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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 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Results from Global Land-Surface Data Assimilation Methods

Realistic representation of the land surface is crucial in global climate modeling (GCM). Recently, the Mosaic land-surface Model (LSM) has been driven off-line using GEOS DAS (Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System) atmospheric forcing, forming the Off-line Land-surface Global Assimilation (OLGA) system. This system provides a computationally efficient test bed for land surface data assimilation. Here, we validate the OLGA simulation of surface processes and the assimilation of ISCCP surface temperatures. Another component of this study as the incorporation of the Physical-space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS) into OLGA, in order to assimilate surface temperature observations from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). To counteract the subsequent forcing of the analyzed skin temperature back to the initial state following the analysis. incremental bias correction (IBC) was included in the assimilation. The IBC scheme effectively removed the time mean bias, but did not remove him in the mean diurnal cycle. Therefore, a diurnal him correction (DBC) scheme was developed, where the time-dependent bias was modeled with a sine wave parameterization. In addition, quality control of the ISCCP data and anisotropic temperature correction were implemented in PSAS. Preliminary results showed a substantial impact from the inclusion of PSAS and DBC that was visible in the surface meteorology fields and energy budget. Also, the monthly mean diurnal cycle from the experiment closely matched the diurnal cycle from the observations.

Radakovich, Jon D.↗
NASA NTRS2017

DART: Recent Advances in Remote Sensing Data Modeling With Atmosphere, Polarization, and Chlorophyll Fluorescence

To better understand the life-essential cycles and processes of our planet and to further develop remote sensing (RS) technology, there is an increasing need for models that simulate the radiative budget (RB) and RS acquisitions of urban and natural landscapes using physical approaches and considering the three-dimensional (3-D) architecture of Earth surfaces. Discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) is one of the most comprehensive physically based 3-D models of Earth-atmosphere radiative transfer, covering the spectral domain from ultraviolet to thermal infrared wavelengths. It simulates the optical 3-DRB and optical signals of proximal, aerial, and satellite imaging spectrometers and laser scanners, for any urban and/or natural landscapes and for any experimental and instrumental configurations. It is freely available for research and teaching activities. In this paper, we briefly introduce DART theory and present recent advances in simulated sensors (LiDAR and cameras with finite field of view) and modeling mechanisms (atmosphere, specular reflectance with polarization and chlorophyll fluorescence). A case study demonstrating a novel application of DART to investigate urban landscapes is also presented.

Gastellu-Etchegorry, Jean-Phil↗
NASA NTRS1988

Estimating surface soil moisture from satellite microwave measurements and a satellite derived vegetation index

Normalized 18-GHz microwave brightness temperatures, T(B), and a vegetation index determined from satellite radiometer data are combined with climatically modeled surface moisture estimates to constrain a simple physically based soil moisture model. It is found that the normalized T(B) values correlated well with soil moisture when the data were segregated by vegetation index range, but less so when all the data were combined. By using the vegetation index parameter, the model is shown to account for about 70 percent of the variability in modeled surface soil moisture.

Owe, Manfred↗
NASA NTRS1988

Interactions of light with rough dielectric surfaces - Spectral reflectance and polarimetric properties

The nature of the interactions of visible and NIR radiation with the surfaces of rock and mineral samples was investigated by measuring the reflectance and the polarization properties of scattered and reflected light for slab samples of obsidian and fine-grained basalt, prepared to controlled surface roughness. It is shown that the degree to which radiation can penetrate a surface and then scatter back out, an essential criterion for mineralogic determinations based on reflectance spectra, depends not only upon the composition of the material, but also on its physical condition such as sample grain size and surface roughness. Comparison of the experimentally measured reflectance and polarization from smooth and rough slab materials with the predicted models indicates that single Fresnel reflections are responsible for the largest part of the reflected intensity resulting from interactions with the surfaces of dielectric materials; multiple Fresnel reflections are much less important for such surfaces.

Yon, S. A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improving the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) Using a Physics-Based Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) Model

The National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) is a widely used resource providing satellite-derived solar data across the United States and globally. While the NSRDB employs a physical model for computing global horizontal irradiance (GHI), its current method for estimating cloudy-sky direct normal irradiance (DNI) relies on surface observations and empirical models. Recently, a novel physics-based approach, the Fast All-Sky Radiation Model for Solar applications with DNI (FARMS-DNI), was developed to enhance the DNI forecasting. FARMS-DNI incorporates both direct and scattered solar radiation within the circumsolar region, resulting in improved day-ahead DNI predictions when integrated into the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Solar extensions (WRF-Solar). This study integrates FARMS-DNI into the NSRDB algorithm to generate high-resolution DNI data from satellite resources. Our findings reveal that FARMS-DNI effectively mitigates the substantial DNI overestimation present in the conventional NSRDB across surface sites, particularly in conditions categorized as cloudy overcast. Consequently, this innovative model substantially enhances the overall accuracy of the NSRDB.

Xie, Yu↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improving the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) Using a Physics-Based Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) Model: Preprint

The National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) is a widely used resource providing satellite-derived solar data across the United States and globally. While the NSRDB employs a physical model for computing global horizontal irradiance (GHI), its current method for estimating cloudy-sky direct normal irradiance (DNI) relies on surface observations and empirical models. Recently, a novel physics-based approach, the Fast All-Sky Radiation Model for Solar applications with DNI (FARMS-DNI), was developed to enhance the DNI forecasting. FARMS-DNI incorporates both direct and scattered solar radiation within the circumsolar region, resulting in improved day-ahead DNI predictions when integrated into the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Solar extensions (WRF-Solar). This study integrates FARMS-DNI into the NSRDB algorithm to generate high-resolution DNI data from satellite resources. Our findings reveal that FARMS-DNI effectively mitigates the substantial DNI overestimation present in the conventional NSRDB across surface sites, particularly in conditions categorized as cloudy overcast. Consequently, this innovative model substantially enhances the overall accuracy of the NSRDB.

DNI↗
DOE OSTI2020

The impact of tillage row orientation on physical and chemical sediment enrichment

Abstract This study aimed to better understand how tillage row orientation with respect to dominant flow‐pathway along hillslope impacts runoff and the transport of different sediment size fractions. Experimental plots were constructed in contour ridge till (CRT) and parallel ridge till (PRT) sites to monitor runoff and sediment fluxes. Particle size fractions of the sediment, along with organic C and N contents were measured to quantify physical and chemical enrichment ratios for the two tillage orientations. In the CRT plot, tillage produced large oriented roughness elements along the contours, which acted as little check dams, while in the PRT site, the roughness elements helped confine and concentrate the runoff. In the CRT, the “check dams” resulted in a runoff coefficient of .03, while in the PRT, the flow confinement between rows produced a runoff coefficient of .82. Moreover, the erosion rates at the CRT site were 97% less than those in the PRT plot. Large contours produced finer sediment fractions due to the selective sorting in ponded furrows. More aggregate sediment fractions were present in the PRT site, which was dominated by rill erosion. Physical enrichment revealed selective entrainment of finer sediment particles during erosion. Finer‐grain particles with higher specific surface areas, attached more organic C resulting in chemical enrichment. Physical and chemical enrichment methods were found to be in good agreement. These findings suggest transport models that can simulate size fraction updates to the soil active layer can be used to estimate SOC redistribution and hence more accurate C budgets.

Wacha, Kenneth M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Aerosol and Surface Parameter Retrievals for a Multi-Angle, Multiband Spectrometer

This software retrieves the surface and atmosphere parameters of multi-angle, multiband spectra. The synthetic spectra are generated by applying the modified Rahman-Pinty-Verstraete Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model, and a single-scattering dominated atmosphere model to surface reflectance data from Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). The aerosol physical model uses a single scattering approximation using Rayleigh scattering molecules, and Henyey-Greenstein aerosols. The surface and atmosphere parameters of the models are retrieved using the Lavenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The software can retrieve the surface and atmosphere parameters with two different scales. The surface parameters are retrieved pixel-by-pixel while the atmosphere parameters are retrieved for a group of pixels where the same atmosphere model parameters are applied. This two-scale approach allows one to select the natural scale of the atmosphere properties relative to surface properties. The software also takes advantage of an intelligent initial condition given by the solution of the neighbor pixels.

Broderick, Daniel↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Toward an IMU-Based Space Suit Motion Capture System

Spacesuits are complex engineering systems that sustain human health and enable performance outside Earth-like environments. These systems must support human mobility and physical workload demands while minimizing injury risk during extravehicular activity (EVA). Future EVA operations on the Lunar surface are expected to be more frequent and require higher physical workloads than previously during the ISS, Shuttle, and Apollo programs. To characterize the workloads and ergonomics needs a suit must support, the kinematics of the space suit must be measured during operationally-relevant tasks in ground analog environments. Kinematics capture of the suit is challenging for traditional optical motion capture (OMC) approaches due to marker occlusion, harsh lighting or environmental conditions, and tests with suit surrogates in outdoor field environments. To this end, engineers at NASA are developing the Augmented Suit Inverse Kinematics (ASIK) system, a complete motion capture method and inverse kinematics solver which relies solely on a network of wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to the major kinematic segments of the spacesuit. The ASIK modeling language allows for the simple inclusion of probabilistic priors such as suit size and shape or IMU poses. The ASIK system was tested in a 7-subject pilot study. Each subject donned NASA’s new prototype exploration spacesuit in the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. The suits were outfitted with 12 IMUs to estimate lower body and trunk kinematics. The suits were also outfitted with a set of reflective OMC markers, and traditional OMC data was collected and processed. Characterization of the ASIK-derived suit joint angles’ accuracy against an optical motion capture datum will be presented. Discussion of these results, as well as discussion of system calibration and nuances of mathematical observability, will be included.

IMU↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dial It Down: The Effect of Strongly Interacting Adsorbates on the BiAg 2 Rashba Surface State

Organic semiconductors interfaced with spin–orbit coupled materials offer a rich playground for fundamental studies of controlling spin dynamics in spintronic devices. The adsorbate–surface interactions at such interfaces play a key role in determining the valence electronic and spin structure and consequently, the device physics as well. Here we show that strong adsorbate–surface alloy interaction leads to weakening of the electronic coupling between the surface alloy atoms and quenches the spin–orbit coupled surface state, demonstrated for the case of the strong organic electron acceptor 2,7-dinitropyrene-4,5,9,10-tetrone (NO 2 –PyT, C 16 H 4 N 2 O 8 ) on the Rashba spin–orbit coupled surface alloy BiAg 2 /Ag(111). Furthermore, our findings demonstrate an important challenge associated with using molecular adsorbates to tailor the spin texture in BiAg 2 /Ag(111), and our work provides guidelines to consider while designing interfacial systems to engineer the spin texture in Rashba surface alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1980

The opportunities offered by SCADM for the study of surface phenomena related to interior structure and dynamics

The physical processes to be probed by experiments may be grouped as large scale flows, oscillations, and chromospheric/coronal diagnostics. While the fundamental concerns and observational equipments are similar within each class, different investigations may tell different things about the Sun. Observational requirements are listed for experiments to study (1) plasma-magnetic field interactions; (2) interior structure via oscillations; (3) chromospheric and coronal tracers; (4) rotation, meridional flows, and giant cells; (5) the depth dependence of rotation; (6) EUV luminosity; (7) intensity fluctuations and tracers; and (8) diameter oscillations, the effects of noise and timestring on experiment results are assessed.

Brown, T. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Spectral reflectance of surface soils - A statistical analysis

The relationship of the physical and chemical properties of soils to their spectral reflectance as measured at six wavebands of Thematic Mapper (TM) aboard NASA's Landsat-4 satellite was examined. The results of performing regressions of over 20 soil properties on the six TM bands indicated that organic matter, water, clay, cation exchange capacity, and calcium were the properties most readily predicted from TM data. The middle infrared bands, bands 5 and 7, were the best bands for predicting soil properties, and the near infrared band, band 4, was nearly as good. Clustering 234 soil samples on the TM bands and characterizing the clusters on the basis of soil properties revealed several clear relationships between properties and reflectance. Discriminant analysis found organic matter, fine sand, base saturation, sand, extractable acidity, and water to be significant in discriminating among clusters.

Crouse, K. R.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Microstructure and surface morphology of InAsSbBi grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The physical and chemical properties of 210 nm thick InAsSbBi layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy at temperatures between 400 and 430 °C on (100) GaSb substrates are investigated using Rutherford backscattering, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Nomarski optical microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that the layers are nearly lattice matched, coherently strained, and contain dilute Bi mole fractions. Large surface droplets with diameters on the order of 1 μm and densities on the order of 106 cm−2 are observed when the InAsSbBi growth is performed with lean As overpressures around 1%. Surface droplets are not observed when the As overpressure is increased to 4%. Small crystalline droplets with diameters on the order of 70 nm and densities on the order of 1010 cm−2 are observed between the large droplets for InAsSbBi grown at 430 °C. Analysis of one of the small droplets indicates a misoriented zinc blende crystal structure composed primarily of In, Sb, and Bi, with a lattice constant of 6.543 ± 0.038 Å. Lateral modulation in the Bi mole fraction is observed in InAsSbBi layers grown at 400 °C.

Kosireddy, R. R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Helium Production of Prompt Neutrinos on the Moon

The subject of conducting fundamental physics and astronomy experiments on the lunar surface continues to be of interest in the planetary science community. Such an inquiry necessarily requires an analysis of the backscatter albedos produced by Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) when they directly impact the lunar regolith. Unlike the Earth, this happens because the Moon has only a tenuous exosphere. Such secondary radiation constitutes a background that obscures and interferes with measurements conducted in the normal sense of laboratory physics on Earth. Our previous investigations using recent enhancements in the Monte Carlo program known as FLUKA included the production of charged particles, neutrons, photons, and neutrinos by the impact of Galactic protons. That investigation is extended here to include the effect of ionized helium, He-4, or a particles. Because high-energy GCRs excite planetary regoliths into giving rise to charmed mesons, neutrinos are produced. Thus a connection is established for the GCR helium production of prompt neutrinos on the Moon using the physics of charm.

Andersen, V.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Explosive device comprising an explosive material having controlled explosive properties

An explosive device is described herein, wherein the explosive device includes a substrate that has a surface, wherein surface energy of a portion of the surface of the substrate has been modified in a vacuum chamber from a first surface energy to a second surface energy. The explosive device additionally includes explosive material that has been deposited on the surface of the substrate in the vacuum chamber by way of physical vapor deposition (PVD), wherein the explosive material is deposited on the portion of the surface of the substrate subsequent to the surface energy of the portion of the surface of the substrate being modified from the first surface energy to the second surface energy.

Forrest, Eric Christopher↗
DOE OSTI2023

Explosive device comprising an explosive material having controlled explosive properties

An explosive device is described herein, wherein the explosive device includes a substrate that has a surface, wherein surface energy of a portion of the surface of the substrate has been modified in a vacuum chamber from a first surface energy to a second surface energy. The explosive device additionally includes explosive material that has been deposited on the surface of the substrate in the vacuum chamber by way of physical vapor deposition (PVD), wherein the explosive material is deposited on the portion of the surface of the substrate subsequent to the surface energy of the portion of the surface of the substrate being modified from the first surface energy to the second surface energy.

Forrest, Eric Christopher↗
NASA NTRS2001

Mesoscale Convective Systems in SCSMEX: Simulated by a Regional Climate Model and a Cloud Resolving Model

A Regional Land-Atmosphere Climate Simulation (RELACS) System is being developed and implemented at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. One of the major goals of RELACS is to use a regional scale model with improved physical processes, in particular land-related processes, to understand the role of the land surface and its interaction with convection and radiation as well as the water and energy cycles in Indo-China/South China Sea (SCS)/China, North America and South America. The Penn State/NCAR MM5 atmospheric modeling system, a state of the art atmospheric numerical model designed to simulate regional weather and climate, has been successfully coupled to the Goddard Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model, PLACE allows for the effect A vegetation, and thus important physical processes such as evapotranspiration and interception are included. The PLACE model incorporates vegetation type and has been shown in international comparisons to accurately predict evapotranspiration and runoff over a wide variety of land surfaces. The coupling of MM5 and PLACE creates a numerical modeling system with the potential to more realistically simulate the atmosphere and land surface processes including land-sea interaction, regional circulations such as monsoons, and flash flood events. RELACS has been used to simulate the onset of the South China Sea Monsoon in 1986, 1991 and 1998. Sensitivity tests on various land surface models, cumulus parameterization schemes (CPSs), sea surface temperature (SST) variations and midlatitude influences have been performed. These tests have indicated that the land surface model has a major impact on the circulation over the South China Sea. CPSs can effect the precipitation pattern while SST variation can effect the precipitation amounts over both land and ocean. RELACS has also been used to understand the soil-precipitation interaction and feedback associated with a flood event that occurred in and around China's Yantz River during 1998. The exact location (region) of the flooding can be effected by the soil-rainfall feedback. Also, the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model which allows for realistic moist processes as well as explicit interactions between cloud and radiation, and cloud and surface processes will be used to simulate convective systems associated with the onset of the South China Sea Monsoon in 1998. The GCE model also includes the same PLACE and radiation scheme used in the RELACS. A detailed comparison between the results from the GCE model and RELACS will be performed.

Tao, W.-K.↗