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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Imaging radar observations of Askja Caldera, Iceland

A 'blind' test involving interpretation of computer-enhanced like- and cross-polarized radar images is used to evaluate the surface roughness of Askja Caldera, a large volcanic complex in central Iceland. The 'blind' test differs from earlier analyses of radar observations in that computer-processes images and both qualitative and quantitative analyses are used. Attention is given to photogeologic examination and subsequent survey-type field observations, along with aerial photography during the field trip. The results indicate that the 'blind' test of radar interpretation of the Askja volcanic area can be considered suitable within the framework of limitations of radar data considered explicitly from the onset. The limitations of the radar techniques can be eliminated by using oblique-viewing conditions to remove geometric distortions and slope effects.

Malin, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

VHF radar observations of mesospheric density distrubance caused by Typhoon Susan and tropical storms in the western Pacific area

The atmospheric parameters from the toposphere to the middle atmosphere during Typhoon Susan and tropical storms in May and June 1988 were observed by VHF radar in Taiwan. Time-dependent wind velocities with three-dimensional profiles are plotted by processing the backscattered echo power data and the Doppler spectral width of the signal returns from the VHF radar. The propagation characteristics of the gravity waves excited by the enhanced convection motions of the storms and the density perturbations caused by this gravity wave progagation are determined.

Hung, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Airborne Doppler-lidar and ground-based Doppler radar observations of a thunderstorm in Oklahoma

The results of airborne Doppler-lidar and ground-based Doppler radar observations of multicellular storms, marked by heavy rainfall, strong surface outflow, and a gust-front tornado, on June 30, 1981 are analyzed. The airborne lidar comprised a CO2-laser operating in the IR region, which was discharged once each second at 20 deg fore and aft, alternatively, of the normal to the aircraft's heading, and a quarter-wave plate for registering the returning frequency-shifted beams. Wind fields are plotted taking into account the advection effects. The lidar data set is noted for its self-consistency, though limited to a range of 5 km by the high moisture levels. Fair agreement was found between the lidar-derived and radar-derived average ground-based radial wind fields, with discrepancies on the order of 1.5 m/s.

Bluestein, H. B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Radar Observations of Asteroids 7 Iris, 9 Metis, 12 Victoria, 216 Kleopatra, and 654 Zelinda

We report 13-cm wavelength radar observations of the main-belt asteroids 7 Iris, 9 Metis, 12 Victoria, 216 Kleopatra, and 654 Zelinda obtained at Arecibo between 1980 and 1989. The echoes are highly polarized yet broadly distributed in Doppler frequency, indicating that our targets are smooth on decimeter scales but very rough on some scale(s) larger than about I m. The echo spectra are generally consistent with existing size, shape, and spin information based on radiometric, lightcurve, and occultation data. All of our targets possess distinctive radar signatures that reveal large- scale topography. Reflectivity spikes within narrow ranges of rotation phase suggest large flat regions on Iris, Metis, and Zelinda, while bimodal spectra imply nonconvex, possibly bifurcated shapes for Kleopatra and Victoria. Kleopatra has the highest radar albedo yet measured for a main-belt asteroid, indicating a high metal concentration and making Kleopatra the best main-belt candidate for a core remnant of a differentiated and subsequently disrupted parent body. Upon completion of the Arecibo telescope upgrade, there will be several opportunities per year to resolve main-belt asteroids with hundreds of delay-Doppler cells, which can be inverted to provide estimates of both three-dimensional shape and radar scattering properties.

Mitchell, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Radar Observations of Asteroids 7 Iris, 9 Metis, 12 Victoria, 216 Kleopatra, and 654 Zelinda

We report 13-cm wavelength radar observations of the main-belt asteroids 7 Iris, 9 Metis, 12 Victoria, 216 Kleopatra, and 654 Zelinda obtained at Arecibo between 1980 and 1989. The echoes are highly polarized, yet broadly distributed in Doppler frequency, indicating that our targets are smooth on decimeter scales, but very rough on some scales(s) larger than about one meter. Upon completion of the Arecibo telescope upgrade, there will be several opportunities per year to resolve main-belt asteroids with hundreds of delay-Doppler cells, which can be inverted to provide estimates of both three dimensional shape and radar scattering properties.

asteroids↗
NASA NTRS1972

Analysis procedure for radar observations

Based on the assumption that the ionized column left behind a moving meteroroid is underdense, it is shown that radar observations of the column yield resonable aproximations to the meteoriod's speed and trajectory. The principles and procedures for finding a meteor's position and vector velocity from the observed data are also presented.

Southworth, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Airborne Radar Observations of Severe Hailstorms: Implications for Future Spaceborne Radar

A new dual-frequency (Ku and Ka band) nadir-pointing Doppler radar on the high-altitude NASA ER-2 aircraft, called the High-Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP), has collected data over severe thunderstorms in Oklahoma and Kansas during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). The overarching motivation for this study is to understand the behavior of the dualwavelength airborne radar measurements in a global variety of thunderstorms and how these may relate to future spaceborne-radar measurements. HIWRAP is operated at frequencies that are similar to those of the precipitation radar on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (Ku band) and the upcoming Global Precipitation Measurement mission satellite's dual-frequency (Ku and Ka bands) precipitation radar. The aircraft measurements of strong hailstorms have been combined with ground-based polarimetric measurements to obtain a better understanding of the response of the Ku- and Ka-band radar to the vertical distribution of the hydrometeors, including hail. Data from two flight lines on 24 May 2011 are presented. Doppler velocities were approx. 39m/s2at 10.7-km altitude from the first flight line early on 24 May, and the lower value of approx. 25m/s on a second flight line later in the day. Vertical motions estimated using a fall speed estimate for large graupel and hail suggested that the first storm had an updraft that possibly exceeded 60m/s for the more intense part of the storm. This large updraft speed along with reports of 5-cm hail at the surface, reflectivities reaching 70 dBZ at S band in the storm cores, and hail signals from polarimetric data provide a highly challenging situation for spaceborne-radar measurements in intense convective systems. The Ku- and Ka-band reflectivities rarely exceed approx. 47 and approx. 37 dBZ, respectively, in these storms.

HIWRAP↗
DOE OSTI2024

THz Radar Observations of Hydrometeors in a Spray Chamber

Abstract A THz radar, with its wide bandwidth, is capable of high‐resolution imaging down to the centimeter scale. In this study, a THz radar is applied to detect hydrometeors generated in a spray chamber. The observed backscattering signals show fluctuations at centimeter scales, indicating various hydrometeor distribution patterns along the radar beam. A co‐located High‐Speed Imaging (HSI) sensor is used to measure the Drop Size Distributions (DSD) in the spray chamber. The radar sampling beam is well aligned with the HSI probes, allowing an objective comparison between the remote sensing and in situ observations. In this study, the observed radar power is compared with the power estimated from the HSI measurements. Results show great consistency, with power difference smaller than 0.5 dB. This study demonstrates the feasibility and great potential of using a THz radar for ultra‐high‐resolution observations of clouds in a laboratory facility, and in the real atmosphere.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1993

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Asteroids from Radar Observations

A program of research has recently been initiated under the NASA Innovative Research Program to develop and test techniques for reconstructing the three-dimensional shapes of asteroids from ground-based radar observations. Presently, no methods exist to do this and the full scientific potential of current radar data sets lies untapped. The situation will become even more pronounced in approximately two years when the upgraded Arecibo radar system becomes capable of regularly producing asteroid data sets with very fine spatial resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios. If successful, the proposed research will significantly increase our knowledge of these objects. The potential and limitations of the techniques developed will be rigorously tested in a series of computer simulations and optical scattering experiments with scale models.

Hudson, Scott↗
DOE OSTI2021

Improving GCM Representation of Convective Cloud Microphysics by Using ARM Raman Lidar and Cloud Radar Observations

The overall objective of this Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric System Research (ASR) funded project is to improve the representation of convective cloud microphysics in global climate models (GCMs) and check it by comparing the model simulations with observations. We have derived the cloud ice water content by synthesizing ARM Raman lidar (RL) and cloud radar observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) sites. Noting that the simulated anvil clouds in terms of their macro- and micro-physical properties are sensitive to the parameterization of convective microphysical processes, observed ice water content in anvil clouds provides a useful constraint on these parameterizations. We have improved the convective microphysics parameterization scheme by (1) considering sedimentation for cloud ice crystals that do not fall in the original scheme, (2) applying a new terminal velocity parameterization that depends on the environmental conditions for convective snow, (3) adding a new hydrometeor category, “rimed ice,” to the original four-class (cloud liquid, cloud ice, rain, and snow) scheme, and (4) allowing convective clouds to detrain snow particles into stratiform clouds. We have examined the impact of improved convective cloud microphysics parameterization on the simulated global climate from GCM simulations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1999

Doppler RAdar Observations of Convection from the NASA/TOGA C-band Radar During TRMM-LBA in Rondonia, Brazil

The Tropcial RAinfall Measuring Mission-Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere experiment in Amazonia (TRMM-LBA) was conducted near Ji Parana, Rondonia, Brazil during the 1999 Amazonian wet season (Jan-Feb). TRMM-LBA provided detailed observations of precipitating systems from surface and aircraft instrumentation which may be compared to measurements from the TRMM satellite. The surface-based platforms included two scanning Doppler radars (the NASA TOGA C-band radar and the NCAR SPOL S-band dual polarization radar) which collected continuous dual-Doppler measurements of precipitating convection.This paper focuses on data from the TOGA radar to provide a preliminary overview of general properties of convective organization observed during TRMM-LBA. These include squall line evolution and morphology, diurnal variation of precipitation, and the vertical intensity of convection. Mesoscale squall lines were most commonly observed in the afternoon, with associated regions of stratiform precipitation persisting into the evening. Nocturnal widespread stratiform rain often formed before sunrise, with no apparent source region of deep convection and very weak radar bright band. Reflectivity values in deep convective cells typically decreased rapidly above the melting level, reminiscent of tropical oceanic convection, and consistent with the relative scarcity of lightning (with respect to other tropical continental regions). Vertically developed electrified convection, though infrequent, did occur regularly.

Rickenbach, T. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Radar Observations of Asteroid 10115 (1992 SK)

The approach of 1992 SK to within 0.056 AU of Earth on 1999 March 26 provided an excellent opportunity for radar observations. We observed it daily between March 22-26 at Goldstone at a transmitter frequency of 8560 MHz (3.50 cm). Weighted, optimally smoothed sums of cw (Doppler-only) echoes achieve a signal-to-noise ratio of about 300. Our highest resolution cw setup places up to approx. 30 0.5-Hz Doppler cells on the target at echo powers exceeding two standard deviations of the noise. Our highest resolution imaging setup places about 20 0.25-us (37.5 m) x 2.0 Hz pixels on 1992 SK at echo powers above the same threshold. We completed nearly 300 runs with each setup and obtained thorough rotational phase coverage (period = 7.320 h, P. Pravec, pers. comm.). The dispersion of the echoes in time delay indicates a lower bound on 1992 SK's maximum pole-on breadth of approx. 0.4 km that is consistent with the echo bandwidth and rotation period. Variations in the cw spectral bandwidths and shapes and in the delay-Doppler images as a function of rotation phase are evident on each day, are consistent in bandwidth with each other and with the rotation period, and indicate that the asteroid is asymmetric and modesty elongated.

Benner, L. A. M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Simulated KWAJEX Convective Systems Using a 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model and Their Comparisons with Radar Observations

The 1999 Kwajalein Atoll field experiment (KWAJEX), one of several major TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) field experiments, has successfully obtained a wealth of information and observation data on tropical convective systems over the western Central Pacific region. In this paper, clouds and convective systems that developed during three active periods (Aug 7-12, Aug 17-21, and Aug 29-Sep 13) around Kwajalein Atoll site are simulated using both 2D and 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) models. Based on numerical results, the clouds and cloud systems are generally unorganized and short lived. These features are validated by radar observations that support the model results. Both the 2D and 3D simulated rainfall amounts and their stratiform contribution as well as the heat, water vapor, and moist static energy budgets are examined for the three convective episodes. Rainfall amounts are quantitatively similar between the two simulations, but the stratiform contribution is considerably larger in the 2D simulation. Regardless of dimension, fo all three cases, the large-scale forcing and net condensation are the two major physical processes that account for the evolution of the budgets with surface latent heat flux and net radiation solar and long-wave radiation)being secondary processes. Quantitative budget differences between 2D and 3D as well as between various episodes will be detailed.Morover, simulated radar signatures and Q1/Q2 fields from the three simulations are compared to each other and with radar and sounding observations.

Shie, Chung-Lin↗
NASA NTRS1991

Comparison of numerically-simulated microphysical characteristics of convective storms with multiparameter radar observations during COHMEX

The microphysical/dynamical nature and evolution of numerically simulated convective storms observed on July 11, 1986 during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiments are investigated with the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model. The model-simulated hydrometeor and radar reflectivity structure is verified with results derived from the multiparameter radar observations, which includes a description of the reflectivity, differential reflectivity, linear depolarization ratio, and hail signal for two thunderstorm cases analyzed by Fulton and Heymsfield (1990). Radar analysis shows the storm to split with the newer more vigorous cell in the SE quadrant. Echo tops are near 15 km while peak reflectivities exceed 50 dBZ. Preliminary model simulations likewise show a splitting storm with regeneration occurring on the SSE flank. Echo tops are around 14 km with peak reflectivities over 45 dBZ.

Tao, W.-K.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Radar Observation of Large Attenuation in Convective Storms: Implications for the Dropsize Distribution

Airborne meteorological radars typically operate at attenuating wavelengths. The path integrated attenuation (PIA) can be estimated using the surface reference technique (SRT). In this method, an initial value is determined for the radar cross section of the earth surface in a rain-free area in relatively close proximity to the rain cloud. During subsequent observations of precipitation any decrease 'in the observed surface cross section from the reference value s assumed to be a result of the two-way attenuation along the propagation path. In this paper we present selected instances of high PIA observed over land by an airborne radar. The observations were taken in Brazil and Florida during TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission) field campaigns. We compared these observations with collocated and nearly simultaneous ground-based radar observations by an S-band radar that is not subject to significant attenuation. In this preliminary evaluation, a systematic difference in the attenuation in the two storms is attributed to a difference in the raindrop size distributions; this is supported by observations of ZDR (differential reflectivity).

Tian, Lin↗
NASA NTRS2007

Soil Moisture Retrieval During a Corn Growth Cycle using L-band (1.6 GHz) Radar Observations

New opportunities for large-scale soil moisture monitoring will emerge with the launch of two low frequency (L-band 1.4 GHz) radiometers: the Aquarius mission in 2009 and the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission in 2008. Soil moisture is an important land surface variable affecting water and heat exchanges between atmosphere, land surface and deeper ground water reservoirs. The data products from these sensors provide valuable information in a range of climate and hydrologic applications (e.g., nume~cal weather prediction, drought monitoring, flood forecasting, water resources management, etc.). This paper describes a unique data set that was collected during a field campaign at OPE^ (Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancements) site in Beltsville, Maryland throughout the eompj2ete corn growing in 2002. This investigation describes a simple methodology to correct active microwave observations for vegetation effects, which could potentially be implemented in a global soil moisture monitoring algorithm. The methodology has been applied to radar observation collected during the entire corn growth season and validation against ground measurements showed that the top 5-cm soil moisture can be retrieved with an accuracy up to 0.033 [cu cm/cu cm] depending on the sensing configuration.

Joseph, Alicia T.↗