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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2021

Effects of Pseudostreamer Boundary Dynamics on Heliospheric Field and Wind

Interchange reconnection has been proposed as a mechanism for the generation of the slow solar wind, and a key contributor to determining its characteristic qualities. In this paper we study the implications of interchange reconnection for the structure of the plasma and field in the heliosphere. We use the Adaptively Refined Magnetohydrodynamic Solver (ARMS) to simulate the coronal magnetic evolution in a coronal topology containing both a pseudostreamer and helmet streamer. We begin with a geometry containing a low-latitude coronal hole that is separated from the main polar coronal hole by a pseudostreamer. We drive the system by imposing rotating flows at the Solar surface within and around the low-latitude coronal hole, which leads to a corrugation (at low altitudes) of the separatrix surfaces that separate open from closed magnetic flux. Interchange reconnection is induced both at the null points and separators of the pseudostreamer, and at the global helmet streamer. Wedemonstrate that a preferential occurrence of interchange reconnection in the “lanes” between our driving cells leads to a filamentary pattern of newly-opened flux in the heliosphere. These flux bundles connect to but extend far from the separatrix-web (S-Web) arcs at the source surface. We propose that the pattern of granular and supergranular flows on the photosphere should leave an observable imprint in the heliosphere.

V Aslanyan↗
NASA NTRS2009

Decomposition Algorithm for Global Reachability Analysis on a Time-Varying Graph with an Application to Planetary Exploration

Hot air (Montgolfiere) balloons represent a promising vehicle system for possible future exploration of planets and moons with thick atmospheres such as Venus and Titan. To go to a desired location, this vehicle can primarily use the horizontal wind that varies with altitude, with a small help of its own actuation. A main challenge is how to plan such trajectory in a highly nonlinear and time-varying wind field. This paper poses this trajectory planning as a graph search on the space-time grid and addresses its computational aspects. When capturing various time scales involved in the wind field over the duration of long exploration mission, the size of the graph becomes excessively large. We show that the adjacency matrix of the graph is block-triangular, and by exploiting this structure, we decompose the large planning problem into several smaller subproblems, whose memory requirement stays almost constant as the problem size grows. The approach is demonstrated on a global reachability analysis of a possible Titan mission scenario.

Dijkstra's algorithm↗
NASA NTRS1981

Spectral analysis and diagnosis of nonlinear interactions of large-scale moving waves at 200 mb in the GLAS General Circulation Model

The space-time Fourier spectral analysis and the equations of kinetic energy and momentum transport in the wavenumber-frequency domain proposed by Kao (1968) and modified by Kao and Lee (1977) using Tukey's (1967) numerical spectral analysis are employed to analyze the 200 mb wind fields of a four-month climate experiment of the GLAS atmospheric circulation model. This climate run covers the period from Jan. 1 to Apr. 30, 1975. The current study analyzes a 90-day (Jan. 15-Apr. 14, 1975) wind field of this climate run. A comparison is conducted between the current study and observations reported by Kao and Lee. It is found that the 200 mb latitudinal distributions of model mean zonal wind, zonal and meridional kinetic energy and momentum transport of eddies agree fairly well with the observations.

Chen, T.-C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Windfield retrieval from Doppler lidar observations

An approach to the retrieval of a vector wind field from Doppler lidar observations is developed in general terms. The field of radial velocity measurements from each look angle is modeled by a smooth surface, the parameters of the model being determined from the data by least squares techniques. The vector wind field and higher-order fields are obtained from the two modeled surfaces. Estimated measurement errors are taken into account, and error estimates are available for all output data sets.

Lee, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Windfield retrieval from Doppler lidar observations

An approach to the retrieval of a vector wind field from Doppler lidar observations is developed in general terms. The field of radial velocity measurements from each look angle is modeled by a smooth surface, the parameters of the model being determined from the data by least squares techniques. The vector wind field and higher order fields are obtained from the two modeled surfaces. Estimated measurement errors are taken into account, and error estimates are available for all output data sets.

Lee, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Magnetic field merging in the solar wind

Magnetic field merging in the solar wind is discussed in terms of steady-state merging, which involves a steady flow field, and of spontaneous merging, which involves an instability such as the tearing instability. Spontaneous merging is found to be more effective than steady-state merging.

Schindler, K.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Evaluation of Bogus Vortex Techniques with Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation

The effectiveness of techniques for creating "bogus" vortices in numerical simulations of hurricanes is examined by using the Penn State/NCAR nonhydrostatic mesoscale model (MM5) and its adjoint system. A series of four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4-D VAR) experiments is conducted to generate an initial vortex for Hurricane Georges (1998) in the Atlantic Ocean by assimilating bogus sea-level pressure and surface wind information into the mesoscale numerical model. Several different strategies are tested for improving the vortex representation. The initial vortices produced by the 4-D VAR technique are able to reproduce many of the structural features of mature hurricanes. The vortices also result in significant improvements to the hurricane forecasts in terms of both intensity and track. In particular, with assimilation of only bogus sea-level pressure information, the response in the wind field is contained largely within the divergent component, with strong convergence leading to strong upward motion near the center. Although the intensity of the initial vortex seems to be well represented, a dramatic spin down of the storm occurs within the first 6 h of the forecast. With assimilation of bogus surface wind data only, an expected dominance of the rotational component of the wind field is generated, but the minimum pressure is adjusted inadequately compared to the actual hurricane minimum pressure. Only when both the bogus surface pressure and wind information are assimilated together does the model produce a vortex that represents the actual intensity of the hurricane and results in significant improvements to forecasts of both hurricane intensity and track.

Pu, Zhao-Xia↗
NASA NTRS1977

A satellite interpretation of the dynamics of a severe local storms area using 5 minute interval SMS data

Wind fields derived from cloud-tracking on the visible digital data of the Synchronous Meteorological Satellite-2 are used to study the onset of local severe storms. The study is based on an assessment of several dynamic parameters of lower tropospheric wind fields, including the divergence, relative vorticity, and deformation. The automated cloud-tracking proves capable of detecting a preferred area of flow convergence located ahead of a dry line; the detection of this convergence aids in monitoring the onset of a hail-producing thunderstorm.

Peslen, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Analysis of MSFC ground-based Doppler lidar data

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.

Rothermel, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Properties of African squall lines inferred from time-lapse satellite imagery

Analysis of 48 h of time-lapse satellite imagery of a family of squall lines in Africa links the phenomena with a characteristic cloud cluster and with a wind field perturbation which is enhanced in passing through an African easterly wave trough. A thin 'arc line' of low-level developing cumulus, a salient feature of the squall lines on the imagery, is shown to occur at the front boundary of the mesoscale/convective scale subsidence. Analysis of the wind field indicates that a squall line is associated with a vorticity center in the mid-level easterly flow which accompanies the mesoscale subsidence which, in turn, contributes to further forced ascent of subcloud air along the front of the squall line into convective towers which merge into an extensive anvil. The squall lines evolved through a life cycle of 6 to 12 h while the larger cloud cluster and wind perturbation lasted over 48 h. The magnitude of the vertical mass exchange suggests that squall-line families contribute significantly to the tropical energy balance.

Fortune, M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Spherical balloon response to three-dimensional time-dependent flows

The concept of the Lagrangian displacement of a balloon is introduced. It is shown that the general balloon response problem is extremely complicated because the wind-forcing functions in the balloon equations of motion are functions of the wind velocity vector and its Eulerian first derivatives evaluated at the location of the balloon. The linear perturbation equations for a spherical balloon are derived by perturbing the components of velocity of the balloon about a terminal velocity state which is in equilibrium with a space-time invariant mean horizontal flow. The atmospheric flow is also perturbed such that the resulting equations can be used to analyze the responses of spherical balloons to three-dimensional time-dependent flows. The wind field is represented in terms of a four-fold Fourier integral that involves three orthogonal wave numbers and a frequency, while the balloon components of velocity are represented as Fourier integrals involving a frequency which, in turn, is a function of the wind field wave numbers and frequency and the unperturbed flow components of velocity.

Fichtl, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Absolute wind measurements in the lower thermosphere of Venus using infrared heterodyne spectroscopy

The first absolute wind velocities above the Venusian cloud-tops were obtained using NASA/Goddard infrared heterodyne spectrometers at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) and the McMath Solar Telescope. Beam-integrated Doppler displacements in the non-thermal emission core of (12)C(16)O2 10.33 micron R(8) sampled the line of sight projection of the lower thermospheric wind field (100 to 120 km). A field-usable Lamb-dip laser stabilization system, developed for spectrometer absolute frequency calibration to less than + or - 0.1 MHz, allowed S/N-limited line of sight velocity resolution at the 1 m/s level. The spectrometer's diffraction-limited beam (1.7 arc-second HPBW at McMath, 0.9 arc-second HPBW at IRTF), and 1 to 2 arc-second seeing, provided the spatial resolution necessary for circulation model discrimination. Qualitative analysis of beam-integrated winds provided definitive evidence of a dominant subsolar-antisolar circulation in the lower thermosphere. Beam-integrated winds were modelled with a 100x100 grid over the beam, incorporating beam spatial rolloff and across-the-beam gradients in non-thermal emission intensity, line of sight projection geometry, and horizontal wind velocity. Horizontal wind velocity was derived from a 2-parameter model wind field comprised of subsolar-antisolar and zonal components. Best-fit models indicated a dominant subsolar-antisolar flow with 120 m/s cross-terminator winds and a retrograde zonal component with a 25 m/s equatorial velocity. A review of all dynamical indicators above the cloud-tops allowed development of an integrated and self-consistent picture of circulation in the 70 to 200 km range.

Goldstein, Jeffrey J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Edge technique lidar for high accuracy, high spatial resolution wind measurement in the Planetary Boundary Layer

The goal of the Army Research Office (ARO) Geosciences Program is to measure the three dimensional wind field in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over a measurement volume with a 50 meter spatial resolution and with measurement accuracies of the order of 20 cm/sec. The objective of this work is to develop and evaluate a high vertical resolution lidar experiment using the edge technique for high accuracy measurement of the atmospheric wind field to meet the ARO requirements. This experiment allows the powerful capabilities of the edge technique to be quantitatively evaluated. In the edge technique, a laser is located on the steep slope of a high resolution spectral filter. This produces large changes in measured signal for small Doppler shifts. A differential frequency technique renders the Doppler shift measurement insensitive to both laser and filter frequency jitter and drift. The measurement is also relatively insensitive to the laser spectral width for widths less than the width of the edge filter. Thus, the goal is to develop a system which will yield a substantial improvement in the state of the art of wind profile measurement in terms of both vertical resolution and accuracy and which will provide a unique capability for atmospheric wind studies.

Korb, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Airborne Doppler-lidar and ground-based Doppler radar observations of a thunderstorm in Oklahoma

The results of airborne Doppler-lidar and ground-based Doppler radar observations of multicellular storms, marked by heavy rainfall, strong surface outflow, and a gust-front tornado, on June 30, 1981 are analyzed. The airborne lidar comprised a CO2-laser operating in the IR region, which was discharged once each second at 20 deg fore and aft, alternatively, of the normal to the aircraft's heading, and a quarter-wave plate for registering the returning frequency-shifted beams. Wind fields are plotted taking into account the advection effects. The lidar data set is noted for its self-consistency, though limited to a range of 5 km by the high moisture levels. Fair agreement was found between the lidar-derived and radar-derived average ground-based radial wind fields, with discrepancies on the order of 1.5 m/s.

Bluestein, H. B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Performance of a 2-micrometer coherent Doppler lidar for wind measurements

Measurements of boundary layer winds are presented using a 2-micrometer coherent Doppler lidar and the optimal performance of the maximum likelihood estimator. The systematic error for single-shot estimates was estimated as 3.6 cm/s using measurements from a stationary hard target. The estimation error for measurements of the radial component of the wind field was determined, as well as the fraction of the estimates that are randomly distributed over the velocity search space, when the signal power is low and speckle fading is important. The results from actual data are compared with the results from ideal simulations. The first direct estimation of the spatial structure function of the radial wind field and of the energy dissipation rate is presented for both horizontal and vertical directions of propagation. The rms estimation error of the velocity estimates is found to be within 30% of ideal performance based on simulation.

Frehlich, Rod↗
NASA NTRS2000

Microwave Investigation of the Mars Atmosphere and Surface

The Microwave Investigation of the Mars Atmosphere and Surface Experiment (MIMAS) is designed to address two major scientific goals: 1) To understand the three dimensional general circulation of the Martian atmosphere, and 2) To understand the hydrologic cycle of water on Mars, including the time-variable sources, sinks, and atmospheric transport of water vapor. The proposed instrument is a submillimeter wave, heterodyne receiver, with both continuum and very high spectral resolution capability. A small reflector antenna will be used to feed the receiver. Instrument heritage comes from the MIRO receiver, currently under design for the ESA Rosetta Mission, and from SWAS, a NASA astrophysics mission. The instrument will be able to measure atmospheric spectral lines from both water and carbon monoxide and use these lines as tracers of atmospheric winds. Measurement objectives of MIMAS are to measure surface temperature, atmospheric temperature from the surface up to an altitude of 60 km or more, the distribution of CO and H2O in the atmosphere, and certain wind fields (zonal and meridional). The global distribution of CO, as well as temperature distributions, will be used as input data for GCMs (general circulation models). Water vapor profiles will be used to understand the sources and sinks of water on Mars and to understand how it is transported globally by the general circulation. Zonal and meridional wind fields will provide further tests of the GCMs. An important aspect of this experiment is that the temperature and humidity measurements are insensitive to dust and ice condensates thereby making the measurement capability independent of the presence of dust clouds and ice particles. Temperature measurements derived from the data can be used in conjunction with infrared measurements to determine dust profiles.

Gulkis, S.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Latent Heating Retrieval from TRMM Observations Using a Simplified Thermodynamic Model

A procedure for the retrieval of hydrometeor latent heating from TRMM active and passive observations is presented. The procedure is based on current methods for estimating multiple-species hydrometeor profiles from TRMM observations. The species include: cloud water, cloud ice, rain, and graupel (or snow). A three-dimensional wind field is prescribed based on the retrieved hydrometeor profiles, and, assuming a steady-state, the sources and sinks in the hydrometeor conservation equations are determined. Then, the momentum and thermodynamic equations, in which the heating and cooling are derived from the hydrometeor sources and sinks, are integrated one step forward in time. The hydrometeor sources and sinks are reevaluated based on the new wind field, and the momentum and thermodynamic equations are integrated one more step. The reevalution-integration process is repeated until a steady state is reached. The procedure is tested using cloud model simulations. Cloud-model derived fields are used to synthesize TRMM observations, from which hydrometeor profiles are derived. The procedure is applied to the retrieved hydrometeor profiles, and the latent heating estimates are compared to the actual latent heating produced by the cloud model. Examples of procedure's applications to real TRMM data are also provided.

Grecu, Mircea↗