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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 271 records · Page 15
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NASA NTRS2004

Isentropic Cross-Tropopause Ozone Transport in the Northern Hemisphere

This paper investigates isentropic ozone exchange between the extratropical lower stratosphere and the subtropical upper troposphere in the Northern Hemisphere. The quantification method is based on the potential vorticity (PV) mapping of Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE)-II ozone measurements and contour advection calculations using the NASA Goddard Space Center Data Assimilation Office (DAO) analysis for the year 1990. The magnitude of the annual isentropic stratosphere-to-troposphere ozone flux is calculated to be approximately twice the flux that is directed from the troposphere into the stratosphere. The net effect is that approx.46 x 10(exp 9) kg/yr of ozone are transferred quasi horizontally from the extratropical lower stratosphere into the subtropical upper troposphere between the isentropic surfaces of 330 and 370 K. The estimated monthly ozone fluxes show that the isentropic cross-tropopause ozone transport is stronger in summer/fall than in winter/ spring, and this seasonality is more obvious at the upper three levels (i.e., 345, 355, and 365 K) than at 335 K. The distributions of the estimated monthly ozone fluxes indicate that the isentropic stratosphere-to-troposphere ozone exchange is associated with wave breaking and occurs preferentially over the eastern Atlantic Ocean and northwest Africa in winter and over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in summer.

Jing, P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Analyses of the wind-driven response of tropical oceans

Numerical and analytical models are used to study the upper-ocean response to surface wind stress estimates from the tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These models are used to identify regions of important variability in the wind field, analyze the oceanic response, and demonstrate the applicability of remotely sensed vector wind stress and altimetry data. Both model and XBT depictions of the mean seasonal cycle, 1979 to 1981, were analyzed along the major ship tracks in the western, central, and eastern tropical Pacific. Model solutions were also used to address array design questions in observing system simulation experiments. Subsequent analyses of the 1982 to 1983 solutions will be performed with respect to differences from the mean seasonal cycle 1979 to 1981, as well as, differences in the three wind products.

Busalacchi, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A model of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature climatology

A model for the climatological mean sea surface temperature (SST) of the tropical Pacific Ocean is developed. The upper ocean response is computed using a time dependent, linear, reduced gravity model, with the addition of a constant depth frictional surface layer. The full three-dimensional temperature equation and a surface heat flux parameterization that requires specification of only wind speed and total cloud cover are used to evaluate the SST. Specification of atmospheric parameters, such as air temperature and humidity, over which the ocean has direct influence, is avoided. The model simulates the major features of the observed tropical Pacific SST. The seasonal evolution of these features is generally captured by the model. Analysis of the results demonstrates the control the ocean has over the surface heat flux from ocean to atmosphere and the crucial role that dynamics play in determining the mean SST in the equatorial Pacific. The sensitivity of the model to perturbations in the surface heat flux, cloud cover specification, diffusivity, and mixed layer depth is discussed.

Seager, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1997

El Nino Southern Oscillation and Tuna in the Western Pacific

Nearly 70% of the world's annual tuna harvest, currently 3.2 million tonnes, comes from the Pacific Ocean. Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) dominate the catch. Although skipjack are distributed in the surface mixed layer throughout the equatorial and subtropical Pacific, catches are highest in the western equatorial Pacific warm pool, a region characterized by low primary productivity rates that has the warmest surface waters of the world's oceans. Assessments of tuna stocks indicate that recent western Pacific skipjack catches approaching one million tonnes annually are sustainable. The warm pool, which is fundamental to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Earth's climate in general, must therefore also provide a habitat capable of supporting this highly productive tuna population. Here we show that apparent spatial shifts in the skipjack population are linked to large zonal displacements of the warm pool that occur during ENSO events. This relationship can be used to predict (several months in advance) the region of highest skipjack abundance, within a fishing ground extending over 6,000 km along the Equator.

Lehodey, P.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Impacts of Marine Surface Pressure Observations From A Spaceborne Differential Absorption Radar Investigated With an Observing System Simulation Experiment

A new instrument has been proposed for measuring surface air pressure over the marine surface with a combined active/passive scanning multi-channel differential absorption radar (DAR) to provide an estimate of the total atmospheric column oxygen content. A demonstrator instrument, the Microwave Barometric Radar and Sounder (MBARS), has been funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for airborne test missions. Here, a proof-of-concept study to evaluate the potential impact of spaceborne surface pressure data on numerical weather prediction is performed using the Goddard Modeling and Assimilation Office global observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) framework. This OSSE framework employs the Goddard Earth Observing System model and the hybrid 4D ensemble variational Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation data assimilation system. Multiple flight and scanning configurations of potential spaceborne orbits are examined. Swath width and observation spacing for the surface pressure data are varied to explore a range of sampling strategies. For wider swaths, the addition of surface pressures reduces the root mean square surface pressure analysis error by as much as 20% over some ocean regions. The forecast sensitivity observation impact tool estimates impacts on the Pacific Ocean basin boundary layer 24-hour forecast temperatures for spaceborne surface pressures on par with rawinsondes and aircraft, and greater impacts than the current network of ships and buoys. The largest forecast impacts are found in the southern hemisphere extratropics.

N.C. Privé↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Magnitude and Variability of Global and Regional Precipitation Based on the 22-Year GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project) and Three-Year TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) Data Sets

This paper gives an overview of the analysis of global precipitation over the last few decades and the impact of the new TRMM precipitation observations. The 20+ year, monthly, globally complete precipitation analysis of the World Climate Research Program's (WCRP/GEWEX) Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) is used to study global and regional variations and trends and is compared to the much shorter TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) tropical data set. The GPCP data set shows no significant trend in precipitation over the twenty years, unlike the positive trend in global surface temperatures over the past century. The global trend analysis must be interpreted carefully, however, because the inhomogeneity of the data set makes detecting a small signal very difficult, especially over this relatively short period. Identifying regional trends in precipitation may be more practical. From 1979 to 1999 the northern mid-latitudes appear to be drying, the southern mid-latitudes have gotten wetter, and there is a mixed signal in the tropics. The relation between this field of trends and the relation to the frequency of El Nino events during this time period is explored. Monthly anomalies of precipitation are related to ENSO variations with clear signals extending into middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres. The El Nino and La Nina mean anomalies are near mirror images of each other and when combined produce an ENSO signal with significant spatial continuity over large distances. These El Nino minus La Nina composites of normalized precipitation show the usual positive, or wet, anomaly over the central and eastern Pacific Ocean with the negative, or dry, anomaly over the maritime continent along with an additional negative anomaly over Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean extending into Africa and a positive anomaly over the Horn of Africa and the western Indian Ocean. A number of the features are shown to extend into high latitudes. Positive anomalies extend in the Southern Hemisphere (S.H.) from the Pacific southeastward across Chile and Argentina into the south Atlantic Ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere (N.H.) the counterpart feature extends across the southern US and Atlantic Ocean into Europe. Further to the west a negative anomaly extends southeastward again from the Maritime Continent across the South Pacific and through the Drake Passage. The N.H. counterpart crosses the North Pacific and southern Canada. In the Southern Hemisphere an anomaly feature is shown to spiral into the Antarctica land mass. The extremes of ENSO-related anomalies are also examined and indicate that globally, during both El Nino and La Nina, more extremes of precipitation ( both wet and dry) occur than during the "neutral" regime, with the El Nino regime showing larger magnitudes. The distribution is different for the globe as a whole and when the area is restricted to just land. The recent (1998-present) TRMM observations are compared with the similar period of GPCP analyses with very good agreement in terms of pattern and generally good agreement with regard to magnitude. However, there still are differences among the individual TRMM products using passive and active microwave techniques and these need to be resolved before longer-term products such as the GPCP analyses can be validated.

Adler, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Detecting the Greatest Changes in Global Satellite-Based Precipitation Observations

In recent years, the analysis of abrupt and non-abrupt changes in precipitation has received much attention due to the importance of climate change-related issues (e.g., extreme climate events). In this study, we used a novel segmentation algorithm, DBEST (Detecting Breakpoints and Estimating Segments in Trend), to analyze the greatest changes in precipitation using a monthly pixel-based satellite precipitation dataset (TRMM 3B43) at three different scales: (i) global, (ii) continental, and (iii) climate zone, during the 1998–2019 period. We found significant breakpoints, 14.1%, both in the form of abrupt and non-abrupt changes, in the global scale precipitation at the 0.05 significance level. Most of the abrupt changes were observed near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean and Asian continent, relative to the rest of the globe. Most detected breakpoints occurred during the 1998–1999 and 2009–2011 periods on the global scale. The average precipitation change for the detected breakpoint was ±100 mm, with some regions reaching ±3000 mm. For instance, most portions of northern Africa and Asia experienced major changes of approximately +100 mm. In contrast, most of the South Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean experienced changes of −100 mm during the studied period. Our findings indicated that the larger areas of Africa (23.9%), Asia (22.9%), and Australia (15.4%) experienced significant precipitation breakpoints compared to North America (11.6%), South America (9.3%), Europe (8.3%), and Oceania (9.6%). Furthermore, we found that the majority of detected significant breakpoints occurred in the arid (31.6%) and polar (24.1%) climate zones, while the least significant breakpoints were found for snow-covered (11.5%), equatorial (7.5%), and warm temperate (7.7%) climate zones. Positive breakpoints’ temporal coverage in the arid (54.0%) and equatorial (51.9%) climates were more than those in other climates zones. Here, the findings indicated that large areas of Africa and Asia experienced significant changes in precipitation (−250 to +250 mm). Compared to the average state (trend during a specific period), the greatest changes in precipitation were more abrupt and unpredictable, which might impose a severe threat to the ecology, environment, and natural resources.

Breakpoint↗
NASA NTRS1978

Aquatic sources and sinks for nitrous oxide

Data are presented which suggest the complexity of the aquatic nitrogen cycle as it affects N2O. The data are from studies made in the central and south-east tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean and in Chesapeake Bay. The data indicate that oxidation of ammonium and amino nitrogen and nitrification form the principle source for marine N2O. It is estimated that the yearly global yield for oceanic N2O is less than about 10 to the 7th power tons. The consumption of atmospheric N2O by the open ocean has not been evidenced, although data from the south-east tropical Pacific and Chesapeake Bay show the consumption of dissolved N2O in low-oxygen conditions. Preliminary observations have also indicated the consumption of atmospheric N2O by aquatic systems such as freshwater pond and a tidal saltmarsh.

Elkins, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Raingage network sampling statistics

Sampling problems raise large difficulties for the precipitation measurements from space. In the tropics rainfall processes are organized in scales which are hardly resolved by the microwave radiometers on board of satellites. Even in the cloud clusters, which mark significant, large extended signals in the visible and infrared images, the precipitation areas cover only a small region. Our analysis of the cloud clusters over the W Pacific Ocean revealed that more than 50% of the area of a typical Western Pacific cluster are without rain. The radar observations during GATE generally confirmed those results. The rainfall was calculated from Nimbus V microwave data at 19.35 GHz and the results were compared with the GATE radar rainfall. The results are improved if the rain areas within the field of view are determined by additional observations and lead to a correction of the microwave brightness temperature.

Vogel, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Tropical-extratropical geopotential height teleconnections during the Northern Hemisphere winter

Simultaneous and lagged correlation patterns between height anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) or in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and height anomalies at tropical stations in two major tropical precipitation zones (the Indochina maritime continent and Africa) were examined. The height anomalies among the tropical stations in these zones and its nearby Pacific Ocean, South America, and Africa are strongly correlated; they are also correlated with stations in Australia and the North PLacific Ocean. The correlations between height anomalies at any of these stations and NH height anomalies show a well-defined global pattern with major features concentrated in the United States and adjacent oceans. Depending upon the location of the stations, the pattern is either a Pacific North American (PNA), a Tropical NH (TNH), or a mixed pattern having both elements. During the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years both TNH and PNA patterns appear in simultaneous and lagged maps, but in non-ENSO years the TNH is weak in simultaneous charts.

Mo, Kingtse C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Top-of-Atmosphere Direct Radiative Effect of Aerosols over Global Oceans from Merged CERES and MODIS Observations

The direct radiative effect of aerosols (DREA) is defined as the difference between radiative fluxes in the absence and presence of aerosols. In this study, the direct radiative effect of aerosols is estimated for 46 months (March, 2000 to December, 2003) of merged CERES and MODIS Terra global measurements over ocean. This analysis includes the contribution from clear regions in both clear and partly cloudy CERES footprints. MODIS-CERES narrow-to-broadband regressions are developed to convert clear-sky MODIS narrowband radiances to broadband SW radiances, and CERES clear-sky Angular Distribution Models (ADMs) are used to estimate the corresponding TOA radiative fluxes needed to determine the DREA. Clear-sky MODIS pixels are identified using two independent cloud masks: (i) the NOAA-NESDIS algorithm used for inferring aerosol properties from MODIS on the CERES Single Scanner Footprint TOA/Surface Fluxes and Clouds (SSF) product (NOAA-SSF); and (ii) the standard algorithm used by the MODIS aerosol group to produce the MODO4 product (MODO4). Over global oceans, direct radiative cooling by aerosols for clear scenes identified from MODO4 is estimated to be 5.5 W m-2, compared to 3.8 W m-2 for clear scenes from NOAA-SSF. Regionally, differences are largest in areas affected by dust aerosol, such as oceanic regions adjacent to the Saharan and Saudi Arabian deserts, and in northern Pacific Ocean regions influenced by dust transported from Asia. The net total-sky (clear and cloudy) DREA is negative (cooling) and is estimated to be -2.0 W m-2 from MOD04, and -1.6 W m-2 from NOAA-SSF. The DREA is shown to have pronounced seasonal cycles in the Northern Hemisphere and large year-to-year fluctuations near deserts. However, no systematic trend in deseasonalized anomalies of the DREA is observed over the 46-month time series considered.

Loeb, N. G.↗
NASA NTRS2020

A Global End-Member Approach to Derive aCDOM(440) from Near-Surface Optical Measurements

This study establishes an optical inversion scheme for deriving the absorption coefficient of colored (or chromophoric, depending on the literature) dissolved organic material (CDOM) at the 440 nm wavelength, which can be applied to global water masses with near-equal efficacy. The approach uses a ratio of diffuse attenuation coefficient spectral end members, i.e., a short and long wavelength pair. The global perspective is established by sampling "extremely" clear water plus a generalized extent in turbidity and optical properties that each span three decades of dynamic range. A unique data set was collected in oceanic, coastal, and inland waters (as shallow as 0.6 m) from the North Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, Hawaii, Japan, Puerto Rico, and the east and west coasts of the United States. The data were partitioned using subjective categorizations to define a validation quality subset of conservative water masses, i.e., the inflow and outflow of properties constrain the range in the gradient of a constituent, plus 15 subcategories of water masses that were not evolving conservatively. The dependence on subcategories was confirmed with an objective methodology based on cluster analysis techniques. The latter defined five distinct classes with validation quality data present in all classes, but which also decreased in percent composition as a function of increasing class number and optical complexity. Four different algorithms based on different validation quality end members were validated with accuracies of 1.–6.2 %, wherein pairs with the largest spectral span were most accurate. Although algorithm accuracy decreased with the inclusion of more subcategories containing non-conservative water masses, changes to the algorithm fit were small when a preponderance of subcategories were included. The high accuracy for all end-member algorithms was the result of data acquisition and data processing improvements, e.g., increased vertical sampling resolution to less than 1mm and a boundary constraint to mitigate wave focusing effects, respectively. An independent evaluation with a historical database confirmed the consistency of the algorithmic approach and its application to quality assurance, e.g., to flag data outside expected ranges, identify suspect spectra, and objectively determine the in-water extrapolation interval by converging agreement for all applicable end-member algorithms. The legacy data exhibit degraded performance (as 44 % uncertainty) due to a lack of high-quality near-surface observations, especially for clear waters wherein wave-focusing effects are problematic. The novel optical approach allows the in situ estimation of an in-water constituent in keeping with the accuracy obtained in the laboratory.

Stanford B Hooker↗
NASA NTRS1983

Southern ocean mean monthly waves and surface winds for winter 1978 by Seasat radar altimeter

Data acquired by the SEASAT radar altimeter during the 3 month satellite lifetime are analyzed in a study of the sea state of the southern hemisphere oceans. The lifetime of the SEASAT satellite, July 7 to October 10, 1978, corresponds to the Antarctic winter. Mean monthly maps of wind speed, significant wave height, and swell have been generated from the altimeter measurements along the satellite tracks. These maps delineate spatial and temporal differences of these parameters in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Several features of the Southern Ocean wind and wave fields agree with conventional descriptions. For example, the principle zonal wind regimes established by the Southeast Trades and Westerlies are clearly evident in the monthly averages. Significant wave height and swell also exhibit minima near the Doldrums at low latitudes with steady increases southward to the latitudes of the Westerlies. However, superimposed on these general patterns is significant variability with horizontal scales as small as 1000 km. The maps also document a gradual migration of the region of absolute maximum wind and wave from the Atlantic eastward to the Indian Ocean and finally into the Pacific.

Mognard, N. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Towards operational ocean state estimation

An assimilation effort is undertaken with the goal of understanding seasonal-to-interannual changes of the tropical Pacific Ocean from the late '80s to the present, encompassing the WOCE and TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) periods.

method↗
NASA NTRS2001

Cloud Structure Anomalies Over the Tropical Pacific During the 1997/98 El Nino

Satellite measurements of both cloud vertical structure and cloud-radiative forcing have been used to show that during the strong 1997/98 El Nino there was a substantial change in cloud vertical structure over the tropical Pacific Ocean. Relative to normal years, cloud altitudes were lower in the western portion of the Pacific and higher in the eastern portion. The reason for these redistributions was a collapse of the Walker circulation and enhanced large-scale upward motion over the eastern Pacific, both caused by the lack of a zonal sea surface temperature gradient during El Nino. It is proposed that these cloud structure changes, which significantly impact satellite measurements of the tropical Pacific's radiation budget, would serve as one useful means of testing cloud-climate interactions in climate models.

Cess, Robert D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Analysis and prediction of ocean swell using instrumented buoys

During the period 20-23 September 1990, the remnants of Supertyphoon Flo moved into the central North Pacific Ocean with sustained wind speeds of 28 m/s. The strong wind and large fetch area associated with this storm generated long-period swell that propagated to the west coast of North America. National Data Buoy Center moored-buoy stations, located in a network that ranged from the Gulf of Alaska to the California Bight, provided wave spectral estimates of the swell from this storm. The greatest dominant wave periods measured were approximately 20-25 s, and significant wave heights measured ranged from 3 to 8 m. Wave spectra from an array of three nondirectional buoys are used to find the source of the long-period swell. Directional wave spectra from a heave-pitch-roll buoy are also used to make an independent estimate of the source of the swell. The ridge-line method, using time-frequency contour plots of wave spectral energy density, is used to determine the time of swell generation, which is used with the appropriate surface pressure analysis to infer the swell generation area. The diagnosed sources of the swell are also compared with nowcasts from the Global Spectral Ocean Wave Model of the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center. A simple method of predicting the propagation of ocean swell, by applying a simple kinematic model of wave propagation to the estimated point and time source, is demonstrated.

Mettlach, Theodore↗
NASA NTRS1986

Utilization of VAS satellite data in the initialization of an oceanic-cyclogenesis simulation

A series of experiments was performed to test various method of incorporating Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer Atmospheric Sounder (VAS)-sounding data into the initial conditions of the Penn State University/National Center for Atmospheric mesoscale model. The VAS data for this ocean-cyclogenesis case consist of 110 irregularly distributed temperature and humidity soundings located over the North Pacific Ocean and apply at approximately 1200 GMT 10 November 1981. Various methods of utilizing VAS data in the initial condition of a mesoscale model were evaluated.

Douglas, Sharon G.↗