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NASA NTRS1965

Ground testing at MSFC

The large-scale field collection of acoustic data and their analysis are described in this review. The entire sound-field program has the purpose of solving complex problems of excessive noise propagation associated with the static test firing of large space-booster powerplants. The site of data collection has been Mississippi Test Facility (MTF), where far-field sound-propagation and correlated meteorological measurements were initiated in 1962. The statistical evaluation of sound-measurement data shows that the polar distribution of sound in the springtime (at MTF) is determined mainly by the temperature field of the atmosphere. Greater deformation of sound-intensity polar distribution occurs in the autumn as a result of the influence of the wind field. The data on sound attenuation as a function of distance from its source revealed attenuation in excess of the expected magnitude. The excess was mainly between 1 and 10 kilometers from the source, with maximum attenuation (17 to 18 decibels) near 6 kilometers. Excess sound attenuation was compared with calculated sound dispersion. For all sound frequencies in all seasons the deviation between reference and empirical attenuation values formed a bell-shaped distribution on a semilogarithmic plot. The physical causes for the sound- attenuation behavior are considered to be atmospheric diffraction and scattering effects. Statistical analysis of sod-intensity extremes indicated amplification of the sound signals by focusing which could be expected along selected azimuths. Empirical amplification values showed the maximum occurring in winter (50 decibels at 22 kilometers). For the analysis of correlation between empirical sound data and local atmospheric sound- propagation conditions, #e concept of analytical classification of sound-velocity profiles has been developed. Examination of over a quarter-million individual sound-velocity profiles indicates that 33 profile types for heights up to 3 kilometers constitute the empirical possibilities of sound-propagation conditions in southeastern United States. Since the focusing qualities of each sound- velocity profile can be determined as a class characteristic, the overall probabilities of focusing occurrence can he obtained. The severity of focusing, as based upon lateral spread of focusing areas, has been determined. The data for MTF indicate focusing is most severe in winter, with the direction toward east being most affected. Sound propagation is a fluctuating phenomenon because atmospheric conditions vary continuously. A measuring system for analyzing the nonstationary sound-propagation phenomena has been established. The analysis of the acoustic fluctuation data is sup- posed to provide "dynamic” perturbation functions of sound, which are to be superimposed on the related characteristic sound-velocity-profile type. The ultimate result of the program will be the establishment of reliable contingency tables showing the relationship between atmospheric parameters and far-field sound intensities. These data will be the basis for more accurate sound-propagation forecasting for static firing tests.

STATIC TESTING↗

NASA NTRS1972

Transport processes in the thermosphere.

Description of two different approaches which have been undertaken to consider horizontal transport in the upper atmosphere by large-scale circulation. First and most direct, the horizontal wind field in the middle and upper thermosphere was calculated based on the pressure distributions derived from satellite orbital decay observations. The continuity conditions were used to calculate the vertical motions. The second approach was to evaluate the energy deficits or surpluses as a function of altitude and latitude and to assume the presence of vertical motions sufficient to balance these deficits or surpluses by compressional heating or cooling. Then continuity conditions were used to derive horizontal winds. The results of the two approaches are compatible, and are largely complementary. Downward velocities are near 1 m/sec at 300 km over the diurnal minimum and the winter polar region, and 1 cm/sec at 100 km over the winter polar region.

Johnson, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Effects of surface anomalies on certain model generated meteorological histories

The Mintz-Arakawa 2-level general circulation model has been used in a series of experiments to compute the response of the model atmosphere to: (1) a positive sea surface temperature anomaly in the North Pacific Ocean in summer and in winter, (2) an identical anomaly in the South Pacific Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere winter, and (3) anomalous northward and southward displacements of the Northern Hemisphere snow line over the continents. In each case computations were carried out for 90 forecast days. Results are shown in terms of the differences between anomaly and control histories. Time series of certain regional response indices, including area-average sea level pressure and 600 mb circulation indices, as well as 30-day mean sea level pressure maps are used in the analysis. Of particular interest is the evidence of significant interhemisphere influence.

Spar, J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Hot and cold atmospheres for Vandenberg AFB, California (1973 version)

Extreme atmospheres, pertaining to summer (hot) and winter (cold) conditions for Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, are presented from 0- to 90-km altitudes. Computed values of pressure, e, kinetic temperature, virtual temperature, density, and relative differences (percentages from Vandenberg Reference Atmosphere, 1971 (VRA 71)) of the atmospheric parameters versus altitude are tabulated in increments of 250 m. Hydrostatic and gas law equations were used in conjunction with radiosonde and rocketsonde thermodynamic data in determining the vertical structure of the two atmospheric models. The summer-type density profile deviated from -9.0 percent (of the VRA-71) at the ground to 28.4 percent at 74.5-km altitude. The winter density profile went from 5.2 percent at the surface to -31.4 percent at 72 km.

Johnson, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Thermospheric wind effects on the global distribution of helium in the earth's upper atmosphere

The momentum and continuity equations for a minor gas are combined with the momentum equation for the major constituents to obtain the time dependent continuity equation for the minor species reflecting a wind field in the background gas. This equation is used to study the distributions of helium and argon at times of low, medium, and high solar activity for a variety of latitudinal-seasonal wind cells. For helium, the exospheric return flow at the higher thermospheric temperatures dominates the distribution to the extent that much larger latitudinal gradients can be maintained during periods of low solar activity than during periods of high activity. By comparison to the exospheric flow, the smoothing effect of horizontal diffusion is almost negligible. The latitudinal variation of helium observed by satellite mass spectrometers can be reproduced by the effect of a wind system of air rising in the summer hemisphere, flowing across the equator with speeds on the order of 100 to 200 m/sec, and descending in the winter hemisphere. Argon, being heavier than the mean mass in the lower thermosphere, reacts oppositely to helium in that it is enhanced in the summer hemisphere and depleted in the winter.

Reber, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Utilizing ERTS-1 imagery for tectonic analysis through study of the Bighorn Mountains region

The author has identified the following significant results. Comparisons of imagery of three seasons, late summer-fall, winter, and spring indicate that for this region fall imagery is the best for overall geologic analysis. Winter scenes with light to moderate snow cover provide excellent topographic detail owing to snow enhancement, lower sun angle, and clarity of the atmosphere. Spring imagery has considerable reduction of tonal contrast owing to the low reflecting heavy green grass cover which subdues lithologic effects; heavy snow cover in the uplands masks topography. Mapping of geologic formations is impractical in most cases. Separation into tonal units can provide some general clues on structure. A given tonal unit can include parts of several geologic formations and different stratigraphic units can have the same tonal signature. Drainage patterns and anomalies provide the most consistent clues for detecting folds, monoclines, and homoclines. Vegetation only locally reflects lithology and structure. False color infrared 9 x 9 transparencies are the most valuable single imagery. Where these can be supplemented by U-2 color infrared for more detailed work, a tremendous amount of information is available. Adequately field checking such a large area just in one scene is the major logistic problem even in a fairly well known region.

Hoppin, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Atomic oxygen transport in the thermosphere.

The photodissociation of oxygen in the lower thermosphere is evaluated to obtain its global average value and the hemispheric imbalance. The observed concentrations of atomic oxygen do not reflect this imbalance in production due to the effect of seasonal wind patterns redistributing the atomic oxygen. The wind system necessary to compensate for the imbalance in solar thermal input into the lower thermosphere is found to transport an amount of atomic oxygen sufficient to compensate for the hemispheric imbalance in production. Ionospheric data indicate a winter enhancement in atomic oxygen concentration; to produce this, a higher degree of oxygen dissociation than that normally accepted (i.e., higher than an atomic to molecular oxygen ratio of unity at 120 km) is needed. The concept that the concentrations of atomic oxygen observed over the winter polar region are maintained by transport from lower latitudes requires that eddy diffusion coefficients derived from vertical transport at low latitudes (ignoring horizontal transport) be reduced by about 25%.

Johnson, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Some effects of surface anomalies in a global general circulation model.

The Mintz-Arakawa two-level general circulation model has been used in a series of experiments to compute the response of the atmosphere to certain persistent sea-surface temperature anomalies and to changes in the position of the continental Northern Hemisphere snow line over periods up to 90 days. Results are shown in terms of differences between anomaly and control histories are revealed by global, 30-day mean sea-level pressure maps, and time series of three regional indices of synoptic activity. The experiments show significant interhemispheric effects after about 1 month, phase shifts of 1 to 2 weeks in major cyclone developments, stronger reactions to sea-temperature anomalies in winter than in summer, and marked influence of the snow line on the winter monsoonal pressure difference between the continents and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Spar, J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Application of SLAR for monitoring Great Lakes total ice cover

A series of X-band SLAR images is presented showing the development and disintegration of the entire ice cover on Lake Erie during the winter of 1972-1973. Simultaneous ground truth observations and ERTS-1 photography establish accurate correlations of radar responses with ice conditions. The all-weather, broad areal mapping capability of SLAR is seen to be the means for obtaining the repeated coverage needed for winter navigation on the Great Lakes.

Jirberg, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

A contribution to the synoptic climatology of the extratropics

A relationship is established between relative geostrophic vorticity on an isobaric surface and the Laplacian of the underlying layer-mean temperature. This relationship is used to investigate the distribution of vorticity and baroclinicity in a jet-stream model which is constantly recurrent in the winter troposhere. The investigation shows that the baroclinic and vorticity fields of the extratropical troposphere must be bifurcated with two extrema in the middle and subpolar latitudes. This pattern is present in daily tropospheric meridional cross-sections. The reasons for the disappearance of bifurcation in the time-and-longitude averaged distributions are discussed. The implications of the geographical distribution for the maintenance of the observed kinetic energy and baroclinicity distributions in the extratropical troposphere in winter are discussed. It is shown that the subtropical and subpolar ridges are nearly antiparallely distributed as is required by the observed distribution of temporal r.m.s. vorticity at the jet-stream level.

Srivatsangam, S.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Analysis of ERTS-1 linear features in New York State

The author has identified the following significant results. All ERTS-1 linears confirmed to date have topographic expression although they may appear as featureless tonal linears on the imagery. A bias is unavoidably introduced against any linears which may parallel raster lines, lithological trends, or the azimuth of solar illumination. Ground study of ERTS-1 topographic lineaments in the Adirondacks indicates: outcrops along linears are even more rare than expected, fault breccias are found along some NNE lineaments, chloritization and slickensiding without brecciation characterize one EW lineament whereas closely-spaced jointing plus a zone of plastic shear define another. Field work in the Catskills suggests that the prominent new NNE lineaments may be surface manifestations of normal faulting in the basement, and that it may become possible to map major joint sets over extensive plateau regions directly on the imagery. Fall and winter images each display some unique linears, and long linears on the fall image commonly appear as aligned segments on the winter scene. A computer-processed color composite image permitted the extraction or additional information on the shaded side of mountains.

Isachsen, Y. W.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Investigation of the responses of the general circulation at 700 mb to solar-geomagnetic disturbance

The Northern Hemisphere 700 mb contour heights from 20 N to 70 N for the period 1947-1970 are studied in conjunction with 272 key days, where the daily increase of the Ci index equals or exceeds 1.0. The superposed epoch method is applied from 33 days before to 66 days after the key day for a variety of zonal and meridional indices. It is shown that the 700 mb height difference between 20 N and 55 N increases significantly in winter 4 days following geomagnetic disturbance (in summer a less prominent but statistically significant increase is found 2 days earlier). The effect is most clear in winter in the quadrant 90-175 W and corresponds to a 7% increase in the mean geostrophic westerly flow. The statistical significance of the results is established by applying Student's t-test to the difference of each daily mean from the continuum.

Stolov, H. L.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Toxicology: Mechanisms of deuterium oxide action, part 2

The metabolism of winter rye seedlings (Secale cereale, L. cv. Winter) cultured in 99.6% D2O was investigated. Compared with water grown seedlings, the protein content was much lower in the D2O cultured seedlings and the incorporation of H(3)-leucine and H(3)-phenylalanine into medium to high molecular weight proteins was partially blocked. The synthesis of the enzyme peroxidase was also reduced in the D2O plants. Seedlings cultured in D2O incorporate H(3)-thymidine into DNA, but do not take up H(3)-uridine. These results suggest that some of the toxic effects of D2O culture on higher plants can be attributed to a partial block of protein synthesis.

Siegel, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Polar symmetric flow of a viscous compressible atmosphere; an application to Mars

The atmosphere is assumed to be driven by a polar symmetric temperature field and the equations of motion in pressure ratio coordinates are linearized by considering the zero order in terms of a thermal Rossby number R delta I/(2a omega) sq where delta T is a measure of the latitudinal temperature gradient. When the eddy viscosity is greater than 1 million sq cm/sec, the boundary layer extends far up into the atmosphere, making the geostrophic approximation invalid for the bulk of the atmosphere. A temperature model for Mars was used which was based on Mariner 9 infrared spectral data with a 30% increase in the depth averaged temperature from the winter pole to the subsolar point. The results obtained for the increase in surface pressure from the subsolar point to the winter pole, as a function of eddy viscosity and with no-slip conditions imposed at the surface, are given.

Pirraglia, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Application of SLAR for monitoring Great Lakes total ice cover

Jirberg, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

The Air Density Explorer Satellite Program

Since 1961, four satellites designed specifically for determination of the density and composition variations of the earth's neutral atmosphere at satellite altitudes have been launched: Explorer 9, Explorer 19, Explorer 24, and Explorer 39. Studies of the orbital decay of these satellites have resulted in major revisions in our conception of the upper atmosphere at satellite altitudes. These features include the winter helium bulge detected near 1000 km with its north-south asymmetry, the summer atomic oxygen bulge near 500 km, and the winter enhancement of atomic oxygen near 120 km. The Langley Research Center is now in the process of designing and fabricating the Dual Air Density Explorers. These will be two satellites launched by means of a single Scout rocket in 1975, and they are expected to remain in essentially the same orbital plane throughout the 2-year mission. Each satellite is drag sensitive and uses a mass spectrometer in a unique system which is insensitive to orientation, is highly sensitive to the upper atmosphere, and is capable of in-flight calibration.

Keating, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Great Lakes all-weather ice information system

A system is described which utilizes an X-band Side-Looking-Airborne-Radar (SLAR) for determining type, location, and aerial distribution of the ice cover in the Great Lakes and an airborne, S-band, short pulse radar for obtaining ice thickness. The SLAR system is currently mounted aboard a U.S. Coast Guard C-130B aircraft. Digitized SLAR data are relayed in real-time via the NOAA-GOES-1 satellite in geosynchronous orbit to the U.S. Coast Guard Ice Center in Cleveland, Ohio. SLAR images along with hand-drawn interpretative ice charts for various winter shipping areas in the Great Lakes are broadcast to facsimile recorders aboard Great Lakes vessels. The operational aspects of this ice information system are being demonstrated by NASA, U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA/National Weather Service. Results from the 1974-75 winter season demonstrated the ability of this system to provide all-weather ice information to shippers in a timely manner.

Schertler, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Energy input to the lower thermosphere

The asymmetry in solar heat input to the upper atmosphere at the solstice, and the asymmetry in atomic oxygen production, are largely compensated by a large scale wind system towards the winter polar region. At magnetically disturbed times, atmospheric composition at high winter latitudes changes in such a way as to indicate that polar region heating by magnetic variations, energetic particle inputs, and current systems is more intense than solar heating at low latitudes, thus leading to a reversal of the normal pattern of upper atmospheric circulation. Uncertainties in the intensity of solar radiation responsible for upper atmospheric heating and oxygen dissociation, and uncertainties in the degree of oxygen dissociation in the upper atmosphere, are such that the average rates of eddy mixing may be significantly lower than frequently assumed for the lower thermosphere.

Johnson, F. S.↗