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At least 811 records · Page 45

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NASA NTRS1975

Land use and environmental assessment in the central Atlantic region

Data from high altitude aircraft, LANDSAT and Skylab were used in a comprehensive regional survey of land use and its associated environmental impact in the Central Atlantic Regional Ecological Test Site (CARETS). Each sensor system has advantages that were demonstrated by producing experimental land use maps and other data products, applying them to typical problems encountered in regional planning and environmental impact assessment, and presenting the results to prospective users for evaluation. An archival collection of imagery, maps, data summaries, and technical reports was assembled, constituting an environmental profile of the central Atlantic region. The investigation was organized into four closely-related modules, a land use information module, an environmental impact module, a user interaction and evaluation module, and a geographic information systems module. Results revealed a heterogeneous user community with diverse information needs, tending, however, definitely toward the higher-resolution sensor data and the larger-scale land use maps and related information products. Among project recommendations are greater efforts toward improving compatibility of federal, state, and local land use information programs, and greater efforts toward a broader exchange of imagery, computer tapes, and land use information derived therefrom.

Alexander, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1976

On the problem of embedding picture elements in regions

A few new algorithms for region growing in pictures were developed. These algorithms are a step toward finding a satisfactory solution to the image segmentation problem, and in-depth understanding of the problems of nonsemantic image segmentation. The algorithms utilize a sequential decision approach for region boundaries detection. The sequential decisions are supported by a stochastic algorithm that maintains local statistics of the region near the boundaries as the region grows. A few illustrations of the algorithm's performance are included.

Yakimovsky, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1975

EUV analysis of an active region

A sequence of extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectroheliograms of McMath region No. 10283 were obtained by OSO-6. The lines O VI (1032 A) Mg X (625 A), Si XII (499 A), and Fe XVI (335 A) were used to determine coronal temperatures and densities above the active region. A comparison of theoretical and observed line ratios yielded coronal temperatures of 2.2 to 2.3 million K above the active region and 2.0 to 2.1 million K in the surrounding area. The temperatures derived from ratios involving the O VI intensities are systematically higher than the others. This is attributed to an error in the theoretical O VI intensities. The intensities observed above the limb are compared with intensities predicted by a simple model based on cylindrical geometry. The overall agreement shows that the assumption of an isothermal corona in hydrostatic equilibrium above the active region is a resonable working hypothesis and that the adopted geometrical model for the electron density distribution is adequate.

Raghavan, N.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Spherical means of solutions of partial differential equations in a conical region

The spherical means of the solutions of a linear partial differential equation Lu = f in a conical region are studied. The conical region is bounded by a surface generated by curvilinear xi lines and by two truncating xi surfaces. The spherical mean is the average of u over a constant xi surface. Conditions on the linear differential operator, L, and on the orthogonal coordinates xi, eta, and zeta are established so that the problem for the determination of the spherical mean of the solution subjected to the appropriate boundary and initial conditions can be reduced to a problem with only one space variable. Conditions are then established so that the spherical mean of the solution in one conical region will be proportional to that of a known solution in another conical region. Applications to various problems of mathematical physics and their physical interpretations are presented.

Ting, L.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Lunar topography and the limb compression source regions

Data from the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 laser altimeters have been used to study slopes, elevations, and roughness in the identifiable regions on the moon which sporadically produce plasma compressions and magnetic-field enhancements in the solar wind/lunar void boundary when those regions are at a flow limb. It is found that occurrence rates for such 'limb compressions' derived from Explorer 35 satellite measurements are significantly correlated with peak, average, and RMS slopes in the source regions, whereas rates derived from Apollo 15 and 16 subsatellite data are not correlated with topography. This suggests that two or more mechanisms operate in the source regions to produce limb compressions. Together with the known correlation between limb compressions and local surface remanent magnetic fields, the results indicate that lunar magnetization is not strongly related to surface features.

Srnka, L. J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Radio continuum measurements of compact H II regions and other sources

Results are reported for measurements of the flux densities of 33 sources at wavelengths of 13, 4, and 2 cm, which were conducted using the NASA/JPL Deep Space Network 64-m antenna at Goldstone, Calif. Besides compact H II regions, the sources included five Uhuru X-ray sources, several IR sources, an extragalactic radio source, and a H2O maser. The Lyman continuum flux is derived from the measured radio flux and the assumed distance and temperature for 10 possible H II regions; the spectra of previously known sources are extended to higher frequencies, and upper limits are placed on the flux densities for the five X-ray sources. New compact H II regions are found in the bright nebula M78, the nebula K5, and the Ophiuchus dark cloud/IR region.

Matsakis, D. N.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Characteristics of auroral electron acceleration regions observed by Atmosphere Explorer C

Satellite measurements of electron precipitation and ion drift velocities showed that electron acceleration regions (or inverted V's) in the 1200 to 1800 MLT quadrant exhibit the following systematic behavior: electron distribution functions in the accelerated region can be well described by Maxwellian primary electron beams accelerated through an electrostatic potential; the typical inverted V latitudinal structure is always observed in the accelerated regions, the electrostatic potential reaching a maximum and consequently decreasing to near zero over distances of 100 to 250 km; the Maxwellian temperature of the primary electron beam increases systematically with increasing electrostatic potential; rather weak acceleration regions, characterized by values of the electrostatic potential below 1 keV and values of the Maxwellian temperature between 100 and 350 eV, occur in the cusp and in the highest-latitude portion of the dusk side electron precipitation zone.

Burch, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Techniques for obtaining regional radiation budgets from satellite radiometer observations, phase 4 and phase 5

A scheme was developed which divides the earth-atmosphere system into 2060 elemental areas. The regions previously described are defined in terms of these elemental areas which are fixed in size and position as the satellite moves. One method, termed the instantaneous technique, yields values of the radiant emittance (We) and the radiant reflectance (Wr) which the regions have during the time interval of a single satellite pass. The number of observations matches the number of regions under study and a unique solution is obtained using matrix inversion. The other method (termed the best fit technique), yields time averages of We and Wr for large time intervals (e.g., months, seasons). The number of observations in this technique is much greater than the number of regions considered, and an approximate solution is obtained by the method of least squares.

Pina, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Earth resources-regional transfer activity contracts review

A regional transfer activity contracts review held by the Earth Resources Office was summarized. Contracts in the earth resources field primarily directed toward applications of satellite data and technology in solution of state and regional problems were reviewed. A summary of the progress of each contract was given in order to share experiences of researchers across a seven state region. The region included Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. Research in several earth science disciplines included forestry, limnology, water resources, land use, geology, and mathematical modeling. The use of computers for establishment of information retrieval systems was also emphasized.

Bensko, J., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1976

The stellar content of the nuclear regions of Sc galaxies

Stellar-population syntheses based on absolute spectral energy distributions over the wavelength range from 3300 to 10,400 A are used to determine the stellar content of the nuclear regions of seven nearby Sc galaxies (NGC 628, 1073, 1084, 1637, 2903, 4321, and 5194). A linear-programming procedure is employed to construct models of the overall stellar populations whose spectra closely match those of the seven galaxies. Absolute measurements of the emission-line spectra of the nuclear regions are also provided. It is found that: (1) intrinsic reddening is probably present in each nuclear region; (2) the upper main sequence is substantially populated in most of the models; (3) the lower main sequence contributes insignificantly to the luminosity in all optimal solutions; (4) substantial contributions are made by evolved M stars at long wavelengths in all the models; (5) the model photometric M/L ratios are low, of the order of unity; and (6) the O-B stars arising naturally in the population models are just sufficient to provide the observed nuclear ionization in all the galaxies except NGC 5194, which may be collisionally ionized. The properties of the nuclear regions are shown to be consistent with the existence of a common initial mass function for star formation and a variety of time dependences for the star-formation process. A possibly significant correlation is noted between nuclear stellar content and overall dynamical properties in four of the galaxies.

Turnrose, B. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Preflare X-ray morphology of active regions observed with the AS & E telescope on Skylab

Images of active regions obtained with the grazing-incidence X-ray telescope aboard Skylab during the 20-min period preceding eight small X-ray flares are used to investigate the X-ray morphology of the preflare state of the active regions for any evidence of flare buildup. Not a single case is found where preflare brightening occurred in and only in the region which subsequently flared. For two events, no changes in the X-ray morphology of the preflare active region were noted up to within 2 min of the flare onset. Thus, no systematic evidence is found for a preflare buildup in any of these eight events.

Kahler, S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1977

The coronal temperature and nonthermal motions in a coronal hole compared with other solar regions

The coronal lines Si VIII (1446 A), Fe X (1463 A), Fe XI (1467 A), and Fe XII (1242 A and 1349 A) were observed above the limb over a quiet region, a coronal hole, and two active regions. The lines emitted at temperatures greater than 1 million K; i.e., the iron lines, are not observed in the coronal-hole spectra, so the indication is that in the coronal hole most of the plasma is at a temperature of less than 1 million K. The emission measures and column densities of the lines are derived from available atomic cross-section data, and the results are discussed. The nonthermal velocities in the coronal hole and quiet region are about 20 km/s. The velocities in the active regions are substantially less.

Doschek, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1977

A search for a turbulent-free region in the solar transition zone

A search for a turbulence-free transition-zone region was conducted. The data used were spectra recorded by a slit spectrograph on Skylab. It was found that the nonthermal turbulent motions are smallest in certain active regions and quiescent prominences. The spectra of one such region, a quiescent prominence, are discussed. The nonthermal turbulence in the region is between about 2 and 7 km/s. Therefore, the widths of lines emitted by transition-zone ions are determined primarily by the ion temperature. To within the experimental error, temperatures derived from the line widths are equal to the temperatures of maximum emitting efficiency obtained using the ionization equilibrium calculations of Jordan (1969).

Feldman, U.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Executive summary: Benefit-cost evaluation of an intra-regional air service in the Bay Area and a technology assessment of transportation system investments

The benefits and costs that would result from an intra-regional air service operation in the San Francisco Bay area were determined by utilizing an iterative statistical decision model to evaluate combinations of commuter airport sites and surface transportation facilities in conjunction with service by a given commuter aircraft type in light of area regional growth alternatives and peak and off-peak regional travel patterns. The model evaluates such transportation option with respect to criteria of airline profitability, public acceptance, and public and private non-user costs. In so doing, it incorporates information on modal split, peak and off-peak use of the air commuter fleet, terminal and airport costs, development costs and uses of land in proximity to the airport sites, regional population shifts, and induced zonal shifts in travel demand. The model is multimodal in its analytic capability, and performs exhaustive sensitivity analysis.

Haefner, L. E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

OSO 8 observations of wave propagation in the solar chromosphere and transition region

The University of Colorado instrument on OSO 8 has been used to observe relative phases of the 300-s intensity variation between the temperature-minimum region and several emission lines formed in the solar chromosphere and chromosphere-corona transition region. The lines used are due to Fe II, Si II, C II, Si IV, and C IV. The scattered light in the spectrograph, which originates almost entirely in the spectral region between 1700 and 1900 A, was used as a probe of the temperature-minimum region. The lines of Fe II, Si II, and C II show almost identical delays of approximately 30 s relative to the temperature minimum, while the intensity oscillations of the lines of Si IV and C IV appear to lead the temperature-minimum intensity oscillations by about 10 s.

Chipman, E. G.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Fe/+/ ions in the high latitude F-region

Ion mass-spectrometer measurements on Atmosphere Explorer C orbits from December 1974 to December 1976 were surveyed poleward of + or - 30 deg for instances in which the Fe(+) number density exceeded the spectrometer threshold sensitivity of 30/cu cm. The occurrences of Fe(+) within the altitude range covered by the orbit, 220 to 320 km, revealed a distinct pattern apparently associated with regions of upward plasma transport. At night a band of such events occurred between 50 and 60 deg invariant latitude, which typically corresponded to the location of the main ionospheric trough. In this region large upward ion drifts due to the drag of an equatorward-blowing neutral wind are expected. The Fe(+) band extends past 0600 MLT to about 1100 MLT during the summer, but is not observed in the afternoon. The dayside distributions possibly result from the upward drifts of F-region ions detected by backscatter techniques after dawn during summer. At higher latitudes patches of Fe(+) were detected in regions where strong plasma drifts often prevail and hence where poleward E x B drift motions and atmospheric expansion through Joule heating can lift the ions upwards.

Grebowsky, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Evaluation of the spatial and temporal measurement requirements of remote sensors for monitoring regional air pollution episodes

The spatial and temporal measurement requirements of satellite sensors for monitoring regional air pollution episodes were evaluated. Use was made of two sets of data from the Sulfate Regional Experiment (SURE), which provided the first ground-based aerosol measurements from a regional-scale station network. The sulfate data were analyzed for two air pollution episode cases. The results of the analysis indicate that the key considerations required for episode mapping from satellite sensors are the following: (1) detection of sulfate levels exceeding 20 micron-g/cu m; (2) capability to view a broad area (of the order of 1500 km swath) because of regional extent of pollution episodes; (3) spatial resolution sufficient to detect variations in sulfate levels of greater than 10 micron-g/cu m over distances of the order of 50 to 75 km; (4) repeat coverage at least on a daily basis; and (5) satellite observations during the mid to late morning local time, when the sulfate levels have begun to increase after the early morning minimum levels, and convective-type cloud cover has not yet increased to the amount reached later in the afternoon. Analysis of the satellite imagery shows that convective clouds can obscure haze patterns. Additional parameters based on spectral analysis include wavelength and bandwidth requirements.

Burke, H. H. K.↗

NASA NTRS1979

General properties of HII regions in galaxies

The structure, electron density, and dimensions of HII regions in galaxies are discussed. These parameters are correlated to the chemical composition gradient along the galactic radius, the dimensions of the three largest HII regions in the galaxy, and the amount of hydrogen in the galaxy, as well as the mass, dimensions, and total optical luminosity of the galaxy. The relationships of HII regions to star formation and galactic nucleus activity are discussed and the kinematic properties of the SB and Sab galaxies are related to the size of HII regions.

Smirnov, M. A.↗