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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.

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At least 595 records · Page 33

Flight of a UV spectrophotometer aboard Galileo 2, the NASA Convair 990 aircraft

An ultraviolet interference-filter spectrophotometer (UVS) fabricated for aircraft-borne use on the DOT Climatic Impact Assessment Program (CIAP) has been successfully tested in a series of flights on the NASA Convair 990, Galileo II. UV flux data and the calculated total ozone above the flight path are reported for several of the flights. Good agreement is obtained with the total ozone as deducted by integration of an ozone sonde vertical profile obtained at Wallops Island, Virginia near the time of a CV-990 underpass. Possible advantages of use of the UVS in the NASA Global Atmospheric Sampling Program are discussed.

Sellers, B.↗

Ultraviolet remote sensing of atmospheric ozone from payloads using Shuttle capabilities

Previous atmospheric ozone observations using an ultraviolet double monochromator to measure the absorption of back-scattered solar radiation between 255 nm and 340 nm have provided information on the global total ozone distribution as well as its vertical profile. This information can be used to structure the comprehensive ozone observations that are needed to provide a better understanding of ozone formation and destruction mechanisms. Some potential ozone threats, especially that from photodissociation of fluorocarbons, make Shuttle-based observations especially timely. Because of the nature of the global ozone-transport process, measurements must be performed from space on a global scale with sufficient resolution and accuracy to determine the total amount of atmospheric ozone. A better understanding of ozone processes in global regions inaccessible from previous platforms is needed to complete this ozone data base. This paper describes the potential for Shuttle payloads to provide the required information.

Krueger, A. J.↗

Diurnal stratospheric tide in meridional wind, 30 to 60 km, by season

The diurnal component in meridional wind is estimated for each season at twelve rocket stations. Amplitudes and phases are presented as a function of height-latitude or as vertical profiles. Many of the gross features of the tide persist throughout the year, but as they migrate in height and latitude the amplitude or phase at a given location may undergo large changes with season. Longitudinal variations in the diurnal tide are found in the mid-stratosphere, and it is suggested they are coupled with longitudinal variations in the tropospheric temperature structure.

Nastrom, G. D.↗

The measurement of carbon monoxide and methane in the national capital air quality control region. II - Meteorological conditions and chromatographic and spectrometric results

The meteorological conditions during this program consisted of a stagnant high pressure system which was subsequently replaced by southward moving Canadian air. This change in air masses produced distinct changes in the ambient CO concentrations. Ground level concentrations decreased from an average of 1.3 ppm at the beginning of the experiment to 0.2 ppm at the end. Vertical profiles obtained during the experiment showed decreases in the CO concentrations with altitude. Agreement of gas chromatography data for CO and CH4 by NASA and NRL was within 5% for the concentrations encountered. Results from NASA's Infrared Fourier Spectrometer agreed with the gas chromatographic results both in trends and concentrations of CO and CH4 observed with the passing frontal system.

Lamontagne, R. A.↗

Stratospheric aerosols and climatic change

Generated primarily by volcanic explosions, a layer of submicron silicate particles and particles made of concentrated sulfuric acids solution is present in the stratosphere. Flights through the stratosphere may be a future source of stratospheric aerosols, since the effluent from supersonic transports contains sulfurous gases (which will be converted to H2SO4) while the exhaust from Space Shuttles contains tiny aluminum oxide particles. Global heat balance calculations have shown that the stratospheric aerosols have made important contributions to some climatic changes. In the present paper, accurate radiative transfer calculations of the globally-averaged surface temperature (T) are carried out to estimate the sensitivity of the climate to changes in the number of stratospheric aerosols. The results obtained for a specified model atmosphere, including a vertical profile of the aerosols, indicate that the climate is unlikely to be affected by supersonic transports and Space Shuttles, during the next decades.

Baldwin, B.↗

The covariance of temperature and ozone due to planetary-wave forcing

The cross-spectra of temperature and ozone mass mixing ratio at 42 km and 28 km has been determined for spring (1971) and summer (1971-2) over Christchurch, New Zealand (44 S, 172 E). The sources of data are the SCR and BUV experiments on Nimbus 4. The observed covariances are compared with a model in which the temperature and ozone perturbations are forced by an upward propagating planetary wave. The agreement between the observations and the model is reasonable. It is suggested that this cross-spectral method permits an estimate of the meridional gradient of ozone mass mixing ratio from measurements of the vertical profile of ozone mass mixing ratio at one location, supported by temperature profiles from at least two locations.

Fraser, G. J.↗

Aerosol physical properties in the stratosphere (APPS) radiometer design

The measurement concepts and radiometer design developed to obtain earth-limb spectral radiance measurements for the Aerosol Physical Properties in the Stratosphere (APPS) measurement program are presented. The measurements made by a radiometer of this design can be inverted to yield vertical profiles of Rayleigh scatterers, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, aerosol extinction, and aerosol physical properties, including a Junge size-distribution parameter, and a real and imaginary index of refraction. The radiometer design provides the capacity for remote sensing of stratospheric constituents from space on platforms such as the space shuttle and satellites, and therefore provides for global measurements on a daily basis.

Gray, C. R.↗

Interhemispheric survey of minor upper atmospheric constituents during October - November 1976

The CV-990 aircraft coordinated several flights with a NASA U-2 aircraft, NOAA ground station measurements in Alaska, Hawaii, and American Samoa, and with Australian and New Zealand ground stations, aircraft, and a balloon experiment in the Southern hemisphere. Data were obtained for species including ozone, total ozone, the oxides of nitrogen, the chlorofluoromethanes, water vapor, nitric acid, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen chloride, Aitken nuclei, ammonia, aerosols, temperatures, and winds. Individual experiment results and selected analyses are presented. The experimental data include total column densities, latitude variations, interhemisphere differences, and vertical profiles.

Gauntner, D. J.↗

Atmospheric ozone measurements made from B-747 AIRLINERS: Spring 1975

Atmospheric ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere north of the equator has been registered aboard two commercial B-747 airliners. The composite ozone, flight and meteorological data are reported. Attention is drawn particularly to the vertical profiles of atmospheric ozone mixing ratio as a function of both distance from the tropopause and curvature of the streamlines. The GASP observations suggest that ozone levels typical of the lower stratosphere are often embedded in the upper troposphere, principally during occassions when cyclonic wind curvature was noted.

Falconer, P. D.↗

Meteorological Radar Facility for the Space Shuttle

A proposed meteorological radar facility for Space Shuttle missions is described as a device suitable for providing vertical profiles of the precipitation distribution in the atmosphere above land masses and over ocean, thus ensuring three-dimensional mapping of the hydrometeor-precipitation distribution in the atmosphere. Some performance characteristics essential to orbiting meteorological radar systems and typical parameters are discussed, including large swath width, narrow beamwidth, frequency agility, and antenna configuration and orientation. Also discussed are the capabilities of the device as a test bed sensor with multiple mode capability, being able to operate in real aperture/pulse radar, real aperture/pulse Doppler and synthetic azimuth processing modes.

Eckerman, J.↗

Observation of neutral winds during an equatorial electrojet

The vertical profile of the horizontal wind in a strong equatorial electrojet is distinctly different from profiles observed previously at other times and locations. The zonal wind speed is small and varies slowly with altitude, whereas the meridional component manifests a cross-equatorial oscillation with altitude which may result from a unique interaction of the ionized and neutral motions.

Bedinger, J. F.↗

Inversion of solar extinction data from the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (ASTP/SAM) experiment

The inversion methods are reported that have been used to determine the vertical profile of the extinction coefficient due to the stratospheric aerosols from data measured during the ASTP/SAM solar occultation experiment. Inversion methods include the onion skin peel technique and methods of solving the Fredholm equation for the problem subject to smoothing constraints. The latter of these approaches involves a double inversion scheme. Comparisons are made between the inverted results from the SAM experiment and near simultaneous measurements made by lidar and balloon born dustsonde. The results are used to demonstrate the assumptions required to perform the inversions for aerosols.

Pepin, T. J.↗

Neutrally stable atmospheric flow over a two-dimensional rectangular block

The phenomena of atmospheric flow over a two dimensional surface obstruction such as a building modeled as a rectangular block are analyzed by an approach using the Navier-Stokes equations with a two equation model of turbulence. The partial differential equations for the vorticity, stream function, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence length scale are solved by a finite difference technique. The predicted results are in agreement with the limited experimental data available. Current computed results show that the separation bubble originates from the upper front corner of the block and extends approximately 11.5 block heights behind the block. The decay of the mean velocity along the wake center line coincides almost perfectly with the experimental data. The vertical profiles of the mean velocity defect are also in reasonable agreement with wind tunnel results. Velocity profiles in the mixing region are shown to agree with the error function profile typically found in the shear layer. Details of the behavior of the turbulence kinetic energy and the turbulence length scale are also discussed.

Shieh, C. F.↗

Passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture

The theory and calculations of microwave emission from the medium with the depth-dependent physical properties are discussed; the possibility of determining the vertical profiles of temperature and humidity is considered. Laboratory and aircraft measurements of the soil moisture are described; the technique for determining the productive-moisture content in soil, and the results of aircraft measurements are given.

Kondratyev, K. Y.↗

Broad perspectives in radar for ocean measurements

The various active radar implementation options available for the measurement functions of interest for the SEASAT follow-on missions were evaluated. These functions include surface feature imaging, surface pressure and vertical profile, atmospheric sounding, surface backscatter and wind speed determination, surface current location, wavelength spectra, sea surface topography, and ice/snow thickness. Some concepts for the Synthetic Aperture Imaging Radar were examined that may be useful in the design and selection of the implementation options for these missions. The applicability of these instruments for the VOIR mission was also kept under consideration.

Jain, A.↗

Contribution of remote sensing to understand the Bay as a system

The natural resource management information system concept designed specifically for use with remote sensing is discussed in terms of understanding and studying the Chesapeake Bay as a total system. The Bay is defined as a system comprising the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere, that is the vertical profile encompassed by the systems and a two dimensional plane defining the total watershed of the Bay from the headwaters of its tributaries to a distance in the ocean defined by ten tidal cycles. The Chesapeake Bay system is assumed to be the ecosystem in the largest sense. Ecological partitioning, a methodology resulting from studies of land systems for partitioning the land into geobotanical landscape units, is included along with a breakdown of LANDSAT investigations according to subject area.

Park, A. B.↗

The effective aerosol attenuation on determination error of ocean and atmosphere temperatures by remote methods

This article contains a survey of literature on errors in establishing temperature of the underlying surface and the vertical profile of temperature in the 15 microns CO2 band when aerosol attenuation was not taken into account. Experimental data show the large contribution of the aerosol to total radiation attentuation. Evaluations are made of the relationship of the magnitude of establishment error to location and optical thickness of the aerosol layer.

Source record↗

Experiments in monthly mean simulation of the atmosphere with a coarse-mesh general circulation model

The Hansen atmospheric model was used to compute five monthly forecasts (October 1976 through February 1977). The comparison is based on an energetics analysis, meridional and vertical profiles, error statistics, and prognostic and observed mean maps. The monthly mean model simulations suffer from several defects. There is, in general, no skill in the simulation of the monthly mean sea-level pressure field, and only marginal skill is indicated for the 850 mb temperatures and 500 mb heights. The coarse-mesh model appears to generate a less satisfactory monthly mean simulation than the finer mesh GISS model.

Lutz, R. J.↗