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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

On the effect of using the Shapiro filter to smooth winds on a sphere

Spatial differencing schemes which are not enstrophy conserving nor implicitly damping require global filtering of short waves to eliminate the build-up of energy in the shortest wavelengths due to aliasing. Takacs and Balgovind (1983) have shown that filtering on a sphere with a latitude dependent damping function will cause spurious vorticity and divergence source terms to occur if care is not taken to ensure the irrotationality of the gradients of the stream function and velocity potential. Using a shallow water model with fourth-order energy-conserving spatial differencing, it is found that using a 16th-order Shapiro (1979) filter on the winds and heights to control nonlinear instability also creates spurious source terms when the winds are filtered in the meridional direction.

Takacs, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Application of augmented-Lagrangian methods in meteorology: Comparison of different conjugate-gradient codes for large-scale minimization

A Lagrange multiplier method using techniques developed by Bertsekas (1982) was applied to solving the problem of enforcing simultaneous conservation of the nonlinear integral invariants of the shallow water equations on a limited area domain. This application of nonlinear constrained optimization is of the large dimensional type and the conjugate gradient method was found to be the only computationally viable method for the unconstrained minimization. Several conjugate-gradient codes were tested and compared for increasing accuracy requirements. Robustness and computational efficiency were the principal criteria.

Navon, I. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Simulation of terrain effects using a mesoscale mixed-layer model

The model discussed here is described in the study by Han et al. (1982) and is based on the shallow-water equations. It is noted that the mixed layer is another name for the earth's turbulent boundary layer when the latter is well stirred vertically, as under typical daytime conditions over land. The model abbreviates the vertical resolution by using only one and one-half layers; in this way, the computer power can be concentrated on the horizontal resolution of topographic effects. It is found that a steady flow pattern evolves over terrain when steady forcing occurs in the absence of surface heating or mixed-layer entrainment and that this simplification is removed when surface heating and entrainment do occur. While these findings are regarded as interesting, it is believed that they may be model dependent. The pressure adjustments upon the mixed layer caused by air movements above the mixed layer may be sufficient to preclude the evolution of a steady state on the mesoscale, even under the most ideal conditions.

Deardorff, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Seasonal heat transport in a forced equatorial baroclinic model

Seasonal heat transport is examined in a simple, linear, shallow-water model on the equatorial beta plane. It is found in this model that meridional transport by the seasonally varying western boundary current is of the same magnitude but opposite phase to the seasonally varying interior transport and therefore tends to cancel.

Cane, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

On the dynamics of equatorial forcing of climate teleconnections

A number of observational, theoretical, and modeling studies have been conducted on the remote influence of the tropics on the midlatitudes. Teleconnection in the geopotential height field between the tropics and the extratropics associated with the Southern Oscillation in the so-called Pacific-North America (PNA) pattern, has often been cited as an example of such remote influence. Simmons et al. (1983) have shown that teleconnections such as PNA may arise both from barotropic instability of the extratropical zonal flow and from tropical forcing. The present investigation is only concerned with the dynamics of the part of the atmospheric teleconnection which arises from tropical forcing. Some fundamentals of Rossby wave theory in unsheared flow are discussed along with the linear response to equatorial forcing for horizontally, sheared zonal mean flow. A global shallow-water spectral model is employed in conjunction with a theoretical analysis to show the teleconnection patterns which develop under different large-scale mean circulation conditions.

Lau, K.-M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Modes of inter-hemispheric wave propagation

Attention is given to observations made in connection with the First GARP (Global Atmospheric Research Program) Global Experiment (FGGE), taking into account the average 200 mb zonal wind for two periods during the First Special Observing Period of FGGE, and the 200 mb velocity potential. The meridional linkages implied in the observations involve sources south of 15 deg N, and the most active extratropical patterns are collocated with regions of tropical easterlies. The possibility is investigated that the theory of reduced Rossby wave propagation through easterlies is not sufficiently general to cover the considered observations, taking into account a shallow water model. It is found that the meridional interactions cannot be associated with Rossby waves because these waves connot be generated in the regions of zero absolute vorticity gradient within which the forcing is embedded.

Paegle, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Archean sedimentation and tectonics in southern Africa

Sequences in the Barberton Mountain Land greenstone belt (southern Africa) were examined to determine the nature of the sedimentary rocks, their tectonic implications, and their bearing on the present large-scale structural condition of the belt. Also assessed was whether there was evidence for a significant component of shallow-water-deposited sedimentary rocks in the parent materials of the Limpopo belt. The nature of a largehigh strain zone on the southern margin of the central Limpopo belt was examined.

Kidd, W. S. F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Massively Parallel Processor

The feasibility of using the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) and possible future machines with parallel architecture for weather prediction and climate simulation was studied. A shallow water model and a two-level primitive equations model were implemented.

Suarez, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The investigation of selected oceanographic applications of spaceborne synthetic-aperture radar

Synthetic aperture radar images obtained from Seasat and SIR-A showed that a number of oceanographic features were imaged in considerable detail, like internal waves, large ocean waves, bathymetric features, eddies, and slicks. the imaging mechanisms however, are not well understood, and for both SEASAT and SIR-A there are few supporting sea surface measurements to assist in the study of these imaging mechanisms. The SIR-B will conduct three separate experiments to provide a better understanding of the use of spaceborne SAR for imaging: (1) internal waves; (2) ocean surface waves, and (3) shallow water bathymetry. These experiments are chosen because they lead to possible applications for microwave remote sensing of the ocean surface and give a better understanding of the microwave/sea surface imaging mechanism.

Keyte, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

High-Latitude Filtering in a Global Grid-Point Model Using Model Normal Modes

The aim of high-latitude filtering in the vicinity of the poles is to avoid the excessively short time steps imposed on an explicit time-differencing scheme by linear stability due to fast moving inertia-gravity waves near the poles. The model normal mode expansion toward the problem of high-latitude filtering in a global shallow water model using the same philosophy as that used by Daley for the problem for large timesteps in P.E. models with explicit time integration schemes was applied.

Takacs, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The Vertical Structure of Global Rotational Normal Modes

In a recent study, Lindzen et al. (1984) examined the amplitude and phase evolution of Hough mode projections at 500 mb. The Hough modes represent the simplest normal mode approximation available, and correspond to the neutral eigenfunctions of a shallow water fluid with no mean zonal flow. It was found that when the observed amplitude of a rotational Hough mode was large, it tended to propagate at the phase speed of a normal mode in the presence of mean 500 mb winds, giving a strong indication that normal modes are of relevance to the atmosphere. The vertical structure of the approximately defined rotational normal modes were explored by projecting observed data onto Hough functions at levels other than 500 mb. The stationary and eastward propagating components were filtered out at each level. The evolution of the amplitude in time throughout the troposphere is given for several modes during summer and winter.

Straus, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Stationary Rossby wave propagation through easterly layers

The zonal mean basic state sensitivity of the steady response to midlatitude mountain forcing is examined through the numerical solution of linearized shallow water equations on a sphere. The zonal mean basic state consists of meridionally varying zonal winds and meridional winds. Attention is given to cases in which the former are westerly everywhere, except within a tropical region in which they are easterly. A zonal wavenumber three mountain confined to the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes provides the forcing. It is concluded that critical latitude effects on wave propagation are sensitive to mean meridional circulation structure in the critical latitude region of the model.

Schneider, E. K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The potential of SAR directional spectra in operational wave forecasting

Digitally processed Seasat SAR ocean wave imagery, when digitally transformed, smoothed, and corrected for known instrument biases, can accurately track multiple (at least three) wave systems in the open ocean, across major currents, and into shallow water. Furthermore, the relative backscatterer of the digitally processed SAR image, when sampled within a single pass and along a constant range, responds to the local wind through a simple power law relationship. The results indicate that SAR spectra, if obtained from a low altitude satellite, could be an important supplement to global winds and non-directional wave heights obtained through other methods.

Beal, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Modeling of bottom-related surface patterns imaged by synthetic aperture radar

A hydrodynamic electromagnetic model is developed in order to provide a qualitative and quantitative description of the relationship between Seasat synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signatures and the bottom topography of the ocean in the English Channel region of the North Sea. The model is based on environmental data for winds, currents, and depth changes, and the SAR parameters of frequency polarization, incidence angle, and resolution cell size. The data are used as inputs and SAR backscatter changes are predicted for individual topographic changes on the ocean floor. It is found that the model estimates of backscatter values are in good agreement with actual Seasat SAR-observed backscatter values. A comparison of the model and actual data shows agreement to be within 1.5 dB. The model is considered to be valid for only shallow water areas (less than 50 meters in depth). It is suggested that for bottom features to be visible on SAR imagery at greater depths, a moderate-to-high velocity current of at least 0.4 m/s and a moderate wind no more than 7.5 m/sec must be present.

Lyzenga, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The Pongola structure of southeastern Africa - The world's oldest preserved rift?

Rocks of the Pongola Supergroup form an elongate belt in the Archean Kaapvaal Craton of southern Africa. Because these rocks exhibit many features that are characteristic of rocks deposited in continental rifts, including rapid lateral variations in thickness and character of sediments, volcanic rocks that are bimodal in silica content, coarse, basement derived conglomerates and thick sequences of shallow water sedimentary facies associations, it is suggested that the Pongola Supergroup was deposited in such a rift. The age of these rocks (approximately 3.0 Ga) makes the Pongola structure the world's oldest well-preserved rift so far recognized, and comparison of the Pongola Rift with other rifts formed more recently in earth history reveals striking similarities, suggesting that the processes that formed this rift were not significantly different from those that form continental rifts today.

Burke, K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A factored implicit scheme for numerical weather prediction

An implicit method is proposed to factor the nonlinear partial differential equations governing fast and slow modes of dynamic motion in numerical weather prediction schemes. The method permits separate factorization of the slow and fast modes of the implicit operator. A simple two-dimensional version of the system of three-dimensional equations governing atmospheric dynamics over shallow water was analyzed to assess the accuracy of the proposed method. It is shown that the method has a small error which is comparable to other discretization errors in the overall scheme.

Augenbaum, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Natural ELF noise evaluation for TSS emissions detection on the Earth's surface. The electric field component approach

The preliminary estimate of the local noise structure in the proximity of a receiver is essential to establishing the detectability of a given signal in presence of such noise. The possibility of detecting the Electric Field Component of the background noise by means of electric dipoles horizontally placed on the sea bed in shallow water is outlined, in order to find its spectral and statistical characteristics for the definition of the optimal receiving system.

Tacconi, G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Archean sedimentary styles and early crustal evolution

The distinctions between and implications of early and late Archean sedimentary styles are presented. Early Archean greenstone belts, such as the Barberton of South Africa and those in the eastern Pilbar Block of Australia are characterized by fresh or slightly reworked pyroclastic debris, orthochemical sediments such as carbonates, evaporites, and silica, and biogenic deposits including cherts and stromatolitic units. Terrigenous deposits are rare, and it is suggested that early Archean sediments were deposited on shallow simatic platforms, with little or no components derived from sialic sources. In contrast, late Archean greenstone belts in the Canadian Shield and the Yilgarn Block of Australia contain coarse terrigenous clastic rocks including conglomerate, sandstone, and shale derived largely from sialic basement. Deposition appears to have taken place in deepwater, tectonically unstable environments. These observations are interpreted to indicate that the early Archean greenstone belts formed as anorogenic, shallow water, simatic platforms, with little or no underlying or adjacent continental crust, an environment similar to modern oceanic islands formed over hot spots.

Lowe, D. R.↗