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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

The role of thermal stratification on the co‐spectral properties of momentum transport above an Amazonian forest

The influence of thermal stratification on the turbulent kinetic energy balance has been widely studied; however, its influence on the turbulent stress remains less explored in the presence of tall vegetated canopies and less ideal micrometeorological conditions. Here, the impact of thermal stratification on turbulent momentum flux is considered in the roughness sublayer (RSL) and the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) using the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in Brazil. A scalewise co‐spectral budget (CSB) model is developed using standard closure schemes for the pressure–velocity decorrelation. The CSB revealed that the co‐spectrum ${F}_{wu}\left({k}_x\right)$ between longitudinal (u') and vertical (w') velocity fluctuations is impacted by the energy spectrum of the vertical velocity ${E}_{ww}\left({k}_x\right)$ and the much less studied longitudinal heat‐flux co‐spectrum ${F}_{u{\theta}_{\mathrm{v}}}\left({k}_x\right)$, where ${\theta}_{\mathrm{v}}^{\prime }$ are temperature fluctuations and ${k}_x$ is the longitudinal wavenumber. Under stable, very stable, and dynamic–convective conditions, the scaling exponent ${F}_{wu}\left({k}_x\right)$ in for the inertial subrange (ISR) scales is dominated by ${F}_{u{\theta}_{\mathrm{v}}}\left({k}_x\right)$ instead of ${E}_{ww}\left({k}_x\right)$. A near ${k}_x^{-7/3}$scaling in ${F}_{u{\theta}_{\mathrm{v}}}\left({k}_x\right)$ robust to large variations in thermal stratification is found, whereas the Kolmogorov ISR scaling for ${E}_{ww}\left({k}_x\right)\sim {k}_x^{-5/3}$ is not found. The scale‐dependent decorrelation time between u' and w' is dominated by ${\epsilon}^{-1/3}{k}_x^{-2/3}$ in the ISR, but is nearly constant for eddies larger than the vertical velocity integral scale, regardless of stability. Implications of these findings for generalized stability correction functions that are based on the turbulent stress budget instead of the turbulent kinetic energy budget are discussed.

canopy turbulence↗
NASA NTRS1989

Daytime turbulent exchange between the Amazon forest and the atmosphere

Detailed observations of turbulence just above and below the crown of the Amazon rain forest during the wet season are presented. The forest canopy is shown to remove high frequency turbulent fluctuations while passing lower frequencies. Filter characteristics of turbulent transfer into the Amazon rain forest canopy are quantified. Simple empirical relations that relate observed turbulent heat fluxes to horizontal wind variance are presented. Changes in the amount of turbulent coupling between the forest and the boundary layer associated with deep convective clouds are presented both as statistical averages and as a series of case studies. These convective processes during the rainy season are shown to alter the diurnal course of turbulent fluxes. In wake of giant coastal systems, no significant heat or moisture fluxes occur for up to a day after the event. Radar data is used to demonstrate that even small raining clouds are capable of evacuating the canopy of substances normally trapped by persistent static stability near the forest floor. Recovery from these events can take more than an hour, even during mid-day. In spite of the ubiquitous presence of clouds and frequent rain during this season, the average horizontal wind speed spectrum is well described by dry CBL similarity hypotheses originally found to apply in flat terrain.

Fitzjarrald, David R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Daytime turbulent exchange between the Amazon forest and the atmosphere

Detailed observations of turbulence just above and below the crown of the Amazon rain forest during the wet season are presented. The forest canopy is shown to remove high frequency turbulent fluctuations while passing lower frequencies. Filter characteristics of turbulent transfer into the Amazon rain forest canopy are quantified. Simple empirical relations that relate observed turbulent heat fluxes to horizontal wind variance are presented. Changes in the amount of turbulent coupling between the forest and the boundary layer associated with deep convective clouds are presented both as statistical averages and as a series of case studies. These convective processes during the rainy season are shown to alter the diurnal course of turbulent fluxes. In wake of giant coastal systems, no significant heat or moisture fluxes occur for up to a day after the event. Radar data is used to demonstrate that even small raining clouds are capable of evacuating the canopy of substances normally trapped by persistent static stability near the forest floor. Recovery from these events can take more than an hour, even during mid-day. In spite of the ubiquitous presence of clouds and frequent rain during this season, the average horizontal wind speed spectrum is well described by dry CBL similarity hypotheses originally found to apply in flat terrain.

Fitzjarrald, David R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration and Carbon Uptake at Harvard Forest

A land surface vegetation index, defined as the difference of microwave land surface emissivity at 19 and 37 GHz, was calculated for a heavily forested area in north central Massachusetts. The microwave emissivity difference vegetation index (EDVI) was estimated from satellite SSM/I measurements at the defined wavelengths and used to estimate land surface turbulent fluxes. Narrowband visible and infrared measurements and broadband solar radiation observations were used in the EDVI retrievals and turbulent flux estimations. The EDVI values represent physical properties of crown vegetation such as vegetation water content of crown canopies. The collocated land surface turbulent and radiative fluxes were empirically linked together by the EDVI values. The EDVI values are statistically sensitive to evapotranspiration fractions (EF) with a correlation coefficient (R) greater than 0.79 under all-sky conditions. For clear skies, EDVI estimates exhibit a stronger relationship with EF than normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Furthermore, the products of EDVI and input energy (solar and photosynthetically-active radiation) are statistically significantly correlated to evapotranspiration (R=0.95) and CO2 uptake flux (R=0.74), respectively.

Min, Qilong↗
DOE OSTI2022

Turbulent transport and reactions of plant-emitted hydrocarbons in an Amazonian rain forest

The processes governing the temporal and spatial patterns of isoprene and monoterpenes emitted by a rainforest in the central Amazon region of Brazil is investigated using a combination of field experiments and numerical simulations. Specifically, Large Eddy Simulations (LES) were used to resolve emissions of isoprene and monoterpenes, turbulent transport, and air chemistry. The coupled chemistry-transport LES included the effects of isoprene and monoterpenes reactivity due to reactions with hydroxyl radical and ozone. The LES results are used to compute vertically resolved budgets of isoprene and monoterpenes in the rainforest canopy in response to emissions, turbulent transport, surface deposition, and air chemistry. Our results indicated that emission and dispersion dominated the isoprene budget as the gases were transported out of the canopy space. In a region limited by nitrogen oxides (with prevailing nitric oxide levels of < 0.5 parts per billion), the in-canopy chemical destruction removed approximately 10% of locally emitted monoterpenes. Hydroxyl radical production rates from the ozonolysis of monoterpenes amounted to ≈ 2 x 10 6 radicals cm -3 s -1 and had similar magnitude to the light-dependent hydroxyl radical formation. One key conclusion was that the Amazonia rainforest abundantly emitted monoterpenes whose in-canopy ozonolysis yielded hydroxyl radicals in amounts similar to the magnitude of light-dependent formation. Reactions of monoterpenes and isoprene with hydroxyl radical and ozone were necessary for the maintenance of the Amazon rainforest canopy as a photochemically active environment suitable to generate oxidants and secondary organic aerosols.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation of Tritium Behavior in Forest Vegetation for the Purpose of Determining Appropriate Non-Zero Deposition Velocities for Tritium Oxide

Modeling and field measurements have been conducted between 2019 and 2021 to assess the practicality of using a non-zero deposition velocity for safety basis estimates of tritium oxide fate and transport modeling. A model was developed which used a complex deposition algorithm designed to assess how tritium oxide would mix based on the turbulent motions and wind speed effects that the forest canopy has on the atmosphere. The model was driven based on measurements of wind and turbulence taken from the Aiken AmeriFlux Tower which measures these properties at five levels located within and just above the forest. The model was then validated against a series of field experiments which were designed to test the model predictions and estimate the deposition velocity occurring over the forest environment at the Savannah River Site. The field releases used deuterium oxide as a surrogate for tritium oxide and was released as a fine mist which rapidly evaporated, creating a gaseous tracer in the atmosphere. Using air samplers, the elevations in deuterium concentration in the air relative to background measurements was assessed and then modeled. Generally, the numerical model tended to underpredict the amount of deuterium being mixed from above the canopy to the forest floor, indicating that the predictions it provides are still conservative relative to what was measured during the field experiments. Across a suite of modeling runs, the 95 th and 99 th percentile deposition velocities were estimated to be 1.2 and 0.7 cm s -1 , respectively. Estimated deposition velocities in the 2021 field experiments, which specifically assessed a release above the forest canopy and its mixing to the surface, predicted deposition velocities ranging from 1.75 to 6.61 cm s -1 . While these field releases do not cover all possible meteorological conditions, it seems appropriate to use a non-zero deposition velocity when performing safety-basis modeling of tritium oxide. The recommendation presented in this report is to use 1.0 cm s -1 . This is between the 95 th and 99 th percentile value estimated from the modeling study, suggesting it should be appropriate for the majority of release scenarios given the model’s apparent conservatism relative to field measurements.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Turbulence-parameter estimation for current-energy converters using surrogate model optimization

Surrogate models maximize information utility by building predictive models in place of computational or experimentally expensive model runs. Marine hydrokinetic current energy converters require large-domain simulations to estimate array efficiencies and environmental impacts. Meso-scale models typically represent turbines as actuator discs that act as momentum sinks and sources of turbulence and its dissipation. An OpenFOAM model was developed where actuator disc k-ε turbulence was characterized using an approach developed for flows through vegetative canopies. Turbine-wake data from laboratory flume experiments collected at two influent turbulence intensities were used to calibrate parameters in the turbulence-source terms in the k-ε equations. Additionally, parameter influences on longitudinal wake profiles were estimated using Gaussian process regression with subsequent optimization minimizing the objective function within 3.1% of those obtained using the full model representation, but for 74% of the computational cost (far fewer model runs). This framework facilitates more efficient parameterization of the turbulence-source equations using turbine-wake data.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Discrepant trends in global land-surface and air temperatures controlled by vegetation biophysical feedbacks

Satellite-based land surface temperature (Ts) with continuous global coverage is increasingly used as a complementary measure for air temperature (Ta), yet whether they observe similar temporal trends remains unknown. Here, we systematically analyzed the trend of the difference between satellite-based Ts and station-based Ta (Ts–Ta) over 2003–2022. We found the global land warming rate inffered from Ts was on average 42.6% slower than that from Ta (Ts–Ta trend: -0.011 °C yr -1 , p = 0.06) during daytime of summer. This slower Ts-based warming was attributed to recent Earth greening, which effectively cooled canopy surface through enhancing evapotranspiration and turbulent heat transfer. However, Ts showed faster warming than Ta during summer nighttime (0.015 °C yr -1 , p < 0.01), winter daytime (0.0069 °C yr -1 , p = 0.08) and winter nighttime (0.0042 °C yr -1 , p = 0.16), when vegetation activity is limited by temperature and solar radiation. Our results indicate potential biases in assessments of atmospheric warming and the vegetation-air temperature feedbacks using satellite-observed surface temperature proxies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1992

A comparative analysis of two land surface heterogeneity representations

Two contrasting representations of land surface variability used in general circulation models (GCMs) are compared through an analysis of their corresponding surface energy balance equations. In one representation (the 'mixture' approach), different vegetation types are assumed to be homogeneously mixed over a grid square, so that the GCM atmosphere sees near-surface conditions pertaining to the mixture only. In the second representation (the 'mosaic' approach), different vegetation types are viewed as separate 'tiles' of a grid-square 'mosaic', and each tile interacts with the atmosphere independently. The mosaic approach is computationally simpler and in many ways more flexible than the mixture approach. Analytical solutions to the linearized energy balance equations and numerical solutions to the nonlinear equations both demonstrate that the mixture strategy, when applied to two coexisting vegetation types that differ only in canopy transpiration resistance, promotes both total turbulent flux and latent heat flux relative to the mosaic strategy. The effective differences between the strategies, however, are small over a wide range of conditions. In particular, the strategies are effectively equivalent when the transpiration resistances of the different vegetation types are of the same order of magnitude.

Koster, Randal D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Optimization of a Remote Sensing Energy Balance Method over Different Canopy Applied at Global Scale

Parameterization methods which calculate turbulent heat and water fluxes with thermal remote sensing data were evaluated in the revised remote sensing surface energy balance system (SEBS) model (Chen et al., 2013). The model calculates sensible heat (H) based on the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) and determines latent heat (LE) as the residual of energy balance. We examined the uncertainties of H and LE in the SEBS model due to five key parameters at the local station point scale. Observations at 27 flux towers located in seven land cover types (needle-leaf forest, broad leaf forest, shrub, savanna, grassland, cropland, and sparsely vegetated land) and an artificial intelligence particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was combined to calibrate the five parameters (leaf drag coefficient, leaf heat transfer coefficients, roughness length for soil, and two parameters for ground heat calculation) in the SEBS model. The root-mean-square error at the site scale was reduced by 9 W/sq.m for H, and 92 W/sq.m for LE, and their correlation coefficients were increased by 0.07 (H) and 0.11 (LE) after using the calibrated parameters. The updated model validation was further conducted globally for the remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) calculations. Overestimation of SEBS global ET was significantly improved by using the optimized values of the parameters. The results suggested PSO was able to consistently locate the global optimum of the SEBS model, and appears to be capable of solving the ET model optimization problem.

Chen, Xuelong↗
DOE OSTI2023

Turbulent Kinetic Energy Budgets over Gentle Topography Covered by Forests

Large-eddy simulations of flow over a “horizontally” uniform model forest are used to investigate the effects of gentle topography on the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget within the canopy roughness sublayer. Despite significant differences between simulations using idealized sinusoidal topography and real topography of the Amazon forest, results indicate that the effects of topography are located predominantly in the upper canopy and above, and are mostly caused by mean advection of TKE. The “horizontally” averaged TKE budget from idealized and real gentle topographies are almost identical to that for flat terrain, including a clear inertial layer above the roughness sublayer in which shear production is balanced by local dissipation. At topography crests, where observational towers are usually located, mean vertical advection of TKE can be as important as horizontal advection. Here, we propose the use on an approximate TKE balance equation to estimate mean advection from single tower measurements, and introduce a new advection index that can be used as a proxy to quantify the importance of the topography on the TKE budget.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Editorial: Resolving atmospheric flow in complex environments: recent experiments in terrain and forest canopies

The characterization of atmospheric flows in complex environments, which may include steep terrain slopes and heterogeneous vegetation and/or forest cover, is a long-standing challenge in boundary-layer meteorology. Atmospheric observations are complicated by the presence of transient, terrain-induced flow features, forest-canopy-atmosphere interactions, and atmospheric stability effects, not to mention the logistical hurdles involved with instrument deployment, data analysis, and quality control. Furthermore, challenges in atmospheric modeling arise due to numerical errors associated with complex terrain flows, as well as reliance on simplified parameterizations for unresolved processes such as turbulent mixing and land-surface or forest-canopy-atmosphere interactions. These modeling challenges are exacerbated in the so-called “gray zone,” wherein features of interest have length scales that are similar to the model grid spacing, or when the principal flow layer is smaller than the grid spacing (e.g., slope flows).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1982

NASA aerial applications wake interaction research

A computer code has been developed for predicting trajectories of particles released in the wakes of airplanes or helicopters. The code accounts for effects of turbulence, crosswind, propeller slipstream, terrain variations, and plant canopy density on particle trajectories. Comparisons are given between experiments and theory. Applications of the code for spray pattern improvement are illustrated.

Morris, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

NASA wake interactions research and applications

This report describes the development, validation, and application of a computer program for predicting trajectories and ground deposit patterns for particle released in the wakes of airplanes or helicopters. The computer program accounts for the effects of atmospheric turbulence, crosswind, propeller slipstream, terrain variations, evaporation, and plant canopy density on the particle trajectories. In order to validate the prediction method, some comparisons are shown between experimental data and theoretical predictions. Possible applications of the code for spray pattern improvement and for mission operations analysis are illustrated. In addition, the effect of winglets on pattern uniformity, drift, and airplane aerodynamics are presented.

Morris, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Development of a Photosynthesis Measurement Chamber under Different Airspeeds for Applications in Future Space Crop-Production Facilities

Space crop production systems are being developed to grow fresh produce in-situ to supplement the astronauts’ diet, but the required ventilation rates for crops in different gravity environments remains poorly understood. The reduction or lack of buoyancy-driven convection in reduced gravity environments leads to impaired gas exchange (CO2 absorption, water transpiration and O2 release) at the leaf surface if no extra ventilation is provided, and this could lead to a reduction in biomass production in the long run. To better characterize the influence of different airspeeds on photosynthesis and be able to model this in low gravity, a chamber was designed to interface with a LI-6800 portable photosynthesis system. This paper details the design of this chamber, specifically made to measure whole-plant and small canopy gas exchange at different airspeeds. The fans provide turbulent mixing in the chamber to ensure that it behaves like a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR)and that the residence time distribution (RTD) is the same for any fan speed; the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of the gas domain (the air in the chamber) hence uses a k-omega turbulence model. An airflow map of the chamber was created using anemometer measurements for the different airspeeds tested, and this was used together with the CFD simulation results to relate the experimentally measured fan outputs to actual airspeeds on top of an artificial plant. Environmental parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, CO2level) are controlled by the LI-6800. This work was funded by NASA Space Biology through the NASA postdoctoral program / USRA.

Lucie Poulet↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of Vegetation and Topography on the Boundary Layer Structure above the Amazon Forest

Observational data from two field campaigns in the Amazon forest were used to study the vertical structure of turbulence above the forest. The analysis was performed using the reduced turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget and its associated two-dimensional phase space. Results revealed the existence of two regions within the roughness sublayer in which the TKE budget cannot be explained by the canonical flat-terrain TKE budgets in the canopy roughness sublayer or in the lower portion of the convective ABL. Data analysis also suggested that deviations from horizontal homogeneity have a large contribution to the TKE budget. Results from LES of a model canopy over idealized topography presented similar features, leading to the conclusion that flow distortions caused by topography are responsible for the observed features in the TKE budget. These results support the conclusion that the boundary layer above the Amazon forest is strongly impacted by the gentle topography underneath.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1984

Time dependent land and vegetation canopy temperatures

A simple interactive biosphere is presented based on an electrical analog of turbulent transport processes that produce heat and moisture fluxes between land and the atmosphere. A network of resistances that effect temperature or vapor pressure fluxes are identified and entered into the quasi steady state equations. A set of solutions that depict a realistic diurnal cycle is included.

Sud, Y. C.↗