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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.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
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NASA NTRS1982

Stratospheric warmings diagnosed using the transformed Eulerian-mean equations and the effect of the mean state on wave propagation

Terms for the transformed Eulerian equations are calculated in order to characterize the phenomenom of sudden stratospheric warming. The transformed diagnostics are applied to data for warmings during Dec. and Jan. 1976-1977, as well as cross sections for the directions of the Eiliassen-Palm (EP) fluxes and residual mean meridional circulations. The convergence of the EP flux was determined to provide a strong approximation to the total effect of waves in forcing the zonal mean flow. The EP fluxes change from an upward and equatorward direction to an upward and poleward direction during the warmings, and indications are reported that the effect is due to a feedback on wave propagation of an evolving mean flow. Ray paths in the meridional plane are computed for different mean wind fields to determine the direction of wave propagation according to linear theory based on the WKB approximation.

Oneill, A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Short-term fluctuations in the eddy heat flux and baroclinic stability of the atmosphere

National Meteorological Center data from midlatitudes for three Januaries is used in calculating time series of the zonal mean meridional eddy heat flux and the zonal mean baroclinic stability, as measured by the difference between the zonal wind shear and the critical value of the shear in two-level models. Time-lagged correlations between the two series reveal a highly significant negative correlation for short time lags, peaking at approximately -0.4 when the stability parameter lags one half day behind the eddy flux. They also reveal that strongly unstable conditions are not followed by significant increases in the eddy flux. These results are seen as indicating that the synoptic variations of the zonal mean eddy flux are not closely related to the degree of baroclinic instability of the zonal mean flow. The autocorrelation of the eddy flux is then compared with those expected for autoregressive processes. A Bayesian information criterion suggests that the behavior is represented best by a damped oscillation, with a damping time of 0.8 day and a period of five days.

Stone, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Planetary-scale characteristics of the atmospheric circulation during January and February 1979

The global scale mass and wind fields observed during FGGE special observing period (SOP) are studied, with attention given to the time variation and vertical structure of the ultralong waves. A spherical harmonic representation is developed for the global fields. The tropical circulation is found to imprint more amplitude on the lower-order components than the midlatitude circulation does. High amplitude oscillations are determined to be present in the divergent fields on all time scales, i.e., diurnal to monthly. The global scale wind was found to change on scales approaching a week. Good agreement with teleconnection predictions was demonstrated for the cross-equatorial divergent and zonal rotational flow changes. The global scale was concluded to resemble force modes of linear tidal theory, with important contributions from longitudinal heating gradients.

Paegle, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Rotational Properties of Uranus and Neptune

An assessment of recent research bearing on the rotational properties of Uranus and Neptune is given. It is concluded that these properties are best described by the following estimates; URANUS: Direction of pole = alpha (1950) = 256:72 delta (1950) = -15:04 with an absolute uncertainty of about 0:2, Period = 15 to 17 hours; Sense of spin = Retrograde; NEPTUNE: alpha (1950) = 297:8; delta (1950) = + 41:2, with an uncertainty of about 4 degrees towards the pole of Triton's orbit, Period = 18.2 + or - 0.4 hours, Sense of spin = Prograde. There is a clear signature of large scale, zonal, atmospheric flows in observations of the atmosphere of Neptune. Wind velocities are at least as great as 109 m.sec-1. There is no evidence pro or con for atmospheric motions in the Uranus case.

Belton, M. J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The observed life cycle of a baroclinic instability

Medium-scale waves (zonal wavenumbers 4-7) frequently dominate Southern Hemisphere summer circulation patterns. Randel and Stanford have studied the dynamics of these features, demonstrating that the medium-scale waves result from baroclinic excitation and exhibit well-defined life cycles. This study details the evolution of the medium-scale waves during a particular life cycle. The specific case chosen exhibits a high degree of zonal symmetry, prompting study based upon zonally averaged diagnostics. An analysis of the medium-scale wave energetics reveals a well-defined life cycle of baroclinic growth, maturity, and barotropic decay. Eliassen-Palm flux diagrams detail the daily wave structure and its interaction with the zonally-averaged flow.

Randel, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The evolution of Ertel's potential vorticity during stratospheric sudden warmings

In the winter stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere, the disruption of the westerly vortex and associated warming of polar latitudes is a well known phenomenon. It has become apparent that some important dynamical processes in the stratosphere are highly nonlinear and are best thought of locally rather than in terms of the interaction between the zonal-mean flow and harmonic waves around latitude circles. The importance of nonlinear processes was suggested by McIntyre and Palmer (1983, 1984) who used isentropic maps of Ertel's Potential Vorticity to show that during disturbed episodes material lines may become strongly and irreversibly deformed in certain places. They adopted the term planetary wave breaking to describe this process. Isentropic maps of Q are used to follow the evolution of a Canadian warming in November - December 1981 and a particularly strong warming in January 1982. The advection of Q over large distances on isentropic surfaces was a striking feature of the flow during each event. This could be identified because of our ability to follow the movement of material lines due to the approximate conservation of Q over several days. The advection of Q was a nonlinear process because its changing distribution affected the advecting wind field. The Canadian warming did not lead to a permanent change in the structure of the westerly vortex, as defined by the coarse-grain field of Q, whereas the January event was accompanied by a substantial loss of resolved Q which was never fully recovered.

Fairlie, T. D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Rossby wavetrains in the stratosphere forced by localised disturbances in the troposphere

Studies have linked elements of the stratospheric circulation with particular localized features in the tropospheric circulation. This suggests a study of the response of the stratosphere to forcing by localized disturbances in the troposphere. A multilevel, primitive equation model is used of the stratosphere and mesosphere the height of whose lower boundary at 300 mb can be prescribed. Localized height disturbances which grow to steady amplitude are applied at this lower boundary, and the response of the initially axially symmetric stratosphere is studied. The perturbation, centered at 45 deg N, has a Gaussian distribution with a half width of 15 deg., corresponding roughly to the size of persistent troughs and blocking ridges in the troposphere. The forcing is nearly at fully amplitude 10 days after being switched on, and thereafter remains steady. Two types of experiments are conducted: in one the forcing is of small amplitude (100 gpm) and in the other it is of large amplitude (600 gpm). These pairs of experiments are compared to determine how nonlinear processes affect the perturbation fields. This is done locally by defining the perturbation response to the forcing as an anomaly, i.e., as a departure from the response in a controlled experiment in which no asymmetric forcing was applied at the lower boundary of the model. Experiments have been conducted for a number of atmospheric states obtained as zonal means of observations made by a stratospheric sounding unit (SSU). In this summary, results for the zonal mean flow on January 19, 1982 are outlined.

Marks, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structure in the DC and AC electric fields associated with the dayside cusp region

The cusp region as seen in the AC and DC electric fields is one of intense variation. The intensity peaks within the soft particle precipitation. The only AC signal that appears to be unique to the cusp is broadband ULF-ELF magnetic noise. Other types of emissions are also found at other local times at high latitudes. The pattern of these signals, especially that of ULF-ELF broadband electrostatic noise (BEN), distinguishes the cusp region from other regions. BEN signatures are indicators of magnetosheath-like soft particle precipitation but not necessarily of open field lines. In addition, large spike-like features in the DC electric field are seen near local magnetic noon which appear to be related to the large convective electric fields that have been observed at the magnetopause. These features are not necessarily tied to convection reversals, but may appear within broader regions of zonal convective flow.

Maynard, N. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Finite-amplitude behavior of a single baroclinic wave with multiple vertical modes - Effects of thermal damping

A quasi-geostrophic, beta-plane model possessing high vertical resolution is used to investigate the effects of thermal damping on the finite amplitude behavior of a baroclinic wave; both the wave field and zonal-mean flow of the model are, however, truncated to a single horizontal mode, so that the wave-mean flow interaction is purely baroclinic. For sufficiently strong thermal damping steady wave flows are obtained, while for weaker damping, nonsteady vacillating behavior is found. In the steady wave flows, the mean flow is linearly neutral. An especially interesting vacillation, characterized by two widely separated time scales, occurs in the model nonsteady regime and appears to be similar in some respects to behavior found in the two-layer model with only lower layer dissipation.

Barnes, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Atmospheric tidal forcing of the zonal-mean circulation - The Martian dusty atmosphere

Classical atmospheric tidal theory has been used to compute the bilinear tidal zonal-mean forcing per unit mass of the zonal-mean meridional and zonal winds, together with the tidal zonal-mean heating per unit mass for the dusty Martian atmosphere. The convergences of the tidal Eliassen-Palm (EP) flux have been computed for both clear and dusty atmospheric conditions, including the special case of a 'dusty corridor' in the summer southern subtropics that is meant to simulate the early stages of a planetary-scale Martian dust storm. The calculation of the tidal EP zonal forcing differs from Hamilton in that more realistic thermotidal forcings and basic state temperatures are used. The zonal-mean convergences of the tidal fluxes of heat and momentum are large during a Martian great dust storm and should alter significantly the zonal-mean circulation and its residual component driven by the zonal-mean heating. In particular, the tidal forcing of the meridional wind, which is an order of magnitude greater than its zonal counterpart, is likely to give rise to a complex pattern of significantly ageostrophic zonal-mean flow in the Martian tropics.

Zurek, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Quasi-stationary zonally asymmetric circulations in the equatorial lower mesosphere

Data from the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) are used to identify a new type of planetary scale disturbance in the equatorial lower mesosphere during northern winter 1978/1979. The disturbances consist of two or three vertically stacked temperature extrema of alternating sign. They persist for as long as two weeks and do not propagate. Their occurrence is confined to regions of very weak or negative inertial stability, and their meridional-to-vertical aspect ratio, meridional structure, and zonal spectrum are consistent with disturbances predicted by inertial instability theory. However, they are found only when there is strong forcing of the subtropical mesosphere by zonal wavenumber one and two Rossby waves. This fact, together with the absence of zonal propagation, suggests that stationary Rossby waves determine their occurrence and longitudinal structure. These structures can significantly modify the zonal mean flow and should be taken into account in dynamical models of the equatorial mesosphere.

Hitchman, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS1988

Dependence of warm and cold climate depiction on climate model resolution

Climate change simulations run with two different resolutions (8 deg by 10 deg and 4 deg by 5 deg) of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies model are used to investigate radiative, dynamical, and regional sensitivities to model grid size. The results show that model resolution affected two key processes in the control runs, moist convection and the nonlinear transfer of kinetic energy into the zonal mean flow. It was found that the finer resolution model has more penetrative convection but less convection overall, with the results that its temperature and wind structure were altered with respect to the coarser grid model.

Rind, David↗
NASA NTRS1990

Possible effects of breaking gravity waves on the circulation of the middle atmosphere of Mars

The possible effect of breaking internal gravity waves on the circulation in the middle atmosphere of Mars was investigated using a quasi-geostrophic delta-plane dynamical model of the zonal-mean flow. The results of model simulations show that breaking gravity waves of intermediate horizontal scales (100-1000 km wavelengths) could act to 'close off' the winter westerly circumpolar jet in the 40-80 km altitude region and induce strong high-latitude warming at these levels, in accordance with recent thermal measurements indicating that Martian winter polar latitudes may be very warm in this middle atmospheric region. It was also found that, below about 40 km, wave breaking does not induce much warming, consistent with available data showing that winter high altitudes are normally very cold at lower levels.

Barnes, Jeffrey R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A simple nearly analytic model of a gravity wave driven middle atmospheric circulation

A nearby analytic model of a gravity wave driven middle atmosphere circulation is formulated. The simplified model represents the one-dimensional interaction of a single gravity wave mode with a zonal-mean flow. Solutions of this model are shown to agree very well with numerical results from a more complete mean-flow/gravity-wave model (essentially the model developed by Holton, 1982). A single nondimensional parameter, the ratio of a mean flow radiative forcing parameter, and the gravity wave momentum flux incident into the middle atmosphere from below largely determine the solution of the model. For typical middle atmosphere parameter values, an approximate solution can be obtained, and this solution permits the parameter dependence of the circulation to be characterized very simply. The gravity wave driven circulation extends downward from the level (the breaking level, approximately) where the momentum flux equals the mean flow radiative forcing.

Barnes, Jeffrey R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Dynamics of the 4-day wave in the Southern Hemisphere polar stratosphere

Horizontal wind and temperature data are employed to investigate the dynamics of the 4-day wave in the Southern Hemisphere polar stratosphere. They were derived from synoptic maps of satellite-measured brightness temperatures, which were generated using the fast Fourier synoptic mapping technique of Salby (1982). Circulation statistics from these data are compared to those from the NMC operational stratospheric analyses, demonstrating improvements afforded by detailed treatment of asynoptic sampling effects. The 40-day wave is isolated using temporally filtered data. Several events of wave growth and decay are observed in the upper stratosphere during August 1980. Derived zonal-mean and eddy statistics suggest that the 4-day wave results from an instability of the zonal-mean flow near 55-60S, at and above 1 mb. It is inferred from climatological data that the source of the instability is the 'double-jet' structure in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere.

Randel, William J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Planetary-scale disturbances in the southern stratosphere during early winter

The stratospheric circulation and planetary-scale dusturbances during early-winter (mid-April to mid-July) in the Southern Hemisphere are investigated using observational data collected for the 1979-1990 period, and a 3D primitive equation model of the stratosphere and mesosphere. It was found that there were six extended periods in the data set when wave 1 (which is usually quasi-stationary) traveled steadily eastward and had large amplitude. Results of simulations suggest that the development of the South Pacific warmings is connected with the amplification of wave 1 at 100 mb. The results also indicate that the development of stratospheric disturbances in the southern stratosphere during early winter depends more on the intensity of wave 1 at 100 mb than on the structure of the zonal-mean flow in the stratosphere.

Farrara, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The formation of Hurricane Frederic of 1979

A high-resolution global model forecast of the formation of Hurricane Frederic of 1979 is analyzed by means of several diagnostic computations on the model's output history. The formation is addressed from an analysis of limited-area energetics where the growth of eddy kinetic energy is examined. The question on internal versus external forcing during the formative stage of the hurricane is explored by means of the Kuo-Eliassen framework for the radial-vertical circulation of the hurricane. The intensity of the predicted hurricane is diagnosed from a detailed angular momentum budget following the three-dimensional motion of parcels arriving at the maximum wind belt. Overall, the successful simulation of the hurricane has enabled us to make such a detailed diagnosis of the predicted hurricane at a high resolution. The principal findings of this study are that a north-south-oriented heating function maintained a zonal easterly flow that supplied energy barotropically during the growth of an African wave. The growth of eddy kinetic energy is somewhat monotonic and slow throughout the history of the computations. The initial development of the easterly wave appears to be related to the widespread weak convective heating that contributes to a covariance of heating and temperature and of temperature and vertical velocity. The hurricane development period is seen as one where both the barotropic and convective processes contribute to the growth of eddy kinetic energy.

Krishnamurti, T. N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Nonlinear unstable auroral-arc driven thermospheric winds in an ionosphere-magnetosphere coupled model

The nonlinear evolution of thermospheric winds in an ionosphere-magnetosphere coupled model has been studied for the first time for a dynamic unstable auroral-arc environment. We treat the problem using a multi-layer, quasi-three-dimensional model which averages in altitude the thermospheric dynamics over each layer. For the upper thermosphere, we find that (1) the thermosphere can respond to the ionospheric Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability on temporal scales on the order of an hour, depending on ambient conditions, and on spatial scales of tens to hundreds of kilometers, (2) strong thermospheric meridional and zonal vortical flows with embedded nonlinear jet-like structures can be generated by the ionospheric/magnetospheric KH instability and (3) neutral thermospheric winds, vortices, and associated power spectra develop in a distinctly different manner in the presence of magnetospheric coupling effects. Comparison with recent observations is made.

Keskinen, M. J.↗