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NASA NTRS2004

Preliminary Analysis of X-Band and Ka-Band Radar for Use in the Detection of Icing Conditions Aloft

NASA and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) have an on-going activity to develop remote sensing technologies for the detection and measurement of icing conditions aloft. Radar has been identified as a strong tool for this work. However, since the remote detection of icing conditions with the intent to identify areas of icing hazard is a new and evolving capability, there are no set requirements for radar sensitivity. This work is an initial attempt to quantify, through analysis, the sensitivity requirements for an icing remote sensing radar. The primary radar of interest for cloud measurements is Ka-band, however, since NASA is currently using an X-band unit, this frequency is also examined. Several aspects of radar signal analysis were examined. Cloud reflectivity was calculated for several forms of cloud using two different techniques. The Air Force Geophysical Laboratory (AFGL) cloud models, with different drop spectra represented by a modified gamma distribution, were utilized to examine several categories of cloud formation. Also a fundamental methods approach was used to allow manipulation of the cloud droplet size spectra. And an analytical icing radar simulator was developed to examine the complete radar system response to a configurable multi-layer cloud environment. Also discussed is the NASA vertical pointing X-band radar. The radar and its data system are described, and several summer weather events are reviewed.

Reehorst, Andrew L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A cloud, precipitation and electrification modeling effort for COHMEX

In mid-1987, the Modeling Group of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences (IAS) began to simulate and analyze cloud runs that were made during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) Project and later. The cloud model was run nearly every day during the summer 1986 COHMEX Project. The Modeling Group was then funded to analyze the results, make further modeling tests, and help explain the precipitation processes in the Southeastern United States. The main science objectives of COHMEX were: (1) to observe the prestorm environment and understand the physical mechanisms leading to the formation of small convective systems and processes controlling the production of precipitation; (2) to describe the structure of small convective systems producing precipitation including the large and small scale events in the environment surrounding the developing and mature convective system; (3) to understand the interrelationships between electrical activity within the convective system and the process of precipitation; and (4) to develop and test numerical models describing the boundary layer, tropospheric, and cloud scale thermodynamics and dynamics associated with small convective systems. The latter three of these objectives were addressed by the modeling activities of the IAS. A series of cloud modes were used to simulate the clouds that formed during the operational project. The primary models used to date on the project were a two dimensional bulk water model, a two dimensional electrical model, and to a lesser extent, a two dimensional detailed microphysical cloud model. All of the models are based on fully interacting microphysics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and electrical equations. Only the 20 July 1986 case was analyzed in detail, although all of the cases run during the summer were analyzed as to how well they did in predicting the characteristics of the convection for that day.

Orville, Harold D.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Southern Ocean Solar Reflection Biases in Cmip6 Models Linked to Cloud Phase and Vertical Structure Representations

Over the Southern Ocean (SO, 40˚S-70˚S), climate models have consistently underestimated solar reflection. Here we evaluate the relationship between cloud profiles, cloud phase and radiation over the SO in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models against Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). We find that the lack of solar reflection is slightly improved in CMIP6 models compared to CMIP5’s, attributable to a better representation of cloud fraction and phase. We show that clouds have a different vertical structure and radiative effect south and north of where the 0˚C isotherm meets the surface (~55˚S). Although the models capture the greater vertical extent of clouds south of 55˚S, they fail to reproduce the observed increase in solar reflection, which we pinpoint to cloud phase biases. Increasing CMIP6 supercooled liquid cloud opacity should help reduce their persistent SW biases.

Southern Ocean↗
NASA NTRS2008

A Simple Model for the Cloud Adjacency Effect and the Apparent Bluing of Aerosols Near Clouds

In determining aerosol-cloud interactions, the properties of aerosols must be characterized in the vicinity of clouds. Numerous studies based on satellite observations have reported that aerosol optical depths increase with increasing cloud cover. Part of the increase comes from the humidification and consequent growth of aerosol particles in the moist cloud environment, but part comes from 3D cloud-radiative transfer effects on the retrieved aerosol properties. Often, discerning whether the observed increases in aerosol optical depths are artifacts or real proves difficult. The paper provides a simple model that quantifies the enhanced illumination of cloud-free columns in the vicinity of clouds that are used in the aerosol retrievals. This model is based on the assumption that the enhancement in the cloud-free column radiance comes from enhanced Rayleigh scattering that results from the presence of the nearby clouds. The enhancement in Rayleigh scattering is estimated using a stochastic cloud model to obtain the radiative flux reflected by broken clouds and comparing this flux with that obtained with the molecules in the atmosphere causing extinction, but no scattering.

Marshak, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS2004

Methods for Validation and Intercomparison of Remote Sensing and In situ Ice Water Measurements: Case Studies from CRYSTAL-FACE and Model Results

Remote sensing observations, such as those from AURA, are necessary to understand the role of cirrus in determining the radiative and humidity budgets of the upper troposphere. Using these measurements quantitatively requires comparisons with in situ measurements that have previously been validated. However, a direct comparison of remote and in situ measurements is difficult due to the requirement that the spatial and temporal overlap be sufficient in order to guarantee that both instruments are measuring the same air parcel. A difficult as this might be for gas phase intercomparisons, cloud inhomogeneities significantly exacerbate the problem for cloud ice water content measurements. The CRYSTAL-FACE mission provided an opportunity to assess how well such intercomparisons can be performed and to establish flight plans that will be necessary for validation of future satellite instruments. During CRYSTAL-FACE, remote and in situ instruments were placed on different aircraft (NASA's ER-2 and WB-59, and the two planes flew in tandem so that the in situ payload flew in the field of view of the remote instruments. We show here that, even with this type of careful flight planning, it is not always possible to guarantee that remote and in situ instruments are viewing the same air parcel. We use ice water data derived from the in situ Harvard Total Water (HV-TW) instrument, and the remote Goddard Cloud Radar System (CRS) and show that agreement between HV-TW and CRS is a strong function of the horizontal separation and the time delay between the aircraft transects. We also use a cloud model to simulate possible trajectories through a cloud and evaluate the use of statistical analysis in determining the agreement between the two instruments. This type of analysis should guide flight planning for future intercomparison efforts, whether for aircraft or satellite-borne instrumentation.

Sayres, D.S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Water vapor in Jupiter's atmosphere

High spectral resolution observations of Jupiter at 2.7 and 5 microns acquired from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory were used to infer the vertical distribution of H2O between 0.7 and 6 bars. The H2O mole fraction, qH2O, is saturated for P<2 bars, qH2O = 4x.000001 in the 2 to 4 bar range and it increases to 3x.00001 at 6 bars where T = 288 K. The base of the 5 micron line formation region is determined by pressure-induced H2 opacity. At this deepest accessible level, the O/H ratio in Jupiter is depleted by a factor of 50 with respect to the solar atmosphere. High spatial resolution Voyager IRIS spectra of Jupiter's North Tropical Zone, Equatorial Zone, and Hot Spots in the North and South Equatorial Belt were analyzed to determine the spatial variation of H2O across the planet. The column abundance of H2O above the 4 bar level is the same in the zones as in the SEB Hot Spots, about 20 cm-amgt. A cloud model for Jupiter's belts and zones was developed in order to fit the IRIS 5 micron spectra. An absorbing cloud located at 2 bars whose 5 micron optical thickness varies between 1 in the Hot Spots and 4 in the coldest zones satisfactorily matches the IRIS data.

Bjoraker, G. L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Multilayer Cloud Detection with the MODIS Near-Infrared Water Vapor Absorption Band

Data Collection 5 processing for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the NASA Earth Observing System EOS Terra and Aqua spacecraft includes an algorithm for detecting multilayered clouds in daytime. The main objective of this algorithm is to detect multilayered cloud scenes, specifically optically thin ice cloud overlying a lower-level water cloud, that presents difficulties for retrieving cloud effective radius using single layer plane-parallel cloud models. The algorithm uses the MODIS 0.94 micron water vapor band along with CO2 bands to obtain two above-cloud precipitable water retrievals, the difference of which, in conjunction with additional tests, provides a map of where multilayered clouds might potentially exist. The presence of a multilayered cloud results in a large difference in retrievals of above-cloud properties between the CO2 and the 0.94 micron methods. In this paper the MODIS multilayered cloud algorithm is described, results of using the algorithm over example scenes are shown, and global statistics for multilayered clouds as observed by MODIS are discussed. A theoretical study of the algorithm behavior for simulated multilayered clouds is also given. Results are compared to two other comparable passive imager methods. A set of standard cloudy atmospheric profiles developed during the course of this investigation is also presented. The results lead to the conclusion that the MODIS multilayer cloud detection algorithm has some skill in identifying multilayered clouds with different thermodynamic phases

Wind, Galina↗
NASA NTRS2001

A Study of the Response of Deep Tropical Clouds to Mesoscale Processes: Modeling Strategies and Simulations of TOGA-COARE Convective Systems - Part 1

Interactions between deep tropical clouds over the western Pacific warm pool and the larger-scale environment are key to understanding climate change. Cloud models are an extremely useful tool in simulating and providing statistical information on heat and moisture transfer processes between cloud systems and the environment, and can therefore be utilized to substantially improve cloud parameterizations in climate models. In this paper, the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud-resolving model is used in multi-day simulations of deep tropical convective activity over the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE). Large-scale temperature and moisture advective tendencies, and horizontal momentum from the TOGA-COARE Intensive Flux Array (IFA) region, are applied to the GCE version which incorporates cyclical boundary conditions. Sensitivity experiments show that grid domain size produces the largest response to domain-mean temperature and moisture deviations, as well as cloudiness, when compared to grid horizontal or vertical resolution, and advection scheme. It is found that a minimum grid-domain size of 500 km is needed to adequately resolve the convective cloud features. The control experiment shows that the atmospheric heating and moistening is primarily a response to cloud latent processes of condensation/evaporation, and deposition/sublimation, and to a lesser extent, melting of ice particles. Air-sea exchange of heat and moisture is found to be significant, but of secondary importance, while the radiational response is small. The simulated rainfall and atmospheric heating and moistening, agrees well with observations, and performs favorably to other models simulating this case.

Johnson, Daniel E.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Atmospheric Energy Deposition Modeling and Inference for Varied Meteoroid Structures

Asteroids populations are highly diverse, ranging from coherent monoliths to loosely-bound rubble piles with a broad range of material and compositional properties. These different structures and properties could significantly affect how an asteroid breaks up and deposits energy in the atmosphere, and how much ground damage may occur from resulting blast waves. We have previously developed a fragment-cloud model (FCM) for assessing the atmospheric breakup and energy deposition of asteroids striking Earth. The approach represents ranges of breakup characteristics by combining progressive fragmentation with releases of variable fractions of debris and larger discrete fragments. In this work, we have extended the FCM to also represent asteroids with varied initial structures, such as rubble piles or fractured bodies. We have used the extended FCM to model the Chelyabinsk, Benesov, Kosice, and Tagish Lake meteors, and have obtained excellent matches to energy deposition profiles derived from their light curves. These matches provide validation for the FCM approach, help guide further model refinements, and enable inferences about pre-entry structure and breakup behavior. Results highlight differences in the amount of small debris vs. discrete fragments in matching the various flare characteristics of each meteor. The Chelyabinsk flares were best represented using relatively high debris fractions, while Kosice and Benesov cases were more notably driven by their discrete fragmentation characteristics, perhaps indicating more cohesive initial structures. Tagish Lake exhibited a combination of these characteristics, with lower-debris fragmentation at high altitudes followed by sudden disintegration into small debris in the lower flares. Results from all cases also suggest that lower ablation coefficients and debris spread rates may be more appropriate for the way in which debris clouds are represented in FCM, offering an avenue for future model refinement.

Deposition↗
NASA NTRS1988

Trace gas exchanges and convective transports over the Amazonian rain forest

The NASA Amazon Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE 2A) based in Manaus, Brazil, in July and August 1985, is used to examine meteorological processes responsible for the vertical and horizontal transport of biogenic and anthropogenic trace gases generated over the Amazon basin. Direct sampling of the surrounding environment of deep convective clouds shows marked changes in the vertical distribution of the lower and midtroposphere concentration of O3 and such surface-derived species as CO, CO2, and NO. Thermodynamic observations, together with two-dimensional cloud model simulations, confirm vertical transports within the convection and provide a basis for an estimation of the magnitude and efficiency of cloud upward and downward exchanges. A distinction is drawn between local changes due to convective updrafts and downdrafts and convective overturning as a net result of the storm processes. Marked variability is seen in trace gas concentrations along horizontal flight paths in the vicinity of the convection. Interpretation of simultaneously measured thermodynamic quantities and trace gas concentrations provide the information to infer the presence and direction of atmospheric transports and/or the presence of anthropogenic influences.

Garstang, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1992

Physical retrieval of precipitation water contents using multisensor microwave data and model constraints

A physical retrieval method is proposed for estimating precipitation water distributions and other geophysical parameters from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data. In the proposed method, sensor antenna functions are explicitly included to accommodate varying channel resolution. An embedded one-dimensional cloud model is utilized to generate vertical distributions of precipitating and nonprecipitating water, and spectral solutions are sought for certain background parameters, such as humidity, which vary more slowly in the horizontal than the cloud and precipitation water contents. The method allows the incorporation of measurements from SSM/T and geostationary infrared measurements in addition to SSM/I data, as well as information from conventional sources (e.g., radiosondes) or numerical forecast model fields.

Olson, William S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Clustered or regular cumulus cloud fields - The statistical character of observed and simulated cloud fields

The spatial distribution of cumulus clouds is assumed to be the result of the effects of convective activity on the thermodynamic environment. The effects can be parameterized in terms of a stabilization function representing the time rate of change of convective available potential energy. Using these results, a new inhibition hypothesis explaining the expected characteristics of the spatial distribution of cumulus clouds is postulated. This paper performs a verification of the inhibition hypothesis on real and simulated cloud fields. In order to do so, an objective measure of the spatial characteristics of cumulus clouds is introduced. Multiple cloud experiments are performed with a three-dimensional numerical cloud model. Skylab pictures of real cumuli are also used in the verification. Results of applying this measure to simulated and observed cumulus cloud fields confirm the inhibition hypothesis.

Ramirez, Jorge A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Expansion-cooled Lyman-alpha clouds

It is shown that recent observations by Pettini et al. (1990) which indicate that low-N H I Ly-alpha forest lines have small velocity widths and that the velocity widths are positively correlated with N (H I) can be understood as the result of adiabatic cooling of expanding clouds. It is argued that expansion cooling can efficiently lower temperatures and velocity widths of diffuse ionized clouds, and that this trend of diminishing temperature and velocity width in a wide range of plausible cloud models is consistent with double-quasar data. Expansion can provide a natural explanation for the steep z-evolution of the cloud numbers.

Duncan, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Approximation for Horizontal Photon Transport in Cloud Remote Sensing Problems

The effect of horizontal photon transport within real-world clouds can be of consequence to remote sensing problems based on plane-parallel cloud models. An analytic approximation for the root-mean-square horizontal displacement of reflected and transmitted photons relative to the incident cloud-top location is derived from random walk theory. The resulting formula is a function of the average number of photon scatterings, and particle asymmetry parameter and single scattering albedo. In turn, the average number of scatterings can be determined from efficient adding/doubling radiative transfer procedures. The approximation is applied to liquid water clouds for typical remote sensing solar spectral bands, involving both conservative and non-conservative scattering. Results compare well with Monte Carlo calculations. Though the emphasis is on horizontal photon transport in terrestrial clouds, the derived approximation is applicable to any multiple scattering plane-parallel radiative transfer problem. The complete horizontal transport probability distribution can be described with an analytic distribution specified by the root-mean-square and average displacement values. However, it is shown empirically that the average displacement can be reasonably inferred from the root-mean-square value. An estimate for the horizontal transport distribution can then be made from the root-mean-square photon displacement alone.

Plantnick, Steven↗
NASA NTRS1975

Analysis of spectrophotometric observations of Venus in the 3-4 micron region

Spectrophotometric data of Venus in the 3-4 micron region are analyzed in the context of current ideas concerning cloud properties. The results show that a homogeneous cloud model, using a unimodal particle size distribution compatible with the results of previous polarization studies, cannot satisfactorily explain the infrared observations. Assuming a composition of 75% H2SO4, agreement is possible if an upper layer of smaller particles is added to the homogeneous cloud. This inhomogeneous cloud structure, however, is not in agreement with the polarization results. Other models, involving bimodal particle size distributions, were also unsuccessful in explaining both sets of observations in a consistent manner.

Martonchik, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 9

The following topics were discussed: Monitoring floods with NASA's ST6 autonomous spacecraft experiment; Dynamical cloud models constrained by high resolution spectroscopy of zodiacal light; The oxygen isotopic composition of the sun and implications for oxygen processing in molecular clouds; A nochian/hisperian hiatus and erosive reactivation of martian valley networks; Hard x-ray spectro-microscopy techniques; Thermoluminescence studies of carbonaceous chondrites, etc.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

The embedded feature model for the interpretation of chromospheric contrast profiles

Contrast profiles obtained from chromospheric filtergrams and spectra of bright and dark mottles have to date been interpreted almost exclusively in terms of Becker's cloud model. Here we demonstrate the failure of this model to account in a physically consistent way for the observed contrasts. As an alternative, we introduce an embedded-feature model, restricting our discussion in this paper to stationary features. Our model is then characterized by three independent parameters: the density of absorbing atoms, the geometrical depth, and the profile of the absorption coefficient. An analytic approximation to the contrast resulting from such a model reproduces well the observed behavior of all types of contrast profiles.

Steinitz, R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The energetics of molecular clouds. II - The S140 molecular cloud

Techniques of analysis which allow estimates of kinetic temperature, gas density, gas cooling rate, and dust cooling rate are applied to the S140 molecular cloud. Maps of this cloud in various molecular lines are examined which reveal the existence of a strong temperature and density peak near the H-alpha rim and the presence of a strong near-IR source very near that peak. This source is found to have an energy distribution which is very similar to that of the Becklin-Neugebauer object, including the silicate feature at 9.5 microns. The heating and cooling rates for the gas and dust in S140 are estimated, and the predicted cooling rate for dust is shown to be much greater than that for gas. The molecular-line observations are compared with a spherical large-velocity-gradient trapping calculation. An optimum cloud model is developed which indicates that: (1) (C-13)O, HCO(+), and H2CO are about 10 times less abundant in S140 than in dark clouds; (2) the HCN abundance is approximately 4 times the H2CO abundance in S140, compared with roughly equal values in dark clouds; and (3) the (C-13)O/C(O-18) ratio is consistent with terrestrial isotope ratios.

Blair, G. N.↗