Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Tidal Modeling”

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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

A numerical model of nonmigrating diurnal tides between the surface and 65 km

Observations of surface pressure and middle atmosphere temperatures and winds indicate that a substantial nonmigrating component is present in the diurnal tide. The nonmigrating tides, which propagate with a zonal phase speed that is different from the earth's rotation, are attributed to the diurnal heating of geographically fixed sources. In this study we utilize a classical tidal model to examine the propagation characteristics of diurnal tides. The global fields of tropospheric sensible, radiative, and latent heating used to drive the model are supplied from summer and winter diurnal climatologies of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model (CCM2). A novel aspect of this study is the focus on the relative importance of the nonmigrating components. The classical model successfully reproduces many observed features of the low-latitude diurnal surface pressure tides. In the middle atmosphere, the simulated migrating (or sun-synchronous) tide shows qualitative agreement with November-March Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) observations. Tropospheric solar heating is clearly the dominant driving force for the migrating tide, with secondary contributions from boundary-layer sensible heating and tropospheric latent heat release. The leading modes of the zonal mean tide are also driven chiefly by tropospheric solar heating. The higher-order modes of the zonal mean and eastward propagating tides may be attributed to the joint effects of tropospheric solar heating, sensible heating, and latent heat release. The LIMS and other data reveal features that cannot be explained or examined within the context of the classical model used in the present study. These include upward phase propagation, vertical attenuation, and temporal variations in the migrating diurnal tide.

Lieberman, Ruth S.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Tides and the midnight temperature anomally in the thermosphere

Spectral analysis of the midnight temperature anomaly observed on Atmosphere Explorer-E indicates that the phenomenon can be adequately represented with wave numbers between 1 and 5. Results from a multiconstituent circulation model suggest that this feature and associated variations in composition are the result of a complex interaction between the semidiurnal tide generated in the lower atmosphere and ion-neutral momentum coupling associated with the diurnal variation of the ion density which, in turn, also generates higher order tidal models.

Mayr, H. G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Marine Toxicity, Biodegradability, and Rolling-Sliding Tribological Performance of Ionic Liquid-Enhanced Environmentally-Acceptable Lubricants for Tidal Turbomachinery

Environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) are increasingly being recognized in many fields including waterpower, hydraulics, water transport, agricultural machinery, offshore wind turbines, etc. Specifically, high-performance EALs are demanded for tidal turbomachinery to ensure high efficiency and reliability and avoid the significant risk of direct contamination of the marine ecosystem upon leaks. Here we report a new development of ionic liquid (IL)-enhanced EALs for tidal energy. One short-chain phosphonium phosphate and one short-chain ammonium phosphate ILs were used as the candidate additives and the IL-containing EALs demonstrated significantly improved lubricating performance, much lower toxicity, and increased biodegradability compared with commercial baselines. Specifically, in a rolling-sliding test simulating the operation of a model tidal turbine gearbox bearing, an EAL containing the ILs at a 0.5 wt % concentration demonstrated 40% lower friction, 45% less wear loss, substantially reduced rolling contact fatigue-induced surface damage, and one order of magnitude lower vibration noise compared with a commercial gear oil. In an EPA standard toxicity test, 90 and 70% survival of marine biota was observed when exposed to an EAL containing 5 wt % of the short-chain phosphonium phosphate and ammonium phosphate ILs, respectively, while the selected commercial gear oil and bioderived additive killed all marine biota. In a standard biodegradability test, 2 wt % addition of the phosphonium phosphate IL not only retained the EAL’s ready biodegradability but further boosted the oil decomposition from a range of 60–80% to a higher level of 80–95%. Conversely, adding the commercial bioderived additive downgraded the EAL from readily to inherently biodegradable. Furthermore, this work offers scientific insights for development of ILs as potential EAL additives for marine energy and broader applications.

additives↗
NASA NTRS2012

Simulation Study of a Follow-on Gravity Mission to GRACE

The gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) has been providing monthly estimates of the Earth's time-variable gravity field since its launch in March 2002. The GRACE gravity estimates are used to study temporal mass variations on global and regional scales, which are largely caused by a redistribution of water mass in the Earth system. The accuracy of the GRACE gravity fields are primarily limited by the satellite-to-satellite range-rate measurement noise, accelerometer errors, attitude errors, orbit errors, and temporal aliasing caused by unmodeled high-frequency variations in the gravity signal. Recent work by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, CO has resulted in the successful development of an interferometric laser ranging system to specifically address the limitations of the K-band microwave ranging system that provides the satellite-to-satellite measurements for the GRACE mission. Full numerical simulations are performed for several possible configurations of a GRACE Follow-On (GFO) mission to determine if a future satellite gravity recovery mission equipped with a laser ranging system will provide better estimates of time-variable gravity, thus benefiting many areas of Earth systems research. The laser ranging system improves the range-rate measurement precision to approximately 0.6 nm/s as compared to approx. 0.2 micro-seconds for the GRACE K-band microwave ranging instrument. Four different mission scenarios are simulated to investigate the effect of the better instrument at two different altitudes. The first pair of simulated missions is flown at GRACE altitude (approx. 480 km) assuming on-board accelerometers with the same noise characteristics as those currently used for GRACE. The second pair of missions is flown at an altitude of approx. 250 km which requires a drag-free system to prevent satellite re-entry. In addition to allowing a lower satellite altitude, the drag-free system also reduces the errors associated with the accelerometer. All simulated mission scenarios assume a two satellite co-orbiting pair similar to GRACE in a near-polar, near-circular orbit. A method for local time variable gravity recovery through mass concentration blocks (mascons) is used to form simulated gravity estimates for Greenland and the Amazon region for three GFO configurations and GRACE. Simulation results show that the increased precision of the laser does not improve gravity estimation when flown with on-board accelerometers at the same altitude and spacecraft separation as GRACE, even when time-varying background models are not included. This study also shows that only modest improvement is realized for the best-case scenario (laser, low-altitude, drag-free) as compared to GRACE due to temporal aliasing errors. These errors are caused by high-frequency variations in the hydrology signal and imperfections in the atmospheric, oceanographic, and tidal models which are used to remove unwanted signal. This work concludes that applying the updated technologies alone will not immediately advance the accuracy of the gravity estimates. If the scientific objectives of a GFO mission require more accurate gravity estimates, then future work should focus on improvements in the geophysical models, and ways in which the mission design or data processing could reduce the effects of temporal aliasing.

Loomis, Bryant D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Atmospheric response in aurora experiment: Observations of E and F region neutral winds in a region of postmidnight diffuse aurora

The goal of the Atmospheric Response in Aurora (ARIA) experiment carried out at Poker Flat, Alaska, on March 3, 1992, was to determine the response of the neutral atmosphere to the long-lived, large-scale forcing that is characteristic of the diffuse aurora in the post midnight sector. A combination of chemical release rocket wind measurements, instrumented rocket composition measurements, and ground-based optical measurements were used to characterize the response of the neutral atmosphere. The rocket measurements were made at the end of a 90-min period of strong Joule heating. We focus on the neutral wind measurements made with the rocket. The forcing was determined by running the assimilated mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) analysis procedure developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The winds expected at the latitude and longitude of the experiment were calculated using the spectral thermospheric general circulation model developed at the Danish Meteorological Institute. Comparisons of the observations and the model suggest that the neutral winds responded strongly in two height ranges. An eastward wind perturbation of approximately 100 m/s developed between 140 and 200 km altitude with a peak near 160 km. A southwestward wind with peak magnitude of approximately 150 m/s developed near 115 km altitude. The large amplitude winds at the lower altitude are particularly surprising. They appear to be associated with the upward propagating semidiurnal tide. However, the amplitude is much larger than predicted by any of the tidal models, and the shear found just below the peak in the winds was nominally unstable with a Richardson number of approximately 0.08.

Larsen, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

On the diurnal variation of noctilucent clouds

The relationship between nuctilucent clouds (NLC), which are observed from the ground usually within 2 or 3 hrs of local midnight, and the polar mesospheric clouds (PMC), which are observed by satellites in full daylight, as well as the reason for the differences in their optical properties and their observed heights are investigated. Based on a suggestion that these differences can be attributed to a diurnal variation in the properties of a single type of cloud, two published models of the diurnal and semidiurnal variations of temperature, vertical wind speed, and eddy diffusion coefficient at high latitude to simulate the evolution of ice clouds over a 24-hr period. The results show that the minimum in temperature at about 2000 hours LT causes a sharp maximum in scattered brightness to occur about 1 hour before local midnight, with up to a factor of 7 variation in cloud brightness between noon and midnight. It is noted, however, that considerable uncertainties exist in these tidal models.

Jensen, Eric↗
NASA NTRS1993

A Simulation Atlas of Tidal Features in Galaxies

Detailed simulations of tidally induced structure in disk galaxies have either concentrated on specific systems or consisted of a few encounters with relatively small numbers of particles and no self-gravity. Observers need a 'dictionary' of simulations that covers many encounter parameters with fine morphological resolution and includes effects of self-gravitation. Observers can then search the dictionary for the parameters that best match a particular observed morphology. Alternatively, the dictionary can be used with observational samples for statistical studies of system parameters. To fill this need, we present a survey of model tidal encounters using a self-gravitating, 180,000 particle, two-component ('stars' and 'gas') disk. A wide variety of fascinating morphologies results. There are 86 different encounters that vary orbit tilt, perigalacticon distance, galaxy to companion mass ratio, and the amount of halo dark matter relative to the disk. For morphological comparisons, over 1700 images of the entire survey are available in video form. While there is a rich variety of tidal structure covering much of this parameter space, some general patterns may be remarked. There is a strong orbital inclination dependence of the symmetry of tidal patterns, most symmetric for planar orbits and nearly one-sided for polar encounters. Retrograde encounters produce only broad fanlike global patterns, but rich small-scale internal structure. In both kinds of encounter, our numerical resolution allows us to track internal spiral structure driven by the outer material arms, especially in the lighter halo simulations. We note also that polar encounters generate series of expanding, essentially non-rotating loops resembling shell structures in some respects.

Howard, Sethanne↗
NASA NTRS1994

Preliminary assessment of the accuracy and precision of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data with respect to the large-scale ocean circulation

TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height measurements are examined for quantitative consistency with known elements of the oceanic general circulation and its variability. Project-provided corrections were accepted but are at tested as part of the overall results. The ocean was treated as static over each 10-day repeat cycle and maps constructed of the absolute sea surface topography from simple averages in 2 deg x 2 deg bins. A hybrid geoid model formed from a combination of the recent Joint Gravity Model-2 and the project-provided Ohio State University geoid was used to estimate the absolute topography in each 10-day period. Results are examined in terms of the annual average, seasonal average, seasonal variations, and variations near the repeat period. Conclusion are as follows: the orbit error is now difficult to observe, having been reduced to a level at or below the level of other error sources; the geoid dominates the error budget of the estimates of the absolute topography; the estimated seasonal cycle is consistent with prior estimates; shorter-period variability is dominated on the largest scales by an oscillation near 50 days in spherical harmonics Y(sup m)(sub 1)(theta, lambda) with an amplitude near 10 cm, close to the simplest alias of the M(sub 2) tide. This spectral peak and others visible in the periodograms support the hypothesis that the largest remaining time-dependent errors lie in the tidal models. Though discrepancies attribute to the geoid are within the formal uncertainties of the good estimates, removal of them is urgent for circulation studies. Current gross accuracy of the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission is in the range of 5-10 cm, distributed overbroad band of frequencies and wavenumbers. In finite bands, accuracies approach the 1-cm level, and expected improvements arising from extended mission duration should reduce these numbers by nearly an order of magnitude.

Wunsch, Carl↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Kepler Light Curves of V1504 Cygni and V344 Lyrae: A Study of the Outburst Properties

We examine the Kepler light curves of V1504 Cyg and V344 Lyr, encompassing approximately 460 d at 1 min cadence. During this span each system exhibited approximately 40 outbursts, including four superoutbursts. We find that, in both systems, the normal outbursts lying between two superoutbursts increase in duration by a factor approximately 1.2 - 1.7, and then reset to a small value after the following superoutburst. In V344 Lyr the trend of quiescent intervals between normal outbursts is to increase to a local maximum about half way through the supercycle the interval from one superoutburst to the next - and then to decrease back to a small value by the time of the next superoutburst, whereas for V1504 Cyg the quiescent intervals are relatively constant during the supercycle. Both of these trends are inconsistent with the Osaki's thermal-tidal model, which robustly predicts a secular increase in the quiescent intervals between normal outbursts during a supercycle. Also, most of the normal outbursts have an asymmetric, fast-rise/slower-decline shape, which would be consistent with outbursts triggered at large radii. The exponential rate of decay of the plateau phase of the superoutbursts is 8 d mag(sup -1) for approximately 1504 Cyg and 12 d mag(sup -1) for V344 Lyr. This time scale gives a direct measure of the VISCOUS time scale III the outer accretion disk given the expectation that the entire disk is in the hot, viscous state during superoutburst. The resulting constraint on the Shakura-Sunyaev parameter, alpha(sub hot) approximately equal to 0.1, is consistent with the value inferred from the fast dwarf nova decays. By looking at the slow decay rate for superoutbursts, which occur in systems below the period gap, in combination with the slow decay rate in one long outburst above the period gap (in U Gem), we infer a steep dependence of the decay rate on orbital period for long outbursts. We argue that this relation implies a steep dependence of alpha(sub cold) on orbital period, which may be consistent with recent findings of Patterson, and is consistent with tidal torquing as being the dominant angular momentum transport mechanism in quiescent disks in interacting binary systems.

Cannizzo, John K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Possible histories of the obliquity of Mercury

Possible evolutionary paths of the spin axis of Mercury are studied theoretically in terms of generalized Cassini's laws using the Hamiltonian approach. Three stable positions (Cassini states) of the spin axis are discerned. The Cassini states in which the spin axis remains fixed in the frame rotating with the orbit precession are extremes in the tide-free Hamiltonian under the condition of constant angular momentum. The stability of the 3/2 spin resonance for Mercury as a function of obliquity is discussed, and it is shown how control of the resonance is passed from one to another term in the averaged potential as the obliquity is increased with a corresponding loss of stability at each transfer. A sampling technique is used to infer the evolution due to tidal interaction. Two tidal models are used - one with a constant value of the specific dissipation function Q and the other with Q inversely proportional to frequency. An approximate analytic solution for precession trajectories very close to a Cassini state is developed.

Peale, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Tidal friction in the solid earth

The earth's imperfectly elastic response to body and loading tidal forces is discussed using complex Love numbers and complex mass loading coefficients. Exact analytical expressions were derived relating the energy dissipation within an inhomogeneous, compressible solid earth to the surface values of these complex characteristic numbers, thus relating the global dissipation function Q to the phase shifts in the potential, gravity, tilt, strain and displacement tides. Integration of a global ocean tidal model shows that energy dissipated in the solid earth due to ocean loading is at least 10% of that dissipated in the body tides.

Zschau, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Surface pressure response to elevated tidal heating sources - Comparison of earth and Mars

Modern atmospheric tidal theory has shown that the dominance of the terrestrial semidiurnal surface pressure oscillation, relative to its diurnal counterpart, is the result of the elevated heating source generated by solar heating of stratospheric ozone. Observations of the daily surface pressure variation at the Viking Lander 1 site on Mars reveal a similar predominance of the semidiurnal surface pressure oscillation only during the onset of a Martian great dust storm. Application of a classical, analytic tidal model to the Viking Lander 1 data indicates that elevating the effective heat source due to solar heating of airborne dust by a few kilometers during the onset of a Martian great dust storm can account for the observed semidiurnal surface pressure variation.

Zurek, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Atmospheric Tides Between 80 Km and 120 Km

The structure and variability of tides in the 80 to 120 km height region are reviewed. Particulary emphasized are seasonal-latitudinal variations in the vertical structure of diurnal and semidiurnal winds between 70 to 110 km as measured by meteor and partial reflection drift radars, and tidal temperatures determined by incoherent scatter radars between 100 and 140 km. Variations in tidal structures with longitude, from day to day, and during equinoctial transition periods are also addressed. A brief summary of the current status of atmospheric tidal modelling is provided.

Forbes, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Propagating tides in the mesosphere

A preliminary search has begun for evidence of tides in the 1-hr average line-of-sight mesospheric velocity data from the Urbana radar in the period 1978 to 1982, inclusive. Observations are restricted to the southeasterly component of those velocities. Since observations are only available for a fraction of a day due to the absence of night-time ionization in the Urbana mesosphere, it was decided to adopt an unusual procedure in the search; namely, to perform a Fourier analysis in the vertical direction and look for rotation in phase of vectors representing spatial frequency components. Propagating tidal modes would then show as vectors with a net rotation corresponding to their downward phase velocity. Five year monthly averages of hourly mean horizontal velocities inferred from the Urbana data are given. Consistent diurnal variation is seen for a number of months. These data were analyzed for vertical spatial periods of 3, 4.5, 6, 9, 12, and 24 km. When plotted as a function of time of day, many of the phasors tended to show a net rotation. The sense of rotation of a spinning vector in the complex plane can be determined objectively by computing the signed area swept out by the vector in saving from point to point. This calculation, indicated downward motion in 8 out of 12 months for the 9-km component and in 11 out of 12 months for the 24-km component. A comparison of the magnitudes of the 6 modes showed that the primary component was the 24-km component, a result confirmed by the tidal models of Forbes.

Bowhill, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Global ocean tide mapping using TOPEX/Poseidon altimetry

The investigation's main goals are to produce accurate tidal maps of the main diurnal, semidiurnal, and long-period tidal components in the world's deep oceans. This will be done by the application of statistical estimation techniques to long time series of altimeter data provided by the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission, with additional information provided by satellite tracking data. In the prelaunch phase, we will use in our simulations and preliminary work data supplied by previous oceanographic missions, such as Seasat and Geosat. These results will be of scientific interest in themselves. The investigation will also be concerned with the estimation of new values, and their uncertainties, for tidal currents and for the physical parameters appearing in the Laplace tidal equations, such as bottom friction coefficients and eddy viscosity coefficients. This will be done by incorporating the altimetry-derived charts of vertical tides as boundary conditions in the integration of those equations. The methodology of the tidal representation will include the use of appropriate series expansions such as ocean-basin normal modes and spherical harmonics. The results of the investigation will be space-determined tidal models of coverage and accuracy superior to that of the present numerical models of the ocean tides, with the concomitant benefits to oceanography and associated disciplinary fields.

Sanchez, Braulio V.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Empirical wind model for the middle and lower atmosphere. Part 2: Local time variations

The HWM90 thermospheric wind model was revised in the lower thermosphere and extended into the mesosphere and lower atmosphere to provide a single analytic model for calculating zonal and meridional wind profiles representative of the climatological average for various geophysical conditions. Local time variations in the mesosphere are derived from rocket soundings, incoherent scatter radar, MF radar, and meteor radar. Low-order spherical harmonics and Fourier series are used to describe these variations as a function of latitude and day of year with cubic spline interpolation in altitude. The model represents a smoothed compromise between the original data sources. Although agreement between various data sources is generally good, some systematic differences are noted. Overall root mean square differences between measured and model tidal components are on the order of 5 to 10 m/s.

Hedin, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Measurement of diurnal and semidiurnal rotational variations and tidal parameters of Earth

We discuss the determination of diurnal and semidiurnal variations in the rotation rate and the direction of rotation axis of Earth from the analysis of 8 years of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data. This analysis clearly show that these variations are largely periodic and tidally driven; that is, the periods of the variations correspond to the periods of the largest lunar and solar tides. For rotation rate variations, expressed in terms of changes in universal time (UT), the tidal lines with the largest observed signals are O1 (amplitude 23.5 microseconds in time (microseconds), period 25.82 solar hours); KL (18.9 microseconds, 23.93 hours); M2 (17.9 microseconds, 12.54 hours); and S2 (8.6 microseconds, 12.00 hours). For variations in the direction of the rotation axis (polar motion), significant signals exist in the retrograde semidiurnal band at the M2 and S2 tides (amplitudes 265 and 119 microarc seconds (microarc seconds, respectively); the prograde diurnal band at the O1, K1, and P1 tides (amplitudes 199, 152, and 60 microarc seconds, respectively); and the prograde semidiurnal band at the M2 and K2 tides (amplitudes 58 and 39 microarc seconds, respectively). Variations in the retrograde diurnal band are represented by corrections with previous estimates except that a previously noted discrepancy in the 13.66-day nutation (corresponding to the O1 tide) is largely removed in this new analysis. We estimate that the standard deviations of these estimates are 1.0 microseconds for the UT1 variations and 14-16 microarc seconds for the polar motion terms. These uncertainties correspond to surface displacements of approximately 0.5 mm. From the analysis of atmospheric angular momentum data we conclude that variations in UT1 excited by the atmosphere with subdaily periods are small (approximately 1 microsecond). We find that the average radial tidal displacements of the VLBI sites in the diurnal band are largely consistent with known deficiencies in current tidal models, i.e., deficiencies of up to 0.9 mm in the treatment of the free core nutation resonance. In the semidiurnal band, our analysis yields estimates of the second-degree harmonic radial Love number h(sub 2) at the M2 tide of 0.604 + i0.005 +/- 0.002. The most likely explanation for the rotational variations are the effects of ocean tides, but there may also be some contributions from atmospheric tides, the effects of triaxiality of Earth, and the equatorial second-degree-harmonic components of the core- mantle boundary.

Herring, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Ocean Tide Loading Computation

September 15,2003 through May 15,2005 This grant funds the maintenance, updating, and distribution of programs for computing ocean tide loading, to enable the corrections for such loading to be more widely applied in space- geodetic and gravity measurements. These programs, developed under funding from the CDP and DOSE programs, incorporate the most recent global tidal models developed from Topex/Poscidon data, and also local tide models for regions around North America; the design of the algorithm and software makes it straightforward to combine local and global models.

Agnew, Duncan Carr↗