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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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NASA NTRS2017

Atmospheric Modeling Using Accelerometer Data During Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Flight Operations

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is a NASA orbiter designed to explore the Mars upper atmosphere, typically from 140 to 160 km altitude. In addition to the nominal science mission, MAVEN has performed several Deep Dip campaigns in which the orbit's closest point of approach, also called periapsis, was lowered to an altitude range of 115 to 135 km. MAVEN accelerometer data were used during mission operations to estimate atmospheric parameters such as density, scale height, along-track gradients, and wave structures. Density and scale height estimates were compared against those obtained from the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model and used to aid the MAVEN navigation team in planning maneuvers to raise and lower periapsis during Deep Dip operations. This paper describes the processes used to reconstruct atmosphere parameters from accelerometers data and presents the results of their comparison to model and navigation-derived values.

Tolson, Robert H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Mesospheric gravity-wave climatology at Adelaide

The MF Adelaide partial-reflection radar has been operating continuously since November 1983. This has enabled a climatology of gravity-wave activity to be constructed for the mesosphere. The data have been analyzed for a medium-period range of 1 to 8 hr. and a longer period range between 8 and 24 hr. covering the inertio-period waves. The tidal motions have been filtered out prior to analysis. For the data analyses so far (Nov. 1983 to Dec. 1984), a number of interesting features emerged. Firstly, the wave activity at heights above 80 km shows a small seimannual variation with season with the activity being strongest in summer and winter. At heights below 80 km however, there is a similar but more marked variation with the weakest amplitudes occurring at the time of the changeovers in the prevailing circulation. If breaking gravity waves are responsible for much of the turbulence in the mesosphere, then the periods March to April and September to October might also be expected to be periods of weak turbulence. The wave field appears to be partially polarized. The meridional amplitudes are larger than the zonal amplitudes, especially in water. It is found that the degree of polarization is about 15% in summer and 30% in winter. The polarized component is found to propagate in the opposite direction to the background flow in the stratosphere, which suggests that the polarization arises through directional filtering of the waves as they propagate up from below.

Vincent, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Selective excitation of tropical atmospheric waves in wave-CISK: The effect of vertical wind shear

The growth of waves and the generation of potential energy in wave-CISK require unstable waves to tilt with height oppositely to their direction of propagation. This makes the structures and instability properties of these waves very sensitive to the presence of vertical shear in the basic flow. Equatorial Kelvin and Rossby-gravity waves have opposite phase tilt with height to what they have in the stratosphere, and their growth is selectively favored by basic flows with westward vertical shear and eastward vertical shear, respectively. Similar calculations are also made for gravity waves and Rossby waves. It is shown that eastward vertical shear of the basic flow promotes CISK for westward propagating Rossby-gravity, Rossby, and gravity waves and suppresses CISK for eastward propagating Kelvin and gravity waves, while westward shear of the basic flow has the reverse effects.

Zhang, Minghua↗
NASA NTRS1985

Vacillations induced by interference of stationary and traveling waves

It was shown that there exists a correspondence between interference of the 16-day wave with the stationary planetary wave and vacillations in eddy heat and momentum fluxes. There has been speculation on the role such interference may play in stratospheric warmings. The appearance of higher-order normal modes, e.g., the 16-day wave, prior to disturbances in the stratospheric vortex has also been noted. Since amplitudes of the 16-day wave are compared to those of the stationary component, it can significantly alter the instantaneous total wave field. The behavior of the wave number 1 height field at 60 deg N during January 1979 is shown when a large amplitude disturbance retrogressed barotropically around the globe over much of the troposphere and stratosphere. This transient disturbance has been identified with the 16-day wave. More generally, the presence of fluctuating planetary wave activity can, through combined interference, alter the instantaneous planetary wave field as well as the transports it produces. The implications of such interference in a quasi-geostrophic framework has been explored, using the Eliassen-Palm (EP) flux as a diagnostic.

Salby, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Supersaturation of vertically propagating internal gravity waves

The usual assumption that vertically propagating internal gravity waves will cease growing with height once their amplitudes are such as to permit convective instability anywhere within the wave is reexamined. Two factors lead to amplitude limitation: (1) wave clipping associated with convective mixing, and (2) energetic constraints associated with the rate at which the wave can supply energy to the convection. It is found that these two factors limit supersaturation to about 50 percent for waves with short horizontal wavelengths and high relative phase speeds. Usually the degree of supersaturation will be much less. These factors also lead to a gradual, rather than sudden, cessation of wave growth with height.

Lindzen, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Hemispherical Nature of EUV Shocks Revealed by SOHO, STEREO, and SDO Observations

EUV wave transients associated with type II radio bursts are manifestation of CME-driven shocks in the solar corona. We use recent EUV wave observations from SOHO, STEREO, and SDO for a set of CMEs to show that the EUV transients have a spherical shape in the inner corona. We demonstrate this by showing that the radius of the EUV transient on the disk observed by one instrument is approximately equal to the height of the wave above the solar surface in an orthogonal view provided by another instrument. The study also shows that the CME-driven shocks often form very low in the corona at a heliocentric distance of 1.2 Rs, even smaller than the previous estimates from STEREO/CORl data (Gopalswamy et aI., 2009, Solar Phys. 259, 227). These results have important implications for the acceleration of solar energetic particles by CMEs

Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk↗
NASA NTRS2000

Shock Formation of Slow Magnetosonic Waves in Coronal Plumes

We investigate the height of shock formation in coronal plumes for slow magnetosonic waves. The models take into account plume geometric spreading, heat conduction, and radiative damping. The wave parameters as well as the spreading functions of the plumes and the base magnetic field strengths are given by empirical constraints mostly from Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/ Ultraviolet Coronograph Spectrometer (UVCS), Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT), Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), and Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO). Our models show that shock formation occurs at relatively low coronal heights, typically within 1.2 RsuN, depending on the model parameters. The shock formation is calculated using the well-established wave breaking criterion given by the intersection of C+ characteristics in the space-time plane. Our models show that shock heating by slow magnetosonic waves is expected to be relevant at most heights in solar coronal plumes, although such waves are probably not the main energy supply mechanism.

Cuntz, Manfred↗
NASA NTRS2001

Shock Formation of Slow Magnetosonic Waves in Coronal Plumes

We investigate the height of shock formation in coroner plumes for slow magnetosonic waves. The models take into account plume geometric spreading, heat conduction and radiative damping. The wave parameters as well as the spreading functions of the plumes and the base magnetic field strengths are given by empirical constraints mostly from Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (SOHO/UVCS). Our models show that shock formation occurs at low coronal heights, i.e., within 1.3 solar radius, depending on the model parameters. The shock formation is calculated using the well-established wave breaking condition given by the intersection of C+ characteristics in the space-time plane. Our models show that shock heating by slow magnetosonic waves is expected to be relevant at most heights in solar coronal plumes, although slow magnetosonic waves are most likely not a solely operating energy supply mechanism.

Cuntz, Manfred↗
NASA NTRS1989

Acoustic propagation in curved ducts with extended reacting wall treatment

A finite-element Galerkin formulation was employed to study the attenuation of acoustic waves propagating in two-dimensional S-curved ducts with absorbing walls without a mean flow. The reflection and transmission at the entrance and the exit of a curved duct were determined by coupling the finite-element solutions in the curved duct to the eigenfunctions of an infinite, uniform, hard wall duct. In the frequency range where the duct height and acoustic wave length are nearly equal, the effects of duct length, curvature (duct offset) and absorber thickness were examined. For a given offset in the curved duct, the length of the S-duct was found to significantly affect both the absorptive and reflective characteristics of the duct. A means of reducing the number of elements in the absorber region was also presented. In addition, for a curved duct, power attenuation contours were examined to determine conditions for maximum acoustic power absorption. Again, wall curvature was found to significantly effect the optimization process.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Tuned optimization of extended reacting acoustic liners

A finite element Galerkin formulation was employed to study the optimum attenuation and reflection characteristics of acoustic waves propagating in tw0 dimensional straight ducts with extended reacting absorbing walls without a mean flow. The reflection and transmission of acoustic energy at the entrance and the exit of the duct were determined by coupling the finite element solutions in the absorbing portion of the duct to the eigenfunctions of an infinite, uniform, hard wall duct. In the frequency range where the duct height and acoustic wave length are nearly equal, power attenuation contours were examined to determine conditions for minimizing acoustic transmission through the duct. The extended reacting liners were found to significantly minimize the reflective characteristics of the duct rather than to increase absorption in the liner. Thus, extended reacting wall liner properties can be theoretically chosen to yield large impedance mismatches in an open straight duct.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Further aspects of weak shock theory applied to the solar chromosphere.

The low chromosphere now seems definitely to require mechanical heating, and dissipation of initially acoustic waves by shocking is one of the most promising possibilities. Results of recent calculations indicate that the weak shock theory may be applicable in this case, but discrepancies exist among various applications of this theory, and the explanations offered to date are not completely satisfactory. It is shown that the different approximations used by different authors to evaluate the mechanical flux integral play an important role in producing these discrepancies, in addition to the already well-known effects of the density scale heights and the wave periods. Arguments are presented favoring Ulmschneider's (1970, 1971) method for evaluation of this flux integral.

Jordan, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A case study of gravity waves-convective storms interaction 9 May 1979

An analysis is presented of a series of severe storms which occurred in the north central United States on 9 May 1979 and whose spatial distribution and movement correlate well with observed gravity waves. Two gravity wave trains of 2.1-3 mb amplitude, 2.5-3.3 h period and 240-265 km horizontal wavelength were isolated through power spectra analysis and cross-correlation techniques applied to National Weather Service barograph traces. The wave trains propagated in the 200 deg direction, which coincided with the jet axis, with a phase velocity of 20-30 m/s and within a 300 km wide band. The storms were identified on enhanced infrared GOES satellite pictures with the help of radar summaries. These convective systems initially developed in Nebraska and propagated north-northeast at 25 m/s, revealing wave-like characteristics with a separation of 300-400 km. The convective systems were closely linked to the observed wave trains with cell intensity, height and associated rainfall maximized at the wave ridge. One of the two wave trains developed in regions of weak or no convection and appeared to initiate more intense convective clusters downstream from the point of origin. It is shown that the characteristics of the wave trains are consistent with those of gravity waves generated in a region of strong vertical shear associated with the jet. It is suggested that the wave trains continue to extract energy from the basic state all along their track through critical level interaction.

Stobie, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Simulated Spectrum of Convectively Generated Gravity Waves: Propagation from the Tropopause to the Mesopause and Effects on the Middle Atmosphere

This work evaluates the interaction of a simulated spectrum of convectively generated gravity waves with realistic middle atmosphere mean winds. The wave spectrum is derived from the nonlinear convection model described by Alexander et al. that simulated a two-dimensional midlatitude squall line. This spectrum becomes input to a linear ray tracing model for evaluation of wave propagation as a function of height through climatological background wind and buoyancy frequency profiles. The energy defined by the spectrum as a function of wavenumber and frequency is distributed spatially and temporally into wave packets for the purpose of estimating wave amplitudes at the lower boundary of the ray tracing model. A wavelet analysis provides an estimate of these wave packet widths in space and time. Without this redistribution of energies into wave packets the Fourier analysis alone inaccurately assumes the energy is evenly distributed throughout the storm model domain. The growth with height of wave amplitudes is derived from wave action flux conservation coupled to a convective instability saturation condition. Mean flow accelerations and wave energy dissipation profiles are derived from this analysis and compared to parameterized estimates of gravity wave forcing, providing a measure of the importance of the storm source to global gravity wave forcing. The results suggest that a single large convective storm system like the simulated squall line could provide a significant fraction of the zonal mean gravity wave forcing at some levels, particularly in the mesosphere. The vertical distributions of mean flow acceleration and energy dissipation do not much resemble the parameterized profiles in form because of the peculiarities of the spectral properties of the waves from the storm source. The ray tracing model developed herein provides a tool for examining the role of convectively generated waves in middle atmosphere physics.

Alexander, Joan↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Simulated Spectrum of Convectively Generated Gravity Waves: Propagation from the Tropopause to the Mesopause and Effects on the Middle Atmosphere

This work evaluates the interaction of a simulated spectrum of convectively generated gravity waves with realistic middle atmosphere mean winds. The wave spectrum is derived from the nonlinear convection model described by Alexander et al. [1995] that simulated a two-dimensional midlatitude squall line. This spectrum becomes input to a linear ray tracing model for evaluation of wave propagation as a function of height through climatological background wind and buoyancy frequency profiles. The energy defined by the spectrum as a function of wavenumber and frequency is distributed spatially and temporally into wave packets for the purpose of estimating wave amplitudes at the lower boundary of the ray tracing model. A wavelet analysis provides an estimate of these wave packet widths in space and time. Without this redistribution of energies into wave packets the Fourier analysis alone inaccurately assumes the energy is evenly distributed throughout the storm model domain. The growth with height of wave amplitudes is derived from wave action flux conservation coupled to a convective instability saturation condition. Mean flow accelerations and wave energy dissipation profiles are derived from this analysis and compared to parameterized estimates of gravity wave forcing, providing a measure of the importance of the storm source to global gravity wave forcing. The results suggest that a single large convective storm system like the simulated squall line could provide a significant fraction of the zonal mean gravity wave forcing at some levels, particularly in the mesosphere. The vertical distributions of mean flow acceleration and energy dissipation do not much resemble the parameterized profiles in form because of the peculiarities of the spectral properties of the waves from the storm source. The ray tracing model developed herein provides a tool for examining the role of convectively generated waves in middle atmosphere physics.

Alexander, M. Joan↗
NASA NTRS1977

Acoustic waves in the solar atmosphere. I - The hydrodynamic code

This paper studies large-amplitude radiatively damped acoustic waves in the solar atmosphere. A modified method of characteristics is described for the solution of the time-dependent hydrodynamic equations in a gravitational atmosphere. A procedure for the detection of shocks is outlined. Several tests of the accuracy of the method are described. The evolution of the wave and the height of shock formation are computed for several values of the period and the initial acoustic flux in isothermal atmospheres with temperatures of 4000 and 5000 K as well as in a model solar atmosphere.

Ulmschneider, P.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Techniques for studying gravity waves and turbulence: Vertical wind speed power spectra from the troposphere and stratosphere obtained under light wind conditions

A joint France/U.S. experiment was conducted near the mouth of the Rhone river in southern France as part of the ALPEX program. This experiment used 3 vertically directed 50 MHz radars separated by 4 to 6 km. The main purpose of this experiment was to study the spatial characteristics of gravity waves. The good height resolution (750 meters) and time resolution (1 minute) and the continuous operation over many weeks have yielded high resolution vertical wind speed power spectra under a variety of synoptic conditions. Vertical spectra obtained during very quiet (low wind) conditions in the troposphere and lower stratosphere from a single site are presented.

Ecklund, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Density response of neutral atmospheric layers to gravity wave perturbations

Expressions for the density response of neutral atmospheric layers to propagating waves are derived. The expressions include nonlinear effects and are used to compute the response of the mesospheric sodium layer to low-frequency internal gravity waves. The results are compared with lidar observations of the sodium layer and used to deduce gravity wave parameters. It is shown that because of the large sodium density gradients and the relatively high amplitudes of gravity waves at mesospheric heights the nonlinear components of the layer density response must be considered in interpreting sodium lidar data.

Gardner, C. S.↗