Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “cloud state”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Advancements in the Representation of Cloud-Aerosol Microphysics in the GEOS-5 AGCM

Despite numerous challenges, the physical parameterization of cloud-aerosol interactions in atmospheric GCMs has become a top priority for advancement because of our need to simulate and understand past, current, and future indirect effects of aerosols on clouds. The challenges stem from the involvement of wide range of cloud-scale dynamics and aerosol activation physical processes. Cloud dynamics modulate cloud areal extent and condensate, while aerosol activation depends on aerosol mass load, size distribution, internal mixing state, and nucleating properties, and ultimately determines cloud optical properties via particle sizes. Both macro- and micro-scale processes are obviously important for cloud-radiation interactions. We will present the main features of cloud microphysical properties in the GEOS- 5 Atmospheric GCM (AGCM) as simulated by the McRAS-AC (Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert and Aerosol-Cloud interaction) scheme. McRAS-AC uses Fountoukis and Nenes (2005) aerosol activation for liquid clouds, and has an option for either Liu and Penner (2005) or Barahona and Nenes (2008, 2009) aerosol activation for ice clouds. Aerosol loading (on-line or climatological) comes from GOCART, with an assumed log-normal size distribution. Other features of McRAS-AC are level-by-level cloud-scale thermodynamics, and Seifert-Beheng (2001)-type precipitation microphysics, particularly from moist convection. Results from Single-Column Model simulations will be shown to demonstrate how cloud radiative properties, lifetimes, and precipitation are influenced by different parameterization assumptions. Corresponding fields from year-long simulations of the full AGCM will also be presented with geographical distributions of cloud effective particle sizes compared to satellite retrievals. While the primary emphasis will be on current climate, simulation results with perturbed aerosol loadings will also be shown to expose the radiative sensitivity of the microphysical parameterization.

Lee, D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A sample computation of kinematic properties from cloud motion vectors.

Distributions of relative vorticity and balanced height have been computed from the cloud velocities associated with the cloud structure of an extratropical cyclone over the continental United States during a three-day period in March 1970. Cloud motions are assigned either to a 'mid-level,' or to a 'high level.' Derived vorticity and balanced height are compared with concurrent National Meteorological Center (NMC) analyses and also with similar kinematic quantities obtained from rawins at three constant-pressure levels. The computations of relative vorticity using mid-level cloud motion vectors show encouraging results. Patterns of computed cyclonic vorticity are related to the development, location, and movement of the surface cyclone. The analyses suggest that the 'mid-level' corresponds best to the 700-mb level. The vorticity analysis from the 'high-level' motion vectors presented difficulties.

Viezee, W.↗
NASA NTRS1977

System implications of large radiometric array antennas

Temperature sensitivity degradation due to antenna losses is recognized as a hindrance to extension of available remote-sensing radiometry techniques to larger systems for enhanced spatial resolution. The use of large antennas is also complicated by difficulties with bandwidth and integration time. Advantages of introducing active devices at the subarray level, with distributed Dicke switching or correlation detection, are examined, and their possible contribution to the design of effective imaging microwave radiometers for remote sensing of geophysical parameters (sea state, distribution of sea ice, cloud types and their distributions, soil moisture) is assessed.

Levis, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Optimizing a remote sensing instrument to measure atmospheric surface pressure

Atmospheric surface pressure can be remotely sensed from a satellite by an active instrument which measures return echoes from the ocean at frequencies near the 60 GHz oxygen absorption band. The instrument is optimized by selecting its frequencies of operation, transmitter powers and antenna size through a new procedure baesd on numerical simulation which maximizes the retrieval accuracy. The predicted standard deviation error in the retrieved surface pressure is 1 mb. In addition the measurements can be used to retrieve water vapor, cloud liquid water and sea state, which is related to wind speed.

Peckham, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1984

High-resolution IUE observations of interstellar absorption lines in the Vela supernova remnant

Ultraviolet spectra of 45 stars in the vicinity of the Vela supernova remnant were recorded by the short-wavelength echelle spectrograph aboard the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). Over one-third of the stars show interstellar absorption lines at large radial velocities (greater than 60 km/s). The mapping of these high-velocity components in the sky suggests the motions are chaotic, rather than from a coherent expansion of the remnant material. In accord with earlier conclusions from Copernicus data, the gas at high velocity exhibits higher than normal ionization and shows substantially less depletion of nonvolatile elements than normal interstellar material at low velocities. Relatively strong lines from neutral carbon in the two excited fine-structure states indicate that the neutral clouds within the remnant have had their pressures enhanced by the passage of the blast wave from the supernova. Also, the remnant seems to show a significant enhancement in the abundances of low-velocity Si IV, C IV, and N V over those found in the general interstellar medium.

Jenkins, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

First results from the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph - Element abundances as a function of velocity in the neutral gas toward Xi Persei

Observations of ultraviolet interstellar absorption lines toward Xi Persei obtained with the echelle mode of the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) aboard the HST at a resolution of 3.5 km/s are presented. The data for O I, C II, Mg II, S II, Fe II, Si II, Mn II, and Zn II are converted into representations of apparent column density per unit velocity, Na(v), over the velocity range from -30 to +40 km/s. The profiles for ions that are the dominant state of ionization in neutral clouds permit a study of the variation of element abundance with velocity caused by changes in the gas phase depletion in the different absorbing regions situated toward Xi Per. In the denser portions of the diffuse clouds, heavy element depletions are very large. However, in absorbing components near -5 and +25 km/s, the depletions are less severe, with a nearly solar gas phase abundance ratio being found for the gas in the +25 km/s component. The measurements confirm that the GHRS is well suited for diagnostic spectroscopy of interstellar gas.

Savage, Blair D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Extreme ultraviolet observations of G191-B2B and the local interstellar medium with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope

During the Astro-l mission in 1990 December, the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) was used to observe the extreme ultraviolet spectrum (415-912 A) of the hot DA white dwarf GI91-B2B. Absorption by neutral helium shortward of the 504 A He I absorption edge is clearly detected in the raw spectrum. Model fits to the observed spectrum require interstellar neutral helium and neutral hydrogen column densities of 1.45 +/- 0.065 x 10 exp 17/sq cm and 1.69 +/- 0.12 x 10 exp 18/sq cm, respectively. Comparison of the neutral columns yields a direct assessment of the ionization state of the local interstellar cloud surrounding the Sun. The neutral hydrogen to helium ratio of 11.6 +/- 1.0 observed by HUT strongly contradicts the widespread view that hydrogen is much more ionized than helium in the local interstellar medium, a view which has motivated some exotic theoretical explanations for the supposed high ionization.

Kimble, Randy A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Hydrogenation of interstellar molecules: a survey for methylenimine (CH2NH)

Methylenimine (CH2NH) has been convincingly detected for the first time outside the Galactic center as part of a study of the hydrogenation of interstellar molecules. We have observed transitions from energy levels up to about 100 K above the ground state in the giant molecular clouds W51, Orion KL and G34.3 + 0.15. In addition, CH2NH was found at the " radical-ion peak" on the quiescent ridge of material in the Orion molecular cloud. The abundance ratio CH2NH/HCN at the radical-ion peak agrees with the predictions of recent gas-phase chemical models. This ratio is an order of magnitude higher in the warmer cloud cores, suggesting additional production pathways for CH2NH, probably on interstellar grains.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2005

THE DEFINITION AND INTERPRETATION OF TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT DESIGN INPUTS FOR VEHICLE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The description and interpretation of the terrestrial environment (0-90 km altitude) is an important driver of aerospace vehicle structural, control, and thermal system design. NASA is currently in the process of reviewing the meteorological information acquired over the past decade and producing an update to the 1993 Terrestrial Environment Guidelines for Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development handbook. This paper addresses the contents of this updated handbook, with special emphasis on new material being included in the areas of atmospheric thermodynamic models, wind dynamics, atmospheric composition, atmospheric electricity, cloud phenomena, atmospheric extremes, sea state, etc. In addition, the respective engineering design elements will be discussed relative to the importance and influence of terrestrial environment inputs that require consideration and interpretation for design applications. Specific lessons learned that have contributed to the advancements made in the acquisition, interpretation, application and awareness of terrestrial environment inputs for aerospace engineering applications are discussed.

Johnson, Dale L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Uncertainties in Ice-Sheet Altimetry from a Spaceborne 1064-nm Single-Channel Lidar Due to Undetected Thin Clouds

In support of the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat)-II mission, this paper studies the bias in surface-elevation measurements caused by undetected thin clouds. The ICESat-II satellite may only have a 1064-nm single-channel lidar onboard. Less sensitive to clouds than the 532-nm channel, the 1064-nm channel tends to miss thin clouds. Previous studies have demonstrated that scattering by cloud particles increases the photon-path length, thus resulting in biases in ice-sheet-elevation measurements from spaceborne lidars. This effect is referred to as atmospheric path delay. This paper complements previous studies in the following ways: First, atmospheric path delay is estimated over the ice sheets based on cloud statistics from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System onboard ICESat and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Terra and Aqua. Second, the effect of cloud particle size and shape is studied with the state-of-the-art phase functions developed for MODIS cirrus- cloud microphysical model. Third, the contribution of various orders of scattering events to the path delay is studied, and an analytical model of the first-order scattering contribution is developed. This paper focuses on the path delay as a function of telescope field of view (FOV). The results show that reducing telescope FOV can significantly reduce the expected path delay. As an example, the average path delays for FOV = 167 microrad (a 100-m-diameter circle on the surface) caused by thin undetected clouds by the 1064-nm channel over Greenland and East Antarctica are illustrated.

Yang, Yuekui↗
NASA NTRS2011

Dynamical Model for the Zodiacal Cloud and Sporadic Meteors

The solar system is dusty, and would become dustier over time as asteroids collide and comets disintegrate, except that small debris particles in interplanetary space do not last long. They can be ejected from the solar system by Jupiter, thermally destroyed near the Sun, or physically disrupted by collisions. Also, some are swept by the Earth (and other planets), producing meteors. Here we develop a dynamical model for the solar system meteoroids and use it to explain meteor radar observations. We find that the Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) are the main source of the prominent concentrations of meteors arriving to the Earth from the helion and antihelion directions. To match the radiant and orbit distributions, as measured by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) and Advanced Meteor Orbit Radar (AMOR), our model implies that comets, and JFCs in particular, must frequently disintegrate when reaching orbits with low perihelion distance. Also, the collisional lifetimes of millimeter particles may be longer (approx. > 10(exp 5) yr at 1 AU) than postulated in the standard collisional models (approx 10(exp 4) yr at 1 AU), perhaps because these chondrule-sized meteoroids are stronger than thought before. Using observations of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) to calibrate the model, we find that the total cross section and mass of small meteoroids in the inner solar system are (1.7-3.5) 10(exp 11) sq km and approx. 4 10(exp 19) g, respectively, in a good agreement with previous studies. The mass input required to keep the Zodiacal Cloud (ZC) in a steady state is estimated to be approx. 10(exp 4)-10(exp 5) kg/s. The input is up to approx 10 times larger than found previously, mainly because particles released closer to the Sun have shorter collisional lifetimes, and need to be supplied at a faster rate. The total mass accreted by the Earth in particles between diameters D = 5 micron and 1 cm is found to be approx 15,000 tons/yr (factor of 2 uncertainty), which is a large share of the accretion flux measured by the Long Term Duration Facility (LDEF). Majority of JFC particles plunge into the upper atmosphere at <15 km/s speeds, should survive the atmospheric entry, and can produce micrometeorite falls. This could explain the compositional similarity of samples collected in the Antarctic ice and stratosphere, and those brought from comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft. Meteor radars such as CMOR and AMOR see only a fraction of the accretion flux (approx 1- 10% and approx 10-50%, respectively), because small particles impacting at low speeds produce ionization levels that are below these radars detection capabilities.

Nesvorny, David↗
NASA NTRS2014

Improved Methodology for Surface and Atmospheric Soundings, Error Estimates, and Quality Control Procedures: the AIRS Science Team Version-6 Retrieval Algorithm

The AIRS Science Team Version-6 AIRS/AMSU retrieval algorithm is now operational at the Goddard DISC. AIRS Version-6 level-2 products are generated near real-time at the Goddard DISC and all level-2 and level-3 products are available starting from September 2002. This paper describes some of the significant improvements in retrieval methodology contained in the Version-6 retrieval algorithm compared to that previously used in Version-5. In particular, the AIRS Science Team made major improvements with regard to the algorithms used to 1) derive surface skin temperature and surface spectral emissivity; 2) generate the initial state used to start the cloud clearing and retrieval procedures; and 3) derive error estimates and use them for Quality Control. Significant improvements have also been made in the generation of cloud parameters. In addition to the basic AIRS/AMSU mode, Version-6 also operates in an AIRS Only (AO) mode which produces results almost as good as those of the full AIRS/AMSU mode. This paper also demonstrates the improvements of some AIRS Version-6 and Version-6 AO products compared to those obtained using Version-5.

Quality Control↗
NASA NTRS2024

Meteorology Modulates the Impact of GCM Horizontal Resolution on Underestimation of Midlatitude Ocean Wind Speeds

We utilize ocean 10-m wind speed (U 10m ) from the microwave Multi-sensor Advanced Climatology data set to examine the coupling between convective cloud and precipitation processes, synoptic state, and U 10m and to evaluate the representation of U 10m in global climate models (GCMs). We find that midlatitude U 10m is underestimated by GCMs relative to observations. We examine two potential mechanisms to explain this model behavior: cold pool formation in cold air outbreaks (CAOs) associated with downdrafts that enhance U 10m and sea surface temperature (SST) gradients affecting U 10m through thermally forced surface winds at regional scales. When the effects of the CAO index (M) and SST gradients on U 10m are accounted for, a relationship between GCM horizontal resolution and U 10m appears. The strongest correlation between resolution and U 10m is over the western boundary currents characterized by frequent CAOs atop strong SST gradients which drives the strongest surface fluxes on Earth.

surface wind speed↗
NASA NTRS2006

Cold Atomic Hydrogen, Narrow Self-Absorption, and the Age of Molecular Clouds

This viewgraph presentation reviews the history, and current work on HI and its importance in star formation. Through many observations of HI Narrow Self Absorption (HINSA) the conclusions are drawn and presented. Local molecular clouds have HI well-mixed with molecular constituents This HI is cold, quiescent, and must be well-shielded from the UV radiation field The density and fractional abundance (wrt H2) of the cold HI are close to steady state values The time required to convert these starless clouds from purely HI initial state to observed present composition is a few to ten million years This timescale is a lower limit - if dense clouds being swept up from lower density regions by shocks, the time to accumulate material to get A(sub v) is approximately 1 and provide required shielding may be comparable or longer

star formation↗
NASA NTRS1991

Water in dense molecular clouds

The G.P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was used to make initial observations of the half-millimeter ground-state transition of water in seven giant molecular clouds and in two late-type stars. No significant detections were made, and the resulting upper limits are significantly below those expected from other, indirect observations and from several theoretical models. The implied interstellar H2O/CO abundance is less than 0.003 in the cores of three giant molecular clouds. This value is less than expected from cloud chemistry models and also than estimates based on HDO and H3O(+) observations.

Wannier, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Additional confirmation of the validity of laboratory simulation of cloud radiances

The results of a laboratory experiment are presented that provide additional verification of the methodology adopted for simulation of the radiances reflected from fields of optically thick clouds using the Cloud Field Optical Simulator (CFOS) at Colorado State University. The comparison of these data with their theoretically derived counterparts indicates that the crucial mechanism of cloud-to-cloud radiance field interaction is accurately simulated in the CFOS experiments and adds confidence to the manner in which the optical depth is scaled.

Davis, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Gas-phase chemistry in dense interstellar clouds including grain surface molecular depletion and desorption

We present time-dependent models of the chemical evolution of molecular clouds which include depletion of atoms and molecules onto grain surfaces and desorption, as well as gas-phase interactions. We have included three mechanisms to remove species from the grain mantles: thermal evaporation, cosmic-ray-induced heating, and photodesorption. A wide range of parameter space has been explored to examine the abundance of species present both on the grain mantles and in the gas phase as a function of both position in the cloud (visual extinction) and of evolutionary state (time). The dominant mechanism that removes molecules from the grain mantles is cosmic-ray desorption. At times greater than the depletion timescale, the abundances of some simple species agree with abundances observed in the cold dark cloud TMC-1. Even though cosmic-ray desorption preserves the gas-phase chemistry at late times, molecules do show significant depletions from the gas phase. Examination of the dependence of depletion as a function of density shows that when the density increases from 10(exp 3)/cc to 10(exp 5)/cc several species including HCO(+), HCN, and CN show gas-phase abundance reductions of over an order of magnitude. The CO: H2O ratio in the grain mantles for our standard model is on the order of 10:1, in reasonable agreement with observations of nonpolar CO ice features in rho Ophiuchus and Serpens. We have also examined the interdependence of CO depletion with the space density of molecular hydrogen and binding energy to the grain surface. We find that the observed depletion of CO in Taurus in inconsistent with CO bonding in an H2O rich mantle, in agreement with observations. We suggest that if interstellar grains consist of an outer layer of CO ice, then the binding energies for many species to the grain mantle may be lower than commonly used, and a significant portion of molecular material may be maintained in the gas phase.

Bergin, E. A.↗