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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 NTRS1982

Investigation of geomagnetic field forecasting and fluid dynamics of the core

It was established that the total absolute magnetic flux crossing the core- mantle boundary has been a constant of the core motion for the last 50 years. This provides a scalar constraint that could be added to the geometric modelling procedure. The GSFC 8 8/80 model is being evaluated. The absolute magnetic flux linking the CMB to that model was plotted as a function of time during the span covered by the data, and increasing truncation level. The inclusion of the standard error of each Gauss coefficient derived from the statistics of fit in the GSFC 9/80 model is useful. The magnitude and sense (upwelling or downe welling) of vertical fluid motion adjacent to the core-mantle boundary was calculated using the model. Standard errors were found to be sufficiently small at all but one or two of the 40 or more critical points of B sub r. They do not nearly overlap the value gamma u/gamma r = 0. It is concluded that the core is upwelling and downwelling at an observationally detectable level.

Benton, E. R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The visual control of simulated altitude

The ability of a subject flying an experimental flight to use the different sources of visual information by looking at the vertical tracking error was investigated using a 3 (altitude) x 3 (texture) x 2 (replication) factorial design. Each subject flew these 18 flights in the same partially counterbalanced order, constructed such that there was one flight at each of the three altitudes, and over each of the three surface textures within each successive set of three flights. The three ground-surface textures used consisted of meridian, latitudinal, and square textures described by Wolpert et al. (1983). The results showed that, in displays where only splay information was available, the subjects tended to confuse lateral motion with vertical.

Johnson, Walter W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

New Particle Formation Events Over the Southeast Atlantic Coincide With the African Biomass Burning Season

Abstract We investigated the occurrence and evolution of new particle formation (NPF) events over the southeast Atlantic. The studied region is under the influence of the long‐range transport of aerosols and gases during the southern African biomass burning season, from June to October every year. Interestingly, NPF was observed to coincide with the African biomass burning season, although wet removal of pre‐existing aerosols is needed during these NPF events. Surface and airborne measurements show that these NPF events likely occurred in the upper region of the marine boundary layer, and the newly formed aerosols were further transported to the surface via vertical air motions. Using a box model, we predicted that a large fraction of these particles could grow to sizes related to cloud condensation nuclei. Our study shows that NPF can occur over the southeast Atlantic, and the African biomass‐burning plume likely contributed to the NPF occurrence.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Drought-induced changes in groundwater-surface water exchange at Lake Mead area

This study focuses on the Lake Mead region in the southwestern United States, a key water reservoir serving over 25 million people and agricultural lands across several states. The area has experienced recurring anthropogenic droughts since the early 2000s. We investigate the hydrological response of the coupled surface-groundwater system to the 2020–2022 drought, one of the most severe on record. To this end, we use Sentinel-1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data to quantify vertical land motion caused by the elastic response of the crust to water-mass loss in the lake vicinity. Next, we apply an inverse elastic load modeling framework to quantify water loss. We further assess possible hydraulic connectivity between Lake Mead and adjacent groundwater reservoirs. We detect ground uplift of up to 8 mm/yr near the lake center, likely due to crustal rebound from reduced water-mass loading. We estimated the total water storage loss at 3.03 ± 0.25 km 3 /yr across a 3150 km 2 area surrounding Lake Mead. Groundwater accounts for approximately a third of that, being 0.94 ± 0.32 km 3 /yr. In addition, observed time lags of 6–98 days between lake and groundwater level responses, corresponding to a lateral diffusivity of 3.2–86 m 2 /s, suggest spatially variable connectivity between the lake and aquifers. These findings highlight that drought impacts propagate through the subsurface within interconnected systems, resulting in reduced buffering capacity of groundwater resources following droughts, and emphasizing the need for more integrated surface and groundwater management strategies to enhance resilience under climate and anthropogenic stressors.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Seasonal and Long‐Term Groundwater Unloading in the Central Valley Modifies Crustal Stress

Abstract Changes in terrestrial water content cause elastic deformation of the Earth's crust. This deformation is thought to play a role in modulating crustal stress and seismicity in regions where large water storage fluctuations occur. Groundwater is an important component of total water storage change in California, helping to drive annual water storage fluctuations and loss during periods of drought. Here we use direct estimates of groundwater volume loss during the 2007–2010 drought in California's Central Valley obtained from high resolution Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar‐based vertical land motion data to investigate the effect of groundwater volume change on the evolution of the stress field. We show that GPS‐derived elastic load models may not capture the contribution of groundwater to terrestrial water loading, resulting in an underestimation of nontectonic crustal stress change. We find that groundwater unloading during the drought causes Coulomb stress change of up to 5.5 kPa and seasonal fluctuations of up to 2.6 kPa at seismogenic depth. We find that faults near the Valley show the largest stress change and the San Andreas fault experiences only ~40 Pa of Coulomb stress change over the course of a year from groundwater storage change. Annual Coulomb stress change peaks dominantly in the fall, when the groundwater level is low; however, some faults experience peak stress in the spring when groundwater levels are higher. Additionally, we find that periods of increased stress correlate with higher than average seismic moment release but are not correlated with an increase in the number of earthquakes. This indicates groundwater loading likely contributes to nontectonic loading of faults, especially near the Valley edge, but is not a dominant factor in modulation of seismicity in California because the amplitude of stress change declines rapidly with distance from the Valley. By carefully quantifying and spatially locating groundwater fluctuations, we will improve our understanding of what drives nontectonic stress and forces that modulate seismicity in California.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Bifurcation-driven vertical plasma displacement

This paper considers vertical plasma motion resulting from plasma current decay during the disruption event. The presented filament-based model describes the motion in the ideal wall limit as an adiabatically slow evolution of the plasma equilibrium. Here, the equilibrium exhibits a pitchfork bifurcation when the decaying plasma current passes a critical value determined by the external magnetic field. This bifurcation affects the disruption-induced mechanical loads on the first wall.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Gravito-turbulence and dynamo in poorly ionized protostellar discs – I. Zero-net-flux case

In their early stages, protoplanetary discs are sufficiently massive to undergo gravitational instability (GI). This instability is thought to be involved in mass accretion, planet formation via gas fragmentation, the generation of spiral density waves, and outbursts. A key and very recent area of research is the interaction between the GI and magnetic fields in young protoplanetary discs, in particular whether this instability is able to sustain a magnetic field via a dynamo. We conduct 3D, stratified shearing-box simulations using two independent codes, PLUTO and Athena++, to characterize the GI dynamo in poorly ionized protostellar discs subject to ambipolar diffusion. We find that the dynamo operates across a large range of ambipolar Elssaser number Am (which characterizes the strength of ambipolar diffusion) and is particularly strong in the regime Am = 10–100, with typical magnetic to thermal energy ratios of order unity. The dynamo is only weakly dependent on resolution (at least for Am ≲ 100), box size, and cooling law. The magnetic field is produced by the combination of differential rotation and large-scale vertical roll motions associated with spiral density waves. Our results have direct implications for the dynamo process in young protoplanetary discs and possibly some regions of active galactic nucleus discs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

River Deltas and Sea-Level Rise

Future sea-level rise poses an existential threat for many river deltas, yet quantifying the effect of sea-level changes on these coastal landforms remains a challenge. Sea-level changes have been slow compared to other coastal processes during the instrumental record, such that our knowledge comes primarily from models, experiments, and the geologic record. Here we review the current state of science on river delta response to sea-level change, including models and observations from the Holocene until 2300 CE. We report on improvements in the detection and modeling of past and future regional sea-level change, including a better understanding of the underlying processes and sources of uncertainty. We also see significant improvements in morphodynamic delta models. Still, substantial uncertainties remain, notably on present and future subsidence rates in and near deltas. Observations of delta submergence and land loss due to modern sea-level rise also remain elusive, posing major challenges to model validation. There are large differences in the initiation time and subsequent delta progradation during the Holocene, likely from different sea-level and sediment supply histories. Modern deltas are larger and will face faster sea-level rise than during their Holocene growth, making them susceptible to forced transgression. Regional sea-level projections have been much improved in the past decade and now also isolate dominant sources of uncertainty, such as the Antarctic ice sheet. Vertical land motion in deltas can be the dominant source of relative sea-level change and the dominant source of uncertainty; limited observations complicate projections. River deltas globally might lose 5% (~35,000 km 2 ) of their surface area by 2100 and 50% by 2300 due to relative sea-level rise under a high-emission scenario.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Going mobile to address emerging climate equity needs in the heterogeneous urban environment

We report the Brookhaven National Laboratory Center for Multiscale Applied Sensing (CMAS) aims to address environmental equity needs in the context of a changing climate. As a first step towards this goal, the center developed a one-of-a-kind observatory tailored to the study of highly heterogeneous urban environments. This article describes the features of the mobile observatory that enable its rapid deployment either on or off the power grid, as well as its instrument payload. Beyond its unique design, the observatory optimizes data collection within the obstacle-laden urban environment using a new smart sampling paradigm. This setup facilitated the collection of previously poorly documented environmental properties including wind profiles throughout the atmospheric column. The mobile observatory captured unique observations during its first few intensive observation periods (IOPs).. Vertical air motion and infrared temperature measurements collected along the faces of the supertall One Vanderbilt skyscraper in Manhattan, NY reveal how solar and anthropogenic heating affect wind flow and thus the venting of heat, pollution, and contaminants in urban street canyons. Also, air temperature measurements collected during travel along a 150-km transect between Upton and Manhattan, NY offer a high-resolution view of the urban heat island and reveal that temperature disparities also exist within the city across different neighborhoods. Ultimately, the datasets collected by CMAS are poised to help guide equitable urban planning by highlighting existing disparities and characterizing the impact of urban features on the urban microclimate with the goal of improving human comfort.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

What Controls the Entrainment Rate of Dry Buoyant Thermals with Varying Initial Aspect Ratio?

Here, this study uses theory and numerical simulations to analyze the nondimensional spreading rate a (change in radius with height) of buoyant thermals as they rise and entrain surrounding environmental fluid. A focus is on how a varies with initial thermal aspect ratio A r , defined as height divided by width of the initial buoyancy perturbation. An analytic equation for thermal ascent rate w t that depends on a is derived from the thermal-volume-averaged momentum bud get equation. The thermal top height when w t is maximum, defining a critical height z c , is inversely proportional to a. The height z c also corresponds to the thermal top height when buoyant fluid along the thermal’s vertical axis is fully replaced by entrained nonbuoyant environmental fluid rising from below the thermal. The time scale for this process is controlled by the vertical velocity of parcels rising upward through the thermal’s core. This parcel vertical velocity is approximated from Hill’s analytic spherical vortex, yielding an analytic inverse relation between a and A r . Physically, this a–A r relation is connected to changes in circulation as A r is modified. Numerical simulations of thermals with A r varied from 0.5 to 2 give a values close to the analytic theoretical relation, with a factor of ~3 decrease in a as A r is increased from 0.5 to 2. The theory also explains why a of initially spherical thermals from past laboratory and modeling studies is about 0.15. Overall, this study provides a theoretical underpinning for understanding the entrainment behavior of thermals, relevant to buoyantly driven atmospheric flows.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗