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At least 1,549 records · Page 86

Generation of Available Potential Energy and Other Diagnostic Studies During FGGE

The energy cycle of the atmosphere was examined by utilizing gridded analyses of the state of the atmosphere produced by a special objective analysis system and the GLAS fourth order general circulation model. The analyses of a month period during the first special observing period of FGGE are produced at GLAS. The various diabatic heating fields necessary for direct computation of the generation of available potential energy (P) are recorded.

Salstein, D. A.↗

Diagnostics of Rainfall Anomalies in the Nordeste During the Global Weather Experiment

The relationship of the daily variability of large-scale pressure, cloudiness and upper level wind patterns over the Brazil-Atlantic sector during March/April 1979 to rainfall anomalies in northern Nordeste was investigated. The experiment divides the rainy season (March/April) of 1979 into wet and dry days, then composites bright cloudiness, sea level pressure, and upper level wind fields with respect to persistent rainfall episodes. Wet and dry anomalies are analyzed along with seasonal mean conditions.

Sikdar, D. M.↗

Cyclone diagnostics

A GOES IR rainfall estimation algorithm was completed and verified. The technique was applied to the South Pacific convergent zone. The NASA earth observation mission series is discussed briefly. Backscatter was investigated using 10.6 micron coherent lidar.

Source record↗

Laser Schlieren and ultraviolet diagnostics of rocket combustion

A low pressure oxygen/hydrogen turbine drive combustor hot-fire test series was conducted on the Turbine Drive Combustor Technology Program. The first objective was to gather data on an axisymmetric combustion system to support anchoring of a new combustion/fluid dynamics computer code under development on the same contract. The second objective was to gain insight into low mixture ratio combustion characteristics of coaxial injector elements.

Fisher, S. C.↗

Diagnostic of electromagnetic conditions in space using cosmic rays

The method of spectrographic global survey was used to study the time variations in parameters of cosmic ray (CR) pitch angle anisotropy and their relationship with the variations of some solar wind characteristics under different electromagnetic conditions in interplanetary space. A classification is made of the conditions that are accompanied by the increase in CR anisotropy.

Dvornikov, V. M.↗

Plasma diagnostics for the outer solar corona - UV and XUV Fe XII lines

The formation of the UV and XUV spectral lines of Fe XII in the outer corona was investigated. The results indicate that these lines can be an important tool for probing the physical conditions in the coronal regions where the solar wind is generated. The Fe XII lines can be particularly useful for determining outflow velocities of heavy ions in the solar wind and for providing critical empirical constraints on energy transport and dissipation mechanisms in the solar wind acceleration region. Application of the theoretical calculations to existing UV, EUV, and XUV observations of the low corona provide evidence that: (1) the inclusion of the effects of resonances in the collision strengths for the low-lying levels of Fe XII is important, (2) that the contributions of resonances for these levels are even larger than the estimates given in the present paper, and (3) that the collision strengths used here yield populations for these levels which are accurate to a factor of 2. These results have implications concerning the accuracy of abundances and densities derived from observations of the Fe XII lines in the low corona.

Withbroe, G. L.↗

Electrothermal thruster diagnostics

A flight-qualified electrothermal thruster demonstrated its adaptability to a variety of propellants. Originally qualified for operation with hydrazine propellant, it was operated with nitrogen, hydrogen, and ammonia propellants, demonstrating 73, 61, and 52 percent overall efficiency with these propellants, respectively, when tested over a wide range of operating conditions. By introducing a preheater to admit hot, rather than cold, propellant inlet gases to the thruster's augmentation heat exchanger, delivered specific impulse closer to theoretical performance limits should be achieved.

Zafran, S.↗

Comments on 'Comparative diagnostic case study of east coast secondary cyclogenesis under weak versus strong synoptic-scale forcing'

A comment is presented on a recent paper by Pagnotti and Bosart (1984) which contrasted different forcing mechanisms for weak and strong cyclones along the east coast of the U.S., and Bosart replies. The comment argues that the paper did not give a clear definition of 'weak' upper-level forcing and did not provide sufficient evidence to support its claim that the return branch of transverse circulations may be coupled to the middle as opposed to the lower troposphere.

Uccellini, L. W.↗

Diagnostic requirements for the superrotation on Venus

The eddy source pattern required to maintain zonally averaged circulation in the solar heating and zonal wind profiles of the Venus atmosphere below 80 km has been calculated. The calculated residual meridional circulation in the cloud top region corresponds to multiple direct and indirect cells in the vertical, whose depths are controlled by the scales of solar heating and eddy sources. In the presence of mean meridional transports, the observed zonal superrotation can be supported by alternating layers of eddy sources and sinks, which may be due to thermal tides.

Hou, A. Y.↗

Potential of CCDs for UV and X-ray plasma diagnostics

A program is under way to develop charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors for space-based X-ray astronomy imaging spectrometers. To date, laboratory line-emission spectra have been acquired throughout the range of 277 to 8000 eV (carbon through copper K-alpha emission) and CCD sensitivity has been demonstrated throughout the range of 1.1 through 8000 eV. Image resolution is excellent, limited almost entirely by the 15 micron pixel size. These results are presented and specialized techniques are described which permit such low energy response, high spectral resolution, and efficient charge collection. Finally, analysis is presented of one particular CCD characteristic which currently limits UV and X-ray performance: charge diffusion.

Janesick, J. R.↗

Turbulence in molecular clouds - A new diagnostic tool to probe their origin

A method is presented to uncover the instability responsible for the type of turbulence observed in molecular clouds and the value of the physical parameters of the 'placental medium' from which turbulence originated. The method utilizes the observational relation between velocities and sizes of molecular clouds, together with a recent model for large-scale turbulence (constructed by Canuto and Goldman, 1985).

Canuto, V. M.↗

A two-layer diagnostic model of the long-term physical evolution of warm-core ring 82B

The present shipboard data in the 1982 time series on a single Gulf Stream warm core ring are composited on a cylindrical coordinate system following ring motion; 10 C-isotherm depth measurements are used in a two-layer model of the ring's structure to compute gradient current, kinetic energy, available potential energy (APE), and potential vorticity. The ring's evolution can be divided into two periods: April-late June, while the ring is isolated from strong Gulf Stream interaction, during which the ring loses APE at a low rate, and from July onward, following ring interactions with the Gulf Stream and topography with much higher energy loss. Within measurement errors, the potential vorticity at the center of the ring is conserved from April through August, implying nearly inviscid dynamics.

Olson, D. B.↗

Investigation of breadboard temperature profiling system for SSME fuel preburner diagnostics

The feasibility of measuring temperatures in the space shuttle main engine (SSME) fuel preburner using spontaneous Raman scattering from molecular hydrogen was studied. Laser radiation is transmitted to the preburner through a multimode optical fiber. Backscattered Raman-shifted light is collected and focused into a second fiber which connects to a remote-located spectrograph and a mutlichannel optical detector. Optics collimate and focus laser light from the transmitter fiber defining the probe volume. The high pressure, high temperature preburner environment was simulated by a heated pressure cell. Temperatures determined by the distribution of Q-branch co-vibrational transitions demonstrate precision and accuracy of 3%. It is indicated heat preburner temperatures can be determined with 5% accuracy with spatial resolution less than 1 cm and temporal resolution of 10 millisec at the nominal preburner operation conditions.

Shirley, J. A.↗

Satellite observations of 557.7 NM airglow as a diagnostic technique to study the dynamics of the lower thermosphere

Photometric observations of the airglow limb at 557.7 nm have been made from the ISIS 2 satellite since 1971. From an analysis of 32,000 airglow limb observations obtained during the first two years of operation, the major temporal and spatial characteristics of the night airglow have been identified. Maxima occur in mid-October and mid-April at all latitudes. There is a marked variation with latitude during the equinox periods, with peak intensities near 35 degrees in autumn and near 25 degrees in spring. It is possible to gain considerable insight into the behavior of the lower thermosphere by combining the airglow observations with a simple model of the photochemical and dynamical processes. In this way a pattern of the latitude and temporal variation of atomic oxygen concentration at the peak of the layer as well as the eddy diffusion in this altitude region have been inferred. The concentration of atomic oxygen shows midlatitude peaks near equinox, and minima about one month after solstice. Average values at midlatitudes are about 1.3 times those at the equator. The amplitude of the semiannual component is about 20% of the mean value at 35 degrees as compared to 10% at the equator, and the amplitude of 12-month component is about 12% at 35 deg and 5% at the equator. The semiannual component has a minimum that occurs approximately 3 weeks (plus or minus) after solstice at all latitudes, while the 12-month component peaks in the summer hemisphere at solstice (plus or minus 2 months).

Cogger, L. L.↗