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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 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Sound radiation from a vibrating cylinder in flow

An alternative approach to the conventional manner of calculating net power output of a source by integrating the energy flux over a distant control surface is presented. The method gives a means of calculating source radiation by an integral only over the source region and eliminates the need for a possibly difficult flux integration. The radiator chosen here is a finite, open ended, cylindrical shell of negligible thickness in the presence of uniform axial flow. A homogeneous medium without external boundaries is assumed. An integral representation and, in the long wave length approximation, an analytical expression for the power radiated by the vibrating cylinder are obtained. The results show power radiation may be increased or decreased by the presence of flow, depending on the relationship between the wave number of the vibration and the size of the radiator. The result is compared with results for simpler geometries.

Smith, M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The chemical composition of the dust-free Martian atmosphere - Preliminary results of a two-dimensional model

This paper describes a two-dimensional model of the Martian atmosphere, in which chemical, radiative and dynamical processes are treated interactively. The model is developed for a carbon dioxide-hydrogen-oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and provides estimates of concentrations for 19 chemical species. The dynamical equations are expressed in the transformed Eulerian coordinates. The wave driving and eddy mixing coefficients resulting from gravity and Rossby wave absorption are computed consistently with the evolving distribution of the mean zonal wind. The net diabatic heating/cooling rate is derived from a detailed radiative scheme including the contributions of CO2, O3, H2O and O2, and is computed consistently with the calculated distribution of temperature and trace species quantities. The computed temperature field as well as the meridional and seasonal variations of ozone column abundance are in good agreement with the distributions observed by Mariner 9 and Viking spacecrafts and the results obtained by previous studies. The present version of the model does not include the effects of dust, clouds and polar hood and only the chemistry in a dust-free atmosphere is considered.

Moreau, D.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Surface Radiation Budget and Climate Classification

The surface radiation budget of a region is strongly tied to its climate. An 8-yr climatology of surface radiation budget components for 2.5 deg over the earth is examined in order to learn how the regional climate and surface radiation are related. The yearly cycles of a few individual regions were studied by plotting monthly mean net longwave flux as a function of net shortwave flux at the surface. These plots show trajectories that are characteristic of the climate class. The behavior of the trajectories of surface radiation and their relation to the regional climate can be understood with simple conceptual models for many cases. From an examination of these trajectories, a set of parameters is developed, such as mean net longwave flux and range of net shortwave flux, which distinguish various climate classes on the basis of the surface radiation. These criteria are applied to produce a map of regional climate classes based on surface radiation, similar to those of Koeppen or Trewartha and Horn, which were based on vegetation, temperature, and precipitation. The current maps can be used to explore the relationships between surface radiation and regional climate.

Smith, G. Louis↗
NASA NTRS2018

Changes in Earth’s Energy Budget during and after the “Pause” in Global Warming: An Observational Perspective

This study examines changes in Earth’s energy budget during and after the global warming “pause” (or “hiatus”) using observations from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System. We find a marked 0.83±0.41 Wm−2 reduction in global mean reflected shortwave (SW) top-of-atmosphere (TOA) flux during the three years following the hiatus that results in an increase in net energy into the climate system. A partial radiative perturbation analysis reveals that decreases in low cloud cover are the primary driver of the decrease in SW TOA flux. The regional distribution of the SW TOA flux changes associated with the decreases in low cloud cover closely matches that of sea-surface temperature warming, which shows a pattern typical of the positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Large reductions in clear-sky SW TOA flux are also found over much of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in the northern hemisphere. These are associated with a reduction in aerosol optical depth consistent with stricter pollution controls in China and North America. A simple energy budget framework is used to show that TOA radiation (particularly in the SW) likely played a dominant role in driving the marked increase in temperature tendency during the post-hiatus period.

Norman G Loeb↗
NASA NTRS2012

Aerosol Direct, Indirect, Semidirect, and Surface Albedo Effects from Sector Contributions Based on the IPCC AR5 Emissions for Preindustrial and Present-day Conditions

The anthropogenic increase in aerosol concentrations since preindustrial times and its net cooling effect on the atmosphere is thought to mask some of the greenhouse gas-induced warming. Although the overall effect of aerosols on solar radiation and clouds is most certainly negative, some individual forcing agents and feedbacks have positive forcing effects. Recent studies have tried to identify some of those positive forcing agents and their individual emission sectors, with the hope that mitigation policies could be developed to target those emitters. Understanding the net effect of multisource emitting sectors and the involved cloud feedbacks is very challenging, and this paper will clarify forcing and feedback effects by separating direct, indirect, semidirect and surface albedo effects due to aerosols. To this end, we apply the Goddard Institute for Space Studies climate model including detailed aerosol microphysics to examine aerosol impacts on climate by isolating single emission sector contributions as given by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) emission data sets developed for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR5. For the modeled past 150 years, using the climate model and emissions from preindustrial times to present-day, the total global annual mean aerosol radiative forcing is -0.6 W/m(exp 2), with the largest contribution from the direct effect (-0.5 W/m(exp 2)). Aerosol-induced changes on cloud cover often depends on cloud type and geographical region. The indirect (includes only the cloud albedo effect with -0.17 W/m(exp 2)) and semidirect effects (-0.10 W/m(exp 2)) can be isolated on a regional scale, and they often have opposing forcing effects, leading to overall small forcing effects on a global scale. Although the surface albedo effects from aerosols are small (0.016 W/m(exp 2)), triggered feedbacks on top of the atmosphere (TOA) radiative forcing can be 10 times larger. Our results point out that each emission sector has varying impacts by geographical region. For example, the single sector most responsible for a net positive radiative forcing is the transportation sector in the United States, agricultural burning and transportation in Europe, and the domestic emission sector in Asia. These sectors are attractive mitigation targets.

Bauer, Susanne E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Initial Results from the Micro-pulse Lidar Network (MPL-Net)

The micro-pulse lidar system (MPL) was developed in the early 1990s and was the first small, eye-safe, and autonomous lidar built for full time monitoring of cloud and aerosol vertical distributions. In 2000, a new project using MPL systems was started at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This new project, the Micro-pulse Lidar Network or MPL-Net, was created to provide long-term observations of aerosol and cloud vertical profiles at key sites around the world. This is accomplished using both NASA operated sites and partnerships with other organizations owning MPL systems. The MPL-Net sites are co-located with NASA AERONET sunphotometers to provide aerosol optical depth data needed for calibration of the MPL. In addition to the long-term sites, MPL-Net provides lidar support for a limited number of field experiments and ocean cruises each year. We will present an overview of the MPL-Net project and show initial results from the first two MPL-Net sites at the South Pole and at Goddard Space Flight Center. Observations of dust layers transported from the Gobi desert, across the Pacific Ocean, to the east coast of the United States will also be shown. MPL-Net affiliated instruments were in place at the desert source region in China, on a research vessel in the Sea of Japan, at ARM sites in Alaska and Oklahoma, and finally at our home site in Maryland (GSFC) during the massive dust storms that occurred in April 2001. The MPL observations of dust layers at each location are shown in comparison to dust layers predicted using the Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). Finally, the MPL-Net project is the primary ground-validation program for the Geo-Science Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) satellite lidar project (launch date 2002). We will present an overview demonstrating how MPL-Net results are used to help prepare the GLAS data processing algorithms and assist in the calibration/validation of the GLAS data products.

Welton, Ellsworth J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Subsidence of aircraft engine exhaust in the stratosphere: Implications for calculated ozone depletions

The deposition altitude of nitrogen oxides and other exhaust species emitted by stratospheric aircraft is a crucial parameter in determining the impact of these emissions on stratospheric ozone. We have utilized a model for the wake of a High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) to estimate the enhancements in water and reductions in ozone in these wakes as a function of time. Radiative calculations indicate differential cooling rates as large as -5K/day at the beginning of the far-wake regime, mostly due to the enhanced water abundance. These cooling rates would imply a net sinking of the wakes of about 1.2 km after three days in the limit of no mixing. Calculated mid-latitude column ozone reductions due to emissions from a Mach 2.4 HSCT would then change from about -1% to -06%. However, more realistic calculations adopting moderate mixing for the wake reduce the net sinking to less than 0.2 km, making the impact of radiative subsidence negligible.

Rodriguez, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The role of global cloud climatologies in validating numerical models

Reliable estimates of the components of the surface radiation budget are important in studies of ocean-atmosphere interaction, land-atmosphere interaction, ocean circulation and in the validation of radiation schemes used in climate models. The methods currently under consideration must necessarily make certain assumptions regarding both the presence of clouds and their vertical extent. Because of the uncertainties in assumed cloudiness, all these methods involve perhaps unacceptable uncertainties. Here, a theoretical framework that avoids the explicit computation of cloud fraction and the location of cloud base in estimating the surface longwave radiation is presented. Estimates of the global surface downward fluxes and the oceanic surface net upward fluxes were made for four months (April, July, October and January) in 1985 to 1986. These estimates are based on a relationship between cloud radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere and the surface obtained from a general circulation model. The radiation code is the version used in the UCLA/GLA general circulation model (GCM). The longwave cloud radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere as obtained from Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) measurements is used to compute the forcing at the surface by means of the GCM-derived relationship. This, along with clear-sky fluxes from the computations, yield maps of the downward longwave fluxes and net upward longwave fluxes at the surface. The calculated results are discussed and analyzed. The results are consistent with current meteorological knowledge and explainable on the basis of previous theoretical and observational works; therefore, it can be concluded that this method is applicable as one of the ways to obtain the surface longwave radiation fields from currently available satellite data.

HARSHVARDHAN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spatial profiles of photon chemical potential in near-field thermophotovoltaic cells

Emitted photons stemming from the radiative recombination of electron–hole pairs carry chemical potential in radiative energy converters. This luminescent effect can substantially alter the local net photogeneration in near-field thermophotovoltaic cells. Several assumptions involving the luminescent effect are commonly made in modeling photovoltaic devices; in particular, the photon chemical potential is assumed to be zero or a constant prescribed by the bias voltage. The significance of photon chemical potential depends upon the emitter temperature, the semiconductor properties, and the injection level. Hence, these assumptions are questionable in near-field thermophotovoltaic devices with nanoscale separation distances between the emitter and the cell. In the present work, an iterative solver that combines fluctuational electrodynamics with the drift-diffusion model is developed to tackle the coupled photon and charge transport problem, enabling the determination of the spatial profile of photon chemical potential beyond the detailed balance approach. Here, the difference between the results obtained by allowing the photon chemical potential to vary spatially and by assuming a constant value demonstrates the limitations of the conventional approaches. This study is critically important for performance evaluation of near-field thermophotovoltaic systems with nanoscale vacuum gaps.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1970

Inexpensive net solar flux radiometer

Radiometer measures the absorption and reflection of solar radiation by opaque and translucent surfaces. Surface-coating modifications permit measurements over selected broad wavelength bands within the solar spectrum.

Darkow, G. L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Influence of Ablation on Radiative Heating for Earth Entry

Using the coupled ablation and radiation capability recently included in the LAURA flowfield solver, this paper investigates the influence of ablation on the shock-layer radiative heating for Earth entry. The extension of the HARA radiation model, which provides the radiation predictions in LAURA, to treat a gas consisting of the elements C, H, O, and N is discussed. It is shown that the absorption coefficient of air is increased with the introduction of the C and H elements. A simplified shock layer model is studied to show the impact of temperature, as well as the abundance of C and H, on the net absorption or emission from an ablation contaminated boundary layer. It is found that the ablation species reduce the radiative flux in the vacuum ultraviolet, through increased absorption, for all temperatures. However, in the infrared region of the spectrum, the ablation species increase the radiative flux, through strong emission, for temperatures above 3,000 K. Thus, depending on the temperature and abundance of ablation species, the contaminated boundary layer may either provide a net increase or decrease in the radiative flux reaching the wall. To assess the validity of the coupled ablation and radiation LAURA analysis, a previously analyzed Mars-return case (15.24 km/s), which contains significant ablation and radiation coupling, is studied. Exceptional agreement with previous viscous shock-layer results is obtained. A 40% decrease in the radiative flux is predicted for ablation rates equal to 20% of the free-stream mass flux. The Apollo 4 peak-heating case (10.24 km/s) is also studied. For ablation rates up to 3.4% of the free-stream mass flux, the radiative heating is reduced by up to 19%, while the convective heating is reduced by up to 87%. Good agreement with the Apollo 4 radiometer data is obtained by considering absorption in the radiometer cavity. For both the Mars return and the Apollo 4 cases, coupled radiation alone is found to reduce the radiative heating by 30 60% and the convective heating by less than 5%.

Johnston, Christopher O.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of Arctic Cloud Properties and Surface Radiation Based on MOSAiC Shipborne Observations

The Arctic is rapidly changing due to changes of the Earth system. This study investigates cloud fraction, phase partition, cloud type, and their relationships with surface radiation based on yearlong shipborne observations in the Arctic regions. The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) campaign provided lidar and radar observations of cloud microphysical properties and surface shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) radiation. Cloud and radiative properties were examined at daily and monthly resolutions in four seasons. Low clouds were found to be most prevalent throughout the year, followed by deep clouds. The ice phase is the dominant phase except for summer (June–August). Liquid and mixed phases show more significant monthly and annual mean radiative effects in SW and LW than the ice phase. The clouds show net warming effects due to LW heating in most months, while the SW cooling effects of clouds become more dominant for July and August. The cloud and radiation observations from MOSAiC were used to evaluate simulations of the atmospheric component of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 2. The simulations show large overestimations of the liquid and mixed phases in the Arctic regions from February to September. The simulations also underestimate the percentages of low clouds and overestimate the percentages of deep clouds throughout the year. Altogether, this work provides a unique analysis of cloud and radiation properties based on high-resolution shipborne observations, which can be used to assist future model evaluation and development.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cloud radiative effect dominates variabilities of surface energy budget in the dark Arctic

Climate models simulate a wide range of temperatures in the Arctic. Here we investigate one of the main drivers of changes in surface temperature: the net surface heat flux in the models. We show that in the winter months of the dark Arctic, there is a more than two-fold difference in the net surface heat fluxes among the models, and this difference is dominated by the downward infrared radiation from clouds. Owing to the small amount of water vapor in the winter Arctic, infrared radiation from clouds transmits more easily to the surface in the Arctic than at other latitudes, resulting in large cloud radiative effect at the surface. The dominant role of the cloud effect is also found in the transient variability of the net surface heat flux. Results demonstrate that accurate simulation of clouds is crucial for determining the net surface heat flux, which in turn affects surface temperature and sea ice properties in the Arctic.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1997

Simultaneous Retrieval of Multiple Aerosol Parameters Using a Multi-Angular Approach

Atmospheric aerosol particles, both natural and anthropogenic, are important to the earth's radiative balance through their direct and indirect effects. They scatter the incoming solar radiation (direct effect) and modify the shortwave reflective properties of clouds by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (indirect effect). Although it has been suggested that aerosols exert a net cooling influence on climate, this effect has received less attention than the radiative forcing due to clouds and greenhouse gases. In order to understand the role that aerosols play in a changing climate, detailed and accurate observations are a prerequisite. The retrieval of aerosol optical properties by satellite remote sensing has proven to be a difficult task. The difficulty results mainly from the tenuous nature and variable composition of aerosols. To date, with single-angle satellite observations, we can only retrieve reliably against dark backgrounds, such as over oceans and dense vegetation. Even then, assumptions must be made concerning the chemical composition of aerosols. The best hope we have for aerosol retrievals over bright backgrounds are observations from multiple angles, such as those provided by the MISR and POLDER instruments. In this investigation we examine the feasibility of simultaneous retrieval of multiple aerosol optical parameters using reflectances from a typical set of twelve angles observed by the French POLDER instrument. The retrieved aerosol optical parameters consist of asymmetry factor, single scattering albedo, surface albedo, and optical thickness.

Kuo, K. S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Simultaneous Retrieval of Multiple Aerosol Parameters Using a Multi-Angular Approach

Atmospheric aerosol particles, both natural and anthropogenic, are important to the earth's radiative balance through their direct and indirect effects. They scatter the incoming solar radiation (direct effect) and modify the shortwave reflective properties of clouds by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (indirect effect). Although it has been suggested that aerosols exert a net cooling influence on climate, this effect has received less attention than the radiative forcing due to clouds and greenhouse gases. In order to understand the role that aerosols play in a changing climate, detailed and accurate observations are a prerequisite. The retrieval of aerosol optical properties by satellite remote sensing has proven to be a difficult task. The difficulty results mainly from the tenuous nature and variable composition of aerosols. To date, with single-angle satellite observations, we can only retrieve reliably against dark backgrounds, such as over oceans and dense vegetation. Even then, assumptions must be made concerning the chemical composition of aerosols. In this investigation we examine the feasibility of simultaneous retrieval of multiple aerosol optical parameters using reflectances from a typical set of twelve angles observed by the French POLDER instrument. The retrieved aerosol optical parameters consist of asymmetry factor, single scattering albedo, surface albedo, and optical thickness.

Kuo, K.-S.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Contrasting carbon dynamics in grazed and flood-prone grasslands on mineral and degraded peat soils

Ecosystem-scale methane (CH₄) flux measurements from grazed grasslands remain scarce, despite their importance for understanding grassland contributions to the global carbon budget. In this study, we present full annual budgets of both carbon dioxide (CO₂) and CH₄ derived from eddy covariance measurements at two contrasting grazed grasslands: a floodplain grassland at Marchegg, Austria, and an intensively grazed pasture at Sherman Barn, California. By combining continuous, year-round observations of CO₂ and CH₄, this study provides a rare, comparative assessment of greenhouse gas dynamics across distinct climatic, hydrological, and management regimes. Our results highlight how environmental conditions, grazing intensity, and hydrology jointly regulate CO₂ exchange and CH₄ emissions, underscoring the importance of including methane alongside net ecosystem exchange when evaluating grassland carbon balances. At Marchegg, characterized by seasonal flooding and moderate horse grazing on mineral soils, the ecosystem acted as a weak carbon sink in 2024, with a GWP 100 of 42.2 ± 113.4 g CO₂ eq m⁻². Net CO₂ uptake (–27.3 ± 30.2 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹) was partly offset by CH₄ emissions (1.6 ± 0.04 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹), which were strongly linked to soil moisture and inundation events. In contrast, Sherman Barn, a cattle pasture on degraded peat soils, was a consistent carbon source in 2019, with a GWP 100 of 567.6 ± 120.5 g CO₂ eq m⁻², associated with high ecosystem respiration during summer. The site released 125.3 ± 32.2 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ of CO₂ and 3 ± 0.06 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ of CH₄. Across both sites, net ecosystem exchange was primarily linked to photosynthetically active radiation and vegetation greenness, while CH₄ fluxes were related to soil moisture rather than grazing intensity. Flooding at Marchegg reduced CO₂ uptake but enhanced CH₄ emissions, highlighting the critical role of flood timing within the growing season. Moreover, inundation appeared to suppress the spread of invasive plant species, emphasizing the ecological value of dynamic hydrological regimes. Together, these findings reveal the complexity of grassland carbon budgets and the need for site-specific, year-round CO₂ and CH₄ monitoring to inform climate-adaptive management strategies.

Carbon sequestration↗
NASA NTRS1977

A three-D circulation model study of the radiative-dynamic coupling within the stratosphere

The role of radiative transfer processes in the general circulation of the stratosphere was studied by comparing the thermal and dynamical structure of the stratosphere as simulated by two controlled numerical experiments performed with the aid of a spectral 3-dimensional quasi-geostrophic circulation model. In the first experiment, a detailed radiative transfer model is employed to treat the longwave radiative transfer in the stratosphere. In the second experiment, longwave radiative transfer is accounted for by employing the Newtonian cooling approximation. It is found that the exchange of longwave radiation between the troposphere and lower stratosphere has a net heating effect on the lower stratosphere. It is shown that this heating effect contributes partly to the maintenance of the warm high-latitude belt in the lower stratosphere during winter and spring seasons. The strong temperature dependence of the Newtonian cooling coefficient plays an important role in determining the zonal temperatures and has a significant influence on the transmissivity of stratosphere to propagating planetary scale waves.

Ramanathan, V.↗