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NASA NTRS1982

Remote sensing of tidal wetlands - Mapping and beyond

Remote sensing, by means of aerial photography, is an accepted method for the mapping and inventory of tidal wetlands, enjoying considerable advantages in speed, flexibility and cost per area mapped over conventional techniques. Initially employed for the identification of wetlands and their boundaries, new applications concern the effective sensing of functional processes within the wetlands environment, such as plant biomass and the production of biogenic gases. The availability of accurate hand-held radiometers has produced increased efforts to quantitatively relate remote measurements to environmental parameters for these processes, expanding the information derivable from aerial and orbital multispectral scanners.

Bartlett, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

An objective analysis technique for extrapolating tidal fields

An interpolation technique which allows accurate extrapolation of tidal height fields in the ocean basins by making use of selected satellite altimetry measurements and/or conventional gauge measurements was developed and tested. A normal mode solution for the Atlantic and Indian Oceans was obtained by means of a finite difference grid. Normal mode amplitude maps are presented.

Sanchez, B. V.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Tidal dissipation in the Earth and Moon from lunar laser ranging

The evolution of the Moon's orbit which is governed by tidal dissipation in the Earth while the evolution of its spin is controlled by its own internal dissipation is discussed. Lunar laser ranging data from August 1969 through May 1982 yields the values of both of these parameters. It is suggested that if the Moon was orbited the Earth since its formation, this must be an anomalously high value presumably due to changes in dissipation in the oceans due to continental drift. The explanation that the dissipation occurs at the interface between the mantle and a liquid core of shell is preferred.

Yoder, C. F.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Measurement of the Vertical Gradient of the Semidiurnal Tidal Wind Phase in Winter at the 95 Km Level

When supplemented by absolute reflection height measurements, low frequency wind measurements in the 90-100 km height range become truly competitive in comparison with the more widely used radar meteor wind observations. For example, height profiles of the wind parameters in the so-called meteor zone can be obtained due to the considerable interdiurnal variability of the average nighttime reflection heights controlled by geomagnetic activity. The phase of the semidiurnal tidal wind is particularly height-dependent. The measured vertical gradient of 1/4 h/km in winter corresponds to a vertical wavelength of about 50 km. Wind measurements in the upper atmosphere, at heights between 90 and 100 km, were carried out at the Collm Geophysical Observatory of Karl Marx University Leipzig for a number of years. These measurements use the closely-spaced receiver method and three measuring paths, on 179, 227, and 272 kHz. They take place every day between sunset and sunrise, i.e., nightly. A night in this sense may last as long as 18 hours in winter. Both the measurements and their evaluation are completely automatic, and the prevailing winds and tides are separated.

Schminder, R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Constraints on short-term mantle rheology from the J2 observation and the dispersion of the 18.6 y tidal Love number

Information derived from data recently acquired from the LAGEOS satellite is used to place some constraints on the rheological parameters of short-term mantle rheology. The validity of Lambeck and Nakiboglu's (1983) rheological model is assessed by formally developing an expression for the transformed shear modulus using a truncated retardation spectrum. This analytical formula is used to show that the parameters of the above mentioned model are not consistent at all with the amount of anelastic dispersion expected in the Chandler wobble and with the attenuation of seismic normal modes. The feasibility of a standard linear solid (SLS) rheology operating over intermediate timescales between 1 and 100 yr is investigated to determine whether the tidal dispersion at 18.6 yr can be explained by this model. An attempt is made to place some constraints on the parameters of the SLS model and the nature of short-term mantle rheology for timescales of less than 100 yr is discussed.

Sabadini, R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Variation of tidal winds in the ionosphere inferred from geomagnetic SQ field

The geomagnetic Sq field is mainly generated by the dynamo action of tidal winds in the ionosphere, and therefore some information can be derived from the variation of the Sq field. The geomagnetic Sq field was analyzed during March 1 to 18, 1980, when the geomagnetic activity was exceptionally low, and the equivalent Sq currents calculated every 2 hours by using the spherical harmonics method. Then additional Sq currents were extracted by subtracting the currents averaged through all days in the period from the original currents at each UT. The change of the instantaneous Sq current system by the above-mentioned method is discussed.

Takeda, M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Tidal coupling with the lower atmosphere (invited review)

The various ways are reviewed in which propagating tidal components excited in the mesophere and below affect the structure of the thermosphere and ionosphere above 100 km. Dynamo effects are not treated here. The physical processes affecting the propagation of upward propagating tides are examined and how they are interrelated in the context of a numerical model. Propagating diurnal and semidiurnal tides which reach thermospheric heights are excited primarily by insolation absorption by tropospheric water vapor (0 to 5 km) and stratospheric/mesospheric ozone (40 to 60 km), respectively. Simulation of these oscillations requires consideration of mean zonal winds and meridional temperature gradients, and the damping effects of turbulent and molecular dissipation, radiative cooling, and ion drag. These effects must be considered on a spherical rotating atmosphere extending from the ground to above 300 km, as they are in the model developed by Forbes depicted schematically.

Forbes, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Narrow-band forbidden O III imaging of the QSO 4C 18.68 - A tidal tail revealed?

The z = 0.313 quasar 4C 18.68 and its surroundings in the light of redshifted forbidden O III were imaged. The QSO appears much more extended than in broad-band images, with a large halo and possibly a faint tidal tail discerned. A broad-band I CCD image taken in 1 - 1.2 arcsec seeing resolves the QSO from a companion galaxy 3.6 arcsec distant, similar to many others seen in the field. It is suggested that the elongated and asymmetric shapes of some QSOs may be due to not-quite-resolved companion galaxies, and that caution be exercised in interpreting luminosity and color profiles as evidence for underlying spiral or elliptical structure.

Shara, M. M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Evolution of rotationally and tidally distorted low-mass, close binary systems - Implications for the minimum orbital period of cataclysmic variables

A (1 + 0.4) solar mass close binary system consisting of a compact primary and a red dwarf secondary has been evolved numerically. Such a binary system should effectively model cataclysmic variables for which a minimum orbital period cutoff of about 81 minutes has been observed. The influence of gravitational radiation losses which drive Roche lobe overflow has been studied, and the effects of rotational and tidal distortion have also been incorporated in the calculation. The evolution of the He-3 abundance, which has been suggested as a possible explanation for the upper limit of the apparent orbital period gap exhibited by cataclysmic variables, is also considered. It is found that both the distortional effects and the He-3 chemical profile can play an important role in determining the subsequent evolution of these systems. Specifically, when distortion is included, the theoretical minimum orbital period is increased by about 10 percent, yielding better agreement with observations.

Nelson, L. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Tidal decomposition of zonal neutral and ion flows in the earth's upper equatorial thermosphere

Evidence is presented for strong coupling between the diurnal components of zonal neutral winds and ion drifts, suggesting that the relative importance of the E- and F-region dynamos be reevaluated. Measurements of zonal neutral winds in the equatorial region of the earth's thermosphere at an average altitude of about 350 km show that the nighttime zonal winds are very similar to the zonal ion-drifts. That similarity is examined, comparing the corresponding tidal components of the 24 hr variations of these two parameters. The amplitude spectrum of the neutral winds exhibits primary and secondary maxima at the diurnal and ter-diurnal frequencies respectively, while the ion-drift spectrum shows only the diurnal maximum. It is found that the simularity between neutral winds and ion-drifts is strongest in the diurnal mode where the phases differ by less than one half hour, the amplitude of the ion-drift being between 70 percent and 80 percent that of the neutral wind, suggesting a first-order relation between the two quantities. The largest difference is found in the steady component representing superrotation; under similar conditions of solar activity, the ions superrotate with a velocity of about 30 m/s and the neutrals with 10 m/s. For the ions, the steady component, the phase of the semi-diurnal component and the amplitude of the ter-diurnal component appear to be sensitive to solar activity and are responsible for the observed solar cycle variations in the times of eastward-to-westward reversals between 0400 and 0700 LT. The ion-drift diurnal amplitude and phase are relatively insensitive to changes in solar activity.

Herrero, F. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Daytime lidar measurements of tidal winds in the mesospheric sodium layer at Urbana, Illinois

For more than 15 years lidar systems have been used to study the chemistry and dynamics of the mesospheric sodium layer. Because the layer is an excellent tracer of atmospheric wave motions, sodium lidar has proven to be particularly useful for studying the influence of gravity waves and tides on mesospheric dynamics. These waves, which originate in the troposphere and stratosphere, propagate through the mesosphere and dissipate their energy near the mesopause making important contributions to the momentum and turbulence budget in this region of the atmosphere. Recently, the sodium lidar was modified for daytime operation so that wave phenomena and chemical effects could be monitored throughout the complete diurnal cycle. The results of continuous 24 hour lidar observations of the sodium layer structure are presented alond with measurement of the semidiurnal tidal winds.

Kwon, K. H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Tidal activity in the meteor zone over Budrio, Italy

A brief survey is presented of the variations with time and height of atmospheric tides observed at Budrio (45 deg N, 12 deg E) in the wind field between 80 and 110 km altitude during the 1978 to 1982 year period. Variations of amplitude maxima mainly of the semidiurnal tide in the winter data of 1979 and 1980 show periodicities of a few days throughout the observing period. Upward propagation of tidal energy during a stratospheric warming in January 1982 is proposed to be inhibited because of instabilities in atmospheric conditions.

Cevolani, G.↗

NASA NTRS1988

The link between tidal interaction and nuclear activity in galaxies

It is considered how nuclear activity in galaxies may be induced by the tidal perturbation of companion galaxies. It is suggested that if the central regions of the galaxies contain marginally self-gravitating disks of gas, trailing spiral density waves, triggered by nonaxisymmetric gravitational instability, lead to efficient angular momentum transport. If the net effect of the external perturbation is to increase the effect of self-gravity in the gas, then the result is to induce a considerable increase in the mass accretion rate into the central region on a relatively short time scale. With a simple prescription, the evolution of self-gravitating accretion disks is examined in this context. These results are discussed in the context of the frequent occurrence of nuclear activity in interacting galaxies.

Lin, D. N. C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Tidal evolution of the Uranian satellites. I - Passage of Ariel and Umbriel through the 5:3 mean-motion commensurability

A significant chaotic zone is associated with the 5:3 mean-motion commensurability resonance through which Ariel and Umbriel would have passed, in the event that Uranus' specific dissipation function were less than 100,000; the standard theory for passage through orbital resonances would in this case be inapplicable, in view of significant changes in the probability and the mechanism of capture into the resonance. It is suggested that tidal evolution within the chaotic zone may have pushed eccentrocities to comparatively high values at which the probability of escape from resonance remained. Eccentricities sufficiently great to affect Ariel's thermal history have not been found.

Tittemore, William C.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Radial deformation of the earth by oceanic tidal loading

A high-degree spherical harmonic series is used to compute the radial deformation of the Earth by oceanic tidal loading. By exploiting fast numerical transforms, this approach is found to be much more efficient, but no less accurate, than the traditional Green's function approach. The method is used to derive an atlas of load tide maps for 10 constitutents of the NSWC ocean tide model.

Ray, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Asymmetries in tidal structure between Adelaide and Kyoto

Continuous radar measurements of the wind oscillations caused by the solar diurnal and semidiurnal tides in the 80 to 110 km region of the atmosphere at the geographically conjugate stations of Adelaide (35 S, 138 E) and Kyoto (35 N, 136 E) are compared for the period 1983 to 1985. At the solstices it is found for both the 24- and 12-hr tides that the NS and EW oscillations tend to be in-phase and out-of-phase, respectively, behavior which indicates strong tidal asymmetries. The asymmetries in the 12-hr tide are consistent with a strong contribution from the (2,3) mode while the asymmetries in the 24-hr tide are ascribed to the effects of mean winds and dissipation acting to distort the (1,1) mode as it propagates up through the middle atmosphere.

Vincent, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Tidal interactions and infrared-bright QSOs

Deep direct images of five IRAS-selected QSOs with similar IR luminosities and spectral indices have been analyzed. The present objects possess IR luminosities similar to those of the IRAS flux-lined sample of ultraluminous galaxies, but have IR spectral indices similar to those of normal QSOs. Four of the objects are in strong tidal interaction and have blue host galaxies and reddened nuclei. It is suggested that these objects are QSOs and AGN in an intermediate stage of their activity, which lies between that of ultraluminous galaxies and optically selected QSOs.

Hutchings, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Tidal evolution of the Uranian satellites. II - An explanation of the anomalously high orbital inclination of Miranda

It is proposed that the current, anomalously high orbital inclination of the Uranian satellite, Miranda, can be accounted for by temporary capture into the 3:1 resonance with Umbriel. This would imply that the orbits of the satellites have tidally evolved sufficiently to have permitted passage through this resonance. Escape from resonance is suggested to have occurred by way of a novel dynamical mechanism, in which the trajectory encounters low-order commensurabilities between the libration frequency of the resonant argument and other fundamental system frequencies.

Tittemore, William C.↗