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NASA NTRS1981

Investigation of the winds and electron concentration variability in the D region of the ionosphere by the partial-reflection radar technique

The development and first observations of the partial-reflection drifts experiment at Urbana, Illinois (40 N) are described. The winds data from the drifts experiment are compared with electron concentration data obtained by the differential-absorption technique to study the possible meteorological causes of the winter anomaly in the mesosphere at midlatitudes. winds data obtained by the meteor-radar experiment at Urbana are also compared with electron concentration data measured at Urban. A significant correlation is shown is both cases between southward winds and increasing electron concentration measured at the same location during winter. The possibility of stratospheric/mesospheric coupling is investigated by comparing satellite-measured 0.4 mbar geopotential data with mesospheric electron concentration data. No significant coupling was observed. The winds measured at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (52 N) are compared with the electron concentrations measured at Urban, yielding constant fixed relationship, but significant correlations for short segments of the winter. A significant coherence is observed at discrete frequencies during segments of the winter.

Weiland, R. M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-11082-DND

Analysis of one decade of radar-lidar and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site reveals that there is excellent agreement in the long-term mean cloud fractions (CF) derived from the surface and GOES data, and the CF is independent of temporal resolution and spatial scales for grid boxes of size 0.5o to 2.5°. When computed over a 0.5-hr (4-hr) period, cloud frequency of occurrence (FREQ) and amount when present (AWP) derived from the point surface data agree very well with the same quantities determined from GOES for a 0.5o (2.5o) region centered on the ARM SGP site. The values of FREQ (AWP) derived from the radar-lidar observations at a given altitude increase (decrease) as the averaging period increases from 5 min to 6 hours. Similarly, CF at a given altitude increases as the vertical resolution increases from 90 to 1000 m. The profiles of CF have distinct bimodal vertical distributions with a lower peak between 1 and 2 km and a higher one between 8 and 11 km. The 10-year mean total CF, 46.9%, varies seasonally from a summer minimum of 39.8% to a maximum of 54.6% during the winter. The annual mean CF is 1-2% less than that from previous studies, ~48-49%, because fewer clouds occurred during 2005 and 2006, especially during winter. The differences in single- and multi-layered CFs between this study and an earlier analysis can be explained by the different temporal resolutions used in the two studies where single-layered CFs decrease but multilayered CFs increase from a 5-min resolution to a 1-hr resolution. The vertical distribution of nighttime GOES high-cloud tops agrees well with surface observations, but during daytime, fewer high clouds are retrieved by the GOES analysis than seen from the surface observations. The frequencies of occurrence for both daytime and nighttime GOES low-cloud tops are significantly higher than surface observations, but the cloud fractions are in good agreement.

B Xi↗
NASA NTRS2009

An Operational Perspective of Total Lightning Information

The close and productive collaborations between the NWS Warning and Forecast Office, the Short Term Prediction and Research Transition Center at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama in Huntsville have provided a unique opportunity for science sharing and technology transfer. One significant technology transfer that has provided immediate benefits to NWS forecast and warning operations is the use of data from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array. This network consists of ten VHF receivers deployed across northern Alabama and a base station located at the National Space Science and Technology Center. Preliminary investigations done at WFO Huntsville, along with other similar total lightning networks across the country, have shown distinct correlations between the time rate-of-change of total lightning and trends in intensity/severity of the parent convective cell. Since May 2003 when WFO HUN began receiving these data - in conjunction with other more traditional remotely sensed data (radar, satellite, and surface observations) -- have improved the situational awareness of the WFO staff. The use of total lightning information, either from current ground based systems or future space borne instrumentation, may substantially contribute to the NWS mission, by enhancing severe weather warning and decision-making processes. Operational use of the data has been maximized at WFO Huntsville through a process that includes forecaster training, product implementation, and post event analysis and assessments. Since receiving these data, over 50 surveys have been completed highlighting the use of total lightning information during significant events across the Tennessee Valley. In addition, around 150 specific cases of interest have been archived for collaborative post storm analysis. From these datasets, detailed trending information from radar and total lightning can be compared to corresponding damage reports. This presentation will emphasize the effective use of total lightning information in warning decision making along with best practices for implementation of new technologies into operations.

Nadler, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2015

High-Resolution Mesoscale Model Setup for the Eastern Range and Wallops Flight Facility

Mesoscale weather conditions can have an adverse effect on space launch, landing, ground processing, and weather advisories, watches, and warnings at the Eastern Range (ER) in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) in Virginia. During summer, land-sea interactions across Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) lead to sea breeze front formation, which can spawn deep convection that can hinder operations and endanger personnel and resources. Many other weak locally-driven low-level boundaries and their interactions with the sea breeze front and each other can also initiate deep convection in the KSC/CCAFS area. These convective processes often last 60 minutes or less and pose a significant challenge to the local forecasters. Surface winds during the transition seasons (spring and fall) pose the most difficulties for the forecasters at WFF. They also encounter problems forecasting convective activity and temperature during those seasons. Therefore, accurate mesoscale model forecasts are needed to better forecast a variety of unique weather phenomena. Global and national scale models cannot properly resolve important local-scale weather features at each location due to their horizontal resolutions being much too coarse. Therefore, a properly tuned local data assimilation (DA) and forecast model at a high resolution is needed to provide improved capability. To accomplish this, a number of sensitivity tests were performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in order to determine the best DA/model configuration for operational use at each of the space launch ranges to best predict winds, precipitation, and temperature. A set of Perl scripts to run the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI)/WRF in real-time were provided by NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT). The GSI can analyze many types of observational data including satellite, radar, and conventional data. The GSI/WRF scripts use a cycled GSI system similar to the operational North American Mesoscale (NAM) model. The scripts run a 12-hour pre-cycle in which data are assimilated from 12 hours prior up to the model initialization time. A number of different model configurations were tested for both the ER and WFF by varying the horizontal resolution on which the data assimilation was done. Three different grid configurations were run for the ER and two configurations were run for WFF for archive cases from 27 Aug 2013 through 10 Nov 2013. To quantify model performance, standard model output will be compared to the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) data. The MADIS observation data will be compared to the WRF forecasts using the Model Evaluation Tools (MET) verification package. In addition, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Stage IV precipitation data will be used to validate the WRF precipitation forecasts. The author will summarize the relative skill of the various WRF configurations and how each configuration behaves relative to the others, as well as determine the best model configuration for each space launch range.

Watson, Leela R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

X-SAR: The X-band synthetic aperture radar on board the Space Shuttle

The X-band synthetic aperture radar (X-SAR) is the German/Italian contribution to the NASA/JPL Shuttle Radar Lab missions as part of the preparation for the Earth Observation System (EOS) program. The Shuttle Radar Lab is a combination of several radars: an L-band (1.2 GHz) and a C-band (5.3 GHz) multipolarization SAR known as SIR-C (Shuttle Imaging Radar); and an X-band (9.6 GHz) vertically polarized SAR which will be operated synchronously over the same target areas to deliver calibrated multifrequency and multipolarization SAR data at multiple incidence angles from space. A joint German/Italian project office at DARA (German Space Agency) is responsible for the management of the X-SAR project. The space hardware has been developed and manufactured under industrial contract by Dornier and Alenia Spazio. Besides supporting all the technical and scientific tasks, DLR, in cooperation with ASI (Agencia Spaziale Italiano) is responsible for mission operation, calibration, and high precision SAR processing. In addition, DLR developed an airborne X-band SAR to support the experimenters with campaigns to prepare for the missions. The main advantage of adding a shorter wavelength (3 cm) radar to the SIR-C radars is the X-band radar's weaker penetration into vegetation and soil and its high sensitivity to surface roughness and associated phenomena. The performance of each of the three radars is comparable with respect to radiometric and geometric resolution.

Werner, Marian U.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Software for a GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System

A special-purpose software Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver designed for remote sensing with reflected GPS signals is described in Delay/Doppler-Mapping GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System (NPO-30385), which appears elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. The input accepted by this program comprises raw (open-loop) digitized GPS signals sampled at a rate of about 20 MHz. The program processes the data samples to perform the following functions: detection of signals; tracking of phases and delays; mapping of delay, Doppler, and delay/Doppler waveforms; dual-frequency processing; coherent integrations as short as 125 s; decoding of navigation messages; and precise time tagging of observable quantities. The software can perform these functions on all detectable satellite signals without dead time. Open-loop data collected over water, land, or ice and processed by this software can be further processed to extract geophysical information. Possible examples include mean sea height, wind speed and direction, and significant wave height (for observations over the ocean); bistatic-radar terrain images and measures of soil moisture and biomass (for observations over land); and estimates of ice age, thickness, and surface density (for observations over ice).

Lowe, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS1984

The Sondrestrom radar: Progress and proposed upgrades for ST work

The capabilities and limitations of the Sondrestrom Radar for stratosphere-troposphere ST observations were previously presented. Recent progress and proposed upgrades are summarized. During the first year of operation (April 1983 to April 1984) there was only one ST experiment, mainly with the objective of evaluating the site and determining that the hardare and software were still operational after the radar's move from Alaska. The Sondrestrom site has about the same degree of ground clutter as the former Chatanika site and the data appear to be similar. The radar's operation continues to be incoherent-scatter observations of the ionosphere. The main radar parameters are summarized.

Watkins, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Radar studies in the solar system

The ephemerides needed to acquire radar data at Arecibo from observations of various solar-system objects was developed. The resultant data to test fundamental laws of gravitation and to determine the size, shape, topography, and spin vectors of the targets were analyzed. The surface properties of these objects through their radar scattering and polarization characteristics were studied. The observing program also included Arecibo observations of Mercury, Venus, and the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. The Mercury observations at Arecibo were all within a week of the epoch of a closure point (same surface position as a previous observation), and one was matched by a near-simultaneous observation at Goldstone.

Shapiro, Irwin I.↗
NASA NTRS2011

APR-2 Tropical Cyclone Observations

The Second Generation Airborne Precipitation Radar (APR-2) participated in the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment in August and September of 2010, collecting a large volume of data in several tropical systems, including Hurricanes Earl and Karl. Additional measurements of tropical cyclone have been made by APR-2 in experiments prior to GRIP (namely, CAMEX-4, NAMMA, TC4); Table 1 lists all the APR-2 tropical cyclone observations. The APR-2 observations consist of the vertical structure of rain reflectivity at 13.4 and 35.6 GHz, and at both co-polarization and crosspolarization, as well as vertical Doppler measurements and crosswind measurements. APR-2 normally flies on the NASA DC-8 aircraft, as in GRIP, collecting data with a downward looking, cross-track scanning geometry. The scan limits are 25 degrees on either side of the aircraft, resulting in a roughly 10-km swath, depending on the aircraft altitude. Details of the APR-2 observation geometry and performance can be found in Sadowy et al. (2003).The multiparameter nature of the APR-2 measurements makes the collection of tropical cyclone measurements valuable for detailed studies of the processes, microphysics and dynamics of tropical cyclones, as well as weaker systems that are associated with tropical cyclone formation. In this paper, we give a brief overview of how the APR-2 data are processed. We also discuss use of the APR-2 cross-track winds to estimate various quantities of interest in in studies of storm intensification. Finally, we show examples of the standard products and derived information.

radar↗
NASA NTRS2018

Improving the SMAP Level-4 Soil Moisture Product

The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission generates, among other data sets, the Level 4 Soil Moisture (L4 SM) product. The L4 SM algorithm is based on the assimilation of SMAP radiometer brightness temperature observations into the NASA Catchment land surface model using a spatially distributed ensemble Kalman filter. The L4 SM data are published with a mean latency of approx. 2.5 days from the time of observation and provide global, three-hourly, 9 km resolution estimates of surface and root-zone soil moisture and related land surface states and fluxes. In 2018, the product was upgraded from Version 3 to Version 4. Underlying the new version is a revised modeling system that includes improved input parameter datasets for land cover, topography, and vegetation height that are based on recent, high quality space-borne remote sensing observations. Land cover inputs were updated to the GlobCover2009 product, which is based on satellite observations from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. Topographic statistics now rely on observations from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Finally, vegetation height inputs are derived from space-borne Lidar measurements. Additionally, SMAP Level-2 soil moisture retrievals and in situ soil moisture measurements were used to calibrate a particular Catchment model parameter that governs the recharge of soil moisture from the models root-zone excess reservoir into the surface excess reservoir. Specifically, the replenishment of soil moisture near the surface from below under non-equilibrium conditions was substantially reduced, which brings the models surface soil moisture more in line with the SMAP Level 2 and in situ soil moisture. Finally, the calibration of the assimilated SMAP brightness temperatures changed substantially from Version 3 to Version 4. Considerable effort went into the version upgrade, creating an expectation that the new version is improved over the old version. Indeed, some aspects of the new version are clearly better. However, other aspects are not, and on balance, the overall improvement is modest at best. In this presentation we summarize the skill of the new and old versions vs. independent in situ measurements and in terms of data assimilation diagnostics, including, for example, the statistics of the (soil moisture) analysis increments and the observation minus forecast (brightness temperatures) residuals. We share our experience with trying to improve to the L4 SM product and the lessons learned from the effort.

Reichle, Rolf↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Observations of Small Debris from the Cosmos 1408 Anti-Satellite Test using the HUSIR and Goldstone Radars

On 15 November 2021, Russia conducted a direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) test against its Cosmos 1408 satellite, which had been in orbit since 1982. The test produced at least 1500 fragments trackable by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The test is a significant event because the resulting cloud has the potential to endanger the International Space Station and other satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). For almost 30 years, the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) has used the Haystack Ultrawideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR), operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory to perform statistical measurements of debris in LEO too small to be tracked by the SSN, nominally down to 5.5 mm at 1000 km altitude. The ODPO also utilizes the Goldstone Orbital Debris Radar (Goldstone), operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to characterize the small debris environment in LEO down to approximately 3 mm at 1000 km altitude. To characterize the small debris component of the Cosmos 1408 ASAT test, a series of observation campaigns were conducted with the HUSIR and Goldstone radars. This paper discusses the observation planning, including beam overlap analysis needed for Goldstone bistatic operation, using a model of the debris cloud produced with the NASA Standard Satellite Breakup Model. A description of the radars and the data processing techniques used to analyze the data are also discussed. Finally, results of the measurement campaigns including cumulative count rate versus size and surface area flux versus altitude and inclination are presented

James Murray↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operational and Archive Data Records: Surface Elevation Measurements of Lakes, Wetlands, and Rivers for Resources and Hazards

A NASA/USDA funded program offers satellite-derived products for lakes, reservoirs, river reaches, and wetland zones. These are currently being derived from the 10-day and monthly-resolution radar altimeter series. However, observational parameters from the laser based ICESat-2 mission, and the enhanced SWOT KaRIn instrument will also be integrated to meet various end user requirements. The resulting measurements will ultimately be a combination of surface water level and slope, surface water extent, water storage and basin bathymetry, plus a suite of Status Indicators which highlight deviations from long-term and seasonal averages. The main stakeholders are the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service, the US Geological Survey, USACE/NGA, and various Wetland-related organizations. Applications centre on water and energy resources and fish-catch potential, and on natural hazards (floods and droughts). There is a demand for a global monitoring service, but primary focus is on regions where gauge measurement access is restricted or delayed, or where gauge deployment is hazardous. Ongoing surface acquisition checks and feedback to CNES focusses on the success or failure of the on-board DEM’s on a case-by-case basis. Multiple projects are also underway to improve the surface elevations measurements and the along track resolution (minimum water body width) via exploration of the high resolution (Doppler) Range estimates, the FF-SAR technique, and the high- resolution radiometer based wet tropospheric correction. And while Level3+4 surface water products are being directed by end user requirements, the overriding NASA objectives are the formation of high quality Earth Data Records with high accuracy and uniformity across multiple decades.

Lakes↗
NASA NTRS1997

Radar Reflectivity in Wingtip-Generated Wake Vortices

This report documents new predictive models of radar reflectivity, with meter-scale resolution, for aircraft wakes in clear air and fog. The models result from a radar design program to locate and quantify wake vortices from commercial aircraft in support of the NASA Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS). The radar reflectivity model for clear air assumes: 1) turbulent eddies in the wake produce small discontinuities in radar refractive index; and 2) these turbulent eddies are in the 'inertial subrange' of turbulence. From these assumptions, the maximum radar frequency for detecting a particular aircraft wake, as well as the refractive index structure constant and radar volume reflectivity in the wake can be obtained from the NASA Terminal Area Simulation System (TASS) output. For fog conditions, an empirical relationship is used to calculate radar reflectivity factor from TASS output of bulk liquid water. Currently, two models exist: 1) Atlas-based on observations of liquid water and radar reflectivity factor in clouds; and 2) de Wolf- specifically tailored to a specific measured dataset (1992 Vandenberg Air Force Base).

Marshall, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Orbital debris radar instrumentation

In order to increase the usefulness of Goldstone orbital debris observations, several improvements are planned to the experimental Goldstone radar. The first improvement is to add a ranging capability of 1-km accuracy to the radar. This would provide much more detailed information about whatever debris is observed. The second improvement is to widen the bandwidth of the system from 10 kHz to 85 kHz so that particles in more elliptical orbits can be monitored. The two antennas could then also be pointed away from the zenith, say south, where orbits of lesser inclination might also be observed. In any case, the addition of ranging requires a substantial increase of system bandwidth. This article describes the instrumentation necessary to achieve this, together with required signal-processing modifications.

Goldstein, Richard M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Observations of Small Debris from the Cosmos 1408 Anti-Satellite Test using the HUSIR and Goldstone Radars

On 15 November 2021, Russia conducted a direct-ascent, anti-satellite (ASAT) test against its Cosmos 1408 satellite, which had been in orbit since 1982. The test produced at least 1500 fragments trackable by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN). This is a significant event because the resulting cloud has the potential to endanger the International Space Station and other satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).For almost 30 years, the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) has been using the Haystack Ultrawideband Imaging Radar (HUSIR), located in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, to perform statistical measurements of debris in LEO too small to be tracked by the SSN, nominally down to 5.5 mm at 1000 km altitude. The ODPO also utilizes the Goldstone Orbital Debris Radar (Goldstone), located near Barstow, California and operated by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to characterize the small debris environment in LEO down to approximately 3 mm at 1000 km altitude. To characterize the small debris component of the Cosmos 1408 ASAT test, a series of observation campaigns were conducted with the HUSIR and Goldstone radars. This paper discusses the observation planning, including beam overlap analysis required for the Goldstone’s bistatic operation, using a model of the debris cloud produced using the NASA Standard Satellite Breakup Model. A description of the radars and the data processing techniques used to analyze the data are also discussed. Finally, results of the measurement campaigns including cumulative flux versus size, altitude, and inclination are presented.

James Murray↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Impact of Constrained Data Assimilation on the Forecasts of Three Convection Systems During the ARM MC3E Field Campaign

A constrained data assimilation (CDA) system based on the ensemble variational (EnVar) method and physical constraints of mass and water conservations is evaluated through three convective cases during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. Compared to the original data assimilation (ODA), the CDA is shown to perform better in the forecasted state variables and simulated precipitation. The CDA is also shown to greatly mitigate the loss of forecast skills in observation denial experiments when radar radial winds are withheld in the assimilation. Modifications to the algorithm and sensitivities of the CDA to the calculation of the time tendencies in the constraints are described.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Polar Cloud Microphysics and Surface Energy Budget from AWARE (Final Technical Report)

This was a collaborative project between the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego (SIO), Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University (BPCRC), The Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The project’s over-arching objectives involved maximizing the scientific potential of the ARM West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE) data set, in two respects: (1) application of polar-optimized climate models to test the most current and comprehensive cloud microphysical parameterizations; and (2) analysis of the most advanced ARM Mobile Facility sensors (e.g., cloud radar, spectroradiometer, and aerosol observing system data) to advance understanding of Antarctic cloud microphysical and radiative properties, particularly on a climatological basis with emphasis on contrasts with the high Arctic. The team’s efforts have resulted in 16 peer-review publications, in addition to an overview of the AWARE campaign in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Our emphasis throughout this program was to go beyond the traditional “case study” approach to model evaluation, in which a “classical” or otherwise well-characterized surface-atmosphere-cloud system of short duration is simulated by several climate models. Instead, we attempted analysis of longer time series in the AWARE data, both climatologically and with models. We have numerous successful results from both AWARE locations: The main AMF-2 deployment at McMurdo Station on Ross Island (13 months duration), and the extended facility at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide Ice Camp (40 days during austral summer 2015-16).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

DisasterAWARE – A Global Alerting Platform for Flood Events

The rising number of flooding events combined with increased urbanization is contributing to significant economic losses due to damages to structures and infrastructures. From a risk reduction and resilience perspective, it is not only essential to forecast flood risk and potential impacts, but also to disseminate the information to stakeholders on the ground for rapid implementation of mitigation and response measures. This paper provides (i) an introduction to DisasterAWARE®, a global alerting system, that is used to disseminate flood risk information to stakeholders across the globe, and (ii) a discussion of the models implemented using earth observation data (Synthetic Aperture Radar and optical imagery) for near real-time assessment of flood severity and potential flood impacts to infrastructures. While the models are still in their nascent stage, a case study implementation of the models for the 2020 flooding event in Africa is presented to showcase the model integration with DisasterAWARE®.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗