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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Significance of shock and body slip conditions on Jovian entry heating

The influence of the body and shock slip conditions on the heating of a Jovian entry body is investigated. The flow in the shock layer is considered to be axisymmetric, steady, laminar, viscous, and in chemical equilibrium. Realistic thermophysical and step-function spectral models are employed and results are obtained by implicit finite-difference and iteractive procedures. The freestream conditions correspond to a typical Jovian entry trajectory point. The results indicate that the effect of the slip conditions is significant when the altitudes are higher than 225 km and that the contribution of a radiative heat-flux term in the energy equation should not be neglected at any altitude.

Tiwari, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Numerical simulation of sudden stratospheric warmings

The paper presents a mechanistic, quasi-geostrophic, semi-spectral model with a self-consistent calculation of the mean zonal flow fields used to numerically simulate sudden stratospheric warmings generated by a single zonal harmonic (m) planetary wave. The development of a warming depends on the strength of the westerly winds in the lower stratosphere, and the growth rate of a m=2 warming is accelerated during the westerly zonal wind phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation. An m=1 warming is characterized by oscillation of wave amplitude and mean flow from resonantly trapped, westward, propagating planetary waves moving in and out of phase with the tropospherically forced stationary planetary wave. An m=2 critical level develops in the equatorial region and advances poleward, and its warming is characterized by a sudden intensification after an initially slow growth in contrast to slowly developing m=1 warmings.

Schoeberl, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Quantitative interpretation of Great Lakes remote sensing data

The paper discusses the quantitative interpretation of Great Lakes remote sensing water quality data. Remote sensing using color information must take into account (1) the existence of many different organic and inorganic species throughout the Great Lakes, (2) the occurrence of a mixture of species in most locations, and (3) spatial variations in types and concentration of species. The radiative transfer model provides a potential method for an orderly analysis of remote sensing data and a physical basis for developing quantitative algorithms. Predictions and field measurements of volume reflectances are presented which show the advantage of using a radiative transfer model. Spectral absorptance and backscattering coefficients for two inorganic sediments are reported.

Shook, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Superrotation planetary atmospheres: Mechanical analogy, angular momentum budget and simulation of the spin up process

Superrotation rates observed in planetary atmospheres are analyzed based on the concept of a thermally driven zonally symmetric circulation. Specifically, how this superrotation is produced and maintained against the tendency for friction to oppose differential motions between the atmosphere and the underlying planet is addressed. The time evolution of a fluid leading from corotation under uniform heating to superrotation under globally nonuniform heating is simulated using a three dimensional zonally symmetric spectral model and Laplace transformation. The increased tendency toward geostrophy combined with the increase of surface pressure toward the poles (due to meridional mass transport), induces the atmosphere to subrotate temporarily at lower altitudes. The resulting viscous shear near the surface thus permits angular momentum to flow from the planet into the atmosphere where it propagates upwards and, combined with the change in moment of inertia, produces large superrotation rates at higher viscosities.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Atmospheric corrections to satellite radiometric data over rugged terrain

Radiometric measurements from satellites in the solar portion of the electromagnetic spectrum can be converted to measurements of surface exitance. Over rugged terrain, the satellite image must be precisely registered to a terrain data set. For small areas a first-order polynomial interpolation scheme is generally satisfactory for the geometric rectification. If there are saturated pixels, a nearest-neighbor procedure is used for the interpolated satellite radiance numbers; otherwise a cubic-convolution algorithm is used. Path radiance and path transmittance are calculated with a simple spectral model, which requires an estimate of the water vapor and aerosol content of the atmosphere.

Dozier, J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The rigid shell component for superrotation in planetary atmospheres: Angular momentum budget, mechanical analog and simulation of the spin up process

An analysis of superrotation in the atmosphere of planets, with rotation axis perpendicular to the orbital plane is presented. As the atmosphere expands, Hadley cells develop producing a redistribution of mass and angular momentum. A three dimensional thermally driven zonally symmetric spectral model and Laplace transformation simulate the time evolution of a fluid leading from corotation under globally uniform heating to superrotation under globally nonuniform heating. For high viscosities the rigid shell component of atmospheric superrotation can be understood in analogy with a pirouette. During spin up angular momentum is transferred to the planet. For low iscosities, the process is reversed. A tendency toward geostrophy, combined with increase of surface pressure toward the poles (due to meridional mass transport), induces the atmosphere to subrotate temporarily at lower altitudes. Resultant viscous shear near the surface permits angular momentum to flow from the planet into the atmosphere propagating upwards to produce high altitude superrotation rates.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Influence of precursor heating on viscous flow around a Jovian entry body

The influence of changes in precursor region flow properties (resulting from the absorption of radiation from the shock layer) on the entire shock layer flow phenomena was investigated. The axially symmetric case is considered for both the preheating zone (precursor region) and shock layer. The flow in the shock layer is assumed to be viscous with chemical equilibrium but radiative nonequilibrium. Realistic thermophysical and spectral models are employed, and results are obtained by implicit finite difference and iterative procedures. The results indicate that precursor heating increases the radiative heating of the body by a maximum of 7.5 percent for 116 km entry conditions.

Tiwari, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The optical and probe measurement of NO - A comparative study

Measurements were made of NO formation in both subsonic turbulent and nonturbulent media generated from gaseous and liquid fuels. Quartz and metallic, cooled and uncooled probes were employed, and optical measurements were made in the UV with narrow-line and continuum lamps. The extent of systematic error bias in these methods was studied over a wide range of conditions. High resolution measurements were made only on flat flames using a high pressure Xe lamp, while low resolution measurements were done with a hollow cathode lamp on flat flame, swirl burner and jet combustor exhausts. Optical data were reduced using a first principles spectral model and multiple zone treatment of the optical path. No major discrepancies related to processes occurring in probes were identified. Good agreement can be expected in measurements made in subsonic exhaust streams up to 2000 K.

Zabielski, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

System support documentation: IDIMS FUNCTION AMOEBA

A listing is provided for AMOEBA, a clustering program based on a spatial-spectral model for image data. The program is fast and automatic (in the sense that no parameters are required), and classifies each picture element into classes which are determined internally. As an IDIMS function, no limit on the size of the image is imposed.

Bryant, J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Short-term climatic fluctuations forced by thermal anomalies

A two level, global, spectral model using pressure as a vertical coordinate was developed. The system of equations describing the model is nonlinear and quasi-geostrophic (linear balance). Static stability is variable in the model. A moisture budget is calculated in the lower layer only. Convective adjustment is used to avoid supercritical temperature lapse rates. The mechanical forcing of topography is introduced as a vertical velocity at the lower boundary. Solar forcing is specified assuming a daily mean zenith angle. The differential diabatic heating between land and sea is paramterized. On land and sea ice surfaces, a steady state thermal energy equation is solved to calculate the surface temperature. On the oceans, the sea surface temperature is specified as the climatological average for January. The model is used to simulate the January, February and March circulations.

Hanna, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A study of the temporal and spectral characteristics of gamma ray bursts

Gamma-ray burst data obtained from the ISEE-3 Gamma Ray Burst Spectrometer and the Solar Maximum Mission's Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS) were analyzed to yield information on burst temporal and spectral characteristics. A Monte Carlo approach was used to simulate the HXRBS response to candidate spectral models. At energies above about 100 keV, the spectra are well fit by exponential forms. At lower energies, 30 keV to 60 keV, depressions below the model continua are apparent in some bursts. The depressions are not instrumental or data-reduction artifacts. The event selection criterion of the ISEE-3 experiment is based on the time to accumulate a present number of photons rather than the photon count per unit time and is consequently independent of event duration for a given burst intensity, unlike most conventional systems. As a result, a significantly greater percentage of fast, narrow events have been detected. The ratio of count rates from two ISEE-3 detectors indicates that bursts with durations or approx. one second have much softer spectra than longer bursts.

Norris, J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

B-57B gust gradient program

Analysis of data obtained from the Joint Airport Weather Studies Flights 6 and 7 is underway. Data from Flight 7 indicate that the B-57B encountered the upper portion of an outflow feature (microburst) at an altitude of 400 meters above ground level. Horizontal wind vector plots along the flight path have provided clues concerning the meteorological setting of the flights. In addition to suspected outflow features, wavelike variations of the horizontal wind vectors were observed. Statistical studies of gust gradients were undertaken with the goal of fitting probability density functions to the data. As expected, the density functions were highly non-Gaussian. Spectral analyses are proceeding and several spectral models for the gust gradient data are being investigated.

Campbell, W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

On the use of laser profilometry for ocean wave studies

Airborne laser profilometer measurements of wave skewness and spectra are presented. The measurements were made during high wind and sea state conditions in the North Atlantic. The sea states ranged from 4.5 to 8.7 m and varied from swell to wind wave dominated situations. Skewness values for the five cases ranged from 0.08 to 0.28 and compare favorably with other existing measurements. Also, the Phillips and Wallops spectral models show excellent agreement with profilometer spectra of developing seas. For one case where the seas were fully developed, the Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum provides the best representation.

Mcclain, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

HEAO A-2 soft X-ray source catalog

The HEAO A-2 low energy X-ray detectors have surveyed over 95% of the sky in the spectral bands 0.18-0.44 and 0.44-2.8 keV, down to a typical limiting sensitivity of 1 x 10 to the -11th and 3 x 10 to the -11th ergs per sq cm per sec in each band, respectively. Using a significance criterion of 6 sigma for existence, 114 sources are cataloged, of which 54 were previously undiscovered and 32 remain unidentified. The catalog contains a listing of all counterpart identifications and a cross-reference to all HEAO 1 A-2 low energy detector team publications on the catalog sources complete through the end of 1981. Supplementary material allows the estimation of spectral parameters for the spectral models from the observed intensities. Simple graphs allow the extraction of energy fluxes at the earth, both with and without the effects of interstellar absorption. The angular distribution of the cataloged sources in the 0.44-2.8 keV band is concentrated toward the galactic plane and resembles that seen at higher energy. The distribution in the 0.18-0.44 keV band is more uniform and contains many more newly discovered and unidentified sources.

Nugent, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Toward a unified theory of atmospheric convective instability

A nonlinear three-dimensional truncated spectral model of shallow and moist Boussinesq convection indicates that parallel instability and thermal forcing are linked, in view of the fact that only one convective mode exists in which either or both mechanisms are operating to generate convection in the planetary boundary layer. It is also established that the wind field causes two-dimensional roll convection formation, an alignment of the convection with the wind in a preferred manner, and a propagation speed that is related to the wind component perpendicular to the roll axis. Latent heating is responsible for the decrease of the critical value of the environmental lapse rate in accordance with the slice method stability criterion. When only the upper part of the upward branch is moist and all of the downward branch is dry, latent heating also causes a finite-amplitude convective solution for Rayleigh number values lower than the critical value of linear analysis.

Shirer, H. N.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Numerical studies of major and minor stratospheric warmings caused by orographic forcing

A primitive equation spectral model using spherical harmonics is formulated to study dynamic interactions between the troposphere and stratosphere in association with sudden stratospheric warmings. Using sigma coordinates for five tropospheric layers and log-pressure coordinates for 26 stratospheric and mesospheric layers, separate model equations for each system are combined to form single matrix governing equations. The gradual introduction of large scale topography to balanced initial states representative of observed mean winter conditions in the Northern Hemisphere is used for the generation of planetary waves during 40-day time integrations. Results of these integrations indicate that stratospheric warmings can be simulated by this orographic forcing and that mean momentum flux divergence due to zonal mean motion appears to be an essential mechanism of these simulated sudden warmings. It was found that the strength of the polar night jet can be a determining factor whether a warming becomes 'major' or 'minor'.

Koermer, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The use of satellite data in understanding and predicting convective and large-scale dynamical processes

Mesoscale convective processes and how they affect and interact with mid-latitude cyclones were studied. The ageostrophic and associated vertical motion field was calculated using a highly accurate iterative method of solving the semigeostrophic omega equation. The tendencies for convective destabilization in the 850-750 mb layer due to differential geostrophic and ageostrophic advection and differential moist adiabatic ascent, were found. The spectral models of the index oscillation, one barotropic and the other baroclinic, were developed. Theoretical and observational studies of cloud streets were conducted.

Dutton, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Short-term climatic fluctuations forced by thermal anomalies

A two level, global, spectral model using pressure as a vertical coordinate was developed. The system of equations describing the model is nonlinear and quasi-geostrophic (linear balance). Static stability is variable in the model. A moisture budget is calculated in the lower layer only. Convective adjustment is used to avoid supercritical temperature lapse rates. The mechanical forcing of topography is introduced as a vertical velocity at the lower boundary. Solar forcing is specified assuming a daily mean zenith angle. The differential diabatic heating between land and sea is parameterized. On land and sea ice surfaces, a steady state thermal energy equation is solved to calculate the surface temperature. On the oceans, the sea surface temperature is specified as the climatological average for January. The model is used to simulate the January, February and March circulations. Previously announced in STAR as N83-14822

Hanna, A. F.↗