Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Analysis of Variance”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,405 records · Page 78

Spherical nanoindentation stress-strain analysis, Version 1

Nanoindentation is a tool that allows the mechanical response of a variety of materials at the nano to micron length scale to be measured. Recent advances in spherical nanoindentation techniques have allowed for a more reliable and meaningful characterization of the mechanical response from nanoindentation experiments in the form on an indentation stress-strain curve. This code base, Spin, is written in MATLAB (The Mathworks, Inc.) and based on the analysis protocols developed by S.R. Kalidindi and S. Pathak [1, 2]. The inputs include the displacement, load, harmonic contact stiffness, harmonic displacement, and harmonic load from spherical nanoindentation tests in the form of an Excel (Microsoft) spreadsheet. The outputs include indentation stress-strain curves and indentation properties as well their variance due to the uncertainty of the zero-point correction in the form of MATLAB data (.mat) and figures (.png). [1] S. Pathak, S.R. Kalidindi. Spherical nanoindentation stress–strain curves, Mater. Sci. Eng R-Rep 91 (2015). [2] S.R. Kalidindi, S. Pathak. Determination of the effective zero-point and the extraction of spherical nanoindentation stress-strain curves, Acta Materialia 56 (2008) 3523-3532.

Weaver, JordanS.↗

Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification Applied to the Feynman Y and Sm 2

Neutron multiplicity counting (NMC) experiments are frequently used to perform non-destructive assay (NDA) of special nuclear material (SNM), but MCNPR© code simulations of the counting distribution that were performed by Miller have revealed over-calibration in the value of the Pu-239ν¯. Mattingly has demonstrated the procedure for deterministic calculations of the counting distribution moments and O’Brien implemented a first-order, adjoint-based sensitivity analysis (SA) methodology applied to the counting distribution moments. In this report, these techniques are used to apply SA/uncertainty quantification (UQ) to the Feynman Y and Sm 2 , which are ratios of the counting distribution moments. Sm 2 is less sensitive to the cross sections than Y and therefore has less variance due to covariance in the cross sections than Y .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Digital Filter Separates Signal From Noise

Variance of signal-estimation error minimized. Mathematical technique extracts best estimates of signal component from periodic digital samples of signal plus noise. Technique combines Kalman- and smoothingfilter algorithms to minimize mean-square estimation error based on past, present, and predicted samples of signal plus noise. Technique useful in image analysis and other applications involving processing of noisy signals.

Lear, W. M.↗

Estimation of spectral emissivity in the thermal infrared

A number of algorithms are available in the literature that attempt to remove most of the effects of temperature from thermal multispectral data where the final goal is to extract emissivity differences. Early approaches include adjacent spectral band ratioing, broad band radiance normalization and the use of one band where emissivities are generally high (e.g., 11 to 12 micrometers) to determine the temperature. More recent work has produced two techniques that use data averaging to extract temperature to leave a quantity related to emissivity changes. These two techniques have been investigated and compared and appear to provide reasonable results. The analysis presented in this paper develops a thermal IR multispectral temperature/emissivity estimation procedure based on formal estimation theory, Gaussian statistics, and a stochastic radiance signal model including the effects of both temperature and emissivity. The importance of this work is that this is an optimal estimation procedure which will provide minimum variance estimates of temperature and emissivity changes directly. Section 2 discusses optimal linear spectral emissivity estimation and Section 3 is a summary.

Kryskowski, David↗

Jovian Chromophore Characteristics from Multispectral HST Images

The chromophores responsible for coloring the jovian atmosphere are embedded within Jupiter's vertical aerosol structure. Sunlight propagates through this vertical distribution of aerosol particles, whose colors are defined by omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda), and we remotely observe the culmination of the radiative transfer as I/F(lambda). In this study, we employed a radiative transfer code to retrieve omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) for particles in Jupiter's tropospheric haze at seven wavelengths in the near-UV and visible regimes. The data consisted of images of the 2008 passage of Oval BA to the south of the Great Red Spot obtained by the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on-board the Hubble Space Telescope. We present derived particle colors for locations that were selected from 14 weather regions, which spanned a large range of observed colors. All omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) curves were absorbing in the blue, and omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) increased monotonically to approximately unity as wavelength increased. We found accurate fits to all omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) curves using an empirically derived functional form: omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) = 1 A exp(-B lambda). The best-fit parameters for the mean omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) curve were A = 25.4 and B = 0.0149 for lambda in units of nm. We performed a principal component analysis (PCA) on our omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) results and found that one or two independent chromophores were sufficient to produce the variations in omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda). A PCA of I/F(lambda) for the same jovian locations resulted in principal components (PCs) with roughly the same variances as the omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) PCA, but they did not result in a one-to-one mapping of PC amplitudes between the omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) PCA and I/F(lambda) PCA. We suggest that statistical analyses performed on I/ F(lambda) image cubes have limited applicability to the characterization of chromophores in the jovian atmosphere due to the sensitivity of 1/ F(lambda) to horizontal variations in the vertical aerosol distribution.

Strycker, Paul D.↗

Uncertainty of Passive Imager Cloud Optical Property Retrievals to Instrument Radiometry and Model Assumptions: Examples from MODIS

The optical and microphysical structure of clouds is of fundamental importance for understanding a variety of cloud radiation and precipitation processes. With the advent of MODIS on the NASA EOS Terra and Aqua platforms, simultaneous global-daily 1 km retrievals of cloud optical thickness (COT) and effective particle radius (CER) are provided, as well as the derived water path (WP). The cloud product (MOD06/MYD06 for MODIS Terra and Aqua, respectively) provides separate retrieval datasets for various two-channel retrievals, typically a VISNIR channel paired with a 1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 m spectral channel. The MOD06 forward model is derived from on a homogeneous plane-parallel cloud. In Collection 5 processing (completed in 2007 with a modified Collection 5.1 completed in 2010), pixel-level retrieval uncertainties were calculated for the following non-3-D error sources: radiometry, surface spectral albedo, and atmospheric corrections associated with model analysis uncertainties (water vapor only). The latter error source includes error correlation across the retrieval spectral channels. Estimates of uncertainty in 1 aggregated (Level-3) means were also provided assuming unity correlation between error sources for all pixels in a grid for a single day, and zero correlation of error sources from one day to the next. I n Collection 6 (expected to begin in late summer 2013) we expanded the uncertainty analysis to include: (a) scene-dependent calibration uncertainty that depends on new band and detector-specific Level 1B uncertainties, (b) new model error sources derived from the look-up tables which includes sensitivities associated with wind direction over the ocean and uncertainties in liquid water and ice effective variance, (c) thermal emission uncertainties in the 3.7 m band associated with cloud and surface temperatures that are needed to extract reflected solar radiation from the total radiance signal, (d) uncertainty in the solar spectral irradiance at 3.7 m, and (e) addition of stratospheric ozone uncertainty in visible atmospheric corrections. A summary of the approach and example Collection 6 results will be shown.

Cloud Properties Observations↗

Spherical nanoindentation stress-strain analysis, Version 1

Nanoindentation is a tool that allows the mechanical response of a variety of materials at the nano to micron length scale to be measured. Recent advances in spherical nanoindentation techniques have allowed for a more reliable and meaningful characterization of the mechanical response from nanoindentation experiments in the form on an indentation stress-strain curve. This code base, Spin, is written in MATLAB (The Mathworks, Inc.) and based on the analysis protocols developed by S.R. Kalidindi and S. Pathak [1, 2]. The inputs include the displacement, load, harmonic contact stiffness, harmonic displacement, and harmonic load from spherical nanoindentation tests in the form of an Excel (Microsoft) spreadsheet. The outputs include indentation stress-strain curves and indentation properties as well their variance due to the uncertainty of the zero-point correction in the form of MATLAB data (.mat) and figures (.png). [1] S. Pathak, S.R. Kalidindi. Spherical nanoindentation stress–strain curves, Mater. Sci. Eng R-Rep 91 (2015). [2] S.R. Kalidindi, S. Pathak. Determination of the effective zero-point and the extraction of spherical nanoindentation stress-strain curves, Acta Materialia 56 (2008) 3523-3532.

Weaver, Jordan S.↗

Towards a Robust Sampling Approach: A Computational Review and Design

As pointed out in several other works, the estimation of the reliability of the electrical grid can not be conducted without the estimation of the stochastic phenomena of electicity demand and electricity production by variable renewable sources. Therefore, sampling procedures have become integral in the design of engineering structures and analysis. Commonly referred to as Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis or integration, the general objective of these procedures is to establish specifics about the uncertainty of an output characteristic of such an engineering system, given uncertainty about its input characteristics. These sampling procedures are applied in a context in which establishing such specifics cannot be performed through other means. Variance-reduction techniques are designed to lessen the variability among estimators to estimate statistics of those output uncertainties. Importance-sampling techniques, on the other hand, are designed to reduce the number of samples needed to estimate a particular statistic—e.g., a tail probability. The combination of these approaches can reduce the computational burden considerably for a particular estimator and statistic. Importance sampling—geared and designed as it is toward improving a particular estimator—suffers, unfortunately, from the unintended consequence of reducing the performance of other estimators in terms of their variance. The objective of this paper is to offer an alternative sampling procedure where this variance does not grow unacceptably large for a suite of estimators. Moreover, it is anticipated that, with additional knowledge of how an engineering output characteristic responds to its input characteristics, tuning parameters of the input’s sampling procedure can be set to improve the output characteristic’s estimation. This work proves the effectiveness of the suggested alternative approach. Such positive outcome will lead to a decrease of the computational burden of performing stochastic optimization of integrated energy systems (e.g., components dispatch, and portfolio composition). In particular, capturing the contribution to the overall system cost of rare and unlikely events and patterns of the electricity demand and production will become less computationally expensive. This is due to the fact that the approach demonstrated here will allow the sampling of those rare occurrences more frequently without misrepresenting their probabilistic impacts.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Zero-pairing and zero-temperature limits of finite-temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory

Recently, variational Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) mean-field equations were shown to possess a mathematically well-defined zero-pairing limit, independently of the closed- or open-shell character of the system under consideration. This limit is non-trivial for open-shell systems such that HFB theory does {\it not} reduce to the Hartree-Fock (HF) formalism in all cases. The present work extends this analysis to finite-temperature HFB (FTHFB) theory by investigating the behavior of this more general formalism in the combined zero-temperature and zero-pairing limits. The zero-pairing and zero-temperature limits of the FTHFB statistical density operator constrained to carry an arbitrary (integer) number of particles A on average is worked out analytically and realized numerically using a two-nucleon interaction. While the FTHFB density operator reduces to the projector corresponding to a pure HF Slater determinant for closed-shell nuclei, the FTHFB formalism does not reduce to the HF theory in all cases in the zero-temperature and zero-pairing limits, i.e. for open-shell nuclei. However, the fact that a nucleus can be of open-shell character in these joint limits is necessarily the result of some symmetry restrictions. Whenever it is the case, the non-trivial description obtained for open-shell systems is shown to depend on the order with which both limits are taken, i.e. the two limits do not commute for these systems. When the zero-temperature limit is performed first, the FTHFB density operator is demoted to a projector corresponding to a pure state made out of a linear combination of a finite number of Slater determinants with different (even) numbers of particles. When the zero-pairing limit is performed first, the FTHFB density operator remains a statistical mixture of a finite number of Slater determinants with both even and odd particle numbers. While the entropy (pairing density) is zero in the first (second) case, it does not vanish in the second (first) case in spite of the temperature (pairing) tending towards zero. The difference between both limits can have striking consequences for the (thermal) expectation values of observables. For instance, the particle-number variance does not vanish in either case and has limiting values that differ by a factor of two in both cases. In conclusion, while in the textbook situation associated with closed-shell nuclei Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (finite-temperature Hartree-Fock) theory reduces to Hartree-Fock theory in the zero-pairing (zero-temperature) limit, the present analysis demonstrates that a non trivial and unexpected limit is obtained for this formalism in open-shell systems. This result sheds a new light on certain aspects of this otherwise very well-studied many-body formalism.

20 ≤ A ≤ 38↗

Exploration Analysis of Carbon Dioxide Levels and Ultrasound Measures of the Eye During ISS Missions

Enhanced screening for the Visual Impairment/Intracranial Pressure (VIIP) Syndrome, including in-flight ultrasound, was implemented in 2010 to better characterize the changes in vision observed in some long-duration crewmembers. Suggested possible risk factors for VIIP include cardiovascular changes, diet, anatomical and genetic factors, and environmental conditions. As a potent vasodilator, carbon dioxide (CO (sub 2)), which is chronically elevated on the International Space Station (ISS) relative to typical indoor and outdoor ambient levels on Earth, seems a plausible contributor to VIIP. In an effort to understand the possible associations between CO (sub 2) and VIIP, this study analyzes the relationship between ambient CO (sub 2) levels on ISS and ultrasound measures of the eye obtained from ISS fliers. CO (sub 2) measurements will be pulled directly from Operational Data Reduction Complex for the Lab and Node 3 major constituent analyzers (MCAs) on ISS or from sensors located in the European Columbus module, as available. CO (sub 2) measures between ultrasound sessions will be summarized using standard time series class metrics in MATLAB including time-weighted means and variances. Cumulative CO (sub 2) exposure metrics will also be developed. Regression analyses will be used to quantify the relationships between the CO (sub 2) metrics and specific ultrasound measures. Generalized estimating equations will adjust for the repeated measures within individuals. Multiple imputation techniques will be used to adjust for any possible biases in missing data for either CO (sub 2) or ultrasound measures. These analyses will elucidate the possible relationship between CO (sub 2) and changes in vision and also inform future analysis of inflight VIIP data.

Young, M.↗

Sources of Uncertainty in Modeled Land Carbon Storage within and across Three MIPs: Diagnosis with Three New Techniques

Terrestrial carbon cycle models have incorporated increasingly more processes as a means to achieve more-realistic representations of ecosystem carbon cycling. Despite this, there are large across-model variations in the simulation and projection of carbon cycling. Several model intercomparison projects (MIPs), for example, the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) (historical simulations), Trends in Net Land–Atmosphere Carbon Exchange (TRENDY), and Multiscale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP), have sought to understand intermodel differences. Here in this study, the authors developed a suite of new techniques to conduct post-MIP analysis to gain insights into uncertainty sources across 25 models in the three MIPs. First, terrestrial carbon storage dynamics were characterized by a three-dimensional (3D) model output space with coordinates of carbon residence time, net primary productivity (NPP), and carbon storage potential. The latter represents the potential of an ecosystem to lose or gain carbon. This space can be used to measure how and why model output differs. Models with a nitrogen cycle generally exhibit lower annual NPP in comparison with other models, and mostly negative carbon storage potential. Second, a transient traceability framework was used to decompose any given carbon cycle model into traceable components and identify the sources of model differences. The carbon residence time (or NPP) was traced to baseline carbon residence time (or baseline NPP related to the maximum carbon input), environmental scalars, and climate forcing. Third, by applying a variance decomposition method, the authors show that the intermodel differences in carbon storage can be mainly attributed to the baseline carbon residence time and baseline NPP (>90% in the three MIPs). The three techniques developed in this study offer a novel approach to gain more insight from existing MIPs and can point out directions for future MIPs. Finally, since this study is conducted at the global scale for an overview on intermodel differences, future studies should focus more on regional analysis to identify the sources of uncertainties and improve models at the specified mechanism level.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Foreground and Sensitivity Analysis for Broadband (2D) 21 cm–Lyα and 21 cm–Hα Correlation Experiments Probing the Epoch of Reionization

A detection of the predicted anticorrelation between 21 cm and either Lyα or Hα from the epoch of reionization (EOR) would be a powerful probe of the first galaxies. While 3D intensity maps isolate foregrounds in low-k{sub ∥} modes, infrared surveys cannot yet match the field of view and redshift resolution of radio intensity mapping experiments. In contrast, 2D (i.e., broadband) infrared intensity maps can be measured with current experiments and are limited by foregrounds instead of photon or thermal noise. We show that 2D experiments can measure most of the 3D fluctuation power at k<0.2 Mpc{sup −1} while preserving its correlation properties. However, we show that foregrounds pose two challenges: (1) simple geometric effects produce percent-level correlations between radio and infrared fluxes, even if their luminosities are uncorrelated; and (2) radio and infrared foreground residuals contribute sample variance noise to the cross spectrum. The first challenge demands better foreground masking and subtraction, while the second demands large fields of view to average away uncorrelated radio and infrared power. Using radio observations from the Murchison Widefield Array and near-infrared observations from the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, we set an upper limit on residual foregrounds of the 21 cm–Lyα cross-power spectrum at z∼7 of Δ{sup 2}<181 (kJy sr{sup −1} mK) (95%) at ℓ∼800. We predict levels of foreground correlation and sample variance noise in future experiments, showing that higher-resolution surveys such as LOFAR, SKA-LOW, and the Dark Energy Survey can start to probe models of the 21 cm–Lyα EOR cross spectrum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The role of geographical spreaders in infectious pattern formation and front propagation speeds

The pattern formation and spatial spread of infectious populations are investigated using a kernel-based Susceptible–Infectious–Recovered (SIR) model applicable across a wide range of basic reproduction numbers R O . The goal is to examine the role of geographical spreaders on transient spatial pattern formation of infectious populations and the associated maximum invasive front speeds c max . In the simulations conducted here, geographical spreaders are defined as a portion of the infected population Φ experiencing high mobility between identical communities. The spatial organization of the infected population and c max are determined when the infections are randomly initiated in space within multiple communities. For small but finite , scaling analysis and numerical simulations in 1-dimension suggest that when the spreading kernel is Gaussian-shaped, where is the inverse of the infectious duration. This finding for agrees with a diffusion-based representation of mobility in 1-D. Numerical simulations in 2-D across wide-ranging suggest that , the variance of the spatial kernel describing mobility of long-distance geographical spreaders across communities, determines the spatial organization of infections across communities. When (long-distance mobility, where is the minimum spatial extent defining adjacent communities), the infectious population will experience a transient but spatially coherent pattern with a wavelength that can be derived from the spreading kernel properties. Moreover, the 2-D simulations for the bounded kernel suggest that attainment of is also dictated by but the magnitude is not sensitive to unlike diffusion-based models.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Effective cosmic density field reconstruction with convolutional neural network

ABSTRACT We present a cosmic density field reconstruction method that augments the traditional reconstruction algorithms with a convolutional neural network (CNN). Following previous work, the key component of our method is to use the reconstructed density field as the input to the neural network. We extend this previous work by exploring how the performance of these reconstruction ideas depends on the input reconstruction algorithm, the reconstruction parameters, and the shot noise of the density field, as well as the robustness of the method. We build an eight-layer CNN and train the network with reconstructed density fields computed from the Quijote suite of simulations. The reconstructed density fields are generated by both the standard algorithm and a new iterative algorithm. In real space at z = 0, we find that the reconstructed field is 90 per cent correlated with the true initial density out to $k\sim 0.5 \, \mathrm{ h}\, \rm {Mpc}^{-1}$, a significant improvement over $k\sim 0.2 \, \mathrm{ h}\, \rm {Mpc}^{-1}$ achieved by the input reconstruction algorithms. We find similar improvements in redshift space, including an improved removal of redshift space distortions at small scales. We also find that the method is robust across changes in cosmology. Additionally, the CNN removes much of the variance from the choice of different reconstruction algorithms and reconstruction parameters. However, the effectiveness decreases with increasing shot noise, suggesting that such an approach is best suited to high density samples. This work highlights the additional information in the density field beyond linear scales as well as the power of complementing traditional analysis approaches with machine learning techniques.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Plant phylogenetic history explains in-stream decomposition at a global scale

1. Evolutionary history and adaptation to climate shape plant traits. Some include leaf traits that influence litter quality. As a result, evolutionary history should affect litter decomposition, a crucial ecosystem process. In addition, litter decomposition is directly influenced by climate. Similarly, we expect plant phylogeny, adaptation and climate to jointly influence litter decomposition. These effects and their interactions have yet to be untangled at a global scale. 2. Here we introduce an analysis of variation in litter decomposition rates in rivers and streams across 285 published studies for 239 species (from ferns to angiosperms) distributed at 494 locations world-wide. We estimated the relative contributions of climatic conditions and phylogenetic heritage on litter decomposition rates, partitioning phylogenetic from climatic effects at the site and species levels using phylogenetic eigenvector analysis and phylogenetic linear mixed models. In addition, we modelled transitions in decomposition rates under a suite of multiple adaptive-regime Ornstein–Uhlenbeck models to test the hypothesis that natural selection has shaped clade-level litter decomposition rates. 3. Leaf litter decomposition rate exhibited a significant phylogenetic signal. Modelling decomposition rate as a function of location, climatic niche and phylogeny consistently recovered phylogeny alone as one of the top models in species-level analyses. Since many previous studies have focused on the same species across many locations, we also conducted analyses at the species × site level. Both phylogenetic and climatic factors were favoured in models of this analysis, but the single most important predictor for angiosperms and for all taxa analysed together was phylogeny alone. 4. Synthesis. For plant species distributed globally at nearly 500 locations we found that plant phylogenetic history is a critically important predictor of litter decomposition rate in rivers and streams, explaining more of the variance in decomposition than site or climatic regime. Thus, our study demonstrates the influence of evolutionary history on suites of plant traits that shape a key ecosystem process.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Rain-rate estimates for an attenuating radar

An iterative method has been used to produce rain-rate estimates for an attenuating frequency radar. An infinite number of higher-order estimates are shown to converge in the limit to the Hitschfeld-Bordan solution under certain conditions. An error analysis was performed by a model accounting for the randomness of the radar return power, the k-Z, Z-R relations, and offsets in the radar calibration constant. Since the behavior of the estimates strongly depends on system errors, the choice of the best estimate requires a knowledge of the variance and range of offsets in meteorological data and the calibration constant. As the errors increase, the use of the lower orders avoids significant overpredictions. In order to obtain reliable rain-rate predictions in the presence of realistic errors, an antenna pointing angles away from the horizontal at frequencies in the lower end of the X-band may be used. Such antenna configurations insure low attenuation.

Meneghini, R.↗

Interannual and Decadal Variability of Summer Rainfall over South America

Using the CPC (Climate Prediction Center) Merged Analysis of Precipitation product along with the Goddard Earth Observing System reanalysis and the Climate Analysis Center sea surface temperature (SST) data, we conduct a diagnostic study of the interannual and decadal scale variability of summer rainfall over South America. Results show three leading modes of rainfall variation identified with interannual, decadal, and long-term trend variability. Together, these modes explain more than half the total variance. The first mode is highly correlated with El Nino/southern oscillation (ENSO), showing severe drought over Northeast Brazil and copious rainfall over the Ecuador coast and the area of Uruguay-Southern Brazil in El Nino years. This pattern is attributed to the large scale zonal shift of the Walker circulation and local Hadley cell anomaly induced by positive (negative) SST anomaly over the eastern (western) equatorial Pacific. In El Nino years, two convective belts indicated by upper tropospheric velocity potential trough and mid-tropospheric rising motion, which are somewhat symmetric about the equator, extend toward the northeast and the southeast into the tropical North and South Atlantic respectively. Sandwiched between the ascent is a region of descending motion over Northeast Brazil. The southern branch of the anomalous Hadley cell is dynamically linked to the increase of rainfall over Uruguay-Southern Brazil. The regional response of anomalous circulation shows a stronger South American summer monsoon and an enhanced (weakened) subtropical high over the South Atlantic (South Pacific) Ocean. The decadal variation displays a meridional shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which is tie to the anomalous cross-equatorial SST gradient over the Atlantic and the eastern Pacific. In conjunction with this mode is a large scale mass swing between the polar regions and midlatitudes in both hemispheres. Over the South Atlantic and the South Pacific, the changes of the strength of the subtropical high and the associated surface wind are dynamically consistent with the distribution of local SST anomalies, suggesting the importance of the atmospheric forcing in the decadal time scale. The decadal mode also presents a weak summer monsoon in its positive phase, which reduces the moisture supply from the equatorial Atlantic and the Amazon Basin and results in negative rainfall anomalies over the central Andes and Gran Chaco. The long-term trend shows decrease of rainfall from the northwest coast to the southeast subtropical region and a southward shift of Atlantic ITCZ that leads to increased rainfall over northern and eastern Brazil. Our result shows a close link of this mode to the observed SST warming trend over the subtropical South Atlantic and a remote connection to the interdecadal SST variation over the extratropical North Atlantic found in previous studies.

Zhou, Jiayu↗

Using a Web Browser for Environmental and Climate Change Studies

A new web browser for viewing and manipulating meteorological data sets is located on a web server at NASA, Langley Research Center. The browser uses a live access server (LAS) developed by the Thermal Modeling and Analysis Project at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. LAS allows researchers to interact directly with the data to view, select, and subset the data in terms of location (latitude, longitude) and time such as day, month, or year. In addition, LAS can compare two data sets and can perform averages and variances, LAS is used here to show how it functions as an internet/web browser for use by the scientific and educational community. In particular its versatility in displaying and manipulating data sets of atmospheric measurements in the earth's radiation budget (ERB) or energy balance, which includes measurements of absorbed solar radiation, reflected shortwave radiation (RSW), thermal outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and net radiation is demonstrated. These measurements are from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) experiment and the surface radiation budget (SRB) experiment.

Bess, T. Dale↗