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At least 613 records · Page 34

Integrated Topographic Corrections Improve Forest Mapping Using Landsat Imagery

In mountainous environments, topography strongly affects the reflectance due to illumination effects and cast shadows, which introduce errors in land cover classifications. However, topographic correction is not routinely implemented in standard data pre-processing chains (e.g., Landsat Analysis Ready Data), and there is a lack of consensus whether topographic correction is necessary, and if so, how to conduct it. Furthermore, methods that correct simultaneously for atmospheric and topographic effects are becoming available, but they have not been compared directly. Our objects were to investigate (1) the effectiveness of two topographic correction approaches that integrate atmospheric and topographic correction, (2) improvements in classification accuracy when analyzing topographically corrected single-date imagery (14 July 2016 and 2 October 2016), versus a full Landsat time series from 2014 to 2016, and 3) improvements in classification accuracy when including additional terrain information (i.e., topographic slope, elevation, and aspect). We developed a physical based model and compared it with an enhanced C-correction, both of which integrate atmospheric and topographic correction. We compared classification accuracies with and without topographic correction using combinations of single-date imagery, image composites and spectral-temporal metrics generated from the full Landsat time series, and additional terrain information in the Caucasus Mountains. We found that both the enhanced C-correction and the physical model performed very well and largely eliminated the correlation (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r ranges from 0.06 to 0.24) between surface reflectance and illumination condition, but the physical model performed best (r ranges from 0.05 to 0.11). Both image composites, and spectral-temporal metrics generated from corrected imagery, resulted in significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher classification accuracies and better forest classifications, especially for the mixed forests. Adding terrain information reduced classification error significantly, but not as much as topographic correction. In summary, topographic correction remains necessary, even when analyzing a full Landsat time series and including a digital elevation model in the classification. We recommend that topographic correction should be applied when analyzing Landsat satellite imagery in mountainous region for forest cover classification.

Atmospheric correction↗

Photoinduced correlations in stochastic dynamics of a solid-state ionic conductor

Photoexcitation by ultrashort laser pulses plays a crucial role in controlling reaction pathways, creating nonequilibrium material properties, and probing complex molecular dynamics. The photoresponse following a laser pulse is generally nonidentical between exposures due to spatiotemporal fluctuations or the stochastic nature of dynamical pathways. However, most ultrafast pump-probe experiments struggle to distinguish intrinsic sample fluctuations from extrinsic apparatus noise, often missing deviations from the averaged response. Leveraging the stability and high photon flux of time-resolved X-ray micro-diffraction at a synchrotron, we characterized stochastic photoinduced dynamics in a solid-state ionic conductor. By analyzing temporal evolutions of the lattice parameter of a single grain, we found that shot-to-shot fluctuations are not independent. Instead, correlations exist between nonequilibrium lattice trajectories following adjacent shots, with a characteristic correlation length of approximately 1500 shots, corresponding to an energy barrier of 0.4 ± 0.1 eV, close to the activation energy of lithium-ion diffusion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reduction and analysis of seasons 15 and 16 (1991 - 1992) Pioneer Venus radio occultation data and correlative studies with observations of the near-infrared emission of Venus

Radio occultation experiments, and radio astronomical observations have suggested that significant variations (both spatial and temporal) in the abundances of sulfur-bearing gases are occurring below the Venus cloud layers. In addition, recent Near Infra-Red images of the nightside of Venus revealed large-scale features which sustain their shape over multiple rotations (the rotation periods of the features are 6.0 +/- 0.5 days). Presumably, the contrast variations in the NIR images are caused by variations in the abundance of large particles in the cloud deck. If these particles are composed of liquid sulfuric acid, one would expect a strong anticorrelation between regions with a high abundance of sulfuric acid vapor, and regions where there are large particles. One technique for monitoring the abundance and distribution of sulfuric acid vapor (H2SO4) at and below the main Venus cloud layer (altitudes below 50 km) is to measure the 13-cm wavelength opacity using Pioneer Venus Orbiter Radio Occultation Studies (PV-ORO). We are working to characterize variations in the abundance and distribution of subcloud H2SO4(g) in the Venus atmosphere by using a number of 13-cm radio occultation measurements conducted with the Pioneer Venus Orbiter near the inferior conjunction of 1991. When retrieved, the vertical profiles of the abundance of H2SO4(g) will be compared and correlated with NIR images of the night side of Venus made during the same period of time. Hopefully, the combination of these two different types of data will make it possible to constrain or identify the composition of the large particles causing the features observed in the NIR images. Considered on their own, however, the parameters retrieved from the radio occultation experiments are valuable science products.

Jenkins, Jon M.↗

Correlated observations of impulsive UV and hard X-ray bursts in solar flares from the solar maximum mission

An investigation is conducted of the temporal and spatial structures of UV and hard X-ray bursts in a disk and a limb flare observed with instruments on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. Attention is given to the transient UV brightening before the flare, the impulsive enhancement of UV continuum emission, the relationship between emission source region and particle acceleration region, and large scale excitations. The most active part of the active region appears to be the most flare-productive region. These regions exhibit high UV activities with numerous UV transient bursts occurring in many small kernels.

Cheng, C.-C.↗

Multiple Velocity Profile Measurements in Hypersonic Flows Using Sequentially-Imaged Fluorescence Tagging

Nitric-oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence (NO PLIF) was used to perform velocity measurements in hypersonic flows by generating multiple tagged lines which fluoresce as they convect downstream. For each laser pulse, a single interline, progressive scan intensified CCD (charge-coupled device) camera was used to obtain two sequential images of the NO molecules that had been tagged by the laser. The CCD configuration allowed for sub-microsecond acquisition of both images, resulting in sub-microsecond temporal resolution as well as sub-mm spatial resolution (0.5-mm horizontal, 0.7-mm vertical). Determination of axial velocity was made by application of a cross-correlation analysis of the horizontal shift of individual tagged lines. A numerical study of measured velocity error due to a uniform and linearly-varying collisional rate distribution was performed. Quantification of systematic errors, the contribution of gating/exposure duration errors, and the influence of collision rate on temporal uncertainty were made. Quantification of the spatial uncertainty depended upon the signal-to-noise ratio of the acquired profiles. This velocity measurement technique has been demonstrated for two hypersonic flow experiments: (1) a reaction control system (RCS) jet on an Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) wind tunnel model and (2) a 10-degree half-angle wedge containing a 2-mm tall, 4-mm wide cylindrical boundary layer trip. The experiments were performed at the NASA Langley Research Center's 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel.

Bathel, Brett F.↗

Remote Sensing the Vertical Profile of Cloud Droplet Effective Radius, Thermodynamic Phase, and Temperature

Cloud-aerosol interaction is a key issue in the climate system, affecting the water cycle, the weather, and the total energy balance including the spatial and temporal distribution of latent heat release. Information on the vertical distribution of cloud droplet microphysics and thermodynamic phase as a function of temperature or height, can be correlated with details of the aerosol field to provide insight on how these particles are affecting cloud properties and their consequences to cloud lifetime, precipitation, water cycle, and general energy balance. Unfortunately, today's experimental methods still lack the observational tools that can characterize the true evolution of the cloud microphysical, spatial and temporal structure in the cloud droplet scale, and then link these characteristics to environmental factors and properties of the cloud condensation nuclei. Here we propose and demonstrate a new experimental approach (the cloud scanner instrument) that provides the microphysical information missed in current experiments and remote sensing options. Cloud scanner measurements can be performed from aircraft, ground, or satellite by scanning the side of the clouds from the base to the top, providing us with the unique opportunity of obtaining snapshots of the cloud droplet microphysical and thermodynamic states as a function of height and brightness temperature in clouds at several development stages. The brightness temperature profile of the cloud side can be directly associated with the thermodynamic phase of the droplets to provide information on the glaciation temperature as a function of different ambient conditions, aerosol concentration, and type. An aircraft prototype of the cloud scanner was built and flew in a field campaign in Brazil.

Martins, J. V.↗

Evaluation of global teleconnections in CMIP6 climate projections using complex networks

In climatological research, the evaluation of climate models is one of the central research subjects. As an expression of large-scale dynamical processes, global teleconnections play a major role in interannual to decadal climate variability. Their realistic representation is an indispensable requirement for the simulation of climate change, both natural and anthropogenic. Therefore, the evaluation of global teleconnections is of utmost importance when assessing the physical plausibility of climate projections. We present an application of the graph-theoretical analysis tool δ-MAPS, which constructs complex networks on the basis of spatio-temporal gridded data sets, here sea surface temperature and geopotential height at 500 hPa. Complex networks complement more traditional methods in the analysis of climate variability, like the classification of circulation regimes or empirical orthogonal functions, assuming a new non-linear perspective. While doing so, a number of technical tools and metrics, borrowed from different fields of data science, are implemented into the δ-MAPS framework in order to overcome specific challenges posed by our target problem. Those are trend empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs), distance correlation and distance multicorrelation, and the structural similarity index. δ-MAPS is a two-stage algorithm. In the first place, it assembles grid cells with highly coherent temporal evolution into so-called domains. In a second step, the teleconnections between the domains are inferred by means of the non-linear distance correlation. We construct 2 unipartite and 1 bipartite network for 22 historical CMIP6 climate projections and 2 century-long coupled reanalyses (CERA-20C and 20CRv3). Potential non-stationarity is taken into account by the use of moving time windows. The networks derived from projection data are compared to those from reanalyses. Our results indicate that no single climate projection outperforms all others in every aspect of the evaluation. But there are indeed models which tend to perform better/worse in many aspects. Differences in model performance are generally low within the geopotential height unipartite networks but higher in sea surface temperature and most pronounced in the bipartite network representing the interaction between ocean and atmosphere.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Micromechanics of Fracture Propagation During Multistage Stress Relaxation and Creep in Brittle Rocks

Time-dependent rock deformation caused by the initiation and growth of fractures leads to the weakening of the rock mass. Understanding the fracturing mechanisms involved in the time-dependent behavior in brittle rocks is very important and to achieve this goal, a systematic series of three types of experiments was performed on double-flawed prismatic Barre granite specimens under unconfined compression. The first series aimed to identify the failure mechanism in the short-term failure mode under monotonic loading, the, second series involved multistage relaxation (constant strain) experiments to analyze the damage at different strain levels, and the third series explored the fracture propagation under multistage creep (constant load) experiments. The spatial and temporal evolution of cracking mechanisms were evaluated using the acoustic emission (AE) and two-dimensional digital image correlation (2D-DIC) techniques to observe the whole crack growth process as well as the accumulated inelastic strain at the specified region of interest. Results suggest that in the case of multistage creep experiments, the time to failure was less compared to the multistage relaxation, when loaded above the crack damage threshold (CD) estimated from the monotonic testing. Furthermore, the frequency magnitude distribution of the AE events generated in the three loading conditions followed the Gutenberg Richter model. A relatively lower b-value was obtained for the creep experiments, indicative of high energy AE events and faster crack growth. In addition, the AE and DIC results also revealed high evolution of tensile cracks at-different stages of creep and relaxation compared to shear and mixed-mode cracks.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

On analysis and stochastic modeling of the particle kinetic energy equation in particle-laden isotropic turbulent flows

In this study, we analyze three-dimensional particle-laden, isotropic turbulence to develop an understanding of inertial particle dynamics from a kinetic energy perspective. Data trends implying inhomogeneous sampling of the flow by particles are identified and used to support a proposed particle behavior: particles appear to accumulate in regions of low flow kinetic energy over time because they lose kinetic energy and slow down in such regions, ultimately causing them to spend more time there. To elucidate this behavior, we derive a particle kinetic energy equation from the particle momentum equation, which incorporates inertial effects through the Schiller–Naumann drag correlation. Upon extracting fundamental physics from this equation, hypotheses regarding the role of the Stokes number in the temporal change of particle kinetic energy and the previously proposed particle behavior are evaluated using simulation data considering three Stokes numbers. Finally, a Fokker–Planck equation is used to derive the steady-state probability density function of the particle kinetic energy. The model fits the simulation data well and provides a tool for further investigation into understanding preferential concentration, as well as a reduced order model for predicting particle kinetic energy in turbulent flows.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Modeling stimulated Brillouin backscatter from outer-cone quads across multiple inertial confinement fusion hohlraum designs

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is a potential risk for laser damage in the experiments carried out at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and by altering the energy deposition pattern in hohlraums, it affects the symmetry of indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions. We have surveyed backward SBS on outer-cone quads across NIF integrated hohlraums of various platforms numerically, using three-dimensional (3D) simulations with the backscatter code pF3D [Berger et al. Phys. Plasmas 5, 4337 (1998)] and ray-based gain calculations. Simulated reflected powers and energies, as well as the spectrum of reflected light all compare favorably with measurements. Ray-based calculations of exponential SBS amplification (“gain”), which assume a strongly damped plasma wave and steady-state response, are performed using a novel method that includes the 3D speckled field of the laser that drives SBS. This approach is useful for understanding qualitative differences between hohlraum designs and identifying regions susceptible to SBS within hohlraums. Quantitatively, gains are not found to correlate with SBS reflectivities in 3D, necessitating fully wave-based calculations that naturally include diffraction and various temporal dependencies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Earth Radiation Budget Science, 1978

An earth radiation budget satellite system planned in order to understand climate on various temporal and spatial scales is considered. Topics discussed include: climate modeling, climate diagnostics, radiation modeling, radiation variability and correlation studies, cloudiness and the radiation budget, and radiation budget and related measurements in 1985 and beyond.

Source record↗

Passive and Active L-Band System and Observations During the 2007 CLASIC Campaign

This article describes the upgraded PALS instrument and the characteristics of data acquired from the Cloud Land Atmospheric Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) 2007. The data acquired over lake passes were used to remove the radiometer calibration bias. The calibrated radiometer data showed significant consistency with the L-band land emission model for soil surfaces published in the literature. We observed significant temporal (days) changes of a few dB in the radar data. The change of radar backscatter appeared to correlate well with the change of in-situ soil moisture or the soil moisture data derived from the PALS dual-polarized brightness temperatures. The radar vegetation index also correlated well with the vegetation opacity estimated from the radiometer data. The preliminary analyses suggest complementary information contained in the surface emissivity and backscatter signatures for the retrieval of soil moisture and vegetation water content.

Soil moisture↗

A Method for Snow Reanalysis: The Sierra Nevada (USA) Example

This work presents a state-of-the art methodology for constructing snow water equivalent (SWE) reanalysis. The method is comprised of two main components: (1) a coupled land surface model and snow depletion curve model, which is used to generate an ensemble of predictions of SWE and snow cover area for a given set of (uncertain) inputs, and (2) a reanalysis step, which updates estimation variables to be consistent with the satellite observed depletion of the fractional snow cover time series. This method was applied over the Sierra Nevada (USA) based on the assimilation of remotely sensed fractional snow covered area data from the Landsat 5-8 record (1985-2016). The verified dataset (based on a comparison with over 9000 station years of in situ data) exhibited mean and root-mean-square errors less than 3 and 13 cm, respectively, and correlation greater than 0.95 compared with in situ SWE observations. The method (fully Bayesian), resolution (daily, 90-meter), temporal extent (31 years), and accuracy provide a unique dataset for investigating snow processes. This presentation illustrates how the reanalysis dataset was used to provide a basic accounting of the stored snowpack water in the Sierra Nevada over the last 31 years and ultimately improve real-time streamflow predictions.

Bayesian↗

Estimation of Seasonal Snow Water Equivalent Using Landsat Observations

This work presents a methodology for estimating seasonal snow water equivalent (SWE) from the use of remotely sensed Visible and Near Infrared observations from the Landsat mission. The method is comprised of two main components: (1) a coupled land surface model and snow depletion curve model, which is used to generate an ensemble of predictions of SWE and snow cover area for a given set of (uncertain) inputs, and (2) a reanalysis step, which updates estimation variables to be consistent with the satellite observed depletion of the fractional snow cover time series. This method was applied over the Sierra Nevada (USA) based on the assimilation of remotely sensed fractional snow covered area data over the Landsat 5-8 record (1985-2016). The verified dataset (based on a comparison with over 9000 station years of in situ data) exhibited mean and root-mean-square errors less than 3 and 13 cm, respectively, and correlations with in situ SWE observations of greater than 0.95. The method (fully Bayesian), resolution (daily, 90-meter), temporal extent (32 years), and accuracy provide a unique dataset for investigating snow processes. In particular, this presentation illustrates how the reanalysis dataset was used to provide climatology of the seasonal snowfall accumulation rates, distributions, and variability over the last three decades.

SWE↗

Good and proper: self-similarity of N -body simulations with proper force softening

ABSTRACT Analysis of self-similarity in scale-free N-body simulations reveals the spatial and temporal scales for which statistics measured in cosmological simulations are converged to the physical continuum limit. We examine how the range of scales in which the two-point correlation function is converged depends on the force softening length and whether it is held constant in comoving or proper coordinates. We find that a proper softening that reaches roughly 1/30th of the inter-particle spacing by the end of the simulation resolves the same spatial and temporal scales as a comoving softening of the same length while using a third fewer time-steps, for a range of scale factors typical to Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) simulations. We additionally infer an inherent resolution limit, set by the particle mass and scaling as a−1/2, beyond which reducing the softening does not improve the resolution. We postulate a mapping of these results with spectral index n = −2 to ΛCDM simulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Initial results from the High Altitude Observatory white light coronagraph on Skylab - A progress report

Frequent periodic observations by the white-light coronagraph allow an examination of coronal variations over a broad range of temporal scales. Examples of the slowest and most rapid variations are presented. An example of extremely slow coronal variations is the gradual evolution - to a large equatorial streamer - in association with a marked decrease in solar activity, as the total magnetic flux in one hemisphere decreased. Another example is given of a long-lived quasi-stable coronal streamer, apparently associated with a stable filament channel; comparison of this streamer with coronal potential-magnetic-field computations show little correlation. Some results on coronal transients - the most rapid variations observed - are summarized. Characteristic masses and energies involved in mass-ejection transients, their temporal and spatial distributions, their associations with surface phenomena and possible interplanetary signatures, and their role in coronal evolution are briefly noted.

Macqueen, R. M.↗

The correlation of coronal mass ejections with energetic flare proton events

Proton events of energies of at least 4 MeV presumed due to solar flares are compared with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) observed with an orbiting coronagraph. H alpha flares are associated with 27 of the 50 flare proton events of the study. Each of these 27 flares is then associated temporally and spatially with a CME, confirming the earlier conclusion, based on Skylab data, that a CME may be a necessary condition for a flare proton event. Peak 4-22 MeV proton fluxes correlate with both the speeds and the angular sizes of the associated CMEs. CMEs of larger angular sizes are more likely to be loops or fans rather than jets or spikes and are more likely to intersect the ecliptic.

Kahler, S. W.↗

Oblique and rippled heliosphere structures from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer

Abstract Past analysis has shown that the heliosphere structure can be deduced from correlations between long-scale solar wind pressure evolution and energetic neutral atom emissions. However, this required spatial and temporal averaging that smoothed out small or dynamic features of the heliosphere. In late 2014, the solar wind dynamic pressure increased by roughly 50% over a period of 6 months, causing a time and directional-dependent rise in around 2–6 keV energetic neutral atom fluxes from the heliosphere observed by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer. Here, we use the 2014 pressure enhancement to provide a simultaneous derivation of the three-dimensional heliospheric termination shock (HTS) and heliopause (HP) distances at high resolution from Interstellar Boundary Explorer measurements. The analysis reveals rippled HTS and HP surfaces that are oblique with respect to the local interstellar medium upwind direction, with significant asymmetries in the heliosphere structure compared to steady-state heliosphere models. We estimate that the heliosphere boundaries contain roughly ten astronomical unit-sized spatial variations, with slightly larger variations on the HTS surface than the HP and a large-scale, southwards-directed obliquity of the surfaces in the meridional plane. Comparisons of the derived HTS and HP distances with Voyager observations indicate substantial differences in the heliosphere boundaries in the northern versus southern hemispheres and their motion over time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗