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At least 19 records

Doppler spectra from ARM Doppler Lidar during ARMing the Edge

There is a need for long-term observations of cloud and precipitation fall speeds in validating and improving rainfall forecasts from climate models. To this end, the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site at Lamont, Oklahoma, hosts five ARM Doppler lidars that can measure cloud and aerosol properties. In particular, the ARM Doppler lidars record Doppler spectra that contain information about the fall speeds of cloud and precipitation particles. In this dataset, we provide the Doppler spectra from the ARM Doppler lidar at C1 recorded in April 2022 during ARMing the Edge.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Analysis of airborne Doppler lidar, Doppler radar and tall tower measurements of atmospheric flows in quiescent and stormy weather

The first experiment to combine airborne Doppler Lidar and ground-based dual Doppler Radar measurements of wind to detail the lower tropospheric flows in quiescent and stormy weather was conducted in central Oklahoma during four days in June-July 1981. Data from these unique remote sensing instruments, coupled with data from conventional in-situ facilities, i.e., 500-m meteorological tower, rawinsonde, and surface based sensors, were analyzed to enhance understanding of wind, waves and turbulence. The purposes of the study were to: (1) compare winds mapped by ground-based dual Doppler radars, airborne Doppler lidar, and anemometers on a tower; (2) compare measured atmospheric boundary layer flow with flows predicted by theoretical models; (3) investigate the kinematic structure of air mass boundaries that precede the development of severe storms; and (4) study the kinematic structure of thunderstorm phenomena (downdrafts, gust fronts, etc.) that produce wind shear and turbulence hazardous to aircraft operations. The report consists of three parts: Part 1, Intercomparison of Wind Data from Airborne Lidar, Ground-Based Radars and Instrumented 444 m Tower; Part 2, The Structure of the Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layer as Revealed by Lidar and Doppler Radars; and Part 3, Doppler Lidar Observations in Thunderstorm Environments.

Bluestein, H. B.↗

The Novel Nonlinear Adaptive Doppler Shift Estimation Technique and the Coherent Doppler Lidar System Validation Lidar

The signal processing aspect of a 2-m wavelength coherent Doppler lidar system under development at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia is investigated in this paper. The lidar system is named VALIDAR (validation lidar) and its signal processing program estimates and displays various wind parameters in real-time as data acquisition occurs. The goal is to improve the quality of the current estimates such as power, Doppler shift, wind speed, and wind direction, especially in low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) regime. A novel Nonlinear Adaptive Doppler Shift Estimation Technique (NADSET) is developed on such behalf and its performance is analyzed using the wind data acquired over a long period of time by VALIDAR. The quality of Doppler shift and power estimations by conventional Fourier-transform-based spectrum estimation methods deteriorates rapidly as SNR decreases. NADSET compensates such deterioration in the quality of wind parameter estimates by adaptively utilizing the statistics of Doppler shift estimate in a strong SNR range and identifying sporadic range bins where good Doppler shift estimates are found. The authenticity of NADSET is established by comparing the trend of wind parameters with and without NADSET applied to the long-period lidar return data.

Beyon, Jeffrey Y.↗

Characterizing NWP Model Errors Using Doppler-Lidar Measurements of Recurrent Regional Diurnal Flows: Marine-Air Intrusions into the Columbia-River Basin

Ground-based Doppler-lidar instrumentation provides atmospheric wind data at dramatically improved accuracies and spatial/temporal resolutions. These capabilities have provided new insights into atmospheric flow phenomena, but they also should have a strong role in NWP model improvement. Insight into the nature of model errors can be gained by studying recurrent atmospheric flows, here a regional summertime diurnal sea breeze and subsequent marine-air intrusion into the arid interior of Oregon-Washington, where these winds are an important windenergy resource. These marine intrusions were sampled by three scanning Doppler lidars in the Columbia-River Basin as part of the Second Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP2), using data from summer 2016. Lidar time-height cross sections of wind speed identified eight days when the diurnal-flow cycle, (peak wind speeds at midnight, afternoon minima) was obvious and strong. Eight-day composite time-height cross sections of lidar wind speeds are used to validate those generated by the operational NCEP-HRRR model. HRRR simulated the diurnal wind cycle, but produced errors in the timing of onset and significant errors due to a premature nighttime demise of the intrusion flow, producing low-bias errors of 6 m s-1 . Day-to-day and in the composite, whenever a marine intrusion occurred, HRRR made these same errors. The errors occurred under a range of gradient wind conditions indicating that they resulted from the misrepresentation of physical processes within a limited region around the measurement locations. Because of their generation within a limited geographical area, field-measurement programs can be designed to find and address the sources of these NWP errors.

Banta, Robert M.↗

A comprehensive two-way Doppler noise model for near-real-time validation of Doppler data

Doppler noise generated within the tracking system is modeled as a function of the dominant variable-Doppler sample interval. Additionally, the relationship between media noise and Doppler samples interval is empirically determined, and the ratio of media noise for S- and X-band downlinks is solved for. These functional relationships are incorporated into the previous media noise modeling to obtain a comprehensive two-way Doppler noise model.

Berman, A. L.↗

Doppler measurements of the ionosphere on the occasion of the Apollo-Soyuz test project. Part 1: Computer simulation of ionospheric-induced Doppler shifts

A computer simulation of the ionospheric experiment of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was performed. ASTP is the first example of USA/USSR cooperation in space and is scheduled for summer 1975. The experiment consists of performing dual-frequency Doppler measurements (at 162 and 324 MHz) between the Apollo Command Service Module (CSM) and the ASTP Docking Module (DM), both orbiting at 221-km height and at a relative distance of 300 km. The computer simulation showed that, with the Doppler measurement resolution of approximately 3 mHz provided by the instrumentation (in 10-sec integration time), ionospheric-induced Doppler shifts will be measurable accurately at all times, with some rare exceptions occurring when the radio path crosses regions of minimum ionospheric density. The computer simulation evaluated the ability of the experiment to measure changes of columnar electron content between CSM and DM (from which horizontal gradients of electron density at 221-km height can be obtained) and to measure variations in DM-to-ground columnar content (from which an averaged columnar content and the electron density at the DM can be deduced, under some simplifying assumptions).

Grossi, M. D.↗

Doppler measurements of the ionosphere on the occasion of the Apollo-Soyuz test project. Part 2: Inversion of differential and rotating Doppler shifts

The preparation of the analytical approach and of the related software used in the inversion of the differential and rotating Doppler data obtained from the ionospheric experiment of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) is discussed. These data were collected in space-to-space paths (between the ASTP Docking Module (DM) and the Apollo Command Service Module and in space-to-ground paths (between the DM and ground). The Doppler links operated at 162 and 324 MHz and have an accuracy better than 3 MHz over 10-sec integration time. The inversion approach was tested with dummy data obtained with a computer simulation. It was found that a measurement accuracy of 1 to 10% in the value of the horizontal electron density gradient at 221-km altitude can be achieved, in space-to-space paths. For space-to-ground paths near the orbital plane, possible effects of the horizontal gradients on the received differential Doppler shifts were identified. It was possible to reduce the gradient-associated errors in the inversion that leads to the columnar electron content by approximately one-half. Accuracies of 5 to 10% in columnar electron content are achievable, with this gradient-compensation technique.

Gay, R. H.↗

Corruption of radio metric Doppler due to solar plasma dynamics: S/X dual-frequency Doppler calibration for these effects

Doppler data from Mariner 6, 7, 9, and 10 and Pioneer 10 and 11 were discussed and the rms noise level for various sun-earth-probe angles were shown. The noise levels of both S- and X-band Doppler data for sun-earth-probe angles smaller than 20 deg were observed to be orders of magnitude greater than nominal. Such solar plasma-related Doppler degradation reduced the Mariner 10-Mercury 11 encounter navigation accuracy by nearly a factor of 10. Furthermore, this degradation was shown to be indirectly related to plasma dynamics and not a direct measure of the dynamics.

Winn, F. B.↗

IIP Update: A Packaged Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Transceiver. Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN)

The state-of-the-art 2-micron coherent Doppler wind lidar breadboard at NASA/LaRC will be engineered and compactly packaged consistent with future aircraft flights. The packaged transceiver will be integrated into a coherent Doppler wind lidar system test bed at LaRC. Atmospheric wind measurements will be made to validate the packaged technology. This will greatly advance the coherent part of the hybrid Doppler wind lidar solution to the need for global tropospheric wind measurements.

Kavaya, Michael J.↗

Evaluating the WFIP2 updates to the HRRR model using scanning Doppler lidar measurements in the complex terrain of the Columbia River Basin

The wind-energy (WE) industry relies on numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecast models as foundational or base models for many purposes, including wind-resource assessment and wind-power forecasting. During the Second Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP2) in the Columbia River Basin of Oregon and Washington, a significant effort was made to improve NWP forecasts through focused model development, to include experimental refinements to the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model physics and horizontal grid spacing. In this study, the performance of an experimental version of HRRR that includes these refinements is tested against a control version, which corresponds to that of the operational HRRR run by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Centers for Environmental Protection at the outset of WFIP2. Furthermore, the effects of horizontal grid resolution were also tested by comparing wind forecasts from the HRRR (with 3-km grid spacing) with those from a finer-resolution HRRR nest with 750-m grid spacing. Model forecasts are validated against accurate wind-profile measurements by three scanning, pulsed Doppler lidars at sites separated by a total distance of 71 km. Model skill and improvements in model skill, attributable to physics refinements and improved horizontal grid resolution, varied by season, by site, and during periods of atmospheric phenomena relevant to WE. In general, model errors were the largest below 150 m above ground level (AGL). Experimental HRRR refinements tended to reduce the mean absolute error (MAE) and other error metrics for many conditions, but degradation in skill (increased MAE) was noted below 150 m AGL at the two lowest-elevation sites at night. Finer resolution was found to produce the most significant reductions in the error metrics.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Convolutional Neural Networks for Hydrometeor Classification using Dual Polarization Doppler Radars

Traditional fuzzy logic hydrometeor classification algorithm is a common way to classify precipitation type from dual polarization doppler radar. We propose a deep learning-based method to estimate hydrometeors efficiently using observed radar variables such as horizontal reflectivity (Z H ), differential reflectivity (Z DR ), correlation coefficient (ρ HV ) and specific differential phase (K DP ) from National Weather Service NEXRAD collected at Vance AFB facility at the first elevation angle from January 1st, 2015 to July 31th, 2019. We stack matrices of values from these four polarimetric variables as one 3D array. Samples are preprocessed and divided into training, validation and test set with four target hydrometeor categories (Ice Crystals (IC), Dry Snow (DS), Light and/or Moderate Rain (RA) and Big Drops (rain) (BD)). We developed and optimized five Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) architectures and achieved an accuracy of 87.23% and 93.736% respectively using modified ResNet with two different input data selection strategies for hydrometeor classification. Training data selection strategies were important to ensure use of available samples in training for robust performance evaluated by applying the models to novel time period beyond what was use to train the model. Seasonal variation in atmospheric conditions lead to seasonal patterns of liquid vs solid forms of precipitation, that poses challenge for classifier and offer insights into domain specific approaches required for problem of hydrometeor identification. Computationally efficient and scalable approach for classification of hydrometeors offer opportunties to effectively use the large volumes of rich time series of radar observations that are becoming increasingly available.

Lu, Yuping↗

Airborne Doppler-lidar and ground-based Doppler radar observations of a thunderstorm in Oklahoma

The results of airborne Doppler-lidar and ground-based Doppler radar observations of multicellular storms, marked by heavy rainfall, strong surface outflow, and a gust-front tornado, on June 30, 1981 are analyzed. The airborne lidar comprised a CO2-laser operating in the IR region, which was discharged once each second at 20 deg fore and aft, alternatively, of the normal to the aircraft's heading, and a quarter-wave plate for registering the returning frequency-shifted beams. Wind fields are plotted taking into account the advection effects. The lidar data set is noted for its self-consistency, though limited to a range of 5 km by the high moisture levels. Fair agreement was found between the lidar-derived and radar-derived average ground-based radial wind fields, with discrepancies on the order of 1.5 m/s.

Bluestein, H. B.↗

Results from 1984 airborne Doppler lidar wind measurement program. Flight 6: Analysis of line-of-sight elevation angle errors and apparent Doppler velocities

During the summer of 1984 the Marshall Space Flight Center's Airborne Doppler Lidar System (ADLS) made a series of wind measurements in the California Central Valley. This study quantifies the lidar beam angle errors and velocity errors through analysis of ground return signals. Line-of-sight elevation (LOSE) angle errors are under 1 deg. Apparent Doppler ground velocities, as large as 2m/s, are considerably less than in a previous flight experiment in 1981. No evidence was found of a Schuler resonance phenomenon common to inertial navigation systems (INS), however the aperiodic nature of the apparent velocities implies an error in the INS-derived ground speeds. Certain features and subtleties in the ground returns are explained in terms of atmospheric structure and characteristics of the ADLS hardware and software. Finally, least squares and low-pass filtering techniques are suggested for eliminating errors during post-processing.

Rothermel, Jeffry↗

Turbulence as observed by concurrent measurements made at NSSL using weather radar, Doppler radar, Doppler lidar and aircraft

As air traffic increases and aircraft capability increases in range and operating altitude, the exposure to weather hazards increases. Turbulence and wind shears are two of the most important of these hazards that must be taken into account if safe flight operations are to be accomplished. Beginning in the early 1960's, Project Rough Rider began thunderstorm investigations. Past and present efforts at the National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL) to measure these flight safety hazards and to describe the use of Doppler radar to detect and qualify these hazards are summarized. In particular, the evolution of the Doppler-measured radial velocity spectrum width and its applicability to the problem of safe flight is presented.

Lee, Jean T.↗

Doppler lidar atmospheric wind sensor - Reevaluation of a 355-nm incoherent Doppler lidar

Reliable Nd:YAG laser technology and currently available optical sensors are presently used to reevaluate the performance of an incoherent Doppler lidar system operating at 354.7 nm. This system makes a more efficient use of output laser power than heretofore possible through a matching of the usable and detectable field of view of the Fabry-Perot interferometer receiver with that of the transmitter. Major advantages accrue to this system from the lower output power requirement, which is a primary cost driver for the prospective Spaceborne Doppler Wind Lidar.

Rees, David↗

Structure of a swirl-stabilized spray flame by imaging, laser Doppler velocimetry, and phase Doppler anemometry

Data are presented which describe the mean structure of a steady, swirl-stabilized, kerosene spray flame in the near-injector region of a research furnace. The data presented include ensemble-averaged results of schlieren, luminosity, and extinction imaging, measurement of the gas phase velocity field by laser Doppler velocimetry, and characterization of the condensed phase velocity by phase Doppler anemometry. The results of these studies define six key regions in the flame: the dense spray region; the rich, two-phase, fuel jet; the main air jet; the internal product recirculation zone; the external product recirculation zone; and the gaseous diffusion flame zone. The first five of these regions form a conical mixing layer which prepares the air and fuel for combustion. The air and fuel jets comprise the central portion of this mixing layer and are bounded on either side by the hot product gases of the internal and external recirculation zones. Entrainment of these product gases into the air/fuel streams provides the energy required to evaporate the fuel spray and initiate combustion. Intermittency of the internal recirculation and spray jet flows accounts for unexpected behavior observed in the aerodynamics of the two phases. The data reported herein are part of the database being accumulated on this spray flame for the purpose of detailed comparison with numerical modeling.

Edwards, C. F.↗