Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “data intercomparison”

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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Building access and community standards for opacity data at the onset of next-generation atmosphere observations

The characterization of a diverse set of exoplanet atmosphere observations, ranging from hot gas giants to small temperate rocky worlds, will be one of the legacies of upcoming facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Our understanding and interpretation of such observations will hinge on our ability to link observations with atmospheric theoretical studies that critically rely on fundamental molecular and atomic opacities. Computing such opacities is a highly non-trivial and inaccessible process which requires several terabytes of available disk space, hours of CPU time per pressure-temperature combination, and requires users to carefully aggregate line lists data from various sources, which limits access and intercomparison of opacity data in the exoplanet community. Here we present MAESTRO (Molecules and Atoms in Exoplanet Science: Tools and Resources for Opacities) an opacity database that can be accessed by the community via a web interface and python API. MAESTRO was built with community input to create a version-controlled opacity database that is easily queryable, includes informative metadata to ensure reproducibility, and exports relevant citations for inclusion in publications. Scheduled for community release in 2022, MAESTRO will prove to be an invaluable community resource in the era of JWST and beyond.

Natasha Batalha↗
NASA NTRS1987

Procedures for the description of agricultural crops and soils in optical and microwave remote sensing studies

This paper describes procedures for characterizing agricultural crops and soils in remote sensing studies. The procedures are based on the accumulated experience of a number of researchers active in this field. Therefore, they represent a compromise between the theoretically desirable and the practically feasible, and should thus be an effective aid in further studies of this type. Although the guidelines were prepared specifically for microwave studies, adjustments were made to render the procedures applicable to optical studies as well. Given the increasing number of research teams involved in remote sensing applied to agriculture, there is an opportunity to acquire a broad data base on soils and crops in various geographic regions. To allow intercomparisons of such data, they must be obtained in a consistent manner. By following the proposed procedures and reporting results using the parameters described here, such intercomparisons should be possible on a continental or a global scale.

Cihlar, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Analysis and forecast intercomparisons using the FGGE SOP-1 data base

The First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE) data base has provided the research community with the most complete global coverage of meteorological informaiton since measurements were first taken. It is important to understand the characteristics of the FGGE data base in terms of its accuracy and representativeness compared to the true state of the atmosphere. The uncertainty associated with the initial conditions used in a numerical model plays a significant role in subsequent error growth as shown by predictability theory. The ultimate limit of forecast skill is directly related to the initial uncertainty. The accuracy of analyses using FGGE data base coupled with the errors due to modeling imperfections determines the present skill of numerical models. An estimte of initial uncertainty is determined by examining differences in several FGGE analyses. The estimate is then used to determine an ultimate limit of forecast skill from derived predictability error growth rates. Several different calculations of predictability error growth are also compared. Finally, present-day forecast skill using FGGE analyses is contrasted to the estimates of ultimate skill, and the partition of model error versus initial uncertainty is discussed.

Baumhefner, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Intercomparison between Nimbus-7 cirrus cloud data and ERB measurements

Nimbus-7 and Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) data were compared with the quantity of high, thin cirrus clouds over a 6 yr period. Three separate data analysis techniques are described which were used to derive cloud cover and total upwelling radiance values from the satellite data. Zonal average cirrus clouds amounts are compared with surface observations and SAGE satellite data, and comparisons are made between the cloud amount estimates made with ERB data and data from other Nimbus-7 instruments. All Nimbus-7 instrumental data indicated cloud amounts and frequency of occurrence patterns which were commensurate with surface observations, except in high latitude zones.

Yeh, H. Y. M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Intercomparison of MAS, AVIRIS, and HIS data from FIRE cirrus 2

The NASA ER-2 flight on 5 Dec. 1991 is unique among the FIRE Cirrus 2 missions in that data were acquired simultaneously by the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS), the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), and the High Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS). These data represent a unique source of information about the spatial and spectral properties of cirrus clouds. The MAS is a new instrument which will aid in defining algorithms and building an understanding of the ability of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to remotely sense atmospheric conditions for assessing global change. In order to establish confidence in the absolute calibration accuracy of the MAS radiances, an inter-comparison of MAS radiances with AVIRIS and HIS has been undertaken.

Gumley, Liam E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A New Method of Deriving Time-Averaged Tropospheric Column Ozone over the Tropics Using Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) Radiances: Intercomparison and Analysis Using TRACE A Data

Error analysis of archived total 03 from total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) (version 6) presented. Daily total 03 maps for the tropics, from the period October 6-21, 1992, are derived from TOMS radiances following correction for these errors. These daily maps, averaged together, show a wavelike feature, which is observed in all latitude bands, underlying sharp peaks which occur at different longitudes depending on the latitude. The wave pattern is used to derive both time-averaged stratospheric and tropospheric 03 fields. The nature of the wave pattern (stratospheric or tropospheric) cannot be determined with certainty due to missing data (no Pacific sondes, no lower stratospheric Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) ozone for 18 months after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption) and significant uncertainties in the corroborative satellite record in the lower stratosphere (solar backscattered ultraviolet (SBUV), microwave limb sounder (MLS)). However, the time- averaged tropospheric ozone field, based on the assumption that the wave feature is stratospheric, agrees within 10% with ultraviolet differential absorption laser Transport and Atmospheric Chemistry near the Equator-Atlantic) (TRACE A) 03 measurements from the DC-8 and with ozonesonde measurements over Brazzaville, Congo, Ascension Island, and Natal, Brazil, for the period October 6-21, 1992. The derived background (nonpolluted) Indian Ocean tropospheric ozone amount, 26 Dobson units (DU), agrees with the cleanest African ozonesonde profiles for September-October 1992. The assumption of a totally tropospheric wave (flat stratosphere) gives 38 DU above the western Indian Ocean and 15-40% disagreements with the sondes. Tropospheric column 03 is high from South America to Africa, owing to interaction of dynamics with biomass burning emissions. Comparison with fire distributions from advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHHR) during October 1992 suggests that tropospheric 03 produced from biomass burning in South America and Africa dominates the 03 budget in the tropical southern hemisphere during the study period.

Kim, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Initial Performance Assessment of CALIOP

The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP, pronounced the same as "calliope") is a spaceborne two-wavelength polarizatio n lidar that has been acquiring global data since June 2006. CALIOP p rovides high resolution vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols, and has been designed with a very large linear dynamic range to encompas s the full range of signal returns from aerosols and clouds. CALIOP is the primary instrument carried by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrar ed Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite, which was l aunched on April, 28 2006. CALIPSO was developed within the framework of a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency, CNES. I nitial data analysis and validation intercomparisons indicate the qua lity of data from CALIOP meets or exceeds expectations. This paper presents a description of the CALIPSO mission, the CALIOP instrument, an d an initial assessment of on-orbit measurement performance.

Winker, David↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Hourly GHI, DHI and DNI: Intercomparison of the CERES-Based Data and the NSRDB Data through Comparison with the Ground-Based BSRN Data

The NASA Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) SYN1deg(Ed4.1) provides hourly global horizontal irradiance (GHI), diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) and direct horizontal irradiance (DirHI) at 1-degree latitude by 1-degree longitude resolution, and the time span is from March 2000 to near present. While the GHI agrees well with the ground-based Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) data, the DHI and DirHI are, respectively, positively and negatively biased against the BSRN data, and so is the direct normal irradiance (DNI) derived simply by dividing the DirHI by the cosine of the hourly solar zenith angle (SZA). We found that the biases tend to be well-defined functions of cos(SZA) and the cloud fraction (CLFR). We thus performed a bias-correction on the hourly DHI and DNI in the latitude-cos(SZA)-CLFR phase space, and therefrom, we derived the hourly global tilted irradiance (GTI) at a number of tilt angles using the isotropic diffuse irradiance model, and the results agree well with the GTI derived from the original BSRN near-instantaneous records. Meanwhile, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has produced the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) with finer spatiotemporal resolution using its Physical Solar Model (PSM) and surface-based measured data, model results and satellite-based data as inputs. Now the NSRDB data covers not only the United States and its neighboring regions, but Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The available temporal resolutions are 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes and the spatial resolutions are 2, 4 and 10 km, depending on the selected region. In this presentation, we compare both the CERES-based and NSRDB GHI, DHI and DNI with their BSRN counterparts and show how finer spatial resolution may give us an advantage in data accuracy and usability.

Taiping Zhang↗
NASA NTRS1986

Intercomparison of UT1 measurements during the MERIT campaign period

Universal time (UT1) measurements obtained using VLBI, lunar laser ranging (LLR), and BIH optical astronomy are compared. The JPL Kalman filter for the earth rotation and the polar motion is utilized to smooth one data set or combine data sets for intercomparison. The differences between raw UT1 data and independently smoothed data are employed to assess the accuracy of the measured series and the sufficiency of the error budget. Systematic errors in periodic signatures and length of day estimates are analyzed. The data reveal that the techniques of LLR and VLBI agree to within their formal errors. It is determined that the residual error for the LLR is too large and the residual error estimated for the BIH data is too small.

Spieth, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Coronal Transient Ejections and Outflows During the CR 2068 WHI Campaign

The Whole Heliospheric Interval (WHI) campaigns began with a set of coordinated observations over Carrington Rotation (CR) 2068, which was from March~20 to April~16, 2008. An ultimate objective of WHI to understand the 3-D nature of the heliosphere. Activity on the Sun is the engine that drives the dynamics of the heliosphere, and therefore delineation of the characteristics of the Sun's atmosphere and its output over the period of study is vital to the success of WHI\@. Here we discuss the origins of solar structures that can lead to heliospheric effects, with an emphasis on observations during the CR~2068 WHI interval. These structures include both outflows from open-field regions, and transients originating from closed-field regions. Our focus will be mainly on the latter, and we will specifically consider the coronal source regions of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and other transients that escape out into the heliosphere, for example in the form of slow expansions or as narrow jets. Over the CR~2068 period we have identified about 30 such transients, with about 20\% of them being moderately to very prominent. We will consider these feature s source regions by examining low-coronal data, along with solar surface magnetograms that provide the magnetic setting of the eruptions. Through intercomparisons of these data, we infer the coronal setup for different eruptions, and the implications for models that attempt to describe eruption-onset mechanisms.

Sterling, Alphonse C.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

GLDAS-2 Land Surface Model Data and Data Services at NASA GES DISC

The goal of the NASA Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS, https://ldas.gsfc.nasa.gov/gldas(https://ldas.gsfc.nasa.gov/gldas)) is to generate optimal fields of land surface states and fluxes by ingesting satellite- and ground-based observational data products, using advanced land surface modeling and data assimilation techniques (Rodell et al., 2004).The GLDAS dataset currently archived at and distributed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC, https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ (https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/)) is GLDAS Version 2 (GLDAS-2). It contains a series of output fields from the upgraded Noah-3.6, Catchment-F2.5, and VIC-4.1.2 Land Surface Models (LSMs) in the Land Information System (LIS-V7, https://lis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ (https://lis.gsfc.nasa.gov/)). GLDAS-2 has three components:GLDAS-2.0, GLDAS-2.1, and GLDAS-2.2. GLDAS-2.0 is forced entirely with the upgraded Princeton Meteorological ForcingV2.2 Dataset and provides a temporally consistent series from 1948 through 2014. GLDAS-2.1 is forced with a combination of model and observation data, with data spanning from 2000 to the present. The GLDAS-2.2 product suite uses data assimilation(DA), whereas the GLDAS-2.0 and GLDAS-2.1 products are "open-loop" (i.e., no data assimilation). The choice of forcing data, as well as DA observation source, variable, and scheme, varies for different GLDAS-2.2 products. The currently availableGLDAS-2.2 data contain a daily 0.25-degree output from the Catchment-F2.5 LSM in LIS-V7. The data are forced with the meteorological analysis fields from the operational European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Integrated Forecasting System (ECMWF-IFS) and assimilated with GRACE and GRACE-FO data, ranging from February 1, 2003 to the present. The current GLDAS-2.0 and 2.1 Noah LSM data were reprocessed in November 2019 and January 2020 respectively and their data from Catchment and VIC LSMs are new to the GLDAS-2 collection. This presentation provides a summary of theGLDAS-2 data products, their land surface fields, and their related data services at the GES DISC; and a description of the majorGLDAS-2 climatological characteristics as well as the intercomparison with the data of the previous version.

Hydrology↗
NASA NTRS2018

TPSAS-NF1676L-30150-DND

Validation of science data products from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III, installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in March 2017, requires intercomparison with validated data sources. The SAGE III/ISS mission is actively utilizing in-situ profile measurements from balloon packages, consisting of a standard meteorological radiosonde, ozonesonde, and frost-point hygrometer, that were launched coincident with SAGE III/ISS overpass opportunities. Some packages have included an aerosol sonde. This provides regional correlations of ozone, water vapor and aerosol extinction between the in-situ measurement data and the SAGE III/ISS profile products. In addition, ground-based LIDAR measurements and aircraft-based measurements of ozone, water vapor, aerosol extinction and nitrogen dioxide will provide additional validation data for correlation with the SAGE III/ISS data products. Initial results of the mission directed validation program will be presented. When possible, operation and launch times were modified to improve the temporal and spatial coincidence between the measurements. Results and progress utilizing LIDAR and balloon-borne aerosol observations are discussed herein, while intercomparisons that make use of ozone sondes is are presented in the companion poster by Kizer et al.

Travis Knepp↗
NASA NTRS1987

A critical review of measurements of water vapor absorption in the 840 to 1100 cm(-1) spectral region

A set of eleven measurements of the water vapor continuum absorption in the 840 to 1100 sq cm spectral region is reviewed and compared with spectral models maintained by the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory. The measurements were made in four different ways: spectrometer with a White cell, CO2 laser with a White cell, CO2 laser with a spectrophone, and broadband radiation source over a long atmospheric path. Where possible, the data were selected at a water vapor partial pressure of ten torr buffered to 760 torr with N2 or synthetic air and a temperature of between 296 and 300 K. The intercomparison of the data leads to several observations and conclusions. First, there are four sets of laboratory data taken with nitrogen as the buffer gas which generally agree well mutually and with AFGL's HITRAN code. Second, there is one set of laboratory data that shows that using air as the buffer gas gives a few percent decrease in the water vapor continuum compared with using nitrogen as the buffer gas. Third, the atmospheric long-path measurements for water vapor partial pressure below about 12 torr are roughly grouped within 20 percent of the HITRAN values. Fourth, there are three sets of spectrophone data for water vapor in synthetic air which are significantly higher than any of the other measurements. This discrepancy is attributed to the effects of impurity gases in the cell.

Grant, William B.↗
NASA NTRS2019

SPEX Airborne Spectropolarimeter Calibration and Performance

To improve our understanding of the complex role of aerosols in the climate system and on air quality, measurements are needed of optical and microphysical aerosol. From many studies, it has become evident that a satellite-based multiangle, multiwavelength polarimeter will be essential to provide such measurements. Here, high accuracy (∼0.003) on the degree of linear polarization (DoLP) measurements is important to retrieve aerosol properties with an accuracy needed to advance our understanding of the aerosol effect on climate. SPEX airborne, a multiangle hyperspectral polarimeter, has been developed for observing and characterizing aerosols from NASA’s high-altitude research aircraft ER-2. It delivers measurements of radiance and DoLP at visual wavelengths with a spectral resolution of 3 and 7–30 nm, respectively, for radiance and polarization, at nine fixed equidistant viewing angles from −56° to +56° oriented along the ground track, and a swath of 7° oriented across-track. SPEX airborne uses spectral polarization modulation to determine the state of linear polarization of scattered sunlight. This technique has been developed in the Netherlands and has been demonstrated with ground-based instruments. SPEX airborne serves as a demonstrator for a family of space-based SPEX instruments that have the ability to measure and characterize atmospheric aerosol by multiangle hyperspectral polarimetric imaging remotely from a satellite platform. SPEX airborne was calibrated radiometrically and polarimetrically using Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) facilities including the Polarization Stage Generator-2 (PSG-2), which is designed for polarimetric calibration and validation of the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI). Using the PSG-2, the accuracy of the SPEX airborne DoLP measurements in the laboratory setup is found to be 0.002–0.004. Radiometric calibration is realized with an estimated accuracy of 4%. In 2017, SPEX airborne took part in the “Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeters and Lidar” campaign on the ER-2 that included four polarimeters and two lidars. Polarization measurements of SPEX airborne and the coflying Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP), recorded during the campaign, were compared and display root-mean-square (RMS) differences ranging from 0.004 (at 555 nm) up to 0.02 (at 410 nm). For radiance measurements, excellent agreement between SPEX airborne and RSP is obtained with an RMS difference of ∼4%. The lab- and flight-performance values for polarization are similar to those recently published for AirMSPI, where also an intercomparison with RSP was made using data from field campaigns in 2013. The intercomparison of radiometric and polarimetric data both display negligible bias. The in-flight comparison results provide verification of SPEX airborne’s capability to deliver high-quality data.

Aerosols↗
NASA NTRS1981

Characteristics of space and ground based total ozone observing systems investigated by intercomparison of Nimbus 4 Backscattered Ultraviolet /BUV/ data with Dobson and M-83 results

The Nimbus 4 Backscattered Ultraviolet (BUV) experiment data has been reprocessed to provide a near global data set covering the seven years from 1970 to 1977. The data set is the result of a three year effort by the Ozone Processing Team which included review and correction of the spacecraft ephemeris, instrument calibration, and processing algorithms. The accuracy of the resulting total ozone determinations compares well with that of ground based data. An important application of the global BUV data set is to use it in determining long term trends in global total ozone. However, in order to identify long term trends in ozone, it is necessary to eliminate first long-term drift in the instrument calibration. A follow on experiment, the Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet/Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, (SBUV/TOMS), was flown on Nimbus 7 launched in October 1978. The SBUV provides information about both total ozone and vertical ozone profiles for a 200 km square field of view.

Fleig, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Metafitting: Weight optimization for least-squares fitting of PTTI data

For precise time intercomparisons between a master frequency standard and a slave time scale, we have found it useful to quantitatively compare different fitting strategies by examining the standard uncertainty in time or average frequency. It is particularly useful when designing procedures which use intermittent intercomparisons, with some parameterized fit used to interpolate or extrapolate from the calibrating intercomparisons. We use the term 'metafitting' for the choices that are made before a fitting procedure is operationally adopted. We present methods for calculating the standard uncertainty for general, weighted least-squares fits and a method for optimizing these weights for a general noise model suitable for many PTTI applications. We present the results of the metafitting of procedures for the use of a regular schedule of (hypothetical) high-accuracy frequency calibration of a maser time scale. We have identified a cumulative series of improvements that give a significant reduction of the expected standard uncertainty, compared to the simplest procedure of resetting the maser synthesizer after each calibration. The metafitting improvements presented include the optimum choice of weights for the calibration runs, optimized over a period of a week or 10 days.

Douglas, Rob J.↗