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At least 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Predictability of time averages. I - Dynamical predictability of monthly means. II - The influence of the boundary forcings

The physical basis for the dynamic prediction of monthly means in weather parameters is examined in two papers. In the first paper, an attempt is made to determine the theoretical upper limit of dynamical predictability of monthly means for prescribed nonfluctuating external forcings. In the second paper, the physical mechanisms through which changes in the boundary forcings of SST, soil moisture, albedo, and snow influence atmospheric circulation are discussed. On the basis of both studies, the essential requirements for establishing the physical basis for dynamical prediction of monthly means are to show that: (1) fluctuations of monthly means are larger than can be expected due to sampling of day-to-day weather changes; (2) there are low frequency planetary scale components of circulation which remain predictable beyond the limits of synoptic scale predictability; and (3) the influences of the slowly varying boundary conditions of SST, soil moisture, snow, sea ice are large enough to produce significant and detectable changes in the monthly mean circulations. Observational and numerical evidence which support these requirements are presented.

Shukla, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Air-Sea Interaction During Cold Air Outbreaks

The NOAA P-3 1-sec and 20 Hz gust probe data, dropsonde measurements, and lidar data were combined to study the organized convection and the effects of the coastal shape and the sea surface temperature (SST) pattern on the development of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) during cold air outbreaks. The preliminary analysis indicated that the SST pattern and the coastal shape caused the MABL to deepen eastward and southward, which is in good agreement with the suggestion of Atlas et al. (1983). Also, good agreements were found between the lidar data and the NOAA P-3 and dropsonde date, e.g., the boundary heights, the dominant scales of motion, and the heat flux ratio between the top of MABL and the sea surface. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) height measured by lidar was found to be in good agreement with that measured by the dropsonde temperature profile. Assuming a linear heat flux profile in the clear PBL, the heat flux ratio between the PBL top and the surface may be estimated from the ratio of the entrainment zone to the completely mixed boundary layer height. The heat flux ratio estimated by lidar measurements was found to be in good agreement with that derived from the gust probe data.

Chou, S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Low-frequency microwave radiometer for N-ROSS

The all weather, global determination of sea surface temperature (SST) has been identified as a requirement needed to support naval operations. The target SST accuracy is + or - 1.0 K with a surface resolution of 10 km. Investigations of the phenomenology and technology of remote passive microwave sensing of the ocean environment over the past decade have demonstrated that this objective is presently attainable. Preliminary specification and trade off studies were conducted to define the frequency, polarization, scan geometry, antenna size, and other esstential parameters of the low frequency microwave radiometer (LFMR). It will be a dual polarized, dual frequency system at 5.2 and 10.4 GHz using a 4.9 meter deployable mesh surface antenna. It is to be flown on the Navy-Remote Ocean Sensing System (N-ROSS) satellite scheduled to be launched in late 1988.

Hollinger, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Satellite-derived sea surface temperature - Workshop comparisons

A series of three workshops was held between January 1983 and February 1984 to assess the current status of global sea surface temperature (SST) measurement from space. Workshop participants included sensor scientists, radiative transfer specialists, and users of SST data in the disciplines of oceanography and climate. Data from four satellite sensors (three infrared and one microwave) were evaluated by direct comparison with each other and with data from ships, XBTs, and buoys. The satellite data showed good agreement in a global rms sense (about 0.5-1.0 C), but several anomalous regional biases were also observed. The nature of these biases and techniques for their removal require further study.

Njoku, E. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Data sets and products

Against background of spacecraft and in situ measurements, participants at the JPL workshops sought to review the sensor performance, understand the different SSt retrieval algorithms, evaluate the sensor SST accuracies, and discuss directions for future sensor development. The issue of utilization of satellite SSTs in climate, air sea interaction, and mesoscale oceanography studies was not the main focus of the workshops, but did have a bearing on the recommendations that arose from the discussions. More date were available for analysis with the acquisition of AVHRR (MCSST), HIRS/MSU, and VAS data sets. In Workshop 3 the acquisition and analysis fo data were completed, recommendations for future research and sensor development were discussed, and plans were made for eventual publication of results from the workshop series in the open literature.

Hilland, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Sea surface temperatures from VAS MSI data

The results of the SST intercomparison workshop series are the first examination of monthly mean SSTs derived from MSI data provided by the VAS instrument on the GOES series satellites. The most significant change in deriving the SST's was the use of the three window channel algorithm in the processing of the July data as opposed to the use of only the two window channel algorithm for the March data. In addition, further satellite/buoy matches indicated that the triple window channel algorithm showed a smaller standard deviation than the two window channel algorithm and was less sensitive to the effects of volcanic aerosol contamination and low level inversion conditions. This is due to the smaller brightness temperature attenuation by aerosols and water vapor at 3.9 microns than at 11.0 and 12.6 microns. Thus, the decision was made to use the best product (i.e., the three window channel aglorithm) for processing the July data.

Bates, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Propulsion challenges and opportunities for high-speed transport aircraft

For several years there was a growing interest in the subject of efficient sustained supersonic cruise technology applied to a high-speed transport aircraft. The major challenges confronting the propulsion community for supersonic transport (SST) applications are identified. Both past progress and future opportunities are discussed in relation to perceived technology shortfalls for an economically successful SST that satisfies environmental constraints. A very large improvement in propulsion system efficiency is needed both at supersonic and subsonic cruise conditions. Toward that end, several advanced engine concepts are being considered that, together with advanced discipline and component technologies, promise at least 40 percent better efficiency that the Concorde engine. The quest for higher productivity through higher speed is also thwarted by the lack of a conventional, low-priced fuel that is thermally stable at the higher temperatures associated with faster flight. Airport noise remains a tough challenge because previously researched concepts fall short of achieving FAR 36 Stage 3 noise levels. Innovative solutions may be necessary to reach acceptably low noise. While the technical challenges are indeed formidable, it is reasonable to assume that the current shortfalls in fuel economy and noise can be overcome through an aggressive propulsion research program.

Strack, William C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Supersonic propulsion systems and community noise suppression concepts

After a brief evaluation of advanced SST propulsion cycles, the ability of various alternative designs to meet community noise suppression requirements during prospective international airport operations are discussed. Attention is given to the noise suppression features that may allow SST variable thermodynamic cycle engines incorporating numerous variable-geometry features to expose airport communities to noise levels no greater than those of current wide-body subsonic airliners.

Nihart, Gene L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission

It has long been noted that anomalies in the sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropics are strongly correlated with climate in the temperate latitudes on a seasonal time scale. The ability to measure the global SST and the atmospheric pressure/temperature patterns has made great progress. However, rainfall measurement, the putative connection between the two, is poorly accomplished. The Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) was conceived to fill this gap. The TRMM spacecraft would fly in a low inclination, (about 35 deg), orbit which would concentrate the sampling in the very important tropical latitudes. The precession of such an orbit would enable observations at all times of the day over the span of a month which would permit corrections for the diurnal cycle of precipitation which is quite marked in parts of the tropics. The payload of the TRMM spacecraft is carefully designed to provide accurate measurements of rain. It consists of microwave radiometers, a microwave radar and visible/infrared radiometer. The two types of microwave instruments provide direct measurements of the hydrometeors, each having strengths which compensate for weaknesses of the other. The VIS/IR instrument provides a connection to the long time series of VIS/IR measurements from polar and Geosynchronous spacecraft which are currently the best available source of global rainfall estimates. The TRMM is currently in a phase A (feasibility) study.

Wilheit, T. T.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Exhaust Nozzles for Propulsion Systems with Emphasis on Supersonic Cruise Aircraft

This compendium summarizes the contributions of the NASA-Lewis and its contractors to supersonic exhaust nozzle research from 1963 to 1985. Two major research and technology efforts sponsored this nozzle research work; the U.S. Supersonic Transport (SST) Program and the follow-on Supersonic Cruise Research (SCR) Program. They account for two generations of nozzle technology: the first from 1963 to 1971, and the second from 1971 to 1985. First, the equations used to calculate nozzle thrust are introduced. Then the general types of nozzles are presented, followed by a discussion of those types proposed for supersonic aircraft. Next, the first-generation nozzles designed specifically for the Boeing SST and the second-generation nozzles designed under the SCR program are separately reviewed and then compared. A chapter on throttle-dependent afterbody drag is included, since drag has a major effect on the off-design performance of supersonic nozzles. A chapter on the performance of supersonic dash nozzles follows, since these nozzles have similar design problems, Finally, the nozzle test facilities used at NASA-Lewis during this nozzle research effort are identified and discussed. These facilities include static test stands, a transonic wind tunnel, and a flying testbed aircraft. A concluding section points to the future: a third generation of nozzles designed for a new era of high speed civil transports to produce even greater advances in performance, to meet new noise rules, and to ensure the continuity of over two decades of NASA research.

Stitt, Leonard E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Diurnal ocean surface layer model validation

The diurnal ocean surface layer (DOSL) model at the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center forecasts the 24-hour change in a global sea surface temperatures (SST). Validating the DOSL model is a difficult task due to the huge areas involved and the lack of in situ measurements. Therefore, this report details the use of satellite infrared multichannel SST imagery to provide day and night SSTs that can be directly compared to DOSL products. This water-vapor-corrected imagery has the advantages of high thermal sensitivity (0.12 C), large synoptic coverage (nearly 3000 km across), and high spatial resolution that enables diurnal heating events to be readily located and mapped. Several case studies in the subtropical North Atlantic readily show that DOSL results during extreme heating periods agree very well with satellite-imagery-derived values in terms of the pattern of diurnal warming. The low wind and cloud-free conditions necessary for these events to occur lend themselves well to observation via infrared imagery. Thus, the normally cloud-limited aspects of satellite imagery do not come into play for these particular environmental conditions. The fact that the DOSL model does well in extreme events is beneficial from the standpoint that these cases can be associated with the destruction of the surface acoustic duct. This so-called afternoon effect happens as the afternoon warming of the mixed layer disrupts the sound channel and the propagation of acoustic energy.

Hawkins, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Climatological perspectives, oceanographic and meteorological, on variability in the subtropical convergence zone in the northwestern Atlantic

The large-scale climatological environment of the Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment (FASINEX) is described, with emphasis on the largest scales. Both long-term and annual sea surface temperature (SST) variability is discussed; a climatology of the west-central North Atlantic, derived from various sets of data obtained during the intensive phases of January-March, is presented, and the meteorological and oceanographic context for FASINEX is thus established. Surface marine observations and SST variability are discussed, and the marine meteorology of the FASINEX area is examined in terms of the surface pressure and winds, the sea-air temperature difference, and the cloud cover. Near 28 deg N in February is found to be a favorable time and place to observe large mean temperature gradients and downward Ekman pumping. The large-scale processes that set up the favorable environment for frontal activity are not limited to the winter months.

Hanson, Howard P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Air-sea fluxes and surface layer turbulence around a sea surface temperature front

The observed effects of sharp changes in sea surface temperature (SST) on the air-sea fluxes, surface roughness, and the turbulence structure in the surface layer and the marine atmospheric boundary layer are discussed. In situ flux and turbulence observations were carried out from three aircraft and two ships within the FASINEX framework. Three other aircraft used remote sensors to measure waves, microwave backscatter, and lidar signatures of cloud tops. Descriptions of the techniques, intercomparison of aircraft and ship flux data, and use of different methods for analyzing the fluxes from the aircraft data are described. Changing synoptic weather on three successive days yielded cases of wind direction both approximately parallel and perpendicular to a surface temperature front. For the wind perpendicular to the front, wind over both cold-to-warm and warm-to-cold surface temperatures occurred. Model results consistent with the observations suggest that an internal boundary layer forms at the SST.

Friehe, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

On the seasonal phytoplankton concentration and sea surface temperature cycles of the Gulf of Mexico as determined by satellites

Multiyear series of coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) and AVHRR observations are presently used to derive monthly climatologies of near-surface phytoplankton pigment concentration and SST for the Gulf of Mexico; these, in combination with 1946-1987 SST data and NOAA hydrographic profile data covering 1914-1985, show that the most important single factor controlling seasonal cycle surface-pigment concentration is the depth of the mixed layer. The CZCS images indicate that seasonal variation seaward of the continental shelf is synchronous throughout the Gulf. The combination of ocean color and IR images allows year-round observation of surface circulation spatial structure in the Gulf, as well as of the dispersal pattern of the Mississippi River's plume.

Mueller-Karger, Frank E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The earth's radiation budget and its relation to atmospheric hydrology. I - Observations of the clear sky greenhouse effect. II - Observations of cloud effects

The clear-sky components of the earth's radiation budget (ERB), the relationship of these components to the sea surface temperature (SST), and microwave-derived water-vapor amount are analyzed in an observational study along with the relationship between the cloudy-sky components of ERB and space/time coincident observations of SST, microwave-derived cloud liquid water, and cloud cover. The purpose of the study is to use these observations for establishing an understanding of the couplings between radiation and the atmosphere that are important to understanding climate feedback. A strategy for studying the greenhouse effect of earth by analyzing the emitted clear-sky longwave flux over the ocean is proposed. It is concluded that the largest observed influence of clouds on ERB is more consistent with macrophysical properties of clouds as opposed to microphysical properties. The analysis for clouds and the greenhouse effect of clouds is compared quantitatively with the clear sky results. Land-ocean differences and tropical-midlatitude differences are shown and explained in terms of the cloud macrostructure.

Stephens, Graeme L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Sea surface temperature-cloud relationship

Initial results are reported from an observational study which determines how clouds change when the surface warms. Strong regional variation which highlights many features of the atmosphere is found. Analysis of high cloud-SST least absolute deviation indicates that high clouds tend to increase with increasing SST. The idea that the cloud radiative feedback loop in global warming is positive is validated.

Peterson, Thomas C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Issues in establishing causes of the 1988 drought over North America

The causes and physical mechanisms involved in the 1988 North American drought are investigated. The issue of when the drought circulation anomalies developed and their relation to changes in tropical Pacific SSTs is examined. The evolution of the Pacific SSTs and tropical convection, as revealed by outgoing LW radiation, is shown to be consistent with the development of the conditions favorable for initiating the drought circulation pattern in April through June of 1988. On the equator at 110 deg W, SST anomalies exceeded -2.75 C only in April, May, and June, and were largest (-4.1 C) in May 1988. Diagnostic calculations of atmospheric diabatic heating confirm that atmospheric heating anomalies existed in the tropical Pacific in association with the major SST anomalies during this time. It is argued that feedback-caused soil moisture anomalies were secondary sources for the drought circulation but could not have been the primary instigator.

Trenberth, Kevin E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Integration of satellite and surface data using a radiative-convective oceanic boundary-layer model

A mixing-line boundary-layer model is used to retrieve cloud-top height from satellite-derived cloud-top temperatures, using 700-hPa National Meteorological Center (NMC) analyses and the Comprehensive Ocean and Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) surface data as supporting datasets. Results are compared with the fixed-lapse-rate method of retrieving boundary-layer depth from sea surface temperatures (SST) and cloud-top temperatures. A radiative-convective equilibrium boundary-layer model is used to retrieve boundary-layer structure given SST and surface wind, satellite cloud-top temperatures and cloud fraction, and the 700-hPa NMC thermodynamic analyses. Good agreement is found between the COADS data and the model solutions for low-level temperature and moisture. This suggests that equilibrium boundary-layer models may be of use over remote oceans in the retrieval of boundary-layer structure.

Betts, Alan K.↗