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At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Disdrometer measurements during a unique rainfall event in central Illinois and their implication for differential reflectivity radar observations

Understanding of the natural variability of rainfall is essential in order to assess radar's ability to estimate rainfall characteristics such as rainfall rate, rainfall water content and drop size distribution parameters. The two most useful measurements of rainfall for this purpose derive from ground-based disdrometers and aircraft-borne drop size spectrometers. Accordingly, this paper examines a time series of disdrometer measurements obtained during a unique rainfall event which occurred in central Illinois on October 6, 1982. The measurements are used to predict the behavior of radar observables (reflectivity factor and differential reflectivity) for application to the estimation of rainfall parameters. The results support previous theoretical predictions (Seliga and Bringi, 1976) and experimental results (Seliga et al., 1979, 1981; Bringi et al., 1982; Hall et al., 1980; Goddard et al., 1982) based upon the differential reflectivity (ZDR) radar technique.

Seliga, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A TM Tasseled Cap equivalent transformation for reflectance factor data

A transformation of TM-waveband reflectance-factor data which provides features related as directly as possible to the corresponding TM Tasseled Cap brightness, greennes, and wetness features is presented. The reflectance factor transformation is based on spectrometer data integrated over the prelaunch composite-detector response functions of the Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper. A description, in general terms, of the approach for adjusting the transformation matrix to other types of reflectance factor data (different instrument or band response) is given.

Crist, E. P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Airborne Doppler radar velocity measurements of precipitation seen in ocean surface reflection

The use of airborne or spaceborne radars to observe precipitation simultaneously directly and in reflection could provide significant new opportunities for measuring the properties of the precipitation, wind field, and ocean surface. Atlas and Meneghini (1983) have proposed that the difference between direct and reflected precipitation echo intensities observed with a nadir-directed beam is a measure of two-way attenuation and thus of path average rain rate, taking into account an employment of direct and reflected echoes from very near the ocean surface to normalize for ocean surface scatter. In the present paper, some key meteorological and oceanographic research applications are illustrated, giving particular attention to airborne Doppler radar velocity measurements of the precipitation.

Atlas, D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The role of the reflection coefficient in precision measurement of ultrasonic attenuation

Ultrasonic attenuation measurements using contact, pulse-echo techniques are sensitive to surface roughness and couplant thickness variations. This can reduce considerable inaccuracies in the measurement of the attenuation coefficient for broadband pulses. Inaccuracies arise from variations in the reflection coefficient at the buffer-couplant-sample interface. The reflection coefficient is examined as a function of the surface roughness and corresponding couplant thickness variations. Interrelations with ultrasonic frequency are illustrated. Reliable attenuation measurements are obtained only when the frequency dependence of the reflection coefficient is incorporated in signal analysis. Data are given for nickel 200 samples and a silicon nitride ceramic bar having surface roughness variations in the 0.3 to 3.0 microns range for signal bandwidths in the 50 to 100 MHz range.

Generazio, E. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Colors of reflection nebulae. II - The excitation of extended red emission

New BVI color-difference measurements are reported for the reflection nebulae NGC 7023, NGC 2068, and CED 201. The data are obtained through BVI imaging with a CCD detector and are analyzed together with previously published measurements for the reflection nebula NGC 2023. All four nebulae are substantially redder in the (V, I) range than expected on the basis of dust scattering alone, a result of the presence of extended emission in the I band. The relative strength of the I excess reaches a maximum in nebular regions where the color in the (B, V) range is bluest. These facts are interpreted in terms of a model which explains the extended I emission as a luminescence process excited by UV radiation from the illuminating star(s). Model fits identify the wavelength region between 1800 and 2500 A of the illuminating star's spectrum as the source of the energy of excitation. It appears possible that the 2200 A band in the dust-extinction curve is a gate for the excitation energy, and it is likely that the I excess emission and the extended near-IR emission recently discovered in reflection nebulae are similar in nature and origin.

Witt, A. N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Directional reflectance factor distributions for cover types of Northern Africa

Directional reflectance factors that spanned the entire exitance hemisphere were collected on the ground throughout the morning period for common cover types in Tunisia, Africa. NOAA 7/8 AVHRR bands 1(0.58-0.68 micron) and 2 (0.7301.1 micron) were used in data collection. The cover types reported were a plowed field, annual grassland, steppe grassland, hard wheat, salt plain, and irrigated wheat. Several of these cover types had geometric structures that are extreme as compared to those reported in the literature. Comparisons were made between the dynamics of the observed reflectance distributions and those reported in the literature. It was found that the dynamics of the measured data could be explained by a combination of soil and vegetation scattering components. The data and analysis further validated physical principles that cause the reflectance distribution dynamics as proposed by field and simulation studies in the literature. Finally, the normalized difference transformation (Band 2 - Band 1)/(Band 1 + Band 2), which is useful in monitoring vegetation cover, generally decreased the variation in signal with changing view angle. However, several exceptions were noted.

Kimes, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A Monte Carlo reflectance model for soil surfaces with three-dimensional structure

A Monte Carlo soil reflectance model has been developed to study the effect of macroscopic surface irregularities larger than the wavelength of incident flux. The model treats incoherent multiple scattering from Lambertian facets distributed on a periodic surface. Resulting bidirectional reflectance distribution functions are non-Lambertian and compare well with experimental trends reported in the literature. Examples showing the coupling of the Monte Carlo soil model to an adding bidirectional canopy of reflectance model are also given.

Cooper, K. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Plant canopy specular reflectance model

A model is derived for the amount of light specularly reflected and polarized by a plant canopy. The model is based on the morphological and phenological characteristics of the canopy and upon the Fresnel equations of optics. The theory demonstrates that the specular reflectance of the plant canopy is a function of the angle of incidence and potentially contains information to help discriminate between species. The theory relates the specular reflectance to botanical condition of the canopy - to factors such as development stage, plant vigor, and leaf area index (LAI).

Vanderbilt, V. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Soybean canopy reflectance modeling data sets

Numerous mathematical models of the interaction of radiation with vegetation canopies have been developed over the last two decades. However, data with which to exercise and validate these models are scarce. During three days in the summer of 1980, experiments are conducted with the objective of gaining insight about the effects of solar illumination and view angles on soybean canopy reflectance. In concert with these experiment, extensive measurements of the soybean canopies are obtained. This document is a compilation of the bidirectional reflectance factors, agronomic, characteristics, canopy geometry, and leaf, stem, and pod optical properties of the soybean canopies. These data sets should be suitable for use with most vegetation canopy reflectance models.

Ranson, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Bidirectional Reflectance Modeling of Non-homogeneous Plant Canopies

The objective of this research is to develop a 3-dimensional radiative transfer model for predicting the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) for heterogeneous vegetation canopies. The model (named BIGAR) considers the angular distribution of leaves, leaf area index, the location and size of individual subcanopies such as widely spaced rows or trees, spectral and directional properties of leaves, multiple scattering, solar position and sky condition, and characteristics of the soil. The model relates canopy biophysical attributes to down-looking radiation measurements for nadir and off-nadir viewing angles. Therefore, inversion of this model, which is difficult but practical should provide surface biophysical pattern; a fundamental goal of remote sensing. Such a model also will help to evaluate atmospheric limitations to satellite remote sensing by providing a good surface boundary condition for many different kinds of canopies. Furthermore, this model can relate estimates of nadir reflectance, which is approximated by most satellites, to hemispherical reflectance, which is necessary in the energy budget of vegetated surfaces.

Norman, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Specularly reflected ions, shock foot thicknesses, and shock velocity determinations in space

The magnetic foot of a quasi-perpendicular, supercritical collisionless shock is spatially coincident with and caused by gyrating ions nearly specularly reflected from the shock. The reflected ions are turned around by the upstream magnetic field and returned to the shock after completing a partial gyration. An expression is derived for the turnaround distance of specularly reflected ions for arbitrary orientations of the incident velocity vector and the upstream magnetic field. This expression is then used to derive a formula for calculating the shock speed in the spacecraft frame from a single point measurement of the time required for the magnetic foot to transit a spacecraft. The derived formulas for turnaround distance and shock speed differ from previously published equations for these parameters and in some geometries give quantitatively very different results.

Gosling, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Observed relation between thermal emission and reflected spectral radiance of a complex vegetated landscape

An investigation is conducted, for a complex vegetated land area, into the statistical relationship between remotely sensed thermal emissions and reflected spectral radiance. The Kauth-Thomas Tasseled Cap transformation is employed to infer the albedo and amount of green vegetation present from Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) observations. Reflective data and thermal infrared data were acquired from the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) satellite along with reflective data from the Landsat 3 MSS for a site near Hartford, CT on a single date. Results are presented which indicate that thermal emissions had the greatest association with the amount of vegetation as indicated by a multispectral index, while albedo did not exhibit any substantial relationship with these emissions. These findings are explained in terms of the enhanced latent heat flux to the atmosphere associated with actively transpiring vegetation.

Goward, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Emission features in the 4-13 micron spectra of the reflection nebulae NGC 7023 and NGC 2023

Spectroscopy from 4 to 13 microns of the visual reflection nebulae NGC 7023 and NGC 2023 has been obtained. These data, together with previous work from 1 to 4 microns, show that the spectra of these sources consist of a relatively flat continuum from 1 to 13 microns and six emission features at 3.3, 3.4, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 microns. The observations rule out equilibrium thermal emission for the features and continuum in reflection nebulae, and point toward a nonequilibrium emission mechanism such as thermal emission from thermally fluctuating small grains or fluorescence from large molecules. The similarity of the emission feature spectra in reflection nebulae to those in other sources suggests a universal emission mechanism, thus implying nonequilibrium emission mechanisms in other sources.

Sellgren, K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

An infrared reflection nebula surrounding SGS 1 in the NGC 1333 dark cloud

Strom et al. (1974) have conducted a search for infrared sources associated with Herbig-Haro objects. They found an infrared source, SGS 1, near HH 12, embedded in at least 20 visual mag of extinction in the NGC 1333 dark cloud. Various factors suggest the presence of an infrared reflection nebula. In the context of the present investigation, high spatial resolution observations in the infrared have provided the basis for the development of a consistent model for SGS which consists of a low-luminosity, cool star with an accretion disk tilted to the line of sight, and one observed reflection lobe caused by the illumination of material above one of the polar regions of the accretion disk. It is pointed out that this model is similar to that of the infrared reflection nebula GSS 30 in the Ophiuchus dark cloud.

Castelaz, M. W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Reflection and emission models for deserts derived from Nimbus-7 ERB scanner measurements

Broadband shortwave and longwave radiance measurements obtained from the Nimbus-7 Earth Radiation Budget scanner were used to develop reflectance and emittance models for the Sahara-Arabian, Gibson, and Saudi Deserts. The models were established by fitting the satellite measurements to analytic functions. For the shortwave, the model function is based on an approximate solution to the radiative transfer equation. The bidirectional-reflectance function was obtained from a single-scattering approximation with a Rayleigh-like phase function. The directional-reflectance model followed from integration of the bidirectional model and is a function of the sum and product of cosine solar and viewing zenith angles, thus satisfying reciprocity between these angles. The emittance model was based on a simple power-law of cosine viewing zenith angle.

Staylor, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Spectral characterization of biophysical characteristics in a boreal forest - Relationship between Thematic Mapper band reflectance and leaf area index for Aspen

Results from analysis of a data set of simultaneous measurements of Thematic Mapper band reflectance and leaf area index are presented. The measurements were made over pure stands of Aspen in the Superior National Forest of northern Minnesota. The analysis indicates that the reflectance may be sensitive to the leaf area index of the Aspen early in the season. The sensitivity disappears as the season progresses. Based on the results of model calculations, an explanation for the observed relationship is developed. The model calculations indicate that the sensitivity of the reflectance to the Aspen overstory depends on the amount of understory present.

Badhwar, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A study of over-reflection in viscous Poiseuille flow

It is shown that viscous Poiseuille flow sustains wave propagation in its center region for waves whose phase speed is less than the maximum flow speed. When, moreover, there are critical levels, there exists a range of phase speeds for which over-reflection occurs, and this range corresponds exactly to the range for which unstable eigenmodes exist. Consistent with the conjecture of Lindzen and Barker (1985), it is found that viscous boundary layers around the critical level and at the wall replace the exponential regions and wave sinks required for inviscid over-reflection. It is found that over-relection is confined to phase speeds for which these two boundary layers are in close proximity, rather than widely separated or substantially overlapping. Over-reflection is inevitably associated with a wave phase tilt opposite in direction to the shear at the critical level. All other cases yield a phase tilt in the direction of the shear. The former is consistent with the condition for the Orr (1977) mechanism to produce amplification (Boyd 1983).

Lindzen, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Acoustic reflection contamination measurements in the 16-foot NASA Langley Transonic Wind Tunnel

The Propfan Test Assessment (PTA) contract, awarded recently to Lockheed by the NASA-Lewis Research Center, required a comprehesive series of near field acoustic measurements. These were to use transducers mounted on the surfaces on a one-ninth scale model of the Gulfstream G-II aircraft, modified to the PTA single propfan testbed configuration. The 16-foot Transonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center was chosen as the facility to be used for these model acoustic tests. Since the tunnel was hard-walled, it is not clear to what extent the propfan noise signals, reaching the various transducers, might be contaminated by reflections from the walls. A Multidriver Acoustic Source was built, and using an impulse and time domain averaging technique, the reflection contaminations in the wind tunnel were measured at selected microphone locations. Results of the investigations of near field measurements exists, due to reflections from the hard walls of the wind tunnnel.

Burrin, R. H.↗