-amplifiers and cause heat deposition in the tissue, which must be minimized for safety, presenting a growing problem when moving toward ever-higher field MRI. An alternative to RF-pulse excitation is self-excitation of nuclear spins using Radiofrequency Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (RASER), where the nuclear spins undergo spontaneous transition, without RF excitation, from an over-populated state to a ground state. Here, the feasibility of recording rapid proton RASER MRI images of pyrazine at low concentration (120 mM) with large matrix (128x128 pixels) in as little as 78 ms is demonstrated at 500 MHz (11.7 T). We also recorded a time-series of images using a single bolus hyperpolarized pyrazine highlighting the feasibility of dynamic tracking. Here, the demonstrated approach allows recording MRI scans without transmit-receive electronics of the MRI scanner, which is highly desirable for portable MRI as well as the emerging field of hyperpolarized MRI using, e.g., HP protons, 129 Xe gas or HP 13 C labeled biomolecules as molecular tracers and imaging agents.

MRI↗
NASA NTRS2018

Age of Martian Air: Time Scales for Martian Atmospheric Transport

The mean time since air in the Martian atmosphere was in the low-latitude boundary layer is examined using simulations of an idealized “mean age” tracer with the MarsWRF general circulation model. The spatial distribution and seasonality of the mean age in low- and mid-latitudes broadly follow contours of the mean meridional circulation, with the mean age increasing from 0 at the surface to a maximum of 60–100 sols in the upper atmosphere. Substantially older mean ages (exceeding 300 sols) are found in polar regions, with oldest ages in the lower atmosphere (10–100 Pa), above a near-surface layer with very young ages (around 20 sols). The annual maximum ages occur around the equinoxes, and the age in the polar lower atmosphere decreases during the autumn to winter transition. This autumn-winter decrease in age occurs because of mixing of polar and mid-latitude air when the polar vortex exhibits an annulus of high potential vorticity (PV) with a local minimum near the pole. There is no autumn-winter decrease and old ages persist throughout autumn and winter in simulations with CO2 phase changes disabled, and thus no latent heating, where there is a monopolar vortex (i.e., a monotonic increase in PV from equator to pole) forms. The altitudinal and seasonal variations in the mean age indicates similar variations in the transport of dust into polar regions and the mixing of polar air (with, e.g., low water vapor and high ozone concentrations during winter) into mid-latitudes.

Waugh, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Obliquity Driven Climate Change in Mars' Recent Past

We use the NASA/Ames grid Mars general circulation model with an updated radiation code and cloud nlicrophysics scheme. To speed up the simulations, we run the model at fairly coarse resolution (7.5" latitude x 22.5" longitude). Radiation Code Fluxes and heating rates are calculated from a radiation code based on the two-stream solution to radiative transfer that fully accounts for multiple scattering in the presence of gaseous absorp- tion. The model has 12 spectral intervals. Dust and water ice scattering properties are included. For dust, we use the Ockert-Bell [9] values in the visible, and Forget [IO] values in the infrared. For ice, we can either compute them online as the cloud evolves, or we can specify them. Gaseous opacities for water vapor and CO2 are calculated from correlated k-distributions taken from full line-by-line models. Cloud Microphysics Our cloud scheme is based on momentlorder scheme in which the mass mixing ratio and number density of the cloud ensemble are the advected species. From these we obtain a mean particle size and an estimate or the particle size distribution assuming a variance) which we then divide into 8 bins. Cloud microphysics is performed in each of these bins and includes nucleation, condensation, and gravitational settling. Dust is treated as a tracer and serves as condensation nuclei. The altered size distribution is then converted back into a mean size, a mixing ratio, and a particle number density.

Haberle, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Nature and the nonlinear evolution of electrostatic waves associated with the AMPTE solar wind releases

The nonlinear evolution of the electrostatic waves observed during the AMPTE (Active Magnetosphere Particle Tracer Explorers) solar wind releases is investigated. Previous linear studies indicate two distinct sets of instabilities may be responsible for the generation. One set consists of ion-acoustic type instabilities which are insensitive to the presence of a background magnetic field, while the other group corresponds to the modified two stream instabilities and requires the solar wind flow to be across the ambient magnetic field. To establish which set of instabilities is more viable a detailed linear Vlasov theory has been conducted by numerically solving the full electromagnetic dispersion relation. In addition both the plasma wave as well as the magnetic field measurements by the IRM (Ion Release Module) spacecraft were used to correlate the frequency and the power of the observed waves with the magnitude and the direction of the solar wind magnetic field. The results of these analyses indicate that the ion-acoustic type instabilities have growth rates that are an order of magnitude or more larger than those of the modified two stream instabilities. Results show that both the solar wind protons and the released ions may be heated and accelerated in the directions oblique to the solar wind flow velocity.

Omidi, N.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Isotopic Tracers for CO 2 Produced During A Planetary Impact Into Limestone Target Rocks

Terrestrial meteorite impacts have been directly linked with multiple mass extinction events throughout Earth’s history. Among these impacts, those that land in sedimentary target rocks are thought to generate large quantities of CO 2 via decarbonation. This injection of CO 2 into the atmosphere has the potential to alter the climate and threaten terrestrial habitability. The magnitude of this change depends upon the net amount of CO 2 released, which is controlled by how much CO 2 is produced by the impact, how much CO 2 is removed by back-reactions after the impact, and other post-impact CO 2 sinks. To interrogate the behavior of CO 2 release into the impact atmosphere, we present carbon (δ 13 C), oxygen (δ 18 O), and clumped (Δ 47 ) isotope results from carbonate clasts preserved within the impact breccia of the Steen River Impact Structure (SRIS) in Alberta, Canada. These clasts exhibit a ~65‰ range in δ 13 C and a ~5‰ variation in δ 18 O. However, while δ 13 C and δ 18 O are positively correlated, Δ 47 unexpectedly has a negative relationship with δ 13 C and δ 18 O. Based on prior assumptions, there would either be (1) no relationship with carbonate Δ 47 and the bulk ratios because Δ 47 would be reset at extreme impact temperatures, or (2) Δ 47 would have a positive correlation with the bulk ratios, reflecting gradual Δ 47 ‘resetting.’ To reconcile the SRIS result with these expectations, we conducted a series of in vacuo heating experiments at temperatures above calcite decomposition. As predicted by Rayleigh fractionation, these heating experiments generated depletions in δ 13 C and δ 18 O that increased with reaction time. Mimicking the SRIS results, these experiments also produced concomitant increases in Δ 47 . Using an adaptation of a mechanistic model for decomposition fractionation (Hayles & Killingsworth, 2022) we hypothesize that these exotic isotope trends are caused by Rayleigh fractionation and a Δ 47 kinetic isotope effect that results from the disproportionation of O to CaO and CO 2 during thermal decomposition. This high Δ 47 CO 2 subsequently exchanges with the residual CaCO 3 . This work highlights a potential pathway for identifying and quantifying CO 2 generation by impacts and builds on the relatively limited literature characterizing the behavior of carbonate clumped isotopes at very high geologic temperatures.

Multi-isotope systems↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy Exascale Earth System Model v2.0

First release of version 2 of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model. The atmosphere component remains EAM. Major changes since version 1 include: all column-physics parameterizations are computed on a separate grid that has approximately half the number of points of the dynamics grid, a new nonhydrostatic dynamical core (running in hydrostatic mode) with semi-Lagrangian tracer transport, CLUBB updated from v1 to v2, a new convective trigger (dCAPE/ULL) based on the dynamic Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) (dCAPE) and the Unrestricted Launch Level (ULL) concepts is used in ZM. minimum cloud droplet number changed, gravity wave drag energy conservation fixed and new tunings used, dust emission size distribution changed to emit more coarse dust particles The land component is still ELM. Major changes since version 1 include: using SNICAR-AD for radiation in snow to match the sea-ice model and fixing bugs in snow compaction and water state calculation. The ocean component remains MPAS-ocean. Major change since version 1 include: Redi isopycnal mixing has been updated, tested, and tuned in combination with the Gent-McWilliams parameterization, a sign error was fixed in the 3rd-order flux routines, the mesh used in low-resolution coupled cases was modified and the time steps adjusted, new regionally refined meshes were created, one focused on North America and another on the Southern Ocean, including ice shelf cavities. The sea-ice component remains MPAS-seaice. Major changes since version 1 include: A new heat- and freshwater-conserving coupling of frazil ice, turning off of SSH filtering, addition of SNICAR-AD and snow grain aging. The land-ice component remains MPAS-Albany-landIce (MALI) and is a static ice sheet. There is more out-of-the-box support for cryosphere configurations including the new regionally refined configuration around Antarctica with ice shelf cavities. The river model is MOSART. The half-degree river mesh was redone so it no longer treats Black and Caspian seas as ocean. The coupler remains cpl7/MCT. Major changes since version 1 include handling of ice shelf melt fluxes (heat / freshwater exchange with the ocean), and data icebergs. All components allow regional refinement of their meshes and two separate example of refinement, one in and around North America and one around Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, are provided.

E3SM Project, DOE↗
NASA NTRS2003

Precipitation Processes developed during ARM (1997), TOGA COARE(1992), GATE(1 974), SCSMEX(1998) and KWAJEX(1999): Consistent 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

Real clouds and clouds systems are inherently three dimensional (3D). Because of the limitations in computer resources, however, most cloud-resolving models (CRMs) today are still two-dimensional (2D). A few 3D CRMs have been used to study the response of clouds to large-scale forcing. In these 3D simulations, the model domain was small, and the integration time was 6 hours. Only recently have 3D experiments been performed for multi-day periods for tropical cloud system with large horizontal domains at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The results indicate that surface precipitation and latent heating profiles are very similar between the 2D and 3D simulations of these same cases. The reason for the strong similarity between the 2D and 3D CRM simulations is that the observed large-scale advective tendencies of potential temperature, water vapor mixing ratio, and horizontal momentum were used as the main forcing in both the 2D and 3D models. Interestingly, the 2D and 3D versions of the CRM used in CSU and U.K. Met Office showed significant differences in the rainfall and cloud statistics for three ARM cases. The major objectives of this project are to calculate and axamine: (1)the surface energy and water budgets, (2) the precipitation processes in the convective and stratiform regions, (3) the cloud upward and downward mass fluxes in the convective and stratiform regions; (4) cloud characteristics such as size, updraft intensity and lifetime, and (5) the entrainment and detrainment rates associated with clouds and cloud systems that developed in TOGA COARE, GATE, SCSMEX, ARM and KWAJEX. Of special note is that the analyzed (model generated) data sets are all produced by the same current version of the GCE model, i.e. consistent model physics and configurations. Trajectory analyse and inert tracer calculation will be conducted to identify the differences and similarities in the organization of convection between simulated 2D and 3D cloud systems.

Tao, W.-K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analyzing Martian winds and tracer concentrations using Mars Observer data

During the courses of a day, the Mars Observer spacecraft will acquire globally distributed profiles of the martian atmosphere. It is highly desirable that this data be assembled into synoptic weather maps (complete specifications of the atmospheric pressure, temperature, and winds at a given time), which can in turn be used as starting points in the study of many meteorological phenomena. Unfortunately, the special nature of the Mars Observer data presents several challenges above and beyond the usual difficult problem of data initialization. Mars Observer atmospheric data will consist almost exclusively of asynoptic vertical profiles of temperatures (or radiances) and pressures, whereas winds are generally in balance with horizontal gradients of these quantities (which will not be observed). It will therefore be necessary to resort to dynamical models to analyze the wind fields. As a rule, data assimilation into atmospheric models can result in the generation of spurious gravity waves, so special steps must be taken to suppress these. In addition, the asynoptic nature of the data will require a four-dimensional (space and time) data assimilation scheme. The problem is to find a full set of meteorological fields (winds and temperatures) such that, when marched forward in time in the model, they achieve a best fit (in the weighted least-squares sense) to the data. The proposed solution is to develop a model especially for the Mars Observer data assimilation problem. Gravity waves are filtered from the model by eliminating all divergence terms from the prognostic divergence equation. This leaves a diagnostic gradient wind relation between the rotational wind and the temperature field. The divergent wind is diagnosed as the wind required to maintain the gradient wind balance in the presence of the diabatic heating. The primitive equations of atmospheric dynamics (with three principal dependent variables) are thus reduced to a simpler system with a single prognostic equation for temperature - the variable that will be best observed. (This balance system was apparently first derived by Charney as a first-order Rossby number expansion of the equations of motion). Experience with a full primitive equation model of the martian atmosphere indicates that a further simplification is possible: at least for short-term integrations, the model can be linearized about the zonally symmetric basic state.

Houben, Howard C.↗