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At least 469 records · Page 26

A cloud physics radiometer

The paper describes the design features and capabilities of a seven-channel cloud physics radiometer (CPR) for remote sensing of cloud properties. The CPR channel characteristics and functions are tabulated and diagrammed. Each of the first three channels utilizes a photo-multipler detector, with the high-voltage power supply integrated with the tube into a single unit. In operation a heater is used to keep the optics temperature at or above 273 K and this temperature is constantly monitored. The last four channel detectors and filters are all cooled to the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The inclined scanning mirror rotates at a rate of 3.48 rps. Registration pulses are triggered and recorded as the mirror enters and leaves the + or -45 deg earth observation region. The ice-cloud, water cloud, snow discriminator detector has worked quite well in general. Interesting radiometer data have been obtained and their analysis is under way. The combination of the CPR and the Cloud Lidar System will make possible sophisticated remote sensing cloud studies.

Kyle, H. L.↗

Two-color high speed thermal imaging system for laser-based additive manufacturing process monitoring

Monitoring melt pool temperature in laser powder bed fusion by providing a build laser that produces a laser beam that is directed onto the melt pool and produces an incandescence that emanates from the melt pool, receiving the incandescence and producing a first image having a first spectral band and a second image having a second spectral band, and determining the ratio of said first image having a first spectral band and said second image having a second spectral band to monitor the melt pool temperature.

Calta, Nicholas P.↗

Microwave sounding units and global warming

A recent work of Spencer and Christy (1990) on precise monitoring of global temperature trends from satellites is critically examined. It is tentatively concluded in the present comment that remote sensing using satellite microwave radiometers can in fact provide a means for the monitoring of troposphere-averaged air temperature. However, for this to be successful more than one decade of data will be required to overcome the apparent inherent variability of global average air temperature. It is argued that the data set reported by Spencer and Christy should be subjected to careful review before it is interpreted as evidence of the presence or absence of global warming. In a reply, Christy provides specific responses to the commenters' objections.

Gary, Bruce L.↗

Design of components for the NASA OCEAN project

The goal of the Fall 1993 semester of the EGM 4000 class was to design, fabricate, and test components for the 'Ocean CELSS Experimental Analog NASA' Project (OCEAN Project) and to aid in the future development of NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). The OCEAN project's specific aims are to place a human, Mr. Dennis Chamberland from NASA's Life Science Division of Research, into an underwater habitat off the shore of Key Largo, FL for three months. During his stay, he will monitor the hydroponic growth of food crops and evaluate the conditions necessary to have a successful harvest of edible food. The specific designs chosen to contribute to the OCEAN project by the EGM 4000 class are in the areas of hydroponic habitat monitoring, human health monitoring, and production of blue/green algae. The hydroponic monitoring system focused on monitoring the environment of the plants. This included the continuous sensing of the atmospheric and hydroponic nutrient solution temperatures. Methods for monitoring the continuous flow of the hydroponic nutrient solution across the plants and the continuous supply of power for these sensing devices were also incorporated into the design system. The human health monitoring system concentrated on continuously monitoring various concerns of the occupant in the underwater living habitat of the OCEAN project. These concerns included monitoring the enclosed environment for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and smoke, high temperatures from fire, and the ceasing of the continuous airflow into the habitat. The blue/green algae project emphasized both the production and harvest of a future source of food. This project did not interact with any part of the OCEAN project. Rather, it was used to show the possibility of growing this kind of algae as a supplemental food source inside a controlled ecological life support system.

Wright, Jenna↗

An Algorithm to Generate Deep-Layer Temperatures from Microwave Satellite Observations for the Purpose of Monitoring Climate Change

An algorithm for generating deep-layer mean temperatures from satellite-observed microwave observations is presented. Unlike traditional temperature retrieval methods, this algorithm does not require a first guess temperature of the ambient atmosphere. By eliminating the first guess a potentially systematic source of error has been removed. The algorithm is expected to yield long-term records that are suitable for detecting small changes in climate. The atmospheric contribution to the deep-layer mean temperature is given by the averaging kernel. The algorithm computes the coefficients that will best approximate a desired averaging kernel from a linear combination of the satellite radiometer's weighting functions. The coefficients are then applied to the measurements to yield the deep-layer mean temperature. Three constraints were used in deriving the algorithm: (1) the sum of the coefficients must be one, (2) the noise of the product is minimized, and (3) the shape of the approximated averaging kernel is well-behaved. Note that a trade-off between constraints 2 and 3 is unavoidable. The algorithm can also be used to combine measurements from a future sensor (i.e., the 20-channel Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU)) to yield the same averaging kernel as that based on an earlier sensor (i.e., the 4-channel Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU)). This will allow a time series of deep-layer mean temperatures based on MSU measurements to be continued with AMSU measurements. The AMSU is expected to replace the MSU in 1996.

Goldberg, Mitchell D.↗

An improved specimen preparation method for marine shallow gas-bearing sand sediments and its validations

Instabilities of shallow gas-charged seabed are potential geological hazards in ocean engineering. In practice, the conventional field sampling techniques failed to obtain undisturbed gas-bearing sediments from the seabed for laboratory mechanical testing because of sensitive gas exsolution and escape from sediments. However, preparation of representative remoulded gas-charged specimens is a challenging issue, because it is rather difficult to quantitatively control the gas content and obtain uniform distribution of gas bubbles within the specimen. Given the above problems, this work proposes a reliable approach to reconstitute the high-saturation specimen of gas-charged sediments in the laboratory by an improved multifunction integrated triaxial apparatus (MITA). This apparatus is developed based on an advanced stress path triaxial system by introducing a temperature-controlled system and a wave-monitoring system. The temperature-controlled system is used to accurately mimic the in situ environments of sediments in the seabed. The wave-monitoring system is utilized to identify exsolution point of free gas and examine the disturbance of gas to specimens during gas exsolution. The detailed procedure of gassy specimen preparation is introduced. Then, the quality of prepared specimens using our improved apparatus is validated by the high-resolution micro-X-ray computed tomography (μCT) scanning test, from which bubble occurrence and size distribution within the gassy sand specimen can be obtained; and preliminary mechanical tests on gassy sand specimens with various initial saturation degrees are performed. The proposed specimen preparation procedure succeeds in proving the postulated occurrence state of gas bubbles in coarse-grained sediments and accurately controlling the gas content.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Fabrication of silicon-tipped fiber-optic temperature sensors using aerogel-assisted glass soldering with precise laser heating

We demonstrate the fabrication of fiber-optic Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) temperature sensors by bonding a small silicon diaphragm to the tip of an optical fiber using low melting point glass powders heated by a 980 nm laser on an aerogel substrate. The heating laser is delivered to the silicon FPI using an optical fiber, while the silicon temperature is being monitored using a 1550 nm white-light system, providing localized heating with precise temperature control. The use of an aerogel substrate greatly improves the heating efficiency by reducing the thermal loss of the bonding parts to the ambient environment. A desirable temperature for bonding can be achieved with relatively small heating laser power. The bonding process is carried out in an open space at room temperature for convenient optical alignment. The precise temperature control ensures minimum perturbation to the optical alignment and no induced thermal damage to the optical parts during the bonding process. For demonstration, we fabricated a low-finesse and high-finesse silicon FPI sensor and characterized their measurement resolution and temperature capability. The results show that the fabrication method has a good potential for high-precision fabrication of fiber-optic sensors.

Sheng, Qiwen↗

Adjustment of sleep and the circadian temperature rhythm after flights across nine time zones

The adjustment of sleep-wake patterns and the circadian temperature rhythm was monitored in nine Royal Norwegian Airforce volunteers operating P-3 aircraft during a westward training deployment across nine time zones. Subjects recorded all sleep and nap times, rated nightly sleep quality, and completed personality inventories. Rectal temperature, heart rate, and wrist activity were continuously monitored. Adjustment was slower after the return eastward flight than after the outbound westward flight. The eastward flight produced slower readjustment of sleep timing to local time and greater interindividual variability in the patterns of adjustment of sleep and temperature. One subject apparently exhibited resynchronization by partition, with the temperature rhythm undergoing the reciprocal 15-h delay. In contrast, average heart rates during sleep were significantly elevated only after westward flight. Interindividual differences in adjustment of the temperature rhythm were correlated with some of the personality measures. Larger phase delays in the overall temperature waveform (as measured on the 5th day after westward flight) were exhibited by extraverts, and less consistently by evening types.

Gander, Philippa H.↗

Frost Monitoring and Forecasting Using MODIS Land Surface Temperature Data and a Numerical Weather Prediction Model Forecasts for Eastern Africa

Frost is a major challenge across Eastern Africa, severely impacting agricultural farms. Frost damages have wide ranging economic implications on tea and coffee farms, which represent a major economic sector. Early monitoring and forecasting will enable farmers to take preventive actions to minimize the losses. Although clearly important, timely information on when to protect crops from freezing is relatively limited. MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST) data, derived from NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, and 72‐hr weather forecasts from the Kenya Meteorological Service's operational Weather Research Forecast model are enabling the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) and the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya to provide timely information to farmers in the region. This presentation will highlight an ongoing collaboration among the Kenya Meteorological Service, RCMRD, and the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya to identify frost events and provide farmers with potential frost forecasts in Eastern Africa.

Kabuchanga, Eric↗

Satellites map the oceans

Satellite remote sensing systems, both operational and planned, for monitoring the ocean winds, temperatures, chlorophyll concentrations, ice flows, and the sea surface and ocean floor topographies are described. Seasat demonstrated the effectiveness of scatterometer measurements for measuring wind velocities and directions, and a new scatterometer may be launched on the U.S. Navy NROSS spacecraft in 1988. The NOAA-7 and -8 satellites carry IR sensors to monitor ocean temperatures, and can thus forewarn of the onset of El Nino. Ocean currents are traced with radar altimeters such as the one planned for the Topex satellite as a follow-on to instrumentation tested during the three-month lifetime of the Seasat satellite. Further analytical development is required, however, to improve the data analyses of the altimeter and scatterometer readings, and to account for errors introduced by the observed features and the interposed atmospheric phenomena.

Hibbs, A. R.↗

Multiplexing Technology for Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Aerospace Vehicles

The initiation and propagation of damage mechanisms such as cracks and delaminations generate acoustic waves, which propagate through a structure. These waves can be detected and analyzed to provide the location and severity of damage as part of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system. This methodology of damage detection is commonly known as acoustic emission (AE) monitoring, and is widely used on a variety of applications on civil structures. AE has been widely considered for SHM of aerospace vehicles. Numerous successful ground and flight test demonstrations have been performed, which show the viability of the technology for damage monitoring in aerospace structures. However, one significant current limitation for application of AE techniques on aerospace vehicles is the large size, mass, and power requirements for the necessary monitoring instrumentation. To address this issue, a prototype multiplexing approach has been developed and demonstrated in this study, which reduces the amount of AE monitoring instrumentation required. Typical time division multiplexing techniques that are commonly used to monitor strain, pressure and temperature sensors are not applicable to AE monitoring because of the asynchronous and widely varying rates of AE signal occurrence. Thus, an event based multiplexing technique was developed. In the initial prototype circuit, inputs from eight sensors in a linear array were multiplexed into two data acquisition channels. The multiplexer rapidly switches, in less than one microsecond, allowing the signals from two sensors to be acquired by a digitizer. The two acquired signals are from the sensors on either side of the trigger sensor. This enables the capture of the first arrival of the waves, which cannot be accomplished with the signal from the trigger sensor. The propagation delay to the slightly more distant neighboring sensors makes this possible. The arrival time from this first arrival provides a more accurate source location determination. The multiplexer also identifies which channels are acquired by encoding TTL logic pulses onto the latter portion of the signals. This prototype system was demonstrated using pencil lead break (Hsu-Neilsen) sources on an aluminum plate. It performed as designed providing rapid low noise trigger based switching with encoded channel identification. this multiplexing approach is not limited to linear arrays, but can be easily extended to monitor sensors in planar ot three dimensional arrays. A 32 channel multiplexing system is under development that will allow arbitrary sensor placement. Another benefit of this multiplexing system is the reduction in the expense of data acquisition hardware. In addition, the reduced weight and power requirements are of extreme importance for proposed AE systems on aerospace vehicles.

Prosser, William↗

Infrared and Passive Microwave Radiometric Sea Surface Temperatures and Their Relationships to Atmospheric Forcing

The current generation of infrared (IR) and passive microwave (MW) satellite sensors provides highly complementary information for monitoring sea surface temperature (SST). On the one hand, infrared sensors provide high resolution and high accuracy but are obscured by clouds. Microwave sensors on the other hand, provide coverage through non-precipitating clouds but have coarser resolution and generally poorer accuracy. Assuming that the satellite SST measurements do not have spatially variable biases, they can be blended combining the merits of both SST products. These factors have motivated recent work in blending the MW and IR data in an attempt to produce high-accuracy SST products with improved coverage in regions with persistent clouds. The primary sources of retrieval uncertainty are, however, different for the two sensors. The main uncertainty in the MW retrievals lies in the effects of wind-induced surface roughness and foam on emissivity, whereas the IR retrievals are more sensitive to the atmospheric water vapor and aerosol content. Average nighttime differences between the products for the month periods of January 1999 and June 2000 are shown. These maps show complex spatial and temporal differences as indicated by the strong spatially coherent features in the product differences and the changes between seasons. Clearly such differences need to be understood and accounted for if the products are to be combined. The overall goals of this project are threefold: (1) To understand the sources of uncertainty in the IR and MW SST retrievals and to characterize the errors affecting the two types of retrieval as a fiction of atmospheric forcing; (2) To demonstrate how representative the temperature difference between the two satellite products is of Delta T; (3) To apply bias adjustments and to device a comprehensive treatment of the behavior of the temperature difference across the oceanic skin layer to determine the best method for blending thermal infrared and passive microwave measurements of SSTs.

Castro, Sandra L.↗

Deep Neural Network Assisted Distributed Strain and Temperature Fiber Sensor System for Natural Gas Pipeline Monitoring

Natural gas pipeline integrity monitoring is crucial to detect potential leaks, find structural issues, and prevent environmental damage. This article presents a system of natural gas pipeline monitoring that uses a specialized double Brillouin peak sensing fiber along with the Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDAs) technique. The calibrated sensing fiber coefficients for strain and temperature are 41.8 kHz/ με and 0.9 MHz/°C for peak 1; and 47.2 kHz/ με , and 1.11 MHz/°C for peak 2, respectively. Initially, lab tests were performed by installing a short section of double Brillouin peak fiber (DBPF) on a 1-in steel pipe under pressure up to 1000 per square inch (psi) at elevated temperatures. Simultaneous distributed measurements of temperature and pressure-induced hoop strain were successfully measured. Considering the long processing speed to extract Brillouin frequency shift (BFS), we employ a novel probabilistic deep neural network (PDNN) framework for rapid BFS prediction. Additionally, using the Finite Element Method, the effects of the pipeline pressure on hoop strain were modeled and compared to the experimental hoop strain under the same set of pipeline conditions. Finally, an actual 4-in outer diameter steel natural gas pipeline was used for pilot-scale tests, where hoop strain was measured at various pressure levels. Leaks were simulated to demonstrate accurate pipeline integrity monitoring. At an internal pipe pressure of 1000 psi, hoop strain of approximately 300 με was observed, and the sensitivity was calculated as 0.28 με /psi. The results of this pilot-scale study demonstrated that the system is capable of performing distributed monitoring sufficient to detect pipeline pressure and the presence of leaks to ensure the safe operation of gas pipelines in the field.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Ionospheric Results with Sounding Rockets and the Explorer VIII Satellite (1960 )

A review is made of ionospheric data reported since the IGY from rocket and satellite-borne ionospheric experiments. These include rocket results on electron density (RF impedance probe), D-region conductivity (Gerdien condenser), and electron temperature (Langmuir probe). Also included are data in the 1000 kilometer region on ion concentration (ion current monitor) and electron temperature from the Explorer VIII Satellite (1960 xi). The review includes suggestions for second generation experiments and combinations thereof particularly suited for small sounding rockets.

Bourdeau, R. E.↗

A 100-Mrad (Si) JFET-based Sensing and Communications System for Extreme Nuclear Instrumentation Environments

Dry cask storage is one of two storage methods approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for spent fuel after removal from reactor cores. Dry casks consist of a stainless steel canister enclosed in a concrete overpack to contain the hazardous radioactive spent fuel rods and provide radiation shielding. Monitoring spent fuel storage casks is desired to ensure the safe containment of the enclosed spent fuel, but is very difficult due to the related harsh temperature and radiation environment. The sensors and associated electronics to monitor temperature, pressure, and/or radiation need to survive high temperatures and radiation doses for extended time periods. For this reason, there is a severe need for radiation-hardened electrical systems that survive well beyond the existing capabilities of commercially available radiation-rated electronic components, which have primarily been developed for space applications. Junction-gate field-effect transistor (JFET) devices are inherently radiation hardened [exceeding 100 Mrad (Si)]. Additionally, when JFETs are used as building blocks for sensing and communication electronics (i.e., oscillators, amplifiers, filters, and mixers), inherently radiation-hardened circuits can be achieved. To this end, JFET-based radiation-hardened electronics interfacing with cask-embedded sensors capable of driving modulated sensor signals through a stainless steel barrier were designed and tested at a dose rate of approximately 500 krad/h (Si) to beyond a 200-Mrad (Si) total ionizing dose. After 200 Mrad (Si), the sensor and communication circuit signals were correctly decoded at the receiver despite oscillator drift. The results from this experiment demonstrate the potential for creating more complex radiation-hardened JFET-based electrical systems for nuclear environments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Central Plasma Sheet Ion Properties as Inferred from Ionospheric Observations

A method of inferring central plasma sheet (CPS) temperature, density, and pressure from ionospheric observations is developed. The advantage of this method over in situ measurements is that the CPS can be studied in its entirely, rather than only in fragments. As a result, for the first time, comprehensive two-dimensional equatorial maps of CPS pressure, density, and temperature within the isotropic plasma sheet are produced. These particle properties are calculated from data taken by the Special Sensor for Precipitating Particles, version 4 (SSJ4) particle instruments onboard DMSP F8, F9, F10, and F11 satellites during the entire year of 1992. Ion spectra occurring in conjunction with electron acceleration events are specifically excluded. Because of the variability of magnetotail stretching, the mapping to the plasma sheet is done using a modified Tsyganenko [1989] magnetic field model (T89) adjusted to agree with the actual magnetotail stretch at observation time. The latter is inferred with a high degree of accuracy (correlation coefficient -0.9) from the latitude of the DMSP b2i boundary (equivalent to the ion isotropy boundary). The results show that temperature, pressure, and density all exhibit dawn-dusk asymmetries unresolved with previous measurements. The ion temperature peaks near the midnight meridian. This peak, which has been associated with bursty bulk flow events, widens in the Y direction with increased activity. The temperature is higher at dusk than at dawn, and this asymmetry increases with decreasing distance from the Earth. In contrast, the density is higher at dawn than at dusk, and there appears to be a density enhancement in the low-latitude boundary layer regions which increases with decreasing magnetic activity. In the near-Earth regions, the pressure is higher at dusk than at dawn, but this asymmetry weakens with increasing distance from the Earth and may even reverse so that at distances X less than approx. 10 to -12 R(sub E), depending on magnetic activity, the dawn sector has slightly higher pressure. The temperature and density asymmetries in the near-Earth region are consistent with the ion westward gradient/curvature drift as the ions ExB convect earthward. When the solar wind dynamic pressure increases, CPS density and pressure appear to increase, but the temperature remains relatively constant. Comparison with previously published work indicates good agreement between the inferred pressure, temperature, and density and those obtained from in situ data. This new method should provide a continuous mechanism to monitor the pressure, temperature, and density in the magnetotail with unprecedented comprehensiveness.

Wing, Simon↗

Effect of altered gravity on temperature regulation in mammals: Investigation of gravity effect on temperature regulation in mammals

Male, Long-Evans hooded rats were instrumented for monitoring core and hypothalamic temperatures as well as shivering and nonshivering thermogenesis in response to decreased ambient temperature in order to characterize the nature of the neural controller of temperature in rats at 1G and evaluate chronic implantation techniques for the monitoring of appropriate parameters at hypergravic fields. The thermoregulatory responses of cold-exposed rats at 2G were compared to those at 1G. A computer model was developed to simulate the thermoregulatory system in the rat. Observations at 1 and 2G were extended to acceleration fields of 1.5, 3.0 and 4.0G and the computer model was modified for application to altered gravity conditions. Changes in the acceleration field resulted in inadequate heat generation rather than increased heat loss. Acceleration appears to impair the ability of the neurocontroller to appropriately integrate input signals for body temperature maintenance.

Horwitz, B. A.↗

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

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

Hall, Dorothy K.↗