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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Evolution of microwave sea ice signatures during early summer and midsummer in the marginal ice zone

Emissivities at frequencies from 5 to 94 GHz and backscatter at frequencies from 1 to 17 GHz were measured from sea ice in Fram Strait during the marginal Ice Zone Experiment in June and July of 1983 and 1984. The ice observed was primarily multiyear; the remainder, first-year ice, was often deformed. Results from this active and passive microwave study include the description of the evolution of the sea ice during early summer and midsummer; the absorption properties of summer snow; the interrelationship between ice thickness and the state and thickness of snow; and the modulation of the microwave signature, especially at the highest frequencies, by the freezing of the upper few centimeters of the ice.

Onstott, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A system identification technique based on the random decrement signatures. Part 1: Theory and simulation

Identification of the system parameters of a randomly excited structure may be treated using a variety of statistical techniques. Of all these techniques, the Random Decrement is unique in that it provides the homogeneous component of the system response. Using this quality, a system identification technique was developed based on a least-squares fit of the signatures to estimate the mass, damping, and stiffness matrices of a linear randomly excited system. The mathematics of the technique is presented in addition to the results of computer simulations conducted to demonstrate the prediction of the response of the system and the random forcing function initially introduced to excite the system.

Bedewi, Nabih E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A system identification technique based on the random decrement signatures. Part 2: Experimental results

Identification of the system parameters of a randomly excited structure may be treated using a variety of statistical techniques. Of all these techniques, the Random Decrement is unique in that it provides the homogeneous component of the system response. Using this quality, a system identification technique was developed based on a least-squares fit of the signatures to estimate the mass, damping, and stiffness matrices of a linear randomly excited system. The results of an experiment conducted on an offshore platform scale model to verify the validity of the technique and to demonstrate its application in damage detection are presented.

Bedewi, Nabih E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Generation of plasma waves by thick-target electron beams, and the expected radiation signature

The production of plasma waves by a nonthermal beam of high-energy electrons injected into a background thermal plasma was investigated. The coupled kinetic equations for nonthermal electrons were solved, and the level of the plasma waves produced by the bump-on-tail instability arising as a result of the Coulomb collisions of nonthermal electrons with background plasma was estimated. In addition, the radiation signatures of these waves were examined. It is shown that the wave-particle interactions have a significant effect on the overall distribution of the electrons and that it is unlikely that such effects can be discerned in the observed bremsstrahlung or synchrotron radiation of the nonthermal electrons. However, a significant fraction of the energy lost by the beam is transferred to plasma waves and is then dissipated by the thermal plasma.

Hamilton, Russell J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Ionospheric convection signatures and magnetic field topology

A statistical study of signatures of the high-latitude ionospheric convection pattern and the simultaneously observed energetic electron precipitation is presented. Most often found are convection cells in which the sunward flowing region contains auroral particle precipitation but the antisunward flowing region does not. However, observations also show the frequent occurrence of convection cells in which neither the antisunward nor the sunward flowing plasma region contains auroral particle precipitation. These findings may appear within the dawnside or duskside convection pattern and strongly suggest that such convection cells may be associated with open magnetic field lines that thread the magnetotail lobes.

Coley, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Thermospheric neutral wind signatures dependent on the east-west component of the interplanetary magnetic field for Northern and Southern Hemispheres as measured from Dynamics Explorer-2

DE-2 neutral-wind measurements obtained between November and January 1981-1982 and 1982-1983 were analyzed to investigate the effect of the sign of the IMF By component on neutral thermosphere dynamics at F-region altitudes. Maps of the mean neutral circulation for the northern (winter) and southern (summer) polar regions were derived for By positive and negative using polar geomagnetic coordinates. The mean neutral winds demonstrate clear By-dependent neutral wind signatures in both hemispheres.

Thayer, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Atmospheric effect on spectral signature - Measurements

In order to study the spectral atmospheric effect on remote sensing, measurements of the spectral signature of surface cover were conducted during hazy conditions. Simultaneous measurements of the aerosol optical thickness and its vertical distribution were carried out. The upward radiance in high flight were also simulated by radiative transfer computations, and the results were compared with the measurements. It is suggested that the radiances over dark areas can be used to derive the aerosol optical thickness. Combined with climatological information, the derived optical thickness can be used to perform corrections of the atmospheric effect.

Kaufman, Yoram J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Implications of large flow velocity signatures in nearly isotropic ion distributions

ISEE-1 energetic ion distributions are compared with previously published lower-energy ISEE-1 H(+) and He(2+) distributions in the quiet-time plasma sheet at about 15 earth radii and within about 1 earth radius of the expected neutral sheet position. Although moment calculations performed over the nearly isotropic H(+) and He(2+) plasma distributions yield low bulk velocities of less than 14 km/s, the spectral shapes of these signatures are indicative of high flow speeds. It is suggested that H(+) and H(2+) ions of solar wind origin were accelerated through an electrostatic potential of about 2.4 kV prior to the ISEE-1 observations in the plasma sheet on a closed magnetospheric field line, and that a second plasma sheet population existed at this ISEE-1 position in the geomagnetic field.

Williams, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Atmospheric effect on spectral signature - Measurements and corrections

Measurements of the atmospheric effect on the spectral signature of surface cover were conducted during hazy conditions over the Chesapeake Bay and its eastern shore. In the experiment the upward radiance was measured by an airborne scanning radiometer in nine spectral bands between 465 and 773 nm, above and below the haze layer. Simultaneous measurements of the aerosol optical thickness and its vertical distribution were conducted. The results of the measurements are used to study the spectral dependence of the atmospheric effect on remote sensing of water bodies and vegetated fields (forest, corn field, and pasture), and to verify theoretical predictions. It is suggested that the radiances over dark areas (e.g., water in the near IR and forest in the visible) can be used to derive the aerosol optical thickness as is done over oceans with the CZCS satellite images. Combined with climatological information, the derived optical thickness can be used to perform corrections of the atmospheric effect. Examples of the derivation of the aerosol optical thickness and correction of the upward radiances are given.

Kaufman, Yoram J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Geological remote sensing signatures of terrestrial impact craters

Geological remote sensing techniques can be used to investigate structural, depositional, and shock metamorphic effects associated with hypervelocity impact structures, some of which may be linked to global Earth system catastrophies. Although detailed laboratory and field investigations are necessary to establish conclusive evidence of an impact origin for suspected crater landforms, the synoptic perspective provided by various remote sensing systems can often serve as a pathfinder to key deposits which can then be targetted for intensive field study. In addition, remote sensing imagery can be used as a tool in the search for impact and other catastrophic explosion landforms on the basis of localized disruption and anomaly patterns. In order to reconstruct original dimensions of large, complex impact features in isolated, inaccessible regions, remote sensing imagery can be used to make preliminary estimates in the absence of field geophysical surveys. The experienced gained from two decades of planetary remote sensing of impact craters on the terrestrial planets, as well as the techniques developed for recognizing stages of degradation and initial crater morphology, can now be applied to the problem of discovering and studying eroded impact landforms on Earth. Preliminary results of remote sensing analyses of a set of terrestrial impact features in various states of degradation, geologic settings, and for a broad range of diameters and hence energies of formation are summarized. The intention is to develop a database of remote sensing signatures for catastrophic impact landforms which can then be used in EOS-era global surveys as the basis for locating the possibly hundreds of missing impact structures. In addition, refinement of initial dimensions of extremely recent structures such as Zhamanshin and Bosumtwi is an important objective in order to permit re-evaluation of global Earth system responses associated with these types of events.

Garvin, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Deccan volcanism and K-T boundary signatures

The Deccan Traps in the Indian subcontinent represent one of the most extensive flood basalt provinces in the world. These basalts occur mainly as flat-lying, subaerially erupted tholeiitic lava flows, some of which are traceable for distances of more than 100 km. Offshore drilling and geophysical surveys indicate that a part of the Deccan subsided or was downfaulted to the west beneath the Arabian Sea. The presence of 1 to 5 m thick intertrappean sediments deposited by lakes and rivers indicates periods of quiescence between eruptions. The occurrence of numerous red bole beds among the flows suggests intense weathering of flow tops between eruptive intervals. Although the causative relationship of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) biotic extinctions to Deccan volcanism is debatable, the fact that the main Deccan eruptions straddle the K-T event appears beyond doubt from the recent Ar-40/Ar-39 ages of various Deccan flows. This temporal relationship of the K-T event with Deccan volcanism makes the petrochemical signatures of the entire Deccan sequence (basalt flows, intercalated intertrappean sediments, infratrappean Lameta beds (with dinosaur fossils), and the bole beds) pertinent to studies of the K-T event. The results of ongoing study is presented.

Murali, A. V.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A predicted energetic ion signature of a neutral line in the geomagnetic tail

Under certain assumptions one can predict the formation of a magnetic neutral line on theoretical grounds, generally as a result of an unstable current sheet. Neutral points also seen to form spontaneously in a wide variety of plasma simulatioons, from MHD to fully kinetic. Hence, such magnetic null regions are central to some models of magnetotail energization and magnetic substorms. Yet the observational evidence for such regions remains controversial. This paper presents a new signature of a neutral line: the field-aligned ion beam characteristic of current sheet acceleration becomes dispersed into a 'ridge' in the velocity space distribution function as a neutral line is approached. The results were obtained using single-particle simulations in a fixed magnetic field model. The origin of the ridge is shown to be due to initially earthward going ions which pass through the neutral line region. These ions come from a smaller part of the initially antiearthward flowing distribution, generating the depletion of the distribution function below the ridge.

Martin, R. F., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Observations of ionospheric convection vortices - Signatures of momentum transfer

Several classes of traveling vortices in the dayside ionospheric flow have been detected and tracked using the Greenland magnetometer chain. One class observed during quiet times consists of a continuous series of vortices moving generally antisunward for several hours at a time. Assuming each vortex to be the convection pattern produced by a small field aligned current moving across the ionosphere, the amount of field aligned current was found by fitting a modeled ground magnetic signature to measurements from the chain of magnetometers. The calculated field aligned current is seen to be steady for each vortex and neighboring vortices have currents of opposite sign. Low altitude DMSP observations indicate the vortices are on field lines which map to the inner edge of the low latitude boundary layer. Because the vortices are conjugate to the boundary layer, repeat in a regular fashion and travel antisunward, it is argued that this class of vortices is caused by surface waves at the magnetopause. No strong correlations between field aligned current strength and solar wind density, velocity, or Bz is found.

Mchenry, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The signature of a black hole transit

This paper considers the possibility of identifying a black hole on the basis of the detection of some unique effect occurring during the transit of a black hole across the stellar disk of a companion star in a binary system. The results of Monte-Carlo calculations show that the amplitude of the photometric and polarimetric light curves in a typical X-ray binary is too small to be observed with present instrumentation, but that a black hole transit might be detectable in a binary having a large separation of the components. No binary system suggested as containing a stellar-mass-sized black hole is a like candidate to exhibit an observable transit signature, with the possible exception of X Persei/4U0352+30 described by White et al. (1976).

Dolan, Joseph F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Pre-pulses: Signature of a trigger process in short (less than 60 secs) solar hard x ray flares

The continuing study of short hard x ray events (less than 60 sec duration) from the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) Hard X ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS) instrument has revealed a unique feature. A well-separated distinctly identifiable, narrow (2 to 6 sec wide) pulse occurs prior to the start of the longer-flare lasting emission activity. Light curves are presented for eight events showing this feature. The pre-pulses show symmetrical rise and fall times. Spectral evolution of the pre-pulses are presented and their evolution compared to that of the main event spectra. It is argued that this feature be the elementary flare burst (de Jager, 1978). These pre-pulses could be a signature of the magnetic reconnection phenomenon discussed by Sturrock et al., (1984).

Deasi, U.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Sonic boom signature data from cruciform microphone array experiments during the 1966-1967 EAFB national sonic boom evaluation program

Tables are provided of measured sonic boom signature data derived from supersonic flyover tests of the XB-70, B-58 and F-104 aircraft for ranges of altitude and Mach number. These tables represent a convenient hard copy version of available electronic files and complement preliminary information included in a reference National Sonic Boom Evaluation Office document.

Hubbard, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Target signature modeling and bistatic scattering measurement studies

An annual report that summarizes the work done on Grant No. NAG2-542 is presented. There are four areas of study to be summarized: (1) bistatic scattering measurement studies for a compact range; (2) target signature modeling for test and evaluation hardware in the loop situations; (3) aircraft code modification study; and (4) SATCOM antenna studies on aircraft.

Burnside, W. D.↗