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DOE OSTI2022

A Primer on Phased Array Radar Technology for the Atmospheric Sciences

The scientific community has expressed interest in the potential of phased array radars (PARs) to observe the atmosphere with finer spatial and temporal scales. Although convergence has occurred between the meteorological and engineering communities, the need exists to increase access of PAR to meteorologists. Here, we facilitate these interdisciplinary efforts in the field of ground-based PARs for atmospheric studies. We cover high-level technical concepts and terminology for PARs as applied to studies of the atmosphere. A historical perspective is provided as context along with an overview of PAR system architectures, technical challenges, and opportunities. Envisioned scan strategies are summarized because they are distinct from traditional mechanically scanned radars and are the most advantageous for high-resolution studies of the atmosphere. Further, open access to PAR data is emphasized as a mechanism to educate the future generation of atmospheric scientists. Finally, a vision for the future of operational networks, research facilities, and expansion into complementary radar wavelengths is provided.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2023

An Inventory of AI-ready Benchmark Data for US Fires, Heatwaves, and Droughts

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

An Inventory of AI-ready Benchmark Data for US Fires, Heatwaves, and Droughts

Extreme weather events, including fires, heatwaves, and droughts, have significant impacts on earth, environmental, and energy systems. Mechanistic and predictive understanding, as well as probabilistic risk assessment of these extreme weather events, are crucial for detecting, planning for, and responding to these extremes. Records of extreme weather events provide an important data source for understanding present and future extremes, but the existing data needs preprocessing before it can be used for analysis. Moreover, there are many nonstandard metrics defining the levels of severity or impacts of extremes. In this study, we compile a comprehensive benchmark data inventory of extreme weather events, including fires, heatwaves, and droughts. The dataset covers the period from 2001 to 2020 with a daily temporal resolution and a spatial resolution of 0.5°×0.5° (~55km×55km) over the continental United States (CONUS), and a spatial resolution of 1km × 1km over the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region, together with the co-located and relevant meteorological variables. By exploring and summarizing the spatial and temporal patterns of these extremes in various forms of marginal, conditional, and joint probability distributions, we gain a better understanding of the characteristics of climate extremes. The resulting AI/ML-ready data products can be readily applied to ML-based research, fostering and encouraging AI/ML research in the field of extreme weather. This study can contribute significantly to the advancement of extreme weather research, aiding researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in developing improved preparedness and response strategies to protect communities and ecosystems from the adverse impacts of extreme weather events. Usage Notes We presented a long term (2001-2020) and comprehensive data inventory of historical extreme events with daily temporal resolution covering the separate spatial extents of CONUS (0.5°×0.5°) and PNW(1km×1km) for various applications and studies. The dataset with 0.5°×0.5° resolution for CONUS can be used to help build more accurate climate models for the entire CONUS, which can help in understanding long-term climate trends, including changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme events, predicting future extreme events as well as understanding the implications of extreme events on society and the environment. The data can also be applied for risk accessment of the extremes. For example, ML/AI models can be developed to predict wildfire risk or forecast HWs by analyzing historical weather data, and past fires or heateave , allowing for early warnings and risk mitigation strategies. Using this dataset, AI-driven risk assessment models can also be built to identify vulnerable energy and utilities infrastructure, imrpove grid resilience and suggest adaptations to withstand extreme weather events. The high-resolution 1km×1km dataset ove PNW are advantageous for real-time, localized and detailed applications. It can enhance the accuracy of early warning systems for extreme weather events, helping authorities and communities prepare for and respond to disasters more effectively. For example, ML models can be developed to provide localized HW predictions for specific neighborhoods or cities, enabling residents and local emergency services to take targeted actions; the assessment of drought severity in specific communities or watersheds within the PNW can help local authorities manage water resources more effectively.

Lin, Xinming↗

NASA NTRS1981

Analytic model for washout of HCl(g) from dispersing rocket exhaust clouds

The potential is investigated that precipitation scavenging of HCl from large solid rocket exhaust clouds may result in unacceptably acidic rain in the Cape Canaveral, Florida, area before atmospheric dispersion reduces HCl concentrations to safe limits. Several analytic expressions for HCl(g) and HCl(g + aq) washout are derived; a geometric mean washout coefficient is recommended. A previous HCl washout model is refined and applied to a space shuttle case (70 t HCl exhausted up to 4 km) and eight Titan 3 (60 percent less exhaust) dispersion cases. The vertical column density (sigma) decays were deduced by application of a multilayer Gaussian diffusion model to seven standard meteorological regimes for overland advection. The Titan 3 decays of sigma and initial rain pH differed greatly among regimes; e.g., a range of 2 pH units was spanned at x 100 km downwind and t = 2 hr. Environmentally significant pH's .5 for infrequent exposures were shown possible at X = 50 km and t 5 hr for the two least dispersive Titan 3 cases. Representative examples of downwind rainwater pH and G(X) are analyzed. Factors affecting the validity of the results are discussed.

Pellett, G. L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Comparison of UV-B measurements performed with a Brewer spectrophotometer and a new UVB-1 broad band detector

Measurements of the UV-B erythemal dose, based on solar spectra acquired with a Brewer spectrophotometer at Thessaloniki, Greece, are compared to measurements performed with the recently introduced, by the Yankee Environmental Systems, (Robertson type) broad band solar UV-B detector. The spectral response function of this detector, when applied to the Brewer spectral UV-B measurements, results in remarkably comparable estimates of the erythemal UV-B dose. The two instruments provide similar information on the UV-B dose when they are cross-examined under a variety of meteorological and atmospheric conditions and over the a large range of solar zenith angles and total ozone.

Bais, Alkiviadis F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Quasi-decadal variability of the stratosphere: Influence of long-term solar ultraviolet variations

A multiple regression statistical model is applied to investigate the existence of upper-stratospheric ozone, temperature, and zonal wind responses to long-term (solar cycle) changes in solar ultraviolet radiation using 11.5 years of reprocessed Nimbus-7 Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet (SBUV) data and 12.4 years of National Meteorological Center (NMC) data. A positive solar cycle variation of independently measured ozone and temperature occurs with maximum amplitude near the low-latitude stratopause. The seasonal solar regression coefficients near 1 mb for both ozone and temperature occur at low latitudes supporting a role for photochemical and radiative forcing in their origin. Zonal wind perturbations that correlate with long-term solar ultraviolet variations are a strong function of season and pressure level. Above approximately 2 mbar, the largest solar-correlated zonal wind enhancements occur at middle winter latitudes near the time of winter solstice in both hemispheres. The Northern Hemisphere December enhancement at 1 mb was especially large, 23 +/- 9 m/s from solar minimum to maximum during the last solar cycle. The derived ozone, temperature, and zonal wind increases with increasing solar ultraviolet flux near the stratopause are larger than predicted by models that consider primarily photochemical and radiative processes. The higher ozone and temperature response amplitudes at low latitudes may be due to modified ozone transport and adiabatic temperature changes induced by the dynamical response. If the midlatitude winter solstice wind enhancements are solar induced, their high amplitudes require a positive feedback due to wave-mean flow interaction such that the planetary wave drag on the flow is reduced under solar maximum conditions.

Hood, L. L.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Projecting Future Urbanization with Prescott College's Spatial Growth Model to Promote Environmental Sustainability and Smart Growth, A Case Study in Atlanta, Georgia

Planning is an integral element of good management and necessary to anticipate events not merely respond to them. Projecting the quantity and spatial distribution of urban growth is essential to effectively plan for the delivery of city services and to evaluate potential environmental impacts. The major drivers of growth in large urban areas are increasing population, employment opportunities, and quality of life attractors such as a favorable climate and recreation opportunities. The spatial distribution of urban growth is dictated by the amount and location of developable land, topography, energy and water resources, transportation network, climate change, and the existing land use configuration. The Atlanta region is growing very rapidly both in population and the consumption of forestland or low-density residential development. Air pollution and water availability are significant ongoing environmental issues. The Prescott Spatial Growth Model (SGM) was used to make growth projections for the metropolitan Atlanta region to 2010,2020 and 2030 and results used for environmental assessment in both business as usual and smart growth scenarios. The Prescott SGM is a tool that uses an ESRI ArcView extension and can be applied at the parcel level or more coarse spatial scales and can accommodate a wide range of user inputs to develop any number of growth rules each of which can be weighted depending on growth assumptions. These projections were used in conjunction with meteorological and air quality models to evaluate future environmental impacts. This presentation will focus on the application of the SGM to the 13-County Atlanta Regional Commission planning jurisdiction as a case study. The SGM will be described, including how rule sets are developed and the decision process for allocation of future development to available land use categories. Data inputs required to effectively run the model will be discussed. Spatial growth projections for ten, twenty, and thirty year planning horizons will be presented and results discussed, including regional climate and air quality impacts.

Estes, Maurice G., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2025

PV Degradation Modeling: Applying Geospatial Workflows with "PVDeg"

Accurate degradation modeling is essential for predicting photovoltaic (PV) module performance, estimating longevity and informing design decisions. With degradation rates varying significantly by location, geospatial analysis is critical for PV and broader applications, such as agrivoltaics, weathering and environmental data analysis. This work presents PVDeg, an open-source tool designed for geospatial degradation analysis. PVDeg integrates meteorological data from global sources, including the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) and Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS), with degradation models. The toolkit enables users to customize geospatial workflows by integrating weather data, material parameters, and user-defined Python functions. It facilitates accelerated downloads of NSRDB and PVGIS datasets and optimizes geospatial point selection to preserve data density in regions of interest. Additionally, PVDeg provides a local database for storage and spatial queries, supporting large-scale analyses without the need for high-performance computing (HPC) resources. PVDeg provides a foundational workflow that extends its utility beyond PV applications, enabling researchers to analyze geospatial processes across discipline.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1974

ERTS-1 data collection systems used to predict wheat disease severities

The feasibility of using the data collection system on Earth Technology Satellite-1 to predict wheat leaf rust severity and resulting yield loss was tested. Ground-based data-collection platforms (DCPs), placed in two commercial wheat fields, transmitted to the satellite such meteorological information as maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and hours of free moisture. Meteorological data received from the two DCPs from April 23 to 29 were used to estimate the disease progress curve. Values from the curve were used to predict the percentage decrease in wheat yields resulting from leaf rust. Actual decrease in yield obtained by applying a zinc and maneb spray to control leaf rust, and then comparing yields of the controlled (healthy) and the noncontrolled (rusted) areas. In each field, a 9% decrease in yield was predicted by the DCP-derived data; actual decreases were 12% and 9%.

Kanemasu, E. T.↗

NASA NTRS1977

NOAA/National Hurricane and Experimental Meteorological Laboratory

National Hurricane and Experimental Meteorological Laboratory (NHEML) research programs concentrate on two atmospheric phenomena of the tropical troposphere: hurricanes and cumulus convection, together with the atmospheric environments in which they occur and with which they interact. These programs include basic research in the description of these phenomena and applied research in their prediction and potential beneficial modification. NHEML is partitioned into four working groups. Two important and logical parts of the research programs are the experimental program in hurricane modification (STORMFURY) and the program in cumulus modification (FACE). The ultimate goal of STORMFURY is the reduction of the maximum winds associated with the eyewall of hurricanes; the goal of FACE is to acquire a thorough understanding of cumulus cloud behavior that will enable NHEML to increase precipitation from cumulus clouds. The operational structure of NHEML and related agencies are presented.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1983

A model function for ocean microwave brightness temperatures

A relatively simple, yet accurate, relationship between the microwave brightness temperature of the ocean and conventional oceanographic and meteorological parameters is derived. The equation for the brightness temperature upwelling from the sea surface through the intervening atmosphere is obtained, considering radiative emission and scattering by the sea surface along with radiative absorption and emission by the atmosphere. A number of approximations are applied to the integral brightness temperature equation and its supporting equations in order to obtain a simple equation for the brightness temperature that does not contain integrals. Values for a number of atmospheric parameters are determined, including temperature sensitivities, oxygen opacity, water vapor and liquid water normalized absorption coefficients, and effective columnar height. The sea surface emissivity model is then considered, modelling the sea surface as a composite of foam-free rough water and foam patches.

Wentz, F. J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Wavelets, period-doubling, and time-frequency localization with application to organization of convection over the tropical western Pacific

In this paper, preliminary results in using orthogonal and continuous wavelet transform (WT) to identify period doubling and time-frequency localization in both synthetic and real data are presented. First, the Haar WT is applied to synthetic time series derived from a simple nonlinear dynamical system- a first-order quadratic difference equation. Second, the complex Morlet WT is used to study the time-frequency localization of tropical convection based on a high-resolution Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite infrared (IR) radiance dataset. The Haar WT of the synthetic time series indicates the presence and distinct separation of multiple frequencies in a period-doubling sequence. The period-doubling process generates a multiplicity of intermediate frequencies, which are manifested in the nonuniformity in time with respect to the phase of oscillations in the lower frequencies. Wavelet transform also enables the detection of extremely weak signals in high-order subharmonics resulting from the period-doubling bifurcations. These signals are either undetected or considered statistically insignificant by traditional Fourier analysis. The Morlet WT of the IR radiance dataset indicates the presence of multiple timescales, which are localized in both frequency and time. There are two regimes in the variation of IR radiance, corresponding to the wet and dry periods. Multiple timescales, ranging from semidiurnal, diurnal, synoptic, to intraseasonal with embedding structures, are active in the wet regime. In particular, synoptic variability is more prominent during the wet phase of an intensive intraseasonal cycle. These are not only consistent with, but also show more details than, previous findings by using other techniques. The phase-locking relationships among the oscillations with different time-scales suggest that both synoptic and intraseasonal variations may be mixed oscillations due to the interaction of self-excited oscillations in the tropical atmosphere and external forcings such as annual and diurnal solar radiation variations. Both examples show that WT is a powerful tool for analysis of phenomena involving multiscale interactions that exhibit localization in both frequency and time. A discussion on the caveats in the use of WT in geophysical data analysis is also presented.

Weng, Hengyi↗

NASA NTRS2002

Data Assimilation and Transport Modeling in Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres

Data assimilation is a blanket term used to describe a number of techniques for retrieving important physical parameters from observational data, subject to constraints imposed by prior knowledge (such as, in the case of meteorology, the primitive equations that govern atmospheric motion). Since these newly developed methods make efficient use of computational resources, they are of great importance in the interpretation of the voluminous datasets that are now produced by satellite missions. As proposed, these techniques have been applied to the study of the Martian and terrestrial atmospheres based on available satellite observations. In addition, a sophisticated hydrodynamic model (non-hydrostatic, and therefore applicable to the study of the interiors of the giant planets) has also been developed and successfully applied to the study of tidally induced motions in Jupiter.

Houben, Howard C.↗

DOE OSTI2023

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Wkg Walnut Gulch Kendall Grasslands

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wkg Walnut Gulch Kendall Grasslands. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wkg Walnut Gulch Kendall Grasslands produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - This site is located in a small, intensively-studied, experimental watershed within USDA-ARS's Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed. Eddy covariance measurements of energy, water and CO2 fluxes began in the spring of 2004, though meteorological (including Bowen ratio) and hydrological measurements are available much further back.

Scott, Russell↗

NASA NTRS1992

An investigation of the role of current and future remote sensing data systems in numerical meteorology

A flexible system for performing observing system simulation experiments which made contributions to meteorology across all elements of the observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) components was developed. Future work will seek better understanding of the links between satellite-measured radiation and radiative transfer in the clear, cloudy and precipitating atmosphere and investigate how that understanding might be applied to improve the depiction of the initial state and the treatment of physical processes in forecast models of the atmosphere.

Diak, George R.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Singular Vectors for Moisture-Measuring Norms

In dynamic meteorology, singular vectors (SVs) are the structures that maximize a given norm of a forecast perturbation given a tangent linear model and a quadratic constraint on the initial perturbation. That constraint is a prescription of the value of either the same or a different norm applied to the initial perturbations. In the sense that SVs maximize the forecast perturbations according to a specified measure, they may be considered as optimal perturbations. SVs are used to characterize predictability, to identify and correct possible initial errors given forecast errors, to create a set of significant perturbations for ensemble forecasting, or to determine locations for observation targeting. They are a specific application of generally defined singular vectors in mathematics.

Errico, Ronald M.↗

NASA NTRS1974

ERTS-1 data collection systems used to predict wheat disease severities

The author has identified the following significant results. The feasibility of using the data collection system on ERTS-1 to predict wheat leaf rust severity and resulting yield loss was tested. Ground-based data collection platforms (DCP'S), placed in two commercial wheat fields in Riley County, Kansas, transmitted to the satellite such meteorological information as maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and hours of free moisture. Meteorological data received from the two DCP'S from April 23 to 29 were used to estimate the disease progress curve. Values from the curve were used to predict the percentage decrease in wheat yields resulting from leaf rust. Actual decrease in yield was obtained by applying a zinc and maneb spray (5.6 kg/ha) to control leaf rust, then comparing yields of the controlled (healthy) and the noncontrolled (rusted) areas. In each field a 9% decrease in yield was predicted by the DCP-derived data; actual decreases were 12% and 9%.

Kanemasu, E. T.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Pulsed plasma solid propellant microthruster for the synchronous meteorological satellite. Task 4: Engineering model fabrication and test report

Two flight prototype solid propellant pulsed plasma microthruster propulsion systems for the SMS satellite were fabricated, assembled and tested. The propulsion system is a completely self contained system requiring only three electrical inputs to operate: a 29.4 volt power source, a 28 volt enable signal and a 50 millsec long command fire signal that can be applied at any rate from 50 ppm to 110 ppm. The thrust level can be varied over a range 2.2 to 1 at constant impulse bit amplitude. By controlling the duration of the 28 volt enable either steady state thrust or a series of discrete impulse bits can be generated. A new technique of capacitor charging was implemented to reduce high voltage stress on energy storage capacitors.

Guman, W. J.↗