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At least 397 records · Page 22

The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP): Protocols and Pilot Studies

The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) is a major international effort linking the climate, crop, and economic modeling communities with cutting-edge information technology to produce improved crop and economic models and the next generation of climate impact projections for the agricultural sector. The goals of AgMIP are to improve substantially the characterization of world food security due to climate change and to enhance adaptation capacity in both developing and developed countries. Analyses of the agricultural impacts of climate variability and change require a transdisciplinary effort to consistently link state-of-the-art climate scenarios to crop and economic models. Crop model outputs are aggregated as inputs to regional and global economic models to determine regional vulnerabilities, changes in comparative advantage, price effects, and potential adaptation strategies in the agricultural sector. Climate, Crop Modeling, Economics, and Information Technology Team Protocols are presented to guide coordinated climate, crop modeling, economics, and information technology research activities around the world, along with AgMIP Cross-Cutting Themes that address uncertainty, aggregation and scaling, and the development of Representative Agricultural Pathways (RAPs) to enable testing of climate change adaptations in the context of other regional and global trends. The organization of research activities by geographic region and specific crops is described, along with project milestones. Pilot results demonstrate AgMIP's role in assessing climate impacts with explicit representation of uncertainties in climate scenarios and simulations using crop and economic models. An intercomparison of wheat model simulations near Obregón, Mexico reveals inter-model differences in yield sensitivity to [CO2] with model uncertainty holding approximately steady as concentrations rise, while uncertainty related to choice of crop model increases with rising temperatures. Wheat model simulations with midcentury climate scenarios project a slight decline in absolute yields that is more sensitive to selection of crop model than to global climate model, emissions scenario, or climate scenario downscaling method. A comparison of regional and national-scale economic simulations finds a large sensitivity of projected yield changes to the simulations' resolved scales. Finally, a global economic model intercomparison example demonstrates that improvements in the understanding of agriculture futures arise from integration of the range of uncertainty in crop, climate, and economic modeling results in multi-model assessments.

Rosenzweig, C.↗

Report on the 2-D Model Intercomparison Workshop held January 11-16, 1987 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, chapter 2

In the attempts to understand the processes which affect ozone in the stratosphere, and to predict future ozone levels, a variety of computer models were developed and employed. To oversimplify somewhat, the models range from 1-D models with intricately detailed photochemistry but only the crudest representation of transport, to 3-D general circulation models with intricately detailed dynamics and no photochemistry at all. Each of these has its appropriate uses. It was felt that there was much to be gained from intermediate models incorporating an extensive treatment of photochemistry with a dynamical framework which at least recognizes that atmospheric motions are advective as well as diffusive, and that both chemistry and dynamics are subject to latitudinal and seasonal variations. Thus the 2-D, zonally averaged models have begun to play a larger role in the last seven years, both in attempting to understand observed distributions of trace species and in attempting to assess the probable effects of antropogenic perturbations. There are many choices to be made in developing the model. It was the purpose of the 2-D model Intercomparison Workshop to permit discussion of the choices made and the behavior of the resulting models. The goal was not to identify a best set of choices, but rather to identify areas in which the models are sensitive to the choices made, and to develop a sense of where these models as a class do well or poorly in simulating the observed atmosphere.

Guthrie, Paul D.↗

Modeling Microgravity Induced Fluid Redistribution Autoregulatory and Hydrostatic Enhancements

Space flight induces a marked cephalad (headward) redistribution of blood and interstitial fluid potentially resulting in a loss of venous tone and reduction in heart muscle efficiency upon introduction into the microgravity environment. Using various types of computational models, we are investigating how this fluid redistribution may induce intracranial pressure changes, relevant to reported reductions in astronaut visual acuity, part of the Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure (VIIP) syndrome. Methods: We utilize a lumped parameter cardiovascular system (CVS) model, augmented by compartments comprising the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) space, as the primary tool to describe how microgravity, and the associated lack of hydrostatic gradient, impacts fluid redistribution. Models of ocular fluid pressures and biomechanics then accept the output of the above model as boundary condition input to allow more detailed, local analysis (see IWS Abstract by Ethier et al.). Recently, we enhanced the capabilities our previously reported CVS model through the implementation of robust autoregulatory mechanisms and a more fundamental approach to the implementation of hydrostatic mechanisms. Modifying the approach of Blanco et al., we implemented auto-regulation in a quasi-static manner, as an averaged effect across the span of one heartbeat. This approach reduced the higher frequency perturbations from the regulatory mechanism and was intended to allow longer simulation times (days) than models that implement within-beat regulatory mechanisms (minutes). A more fundamental approach to hydrostatics was implemented by a quasi-1D approach, in which compartment descriptions include compartment length, orientation and relative position, allowed for modeling of body orientation, relative body positioning and, in the future, alternative gravity environments. At this time the inclusion of hydrostatic mechanisms supplies additional capabilities to train and validate the CVS model with terrestrial data. Results and Conclusions: With the implementation of auto-regulation and hydrostatic modeling capabilities, the model performs as expected in the maintaining the CA (Central Artery) compartment pressure when simulating orientations ranging from supine to standing. The model appears to generally overpredict heart rate and thus cardiac output, possibly indicating sensitivity to the nominal heart rate, which is used as an initial set point of the regulation mechanisms. Despite this sensitivity, the model performs consistently for many hours of simulation time, indicating the success of our quasi-static implementation approach.

biomechanics↗

Sensitivity of the MAR Regional Climate Model Snowpack to the Parameterization of the Assimilation of Satellite-Derived Wet-Snow Masks on the Antarctic Peninsula

Both regional climate models (RCMs) and remote sensing (RS) data are essential tools in understanding the response of polar regions to climate change. RCMs can simulate how certain climate variables, such as surface melt, runoff and snowfall, are likely to change in response to different climate scenarios but are subject to biases and errors. RS data can assist in reducing and quantifying model uncertainties by providing indirect observations of the modeled variables on the present climate. In this work, we improve on an existing scheme to assimilate RS wet snow occurrence data with the “Modèle Atmosphérique Régional” (MAR) RCM and investigate the sensitivity of the RCM to the parameters of the scheme. The assimilation is performed by nudging the MAR snowpack temperature to match the presence of liquid water observed by satellites. The sensitivity of the assimilation method is tested by modifying parameters such as the depth to which the MAR snowpack is warmed or cooled, the quantity of water required to qualify a MAR pixel as “wet” (0.1 % or 0.2 % of the snowpack mass being water), and assimilating different RS datasets. Data assimilation is carried out on the Antarctic Peninsula for the 2019–2021 period. The results show an increase in meltwater production (+66.7 % on average, or +95 Gt), along with a small decrease in surface mass balance (SMB) (−4.5 % on average, or −20 Gt) for the 2019–2020 melt season after assimilation. The model is sensitive to the tested parameters, albeit with varying orders of magnitude. The prescribed warming depth has a larger impact on the resulting surface melt production than the liquid water content (LWC) threshold due to strong refreezing occurring within the top layers of the snowpack. The values tested for the LWC threshold are lower than the LWC for typical melt days (approximately 1.2 %) and impact results mainly at the beginning and end of the melting period. The assimilation method will allow for the estimation of uncertainty in MAR meltwater production and will enable the identification of potential issues in modeling near-surface snowpack processes, paving the way for more accurate simulations of snow processes in model projections.

regional climate models↗

Ozone Response to Aircraft Emissions: Sensitivity Studies with Two-dimensional Models

Our first intercomparison/assessment of the effects of a proposed high-speed civil transport (HSCT) fleet on the stratosphere is presented. These model calculations should be considered more as sensitivity studies, primarily designed to serve the following purposes: (1) to allow for intercomparison of model predictions; (2) to focus on the range of fleet operations and engine specifications giving minimal environmental impact; and (3) to provide the basis for future assessment studies. The basic scenarios were chosen to be as realistic as possible, using the information available on anticipated developments in technology. They are not to be interpreted as a commitment or goal for environmental acceptability.

Ko, Malcolm K. W.↗

The Spatial Standard Observer

The spatial standard observer is a computational model that provides a measure of the visibility of a target in a uniform background image or of the visual discriminability of two images. Standard observers have long been used in science and industry to quantify the discriminability of colors. Color standard observers address the spectral characteristics of visual stimuli, while the spatial standard observer (SSO), as its name indicates, addresses spatial characteristics. The SSO is based on a model of human vision. The SSO was developed in a process that included evaluation of a number of earlier mathematical models that address optical, physiological, and psychophysical aspects of spatial characteristics of human visual perception. Elements of the prior models are incorporated into the SSO, which is formulated as a compromise between accuracy and simplicity. The SSO operates on a digitized monochrome still image or on a pair of such images. The SSO consists of three submodels that operate sequentially on the input image(s): 1. A contrast model, which converts an input monochrome image to a luminance contrast image, wherein luminance values are expressed as excursions from, and normalized to, a mean; 2. A contrast-sensitivity-filter model that includes an oblique-effect filter (which accounts for the decline in contrast sensitivity at oblique viewing angles); and 3. A spatial summation model, in which responses are spatially pooled by raising each pixel to the power beta, adding the results, and raising the sum to the 1/b power. In this model, b=2.9 was found to be a suitable value. The net effect of the SSO is to compute a numerical measure of the perceptual strength of the single image, or of the visible difference (denoted the perceptual distance) between two images. The unit of a measure used in the SSO is the just noticeable difference (JND), which is a standard measure of perceptual discriminability. A target that is just visible has a measure of 1 JND.

Watson, Andrew B.↗

The Dynamical Role of the Chesapeake Bay on the Local Ozone Pollution Using Mesoscale Modeling—A Case Study

This study investigated the dynamic influence of the Chesapeake Bay (CB) on local ozone (O3) concentration and distribution using a weather forecasting model. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF–Chem) was employed to simulate O3 production and transportation near the CB. Baseline (water) as well as sensitivity (nowater) model experiments of bay circulation were carried out with and without bay water by changing the water surface from water to land (loam). First, the model performance simulating O3 was evaluated using the baseline experiment results and AirNow surface wind and O3 observations. The results showed that the model overestimates surface O3 by up to 20–30%. Further, the comparisons of the baseline and sensitivity experiments revealed higher O3 mixing ratios, primarily due to the resulting bay breeze circulation. These increases, after considering model overestimation, represent a mean bay dynamics circulation-induced contribution of up to 10% at night and 5% during the day. Furthermore, the boundary layer over northern CB, where it is at its narrowest width, was higher (by 1.2 km on average) during daytime due to higher surface temperatures observed. The boundary layer depth difference between the northern, central, and southern regions of the bay leads to a differential in the role of bay circulation dynamics in the observed O3 increase. The relatively wider swath of water surface over southern CB resulted in a lower boundary layer depth and stronger breeze circulation and this circulation contributed to O3 concentrations. Moreover, since the case selected has a minimal bay breeze circulation, the associated surface ozone enhancements represent what is expected at least at a minimum.

Chesapeak Bay↗

Studies of implicit and explicit solution techniques in transient thermal analysis of structures

Studies aimed at an increase in the efficiency of calculating transient temperature fields in complex aerospace vehicle structures are reported. The advantages and disadvantages of explicit and implicit algorithms are discussed and a promising set of implicit algorithms with variable time steps, known as GEARIB, is described. Test problems, used for evaluating and comparing various algorithms, are discussed and finite element models of the configurations are described. These problems include a coarse model of the Space Shuttle wing, an insulated frame tst article, a metallic panel for a thermal protection system, and detailed models of sections of the Space Shuttle wing. Results generally indicate a preference for implicit over explicit algorithms for transient structural heat transfer problems when the governing equations are stiff (typical of many practical problems such as insulated metal structures). The effects on algorithm performance of different models of an insulated cylinder are demonstrated. The stiffness of the problem is highly sensitive to modeling details and careful modeling can reduce the stiffness of the equations to the extent that explicit methods may become the best choice. Preliminary applications of a mixed implicit-explicit algorithm and operator splitting techniques for speeding up the solution of the algebraic equations are also described.

Adelman, H. M.↗

On the sensitivity of a residual circulation model to differences in input temperature data

The residual mean circulation (RMC) formulation of zonally averaged transport in the middle atmosphere produces a circulation which depends on the distributions of net diabatic heating and temperature. Such circulations are from two temperature data sets, using the same radiative transfer code (Rosenfield et al. 1987). These circulations are then used to transport N2O in a photochemical model. The circulations and the resulting N2O distributions are notably different during the Northern Hemisphere winter, with that based on the NMC temperatures producing too much upward transport in the tropical stratosphere, as judged by comparison with the stratospheric and mesoscale sounder data. The experiment demonstrates that model calculations, in general, and perturbation assessments, in particular, are likely to be quite sensitive to the choice of input temperature data (where this is not computed self-consistently). It also reveals what appears to be a seasonally dependent bias in NMC zonally averaged temperatures with respect to those obtained from the LIMS instrument during 1978/1979.

Guthrie, Paul D.↗

The Impacts of Microphysics and Planetary Boundary Layer Physics on Model Simulations of U. S. Deep South Summer Convection

Inspection of output from various configurations of high-resolution, explicit convection forecast models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model indicates significant sensitivity to the choices of model physics parameterizations employed. Some of the largest apparent sensitivities are related to the specifications of the cloud microphysics and planetary boundary layer physics packages. In addition, these sensitivities appear to be especially pronounced for the weakly-sheared, multicell modes of deep convection characteristic of the Deep South of the United States during the boreal summer. Possible ocean-land sensitivities also argue for further examination of the impacts of using unique ocean-land surface initialization datasets provided by the NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT Center to select NOAA/NWS weather forecast offices. To obtain better quantitative understanding of these sensitivities and also to determine the utility of the ocean-land initialization data, we have executed matrices of regional WRF forecasts for selected convective events near Mobile, AL (MOB), and Houston, TX (HGX). The matrices consist of identically initialized WRF 24-h forecasts using any of eight microphysics choices and any of three planetary boundary layer choices. The resulting 24 simulations performed for each event within either the MOB or HGX regions are then compared to identify the sensitivities of various convective storm metrics to the physics choices. Particular emphasis is placed on sensitivities of precipitation timing, intensity, and coverage, as well as amount and coverage of lightning activity diagnosed from storm kinematics and graupel in the mixed phase layer. The results confirm impressions gleaned from study of the behavior of variously configured WRF runs contained in the ensembles produced each spring at the Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms, but with the benefit of more straightforward control of the physics package choices. The design of the experiments thus allows for more direct interpretation of the sensitivities to each possible physics combination. The results should assist forecasters in their efforts to anticipate and correct for possible biases in simulated WRF convection patterns, and help the modeling community refine their model parameterizations.

McCaul, E. W., Jr.↗

The Impact of Microphysics and Planetary Boundary Layer Physics on Model Simulation of U.S. Deep South Summer Convection

Inspection of output from various configurations of high-resolution, explicit convection forecast models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model indicates significant sensitivity to the choices of model physics pararneterizations employed. Some of the largest apparent sensitivities are related to the specifications of the cloud microphysics and planetary boundary layer physics packages. In addition, these sensitivities appear to be especially pronounced for the weakly-sheared, multicell modes of deep convection characteristic of the Deep South of the United States during the boreal summer. Possible ocean-land sensitivities also argue for further examination of the impacts of using unique ocean-land surface initialization datasets provided by the NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRn Center to select NOAAlNWS weather forecast offices. To obtain better quantitative understanding of these sensitivities and also to determine the utility of the ocean-land initialization data, we have executed matrices of regional WRF forecasts for selected convective events near Mobile, AL (MOB), and Houston, TX (HGX). The matrices consist of identically initialized WRF 24-h forecasts using any of eight microphysics choices and any of three planetary boWldary layer choices. The resulting 24 simulations performed for each event within either the MOB or HGX regions are then compared to identify the sensitivities of various convective storm metrics to the physics choices. Particular emphasis is placed on sensitivities of precipitation timing, intensity, and coverage, as well as amount and coverage oflightuing activity diagnosed from storm kinematics and graupel in the mixed phase layer. The results confirm impressions gleaned from study of the behavior of variously configured WRF runs contained in the ensembles produced each spring at the Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms, but with the benefit of more straightforward control of the physics package choices. The design of the experiments thus allows for more direct interpretation of the sensitivities to each possible physics combination. The results should assist forecasters in their efforts to anticipate and correct for possible biases in simulated WRF convection patterns, and help the modeling community refine their model parameterizations.

McCaul, Eugene W., Jr.↗

A Unified Workflow for Sensitivity-Based Kinetic Analysis in Microkinetic Models

Degrees of rate control (DRC), apparent activation energies, and apparent reaction orders are established local sensitivity diagnostics for interpreting microkinetic models, but applying them routinely to large mechanisms often requires substantial reaction-specific bookkeeping, perturbation design, and postprocessing. Here, in this study, we present a unified derivative-based workflow that evaluates these quantities from a single compiled reaction-network model and target-rate definition. For any user-provided microkinetic model, the workflow compiles the mechanism into stoichiometrically consistent mass-action rate equations, solves the surface dynamics, and uses automatic differentiation to compute sensitivities with respect to rate constants, temperature, and gas partial pressures. By combining their calculations in the same framework, the workflow clearly demonstrates the relationships between different DRCs and the apparent activation energy. Using existing examples of propylene partial oxidation and methane oxidation on Pd(100), we verify expected transient redistribution of rate control, distinguish net Campbell DRCs from one-sided directional sensitivities, and show how apparent activation energy can be reconstructed either from one-sided DRCs or from state-based DRCs while critical mechanistic insights are obtained consistently. In the methane oxidation case, a pathway-subset test further illustrates how a simplified mechanism preserves key kinetic signatures of a full model, showing the potential of our user-friendly tool for model construction beyond kinetic analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Solar variation 1979-1987 estimated from an empirical model for changes with time in the sensitivity of the solar backscatter ultraviolet instrument

A model is developed that describes changes in the sensitivity of the solar backscatter UV instrument deployed with Nimbus 7 to study variations with time in solar irradiance. The exponential decay of instrument exposure to the sun and that of time are combined, and the product is used to describe the sensitivity change. Measured UV irradiances are employed to develop the values of the exponential decays, and the degradation coefficients for time dependence are found to vary with time at shorter wavelengths. Instrument sensitivity is described in terms of a functional relationship based on exponential decay with time with time-varying time dependence and on exponential decay with exposure with constant exposure dependence. The relationship provides a technique for treating data from the solar backscatter UV instrument both at short- and long-term intervals, and solar irradiance is calculated based on the approach.

Schlesinger, Barry M.↗

Differences between seasonal and mean annual energy balance model calculations of climate and climate sensitivity

The paper extends a simple Budyko-Sellers mean annual energy balance climate model with diffusive transport to include a seasonal cycle. In the model the latitudinal distribution of the zonal average surface temperature is represented by Legendre polynomials and its time-dependence by a Fourier sine-cosine series, and it has three parameters adjusted so that the observed amplitudes of the Northern Hemisphere zonal mean surface temperature are recovered. The seasonal model is used to reveal how the annual mean climate and the sensitivity to changes in incident radiation differ from the predictions obtained with the corresponding mean annual model. The distribution of the incident solar radiation in the models is shown to be insensitive to changes in the eccentricity and the longitude of perihelion and sensitive only to changes in the obliquity of the earth, and for past orbital changes both the seasonal and the mean annual model fail to produce glacial advances of the magnitude that are thought to have occurred.

North, G. R.↗

A11I-2104 Evaluation of the NASA GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Configuration for its Suitability to Simulations of Atmospheric Composition in a Changing Climate

The NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM) is a full tropospheric-stratospheric chemistry enabled configuration of the NASA GEOS Earth system model. Among the objectives for research performed with GEOSCCM is to understand the impacts of climate change on recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer over the twenty-first century. Simulations performed in the past with GEOSCCM did not have an interactive ocean and were driven with projected sea surface temperature and sea ice boundary conditions provided by external models. This method limits the application of GEOSCCM for climate study because it doesn’t allow the feedback of composition changes to ocean. For a full representation of the chemistry-climate feedbacks in the Earth System, we have developed a configuration of GEOSCCM that makes use of the MOM5 ocean general circulation model coupled to the GEOS atmospheric general circulation model. This configuration leverages development of the GEOS Sub-seasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) prediction system, and includes interactive, radiatively coupled aerosols and two-moment, aerosol-aware cloud microphysics. W e have assessed the baseline model climate sensitivity with an Monday, 11 December 2023 08:30 - 12:50 Poster Hall A-C - South (Exhibition Level, South, MC) experiment performed under pre-industrial (e.g., year 1850) greenhouse gas conditions and a second experiment under 4xCO2 conditions, similar to the typical CMIP protocol. The GEOS model is demonstrated to have a climate sensitivity of a 2.6 K increase in global mean surface temperature for an equivalent doubling of CO2 from pre-industrial conditions, in line with current CMIP models. This configuration of the GEOS model is suitable for application to multidecadal to century-long simulations of climate system response to changing greenhouse gas levels. We report here our evaluation of the climate diagnostics of this configuration and discuss future directions for work with this model configuration, including an ongoing twenty-first century projection experiment based on the Chemistry-Climate Model Intercomparison project protocol.

models↗

A parametric sensitivity and optimization study for the active flexible wing wind-tunnel model flutter characteristics

In this paper an effort is made to improve the analytical open-loop flutter predictions for the Active Flexible Wing wind-tunnel model using a sensitivity based optimization approach. The sensitivity derivatives of the flutter frequency and dynamic pressure of the model with respect to the lag terms appearing in the Roger's unsteady aerodynamics approximations are evaluated both analytical and by finite differences. Then, the Levenberg-Marquardt method is used to find the optimum values for these lag-terms. The results obtained here agree much better with the experimental (wind tunnel) results than those found in the previous studies.

Rais-Rohani, Masoud↗

The Q 10 of in situ microbial soil respiration varies with mean annual temperature, precipitation, pH, and plant cover: a meta-analysis and spatial prediction of Q 10

The temperature sensitivity of soil microbial respiration, commonly quantified using the Q 10 coefficient, is a key parameter in carbon cycle models. Uncovering how environmental factors affect in situ Q 10 values can therefore provide critical insight into potential shifts in global carbon stocks under climate change. We collected data from previously published field experiments that measured soil microbial respiration across a range of temperatures. We hypothesized that the Q 10 coefficient of in situ soil microbial respiration would vary based on environmental factors including mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), plant cover type, pH, soil C:N, and latitude. Linear regression revealed that Q 10 correlates negatively with MAT and MAP and positively with pH and absolute latitude. Additionally, average Q 10 varied significantly across different plant cover types; it was highest in mountain grasslands and lowest in tropical moist forests. Variation in microbial Q 10 across environmental factors may arise from underlying mechanisms such as enzyme kinetics, substrate availability and complexity, and microbial adaptation. To capture patterns in Q 10 more comprehensively, we developed a multiple linear regression model of Q 10 based on the most individually significant environmental drivers and applied it to public datasets to generate a global map of predicted Q 10 . Q 10 was higher in high-latitude and high-altitude regions, where large permafrost carbon stores are vulnerable to thawing and decomposition. We also compared fits between the Q 10 equation and a model produced from macromolecular rate theory (MMRT). We found that the MMRT model had the superior fit and may be better suited to model temperature sensitivity of complex biological reactions. Overall, our results emphasize that relationships between microbial Q 10 and environmental variables should be accounted for in climate models. Incorporating these variations in the Q 10 parameter, rather than using a fixed value, will help predict whether CO 2 emissions will be buffered or exacerbated by soil microbial respiration under climate change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Topographic Slant Range Modeling and Fault Detection for Precision Planetary Landing

This work presents a novel landing site relative topographic measurement model for aslant range sensor being utilized for precision planetary landing operations. The measurement model accounts for the local terrain the slant range sensor captures and leverages knowledge of the estimated landing site provided by the navigation filter. Notably, in contrast to previous works, the new model does not rely on surface normal approximation, reducing the model’s sensitivity to noisy digital elevation maps which represent the local topography. In addition to the measurement model, this work introduces a novel fault detection method, denoted the probabilistic inspection of topographic filter altitude likelihood (PITFAL) algorithm, that implements a statistical outlier rejection algorithm. PITFAL is designed for multi-beam slant range sensors, such as the Navigation Doppler LIDAR (NDL), and identifies statistically inconsistent range estimates through a consensus check on the set of apparent altitudes computed for each individual beam. These models are numerically validated by the Safe and Precise Landing Capability Evolution (SPLICE) project’s high-fidelity terrestrial and lunar lander simulations.

Davis W Adams↗