Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Error Fields”

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 379 records · Page 21

Decoding of B.C.H. and R.S. codes with errors and erasures using continued fractions

Through the use of continuing fractions, a simplified algorithm for decoding B.C.H. and R.S. codes is developed that corrects both erasures and errors on a finite field GF(q to the m). It is noted that the decoding method is a modification of the Forney-Belekamp technique. Finally, it is believed that the present scheme is both simpler to understand and to implement than more conventional algorithms.

Reed, I. S.↗

Homogeneity of lava flows - Chemical data for historic Mauna Loan eruptions

Chemical analyses of basalts collected from the major historic eruptions of Mauna Loa volcano show that many of the flow fields are remarkably homogeneous in composition. Despite their large size (lengths 9-85 km), large areal extents (13-114 sq km), and various durations of eruption (1-450 days), many of the flow fields have compositional variability that is within, or close to, the analytical error for most elements. The flow fields that are not homogeneous vary mainly in olivine content in an otherwise homogeneous melt. Some are composite flow fields made up of several, apparently homogeneous subunits erupted at different elevations along the active volcanic rifts. Not all volcanoes produce lavas that are homogeneous like those of Mauna Loa. If studies such as this are to be used to evaluate compositional diversity in lavas where there is a lack of sampling control, such as on other planets, it is necessary to understand why some flow units and flow fields are compositionally homogeneous and others are not, and to develop criteria for distinguishing between them.

Rhodes, J. M.↗

Forestry inventory based on multistage sampling with probability proportional to size

A multistage sampling technique, with probability proportional to size, is developed for a forest volume inventory using remote sensing data. The LANDSAT data, Panchromatic aerial photographs, and field data are collected. Based on age and homogeneity, pine and eucalyptus classes are identified. Selection of tertiary sampling units is made through aerial photographs to minimize field work. The sampling errors for eucalyptus and pine ranged from 8.34 to 21.89 percent and from 7.18 to 8.60 percent, respectively.

Lee, D. C. L.↗

Optical performance of synthetic aperture telescope configurations

The diffraction-limited performances of synthetic aperture configuration arrays of four telescopes, used for coherent imaging or beam transmission, are calculated and compared. The optical performance of phased telescope arrays was found to be more sensitive to rms piston errors than to rms tilt errors. Image degradation due to pupil mapping errors imposes tight tolerances upon the structural integrity of the telescope. One part in 10,000 pupil mapping error limits the field-of-view to approximately 30 arcsec. Field curvature of the independent telescopes provides a fundamental limit to the field-of-view for phased arrays made up of two-mirror telescopes. These field-of-view limitations may profoundly affect target acquisition, tracking, or imaging applications.

Harvey, J. E.↗

TOPEX orbit determination by solving gravity parameters with multiple arc data

Multiple arc data from repeated ground track are combined to reduce the error due to gravity field uncertainty in the determination of TOPEX orbit. The TOPEX dynamics is modeled with relatively few gravity parameters to account for the effect of the local gravity field. The gravity parameters are common to all arcs. The estimation algorithm uses the Householder transformation to combine multiple arc data and solve for the gravity parameters. The earth gravity field can be recovered with very modest amount of calculation.

Wu, J.-T.↗

Source localization of Jupiter's Io dependent radio emissions

The peak frequencies of the Io-dependent part of the Jovian emissions are compared with the surface gyrofrequency determined from Jovian magnetic models in order to localize the source of Jovian radio emissions. The bulk of the Io-controlled emissions was found to be delayed by up to 70 deg of equatorial longitude from the predicted instantaneous position of the Io flux tube, with the L and S emissions both displaying this same unexpected behavior. It is suggested that the source of these emissions is delayed substantially with respect to Io either as an Alfven-wave delay or because of errors in the magnetic field models.

Aubier, Monique G.↗

The internal velocity dispersions of three young star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

The radial velocities of 11 to 37 stars have been measured in each of three rich young star clusters in the LMC: NGC 1866, NGC 2164, and NGC 2214. A thorough analysis of the observational errors and contamination by field stars is presented along with a new method to assign confidence limits to the velocity dispersions. Limits are set to the central densities, total masses, and mass-to-light ratios of the clusters, and the question of whether they have unbound halos is addressed. From the small velocity dispersion and large radial extent of NGC 1866, it is inferred that the cluster is not yet tidally limited by the LMC.

Lupton, Robert H.↗

Stellar photometry with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide-field/Planetary camera - A progress report

The prospects for the use of the Wide-Field/Planetary Camera (WFPC) for stellar photometry are described. The large halos of the point-spread function (PSF) resulting from spherical aberration and from spatial, temporal, and color variations of the PSF are the main limitations to accurate photometry. Degradations caused by crowding are exacerbated by the halos of the PSF. An attempt is made to quantify these effects and determine the current accuracy of stellar photometry with the WFPC. In realistic cases, the brighter stars in crowded fields have 0.09 mag errors; fainter stars have larger errors depending on the degree of crowding. It is shown that measuring Cepheids in Virgo Cluster galaxies is not currently possible without inordinate increases in exposure times.

Holtzman, Jon A.↗

Satellite-derived surface latent heat fluxes in a rapidly intensifying marine cyclone

Surface latent heat fluxes are estimated in the vicinity of a rapidly deepening cyclone before and during its period of most rapid intensification. This was done with a bulk parameterization scheme and remotely sensed input data. A method is studied for estimating the difference in specific humidity between the surface and a ten meter height using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) observed integrated water vapor field and a sea surface temperature analysis. The surface latent heat flux fields generally have estimated errors below 40 pct. south of 40 deg. N and outside the region of high integrated water vapor values associated with frontal bands. The method of estimating surface latent heat fluxes for the case study was found to be usable in most regions of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean except for those locations directly adjacent to coastlines in instances of offshore flow and in the vicinity of surface fronts.

Miller, Douglas K.↗

Experimental results on a wall interference correction method with interface measurements

A wall interference assessment and correction method for subsonic two-dimensional wind tunnel testing is presented. This method calculates a pressure coefficient and angle of attack correction based on velocity measurements on interfaces inside of the wind tunnel. A mathematical representation of the test article is not required. An experimental verification of the suggested technique is given. A NACA 0012 airfoil is tested at a Mach number of 0.70 and at two different angles of attack. Calculated blockage corrections show reasonable agreement with results based on Hackett's method. Corrected surface pressures compare favorably to free-air flow field data if the tunnel flow field is subsonic. The present wall interference correction method can be applied to transonic tunnel flow fields with some restrictions. Errors are estimated and it is shown that the expected error in calculating the pressure coefficient correction on the model surface is in the order of the error of pressure coefficient measurement on interfaces. Necessary testing equipment in existing tunnels can easily be modified if the present method is applied.

Lo, C. F.↗

Satellite-derived surface latent heat fluxes in a rapidly intensifying marine cyclone

The aim of this article is to estimate surface latent heat fluxes in the vicinity of a rapidly deepening cyclone before and during its period of most rapid intensification. This is done with a bulk parameterization scheme and remotely sensed input data. A method for estimating the difference in specific humidity between the surface and a 10-m height is investigated using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager-observed integrated water vapor field and a sea surface temperature analysis. The surface latent heat flux fields generally have estimated errors below 40 percent south of 40 deg N and outside the region of high integrated water vapor values associated with frontal bands. The method of estimating surface latent heat fluxes for the case study was found to be usable in most regions of the northwest Atlantic Ocean except for those locations directly adjacent to coastlines in instances of offshore flow and in the vicinity of surface fronts.

Miller, Douglas K.↗

Cirrus Cloud Radiative and Microphysical Properties from Ground Observations and In Situ Measurements During FIRE 1991 and Their Application to Exhibit Problems in Cirrus Solar Radiative Transfer Modeling

Measurements from the FIRE 1991 cirrus cloud field experiment in the central United States are presented and analyzed. The first part focuses on cirrus microphysical properties. Aircraft 2D-probe in situ data at different cloud altitudes were evaluated for cirrus cases on four different days. Also presented are simultaneous data samples from balloonborne videosondes. Only these balloonsondes could detect the smaller crystals. Their data suggest (at least for midlatitude altitudes below 10 km) that ice crystals smaller than 15 microns in size are rare and that small ice crystals not detected by 2D-probe measurements are radiatively of minor importance, as overlooked 2D-probe crystals account for about 10% of the total extinction. The second part focuses on the link between cirrus cloud properties and radiation. With cloud macrophysical properties from surface remote sensing added to the microphysical data and additional radiation measurements at the surface, testbeds for radiative transfer models were created. To focus on scattering processes, model evaluations were limited to the solar radiative transfer by comparing calculated and measured transmissions of sunlight at the surface. Comparisons under cloud-free conditions already reveal a model bias of about +45 W/sq m for the hemispheric solar downward broadband flux. This discrepancy, which is (at least in part) difficult to explain, has to be accounted for in comparisons involving clouds. Comparisons under cirrus cloud conditions identify as the major obstacle in cirrus solar radiative transfer modeling the inability of one-dimensional radiative transfer models to account for horizontal inhomogeneities. The successful incorporation of multidimensional radiative transfer effects will depend not only on better models but critically on the ability to measure and to define characteristic inhomogeneity scales of cloud fields. The relative minor error related to the microphysical treatment is in part a reflection of the improved understanding on solar scattering on ice crystals over the last decade and of the available wealth on ice-crystal size and shape data for this study. In absence of this information, uncertainties from microphysical cirrus model assumptions will remain high.

Kinne, Stefan↗

Improving Assimilated Global Data Sets using TMI Rainfall and Columnar Moisture Observations

A global analysis that optimally combine observations from diverse sources with physical models of atmospheric and land processes can provide a comprehensive description of the climate systems. Currently, such data products contain significant errors in primary hydrological fields such as precipitation and evaporation, especially in the tropics. In this study, we show that assimilating precipitation and total precipitable water (TPW) retrievals derived from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) improves not only the hydrological cycle but also key climate parameters such as clouds, radiation, and the large-scale circulation produced by the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) data assimilation system (DAS). In particular, assimilating TMI rain improves clouds and radiation in areas of active convection, as well as the latent heating distribution and the large-scale motion field in the tropics, while assimilating TMI TPW heating distribution and the large-scale motion field in the tropics, while assimilating TMI TPW retrievals leads to reduced moisture biases and improved radiative fluxes in clear-sky regions. The improved analysis also improves short-range forecasts in the tropics. Ensemble forecasts initialized with the GEOS analysis incorporating TMI rain rates and TPW yield smaller biases in tropical precipitation forecasts beyond 1 day and better 500 hPa geopotential height forecasts up to 5 days. Results of this study demonstrate the potential of using high-quality space-borne rainfall and moisture observations to improve the quality of assimilated global data for climate analysis and weather forecasting applications

Hou, Arthur Y.↗

Improving Global Analysis and Short-Range Forecast Using Rainfall and Moisture Observations Derived from TRMM and SSM/I Passive Microwave Instruments

The Global Precipitation Mission, a satellite project under consideration as a follow-on to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) in the United States, the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) in Japan, and other international partners, comprises an improved TRMM-like satellite and a constellation of 8 satellites carrying passive microwave radiometers to provide global rainfall measurements at 3-hour intervals. The success of this concept relies on the merits of rainfall estimates derived from passive microwave radiometers. This article offers a proof-of-concept demonstration of the benefits of using, rainfall and total precipitable water (TPW) information derived from such instruments in global data assimilation with observations from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and 2 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) instruments. Global analyses that optimally combine observations from diverse sources with physical models of atmospheric and land processes can provide a comprehensive description of the climate systems. Currently, such data analyses contain significant errors in primary hydrological fields such as precipitation and evaporation, especially in the tropics. We show that assimilating the 6-h averaged TMI and SSM/I surface rainrate and TPW retrievals improves not only the hydrological cycle but also key climate parameters such as clouds, radiation, and the upper tropospheric moisture in the analysis produced by the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Data Assimilation System, as verified against radiation measurements by the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument and brightness temperature observations by the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) instruments. Typically, rainfall assimilation improves clouds and radiation in areas of active convection, as well as the latent heating and large-scale motions in the tropics, while TPW assimilation leads to reduced moisture biases and improved radiative fluxes in clear-sky regions. Ensemble forecasts initialized with analyses that incorporate TMI and SSM/I rainfall and TPW data also yield better short-range predictions of geopotential heights, winds, and precipitation in the tropics. This study offers a compelling illustration of the potential of using rainfall and TPW information derived from passive microwave instruments to significantly improve the quality of 4-dimensional global datasets for climate analysis and weather forecasting applications.

Hou, Arthur Y.↗

Low Energy Calibration for Multi-Spacecraft Missions

Instruments designed for low-energy measurements have their own specific challenges in design and calibration. They may have a non-uniform response at lower energies and may encounter sources of error due to stray fields in the lab and in flight. In addition, the particle source beams for testing and calibration have to be spatially broad, monoenergetic, and monodirectional at the lower energies. Again, the same challenges for the uniform response and removal of stray fields comes into play for these sources. We will discuss our experiences in the low energy calibration of recent flight in-situ instruments and conclude with ideas for multi-spacecraft instruments calibrations. This discussion with others will support the ISSI Scientific Report on Calibration Techniques for In-Situ Plasma Instrumentation.

Coffey, Victoria↗

The Version 2 Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Monthly Precipitation Analysis (1979-Present)

The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Version 2 Monthly Precipitation Analysis is described. This globally complete, monthly analysis of surface precipitation at 2.5 degrees x 2.5 degrees latitude-longitude resolution is available from January 1979 to the present. It is a merged analysis that incorporates precipitation estimates from low-orbit-satellite microwave data, geosynchronous-orbit-satellite infrared data, and rain gauge observations. The merging approach utilizes the higher accuracy of the low-orbit microwave observations to calibrate, or adjust, the more frequent geosynchronous infrared observations. The data set is extended back into the premicrowave era (before 1987) by using infrared-only observations calibrated to the microwave-based analysis of the later years. The combined satellite-based product is adjusted by the raingauge analysis. This monthly analysis is the foundation for the GPCP suite of products including those at finer temporal resolution, satellite estimate, and error estimates for each field. The 23-year GPCP climatology is characterized, along with time and space variations of precipitation.

Adler, Robert F.↗

Adaptive Numerical Dissipation Control in High Order Schemes for Multi-D Non-Ideal MHD

The required type and amount of numerical dissipation/filter to accurately resolve all relevant multiscales of complex MHD unsteady high-speed shock/shear/turbulence/combustion problems are not only physical problem dependent, but also vary from one flow region to another. In addition, proper and efficient control of the divergence of the magnetic field (Div(B)) numerical error for high order shock-capturing methods poses extra requirements for the considered type of CPU intensive computations. The goal is to extend our adaptive numerical dissipation control in high order filter schemes and our new divergence-free methods for ideal MHD to non-ideal MHD that include viscosity and resistivity. The key idea consists of automatic detection of different flow features as distinct sensors to signal the appropriate type and amount of numerical dissipation/filter where needed and leave the rest of the region free from numerical dissipation contamination. These scheme-independent detectors are capable of distinguishing shocks/shears, flame sheets, turbulent fluctuations and spurious high-frequency oscillations. The detection algorithm is based on an artificial compression method (ACM) (for shocks/shears), and redundant multiresolution wavelets (WAV) (for the above types of flow feature). These filters also provide a natural and efficient way for the minimization of Div(B) numerical error.

Yee, H. C.↗