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At least 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

Global Changes of the Water Cycle Intensity

In this study, we evaluate numerical simulations of the twentieth century climate, focusing on the changes in the intensity of the global water cycle. A new diagnostic of atmospheric water vapor cycling rate is developed and employed, that relies on constituent tracers predicted at the model time step. This diagnostic is compared to a simplified traditional calculation of cycling rate, based on monthly averages of precipitation and total water content. The mean sensitivity of both diagnostics to variations in climate forcing is comparable. However, the new diagnostic produces systematically larger values and more variability than the traditional average approach. Climate simulations were performed using SSTs of the early (1902-1921) and late (1979- 1998) twentieth century along with the appropriate C02 forcing. In general, the increase of global precipitation with the increases in SST that occurred between the early and late twentieth century is small. However, an increase of atmospheric temperature leads to a systematic increase in total precipitable water. As a result, the residence time of water in the atmosphere increased, indicating a reduction of the global cycling rate. This result was explored further using a number of 50-year climate simulations from different models forced with observed SST. The anomalies and trends in the cycling rate and hydrologic variables of different GCMs are remarkably similar. The global annual anomalies of precipitation show a significant upward trend related to the upward trend of surface temperature, during the latter half of the twentieth century. While this implies an increase in the hydrologic cycle intensity, a concomitant increase of total precipitable water again leads to a decrease in the calculated global cycling rate. An analysis of the land/sea differences shows that the simulated precipitation over land has a decreasing trend while the oceanic precipitation has an upward trend consistent with previous studies and the available observations. The decreasing continental trend in precipitation is located primarily over tropical land regions, with some other regions, such as North America experiencing an increasing trend. Precipitation trends are diagnosed further using the water tracers to delineate the precipitation that occurs because of continental evaporation, as opposed to oceanic evaporation. These diagnostics show that over global land areas, the recycling of continental moisture is decreasing in time. However, the recycling changes are not spatially uniform so that some regions, most notably over the United States, experience continental recycling of water that increases in time.

Bosilovich, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

On the total energy output of the nova outburst

It is shown that the postmaximum decline in optical light during the outburst of a normal classical nova is caused by a shift in the wavelength of maximum energy to the ultraviolet. The constant-luminosity phase which was directly observed in Nova FH Ser 1970 may, therefore, be common to all novae, regardless of speed class. This implies that all speed classes of novae have similar energy budgets and that it is the total energy involved in the outburst which produces the variation in the observed characteristics of the novae. Recent thermonuclear runaway models for the outburst also show an extended period of high luminosity and high effective temperature following the initial outburst.

Gallagher, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Long-term variations of selected solar wind properties - IMP 6, 7, and 8 results

Studies of the variability of the solar wind are extended to include the minimum of solar cycle 20; attention is given to the He abundance, the relative He-H velocity difference, the He-H temperature ratio, the solar coronal proton density, speed, rms velocity variation, temperature and number flux, and the kinetic and total energy fluxes. The solar wind data are from observations conducted by the IMP-6, -7 and -8 satellites. A well-developed corotating stream structure appearing in January 1973 and disappearing in mid-1976 receives particular consideration. An increase in proton number and total energy fluxes after September 1972 may be due to areal expansion of both polar coronal holes, and may be associated with compression of the low-speed equatorial disk-shaped region postulated to surround the sun in interplanetary space.

Feldman, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Stratospheric water vapor variability for Washington, DC/Boulder, CO - 1964-82

Measurements for Washington, DC and Boulder, CO are combined to provide a time series of midlatitude stratospheric water vapor data for the period 1964-82. The mean concentration for the data period is shown to be nearly constant with altitude for the low stratospheric layer between 16-22 km with a mass mixing ratio for the layer of 2.5-2.6 ppmm. Above 22 km the mixing ratio increases slightly with altitude. Evident in the 60 mb level time series is an annual cycle, a quasi-biennial cycle and a long-term nonlinear trend. The quasi-biennial cycle in water vapor at midlatitudes is consistent with variations in tropical stratosphere zonal winds and temperature and total ozone and suggests a modulation of the Hadley cell circulation. The long-term trend shows mixing ratio increasing during the 1960s and decreasing in the 1970s after 1972.

Mastenbrook, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Samarkand complex setup for investigation of cosmic ray variation in the energy range of 7 10 (9) - 10 (15) eV

The Samarkand complex setup is aimed at the study of cosmic ray variations in a wide energy range from 7 billion eV (which corresponds to the geomagnetic threshold in the region of Samarkand) up to approx 10 to the 15th power to 10 to the 16th power eV. The setup consists of four 6-counter sections of neutron supermonitor with counters SNM-15 and 48 scintillator detectors (1 sq m each) placed under and above the supermonitor. The effective area of the setup for recording neutrons and muons is 24 sq m. The setup can register time variations of the following cosmic ray components: (1) the total neutron counting rate, (2) counting rates for neutrons of different multiplicity, (3) soft-muon fluxes, (4) hard-muon fluxes at various zenith and azimuth angles, (5) electron-photon component, (6) extensive air showers (EAS) induced by primary particles in a wide energy range and accompanied or not accompanied by muons and neutrons.

Dorman, L. I.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Roughness measurements with multipolarization aircraft data

Multipolarization SAR data were collected over the SIR-B target area near Fresno, California, a few days before the Shuttle flight. Attempts to use these data to evaluate roughness models were unsuccessful. It is speculated that the processing of those data to give good total swath and target contrast resulted in very little variation among the bare fields. Special processing to provide adequate contrast among the targets of interest and to account for a large incidence angle variation may be necessary to make these data useful for this type of study.

Engman, E. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Experimental study of three exit pressure distortions on turbine performance

A cold flow air test of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFTP) turbine was conducted with a circumferential pressure distortion at the turbine exit. The effects of three circumferential exit pressure distortions on turbine efficiency and pressure ratio, are presented. Circumferential and radial total pressure, total temperature, static pressure, and flow angle distributions at the turbine exit are also presented. Efficiency and total-to-total pressure ratio are shown to have a circumferential variation as high as 13.7 percent (or points of efficiency) and 7.1 percent, respectively. A slight pressure distortion was measured downstream of the first stage nozzle and the distortion increased across subsequent blade rows to a maximum downstream of the second stage rotor for all three plates. A brief discussion of the test facility, model, instrumentation, and test plan is given for completeness.

Gaddis, Stephen W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Drop size distributions and related properties of fog for five locations measured from aircraft

Fog drop size distributions were collected from aircraft as part of the Synthetic Vision Technology Demonstration Program. Three west coast marine advection fogs, one frontal fog, and a radiation fog were sampled from the top of the cloud to the bottom as the aircraft descended on a 3-degree glideslope. Drop size versus altitude versus concentration are shown in three dimensional plots for each 10-meter altitude interval from 1-minute samples. Also shown are median volume radius and liquid water content. Advection fogs contained the largest drops with median volume radius of 5-8 micrometers, although the drop sizes in the radiation fog were also large just above the runway surface. Liquid water content increased with height, and the total number of drops generally increased with time. Multimodal variations in number density and particle size were noted in most samples where there was a peak concentration of small drops (2-5 micrometers) at low altitudes, midaltitude peak of drops 5-11 micrometers, and high-altitude peak of the larger drops (11-15 micrometers and above). These observations are compared with others and corroborate previous results in fog gross properties, although there is considerable variation with time and altitude even in the same type of fog.

Zak, J. Allen↗
NASA NTRS1994

Ozone formation during an episode over Europe: A 3-D chemical/transport model simulation

A 3-D regional photochemical tracer/transport model for Europe and the Eastern Atlantic has been developed based on the NASA/GISS CTM. The model resolution is 4x5 degrees latitude and longitude with 9 layers in the vertical (7 in the troposphere). Advective winds, convection statistics and other meteorological data from the NASA/GISS GCM are used. An extensive gas-phase chemical scheme based on the scheme used in our global 2D model has been incorporated in the 3D model. In this work ozone formation in the troposphere is studied with the 3D model during a 5 day period starting June 30. Extensive local ozone production is found and the relationship between the source regions and the downwind areas are discussed. Variations in local ozone formation as a function of total emission rate, as well as the composition of the emissions (HC/NO(x)) ratio and isoprene emissions) are elucidated. An important vertical transport process in the troposphere is by convective clouds. The 3D model includes an explicit parameterization of this process. It is shown that this process has significant influence on the calculated surface ozone concentrations.

Berntsen, Terje↗
NASA NTRS1995

Improved Speed Control System for the 87,000 HP Wind Tunnel Drive

This paper describes the design, installation, and integrated systems tests for a new drive motor speed control system which was part of a recent rehab project for the NASA Lewis 8x6 Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The tunnel drive consists of three mechanically-coupled 29,000 HP wound rotor induction motors driving an axial flow compressor. Liquid rheostats are used to vary the impedance of the rotor circuits, thus varying the speed of the drive system. The new design utilizes a distributed digital control system with a dual touch screen CRT operator console to provide alarm monitoring, logging, and trending. The liquid rheostats are driven by brushtype servomotor systems with magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers used for position feedback. The new system achieved all goals for speed variations with load, motor load balance, and control of total power.

Becks, Edward A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Long-Term Variability of Airborne Asian Dust Observed from TOMS

Recent studies suggest that airborne Asian dust may not only play an important role in the regional radiation budget, but also influence the air quality over North America through long-range transport. In this paper, we use satellite data to investigate the long-term variability of airborne Asian dust as well as the daily variation of the dust aerosol distribution. By combining the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) aerosol index with National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) wind data, our analysis shows a strong correlation between the generation of dust storms in the region and the passage of springtime weather fronts. This is consistent with earlier studies performed by other researchers. According to both the Nimbus-7 and Earth-Probe TOMS data the Takla Makan desert, the Gobi desert, and the and region of Inner Mongolia are major sources of the eastward-flowing airborne Asian dust. Heavily populated areas in eastern China (e.g., Beijing) are often on the primary path of the dust storms originating in these desert regions. The increasing desertification north of the Beijing region has served to exacerbate problems stemming from these storms. The time series derived from 20 years of TOMS aerosol index data shows the first significant satellite evidence of the atmospheric effect of increasing desertification, indicating that the amount of dust blown eastward has increased strongly during the past few years including the year 2000.

Herman, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Evidence for a Thick Mantle of Volatile-rich Materials in the Utopia Basin, Mars, Based on Crater Depth/Diameter Measurements

This study focuses on the depth/diameter (d/D) relationships of impact craters within Utopia Basin (25 deg. N - 70 deg. N, 88 deg. W - 150 deg. W), Mars. In order to search for spatial variations in the study area, d/D values for a total of 1,430 craters have been grouped by sub-regions based upon their similar d/D characteristics. This has revealed a significant difference in d/D relationship for craters in north central Utopia basin compared with other parts of the basin, and withother areas on Mars. Preliminary measurements have also been collected in four additional test areas (Acidalia, Sinai, Sirenum, and south of Argyre) for comparison purposes.

Boyce, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Natural abundance deuterium and 18-oxygen effects on the precision of the doubly labeled water method

The doubly labeled water method for measuring total energy expenditure is subject to error from natural variations in the background 2H and 18O in body water. There is disagreement as to whether the variations in background abundances of the two stable isotopes covary and what relative doses of 2H and 18O minimize the impact of variation on the precision of the method. We have performed two studies to investigate the amount and covariance of the background variations. These were a study of urine collected weekly from eight subjects who remained in the Madison, WI locale for 6 wk and frequent urine samples from 14 subjects during round-trip travel to a locale > or = 500 miles from Madison, WI. Background variation in excess of analytical error was detected in six of the eight nontravelers, and covariance was demonstrated in four subjects. Background variation was detected in all 14 travelers, and covariance was demonstrated in 11 subjects. The median slopes of the regression lines of delta2H vs. delta18O were 6 and 7, respectively. Modeling indicated that 2H and 18O doses yielding a 6:1 ratio of final enrichments should minimize this error introduced to the doubly labeled water method.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Observation of Trace Gases Seasonal Variability in the Marine Boundary Layer over the Atlantic Ocean during the ACTIVATE Field Campaign

High resolution in-situ measurements of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapor (H2O) were made onboard the NASA HU-25 aircraft during the ACTIVATE (Aerosol Cloud meteorology Interactions oVer the western Atlantic Experiment) campaign during 2020 and 2021 in different seasons (winter through summer) over the mid-latitude western Atlantic Ocean. As most of the flights focused on the marine boundary layer (MBL) during the campaign, these trace gas observations are an excellent data set to examine seasonal variability of trace gas background values in the MBL without the influence of localized point sources. We will describe the variability of these trace gases in the MBL background by filtering out concentrated point sources using back trajectory analysis along with trace gas ratios. Additionally, the ocean is a significant sink of anthropogenic CO2 capturing about one quarter of total anthropogenic carbon. By looking at the MBL CO2 variation as a function of season, we discuss observed changes in CO2 uptake over the ocean. These high accuracy observations of trace gas backgrounds in the MBL along with characterizing seasonal effects on oceanic sequestering of anthropogenic CO2 will improve the understanding of seasonal variations and change in climate and inverse modelling over the ocean.

Yonghoon Choi↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Measurements on the BOLT Geometry in the Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel

Experiments were performed in the Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel on the BOundary-Layer Transition (BOLT) geometry. The goal of this campaign was to assess changes to the transition front by varying the freestream noise and the model surface quality. The model was printed of polycarbonate and is 30% scale of the flight geometry. It was tested under noisy and quiet conditions at different streamwise positions in the tunnel and was also tested before and after improvements were made to the model surface through sanding and gap reduction. Pitch and yaw angles were nominally zero. The model surface temperature was measured using infrared thermography and thermocouples as the unit Reynolds number was swept from 4.75 – 15.8 × 10 6 m −1 . Boundary-layer transition was observed near the midspan of the model for unit Reynolds numbers above 10×10 6 m −1 in quiet flow, while transition was already observed on the shoulders below 5×10 6 m −1 in noisy flow. The model surface enhancements improved the symmetry of the transition front for quiet flow but made only slight differences for noisy flow. In quiet flow, the impact of streamwise positioning on transition was more significant on the model shoulders compared to the central region. The difference in the shoulder heating was likely due to variation in noise radiated from the nozzle sidewalls. The total temperature and initial wall temperatures were near 300 K and 293 K, respectively, which generally resulted in negative convective heat-flux values into the model. Hot-wire anemometry was also utilized to characterize the freestream and to conduct a planar survey near the base of the model for the 7.92 × 10 6 m −1 quiet condition. The survey captured the thickening of the boundary layer at the centerline and the vortical nature of the flow outboard of it. Spectral analysis of the mass-flux fluctuations near the midspan demonstrates that the boundary layer is laminar and suggests that the thick boundary layer caused the relatively warm centerline observed in the infrared images.

boundary layer transition↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Measurements on the BOLT Geometry in the Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel

Experiments were performed in the Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel on the BOundary-Layer Transition (BOLT) geometry. The goal of this campaign was to assess changes to the transition front by varying the freestream noise and the model surface quality. The model was printed of polycarbonate and is 30% scale of the flight geometry. It was tested under noisy and quiet conditions at different streamwise positions in the tunnel and was also tested before and after improvements were made to the model surface through sanding and gap reduction. Pitch and yaw angles were nominally zero. The model surface temperature was measured using infrared thermography and thermocouples as the unit Reynolds number was swept from 4.75 -- 15.8 x 10^6 m^{-1}. Boundary-layer transition was observed near the midspan of the model for unit Reynolds numbers above 10 x 10^6 m^{-1} in quiet flow, while transition was already observed on the shoulders below 5 x 10^6 m^{-1} in noisy flow. The model surface enhancements improved the symmetry of the transition front for quiet flow but made only slight differences for noisy flow. In quiet flow, the impact of streamwise positioning on transition was more significant on the model shoulders compared to the central region. The difference in the shoulder heating was likely due to variation in noise radiated from the nozzle sidewalls. The total temperature and initial wall temperatures were near 300 K and 293 K, respectively, which generally resulted in negative convective heat-flux values into the model. Hot-wire anemometry was also utilized to characterize the freestream and to conduct a planar survey near the base of the model for the 7.92 x 10^6 m^{-1} quiet condition. The survey captured the thickening of the boundary layer at the centerline and the vortical nature of the flow outboard of it. Spectral analysis of the mass-flux fluctuations near the midspan demonstrates that the boundary layer is laminar and suggests that the thick boundary layer caused the relatively warm centerline observed in the infrared images.

boundary layer transition↗
NASA NTRS1981

Solar total irradiance observations by active cavity radiometers

Investigations have been conducted concerning the development of new cavity pyrheliometer for an absolute measurement of solar irradiance both in preflight testing of spacecraft and in flight experiments to measure the total solar flux. A series of instruments developed as part of this program are electrically self-calibrated cavity pyrheliometers whose mode of operation is characterized by the name Active Cavity Radiometer (ACR). The temperatures of their cavity sensors are servocontrolled, actively maintained at constant temperatures relative to their heat sinks by electrical heating. The solar irradiance is related to the International System of Units by measuring the difference in amount of electrical heating required with the cavity sensor alternately shaded and exposed to the sun. Studies conducted with the ACR are discussed. While variations of a few tenths of a percent in solar total irradiance lasting no more than a week or two have been detected, no long term trends were identified.

Willson, R. C.↗