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NASA NTRS1987

A method of calculating the total flow from a given sea surface topography

Using a simple dynamical model of a wind-driven ocean circulation of the Stommel type, and an analytical basis developed to objectively analyze the sea surface height residuals from an altimeter and, in the process, to determine the total flow instead of just the near surface geostrophic component associated with the given sea surface topography. The method is based on first deriving the solution to the forced problem for a given wind stress required to develop a hypothetical true or perfect data field and to establishing the basis for the objective analysis. The stream function and the surface height field for the forced problem are developed in terms of certain characteristic functions with the same expansion coefficients for both fields. These characteristic functions are simply the solutions for a homogeneous elliptic equation for the stream function and the solutions of an inhomogeneous balance equation for the height field. For the objective analysis, using a sample of randomly selected height values from the true data field, the height field characteristic functions are used to fit the given topography in a least squares sense. The resulting expansion coefficients then permit the synthesis of the total flow field via the stream function characteristic modes and the solution is perfectly well behaved even along the equator. The method of solution is easily adaptable to realistic ocean basis by straight forward numerical methods. The analytical basis of the theory and the results for an ideal rectangular basin on a beta plane are described.

Rao, Desiraju B.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Use of the 4D-Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) for space shuttle descent design

The method of using the Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) mean and dispersed atmospheres to study skipout/overshoot requirements, to characterize mean and worst case vehicle temperatures, study control requirements, and verify design was discussed. Landing sites in these analyses range from 65 N to 30 S, while orbit inclinations vary from 20 deg to 98 deg. The primary concern was that they cannot use as small vertical steps in the reentry calculation as desired because the model predicts anomalously large density shear rates for very small vertical step sizes. The winds predicted by the model are not satisfactory. This is probably because they are geostrophic winds and because the model has an error in the computation of winds in the equatorial regions.

Mccarty, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Linear baroclinic instability in the presence of large scale topography

The effect of a planetary-scale, wavenumber 2 topography on baroclinically active disturbances is investigated for a channel domain in a two-layer, quasi-geostrophic context. When the lower-layer zonal velocity is nonzero, the topography influences the disturbances by forcing a stationary wave, and the topography and the forced wave influence the growth rates and the spatial structures of the time-dependent solutions. The case of zero zonal velocity in the lower layer was also investigated, for which no forced wave exists. Asymptotic forms of the equations, valid when the topographic effect (governed by the ratio of the nondimensional topographic height to the rotational Froude number) is small, are used to obtain both the stationary and time-dependent solutions. The latter are also obtained using a numerical approach, in which is determined the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a matrix representing the dynamical equations. Agreement is good between the two approaches. Recent laboratory experiments with a baroclinic annulus in which there is a false bottom with wavenumber 2 topography, are used to select governing parameters. The simultaneous presence of a stationary forced wave of wavenumber 2 and a time-dependent baroclinic wave of wavenumber 4, which has wavenumber 2 and 6 sidebands due to the topography, yields a flow field that exhibits some principal features of the laboratory experiments. The position of the forced wave and the location of an excursion in latitude of the storm track show qualitative resemblance to those features observed in the atmosphere.

Reynolds, Nathaniel Dunton↗

NASA NTRS1986

TOPEX/POSEIDON - Mapping the ocean surface

Global efforts are under way to model the earth as a complete planet so that weather patterns may be predicted on time scales of months and years. A major limitation in developing models of global weather is the inability to model the circulation of the oceans including the geostrophic surface currents. NASA will soon be initiating a satellite program to correct this deficiency by directly measuring these currents using the science of radar altimetry. Measurement of the ocean topography with broad, frequent coverage of all ocean basins for a long period of time will allow the derivation of the spatial and temporal behavior of surface ocean currents. The TOPEX/POSEIDON mission is a cooperative effort between NASA and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales. This paper describes the goals of this research mission, the data type to be acquired, the satellite and sensors to be used to acquire the data, and the methods by which the data are to be processed and utilized.

Yamarone, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Some aspects of stratospheric dynamics

Observations of the stratosphere are analyzed. The behavior of the wind and temperature in the stratosphere is compared to that of the troposphere. Techniques for observing the circulation and temperatures of the stratosphere and the basic circulation and temperature characteristics are described. The propagation of tropospheric planetary waves to the stratosphere and their interaction with the mean flow are studied. The stability of the zonal-mean state in the stratosphere is investigated by calculating the meridional gradient of zonal-mean quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity.

Hartmann, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Toward the application of the Kalman filter to regional open ocean modeling

A partial differential equation model is defined for ocean meteorological prediction and synoptic analysis. The Kalman filter used for data assimilation is described and applied to the one-dimensional linear barotropic quasi-geostrophic model with periodic and open boundary conditions. The model accounts for eddy scale dynamics in the ocean. The assumptions made in the forecast model are discussed, along with comparisons of the error variances expected with the filter and from an objective analysis method. The effectiveness of the Kalman filter is demonstrated and subsequent efforts to extend the filter to two dimensions are indicated.

Miller, R. N.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Derivation of photochemical information near 1 mbar from ozone and temperature data

An analysis procedure has been developed for derivation of information about the photochemical behavior of ozone near 1 mbar by explicitly accounting for the dynamical transport terms in the continuity equation for perturbations from the zonal mean. The procedure is shown to be valid using data from a numerical transport model and is then applied to LIMS ozone and temperature data, using geostrophic winds to estimate the transport terms. The data study is restricted to March at 2, 1, and 0.7 mbar. Because the temperature deviations are dynamically produced, large temperature deviations are associated with significant ozone transport terms. The anticorrelation between the deviations of ozone and temperature disappears when the transport terms are small. The derived photochemical information is compared to photochemical theory. Although there is overall agreement in the magnitude as well as the latitude, altitude, and time dependencies, discrepancies are suggested which may be related to the long-standing failure of photochemical models to calculate ozone accurately near 1 mbar. The theory suggests that the addition of Cl(x) to the stratosphere will affect the relationship of ozone and temperature at 2 and 1 mbar. Comparison of the photochemical information derived from future ozone and temperature measurements with the results of the present analysis should provide a critical test of the photochemical scheme thought to describe the behavior of odd chlorine in the stratosphere.

Douglass, Anne R.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Rapid evolution of a jet streak circulation in a pre-convective environment

An analysis of the April 10, 1979 Red River Valley severe weather outbreak, using a three-hourly rawinsonde network, indicates that the preconvection environment is influenced by upper-level and lower-level tropospheric jet streaks (ULJs and LLJs) that act to destabilize the atmosphere, and contribute to low-level heat and moisture transports and convergence that act to initiate the storm system. Transformation of an indirect circulation noted within the exit region of the ULJ at 1200 and 1500 GMT is observed within a six-hour period. Dramatic changes are found in the jet streak circulations over a short period of time as the system deviates from that approximated by the geostrophic momentum approximation, and these deviations suggest that adjustments asssociated with ULJs in this case could not be resolved using a simplified two-dimensional approach.

Kocin, P. J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

An examination of vertical circulations associated with heavy snow events along the East Coast

Observational data are presented to show how a particular orientation of upper-level jet streaks (ULJS) associated with a diffluent trough near the East Coast of the U.S. can lead to heavy snowfalls. Surface fronts, precipitation and isobar maps, vertical motion vectors, and geostrophic wind streamlines preceding and during snowstorms on February 11, 1983, February 19, 1979, January 20, 1978, and January 13, 1964 are examined. The interaction of a direct vertical ageostrophic circulation within the confluent entrance of a ULJS over the northeastern U.S. or southeastern Canada and an indirect circulation within the exit region of a ULJS accompanying a trough nearing the East Coast are demonstrated to be conducive to heavy snowfall on the East Coast.

Kocin, Paul J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Dynamics of the North Sea pole tide reconsidered

The anomalous tide in the North Sea, driven by the Chandler wobble, is here re-examined. A previously published solution in which these 'pole tide' observations were explained as a forced co-oscillation from the deep water tide is shown to be untenable, because it is very unlikely that the deep ocean tide is anything but equilibrium. Using the same physics as in the previous solution (viscous, linear, quasi-geostrophic dynamics), it is now suggested that the only plausible explanation is that there is a coincidental resonance between the long-wavelength branch topographic Rossby wave of the North Sea and the direct driving by the pole tide potential. This resonance is not a basin-resonance, but that of a free wave driven by a travelling forcing function. Simplified models reproduce the observations in qualitative fashion. If this explanation is the correct one, then the Arctic seas north of Asia and North America appear to be likely candidates as other regions where there may be a large pole tide response and, hence, a locus of wobble dissipation. Given the difficulties of observation, the long times required, and the general instability of the dissipation calculation with the simplified analytical model, probably a numerical model will be required for further progress.

Wunsch, Carl↗

NASA NTRS1987

Experiments with a three-dimensional statistical objective analysis scheme using FGGE data

A three-dimensional (3D), multivariate, statistical objective analysis scheme (referred to as optimum interpolation or OI) has been developed for use in numerical weather prediction studies with the FGGE data. Some novel aspects of the present scheme include: (1) a multivariate surface analysis over the oceans, which employs an Ekman balance instead of the usual geostrophic relationship, to model the pressure-wind error cross correlations, and (2) the capability to use an error correlation function which is geographically dependent. A series of 4-day data assimilation experiments are conducted to examine the importance of some of the key features of the OI in terms of their effects on forecast skill, as well as to compare the forecast skill using the OI with that utilizing a successive correction method (SCM) of analysis developed earlier. For the three cases examined, the forecast skill is found to be rather insensitive to varying the error correlation function geographically. However, significant differences are noted between forecasts from a two-dimensional (2D) version of the OI and those from the 3D OI, with the 3D OI forecasts exhibiting better forecast skill. The 3D OI forecasts are also more accurate than those from the SCM initial conditions. The 3D OI with the multivariate oceanic surface analysis was found to produce forecasts which were slightly more accurate, on the average, than a univariate version.

Baker, Wayman E.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Mass, heat and freshwater fluxes in the South Indian Ocean

Six hydrographic sections were used to examine the circulation and property fluxes in the South Indian Ocean from 10 to 32 deg S. The calculations were made by applying an inverse method to the data. In the interior of the South Indian Ocean, the geostrophic flow is generally northward. At 18 deg S, the northward interior mass flux is balanced by the southward Ekman mass flux at the surface, whereas at 32 deg S the northward interior mass flux is balanced by the southward mass flux of the Agulhas Current. There is a weak, southward mass flux of 6 x 10 to the 9th kg/s in the Mozambique Channel. The rate of water exchange between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean is dependent on the choice of the initial reference level used in the inverse calculation. The choice of 1500 m, the depth of the deep oxygen minimum, has led to a flux of water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean at a rate of 6.6 x 10 to the 9th kg/s. Heat flux calculations indicate that the Indian Ocean is exporting heat to the rest of the world's oceans at a rate of -0.69 x 10 to the 15th W at 18 deg S and -0.25 x 10 to the 15th W at 32 deg S (negative values being southward).

Fu, Lee-Lueng↗

NASA NTRS1987

The synoptic setting and possible energy sources for mesoscale wave disturbances

Published data on 13 cases of mesoscale wave disturbances and their environment were examined to isolate common features for these cases and to determine possible energy sources for the waves. These events are characterized by either a singular wave of depression or wave packets with periods of 1-4 h, horizontal wavelengths of 50-500 km, and surface-pressure perturbation amplitudes of 0.2-7.0 mb. These wave events are shown to be associated with a distinct synoptic pattern (including the existence of a strong inversion in the lower troposphere and the propagation of a jet streak toward a ridge axis in the upper troposphere) while displaying little correlation with the presence of convective storm cells. The observed development of the waves is consistent with the hypothesis that the energy source needed to initiate and sustain the wave disturbances may be related to a geostrophic adjustment process associated with upper-tropospheric jet streaks.

Uccellini, Louis W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Circulation in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere during the MAP (Middle Atmosphere Program)/WINE (Winter in the Northern Europe) period

One of the scientific programs in the MAP project, Winter in the Northern Europe (WINE) 1983 to 1984 involved an analysis of circulation processes in the middle atmosphere which characterized that winter period. Rocket soundings were conducted at many stations. In order to investigate deviations of the mean winds for the MAP/WINE period from the circulation conditions of other winters and from the climatic norm, rocket sounding data of Churchill and Barrow stations was well as the Pressure Modulated Radiometer channel 3000 data enabled the compilation of geopotential fields and the calculation of winds in the geostrophic approximation for comparison with the meteor winds. The large scale processes of the winter which determined the circulation in the period of the experiment were analyzed briefly. The analysis and results are discussed.

Tarasenko, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A study of the mechanism of internal gravity wave generation by quasigeostrophic meteorological motions

Numerous experiments on the detection of atmospheric waves in the frequency range from acoustic to planetary at meteor heights have revealed that important wave sources are meteorological processes in the troposphere (cyclones, atmospheric fronts, jet streams, etc.). A dynamical theory based on the others work include describing the adaptation of meteorological fields to the geostropic equilibrium state. According to this theory, wave motions appear as a result of constant competition between the maladjustment of the wind and pressure fields due to nonlinear effects and the tendency of the atmosphere to establish a quasi-geostrophic equilibrium of these fields. These meteorological fields are discussed.

Medvedev, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Longitudinal peculiarities of meridional circulation in lower thermosphere and mesosphere

Average monthly longitudinal profiles of geostrophic wind in winter are presented. Positive values correspond to meridional movements from north to south. It is concluded that the normal longitudinal meridional circulation is characterized by the presence of sectors where meridional flows do not change their direction in the course of time comparable with synoptic periods. The longitudinal distribution of meridional wind in middle latitudes taken from the analysis results of radiometeor and ionospheric stations observational data obtained in 1976 to 1980 are presented. Meridional winds have a longitudinal variability that is equivalent to both the warm and cold half years.

Bekbasarov, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Simulated sudden stratospheric warming - Synoptic evolution

An analysis is presented of a sudden stratospheric warming event which occurred spontaneously during a general circulation model simulation of the global atmospheric circulation. Two separate warming pulses exhibit the same dynamical evolution with a 'cycle' of about two weeks. Two distinct phases of the warming cycle are apparent: (1) the generation of an intense localized warm cell in conjunction with significant adiabatic heating associated with cross-isobar flow which has been induced by vertically propagating long wave disturbances; and (2) the northward transport of that warm cell via advection by the essentially geostrophic windfield corresponding to an intense, offset polar cyclone, in conjunction with a strong Aleutian anticyclone. During the first warming pulse in January, a moderate Aleutian anticyclone was in place prior to the warming cycle and was intensified by interaction with an eastward traveling anticyclone induced by the differential advection of the warm cell. The second warming pulse occurred in early February with a strong Aleutian anticyclone already established. In contrast to the January event, the warming in February culminated with reversal of the zonal westerlies to easterlies over a significant depth of the stratosphere.

Blackshear, W. T.↗

NASA NTRS1987

On the choice of orbits for an altimetric satellite to study ocean circulation and tides

The choice of an orbit for satellite altimetric studies of the ocean's circulation and tides requires an understanding of the orbital characteristics that influence the accuracy of the satellite's measurements of sea level and the temporal and spatial distribution of the measurements. The orbital characteristics that influence accurate calculations of the satellite's position as a function of time are examined, and the pattern of ground tracks laid down on the ocean's surface as a function of the satellite's altitude and inclination is studied. The results are used to examine the aliases in the measurements of surface geostrophic currents and tides. Finally, these considerations are used to specify possible orbits that may be useful for the upcoming Topex/Poseidon mission.

Parke, Michael E.↗