Behavior of atmospheric ozone determined from Nimbus satellite backscatter ultraviolet data
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The SBUV/TOMS measures the atmospheric ozone vertical profile and the solar ultraviolet spectrum, and provides a total ozone map by means of a mechanical scan across the Nimbus track. While the SBUV/TOMS instrument has noteworthy design features such as a state-of-the-art double monochromator and fixed optical components on a nonmetallic structure, its most significant characteristic is an optimum system design based on technology proven on the BUV instrument.
Observations of stimulated Brillouin scattering from an underdense plasma in a magnetic field are reported. The observed shifts correspond to those expected from a plasma with the measured temperature. Scattering with twice the Brillouin shift was observed when the fundamental Brillouin reflectivity approached 5%.
A computer program simulated the spectrum which resulted when a radar signal was transmitted into the ionosphere for a finite time and received for an equal finite interval. The spectrum derived from this signal is statistical in nature because the signal is scattered from the ionosphere, which is statistical in nature. Many estimates of any property of the ionosphere can be made. Their average value will approach the average property of the ionosphere which is being measured. Due to the statistical nature of the spectrum itself, the estimators will vary about this average. The square root of the variance about this average is called the standard deviation, an estimate of the error which exists in any particular radar measurement. In order to determine the feasibility of the space shuttle radar, the magnitude of these errors for measurements of physical interest must be understood.
For abstract, see N77-10397.
Observations of solar X-rays and gamma-rays from large flares show that the hard X-ray spectrum extends into the gamma ray region, where a flattening in the spectrum of the continuum emission is observed above about 1 MeV. This emission is believed to be due to bremsstrahlung. In addition to electron-proton collisions, at energies greater than approximately 500 keV, bremsstrahlung due to electron-electron collisions becomes significant. Bremsstrahlung production was calculated for a variety of electron spectra extending from the nonrelativistic region to relativistic energies and electron-electron bremsstrahlung is taken into account. By comparing these calculations with data, it is shown that the flattening in the spectrum of the continuum emission can be best explained by an electron spectrum consisting of two distinctive components. This evidence, together with information on the X-ray and gamma ray time profiles, implied the existence of two phases of acceleration. The first phase accelerates electrons mainly up to about several hundred keV; the second phase accelerates a small fraction of the electrons accelerated in the first phase to relativistic energies and accelerates protons to tens and hundreds of MeV.
A laser Doppler velocimeter for measuring the velocity of a flowing fluid was discussed. It comprises laser means for providing first and second beams of collimated coherent monochromatic electromagnetic radiation which are focused to intersect at a predetermined location in a flowing fluid. The movement of the particles of the fluid serve to scatter radiation in substantially all directions. The scattered radiation is shifted in frequency from that of the first beam by an amount corresponding to the velocity of the fluid at the predetermined location. A corner cube is disposed generally forward of the predetermined location, the corner cube responding to a portion of the radiation scattered in the forward direction and being operative to reflect the portion in a direction substantially antiparallel to the forward direction.
The status is reviewed of electromagnetic scattering theory relative to the interpretation of microwave remote sensing data acquired from spaceborne platforms over the ocean surface. Particular emphasis is given to the assumptions which are either implicit or explicit in the theory. The multiple scale scattering theory developed during this investigation is extended to non-Gaussian surface statistics. It is shown that the important statistic for the case is the probability density function of the small scale heights conditioned on the large scale slopes; this dependence may explain the anisotropic scattering measurements recently obtained with the AAFE Radscat. It is noted that present surface measurements are inadequate to verify or reject the existing scattering theories. Surface measurements are recommended for qualifying sensor data from radar altimeters and scatterometers. Additional scattering investigations are suggested for imaging type radars employing synthetically generated apertures.
The relationship between the sea-surface normalized radar cross section and the friction velocity vector is determined using a parametric two-scale scattering model. The model parameters are found from a nonlinear maximum likelihood estimation. The estimation is based on aircraft scatterometer measurements and the sea-surface anemometer measurements collected during the JONSWAP '75 experiment. The estimates of the ten model parameters converge to realistic values that are in good agreement with the available oceanographic data. The rms discrepancy between the model and the cross section measurements is 0.7 db, which is the rms sum of a 0.3 db average measurement error and a 0.6 db modeling error.
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From the mid 1960s to the present, the normalized radar cross-section (NRCS) of the ocean has been measured using airborne radars operating over a frequency range of 0.4 to 14 GHz. Analyses of these data have shown that the NRCS was proportional to the ocean surface wind speed raised to some power, but the values of the exponent remained in dispute. This paper extends previous work and uses these NRCS measurements to demonstrate that to the first order, the NRCS is a function of only the friction velocity at the ocean's surface. Further analyses characterize the dependence of the NRCS on radar variables such as frequency, incidence angle, polarization, etc. Finally, recommendations are made for using Ku-band radars at large incidence angles for remote sensing of the wind friction velocity vector.
An experiment has been proposed to measure the zenith sky intensity and directly transmitted solar flux density at several wavelengths in the near ultraviolet from an aircraft platform located at about 15 km. From these measurements, the vertical distribution of ozone above the platform is to be inferred, by inversion of the equation of radiative transfer. The present study is an analysis of the errors to be expected in a real experiment, due to atmospheric fluctuations, numerical procedures, and ignorance of various parameters necessary for the calculation of the intensities and fluxes to be expected. These errors are found to vary from 17% at the shorter wavelengths to about 3% at the longer wavelengths used. It is shown elsewhere (Twomey et al., 1977) that unacceptable levels of instability and non-uniqueness of results will be found if the error levels in the measurements upon which we wish to invert exceed 3%. On the basis of this, it is concluded that with the present instrumentation and the present knowledge of necessary ancillary parameters, this experiment will not be feasible.
The reduction of the Ku-band (13.9 GHz) normalized radar cross section (NRCS) by an artificial monomolecular surface film (oleyl alcohol) on the sea surface was measured in the North Sea during the 1975 Joint North Sea Wave Project, JONSWAP 75 experiment. The aim of the surface film experiment was to simulate natural surface films which often occur on the ocean surface and are produced by plankton or fish. NRCS measurements were obtained from an aircraft at incidence angles of 41 deg and 47 deg at vertical and horizontal polarizations. For winds between 3.5 and 4.4 m/sec the maximum measured reduction was 7.3 plus or minus 3.5 dB relative to the mean. In-situ measurements showed that the oleyl alcohol film reduced the surface tension from 74 to 43 dyne/cm.
The lunar surface material in the Plato area is characterized using Earth based visual, infrared, and radar signatures. Radar scattering in the lunar regolith with an existing optical scattering computer program is modeled. Mapping with 1 to 2 km resolution of the Moon using a 70 cm Arecibo radar is presented.
The theoretical distribution of helium ions in the ionosphere is studied as a function of such ionospheric parameters as the remaining ion composition and distribution, temperature, magnetic field topology, and ionospheric dynamics. An attempt is made to verify the theoretical predictions of the H(+) distribution in the ionosphere on the basis of observations of 304 A radiation resonantly scattered from He(+).
Analysis of multifrequency-multipolarization scatterometer data acquired by NASA Johnson Space Center during the 1978 Colby Agricultural Soil Moisture Experiment provides evidence that the effects of row orientation remain quite severe for relatively bare fields over a wide range of radar frequencies. In addition, Seasat satellite radar imagery from areas in Louisiana shows dominant row orientation effects even beneath substantial amounts of vegetation cover. The multiparameter nature of the Colby data set, and the continuous angular change in field patterns observed in the Louisiana test area provide much finer definition of microwave sensitivity to row orientation than has been possible in the past.
Activities involving the use flow visualization and laser anemometers are reviewed. In particular, turbulent pipe flow measurements and local velocity determination in a 3 X 3 sq meter wind tunnel are discussed. The calibration of laser anemometer systems using a rotating disk is also addressed.
Airglow from gamma band resonance fluorescence of nitric oxide near 255 nm is calculated at several solar zenith angles. Data from the Nimbus 4 BUV wavelengths 273.5 to 287.6 nm is used to estimate the Rayleigh and ozone scattering contributions to the BUV 255.5 nm data and the remaining signal is attributed to NO airglow. The low solar zenith angle contributions by NO is less than 0.5%, and the high latitude/high zenith angle contribution exceeds 5%. This technique allows for estimating NO content above 50 km, as well as partitioning that content between the mesosphere and thermosphere.