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Publications and source records attributed to Rothermel, J..
This viewgraph presentation reviews the motivation for the study, the numerical method used, the numerical simulations of the vaneless diffuser and vaned diffuser. It also reviews the conclusions from the study
Space-based and airborne coherent Doppler lidars designed for measuring global tropospheric wind profiles in cloud-free air rely on backscatter, beta from aerosols acting as passive wind tracers. Aerosol beta distribution in the vertical can vary over as much as 5-6 orders of magnitude. Thus, the design of a wave length-specific, space-borne or airborne lidar must account for the magnitude of 8 in the region or features of interest. The SPAce Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment under development by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and scheduled for launch on the Space Shuttle in 2001, will demonstrate wind measurements from space using a solid-state 2 micrometer coherent Doppler lidar. Consequently, there is a critical need to understand variability of aerosol beta at 2.1 micrometers, to evaluate signal detection under varying aerosol loading conditions. Although few direct measurements of beta at 2.1 micrometers exist, extensive datasets, including climatologies in widely-separated locations, do exist for other wavelengths based on CO2 and Nd:YAG lidars. Datasets also exist for the associated microphysical and chemical properties. An example of a multi-parametric dataset is that of the NASA GLObal Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) in 1990 in which aerosol chemistry and size distributions were measured concurrently with multi-wavelength lidar backscatter observations. More recently, continuous-wave (CW) lidar backscatter measurements at mid-infrared wavelengths have been made during the Multicenter Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS) experiment in 1995. Using Lorenz-Mie theory, these datasets have been used to develop a method to convert lidar backscatter to the 2.1 micrometer wavelength. This paper presents comparison of modeled backscatter at wavelengths for which backscatter measurements exist including converted beta (sub 2.1).
Aerosol backscatter coefficient data were examined from two nights near Japan and Hawaii undertaken during NASA's Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) in May-June 1990. During each of these two nights the aircraft traversed different altitudes within a region of the atmosphere defined by the same set of latitude and longitude coordinates. This provided an ideal opportunity to allow flight level focused continuous wave (CW) lidar backscatter measured at 9.11-micron wavelength and modeled aerosol backscatter from two aerosol optical counters to be compared with pulsed lidar aerosol backscatter data at 1.06- and 9.25-micron wavelengths. The best agreement between all sensors was found in the altitude region below 7 km, where backscatter values were moderately high at all three wavelengths. Above this altitude the pulsed lidar backscatter data at 1.06- and 9.25-micron wavelengths were higher than the flight level data obtained from the CW lidar or derived from the optical counters, suggesting sample volume effects were responsible for this. Aerosol microphysics analysis of data near Japan revealed a strong sea-salt aerosol plume extending upward from the marine boundary layer. On the basis of sample volume differences, it was found that large particles were of different composition compared with the small particles for low backscatter conditions.
Aerosol backscatter coefficient data are examined from two local flights undertaken during NASA's GLObal Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) in May - June, 1990. During each of these two flights the aircraft traversed different altitudes within a region of the atmosphere defined by the same set of latitude and longitude coordinates. This provides an ideal opportunity to allow flight level measured or modeled aerosol backscafter to be compared with pulsed lidar aerosol backscafter data that were obtained at these same altitudes either earlier or later than the flight level measurements. Aerosol backscafter comparisons were made at 1.06-, 9.11- and 9.25-mm wavelengths, using data from three lidar systems and two aerosol optical counters. The best agreement between all sensor's was found in the altitude region below 7 km where backscafter values were moderately high at all three wavelengths. Above this altitude the pulsed lidar backscafter data at 1.06- and 9.25-mm wavelengths were higher than the flight level data obtained from the CW lidar or derived from the optical counters. Possible reasons are offered to explain this discrepancy. During the Japan local flight, microphysics analysis revealed: (1) evidence of a strong advected seasalt aerosol plume from the marine boundary layer, and (2) where backscatter was low, the large lidar sampling volume included many large particles which were of different chemical composition to the small particle category sampled by the particle counters.
Aerosol concentrations and size distributions in the middle and upper troposphere over the remote Pacific Ocean were measured with a forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during NASA's Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) in May-June 1990. The FSSP size channels were recalibrated based on refractive index estimates from flight-level aerosol volatility measurements with a collocated laser optical particle counter (LOPC). The recalibrated FSSP size distributions were averaged over 100-s intervals, fitted with lo-normal distributions and used to calculate aerosol backscatter coefficients at selected wavelengths. The FSSP-derived backscatter estimates were averaged over 300-s intervals to reduce large random fluctuations. The smoothed FSSP aerosol backscatter coefficients were then compared with LOPC-derived backscatter values and with backscatter measured at or near flight level from four lidar systems operating at 0.53, 1.06, 9.11, 9.25, and 10.59 micrometers. Agreement between FSSP-derived and lidar-measured backscatter was generally best at flight level in homogeneous aerosol fields and at high backscatter values. FSSP data often underestimated low backscatter values especially at the longer wavelengths due to poor counting statistics for larger particles (greater than 0.8 micrometers diameter) that usually dominate aerosol backscatter at these wavelengths. FSSP data also underestimated backscatter at shorter wavelengths when particles smaller than the FSSP lower cutoff diameter (0.35 micrometers) made significant contributions to the total backscatter.
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A method of surface acoustic wave (SAW) spectral analysis and digital integration that has been used previously in coherent CW laser work with CO2 lasers at 10.6 microns is described. Expressions are derived for the signal to noise ratio in the measured voltage spectrum with an approximation for the general case and rigorous treatment for the low signal case. The atmospheric backscatter data accumulated by the airborne LATAS (laser true airspeed) coherent laser radar system are analyzed.
In the present derivation of vertical profiles of atmospheric absorption and backscatter coefficients from coherent pulsed Doppler lidar by means of a slant path method, a strong seasonal variation of absorption and backscatter is evident throughout the lower troposphere. Measurements beyond the lower troposphere are hampered by modest pulse energy and lidar beam absorption, although small backscatter values are occasionally observed at midtropospheric levels during the winter months, when absorption is minimal. While a monomodal lognormal backscatter distribution is found within the lower boundary layer, evidence of a bimodal lognormal distribution is found at higher levels.
Dual Doppler lidar analyses of data taken by pulsed lidars demonstrated feasibility of deriving wind fields from coordinated lidar scans. Limited case histories of thunderstorm outflows were obtained. Co-located comparison between Marshall Space Flight Center lidar and NCAR 5.5 cm radar demonstrated desirability of lidar in cases of marginal radar reflectivity in clear air and low-elevation scans. Analysis continued on backscattered intensity and velocity measurements made from April 1983 to February 1984. A slant path method was used to calculate vertical profiles of volumetric backscatter and adsorption in the lower troposphere. High-quality VAD scans were identified as candidates for investigating feasibility of calculating horizontal motion fields using single Doppler lidar. Activities during FY-85 also included participation in Fall 1984 airborne Doppler lidar flight experiments. Preliminary data review was begun using McIdas system. Analysis of backscatter and absorpiton profiles continues. Focus is on understanding spatial and temporal variations, as well as frequency distribution, of backscatter at several tropospheric levels. Results from this study provide input to evaluation of clean/dirty airmass hypothesis of aerosol distribution. Assistance is being given to preparation of a comprehensive, global backscatter measurement plan. Analysis of data from Fall 1984 flight experiments is just beginning. Work has begun on preprocessing data to minimize errors due to electro-optic modulator malfunction during flights.
The use of coherent Doppler lidar measurements for analysis of wind fields near airports was investigated during the Joint Airport Weather Studies (JAWS) project of NASA and NOAA. Periodic lidar scans were made with two 10.6-micron CO2-pulsed Doppler lidars spaced 15 km apart in order to calculate the Cartesian wind fields near Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Analyses were also carried out for the flow behind gust fronts, with the desired flow fields corresponding both to surface winds measured by a Portable Automated Mesonet (PAM), and numerical models of Great Plains thunderstorm outflows. Comparison of low elevation scans carried out using the lidar instruments and a CP-4 Doppler radar showed distinct differences due to a bias toward weaker velocities in the radar measurements. The rms difference between the radar and the lidar measurements was 3.1 m/s. The experimental results were consistent with those of a previous study comparing Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) lidar with the CP-3 5.5-cm radar operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
Analysis of data collected during the participation of the MSFC 10.6 micron pulsed Doppler lidar system (DLS) in the Joint Airport Weather Studies (JAWS) experiment is concluded. Observations from more than one Doppler lidar are combined to derive the three-dimensional Cartesian wind field. A comparison of radial velocity estimates at low elevations made by the MSFC lidar and the NCAR 5.5 cm Doppler radar revealed a substantial r.m.s. difference of 3 mls, and a mean difference of lmls. Detailed measurements of the horizontal wind fields and tropospheric backscattering were acquired at MSFC. These data are useful for defining future flight experiments, instrument design, and satellite DLS development.
Differences are noted in the operations of Doppler lidar and radar for the case of a thunderstorm outflow observed during the Joint Airport Weather Studies project field experiments. Calculated wind fields agreed with surface wind observations made routinely by the Portable Automated Mesonet stations. The lidar data are found to complement Doppler radar observations; while the latter is superior for the measurement of wind fields within convective storms, the former is more useful in examinations of dynamical processes in regions outside storm.