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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.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Polar cap diurnal temperature variations - Observations and modeling

High-spectral-resolution measurements of the O(1D) emission line, performed with the Fabry-Perot interferometer (Thule, Greenland), were used to observe the diurnal variation of the thermospheric temperature in the geomagnetic polarcap at solar minimum (January 1987). By tracing the trajectory of a parcel backward in time and space from the Thule location, it is shown that the observed diurnal temperature variation is due to the degree of solar heat input that a parcel experiences en route to the polar cap, and the route a parcel takes through the polar cusp. It is also shown that the hydrodynamic variations in the winter high-latitude regions from solar maximum to solar minimum are insufficient to mask the thermodynamical effects associated with the offset of the geographic and geomagnetic poles.

Mccormac, F. G.↗
NASA NTRS1982

He I lines in B stars - Comparison of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium models with observations

Profiles of He gamma-gamma 4026, 4387, 4471, 4713, 5876, and 6678 have been obtained in 17 stars of spectral type B0-B5. Parameters of the nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium models appropriate to each star are determined from the Stromgren index and fits to H-alpha line profiles. These parameters yield generally good fits to the observed He I line profiles, with the best fits being found for the blue He I lines where departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium are relatively small. For the two red lines it is found that, in the early B stars and in stars with log g less than 3.5, both lines are systematically stronger than predicted by the nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium models.

Heasley, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Impacts: Modeling and Observations

This document covers the following topics: Cratering on Titan: Projectiles, Craters and Impact Melt; The Cratering Database: Making Code Jockeys Honest; Popigai Impact Structure Modeling: Morphology and Worldwide Ejecta; Anhydrite EOS and Phase Diagram in Relation to Shock Decomposition; Computational Investigations of the Chesapeake Bay Impact Structure; Hydrocode Simulations of the Chesapeake Bay Impact; Lockne Crater as a Result of Oblique Impact; The Influence of a Deep Shelf Sea on the Excavation and Modification of a Marine-Target Crater, the Lockne Crater, Central Sweden; Pre-Drilling Investigation of the Lake Bosumtwi Impact Crater: Constraints from Geophysics and Numerical Modelling; Central Uplift Formation at the Middlesboro Impact Structure, Kentucky, USA; A SRTM Investigation of Serra da Cangalho Impact Structure, Brazil; Brazilian Impact Craters: A Review; Flynn Creek Impact Structure: New Insights from Breccias, Melt Features, Shatter Cones, and Remote Sensing; The Howell Structure, Lincoln County, Tennessee: A Review of Past and Current Research; After the Chicxulub Impact: Control on Depositional and Diagenetic History of the Cenozoic Carbonate Formations of the Northwestern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico; Ni Contents by Non-Destructive In-Situ XRF Method of Takamatsu-Kagawa Crater District in Japan; and Akiyoshi Limestone Blocks Transported by the P/T Boundary Event to Japan Islands.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2015

Combined Observational and Modeling Efforts to Better Understand Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions Over Land: Preliminary Results from 7-SEAS/BASELInE 2013

This talk presents some of the detailed observations of low-level stratocumulus over northern Vietnam during 7-SEASBASELInE 2013 by SMARTLabs' ACHIEVE W-band cloud radar and other remote sensing instruments. These observations are the first of their kind for this region and will aid in ongoing studies of biomass-burning aerosol impacts on local and regional weather and climate. Preliminary results from simulations using the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) with recently implemented triple-moment bulk microphysics to examine the sensitivity of low-level stratocumulus over land to aerosols are also presented. Recommendations for future observational activities in the 7-SEAS northern region in collaboration with international partners will also be discussed.

satellite remote sensing↗
NASA NTRS1987

Quasi-periodic oscillations: The rapid burster (MXB 1730-335) - Models vs. observations - A brief review

The salient features of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in type 2 bursts and in the persistent emission from the rapid burster MXB 1730-335 are discussed. In addition, a brief review is given of the models that have recently been proposed to explain high-frequency QPOs observed in several bright low-mass X-ray binaries. Little is known about the mechanism(s) of the QPOs, not even whether they are magnetospheric in origin. However, some of the proposed ideas could well be relevant to the various rather complex aspects of the QPOs. It is likely that more than one mechanism is at work.

Lewin, Walter H. G.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The effect of atmospheric transmissivity on model and observational estimates of the sea ice albedo feedback

The sea-ice-albedo feedback (SIAF) is the product of the ice sensitivity (IS) – how much the surface albedo in sea-ice regions changes as the planet warms– and the radiative sensitivity (RS) – how much the top of atmosphere radiation changes as the surface albedo changes. We demonstrate that the RS calculated from radiative kernels in climate models is reproduced from calculations using the “approximate partial radiative perturbation” method that uses the climatological radiative fluxes at the top of atmosphere and the assumption that the atmosphere is isotropic to shortwave radiation. This method facilitates the comparison of RS from satellite-based estimates of climatological radiative fluxes with RS estimates across a full suite of coupled climate models and, thus, allows model evaluation of a quantity important in characterizing the climate impact of sea ice concentration changes. The satellite based RS is within the model range of RS that differs by a factor of two across climate models in both the Arctic and Southern Ocean. Observed trends in Arctic sea ice are used to estimate IS which, in conjunction with the satellite-based RS yields an SIAF of 0.16 ± 0.04 W m-2 K-1. This Arctic SIAF estimate suggests a modest amplification of future global surface temperature change by approximately 14% relative to a climate system with no SIAF. We calculate the global albedo feedback in climate models using model specific RS and IS and find a model mean feedback parameter of 0.37 W m-2 K-1 which is 40% larger than the IPCC AR5 estimate based on using RS calculated from radiative kernel calculations in a single climate model.

Arctic, Antarctic, climate change, Climate & Earth↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Predictability of the Minimum Sea Ice Extent from Late Winter Fram Strait Ice Export: Model vs Observations

Late winter coastal divergence along the Eurasian coastline (referred to as the ice factory) – or the Fram Strait ice export, a proxy for coastal divergence in the ice factory – is a skillful predictor of the minimum sea ice extent (Williams et al., 2016; Brunette et al., 2018; Sesternikov and, 1979). Coastal divergence leads to the formation of coastal polynya where new ice grows but to a thickness that is not large enough to survive the following summer melt. This signal is then amplified by the ice albedo feedback and leads to more open water at the end of the summer melt season. In this thesis project, we will identify if this source of predictive skill in the seasonal forecast of the minimum sea ice extent is present in General Circulation Models, more precisely in the CESM2-LE, GISS-E2.1-G, GFDL FLOR-LE, CNRM-CM6-1 and the CanESM5. Since even small biases in the large-scale atmospheric circulation simulated by a model can short circuit this coupling between dominant modes of atmospheric variability (NAO and AO), coastal divergence along the Eurasian coastline, Fram Strait ice export and therefore seasonal forecasting skill of the model, failure to reproduce this coupling observed in the real Arctic will be used to identify biases in GCM. Preliminary results show that subtle changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation leads to opposite statistical relationship between Fram Strait ice area export, coastal divergence along the Eurasian coastline, and seasonal predictability of the minimum sea ice extent both in the CESM2-LE and the GISS-E2.1-G models. Differences are linked with the partitioning between recirculation within the Beaufort Gyre, ice exported through Fram Strait and ridging north of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Sea ice↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observations and Modeling of Fiber-Optics Strain on Hydraulic Fracture Height Growth in HFTS-2

Understanding fracture height growth can be of great significance to optimizing field development and improving recovery. The Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site 2 (HFTS-2) has provided a unique opportunity and an advanced dataset to allow us to observe and understand fracture geometries rigorously. Low frequency distributed acoustic sensing (LF-DAS) data from a vertical well in HFTS-2 showed three key observations: (i) excessive upward height growth (>1000 ft) and limited downward growth of the hydraulic fractures during pumping, (ii) considerable additional upward fracture height growth (~300 ft) after well shut in, and (iii) very complex LF-DAS strain rate patterns for a small fiber-to-stage offset. Advanced geomechanical modeling was performed to simulate the hydraulic fracture propagation and the resulting strain responses in the vertical direction. The modeling results demonstrated asymmetric upward and downward fracture height growths as observed in HFTS-2 with a similar upward height growth rate. Simulated waterfall plots of vertical strain rate showed distinct patterns for different fiber-to-fracture distances. The upward-growing fracture tip can be clearly identified by the interfaces between compressing and extending zones. It was also found that the complex strain rate patterns observed in HFTS-2 for small fiber-stage offsets were not caused by the mechanical layering but possibly result from the simultaneous propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures at different rates. Furthermore, the simulation results improved the understating of the HFTS-2 LF-DAS data and the simulated strain rate patterns could also serve as templates for fracture height interpretation from LF-DAS data in future.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Fate of Saharan Dust Across the Atlantic: An Integrated Modeling and Observational Study of the TC4 Field Campaign

During the NASA TC-4 field campaign in July 2007, several Saharan dust events were observed over the Caribbean basin. A-Train observations suggest that these Saharan dust events are confined the Caribbean and rarely transported across Central America to the Pacific Ocean. We investigate the nature of this barrier to dust transport using the NASA GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model. Our simulations with GEOS-5 are driven by the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) meteorological analyses, and include online simulation of aerosol distributions using a version of the Goddard Chemistry, Aerosol, Radiation, and Transport (GOCART) model. Simulated dust distributions are evaluated using A-Train observations from MODIS and CALIOP, as well as MISR and ground-based AERONET sun photometers, and show good agreement with the observations in terms of the timing and magnitude of dust events. A component analysis of the dust transport and removal pathways is used to evaluate the relative roles of these processes in establishing the observed dust transport barrier. From this analysis, we show that while both atmospheric dynamics and wet removal contribute towards the Caribbean dust barrier, northward dust transport is the more dominant term. Additional simulations are performed to ascertain the sensitivity of our results to uncertain loss processes (i.e., wet removal) in our model.

Nowottnick, E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Validation of cloud forcing simulated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model using observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment

Satellite measurements of the effect of clouds on the top of atmosphere radiative energy budget are used to validate model simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model (NCAR CCM). The ability of the NCAR CCM to reproduce the monthly mean global distribution and temporal variability on both daily and seasonal time scales is assessed. The comparison reveals several deficiencies in the CCM cloud representation. Most notable are the difficulties in properly simulating the effect of clouds on the planetary albedo. This problem arises from discrepancies in the model's portrayal of low-level cloudiness and leads to significant errors in the absorbed solar radiation simulated by the model. The CCM performs much better in simulating the effect of clouds on the longwave radiation emitted to space, indicating its relative success in capturing the vertical distribution of cloudiness. The daily variability of the radiative effects of clouds in both the shortwave and longwave spectral regions is systematically overestimated. Analysis of the seasonal variations illustrates a distinct lack of coupling in the seasonal changes in the radiative effects of cloudiness between the tropics and mid-latitudes and between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Much of this problem also arises from difficulties in simulating low-level cloudiness, placing further emphasis on the need for better model parameterizations of boundary layer clouds.

Soden, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Observed and Modeled Trends in Southern Ocean Sea Ice

Conceptual models and global climate model (GCM) simulations have both indicated the likelihood of an enhanced sensitivity to climate change in the polar regions, derived from the positive feedbacks brought about by the polar abundance of snow and ice surfaces. Some models further indicate that the changes in the polar regions can have a significant impact globally. For instance, 37% of the temperature sensitivity to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 in simulations with the GCM of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) is attributable exclusively to inclusion of sea ice variations in the model calculations. Both sea ice thickness and sea ice extent decrease markedly in the doubled CO, case, thereby allowing the ice feedbacks to occur. Stand-alone sea ice models have shown Southern Ocean hemispherically averaged winter ice-edge retreats of 1.4 deg latitude for each 1 K increase in atmospheric temperatures. Observations, however, show a much more varied Southern Ocean ice cover, both spatially and temporally, than many of the modeled expectations. In fact, the satellite passive-microwave record of Southern Ocean sea ice since late 1978 has revealed overall increases rather than decreases in ice extents, with ice extent trends on the order of 11,000 sq km/year. When broken down spatially, the positive trends are strongest in the Ross Sea, while the trends are negative in the Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas. Greater spatial detail can be obtained by examining trends in the length of the sea ice season, and those trends show a coherent picture of shortening sea ice seasons throughout almost the entire Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula and in the far western Weddell Sea immediately to the east of the Peninsula, with lengthening sea ice seasons around much of the rest of the continent. This pattern corresponds well with the spatial pattern of temperature trends, as the Peninsula region is the one region in the Antarctic with a strong record of temperature increases. Still, although the patterns of the temperature and ice changes match fairly well, there is a substantial ways to go before these patterns are understood (and can be modeled) in the full context of global change.

Parkinson, Claire L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Occurrence of Warm Freezing Rain: Observation and Modeling Study

Freezing rain has been normally considered to be composed of supercooled raindrops when the 2 m air temperature (hereafter T as ) is below freezing. However, according to a statistical survey of freezing rain observations in China from 2000 to 2019, we find that there were 656 events that occurred at T as greater than 0°C (hereafter warm freezing rain and denoted by WFR), which account for 7% of the total freezing rain observations. Additionally, nearly 3% (266 observations) of freezing rain events occurred when the near-surface wet-bulb temperature was greater than 0°C. The modeling and sensitivity experiments on the nonequilibrium raindrop temperature (hereafter T r ) how that the temperature difference between raindrops and the atmosphere is the main cause of WFR. The magnitudes of the Δ T ar (difference between raindrop temperature T r and air temperature T a ) and Δ T ur (difference between T r and wet-bulb temperature T w ) are determined by the raindrop diameter D, temperature lapse rate $\Gamma$, and relative humidity RH. Increases of D and $\Gamma$, and a decrease of RH enhance Δ T ar and Δ T ur and thus the occurrence of WFR. Further simulations of 4 idealized and 370 real sounding profiles reveal that either the T a or the T w cannot properly distinguish the WFR events. When considering the temperature difference between raindrops and the atmosphere, the WFR can form by the “melting of solid hydrometeors” or “supercooled warm rain process.” This study can also deepen our understanding of the conditions of WFR and freezing rain formation at different altitudes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Observations and Modeling of Fiber Optic Strain on Hydraulic Fracture Height Growth in Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site 2 (HFTS-2)

Summary Understanding fracture height growth can be of great significance to optimizing field development and improving recovery. The Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site 2 (HFTS-2) has provided a unique opportunity and an advanced data set to allow us to observe and understand fracture geometries rigorously. Low-frequency distributed acoustic sensing (LF-DAS) data from a vertical well in HFTS-2 showed three key observations: (i) excessive upward height growth (>1,000 ft) and limited downward growth of the hydraulic fractures during pumping, (ii) considerable additional upward fracture height growth (~300 ft) after well shut in, and (iii) very complex LF-DAS strain rate patterns for a small fiber-to-stage offset. Advanced geomechanical modeling was performed to simulate the hydraulic fracture propagation and the resulting strain responses in the vertical direction. The modeling results demonstrated asymmetric upward and downward fracture height growths as observed in HFTS-2 with a similar upward height growth rate. Simulated waterfall plots of vertical strain rate showed distinct patterns for different fiber-to-fracture distances. The upward-growing fracture tip can be clearly identified by the interfaces between compressing and extending zones. It was also found that the complex strain rate patterns observed in HFTS-2 for small fiber-stage offsets were not caused by the mechanical layering but possibly result from the simultaneous propagation of multiple hydraulic fractures at different rates. The simulation results improved the understating of the HFTS-2 LF-DAS data, and the simulated strain rate patterns could also serve as templates for fracture height interpretation from LF-DAS data in future.

Engineering↗
NASA NTRS1990

An intercomparison of intraseasonal variability in general circulation models and observations

Low frequency oscillations appearing in three GCM seasonal cycle integrations are compared with the analyses of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). All three models have the same resolution: 4 deg latitude by 5 deg longitude, with 9 levels. The dominant phase speeds and the differential vertical structure of the heating profiles in the GCMs are in general agreement with current theory involving the positive feedback between latent heating and moist static stability. All three GCMs fail to capture the detailed evolution in the different stages of the development and decay of the oscillation. The results suggest that an improvement in the boundary layer moisture processes may be crucial for a better simulation of the oscillation.

Park, Chung-Kyu↗
NASA NTRS2016

Multispacecraft Observations and Modeling of the 22/23 June 2015 Geomagnetic Storm

The magnetic storm of 22-23 June 2015 was one of the largest in the current solar cycle. We present in situ observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) and the Van Allen Probes (VAP) in the magnetotail, field-aligned currents from AMPERE (Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response), and ionospheric flow data from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). Our real-time space weather alert system sent out a "red alert," correctly predicting Kp indices greater than 8. We show strong outflow of ionospheric oxygen, dipolarizations in the MMS magnetometer data, and dropouts in the particle fluxes seen by the MMS Fast Plasma Instrument suite. At ionospheric altitudes, the AMPERE data show highly variable currents exceeding 20 MA. We present numerical simulations with the Block Adaptive Tree-Solarwind - Roe - Upwind Scheme (BATS-R-US) global magnetohydrodynamic model linked with the Rice Convection Model. The model predicted the magnitude of the dipolarizations, and varying polar cap convection patterns, which were confirmed by DMSP measurements.

Reiff, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Modeling the Observed Solar Cycle Variations of the Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO): Amplification by Wave Forcing

In several papers, the solar cycle (SC) effect in the lower atmosphere has been linked observationally to the Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) of the zonal circulation, which is generated primarily by small-scale gravity waves (GW). Salby and Callaghan (2000) in particular analyzed the QBO, covering more than 40 years, and discovered that it contains a large SC signature at 20 km. With our Numerical Spectral Model (NSM), we conducted a 3D study to describe the QBO under the influence of the SC, and some results have been published (Mayr et al., GRL, 2005,2006). For a SC period of 10 years, the relative amplitude of radiative forcing is taken to vary exponentially with height, i.e., 0.2% at the surface, 2% at 50 km, 20% at 100 km and above. Applying spectral analysis to filter out and identify the SC signature, the model generates a relatively large modulation of the QBO, which reproduces the observations qualitatively. Our numerical results demonstrate that the modulation of the QBO, with constant phase relative to the SC, persist at least for 60 years. The same model run generates in the seasonal variations a hemispherically symmetric Equatorial Annual Oscillation (EAO, with 12-month period), which is confined to low latitudes like the QBO and is also modulated by the SC. Although the amplitude of the EAO is relatively small, its SC modulation is large, and it is in phase with that of the QBO. The SC modulated EAO is evidently the pathway and pacemaker for the solar influence on the QBO. To shed light on the dynamical processes involved, we present model results that show how the seasonal cycle induces the SC modulations of the EAO and QBO. Our analysis further demonstrates that the SC modulations of the QBO and EAO are amplified by the GW interaction with the flow. The GW momentum source clearly shows a SC modulation that is in phase with the corresponding modulations of the QBO and EAO. By tapping the momentum from the upward propagating GWs, the QBO and EAO apparently serve as conduits to amplify and transfer to lower altitudes the larger SC variations in the UV absorbed in the mesosphere. Our model also produces in the temperature variations of the QBO and EAO measurable SC modulations at polar latitudes near the tropopause, and such signatures have been reported in the literature. Contrary to conventional interpretation, however, we suggest that the effects are generated at least in part by the meridional circulation, and planetary waves presumably, which redistribute the energy from the equatorial region where wave forcing is very efficient and thereby amplifies the SC influence.

Mayr, Hans G.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Estimation With Range Dependent Sensor Model

This paper focuses on the improvement of target tracking accuracy taking into account the sensor’s reading degradation as the relative range increases. The approach is based on the assumption that range measurement error depends on the actual range. Specifically, we model the measurement error as a proportional to the actual range term plus a zero-mean, Gaussian distributed, and uncorrelated process. We present two approaches to tracking a target with constant velocity model. The first approach uses Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) framework to estimate target's states and the unknown proportionality coefficient with linearization on the observation model on the predicted states at each time step. The second one uses a measurement conversion method to estimate the target's scaled by the unknown constant term states, which is shown to be unbiased. This conversion results in linear state and observation models, hence the standard Kalman filter can be applied. The actual target state is computed by application of back scaling with the estimate of unknown scale factor. We evaluate the approaches in desktop simulations.

Target tracking↗
DOE OSTI2026

DESI Strong Lens Foundry. I. HST Observations and Modeling with GIGA-Lens

We present the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Strong Lens Foundry. We discovered ∼3500 new strong gravitational lens candidates in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys using residual neural networks (ResNet). We observed a subset (51) of our candidates using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Except for one ambiguous case, we have confirmed 50 of the 51 candidates to be strong lenses. We also briefly describe spectroscopic follow-up observations by DESI and Keck NIRES programs. From this very rich data set, a number of studies will be carried out, including evaluating the quality of the ResNet search candidates and lens modeling. In this paper, we present our initial effort in these directions. In particular, as a demonstration, we present the lens model for DESI-165.4754−06.0423, with imaging data from HST, and lens and source redshifts from DESI and Keck NIRES, respectively. In this effort, we have applied a fully forward-modeling Bayesian approach (GIGA-Lens), using multiple GPUs, to a strong lens with HST data, and achieved statistical convergence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗