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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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NASA NTRS1979

Anomalous growth of single ice crystals in solution

It is shown that major discrepancies exist between experiments and theory for ice crystal growth from solution. Accurate data, taken in a microgravity environment, approximate analytical models, and exact (probably numerical) models all are needed to advance our understanding of ice crystal growth phenomena. A new approximate semi-empirical theory is presented which predicts that a relatively sharp transition from natural convection control to diffusion control for ice growth in pure water occurs at a subcooling of about 10 C (a reduced temperature difference of about 0.125). No reliable data exist to test this prediction. The theory also predicts qualitatively the growth of ice in NaCl solution in which maxima in the growth rates are observed at various levels of subcooling.

Gill, W. N.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The hydrogen density of the local interstellar medium and an upper limit to the galactic glow determined from Pioneer 10 ultraviolet photometer observations

Pioneer 10 Lyman-alpha data obtained beyond the heliocentric distance of 30 AU are used here to determine the local ISM hydrogen density and downwind Galactic glow. The resulting asymptotic interstellar hydrogen density obtained using a conventional interplanetary model is 0.06/cu cm, and the Galactic Lyman-alpha glow is found to be negligible in the downwind direction. Discrepancies are found between observations and the conventional theoretical predictions of the glow dependence on radial distance. Based solely on data obtained between 30 and 39 AU, a better fit is obtained with a constant density distribution beyond 30 AU. In this case, a density of 0.05/cu cm and Galactic glow of 1.5 R is obtained. These results suggest that a complex density distribution may be more appropriate than either the conventional exponential distribution or the constant distribution.

Wu, F. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Flow downstream of the heliospheric terminal shock. I - Irrotational flow

Recent reports of remote detection of the heliospheric terminal shock place it near 50 AU. These conflict with standard models which, when combined with current data on the local interstellar medium, place the shock beyod 100 AU. Resolution of this discrepancy has led to hypotheses that invoke cosmic ray pressure, momentum exchange with interstellar neutrals, and magnetic field effects between the shock and the contact discontinuity dividing the solar wind from interstellar plasma. These hypotheses depend not only on properties of the interstellar medium, but also on the downstream three-dimensional flow between the shock and the contact discontinuity, in the region called the 'heliosheath'. The downstream flow field in the absence of magnetic fields is examined here under the assumptions that the flow everywhere outside the shock can be approximated as irrotational and incompressible. It is found, in particular, that the distance between the terminal shock and the contact discontinuity is less than the heliocentric distance to the terminal shock, effectively eliminating magnetic field effects in the heliosheath as being dynamically important.

Suess, Steven T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Calculation of AGARD Wing 445.6 Flutter Using Navier-Stokes Aerodynamics

An unsteady, 3D, implicit upwind Euler/Navier-Stokes algorithm is here used to compute the flutter characteristics of Wing 445.6, the AGARD standard aeroelastic configuration for dynamic response, with a view to the discrepancy between Euler characteristics and experimental data. Attention is given to effects of fluid viscosity, structural damping, and number of structural model nodes. The flutter characteristics of the wing are determined using these unsteady generalized aerodynamic forces in a traditional V-g analysis. The V-g analysis indicates that fluid viscosity has a significant effect on the supersonic flutter boundary for this wing.

Lee-Rausch, Elizabeth M.↗
NASA NTRS1998

The Net Exchange Between Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Atmosphere as a Result of Changes in Land Use

The general purpose of this research was to improve and update (to 1990) estimates of the net flux of carbon between the world's terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere from changes in land use (e.g., deforestation and reforestation). The estimates are important for understanding the global carbon cycle, and for predicting future concentrations of atmospheric CO2 that will result from emissions. The emphasis of the first year's research was on the northern temperate zone and boreal forests, where the greatest discrepancy exists between estimates of flux. Forest inventories suggest net sinks of 0.6 PgC/yr; inversion analyses based on atmospheric data and models suggest much larger sinks 2-3.6 PgC/yr (e.g., Tans et al. 1990, Ciais et al. 1995). The work carried out with this grant calculated the flux attributable to changes in land use. The estimated flux was somewhat smaller than the flux calculated from inventory data suggesting that environmental changes have led to a small accumulation of carbon in forests that exceeds the accumulation expected from past rates of harvest. Two publications have described these results (Houghton 1996, 1998). The large difference between these estimates and those obtained with atmospheric data and models remains unexplained. The recent estimate of a 1.7 PgC/yr sink in North America, alone (Fan et al. 1998), is particularly difficult to explain. That part of the sink attributable to land-use change, however, is defined as a result of this grant.

Houghton, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

An Experimental Study of Incremental Surface Loading of an Elastic Plate: Application to Volcano Tectonics

Models of surface fractures due to volcanic loading an elastic plate are commonly used to constrain thickness of planetary lithospheres, but discrepancies exist in predictions of the style of initial failure and in the nature of subsequent fracture evolution. In this study, we perform an experiment to determine the mode of initial failure due to the incremental addition of a conical load to the surface of an elastic plate and compare the location of initial failure with that predicted by elastic theory. In all experiments, the mode of initial failure was tension cracking at the surface of the plate, with cracks oriented circumferential to the load. The cracks nucleated at a distance from load center that corresponds the maximum radial stress predicted by analytical solutions, so a tensile failure criterion is appropriate for predictions of initial failure. With continued loading of the plate, migration of tensional cracks was observed. In the same azimuthal direction as the initial crack, subsequent cracks formed at a smaller radial distance than the initial crack. When forming in a different azimuthal direction, the subsequent cracks formed at a distance greater than the radial distance of the initial crack. The observed fracture pattern may explain the distribution of extensional structures in annular bands around many large scale, circular volcanic features.

Williams, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Spectroscopic Determination of the Physical Conditions in Hot Optically Thin Sources

The Astrophysics Plasma Emission Code and Database (APEC/APED), developed in part under this grant, have been upgraded to Version 1.3.0 and are now beginning to find widespread applications to X-ray spectral data from Chandra and XMM-Newton. These models represent the best theoretical data currently available and are reasonably complete below about 30 A. We are making significant progress in improving the spectral models between 30 and 90 A, by the addition of HULLAC calculations and NIST wavelengths for L-shell ions of Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, and Ca. While the output models are now public, the code itself is not ready for public release. We have made significant progress toward this goal through programming improvements, including optimized error codes, a major (elusive) bug fix, and additions to our testing protocols. Secondarily, we are beginning to investigate limited uses of APEC for X-ray photoionized plasma, as for opacity modeling. Stellar coronae are being used to benchmark the atomic data in APED as part of the Emission Line Project. The models appear to be in good agreement with the observations for most of the strong lines; however, we have identified significant discrepancies in the 3s/3d line ratios not only for Fe XVII, but also for Fe XVIII and XIX. The careful analysis of these high quality X-ray spectra has also shown that there are serious problems with some of the analysis techniques in widespread use. There are several manifestations of the problem, but the main problem is that line-to-continuum ratios may be seriously mismeasured. We continue to collaborate widely with atomic physicists in order to find the best atomic data, and to solicit calculations and measurements that are needed.

Brickhouse, Nancy↗
NASA NTRS2003

Spectroscopic Determination of the Physical Conditions in Hot Optically Thin Sources

The Astrophysics Plasma Emission Code and Database (APEC/APED), developed in part under this grant, have been upgraded to ATOMDB Version 1.3.1: and are now beginning to find widespread applications t o X-ray spectral data from Chandra and XMM-Newton (37 citations in published work, according to the ADS, plus numerous other conference and prepublication papers).ATOMDB is now linked through the Plasma Gate website: http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/DBfAPP.html. The major difference from Version 1.3.0 is that the new models naw ex- tend t o 50 keV rather than stopping at 10 keV. This means that ATOMDB can be used with redshifted observations. There are minor differences in emissivities due t o radiative recombination and cascades. Stellar coronae are being used to benchmark the atomic data in APED as part of the Emission Line Project. The models appear to be in good agreement with the observations for most of the strong lines; however, we have identified significant discrepancies in the 3s/3d line ratios not only for Fe XVII, but also for Fe XVIII and XIX. The Fe XVII problem has been known from solar observations, and is currently being tested under EBIT laboratory conditions by two groups. The Fe XVIII problem is substantially worse, but perhaps will shed light on the relevant underlying theoretical issues. Ming-Feng Gu has recently published new calculations, which we are comparing with APEC and with the obser- vations. His calculations appear to improve the emissivities of lines affected by cascades, but other problems remain.

Brickhouse, Nancy S.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Development of Switchable Polarity Solvent Draw Solutes

Results of a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) study of flow and heat transfer in a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) geometry are presented. CFD results obtained from a two-plate model are compared to corresponding experimental results for the validation. This process provides the basis for further application of the CFD code to PCHE design and performance analysis in a variety of internal flow geometries. As a part of the code verification and validation (V&V) process, CFD simulation of a single semicircular straight channel under laminar isothermal conditions was also performed and compared to theoretical results. This comparison yielded excellent agreement with the theoretical values. The two-plate CFD model based on the experimental PCHE design overestimated the effectiveness and underestimated the pressure drop. However, it is found that the discrepancy between the CFD result and experimental data was mainly caused by the uncertainty in the geometry of heat exchanger during the fabrication. The CFD results obtained using a slightly smaller channel diameter yielded good agreement with the experimental data. A separate investigation revealed that the average channel diameter of the OSU PCHE after the diffusion-bonding was 1.93 mm on the cold fluid side and 1.90 mm on the hot fluid side which are both smaller than the nominal design value. Consequently, the CFD code was shown to have sufficient capability to evaluate the heat exchanger thermal-hydraulic performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal-hydraulic performance of printed circuit heat exchangers: CFD analysis with experimental validation - 18434

Results of a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) study of flow and heat transfer in a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) geometry are presented. CFD results obtained from a two-plate model are compared to corresponding experimental results for the validation. This process provides the basis for further application of the CFD code to PCHE design and performance analysis in a variety of internal flow geometries. As a part of the code verification and validation (V and V) process, CFD simulation of a single semicircular straight channel under laminar isothermal conditions was also performed and compared to theoretical results. This comparison yielded good agreement with the theoretical values. The two-plate CFD model based on the experimental PCHE design overestimated the effectiveness and underestimated the pressure drop. However, it is found that the discrepancy between the CFD result and experimental data was a result of the uncertainty in the geometry of heat exchanger during the fabrication. The CFD results obtained using a slightly smaller channel diameter yielded good agreement with the experimental data. A separate investigation revealed that the average channel diameter of the OSU PCHE after the diffusion-bonding was 1.93 mm on the cold fluid side and 1.90 mm on the hot fluid side which are both smaller than the nominal design value. Consequently, the CFD code was shown to have sufficient capability to evaluate the heat exchanger thermal-hydraulic performance. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Conceptual design of initial opacity experiments on the national ignition facility

Accurate models of X-ray absorption and re-emission in partly stripped ions are necessary to calculate the structure of stars, the performance of hohlraums for inertial confinement fusion and many other systems in high-energy-density plasma physics. Despite theoretical progress, a persistent discrepancy exists with recent experiments at the Sandia Z facility studying iron in conditions characteristic of the solar radiative–convective transition region. The increased iron opacity measured at Z could help resolve a longstanding issue with the standard solar model, but requires a radical departure for opacity theory. To replicate the Z measurements, an opacity experiment has been designed for the National Facility (NIF). The design uses established techniques scaled to NIF. A laser-heated hohlraum will produce X-ray-heated uniform iron plasmas in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) at temperatures ${\geqslant}150$ eV and electron densities ${\geqslant}7\times 10^{21}~\text{cm}^{-3}$ . The iron will be probed using continuum X-rays emitted in a ${\sim}200$ ps, ${\sim}200~\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{m}$ diameter source from a 2 mm diameter polystyrene (CH) capsule implosion. In this design, $2/3$ of the NIF beams deliver 500 kJ to the ${\sim}6$ mm diameter hohlraum, and the remaining $1/3$ directly drive the CH capsule with 200 kJ. Calculations indicate this capsule backlighter should outshine the iron sample, delivering a point-projection transmission opacity measurement to a time-integrated X-ray spectrometer viewing down the hohlraum axis. Preliminary experiments to develop the backlighter and hohlraum are underway, informing simulated measurements to guide the final design.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1998

Modeling Macro- and Micro-Scale Turbulent Mixing and Chemistry in Engine Exhaust Plumes

Simulation of turbulent mixing and chemical processes in the near-field plume and plume-vortex regimes has been successfully carried out recently using a reduced gas phase kinetics mechanism which substantially decreased the computational cost. A detailed mechanism including gas phase HOx, NOx, and SOx chemistry between the aircraft exhaust and the ambient air in near-field aircraft plumes is compiled. A reduced mechanism capturing the major chemical pathways is developed. Predictions by the reduced mechanism are found to be in good agreement with those by the detailed mechanism. With the reduced chemistry, the computer CPU time is saved by a factor of more than 3.5 for the near-field plume modeling. Distributions of major chemical species are obtained and analyzed. The computed sensitivities of major species with respect to reaction step are deduced for identification of the dominant gas phase kinetic reaction pathways in the jet plume. Both the near field plume and the plume-vortex regimes were investigated using advanced mixing models. In the near field, a stand-alone mixing model was used to investigate the impact of turbulent mixing on the micro- and macro-scale mixing processes using a reduced reaction kinetics model. The plume-vortex regime was simulated using a large-eddy simulation model. Vortex plume behind Boeing 737 and 747 aircraft was simulated along with relevant kinetics. Many features of the computed flow field show reasonable agreement with data. The entrainment of the engine plumes into the wing tip vortices and also the partial detrainment of the plume were numerically captured. The impact of fluid mechanics on the chemical processes was also studied. Results show that there are significant differences between spatial and temporal simulations especially in the predicted SO3 concentrations. This has important implications for the prediction of sulfuric acid aerosols in the wake and may partly explain the discrepancy between past numerical studies (that employed parabolic or temporal approximations) and the measured data. Finally to address the major uncertainty in the near-field plume modeling related to the plume processing of sulfur compounds and advanced model was developed to evaluate its impact on the chemical processes in the near wake. A comprehensive aerosol model is developed and it is coupled with chemical kinetics and the axisymmetric turbulent jet flow models. The integrated model is used to simulate microphysical processes in the near-field jet plume, including sulfuric acid and water binary homogeneous nucleation, coagulation, non-equilibrium heteromolecular condensation, and sulfur-induced soot activation. The formation and evolution of aerosols are computed and analyzed. The computed results show that a large number of ultra-fine (0.3--0.6 nm in radius) volatile HSO4 - HO embryos are generated in the near-field plume. These embryos further grow in size by self coagulation and condensation. Soot particles can be activated by both heterogeneous nucleation and scavenging of H2SO4-H2O aerosols. These activated soot particles can serve as water condensation nuclei for contrail formation. Conditions under which ice contrails can form behind aircrafts are studied. The sensitivities of the threshold temperature for contrail formation with respect to aircraft propulsion efficiency, relative humidity, and ambient pressure are evaluated. The computed aerosol properties for different extent of fuel sulfur conversion to S(VI) (SO3 and H2SO4) in engine are examined and the results are found to be sensitive to this conversion fraction.

Menon, Suresh↗
DOE OSTI2022

Density Measurements of Various Molten Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Uranium Chloride Salt Compositions Using Neutron Imaging

With an increased interest in the use of molten salts for energy generation, obtaining thermophysical properties of salt mixtures becomes critical for the understanding of salt performance and behavior. Density is one of the significant thermophysical properties of salt systems. This work presents the density measurement of molten chloride salt mixtures using neutron imaging. This work was performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory High-Flux Isotope Reactor. Here, resulting densities as a function of temperature for different molten chloride salts from this work were compared with calculated values using Redlich–Kister modeling. Agreement between the calculated and measured values was within 1–10%, with the exception of the ternary UCl 3 –NaCl–KCl salt that showed a 32% discrepancy between several literature reports; however, the results did align well with another neutron radiography article. Analysis of the radiographs suggests that microbubbles in the ternary mixture might have biased the density measurements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Anomalies in the topology of the temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background: An analysis of the NPIPE and FFP10 data releases

We present a topological analysis of the temperature fluctuation maps from the Planck 2020 Data Release 4 NPIPE dataset and the Planck 2018 Data Release 3 FFP10 dataset. We performed a multiscale analysis in terms of the homology characteristics of the maps, invoking relative homology to account for the analysis in the presence of masks. We performed our analysis for a range of smoothing scales spanning sub- and super-horizon scales corresponding to a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 5',10',20',40',80',160',320', and 640', and employed simulations based on the standard model for comparison, which assumes the initial fluctuation field to be an isotropic and homogeneous Gaussian random field. Examining the behavior of topological components, represented by the 0D homology group, we find the observations to be approximately 2σ or less deviant from the simulations for all resolutions and scales for the NPIPE dataset. For the FFP10 dataset, we detect a 2.96σ deviation between the observations and simulations at N = 128, FWHM = 80'. For the topological loops, represented by the first homology group, the simulations and observations are consistent within 2σ for most resolutions and scales for both the datasets. However, for the NPIPE dataset, we observe a high deviation between the observation and simulations in the number of loops at FWHM = 320', but at a low dimensionless threshold ν = –2.5. Under a Gaussian assumption, this would amount to a deviation of ~4σ. However, the distribution in this bin is manifestly non-Gaussian and does not obey Poisson statistics either. In the absence of a true theoretical understanding, we simply note that the significance is higher than what may be resolved by 600 simulations, yielding an empirical p-value of at most 0.0016. Specifically in this case, our tests indicate that the numbers arise from a statistically stable regime, despite being based on small numbers. For the FFP10 dataset, the differences are not as strong as for the NPIPE dataset, indicating a 2.77σ deviation at this resolution and threshold. The Euler characteristic, which is the alternating sum of the ranks of relative homology groups, reflects the deviations in the components and loops. To assess the significance of combined levels for a given scale, we employed the empirical and theoretical versions of the χ 2 test as well as the nonparametric Tukey depth test. Although all statistics exhibit a stable distribution, we favor the empirical version of the χ 2 test in the final interpretation, as it indicates the most conservative differences. For the NPIPE dataset, we find that the components and loops differ at more than 95%, but agree within the 99% confidence level with respect to the base model at N = 32, FWHM = 320'. The Euler characteristic at this resolution displays a per mil deviation. In contrast, the FFP10 dataset shows that the observations are consistent with the base model within the 95% confidence level, at this and smaller scales. This is consistent with the observations of the Planck analysis pipeline via Minkowski functionals. For the largest smoothing scale, N = 16, FWHM = 640', both datasets exhibit an anomalous behavior of the loops, where FFP10 data exhibit a deviation that is larger by an order of magnitude than that of the NPIPE dataset. In contrast, the values for the topological components and the Euler characteristic agree between observations and model to within a confidence level of 99%. However, for the largest scales, the statistics are based on low numbers and may have to be regarded with caution. Even though both datasets exhibit mild to significant discrepancies, they also exhibit contrasting behaviors at various instances. Therefore, we do not find it feasible to convincingly accept or reject the null hypothesis. Disregarding the large-scale anomalies that persist at similar scales in WMAP and Planck, observations of the cosmic microwave background are largely consistent with the standard cosmological model within 2σ.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Validation of Hygrothermal Simulations with Wall Performance Experiments in an Environmental Chamber

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing a web tool, built on a rule-based expert system, that aids stakeholders in designing energy-efficient moisture-durable walls. Currently, the tool’s expert system database is mostly populated with expert opinion, but work is being done to incorporate durability assessment based on stochastic hygrothermal modeling. Chamber experiments have been conducted to validate the hygrothermal models. The measured temperature and humidity have been compared with those predicted by the hygrothermal model. Experiments and comparison to one-dimensional hygrothermal modeling results were completed with two walls, a Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) based wall and a Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) based wall. The two walls were succumbed to typical Chicago weather in ORNL’s Heat, Air and Moisture chamber. The walls were sequentially exposed to different scenarios, including diffusion, wetting, air leakage and solar radiation. For the most part, the hygrothermal simulations can be successfully used to predict the performance of these wall systems for the moisture transport phenomenon. Errors between measured and simulated values decreased as measurements got closer to the interior side of the wall. The root mean square error was larger for relative humidity (up to 17.5%-RH for CMU) than for temperature (up to 4.5°C for CMU wall). The errors were larger for the CMU wall than the wood frame wall. The phenomenon, including liquid water, caused large discrepancies between measurement and simulation results, and simulated results showed slower drying of materials than measured results. The one-dimensional nature of the simulation model made simulating air leaks difficult but not impossible.

Salonvaara, Mikael↗
DOE OSTI2017

ZFIRE: The Evolution of the Stellar Mass Tully–Fisher Relation to Redshift ∼2.2

Using observations made with MOSFIRE on Keck I as part of the ZFIRE survey, we present the stellar mass Tully–Fisher relation at 2.0<z<2.5. The sample was drawn from a stellar-mass-limited, K{sub s}-band-selected catalog from ZFOURGE over the CANDELS area in the COSMOS field. We model the shear of the Hα emission line to derive rotational velocities at 2.2× the scale radius of an exponential disk (V{sub 2.2}). We correct for the blurring effect of a 2D point-spread function (PSF) and the fact that the MOSFIRE PSF is better approximated by a Moffat than a Gaussian, which is more typically assumed for natural seeing. We find for the Tully–Fisher relation at 2.0<z<2.5 that logV{sub 2.2}=(2.18±0.051)+(0.193 ± 0.108)(logM/M{sub ⊙}−10) and infer an evolution of the zero-point of ΔM/M{sub ⊙}=−0.25±0.16 dex or ΔM/M{sub ⊙}=−0.39±0.21 dex compared to z = 0 when adopting a fixed slope of 0.29 or 1/4.5, respectively. We also derive the alternative kinematic estimator S{sub 0.5}, with a best-fit relation logS{sub 0.5}=(2.06±0.032) + (0.211±0.086) (logM/M{sub ⊙}−10), and infer an evolution of ΔM/M{sub ⊙} =−0.45±0.13 dex compared to z<1.2 if we adopt a fixed slope. We investigate and review various systematics, such as PSF effects, projection effects, systematics related to stellar mass derivation, selection biases, and slope. We find that discrepancies between the various literature values are reduced when taking these into account. Our observations correspond well with the gradual evolution predicted by semianalytic models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Elastic geothermobarometry: Corrections for the geometry of the host-inclusion system

Elastic geothermobarometry on inclusions is a method to determine pressure-temperature conditions of mineral growth independent of chemical equilibrium. Because of the difference in their elastic properties, an inclusion completely entrapped inside a host mineral will develop a residual stress upon exhumation, from which one can back-calculate the entrapment pressure. Current elastic geobarometric models assume that both host and inclusion are elastically isotropic and have an ideal geometry (the inclusion is spherical and isolated at the center of an infinite host). These conditions do not commonly occur in natural rocks, and the consequences for inclusion pressures can only be quantified with numerical approaches. In this paper, we report the results of numerical simulations of inclusions with the finite element method on elastically isotropic systems. We define and determine a geometrical factor (Γ) that allows measured residual pressures to be corrected for the effects of non-ideal geometry. We provide simple guidelines as to which geometries can safely be used for elastic geobarometry without correcting for the geometry. We also show that the discrepancies between elastic and conventional geobarometry reported in literature are not due to geometrical effects, and therefore result from other factors not yet included in current models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2014

The Impact of Dielectric Constant Model and Surface Reference on Differences Between SMOS and Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity

Two ongoing space missions share the scientific objective of mapping the global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), yet their observations show significant discrepancies. ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and NASA's Aquarius use L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometers to measure emission from the sea surface and retrieve SSS. Significant differences in SSS retrieved by both sensors are observed, with SMOS SSS being generally lower than Aquarius SSS, except for very cold waters where SMOS SSS is the highest overall. Figure 1 is an example of the difference between the SSS retrieved by SMOS and Aquarius averaged over one month and 1 degree in longitude and latitude. Differences are mostly between -1 psu and +1 psu (psu, practical salinity unit), with a significant regional and latitudinal dependence. We investigate the impact of the vicarious calibration and retrieval algorithm used by both mission on these differences.

SMOS↗