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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Seasonal variation of radiance variances from satellite observations Implication of seasonal variation of available potential energy in the stratosphere

Nimbus 5 satellite radiances for the period 1973-74 are used to examine the seasonal variation of available potential energy in the stratosphere in order to provide a further observational basis for a long-term numerical simulation of stratospheric circulation. The maximum value of stratospheric zonal available potential energy, A(Z), in the upper and middle stratosphere shows pronounced variations between winter and summer, while little variation occurs in the lower stratospheric A(Z). The aperiodic occurrence of sudden warmings complicates the seasonal variation of A(Z) and A(E) (eddy available potential energy) in the stratosphere, making the energetics irregular. Time-Fourier analysis reveals that the primary variation of A(Z) and A(E) in the stratosphere is annual and semiannual, respectively.

Chen, T.-C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Seasonal Variations of Arctic Low-Level Clouds and its Linkage to Sea Ice Seasonal Variations

Using CALIPSO-CloudSat-Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) (C3M) dataset, this study documents the seasonal variation of sea ice, cloud, and related atmospheric properties in the Arctic region (70°N–82°N) during the period 2007-2010. The surface type stratification used reveals the surface type influence on the Arctic cloud liquid water path (LWP)seasonality. Four surface types are defined: i) Permanent Ocean, ii) Land, iii) Permanent Ice, and iv) Transient Sea Ice. The Transient Ice regions are further divided into sub-regions according to the onset dates of melt/freeze season. Results show that the sea ice cover has no significant direct influence on the seasonal variation of the water vapor in the lower troposphere and the low-level cloud LWP. Rather, the role played by sea ice appear indirect by modifying the surface temperature response to increased solar insolation and influencing lower tropospheric stability (LTS). The results suggest that the combined increase in atmospheric water vapor due to warming air temperatures and the weakening of the inversion strength that governs the seasonal structure of cloud LWP. Over Transient Ice regions, the results suggest that the May peak in LWP coincides with a decrease in LTS and that is insensitive to melt and freeze onset. Variations in melt and freeze onset set are found to influence probably distribution of cloud LWP where regions of earlier melt and later freeze onset how a higher likelihood of larger values.

Yueyue Yu↗
NASA NTRS1985

Formulation of cosmic-ray solar daily variation and its seasonal variation, produced from generalized stationary anisotropy of solar origin

In previous papers, a formulation was presented of cosmic ray daily variations produced from solar anisotropies stationary through a year, and also of their annual (or seasonal) modulation caused by the annual variation of the rotation axis of the Earth relative to that of the Sun. These anisotropies are symmetric for an arbitrary rotation around an axis. From observations of the tri-diurnal variation, it has been suggested that solar anisotropies also contain some axis-asymmetric term of the third order with respect to the IMF-axis. This suggestion has recently found support in a theoretical study by Munakata and Nagashima. According to their results, the terms of axis-asymmetry with respect to IMF-axis appear also in the 2nd order anisotropy, together with some different kinds of axis-symmetric terms. The contribution of these anisotropies to the daily variation is different from that of those discussed previously. The above mentioned formulation is extended to a case of a generalized anisotropy.

Tatsuoka, R.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Global View of Aerosol Vertical Distributions from CALIPSO Lidar Measurements and GOCART Simulations: Regional and Seasonal Variations

This study examines seasonal variations of the vertical distribution of aerosols through a statistical analysis of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) lidar observations from June 2006 to November 2007. A data-screening scheme is developed to attain good quality data in cloud-free conditions, and the polarization measurement is used to separate dust from non-dust aerosol. The CALIPSO aerosol observations are compared with aerosol simulations from the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation Transport (GOCART) model and aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The CALIPSO observations of geographical patterns and seasonal variations of AOD are generally consistent with GOCART simulations and MODIS retrievals especially near source regions, while the magnitude of AOD shows large discrepancies in most regions. Both the CALIPSO observation and GOCART model show that the aerosol extinction scale heights in major dust and smoke source regions are generally higher than that in industrial pollution source regions. The CALIPSO aerosol lidar ratio also generally agrees with GOCART model within 30% on regional scales. Major differences between satellite observations and GOCART model are identified, including (1) an underestimate of aerosol extinction by GOCART over the Indian sub-continent, (2) much larger aerosol extinction calculated by GOCART than observed by CALIPSO in dust source regions, (3) much weaker in magnitude and more concentrated aerosol in the lower atmosphere in CALIPSO observation than GOCART model over transported areas in midlatitudes, and (4) consistently lower aerosol scale height by CALIPSO observation than GOCART model. Possible factors contributing to these differences are discussed.

Yu, Hongbin↗
NASA NTRS2001

Modeled Seasonal Variations of Firn Density Induced by Steady State Surface Air Temperature Cycle

Seasonal variations of firn density in ice-sheet firn layers have been attributed to variations in deposition processes or other processes within the upper firn. A recent high-resolution (mm scale) density profile, measured along a 181 m core from Antarctica, showed small-scale density variations with a clear seasonal cycle that apparently was not-related to seasonal variations in deposition or known near-surface processes (Gerland and others 1999). A recent model of surface elevation changes (Zwally and Li, submitted) produced a seasonal variation in firn densification, and explained the seasonal surface elevation changes observed by satellite radar altimeters. In this study, we apply our 1-D time-dependent numerical model of firn densification that includes a temperature-dependent formulation of firn densification based on laboratory measurements of grain growth. The model is driven by a steady-state seasonal surface temperature and a constant accumulation rate appropriate for the measured Antarctic ice core. The modeled seasonal variations in firn density show that the layers of snow deposited during spring to mid-summer with the highest temperature history compress to the highest density, and the layers deposited during later summer to autumn with the lowest temperature history compress to the lowest density. The initial amplitude of the seasonal difference of about 0.13 reduces to about 0.09 in five years and asymptotically to 0.92 at depth, which is consistent with the core measurements.

Jun, Li↗
NASA NTRS1991

Seasonal variations in urinary risk factors among patients with nephrolithiasis

Twenty-four hour urine specimens from 5,677 stone-forming patients throughout the United States were analyzed for seasonal variations in urinary risk factors for nephrolithiasis. Determinations were performed for urine volume, pH, calcium, oxalate, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, citrate, sulfate, uric acid, and the relative supersaturation (RS) of calcium oxalate, brushite, monosodium urate, and uric acid. Criteria for significant seasonal variation included a significant difference in monthly means of risk factors, seasonal grouping of the data by the Student-Newman-Keuls multiple range test, consistent year-to-year trends and a physiologically significant range. Minimum urine volume of 1.54 +/- 0.70 SD L/day occurred in October while a maximum urine volume of 1.76 +/- 0.78 SD L/day was observed during February. Minimum urine pH of 5.94 +/- 0.64 SD was observed during July and August while a maximum pH of 6.18 +/- 0.61 SD was observed during February. Daily urinary excretion of sodium was lowest during August, 158 +/- 74 SD mEq/day and highest during February 177 +/- 70 SD mEq/day. The RS of brushite and uric acid were found to display significant pH-dependent seasonal variation with a maximum RS of uric acid 2.26 +/- 1.98 SD in June and a low of 1.48 +/- 1.30 SD in February. Maximum RS of brushite 2.75 +/- 2.58 was observed during February. Minimum RS of brushite 1.93 +/- 1.70 SD was observed in June. Phosphorus excretion displayed seasonal variation about a spring-fall axis with a maximum value 1042 +/- 373 SD mg/day in April and a minimum value of 895 +/- 289 SD mg/day. Urine volume, sodium, and pH were significantly lower during the summer (June, July, August) than in the winter (December, January, February). The RS of uric acid was higher, but that of brushite and monosodium urate was lower in the summer than in the winter. The seasonal changes observed in urine volume, pH, sodium, and the RS of brushite and uric acid are consistent with summertime sweating and increased physical activity. Seasonal variations in phosphorus excretion are probably dietary in origin. The summertime was characterized by an increased propensity for the crystallization of uric acid but not of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗
NASA NTRS2014

Aerosol Seasonal Variations over Urban-Industrial Regions in Ukraine According to AERONET and POLDER Measurements

The paper presents an investigation of aerosol seasonal variations in several urban-industrial regions in Ukraine. Our analysis of seasonal variations of optical and physical aerosol parameters is based on the sun-photometer 2008-2013 data from two urban ground-based AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) sites in Ukraine (Kyiv, Lugansk) as well as on satellite POLDER instrument data for urban-industrial areas in Ukraine. We also analyzed the data from one AERONET site in Belarus (Minsk) in order to compare with the Ukrainian sites. Aerosol amount and optical depth (AOD) values in the atmosphere columns over the large urbanized areas like Kyiv and Minsk have maximum values in the spring (April-May) and late summer (August), whereas minimum values are observed in late autumn. The results show that fine-mode particles are most frequently detected during the spring and late summer seasons. The analysis of the seasonal AOD variations over the urban-industrial areas in the eastern and central parts of Ukraine according to both ground-based and POLDER data exhibits the similar traits. The seasonal variation similarity in the regions denotes the resemblance in basic aerosol sources that are closely related to properties of aerosol particles. The behavior of basic aerosol parameters in the western part of Ukraine is different from eastern and central regions and shows an earlier appearance of the spring and summer AOD maxima. Spectral single-scattering albedo, complex refractive index and size distribution of aerosol particles in the atmosphere column over Kyiv have different behavior for warm (April-October) and cold seasons. The seasonal features of fine and coarse aerosol particle behavior over the Kyiv site were analyzed. A prevailing influence of the fine-mode particles on the optical properties of the aerosol layer over the region has been established. The back-trajectory and cluster analysis techniques were applied to study the seasonal back trajectories and prevailing directions of the arrived air mass for the Kyiv and Minsk sites.

Ukraine↗
NASA NTRS1984

Explanation of the Normal Winter Anomaly from the Seasonal Variation of Short Wave Absorption

The frequency dependence of the winter anomaly (WA) of radio wave absorption indicates the altitude range where the considered seasonal variation of absorption, L, takes place: 75-95 km. In this height region considerable seasonal variations of ionic composition and effective recombination coefficient, alpha sub e, exist, which can cause seasonal variations of electron concentration, N, and absorption, L. An attempt to render a qualitative estimation of the normal WA, i.e., the increased ratio of winter over summer absorption, L sub w/L sub s, at medium latitudes 40 deg and 50 deg, for solar zenith angles CHi = 60 deg and 75 deg is made. This is compared with existing experimental data.

Velinov, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The seasonal variation of ozone density in the Martian atmosphere

A one-dimensional, time-dependent model has been developed to investigate seasonal variations in ozone density in the Martian atmosphere. The model utilizes data for atmospheric temperature, pressure, and water vapor abundance observed by Viking. The results indicate that a high ozone density is not produced near the winter solstice but is in rather late winter, when the amount of water vapor is still small and the solar radiation can penetrate more deeply. A similar condition met in early winter does not necessarily produce a high ozone density because of the predicted higher HO2 density. Seasonal variations in ozone abundance are discussed in terms of the abundances of H2O and H2 and the seasonal variations in their reaction products H2O2 and HOx. The roles of transport, the effects of ozone loss to the surface, and the differences between northern and southern hemisphere ozone distributions are also discussed.

Shimazaki, T.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Seasonal Variations of Stratospheric Age Spectra in GEOSCCM

There are many pathways for an air parcel to travel from the troposphere to the stratosphere, each of which takes different time. The distribution of all the possible transient times, i.e. the stratospheric age spectrum, contains important information on transport characteristics. However, it is computationally very expensive to compute seasonally varying age spectra, and previous studies have focused mainly on the annual mean properties of the age spectra. To date our knowledge of the seasonality of the stratospheric age spectra is very limited. In this study we investigate the seasonal variations of the stratospheric age spectra in the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOSCCM). We introduce a method to significantly reduce the computational cost for calculating seasonally dependent age spectra. Our simulations show that stratospheric age spectra in GEOSCCM have strong seasonal cycles and the seasonal cycles change with latitude and height. In the lower stratosphere extratropics, the average transit times and the most probable transit times in the winter/early spring spectra are more than twice as old as those in the summer/early fall spectra. But the seasonal cycle in the subtropical lower stratosphere is nearly out of phase with that in the extratropics. In the middle and upper stratosphere, significant seasonal variations occur in the sUbtropics. The spectral shapes also show dramatic seasonal change, especially at high latitudes. These seasonal variations reflect the seasonal evolution of the slow Brewer-Dobson circulation (with timescale of years) and the fast isentropic mixing (with timescale of days to months).

Li, Feng↗
NASA NTRS2022

Seasonal Variation of Thermospheric Composition Observed by NASA GOLD

We examine characteristics of the seasonal variation of thermospheric composition using column number density ratio ∑O/N(2) observed by the NASA Global Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission from low-mid to mid-high latitudes. We also use ∑O/N(2) derived from the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) limb measurements onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite and estimated by the NRLMSISE-00 empirical model to aid our investigation. We found that the ∑O/N(2) seasonal variation is hemispherically asymmetric: in the southern hemisphere, it exhibits the well-known annual and semiannual pattern, with highs near the equinoxes, and primary and secondary lows near the solstices. In the northern hemisphere, it is dominated by an annual variation, with a minor semiannual component with the highs shifting toward the wintertime. We also found that the durations of the December and June solstice seasons in terms of ∑O/N(2) are highly variable with longitude. Our hypothesis is that ion-neutral collisional heating in the equatorial ionization anomaly region, ion drag, and auroral Joule heating play substantial roles in this longitudinal dependency. Finally, the rate of change in ∑O/N(2) from one solstice season to the other is dependent on latitude, with more dramatic changes at higher latitudes.

thermosphere↗
NASA NTRS2016

Seasonal Variation of Total Mercury Burden in the American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Florida

Seasonal variation of mercury (Hg) is not well studied in free-ranging wildlife. Atmospheric deposition patterns of Hg have been studied in detail and have been modeled for both global and specific locations with great accuracy and correlates to environment impact. However, monitoring these trends in wildlife is complicated due to local environmental parameters (e.g., rainfall, humidity, pH, bacterial composition) that can affect the transformation of atmospheric Hg to the biologically available forms. Here, we utilized an abundant and healthy population of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), FL, and assessed Hg burden in whole blood samples over a span of 7 years (2007 2014; n 174) in an effort to assess seasonal variation of total [Hg]. While the majority of this population is assumed healthy, 18 individuals with low body mass indices (BMI, defined in this study) were captured throughout the 7 year sampling period. These individual alligators exhibited [Hg] that were not consistent with the observed overall seasonal [Hg] variation, and were statistically different from the healthy population of alligators. The alligators with low BMI had elevated concentrations of Hg compared to their age/sex/season matched counterparts with normal BMI. Statistically significant differences were found between the winter and spring seasons for animals with normal BMI. The data in this report supports the conclusion that organismal total [Hg] do fluctuate directly with seasonal deposition rates as well as other seasonal environmental parameters, such as average rainfall and prevailing wind direction. This study highlights the unique environment of MINWR to permit annual assessment of apex predators, such as the American alligator, to determine detailed environmental impact of contaminants of concern.

Hg↗
NASA NTRS1990

The seasonal variation of water vapor and ozone in the upper mesosphere - Implications for vertical transport and ozone photochemistry

This paper reviews the data base supplied by ground-based microwave measurements of water vapor in the mesosphere obtained in three separate experiments over an eight-year period. These measurements indicate that the seasonal variation of water vapor in the mesosphere is dominated by an annual component with low values in winter and high values in summer, suggesting that the seasonal variation of water vapor in the mesosphere (below 80 km) is controlled by advective rather than diffusive processes. Both the seasonal variation and the absolute magnitude of the water vapor mixing ratios obtained in microwave measurements were corroborated by measurements obtained in the Spacelab GRILLE and ATMOS experiments, and were found to be consistent with several recent mesospheric dynamics studies.

Bevilacqua, Richard M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Seasonal variation of the stratospheric circulation

An extensive analysis is made of the extratropical stratospheric circulation in terms of the seasonal variation of large-scale motion fields, with the aid of height and temperature data obtained from the TIROS satellite. Special attention is paid to a comparison of climatological aspects between the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and the Southern Hemisphere (SH). In order to see the general picture of the annual mach of the upper stratosphere, the zonal mean values of geopotential height of the 1 mb level at 70 deg N and 70 deg S were plotted on the daily basis throughout a year. It is observed that, during the winter, the zonal mean 1 mb height in the NH is much more variable than that in the SH. It is also notable that the SH height is rather oscillatory throughout the longer period from midwinter to early summer. Since the zonal mean height in the polar latitude is a rough measure of the mean zonal flow in extratropical latitudes, the difference of the seasonal variation between the two hemispheres mentioned above is considered to be due mainly to the planetary wave-mean flow interaction in the middle atmosphere. The wave activity in the middle atmosphere is represented more rigorously by the Eliassen-Palm flux associated with vertically propagating planetary waves forced from below. The day-to-day variation of the EP flux in the upper stratosphere shows that the wave activity varies intermittently with a characteristic time scale of about two weeks.

Hirota, I.↗
NASA NTRS2020

SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE MEASUREMENT OF GOES-16 ABI CHANNEL-TO-CHANNEL REGISTRATION

An Image Navigation and Registration (INR) Performance Assessment Tool Set (IPATS) was developed to assess the US Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-series (GOES-R) Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Geostationary Lighting Mapper (GLM) INR performance.Channel-to-channel registration (CCR) is one of the five INR performance metricsproduced by IPATS. A seasonal variationis observed in the CCR assessment in north-south direction when one or both channels are reflective. However, indirect CCR, calculated as the difference of NAV measurements between two channels, does not presentthe similar seasonal variation. The phenomenon of the seasonal variationcoincides with the annual change of the subsolar point location. The amplitude of the seasonal variation is related tothe length and the direction of the shadow. DirectCCR, measured by IPATSdirectly,performs better than indirect CCR when both channels are visible wavelengthsor emissivechannels. For all other channel paircombinations, the assessment of indirect CCR is more accurate.

Bin Tan↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Effects of Atmospheric Opacity on the Seasonal Variation of Martian Surface Temperature

The daily and seasonal variation of surface temperature is a central element in the description of martian climate. Surface thermal inertia and albedo are critical boundary inputs for simulating surface temperature in Mars general circulation models (MGCMs). Thermal inertia (TI) is also of intrinsic interest as it may be related to regolith properties such as particle size and surface character and so high spatial resolution is desirable. The recent mapping of TI at very high (0.25 deg) spatial resolution was achieved by fitting a thermal model to surface temperature observations obtained over a broad range of several martian years. However, varying atmospheric opacity (dust and water ice clouds) can significantly influence the estimated TI field and this effect was not fully compensated for. Opacity leads to an increase in morning temperature and a decrease in afternoon temperature, thus increasing the apparent thermal inertia.

Wilson, R. J.↗