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Results for “VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION”

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 NTRS1977

Particle size distributions and the vertical distribution of suspended matter in the upwelling region off Oregon

Various methods of presenting and mathematically describing particle size distribution are explained and evaluated. The hyperbolic distribution is found to be the most practical but the more complex characteristic vector analysis is the most sensitive to changes in the shape of the particle size distributions. A method for determining onshore-offshore flow patterns from the distribution of particulates was presented. A numerical model of the vertical structure of two size classes of particles was developed. The results show a close similarity to the observed distributions but overestimate the particle concentration by forty percent. This was attributed to ignoring grazing by zooplankton. Sensivity analyses showed the size preference was most responsive to the maximum specific growth rates and nutrient half saturation constants. The verical structure was highly dependent on the eddy diffusivity followed closely by the growth terms.

Kitchen, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Periodic analysis of total ozone and its vertical distribution

Both total ozone and vertical distribution ozone data from the period 1957 to 1972 are analyzed. For total ozone, improved monthly zonal means for both hemispheres are computed by weighting individual station monthly means by a factor which compensates for the close grouping of stations in certain regions of latitude bands. Longitudinal variability show maxima in summer in both hemispheres, but, in winter, only in the Northern Hemisphere. The geographical distributions of the long term mean, and the annual, quasibiennial and semiannual waves in total ozone over the Northern Hemisphere are presented. The extratropical amplitude of the annual wave is by far the largest of the three, as much as 120 m atm cm over northern Siberia. There is a tendency for all three waves to have maxima in high latitudes. Monthly means of the vertical distribution of ozone determined from 3 to 8 years of ozonesonde data over North America are presented. Number density is highest in the Arctic near 18 km. The region of maximum number density slopes upward toward 10 N, where the long term mean is 45 x 10 to the 11th power molecules cm/3 near 26 km.

Wilcox, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS2018

A34G-07: Aerosol vertical distribution observed by both CALIPSO and CATS

We analyzed the aerosol vertical distribution in both middle and high latitude observed by two space-based lidar instruments: NASA's CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) and CATS (Cloud-Aerosol Transport System) in 2015-2017. Since the two hosting spacecrafts make turns at different latitudes, where the lidars are able to make more frequent observations, combination of the two datasets provide a unique opportunity to compile a high frequency aerosol vertical distribution measurement at both mid-latitude and high latitude. Even though the two sensors have intrinsic differences, the overlapping part of their tracks provides opportunity for crosschecking and calibration. In addition to total aerosol, we also calculated the vertical distribution of major aerosol types in polar region (receptor), and compared them to that over the mid latitudes (source regions). The difference indicates the efficiency of polar-wise transport of various aerosol types.

Tan, Qian↗
NASA NTRS1978

Effect of gravitational and inertial forces on vertical distribution of pulmonary blood flow

Vertical distribution of pulmonary blood flow (VDPBF) was studied, using radioactive microsphere emboli, in dogs without thoracotomy in the right decubitus position during exposure to lateral accelerations of 1, 2, 4, and 6 G. At all levels of force environment studied, an inverse linear relationship was observed between vertical height in the thorax and pulmonary blood flow (ml/min/ml lung tissue) with a decrease in flow to the most dependent region of the lung despite large increases in intravascular pressures at this site. Changes in blood flow were smallest at the mid-lung level, the hydrostatic 'balance point' for vascular and pleural pressures. These force environment-dependent changes in VDPBF are not readily explainable by the Starling resistor analog. Gravity-dependent regional differences in pleural and associated interstitial pressures, plus possible changes in vascular tone resulting from inadequate aeration of blood in the most dependent regions of the lung, probably also affect VDPBF.

Chevalier, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Sensitivity of Photolysis Frequencies and Key Tropospheric Oxidants in a Global Model to Cloud Vertical Distributions and Optical Properties

As a follow-up study to our recent assessment of the radiative effects of clouds on tropospheric chemistry, this paper presents an analysis of the sensitivity of such effects to cloud vertical distributions and optical properties in a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS4-Chem CTM). GEOS-Chem was driven with a series of meteorological archives (GEOS1-STRAT, GEOS-3 and GEOS-4) generated by the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System data assimilation system, which have significantly different cloud optical depths (CODs) and vertical distributions. Clouds in GEOS1-STRAT and GEOS-3 have more similar vertical distributions while those in GEOS-4 are optically much thinner in the tropical upper troposphere. We find that the radiative impact of clouds on global photolysis frequencies and hydroxyl radical (OH) is more sensitive to the vertical distribution of clouds than to the magnitude of column CODs. Model simulations with each of the three cloud distributions all show that the change in the global burden of O3 due to clouds is less than 5%. Model perturbation experiments with GEOS-3, where the magnitude of 3-D CODs are progressively varied by -100% to 100%, predict only modest changes (<5%) in global mean OH concentrations. J(O1D), J(NO2) and OH concentrations show the strongest sensitivity for small CODs and become insensitive at large CODs due to saturation effects. Caution should be exercised not to use in photochemical models a value for cloud single scattering albedo lower than about 0.999 in order to be consistent with the current knowledge of cloud absorption at the UV wavelength. Our results have important implications for model intercomparisons and climate feedback on tropospheric photochemistry.

Liu, Hongyu↗
NASA NTRS1979

Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer experiment - Vertical distribution of ozone on Mars

The vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere of Mars is computed from ultraviolet spectra obtained by the Mariner 9 spacecraft. In the Northern Hemisphere the ozone scale height is much smaller than the atmospheric scale height in midlatitudes and increases rapidly to a maximum farther north. At high latitudes (above 60 deg) there is no significant difference between the scale heights of ozone in the Northern (winter) Hemisphere and the Southern (summer) Hemisphere. Comparison of the ozone distribution with atmospheric temperature structure indicates that at some locations in the North, the density of water vapor increases with altitude, and the time for vertical mixing is about 3 days or more.

Wehrbein, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Origin, Transport, and Vertical Distribution of Atmospheric Polluntants over the Northern Sourth China Sea During the 7-SEAS-Dongsha Experiment

During the spring of 2010, comprehensive in situ measurements were made for the first time on a small atoll (Dongsha Island) in the northern South China Sea (SCS), a key region of the 7-SEAS (the Seven South East Asian Studies) program. This paper focuses on characterizing the source origins, transport processes, and vertical distributions of the Asian continental outflows over the region, using measurements including mass concentration, optical properties, hygroscopicity, and vertical distribution of the aerosol particles, as well as the trace gas composition. Cluster analysis of backward trajectories classified 52% of the air masses arriving at ground level of Dongsha Island as having a continental origin, mainly from northern China to the northern SCS, passing the coastal area and being confined in the marine boundary layer (0-0.5 km). Compared to aerosols of oceanic origin, the fine mode continental aerosols have a higher concentration, extinction coefficient, and single-scattering albedo at 550 nm (i.e., 19 vs. 14 microg per cubic meter in PM(sub 2.5); 77 vs. 59 M per meter in beta(sub e); and 0.94 vs. 0.90 in omega, respectively). These aerosols have a higher hygroscopicity (f at 85% RH = 2.1) than those in the upwind inland regions, suggesting that the aerosols transported to the northern SCS were modified by the marine environment. In addition to the near-surface aerosol transport, a significant upper-layer (3-4 km) transport of biomass-burning aerosols was observed. Our results suggest that emissions from both China and Southeast Asia could have a significant impact on the aerosol loading and other aerosol properties over the SCS. Furthermore, the complex vertical distribution of aerosols-coinciding-with-clouds has implications for remote-sensing observations and aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions.

pollutants↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Mars Dust and Water Cycles: Investigating the Influence of Clouds on the Vertical Distribution and Meridional Transport of Dust and Water.

The dust and water cycles are critical to the current Martian climate, and they interact with each other through cloud formation. Dust modulates the thermal structure of the atmosphere and thus greatly influences atmospheric circulation. Clouds provide radiative forcing and control the net hemispheric transport of water through the alteration of the vertical distributions of water and dust. Recent advancements in the quality and sophistication of both climate models and observations enable an increased understanding of how the coupling between the dust and water cycles (through cloud formation) impacts the dust and water cycles. We focus here on the effects of clouds on the vertical distributions of dust and water and how those vertical distributions control the net meridional transport of water. We utilize observations of temperature, dust and water ice from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the NASA ARC Mars Global Climate Model (MGCM) to show that the magnitude and nature of the hemispheric exchange of water during NH summer is sensitive to the vertical structure of the simulated aphelion cloud belt. Further, we investigate how clouds influence atmospheric temperatures and thus the vertical structure of the cloud belt. Our goal is to isolate and understand the importance of radiative/dynamic feedbacks due to the physical processes involved with cloud formation and evolution on the current climate of Mars.

NASA ARC Mars Global Climate Model (MGCM)↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Coupled Mars Dust and Water Cycles: Understanding How Clouds Affect the Vertical Distribution and Meridional Transport of Dust and Water.

The dust and water cycles are crucial to the current Martian climate, and they are coupled through cloud formation. Dust strongly impacts the thermal structure of the atmosphere and thus greatly affects atmospheric circulation, while clouds provide radiative forcing and control the hemispheric exchange of water through the modification of the vertical distributions of water and dust. Recent improvements in the quality and sophistication of both observations and climate models allow for a more comprehensive understanding of how the interaction between the dust and water cycles (through cloud formation) affects the dust and water cycles individually. We focus here on the effects of clouds on the vertical distribution of dust and water, and how those vertical distributions control the net meridional transport of water. For this study, we utilize observations of temperature, dust and water ice from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) combined with the NASA ARC Mars Global Climate Model (MGCM). We demonstrate that the magnitude and nature of the net meridional transport of water between the northern and southern hemispheres during NH summer is sensitive to the vertical structure of the simulated aphelion cloud belt. We further examine how clouds influence the atmospheric thermal structure and thus the vertical structure of the cloud belt. Our goal is to identify and understand the importance of radiative/dynamic feedbacks due to the physical processes involved with cloud formation and evolution on the current climate of Mars.

Martian climate↗
NASA NTRS2009

Sensitivity of Photolysis Frequencies and Key Tropospheric Oxidants in a Global Model to Cloud Vertical Distributions and Optical Properties

Clouds affect tropospheric photochemistry through modification of solar radiation that determines photolysis frequencies. As a follow-up study to our recent assessment of the radiative effects of clouds on tropospheric chemistry, this paper presents an analysis of the sensitivity of such effects to cloud vertical distributions and optical properties (cloud optical depths (CODs) and cloud single scattering albedo), in a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). GEOS-Chem was driven with a series of meteorological archives (GEOS1- STRAT, GEOS-3 and GEOS-4) generated by the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System data assimilation system. Clouds in GEOS1-STRAT and GEOS-3 have more similar vertical distributions (with substantially smaller CODs in GEOS1-STRAT) while those in GEOS-4 are optically much thinner in the tropical upper troposphere. We find that the radiative impact of clouds on global photolysis frequencies and hydroxyl radical (OH) is more sensitive to the vertical distribution of clouds than to the magnitude of column CODs. With random vertical overlap for clouds, the model calculated changes in global mean OH (J(O1D), J(NO2)) due to the radiative effects of clouds in June are about 0.0% (0.4%, 0.9%), 0.8% (1.7%, 3.1%), and 7.3% (4.1%, 6.0%), for GEOS1-STRAT, GEOS-3 and GEOS-4, respectively; the geographic distributions of these quantities show much larger changes, with maximum decrease in OH concentrations of approx.15-35% near the midlatitude surface. The much larger global impact of clouds in GEOS-4 reflects the fact that more solar radiation is able to penetrate through the optically thin upper-tropospheric clouds, increasing backscattering from low-level clouds. Model simulations with each of the three cloud distributions all show that the change in the global burden of ozone due to clouds is less than 5%. Model perturbation experiments with GEOS-3, where the magnitude of 3-D CODs are progressively varied from -100% to 100%, predict only modest changes (<5%) in global mean OH concentrations. J(O1D), J(NO2) and OH3 concentrations show the strongest sensitivity for small CODs and become insensitive at large CODs due to saturation effects. Caution should be exercised not to use in photochemical models a value for cloud single scattering albedo lower than about 0.999 in order to be consistent with the current knowledge of cloud absorption at the ultraviolet wavelengths.

Liu, Hongyu↗
NASA NTRS1977

The vertical distribution of HCl in the stratosphere

The vertical distribution of HCl in the stratosphere has been measured from infrared solar absorption spectra recorded with a balloon-borne interferometer. The flights were made in September, 1975, and May, 1976 at float altitudes of 40 km and 37 km, respectively, near Palestine, Texas. Concentration profiles derived from the data show an increase from 0.6 ppbv at 20 km to 1.7 plus or minus .5 ppbv in the region of 37 km. Above 37 km, the data permit only the total abundance to be determined; this value is found to be equivalent to 1.6 plus or minus .6 ppbv if the gas were uniformly mixed. The results from the two flights are closely similar, and no significant seasonal variation in the HCl concentrations can be discerned. The balloon data are consistent with the profile in the 14-21 km altitude region of the stratosphere reported earlier from U-2 observations.

Raper, O. F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The vertical distribution of ozone at Pretoria from July 1990 to June 1991 and its changes

Total ozone and the vertical distribution of ozone were measured at Pretoria between 1965 and 1968. Total ozone measurements recommenced in Pretoria in August 1989, and measurements of the vertical distribution of ozone near Pretoria recommenced in July 1990. Relative to the earlier data, mean monthly total ozone values are significantly higher in all months, with a mean annual relative increase of 12 percent. The recent profiles show a significant increase in the mean monthly concentration of ozone in the lowest 12 km. Concurrent to this increase a relative decrease in ozone concentration is shown between 12 and 42 km. The increased ozone concentration in the lower troposphere may be related to urbanization and the increase in ozone-forming nitrogen oxides over the last two decades. It is suggested that the decreased ozone concentration in the stratosphere and upper troposphere is evidence of the global decrease in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere.

Zunckel, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2014

Coupling the Mars Dust and Water Cycles: Investigating the Role of Clouds in Controlling the Vertical Distribution of Dust During N. H. Summer

The dust cycle is critically important for the current climate of Mars. The radiative effects of dust impact the thermal and dynamical state of the atmosphere (Gierasch and Goody, 1968; Haberle et al., 1982; Zurek et al., 1992). Although dust is present in the Martian atmosphere throughout the year, the level of dustiness varies with season. The atmosphere is generally the dustiest during northern fall and winter and the least dusty during northern spring and summer (Smith, 2004). Dust particles are lifted into the atmosphere by dust storms that range in size from meters to thousands of kilometers across (Cantor et al., 2001). During some years, regional storms combine to produce hemispheric or planet encircling dust clouds that obscure the surface and raise atmospheric temperatures by as much as 40 K (Smith et al., 2002). Key recent observations of the vertical distribution of dust indicate that elevated layers of dust exist in the tropics and sub-tropics throughout much of the year (Heavens et al., 2011). These observations have brought particular focus on the processes that control the vertical distribution of dust in the Martian atmosphere. The goal of this work is to further our understanding of how clouds in particular control the vertical distribution of dust, particularly during N. H. spring and summer

Mars dust↗
NASA NTRS2003

Observations of Dust Using the NASA Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS): New New Measurements of Aerosol Vertical Distribution From Space

On January 12, 2003 NASA launched the first satellite-based lidar, the Geoscience Laser -Altimeter System (GLAS), onboard the ICESat spacecraft. The GLAS atmospheric measurements introduce a fundamentally new and important tool for understanding the atmosphere and climate. In the past, aerosols have only been studied from space using images gathered by passive sensors. Analysis of this passive data has lead to an improved understanding of aerosol properties, spatial distribution, and their effect on the earth's climate. However, these images do not show the aerosol's vertical distribution. As a result, a key piece of information has been missing. The measurements now obtained by GLAS will provide information on the vertical distribution of aerosols and clouds, and improve our ability to study their transport processes and aerosol-cloud interactions. Here we show an overview of GLAS, provide an update of its current status, and present initial observations of dust profiles. In particular, a strategy of characterizing the height profile of dust plumes over source regions will be presented.

Welton, Ellsworth↗
NASA NTRS1991

First detection of HDO in the atmosphere of Venus at radio wavelengths - An estimate of the H2O vertical distribution

The 225.9 GHz line of HDO has been detected in absorption in the atmosphere of Venus, with the 30-m IRAM antenna. This measurement gives information regarding the vertical distributions of HDO, and thus H2O, in this planet. The observations are consistent with an H2O vertical distribution strongly depleted by saturation at an altitude of 95 km, and, assuming a D/H enrichment of 120 with respect to the terrestrial value, with a mixing ratio of 3.5 (+ or - 2.0) ppm in the range 65-95 km.

Encrenaz, T.↗