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At least 1,495 records · Page 83

Optical study of a possible bipolar flow associated with Herbig-Haro 12

The region near HH 12 in NGC 1333 has been imaged at V, R, I, and H-alpha using the CCD detector at the Kitt Peak National Observatory 0.9 m telescope. The H-alpha frame reveals a narrow, sinuous structure which extends over a projected distance of 0.3 pc and which emanates from a star which appears to be a T Tauri object of type M0-M2. Velocities along this structure were obtained both north and south of the star. The morphology of this structure as well as the measured velocities suggest that it may be an optical manifestation of a highly collimated bipolar outflow which excites the object heretofore identified as HH 12.

Strom, K. M.↗

Monitoring tropical-cyclone intensity using environmental wind fields derived from short-interval satellite images

The feasibility of predicting changes in tropical storm intensity based on satellite observations of the dynamical relationships between the large-scale upper and lower tropospheric circulations surrounding the cyclone and the characteristics of the storm's inner core is studied. Rapid-scan visible images from the SMS-1 and GOES-1 satellites were used to examine the local change in relative angular momentum (RAM), the lower and upper tropospheric environmental areal mean relative vorticity and transverse circulation on three consecutive days for tropical storms Caroline (August, 1975), Anita (August and September, 1977) and Ella (September, 1978). The three case studies suggest that storm intensification may be predicted from the storm's local change of net RAM, with this quantity best correlated with storm intensification after a time lag of 6 hours. Intensification is also found to be related to the environmental lower and upper tropospheric areal-mean relative vorticity, and to the upper tropospheric environmental circulation, which acts either to hinder or to enhance the storm's anticyclonic outflow channels.

Rodgers, E.↗

Characteristics of thermal and suprathermal ions associated with the dayside plasma trough as measured by the dynamics explorer retarding ion mass spectrometer

The thermal and suprathermal ion populations present in the refilling regions after a magnetic storm are examined using retarding ion mass spectrometer (RIMS) data from the Dynamics Explorer 1 spacecraft. The RIMS instrument is described, and data are presented and discussed in detail for the outer plasmasphere, plasmapause, depleted dayside magnetosphere, and dayside cusp. Three distinct populations were observed: thermal ions, warm anisotropic plasma, and the polar wind. The characteristics of these populations are considered, including the densities, temperatures, and density ratios. Aspects of the ionospheric plasma outflow are discussed, including the field-aligned flow speed, the ionospheric plasma escape flux, plasmaspheric refilling, and wave-particle phenomena.

Sojka, J. J.↗

Interpretation of satellite-observed thunderstorm anvil structure

The radiative characteristics of an anvil plume sensed by satellite radiometers are studied to discern the reason for an observed 'V' pattern of colder temperatures and a corresponding internal warm region. The measured black body temperature is affected by the ice water content and particle distributions in the cloud layer. Attention is given to 'V' anvil structure examined by Haynesfield et al. (1979). The GOES satellite IR data are treated with a plane parallel geometric radiative transfer model and a particle trajectory model is used to simulate ice particle concentrations downwind from a strongly divergent cloud top. Output from the two models indicate the 'V' pattern arises from divergence in the storm anvil. The particle concentration was elevated within the V-shaped region, causing lower temperatures in the V arms. The V is produced by strong upper level flow as well as strong mass and moisture divergence in the storm outflow.

Heymsfield, G. M.↗

Kinematic analysis of Hurricane Frederick (1979) using satellite, aircraft and Rawinsonde data

Results of kinematic analyses of Hurricane Frederick (1979) performed using satellite wind vectors, aircraft measurements and rawinsonde data are presented. The data were gathered, reduced, preliminarily integrated and used to analyze the structure of the storm in the inflow and outflow layers. The mean structure at large radii is in good agreement with composite analyses of tropical cyclones. Changes in the storm structure from 11 to 12 Sep. 1979 suggest that remote sensing techniques are useful in monitoring storm intensity. A more sophisticated integration of the various data, including determination of optimum heights for satellite wind vectors, is underway.

Frank, W. M.↗

Investigation of the equatorial orographic-dynamic mechanism applying the bounded derivative method

A system of equations which describe the motion of a barotropic fluid in the presence of bottom topography are presented. The mathematical expression for orography is developed and the bounded derivative initialization method is applied to suppress gravitational oscillations. A stationary orographic trough is simulated. The geopotential and zonal motion have maximum deviation from the mean state at the top of the mountain. Regarding meridional speed, outflow occurs on the windward slope and inflow on the leeward slope. Divergence of order (10(-6)s(-1) is found on the windward slope while convergence of the same order of magnitude resides on the leeward slope. This outcome may have interesting implications regarding real climatology occurring over the equatorial regions of continental land masses.

Semazzi, F. H. M.↗

Geomorphic clues to the Martian volatile inventory. 1: Flow ejecta blankets

There are classes of landforms whose presence on Mars is strongly suggestive, if not confirmatory, of the participation of volatiles, presumably water, in its geomorphic development: (1) valley networks, (2) outflow channels, (3) landslides, and (4) flow-ejecta blankets. The first two may represent landforms generated by the movement of volatiles from sources, while the latter two probably represent the dissipation of energy generated by forcing inputs (e.g., kinetic energy and gravity) modulated by volatiles. In many areas on Mars, all four processes have acted on the same lithologic materials and were influenced by the composition of those units, and possibility by the climatic regime at the time of their formation. One of the approaches discussed to this specific problem of landform genesis, and to the general problem of the present and past states of martian volatiles, is to attempt to constrain the distribution, amount, and history of available volatiles by using possible evidence of volatile participation expressed in the morphology of other related landforms (e.g., flow-ejecta blankets and landslides) coupled with physical models for landform genesis.

Pieri, D.↗

Experiments examining the shapes of isolated bars in comparison with those occurring in braided rivers

Sand bars and islands within braided rivers have characteristic rhomboid or diamond shapes, often becoming very complex in form as the density of islands increases. Similar forms are observed in the martian outflow channels where the islands occur in groups. This contrasts with the more isolated martian islands which have airfoil shapes, as do isolated streamlined islands in rivers and in the Channeled Scabland. These observations indicate that the bar and island forms are controlled by the density of the islands, with increasing island interaction and flow modification as the density increases. As a continuation of previous flume experiments on the shapes of isolated islands, a new series of experiments investigate the modifications produced by a progressive increase in island density, finally leading to a true braided system.

Komar, P. D.↗

Detection of shocked atomic gas in the Kleinmann-Low nebula

The 63 micrometer (3)p(1)-(3)P(2) fine structure line emission of neutral atomic oxygen at the center of the Orion nebula with a resolution of 30" is presented. There are three main emission peaks. One is associated with the region of strongest thermal radio continuum radiation close to the Trapezium cluster, and probably arises at the interface between the HII region and the dense Orion molecular cloud. The other two line emission peaks, associated with the Kleinmann Low nebula, are similar in both distribution and velocity to those of the 2 micrometer S(1) line of molecular hydrogen and of the high velocity wings of rotational CO emission. The OI emission from the KL nebula can be produced in the shocked gas associated with the mass outflows in this region and is an important coolant of the shocked gas.

Werner, M.↗

Investigation of arc cloud lines

The natural mechanisms that lead to the development of deep convective storms through the integration of radio scan satellite data with research aircraft observations is discussed. The aircraft measurements are designed to provide detailed air motion and thermodynamic data near and in the arc cloud line region at the same time GOES rapid scan data is taken. Inspection of the data indicates: (1) Arc cloud lines are important in both the production of convergence and vorticity, and in the interaction with intense thunderstorms which may act to trigger tornado activity. (2) The lateral extent of the vertical motion field compared to the cloud scale indicates that the main driving force for the initial cloud development along the arc-line is controlled by the thunderstorm outflow(s) interacting with the convectively unstable air of the environment. (3) Arc cloud lines and their associated DSL region can pose extreme hazards to aircraft operations. (4) An arc cloud line's major threat to space shuttle operations lie in its ability to generate new thunderstorm activity along the shuttle glide path.

Purdom, J. F. W.↗

A direct method for the solution of unsteady two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

The unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are formulated in terms of vorticity and stream function in generalized curvilinear orthogonal coordinates to facilitiate analysis of flow configurations with general geometries. The numerical method developed solves the conservative form of the transport equation using the alternating-direction implicit method, whereas the stream-function equation is solved by direct block Gaussian elimination. The method is applied to a model problem of flow over a back-step in a doubly infinite channel, using clustered conformal coordinates. One-dimensional stretching functions, dependent on the Reynolds number and the asymptotic behavior of the flow, are used to provide suitable grid distribution in the separation and reattachment regions, as well as in the inflow and outflow regions. The optimum grid distribution selected attempts to honor the multiple length scales of the separated-flow model problem. The asymptotic behavior of the finite-differenced transport equation near infinity is examined and the numerical method is carefully developed so as to lead to spatially second-order accurate wiggle-free solutions, i.e., with minimum dispersive error. Results have been obtained in the entire laminar range for the backstep channel and are in good agreement with the available experimental data for this flow problem.

Ghia, K. N.↗

First detection of winds in red giants by microwave continuum techniques

Eight red giants and supergiants have been observed at 4885 MHz (6 cm) with the Very Large Array in an attempt to detect continuum emission. The bright giant Alpha-1 Her (M5 II) was detected at an average flux density of 0.9 + or - 0.13 mJy. Since the likely source of this emission is an ionized, optically thick component of a stellar wind, this detection implies a mass loss rate of 2 x 10 to the -9th solar masses per yr for the ionized gas. The fraction of the outflow in Alpha-1 Her that is ionized (0.002-0.02) seems to be similar to that previously found for Alpha Ori and Alpha Sco A. Alpha Boo (K2 IIIp) and Beta Gem (K0 III) are probable and definite detections, respectively. The derived ionized mass loss rates for these two stars are about 1 x 10 to the -10th solar masses per yr, implying in the case of Alpha Boo that the wind is largely ionized.

Drake, S. A.↗

NASA B-57B Severe Storms Flight Program

Plots of winds encountered in-flight are presented for a severe turbulence case from JAWS flight 7 (near Denver on the afternoon of July 15, 1982). During the flight the B-57B showed a 30-knot increase in airspeed over a distance of about 426 ft and then a more gradual decrease of 40 to 50 knots over a distance of about 3.2 miles. This suspected outflow feature was associated with downdraft in excess of 20 knots. The horizontal wind direction changed almost 180 deg during the pass through the feature, and the intensity of velocity differences decreased for all three components within the downdraft. Calculated probability density functions for u, v, and w showed a jagged character; and distributions for Delta-u, Delta-v, and Delta-w were distinctly non-Gaussian. Based on skewness and kurtosis values, the data could probably best be modeled by a Pearson type VII (Student's t) distribution.

Painter, W. D.↗

Airborne infrared low level wind shear predictor

The operating principles and test performance of an airborne IR (13-16 micron) temperature-sensing detection and warning system for low-level wind shear (LLWS) are presented. The physics of LLWS phenomena and of the IR radiometer are introduced. The cold density-current outflow or gust front related to LLWS is observed in the IR spectrum of CO2 by a radiometer with + or - 0.5-C accuracy at 0.5-Hz sampling rate; LLWS alerts are given on the basis of specific criteria. Test results from the JAWS experiments conducted at Denver in July 1982, are presented graphically and discussed. The feasibility of the passive IR system is demonstrated, with an average warning time of 51 sec, corresponding to a distance from touchdown of about 2 miles.

Kuhn, P. M.↗

A rule for selecting analytical boundary conditions for the conservative quasi-one-dimensional nozzle flow equations

For the one-dimensional nozzle flow equations, the number of analytical boundary conditions that may be applied corresponds to the number of exterior characteristics reaching the boundary points. Since the slopes of the characteristics are the characteristic speeds u, u+c, and u-c, one concludes that two analytical boundary conditions are required at a subsonic inflow boundary and one at a subsonic outflow boundary. However, using this guideline alone can lead to nonunique solutions in subsonic cases. This paper presents a rule for selecting analytical boundary conditions for the dependent variables which will yield unique solutions if they exist.

Wornom, S. F.↗

A slotted test section numerical model for interference assessment

A numerical model of a slotted wind tunnel test section, intended for use with sparsely measured wall pressures in a wall interference assessment procedure, is described. The numerical model includes a discrete finite length wall slot representation and accounts for the nonlinear effects of the dynamic pressure of the slot outflow jet and of the low energy of slot inflow air. By using th numerical model in a wall interference prediction mode, it is demonstrated that accounting for slot discreteness is important in interpreting wall pressures measured between slots, and that accounting for finite slot length and nonlinear effects in the slot boundary condition can yield significant departures from the wall interference predicted using the classical linear homogeneous infinite-length wall representation.

Kemp, W. B., Jr.↗

Infrared observations of dust cloud structure in young R associations - NGC 1333, S68, and NGC 7129

Infrared photometry is presented from 1 to 100 microns of the major sources of luminosity in three regions of star formation which contain young B and A, but not O, stars. The reflection nebulae in all three regions are sources of 100-micron emission similar to previously observed optical reflection nebulae. All three regions also contain highly obscured sources which are often associated with radio maser activity, high-velocity gas outflows, and unusual radio continuum emission. There is a strong correlation between the occurrence of these radio phenomena and the presence of dust close enough to the central objects to radiate strongly in the 3-20 micron spectral region. These obscured sources are likely to be the pre-main-sequence counterparts to the nearby visible main-sequence stars; the obscured objects may still be undergoing mass accretion.

Wilking, B. A.↗

Navier-Stokes solutions for two-dimensional subsonic base flow

Methods for determining the effects of mass injection from the trailing edge of a bluff body at low speeds and in transonic flow were numerically studied along with an unmodified blunt-based body to gain insight into the effects of vortex shedding on the base drag. The methodology used to obtain finite-difference solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations for subsonic compressible two-dimensional near-wake flows is presented. The effectiveness of an introduced outflow boundary condition which minimizes reflections back into the computational domain was demonstrated with the solution of a model vortex problem. Calculations of the near-wake flow past a circular cylinder were in excellent agreement with experimental data. Laminar-flow solutions for a blunt-based model with and without a base cavity and with mass injection into the wake agreed qualitatively with experimental observations. The drag reduction capability provided by such base modifications was demonstrated.

Rudy, D. H.↗