Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Cloud area”

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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

To evaluate ERTS-1 data for the usefulness as a geological sensor in the diverse geological terranes of New York State

The author has identified the following significant results. The straight NNE-trending escarpment that marks the easternmost extent of the Catskill Mountains appears, from ERTS-1 imagery (1079-15124) to be related to a set of parallel topographic lineaments which occur over a distance of 40 km to the west. The October 11 imagery of the Adirondacks (1080-15174) displays the pre-Paleozoic erosion surface along the western and northern margin of the Adirondack Mountains dome. The northern portion of this paleoplain is terminated to the southeast by an escarpment following an ENE topographic linear to produce a pseudo-cuesta. The snow covered terrain in the Mohawk Valley between Albany and Rome (1170-15182 and 1169-15123) displays with sculptural clarity a drumlin field having a cloud-free area of about 2600 sq km; glacial flow directions can be plotted readily because the stoss and lee sides of the drumlins can be distinguished. In the imagery of summer and fall, agricultural patterns obscured the detail which is visible in the winter imagery.

Isachsen, Y. W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Estimation of sea surface temperature from remote sensing in the 11-13 micron window region

The Nimbus 3 and 4 IRIS spectral data in the 11-13 micron water vapor window region are analyzed to determine the sea surface temperature (SST). The high spectral resolution data of IRIS are averaged over approximately 1 micron wide intervals to simulate channels of a radiometer to measure the SST. Three channels are utilized to measure SST over cloud-free oceans. However, two of these channels are sufficient in routine SST determination. The differential absorption properties of water vapor in the two channels enable one to determine the water vapor absorption correction without detailed knowledge of the vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor. The feasibility of determining the SST is demonstrated globally with Nimbus 3 data where cloud-free areas can be selected with the help of albedo data from the MRIR experiment on board the same satellite.

Prabhakara, C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Estimation of sea surface temperature from remote sensing in the 11to 13-micron window region

The Nimbus 3 and 4 Iris spectral data in the 11- to 13-micron water vapor window region are analyzed to determine the sea surface temperature (SST). The high spectral resolution data of Iris are averaged over approximately 1-micron-wide intervals to simulate channels of a radiometer to measure the SST. In the present exploratory study, three such channels in the 775- to 960-per cm (12.9-10.5 micron) region are utilized to measure the SST over cloud-free oceans. However, two of these channels are sufficient in routine SST determination. The differential absorption properties of water vapor in the two channels make it possible to determine the water vapor absorption correction without detailed knowledge of the vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor. The feasibility of determining the SST is demonstrated globally with Nimbus 3 data, where cloud-free areas can be selected with the help of albedo data from the medium-resolution infrared radiometer experiment on board the same satellite. The SST derived from this technique agrees with the measurements made by ships to about 1 C.-

Prabhakara, C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Comments on Navy/NRL requirements for sea surface temperature and surface wind measurements on Seasat-A

SEASAT instrumentation payload requirements to provide satellite data for the Navy fleet operational fog prediction program include: (1) some form of C-band microwave radiometer capability; (2) a scanning antenna with a 40-km Instanteneous Field of View (IFOV) for the C-band channel; (3) a narrow band and high resolution IR scanning radiometer for cloud free areas; and (4) a capability for measuring surface winds of 3 to 50 m/sec at + or - 10% accuracy and 50 to 100 km spatial resolution.

Ruskin, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Measures of Jupiter photographs - 1974/75 apparition

The 1974/75 Jupiter apparition is described. Photographic images have been measured and zonal velocities are given for all spots observed on four or more dates. Global and localized zonal flow patterns are graphically presented. Methane absorption band imagery at 890 nm indicates that white ovals and red spots are high in altitude, and blue features are cloud-free areas. The motions of blue features are complex and unlike the motions of other features. Interactions or associations between spots at five adjacent atmospheric currents have been observed. Zonal motion within an equatorial plume has been observed. Evidence is presented for a probable source of red spots in the North Tropical Zone.

Minton, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1956

Experimental Droplet Impingement on Several Two-Dimensional Airfoils with Thickness Ratios of 6 to 16 Percent

The rate and area of cloud droplet impingement on several two-dimensional swept and unswept airfoils were obtained experimentally in the NACA Lewis icing tunnel with a dye-tracer technique. Airfoil thickness ratios of 6 to 16 percent; angles of attack from 0 deg to 12 deg, and chord sizes from 13 to 96 inches were included in the study. The data were obtained at 152 knots and are extended to other conditions by dimensionless impingement parameters. In general, the data show that the total and local collection efficiencies and impingement limits are primary functions of the modified inertia parameter (in which airspeed, droplet size, and body size are the most significant variables) and the airfoil thickness ratio. Local collection efficiencies and impingement limits also depend on angle of attack. Secondary factors affecting impingement characteristics are airfoil shape, camber, and sweep angle. The impingement characteristics obtained experimentally for the airfoils were within +/-10 percent on the average of the characteristics calculated from theoretical trajectories. Over the range of conditions studied, the experimental data demonstrate that a specific method can be used to predict the impingement characteristics of swept airfoils with large aspect ratios from the data for unswept airfoils of the same series.

Gelder, Thomas F.↗
NASA NTRS1957

Experimental Droplet Impingement on Four Bodies of Revolution

The rate and. area of cloud droplet impingement on four bodies of revolution were obtained experimentally in the NACA Lewis icing tunnel with a dye-tracer technique. The study included spheres, ellipsoidal forebodies of fineness ratios of 2.5 and 3.0, and a conical forebody of 300 included angle and covered a range of angles of attack from 0? to 60 and rotational speeds up to 1200 rpm. The data were obtained at an airspeed of 157 knots and are correlated by dimensionless impingement parameters. In general, the experimental data show that the local and total impingement rates and impingement limits of bodies of revolution are primarily functions of the modified inertia parameters, the body shape, and fineness ratio. Both the local impingement rate and impingement limits depend upon the angle of attack. Rotation of the bodies had a negligible effect on the impingement characteristics except for an averaging effect at angle of attack. For comparable diameters the bluffer bodies had the largest total impingement efficiency, but the finer and sharper bodies had the largest values of maximum local impingement efficiency and, in most cases, the largest limits of impingement. In most cases, the impingement characteristics were less than those calculated from theoretical trajectories; in general, however, fairly good agreement was obtained between the experimental and theoretical impingement characteristics.

Lewis, James P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Spectral mapping of Jupiter and the Galilean satellites in the near infrared

A near-infrared mapping spectrometer is included in the science complement of the Galileo Mission, which will explore Jupiter and its satellites in the mid-1980s. The objectives of the infrared mapping spectrometer experiment are to map compositional units on the surfaces of the Jovian satellites and to characterize the mineral content of these units. For Jupiter's atmosphere, this experiment will investigate such areas as cloud properties and the spatial and temporal variability of minor species. The instrument consists of a telescope, a plane grating spectrometer, a Si and InSb detector array, and a passive radiative cooler. The spectral range is 0.7-5.2 microns, covered with a resolution of 0.025 micron. A wobbling secondary mirror in the telescope provides one dimension of spatial scanning, while the other dimension is provided by motion of the spacecraft scan platform.

Carlson, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The C/H ratio in Jupiter from the Voyager infrared investigation

From a selection Voyager IRIS spectra corresponding to cloud-free areas of Jupiter, the CH4/H2 volume ratio in the atmosphere of this planet has been determined to be equal to 0.00195 + or - 0.00022, which corresponds to 2.07 + or - 0.24 times the solar value of Lambert (C/H = 0.00047). The estimate of errors includes both instrument noise and systematic uncertainties. Implications of this result for the formation and evolution of Jupiter are discussed.

Gautier, D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Martian dust storms witnessed by Viking Lander 1

Viking Lander 1 observations on Mars were punctuated by a strong local dust storm after two martian years of mild wind conditions. Tens of micrometers of dust settled to the surface during global dust storms of the first two falls and winters; some of this dust was locally removed during the second year. A late winter local dust storm of the first year caused little or no erosion of the surface materials despite wind speeds of 25 to 30 m/s. The strong local dust storm occurred during late winter of the third martian year. Winds of this storm altered and demolished small conical piles of surface materials constructed at the onset the first winter, removed 4 to 5 mm size fragments, displaced centimeter size fragments, destroyed clouds in areas disrupted by the sampler and footpad, eroded impact pits, and darkened the sky. Movement of erosional products and tiny wind tails indicate easterly to northeasterly winds. If the 4 to 5 mm size fragments were entrained and removd by the wind, threshold friction speeds near 3 to 5 m/s would have been required for the atmospheric temperatures and pressures that prevailed during the late winter of the third year.

Moore, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS): Imagery of near-surface phytoplankton pigment concentrations from the first coastal ocean dynamics experiment (CODE-1), March - July 1981

As part of the first Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment, images of ocean color were collected from late March until late July, 1981, by the Coastal Zone Color Scanner aboard Nimbus-7. Images that had sufficient cloud-free area to be of interest were processed to yield near-surface phytoplankton pigment concentrations. These images were then remapped to a fixed equal-area grid. This report contains photographs of the digital images and a brief description of the processing methods.

Abbott, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

An intercalibration of Meteosat-1 and GOES-2 visible and infrared measurements

An intercomparison between radiative parameters determined from visible and infrared channels of the Meteosat-1 and GOES-2 geosynchronous satellites has been carried out using data obtained over the central Atlantic Ocean for 5 November 1978. Hourly visible-infrared measurement pairs at a nominal resolution of 5 km (Meteosat) or 8 km (GOES) have been stored in 1 deg x 1 deg longitude-latitude regions. For the infrared intercomparisons, the GOES 11.5 micron radiance has been compared to Meteosat infrared counts. The scatter in partly cloudy regions is interpreted as being caused by meteorological differences arising from differences in measurement time between the two data sets. For the visible intercomparison, the GOES measurements for clear and cloudy scenes have first been converted with the aid of scene-dependent angular reflectance and albedo models to estimates of the filtered shortwave radiance that GOES would have measured had it been in the Meteosat position. This value has then been compared to Meteosat counts for the shortwave channel. The results indicate that earlier Meteosat calibrations made from airplane overflights of a limited variety of surfaces are applicable to much larger areas of cloud and ocean.

Brooks, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The application of potential flow theory to the rotational dynamics of spheroids, disks, and cylinders

An example for the considered phenomenon in the area of cloud microphysics is the rotational motion of ice particles as they fall through the air. Of fundamental importance for the general problem is a knowledge of the magnitude of the torque exerted by the fluid on the translating object as well as the frequency of the rotational oscillation which results from this torque. The present investigation has the objective to obtain estimates of these quantities, and to assess the accuracy of these estimates. Torques and oscillation frequencies for spheroidal objects immersed in flow are computed for potential flow and compared to measured values. The results form a consistent picture in which the ratios of measured to potential flow values are always less than 1 but generally greater than 0.1. The reason for this is described in terms of the well-known deviations of real flow from potential flow. The reported results are of academic interest in filling a gap in the knowledge regarding the applicability of potential flow.

Weinheimer, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Molecular clouds in the outer galaxy 1: Far infrared observations

From the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, far infrared emission were detected from 4 molecular clouds in the outer galaxy. Eleven areas in 6 clouds were observed at 50 and 100 microns. The far-infrared luminosities indicate the presence of stars with spectral types ranging from B3 to O7. Therefore, despite the fact that these clouds have lower CO line temperatures than comparable clouds in the inner galaxy, they are giving birth to massive stars.

Mead, K. N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Molecular clouds in the outer galaxy. I - Far-infrared observations

From the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, far infrared emission were detected from 4 molecular clouds in the outer galaxy. Eleven areas in six clouds were observed at 50 and 100 microns. The far-infrared luminosities indicate the presence of stars with spectral types ranging from B3 to O7. Therefore, despite the fact that these clouds have lower CO line temperatures than comparable clouds in the inner galaxy, they are giving birth to massive stars.

Mead, Kathryn N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Nuclear winds and the narrow-line emission from active galaxies

This paper discusses active galaxy narrow-line emission in the context of a supersonic wind generated by the active nucleus, a nuclear wind. Wind acceleration can naturally produce the inferred narrow-line cloud velocities as well as those of the broad-line and broad absorption line clouds with only a weak dependence on the parameters of the active nucleus. The primary obstacle to wind acceleration of emission-line clouds is the destructive effect of instabilities; however, the stability and structure of wind-confined clouds remain areas of future research. Observations, particularly of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068, are interpreted in the context of nuclear winds.

Smith, Steven J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Evolution and Mean Properties of Convective Systems in Southwestern Amazonia During TRMM-LBA

During the wet season TRMM field campaign in Rondonia, Brazil, a variety of convective systems were sampled by radar, sounding, and geostationary satellite for a 60 day period in early 1999. Local variations in the local wind and humidity field have been attributed in part by this study to synoptic scale phenomena, most conspicuously the establishment of stationary frontal systems penetrating into the tropics. These baroclinic systems induced periodic episodes low level moist, westerly flow across Rondonia during the experiment. This flow feature may be an important component of the South American climate system by playing a role in maintaining the South Atlantic Convergence Zone, which was active during these local westerly wind events. It is therefore important to understand the differences in mesoscale properties of convective systems between the westerly wind periods and intervening easterly wind periods. Differences in shear and moisture characteristics (Halverson et al. 2000, this meeting) are compared to structural and life-cycle characteristics of convective systems in Rondonia. Data from ground based radar and geostationary satellite provide a view of the evolution of the vertical structure and horizontal morphology of several large mesoscale convective systems in each regime. Preliminary statistics on the diurnal variation of precipitation intensity, areal coverage, and cloud top area are presented. Results suggest that long-lived, shallow convective systems with a large stratiform component of precipitation are characteristic of the westerly wind periods. A goal of this study is to establish a basis for which to parameterize the mesoscale effects of convection on large scale features of the South American climate system.

Rickenbach, Thomas M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

CERES Monthly TOA and SRB Averages (SRBAVG) data in HDF-EOS Grid (CER_SRBAVG_Terra-FM1-MODIS_Edition2C)

The Monthly TOA/Surface Averages (SRBAVG) product contains a month of space and time averaged Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data for a single scanner instrument. The SRBAVG is also produced for combinations of scanner instruments. The monthly average regional flux is estimated using diurnal models and the 1-degree regional fluxes at the hour of observation from the CERES SFC product. A second set of monthly average fluxes are estimated using concurrent diurnal information from geostationary satellites. These fluxes are given for both clear-sky and total-sky scenes and are spatially averaged from 1-degree regions to 1-degree zonal averages and a global average. For each region, the SRBAVG also contains hourly average fluxes for the month and an overall monthly average. The cloud properties from SFC are column averaged and are included on the SRBAVG. [Location=GLOBAL] [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=1998-02-01; Stop_Date=2003-02-28] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180] [Data_Resolution: Latitude_Resolution=1 degree; Longitude_Resolution=1 degree; Horizontal_Resolution_Range=100 km - < 250 km or approximately 1 degree - < 2.5 degrees; Temporal_Resolution=1 month; Temporal_Resolution_Range=Monthly - < Annual].

ICE PARTICLE DIAMETER↗