Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Stereographic Projection”

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 37 records · Page 2

Meteorological atlas of the Northern Hemisphere lower stratosphere for January and February 1989 during the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

Northern Hemisphere meteorological data for the months of January and February 1989 in the lower stratosphere are shown. National Meteorological Center (NMC) data, and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data are used to display polar stereographic projections of 100-mb temperatures, 50-mb temperatures, 50-mb geopotential heights, total ozone, and Ertel's potential vorticity (Epv) on both 400 K and 460 K isentropic surfaces. In addition, latitude/height cross sections at 10 E of balanced wind isotachs, wind vectors, potential temperature, and temperature are also shown. Horizontal traces of NASA ER-2 and DC-8 flight tracks are also included. Vertical profiles of NMC temperatures following flight paths of both aircraft are shown. In addition, vertical profiles of wind speed are contoured following the ER-2 for estimating the lateral penetration into the polar vortex, while vertical profiles of Ertel's potential vorticity are included for estimating the vertical penetration of the DC-8 into the stratosphere.

Newman, Paul A.↗

Satellite radar altimetry over ice. Volume 2: Users' guide for Greenland elevation data from Seasat

A gridded surface-elevation data set and a geo-referenced data base for the Seasat radar altimeter data over Antarctica are described. It is intended to be a user's guide to accompany the data provided to data centers and other users. The grid points are on a polar stereographic projection with a nominal spacing of 20 km. The gridded elevations are derived from the elevation data in the geo-referenced data base by a weighted fitting of a surface in the neighborhood of each grid point. The gridded elevations are useful for the creating smaller-scale contour maps, and examining individual elevation measurements in specific geographic areas. Tape formats are described, and a FORTRAN program for reading the data tape is listed and provided on the tape.

Zwally, H. Jay↗

Satellite radar altimetry over ice. Volume 4: Users' guide for Antarctica elevation data from Seasat

A gridded surface-elevation data set and a geo-referenced data base for the Seasat radar altimeter data over Greenland are described. This is a user guide to accompany the data provided to data centers and other users. The grid points are on a polar stereographic projection with a nominal spacing of 20 km. The gridded elevations are derived from the elevation data in the geo-referenced data base by a weighted fitting of a surface in the neighborhood of each grid point. The gridded elevations are useful for the creating of large-scale contour maps, and the geo-referenced data base is useful for regridding, creating smaller-scale contour maps, and examinating individual elevation measurements in specific geographic areas. Tape formats are described, and a FORTRAN program for reading the data tape is listed and provided on the tape.

Zwally, H. Jay↗

Direct simulation of compressible turbulence

Several direct simulations of 3-D homogeneous, compressible turbulence are presented with emphasis on the differences with incompressible turbulent simulations. A fully spectral collocation algorithm, periodic in all directions coupled with a 3rd order Runge-Kutta time discretization scheme is sufficient to produce well-resolved flows at Taylor Reynolds numbers below 40 on grids of 128x128x128. A Helmholtz decomposition of velocity is useful to differentiate between the purely compressible effects and those effects solely due to vorticity production. In the context of homogeneous flows, this decomposition in unique. Time-dependent energy and dissipation spectra of the compressible and solenoidal velocity components indicate the presence of localized small scale structures. These structures are strongly a function of the initial conditions. Researchers concentrate on a regime characterized by very small fluctuating Mach numbers Ma (on the order of 0.03) and density and temperature fluctuations much greater than sq Ma. This leads to a state in which more than 70 percent of the kinetic energy is contained in the so-called compressible component of the velocity. Furthermore, these conditions lead to the formation of curved weak shocks (or shocklets) which travel at approximately the sound speed across the physical domain. Various terms in the vorticity and divergence of velocity production equations are plotted versus time to gain some understanding of how small scales are actually formed. Possible links with Burger turbulence are examined. To visualize better the dynamics of the flow, new graphic visualization techniques have been developed. The 3-D structure of the shocks are visualized with the help of volume rendering algorithms developed in-house. A combination of stereographic projection and animation greatly increase the number of visual cues necessary to properly interpret the complex flow.

Zang, T. A.↗

Tethys geology and tectonics revisited

Tethys, a medium sized icy satellite of Saturn, was imaged by both Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft at sufficiently high resolution to allow some geologic analysis. One fairly complete and several brief descriptions of Tethys' geology have been given. Partial results are given herein of a new analysis of Tethys' geology done as part of a comparative tectonic and cryovolcanic study of the saturnian satellites. A new geologic sketch map of Tethys' north polar area is given. This map is based on a sequence of images transformed to a polar stereographic projection at the same scale. The images present the same area under different illuminations, each of which brings out different features. A new global map is in progress.

Croft, Steven K.↗

The joint US/UK 1990 epoch world magnetic model

A detailed summary of the data used, analyses performed, modeling techniques employed, and results obtained in the course of the 1990 Epoch World Magnetic Modeling effort are given. Also, use and limitations of the GEOMAG algorithm are presented. Charts and tables related to the 1990 World Magnetic Model (WMM-90) for the Earth's main field and secular variation in Mercator and polar stereographic projections are presented along with useful tables of several magnetic field components and their secular variation on a 5-degree worldwide grid.

Quinn, John M.↗

Planar Poincare Charts For Polarization Calculations

New type of stereographic projection of Poincare sphere makes flat charts for use in graphical analyses of polarization-transformation characteristics of optical components or systems. Charts used to predict polarization state at output of birefringent material for any arbitrary input polarization state. Analyses of some polarization-dependent optical components or systems reduced to simple graphical procedures. Planar charts more practical to use and store.

Tedjojuwono, Ken K.↗

The effect of severe storms on the ice cover of the northern Tatarskiy Strait

Passive microwave images from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager are used to study the volume of ice and sea-bottom water in the Japan Sea as affected by winds and severe storms. The data set comprises brightness temperatures gridded on a polar stereographic projection, and the processing is accomplished with a linear algorithm by Cavalieri et al. (1983) based on the vertically polarized 37-GHz channel. The expressions for calculating heat fluxes and downwelling radiation are given, and ice-cover fluctuations are correlated with severe storm events. The storms generate large transient polynya that occur simultaneously with the strongest heat fluxes, and severe storms are found to contribute about 25 percent of the annual introduction of 25 cu km of ice in the region. The ice production could lead to the renewal of enough sea-bottom water to account for the C-14 data provided, and the generation of Japan Sea bottom water is found to vary directly with storm activity.

Martin, Seelye↗

Polar Dunes Resolved by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter Gridded Topography and Pulse Widths

The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) polar data have been refined to the extent that many features poorly imaged by Viking Orbiters are now resolved in densely gridded altimetry. Individual linear polar dunes with spacings of 0.5 km or more can be seen as well as sparsely distributed and partially mantled dunes. The refined altimetry will enable measurements of the extent and possibly volume of the north polar ergs. MOLA pulse widths have been recalibrated using inflight data, and a robust algorithm applied to solve for the surface optical impulse response. It shows the surface root-mean-square (RMS) roughness at the 75-m-diameter MOLA footprint scale, together with a geological map. While the roughness is of vital interest for landing site safety studies, a variety of geomorphological studies may also be performed. Pulse widths corrected for regional slope clearly delineate the extent of the polar dunes. The MOLA PEDR profile data have now been re-released in their entirety (Version L). The final Mission Experiment Gridded Data Records (MEGDR's) are now provided at up to 128 pixels per degree globally. Densities as high as 512 pixels per degree are available in a polar stereographic projection. A large computational effort has been expended in improving the accuracy of the MOLA altimetry themselves, both in improved orbital modeling and in after-the-fact adjustment of tracks to improve their registration at crossovers. The current release adopts the IAU2000 rotation model and cartographic frame recommended by the Mars Cartography Working Group. Adoption of the current standard will allow registration of images and profiles globally with an uncertainty of less than 100 m. The MOLA detector is still operational and is currently collecting radiometric data at 1064 nm. Seasonal images of the reflectivity of the polar caps can be generated with a resolution of about 300 m per pixel.

Gregory A Neumann↗

A Climate-Data Record (CDR) of the "Clear-Sky" Surface Temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet

We have developed a climate-data record (CDR) of "clear-sky" ice-surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland Ice Sheet using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The CDR provides daily and monthly-mean IST from March 2000 through December 2010 on a polar stereographic projection at a resolution of 6.25 km. The CDR is amenable to extension into the future using Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data. Regional "clear-sky" surface temperature increases since the early 1980s in the Arctic, measured using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) infrared data, range from 0.57 +/- 0.02 to 0.72 +/- 0.1 c per decade. Arctic warming has important implications for ice-sheet mass balance because much of the periphery of the Greenland Ice Sheet is already near O C during the melt season, and is thus vulnerable to rapid melting if temperatures continue to increase. An increase in melting of the ice sheet would accelerate sea-level rise, an issue affecting potentially billions of people worldwide. The IST CDR will provide a convenient data set for modelers and for climatologists to track changes of the surface temperature of the ice sheet as a whole and of the individual drainage basins on the ice sheet. The daily and monthly maps will provide information on surface melt as well as "clear-sky" temperature. The CDR will be further validated by comparing results with automatic-weather station data and with satellite-derived surface-temperature products.

Hall, Dorothy K.↗

Development of a Multilayer MODIS IST-Albedo Product of Greenland

A new multilayer IST-albedo Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product of Greenland was developed to meet the needs of the ice sheet modeling community. The multiple layers of the product enable the relationship between IST and albedo to be evaluated easily. Surface temperature is a fundamental input for dynamical ice sheet models because it is a component of the ice sheet radiation budget and mass balance. Albedo influences absorption of incoming solar radiation. The daily product will combine the existing standard MODIS Collection-6 ice-surface temperature, derived melt maps, snow albedo and water vapor products. The new product is available in a polar stereographic projection in NetCDF format. The product will ultimately extend from March 2000 through the end of 2017.

MODIS↗

Mars synthetic topographic mapping

Topographic contour maps of Mars are compiled by synthesizing data acquired from various scientific experiments of the Mariner 9 mission, including S-band radio occultation, the UV spectrometer, the IR radiometer, the IR interferometer spectrometer, and television imagery, as well as earth-based radar information. The entire planet is mapped at scales of 1:25,000,000 and 1:5,000,000 using Mercator, Lambert, and polar stereographic map projections. For the computation of map projections, a biaxial spheroid figure is adopted. The semimajor and semiminor axes are 3393.4 and 3375.7 km, respectively, with a polar flattening of 0.0052. For the computation of elevations, a topographic datum is defined by a gravity field described in terms of spherical harmonics of fourth order and fourth degree combined with a 6.1-mbar occultation pressure surface. This areoid can be approximated by a triaxial ellipsoid with semimajor axes of A = 3394.6 km and B = 3393.3 km and a semiminor axis of C = 3376.3 km. The semimajor axis A intersects the Martian surface at longitude 105 deg W. The dynamic flattening of Mars is 0.00525. The contour interval of the maps is 1 km. For some prominent features where overlapping pictures from Mariner 9 are available, local contour maps at relatively larger scales were also compiled by photogrammetric methods on stereo plotters.

Wu, S. S. C.↗

Transmission and reflection of compressive waves at a nonmagnetic-magnetic interface

The transmission and reflection properties of compressive waves at a plane interface between uniform nonmagnetic and magnetic regions in the absence of gravity are examined. Using stereographic polar projection, these properties are presented as functions of the two angles determining the direction of incidence. It is shown that the reflection coefficient and the direction of propagation of the transmitted wave are dependent on the direction of propagation of the incident wave for several representative parametric values. It is found that the incident, reflected, and transmitted wavenumber vectors always lie in the same plane, although the group velocity of the transmitted wave does not always lie in this plane. When the transmitted wave is a fast mode, there is generally weak reflection.

Abdelatif, Toufik E.↗

Lunar Terrain Mapping Using 3D Software and Modeling Techniques for the Glenn Research Center Communication Analysis Suite

As NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon as part of upcoming Artemis missions, engineers must examine the surface features and safety of lunar terrain at various locations. The Glenn Research Center Communication Analysis Suite (GCAS) includes visualization tools developed to aid scientists in this quest to comprehend lunar terrain data, as well as spatial communication information. Visual information and understanding will be highly useful to engineers as they use the GCAS to compare the topography of regions of interest for the Artemis III and future space travel missions. Not only can three-dimensional (3D) visualization display the intricacies of the lunar terrain, but it can also demonstrate relationships such as the presence or absence of communication links between Earth ground stations, lunar crew members, and rovers, and the presence of shadows on the lunar surface. In the future, the GCAS has the potential to support the planning of other space exploration missions as well. The emerging possibility of incorporating more planetary bodies becomes especially important as NASA plans not only to return to the Moon but to press onward to Mars.

Visualization↗

A multispectral study of an extratropical cyclone with Nimbus 3 medium resolution infrared radiometer data

Four registered channels (0.2 to 4, 6.5 to 7, 10 to 11, and 20 to 23 microns) of the Nimbus 3 Medium Resolution Infrared Radiometer (MRIR) were used to study 24-hr changes in the structure of an extratropical cyclone during a 6-day period in May 1969. Use of a stereographic-horizon map projection insured that the storm was mapped with a single perspective throughout the series and allowed the convenient preparation of 24-hr difference maps of the infrared radiation fields. Single-channel and multispectral analysis techniques were employed to establish the positions and vertical slopes of jetstreams, large cloud systems, and major features of middle and upper tropospheric circulation. Use of these techniques plus the difference maps and continuity of observation allowed the early detection of secondary cyclones developing within the circulation of the primary cyclone. An automated, multispectral cloud-type identification technique was developed, and comparisons that were made with conventional ship reports and with high-resolution visual data from the image dissector camera system showed good agreement.

Holub, R.↗

Validation of a Climate-Data Record of the "Clear-Kky" Surface Temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Surface temperatures on the Greenland Ice Sheet have been studied on the ground, using automatic weather station (AWS) data from the Greenland-Climate Network (GC-Net), and from analysis of satellite sensor data. Using Advanced Very High Frequency Radiometer (AVHRR) weekly surface temperature maps, warming of the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been documented since 1981. We extended and refined this record using higher-resolution Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data from March 2000 to the present. We developed a daily and monthly climate-data record (CDR) of the "clear-sky" surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet using an ice-surface temperature (1ST) algorithm developed for use with MODIS data. Validation of this CDR is ongoing. MODIS Terra swath data are projected onto a polar stereographic grid at 6.25-km resolution to develop binary, gridded daily and mean-monthly 1ST maps. Each monthly map also has a color-coded image map that is available to download. Also included with the monthly maps is an accompanying map showing number of days in the month that were used to calculate the mean-monthly 1ST. This is important because no 1ST decision is made by the algorithm for cells that are considered cloudy by the internal cloud mask, so a sufficient number of days must be available to produce a mean 1ST for each grid cell. Validation of the CDR consists of several facets: 1) comparisons between ISTs and in-situ measurements; 2) comparisons between ISTs and AWS data; and 3) comparisons of ISTs with surface temperatures derived from other satellite instruments such as the Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). Previous work shows that Terra MODIS ISTs are about 3 C lower than in-situ temperatures measured at Summit Camp, during the winter of 2008-09 under clear skies. In this work we begin to compare surface temperatures derived from AWS data with ISTs from the MODIS CDR. The Greenland Ice Sheet 1ST CDR will be useful for monitoring surface-temperature trends and can be used as input or for validation of climate models. The CDR can be extended into the future using MODIS Terra, Aqua and NPOESS Preparatory Project Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VII RS) data.

Hall, Dorothy K.↗

Validation of a Climate-Data Record of the "Clear-Sky" Surface Temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Surface temperatures on the Greenland Ice Sheet have been studied on the ground, using automatic weather station (AWS) data from the Greenland-Climate Network (GC-Net), and from analysis of satellite sensor data. Using Advanced Very High Frequency Radiometer (AVHRR) weekly surface temperature maps, warming of the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been documented since 1981. We extended and refined this record using higher-resolution Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data from March 2000 to the present. We developed a daily and monthly climate-data record (CDR) of the "clear-sky" surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet using an ice-surface temperature (1ST) algorithm developed for use with MODIS data. Validation of this CDR is ongoing. MODIS Terra swath data are projected onto a polar stereographic grid at 6.25-km resolution to develop binary, gridded daily and mean-monthly 1ST maps. Each monthly map also has a color-coded image map that is available to download. Also included with the monthly maps is an accompanying map showing number of days in the month that were used to calculate the mean-monthly 1ST. This is important because no 1ST decision is made by the algorithm for cells that are considered cloudy by the internal cloud mask, so a sufficient number of days must be available to produce a mean 1ST for each grid cell. Validation of the CDR consists of several facets: 1) comparisons between ISTs and in-situ measurements; 2) comparisons between ISTs and AWS data; and 3) comparisons of ISTs with surface temperatures derived from other satellite instruments such as the Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). Previous work shows that Terra MODIS ISTs are about 3 C lower than in-situ temperatures measured at Summit Camp, during the winter of 2008-09 under clear skies. In this work we begin to compare surface temperatures derived from AWS data with ISTs from the MODIS CDR.

Hall, Dorothy K.↗

The mosaics of Mars: As seen by the Viking Lander cameras

The mosaics and derivative products produced from many individual high resolution images acquired by the Viking Lander Camera Systems are described: A morning and afternoon mosaic for both cameras at the Lander 1 Chryse Planitia site, and a morning, noon, and afternoon camera pair at Utopia Planitia, the Lander 11 site. The derived products include special geometric projections of the mosaic data sets, polar stereographic (donut), stereoscopic, and orthographic. Contour maps and vertical profiles of the topography were overlaid on the mosaics from which they were derived. Sets of stereo pairs were extracted and enlarged from stereoscopic projections of the mosaics.

Levinthal, E. C.↗