Influences of drizzle on stratocumulus cloudiness and organization [Influences of drizzle on cloudiness and stratocumulus organization

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Xiaoli; Heus, Thijs; Kollias, Pavlos

2017-06-06

Large-eddy simulations are used to study the influence of drizzle on stratocumulus organization, based on measurements made as part of the Second Dynamics and Chemistry of the Marine Stratocumulus field study-II. Cloud droplet number concentration ( N c) is prescribed and considered as the proxy for different aerosol loadings. Our study shows that the amount of cloudiness does not decrease linearly with precipitation rate. An N c threshold is observed below which the removal of cloud water via precipitation efficiently reduces cloud depth, allowing evaporation to become efficient and quickly remove the remaining thin clouds, facilitating a fast transition frommore » closed cells to open cells. Using Fourier analysis, stratocumulus length scales are found to increase with drizzle rates. Raindrop evaporation below 300 m lowers the cloud bases and amplifies moisture variances in the subcloud layer, while it does not alter the horizontal scales in the cloud layer, suggesting that moist cold pool dynamic forcings are not essential for mesoscale organization of stratocumulus. Furthermore, the cloud scales are greatly increased when the boundary layer is too deep to maintain well mixed.« less

Influences of drizzle on stratocumulus cloudiness and organization [Influences of drizzle on cloudiness and stratocumulus organization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Xiaoli; Heus, Thijs; Kollias, Pavlos

Large-eddy simulations are used to study the influence of drizzle on stratocumulus organization, based on measurements made as part of the Second Dynamics and Chemistry of the Marine Stratocumulus field study-II. Cloud droplet number concentration ( N c) is prescribed and considered as the proxy for different aerosol loadings. Our study shows that the amount of cloudiness does not decrease linearly with precipitation rate. An N c threshold is observed below which the removal of cloud water via precipitation efficiently reduces cloud depth, allowing evaporation to become efficient and quickly remove the remaining thin clouds, facilitating a fast transition frommore » closed cells to open cells. Using Fourier analysis, stratocumulus length scales are found to increase with drizzle rates. Raindrop evaporation below 300 m lowers the cloud bases and amplifies moisture variances in the subcloud layer, while it does not alter the horizontal scales in the cloud layer, suggesting that moist cold pool dynamic forcings are not essential for mesoscale organization of stratocumulus. Furthermore, the cloud scales are greatly increased when the boundary layer is too deep to maintain well mixed.« less

Estimating Planetary Boundary Layer Heights from NOAA Profiler Network Wind Profiler Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molod, Andrea M.; Salmun, H.; Dempsey, M

2015-01-01

An algorithm was developed to estimate planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights from hourly archived wind profiler data from the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) sites located throughout the central United States. Unlike previous studies, the present algorithm has been applied to a long record of publicly available wind profiler signal backscatter data. Under clear conditions, summertime averaged hourly time series of PBL heights compare well with Richardson-number based estimates at the few NPN stations with hourly temperature measurements. Comparisons with clear sky reanalysis based estimates show that the wind profiler PBL heights are lower by approximately 250-500 m. The geographical distribution of daily maximum PBL heights corresponds well with the expected distribution based on patterns of surface temperature and soil moisture. Wind profiler PBL heights were also estimated under mostly cloudy conditions, and are generally higher than both the Richardson number based and reanalysis PBL heights, resulting in a smaller clear-cloudy condition difference. The algorithm presented here was shown to provide a reliable summertime climatology of daytime hourly PBL heights throughout the central United States.

A Parameterization of Dry Thermals and Shallow Cumuli for Mesoscale Numerical Weather Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pergaud, Julien; Masson, Valéry; Malardel, Sylvie; Couvreux, Fleur

2009-07-01

For numerical weather prediction models and models resolving deep convection, shallow convective ascents are subgrid processes that are not parameterized by classical local turbulent schemes. The mass flux formulation of convective mixing is now largely accepted as an efficient approach for parameterizing the contribution of larger plumes in convective dry and cloudy boundary layers. We propose a new formulation of the EDMF scheme (for Eddy DiffusivityMass Flux) based on a single updraft that improves the representation of dry thermals and shallow convective clouds and conserves a correct representation of stratocumulus in mesoscale models. The definition of entrainment and detrainment in the dry part of the updraft is original, and is specified as proportional to the ratio of buoyancy to vertical velocity. In the cloudy part of the updraft, the classical buoyancy sorting approach is chosen. The main closure of the scheme is based on the mass flux near the surface, which is proportional to the sub-cloud layer convective velocity scale w *. The link with the prognostic grid-scale cloud content and cloud cover and the projection on the non- conservative variables is processed by the cloud scheme. The validation of this new formulation using large-eddy simulations focused on showing the robustness of the scheme to represent three different boundary layer regimes. For dry convective cases, this parameterization enables a correct representation of the countergradient zone where the mass flux part represents the top entrainment (IHOP case). It can also handle the diurnal cycle of boundary-layer cumulus clouds (EUROCSARM) and conserve a realistic evolution of stratocumulus (EUROCSFIRE).

Wind Profiling in a Cloudy Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over Land

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

Albrecht Professor of Meteorology Thesis Advisor / 2 / / 9 /z George S. Young Associate Professor of Meteorology Dennis W. Thomson Professor of...Schubert et al., 1979; Brost et al., 1982; Albrecht et al., 1985). The eastern Pacific, off the California coast, for example, is an area of persistent...Publications, Inc., 435 pp. Brost , R. A., D. H. Lenschow and J.C. Wyngaard, 1982: Marine stratocumulus layers. Part I: Mean conditions. J Atmos. Sci., 39

Identification of atmospheric boundary layer thickness using doppler radar datas and WRF - ARW model in Merauke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putri, R. J. A.; Setyawan, T.

2017-01-01

In the synoptic scale, one of the important meteorological parameter is the atmospheric boundary layer. Aside from being a supporter of the parameters in weather and climate models, knowing the thickness of the layer of the atmosphere can help identify aerosols and the strength of the vertical mixing of pollutants in it. The vertical wind profile data from C-band Doppler radar Mopah-Merauke which is operated by BMKG through Mopah-Merauke Meteorological Station can be used to identify the peak of Atmospheric Boundaryu Layer (ABL). ABL peak marked by increasing wind shear over the layer blending. Samples in January 2015 as a representative in the wet and in July 2015 as the representation of a dry month, shows that ABL heights using WRF models show that in July (sunny weather) ABL height values higher than in January (cloudy)

The Interaction of Water and Aerosols in the Marine Boundary Layer: A Study of Selected Processes Impacting Radiative Transfer and Cloudiness

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

formate and oxalate , both breakdown products of fatty acid oxidation. We hypothesize that surfactants from the marine surface layer coat much of the...characteristics as CCN activity and light scattering k mg be form oxal Species Figurei. Comparison of the mean chemical concentration of the dominant...Figure 1. The insert shows more clearly the changes in formate and oxalate efficiency has been a main objective of this study. To address this, we

A Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE): Documentation and Testing of a Detailed Process Model of the Partly Cloudy Boundary Layer over Heterogeneous Land.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetzel, Peter J.; Boone, Aaron

1995-07-01

This paper presents a general description of, and demonstrates the capabilities of, the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE). The PLACE model is a detailed process model of the partly cloudy atmospheric boundary layer and underlying heterogeneous land surfaces. In its development, particular attention has been given to three of the model's subprocesses: the prediction of boundary layer cloud amount, the treatment of surface and soil subgrid heterogeneity, and the liquid water budget. The model includes a three-parameter nonprecipitating cumulus model that feeds back to the surface and boundary layer through radiative effects. Surface heterogeneity in the PLACE model is treated both statistically and by resolving explicit subgrid patches. The model maintains a vertical column of liquid water that is divided into seven reservoirs, from the surface interception store down to bedrock.Five single-day demonstration cases are presented, in which the PLACE model was initialized, run, and compared to field observations from four diverse sites. The model is shown to predict cloud amount well in these while predicting the surface fluxes with similar accuracy. A slight tendency to underpredict boundary layer depth is noted in all cases.Sensitivity tests were also run using anemometer-level forcing provided by the Project for Inter-comparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS). The purpose is to demonstrate the relative impact of heterogeneity of surface parameters on the predicted annual mean surface fluxes. Significant sensitivity to subgrid variability of certain parameters is demonstrated, particularly to parameters related to soil moisture. A major result is that the PLACE-computed impact of total (homogeneous) deforestation of a rain forest is comparable in magnitude to the effect of imposing heterogeneity of certain surface variables, and is similarly comparable to the overall variance among the other PILPS participant models. Were this result to be bourne out by further analysis, it would suggest that today's average land surface parameterization has little credibility when applied to discriminating the local impacts of any plausible future climate change.

Simulation of low clouds in the Southeast Pacific by the NCEP GFS: sensitivity to vertical mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, R.; Moorthi, S.; Xiao, H.; Mechoso, C. R.

2010-12-01

The NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) model has an important systematic error shared by many other models: stratocumuli are missed over the subtropical eastern oceans. It is shown that this error can be alleviated in the GFS by introducing a consideration of the low-level inversion and making two modifications in the model's representation of vertical mixing. The modifications consist of (a) the elimination of background vertical diffusion above the inversion and (b) the incorporation of a stability parameter based on the cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) criterion, which limits the strength of shallow convective mixing across the inversion. A control simulation and three experiments are performed in order to examine both the individual and combined effects of modifications on the generation of the stratocumulus clouds. Individually, both modifications result in enhanced cloudiness in the Southeast Pacific (SEP) region, although the cloudiness is still low compared to the ISCCP climatology. If the modifications are applied together, however, the total cloudiness produced in the southeast Pacific has realistic values. This nonlinearity arises as the effects of both modifications reinforce each other in reducing the leakage of moisture across the inversion. Increased moisture trapped below the inversion than in the control run without modifications leads to an increase in cloud amount and cloud-top radiative cooling. Then a positive feedback due to enhanced turbulent mixing in the planetary boundary layer by cloud-top radiative cooling leads to and maintains the stratocumulus cover. Although the amount of total cloudiness obtained with both modifications has realistic values, the relative contributions of low, middle, and high layers tend to differ from the observations. These results demonstrate that it is possible to simulate realistic marine boundary clouds in large-scale models by implementing direct and physically based improvements in the model parameterizations.

Simulation of low clouds in the Southeast Pacific by the NCEP GFS: sensitivity to vertical mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, R.; Moorthi, S.; Xiao, H.; Mechoso, C.-R.

2010-08-01

The NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) model has an important systematic error shared by many other models: stratocumuli are missed over the subtropical eastern oceans. It is shown that this error can be alleviated in the GFS by introducing a consideration of the low-level inversion and making two modifications in the model's representation of vertical mixing. The modifications consist of (a) the elimination of background vertical diffusion above the inversion and (b) the incorporation of a stability parameter based on the cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) criterion, which limits the strength of shallow convective mixing across the inversion. A control simulation and three experiments are performed in order to examine both the individual and combined effects of modifications on the generation of the stratocumulus clouds. Individually, both modifications result in enhanced cloudiness in the Southeast Pacific (SEP) region, although the cloudiness is still low compared to the ISCCP climatology. If the modifications are applied together, however, the total cloudiness produced in the southeast Pacific has realistic values. This nonlinearity arises as the effects of both modifications reinforce each other in reducing the leakage of moisture across the inversion. Increased moisture trapped below the inversion than in the control run without modifications leads to an increase in cloud amount and cloud-top radiative cooling. Then a positive feedback due to enhanced turbulent mixing in the planetary boundary layer by cloud-top radiative cooling leads to and maintains the stratocumulus cover. Although the amount of total cloudiness obtained with both modifications has realistic values, the relative contributions of low, middle, and high layers tend to differ from the observations. These results demonstrate that it is possible to simulate realistic marine boundary clouds in large-scale models by implementing direct and physically based improvements in the model parameterizations.

A first summary of the Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds (LASIC) campaign in the remote southeast Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuidema, P.; Adebiyi, A. A.; Aiken, A. C.; Blanchard, Y.; Castro, V.; Chiu, C.; Cunha, B.; Delgadillo, R.; Flynn, C. J.; Hardin, J. C.; Isom, B. M.; Muradyan, P.; Nitschke, K. L.; Ramajiguru, L.; Ryczek, M. R.; Sedlacek, A. J., III; Springston, S. R.; Viagas, J.; Uin, J.; Zhang, J.

2017-12-01

From June 1, 2016 through October 31, 2017, a DOE ARM Mobile Facility characterized the aerosol and cloud structure during two biomass-burning aerosol seasons to unprecedented detail over Ascension Island (14W, 8S), in the remote southeast Atlantic. The site is subject to the outflow of biomass-burning aerosol from continental Africa, over 1500 km away, from approximately July to November and is located within warm ocean waters that encourage deep boundary layers. Early findings indicate that smoke reaches the surface more often than not, at times reaching black carbon mass concentrations similar to those near fire sources on land, alternating occasionally with very clean surface conditions. The surface aerosol loading is not necessarily well-correlated with that in the free-troposphere, indicating distinct aerosol transport pathways. Aerosol layering is apparent in micropulse lidar data, with free-tropospheric aerosol, when present, typically in contact with the uppermost cloud layer. First estimates of the single-scattering-albedo, of approximately 0.85, appear to be remarkably consistent with estimates from airborne campaigns made elsewhere in the southeast Atlantic. The boundary layer is deeper when smoke is present near the surface and more well-mixed, with a stronger diurnal cycle in potential temperature indicating shortwave absorption. Cloudiness near the trade-wind inversion increases when smoke is present, while cloudiness changes at the lifting condensation level may reflect coincident meteorological changes. In summary the new observations indicate an aerosol-cloud regime that is extensive and with the potential to demonstrate unanticipated aerosol-cloud interactions.

Interactions among Radiation, Convection, and Large-Scale Dynamics in a General Circulation Model.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randall, David A.; Harshvardhan; Dazlich, Donald A.; Corsetti, Thomas G.

1989-07-01

We have analyzed the effects of radiatively active clouds on the climate simulated by the UCLA/GLA GCM, with particular attention to the effects of the upper tropospheric stratiform clouds associated with deep cumulus convection, and the interactions of these clouds with convection and the large-scale circulation.Several numerical experiments have been performed to investigate the mechanisms through which the clouds influence the large-scale circulation. In the `NODETLQ' experiment, no liquid water or ice was detrained from cumulus clouds into the environment; all of the condensate was rained out. Upper level supersaturation cloudiness was drastically reduced, the atmosphere dried, and tropical outgoing longwave radiation increased. In the `NOANVIL' experiment, the radiative effects of the optically thich upper-level cloud sheets associated with deep cumulus convection were neglected. The land surface received more solar radiation in regions of convection, leading to enhanced surface fluxes and a dramatic increase in precipitation. In the `NOCRF' experiment, the longwave atmospheric cloud radiative forcing (ACRF) was omitted, paralleling the recent experiment of Slingo and Slingo. The results suggest that the ACRF enhances deep penetrative convection and precipitation, while suppressing shallow convection. They also indicate that the ACRF warms and moistens the tropical troposphere. The results of this experiment are somewhat ambiguous, however; for example, the ACRF suppresses precipitation in some parts of the tropics, and enhances it in others.To isolate the effects of the ACRF in a simpler setting, we have analyzed the climate of an ocean-covered Earth, which we call Seaworld. The key simplicities of Seaworld are the fixed boundary temperature with no land points, the lack of mountains, and the zonal uniformity of the boundary conditions. Results are presented from two Seaworld simulations. The first includes a full suite of physical parameterizations, while the second omits all radiative effects of the clouds. The differences between the two runs are, therefore, entirely due to the direct and indirect and indirect effects of the ACRF. Results show that the ACRF in the cloudy run accurately represents the radiative heating perturbation relative to the cloud-free run. The cloudy run is warmer in the middle troposphere, contains much more precipitable water, and has about 15% more globally averaged precipitation. There is a double tropical rain band in the cloud-free run, and a single, more intense tropical rain band in the cloudy run. The cloud-free run produces relatively weak but frequent cumulus convection, while the cloudy run produces relatively intense but infrequent convection. The mean meridional circulation transport nearly twice as much mass in the cloudy run. The increased tropical rising motion in the cloudy run leads to a deeper boundary layer and also to more moisture in the troposphere above the boundary layer. This accounts for the increased precipitable water content of the atmosphere. The clouds lead to an increase in the intensity of the tropical easterlies, and cause the midlatitude westerly jets to shift equatorward.Taken together, our results show that upper tropospheric clouds associated with moist convection, whose importance has recently been emphasized in observational studies, play a very complex and powerful role in determining the model results. This points to a need to develop more realistic parameterizations of these clouds.

A neural network approach to cloud classification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Jonathan; Weger, Ronald C.; Sengupta, Sailes K.; Welch, Ronald M.

1990-01-01

It is shown that, using high-spatial-resolution data, very high cloud classification accuracies can be obtained with a neural network approach. A texture-based neural network classifier using only single-channel visible Landsat MSS imagery achieves an overall cloud identification accuracy of 93 percent. Cirrus can be distinguished from boundary layer cloudiness with an accuracy of 96 percent, without the use of an infrared channel. Stratocumulus is retrieved with an accuracy of 92 percent, cumulus at 90 percent. The use of the neural network does not improve cirrus classification accuracy. Rather, its main effect is in the improved separation between stratocumulus and cumulus cloudiness. While most cloud classification algorithms rely on linear parametric schemes, the present study is based on a nonlinear, nonparametric four-layer neural network approach. A three-layer neural network architecture, the nonparametric K-nearest neighbor approach, and the linear stepwise discriminant analysis procedure are compared. A significant finding is that significantly higher accuracies are attained with the nonparametric approaches using only 20 percent of the database as training data, compared to 67 percent of the database in the linear approach.

Trade-Wind Cloudiness and Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, David A.

1997-01-01

Closed Mesoscale Cellular Convection (MCC) consists of mesoscale cloud patches separated by narrow clear regions. Strong radiative cooling occurs at the cloud top. A dry two-dimensional Bousinesq model is used to study the effects of cloud-top cooling on convection. Wide updrafts and narrow downdrafts are used to indicate the asymmetric circulations associated with the mesoscale cloud patches. Based on the numerical results, a conceptual model was constructed to suggest a mechanism for the formation of closed MCC over cool ocean surfaces. A new method to estimate the radioative and evaporative cooling in the entrainment layer of a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer has been developed. The method was applied to a set of Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) results and to a set of tethered-balloon data obtained during FIRE. We developed a statocumulus-capped marine mixed layer model which includes a parameterization of drizzle based on the use of a predicted Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) number concentration. We have developed, implemented, and tested a very elaborate new stratiform cloudiness parameterization for use in GCMs. Finally, we have developed a new, mechanistic parameterization of the effects of cloud-top cooling on the entrainment rate.

Improving Aerosol and Visibility Forecasting Capabilities Using Current and Future Generations of Satellite Observations

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

improving forecast performance over cloudy regions using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Aerosol Index; and 2) preparing for the post-MODIS...meteorological fields, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) SW and LW surface characteristics, and an ozone climatology are used as...The primary impact of CALIOP assimilation on the model is the redistribution of mass toward the boundary layer from the free troposphere . For high

On the Interaction between Marine Boundary Layer Cellular Cloudiness and Surface Heat Fluxes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kazil, J.; Feingold, G.; Wang, Hailong

2014-01-02

The interaction between marine boundary layer cellular cloudiness and surface uxes of sensible and latent heat is investigated. The investigation focuses on the non-precipitating closed-cell state and the precipitating open-cell state at low geostrophic wind speed. The Advanced Research WRF model is used to conduct cloud-system-resolving simulations with interactive surface fluxes of sensible heat, latent heat, and of sea salt aerosol, and with a detailed representation of the interaction between aerosol particles and clouds. The mechanisms responsible for the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of the surface heat fluxes in the closed- and open-cell state are investigated and explained. Itmore » is found that the horizontal spatial structure of the closed-cell state determines, by entrainment of dry free tropospheric air, the spatial distribution of surface air temperature and water vapor, and, to a lesser degree, of the surface sensible and latent heat flux. The synchronized dynamics of the the open-cell state drives oscillations in surface air temperature, water vapor, and in the surface fluxes of sensible and latent heat, and of sea salt aerosol. Open-cell cloud formation, cloud optical depth and liquid water path, and cloud and rain water path are identified as good predictors of the spatial distribution of surface air temperature and sensible heat flux, but not of surface water vapor and latent heat flux. It is shown that by enhancing the surface sensible heat flux, the open-cell state creates conditions by which it is maintained. While the open-cell state under consideration is not depleted in aerosol, and is insensitive to variations in sea-salt fluxes, it also enhances the sea-salt flux relative to the closed-cell state. In aerosol-depleted conditions, this enhancement may replenish the aerosol needed for cloud formation, and hence contribute to the perpetuation of the open-cell state as well. Spatial homogenization of the surface fluxes is found to have only a small effect on cloud properties in the investigated cases. This indicates that sub-grid scale spatial variability in the surface flux of sensible and latent heat and of sea salt aerosol may not be required in large scale and global models to describe marine boundary layer cellular cloudiness.« less

Developing Present-day Proxy Cases Based on NARVAL Data for Investigating Low Level Cloud Responses to Future Climate Change.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reilly, Stephanie

2017-04-01

The energy budget of the entire global climate is significantly influenced by the presence of boundary layer clouds. The main aim of the High Definition Clouds and Precipitation for Advancing Climate Prediction (HD(CP)2) project is to improve climate model predictions by means of process studies of clouds and precipitation. This study makes use of observed elevated moisture layers as a proxy of future changes in tropospheric humidity. The associated impact on radiative transfer triggers fast responses in boundary layer clouds, providing a framework for investigating this phenomenon. The investigation will be carried out using data gathered during the Next-generation Aircraft Remote-sensing for VALidation (NARVAL) South campaigns. Observational data will be combined with ECMWF reanalysis data to derive the large scale forcings for the Large Eddy Simulations (LES). Simulations will be generated for a range of elevated moisture layers, spanning a multi-dimensional phase space in depth, amplitude, elevation, and cloudiness. The NARVAL locations will function as anchor-points. The results of the large eddy simulations and the observations will be studied and compared in an attempt to determine how simulated boundary layer clouds react to changes in radiative transfer from the free troposphere. Preliminary LES results will be presented and discussed.

Improving Subtropical Boundary Layer Cloudiness in the 2011 NCEP GFS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fletcher, J. K.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Xiao, Heng

2014-09-23

The current operational version of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecasting System (GFS) shows significant low cloud bias. These biases also appear in the Coupled Forecast System (CFS), which is developed from the GFS. These low cloud biases degrade seasonal and longer climate forecasts, particularly of short-wave cloud radiative forcing, and affect predicted sea surface temperature. Reducing this bias in the GFS will aid the development of future CFS versions and contributes to NCEP's goal of unified weather and climate modelling. Changes are made to the shallow convection and planetary boundary layer parameterisations to make them more consistentmore » with current knowledge of these processes and to reduce the low cloud bias. These changes are tested in a single-column version of GFS and in global simulations with GFS coupled to a dynamical ocean model. In the single-column model, we focus on changing parameters that set the following: the strength of shallow cumulus lateral entrainment, the conversion of updraught liquid water to precipitation and grid-scale condensate, shallow cumulus cloud top, and the effect of shallow convection in stratocumulus environments. Results show that these changes improve the single-column simulations when compared to large eddy simulations, in particular through decreasing the precipitation efficiency of boundary layer clouds. These changes, combined with a few other model improvements, also reduce boundary layer cloud and albedo biases in global coupled simulations.« less

Depth Distribution Of The Maxima Of Extensive Air Shower

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, J. H.; Howell, L. W.

2003-01-01

Observations of the extensive air showers from space can be free from interference by low altitude clouds and aerosols if the showers develop at a sufficiently high altitude. In this paper we explore the altitude distribution of shower maxima to determine the fraction of all showers that will reach their maxima at sufficient altitudes to avoid interference from these lower atmosphere phenomena. Typically the aerosols are confined within a planetary boundary layer that extends from only 2-3 km above the Earth's surface. Cloud top altitudes extend above 15 km but most are below 4 km. The results reported here show that more than 75% of the showers that will be observed by EUSO have maxima above the planetary boundary layer. The results also show that more than 50% of the showers that occur on cloudy days have their maxima above the cloud tops.

Estimate of Boundary-Layer Depth Over Beijing, China, Using Doppler Lidar Data During SURF-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Meng; Gao, Zhiqiu; Miao, Shiguang; Chen, Fei; LeMone, Margaret A.; Li, Ju; Hu, Fei; Wang, Linlin

2017-03-01

Planetary boundary-layer (PBL) structure was investigated using observations from a Doppler lidar and the 325-m Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) meteorological tower in the centre of Beijing during the summer 2015 Study of Urban-impacts on Rainfall and Fog/haze (SURF-2015) field campaign. Using six fair-weather days of lidar and tower data under clear to cloudy skies, we evaluate the ability of the Doppler lidar to probe the urban boundary-layer structure, and then propose a composite method for estimating the diurnal cycle of the PBL depth using the Doppler lidar. For the convective boundary layer (CBL), a threshold method using vertical velocity variance (σ _w^2 >0.1 m2s^{-2}) is used, since it provides more reliable CBL depths than a conventional maximum wind-shear method. The nocturnal boundary-layer (NBL) depth is defined as the height at which σ _w^2 decreases to 10 % of its near-surface maximum minus a background variance. The PBL depths determined by combining these methods have average values ranging from ≈ 270 to ≈ 1500 m for the six days, with the greatest maximum depths associated with clear skies. Release of stored and anthropogenic heat contributes to the maintenance of turbulence until late evening, keeping the NBL near-neutral and deeper at night than would be expected over a natural surface. The NBL typically becomes more shallow with time, but grows in the presence of low-level nocturnal jets. While current results are promising, data over a broader range of conditions are needed to fully develop our PBL-depth algorithms.

Interannual variability in stratiform cloudiness and sea surface temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norris, Joel R.; Leovy, Conway B.

1994-01-01

Marine stratiform cloudiness (MSC)(stratus, stratocumulus, and fog) is widespread over subtropical oceans west of the continents and over midlatitude oceans during summer, the season when MSC has maximum influence on surface downward radiation and is most influenced by boundary-layer processes. Long-term datasets of cloudiness and sea surface teperature (SST) from surface observations from 1952 to 1981 are used to examine interannual variations in MSC and SST. Linear correlations of anomalies in seasonal MSC amount with seasonal SST anomalies are negative and significant in midlatitude and eastern subtropical oceans, especially during summer. Significant negative correlations between SST and nimbostratus and nonprecipitating midlevel cloudiness are also observed at midlatitudes during summer, suggesting that summer storm tracks shift from year to year following year-to-year meridional shifts in the SST gradient. Over the 30-yr period, there are significant upward trends in MSC amount over the northern midlatitude oceans and a significant downward trend off the coast of California. The highest correlations and trends occur where gradients in MSC and SST are strongest. During summer, correlations between SST and MSC anomalies peak at zero lag in midlatitudes where warm advection prevails, but SST lags MSC in subtropical regions where cold advection predominates. This difference is attributed to a tendency for anomalies in latent heat flux to compensate anomalies in surface downward radiation in warm advection regions but not in cold advection regions.

Evaluation of Warm-Rain Microphysical Parameterizations in Cloudy Boundary Layer Transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, K.; Mechem, D. B.

2014-12-01

Common warm-rain microphysical parameterizations used for marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds are either tuned for specific cloud types (e.g., the Khairoutdinov and Kogan 2000 parameterization, "KK2000") or are altogether ill-posed (Kessler 1969). An ideal microphysical parameterization should be "unified" in the sense of being suitable across MBL cloud regimes that include stratocumulus, cumulus rising into stratocumulus, and shallow trade cumulus. The recent parameterization of Kogan (2013, "K2013") was formulated for shallow cumulus but has been shown in a large-eddy simulation environment to work quite well for stratocumulus as well. We report on our efforts to implement and test this parameterization into a regional forecast model (NRL COAMPS). Results from K2013 and KK2000 are compared with the operational Kessler parameterization for a 5-day period of the VOCALS-REx field campaign, which took place over the southeast Pacific. We focus on both the relative performance of the three parameterizations and also on how they compare to the VOCALS-REx observations from the NOAA R/V Ronald H. Brown, in particular estimates of boundary-layer depth, liquid water path (LWP), cloud base, and area-mean precipitation rate obtained from C-band radar.

The Sensitivity of Tropical Squall Lines (GATE and TOGA COARE) to Surface Fluxes: Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yansen; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne; Lang, Stephen

1999-01-01

Two tropical squall lines from TOGA COARE and GATE were simulated using a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model to examine the impact of surface fluxes on tropical squall line development and associated precipitation processes. The important question of how CAPE in clear and cloudy areas is maintained in the tropics is also investigated. Although the cloud structure and precipitation intensity are different between the TOGA COARE and GATE squall line cases, the effects of the surface fluxes on the amount of rainfall and on the cloud development processes are quite similar. The simulated total surface rainfall amount in the runs without surface fluxes is about 67% of the rainfall simulated with surface fluxes. The area where surface fluxes originated was categorized into clear and cloudy regions according to whether there was cloud in the vertical column. The model results indicated that the surface fluxes from the large clear air environment are the dominant moisture source for tropical squall line development even though the surface fluxes in the cloud region display a large peak. The high-energy air from the boundary layer in the clear area is what feeds the convection while the CAPE is removed by the convection. The surface rainfall was only reduced 8 to 9% percent in the simulations without surface fluxes in the cloud region. Trajectory and water budget analysis also indicated that most moisture (92%) was from the boundary layer of the clear air environment.

Shallow marine cloud topped boundary layer in atmospheric models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janjic, Zavisa

2017-04-01

A common problem in many atmospheric models is excessive expansion over cold water of shallow marine planetary boundary layer (PBL) topped by a thin cloud layer. This phenomenon is often accompanied by spurious light precipitation. The "Cloud Top Entrainment Instability" (CTEI) was proposed as an explanation of the mechanism controlling this process in reality thereby preventing spurious enlargement of the cloudy area and widely spread light precipitation observed in the models. A key element of this hypothesis is evaporative cooling at the PBL top. However, the CTEI hypothesis remains controversial. For example, a recent direct simulation experiment indicated that the evaporative cooling couldn't explain the break-up of the cloudiness as hypothesized by the CTEI. Here, it is shown that the cloud break-up can be achieved in numerical models by a further modification of the nonsingular implementation of the Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5 turbulence closure model (MYJ) developed at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Washington. Namely, the impact of moist convective instability is included into the turbulent energy production/dissipation equation if (a) the stratification is stable, (b) the lifting condensation level (LCL) for a particle starting at a model level is below the next upper model level, and (c) there is enough turbulent kinetic energy so that, due to random vertical turbulent motions, a particle starting from a model level can reach its LCL. The criterion (c) should be sufficiently restrictive because otherwise the cloud cover can be completely removed. A real data example will be shown demonstrating the ability of the method to break the spurious cloud cover during the day, but also to allow its recovery over night.

Modeling of Shallow Marine Cloud Topped Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janjic, Z.

2017-12-01

A common problem in many atmospheric models is excessive expansion over cold water of shallow marine planetary boundary layer (PBL) topped by a thin cloud layer. This phenomenon is often accompanied by spurious light precipitation. The "Cloud Top Entrainment Instability" (CTEI) was proposed as an explanation of the mechanism controlling this process and thus preventing spurious enlargement of the cloudy area and widely spread light precipitation observed in the models. A key element of this hypothesis is evaporative cooling at the PBL top. However, the CTEI hypothesis remains controversial. For example, a recent direct simulation experiment indicated that the evaporative cooling couldn't explain the break-up of the cloudiness as hypothesized by the CTEI. Here, it is shown that the cloud break-up can be achieved in numerical models by a further modification of the nonsingular implementation of the nonsingular Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5 turbulence closure model (MYJ) developed at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Washington. Namely, the impact of moist convective instability is included into the turbulent energy production/dissipation equation if (a) the stratification is stable, (b) the lifting condensation level (LCL) for a particle starting at a model level is below the next upper model level, and (c) there is enough turbulent kinetic energy so that, due to random vertical turbulent motions, a particle starting from a model level can reach its LCL. The criterion (c) should be sufficiently restrictive because otherwise the cloud cover can be completely removed. A real data example will be shown demonstrating the ability of the method to break the spurious cloud cover during the day, but also to allow its recovery over night.

Response of mixed-phase boundary layer clouds with rapid and slow ice nucleation processes to cloud-top temperature trend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fridlind, A. M.; Avramov, A.; Ackerman, A. S.; Alpert, P. A.; Knopf, D. A.; DeMott, P. J.; Brooks, S. D.; Glen, A.

2015-12-01

It has been argued on the basis of some laboratory data sets, observed mixed-phase cloud systems, and numerical modeling studies that weakly active or slowly consumed ice forming nuclei (IFN) may be important to natural cloud systems. It has also been argued on the basis of field measurements that ice nucleation under mixed-phase conditions appears to occur predominantly via a liquid-phase mechanism, requiring the presence of liquid droplets prior to substantial ice nucleation. Here we analyze the response of quasi-Lagrangian large-eddy simulations of mixed-phase cloud layers to IFN operating via a liquid-phase mode using assumptions that result in either slow or rapid depletion of IFN from the cloudy boundary layer. Using several generalized case studies that do not exhibit riming or drizzle, based loosely on field campaign data, we vary environmental conditions such that the cloud-top temperature trend varies. One objective of this work is to identify differing patterns in ice formation intensity that may be distinguishable from ground-based or satellite platforms.

The Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.

1994-05-01

A comprehensive and lucid account of the physics and dynamics of the lowest one to two kilometers of the Earth's atmosphere in direct contact with the Earth's surface, known as the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Dr. Garratt emphasizes the application of the ABL problems to numerical modeling of the climate, which makes this book unique among recent texts on the subject. He begins with a brief introduction to the ABL before leading to the development of mean and turbulence equations and the many scaling laws and theories that are the cornerstone of any serious ABL treatment. Modeling of the ABL is crucially dependent for its realism on the surface boundary conditions, so chapters four and five deal with aerodynamic and energy considerations, with attention given to both dry and wet land surfaces and the sea. The author next treats the structure of the clear-sky, thermally stratified ABL, including the convective and stable cases over homogeneous land, the marine ABL, and the internal boundary layer at the coastline. Chapter seven then extends this discussion to the cloudy ABL. This is particularly relevant to current research because the extensive stratocumulus regions over the subtropical oceans and stratus regions over the Arctic have been identified as key players in the climate system. In the final chapters, Dr. Garratt summarizes the book's material by discussing appropriate ABL and surface parameterization schemes in general circulation models of the atmosphere that are being used for climate stimulation.

Aerosol effect on the evolution of the thermodynamic properties of warm convective cloud fields

PubMed Central

Dagan, Guy; Koren, Ilan; Altaratz, Orit; Heiblum, Reuven H.

2016-01-01

Convective cloud formation and evolution strongly depend on environmental temperature and humidity profiles. The forming clouds change the profiles that created them by redistributing heat and moisture. Here we show that the evolution of the field’s thermodynamic properties depends heavily on the concentration of aerosol, liquid or solid particles suspended in the atmosphere. Under polluted conditions, rain formation is suppressed and the non-precipitating clouds act to warm the lower part of the cloudy layer (where there is net condensation) and cool and moisten the upper part of the cloudy layer (where there is net evaporation), thereby destabilizing the layer. Under clean conditions, precipitation causes net warming of the cloudy layer and net cooling of the sub-cloud layer (driven by rain evaporation), which together act to stabilize the atmosphere with time. Previous studies have examined different aspects of the effects of clouds on their environment. Here, we offer a complete analysis of the cloudy atmosphere, spanning the aerosol effect from instability-consumption to enhancement, below, inside and above warm clouds, showing the temporal evolution of the effects. We propose a direct measure for the magnitude and sign of the aerosol effect on thermodynamic instability. PMID:27929097

Aerosol effect on the evolution of the thermodynamic properties of warm convective cloud fields.

PubMed

Dagan, Guy; Koren, Ilan; Altaratz, Orit; Heiblum, Reuven H

2016-12-08

Convective cloud formation and evolution strongly depend on environmental temperature and humidity profiles. The forming clouds change the profiles that created them by redistributing heat and moisture. Here we show that the evolution of the field's thermodynamic properties depends heavily on the concentration of aerosol, liquid or solid particles suspended in the atmosphere. Under polluted conditions, rain formation is suppressed and the non-precipitating clouds act to warm the lower part of the cloudy layer (where there is net condensation) and cool and moisten the upper part of the cloudy layer (where there is net evaporation), thereby destabilizing the layer. Under clean conditions, precipitation causes net warming of the cloudy layer and net cooling of the sub-cloud layer (driven by rain evaporation), which together act to stabilize the atmosphere with time. Previous studies have examined different aspects of the effects of clouds on their environment. Here, we offer a complete analysis of the cloudy atmosphere, spanning the aerosol effect from instability-consumption to enhancement, below, inside and above warm clouds, showing the temporal evolution of the effects. We propose a direct measure for the magnitude and sign of the aerosol effect on thermodynamic instability.

RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. Part I: Case study development and ensemble large-scale forcings

DOE PAGES

Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Toto, Tami; ...

2015-06-19

Observation-based modeling case studies of continental boundary layer clouds have been developed to study cloudy boundary layers, aerosol influences upon them, and their representation in cloud- and global-scale models. Three 60-hour case study periods span the temporal evolution of cumulus, stratiform, and drizzling boundary layer cloud systems, representing mixed and transitional states rather than idealized or canonical cases. Based on in-situ measurements from the RACORO field campaign and remote-sensing observations, the cases are designed with a modular configuration to simplify use in large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. Aircraft measurements of aerosol number size distribution are fit to lognormal functionsmore » for concise representation in models. Values of the aerosol hygroscopicity parameter, κ, are derived from observations to be ~0.10, which are lower than the 0.3 typical over continents and suggestive of a large aerosol organic fraction. Ensemble large-scale forcing datasets are derived from the ARM variational analysis, ECMWF forecasts, and a multi-scale data assimilation system. The forcings are assessed through comparison of measured bulk atmospheric and cloud properties to those computed in 'trial' large-eddy simulations, where more efficient run times are enabled through modest reductions in grid resolution and domain size compared to the full-sized LES grid. Simulations capture many of the general features observed, but the state-of-the-art forcings were limited at representing details of cloud onset, and tight gradients and high-resolution transients of importance. Methods for improving the initial conditions and forcings are discussed. The cases developed are available to the general modeling community for studying continental boundary clouds.« less

RACORO Continental Boundary Layer Cloud Investigations: 1. Case Study Development and Ensemble Large-Scale Forcings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Toto, Tami; Endo, Satoshi; Lin, Wuyin; Wang, Jian; Feng, Sha; Zhang, Yunyan; Turner, David D.; Liu, Yangang;

RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations: 1. Case study development and ensemble large-scale forcings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Toto, Tami; Endo, Satoshi; Lin, Wuyin; Wang, Jian; Feng, Sha; Zhang, Yunyan; Turner, David D.; Liu, Yangang; Li, Zhijin; Xie, Shaocheng; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Zhang, Minghua; Khairoutdinov, Marat

2015-06-01

Observation-based modeling case studies of continental boundary layer clouds have been developed to study cloudy boundary layers, aerosol influences upon them, and their representation in cloud- and global-scale models. Three 60 h case study periods span the temporal evolution of cumulus, stratiform, and drizzling boundary layer cloud systems, representing mixed and transitional states rather than idealized or canonical cases. Based on in situ measurements from the Routine AAF (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerial Facility) CLOWD (Clouds with Low Optical Water Depth) Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) field campaign and remote sensing observations, the cases are designed with a modular configuration to simplify use in large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. Aircraft measurements of aerosol number size distribution are fit to lognormal functions for concise representation in models. Values of the aerosol hygroscopicity parameter, κ, are derived from observations to be 0.10, which are lower than the 0.3 typical over continents and suggestive of a large aerosol organic fraction. Ensemble large-scale forcing data sets are derived from the ARM variational analysis, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and a multiscale data assimilation system. The forcings are assessed through comparison of measured bulk atmospheric and cloud properties to those computed in "trial" large-eddy simulations, where more efficient run times are enabled through modest reductions in grid resolution and domain size compared to the full-sized LES grid. Simulations capture many of the general features observed, but the state-of-the-art forcings were limited at representing details of cloud onset, and tight gradients and high-resolution transients of importance. Methods for improving the initial conditions and forcings are discussed. The cases developed are available to the general modeling community for studying continental boundary clouds.

A nonlinear steady model for moist hydrostatic mountain waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barcilon, A.; Fitzjarrald, D.

1985-01-01

The dynamics of hydrostatic gravity waves generated by the passage of a steady, stably stratified, moist flow over a two-dimensional topography is considered. Coriolis effects are neglected. The cloud region is determined by the dynamics, and within that region the Brunt-Vaisala frequency takes on a value smaller than the outside value. In both the dry and cloudy regions the Brunt-Vaisala frequency is constant with height. The moist layer is considered to be either next to the mountain or at midlevels and to be deep enough so that an entire cloud forms in that layer. The nonlinearity in the flow and lower boundary affects the dynamics of these waves and wave drag. The latter is found to depend upon: (1) the location of the moist layer with respect to the ground, (2) the amount of moisture, (3) the degree of nonlinearity and (4) the departure from symmetry in the bottom topography.

On the potential influence of ice nuclei on surface-forced marine stratocumulus cloud dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, Jerry Y.; Olsson, Peter Q.

2001-11-01

The mixed phase cloudy boundary layer that occurs during off-ice flow in the marine Arctic was simulated in an environment with a strong surface heat flux (nearly 800 W m-2). A two-dimensional, eddy-resolving model coupled to a detailed cloud microphysical model was used to study both liquid phase and mixed phase stratocumulus clouds and boundary layer (BL) dynamics in this environment. Since ice precipitation may be important to BL dynamics, and ice nuclei (IN) concentrations modulate ice precipitation rates, the role of IN in cloud and BL development was explored. The results of several simulations illustrate how mixed phase microphysical processes affect the evolution of the cloudy BL in this environment. In agreement with past studies, BLs with mixed phase clouds had weaker convection, shallower BL depths, and smaller cloud fractions than BLs with clouds restricted to the liquid phase only. It is shown that the weaker BL convection is due to strong ice precipitation. Ice precipitation reduces convective strength directly by stabilizing downdrafts and more indirectly by sensibly heating the BL and inhibiting vertical mixing of momentum thereby reducing surface heat fluxes by as much as 80 W m-2. This feedback between precipitation and surface fluxes was found to have a significant impact on cloud/BL morphology, producing oscillations in convective strength and cloud fraction that did not occur if surface fluxes were fixed at constant values. Increases in IN concentrations in mixed phase clouds caused a more rapid Bergeron-Findeisen process leading to larger precipitation fluxes, reduced convection and lower cloud fraction. When IN were removed from the BL through precipitation, fewer crystals were nucleated at later simulation times leading to progressively weaker precipitation rates, greater cloud fraction, and stronger convective BL eddies.

Differences between nonprecipitating tropical and trade wind marine shallow cumuli

DOE PAGES

Ghate, Virendra P.; Miller, Mark A.; Zhu, Ping

2015-11-13

In this study, marine nonprecipitating cumulus topped boundary layers (CTBLs) observed in a tropical and in a trade wind region are contrasted based on their cloud macrophysical, dynamical, and radiative structures. Data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observational site previously operating at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, and data collected during the deployment of ARM Mobile Facility at the island of Graciosa, in the Azores, were used in this study. The tropical marine CTBLs were deeper, had higher surface fluxes and boundary layer radiative cooling, but lower wind speeds compared to their trade wind counterparts. The radiative velocity scalemore » was 50%-70% of the surface convective velocity scale at both locations, highlighting the prominent role played by radiation in maintaining turbulence in marine CTBLs. Despite greater thicknesses, the chord lengths of tropical cumuli were on average lower than those of trade wind cumuli, and as a result of lower cloud cover, the hourly averaged (cloudy and clear) liquid water paths of tropical cumuli were lower than the trade wind cumuli. At both locations ~70% of the cloudy profiles were updrafts, while the average amount of updrafts near cloud base stronger than 1 m s –1 was ~22% in tropical cumuli and ~12% in the trade wind cumuli. The mean in-cloud radar reflectivity within updrafts and mean updraft velocity was higher in tropical cumuli than the trade wind cumuli. Despite stronger vertical velocities and a higher number of strong updrafts, due to lower cloud fraction, the updraft mass flux was lower in the tropical cumuli compared to the trade wind cumuli. The observations suggest that the tropical and trade wind marine cumulus clouds differ significantly in their macrophysical and dynamical structures« less

Differences between nonprecipitating tropical and trade wind marine shallow cumuli

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghate, Virendra P.; Miller, Mark A.; Zhu, Ping

In this study, marine nonprecipitating cumulus topped boundary layers (CTBLs) observed in a tropical and in a trade wind region are contrasted based on their cloud macrophysical, dynamical, and radiative structures. Data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observational site previously operating at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, and data collected during the deployment of ARM Mobile Facility at the island of Graciosa, in the Azores, were used in this study. The tropical marine CTBLs were deeper, had higher surface fluxes and boundary layer radiative cooling, but lower wind speeds compared to their trade wind counterparts. The radiative velocity scalemore » was 50%-70% of the surface convective velocity scale at both locations, highlighting the prominent role played by radiation in maintaining turbulence in marine CTBLs. Despite greater thicknesses, the chord lengths of tropical cumuli were on average lower than those of trade wind cumuli, and as a result of lower cloud cover, the hourly averaged (cloudy and clear) liquid water paths of tropical cumuli were lower than the trade wind cumuli. At both locations ~70% of the cloudy profiles were updrafts, while the average amount of updrafts near cloud base stronger than 1 m s –1 was ~22% in tropical cumuli and ~12% in the trade wind cumuli. The mean in-cloud radar reflectivity within updrafts and mean updraft velocity was higher in tropical cumuli than the trade wind cumuli. Despite stronger vertical velocities and a higher number of strong updrafts, due to lower cloud fraction, the updraft mass flux was lower in the tropical cumuli compared to the trade wind cumuli. The observations suggest that the tropical and trade wind marine cumulus clouds differ significantly in their macrophysical and dynamical structures« less

Characteristics of early winter high Arctic atmospheric boundary layer profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wickström, Siiri; Vihma, Timo; Nygård, Tiina; Kramer, Daniel; Palo, Timo; Jonassen, Marius

2017-04-01

For a large part of the year, the Arctic climate system is characterised by a stably stratified atmospheric boundary layer, with strong temperature inversions isolating the surface from the air aloft. These nversions are typically driven by longwave radiative cooling, warm-air advection aloft, or subsidence. All these mechanisms are affected by the synoptic sate of the atmosphere in the high Arctic. In this study we present data from an intensive measurement campaign in Svalbard in October 2014, when atmospheric profiles were measured with a tethered balloon in Adventdalen and Hornsund. In addition radiosonde soundings from Ny-Ålesund were analysed. A total of 115 individual profiles were analysed, almost all of them showing a surface-based temperature inversion. Our preliminary results show that the strongest and deepest inversions are observed at the beginning of a warm-air advection event, but as the temperature, wind and cloudiness increase the inversion strength and depth decrease rapidly. The inversion curvature parameter seems to be strongly dependent on the longwave radiative balance with the highest curvatures (strongest vertical temperature gradient close to the surface) associated with strong longwave radiative heat loss from the surface. The different processes affecting the stable atmospheric boundary layer during a low-pressure passage are determined, and the effects of the synoptic scale changes are isolated from those caused by local topographic forcing.

Buoyant production and consumption of turbulence kinetic energy in cloud-topped mixed layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, D. A.

1984-01-01

It is pointed out that studies of the entraining planetary boundary layer (PBL) have generally emphasized the role of buoyancy fluxes in driving entrainment. The buoyancy flux is proportional to the rate of conversion of the potential energy of the mean flow into the kinetic energy of the turbulence. It is not unusual for conversion to proceed in both directions simultaneously. This occurs, for instance, in both clear and cloudy convective mixed layers which are capped by inversions. A partitioning of the net conversion into positive parts, generating turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), and negative parts (TKE-consuming), would make it possible to include the positive part in the gross production rate, and closure would be achieved. Three different approaches to partitioning have been proposed. The present investigation is concerned with a comparison of the three partitioning theories. Particular attention is given to the cloud-topped mixed layer because in this case the differences between two partitioning approaches are most apparent.

Using Intel Xeon Phi to accelerate the WRF TEMF planetary boundary layer scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mielikainen, Jarno; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen

2014-05-01

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is designed for numerical weather prediction and atmospheric research. The WRF software infrastructure consists of several components such as dynamic solvers and physics schemes. Numerical models are used to resolve the large-scale flow. However, subgrid-scale parameterizations are for an estimation of small-scale properties (e.g., boundary layer turbulence and convection, clouds, radiation). Those have a significant influence on the resolved scale due to the complex nonlinear nature of the atmosphere. For the cloudy planetary boundary layer (PBL), it is fundamental to parameterize vertical turbulent fluxes and subgrid-scale condensation in a realistic manner. A parameterization based on the Total Energy - Mass Flux (TEMF) that unifies turbulence and moist convection components produces a better result that the other PBL schemes. For that reason, the TEMF scheme is chosen as the PBL scheme we optimized for Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC), which ushers in a new era of supercomputing speed, performance, and compatibility. It allows the developers to run code at trillions of calculations per second using the familiar programming model. In this paper, we present our optimization results for TEMF planetary boundary layer scheme. The optimizations that were performed were quite generic in nature. Those optimizations included vectorization of the code to utilize vector units inside each CPU. Furthermore, memory access was improved by scalarizing some of the intermediate arrays. The results show that the optimization improved MIC performance by 14.8x. Furthermore, the optimizations increased CPU performance by 2.6x compared to the original multi-threaded code on quad core Intel Xeon E5-2603 running at 1.8 GHz. Compared to the optimized code running on a single CPU socket the optimized MIC code is 6.2x faster.

North Pacific Cloud Feedbacks Inferred from Synoptic-Scale Dynamic and Thermodynamic Relationships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norris, Joel R.; Iacobellis, Sam F.

2005-01-01

This study analyzed daily satellite cloud observations and reanalysis dynamical parameters to determine how mid-tropospheric vertical velocity and advection over the sea surface temperature gradient control midlatitude North Pacific cloud properties. Optically thick clouds with high tops are generated by synoptic ascent, but two different cloud regimes occur under synoptic descent. When vertical motion is downward during summer, extensive stratocumulus cloudiness is associated with near surface northerly wind, while frequent cloudless pixels occur with southerly wind. Examinations of ship-reported cloud types indicates that midlatitude stratocumulus breaks up as the the boundary level decouples when it is advected equatorward over warmer water. Cumulus is prevalent under conditions of synoptic descent and cold advection during winter. Poleward advection of subtropical air over colder water causes stratification of the near-surface layer that inhibits upward mixing of moisture and suppresses cloudiness until a fog eventually forms. Averaging of cloud and radiation data into intervals of 500-hPa vertical velocity and advection over the SST gradient enables the cloud response to changes in temperature and the stratification of the lower troposphere to be investigated independent of the dynamics.

Combining ground-based microwave radiometer and the AROME convective scale model through 1DVAR retrievals in complex terrain: an Alpine valley case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinet, Pauline; Cimini, Domenico; De Angelis, Francesco; Canut, Guylaine; Unger, Vinciane; Guillot, Remi; Tzanos, Diane; Paci, Alexandre

2017-09-01

A RPG-HATPRO ground-based microwave radiometer (MWR) was operated in a deep Alpine valley during the Passy-2015 field campaign. This experiment aims to investigate how stable boundary layers during wintertime conditions drive the accumulation of pollutants. In order to understand the atmospheric processes in the valley, MWRs continuously provide vertical profiles of temperature and humidity at a high time frequency, providing valuable information to follow the evolution of the boundary layer. A one-dimensional variational (1DVAR) retrieval technique has been implemented during the field campaign to optimally combine an MWR and 1 h forecasts from the French convective scale model AROME. Retrievals were compared to radiosonde data launched at least every 3 h during two intensive observation periods (IOPs). An analysis of the AROME forecast errors during the IOPs has shown a large underestimation of the surface cooling during the strongest stable episode. MWR brightness temperatures were monitored against simulations from the radiative transfer model ARTS2 (Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator) and radiosonde launched during the field campaign. Large errors were observed for most transparent channels (i.e., 51-52 GHz) affected by absorption model and calibration uncertainties while a good agreement was found for opaque channels (i.e., 54-58 GHz). Based on this monitoring, a bias correction of raw brightness temperature measurements was applied before the 1DVAR retrievals. 1DVAR retrievals were found to significantly improve the AROME forecasts up to 3 km but mainly below 1 km and to outperform usual statistical regressions above 1 km. With the present implementation, a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1 K through all the atmospheric profile was obtained with values within 0.5 K below 500 m in clear-sky conditions. The use of lower elevation angles (up to 5°) in the MWR scanning and the bias correction were found to improve the retrievals below 1000 m. MWR retrievals were found to catch deep near-surface temperature inversions very well. Larger errors were observed in cloudy conditions due to the difficulty of ground-based MWRs to resolve high level inversions that are still challenging. Finally, 1DVAR retrievals were optimized for the analysis of the IOPs by using radiosondes as backgrounds in the 1DVAR algorithm instead of the AROME forecasts. A significant improvement of the retrievals in cloudy conditions and below 1000 m in clear-sky conditions was observed. From this study, we can conclude that MWRs are expected to bring valuable information into numerical weather prediction models up to 3 km in altitude both in clear-sky and cloudy-sky conditions with the maximum improvement found around 500 m. With an accuracy between 0.5 and 1 K in RMSE, our study has also proven that MWRs are capable of resolving deep near-surface temperature inversions observed in complex terrain during highly stable boundary layer conditions.

Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An Arm Mobile Facility Deployment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.

The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009-December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulusmore » and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1- 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less

Clouds, aerosol, and precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An ARM mobile facility deployment

DOE PAGES

Wood, Robert; Luke, Ed; Wyant, Matthew; ...

2014-04-27

The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21-month (April 2009-December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols, and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols, and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulusmore » and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1-11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back-trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging.The data from Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made with a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less

Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An Arm Mobile Facility Deployment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.

The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) 38 deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009-December 2010) 39 comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric 40 Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is 41 to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the 42 marine boundary layer. 43 Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the 44 Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and 45 cloudiness conditions. Lowmore » clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulus and cumulus 46 occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar 47 echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1-48 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide 49 range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of 50 sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way 51 interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation 52 and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. 53 The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety 54 of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they 55 reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, 56 but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to 57 be a long-term ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less

An overview of the diurnal cycle of the atmospheric boundary layer during the West African monsoon season: results from the 2016 observational campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalthoff, Norbert; Lohou, Fabienne; Brooks, Barbara; Jegede, Gbenga; Adler, Bianca; Babić, Karmen; Dione, Cheikh; Ajao, Adewale; Amekudzi, Leonard K.; Aryee, Jeffrey N. A.; Ayoola, Muritala; Bessardon, Geoffrey; Danuor, Sylvester K.; Handwerker, Jan; Kohler, Martin; Lothon, Marie; Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, Xabier; Smith, Victoria; Sunmonu, Lukman; Wieser, Andreas; Fink, Andreas H.; Knippertz, Peter

2018-03-01

A ground-based field campaign was conducted in southern West Africa from mid-June to the end of July 2016 within the framework of the Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project. It aimed to provide a high-quality comprehensive data set for process studies, in particular of interactions between low-level clouds (LLCs) and boundary-layer conditions. In this region missing observations are still a major issue. During the campaign, extensive remote sensing and in situ measurements were conducted at three supersites: Kumasi (Ghana), Savè (Benin) and Ile-Ife (Nigeria). Daily radiosoundings were performed at 06:00 UTC, and 15 intensive observation periods (IOPs) were performed during which additional radiosondes were launched, and remotely piloted aerial systems were operated. Extended stratiform LLCs form frequently in southern West Africa during the nighttime and persist long into the following day. They affect the radiation budget and hence the evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer and regional climate. The relevant parameters and processes governing the formation and dissolution of the LLCs are still not fully understood. This paper gives an overview of the diurnal cycles of the energy-balance components, near-surface temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction as well as of the conditions (LLCs, low-level jet) in the boundary layer at the supersites and relates them to synoptic-scale conditions (monsoon layer, harmattan layer, African easterly jet, tropospheric stratification) in the DACCIWA operational area. The characteristics of LLCs vary considerably from day to day, including a few almost cloud-free nights. During cloudy nights we found large differences in the LLCs' formation and dissolution times as well as in the cloud-base height. The differences exist at individual sites and also between the sites. The synoptic conditions are characterized by a monsoon layer with south-westerly winds, on average about 1.9 km deep, and easterly winds above; the depth and strength of the monsoon flow show great day-to-day variability. Within the monsoon layer, a nocturnal low-level jet forms in approximately the same layer as the LLC. Its strength and duration is highly variable from night to night. This unique data set will allow us to test some new hypotheses about the processes involved in the development of LLCs and their interaction with the boundary layer and can also be used for model evaluation.

An algorithm to estimate PBL heights from wind profiler data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molod, A.; Salmun, H.

2016-12-01

An algorithm was developed to estimate planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights from hourlyarchived wind profiler data from the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) sites located throughoutthe central United States from the period 1992-2012. The long period of record allows ananalysis of climatological mean PBL heights as well as some estimates of year to yearvariability. Under clear conditions, summertime averaged hourly time series of PBL heightscompare well with Richardson-number based estimates at the few NPN stations with hourlytemperature measurements. Comparisons with clear sky MERRA estimates show that the windprofiler (WP) and the Richardson number based PBL heights are lower by approximately 250-500 m.The geographical distribution of daily maximum WP PBL heights corresponds well with theexpected distribution based on patterns of surface temperature and soil moisture. Windprofiler PBL heights were also estimated under mostly cloudy conditions, but the WP estimatesshow a smaller clear-cloudy condition difference than either of the other two PBL height estimates.The algorithm presented here is shown to provide a reliable summer, fall and springclimatology of daytime hourly PBL heights throughout the central United States. The reliabilityof the algorithm has prompted its use to obtain hourly PBL heights from other archived windprofiler data located throughout the world.

Airborne observations of newly formed boundary layer aerosol particles under cloudy conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altstädter, Barbara; Platis, Andreas; Jähn, Michael; Baars, Holger; Lückerath, Janine; Held, Andreas; Lampert, Astrid; Bange, Jens; Hermann, Markus; Wehner, Birgit

2018-06-01

This study describes the appearance of ultrafine boundary layer aerosol particles under classical non-favourable conditions at the research site of TROPOS (Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research). Airborne measurements of meteorological and aerosol properties of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) were repeatedly performed with the unmanned aerial system ALADINA (Application of Light-weight Aircraft for Detecting IN-situ Aerosol) during three seasons between October 2013 and July 2015. More than 100 measurement flights were conducted on 23 different days with a total flight duration of 53 h. In 26 % of the cases, maxima of ultrafine particles were observed close to the inversion layer at altitudes between 400 and 600 m and the particles were rapidly mixed vertically and mainly transported downwards during short time intervals of cloud gaps. This study focuses on two measurement days affected by low-level stratocumulus clouds, but different wind directions (NE, SW) and minimal concentrations (< 4.6 µg m-3) of SO2, as a common indicator for precursor gases at ground. Taken from vertical profiles, the onset of clouds led to a non-linearity of humidity that resulted in an increased turbulence at the local-scale and caused fast nucleation e.g., but in relation to rapid dilution of surrounding air, seen in sporadic clusters of ground data, so that ultrafine particles disappeared in the verticality. The typical banana shape of new particle formation (NPF) and growth was not seen at ground and thus these days might not have been classified as NPF event days by pure surface studies.

Global Free-tropospheric NO2 Abundances Derived Using a Cloud Slicing Technique from AURA OMI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, S.; Joiner, J.; Choi, Y.; Duncan, B.N.; Vasilkov, A.; Krotkov, N.; Bucsela, E.J.

2014-01-01

We derive free-tropospheric NO2 volume mixing ratios (VMRs) by applying a cloud-slicing technique to data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. In the cloud-slicing approach, the slope of the above-cloud NO2 column versus the cloud scene pressure is proportional to the NO2 VMR. In this work, we use a sample of nearby OMI pixel data from a single orbit for the linear fit. The OMI data include cloud scene pressures from the rotational-Raman algorithm and above-cloud NO2 vertical column density (VCD) (defined as the NO2 column from the cloud scene pressure to the top of the atmosphere) from a differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithm. We compare OMI-derived NO2 VMRs with in situ aircraft profiles measured during the NASA Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B (INTEX-B) campaign in 2006. The agreement is generally within the estimated uncertainties when appropriate data screening is applied. We then derive a global seasonal climatology of free-tropospheric NO2 VMR in cloudy conditions. Enhanced NO2 in the free troposphere commonly appears near polluted urban locations where NO2 produced in the boundary layer may be transported vertically out of the boundary layer and then horizontally away from the source. Signatures of lightning NO2 are also shown throughout low and middle latitude regions in summer months. A profile analysis of our cloud-slicing data indicates signatures of lightning-generated NO2 in the upper troposphere. Comparison of the climatology with simulations from the global modeling initiative (GMI) for cloudy conditions (cloud optical depth less than10) shows similarities in the spatial patterns of continental pollution outflow. However, there are also some differences in the seasonal variation of free-tropospheric NO2 VMRs near highly populated regions and in areas affected by lightning-generated NOx.

Soil-plant-atmosphere conditions regulating convective cloud formation above southeastern US pine plantations.

PubMed

Manoli, Gabriele; Domec, Jean-Christophe; Novick, Kimberly; Oishi, Andrew Christopher; Noormets, Asko; Marani, Marco; Katul, Gabriel

2016-06-01

Loblolly pine trees (Pinus taeda L.) occupy more than 20% of the forested area in the southern United States, represent more than 50% of the standing pine volume in this region, and remove from the atmosphere about 500 g C m-2 per year through net ecosystem exchange. Hence, their significance as a major regional carbon sink can hardly be disputed. What is disputed is whether the proliferation of young plantations replacing old forest in the southern United States will alter key aspects of the hydrologic cycle, including convective rainfall, which is the focus of the present work. Ecosystem fluxes of sensible (Hs) and latent heat (LE) and large-scale, slowly evolving free atmospheric temperature and water vapor content are known to be first-order controls on the formation of convective clouds in the atmospheric boundary layer. These controlling processes are here described by a zero-order analytical model aimed at assessing how plantations of different ages may regulate the persistence and transition of the atmospheric system between cloudy and cloudless conditions. Using the analytical model together with field observations, the roles of ecosystem Hs and LE on convective cloud formation are explored relative to the entrainment of heat and moisture from the free atmosphere. Our results demonstrate that cloudy-cloudless regimes at the land surface are regulated by a nonlinear relation between the Bowen ratio Bo=Hs/LE and root-zone soil water content, suggesting that young/mature pines ecosystems have the ability to recirculate available water (through rainfall predisposition mechanisms). Such nonlinearity was not detected in a much older pine stand, suggesting a higher tolerance to drought but a limited control on boundary layer dynamics. These results enable the generation of hypotheses about the impacts on convective cloud formation driven by afforestation/deforestation and groundwater depletion projected to increase following increased human population in the southeastern United States. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Satellite Survey of Cloud Cover and Water Vapor in the Southwestern USA and Northern Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco, E.; Avila, R.; Erasmus, A.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Walker, A. R.; Blum, R.

2017-03-01

Cloud cover and water vapor conditions in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico were surveyed as a preparatory work for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in situ site testing program. Although the telescope site is already selected, the TMT site testing team decided to make public these results for its usefulness for the community. Using 58 months of meteorological satellite observations between 1993 July and 1999 September, different atmospheric parameters were quantified from data of the 10.7 μm and of 6.7 μm windows. In particular, cloud cover and water vapor conditions were identified in preferred areas. As a result of the aerial analysis, 15 sites of existing and potential telescope were selected, compared, and ranked in terms of their observing quality. The clearest sites are located along the spine of the Baja peninsula and into southern California on mountain peaks above the temperature inversion layer. A steep gradient of cloudiness was observed along the coast where coastal cloud and fog are trapped below the inversion layer. Moving from west to east over the continent, a significant increase in cloudiness was observed. The analysis shows that San Pedro Mártir, San Gorgonio Mountain and San Jacinto Peak have the largest fraction of clear sky conditions (˜74%). The site with the optimal combination of clear skies and low precipitable water vapor is Boundary Peak, Nevada. An approach based in satellite data provided a reliable method for sites comparison.

Cirrus and Water Vapor Transport in the Tropical Tropopause Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinh, Tra Phuong

Simulations of tropical-tropopause-layer (TTL) cirrus under the influence of a large-scale equatorial Kelvin wave have been performed in two dimensions. These simulations show that, even under the influence of the large-scale wave, radiatively induced dynamics in TTL cirrus plays an important role in the transport of water vapor in the vertical direction. In a typical TTL cirrus, the heating that results from absorption of radiation by ice crystals induces a mesoscale circulation. Advection of ice and water vapor by the radiatively induced circulation leads to the persistence of the cloud and upward advection of the cloudy air. Upward advection of the cloudy air is equivalent to upward transport of water vapor when the air above the cloud is drier than the cloudy air, and downward transport otherwise. In TTL cirrus, microphysical processes also contribute to transport of water vapor in the vertical direction. Ice nucleation and growth, followed by sedimentation and sublimation, always lead to downward transport of water vapor. The magnitude of the downward transport by microphysical processes increases with the relative humidity of the air surrounding the cloud. Moisture in the surrounding environment is important because there is continuous interactions between the cloudy and environmental air throughout the cloud boundary. In our simulations, when the air surrounding the cloud is subsaturated, hence drier than the cloudy air, the magnitude of the downward transport due to microphysical processes is smaller than that of the upward transport due to the radiatively induced advection of water vapor. The net result is upward transport of water vapor, and equivalently hydration of the lower stratosphere. On the other hand, when the surrounding air is supersaturated, hence moister than the cloudy air, microphysical and radiatively induced dynamical processes work in concert to induce downward transport of water vapor, that is dehydration of the lower stratosphere. TTL cirrus processes also depend sensitively on the deposition coefficient of water vapor on ice crystals. The deposition coefficient determines the depositional growth rate of ice crystals, hence microphysical and radiative properties of the cloud. In our simulations, larger values of the deposition coefficient correspond to less ice crystals nucleated during homogeneous freezing, larger ice crystal sizes, faster ice sedimentation, smaller radiative heating rate and weaker dynamics. These results indicate that detailed observations of the relative humidity in the vicinity of TTL cirrus and accurate laboratory measurements of the deposition coefficient are necessary to quantify the impact of TTL cirrus in the dehydration of the stratosphere. This research highlights the complex role of microphysical, radiative and dynamical processes in the transport of water vapor within TTL cirrus. It shows that under certain realistic conditions, TTL cirrus may lead to upward transport of water vapor, which results in moistening of the lower stratosphere. Thus it is not accurate to always associate TTL cirrus with stratospheric dehydration.

Cloudy - simulating the non-equilibrium microphysics of gas and dust, and its observed spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferland, Gary J.

2014-01-01

Cloudy is an open-source plasma/spectral simulation code, last described in the open-access journal Revista Mexicana (Ferland et al. 2013, 2013RMxAA..49..137F). The project goal is a complete simulation of the microphysics of gas and dust over the full range of density, temperature, and ionization that we encounter in astrophysics, together with a prediction of the observed spectrum. Cloudy is one of the more widely used theory codes in astrophysics with roughly 200 papers citing its documentation each year. It is developed by graduate students, postdocs, and an international network of collaborators. Cloudy is freely available on the web at trac.nublado.org, the user community can post questions on http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/cloudy_simulations/info, and summer schools are organized to learn more about Cloudy and its use (http://cloud9.pa.uky.edu gary/cloudy/CloudySummerSchool/). The code’s widespread use is possible because of extensive automatic testing. It is exercised over its full range of applicability whenever the source is changed. Changes in predicted quantities are automatically detected along with any newly introduced problems. The code is designed to be autonomous and self-aware. It generates a report at the end of a calculation that summarizes any problems encountered along with suggestions of potentially incorrect boundary conditions. This self-monitoring is a core feature since the code is now often used to generate large MPI grids of simulations, making it impossible for a user to verify each calculation by hand. I will describe some challenges in developing a large physics code, with its many interconnected physical processes, many at the frontier of research in atomic or molecular physics, all in an open environment.

Marine Boundary Layer Cloud Property Retrievals from High-Resolution ASTER Observations: Case Studies and Comparison with Terra MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Werner, Frank; Wind, Galina; Zhang, Zhibo; Platnick, Steven; Di Girolamo, Larry; Zhao, Guangyu; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Meyer, Kerry

2016-01-01

A research-level retrieval algorithm for cloud optical and microphysical properties is developed for the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard the Terra satellite. It is based on the operational MODIS algorithm. This paper documents the technical details of this algorithm and evaluates the retrievals for selected marine boundary layer cloud scenes through comparisons with the operational MODIS Data Collection 6 (C6) cloud product. The newly developed, ASTERspecific cloud masking algorithm is evaluated through comparison with an independent algorithm reported in Zhao and Di Girolamo (2006). To validate and evaluate the cloud optical thickness (tau) and cloud effective radius (r(sub eff)) from ASTER, the high-spatial-resolution ASTER observations are first aggregated to the same 1000m resolution as MODIS. Subsequently, tau(sub aA) and r(sub eff, aA) retrieved from the aggregated ASTER radiances are compared with the collocated MODIS retrievals. For overcast pixels, the two data sets agree very well with Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients of R greater than 0.970. However, for partially cloudy pixels there are significant differences between r(sub eff, aA) and the MODIS results which can exceed 10 micrometers. Moreover, it is shown that the numerous delicate cloud structures in the example marine boundary layer scenes, resolved by the high-resolution ASTER retrievals, are smoothed by the MODIS observations. The overall good agreement between the research-level ASTER results and the operational MODIS C6 products proves the feasibility of MODIS-like retrievals from ASTER reflectance measurements and provides the basis for future studies concerning the scale dependency of satellite observations and three-dimensional radiative effects.

Marine boundary layer cloud property retrievals from high-resolution ASTER observations: case studies and comparison with Terra MODIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Frank; Wind, Galina; Zhang, Zhibo; Platnick, Steven; Di Girolamo, Larry; Zhao, Guangyu; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Meyer, Kerry

2016-12-01

A research-level retrieval algorithm for cloud optical and microphysical properties is developed for the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard the Terra satellite. It is based on the operational MODIS algorithm. This paper documents the technical details of this algorithm and evaluates the retrievals for selected marine boundary layer cloud scenes through comparisons with the operational MODIS Data Collection 6 (C6) cloud product. The newly developed, ASTER-specific cloud masking algorithm is evaluated through comparison with an independent algorithm reported in [Zhao and Di Girolamo(2006)]. To validate and evaluate the cloud optical thickness (τ) and cloud effective radius (reff) from ASTER, the high-spatial-resolution ASTER observations are first aggregated to the same 1000 m resolution as MODIS. Subsequently, τaA and reff, aA retrieved from the aggregated ASTER radiances are compared with the collocated MODIS retrievals. For overcast pixels, the two data sets agree very well with Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients of R > 0.970. However, for partially cloudy pixels there are significant differences between reff, aA and the MODIS results which can exceed 10 µm. Moreover, it is shown that the numerous delicate cloud structures in the example marine boundary layer scenes, resolved by the high-resolution ASTER retrievals, are smoothed by the MODIS observations. The overall good agreement between the research-level ASTER results and the operational MODIS C6 products proves the feasibility of MODIS-like retrievals from ASTER reflectance measurements and provides the basis for future studies concerning the scale dependency of satellite observations and three-dimensional radiative effects.

Chasing quicksilver: modeling the atmospheric lifetime of Hg(0)(g) in the marine boundary layer at various latitudes.

PubMed

Hedgecock, Ian M; Pirrone, Nicola

2004-01-01

The lifetime of elemental mercury in the marine boundary layer(MBL) has been studied using AMCOTS (Atmospheric Mercury Chemistry Over The Sea), a box model of MBL photochemistry including aerosols and detailed mercury chemistry. Recently measured Hg(0)(g) oxidation reactions have been included, and the studies were performed as a function of latitude, time of year, boundary layer liquid water content (LWC) and cloud optical depth. The results show that Hg has the shortest lifetime when air temperatures are low and sunlight and deliquescent aerosol particles are plentiful. Thus the modeled lifetime for clear-sky conditions is actually shorter at mid-latitudes and high latitudes than near the equator, and for a given latitude and time of year, cooler temperatures enhance the rate of Hg oxidation. Under typical summer conditions (for a given latitude) of temperature and cloudiness, the lifetime (tau) of Hg(0)(g) in the MBL is calculated to be around 10 days at all latitudes between the equator and 60 degrees N. This is much shorter than the generally accepted atmospheric residence time for Hg(0)(g) of a year or more. Given the relatively stable background concentrations of Hg(0)(g) which have been measured, continual replenishment of Hg(0)(g) must take place, suggesting a "multihop" mechanism for the distribution of Hg, rather than solely aeolian transport with little or no chemical transformation between source and receptor. Inclusion of an empirical Hg(0)(g) emission factor related to insolation was used to stabilize the Hg(0)(g) concentration in the model, and the emission rates necessarily agree well with estimated emission fluxes for the open ocean.

Applying an economical scale-aware PDF-based turbulence closure model in NOAA NCEP GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belochitski, A.; Krueger, S. K.; Moorthi, S.; Bogenschutz, P.; Pincus, R.

2016-12-01

A novel unified representation of sub-grid scale (SGS) turbulence, cloudiness, and shallow convection is being implemented into the NOAA NCEP Global Forecasting System (GFS) general circulation model. The approach, known as Simplified High Order Closure (SHOC), is based on predicting a joint PDF of SGS thermodynamic variables and vertical velocity and using it to diagnose turbulent diffusion coefficients, SGS fluxes, condensation and cloudiness. Unlike other similar methods, only one new prognostic variable, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), needs to be intoduced, making the technique computationally efficient.SHOC is now incorporated into a version of GFS, as well as into the next generation of the NCEP global model - NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS). Turbulent diffusion coefficients computed by SHOC are now used in place of those produced by the boundary layer turbulence and shallow convection parameterizations. Large scale microphysics scheme is no longer used to calculate cloud fraction or the large-scale condensation/deposition. Instead, SHOC provides these variables. Radiative transfer parameterization uses cloudiness computed by SHOC.Outstanding problems include high level tropical cloud fraction being too high in SHOC runs, possibly related to the interaction of SHOC with condensate detrained from deep convection.Future work will consist of evaluating model performance and tuning the physics if necessary, by performing medium-range NWP forecasts with prescribed initial conditions, and AMIP-type climate tests with prescribed SSTs. Depending on the results, the model will be tuned or parameterizations modified. Next, SHOC will be implemented in the NCEP CFS, and tuned and evaluated for climate applications - seasonal prediction and long coupled climate runs. Impact of new physics on ENSO, MJO, ISO, monsoon variability, etc will be examined.

Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An ARM Mobile Facility Deployment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Remillard, Jasmine; Kollias, Pavlos; Fletcher, Jennifer; Stemmler, Jayson; de Szoeke, Simone; Yuter, Sandra; Miller, Matthew;

Parameterizing Grid-Averaged Longwave Fluxes for Inhomogeneous Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, Howard W.; Wielicki, Bruce A.

1997-01-01

This paper examines the relative impacts on grid-averaged longwave flux transmittance (emittance) for Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) cloud fields arising from horizontal variability of optical depth tau and cloud sides, First, using fields of Landsat-inferred tau and a Monte Carlo photon transport algorithm, it is demonstrated that mean all-sky transmittances for 3D variable MBL clouds can be computed accurately by the conventional method of linearly weighting clear and cloudy transmittances by their respective sky fractions. Then, the approximations of decoupling cloud and radiative properties and assuming independent columns are shown to be adequate for computation of mean flux transmittance. Since real clouds have nonzero geometric thicknesses, cloud fractions A'(sub c) presented to isotropic beams usually exceed the more familiar vertically projected cloud fractions A(sub c). It is shown, however, that when A(sub c)less than or equal to 0.9, biases for all-sky transmittance stemming from use of A(sub c) as opposed to A'(sub c) are roughly 2-5 times smaller than, and opposite in sign to, biases due to neglect of horizontal variability of tau. By neglecting variable tau, all-sky transmittances are underestimated often by more than 0.1 for A(sub c) near 0.75 and this translates into relative errors that can exceed 40% (corresponding errors for all-sky emittance are about 20% for most values of A(sub c). Thus, priority should be given to development of General Circulation Model (GCM) parameterizations that account for the effects of horizontal variations in unresolved tau, effects of cloud sides are of secondary importance. On this note, an efficient stochastic model for computing grid-averaged cloudy-sky flux transmittances is furnished that assumes that distributions of tau, for regions comparable in size to GCM grid cells, can be described adequately by gamma distribution functions. While the plane-parallel, homogeneous model underestimates cloud transmittance by about an order of magnitude when 3D variable cloud transmittances are less than or equal to 0.2 and by approx. 20% to 100% otherwise, the stochastic model reduces these biases often by more than 80%.

Applying an economical scale-aware PDF-based turbulence closure model in NOAA NCEP GCMs.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krueger, S. K.; Belochitski, A.; Moorthi, S.; Bogenschutz, P.; Pincus, R.

2015-12-01

A novel unified representation of sub-grid scale (SGS) turbulence, cloudiness, and shallow convection is being implemented into the NOAA NCEP Global Forecasting System (GFS) general circulation model. The approach, known as Simplified High Order Closure (SHOC), is based on predicting a joint PDF of SGS thermodynamic variables and vertical velocity and using it to diagnose turbulent diffusion coefficients, SGS fluxes, condensation and cloudiness. Unlike other similar methods, only one new prognostic variable, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), needs to be intoduced, making the technique computationally efficient.SHOC code was adopted for a global model environment from its origins in a cloud resolving model, and incorporated into NCEP GFS. SHOC was first tested in a non-interactive mode, a configuration where SHOC receives inputs from the host model, but its outputs are not returned to the GFS. In this configuration: a) SGS TKE values produced by GFS SHOC are consistent with those produced by SHOC in a CRM, b) SGS TKE in GFS SHOC exhibits a well defined diurnal cycle, c) there's enhanced boundary layer turbulence in the subtropical stratocumulus and tropical transition-to-cumulus areas d) buoyancy flux diagnosed from the assumed PDF is consistent with independently calculated Brunt-Vaisala frequency in identifying stable and unstable regions.Next, SHOC was coupled to GFS, namely turbulent diffusion coefficients computed by SHOC are now used in place of those currently produced by the GFS boundary layer and shallow convection schemes (Han and Pan, 2011), as well as condensation and cloud fraction diagnosed from the SGS PDF replace those calculated in the current large-scale cloudines scheme (Zhao and Carr, 1997). Ongoing activities consist of debugging the fully coupled GFS/SHOC.Future work will consist of evaluating model performance and tuning the physics if necessary, by performing medium-range NWP forecasts with prescribed initial conditions, and AMIP-type climate tests with prescribed SSTs. Depending on the results, the model will be tuned or parameterizations modified. Next, SHOC will be implemented in the NCEP CFS, and tuned and evaluated for climate applications - seasonal prediction and long coupled climate runs. Impact of new physics on ENSO, MJO, ISO, monsoon variability, etc will be examined.

Applying an economical scale-aware PDF-based turbulence closure model in NOAA NCEP GCMs.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belochitski, A.; Krueger, S. K.; Moorthi, S.; Bogenschutz, P.; Cheng, A.

2017-12-01

A novel unified representation of sub-grid scale (SGS) turbulence, cloudiness, and shallow convection is being implemented into the NOAA NCEP Global Forecasting System (GFS) general circulation model. The approach, known as Simplified High Order Closure (SHOC), is based on predicting a joint PDF of SGS thermodynamic variables and vertical velocity, and using it to diagnose turbulent diffusion coefficients, SGS fluxes, condensation, and cloudiness. Unlike other similar methods, comparatively few new prognostic variables needs to be introduced, making the technique computationally efficient. In the base version of SHOC it is SGS turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and in the developmental version — SGS TKE, and variances of total water and moist static energy (MSE). SHOC is now incorporated into a version of GFS that will become a part of the NOAA Next Generation Global Prediction System based around NOAA GFDL's FV3 dynamical core, NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) coupled modeling infrastructure software, and a set novel physical parameterizations. Turbulent diffusion coefficients computed by SHOC are now used in place of those produced by the boundary layer turbulence and shallow convection parameterizations. Large scale microphysics scheme is no longer used to calculate cloud fraction or the large-scale condensation/deposition. Instead, SHOC provides these quantities. Radiative transfer parameterization uses cloudiness computed by SHOC. An outstanding problem with implementation of SHOC in the NCEP global models is excessively large high level tropical cloudiness. Comparison of the moments of the SGS PDF diagnosed by SHOC to the moments calculated in a GigaLES simulation of tropical deep convection case (GATE), shows that SHOC diagnoses too narrow PDF distributions of total cloud water and MSE in the areas of deep convective detrainment. A subsequent sensitivity study of SHOC's diagnosed cloud fraction (CF) to higher order input moments of the SGS PDF demonstrated that CF is improved if SHOC is provided with correct variances of total water and MSE. Consequently, SHOC was modified to include two new prognostic equations for variances of total water and MSE, and coupled with the Chikira-Sugiyama parameterization of deep convection to include effects of detrainment on the prognostic variances.

Aerosol Indirect effect on Stratocumulus Organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, X.; Heus, T.; Kollias, P.

2015-12-01

Large-eddy simulations are used to investigate the role of aerosol loading on organized Stratocumulus. We prescribed the cloud droplet number concentration (Nc) and considered it as the proxy for different aerosol loading. While the presence of drizzle amplifies the mesoscale variability as is in Savic-Jovcic and Stevens (JAS, 2008), two noticeable findings are discussed here: First, the scale of marine boundary layer circulation appears to be independent of aerosol loading, suggesting a major role of the turbulence. The precise role of the turbulence in stratocumulus organization is studied by modifying the large scale fluctuations from the LES domain. Second, while it is commonly thought that the whole circulation needs to be represented for robust cloud development, we find that stratocumulus dynamics, including variables like w'w' and w'w'w', are remarkably robust even if large scales are ignored by simply reducing the domain sizes. The only variable that is sensitive to the change of the scale is the amount of cloudiness. Despite their smaller cloud thickness and inhomogeneous macroscopic structure for low Nc, individual drizzling clouds have sizes that are commensurate with circulation scale. We observe an Nc threshold below which stratocumulus is thin enough so that a little decrease of Nc would lead to great change of cloud fraction. The simulated cloud albedo is more sensitive to in-cloud liquid water content than to the amount of cloudiness since the former decreases at least three times faster than the latter due to drizzle. The main impact of drizzle evaporation is observed to keep the sub-cloud layer moist and as a result to extend the lifetime of stratocumulus by a couple of hours.

Effect of Radiative Cooling on Cloud-SST Relationship within the Tropical Pacific Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sui, Chung-Hsiung; Ho, Chang-Hoi; Chou, Ming-Dah; Lau, Ka-Ming; Li, Xiao-Fan; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

A recent analysis found a negative correlation between the area-mean cloud amount and the corresponding mean Sea Surface Temperature (SST) within the cloudy areas. The SST-cloud relation becomes more evident when the SST contrast between warm pool and surrounding cold pool (DSST) in the tropical Pacific is stronger than normal. The above feature is related to the finding that the strength of subsidence over the cold pool is limited by radiative cooling because of its small variability. As a result, the area of radiatively-driven subsidence must expand in response to enhanced low-boundary forcing due to SST warming or enhanced basin-scale DSST. This leads to more cloud free regions and less cloudy regions. The increased ratio of cloud-free areas to cloudy areas leads to more high SST areas (>29.50C) due to enhanced solar radiation.

Simulations of the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer with a third-order closure model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moeng, C. H.; Randall, D. A.

1984-01-01

A third order closure model is proposed by Andre et al. (1982), in which the time rate of change terms, the relaxation and rapid effects for the pressure related terms, and the clipping approximation are included along with the quasi-normal closure, to study turbulence in a cloudy layer which is cooled radiatively from above. A spurious oscillation which is strongest near the inversion occurs. An analysis of the problem shows that the oscillation arises from the mean gradient and buoyancy terms of the triple moment equations; these terms are largest near the cloud top. The oscillation is physical, rather than computational. In nature the oscillation is effectively damped, by a mechanism which apparently is not included in our model. In the stably stratified layer just above the mixed layer top, turbulence can excite gravity waves, whose energy is radiated away. Because the closure assumption for the pressure terms does not take into account the transport of wave energy, the model generates spurious oscillations. Damping of the oscillations is possible by introducing diffusion terms into the triple moment equations. With a large enough choice for the diffusion coefficient, the oscillation is effectively eliminated. The results are quite sensitive to the ad hoc eddy coefficient.

Gamma-Weighted Discrete Ordinate Two-Stream Approximation for Computation of Domain Averaged Solar Irradiance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kato, S.; Smith, G. L.; Barker, H. W.

2001-01-01

An algorithm is developed for the gamma-weighted discrete ordinate two-stream approximation that computes profiles of domain-averaged shortwave irradiances for horizontally inhomogeneous cloudy atmospheres. The algorithm assumes that frequency distributions of cloud optical depth at unresolved scales can be represented by a gamma distribution though it neglects net horizontal transport of radiation. This algorithm is an alternative to the one used in earlier studies that adopted the adding method. At present, only overcast cloudy layers are permitted.

Black carbon solar absorption suppresses turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer.

PubMed

Wilcox, Eric M; Thomas, Rick M; Praveen, Puppala S; Pistone, Kristina; Bender, Frida A-M; Ramanathan, Veerabhadran

2016-10-18

The introduction of cloud condensation nuclei and radiative heating by sunlight-absorbing aerosols can modify the thickness and coverage of low clouds, yielding significant radiative forcing of climate. The magnitude and sign of changes in cloud coverage and depth in response to changing aerosols are impacted by turbulent dynamics of the cloudy atmosphere, but integrated measurements of aerosol solar absorption and turbulent fluxes have not been reported thus far. Here we report such integrated measurements made from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the CARDEX (Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Dynamics Experiment) investigation conducted over the northern Indian Ocean. The UAV and surface data reveal a reduction in turbulent kinetic energy in the surface mixed layer at the base of the atmosphere concurrent with an increase in absorbing black carbon aerosols. Polluted conditions coincide with a warmer and shallower surface mixed layer because of aerosol radiative heating and reduced turbulence. The polluted surface mixed layer was also observed to be more humid with higher relative humidity. Greater humidity enhances cloud development, as evidenced by polluted clouds that penetrate higher above the top of the surface mixed layer. Reduced entrainment of dry air into the surface layer from above the inversion capping the surface mixed layer, due to weaker turbulence, may contribute to higher relative humidity in the surface layer during polluted conditions. Measurements of turbulence are important for studies of aerosol effects on clouds. Moreover, reduced turbulence can exacerbate both the human health impacts of high concentrations of fine particles and conditions favorable for low-visibility fog events.

Black carbon solar absorption suppresses turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer

PubMed Central

Wilcox, Eric M.; Thomas, Rick M.; Praveen, Puppala S.; Pistone, Kristina; Bender, Frida A.-M.; Ramanathan, Veerabhadran

2016-01-01

The introduction of cloud condensation nuclei and radiative heating by sunlight-absorbing aerosols can modify the thickness and coverage of low clouds, yielding significant radiative forcing of climate. The magnitude and sign of changes in cloud coverage and depth in response to changing aerosols are impacted by turbulent dynamics of the cloudy atmosphere, but integrated measurements of aerosol solar absorption and turbulent fluxes have not been reported thus far. Here we report such integrated measurements made from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the CARDEX (Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Dynamics Experiment) investigation conducted over the northern Indian Ocean. The UAV and surface data reveal a reduction in turbulent kinetic energy in the surface mixed layer at the base of the atmosphere concurrent with an increase in absorbing black carbon aerosols. Polluted conditions coincide with a warmer and shallower surface mixed layer because of aerosol radiative heating and reduced turbulence. The polluted surface mixed layer was also observed to be more humid with higher relative humidity. Greater humidity enhances cloud development, as evidenced by polluted clouds that penetrate higher above the top of the surface mixed layer. Reduced entrainment of dry air into the surface layer from above the inversion capping the surface mixed layer, due to weaker turbulence, may contribute to higher relative humidity in the surface layer during polluted conditions. Measurements of turbulence are important for studies of aerosol effects on clouds. Moreover, reduced turbulence can exacerbate both the human health impacts of high concentrations of fine particles and conditions favorable for low-visibility fog events. PMID:27702889

Studies in the use of cloud type statistics in mission simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fowler, M. G.; Willand, J. H.; Chang, D. T.; Cogan, J. L.

1974-01-01

A study to further improve NASA's global cloud statistics for mission simulation is reported. Regional homogeneity in cloud types was examined; most of the original region boundaries defined for cloud cover amount in previous studies were supported by the statistics on cloud types and the number of cloud layers. Conditionality in cloud statistics was also examined with special emphasis on temporal and spatial dependencies, and cloud type interdependence. Temporal conditionality was found up to 12 hours, and spatial conditionality up to 200 miles; the diurnal cycle in convective cloudiness was clearly evident. As expected, the joint occurrence of different cloud types reflected the dynamic processes which form the clouds. Other phases of the study improved the cloud type statistics for several region and proposed a mission simulation scheme combining the 4-dimensional atmospheric model, sponsored by MSFC, with the global cloud model.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zuidema, P; Chiu, C; Fairall, CW

Southern Africa is the world’s largest emitter of biomass-burning (BB) aerosols. Their westward transport over the remote southeast Atlantic Ocean colocates some of the largest atmospheric loadings of absorbing aerosol with the least examined of the Earth’s major subtropical stratocumulus decks. Global aerosol model results highlight that the largest positive top-of-atmosphere forcing in the world occurs in the southeast Atlantic, but this region exhibits large differences in magnitude and sign between reputable models, in part because of high variability in the underlying model cloud distributions. Many uncertainties contribute to the highly variable model radiation fields: the aging of shortwave-absorbing aerosolmore » during transport, how much of the aerosol mixes into the cloudy boundary layer, and how the low clouds adjust to smoke-radiation and smoke-cloud interactions. In addition, the ability of the BB aerosol to absorb shortwave radiation is known to vary seasonally as the fuel type on land changes.« less

Ensemble formulation of surface fluxes and improvement in evapotranspiration and cloud parameterizations in a GCM. [General Circulation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Smith, W. E.

1984-01-01

The influence of some modifications to the parameters of the current general circulation model (GCM) is investigated. The aim of the modifications was to eliminate strong occasional bursts of oscillations in planetary boundary layer (PBL) fluxes. Smoothly varying bulk aerodynamic friction and heat transport coefficients were found by ensemble averaging of the PBL fluxes in the current GCM. A comparison was performed of the simulations of the modified model and the unmodified model. The comparison showed that the surface fluxes and cloudiness in the modified model simulations were much more accurate. The planetary albedo in the model was also realistic. Weaknesses persisted in the models positioning of the Inter-tropical convergence zone (ICTZ) and in the temperature estimates for polar regions. A second simulation of the model following reparametrization of the cloud data showed improved results and these are described in detail.

Performance of greenhouse gas profiling by infrared-laser and microwave occultation in cloudy air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proschek, V.; Kirchengast, G.; Emde, C.; Schweitzer, S.

2012-12-01

ACCURATE is a proposed future satellite mission enabling simultaneous measurements of greenhouse gases (GHGs), wind and thermodynamic variables from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The measurement principle is a combination of LEO-LEO infrared-laser occultation (LIO) and microwave occultation (LMO), the LMIO method, where the LIO signals are very sensitive to clouds. The GHG retrieval will therefore be strongly influenced by clouds in parts of the troposphere. The IR-laser signals, at wavelengths within 2--2.5μ m, are chosen to measure six GHGs (H2O, CO2, CH4, N2O, O3, CO; incl.~key isotopes 13CO2, C18OO, HDO). The LMO signals enable to co-measure the thermodynamic variables. In this presentation we introduce the algorithm to retrieve GHG profiles under cloudy-air conditions by using quasi-realistic forward simulations, including also influence of Rayleigh scattering, scintillations and aerosols. Data from CALIPSO--Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations--with highest vertical resolution of about 60 m and horizontal resolution of about 330 m were used for simulation of clouds. The IR-laser signals consist for each GHG of a GHG-sensitive and a close-by reference signal. The key process, ``differencing'' of these two signals, removes the atmospheric ``broadband'' effects, resulting in a pure GHG transmission profile. Very thin ice clouds, like sub-visible cirrus, are fairly transparent to the IR-laser signals, thicker and liquid water clouds block the signals. The reference signal is used to produce a cloud layering profile from zero to blocking clouds and is smoothed in a preprocess to suppress scintillations. Sufficiently small gaps, of width <2 km in the cloud layering profile, are found to enable a decent retrieval of entire GHG profiles over the UTLS under broken cloudiness and are therefore bridged by interpolation. Otherwise in case of essentially continuous cloudiness the profiles are found to terminate at cloud top level. The accuracy of retrieved GHG profiles is found better than 1% to 4% for single profiles in the UTLS region outside clouds and through broken cloudiness, and the profiles are essentially unbiased. Cloud gap-interpolation increases the tropospheric penetration of GHG profiles for scientific applications. The associated cloud layering profile provides quality-control information on cloud gap-interpolations, if they occured, and on cloud-top altitude for cloud blocking cases. The LMIO technique shows promising prospects for GHG monitoring even under cloudy-air conditions.

Characterization of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over Aburrá Valley Region (Colombia) Using Remote Sensing and Radiosonde Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrera, L.; Hoyos Ortiz, C. D.

2017-12-01

The spatio-temporal evolution of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in the Aburrá Valley, a narrow highly complex mountainous terrain located in the Colombian Andes, is studied using different datasets including radiosonde and remote sensors from the meteorological network of the Aburrá Valley Early Warning System. Different techniques are developed in order to estimate Mixed Layer Height (MLH) based on variance of the ceilometer backscattering profiles. The Medellín metropolitan area, home of 4.5 million people, is located on the base and the hills of the valley. The generally large aerosol load within the valley from anthropogenic emissions allows the use of ceilometer retrievals of the MLH, especially under stable atmospheric conditions (late at night and early in the morning). Convective atmospheres, however, favor the aerosol dispersion which in turns increases the uncertainty associated with the estimation of the Convective Boundary Layer using ceilometer retrievals. A multi-sensor technique is also developed based on Richardson Number estimations using a Radar Wind Profiler combined with a Microwave Radiometer. Results of this technique seem to be more accurate thorough the diurnal cycle. ABL retrievals are available from October 2014 to April 2017. The diurnal cycle of the ABL exhibits monomodal behavior, highly influenced by the evolution of the potential temperature profile, and the turbulent fluxes near the surface. On the other hand, the backscattering diurnal cycle presents a bimodal structure, showing that the amount of aerosol particles at the lower troposphere is strongly influenced by anthropogenic emissions, dispersion conditioned by topography and by the ABL dynamics, conditioning the available vertical height for the pollutants to interact and disperse. Nevertheless, the amount, distribution or type of atmospheric aerosols does not appear to have a first order influence on the MLH variations or evolution. Results also show that intra-annual and interannual variations of cloudiness and surface incident radiation strongly condition the ABL expansion rate leading to oscillatory patterns. March (July) is the month with the lowest (highest) ABL mean. In March, the ABL at the base of the Valley is less than the height of surrounding mountains, leading to particulate matter accumulation.

Characterization of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over Aburrá Valley Region (Colombia) Using Remote Sensing and Radiosonde Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, R. C.; Blockley, E. W.; Brooks, I. M.; Essery, R.; Milton, S.; Renfrew, I.; Vosper, S.

2016-12-01

The spatio-temporal evolution of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in the Aburrá Valley, a narrow highly complex mountainous terrain located in the Colombian Andes, is studied using different datasets including radiosonde and remote sensors from the meteorological network of the Aburrá Valley Early Warning System. Different techniques are developed in order to estimate Mixed Layer Height (MLH) based on variance of the ceilometer backscattering profiles. The Medellín metropolitan area, home of 4.5 million people, is located on the base and the hills of the valley. The generally large aerosol load within the valley from anthropogenic emissions allows the use of ceilometer retrievals of the MLH, especially under stable atmospheric conditions (late at night and early in the morning). Convective atmospheres, however, favor the aerosol dispersion which in turns increases the uncertainty associated with the estimation of the Convective Boundary Layer using ceilometer retrievals. A multi-sensor technique is also developed based on Richardson Number estimations using a Radar Wind Profiler combined with a Microwave Radiometer. Results of this technique seem to be more accurate thorough the diurnal cycle. ABL retrievals are available from October 2014 to April 2017. The diurnal cycle of the ABL exhibits monomodal behavior, highly influenced by the evolution of the potential temperature profile, and the turbulent fluxes near the surface. On the other hand, the backscattering diurnal cycle presents a bimodal structure, showing that the amount of aerosol particles at the lower troposphere is strongly influenced by anthropogenic emissions, dispersion conditioned by topography and by the ABL dynamics, conditioning the available vertical height for the pollutants to interact and disperse. Nevertheless, the amount, distribution or type of atmospheric aerosols does not appear to have a first order influence on the MLH variations or evolution. Results also show that intra-annual and interannual variations of cloudiness and surface incident radiation strongly condition the ABL expansion rate leading to oscillatory patterns. March (July) is the month with the lowest (highest) ABL mean. In March, the ABL at the base of the Valley is less than the height of surrounding mountains, leading to particulate matter accumulation.

Global Free Tropospheric NO2 Abundances Derived Using a Cloud Slicing Technique Applied to Satellite Observations from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, S.; Joiner, J.; Choi, Y.; Duncan, B. N.; Bucsela, E.

2014-01-01

We derive free-tropospheric NO2 volume mixing ratios (VMRs) and stratospheric column amounts of NO2 by applying a cloud slicing technique to data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. In the cloud-slicing approach, the slope of the above-cloud NO2 column versus the cloud scene pressure is proportional to the NO2 VMR. In this work, we use a sample of nearby OMI pixel data from a single orbit for the linear fit. The OMI data include cloud scene pressures from the rotational-Raman algorithm and above-cloud NO2 vertical column density (VCD) (defined as the NO2 column from the cloud scene pressure to the top-of-the-atmosphere) from a differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithm. Estimates of stratospheric column NO2 are obtained by extrapolating the linear fits to the tropopause. We compare OMI-derived NO2 VMRs with in situ aircraft profiles measured during the NASA Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B (INTEX-B) campaign in 2006. The agreement is generally within the estimated uncertainties when appropriate data screening is applied. We then derive a global seasonal climatology of free-tropospheric NO2 VMR in cloudy conditions. Enhanced NO2 in the free troposphere commonly appears near polluted urban locations where NO2 produced in the boundary layer may be transported vertically out of the boundary layer and then horizontally away from the source. Signatures of lightning NO2 are also shown throughout low and middle latitude regions in summer months. A profile analysis of our cloud slicing data indicates signatures of uplifted and transported anthropogenic NO2 in the middle troposphere as well as lightning-generated NO2 in the upper troposphere. Comparison of the climatology with simulations from the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) for cloudy conditions (cloud optical thicknesses > 10) shows similarities in the spatial patterns of continental pollution outflow. However, there are also some differences in the seasonal variation of free-tropospheric NO2 VMRs near highly populated regions and in areas affected by lightning-generated NOx. Stratospheric column NO2 obtained from cloud slicing agrees well with other independently-generated estimates, providing further confidence in the free-tropospheric results.

Factors driving mercury variability in the Arctic atmosphere and ocean over the past 30 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Jenny A.; Jacob, Daniel J.; Soerensen, Anne L.; Amos, Helen M.; Corbitt, Elizabeth S.; Streets, David G.; Wang, Qiaoqiao; Yantosca, Robert M.; Sunderland, Elsie M.

2013-12-01

observations at Arctic sites (Alert and Zeppelin) show large interannual variability (IAV) in atmospheric mercury (Hg), implying a strong sensitivity of Hg to environmental factors and potentially to climate change. We use the GEOS-Chem global biogeochemical Hg model to interpret these observations and identify the principal drivers of spring and summer IAV in the Arctic atmosphere and surface ocean from 1979-2008. The model has moderate skill in simulating the observed atmospheric IAV at the two sites (r 0.4) and successfully reproduces a long-term shift at Alert in the timing of the spring minimum from May to April (r = 0.7). Principal component analysis indicates that much of the IAV in the model can be explained by a single climate mode with high temperatures, low sea ice fraction, low cloudiness, and shallow boundary layer. This mode drives decreased bromine-driven deposition in spring and increased ocean evasion in summer. In the Arctic surface ocean, we find that the IAV for modeled total Hg is dominated by the meltwater flux of Hg previously deposited to sea ice, which is largest in years with high solar radiation (clear skies) and cold spring air temperature. Climate change in the Arctic is projected to result in increased cloudiness and strong warming in spring, which may thus lead to decreased Hg inputs to the Arctic Ocean. The effect of climate change on Hg discharges from Arctic rivers remains a major source of uncertainty.

The meteorology and chemistry of high nitrogen oxide concentrations in the stable boundary layer at the South Pole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neff, William; Crawford, Jim; Buhr, Marty; Nicovich, John; Chen, Gao; Davis, Douglas

2018-03-01

Four summer seasons of nitrogen oxide (NO) concentrations were obtained at the South Pole (SP) during the Sulfur Chemistry in the Antarctic Troposphere (ISCAT) program (1998 and 2000) and the Antarctic Tropospheric Chemistry Investigation (ANTCI) in (2003, 2005, 2006-2007). Together, analyses of the data collected from these studies provide insight into the large- to small-scale meteorology that sets the stage for extremes in NO and the significant variability that occurs day to day, within seasons, and year to year. In addition, these observations reveal the interplay between physical and chemical processes at work in the stable boundary layer of the high Antarctic plateau. We found a systematic evolution of the large-scale wind system over the ice sheet from winter to summer that controls the surface boundary layer and its effect on NO: initially in early spring (Days 280-310) the transport of warm air and clouds over West Antarctica dominates the environment over the SP; in late spring (Days 310-340), the winds at 300 hPa exhibit a bimodal behavior alternating between northwest and southeast quadrants, which is of significance to NO; in early summer (Days 340-375), the flow aloft is dominated by winds from the Weddell Sea; and finally, during late spring, winds aloft from the southeast are strongly associated with clear skies, shallow stable boundary layers, and light surface winds from the east - it is under these conditions that the highest NO occurs. Examination of the winds at 300 hPa from 1961 to 2013 shows that this seasonal pattern has not changed significantly, although the last twenty years have seen an increasing trend in easterly surface winds at the SP. What has also changed is the persistence of the ozone hole, often into early summer. With lower total ozone column density and higher sun elevation, the highest actinic flux responsible for the photolysis of snow nitrate now occurs in late spring under the shallow boundary layer conditions optimum for high accumulation of NO. This may occur via the non-linear HOX-NOx chemistry proposed after the first ISCAT field programs and NOx recycling to the surface where quantum yields may be large under the low-snow-accumulation regime of the Antarctic plateau. During the 2003 field program a sodar made direct measurements of the stable boundary layer depth (BLD), a key factor in explaining the chemistry of the high NO concentrations. Because direct measurements were not available in the other years, we developed an estimator for BLD using direct observations obtained in 2003 and step-wise linear regression with meteorological data from a 22 m tower (that was tested against independent data obtained in 1993). These data were then used with assumptions about the column abundance of NO to estimate surface fluxes of NOx. These results agreed in magnitude with results at Concordia Station and confirmed significant daily, intraseasonal and interannual variability in NO and its flux from the snow surface. Finally, we found that synoptic to mesoscale eddies governed the boundary layer circulation and accumulation pathways for NO at the SP rather than katabatic forcing. It was the small-scale features of the circulation including the transition from cloudy to clear conditions that set the stage for short-term extremes in NO, whereas larger-scale features were associated with more moderate concentrations.

Investigation of wintertime cold-air pools and aerosol layers in the Salt Lake Valley using a lidar ceilometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Joseph Swyler

This thesis investigates the utility of lidar ceilometers, a type of aerosol lidar, in improving the understanding of meteorology and air quality in persistent wintertime stable boundary layers, or cold-air pools, that form in urbanized valley and basin topography. This thesis reviews the scientific literature to survey the present knowledge of persistent cold-air pools, the operating principles of lidar ceilometers, and their demonstrated utility in meteorological investigations. Lidar ceilometer data from the Persistent Cold-Air Pool Study (PCAPS) are then used with meteorological and air quality data from other in situ and remote sensing equipment to investigate cold-air pools that formed in Utah's Salt Lake Valley during the winter of 2010-2011. The lidar ceilometer is shown to accurately measure aerosol layer depth and aerosol loading, when compared to visual observations. A linear relationship is found between low-level lidar backscatter and surface particulate measurements. Convective boundary layer lidar analysis techniques applied to cold-air pool ceilometer profiles can detect useful layer characteristics. Fine-scale waves are observed and analyzed within the aerosol layer, with emphasis on Kelvin-Helmholz waves. Ceilometer aerosol backscatter profiles are analyzed to quantify and describe mixing processes in persistent cold-air pools. Overlays of other remote and in-situ observations are combined with ceilometer particle backscatter to describe specific events during PCAPS. This analysis describes the relationship between the aerosol layer and the valley inversion as well as interactions with large-scale meteorology. The ceilometer observations of hydrometers are used to quantify cloudiness and precipitation during the project, observing that 50% of hours when a PCAP was present had clouds or precipitation below 5 km above ground level (AGL). Then, combining an objective technique for determining hourly aerosol layer depths and correcting this subjectively during periods with low clouds or precipitation, a time series of aerosol depths was obtained. The mean depth of the surface-based aerosol layer during PCAP events was 1861 m MSL with a standard deviation of 135 m. The aerosol layer depth, given the approximate 1300 m altitude of the valley floor, is thus about 550 m, about 46% of the basin depth. The aerosol layer is present during much of the winter and is removed only during strong or prolonged precipitation periods or when surface winds are strong. Nocturnal fogs that formed near the end of high-stability PCAP episodes had a limited effect on aerosol layer depth. Aerosol layer depth was relatively invariant during the winter and during the persistent cold-air pools, while PM10 concentrations at the valley floor varied with bulk atmospheric stability associated primarily with passage of large-scale high- and low-pressure weather systems. PM10 concentrations also increased with cold-air pool duration. Mean aerosol loading in the surface-based aerosol layer, as determined from ceilometer backscatter coefficients, showed weaker variations than those of surface PM10 concentrations, suggesting that ineffective vertical mixing and aerosol layering are present in the cold-air pools. This is supported by higher time-resolution backscatter data, and it distinguishes the persistent cold-air pools from well-mixed convective boundary layers where ground-based air pollution concentrations are closely related to time-dependent convective boundary layer/aerosol depths. These results are discussed along with recommendations for future explorations of the ceilometer and cold-air pool topics.

27 CFR 21.127 - Shellac (refined).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Gutzeit Method (AOAC method 25.020; for incorporation by reference, see § 21.6(c)). (b) Color. White or... layer (at least 50 ml) and filter if cloudy. Evaporate the petroleum ether and test as follows: Solution...

27 CFR 21.127 - Shellac (refined).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Gutzeit Method (AOAC method 25.020; for incorporation by reference, see § 21.6(c)). (b) Color. White or... layer (at least 50 ml) and filter if cloudy. Evaporate the petroleum ether and test as follows: Solution...

27 CFR 21.127 - Shellac (refined).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Gutzeit Method (AOAC method 25.020; for incorporation by reference, see § 21.6(c)). (b) Color. White or... layer (at least 50 ml) and filter if cloudy. Evaporate the petroleum ether and test as follows: Solution...

27 CFR 21.127 - Shellac (refined).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Gutzeit Method (AOAC method 25.020; for incorporation by reference, see § 21.6(c)). (b) Color. White or... layer (at least 50 ml) and filter if cloudy. Evaporate the petroleum ether and test as follows: Solution...

Influence of cloud fraction and snow cover to the variation of surface UV radiation at King Sejong station, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yun Gon; Koo, Ja-Ho; Kim, Jhoon

2015-10-01

This study investigated how cloud fraction and snow cover affect the variation of surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation by using surface Erythemal UV (EUV) and Near UV (NUV) observed at the King Sejong Station, Antarctica. First the Radiative Amplification Factor (RAF), the relative change of surface EUV according to the total-column ozone amount, is compared for different cloud fractions and solar zenith angles (SZAs). Generally, all cloudy conditions show that the increase of RAF as SZA becomes larger, showing the larger effects of vertical columnar ozone. For given SZA cases, the EUV transmission through mean cloud layer gradually decreases as cloud fraction increases, but sometimes the maximum of surface EUV appears under partly cloudy conditions. The high surface EUV transmittance under broken cloud conditions seems due to the re-radiation of scattered EUV by cloud particles. NUV transmission through mean cloud layer also decreases as cloud amount increases but the sensitivity to the cloud fraction is larger than EUV. Both EUV and NUV radiations at the surface are also enhanced by the snow cover, and their enhancement becomes higher as SZA increases implying the diurnal variation of surface albedo. This effect of snow cover seems large under the overcast sky because of the stronger interaction between snow surface and cloudy sky.

On the fine structure of meteoritical taenite/tetrataenite and its interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albertsen, J. F.; Nielsen, H. P.; Buchwald, V. F.

1983-04-01

TEM, electron microprobe, and Moessbauer spectroscopy are used in investigating taenite fields from several meteorites. A delicate pattern of antiphase domains is revealed in the tetrataenite, as is the presence of low-Ni taenite at the antiphase boundaries in what was hitherto believed to be pure tetrataenite. The observations suggest that the 'cloudy taenite' (cloudy zone II) was formed by a magnetically induced spinodal decomposition of the metastable taenite during slow cooling below 400 C. It is thought likely that decompositin occurs when the Curie temperature of the alloy changes rapidly with composition, as it does in f.c.c. iron-nickel alloys containing approximately 28-43 percent Ni (wt pct). The large contribution to Gibbs free energy from magnetic ordering leads to inflections in the Gibbs free energy curve, making the alloy unstable with regard to decomposition, in this case into a magnetically and atomically ordered Ni-rich alloy plus a magnetically and atomically disordered Ni-poor alloy. The model accounts well for the structure and composition of the two phases in the cloudy taenite.

Analyzing Multidecadal Trends in Cloudiness Over the Subtropical Andes Mountains of South America Using a Regional Climate Model.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaitchik, B. F.; Russell, A.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2016-12-01

Satellite-based products indicate that many parts of South America have been experiencing increases in outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and corresponding decreases in cloudiness over the last few decades, with the strongest trends occurring in the subtropical Andes Mountains - an area that is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on glacial melt for dry-season runoff. Changes in cloudiness may be contributing to increases in atmospheric temperature, thereby raising the freezing level height (FLH) - a critical geophysical parameter. Yet these trends are only partially captured in reanalysis products, while AMIP climate models generally show no significant trend in OLR over this timeframe, making it difficult to determine the underlying drivers. Therefore, controlled numerical experiments with a regional climate model are performed in order to investigate drivers of the observed OLR and cloudiness trends. The Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) is used here because it offers several advantages over global models, including higher resolution - a critical asset in areas of complex topography - as well as flexible physics, parameterization, and data assimilation capabilities. It is likely that changes in the mean states and meridional gradients of SSTs in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are driving regional trends in clouds. A series of lower boundary manipulations are performed with WRF to determine to what extent changes in SSTs influence regional OLR.

Airborne lidar and radiometric observations of PBL- and low clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flamant, P. H.; Valentin, R.; Pelon, J.

1992-01-01

Boundary layer- and low altitude clouds over open ocean and continent areas have been studied during several field campaigns since mid-1990 using the French airborne backscatter lidar LEANDRE in conjunction with on-board IR and visible radiometers. LEANDRE is an automatic system, and a modification of the instrumental parameters, when airborne, is computer controlled through an operator keyboard. The vertical range squared lidar signals and instrument status are displayed in real time on two dedicated monitors. The lidar is used either down- or up-looking while the aircraft is flying above or below clouds. A switching of the viewing configuration takes about a minute. The lidar measurements provide a high resolution description of cloud morphology and holes in cloud layers. The flights were conducted during various meteorological conditions on single or multilayer stratocumulus and cumulus decks. Analysis on a single shot basis of cloud top (or bottom) altitude and a plot of the corresponding histogram allows one to determine a probability density function (PDF). The preliminary results show the PDFs for cloud top are not Gaussian and symmetric about the mean value. The skewness varies with atmospheric conditions. An example of results recorded over the Atlantic ocean near Biarritz is displayed, showing: (1) the range squared lidar signals as a function of time (here 100 s corresponds to about 8 km, 60 shots are averaged on horizontal); the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) - up to 600 m - is observed at the beginning of the leg as well as on surface returns, giving an indication of the porosity; (2) the cloud top altitude variation between 2.4 to 2.8 km during the 150 to 320 s section; and (3) the corresponding PDF. Similar results are obtained on stratocumulus over land. Single shot measurements can be used also to determine an optical porosity at a small scale as well as a fractional cloudiness at a larger scale. A comparison of cloud top altitude retrieved from lidar and narrowbeam IR radiometer is conducted to study the scale integration problem. A good agreement within less than 100 m relies on spatial uniformity and an optically thick layer. In the presence of holes, a discrepancy is observed. This is illustrated in figure 2, displaying as a function of time (1) the lidar signals; (2) the target temperature (either clouds or sea surface) retreived from a narrowbeam IR radiometer, 17 C is the sea surface temperature on that day; and (3) the visible flux, linked to cloud albedo, measured by a pyranometer. In preparation of ASTEX, down- and up-looking measurements where conducted on stratocumulus clouds over the Atlantic Ocean near Quimper in Brittany. Depending on the flight pattern orientation with respect to the wind, the top and bottom cloud morphologies are different. Preliminary results are given on cloud morphology, cloud top PDFs, optical porosity, fractional cloudiness, and comparison of lidar and radiometric measurements.

Diurnal cycling of urban aerosols under different weather regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregorič, Asta; Drinovec, Luka; Močnik, Griša; Remškar, Maja; Vaupotič, Janja; Stanič, Samo

2016-04-01

A one month measurement campaign was performed in summer 2014 in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia (population 280,000), aiming to study temporal and spatial distribution of urban aerosols and the mixing state of primary and secondary aerosols. Two background locations were chosen for this purpose, the first one in the city center (urban background - KIS) and the second one in the suburban background (Brezovica). Simultaneous measurements of black carbon (BC) and particle number size distribution of submicron aerosols (PM1) were conducted at both locations. In the summer season emission from traffic related sources is expected to be the main local contribution to BC concentration. Concentrations of aerosol species and gaseous pollutants within the planetary boundary layer are controlled by the balance between emission sources of primary aerosols and gases, production of secondary aerosols, chemical reactions of precursor gases under solar radiation and the rate of dilution by mixing within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) as well as with tropospheric air. Only local emission sources contribute to BC concentration during the stable PBL with low mixing layer height, whereas during the time of fully mixed PBL, regionally transported BC and other aerosols can contribute to the surface measurements. The study describes the diurnal behaviour of the submicron aerosol at the urban and suburban background location under different weather regimes. Particles in three size modes - nucleation (< 25 nm, NUM), Aitken (25 - 90 nm, AIM) and accumulation mode (90 - 800 nm, ACM), as well as BC mass concentration were evaluated separately for sunny, cloudy and rainy days, taking into account modelled values of PBL height. Higher particle number and black carbon concentrations were observed at the urban background (KIS) than at the suburban background location (Brezovica). Significant diurnal pattern of total particle concentration and black carbon concentration was observed at both locations, with a distinct morning and late afternoon peak. As a consequence of different PBL dynamics and atmospheric processes (photochemical effects, humidity, wind speed and direction), diurnal profile differs for sunny, cloudy and rainy days. Nucleation mode particles were found to be subjected to lower daily variation and only slightly influenced by weather, as opposed to Aitken and accumulation mode particles. The highest correlation between BC and particle number concentration is observed during stable atmospheric conditions in the night and morning hours and is attributed to different particle size modes, depending on the distance to local BC emission sources. In sunny weather conditions, correlation between BC and particle number concentration decreases during the day due to mixing in the atmosphere and formation of secondary aerosols. Black carbon aging and mixing with secondary aerosols was additionally studied on the aerosol samples taken from the morning to the evening of a sunny day using SEM-EDX technique.

A Case-study on Turbulence in a Stratocumulus Topped Marine Boundary Layer Observed during VOCALS-Rex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghate, V. P.; Albrecht, B. A.; Fairall, C. W.; Miller, M. A.; Brewer, A.

2010-12-01

Turbulence in the stratocumulus topped marine boundary layer (BL) is an important factor that is closely connected to both the cloud macro- and micro-physical characteristics, which can substantially affect their radiaitve properties. Data collected by ship borne instruments on the R/V Ronald H. Brown on November 27, 2008 as a part of the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land-Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-Rex) are analyzed to study the turbulence structure of a stratocumulus topped marine BL. The first half of the analyzed 24 hour period was characterized by a coupled BL topped by a precipitating stratocumulus cloud; the second half had clear sky conditions with a decoupled BL. The motion stabilized vertically pointing W-band Doppler cloud radar reported the full Doppler spectrum at a temporal and spatial resolution of 3 Hz and 25 m respectively. The collocated motion stabilized Doppler lidar was operating at 2 micron wavelength and reported the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and Doppler velocity at temporal and spatial resolution of 2 Hz and 30 m respectively. Data from the cloud Doppler radar and Doppler lidar were combined to yield the turbulence structure of entire BL in both cloudy and clear sky conditions. Retrievals were performed to remove the contribution of precipitating drizzle drops to the mean Doppler velocity measured by the radar. Hourly profiles of vertical velocity variance suggested high BL variance during coupled BL conditions and low variance during decoupled BL conditions. Some of the terms in second and third moment budget of vertical velocity are calculated and their diurnal evolution is explored.

Satellite observations of the impact of weak volcanic activity on marine clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gassó, Santiago

2008-07-01

Because emissions from weak volcanic eruptions tend to remain in the low troposphere, they may have a significant radiative impact through the indirect effect on clouds. However, this type of volcanic activity is underreported and its global impact has been assessed only by model simulations constrained with very limited observations. First observations of the impact of high-latitude active volcanoes on marine boundary layer clouds are reported here. These observations were made using a combination of standard derived products and visible images from the MODIS, AMSR-E and GOES detectors. Two distinctive effects are identified. When there is an existing boundary layer cloud deck, an increase in cloud brightness and a decrease in both cloud effective radius and liquid water content were observed immediately downwind of the volcanoes. The visible appearance of these "volcano tracks" resembles the effect of man-made ship tracks. When synoptic conditions favor low cloudiness, the volcano plume (or volcano cloud) increases significantly the cloud cover downwind. The volcano cloud can extend for hundreds of kilometers until mixing with background clouds. Unlike violent eruptions, the volcano clouds reported here (the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific and the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic) have retrieved microphysical properties similar to those observed in ship tracks. However, when comparing the volcano clouds from these two regions, liquid water content can decrease, increase or remain unchanged with respect to nearby unperturbed clouds. These differences suggest that composition at the source, type of eruption and meteorological conditions influence the evolution of the cloud.

THOR: A New Higher-Order Closure Assumed PDF Subgrid-Scale Parameterization; Evaluation and Application to Low Cloud Feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firl, G. J.; Randall, D. A.

2013-12-01

The so-called "assumed probability density function (PDF)" approach to subgrid-scale (SGS) parameterization has shown to be a promising method for more accurately representing boundary layer cloudiness under a wide range of conditions. A new parameterization has been developed, named the Two-and-a-Half ORder closure (THOR), that combines this approach with a higher-order turbulence closure. THOR predicts the time evolution of the turbulence kinetic energy components, the variance of ice-liquid water potential temperature (θil) and total non-precipitating water mixing ratio (qt) and the covariance between the two, and the vertical fluxes of horizontal momentum, θil, and qt. Ten corresponding third-order moments in addition to the skewnesses of θil and qt are calculated using diagnostic functions assuming negligible time tendencies. The statistical moments are used to define a trivariate double Gaussian PDF among vertical velocity, θil, and qt. The first three statistical moments of each variable are used to estimate the two Gaussian plume means, variances, and weights. Unlike previous similar models, plume variances are not assumed to be equal or zero. Instead, they are parameterized using the idea that the less dominant Gaussian plume (typically representing the updraft-containing portion of a grid cell) has greater variance than the dominant plume (typically representing the "environmental" or slowly subsiding portion of a grid cell). Correlations among the three variables are calculated using the appropriate covariance moments, and both plume correlations are assumed to be equal. The diagnosed PDF in each grid cell is used to calculate SGS condensation, SGS fluxes of cloud water species, SGS buoyancy terms, and to inform other physical parameterizations about SGS variability. SGS condensation is extended from previous similar models to include condensation over both liquid and ice substrates, dependent on the grid cell temperature. Implementations have been included in THOR to drive existing microphysical and radiation parameterizations with samples drawn from the trivariate PDF. THOR has been tested in a single-column model framework using standardized test cases spanning a range of large-scale conditions conducive to both shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds and the transition between the two states. The results were compared to published LES intercomparison results using the same cases, and the gross characteristics of both cloudiness and boundary layer turbulence produced by THOR were within the range of results from the respective LES ensembles. In addition, THOR was used in a single-column model framework to study low cloud feedbacks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Using initialization and forcings developed as part of the CGILS project, THOR was run at 8 points along a cross-section from the trade-wind cumulus region east of Hawaii to the coastal stratocumulus region off the coast of California for both the control climate and a climate perturbed by +2K SST. A neutral to weakly positive cloud feedback of 0-4 W m-2 K-1 was simulated along the cross-section. The physical mechanisms responsible appeared to be increased boundary layer entrainment and stratocumulus decoupling leading to reduced maximum cloud cover and liquid water path.

Free-tropospheric BrO investigations based on GOME

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Post, P.; van Roozendael, M.; Backman, L.; Damski, J.; Thölix, L.; Fayt, C.; Taalas, P.

2003-04-01

Bromine compounds contribute significantly to the stratospheric ozone depletion. However measurements of most bromine compounds are sparse or non-existent, and experimental studies essentially rely on BrO observations. The differences between balloon and ground based measurements of stratospheric BrO columns and satellite total column measurements are too large to be explained by measurement uncertainties. Therefore, it has been assumed that there is a concentration of BrO in the free troposphere of about 1-3 ppt. In a previous work, we have calculated the tropospheric BrO abundance as the difference between total BrO and stratospheric BrO columns. The total vertical column densities of BrO are extracted from GOME measurements using IASB-BIRA algorithms. The stratospheric amount has been calculated using chemical transport models (CTM). Results from SLIMCAT and FinROSE simulations are used for this purpose. SLIMCAT is a widely used 3D CTM that has been tested against balloon measurements. FinROSE is a 3D CTM developed at FMI. We have tried several different tropospheric BrO profiles. Our results show that a profile with high BrO concentrations in the boundary layer usually gives unrealistically high tropospheric column values over areas of low albedo (like oceans). This suggests that the tropospheric BrO would be predominantly distributed in the free troposphere. In this work, attempts are made to identify the signature of a free tropospheric BrO content when comparing cloudy and non-cloudy scenes. The possible impact of orography on measured BrO columns is also investigated.

Impact of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Thermodynamic Profiles on Regional Precipitation Forecasting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, S.-H.; Zavodsky, B. T.; Jedloved, G. J.

2010-01-01

In data sparse regions, remotely-sensed observations can be used to improve analyses and lead to better forecasts. One such source comes from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), which together with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), provides temperature and moisture profiles in clear and cloudy regions with accuracy which approaches that of radiosondes. The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach to assimilate AIRS thermodynamic profile data into a regional configuration of the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) model using WRF-Var. Quality indicators are used to select only the highest quality temperature and moisture profiles for assimilation in clear and partly cloudy regions, and uncontaminated portions of retrievals above clouds in overcast regions. Separate error characteristics for land and water profiles are also used in the assimilation process. Assimilation results indicate that AIRS profiles produce an analysis closer to in situ observations than the background field. Forecasts from a 37-day case study period in the winter of 2007 show that AIRS profile data can lead to improvements in 6-h cumulative precipitation forecasts resulting from improved thermodynamic fields. Additionally, in a convective heavy rainfall event from February 2007, assimilation of AIRS profiles produces a more unstable boundary layer resulting in enhanced updrafts in the model. These updrafts produce a squall line and precipitation totals that more closely reflect ground-based observations than a no AIRS control forecast. The location of available high-quality AIRS profiles ahead of approaching storm systems is found to be of paramount importance to the amount of impact the observations will have on the resulting forecasts.

A-Train Based Observational Metrics for Model Evaluation in Extratropical Cyclones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naud, Catherine M.; Booth, James F.; Del Genio, Anthony D.; van den Heever, Susan C.; Posselt, Derek J.

2015-01-01

Extratropical cyclones contribute most of the precipitation in the midlatitudes, i.e. up to 70 during winter in the northern hemisphere, and can generate flooding, extreme winds, blizzards and have large socio-economic impacts. As such, it is important that general circulation models (GCMs) accurately represent these systems so their evolution in a warming climate can be understood. However, there are still uncertainties on whether warming will increase their frequency of occurrence, their intensity and how much rain or snow they bring. Part of the issue is that models have trouble representing their strength, but models also have biases in the amount of clouds and precipitation they produce. This is caused by potential issues in various aspects of the models: convection, boundary layer, and cloud scheme to only mention a few. In order to pinpoint which aspects of the models need improvement for a better representation of extratropical cyclone precipitation and cloudiness, we will present A-train based observational metrics: cyclone-centered, warm and cold frontal composites of cloud amount and type, precipitation rate and frequency of occurrence. Using the same method to extract similar fields from the model, we will present an evaluation of the GISS-ModelE2 and the IPSL-LMDZ-5B models, based on their AR5 and more recent versions. The AR5 version of the GISS model underestimates cloud cover in extratropical cyclones while the IPSL AR5 version overestimates it. In addition, we will show how the observed CloudSat-CALIPSO cloud vertical distribution across cold fronts changes with moisture amount and cyclone strength, and test if the two models successfully represent these changes. We will also show how CloudSat-CALIPSO derived cloud type (i.e. convective vs. stratiform) evolves across warm fronts as cyclones age, and again how this is represented in the models. Our third process-based analysis concerns cumulus clouds in the post-cold frontal region and how their amount relates to the stability of the boundary layer. This test uses Aqua cloud and vertical atmospheric profiles and when applied to the model output can help assess the accuracy of the convection, boundary layer and cloud scheme.

Environmental Controls on Stratocumulus Cloud Fraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burleyson, Casey Dale

Marine stratocumulus clouds are widespread, low, optically thick, and persist for long periods of time. Their high albedo allows stratocumulus clouds to reflect large amounts of incoming shortwave radiation. Understanding the processes that lead to changes in stratocumulus cloud fraction is critically important in capturing the effects of stratocumulus in global climate models (GCMs). This research presents two analyses which seek to better understand the governing processes that drive variability in the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer system. The diurnal cycle of marine stratocumulus in cloud-topped boundary layers is examined using ship-based meteorological data obtained during the 2008 VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx). The high temporal and spatial continuity of the ship data, as well as the 31-day sample size, allows us to resolve the diurnal transition in degree of coupling of the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer. The amplitude of diurnal variation was comparable to the magnitude of longitudinal differences between regions east and west of 80°W for most of the cloud, surface, and precipitation variables examined. The diurnal cycle of precipitation is examined in terms of areal coverage, number of drizzle cells, and estimated rain rate. East of 80°W, the drizzle cell frequency and drizzle area peaks just prior to sunrise. West of 80°W, total drizzle area peaks at 3:00 am, 2-3 hours before sunrise. Peak drizzle cell frequency is three times higher west of 80°W compared to east of 80°W. The waning of drizzle several hours prior to the ramp up of shortwave fluxes may be related to the higher peak drizzle frequencies in the west. The ensemble effect of localized subcloud evaporation of precipitation may make drizzle a self-limiting process where the areal density of drizzle cells is sufficiently high. The daytime reduction in vertical velocity variance in a less coupled boundary layer is accompanied by enhanced stratification of potential temperature and a buildup of moisture near the surface. We also present an analysis of patterns of cloud fraction variability on a variety of time scales ranging from seasonal to sub-diurnal. The goal of this analysis is to understand which modes of variability, and thus the processes that drive variability on that time scale, may be more or less important to capturing the total variations in cloud fraction. We developed for marine regions of predominantly low cloud a novel method to separate infrared brightness temperatures measured by geostationary satellites into cloudy and cloud free pixels. The resulting cloud identification maps have a native spatial resolution of 4 km x 4 km and are available every 30 minutes from 2003-2010. Analysis of the low cloud frequency dataset shows that the diurnal cycle of low cloud fraction within a given season and region unfolds in a very regular manner. The largest diurnal cycles occur on the edges of the cloud deck where cloud fractions are generally lower. Large scale decreases in cloudiness overnight, such as those that would occur with the formation of pockets-of-open cells, occur infrequently. Total cloud fraction at sunrise is on average only a few percent lower than the maximum that occurs overnight whereas the average cloud breakup during the day is an order of magnitude larger. We show that up to 50% of the total variance of cloud fraction on 30 minute time scales can be explained solely by the time of day and day of the year. In order to improve simulation of stratocumulus within GCMs, models should be able to replicate the processes leading to variability on seasonal and diurnal time scales.

On the existence of tropical anvil clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, J.; Jeevanjee, N.; Langhans, W.; Romps, D.

2017-12-01

In the deep tropics, extensive anvil clouds produce a peak in cloud cover below the tropopause. The dominant paradigm for cloud cover attributes this anvil peak to a layer of enhanced mass convergence in the clear-sky upper-troposphere, which is presumed to force frequent detrainment of convective anvils. However, cloud cover also depends on the lifetime of cloudy air after it detrains, which raises the possibility that anvil clouds may be the signature of slow cloud decay rather than enhanced detrainment. Here we measure the cloud decay timescale in cloud-resolving simulations, and find that cloudy updrafts that detrain in the upper troposphere take much longer to dissipate than their shallower counterparts. We show that cloud lifetimes are long in the upper troposphere because the saturation specific humidity becomes orders of magnitude smaller than the typical condensed water loading of cloudy updrafts. This causes evaporative cloud decay to act extremely slowly, thereby prolonging cloud lifetimes in the upper troposphere. As a consequence, extensive anvil clouds still occur in a convecting atmosphere that is forced to have no preferential clear-sky convergence layer. On the other hand, when cloud lifetimes are fixed at a characteristic lower-tropospheric value, extensive anvil clouds do not form. Our results support a revised understanding of tropical anvil clouds, which attributes their existence to the microphysics of slow cloud decay rather than a peak in clear-sky convergence.

Drivers of Intra-Summer Seasonality and Daily Variability of Coastal Low Cloudiness in California Subregions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, R. E.; Iacobellis, S.; Gershunov, A.; Williams, P.; Cayan, D. R.

2014-12-01

Summertime low cloud intrusion into the terrestrial west coast of North America impacts human, ecological, and logistical systems. Over a broad region of the West Coast, summer (May - September) coastal low cloudiness (CLC) varies coherently on interannual to interdecadal timescales and has been found to be organized by North Pacific sea surface temperature. Broad-scale studies of low stratiform cloudiness over ocean basins also find that the season of maximum low stratus corresponds to the season of maximum lower tropospheric stability (LTS) or estimated inversion strength. We utilize a 18-summer record of CLC derived from NASA/NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) at 4km resolution over California (CA) to make a more nuanced spatial and temporal examination of intra-summer variability in CLC and its drivers. We find that uniform spatial coherency over CA is not apparent for intra-summer variability in CLC. On monthly to daily timescales, at least two distinct subregions of coastal California (CA) can be identified, where relationships between meteorology and stratus variability appear to change throughout summer in each subregion. While north of Point Conception and offshore the timing of maximum CLC is closely coincident with maximum LTS, in the Southern CA Bight and northern Baja region, maximum CLC occurs up to about a month before maximum LTS. It appears that summertime CLC in this southern region is not as strongly related as in the northern region to LTS. In particular, although the relationship is strong in May and June, starting in July the daily relationship between LTS and CLC in the south begins to deteriorate. Preliminary results indicate a moderate association between decreased CLC in the south and increased precipitable water content above 850 hPa on daily time scales beginning in July. Relationships between daily CLC variability and meteorological variables including winds, inland temperatures, relative humidity, and geopotential heights within and above the marine boundary layer are investigated and dissected by month, CA subregion, and cloud height. The rich spatial detail of the satellite derived CLC record is utilized to examine the propagation in time and space of CLC on synoptic scales within and among subregions.

Structure of the Madden-Julian oscillation in coupled and uncoupled versions of the superparameterized community atmosphere model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedict, James J.

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), an eastward-propagating atmospheric disturbance resembling a transient Walker cell, dominates intraseasonal (20--100 days) variability in the tropical Indian and West Pacific Ocean regions. The phenomenon is most active during the Northern Hemisphere winter and is characterized by cyclic periods of suppressed (dry phase) and active (wet phase) cloudiness and precipitation. Numerous complexities---multi-scale interactions of moist convection and large-scale wave dynamics, air-sea fluxes and feedbacks, topographical impacts, and tropical-extratropical interactions---challenge our ability to fully understand the MJO and result in its poor representation in most current general circulation models (GCMs). This study examines the representation of the MJO in a modified version of the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model (CAM). The modifications involve substituting conventional boundary layer, turbulence, and cloud parameterizations with a configuration of cloud-resolving models (CRMs) embedded into each GCM grid cell in a technique termed "superparameterization" (SP). Unlike many GCMs including the standard CAM, the SP-CAM displays robust intraseasonal convective variability. Two SP-CAM simulations are utilized in this study: one forced by observed sea-surface temperatures (SSTs; "uncoupled") and a second identical to the first except for a new treatment of tropical SSTs in which a simplified mixed-layer ocean model is used to predict SST anomalies that are coupled to the atmosphere ("coupled"). Key physical features of the MJO are captured in the uncoupled SP-CAM. Ahead (east) of the disturbance there is meridional boundary layer moisture convergence and a vertical progression of warmth, moisture, and convective heating from the lower to upper troposphere. The space-time dynamical response to convective heating is also reproduced, especially the vertical structure of anomalous westerly wind and its migration into the region of heavy rainfall as the disturbance propagates eastward. Advective drying processes in the MJO wake are also represented well. The coupled SP-CAM shows more realistic MJO eastward propagation, signal coherence and spatial structure relative to the uncoupled SP-CAM. The improvement varies with longitude but generally stems from better space-time relationships among MJO convective heating, its dynamical response, SSTs, surface fluxes, boundary layer properties, and vertical moisture structure. Coupled MJO events in the Indian Ocean display more realistic intensity; in the West Pacific, the coupled SP-CAM overestimates convective strength but shows an improved vertical structure relative to the uncoupled SP-CAM. Biases related to MJO convection are also examined. Overestimated convective intensity in the West Pacific appears to be linked to basic state biases, Maritime Continent topographical impacts, unrealistic convection-wind-evaporation feedbacks, and the neglect of convective momentum transport in the model. Phase errors between observed and simulated boundary layer moisture appear to stem from an unrealistic representation of shallow cumuli.

Aerosol nucleation and growth in the TTL, due to tropical convection, during the ACTIVE campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waddicor, D.; Vaughan, G.; Choularton, T.

2009-04-01

The Aerosol and Chemical Transport In tropical convection (ACTIVE) campaign took place between October 2005 and February 2006. This investigation involved the sampling of deep convective storms that occur in the Tropics; the campaign was based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia - the latter half of the campaign coincided with the monsoon season. A range of scientific equipment was used to sample the inflow and outflow air from these storms; of particular importance were the NERC Dornier (low-level) and ARA Egrett (high-level outflow) aircraft. The Dornier held a range of aerosol, particle and chemical detectors for the purpose of analysing the planetary boundary layer (PBL), in the vicinity of tropical convection. The Egrett contained detection instrumentation for a range of sizes of aerosol and cloud particles (2 Condensation Particle Counters (CPC), CAPS, CIP, CPI) in the storm outflow. This allowed a quantifiable measurement to be made of the effect of deep tropical convection on the aerosol population in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). The ACTIVE campaign found that there were large numbers of aerosol particles in the 10 - 100 nm (up to 25,000 /cm3 STP) and 100 - 1000 nm (up to 600 /cm3) size ranges. These values, in many instances, surpassed those found in the PBL. The higher levels of aerosol found in the TTL compared to the PBL could indicate that aerosol nucleation was occurring in the TTL as a direct result of convective activity. Furthermore, the Egrett aircraft found distinct boundaries between the high levels of aerosol, which were found in cloud free regions, and very low numbers of aerosol, which were found in the cloudy regions (storm anvil). The air masses were determined, from back trajectories, to have been through convective uplift and were formerly part of the anvil cloud. The cloudy regions would have contained high levels of entrapped precursor gases. Reduced nucleation and cloud particle scavenging of aerosol and gases would give a much reduced aerosol number concentration in cloud. The high aerosol (cloud free) areas would appear after the cloud began to evaporate through the process of aerosol nucleation. The evaporating cloud particles and reduced cloud surface area would allow aerosol nucleation to occur - typically involving sulphuric acid and water, released from ice crystals. The time scales for the particle production have also been investigated using satellite and wind projections/ECMWF back trajectories.

Airborne observations and simulations of three-dimensional radiative interactions between Arctic boundary layer clouds and ice floes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, M.; Bierwirth, E.; Ehrlich, A.; Jäkel, E.; Wendisch, M.

2015-07-01

Based on airborne spectral imaging observations, three-dimensional (3-D) radiative effects between Arctic boundary layer clouds and highly variable Arctic surfaces were identified and quantified. A method is presented to discriminate between sea ice and open water under cloudy conditions based on airborne nadir reflectivity γλ measurements in the visible spectral range. In cloudy cases the transition of γλ from open water to sea ice is not instantaneous but horizontally smoothed. In general, clouds reduce γλ above bright surfaces in the vicinity of open water, while γλ above open sea is enhanced. With the help of observations and 3-D radiative transfer simulations, this effect was quantified to range between 0 and 2200 m distance to the sea ice edge (for a dark-ocean albedo of αwater = 0.042 and a sea-ice albedo of αice = 0.91 at 645 nm wavelength). The affected distance Δ L was found to depend on both cloud and sea ice properties. For a low-level cloud at 0-200 m altitude, as observed during the Arctic field campaign VERtical Distribution of Ice in Arctic clouds (VERDI) in 2012, an increase in the cloud optical thickness τ from 1 to 10 leads to a decrease in Δ L from 600 to 250 m. An increase in the cloud base altitude or cloud geometrical thickness results in an increase in Δ L; for τ = 1/10 Δ L = 2200 m/1250 m in case of a cloud at 500-1000 m altitude. To quantify the effect for different shapes and sizes of ice floes, radiative transfer simulations were performed with various albedo fields (infinitely long straight ice edge, circular ice floes, squares, realistic ice floe field). The simulations show that Δ L increases with increasing radius of the ice floe and reaches maximum values for ice floes with radii larger than 6 km (500-1000 m cloud altitude), which matches the results found for an infinitely long, straight ice edge. Furthermore, the influence of these 3-D radiative effects on the retrieved cloud optical properties was investigated. The enhanced brightness of a dark pixel next to an ice edge results in uncertainties of up to 90 and 30 % in retrievals of τ and effective radius reff, respectively. With the help of Δ L, an estimate of the distance to the ice edge is given, where the retrieval uncertainties due to 3-D radiative effects are negligible.

Overlap Properties of Clouds Generated by a Cloud Resolving Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, L.; Khairoutdinov, M.

2002-01-01

In order for General Circulation Models (GCMs), one of our most important tools to predict future climate, to correctly describe the propagation of solar and thermal radiation through the cloudy atmosphere a realistic description of the vertical distribution of cloud amount is needed. Actually, one needs not only the cloud amounts at different levels of the atmosphere, but also how these cloud amounts are related, in other words, how they overlap. Currently GCMs make some idealized assumptions about cloud overlap, for example that contiguous cloud layers overlap maximally and non-contiguous cloud layers overlap in a random fashion. Since there are difficulties in obtaining the vertical profile of cloud amount from observations, the realism of the overlap assumptions made in GCMs has not been yet rigorously investigated. Recently however, cloud observations from a relatively new type of ground radar have been used to examine the vertical distribution of cloudiness. These observations suggest that the GCM overlap assumptions are dubious. Our study uses cloud fields from sophisticated models dedicated to simulate cloud formation, maintenance, and dissipation called Cloud Resolving Models . These models are generally considered capable of producing realistic three-dimensional representation of cloudiness. Using numerous cloud fields produced by such a CRM we show that the degree of overlap between cloud layers is a function of their separation distance, and is in general described by a combination of the maximum and random overlap assumption, with random overlap dominating as separation distances increase. We show that it is possible to parameterize this behavior in a way that can eventually be incorporated in GCMs. Our results seem to have a significant resemblance to the results from the radar observations despite the completely different nature of the datasets. This consistency is encouraging and will promote development of new radiative transfer codes that will estimate the radiation effects of multi-layer cloud fields more accurately.

Remote sounding of cloudy atmospheres. I - The single cloud layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chahine, M. T.

1974-01-01

The relaxation method for the inverse solution of the radiative transfer equation is applied in a dual-frequency scheme for the determination of complete vertical temperature profiles in cloudy atmospheres from radiance observations alone, without any additional information related to the expected solutions. The dual-frequency principle employs to advantage a property in the Planck function of the dependence of intensity on frequency. This property leads to the formulation of a new convergence criterion for the selection of cloud-sounding frequencies to be used for reconstructing the clear column radiance from observations made in the presence of a broken cloud layer in all fields of view. The principle is applied to the case of observations in two adjacent or partially overlapping fields of view and to the case of observations in a single field of view. The solutions are illustrated by numerical examples in the dual-frequency ranges of the 4.3 and 15-micron CO2 bands of the terrestrial atmosphere.

Small-scale disturbances in the stratigraphy of the NEEM ice core: observations and numerical model simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansen, D.; Llorens, M.-G.; Westhoff, J.; Steinbach, F.; Kipfstuhl, S.; Bons, P. D.; Griera, A.; Weikusat, I.

2016-02-01

Disturbances on the centimetre scale in the stratigraphy of the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core (North Greenland) can be mapped by an optical line scanner as long as the ice has visual layering, such as, for example, cloudy bands. Different focal depths allow, to a certain extent, a three-dimensional view of the structures. In this study we present a detailed analysis of the visible folds, discuss their characteristics and frequency, and present examples of typical fold structures. We also analyse the structures with regard to the deformation boundary conditions under which they formed. The structures evolve from gentle waves at about 1500 m to overturned z folds with increasing depth. Occasionally, the folding causes significant thickening of layers. Their similar fold shape indicates that they are passive features and are probably not initiated by rheology differences between alternating layers. Layering is heavily disturbed and tracing of single layers is no longer possible below a depth of 2160 m. C axes orientation distributions for the corresponding core sections were analysed, where available, in addition to visual stratigraphy. The data show axial-plane parallel strings of grains with c axis orientations that deviate from that of the matrix, which shows a single maximum fabric at the depth where the folding occurs. Numerical modelling of crystal viscoplastic deformation and dynamic recrystallisation was used to improve the understanding of the formation of the observed structures during deformation. The modelling reproduces the development of bands of grains with a tilted-lattice orientation relative to the single maximum fabric of the matrix, and also the associated local deformation. We conclude from these results that the observed folding can be explained by formation of these tilted-lattice bands.

Design and Performance of McRas in SCMs and GEOS I/II GCMs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Yogesh C.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The design of a prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) for general circulation models (GCMs) will be discussed. McRAS distinguishes three types of clouds: (1) convective, (2) stratiform, and (3) boundary-layer types. The convective clouds transform and merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly time-scale, while the boundary-layer clouds merge into the stratiform clouds instantly. The cloud condensate converts into precipitation following the auto-conversion equations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, as well as diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully interactive cloud-microphysics throughout the life-cycle of the cloud, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry. An evaluation of McRAS in a single column model (SCM) with the GATE Phase III and 5-ARN CART datasets has shown that together with the rest of the model physics, McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without many systematic errors. The time history and time mean incloud water and ice distribution, fractional cloudiness, cloud optical thickness, origin of precipitation in the convective anvil and towers, and the convective updraft and downdraft velocities and mass fluxes all show a realistic behavior. Performance of McRAS in GEOS 11 GCM shows several satisfactory features but some of the remaining deficiencies suggest need for additional research involving convective triggers and inhibitors, provision for continuously detraining updraft, a realistic scheme for cumulus gravity wave drag, and refinements to physical conditions for ascertaining cloud detrainment level.

Land Use Induced Hydroclimatic Variability Over Large Deforested Areas in Southern Amazon Rainforest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanna, J.; Medvigy, D.

2017-12-01

Contemporary Amazonian deforestation, which occurs at scales of a few hundreds of kilometers, has been found to induce systematic changes in the regional dry season precipitation. The replacement of rough forest with smooth pasture induces a low level atmospheric convergence and uplift in the downwind and divergence and subsidence in the upwind deforested areas. The resulting precipitation change is about ±30% of the deforested area mean in the two regions respectively. Compared with the increase in non-precipitating cloudiness triggered by small scale clearings prevalent in the early phases of deforestation, this `dynamical mesoscale circulation' can have regional ecological impacts by altering precipitation seasonality and in turn ecosystem dynamics. However, the seasonality and variability of this phenomenon hasn't been studied. Using observations and numerical simulations this study investigates the relationships between the dynamical mechanism and the local- and continental-scale atmospheric conditions to understand the physical controls on this phenomenon on the inter-annual, inter-seasonal and daily time scales. We find that the strength of the dynamical mechanism is controlled mostly by regional scale thermal and dynamical conditions of the boundary layer and not the continental and global scale atmospheric state. The lifting condensation level (thermodynamic control) and wind speed (dynamic control) within the boundary layer have the largest and positive correlations with the dipole strength, which is true although not always significant across time scales. Due to this dependence it is found to be strongest during parts of the year when the atmosphere is relatively stable. Hence, overall this phenomenon is found to be the prevalent convective triggering mechanism during the dry and parts of transition seasons (especially spring), significantly affecting the hydroclimate during this period.

Diurnal variation in the turbulent structure of the cloudy marine boundary layer during FIRE 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hignett, Phillip

1990-01-01

During the 1987 FIRE marine stratocumulus experiment the U.K. Meteorological Office operated a set of turbulence probes attached to the tether cable of a balloon based on San Nicolas Island. Typically six probes were used; each probe is fitted with Gill propeller anemometers, a platinum resistance thermometer and wet and dry thermistors, to permit measurements of the fluxes of momentum, heat, and humidity. The orientation of each probe is determined from a pair of inclinometers and a three-axis magnetometer. Sufficient information is available to allow the measured wind velocities to be corrected for the motion of the balloon. On the 14 to 15 July measurements were made over the period 1530 to 1200 UTC and again, after a short break for battery recharging and topping-up the balloon, between 0400 to 0900 UTC. Data were therefore recorded from morning to early evening, and again for a period overnight. Six probes were available for the daytime measurements, five for the night. Data were recorded at 4 Hz for individual periods of a little over an hour. The intention was to keep a minimum of one probe at or just above cloud top; small changes in balloon height were necessary to accommodate changes in inversion height. The ability of the balloon system to make simultaneous measurements at several levels allows the vertical structure of the boundary layer to be displayed without resort to composites. Turbulent statistics were calculated from 2 hour periods, one straddling local noon and one at night. These were subdivided into half-hour averaging intervals for the evaluation of variances and fluxes.

Role of persistent low-level clouds in mitigating air quality impacts of wintertime cold pool conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

VanReken, Timothy M.; Dhammapala, Ranil S.; Jobson, B. Thomas; Bottenus, Courtney L.; VanderSchelden, Graham S.; Kaspari, Susan D.; Gao, Zhongming; Zhu, Qiurui; Lamb, Brian K.; Liu, Heping; Johnston, Jeff

2017-04-01

The Yakima Air Wintertime Nitrate Study (YAWNS) was conducted in January 2013 to investigate the drivers of elevated levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) frequently present in the region during winter stagnation periods. An extended stagnation period occurred during the study. For the first four days of the event, skies were clear and the strong diel variation in air pollution patterns were consistent with the expected effects of strong low-level nighttime temperature inversions with moderate mixing during daylight hours. Later in the event a low-level cloud layer formed that persisted over the Yakima Valley for the next seven days while regional conditions remained stagnant. Coincident with the onset of cloud, the levels of all measured primary pollutants, including CO2, CO, NOx, particle number concentration, and black carbon, dropped dramatically and remained low with negligible diel variation for as long as the cloud layer was present. The observed patterns for these air pollutants are consistent with decreased stability and enhanced mixing associated with the cloud-topped boundary layer. Interestingly, levels of secondary pollutants, most notably particulate ammonium nitrate, did not exhibit the same decline. This difference may be due to shifts in the chemical production of secondary pollutants during cloudy conditions, or may merely reflect a further influence of mixing. The results imply that the best strategies for managing wintertime air quality during episodes of persistent cloud are likely different from those needed during clear-sky stagnation events.

Sensitivity of Marine Warm Cloud Retrieval Statistics to Algorithm Choices: Examples from MODIS Collection 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platnick, Steven; Wind, Galina; Zhang, Zhibo; Ackerman, Steven A.; Maddux, Brent

2012-01-01

The optical and microphysical structure of warm boundary layer marine clouds is of fundamental importance for understanding a variety of cloud radiation and precipitation processes. With the advent of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on the NASA EOS Terra and Aqua platforms, simultaneous global/daily 1km retrievals of cloud optical thickness and effective particle size are provided, as well as the derived water path. In addition, the cloud product (MOD06/MYD06 for MODIS Terra and Aqua, respectively) provides separate effective radii results using the l.6, 2.1, and 3.7 m spectral channels. Cloud retrieval statistics are highly sensitive to how a pixel identified as being "notclear" by a cloud mask (e.g., the MOD35/MYD35 product) is determined to be useful for an optical retrieval based on a 1-D cloud model. The Collection 5 MODIS retrieval algorithm removed pixels associated with cloud'edges as well as ocean pixels with partly cloudy elements in the 250m MODIS cloud mask - part of the so-called Clear Sky Restoral (CSR) algorithm. Collection 6 attempts retrievals for those two pixel populations, but allows a user to isolate or filter out the populations via CSR pixel-level Quality Assessment (QA) assignments. In this paper, using the preliminary Collection 6 MOD06 product, we present global and regional statistical results of marine warm cloud retrieval sensitivities to the cloud edge and 250m partly cloudy pixel populations. As expected, retrievals for these pixels are generally consistent with a breakdown of the ID cloud model. While optical thickness for these suspect pixel populations may have some utility for radiative studies, the retrievals should be used with extreme caution for process and microphysical studies.

Intense atmospheric pollution modifies weather: a~case of mixed biomass burning with fossil fuel combustion pollution in the eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, A. J.; Fu, C. B.; Yang, X. Q.; Sun, J. N.; Petäjä, T.; Kerminen, V.-M.; Wang, T.; Xie, Y. N.; Herrmann, E.; Zheng, L. F.; Nie, W.; Wei, X. L.; Kulmala, M.

2013-06-01

The influence of air pollutants, particularly aerosols, on regional and global climate is widely investigated, but only a very limited number of studies reports their impacts on everyday weather. In this work, we present for the first time direct (observational) evidence of a clear effect how a mixed atmospheric pollution changes the weather with a substantial modification in air temperature and rainfall. By using comprehensive measurements in Nanjing, China, we found that mixed agricultural burning plumes with fossil fuel combustion pollution resulted in a decrease of solar radiation by more than 70%, of sensible heat flux over 85%, a temperature drop by almost 10 K, and a change of rainfall during daytime and nighttime. Our results show clear air pollution - weather interactions, and quantify how air pollution affects weather with the influence of air pollution-boundary layer dynamics and aerosol-radiation-cloudy feedbacks. This study highlights a cross-disciplinary needs to study the environmental, weather and climate impact of the mixed biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion sources in the East China.

Downwelling Longwave Fluxes at Continental Surfaces-A Comparison of Observations with GCM Simulations and Implications for the Global Land-Surface Radiation Budget.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.; Prata, A. J.

1996-03-01

Previous work suggests that general circulation (global climate) models have excess net radiation at land surfaces, apparently due to overestimates in downwelling shortwave flux and underestimates in upwelling long-wave flux. Part of this excess, however, may be compensated for by an underestimate in downwelling longwave flux. Long term observations of the downwelling longwave component at several land stations in Europe, the United States, Australia, and Antarctica suggest that climate models (four are used, as in previous studies) underestimate this flux component on an annual basis by up to 10 W m2, yet with low statistical significance. It is probable that the known underestimate in boundary-layer air temperature contributes to this, as would low model cloudiness and neglect of minor gases such as methane, nitrogen oxide, and the freons. The bias in downwelling longwave flux, together with those found earlier for downwelling shortwave and upwlling long-wave fluxes, are consistent with the model bias found previously for net radiation. All annually averaged fluxes and biases are deduced for global land as a whole.

Monte Carlo Bayesian inference on a statistical model of sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution cloud observations. Part 1: Method.

PubMed

Norris, Peter M; da Silva, Arlindo M

2016-07-01

A method is presented to constrain a statistical model of sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution satellite cloud data. The method can be used for large-scale model parameter estimation or cloud data assimilation. The gridcolumn model includes assumed probability density function (PDF) intra-layer horizontal variability and a copula-based inter-layer correlation model. The observables used in the current study are Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud-top pressure, brightness temperature and cloud optical thickness, but the method should be extensible to direct cloudy radiance assimilation for a small number of channels. The algorithm is a form of Bayesian inference with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to characterizing the posterior distribution. This approach is especially useful in cases where the background state is clear but cloudy observations exist. In traditional linearized data assimilation methods, a subsaturated background cannot produce clouds via any infinitesimal equilibrium perturbation, but the Monte Carlo approach is not gradient-based and allows jumps into regions of non-zero cloud probability. The current study uses a skewed-triangle distribution for layer moisture. The article also includes a discussion of the Metropolis and multiple-try Metropolis versions of MCMC.

Monte Carlo Bayesian Inference on a Statistical Model of Sub-Gridcolumn Moisture Variability Using High-Resolution Cloud Observations. Part 1: Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norris, Peter M.; Da Silva, Arlindo M.

2016-01-01

A method is presented to constrain a statistical model of sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution satellite cloud data. The method can be used for large-scale model parameter estimation or cloud data assimilation. The gridcolumn model includes assumed probability density function (PDF) intra-layer horizontal variability and a copula-based inter-layer correlation model. The observables used in the current study are Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud-top pressure, brightness temperature and cloud optical thickness, but the method should be extensible to direct cloudy radiance assimilation for a small number of channels. The algorithm is a form of Bayesian inference with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to characterizing the posterior distribution. This approach is especially useful in cases where the background state is clear but cloudy observations exist. In traditional linearized data assimilation methods, a subsaturated background cannot produce clouds via any infinitesimal equilibrium perturbation, but the Monte Carlo approach is not gradient-based and allows jumps into regions of non-zero cloud probability. The current study uses a skewed-triangle distribution for layer moisture. The article also includes a discussion of the Metropolis and multiple-try Metropolis versions of MCMC.

Monte Carlo Bayesian inference on a statistical model of sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution cloud observations. Part 1: Method

PubMed Central

Norris, Peter M.; da Silva, Arlindo M.

2018-01-01

A method is presented to constrain a statistical model of sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution satellite cloud data. The method can be used for large-scale model parameter estimation or cloud data assimilation. The gridcolumn model includes assumed probability density function (PDF) intra-layer horizontal variability and a copula-based inter-layer correlation model. The observables used in the current study are Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud-top pressure, brightness temperature and cloud optical thickness, but the method should be extensible to direct cloudy radiance assimilation for a small number of channels. The algorithm is a form of Bayesian inference with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to characterizing the posterior distribution. This approach is especially useful in cases where the background state is clear but cloudy observations exist. In traditional linearized data assimilation methods, a subsaturated background cannot produce clouds via any infinitesimal equilibrium perturbation, but the Monte Carlo approach is not gradient-based and allows jumps into regions of non-zero cloud probability. The current study uses a skewed-triangle distribution for layer moisture. The article also includes a discussion of the Metropolis and multiple-try Metropolis versions of MCMC. PMID:29618847

Three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers; Proceedings of the Symposium, Berlin, West Germany, March 29-April 1, 1982

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernholz, H. H.; Krause, E.

Papers are presented on recent research concerning three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers. Topics examined include experimental techniques in three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers, turbulence measurements in ship-model flow, measurements of Reynolds-stress profiles in the stern region of a ship model, the effects of crossflow on the vortex-layer-type three-dimensional flow separation, and wind tunnel investigations of some three-dimensional separated turbulent boundary layers. Also examined are three-dimensional boundary layers in turbomachines, the boundary layers on bodies of revolution spinning in axial flows, the effect on a developed turbulent boundary layer of a sudden local wall motion, three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer along a concave wall, the numerical computation of three-dimensional boundary layers, a numerical study of corner flows, three-dimensional boundary calculations in design aerodynamics, and turbulent boundary-layer calculations in design aerodynamics. For individual items see A83-47012 to A83-47036

Collaborative Research: Cloudiness transitions within shallow marine clouds near the Azores

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mechem, David B.; de Szoeke, Simon P.; Yuter, Sandra E.

Marine stratocumulus clouds are low, persistent, liquid phase clouds that cover large areas and play a significant role in moderating the climate by reflecting large quantities of incoming solar radiation. The deficiencies in simulating these clouds in global climate models are widely recognized. Much of the uncertainty arises from sub-grid scale variability in the cloud albedo that is not accurately parameterized in climate models. The Clouds, Aerosol and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP–MBL) observational campaign and the ongoing ARM site measurements on Graciosa Island in the Azores aim to sample the Northeast Atlantic low cloud regime. These datamore » represent, the longest continuous research quality cloud radar/lidar/radiometer/aerosol data set of open-ocean shallow marine clouds in existence. Data coverage from CAP–MBL and the series of cruises to the southeast Pacific culminating in VOCALS will both be of sufficient length to contrast the two low cloud regimes and explore the joint variability of clouds in response to several environmental factors implicated in cloudiness transitions. Our research seeks to better understand cloud system processes in an underexplored but climatologically important maritime region. Our primary goal is an improved physical understanding of low marine clouds on temporal scales of hours to days. It is well understood that aerosols, synoptic-scale forcing, surface fluxes, mesoscale dynamics, and cloud microphysics all play a role in cloudiness transitions. However, the relative importance of each mechanism as a function of different environmental conditions is unknown. To better understand cloud forcing and response, we are documenting the joint variability of observed environmental factors and associated cloud characteristics. In order to narrow the realm of likely parameter ranges, we assess the relative importance of parameter conditions based primarily on two criteria: how often the condition occurs (frequency) and to what degree varying that condition within its typically observed range affects cloud characteristics (magnitude of impact given the condition). In this manner we will be able to address the relative importance of individual factors within a multivariate range of environmental conditions. We will determine the relative roles of the thermodynamic, aerosol, and synoptic environmental factors on low cloud and drizzle formation and lifetime.« less

A Combined Observational and Modeling Approach to Study Modern Dust Transport from the Patagonia Desert to East Antarctica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gasso, S.; Stein, A.; Marino, F.; Castellano, E.; Udisti, R.; Ceratto, J.

2010-01-01

The understanding of present atmospheric transport processes from Southern Hemisphere (SH) landmasses to Antarctica can improve the interpretation of stratigraphic data in Antarctic ice cores. In addition, long range transport can deliver key nutrients normally not available to marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean and may trigger or enhance primary productivity. However, there is a dearth of observational based studies of dust transport in the SH. This work aims to improve current understanding of dust transport in the SH by showing a characterization of two dust events originating in the Patagonia desert (south end of South America). The approach is based on a combined and complementary use of satellite retrievals (detectors MISR, MODIS, GLAS ,POLDER, OMI,), transport model simulation (HYSPLIT) and surface observations near the sources and aerosol measurements in Antarctica (Neumayer and Concordia sites). Satellite imagery and visibility observations confirm dust emission in a stretch of dry lakes along the coast of the Tierra del Fuego (TdF) island (approx.54deg S) and from the shores of the Colihue Huapi lake in Central Patagonia (approx.46deg S) in February 2005. Model simulations initialized by these observations reproduce the timing of an observed increase in dust concentration at the Concordia Station and some of the observed increases in atmospheric aerosol absorption (here used as a dust proxy) in the Neumayer station. The TdF sources were the largest contributors of dust at both sites. The transit times from TdF to the Neumayer and Concordia sites are 6-7 and 9-10 days respectively. Lidar observations and model outputs coincide in placing most of the dust cloud in the boundary layer and suggest significant de- position over the ocean immediately downwind. Boundary layer dust was detected as far as 1800 km from the source and approx.800 km north of the South Georgia Island over the central sub-Antarctic Atlantic Ocean. Although the analysis suggests the presence of dust at approx.1500 km SW of South Africa five days after, the limited capabilities of existing satellite platforms to differentiate between aerosol types do not permit a definitive conclusion. In addition, the model simulations show dust lifting to the free troposphere as it travels south but it could not be confirmed by the satellite observations due to cloudiness. This work demonstrates that complementary information from existing transport models, satellite and surface data can yield a consistent picture of the dust transport from the Patagonia desert to Antarctica. It also illustrates the limitation of using any of these approaches individually to characterize the transport of dust in a heavily cloudy area.

The seasonal cycle of snow cover, sea ice and surface albedo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robock, A.

1980-01-01

The paper examines satellite data used to construct mean snow cover caps for the Northern Hemisphere. The zonally averaged snow cover from these maps is used to calculate the seasonal cycle of zonally averaged surface albedo. The effects of meltwater on the surface, solar zenith angle, and cloudiness are parameterized and included in the calculations of snow and ice albedo. The data allows a calculation of surface albedo for any land or ocean 10 deg latitude band as a function of surface temperature ice and snow cover; the correct determination of the ice boundary is more important than the snow boundary for accurately simulating the ice and snow albedo feedback.

Multi-Temporal Land Cover Classification with Sequential Recurrent Encoders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rußwurm, Marc; Körner, Marco

2018-03-01

Earth observation (EO) sensors deliver data with daily or weekly temporal resolution. Most land use and land cover (LULC) approaches, however, expect cloud-free and mono-temporal observations. The increasing temporal capabilities of today's sensors enables the use of temporal, along with spectral and spatial features. Domains, such as speech recognition or neural machine translation, work with inherently temporal data and, today, achieve impressive results using sequential encoder-decoder structures. Inspired by these sequence-to-sequence models, we adapt an encoder structure with convolutional recurrent layers in order to approximate a phenological model for vegetation classes based on a temporal sequence of Sentinel 2 (S2) images. In our experiments, we visualize internal activations over a sequence of cloudy and non-cloudy images and find several recurrent cells, which reduce the input activity for cloudy observations. Hence, we assume that our network has learned cloud-filtering schemes solely from input data, which could alleviate the need for tedious cloud-filtering as a preprocessing step for many EO approaches. Moreover, using unfiltered temporal series of top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance data, we achieved in our experiments state-of-the-art classification accuracies on a large number of crop classes with minimal preprocessing compared to other classification approaches.

Discussion of boundary-layer characteristics near the casing of an axial-flow compressor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mager, Artur; Mahoney, John J; Budinger, Ray E

1951-01-01

Boundary-layer velocity profiles on the casing of an axial-flow compressor behind the guide vanes and rotor were measured and resolved into two components: along the streamline of the flow and perpendicular to it. Boundary-layer thickness and the deflection of the boundary layer at the wall were the generalizing parameters. By use of these results and the momentum-integral equations, the characteristics of boundary on the walls of axial-flow compressor are qualitatively discussed. Important parameters concerning secondary flow in the boundary layer appear to be turning of the flow and the product of boundary-layer thickness and streamline curvature outside the boundary layer. Two types of separation are shown to be possible in three dimensional boundary layer.

Comparison of Methods for Determining Boundary Layer Edge Conditions for Transition Correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liechty, Derek S.; Berry, Scott A.; Hollis, Brian R.; Horvath, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

Data previously obtained for the X-33 in the NASA Langley Research Center 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel have been reanalyzed to compare methods for determining boundary layer edge conditions for use in transition correlations. The experimental results were previously obtained utilizing the phosphor thermography technique to monitor the status of the boundary layer downstream of discrete roughness elements via global heat transfer images of the X-33 windward surface. A boundary layer transition correlation was previously developed for this data set using boundary layer edge conditions calculated using an inviscid/integral boundary layer approach. An algorithm was written in the present study to extract boundary layer edge quantities from higher fidelity viscous computational fluid dynamic solutions to develop transition correlations that account for viscous effects on vehicles of arbitrary complexity. The boundary layer transition correlation developed for the X-33 from the viscous solutions are compared to the previous boundary layer transition correlations. It is shown that the boundary layer edge conditions calculated using an inviscid/integral boundary layer approach are significantly different than those extracted from viscous computational fluid dynamic solutions. The present results demonstrate the differences obtained in correlating transition data using different computational methods.

Separation behavior of boundary layers on three-dimensional wings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stock, H. W.

1981-01-01

An inverse boundary layer procedure for calculating separated, turbulent boundary layers at infinitely long, crabbing wing was developed. The procedure was developed for calculating three dimensional, incompressible turbulent boundary layers was expanded to adiabatic, compressible flows. Example calculations with transsonic wings were made including viscose effects. In this case an approximated calculation method described for areas of separated, turbulent boundary layers, permitting calculation of this displacement thickness. The laminar boundary layer development was calculated with inclined ellipsoids.

Summary of experimentally determined facts concerning the behavior of the boundary layer and performance of boundary layer measurements. [considering sailing flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanness, W.

1978-01-01

A summary report of boundary layer studies is presented. Preliminary results of experimental measurements show that: (1) A very thin layer (approximately 0.4 mm) of the boundary layer seems to be accelerated; (2) the static pressure of the outer flow does not remain exactly constant through the boundary layer; and (3) an oncoming boundary layer which is already turbulent at the suction point can again become laminar behind this point without being completely sucked off.

The Role of African Easterly Wave on Dust Transport and the Interaction Between Saharan Dust Layer and Atlantic ITCZ During Boreal Summer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, William K. M.; Kim, Kyu-Myong

2012-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the relationships among Saharan dust outbreak and transport, African easterly waves (AEW), African easterly jet (AEJ) and associated convective activities of Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) using Cloudsat-Calipso, MODIS and MERRA data. We find that a major Saharan dust outbreak is associated with the formation of a westward propagating strong cyclone around 15-25N over the western part northern Saharan. The strong cyclonic flow mobilizes and lifts the dust from the desert surface to a high elevation. As the cyclone propagate westward, it transports a thick elevated dust layer between 900 -500 hPa from the African continent to the eastern Atlantic. Cloudiness is reduced within the warm, dry dusty layer, but enhanced underneath it, possibly due to the presence of a shallow inversion layer over the marine boundary layer. The dust outbreak is linked to enhanced deep convection in the northern part of Atlantic ITCZ, abutting the southern flank of the dust layer, and a strengthening of the northward flank of the AEJ. As the dust layer spreads westward, it loses elevation and becomes increasing diffused as it reaches the central and western Atlantic. Using band pass filtered EOF analysis of MERRA winds, we find that AEWs propagating westward along two principal tracks, centered at 15-25N and 5-10N respectively. The easterly waves in the northern track are highly correlated with major dust outbreak over North Africa and associated with slower moving systems, with a quasi-periodicity of 6-9 day. On the other hand, easterly waves along the southern track are faster, with quasi-periodicity of 3-5 days. These faster easterly waves are closely tied to rainfall/cloud variations along the Atlantic ITCZ. Dust transport along the southern track by the faster waves generally leads rainfall/cloud anomalies in the same region by one or two days, suggesting the southern tracks of dust outbreak are regions of strong interaction between Saharan dust layer and Atlantic ITCZ.

The representation of low-level clouds during the West African monsoon in weather and climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kniffka, Anke; Hannak, Lisa; Knippertz, Peter; Fink, Andreas

2016-04-01

The West African monsoon is one of the most important large-scale circulation features in the tropics and the associated seasonal rainfalls are crucial to rain-fed agriculture and water resources for hundreds of millions of people. However, numerical weather and climate models still struggle to realistically represent salient features of the monsoon across a wide range of scales. Recently it has been shown that substantial errors in radiation and clouds exist in the southern parts of West Africa (8°W-8°E, 5-10°N) during summer. This area is characterised by strong low-level jets associated with the formation of extensive ultra-low stratus clouds. Often persisting long after sunrise, these clouds have a substantial impact on the radiation budget at the surface and thus the diurnal evolution of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Here we present some first results from a detailed analysis of the representation of these clouds and the associated PBL features across a range of weather and climate models. Recent climate model simulations for the period 1991-2010 run in the framework of the Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC) offer a great opportunity for this analysis. The models are those used for the latest Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but for YOTC the model output has a much better temporal resolution, allowing to resolve the diurnal cycle, and includes diabatic terms, allowing to much better assess physical reasons for errors in low-level temperature, moisture and thus cloudiness. These more statistical climate model analyses are complemented by experiments using ICON (Icosahedral non-hydrostatic general circulation model), the new numerical weather prediction model of the German Weather Service and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. ICON allows testing sensitivities to model resolution and numerical schemes. These model simulations are validated against (re-)analysis data, satellite observations (e.g. CM SAF cloud and radiation data) and ground-based eye observations of clouds and radiation measurements from weather stations. Our results show that many of the climate models have great difficulties representing the diurnal cycle of winds and clouds, leading to associated errors in radiation. Typical errors include a substantial underestimation of the lowest clouds accompanied by an overestimation of clouds at the top of the monsoon layer, indicating systematic problems in vertical exchange processes, which are also reflected in large errors in jet speed. Consequently, many models show a too flat diurnal cycle in cloudiness. This contribution is part of the EU-funded DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) project that aims to investigate the impact of the drastic increase in anthropogenic emissions in West Africa on the local weather and climate, for example through cloud-aerosol interactions. The analysis of the capability of state-of-the-art numerical models to represent low-level cloudiness presented here is an important requisite for the planned assessments of the influence of anthropogenic aerosol.

Orbiter Entry Aeroheating Working Group Viscous CFD Boundary Layer Transition Trailblazer Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, William A.; Erickson, David W.; Greene, Francis A.

2007-01-01

Boundary layer transition correlations for the Shuttle Orbiter have been previously developed utilizing a two-layer boundary layer prediction technique. The particular two-layer technique that was used is limited to Mach numbers less than 20. To allow assessments at Mach numbers greater than 20, it is proposed to use viscous CFD to the predict boundary layer properties. This report addresses if the existing Orbiter entry aeroheating viscous CFD solutions, which were originally intended to be used for heat transfer rate predictions, adequately resolve boundary layer edge properties and if the existing two-layer results could be leveraged to reduce the number of needed CFD solutions. The boundary layer edge parameters from viscous CFD solutions are extracted along the wind side centerline of the Space Shuttle Orbiter at reentry conditions, and are compared with results from the two-layer boundary layer prediction technique. The differences between the viscous CFD and two-layer prediction techniques vary between Mach 6 and 18 flight conditions and Mach 6 wind tunnel conditions, and there is not a straightforward scaling between the viscous CFD and two-layer values. Therefore: it is not possible to leverage the existing two-layer Orbiter flight boundary layer data set as a substitute for a viscous CFD data set; but viscous CFD solutions at the current grid resolution are sufficient to produce a boundary layer data set suitable for applying edge-based boundary layer transition correlations.

Calculation methods for compressible turbulent boundary layers, 1976

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bushnell, D. M.; Cary, A. M., Jr.; Harris, J. E.

1977-01-01

Equations and closure methods for compressible turbulent boundary layers are discussed. Flow phenomena peculiar to calculation of these boundary layers were considered, along with calculations of three dimensional compressible turbulent boundary layers. Procedures for ascertaining nonsimilar two and three dimensional compressible turbulent boundary layers were appended, including finite difference, finite element, and mass-weighted residual methods.

A general integral form of the boundary-layer equation for incompressible flow with an application to the calculation of the separation point of turbulent boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tetervin, Neal; Lin, Chia Chiao

1951-01-01

A general integral form of the boundary-layer equation, valid for either laminar or turbulent incompressible boundary-layer flow, is derived. By using the experimental finding that all velocity profiles of the turbulent boundary layer form essentially a single-parameter family, the general equation is changed to an equation for the space rate of change of the velocity-profile shape parameter. The lack of precise knowledge concerning the surface shear and the distribution of the shearing stress across turbulent boundary layers prevented the attainment of a reliable method for calculating the behavior of turbulent boundary layers.

Microgravity Effects on Plant Boundary Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stutte, Gary; Monje, Oscar

2005-01-01

The goal of these series of experiment was to determine the effects of microgravity conditions on the developmental boundary layers in roots and leaves and to determine the effects of air flow on boundary layer development. It is hypothesized that microgravity induces larger boundary layers around plant organs because of the absence of buoyancy-driven convection. These larger boundary layers may affect normal metabolic function because they may reduce the fluxes of heat and metabolically active gases (e.g., oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. These experiments are to test whether there is a change in boundary layer associated with microgravity, quantify the change if it exists, and determine influence of air velocity on boundary layer thickness under different gravity conditions.

Boundary layer friction of solvate ionic liquids as a function of potential.

PubMed

Li, Hua; Rutland, Mark W; Watanabe, Masayoshi; Atkin, Rob

2017-07-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to investigate the potential dependent boundary layer friction at solvate ionic liquid (SIL)-highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and SIL-Au(111) interfaces. Friction trace and retrace loops of lithium tetraglyme bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (Li(G4) TFSI) at HOPG present clearer stick-slip events at negative potentials than at positive potentials, indicating that a Li + cation layer adsorbed to the HOPG lattice at negative potentials which enhances stick-slip events. The boundary layer friction data for Li(G4) TFSI shows that at HOPG, friction forces at all potentials are low. The TFSI - anion rich boundary layer at positive potentials is more lubricating than the Li + cation rich boundary layer at negative potentials. These results suggest that boundary layers at all potentials are smooth and energy is predominantly dissipated via stick-slip events. In contrast, friction at Au(111) for Li(G4) TFSI is significantly higher at positive potentials than at negative potentials, which is comparable to that at HOPG at the same potential. The similarity of boundary layer friction at negatively charged HOPG and Au(111) surfaces indicates that the boundary layer compositions are similar and rich in Li + cations for both surfaces at negative potentials. However, at Au(111), the TFSI - rich boundary layer is less lubricating than the Li + rich boundary layer, which implies that anion reorientations rather than stick-slip events are the predominant energy dissipation pathways. This is confirmed by the boundary friction of Li(G4) NO 3 at Au(111), which shows similar friction to Li(G4) TFSI at negative potentials due to the same cation rich boundary layer composition, but even higher friction at positive potentials, due to higher energy dissipation in the NO 3 - rich boundary layer.

Turbulent Combustion Study of Scramjet Problem

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

boundary layer model for 2D simulations of a supersonic flat plate boundary layer . The inflow O2 has an average density of...flow above the flat plate has a transition from a laminar boundary layer to a turbulent boundary layer at a position downstream from the inlet. The...δ. Chapman [13] estimated the number of cells need to resolve the outer layer is proportional to Re0.4 for flat plat boundary layer and

Microphysics of Clouds with the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme (McRAS). Part I: Design and Evaluation with GATE Phase III Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.

1999-09-01

A prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) has been designed and developed with the aim of improving moist processes, microphysics of clouds, and cloud-radiation interactions in GCMs. McRAS distinguishes three types of clouds: convective, stratiform, and boundary layer. The convective clouds transform and merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly timescale, while the boundary layer clouds merge into the stratiform clouds instantly. The cloud condensate converts into precipitation following the autoconversion equations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, as well as diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully interactive cloud microphysics throughout the life cycle of the cloud, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry.An evaluation of McRAS in a single-column model (SCM) with the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) Phase III data has shown that, together with the rest of the model physics, McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without discernible systematic errors. The time history and time mean in-cloud water and ice distribution, fractional cloudiness, cloud optical thickness, origin of precipitation in the convective anvils and towers, and the convective updraft and downdraft velocities and mass fluxes all simulate a realistic behavior. Some of these diagnostics are not verifiable with data on hand. These SCM sensitivity tests show that (i) without clouds the simulated GATE-SCM atmosphere is cooler than observed; (ii) the model's convective scheme, RAS, is an important subparameterization of McRAS; and (iii) advection of cloud water substance is helpful in simulating better cloud distribution and cloud-radiation interaction. An evaluation of the performance of McRAS in the Goddard Earth Observing System II GCM is given in a companion paper (Part II).

Cloud fraction and cloud base measurements from scanning Doppler lidar during WFIP-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonin, T.; Long, C.; Lantz, K. O.; Choukulkar, A.; Pichugina, Y. L.; McCarty, B.; Banta, R. M.; Brewer, A.; Marquis, M.

2017-12-01

The second Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP-2) consisted of an 18-month field deployment of a variety of instrumentation with the principle objective of validating and improving NWP forecasts for wind energy applications in complex terrain. As a part of the set of instrumentation, several scanning Doppler lidars were installed across the study domain to primarily measure profiles of the mean wind and turbulence at high-resolution within the planetary boundary layer. In addition to these measurements, Doppler lidar observations can be used to directly quantify the cloud fraction and cloud base, since clouds appear as a high backscatter return. These supplementary measurements of clouds can then be used to validate cloud cover and other properties in NWP output. Herein, statistics of the cloud fraction and cloud base height from the duration of WFIP-2 are presented. Additionally, these cloud fraction estimates from Doppler lidar are compared with similar measurements from a Total Sky Imager and Radiative Flux Analysis (RadFlux) retrievals at the Wasco site. During mostly cloudy to overcast conditions, estimates of the cloud radiating temperature from the RadFlux methodology are also compared with Doppler lidar measured cloud base height.

Sensitivity of Marine Warm Cloud Retrieval Statistics to Algorithm Choices: Examples from MODIS Collection 6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Platnick, S.; Wind, G.; Zhang, Z.; Ackerman, S. A.; Maddux, B. C.

2012-12-01

The optical and microphysical structure of warm boundary layer marine clouds is of fundamental importance for understanding a variety of cloud radiation and precipitation processes. With the advent of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on the NASA EOS Terra and Aqua platforms, simultaneous global/daily 1km retrievals of cloud optical thickness and effective particle size are provided, as well as the derived water path. In addition, the cloud product (MOD06/MYD06 for MODIS Terra and Aqua, respectively) provides separate effective radii results using the 1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 μm spectral channels. Cloud retrieval statistics are highly sensitive to how a pixel identified as being "not-clear" by a cloud mask (e.g., the MOD35/MYD35 product) is determined to be useful for an optical retrieval based on a 1-D cloud model. The Collection 5 MODIS retrieval algorithm removed pixels associated with cloud edges (defined by immediate adjacency to "clear" MOD/MYD35 pixels) as well as ocean pixels with partly cloudy elements in the 250m MODIS cloud mask - part of the so-called Clear Sky Restoral (CSR) algorithm. Collection 6 attempts retrievals for those two pixel populations, but allows a user to isolate or filter out the populations via CSR pixel-level Quality Assessment (QA) assignments. In this paper, using the preliminary Collection 6 MOD06 product, we present global and regional statistical results of marine warm cloud retrieval sensitivities to the cloud edge and 250m partly cloudy pixel populations. As expected, retrievals for these pixels are generally consistent with a breakdown of the 1D cloud model. While optical thickness for these suspect pixel populations may have some utility for radiative studies, the retrievals should be used with extreme caution for process and microphysical studies.

Comparisons Between Ground Measurements of Broadband UV Irradiance (300-380 nm) and TOMS UV Estimates at Moscow for 1979-2000

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yurova, Alla Y.; Krotkov, Nicholay A.; Herman, Jay R.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We show the comparisons between ground-based measurements of spectrally integrated (300 nm to 380 nm) ultraviolet (UV) irradiance with satellite estimates from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) total ozone and reflectivity data for the whole period of TOMS measurements (1979-2000) over the Meteorological Observatory of Moscow State University (MO MSU), Moscow, Russia. Several aspects of the comparisons are analyzed, including effects of cloudiness, aerosol, and snow cover. Special emphasis is given to the effect of different spatial and temporal averaging of ground-based data when comparing with low-resolution satellite measurements (TOMS footprint area 50-200 sq km). The comparisons in cloudless scenes with different aerosol loading have revealed TOMS irradiance overestimates from +5% to +20%. A-posteriori correction of the TOMS data accounting for boundary layer aerosol absorption (single scattering albedo of 0.92) eliminates the bias for cloud-free conditions. The single scattering albedo was independently verified using CIMEL sun and sky-radiance measurements at MO MSU in September 2001. The mean relative difference between TOMS UV estimates and ground UV measurements mainly lies within 1 10% for both snow-free and snow period with a tendency to TOMS overestimation in snow-free period especially at overcast conditions when the positive bias reaches 15-17%. The analysis of interannual UV variations shows quite similar behavior for both TOMS and ground measurements (correlation coefficient r=0.8). No long-term trend in the annual mean bias was found for both clear-sky and all-sky conditions with snow and without snow. Both TOMS and ground data show positive trend in UV irradiance between 1979 and 2000. The UV trend is attributed to decreases in both cloudiness and aerosol optical thickness during the late 1990's over Moscow region. However, if the analyzed period is extended to include pre-TOMS era (1968-2000 period), no trend in ground UV irradiance is detected.

Integrated Efforts for Analysis of Geophysical Measurements and Models.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-26

12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT ( Maximum 200 words) This contract supported investigations of integrated applications of physics, ephemerides...REGIONS AND GPS DATA VALIDATIONS 20 2.5 PL-SCINDA: VISUALIZATION AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES 22 2.5.1 View Controls 23 2.5.2 Map Selection...and IR data, about cloudy pixels. Clustering and maximum likelihood classification algorithms categorize up to four cloud layers into stratiform or

Free-stream disturbance, continuous Eigenfunctions, boundary-layer instability and transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosch, C. E.

1980-01-01

A rational foundation is presented for the application of the linear shear flows to transition prediction, and an explicit method is given for carrying out the necessary calculations. The expansions used are shown to be complete. Sample calculations show that a typical boundary layer is very sensitive to vorticity disturbances in the inner boundary layer, near the critical layer. Vorticity disturbances three or four boundary layer thicknesses above the boundary are nearly uncoupled from the boundary layer in that the amplitudes of the discrete Tollmien-Schlicting waves are an extremely small fraction of the amplitude of the disturbance.

Shallow convection on day 261 of GATE - Mesoscale arcs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warner, C.; Simpson, J.; Martin, D. W.; Suchman, D.; Mosher, F. R.; Reinking, R. F.

1979-01-01

Cloudy convection in the moist layer of a cloud cluster growing in the GATE ship array is examined. Analyses suggest that the moist layer was dominated by features of horizontal dimension roughly 40 km and lifetime roughly 2 h, with arc patterns triggered by dense downdraft air accompanying rainfall, and composed of many small cumulus clouds. Aircraft recorded data on thermodynamic quantities and winds, indicating that the arcs persisted as mesoscale circulations driven by the release of latent heat in the clouds, rather than being driven by the original density current at the surface. It is also suggested that the mesoscale cloud patterns of the moist layer play a primary role in heat transfer upward within this layer, and contribute to the forcing of showering midtropospheric clouds.

Analysis of turbulent free-convection boundary layer on flat plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckert, E R G; Jackson, Thomas W

1950-01-01

A calculation was made for the flow and heat transfer in the turbulent free-convection boundary layer on a vertical flat plate. Formulas for the heat-transfer coefficient, boundary layer thickness, and the maximum velocity in the boundary layer were obtained.

Observations of the magnetopause current layer: Cases with no boundary layer and tests of recent models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eastman, Timothy E.

1995-01-01

Evidence for the probable existence of magnetospheric boundary layers was first presented by Hones, et al. (1972), based on VELA satellite plasma observations (no magnetic field measurements were obtained). This magnetotail boundary layer is now known to be the tailward extension of the high-latitude boundary layer or plasma mantle (first uniquely identified using HEOS 2 plasma and field observations by Rosenbauer et al., 1975) and the low-latitude boundary layer (first uniquely identified using IMP 6 plasma and field observations by Eastman et al., 1976). The magnetospheric boundary layer is the region of magnetosheath-like plasma located Earthward of, but generally contiguous with the magnetopause. This boundary layer is typically identified by comparing low-energy (less than 10 keV) ion spectra across the magnetopause. Low-energy electron measurements are also useful for identifying the boundary layer because the shocked solar wind or magnetosheath has a characteristic spectral signature for electrons as well. However, there are magnetopause crossings where low-energy electrons might suggest a depletion layer outside the magnetopause even though the traditional field-rotation signature indicates that this same region is a boundary layer Earthward of the current layer. Our analyses avoided crossings which exhibit such ambiguities. Pristine magnetopause crossings are magnetopause crossings for which the current layer is well defined and for which there is no adjoining magnetospheric boundary layer as defined above. Although most magnetopause models to date apply to such crossings, few comparisons between such theory and observations of pristine magnetopause crossings have been made because most crossings have an associated magnetospheric boundary layer which significantly affects the applicable boundary conditions for the magnetopause current layer. Furthermore, almost no observational studies of magnetopause microstructure have been done even though key theoretical issues have been discussed for over two decades. This is because plasma instruments deployed prior to the ISEE and AMPTE missions did not have the required time resolution and most ISEE investigations to-date have focused on tests of MHD plasma models, especially reconnection. More recently, many phenomenological and theoretical models have been developed to explain the existence and characteristics of the magnetospheric boundary layers with only limited success to date. The cases with no boundary layer treated in this study provide a contrary set of conditions to those observed with a boundary layer. For the measured parameters of such cases, a successful boundary layer model should predict no plasma penetration across the magnetopause. Thus, this research project provides the first direct observational tests of magnetopause models using pristine magnetopause crossings and provides important new results on magnetopause microstructure and associated kinetic processes.

Measurements and Modeling of the Mean and Turbulent Flow Structure in High-Speed Rough-Wall Non-Equilibrium Boundary Layers

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-25

study builds on three basic bodies of knowledge: (1) supersonic rough wall boundary layers, (2) distorted supersonic turbulent boundary layers, and...with the boundary layer turbulence . The present study showed that secondary distortions associated with such waves significantly affect the transport...38080 14. ABSTRACT The response of a supersonic high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer flow subjected to mechanical distortions was

Understanding the Fundamental Roles of Momentum and Vorticity Injections in Flow Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-02

production by pitched and skewed jets in a turbulent boundary layer . AIAA Journal 30, 640–647. DISTRIBUTION A: Distribution approved for public release...adverse pressure gradient along the suction surface, which ultimately results in a separated boundary layer . Such behavior of the boundary layer can... boundary layer either directly or by utilizing free stream momentum to energize the boundary layer (Gad-el-Hak, 2000a). Directly adding momentum to the

Seasonal and latitudinal variations of surface fluxes at two Arctic terrestrial sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grachev, Andrey A.; Persson, P. Ola G.; Uttal, Taneil; Akish, Elena A.; Cox, Christopher J.; Morris, Sara M.; Fairall, Christopher W.; Stone, Robert S.; Lesins, Glen; Makshtas, Alexander P.; Repina, Irina A.

2017-11-01

This observational study compares seasonal variations of surface fluxes (turbulent, radiative, and soil heat) and other ancillary atmospheric/surface/permafrost data based on in-situ measurements made at terrestrial research observatories located near the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Hourly-averaged multiyear data sets collected at Eureka (Nunavut, Canada) and Tiksi (East Siberia, Russia) are analyzed in more detail to elucidate similarities and differences in the seasonal cycles at these two Arctic stations, which are situated at significantly different latitudes (80.0°N and 71.6°N, respectively). While significant gross similarities exist in the annual cycles of various meteorological parameters and fluxes, the differences in latitude, local topography, cloud cover, snowfall, and soil characteristics produce noticeable differences in fluxes and in the structures of the atmospheric boundary layer and upper soil temperature profiles. An important factor is that even though higher latitude sites (in this case Eureka) generally receive less annual incoming solar radiation but more total daily incoming solar radiation throughout the summer months than lower latitude sites (in this case Tiksi). This leads to a counter-intuitive state where the average active layer (or thaw line) is deeper and the topsoil temperature in midsummer are higher in Eureka which is located almost 10° north of Tiksi. The study further highlights the differences in the seasonal and latitudinal variations of the incoming shortwave and net radiation as well as the moderating cloudiness effects that lead to temporal and spatial differences in the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer and the uppermost ground layer. Specifically the warm season (Arctic summer) is shorter and mid-summer amplitude of the surface fluxes near solar noon is generally less in Eureka than in Tiksi. During the dark Polar night and cold seasons (Arctic winter) when the ground is covered with snow and air temperatures are sufficiently below freezing, the near-surface environment is generally stably stratified and the hourly averaged turbulent fluxes are quite small and irregular with on average small downward sensible heat fluxes and upward latent heat and carbon dioxide fluxes. The magnitude of the turbulent fluxes increases rapidly when surface snow disappears and the air temperatures rise above freezing during spring melt and eventually reaches a summer maximum. Throughout the summer months strong upward sensible and latent heat fluxes and downward carbon dioxide (uptake by the surface) are typically observed indicating persistent unstable (convective) stratification. Due to the combined effects of day length and solar zenith angle, the convective boundary layer forms in the High Arctic (e.g., in Eureka) and can reach long-lived quasi-stationary states in summer. During late summer and early autumn all turbulent fluxes rapidly decrease in magnitude when the air temperature decreases and falls below freezing. Unlike Eureka, a pronounced zero-curtain effect consisting of a sustained surface temperature hiatus at the freezing point is observed in Tiksi during fall due to wetter and/or water saturated soils.

Effect of an isolated semi-arid pine forest on the boundary layer height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brugger, Peter; Banerjee, Tirtha; Kröniger, Konstantin; Preisler, Yakir; Rotenberg, Eyal; Tatarinov, Fedor; Yakir, Dan; Mauder, Matthias

2017-04-01

Forests play an important role for earth's climate by influencing the surface energy balance and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Semi-arid forests and their effects on the local and regional climate are studied within the CliFF project (Climate Feedbacks and benefits of semi-arid Forests). This requires understanding of the atmospheric boundary layer over semi-arid forests, because it links the surface and the free atmosphere and determines the exchange of momentum, heat and trace gases. Our study site, Yatir, is a semi-arid isolated pine forest in the Negev desert in Israel. Higher roughness and lower albedo compared to the surrounding shrubland make it interesting to study the influences of the semi-arid Yatir forest on the boundary layer. Previous studies of the forest focused on the energy balance and secondary circulations. This study focuses on the boundary layer structure above the forest, in particular the boundary layer height. The boundary layer height is an essential parameter for many applications (e.g. construction of convective scaling parameters or air pollution modeling). We measured the boundary layer height upwind, over and downwind of the forest. In addition we measured at two sites wind profiles within the boundary layer and turbulent fluxes at the surface. This allows us to quantify the effects of the forest on boundary layer compared to the surrounding shrubland. Results show that the forest increases the boundary layer height in absence of a strong boundary layer top inversion. A model of the boundary layer height based on eddy-covariance data shows some agreement to the measurements, but fails during anticyclonic conditions and the transition to the nocturnal boundary layer. More complex models accounting for large scale influences are investigated. Further influences of the forest and surrounding shrubland on the turbulent transport of energy are discussed in a companion presentation (EGU2017-2219).

Spatial Linear Instability of Confluent Wake/Boundary Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, William W.; Liu, Feng-Jun; Rumsey, C. L. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The spatial linear instability of incompressible confluent wake/boundary layers is analyzed. The flow model adopted is a superposition of the Blasius boundary layer and a wake located above the boundary layer. The Orr-Sommerfeld equation is solved using a global numerical method for the resulting eigenvalue problem. The numerical procedure is validated by comparing the present solutions for the instability of the Blasius boundary layer and for the instability of a wake with published results. For the confluent wake/boundary layers, modes associated with the boundary layer and the wake, respectively, are identified. The boundary layer mode is found amplified as the wake approaches the wall. On the other hand, the modes associated with the wake, including a symmetric mode and an antisymmetric mode, are stabilized by the reduced distance between the wall and the wake. An unstable mode switching at low frequency is observed where the antisymmetric mode becomes more unstable than the symmetric mode when the wake velocity defect is high.

A nonperturbing boundary-layer transition detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohare, J. E.

1985-01-01

A laser interferometer technique is being applied to the characterization of boundary-layer conditions on models in supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels in the von Karman Facility at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). The Boundary-Layer Transition Detector (BLTD), based on lateral interferometry, is applicable for determining the turbulence frequency spectrum of boundary layers in compressible flow. The turbulence, in terms of air density fluctuations, is detected by monitoring interferometric fringe phase shifts (in real time) formed by one beam which passes through the boundary layer and a reference beam which is outside the boundary layer. This technique is nonintrusive to the flow field unlike other commonly used methods such as pitot tube probing and hot-wire anemometry. Model boundary-layer data are presented at Mach 8 and compared with data recorded using other methods during boundary-layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow. Spectra from the BLTD reveal the presence of a high-frequency peak during transition, which is characteristic of spectra obtained with hot wires. The BLTD is described along with operational requirements and limitations.

A Nonperturbing Boundary-Layer Transition Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Hare, J. E.

1986-01-01

A laser interferometer technique is being applied to the characterization of boundary-layer conditions on models in supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels in the von Kaman Facility at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). The Boundary-Layer Transition Detector (BLTD), based on lateral interferometry, is applicable for determining the turbulence frequency spectrum of boundary layers in compressible flow. The turbulence, in terms of air density fluctuations, is detected by monitoring interferometric fringe phase shifts (in real time) formed by one beam which passes through the boundary layer and a reference beam which is outside the boundary layer. This technique is nonintrusive to the flow field unlike other commonly used methods such as pitot tube probing and hot-wire anemometry. Model boundary-layer data are presented at Mach 8 and compared with data recorded using other methods during boundary-layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow. Spectra from the BLTD reveal the presence of a high-frequency peak during transition, which is characteristic of spectra obtained with hot wires. The BLTD is described along with operational requirements and limitations.

Comparison of theoretical and experimental boundary-layer development in a Mach 2.5 mixed-compression inlet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hingst, W. R.; Towne, C. E.

1974-01-01

An analytical investigation was made of the boundary layer flow in an axisymmetric Mach 2.5 mixed compression inlet, and the results were compared with experimental measurements. The inlet tests were conducted in the Lewis 10- by 10-foot supersonic wind tunnel at a unit Reynolds number of 8.2 million/m. The inlet incorporated porous bleed regions for boundary layer control, and the effect of this bleed was taken into account in the analysis. The experimental boundary layer data were analyzed by using similarity laws from which the skin friction coefficient was obtained. The boundary layer analysis included predictions of laminar and turbulent boundary layer growth, transition, and the effects of the shock boundary layer interactions. In addition, the surface static pressures were compared with those obtained from an inviscid characteristics program. The results of investigation showed that the analytical techniques gave satisfactory predictions of the boundary layer flow except in regions that were badly distorted by the terminal shock.

Boundary layers in centrifugal compressors. [application of boundary layer theory to compressor design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, R. C., Jr.

1974-01-01

The utility of boundary-layer theory in the design of centrifugal compressors is demonstrated. Boundary-layer development in the diffuser entry region is shown to be important to stage efficiency. The result of an earnest attempt to analyze this boundary layer with the best tools available is displayed. Acceptable prediction accuracy was not achieved. The inaccuracy of boundary-layer analysis in this case would result in stage efficiency prediction as much as four points low. Fluid dynamic reasons for analysis failure are discussed with support from flow data. Empirical correlations used today to circumnavigate the weakness of the theory are illustrated.

Boundary-Layer Bypass Transition Over Large-Scale Bodies

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-16

shape of the streamwise velocity profile compared to the flat- plate boundary layer. The research showed that the streamwise wavenumber plays a key role...many works on the suppression of the transitional boundary layer. Most of the results in the literature are for the flat- plate boundary layer but the...behaviour of the velocity and pressure changes with the curvature. This work aims to extend the results of the flat- plate boundary layer to a Rankine

An experimental investigation of a two and a three-dimensional low speed turbulent boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkelmann, A. E.; Melnik, W. L.

1976-01-01

Experimental studies of a two and a three-dimensional low speed turbulent boundary layer were conducted on the side wall of a boundary layer wind tunnel. The 20 ft. long test section, with a rectangular cross section measuring 17.5 in. x 46 in., produced a 3.5 in. thick turbulent boundary layer at a free stream Reynolds number. The three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer was produced by a 30 deg swept wing-like model faired into the side wall of the test section. Preliminary studies in the two-dimensional boundary layer indicated that the flow was nonuniform on the 46 in. wide test wall. The nonuniform boundary layer is characterized by transverse variations in the wall shear stress and is primarily caused by nonuniformities in the inlet damping screens.

Cloud-Top Entrainment in Stratocumulus Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellado, Juan Pedro

2017-01-01

Cloud entrainment, the mixing between cloudy and clear air at the boundary of clouds, constitutes one paradigm for the relevance of small scales in the Earth system: By regulating cloud lifetimes, meter- and submeter-scale processes at cloud boundaries can influence planetary-scale properties. Understanding cloud entrainment is difficult given the complexity and diversity of the associated phenomena, which include turbulence entrainment within a stratified medium, convective instabilities driven by radiative and evaporative cooling, shear instabilities, and cloud microphysics. Obtaining accurate data at the required small scales is also challenging, for both simulations and measurements. During the past few decades, however, high-resolution simulations and measurements have greatly advanced our understanding of the main mechanisms controlling cloud entrainment. This article reviews some of these advances, focusing on stratocumulus clouds, and indicates remaining challenges.

Interaction of Atmospheric Turbulence with Blade Boundary Layer Dynamics on a 5MW Wind Turbine using Blade-Boundary-Layer-Resolved CFD with hybrid URANS-LES.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vijayakumar, Ganesh; Brasseur, James; Lavely, Adam

We describe the response of the NREL 5 MW wind turbine blade boundary layer to the passage of atmospheric turbulence using blade-boundary-layer-resolved computational fluid dynamics with hybrid URANS-LES modeling.

Semiconductor P-I-N detector

DOEpatents

Sudharsanan, Rengarajan; Karam, Nasser H.

2001-01-01

A semiconductor P-I-N detector including an intrinsic wafer, a P-doped layer, an N-doped layer, and a boundary layer for reducing the diffusion of dopants into the intrinsic wafer. The boundary layer is positioned between one of the doped regions and the intrinsic wafer. The intrinsic wafer can be composed of CdZnTe or CdTe, the P-doped layer can be composed of ZnTe doped with copper, and the N-doped layer can be composed of CdS doped with indium. The boundary layers is formed of an undoped semiconductor material. The boundary layer can be deposited onto the underlying intrinsic wafer. The doped regions are then typically formed by a deposition process or by doping a section of the deposited boundary layer.

Practical calculation of laminar and turbulent bled-off boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eppler, R.

1978-01-01

Bleed-off of boundary layer material is shown to be an effective means for reducing drag by conserving the laminar boundary layer and preventing separation of the turbulent boundary layer. The case in which the two effects of bleed-off overlap is examined. Empirical methods are extended to the case of bleed-off. Laminar and turbulent boundary layers are treated simultaneously and the approximation differential equations are solved without an uncertain error. The case without bleed-off is also treated.

Tables for correcting airfoil data obtained in the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel for sidewall boundary-layer effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, R. V.; Adcock, J. B.

1986-01-01

Tables for correcting airfoil data taken in the Langley 0.3-meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel for the presence of sidewall boundary layer are presented. The corrected Mach number and the correction factor are minutely altered by a 20 percent change in the boundary layer virtual origin distance. The sidewall boundary layer displacement thicknesses measured for perforated sidewall inserts and without boundary layer removal agree with the values calculated for solid sidewalls.

Discussion of Boundary-Layer Characteristics Near the Wall of an Axial-Flow Compressor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mager, Artur; Mohoney, John J; Budinger, Ray E

1952-01-01

The boundary-layer velocity profiles in the tip region of an axial-flow compressor downstream of the guide vanes and downstream of the rotor were measured by use of total-pressure and claw-type yaw probes. These velocities were resolved into two components: one along the streamline of the flow outside the boundary layer, and the other perpendicular to it. The affinity among all profiles was thus demonstrated with the boundary-layer thickness and the deflection of the boundary layer at the wall as the generalizing parameters. By use of these results and the momentum-integral equations, boundary-layer characteristics on the walls of an axial-flow compressor were qualitatively evaluated.

Prediction of turbulent shear layers in turbomachines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bradshaw, P.

1974-01-01

The characteristics of turbulent shear layers in turbomachines are compared with the turbulent boundary layers on airfoils. Seven different aspects are examined. The limits of boundary layer theory are investigated. Boundary layer prediction methods are applied to analysis of the flow in turbomachines.

Study of boundary-layer transition using transonic-cone preston tube data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reed, T. D.; Moretti, P. M.

1980-01-01

The laminar boundary layer on a 10 degree cone in a transonic wind tunnel was studied. The inviscid flow and boundary layer development were simulated by computer programs. The effects of pitch and yaw angles on the boundary layer were examined. Preston-tube data, taken on the boundary-layer-transition cone in the NASA Ames 11 ft transonic wind tunnel, were used to develope a correlation which relates the measurements to theoretical values of laminar skin friction. The recommended correlation is based on a compressible form of the classical law-of-the-wall. The computer codes successfully simulates the laminar boundary layer for near-zero pitch and yaw angles. However, in cases of significant pitch and/or yaw angles, the flow is three dimensional and the boundary layer computer code used here cannot provide a satisfactory model. The skin-friction correlation is thought to be valid for body geometries other than cones.

Stability of boundary layer flow based on energy gradient theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Hua-Shu; Xu, Wenqian; Khoo, Boo Cheong

2018-05-01

The flow of the laminar boundary layer on a flat plate is studied with the simulation of Navier-Stokes equations. The mechanisms of flow instability at external edge of the boundary layer and near the wall are analyzed using the energy gradient theory. The simulation results show that there is an overshoot on the velocity profile at the external edge of the boundary layer. At this overshoot, the energy gradient function is very large which results in instability according to the energy gradient theory. It is found that the transverse gradient of the total mechanical energy is responsible for the instability at the external edge of the boundary layer, which induces the entrainment of external flow into the boundary layer. Within the boundary layer, there is a maximum of the energy gradient function near the wall, which leads to intensive flow instability near the wall and contributes to the generation of turbulence.

Wind and boundary layers in Rayleigh-Bénard convection. II. Boundary layer character and scaling.

PubMed

van Reeuwijk, Maarten; Jonker, Harm J J; Hanjalić, Kemo

2008-03-01

The scaling of the kinematic boundary layer thickness lambda(u) and the friction factor C(f) at the top and bottom walls of Rayleigh-Bénard convection is studied by direct numerical simulation (DNS). By a detailed analysis of the friction factor, a new parameterisation for C(f) and lambda(u) is proposed. The simulations were made of an L/H=4 aspect-ratio domain with periodic lateral boundary conditions at Ra=(10(5), 10(6), 10(7), 10(8)) and Pr=1. The continuous spectrum, as well as significant forcing due to Reynolds stresses, clearly indicates a turbulent character of the boundary layer, while viscous effects cannot be neglected, judging from the scaling of classical integral boundary layer parameters with Reynolds number. Using a conceptual wind model, we find that the friction factor C(f) should scale proportionally to the thermal boundary layer thickness as C(f) proportional variant lambda(Theta)/H, while the kinetic boundary layer thickness lambda(u) scales inversely proportionally to the thermal boundary layer thickness and wind Reynolds number lambda(u)/H proportional variant (lambda(Theta)/H)(-1)Re(-1). The predicted trends for C(f) and lambda(u) are in agreement with DNS results.

Low earth orbiting Nadir Etalon Sounding Spectrometer instrument concept for temperature, moisture and trace species, LeoNESS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumer, J. B.; Sterritt, L. W.; Roche, A. E.; Rosenberg, W. J.; Morrow, H. E.; Shenk, W. E.; Susskind, J.

1992-01-01

A concept for a low earth orbiting nadir etalon spectrometer sounder (LeoNESS) is described which can achieve retrieval of temperature, H2O, surface, boundary conditions, cloudiness, and trace species with an accuracy that meets or exceeds the AIRS specifications. Options employing 65-K and 30-K detectors are examined; the former may be implemented via passive radiative cooling. The concept, which is derived from the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer, has the potential for improving the horizontal and vertical resolution.

Unsteady transonic viscous-inviscid interaction using Euler and boundary-layer equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirzadeh, Shahyar; Whitfield, Dave

1989-01-01

The Euler code is used extensively for computation of transonic unsteady aerodynamics. The boundary layer code solves the 3-D, compressible, unsteady, mean flow kinetic energy integral boundary layer equations in the direct mode. Inviscid-viscous coupling is handled using porosity boundary conditions. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of using the Euler and boundary layer equations for investigating unsteady viscous-inviscid interaction is examined.

Inventory of File gfs.t06z.smartguam00.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

boundary layer WDIR analysis Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 013 planetary boundary layer WIND analysis Wind Speed [m/s] 014 planetary boundary layer RH analysis Relative Humidity [%] 015 planetary boundary layer DIST analysis Geometric Height [m] 016 surface 4LFTX analysis Best (4 layer) Lifted

Observations of the Summertime Boundary Layer over the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica Using SUMO UAVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigro, M. A.; Cassano, J. J.; Jolly, B.; McDonald, A.

2014-12-01

During January 2014 Small Unmanned Meteorological Observer (SUMO) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used to observe the boundary layer over the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. A total of 41 SUMO flights were completed during a 9-day period with a maximum of 11 flights during a single day. Flights occurred as frequently as every 1.5 hours so that the time evolution of the boundary layer could be documented. On almost all of the flights the boundary layer was well mixed from the surface to a depth of less than 50 m to over 350 m. The depth of the well-mixed layer was observed to both increase and decrease over the course of an individual day suggesting that processes other than entrainment were altering the boundary layer depth. The well-mixed layer was observed to both warm and cool during the field campaign indicating that advective processes as well as surface fluxes were acting to control the temporal evolution of the boundary layer temperature. Only a small number of weakly stably stratified boundary layers were observed. Strong, shallow inversions, of up to 6 K, were observed above the top of the boundary layer. Observations from a 30 m automatic weather station and two temporary automatic weather stations 10 km south and west of the main field campaign location provide additional data for understanding the boundary layer evolution observed by the SUMO UAVs during this 9-day period. This presentation will discuss the observed evolution of the summertime boundary layer as well as comment on lessons learned operating the SUMO UAVs at a remote Antarctic field camp.

INDIVIDUAL TURBULENT CELL INTERACTION: BASIS FOR BOUNDARY LAYER ESTABLISHMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Boundary layers are important in determining the forces on objects in flowing fluids, mixing characteristics, and other phenomena. For example, benthic boundary layers are frequently active resuspension layers that determine bottom turbidity and transniissivity. Traditionally, bo...

Balloon-borne match measurements of mid-latitude cirrus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirisan, A.; Luo, B. P.; Engel, I.; Wienhold, F. G.; Krieger, U. K.; Weers, U.; Romanens, G.; Levrat, G.; Jeannet, P.; Ruffieux, D.; Philipona, R.; Calpini, B.; Spichtinger, P.; Peter, T.

2013-10-01

Observations of persistent high supersaturations with respect to ice inside cirrus clouds are challenging our understanding of cloud microphysics and of climate feedback processes in the upper troposphere. Single measurements of a cloudy air mass provide only a snapshot from which the persistence of ice supersaturation cannot be judged. We introduce here the "cirrus match technique" to obtain information of the evolution of clouds and their saturation ratio. The aim of these coordinated balloon soundings is to analyze the same air mass twice. To this end the standard radiosonde equipment is complemented by a frost point hygrometer "SnowWhite" and a particle backscatter detector "COBALD" (Compact Optical Backscatter Aerosol Detector). Extensive trajectory calculations based on regional weather model COSMO forecasts are performed for flight planning and COSMO analyses are used as basis for comprehensive microphysical box modeling (with grid scale 2 km and 7 km, respectively). Here we present the results of matching a cirrus cloud to within 2-15 km, realized on 8 June 2010 over Payerne, Switzerland, and a location 120 km downstream close to Zurich. A thick cirrus was detected over both measurement sites. We show that in order to quantitatively reproduce the measured particle backscatter ratios, the small-scale temperature fluctuations not resolved by COSMO must be superimposed on the trajectories. The stochastic nature of the fluctuations is captured by ensemble calculations. Possibilities for further improvements in the agreement with the measured backscatter data are investigated by assuming a very slow mass accommodation of water on ice, the presence of heterogeneous ice nuclei, or a wide span of (spheroidal) particle shapes. However, the resulting improvements from microphysical refinements are moderate and comparable in magnitude with changes caused by assuming different regimes of temperature fluctuations for clear sky or cloudy sky conditions, highlighting the importance of a proper treatment of subscale fluctuations. The model yields good agreement with the measured backscatter over both sites and reproduces the measured saturation ratios with respect to ice over Payerne. Conversely, the 30% in-cloud supersaturation measured in a massive, 4-km thick cloud layer over Zurich cannot be reproduced, irrespective of the choice of meteorological or microphysical model parameters. The measured supersaturation can only be explained by either resorting to an unknown physical process, which prevents the ice particles from consuming the excess humidity, or - much more likely - by a measurement error, such as a contamination of the sensor housing of the SnowWhite hygrometer by a precipitation drop from a mixed phase cloud just below the cirrus layer or from some very slight rain in the boundary layer. This uncertainty calls for in-flight checks or calibrations of hygrometers under the extreme humidity conditions in the upper troposphere.

Skin-Friction Measurements at Subsonic and Transonic Mach Numbers with Embedded-Wire Gages

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

Model ................................... 17 9. Boundary-Layer Rake Installation on EBOR Model...boundary-layer total pressure rake eliminates this bulky mechanism and the long data acquisition time, but it introduces interferences which affect the...its construction. Further, boundary-layer rakes are restricted to measurements in thick boundary layers. Surface pressure probes such as Stanton tubes

Mechanics of Boundary Layer Transition. Part 5: Boundary Layer Stability theory in incompressible and compressible flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mack, L. M.

1967-01-01

The fundamentals of stability theory, its chief results, and the physical mechanisms at work are presented. The stability theory of the laminar boundary determines whether a small disturbance introduced into the boundary layer will amplify or damp. If the disturbance damps, the boundary layer remains laminar. If the disturbance amplifies, and by a sufficient amount, then transition to turbulence eventually takes place. The stability theory establishes those states of the boundary layer which are most likely to lead to transition, identifys those frequencies which are the most dangerous, and indicates how the external parameters can best be changed to avoid transition.

Three dimensional flow field inside compressor rotor, including blade boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galmes, J. M.; Pouagere, M.; Lakshminarayana, B.

1982-01-01

The Reynolds stress equation, pressure strain correlation, and dissipative terms and diffusion are discussed in relation to turbulence modelling using the Reynolds stress model. Algebraic modeling of Reynolds stresses and calculation of the boundary layer over an axial cylinder are examined with regards to the kinetic energy model for turbulence modelling. The numerical analysis of blade and hub wall boundary layers, and an experimental study of rotor blade boundary layer in an axial flow compressor rotor are discussed. The Patankar-Spalding numerical method for two dimensional boundary layers is included.

Scaling of water vapor in the meso-gamma (2-20km) and lower meso-beta (20-50km) scales from tall tower time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pressel, K. G.; Collins, W.; Desai, A. R.

2011-12-01

Deficiencies in the parameterization of boundary layer clouds in global climate models (GCMs) remains one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change predictions. Many GCM cloud parameterizations, which seek to include some representation of subgrid-scale cloud variability, do so by making assumptions regarding the subgrid-scale spatial probability density function (PDF) of total water content. Properly specifying the form and parameters of the total water PDF is an essential step in the formulation of PDF based cloud parameterizations. In the cloud free boundary layer, the PDF of total water mixing ratio is equivalent to the PDF of water vapor mixing ratio. Understanding the PDF of water vapor mixing ratio in the cloud free atmosphere is a necessary step towards understanding the PDF of water vapor in the cloudy atmosphere. A primary challenge in empirically constraining the PDF of water vapor mixing ratio is a distinct lack of a spatially distributed observational dataset at or near cloud scale. However, at meso-beta (20-50km) and larger scales, there is a wealth of information on the spatial distribution of water vapor contained in the physically retrieved water vapor profiles from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder onboard NASA`s Aqua satellite. The scaling (scale-invariance) of the observed water vapor field has been suggested as means of using observations at satellite observed (meso-beta) scales to derive information about cloud scale PDFs. However, doing so requires the derivation of a robust climatology of water vapor scaling from in-situ observations across the meso- gamma (2-20km) and meso-beta scales. In this work, we present the results of the scaling of high frequency (10Hz) time series of water vapor mixing ratio as observed from the 447m WLEF tower located near Park Falls, Wisconsin. Observations from a tall tower offer an ideal set of observations with which to investigate scaling at meso-gamma and meso-beta scales requiring only the assumption of Taylor`s Hypothesis to convert observed time scales to spatial scales. Furthermore, the WLEF tower holds an instrument suite offering a diverse set of variables at the 396m, 122m, and 30m levels with which to characterize the state of the boundary layer. Three methods are used to compute scaling exponents for the observed time series; poor man`s variance spectra, first order structure functions, and detrended fluctuation analysis. In each case scaling exponents are computed by linear regression. The results for each method are compared and used to build a climatology of scaling exponents. In particular, the results for June 2007 are presented, and it is shown that the scaling of water vapor time series at the 396m level is characterized by two regimes that are determined by the state of the boundary layer. Finally, the results are compared to, and shown to be roughly consistent with, scaling exponents computed from AIRS observations.

Boundary-layer effects in composite laminates. I - Free-edge stress singularities. II - Free-edge stress solutions and basic characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, S. S.; Choi, I.

1982-01-01

The fundamental nature of the boundary-layer effect in fiber-reinforced composite laminates is formulated in terms of the theory of anisotropic elasticity. The basic structure of the boundary-layer field solution is obtained by using Lekhnitskii's stress potentials (1963). The boundary-layer stress field is found to be singular at composite laminate edges, and the exact order or strength of the boundary layer stress singularity is determined using an eigenfunction expansion method. A complete solution to the boundary-layer problem is then derived, and the convergence and accuracy of the solution are analyzed, comparing results with existing approximate numerical solutions. The solution method is demonstrated for a symmetric graphite-epoxy composite.

Modification in drag of turbulent boundary layers resulting from manipulation of large-scale structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corke, T. C.; Guezennec, Y.; Nagib, H. M.

1981-01-01

The effects of placing a parallel-plate turbulence manipulator in a boundary layer are documented through flow visualization and hot wire measurements. The boundary layer manipulator was designed to manage the large scale structures of turbulence leading to a reduction in surface drag. The differences in the turbulent structure of the boundary layer are summarized to demonstrate differences in various flow properties. The manipulator inhibited the intermittent large scale structure of the turbulent boundary layer for at least 70 boundary layer thicknesses downstream. With the removal of the large scale, the streamwise turbulence intensity levels near the wall were reduced. The downstream distribution of the skin friction was also altered by the introduction of the manipulator.

Validation of High-Speed Turbulent Boundary Layer and Shock-Boundary Layer Interaction Computations with the OVERFLOW Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, A. B.; Lillard, R. P.; Blaisdell, G. A.; Lyrintizis, A. S.

2006-01-01

The capability of the OVERFLOW code to accurately compute high-speed turbulent boundary layers and turbulent shock-boundary layer interactions is being evaluated. Configurations being investigated include a Mach 2.87 flat plate to compare experimental velocity profiles and boundary layer growth, a Mach 6 flat plate to compare experimental surface heat transfer,a direct numerical simulation (DNS) at Mach 2.25 for turbulent quantities, and several Mach 3 compression ramps to compare computations of shock-boundary layer interactions to experimental laser doppler velocimetry (LDV) data and hot-wire data. The present paper describes outlines the study and presents preliminary results for two of the flat plate cases and two small-angle compression corner test cases.

The influence of free-stream turbulence on turbulent boundary layers with mild adverse pressure gradients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffmann, J. A.; Kassir, S. M.; Larwood, S. M.

1989-01-01

The influence of near isotropic free-stream turbulence on the shape factors and skin friction coefficients of turbulent boundary layers is presented for the cases of zero and mild adverse pressure gradients. With free-stream turbulence, improved fluid mixing occurs in boundary layers with adverse pressure gradients relative to the zero pressure gradient condition, with the same free-stream turbulence intensity and length scale. Stronger boundary layers with lower shape factors occur as a result of a lower ratio of the integral scale of turbulence to the boundary layer thickness, and to vortex stretching of the turbulent eddies in the free-stream, both of which act to improve the transmission of momentum from the free-stream to the boundary layers.

Increased Jet Noise Due to a "Nominally Laminar" State of Nozzle Exit Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.

2017-01-01

A set of 2-in. diameter nozzles is used to investigate the effect of varying exit boundary layer state on the radiated noise from high-subsonic jets. It is confirmed that nozzles involving turbulent boundary layers are the quietest while nozzles involving a "nominally laminar" boundary layer are loud especially on the high-frequency side of the sound pressure level spectrum. The latter boundary layer state involves a "Blasius-like" mean velocity profile but higher turbulence intensities compared to those in the turbulent state. The higher turbulence in the initial region of the jet shear layer leads to increased high-frequency noise. The results strongly suggest that an anomaly noted with subsonic jet noise databases in the literature is due to a similar effect of differences in the initial boundary layer state.

Increased Jet Noise Due to a "Nominally Laminar" State of Nozzle Exit Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.

2017-01-01

A set of 2-inch diameter nozzles is used to investigate the effect of varying exit boundary layer state on the radiated noise from high-subsonic jets. It is confirmed that nozzles involving turbulent boundary layers are the quietest while nozzles involving a nominally-laminar boundary layer are loud especially on the high-frequency side of the sound pressure level spectrum. The latter boundary layer state involves a Blasius-like mean velocity profile but higher turbulence intensities compared to those in the turbulent state. The higher turbulence in the initial region of the jet shear layer leads to increased high-frequency noise. The results strongly suggest that an anomaly noted with subsonic jet noise databases in the literature is due to a similar effect of differences in the initial boundary layer state.

Photothermal performance of an amorphous silicon photovoltaic panel integrated in a membrane structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bing; Hu, Jianhui; Chen, Wujun; Qiu, Zhenyu; Zhou, Jinyu; Qu, Yegao; Ge, Binbin

2016-10-01

The amorphous silicon photovoltaic (a-Si PV) cells are widely used for electricity generation from solar energy. When the a-Si PV cells are integrated into building roofs, such as ETFE (ethylene-tetrafouoroethylene) cushions, the temperature characteristics are indispensible for evaluating the thermal performances of a-Si PV and its constructions. This temperature value is directly dependent on the solar irradiance, wind velocity, ambient temperature and installation form. This paper concerns the field experiments and numerical modeling on the temperature characteristics and temperature value of the a-Si PV integrated in a double-layer ETFE cushion structure. To this end, an experimental model composed of two a-Si PV cells and a double-layer ETFE cushion was developed, and the corresponding experiments were carried out under two typical weather conditions (summer sunny and summer cloudy). The theoretical thermal model was developed based on an energy balance equation taking the short wave radiation, long wave radiation, convection and generated power into account. The measured solar irradiance and air temperature were used as real weather conditions for the thermal model. The corresponding differential equation of the a-Si PV temperature varying with the solar irradiance and air temperature was solved by a newly developed program based on the numerical method. The measured results show that the influence of solar irradiance on the temperature is much more significant than the other parameters, and the maximum temperature variation under sunny conditions is greater than that under cloudy conditions. The comparative study between the experimental and numerical results shows the correct predictions of the a-Si PV temperature under the sunny and cloudy conditions. The maximum difference is 3.9 °C with the acceptable reasons of the solar irradiance fluctuation and the PV thermal response time. These findings will provide useful observations and explanations for evaluating the PV and building performances in relation to temperature.

ANGULAR MOMENTUM TRANSPORT BY ACOUSTIC MODES GENERATED IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER. I. HYDRODYNAMICAL THEORY AND SIMULATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belyaev, Mikhail A.; Rafikov, Roman R.; Stone, James M., E-mail: rrr@astro.princeton.edu

The nature of angular momentum transport in the boundary layers of accretion disks has been one of the central and long-standing issues of accretion disk theory. In this work we demonstrate that acoustic waves excited by supersonic shear in the boundary layer serve as an efficient mechanism of mass, momentum, and energy transport at the interface between the disk and the accreting object. We develop the theory of angular momentum transport by acoustic modes in the boundary layer, and support our findings with three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, using an isothermal equation of state. Our first major result is the identification ofmore » three types of global modes in the boundary layer. We derive dispersion relations for each of these modes that accurately capture the pattern speeds observed in simulations to within a few percent. Second, we show that angular momentum transport in the boundary layer is intrinsically nonlocal, and is driven by radiation of angular momentum away from the boundary layer into both the star and the disk. The picture of angular momentum transport in the boundary layer by waves that can travel large distances before dissipating and redistributing angular momentum and energy to the disk and star is incompatible with the conventional notion of local transport by turbulent stresses. Our results have important implications for semianalytical models that describe the spectral emission from boundary layers.« less

Outer layer effects in wind-farm boundary layers: Coriolis forces and boundary layer height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allaerts, Dries; Meyers, Johan

2015-11-01

In LES studies of wind-farm boundary layers, scale separation between the inner and outer region of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is frequently assumed, i.e., wind turbines are presumed to fall within the inner layer and are not affected by outer layer effects. However, modern wind turbine and wind farm design tends towards larger rotor diameters and farm sizes, which means that outer layer effects will become more important. In a prior study, it was already shown for fully-developed wind farms that the ABL height influences the power performance. In this study, we use the in-house LES code SP-Wind to investigate the importance of outer layer effects on wind-farm boundary layers. In a suite of LES cases, the ABL height is varied by imposing a capping inversion with varying inversion strengths. Results indicate the growth of an internal boundary layer (IBL), which is limited in cases with low inversion layers. We further find that flow deceleration combined with Coriolis effects causes a change in wind direction throughout the farm. This effect increases with decreasing boundary layer height, and can result in considerable turbine wake deflection near the end of the farm. The authors are supported by the ERC (ActiveWindFarms, grant no: 306471). Computations were performed on VSC infrastructiure (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the Hercules Foundation and the Flemish Government-department EWI.

Nonequilibrium chemistry boundary layer integral matrix procedure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tong, H.; Buckingham, A. C.; Morse, H. L.

1973-01-01

The development of an analytic procedure for the calculation of nonequilibrium boundary layer flows over surfaces of arbitrary catalycities is described. An existing equilibrium boundary layer integral matrix code was extended to include nonequilibrium chemistry while retaining all of the general boundary condition features built into the original code. For particular application to the pitch-plane of shuttle type vehicles, an approximate procedure was developed to estimate the nonequilibrium and nonisentropic state at the edge of the boundary layer.

Differential analysis for the turbulent boundary layer on a compressor blade element (including boundary-layer separation)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, J. F.; Todd, C. A.

1974-01-01

A two-dimensional differential analysis is developed to approximate the turbulent boundary layer on a compressor blade element with strong adverse pressure gradients, including the separated region with reverse flow. The predicted turbulent boundary layer thicknesses and velocity profiles are in good agreement with experimental data for a cascade blade, even in the separated region.

Similarity theory of the buoyantly interactive planetary boundary layer with entrainment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffert, M. I.; Sud, Y. C.

1976-01-01

A similarity model is developed for the vertical profiles of turbulent flow variables in an entraining turbulent boundary layer of arbitrary buoyant stability. In the general formulation the vertical profiles, internal rotation of the velocity vector, discontinuities or jumps at a capping inversion and bulk aerodynamic coefficients of the boundary layer are given by solutions to a system of ordinary differential equations in the similarity variable. To close the system, a formulation for buoyantly interactive eddy diffusivity in the boundary layer is introduced which recovers Monin-Obukhov similarity near the surface and incorporates a hypothesis accounting for the observed variation of mixing length throughout the boundary layer. The model is tested in simplified versions which depend only on roughness, surface buoyancy, and Coriolis effects by comparison with planetary-boundary-layer wind- and temperature-profile observations, measurements of flat-plate boundary layers in a thermally stratified wind tunnel and observations of profiles of terms in the turbulent kinetic-energy budget of convective planetary boundary layers. On balance, the simplified model reproduced the trend of these various observations and experiments reasonably well, suggesting that the full similarity formulation be pursued further.

Assessment of a 3-D boundary layer code to predict heat transfer and flow losses in a turbine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, O. L.

1984-01-01

Zonal concepts are utilized to delineate regions of application of three-dimensional boundary layer (DBL) theory. The zonal approach requires three distinct analyses. A modified version of the 3-DBL code named TABLET is used to analyze the boundary layer flow. This modified code solves the finite difference form of the compressible 3-DBL equations in a nonorthogonal surface coordinate system which includes coriolis forces produced by coordinate rotation. These equations are solved using an efficient, implicit, fully coupled finite difference procedure. The nonorthogonal surface coordinate system is calculated using a general analysis based on the transfinite mapping of Gordon which is valid for any arbitrary surface. Experimental data is used to determine the boundary layer edge conditions. The boundary layer edge conditions are determined by integrating the boundary layer edge equations, which are the Euler equations at the edge of the boundary layer, using the known experimental wall pressure distribution. Starting solutions along the inflow boundaries are estimated by solving the appropriate limiting form of the 3-DBL equations.

Effects of boundary layer on flame propagation generated by forced ignition behind an incident shock wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishihara, S.; Tamura, S.; Ishii, K.; Kataoka, H.

2016-09-01

To study the effects of the boundary layer on the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) process, the mixture behind an incident shock wave was ignited using laser breakdown. Ignition timing was controlled so that the interaction of the resulting flame with a laminar or turbulent boundary layer could be examined. In the case of the interaction with a laminar boundary layer, wrinkling of the flame was observed after the flame reached the corner of the channel. On the other hand, interaction with the turbulent boundary layer distorted the flame front and increased the spreading rate of the flame followed by prompt DDT. The inner structure of the turbulent boundary layer plays an important role in the DDT process. The region that distorted the flame within the turbulent boundary layer was found to be the intermediate region 0.01< y/δ < 0.4, where y is the distance from the wall and δ is the boundary layer thickness. The flame disturbance by the turbulent motions is followed by the flame interaction with the inner layer near the wall, which in turn generates a secondary-ignition kernel that produced a spherical accelerating flame, which ultimately led to the onset of detonation. After the flame reached the intermediate region, the time required for DDT was independent of the ignition position. The effect of the boundary layer on the propagating flame, thus, became relatively small after the accelerating flame was generated.

Turbulent boundary layer in high Rayleigh number convection in air.

PubMed

du Puits, Ronald; Li, Ling; Resagk, Christian; Thess, André; Willert, Christian

2014-03-28

Flow visualizations and particle image velocimetry measurements in the boundary layer of a Rayleigh-Bénard experiment are presented for the Rayleigh number Ra=1.4×1010. Our visualizations indicate that the appearance of the flow structures is similar to ordinary (isothermal) turbulent boundary layers. Our particle image velocimetry measurements show that vorticity with both positive and negative sign is generated and that the smallest flow structures are 1 order of magnitude smaller than the boundary layer thickness. Additional local measurements using laser Doppler velocimetry yield turbulence intensities up to I=0.4 as in turbulent atmospheric boundary layers. From our observations, we conclude that the convective boundary layer becomes turbulent locally and temporarily although its Reynolds number Re≈200 is considerably smaller than the value 420 underlying existing phenomenological theories. We think that, in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection, the transition of the boundary layer towards turbulence depends on subtle details of the flow field and is therefore not universal.

Experimental Study of Fillets to Reduce Corner Effects in an Oblique Shock-Wave/Boundary Layer Interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirt, Stefanie M.

2015-01-01

A test was conducted in the 15 cm x 15 cm supersonic wind tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center that focused on corner effects of an oblique shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction. In an attempt to control the interaction in the corner region, eight corner fillet configurations were tested. Three parameters were considered for the fillet configurations: the radius, the fillet length, and the taper length from the square corner to the fillet radius. Fillets effectively reduced the boundary-layer thickness in the corner; however, there was an associated penalty in the form of increased boundary-layer thickness at the tunnel centerline. Larger fillet radii caused greater reductions in boundary-layer thickness along the corner bisector. To a lesser, but measureable, extent, shorter fillet lengths resulted in thinner corner boundary layers. Overall, of the configurations tested, the largest radius resulted in the best combination of control in the corner, evidenced by a reduction in boundary-layer thickness, coupled with minimal impacts at the tunnel centerline.

Relaxation of the accelerating-gas boundary layer to the test-gas boundary layer on a flat plate in an expansion tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, R. N.; Trimpi, R. L.

1973-01-01

An analytic investigation of the relaxation of the accelerating-gas boundary layer to the test-gas boundary layer over a flat plate mounted in an expansion tube has been conducted. In this treatment, nitrogen has been considered as the test gas and helium as the accelerating gas. The problem is analyzed in two conically similar limits: (1) when the time lag between the arrival of the shock and the interface at the leading edge of the plate is very large, and (2) when this time lag is negligible. The transient laminar boundary-layer equations of a perfect binary-gas mixture are taken as the flow governing equations. These coupled equations have been solved numerically by Gauss-Seidel line-relaxation method. The results predict the transient behavior as well as the time required for an all-helium accelerating-gas boundary layer to relax to an all-nitrogen boundary layer.

Generating Inviscid and Viscous Fluid Flow Simulations over a Surface Using a Quasi-simultaneous Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sturdza, Peter (Inventor); Martins-Rivas, Herve (Inventor); Suzuki, Yoshifumi (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A fluid-flow simulation over a computer-generated surface is generated using a quasi-simultaneous technique. The simulation includes a fluid-flow mesh of inviscid and boundary-layer fluid cells. An initial fluid property for an inviscid fluid cell is determined using an inviscid fluid simulation that does not simulate fluid viscous effects. An initial boundary-layer fluid property a boundary-layer fluid cell is determined using the initial fluid property and a viscous fluid simulation that simulates fluid viscous effects. An updated boundary-layer fluid property is determined for the boundary-layer fluid cell using the initial fluid property, initial boundary-layer fluid property, and an interaction law. The interaction law approximates the inviscid fluid simulation using a matrix of aerodynamic influence coefficients computed using a two-dimensional surface panel technique and a fluid-property vector. An updated fluid property is determined for the inviscid fluid cell using the updated boundary-layer fluid property.

A nonperturbing boundary-layer transition detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohare, J. E.

1985-11-01

A laser interferometer technique is being applied to the characterization of boundary-layer conditions on models in supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels. The boundary-layer transition detector (BLTD), based on lateral interferometry, is applicable for determining the turbulence frequency spectrum of boundary layers in compressible flow. The turbulence, in terms of air density fluctuations, is detected by monitoring interferometric fringe phase shifts (in real time) formed by one beam which passes through the boundary layer and a reference beam which is outside the boundary layer. This technique is nonintrusive to the flow field unlike other commonly used methods such as pitot tube probing and hot-wire anemometry. Data which depict boundary-layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow are presented to provide comparisons of the BLTD with other measurement methods. Spectra from the BLTD reveals the presence of a high-frequency peak during transition which is characteristic of spectra obtained with hot wires. The BLTD is described along with operational requirements and limitations.

Mean velocity and turbulence measurements in a 90 deg curved duct with thin inlet boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, R. A.; Peters, C. E.; Steinhoff, J.; Hornkohl, J. O.; Nourinejad, J.; Ramachandran, K.

1985-01-01

The experimental database established by this investigation of the flow in a large rectangular turning duct is of benchmark quality. The experimental Reynolds numbers, Deans numbers and boundary layer characteristics are significantly different from previous benchmark curved-duct experimental parameters. This investigation extends the experimental database to higher Reynolds number and thinner entrance boundary layers. The 5% to 10% thick boundary layers, based on duct half-width, results in a large region of near-potential flow in the duct core surrounded by developing boundary layers with large crossflows. The turbulent entrance boundary layer case at R sub ed = 328,000 provides an incompressible flowfield which approaches real turbine blade cascade characteristics. The results of this investigation provide a challenging benchmark database for computational fluid dynamics code development.

Compressible Boundary Layer Investigation for Ramjet/scramjet Inlets and Nozzles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldfeld, M. A.; Starov, A. V.; Semenova, Yu. V.

2005-02-01

The results of experimental investigation of a turbulent boundary layer on compression and expansion surfaces are presented. They include the study of the shock wave and/or expansion fan action upon the boundary layer, boundary layer separation and its relaxation. Complex events of paired interactions and the flow on compression convex-concave surfaces were studied [M. Goldfeld, 1993]. The possibility and conditions of the boundary layer relaminarization behind the expansion fan and its effect on the relaxation length are presented. Different model configurations for wide range conditions were investigated. Comparison of results for different interactions was carried out.

Heat transfer through turbulent boundary layers - The effects of introduction of and recovery from convex curvature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, T. W.; Moffat, R. J.

1979-01-01

Measurements have been made of the heat transfer through a turbulent boundary layer on a convexly curved isothermal wall and on a flat plate following the curved section. Data were taken for one free-stream velocity and two different ratios of boundary layer thickness to radius of curvature delta/R = 0.051 and delta/R = 0.077. Only small differences were observed in the distribution of heat transfer rates for the two boundary layer thicknesses tested, although differences were noted in the temperature distributions within the boundary layer

F-16XL ship #1 - CAWAP boundary layer rakes and hot film on left wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This photo shows the boundary layer hot film and the boundary layer rakes on the left wing of NASA's single-seat F-16XL (ship #1) used for the Cranked-Arrow Wing Aerodynamic Project (CAWAP) at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The modified airplane features a delta 'cranked-arrow' wing with strips of tubing along the leading edge to the trailing edge to sense static on the wing and obtain pressure distribution data. The right wing receives data on pressure distribution and the left wing has three types of instrumentation - preston tubes to measure local skin friction, boundary layer rakes to measure boundary layer profiles (the layer where the air interacts with the surfaces of a moving aircraft), and hot films to determine boundary layer transition locations. The first flight of CAWAP occurred on November 21, 1995, and the test program ended in April 1996.

An Experimental Investigation of the Confluent Boundary Layer on a High-Lift System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, F. O.; Nelson, R. C.

1997-01-01

This paper describes a fundamental experimental investigation of the confluent boundary layer generated by the interaction of a leading-edge slat wake with the boundary layer on the main element of a multi-element airfoil model. The slat and airfoil model geometry are both fully two-dimensional. The research reported in this paper is performed in an attempt to investigate the flow physics of confluent boundary layers and to build an archival data base on the interaction of the slat wake and the main element wall layer. In addition, an attempt is made to clearly identify the role that slat wake / airfoil boundary layer confluence has on lift production and how this occurs. Although complete LDV flow surveys were performed for a variety of slat gap and overhang settings, in this report the focus is on two cases representing both strong and weak wake boundary layer confluence.

Towards Natural Transition in Compressible Boundary Layers

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-29

AFRL-AFOSR-CL-TR-2016-0011 Towards natural transition in compressible boundary layers Marcello Faraco de Medeiros FUNDACAO PARA O INCREMENTO DA...to 29-03-2016 Towards natural transition in compressible boundary layers FA9550-11-1-0354 Marcello A. Faraco de Medeiros Germán Andrés Gaviria...unlimited. 109 Final report Towards natural transition in compressible boundary layers Principal Investigator: Marcello Augusto Faraco de Medeiros

Inventory of File nam.t00z.smartconus00.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

(Eta model reduction) [Pa] 014 planetary boundary layer WDIR analysis Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 015 planetary boundary layer WIND analysis Wind Speed [m/s] 016 planetary boundary layer RH analysis Relative Humidity [%] 017 planetary boundary layer DIST analysis Geometric Height [m

Asymmetric simple exclusion process with position-dependent hopping rates: Phase diagram from boundary-layer analysis.

PubMed

Mukherji, Sutapa

2018-03-01

In this paper, we study a one-dimensional totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with position-dependent hopping rates. Under open boundary conditions, this system exhibits boundary-induced phase transitions in the steady state. Similarly to totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes with uniform hopping, the phase diagram consists of low-density, high-density, and maximal-current phases. In various phases, the shape of the average particle density profile across the lattice including its boundary-layer parts changes significantly. Using the tools of boundary-layer analysis, we obtain explicit solutions for the density profile in different phases. A detailed analysis of these solutions under different boundary conditions helps us obtain the equations for various phase boundaries. Next, we show how the shape of the entire density profile including the location of the boundary layers can be predicted from the fixed points of the differential equation describing the boundary layers. We discuss this in detail through several examples of density profiles in various phases. The maximal-current phase appears to be an especially interesting phase where the boundary layer flows to a bifurcation point on the fixed-point diagram.

Asymmetric simple exclusion process with position-dependent hopping rates: Phase diagram from boundary-layer analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherji, Sutapa

2018-03-01

In this paper, we study a one-dimensional totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with position-dependent hopping rates. Under open boundary conditions, this system exhibits boundary-induced phase transitions in the steady state. Similarly to totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes with uniform hopping, the phase diagram consists of low-density, high-density, and maximal-current phases. In various phases, the shape of the average particle density profile across the lattice including its boundary-layer parts changes significantly. Using the tools of boundary-layer analysis, we obtain explicit solutions for the density profile in different phases. A detailed analysis of these solutions under different boundary conditions helps us obtain the equations for various phase boundaries. Next, we show how the shape of the entire density profile including the location of the boundary layers can be predicted from the fixed points of the differential equation describing the boundary layers. We discuss this in detail through several examples of density profiles in various phases. The maximal-current phase appears to be an especially interesting phase where the boundary layer flows to a bifurcation point on the fixed-point diagram.

Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loitsianskii. L. G.

1956-01-01

The fundamental, practically the most important branch of the modern mechanics of a viscous fluid or a gas, is that branch which concerns itself with the study of the boundary layer. The presence of a boundary layer accounts for the origin of the resistance and lift force, the breakdown of the smooth flow about bodies, and other phenomena that are associated with the motion of a body in a real fluid. The concept of boundary layer was clearly formulated by the founder of aerodynamics, N. E. Joukowsky, in his well-known work "On the Form of Ships" published as early as 1890. In his book "Theoretical Foundations of Air Navigation," Joukowsky gave an account of the most important properties of the boundary layer and pointed out the part played by it in the production of the resistance of bodies to motion. The fundamental differential equations of the motion of a fluid in a laminar boundary layer were given by Prandtl in 1904; the first solutions of these equations date from 1907 to 1910. As regards the turbulent boundary layer, there does not exist even to this day any rigorous formulation of this problem because there is no closed system of equations for the turbulent motion of a fluid. Soviet scientists have done much toward developing a general theory of the boundary layer, and in that branch of the theory which is of greatest practical importance at the present time, namely the study of the boundary layer at large velocities of the body in a compressed gas, the efforts of the scientists of our country have borne fruit in the creation of a new theory which leaves far behind all that has been done previously in this direction. We shall herein enumerate the most important results by Soviet scientists in the development of the theory of the boundary layer.

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Transition Measurements Using NO2 approaches NO Photo-dissociation Tagging Velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bathel, Brett F.; Johansen, Craig T.; Danehy, Paul M.; Inman, Jennifer A.; Jones, Stephen B.; Goyne, Christopher P.

2011-01-01

Measurements of instantaneous and mean streamwise velocity profiles in a hypersonic laminar boundary layer as well as a boundary layer undergoing laminar-to-turbulent transition were obtained over a 10-degree half-angle wedge model. A molecular tagging velocimetry technique consisting of a NO2 approaches?NO photo-dissociation reaction and two subsequent excitations of NO was used. The measurement of the transitional boundary layer velocity profiles was made downstream of a 1-mm tall, 4-mm diameter cylindrical trip along several lines lying within a streamwise measurement plane normal to the model surface and offset 6-mm from the model centerline. For laminar and transitional boundary layer measurements, the magnitudes of streamwise velocity fluctuations are compared. In the transitional boundary layer the fluctuations were, in general, 2-4 times larger than those in the laminar boundary layer. Of particular interest were fluctuations corresponding to a height of approximately 50% of the laminar boundary layer thickness having a magnitude of nearly 30% of the mean measured velocity. For comparison, the measured fluctuations in the laminar boundary layer were approximately 5% of the mean measured velocity at the same location. For the highest 10% signal-to-noise ratio data, average single-shot uncertainties using a 1 ?Es and 50 ?Es interframe delay were 115 m/s and 3 m/s, respectively. By averaging single-shot measurements of the transitional boundary layer, uncertainties in mean velocity as low as 39 m/s were obtained in the wind tunnel. The wall-normal and streamwise spatial resolutions were 0.14-mm (2 pixel) and 0.82-mm (11 pixels), respectively. These measurements were performed in the 31-inch Mach 10 Air Wind Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Laminar-turbulent transition tripped by step on transonic compressor profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flaszynski, Pawel; Doerffer, Piotr; Szwaba, Ryszard; Piotrowicz, Michal; Kaczynski, Piotr

2018-02-01

The shock wave boundary layer interaction on the suction side of transonic compressor blade is one of the main objectives of TFAST project (Transition Location Effect on Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction). The experimental and numerical results for the flow structure investigations are shown for the flow conditions as the existing ones on the suction side of the compressor profile. The two cases are investigated: without and with boundary layer tripping device. In the first case, boundary layer is laminar up to the shock wave, while in the second case the boundary layer is tripped by the step. Numerical results carried out by means of Fine/Turbo Numeca with Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Model including transition modeling are compared with schlieren, Temperature Sensitive Paint and wake measurements. Boundary layer transition location is detected by Temperature Sensitive Paint.

Sound-turbulence interaction in transonic boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lelostec, Ludovic; Scalo, Carlo; Lele, Sanjiva

2014-11-01

Acoustic wave scattering in a transonic boundary layer is investigated through a novel approach. Instead of simulating directly the interaction of an incoming oblique acoustic wave with a turbulent boundary layer, suitable Dirichlet conditions are imposed at the wall to reproduce only the reflected wave resulting from the interaction of the incident wave with the boundary layer. The method is first validated using the laminar boundary layer profiles in a parallel flow approximation. For this scattering problem an exact inviscid solution can be found in the frequency domain which requires numerical solution of an ODE. The Dirichlet conditions are imposed in a high-fidelity unstructured compressible flow solver for Large Eddy Simulation (LES), CharLESx. The acoustic field of the reflected wave is then solved and the interaction between the boundary layer and sound scattering can be studied.

Pitot-probe displacement in a supersonic turbulent boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, J. M.

1972-01-01

Eight circular pitot probes ranging in size from 2 to 70 percent of the boundary-layer thickness were tested to provide experimental probe displacement results in a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer at a nominal free-stream Mach number of 2 and unit Reynolds number of 8 million per meter. The displacement obtained in the study was larger than that reported by previous investigators in either an incompressible turbulent boundary layer or a supersonic laminar boundary layer. The large probes indicated distorted Mach number profiles, probably due to separation. When the probes were small enough to cause no appreciable distortion, the displacement was constant over most of the boundary layer. The displacement in the near-wall region decreased to negative displacement in some cases. This near-wall region was found to extend to about one probe diameter from the test surface.

Flat Plate Boundary Layer Stimulation Using Trip Wires and Hama Strips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peguero, Charles; Henoch, Charles; Hrubes, James; Fredette, Albert; Roberts, Raymond; Huyer, Stephen

2017-11-01

Water tunnel experiments on a flat plate at zero angle of attack were performed to investigate the effect of single roughness elements, i.e., trip wires and Hama strips, on the transition to turbulence. Boundary layer trips are traditionally used in scale model testing to force a boundary layer to transition from laminar to turbulent flow at a single location to aid in scaling of flow characteristics. Several investigations of trip wire effects exist in the literature, but there is a dearth of information regarding the influence of Hama strips on the flat plate boundary layer. The intent of this investigation is to better understand the effects of boundary layer trips, particularly Hama strips, and to investigate the pressure-induced drag of both styles of boundary layer trips. Untripped and tripped boundary layers along a flat plate at a range of flow speeds were characterized with multiple diagnostic measurements in the NUWC/Newport 12-inch water tunnel. A wide range of Hama strip and wire trip thicknesses were used. Measurements included dye flow visualization, direct skin friction and parasitic drag force, boundary layer profiles using LDV, wall shear stress fluctuations using hot film anemometry, and streamwise pressure gradients. Test results will be compared to the CFD and boundary layer model results as well as the existing body of work. Conclusions, resulting in guidance for application of Hama strips in model scale experiments and non-dimensional predictions of pressure drag will be presented.

Absorption line studies of reflection from horizontally inhomogeneous layers. [in cloudy planetary atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Appleby, J. F.; Van Blerkom, D. J.

1975-01-01

The article details an inhomogeneous reflecting layer (IRFL) model designed to survey absorption line behavior from a Squires-like cloud cover (which is characterized by convection cell structure). Computational problems and procedures are discussed in detail. The results show trends usually opposite to those predicted by a simple reflecting layer model. Per cent equivalent width variations for the tower model are usually somewhat greater for weak than for relatively strong absorption lines, with differences of a factor of about two or three. IRFL equivalent width variations do not differ drastically as a function of geometry when the total volume of absorbing gas is held constant. The IRFL results are in many instances consistent with observed equivalent width variations of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus.

Year-Long Vertical Velocity Statistics Derived from Doppler Lidar Data for the Continental Convective Boundary Layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Larry K.; Newsom, Rob K.; Turner, David D.

One year of Coherent Doppler Lidar (CDL) data collected at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site in Oklahoma is analyzed to provide profiles of vertical velocity variance, skewness, and kurtosis for cases of cloud-free convective boundary layers. The variance was scaled by the Deardorff convective velocity scale, which was successful when the boundary layer depth was stationary but failed in situations when the layer was changing rapidly. In this study the data are sorted according to time of day, season, wind direction, surface shear stress, degree of instability, and wind shear across the boundary-layer top. Themore » normalized variance was found to have its peak value near a normalized height of 0.25. The magnitude of the variance changes with season, shear stress, and degree of instability, but was not impacted by wind shear across the boundary-layer top. The skewness was largest in the top half of the boundary layer (with the exception of wintertime conditions). The skewness was found to be a function of the season, shear stress, wind shear across the boundary-layer top, with larger amounts of shear leading to smaller values. Like skewness, the vertical profile of kurtosis followed a consistent pattern, with peak values near the boundary-layer top (also with the exception of wintertime data). The altitude of the peak values of kurtosis was found to be lower when there was a large amount of wind shear at the boundary-layer top.« less

Towards a Viscous Wall Model for Immersed Boundary Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brehm, Christoph; Barad, Michael F.; Kiris, Cetin C.

2016-01-01

Immersed boundary methods are frequently employed for simulating flows at low Reynolds numbers or for applications where viscous boundary layer effects can be neglected. The primary shortcoming of Cartesian mesh immersed boundary methods is the inability of efficiently resolving thin turbulent boundary layers in high-Reynolds number flow application. The inefficiency of resolving the thin boundary is associated with the use of constant aspect ratio Cartesian grid cells. Conventional CFD approaches can efficiently resolve the large wall normal gradients by utilizing large aspect ratio cells near the wall. This paper presents different approaches for immersed boundary methods to account for the viscous boundary layer interaction with the flow-field away from the walls. Different wall modeling approaches proposed in previous research studies are addressed and compared to a new integral boundary layer based approach. In contrast to common wall-modeling approaches that usually only utilize local flow information, the integral boundary layer based approach keeps the streamwise history of the boundary layer. This allows the method to remain effective at much larger y+ values than local wall modeling approaches. After a theoretical discussion of the different approaches, the method is applied to increasingly more challenging flow fields including fully attached, separated, and shock-induced separated (laminar and turbulent) flows.

Investigations on entropy layer along hypersonic hyperboloids using a defect boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brazier, J. P.; Aupoix, B.; Cousteix, J.

1992-01-01

A defect approach coupled with matched asymptotic expansions is used to derive a new set of boundary layer equations. This method ensures a smooth matching of the boundary layer with the inviscid solution. These equations are solved to calculate boundary layers over hypersonic blunt bodies involving the entropy gradient effect. Systematic comparisons are made for both axisymmetric and plane flows in several cases with different Mach and Reynolds numbers. After a brief survey of the entropy layer characteristics, the defect boundary layer results are compared with standard boundary layer and full Navier-Stokes solutions. The entropy gradient effects are found to be more important in the axisymmetric case than in the plane one. The wall temperature has a great influence on the results through the displacement effect. Good predictions can be obtained with the defect approach over a cold wall in the nose region, with a first order solution. However, the defect approach gives less accurate results far from the nose on axisymmetric bodies because of the thinning of the entropy layer.

SMART Ground-based Radiation Measurements during PRIDE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsay, Si-Chee; Ji, Qiang; Hansel, R.; Pilewskie, P.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

We deployed a suite of ground-based remote sensing instruments - SMART (Surface Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer), at the Roosevelt Road Naval Station in Puerto Rico during the Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE). The instruments include several solar and infrared broadband radiometers, a sunphotometer, a shadow-band radiometer, a micro-pulse lidar, a total-sky imager, a microwave radiometer, and two solar spectrometers. These radiometers were set up on a mobile platform and a solar tracker. During 27 June - 23 July, about 25 days of data were acquired under partially cloudy sky conditions. The diurnal air temperature was fluctuating around 28.6 C to within a few degrees. Daytime average of solar irradiance reaching at the surface was ranged from about 400 W/sq m on a rainy day to about 640 W/sq m on a cloud-free day. The infrared irradiance at the surface during the measurement period was averaged about 408 W/sq m. The heights of boundary layer, dusts and clouds were captured by lidar images. Based on sunphotometer and shadow-band radiometer retrievals, the aerosol optical thickness varied from below 0.1 to over 0.6. Combining with radiative transfer modeling and other in-situ and remote sensing measurements, our ground-based measurements provide vital information on understanding the long-range transport of African dust into the Caribbean.

Regionally strong feedbacks between the atmosphere and terrestrial biosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Julia K.; Konings, Alexandra G.; Alemohammad, Seyed Hamed; Berry, Joseph; Entekhabi, Dara; Kolassa, Jana; Lee, Jung-Eun; Gentine, Pierre

2017-06-01

The terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere interact through a series of feedback loops. Variability in terrestrial vegetation growth and phenology can modulate fluxes of water and energy to the atmosphere, and thus affect the climatic conditions that in turn regulate vegetation dynamics. Here we analyse satellite observations of solar-induced fluorescence, precipitation, and radiation using a multivariate statistical technique. We find that biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks are globally widespread and regionally strong: they explain up to 30% of precipitation and surface radiation variance in regions where feedbacks occur. Substantial biosphere-precipitation feedbacks are often found in regions that are transitional between energy and water limitation, such as semi-arid or monsoonal regions. Substantial biosphere-radiation feedbacks are often present in several moderately wet regions and in the Mediterranean, where precipitation and radiation increase vegetation growth. Enhancement of latent and sensible heat transfer from vegetation accompanies this growth, which increases boundary layer height and convection, affecting cloudiness, and consequently incident surface radiation. Enhanced evapotranspiration can increase moist convection, leading to increased precipitation. Earth system models underestimate these precipitation and radiation feedbacks mainly because they underestimate the biosphere response to radiation and water availability. We conclude that biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks cluster in specific climatic regions that help determine the net CO2 balance of the biosphere.

Regionally Strong Feedbacks Between the Atmosphere and Terrestrial Biosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Julia K.; Konings, Alexandra G.; Alemohammad, Seyed Hamed; Lee, Jung-Eun; Berry, Joseph; Entekhabi, Dara; Kolassa, Jana; Gentine, Pierre

2017-01-01

The terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere interact through a series of feedback loops. Variability in terrestrial vegetation growth and phenology can modulate fluxes of water and energy to the atmosphere, and thus affect the climatic conditions that in turn regulate vegetation dynamics. Here we analyze satellite observations of solar-induced fluorescence, precipitation, and radiation using a multivariate statistical technique. We find that biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks are globally widespread and regionally strong: they explain up to 30 of precipitation and surface radiation variance. Substantial biosphere-precipitation feedbacks are often found in regions that are transitional between energy and water limitation, such as semi-arid or monsoonal regions. Substantial biosphere-radiation feedbacks are often present in several moderately wet regions and in the Mediterranean, where precipitation and radiation increase vegetation growth. Enhancement of latent and sensible heat transfer from vegetation accompanies this growth, which increases boundary layer height and convection, affecting cloudiness, and consequently incident surface radiation. Enhanced evapotranspiration can increase moist convection, leading to increased precipitation. Earth system models underestimate these precipitation and radiation feedbacks mainly because they underestimate the biosphere response to radiation and water availability. We conclude that biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks cluster in specific climatic regions that help determine the net CO2 balance of the biosphere.

Inventory of File gfs.t06z.smartguam15.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

hour fcst Visibility [m] 014 planetary boundary layer WDIR 15 hour fcst Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 015 planetary boundary layer WIND 15 hour fcst Wind Speed [m/s] 016 planetary boundary layer RH 15 hour fcst Relative Humidity [%] 017 planetary boundary layer DIST 15 hour fcst Geometric

Physical modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer in the UNH Flow Physics Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor-Power, Gregory; Gilooly, Stephanie; Wosnik, Martin; Klewicki, Joe; Turner, John

2016-11-01

The Flow Physics Facility (FPF) at UNH has test section dimensions W =6.0m, H =2.7m, L =72m. It can achieve high Reynolds number boundary layers, enabling turbulent boundary layer, wind energy and wind engineering research with exceptional spatial and temporal instrument resolution. We examined the FPF's ability to experimentally simulate different types of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) using upstream roughness arrays. The American Society for Civil Engineers defines standards for simulating ABLs for different terrain types, from open sea to dense city areas (ASCE 49-12). The standards require the boundary layer to match a power law shape, roughness height, and power spectral density criteria. Each boundary layer type has a corresponding power law exponent and roughness height. The exponent and roughness height both increase with increasing roughness. A suburban boundary layer was chosen for simulation and a roughness element fetch was created. Several fetch lengths were experimented with and the resulting boundary layers were measured and compared to standards in ASCE 49-12: Wind Tunnel Testing for Buildings and Other Structures. Pitot tube and hot wire anemometers were used to measure average and fluctuating flow characteristics. Velocity profiles, turbulence intensity and velocity spectra were found to compare favorably.

Effect of Pulsed Plasma Jets on the Recovering Boundary Layer Downstream of a Reflected Shock Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, Benton; Clemens, Noel; Magari, Patrick; Micka, Daniel; Ueckermann, Mattheus

2015-11-01

Shock-induced turbulent boundary layer separation can have many detrimental effects in supersonic inlets including flow distortion and instability, structural fatigue, poor pressure recovery, and unstart. The current study investigates the effect of pulsed plasma jets on the recovering boundary layer downstream of a reflected shock wave-boundary layer interaction. The effects of pitch and skew angle of the jet as well as the heating parameter and discharge time scale are tested using several pulsing frequencies. In addition, the effect of the plasma jets on the undisturbed boundary layer at 6 mm and 11 mm downstream of the jets is measured. A pitot-static pressure probe is used to measure the velocity profile of the boundary layer 35 mm downstream of the plasma jets, and the degree of boundary layer distortion is compared between the different models and run conditions. Additionally, the effect of each actuator configuration on the shape of the mean separated region is investigated using surface oil flow visualization. Previous studies with lower energy showed a weak effect on the downstream boundary layer. The current investigation will attempt to increase this effect using a higher-energy discharge. Funded by AFRL through and SBIR in collaboration with Creare, LLC.

Optimal Control of Shock Wave Turbulent Boundary Layer Interactions Using Micro-Array Actuation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Bernhard H.; Tinapple, Jon; Surber, Lewis

2006-01-01

The intent of this study on micro-array flow control is to demonstrate the viability and economy of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to determine optimal designs of micro-array actuation for controlling the shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions within supersonic inlets and compare these concepts to conventional bleed performance. The term micro-array refers to micro-actuator arrays which have heights of 25 to 40 percent of the undisturbed supersonic boundary layer thickness. This study covers optimal control of shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions using standard micro-vane, tapered micro-vane, and standard micro-ramp arrays at a free stream Mach number of 2.0. The effectiveness of the three micro-array devices was tested using a shock pressure rise induced by the 10 shock generator, which was sufficiently strong as to separate the turbulent supersonic boundary layer. The overall design purpose of the micro-arrays was to alter the properties of the supersonic boundary layer by introducing a cascade of counter-rotating micro-vortices in the near wall region. In this manner, the impact of the shock wave boundary layer (SWBL) interaction on the main flow field was minimized without boundary bleed.

Generalization of Boundary-Layer Momentum-Integral Equations to Three-Dimensional Flows Including Those of Rotating System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mager, Arthur

1952-01-01

The Navier-Stokes equations of motion and the equation of continuity are transformed so as to apply to an orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system rotating with a uniform angular velocity about an arbitrary axis in space. A usual simplification of these equations as consistent with the accepted boundary-layer theory and an integration of these equations through the boundary layer result in boundary-layer momentum-integral equations for three-dimensional flows that are applicable to either rotating or nonrotating fluid boundaries. These equations are simplified and an approximate solution in closed integral form is obtained for a generalized boundary-layer momentum-loss thickness and flow deflection at the wall in the turbulent case. A numerical evaluation of this solution carried out for data obtained in a curving nonrotating duct shows a fair quantitative agreement with the measures values. The form in which the equations are presented is readily adaptable to cases of steady, three-dimensional, incompressible boundary-layer flow like that over curved ducts or yawed wings; and it also may be used to describe the boundary-layer flow over various rotating surfaces, thus applying to turbomachinery, propellers, and helicopter blades.

Modeling marine boundary-layer clouds with a two-layer model: A one-dimensional simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Shouping

1993-01-01

A two-layer model of the marine boundary layer is described. The model is used to simulate both stratocumulus and shallow cumulus clouds in downstream simulations. Over cold sea surfaces, the model predicts a relatively uniform structure in the boundary layer with 90%-100% cloud fraction. Over warm sea surfaces, the model predicts a relatively strong decoupled and conditionally unstable structure with a cloud fraction between 30% and 60%. A strong large-scale divergence considerably limits the height of the boundary layer and decreases relative humidity in the upper part of the cloud layer; thus, a low cloud fraction results. The efffects of drizzle on the boundary-layer structure and cloud fraction are also studied with downstream simulations. It is found that drizzle dries and stabilizes the cloud layer and tends to decouple the cloud from the subcloud layer. Consequently, solid stratocumulus clouds may break up and the cloud fraction may decrease because of drizzle.

Calculation of sidewall boundary-layer parameters from rake measurements for the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murthy, A. V.

1987-01-01

Correction of airfoil data for sidewall boundary-layer effects requires a knowledge of the boundary-layer displacement thickness and the shape factor with the tunnel empty. To facilitate calculation of these quantities under various test conditions for the Langley 0.3 m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel, a computer program was written. This program reads the various tunnel parameters and the boundary-layer rake total head pressure measurements directly from the Engineering Unit tapes to calculate the required sidewall boundary-layer parameters. Details of the method along with the results for a sample case are presented.

Studies on the influence on flexural wall deformations on the development of the flow boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schilz, W.

1978-01-01

Flexural wave-like deformations can be used to excite boundary layer waves which in turn lead to the onset of turbulence in the boundary layer. The investigations were performed with flow velocities between 5 m/s and 40 m/s. With four different flexural wave transmissions a frequency range from 0.2 kc/s to 1.5 kc/s and a phase velocity range from 3.5 m/s to 12 m/s was covered. The excitation of boundary layer waves becomes most effective if the phase velocity of the flexural wave coincides with the phase velocity region of unstable boundary layer waves.

Viscous flow drag reduction; Symposium, Dallas, Tex., November 7, 8, 1979, Technical Papers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hough, G. R.

1980-01-01

The symposium focused on laminar boundary layers, boundary layer stability analysis of a natural laminar flow glove on the F-111 TACT aircraft, drag reduction of an oscillating flat plate with an interface film, electromagnetic precipitation and ducting of particles in turbulent boundary layers, large eddy breakup scheme for turbulent viscous drag reduction, blowing and suction, polymer additives, and compliant surfaces. Topics included influence of environment in laminar boundary layer control, generation rate of turbulent patches in the laminar boundary layer of a submersible, drag reduction of small amplitude rigid surface waves, and hydrodynamic drag and surface deformations generated by liquid flows over flexible surfaces.

Effect of aspect ratio on sidewall boundary-layer influence in two-dimensional airfoil testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murthy, A. V.

1986-01-01

The effect of sidewall boundary layers in airfoil testing in two-dimensional wind tunnels is investigated. The non-linear crossflow velocity variation induced because of the changes in the sidewall boundary-layer thickness is represented by the flow between a wavy wall and a straight wall. Using this flow model, a correction for the sidewall boundary-layer effects is derived in terms of the undisturbed sidewall boundary-layer properties, the test Mach number and the airfoil aspect ratio. Application of the proposed correction to available experimental data showed good correlation for the shock location and pressure distribution on airfoils.

Boundary-field-driven control of discontinuous phase transitions on hyperbolic lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yoju; Verstraete, Frank; Gendiar, Andrej

2016-08-01

The multistate Potts models on two-dimensional hyperbolic lattices are studied with respect to various boundary effects. The free energy is numerically calculated using the corner transfer matrix renormalization group method. We analyze phase transitions of the Potts models in the thermodynamic limit with respect to contracted boundary layers. A false phase transition is present even if a couple of the boundary layers are contracted. Its significance weakens, as the number of the contracted boundary layers increases, until the correct phase transition (deep inside the bulk) prevails over the false one. For this purpose, we derive a thermodynamic quantity, the so-called bulk excess free energy, which depends on the contracted boundary layers and memorizes additional boundary effects. In particular, the magnetic field is imposed on the outermost boundary layer. While the boundary magnetic field does not affect the second-order phase transition in the bulk if suppressing all the boundary effects on the hyperbolic lattices, the first-order (discontinuous) phase transition is significantly sensitive to the boundary magnetic field. Contrary to the phase transition on the Euclidean lattices, the discontinuous phase transition on the hyperbolic lattices can be continuously controlled (within a certain temperature coexistence region) by varying the boundary magnetic field.

Numerical investigation of an internal layer in turbulent flow over a curved hill

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, S-W.

1989-01-01

The development of an internal layer in a turbulent boundary layer flow over a curved hill is investigated numerically. The turbulence field of the boundary layer flow over the curved hill is compared with that of a turbulent flow over a symmetric airfoil (which has the same geometry as the curved hill except that the leading and trailing edge plates were removed) to study the influence of the strongly curved surface on the turbulence field. The turbulent flow equations are solved by a control-volume based finite difference method. The turbulence is described by a multiple-time-scale turbulence model supplemented with a near-wall turbulence model. Computational results for the mean flow field (pressure distributions on the walls, wall shearing stresses and mean velocity profiles), the turbulence structure (Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy profiles), and the integral parameters (displacement and momentum thicknesses) compared favorably with the measured data. Computational results show that the internal layer is a strong turbulence field which is developed beneath the external boundary layer and is located very close to the wall. Development of the internal layer was more obviously observed in the Reynolds stress profiles and in the turbulent kinetic energy profiles than in the mean velocity profiles. In this regard, the internal layers is significantly different from wall-bounded simple shear layers in which the mean velocity profile characterizes the boundary layer most distinguishably. Development of such an internal layer, characterized by an intense turbulence field, is attributed to the enormous mean flow strain rate caused by the streamline curvature and the strong pressure gradient. In the turbulent flow over the curved hill, the internal layer begin to form near the forward corner of the hill, merges with the external boundary layer, and develops into a new fully turbulent boundary layer as the fluid flows in the downstream direction. For the flow over the symmetric airfoil, the boundary layer began to form from almost the same location as that of the curved hill, grew in its strength, and formed a fully turbulent boundary layer from mid-part of the airfoil and in the downstream region. Computational results also show that the detailed turbulence structure in the region very close to the wall of the curved hill is almost the same as that of the airfoil in most of the curved regions except near the leading edge. Thus the internal layer of the curved hill and the boundary layer of the airfoil were also almost the same. Development of the wall shearing stress and separation of the boundary layer at the rear end of the curved hill mostly depends on the internal layer and is only slightly influenced by the external boundary layer flow.

The influence of free-stream turbulence on turbulent boundary layers with mild adverse pressure gradients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffmann, Jon A.

1988-01-01

The influence of near isotropic free-stream turbulence on the shape factors and skin friction coefficients of turbulent bounday layers is presented for the cases of zero and mild adverse pressure gradients. With free-stream turbulence, improved fluid mixing occurs in boundary layers with adverse pressure gradients relative to the zero pressure gradient condition, with the same free-stream turbulence intensity and length scale. Stronger boundary layers with lower shape factors occur as a result of a lower ratio of the integral scale of turbulence to the boundary layer thickness, and to vortex stretching of the turbulent eddies in the free stream, both of which act to improve the transmission of momentum from the free stream to the boundary layers.

Foliar trichomes, boundary layers, and gas exchange in 12 species of epiphytic Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae).

PubMed

Benz, Brett W; Martin, Craig E

2006-04-01

We examined the relationships between H2O and CO2 gas exchange parameters and leaf trichome cover in 12 species of Tillandsia that exhibit a wide range in trichome size and trichome cover. Previous investigations have hypothesized that trichomes function to enhance boundary layers around Tillandsioid leaves thereby buffering the evaporative demand of the atmosphere and retarding transpirational water loss. Data presented herein suggest that trichome-enhanced boundary layers have negligible effects on Tillandsia gas exchange, as indicated by the lack of statistically significant relationships in regression analyses of gas exchange parameters and trichome cover. We calculated trichome and leaf boundary layer components, and their associated effects on H2O and CO2 gas exchange. The results further indicate trichome-enhanced boundary layers do not significantly reduce transpirational water loss. We conclude that although the trichomes undoubtedly increase the thickness of the boundary layer, the increase due to Tillandsioid trichomes is inconsequential in terms of whole leaf boundary layers, and any associated reduction in transpirational water loss is also negligible within the whole plant gas exchange pathway.

Hydrodynamic structure of the boundary layers in a rotating cylindrical cavity with radial inflow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herrmann-Priesnitz, Benjamín, E-mail: bherrman@ing.uchile.cl; Torres, Diego A.; Advanced Mining Technology Center, Universidad de Chile, Av. Tupper 2007, Santiago

A flow model is formulated to investigate the hydrodynamic structure of the boundary layers of incompressible fluid in a rotating cylindrical cavity with steady radial inflow. The model considers mass and momentum transfer coupled between boundary layers and an inviscid core region. Dimensionless equations of motion are solved using integral methods and a space-marching technique. As the fluid moves radially inward, entraining boundary layers develop which can either meet or become non-entraining. Pressure and wall shear stress distributions, as well as velocity profiles predicted by the model, are compared to numerical simulations using the software OpenFOAM. Hydrodynamic structure of themore » boundary layers is governed by a Reynolds number, Re, a Rossby number, Ro, and the dimensionless radial velocity component at the periphery of the cavity, U{sub o}. Results show that boundary layers merge for Re < < 10 and Ro > > 0.1, and boundary layers become predominantly non-entraining for low Ro, low Re, and high U{sub o}. Results may contribute to improve the design of technology, such as heat exchange devices, and turbomachinery.« less

Control of boundary layer transition location and plate vibration in the presence of an external acoustic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maestrello, L.; Grosveld, F. W.

1991-01-01

The experiment is aimed at controlling the boundary layer transition location and the plate vibration when excited by a flow and an upstream sound source. Sound has been found to affect the flow at the leading edge and the response of a flexible plate in a boundary layer. Because the sound induces early transition, the panel vibration is acoustically coupled to the turbulent boundary layer by the upstream radiation. Localized surface heating at the leading edge delays the transition location downstream of the flexible plate. The response of the plate excited by a turbulent boundary layer (without sound) shows that the plate is forced to vibrate at different frequencies and with different amplitudes as the flow velocity changes indicating that the plate is driven by the convective waves of the boundary layer. The acoustic disturbances induced by the upstream sound dominate the response of the plate when the boundary layer is either turbulent or laminar. Active vibration control was used to reduce the sound induced displacement amplitude of the plate.

A Marine Boundary Layer Water Vapor Climatology Derived from Microwave and Near-Infrared Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millan Valle, L. F.; Lebsock, M. D.; Teixeira, J.

2017-12-01

The synergy of the collocated Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides daily global estimates of partial marine planetary boundary layer water vapor. AMSR microwave radiometry provides the total column water vapor, while MODIS near-infrared imagery provides the water vapor above the cloud layers. The difference between the two gives the vapor between the surface and the cloud top, which may be interpreted as the boundary layer water vapor. Comparisons against radiosondes, and GPS-Radio occultation data demonstrate the robustness of these boundary layer water vapor estimates. We exploit the 14 years of AMSR-MODIS synergy to investigate the spatial, seasonal, and inter-annual variations of the boundary layer water vapor. Last, it is shown that the measured AMSR-MODIS partial boundary layer water vapor can be generally prescribed using sea surface temperature, cloud top pressure and the lifting condensation level. The multi-sensor nature of the analysis demonstrates that there exists more information on boundary layer water vapor structure in the satellite observing system than is commonly assumed when considering the capabilities of single instruments. 2017 California Institute of Technology. U.S. Government sponsorship acknowledged.

Boundary layers in cataclysmic variables: The HEAO-1 X-ray constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, K. A.

1983-01-01

The predictions of the boundary layer model for the X-ray emission from novae are summarized. A discrepancy between observations and theory in the X-ray observations is found. Constraints on the nature of the boundary layers in novae, based on the lack of detections of novae in the HEAO-1 soft X-ray survey are provided. Temperature and column densities for optically thick boundary layers in novae are estimated.

Turbulent boundary layers with secondary flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grushwitz, E.

1984-01-01

An experimental analysis of the boundary layer on a plane wall, along which the flow occurs, whose potential flow lines are curved in plane parallel to the wall is discussed. According to the equation frequently applied to boundary layers in a plane flow, which is usually obtained by using the pulse law, a generalization is derived which is valid for boundary layers with spatial flow. The wall shear stresses were calculated with this equation.

Investigation of blown boundary layers with an improved wall jet system. Ph.D. Thesis. Final Technical Report, 1 Jul. 1978 - Dec. 1979; [to prevent turbulent boundary layer separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saripalli, K. R.; Simpson, R. L.

1979-01-01

The behavior of two dimensional incompressible turbulent wall jets submerged in a boundary layer when they are used to prevent boundary layer separation on plane surfaces is investigated. The experimental set-up and instrumentation are described. Experimental results of zero pressure gradient flow and adverse pressure gradient flow are presented. Conclusions are given and discussed.

Three-dimensional boundary layers approaching separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. C., III

1976-01-01

The theory of semi-similar solutions of the laminar boundary layer equations is applied to several flows in which the boundary layer approaches a three-dimensional separation line. The solutions obtained are used to deduce the nature of three-dimensional separation. It is shown that in these cases separation is of the "ordinary" type. A solution is also presented for a case in which a vortex is embedded within the three-dimensional boundary layer.

Inventory of File gfs.t06z.smartguam24.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

boundary layer WDIR 24 hour fcst Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 016 planetary boundary layer WIND 24 hour fcst Wind Speed [m/s] 017 planetary boundary layer RH 24 hour fcst Relative Humidity [%] 018 planetary boundary layer DIST 24 hour fcst Geometric Height [m] 019 surface 4LFTX 24 hour fcst

Destiny of earthward streaming plasma in the plasmasheet boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, J. L.; Horwitz, J. L.

1986-01-01

The dynamics of the earth's magnetotail have been investigated, and it has become clear that the plasmasheet boundary layer field lines map into the Region I Field-Aligned Currents (FAC) of the auroral zone. It is pointed out that the role of earthward streaming ions in the plasmasheet boundary layer may be of fundamental importance in the understanding of magnetotail dynamics, auroral zone physics, and especially for ionospheric-magnetospheric interactions. The present paper has the objective to evaluate propagation characteristics for the earthward streaming ions observed in the plasmasheet boundary layer. An investigation is conducted of the propagation characteristics of protons in the plasmasheet boundary layer using independent single particle dynamics, and conclusions are discussed. The density of earthward streaming ions found in the plasmasheet boundary layer should include the ring current as well as the auroral zone precipitaiton and inner plasmasheet regions of the magnetosphere.

On optical imaging through aircraft turbulent boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutton, G. W.

1980-01-01

Optical resolution quality as affected by aircraft turbulent boundary layers is analyzed. Wind-tunnel data was analyzed to obtained the variation of boundary layer turbulence scale length and mass density rms fluctuations with Mach number. The data gave good agreement with a mass density fluctuation turbulence spectrum that is either isotropic of orthogonally anisotropic. The data did not match an isotropic turbulence velocity spectrum which causes an anisotropic non-orthogonal mass density fluctuation spectrum. The results indicate that the average mass density rms fluctuation is about 10% of the maximum mass density across the boundary layer and that the transverse turbulence scale size is about 10% of the boundary layer thickness. The results indicate that the effect of the turbulent boundary layer is large angle scattering which decreases contrast but not resolution. Using extinction as a criteria the range of acceptable aircraft operating conditions are given.

Application of the E - Turbulence Closure Model to the Neutral and Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duynkerke, P. G.

1988-03-01

In the E - turbulence model an eddy-exchange coefficient is evaluated from the turbulent kinetic energy E and viscous dissipation . In this study we will apply the E - model to the stable and neutral atmospheric boundary layer. A discussion is given on the equation for , which terms should be included and how we have evaluated the constants. Constant cooling rate results for the stable atmospheric boundary layer are compared with a second-order closure study. For the neutral atmospheric boundary layer a comparison is made with observations, large-eddy simulations and a second-order closure study. It is shown that a small stability effect can change the neutral atmospheric boundary layer quite drastically, and therefore, it will be difficult to observe a neutral boundary layer in the atmosphere.

a Fractal Permeability Model Coupling Boundary-Layer Effect for Tight Oil Reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fuyong; Liu, Zhichao; Jiao, Liang; Wang, Congle; Guo, Hu

A fractal permeability model coupling non-flowing boundary-layer effect for tight oil reservoirs was proposed. Firstly, pore structures of tight formations were characterized with fractal theory. Then, with the empirical equation of boundary-layer thickness, Hagen-Poiseuille equation and fractal theory, a fractal torturous capillary tube model coupled with boundary-layer effect was developed, and verified with experimental data. Finally, the parameters influencing effective liquid permeability were quantitatively investigated. The research results show that effective liquid permeability of tight formations is not only decided by pore structures, but also affected by boundary-layer distributions, and effective liquid permeability is the function of fluid type, fluid viscosity, pressure gradient, fractal dimension, tortuosity fractal dimension, minimum pore radius and maximum pore radius. For the tight formations dominated with nanoscale pores, boundary-layer effect can significantly reduce effective liquid permeability, especially under low pressure gradient.

A review of turbulent-boundary-layer heat transfer research at Stanford, 1958-1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moffat, R. J.; Kays, W. M.

1984-01-01

For the past 25 years, there has existed in the Thermosciences Laboratory of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Stanford University a research program, primarily experimental, concerned with heat transfer through turbulent boundary layers. In the early phases of the program, the topics considered were the simple zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer with constant and with varying surface temperature, and the accelerated boundary layer. Later equilibrium boundary layers were considered along with factors affecting the boundary layer, taking into account transpired flows, flows with axial pressure gradients, transpiration, acceleration, deceleration, roughness, full-coverage film cooling, surface curvature, free convection, and mixed convection. A description is provided of the apparatus and techniques used, giving attention to the smooth plate rig, the rough plate rig, the full-coverage film cooling rig, the curvature rig, the concave wall rig, the mixed convection tunnel, and aspects of data reduction and uncertainty analysis.

Interaction of solar wind with the magnetopause-boundary layer and generation of magnetic impulse events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, L. C.; Wei, C. Q.

1993-01-01

The transport of mass, momentum, energy and waves from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere takes place in the magnetopause-boundary layer region. Various plasma processes that may occur in this region have been proposed and studied. In this paper, we present a brief review of the plasma processes in the dayside magnetopause-boundary layer. These processes include (1) flux transfer events at the dayside magnetopause, (2) formation of plasma vortices in the low-latitude boundary layer by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and coupling to the polar ionosphere, (3) the response of the magnetopause to the solar wind dynamic pressure pulses, and (4) the impulsive penetration of solar wind plasma filaments through the dayside magnetopause into the magnetospheric boundary layer. Through the coupling of the magnetopause-boundary layer to the polar ionosphere, those above processes may lead to occurrence of magnetic impulse events observed in the high-latitude stations.

F-16XL ship #1 - CAWAP boundary layer rakes and hot film on left wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This photo shows the boundary layer hot film and the boundary layer rakes on the left wing of NASA's single-seat F-16XL (ship #1) used for the Cranked-Arrow Wing Aerodynamic Project (CAWAP) at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The modified airplane features a delta 'cranked-arrow' wing with strips of tubing along the leading edge to the trailing edge to sense static on the wing and obtain pressure distribution data. The right wing receives data on pressure distribution and the left wing has three types of instrumentation - preston tubes to measure local skin friction, boundary layer rakes to measure boundary layer profiles (the layer where the air interacts with the surfaces of a moving aircraft), and hot films to determine boundary layer transition locations. The program also gathered aero data on two wing planforms for NASA's High Speed Research Program. The first flight of CAWAP occurred on November 21, 1995, and the test program ended in April 1996.

Boundary-Layer Characteristics Over a Coastal Megacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melecio-Vazquez, D.; Ramamurthy, P.; Arend, M.; Moshary, F.; Gonzalez, J.

2017-12-01

Boundary-layer characteristics over New York City are analyzed for various local and synoptic conditions over several seasons. An array of vertical profilers, including a Doppler LiDAR, a micro-pulse LiDAR and a microwave radiometer are used to observe the structure and evolution of the boundary-layer. Additionally, an urbanized Weather Research and Forecasting (uWRF) model coupled to a high resolution landcover/land-use database is used to study the spatial variability in boundary layer characteristics. The summer daytime averaged potential temperature profile from the microwave radiometer shows the presence of a thermal internal boundary layer wherein a superadiabatic layer lies underneath a stable layer instead of a mixed-layer. Both the winter daytime and nighttime seasonal averages show that the atmosphere remains unstable near the surface and does not reach stable conditions during the nighttime. The mixing ratio seasonal averages show peaks in humidity near 200-m and 1100-m, above instrument level, which could result from sea breeze and anthropogenic sources. Ceilometer measurements show a high degree of variability in boundary layer height depending on wind direction. Comparison with uWRF results show that the model tends to overestimate convective efficiency for selected summer and winter cases and therefore shows a much deeper thermal boundary layer than the observed profiles. The model estimates a less humid atmosphere than seen in observations.

Vorticity interaction effects on blunt bodies. [hypersonic viscous shock layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, E. C.; Wilcox, D. C.

1977-01-01

Numerical solutions of the viscous shock layer equations governing laminar and turbulent flows of a perfect gas and radiating and nonradiating mixtures of perfect gases in chemical equilibrium are presented for hypersonic flow over spherically blunted cones and hyperboloids. Turbulent properties are described in terms of the classical mixing length. Results are compared with boundary layer and inviscid flowfield solutions; agreement with inviscid flowfield data is satisfactory. Agreement with boundary layer solutions is good except in regions of strong vorticity interaction; in these flow regions, the viscous shock layer solutions appear to be more satisfactory than the boundary layer solutions. Boundary conditions suitable for hypersonic viscous shock layers are devised for an advanced turbulence theory.

The Atmospheric Boundary Layer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tennekes, Hendrik

1974-01-01

Discusses some important parameters of the boundary layer and effects of turbulence on the circulation and energy dissipation of the atmosphere. Indicates that boundary-layer research plays an important role in long-term forecasting and the study of air-pollution meteorology. (CC)

Internal and external 2-d boundary layer flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, M. E.; Kays, W. M.

1978-01-01

Computer program computes general two dimensional turbulent boundary-layer flow using finite-difference techniques. Structure allows for user modification to accommodate unique problems. Program should prove useful in many applications where accurate boundary-layer flow calculations are required.

The turbulent plasmasphere boundary layer and the outer radiation belt boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishin, Evgeny; Sotnikov, Vladimir

2017-12-01

We report on observations of enhanced plasma turbulence and hot particle distributions in the plasmasphere boundary layer formed by reconnection-injected hot plasma jets entering the plasmasphere. The data confirm that the electron pressure peak is formed just outward of the plasmapause in the premidnight sector. Free energy for plasma wave excitation comes from diamagnetic ion currents near the inner edge of the boundary layer due to the ion pressure gradient, electron diamagnetic currents in the entry layer near the electron plasma sheet boundary, and anisotropic (sometimes ring-like) ion distributions revealed inside, and further inward of, the inner boundary. We also show that nonlinear parametric coupling between lower oblique resonance and fast magnetosonic waves significantly contributes to the VLF whistler wave spectrum in the plasmasphere boundary layer. These emissions represent a distinctive subset of substorm/storm-related VLF activity in the region devoid of substorm injected tens keV electrons and could be responsible for the alteration of the outer radiation belt boundary during (sub)storms.

Comparison of Theoretical and Experimental Heat-Transfer Characteristics of Bodies of Revolution at Supersonic Speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scherrer, Richard

1951-01-01

An investigation of the three important factors that determine convective heat-transfer characteristics at supersonic speeds, location boundary-layer transition, recovery factor, and heat-transfer parameter has been performed at Mach numbers from 1.49 to 1.18. The bodies of revolution that were tested had, in most cases, laminar boundary layers, and the test results have been compared with available theory. Boundary-layer transition was found to be affected by heat transfer. Adding heat to a laminar boundary layer caused transition to move forward on the test body, while removing heat caused transition to move rearward. These experimental results and the implications of boundary-layer-stability theory are in qualitative agreement.

Study of the Effect of Free-Stream Turbulence upon Disturbances in the Pre-Transitional Laminar Boundary Layer. Part I. Laminar Boundary Layer Distortion by Surface Roughness; Effect upon Stability. Part II.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

Boundary Layer Near a Plate." NACA Rept. 562, 1936. 5) A. A. Hall and G. S. Hislop , "Experiments on the Transition of the Laminar Boundary Layer on a...Cylinder." Proc. 5th Inter. Congr. Appl. Math, 1938. 7) G. S. Hislop , "The Transition of a Laminar Boundary Layer in a Wind Tunnel." Ph.D. Thesis...Small Vertical Cylinder Attached to a Flat Plate", h Fa- Elul"s, Vol. 23, Part 1, pp. 221-223, Jan. 1980 . 9. A. Von Doenhoff and E. A. Horton, "A Low

Electron distributions in the plasma sheet boundary layer - Time-of-flight effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Onsager, T. G.; Thomsen, M. F.; Gosling, J. T.; Bame, S. J.

1990-01-01

The electron edge of the plasma sheet boundary layer lies lobeward of the ion edge. Measurements obtained near the electron edge of the boundary layer reveal low-speed cutoffs for earthward and tailward-flowing electrons. These cutoffs progress to lower speeds with deeper penetration into the boundary layer, and are consistently lower for the earthward-directed electrons than for the tailward-direction electrons. The cutoffs and their variation with distance from the edge of the boundary layer can be consistently interpreted in terms of a time-of-flight effect on recently reconnected magnetic field lines. The observed cutoff speeds are used to estimate the downtail location of the reconnection site.

Goertler instability in compressible boundary layers along curved surfaces with suction and cooling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

El-Hady, N.; Verma, A. K.

1982-01-01

The Goertler instability of the laminar compressible boundary layer flows along concave surfaces is investigated. The linearized disturbance equations for the three-dimensional, counter-rotating streamwise vortices in two-dimensional boundary layers are presented in an orthogonal curvilinear coordinate. The basic approximation of the disturbance equations, that includes the effect of the growth of the boundary layer, is considered and solved numerically. The effect of compressibility on critical stability limits, growth rates, and amplitude ratios of the vortices is evaluated for a range of Mach numbers for 0 to 5. The effect of wall cooling and suction of the boundary layer on the development of Goertler vortices is investigated for different Mach numbers.

A review of quasi-coherent structures in a numerically simulated turbulent boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, S. K.; Kline, S. J.; Spalart, P. R.

1989-01-01

Preliminary results of a comprehensive study of the structural aspects of a numerically simulated number turbulent boundary layer are presented. A direct Navier-Stokes simulation of a flat-plate, zero pressure gradient boundary layer at Re0 = 670 was used. Most of the known nonrandom, coherent features of turbulent boundary layers are confirmed in the simulation, and several new aspects of their spatial character are reported. The spatial relationships between many of the various structures are described, forming the basis for a more complete kinematical picture of boundary layer physics than has been previously known. In particular, the importance of vortex structures of various forms to the generation of Reynolds shear stress is investigated.

Computer graphic visualization of orbiter lower surface boundary-layer transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Throckmorton, D. A.; Hartung, L. C.

1984-01-01

Computer graphic techniques are applied to the processing of Shuttle Orbiter flight data in order to create a visual presentation of the extent and movement of the boundary-layer transition front over the orbiter lower surface during entry. Flight-measured surface temperature-time histories define the onset and completion of the boundary-layer transition process at any measurement location. The locus of points which define the spatial position of the boundary-layer transition front on the orbiter planform is plotted at each discrete time for which flight data are available. Displaying these images sequentially in real-time results in an animated simulation of the in-flight boundary-layer transition process.

Sublayer of Prandtl Boundary Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grenier, Emmanuel; Nguyen, Toan T.

2018-03-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate the stability of Prandtl boundary layers in the vanishing viscosity limit {ν \\to 0} . In Grenier (Commun Pure Appl Math 53(9):1067-1091, 2000), one of the authors proved that there exists no asymptotic expansion involving one of Prandtl's boundary layer, with thickness of order {√{ν}} , which describes the inviscid limit of Navier-Stokes equations. The instability gives rise to a viscous boundary sublayer whose thickness is of order {ν^{3/4}} . In this paper, we point out how the stability of the classical Prandtl's layer is linked to the stability of this sublayer. In particular, we prove that the two layers cannot both be nonlinearly stable in L^∞. That is, either the Prandtl's layer or the boundary sublayer is nonlinearly unstable in the sup norm.

Methods and results of boundary layer measurements on a glider

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nes, W. V.

1978-01-01

Boundary layer measurements were carried out on a glider under natural conditions. Two effects are investigated: the effect of inconstancy of the development of static pressure within the boundary layer and the effect of the negative pressure difference in a sublaminar boundary layer. The results obtained by means of an ion probe in parallel connection confirm those results obtained by means of a pressure probe. Additional effects which have occurred during these measurements are briefly dealt with.

A study of juncture flow in the NASA Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chokani, Ndaona

1992-01-01

A numerical investigation of the interaction between a wind tunnel sidewall boundary layer and a thin low-aspect-ratio wing has been performed for transonic speeds and flight Reynolds numbers. A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code was applied to calculate the flow field. The first portion of the investigation examined the capability of the code to calculate the flow around the wing, with no sidewall boundary layer present. The second part of the research examined the effect of modeling the sidewall boundary layer. The results indicated that the sidewall boundary layer had a strong influence on the flow field around the wing. The viscous sidewall computations accurately predicted the leading edge suction peaks, and the strong adverse pressure gradients immediately downstream of the leading edge. This was in contrast to the consistent underpredictions of the free-air computations. The low momentum of the sidewall boundary layer resulted in higher pressures in the juncture region, which decreased the favorable spanwise pressure gradient. This significantly decreased the spanwise migration of the wing boundary layer. The computations indicated that the sidewall boundary layer remained attached for all cases examined. Weak vortices were predicted in both the upper and lower surface juncture regions. These vortices are believed to have been generated by lateral skewing of the streamlines in the approaching boundary layer.

Approach to Modeling Boundary Layer Ingestion Using a Fully Coupled Propulsion-RANS Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, Justin S.; Mader, Charles A.; Kenway, Gaetan K. W.; Martins, Joaquim R. R. A.

2017-01-01

Airframe-propulsion integration concepts that use boundary layer ingestion have the potential to reduce aircraft fuel burn. One concept that has been recently explored is NASA's Starc-ABL aircraft configuration, which offers the potential for 12% mission fuel burn reduction by using a turbo-electric propulsion system with an aft-mounted electrically driven boundary layer ingestion propulsor. This large potential for improved performance motivates a more detailed study of the boundary layer ingestion propulsor design, but to date, analyses of boundary layer ingestion have used uncoupled methods. These methods account for only aerodynamic effects on the propulsion system or propulsion system effects on the aerodynamics, but not both simultaneously. This work presents a new approach for building fully coupled propulsive-aerodynamic models of boundary layer ingestion propulsion systems. A 1D thermodynamic cycle analysis is coupled to a RANS simulation to model the Starc-ABL aft propulsor at a cruise condition and the effects variation in propulsor design on performance are examined. The results indicates that both propulsion and aerodynamic effects contribute equally toward the overall performance and that the fully coupled model yields substantially different results compared to uncoupled. The most significant finding is that boundary layer ingestion, while offering substantial fuel burn savings, introduces throttle dependent aerodynamics effects that need to be accounted for. This work represents a first step toward the multidisciplinary design optimization of boundary layer ingestion propulsion systems.

Effect of Protuberance Shape and Orientation on Space Shuttle Orbiter Boundary-Layer Transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, RUdolph A.; Berry, Scott A.; Kegerise, Michael A.

2008-01-01

This document describes an experimental study conducted to examine the effects of protuberances on hypersonic boundary-layer transition. The experiment was conducted in the Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel on a series of 0.9%-scale Shuttle Orbiter models. The data were acquired to complement the existing ground-based boundary-layer transition database that was used to develop Version 1.0 of the boundary-layer transition RTF (return-to-flight) tool. The existing ground-based data were all acquired on 0.75%-scale Orbiter models using diamond-shaped ( pizza-box ) trips. The larger model scale facilitated in manufacturing higher fidelity protuberances. The end use of this experimental database will be to develop a technical basis (in the form of a boundary-layer transition correlation) to assess representative protrusion shapes, e.g., gap fillers and protrusions resulting from possible tile repair concepts. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effects of protuberance-trip location and geometry on Shuttle Orbiter boundary-layer transition. Secondary goals are to assess the effects of gap-filler orientation and other protrusion shapes on boundary-layer transition. Global heat-transfer images using phosphor thermography of the Orbiter windward surface and the corresponding streamwise and spanwise heating distributions were used to infer the state of the boundary layer, i.e., laminar, transitional, or turbulent.

Boundary-layer exchange by bubble: A novel method for generating transient nanofluidic layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennissen, Herbert P.

2005-10-01

Unstirred layers (i.e., Nernst boundary layers) occur on every dynamic solid-liquid interface, constituting a diffusion barrier, since the velocity of a moving liquid approaches zero at the surface (no slip). If a macromolecule-surface reaction rate is higher than the diffusion rate, the Nernst layer is solute depleted and the reaction rate becomes mass-transport limited. The thickness of a Nernst boundary layer (δN) generally lies between 5 and 50μm. In an evanescent wave rheometer, measuring fibrinogen adsorption to fused silica, we made the fundamental observation that an air bubble preceding the sample through the flow cell abolishes the mass-transport limitation of the Nernst diffusion layer. Instead exponential kinetics are found. Experimental and simulation studies strongly indicate that these results are due to the elimination of the Nernst diffusion layer and its replacement by a dynamic nanofluidic layer (δν) maximally 200-300nm thick. It is suggested that the air bubble leads to a transient boundary-layer separation into a novel nanoboundary layer on the surface and the bulk fluid velocity profile separated by a vortex sheet with an estimated lifetime of 30-60s. A bubble-induced boundary-layer exchange from the Nernst to the nanoboundary layer and back is obtained, giving sufficient time for the measurement of unbiased exponential surface kinetics. Noteworthy is that the nanolayer can exist at all and displays properties such as (i) a long persistence and resistance to dissipation by the bulk liquid (boundary-layer-exchange-hysteresis) and (ii) a lack of solute depletion in spite of boundary-layer separation. The boundary-layer-exchange by bubble (BLEB) method therefore appears ideal for enhancing the rates of all types of diffusion-limited macromolecular reactions on surfaces with contact angles between 0° and 90° and only appears limited by slippage due to nanobubbles or an air gap beneath the nanofluidic layer on very hydrophobic surfaces. The possibility of producing nanoboundary layers without any nanostructuring or nanomachining should also be useful for fundamental physical studies in nanofluidics.

Structure of the low-latitude boundary layer. [in magnetopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sckopke, N.; Paschmann, G.; Haerendel, G.; Sonnerup, B. U. OE.; Bame, S. J.; Forbes, T. G.; Hones, E. W., Jr.; Russell, C. T.

1981-01-01

High temporal resolution observations of the frontside magnetopause and plasma boundary layer made with the fast plasma analyzer aboard the ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft are reported. The data are found to be compatible with a boundary layer that is always attached to the magnetopause but where the layer thickness has a large-scale spatial modulation pattern which travels tailward past the spacecraft. Periods are included when the thickness is essentially zero and others when it is of the order of 1 earth radius. The duration of these periods is highly variable but is typically in the range of 2-5 min corresponding to a distance along the magnetopuase of approximately 3-8 earth radii. The observed boundary layer features include a steep density gradient at the magnetopause with an approximately constant boundary layer plasma density amounting to about 25% of the magnetosheath density, and a second abrupt density decrease at the inner edge of the layer.

Computation of the shock-wave boundary layer interaction with flow separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ardonceau, P.; Alziary, T.; Aymer, D.

1980-01-01

The boundary layer concept is used to describe the flow near the wall. The external flow is approximated by a pressure displacement relationship (tangent wedge in linearized supersonic flow). The boundary layer equations are solved in finite difference form and the question of the presence and unicity of the solution is considered for the direct problem (assumed pressure) or converse problem (assumed displacement thickness, friction ratio). The coupling algorithm presented implicitly processes the downstream boundary condition necessary to correctly define the interacting boundary layer problem. The algorithm uses a Newton linearization technique to provide a fast convergence.

Impacts of the land-lake breeze of the Volta reservoir on the diurnal cycle of cloudiness and precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchholz, Marcel; Fink, Andreas H.; Knippertz, Peter; Yorke, Charles

2017-04-01

Lake Volta in Ghana is the artificial lake on Earth with the largest surface area (8502 km2). It has been constructed in the early 1960s, with the lake being filled around 1966. Land-lake breezes and their effects on the diurnal cycle of local wind systems, cloudiness, and precipitation have been studied for several tropical lakes, among which studies on the effects of Lake Victoria in East Africa are one of the most perceived ones. To date, no studies on the strengths and effects of the land-lake breeze of the Volta reservoir are known to the authors. Using surface station data, a variety of satellite data on clouds and precipitation, and a convection-resolving regional model, the land-lake breeze and its impacts were studied for Lake Volta between 1998 and 2015. The observational data sets confirm a significant land-lake circulation. The only manned weather station operated by the Ghana Meteorological Service that is situated at the lake is Kete Krachi. Hourly observations for 2006 and 2014 show on several days a clearing of skies in the afternoon associated with a shift in the surface winds from southwest to southeast, the latter potentially indicating a lake breeze effect. Cloud occurrence frequency derived from the CLARA-A2, MODIS, and CLAAS2 cloud masks and the cloud physical properties from CLAAS2 clearly show the development of clouds at the lake breeze front in the course of the morning and around mid-day. This effect is most pronounced in March when also the difference between the surface temperatures of the lake and the desiccated land surface is strongest. During the peak of the wet season in July, the lake breeze cloudiness is masked by a high background cloudiness and likely also weaker due to the strong southwesterly monsoon flow that tends to weaken the land-lake circulation. However, the precipitation signal was found to be strongest in July, most probably due to the fact that in boreal fall, winter and spring, the lake breeze cloudiness often fails to develop into afternoon showers or thunderstorms, or if, they are short-lived with substantial below-cloud evaporation. Two cases in 2007 and 2014 were synoptically analyzed with weather charts and modeled using the COSMO model, the current regional operational weather forecasting model of the German Weather Service (DWD). The COSMO experiments with and without the lake were integrated for 48 hours at convection-resolving resolution of 2.8 km. Initial and boundary conditions were taken from ECWMF operational analysis. Model results confirm the development of the daytime lake breeze and suggest that the existence of the lake has substantially changed the local circulation, cloudiness and precipitation regime. Our results imply a significant impact of the artificial lake on the local climate and ecosystems that warrants further study.

The behavior of a compressible turbulent boundary layer in a shock-wave-induced adverse pressure gradient. Ph.D. Thesis - Washington Univ., Seattle, Aug. 1972

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, W. C.

1973-01-01

The results of an experimental investigation of the mean- and fluctuating-flow properties of a compressible turbulent boundary layer in a shock-wave-induced adverse pressure gradient are presented. The turbulent boundary layer developed on the wall of an axially symmetric nozzle and test section whose nominal free-stream Mach number and boundary-layer thickness Reynolds number were 4 and 100,000, respectively. The adverse pressure gradient was induced by an externally generated conical shock wave. Mean and time-averaged fluctuating-flow data, including the complete experimental Reynolds stress tensor and experimental turbulent mass- and heat-transfer rates are presented for the boundary layer and external flow, upstream, within and downstream of the pressure gradient. The mean-flow data include distributions of total temperature throughout the region of interest. The turbulent mixing properties of the flow were determined experimentally with a hot-wire anemometer. The calibration of the wires and the interpretation of the data are discussed. From the results of the investigation, it is concluded that the shock-wave - boundary-layer interaction significantly alters the turbulent mixing characteristics of the boundary layer.

Response of a hypersonic boundary layer to freestream pulse acoustic disturbance.

PubMed

Wang, Zhenqing; Tang, Xiaojun; Lv, Hongqing

2014-01-01

The response of hypersonic boundary layer over a blunt wedge to freestream pulse acoustic disturbance was investigated. The stability characteristics of boundary layer for freestream pulse wave and continuous wave were analyzed comparatively. Results show that freestream pulse disturbance changes the thermal conductivity characteristics of boundary layer. For pulse wave, the number of main disturbance clusters decreases and the frequency band narrows along streamwise. There are competition and disturbance energy transfer among different modes in boundary layer. The dominant mode of boundary layer has an inhibitory action on other modes. Under continuous wave, the disturbance modes are mainly distributed near fundamental and harmonic frequencies, while under pulse wave, the disturbance modes are widely distributed in different modes. For both pulse and continuous waves, most of disturbance modes slide into a lower-growth or decay state in downstream, which is tending towards stability. The amplitude of disturbance modes in boundary layer under continuous wave is considerably larger than pulse wave. The growth rate for the former is also considerably larger than the later the disturbance modes with higher growth are mainly distributed near fundamental and harmonic frequencies for the former, while the disturbance modes are widely distributed in different frequencies for the latter.

Response of a Hypersonic Boundary Layer to Freestream Pulse Acoustic Disturbance

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhenqing; Tang, Xiaojun; Lv, Hongqing

2014-01-01

The response of hypersonic boundary layer over a blunt wedge to freestream pulse acoustic disturbance was investigated. The stability characteristics of boundary layer for freestream pulse wave and continuous wave were analyzed comparatively. Results show that freestream pulse disturbance changes the thermal conductivity characteristics of boundary layer. For pulse wave, the number of main disturbance clusters decreases and the frequency band narrows along streamwise. There are competition and disturbance energy transfer among different modes in boundary layer. The dominant mode of boundary layer has an inhibitory action on other modes. Under continuous wave, the disturbance modes are mainly distributed near fundamental and harmonic frequencies, while under pulse wave, the disturbance modes are widely distributed in different modes. For both pulse and continuous waves, most of disturbance modes slide into a lower-growth or decay state in downstream, which is tending towards stability. The amplitude of disturbance modes in boundary layer under continuous wave is considerably larger than pulse wave. The growth rate for the former is also considerably larger than the later the disturbance modes with higher growth are mainly distributed near fundamental and harmonic frequencies for the former, while the disturbance modes are widely distributed in different frequencies for the latter. PMID:24737993

Wind tunnel study of a vertical axis wind turbine in a turbulent boundary layer flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolin, Vincent; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2015-04-01

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are in a relatively infant state of development when compared to their cousins the horizontal axis wind turbines. Very few studies have been carried out to characterize the wake flow behind VAWTs, and virtually none to observe the influence of the atmospheric boundary layer. Here we present results from an experiment carried out at the EPFL-WIRE boundary-layer wind tunnel and designed to study the interaction between a turbulent boundary layer flow and a VAWT. Specifically we use stereoscopic particle image velocimetry to observe and quantify the influence of the boundary layer flow on the wake generated by a VAWT, as well as the effect the VAWT has on the boundary layer flow profile downstream. We find that the wake behind the VAWT is strongly asymmetric, due to the varying aerodynamic forces on the blades as they change their position around the rotor. We also find that the wake adds strong turbulence levels to the flow, particularly on the periphery of the wake where vortices and strong velocity gradients are present. The boundary layer is also shown to cause greater momentum to be entrained downwards rather than upwards into the wake.

Wind turbine wakes in forest and neutral plane wall boundary layer large-eddy simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröttle, Josef; Piotrowski, Zbigniew; Gerz, Thomas; Englberger, Antonia; Dörnbrack, Andreas

2016-09-01

Wind turbine wake flow characteristics are studied in a strongly sheared and turbulent forest boundary layer and a neutral plane wall boundary layer flow. The reference simulations without wind turbine yield similar results as earlier large-eddy simulations by Shaw and Schumann (1992) and Porte-Agel et al. (2000). To use the fields from the homogeneous turbulent boundary layers on the fly as inflow fields for the wind turbine wake simulations, a new and efficient methodology was developed for the multiscale geophysical flow solver EULAG. With this method fully developed turbulent flow fields can be achieved upstream of the wind turbine which are independent of the wake flow. The large-eddy simulations reproduce known boundary-layer statistics as mean wind profile, momentum flux profile, and eddy dissipation rate of the plane wall and the forest boundary layer. The wake velocity deficit is more asymmetric above the forest and recovers faster downstream compared to the velocity deficit in the plane wall boundary layer. This is due to the inflection point in the mean streamwise velocity profile with corresponding turbulent coherent structures of high turbulence intensity in the strong shear flow above the forest.

Inventory of File nam.t00z.smartpr00.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

layer WDIR analysis Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 016 planetary boundary layer WIND analysis Wind Speed [m/s] 017 planetary boundary layer RH analysis Relative Humidity [%] 018 planetary boundary layer DIST analysis Geometric Height [m] 019 surface 4LFTX analysis Best (4 layer) Lifted Index [K

Inventory of File nam.t00z.smartak00.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

layer WDIR analysis Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 016 planetary boundary layer WIND analysis Wind Speed [m/s] 017 planetary boundary layer RH analysis Relative Humidity [%] 018 planetary boundary layer DIST analysis Geometric Height [m] 019 surface 4LFTX analysis Best (4 layer) Lifted Index [K

Inventory of File nam.t00z.smarthi00.tm00.grib2

Science.gov Websites

layer WDIR analysis Wind Direction (from which blowing) [degtrue] 016 planetary boundary layer WIND analysis Wind Speed [m/s] 017 planetary boundary layer RH analysis Relative Humidity [%] 018 planetary boundary layer DIST analysis Geometric Height [m] 019 surface 4LFTX analysis Best (4 layer) Lifted Index [K

Modeling large wind farms in conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layers under varying initial conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allaerts, Dries; Meyers, Johan

2014-05-01

Atmospheric boundary layers (ABL) are frequently capped by an inversion layer limiting the entrainment rate and boundary layer growth. Commonly used analytical models state that the entrainment rate is inversely proportional to the inversion strength. The height of the inversion turns out to be a second important parameter. Conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layers (CNBL) are ABLs with zero surface heat flux developing against a stratified free atmosphere. In this regime the inversion-filling process is merely driven by the downward heat flux at the inversion base. As a result, CNBLs are strongly dependent on the heating history of the boundary layer and strong inversions will fail to erode during the course of the day. In case of large wind farms, the power output of the farm inside a CNBL will depend on the height and strength of the inversion above the boundary layer. On the other hand, increased turbulence levels induced by wind farms may partially undermine the rigid lid effect of the capping inversion, enhance vertical entrainment of air into the farm, and increase boundary layer growth. A suite of large eddy simulations (LES) is performed to investigate the effect of the capping inversion on the conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layer and on the wind farm performance under varying initial conditions. For these simulations our in-house pseudo-spectral LES code SP-Wind is used. The wind turbines are modelled using a non-rotating actuator disk method. In the absence of wind farms, we find that a decrease in inversion strength corresponds to a decrease in the geostrophic angle and an increase in entrainment rate and geostrophic drag. Placing the initial inversion base at higher altitudes further reduces the effect of the capping inversion on the boundary layer. The inversion can be fully neglected once it is situated above the equilibrium height that a truly neutral boundary layer would attain under the same external conditions such as geostrophic wind speed and surface roughness. Wind farm simulations show the expected increase in boundary layer height and growth rate with respect to the case without wind farms. Raising the initial strength of the capping inversion in these simulations dampens the turbulent growth of the boundary layer above the farm, decreasing the farms energy extraction. The authors acknowledge support from the European Research Council (FP7-Ideas, grant no. 306471). Simulations were performed on the computing infrastructure of the VSC Flemish Supercomputer Center, funded by the Hercules Foundation and the Flemish Government.

Numerical investigation of the boundary layer separation in chemical oxygen iodine laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huai, Ying; Jia, Shuqin; Wu, Kenan; Jin, Yuqi; Sang, Fengting

2017-11-01

Large eddy simulation is carried out to model the flow process in a supersonic chemical oxygen iodine laser. Unlike the common approaches relying on the tensor representation theory only, the model in the present work is an explicit anisotropy-resolving algebraic Subgrid-scale scalar flux formulation. With an accuracy in capturing the unsteady flow behaviours in the laser. Boundary layer separation initiated by the adverse pressure gradient is identified using Large Eddy Simulation. To quantify the influences of flow boundary layer on the laser performance, the fluid computations coupled with a physical optics loaded cavity model is developed. It has been found that boundary layer separation has a profound effect on the laser outputs due to the introduced shock waves. The F factor of the output beam decreases to 10% of the original one when the boundary transit into turbulence for the setup depicted in the paper. Because the pressure is always greater on the downstream of the boundary layer, there will always be a tendency of boundary separation in the laser. The results inspire designs of the laser to apply positive/passive control methods avoiding the boundary layer perturbation.

Understanding Micro-Ramp Control for Shock Boundary Layer Interactions

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-07

micro-ramps on a supersonic boundary layer at M=3.0 was investigated using monotone integrated Large Eddy Simulations (MILES) and Reynolds Averaged Navier... Supersonic boundary layer flow with micro-ramp and no shock wave 3.2 SBLI with no micro-ramp 3.3 SBLI with micro-ramp 3.4 Micro-ramp size and location IV . C...ramps on a supersonic boundary layer at M=3.0 was investigated using monotone integrated Large Eddy Simulations (MILES) and Reynolds Averaged Navier

The Effects of Rotation on Boundary Layers in Turbomachine Rotors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, J. P.

1974-01-01

The boundary layers in turbomachine rotors are subject to Coriolis forces which can (1) contribute directly to the development of secondary flows and (2) indirectly influence the behavior of boundary layers by augmentation and/or suppression of turbulence production in the boundary layers on blades. Both these rotation-induced phenomena are particularly important in the development of understanding of flow and loss mechanisms in centrifugal and mixed flow machines. The primary objective of this paper is to review the information available on these effects.

Boundary layers in cataclysmic variables - The HEAO 1 X-ray constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, K. A.

1984-01-01

The predictions of the boundary layer model for the X-ray emission from novae are summarized. A discrepancy between observations and theory in the X-ray observations is found. Constraints on the nature of the boundary layers in novae, based on the lack of detections of novae in the HEAO-1 soft X-ray survey are provided. Temperature and column densities for optically thick boundary layers in novae are estimated. Previously announced in STAR as N84-13046

Some Features of Artificially Thickened Fully Developed Turbulent Boundary Layers with Zero Pressure Gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klebanoff, P S; Diehl, Z W

1952-01-01

Report gives an account of an investigation conducted to determine the feasibility of artificially thickening a turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate. A description is given of several methods used to thicken artificially the boundary layer. It is shown that it is possible to do substantial thickening and obtain a fully developed turbulent boundary layer, which is free from any distortions introduced by the thickening process, and, as such, is a suitable medium for fundamental research.

Measurements in a synthetic turbulent boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakeri, J. H.; Coles, D. E.

Some measurements in a synthetic turbulent boundary layer (SBL) are reported. The main diagnostic tool is an X-wire probe. The velocity of the large eddies is determined to be 0.842 times the freestream velocity. The mean properties of the SBL are reasonably close to those of a natural turbulent boundary layer. The large eddy in the SBL appears to be a pair of counterrotating eddies in the stream direction, inclined at a shallow angle and occupying much of the boundary-layer thickness.

Boundary layer transition observations on a body of revolution with surface heating and cooling in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakeri, V. H.

1980-04-01

Boundary layer flow visualization in water with surface heat transfer was carried out on a body of revolution which had the predicted possibility of laminar separation under isothermal conditions. Flow visualization was by in-line holographic technique. Boundary layer stabilization, including elimination of laminar separation, was observed to take place on surface heating. Conversely, boundary layer destabilization was observed on surface cooling. These findings are consistent with the theoretical predictions of Wazzan et al. (1970).

Re-Innovating Recycling for Turbulent Boundary Layer Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Joseph; Blanquart, Guillaume

2017-11-01

Historically, turbulent boundary layers along a flat plate have been expensive to simulate numerically, in part due to the difficulty of initializing the inflow with ``realistic'' turbulence, but also due to boundary layer growth. The former has been resolved in several ways, primarily dedicating a region of at least 10 boundary layer thicknesses in width to rescale and recycle flow or by extending the region far enough downstream to allow a laminar flow to develop into turbulence. Both of these methods are relatively costly. We propose a new method to remove the need for an inflow region, thus reducing computational costs significantly. Leveraging the scale similarity of the mean flow profiles, we introduce a coordinate transformation so that the boundary layer problem can be solved as a parallel flow problem with additional source terms. The solutions in the new coordinate system are statistically homogeneous in the downstream direction and so the problem can be solved with periodic boundary conditions. The present study shows the stability of this method, its implementation and its validation for a few laminar and turbulent boundary layer cases.

Observations of Strong Surface Radar Ducts over the Persian Gulf.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Ian M.; Goroch, Andreas K.; Rogers, David P.

1999-09-01

Ducting of microwave radiation is a common phenomenon over the oceans. The height and strength of the duct are controlling factors for radar propagation and must be determined accurately to assess propagation ranges. A surface evaporation duct commonly forms due to the large gradient in specific humidity just above the sea surface; a deeper surface-based or elevated duct frequently is associated with the sudden change in temperature and humidity across the boundary layer inversion.In April 1996 the U.K. Meteorological Office C-130 Hercules research aircraft took part in the U.S. Navy Ship Antisubmarine Warfare Readiness/Effectiveness Measuring exercise (SHAREM-115) in the Persian Gulf by providing meteorological support and making measurements for the study of electromagnetic and electro-optical propagation. The boundary layer structure over the Gulf is influenced strongly by the surrounding desert landmass. Warm dry air flows from the desert over the cooler waters of the Gulf. Heat loss to the surface results in the formation of a stable internal boundary layer. The layer evolves continuously along wind, eventually forming a new marine atmospheric boundary layer. The stable stratification suppresses vertical mixing, trapping moisture within the layer and leading to an increase in refractive index and the formation of a strong boundary layer duct. A surface evaporation duct coexists with the boundary layer duct.In this paper the authors present aircraft- and ship-based observations of both the surface evaporation and boundary layer ducts. A series of sawtooth aircraft profiles map the boundary layer structure and provide spatially distributed estimates of the duct depth. The boundary layer duct is found to have considerable spatial variability in both depth and strength, and to evolve along wind over distances significant to naval operations (100 km). The depth of the evaporation duct is derived from a bulk parameterization based on Monin-Obukhov similarity theory using near-surface data taken by the C-130 during low-level (30 m) flight legs and by ship-based instrumentation. Good agreement is found between the two datasets. The estimated evaporation ducts are found to be generally uniform in depth; however, localized regions of greatly increased depth are observed on one day, and a marked change in boundary layer structure resulting in merging of the surface evaporation duct with the deeper boundary layer duct was observed on another. Both of these cases occurred within exceptionally shallow boundary layers (100 m), where the mean evaporation duct depths were estimated to be between 12 and 17 m. On the remaining three days the boundary layer depth was between 200 and 300 m, and evaporation duct depths were estimated to be between 20 and 35 m, varying by just a few meters over ranges of up to 200 km.The one-way radar propagation factor is modeled for a case with a pronounced change in duct depth. The case is modeled first with a series of measured profiles to define as accurately as possible the refractivity structure of the boundary layer, then with a single profile collocated with the radar antenna and assuming homogeneity. The results reveal large errors in the propagation factor when derived from a single profile.

Effects of resolved boundary layer turbulence on near-ground rotation in simulated quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowotarski, C. J.

2017-12-01

Though most strong to violent tornadoes are associated with supercell thunderstorms, quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs) pose a risk of tornadoes, often at times and locations where supercell tornadoes are less common. Because QLCS low-level mesocyclones and tornado signatures tend to be less coherent, forecasting such tornadoes remains particularly difficult. The majority of simulations of such storms rely on horizontally homogeneous base states lacking resolved boundary layer turbulence and surface fluxes. Previous work has suggested that heterogeneities associated with boundary layer turbulence in the form of horizontal convective rolls can influence the evolution and characteristics of low-level mesocyclones in supercell thunderstorms. This study extends methods for generating boundary layer convection to idealized simulations of QLCSs. QLCS simulations with resolved boundary layer turbulence will be compared against a control simulation with a laminar boundary layer. Effects of turbulence, the resultant heterogeneity in the near-storm environment, and surface friction on bulk storm characteristics and the intensity, morphology, and evolution of low-level rotation will be presented. Although maximum surface vertical vorticity values are similar, when boundary layer turbulence is included, a greater number of miso- and meso-scale vortices develop along the QLCS gust front. The source of this vorticity is analyzed using Eulerian decomposition of vorticity tendency terms and trajectory analysis to delineate the relative importance of surface friction and baroclinicity in generating QLCS vortices. The role of anvil shading in suppressing boundary layer turbulence in the near-storm environment and subsequent effects on QLCS vortices will also be presented. Finally, implications of the results regarding inclusion of more realistic boundary layers in future idealized simulations of deep convection will be discussed.

Biogeochemical Impact of Long-Range Transported Dust over Northern South China Sea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsay, Si-Chee; Wang, S. H.; Hsu, N. C.

2011-01-01

Transpacific transport and impact of Asian dust aerosols have been well documented (e.g., results from ACE-Asia and regional follow-on campaigns), but little is known about dust invasion to the South China Sea (SCS). On 19-21 March 2010, a fierce Asian dust storm affected large areas from the Gobi deserts to the West Pacific, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. As a pilot study of the 7-SEAS (Seven South East Asian Studies) in the northern SCS, detailed characteristics of long-range transported dust aerosols were first observed by a comprehensive set of ground-based instruments deployed at the Dongsha islands (20deg42'52" N, 116deg43'51" E). Aerosol measurements such as particle mass concentrations, size distribution, optical properties, hygroscopicity, and vertical profiles help illustrate the evolution of this dust outbreak. Our results indicate that these dust particles were mixed with anthropogenic and marine aerosols, and transported near the surface. Satellite assessment of biogeochemical impact of dust deposition into open oceans is hindered by our current inability in retrieving areal dust properties and ocean colors over an extensive period of time, particularly under the influence of cloudy conditions. In this paper, we analyze the changes of retrieved Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration over the northern SCS, considered as oligotophic waters in the spring, from long-term SeaWiFS measurements since 1997. Over the past decade, six long-range transported dust events are identified based on spatiotemporal evolutions of PM10 measurements from regional monitoring stations, with the aid of trajectory analysis. Multi-year composites of Chl-a imagery for dust event and non-dust background during March-April are applied to overcome insufficient retrievals of Chl-a due to cloudy environment. Due to anthropogenic modification within a shallow boundary layer off the densely populated and industrial southeast coast of China, the iron ion activation of deliquescent dust particles enhances the efficiency of fertilization for biological productivity. Compared to the West Pacific, the marine ecosystem in the northern SCS is much more susceptible to the biogeochemical impact of long-range transported Asian dust.

Impact of the Diurnal Cycle of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer on Wind-Turbine Wakes: A Numerical Modelling Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Englberger, Antonia; Dörnbrack, Andreas

2018-03-01

The wake characteristics of a wind turbine for different regimes occurring throughout the diurnal cycle are investigated systematically by means of large-eddy simulation. Idealized diurnal cycle simulations of the atmospheric boundary layer are performed with the geophysical flow solver EULAG over both homogeneous and heterogeneous terrain. Under homogeneous conditions, the diurnal cycle significantly affects the low-level wind shear and atmospheric turbulence. A strong vertical wind shear and veering with height occur in the nocturnal stable boundary layer and in the morning boundary layer, whereas atmospheric turbulence is much larger in the convective boundary layer and in the evening boundary layer. The increased shear under heterogeneous conditions changes these wind characteristics, counteracting the formation of the night-time Ekman spiral. The convective, stable, evening, and morning regimes of the atmospheric boundary layer over a homogeneous surface as well as the convective and stable regimes over a heterogeneous surface are used to study the flow in a wind-turbine wake. Synchronized turbulent inflow data from the idealized atmospheric boundary-layer simulations with periodic horizontal boundary conditions are applied to the wind-turbine simulations with open streamwise boundary conditions. The resulting wake is strongly influenced by the stability of the atmosphere. In both cases, the flow in the wake recovers more rapidly under convective conditions during the day than under stable conditions at night. The simulated wakes produced for the night-time situation completely differ between heterogeneous and homogeneous surface conditions. The wake characteristics of the transitional periods are influenced by the flow regime prior to the transition. Furthermore, there are different wake deflections over the height of the rotor, which reflect the incoming wind direction.

Bristled shark skin: a microgeometry for boundary layer control?

PubMed

Lang, A W; Motta, P; Hidalgo, P; Westcott, M

2008-12-01

There exists evidence that some fast-swimming shark species may have the ability to bristle their scales during fast swimming. Experimental work using a water tunnel facility has been performed to investigate the flow field over and within a bristled shark skin model submerged within a boundary layer to deduce the possible boundary layer control mechanisms being used by these fast-swimming sharks. Fluorescent dye flow visualization provides evidence of the formation of embedded cavity vortices within the scales. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) data, used to evaluate the cavity vortex formation and boundary layer characteristics close to the surface, indicate increased momentum in the slip layer forming above the scales. This increase in flow velocity close to the shark's skin is indicative of boundary layer control mechanisms leading to separation control and possibly transition delay for the bristled shark skin microgeometry.

Experimental study of the separating confluent boundary-layer. Volume 2: Experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braden, J. A.; Whipkey, R. R.; Jones, G. S.; Lilley, D. E.

1983-01-01

An experimental low speed study of the separating confluent boundary layer on a NASA GAW-1 high lift airfoil is described. The airfoil was tested in a variety of high lift configurations comprised of leading edge slat and trailing edge flap combinations. The primary test instrumentation was a two dimensional laser velocimeter (LV) system operating in a backscatter mode. Surface pressures and corresponding LV derived boundary layer profiles are given in terms of velocity components, turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stresses as characterizing confluent boundary layer behavior up to and beyond stall. LV derived profiles and associated boundary layer parameters and those obtained from more conventional instrumentation such as pitot static transverse, Preston tube measurements and hot-wire surveys are compared.

Boundary-layer transition and displacement thickness effects on zero-lift drag of a series of power-law bodies at Mach 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashby, G. C., Jr.; Harris, J. E.

1974-01-01

Wave and skin-friction drag have been numerically calculated for a series of power-law bodies at a Mach number of 6 and Reynolds numbers, based on body length, from 1.5 million to 9.5 million. Pressure distributions were computed on the nose by the inverse method and on the body by the method of characteristics. These pressure distributions and the measured locations of boundary-layer transition were used in a nonsimilar-boundary-layer program to determine viscous effects. A coupled iterative approach between the boundary-layer and pressure-distribution programs was used to account for boundary-layer displacement-thickness effects. The calculated-drag coefficients compared well with previously obtained experimental data.

Stability characteristics of compressible boundary layers over thermo-mechanically compliant walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dettenrieder, Fabian; Bodony, Daniel

2017-11-01

Transition prediction at hypersonic flight conditions continues to be a challenge and results in conservative safety factors that increase vehicle weight. The weight and thus cost reduction of the outer skin panels promises significant impact; however, fluid-structure interaction due to unsteady perturbations in the laminar boundary layer regime has not been systematically studied at conditions relevant for reusable, hypersonic flight. In this talk, we develop and apply convective and global stability analyses for compressible boundary layers over thermo-mechanically compliant panels. This compliance is shown to change the convective stability of the boundary layer modes, with both stabilization and destabilization observed. Finite panel lengths are shown to affect the global stability properties of the boundary layer.

Boundary Layer Flow Over a Moving Wavy Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendin, Gali; Toledo, Yaron

2016-04-01

Boundary Layer Flow Over a Moving Wavy Surface Gali Hendin(1), Yaron Toledo(1) January 13, 2016 (1)School of Mechanical Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Understanding the boundary layer flow over surface gravity waves is of great importance as various atmosphere-ocean processes are essentially coupled through these waves. Nevertheless, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of this complex flow behaviour. The present work investigates the fundamentals of the boundary layer air flow over progressive, small-amplitude waves. It aims to extend the well-known Blasius solution for a boundary layer over a flat plate to one over a moving wavy surface. The current analysis pro- claims the importance of the small curvature and the time-dependency as second order effects, with a meaningful impact on the similarity pattern in the first order. The air flow over the ocean surface is modelled using an outer, inviscid half-infinite flow, overlaying the viscous boundary layer above the wavy surface. The assumption of a uniform flow in the outer layer, used in former studies, is now replaced with a precise analytical solution of the potential flow over a moving wavy surface with a known celerity, wavelength and amplitude. This results in a conceptual change from former models as it shows that the pressure variations within the boundary layer cannot be neglected. In the boundary layer, time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations are formulated in a curvilinear, orthogonal coordinate system. The formulation is done in an elaborate way that presents additional, formerly neglected first-order effects, resulting from the time-varying coordinate system. The suggested time-dependent curvilinear orthogonal coordinate system introduces a platform that can also support the formulation of turbulent problems for any surface shape. In order to produce a self-similar Blasius-type solution, a small wave-steepness is assumed and a perturbation method is applied. Consequently, a novel self-similar solution is obtained from the first order set of equations. A second order solution is also obtained, stressing the role of small curvature on the boundary layer flow. The proposed model and solution for the boundary layer problem overlaying a moving wavy surface can also be used as a base flow for stability problems that can develop in a boundary layer, including phases of transitional states.

A perspective on coherent structures and conceptual models for turbulent boundary layer physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Stephen K.

1990-01-01

Direct numerical simulations of turbulent boundary layers have been analyzed to develop a unified conceptual model for the kinematics of coherent motions in low Reynolds number canonical turbulent boundary layers. All classes of coherent motions are considered in the model, including low-speed streaks, ejections and sweeps, vortical structures, near-wall and outer-region shear layers, sublayer pockets, and large-scale outer-region eddies. The model reflects the conclusions from the study of the simulated boundary layer that vortical structures are directly associated with the production of turbulent shear stresses, entrainment, dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy, and the fluctuating pressure field. These results, when viewed from the perspective of the large body of published work on the subject of coherent motions, confirm that vortical structures may be considered the central dynamic element in the maintenance of turbulence in the canonical boundary layer. Vortical structures serve as a framework on which to construct a unified picture of boundary layer structure, providing a means to relate the many known structural elements in a consistent way.

An experimental investigation of turbulent boundary layers along curved surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

So, R. M. C.; Mellor, G. L.

1972-01-01

A curved wall tunnel was designed, and an equilibrium turbulent boundary layer was set up on the straight section preceding the curved test section. Turbulent boundary layer flows with uniform and adverse pressure distributions along convex and concave walls were investigated. Hot-wire measurements along the convex surface indicated that turbulent mixing between fluid layers was very much reduced. However, the law of the wall held and the skin friction, thus determined, correlated well with other measurements. Hot-wire measurements along the concave test wall revealed a system of longitudinal vortices inside the boundary layer and confirmed that concave curvature enhances mixing. A self-consistent set of turbulent boundary layer equations for flows along curved surfaces was derived together with a modified eddy viscosity. Solution of these equations together with the modified eddy viscosity gave results that correlated well with the present data on flows along the convex surface with arbitrary pressure distribution. However, it could only be used to predict the mean characteristics of the flow along concave walls because of the existence of the system of longitudinal vortices inside the boundary layer.

Turbulent boundary layer heat transfer experiments: Convex curvature effects, including introduction and recovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, T. W.; Moffat, R. J.; Johnston, J. P.; Kays, W. M.

1980-01-01

Heat transfer rates were measured through turbulent and transitional boundary layers on an isothermal, convexly curved wall and downstream flat plate. The effect of convex curvature on the fully turbulent boundary layer was a reduction of the local Stanton numbers 20-50% below those predicted for a flat wall under the same circumstances. The recovery of the heat transfer rates on the downstream flat wall was extremely slow. After 60 cm of recovery length, the Stanton number was still typically 15-20% below the flat wall predicted value. Various effects important in the modeling of curved flows were studied separately. These are: (1) the effect of initial boundary layer thickness; (2) the effect of freestream velocity; (3) the effect of freestream acceleration; (4) the effect of unheated starting length; and (5) the effect of the maturity of the boundary layer. Regardless of the initial state, curvature eventually forced the boundary layer into an asymptotic curved condition. The slope, minus one, is believed to be significant.

Influence of bulk turbulence and entrance boundary layer thickness on the curved duct flow field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, R. A.

1988-01-01

The influence of bulk turbulence and boundary layer thickness on the secondary flow development in a square, 90 degree turning duct was investigated. A three-dimensional laser velocimetry system was utilized to measure the mean and fluctuating components of velocity at six cross-planes in the duct. The results from this investigation, with entrance boundary layer thickness of 20 percent, were compared with the thin boundary layer results documented in NASA CR-174811. The axial velocity profiles, cross-flow velocities, and turbulence intensities were compared and evaluated with regard to the influence of bulk turbulence intensity and boundary layer thickness, and the influence was significant. The results of this investigation expand the 90 degree curved duct experimental data base to higher turbulence levels and thicker entrance boundary layers. The experimental results provide a challenging benchmark data base for computational fluid dynamics code development and validation. The variation of inlet bulk turbulence intensity provides additional information to aid in turbulence model evaluation.

Exact Calculation of Laminar Boundary Layer in Longitudinal Flow over a Flat Plate with Homogeneous Suction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iglisch, Rudolf

1949-01-01

Lately it has been proposed to reduce the friction drag of a body in a flow for the technically important large Reynolds numbers by the following expedient: the boundary layer, normally turbulent, is artificially kept laminar up to high Reynolds numbers by suction. The reduction in friction drag thus obtained is of the order of magnitude of 60 to 80 percent of the turbulent friction drag, since the latter, for large Reynolds numbers, is several times the laminar friction drag. In considering the idea mentioned one has first to consider whether suction is a possible means of keeping the boundary layer laminar. This question can be answered by a theoretical investigation of the stability of the laminar boundary layer with suction. A knowledge, as accurate as possible, of the velocity distribution in the laminar boundary layer with suction forms the starting point for the stability investigation. E. Schlichting recently gave a survey of the present state of calculation of the laminar boundary layer with suction.

Dynamic behavior of an unsteady trubulent boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parikh, P. G.; Reynolds, W. C.; Jayaramen, R.; Carr, L. W.

1981-01-01

Experiments on an unsteady turbulent boundary layer are reported in which the upstream portion of the flow is steady (in the mean) and in the downstream region, the boundary layer sees a linearly decreasing free stream velocity. This velocity gradient oscillates in time, at frequencies ranging from zero to approximately the bursting frequency. For the small amplitude, the mean velocity and mean turbulence intensity profiles are unaffected by the oscillations. The amplitude of the periodic velocity component, although as much as 70% greater than that in the free stream for very low frequencies, becomes equal to that in the free stream at higher frequencies. At high frequencies, both the boundary layer thickness and the Reynolds stress distribution across the boundary layer become frozen. The behavior at higher amplitude is quite similar. At sufficiently high frequencies, the boundary layer thickness remains frozen at the mean value over the oscillation cycle, even though flow reverses near the wall during a part of the cycle.

The Western North American Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary interval and its content of shock-metamorphosed minerals: Implications concerning the K-T boundary impact-extinction theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Izett, G. A.

1988-01-01

At 20 sites in the Raton Basin of Colorado and New Mexico, and at several other sites in Wyoming, Montana, and Canada, a pair of claystone units, an Ir abundance anomaly, and a concentration of shock-metamorphosed minerals mark the palynological K-T boundary. The K-T boundary claystone, which is composed of kaolinite and small amounts of illite/smectite mixed-layer clay, is similar in most respects to kaolinite tonstein layers in coal beds. At some, but not all, K-T boundary localities, the boundary claystone contains solid kaolinite and hollow and solid goyazite spherules, 0.05 to 1.2 mm in diameter. The upper unit, the K-T boundary impact layer, consists chiefly of kaolinite and various amounts of illite/smectite mixed-layer clay. The impact layer and boundary claystone are similar chemically, except that the former has slightly more Fe, K, Ba, Cr, Cu, Li, V, and Zn than the latter. The facts that the boundary claystone and impact layer contain anomalous amounts of Ir, comprise a stratigraphic couplet at Western North American sites, and form thin, discrete layers, similar to air-fall units (volcanic or impact), suggest that the claystone units are of impact origin. Significantly, the impact layer contains as much as 2 percent clastic mineral grains, about 30 percent of which contain multiple sets of shock lamellae. Only one such concentration of shocked minerals has been found near the K-T boundary. The type of K-T boundary shock-metamorphosed materials (quartzite and metaquartzite) in the impact layer and the lack of shock lamellae in quartz and feldspar of pumice lapilli and granitic xenoliths in air-fall pumice units of silicic tuffs, such as the Bishop Tuff, eliminate the possibility that the shock-metamorphosed minerals in the K-T impact layer are of volcanic origin. The global size distribution and abundance of shock-metamorphosed mineral grains suggest that the K-T impact occurred in North America.

Analysis and Modeling of Boundary Layer Separation Method (BLSM).

PubMed

Pethő, Dóra; Horváth, Géza; Liszi, János; Tóth, Imre; Paor, Dávid

2010-09-01

Nowadays rules of environmental protection strictly regulate pollution material emission into environment. To keep the environmental protection laws recycling is one of the useful methods of waste material treatment. We have developed a new method for the treatment of industrial waste water and named it boundary layer separation method (BLSM). We apply the phenomena that ions can be enriched in the boundary layer of the electrically charged electrode surface compared to the bulk liquid phase. The main point of the method is that the boundary layer at correctly chosen movement velocity can be taken out of the waste water without being damaged, and the ion-enriched boundary layer can be recycled. Electrosorption is a surface phenomenon. It can be used with high efficiency in case of large electrochemically active surface of electrodes. During our research work two high surface area nickel electrodes have been prepared. The value of electrochemically active surface area of electrodes has been estimated. The existence of diffusion part of the double layer has been experimentally approved. The electrical double layer capacity has been determined. Ion transport by boundary layer separation has been introduced. Finally we have tried to estimate the relative significance of physical adsorption and electrosorption.

ORION’S VEIL. IV. H{sub 2} EXCITATION AND GEOMETRY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abel, N. P.; Ferland, G. J.; Troland, T. H.

2016-03-10

The foreground Veil of material that lies in front of the Orion Nebula is the best studied sample of the interstellar medium because we know where it is located, how it is illuminated, and the balance of thermal and magnetic energy. In this work, we present high-resolution STIS observations toward the Trapezium, with the goal of better understanding the chemistry and geometry of the two primary Veil layers, along with ionized gas along the line of sight. The most complete characterization of the rotational/vibrational column densities of H{sub 2} in the almost purely atomic components of the Veil are presented,more » including updates to the Cloudy model for H{sub 2} formation on grain surfaces. The observed H{sub 2} is found to correlate almost exclusively with Component B. The observed H{sub 2}, observations of CI, CI*, and CI**, and theoretical calculations using Cloudy allow us to place the tightest constraints yet on the distance, density, temperature, and other physical characteristics for each cloud component. We find the H{sub 2} excitation spectrum observed in the Veil is incompatible with a recent study that argued that the Veil was quite close to the Trapezium. The nature of a layer of ionized gas lying between the Veil and the Trapezium is characterized through the emission and absorption lines it produces, which we find to be the blueshifted component observed in S iii and P iii absorption. We deduce that, within the next 30–60 thousand years, the blueshifted ionized layer and Component B will merge, which will subsequently merge with Component A in the next one million years.« less

Dynamic Turbulence Modelling in Large-eddy Simulations of the Cloud-topped Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirkpatrick, M. P.; Mansour, N. N.; Ackerman, A. S.; Stevens, D. E.

2003-01-01

The use of large eddy simulation, or LES, to study the atmospheric boundary layer dates back to the early 1970s when Deardor (1972) used a three-dimensional simulation to determine velocity and temperature scales in the convective boundary layer. In 1974 he applied LES to the problem of mixing layer entrainment (Deardor 1974) and in 1980 to the cloud-topped boundary layer (Deardor 1980b). Since that time the LES approach has been applied to atmospheric boundary layer problems by numerous authors. While LES has been shown to be relatively robust for simple cases such as a clear, convective boundary layer (Mason 1989), simulation of the cloud-topped boundary layer has proved more of a challenge. The combination of small length scales and anisotropic turbulence coupled with cloud microphysics and radiation effects places a heavy burden on the turbulence model, especially in the cloud-top region. Consequently, over the past few decades considerable effort has been devoted to developing turbulence models that are better able to parameterize these processes. Much of this work has involved taking parameterizations developed for neutral boundary layers and deriving corrections to account for buoyancy effects associated with the background stratification and local buoyancy sources due to radiative and latent heat transfer within the cloud (see Lilly 1962; Deardor 1980a; Mason 1989; MacVean & Mason 1990, for example). In this paper we hope to contribute to this effort by presenting a number of turbulence models in which the model coefficients are calculated dynamically during the simulation rather than being prescribed a priori.

Sensitivity of Climate Simulations to Land-Surface and Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Treatments-A Review.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.

1993-03-01

Aspects of the land-surface and boundary-layer treatments in some 20 or so atmospheric general circulation models (GCMS) are summarized. In only a small fraction of these have significant sensitivity studies been carried out and published. Predominantly, the sensitivity studies focus upon the parameterization of land-surface processes and specification of land-surface properties-the most important of these include albedo, roughness length, soil moisture status, and vegetation density. The impacts of surface albedo and soil moisture upon the climate simulated in GCMs with bare-soil land surfaces are well known. Continental evaporation and precipitation tend to decrease with increased albedo and decreased soil moisture availability. For example, results from numerous studies give an average decrease in continental precipitation of 1 mm day1 in response to an average albedo increase of 0.13. Few conclusive studies have been carried out on the impact of a gross roughness-length change-the primary study included an important statistical assessment of the impact upon the mean July climate around the globe of a decreased continental roughness (by three orders of magnitude). For example, such a decrease reduced the precipitation over Amazonia by 1 to 2 mm day1.The inclusion of a canopy scheme in a GCM ensures the combined impacts of roughness (canopies tend to be rougher than bare soil), albedo (canopies tend to be less reflective than bare soil), and soil-moisture availability (canopies prevent the near-surface soil region from drying out and can access the deep soil moisture) upon the simulated climate. The most revealing studies to date involve the regional impact of Amazonian deforestation. The results of four such studies show that replacing tropical forest with a degraded pasture results in decreased evaporation ( 1 mm day1) and precipitation (1-2 mm day1), and increased near-surface air temperatures (2 K).Sensitivity studies as a whole suggest the need for a realistic surface representation in general circulation models of the atmosphere. It is not yet clear how detailed this representation needs to be, but even allowing for the importance of surface processes, the parameterization of boundary-layer and convective clouds probably represents a greater challenge to improved climate simulations. This is illustrated in the case of surface net radiation for Aniazonia, which is not well simulated and tends to be overestimated, leading to evaporation rates that are too large. Underestimates in cloudiness, cloud albedo, and clear-sky shortwave absorption, rather than in surface albedo, appear to be the main culprits.There are three major tasks that confront the researcher so far as the development and validation of atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) and surface schemes in GCMs are concerned:(i) There is a need to as' critically the impact of `improved' parameterization schemes on WM simulations, taking into account the problem of natural variability and hence the statistical significance of the induced changes.(ii) There is a need to compare GCM simulations of surface and ABL behavior (particularly regarding the diurnal cycle of surface fluxes, air temperature, and ABL depth) with observations over a range of surface types (vegetation, desert, ocean). In this context, area-average values of surface fluxes will be required to calibrate directly the ABL/land-surface scheme in the GCM.(iii) There is a need for intercomparisons of ABL and land-surface schemes used in GCMS, both for one- dimensional stand-alone models and for GCMs that incorporate the respective schemes.

Arctic Cold Weather Medicine and Accidental Hypothermia

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-01

due to the rotor wash or behind air craft with prop wash causing vary high wind chill factors freezing exposed skin in seconds. The windchill 0hart in...references 7-9. 3. Snow blindness The ultraviolet rays of the sun, even on a cloudy day, reflect off the snow and can burn the outer layer of the eye...the cornea. Symptoms may not appear for 2 to 12 hours after exposure. Common symptoms are a burning or gritty sensation, excessive tearing, and eye

Modeling the urban boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bergstrom, R. W., Jr.

1976-01-01

A summary and evaluation is given of the Workshop on Modeling the Urban Boundary Layer; held in Las Vegas on May 5, 1975. Edited summaries from each of the session chairpersons are also given. The sessions were: (1) formulation and solution techniques, (2) K-theory versus higher order closure, (3) surface heat and moisture balance, (4) initialization and boundary problems, (5) nocturnal boundary layer, and (6) verification of models.

The Interactions of a Flame and Its Self-Induced Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, James D.; Oran, Elaine S.; Anderson, John D.

1999-01-01

The interaction of a laminar flame with its self-generated boundary layer in a rectangular channel was numerically simulated using the two-dimensional, reacting, Navier-Stokes equations. A two species chemistry model was implemented which simulates the stoichiometric reaction of acetylene and air. Calculations were performed to investigate the effects of altering the boundary condition of the wall temperature, the Lewis number, the dynamic viscosity, and the ignition method. The purpose of this study was to examine the fundamental physics of the formation of the boundary layer and the interaction of the flame as it propagates into the boundary layer that its own motion has created.

Influence of the characteristics of atmospheric boundary layer on the vertical distribution of air pollutant in China's Yangtze River Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chenggang; Cao, Le

2016-04-01

Air pollution occurring in the atmospheric boundary layer is a kind of weather phenomenon which decreases the visibility of the atmosphere and results in poor air quality. Recently, the occurrence of the heavy air pollution events has become more frequent all over Asia, especially in Mid-Eastern China. In December 2015, the most severe air pollution in recorded history of China occurred in the regions of Yangtze River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. More than 10 days of severe air pollution (Air Quality Index, AQI>200) appeared in many large cities of China such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Baoding. Thus, the research and the management of the air pollution has attracted most attentions in China. In order to investigate the formation, development and dissipation of the air pollutions in China, a field campaign has been conducted between January 1, 2015 and January 28, 2015 in Yangtze River Delta of China, aiming at a intensive observation of the vertical structure of the air pollutants in the atmospheric boundary layer during the time period with heavy pollution. In this study, the observation data obtained in the field campaign mentioned above is analyzed. The characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer and the vertical distribution of air pollutants in the city Dongshan located in the center of Lake Taihu are shown and discussed in great detail. It is indicated that the stability of the boundary layer is the strongest during the nighttime and the early morning of Dongshan. Meanwhile, the major air pollutants, PM2.5 and PM10 in the boundary layer, reach their maximum values, 177.1μg m-3 and 285μg m-3 respectively. The convective boundary layer height in the observations ranges from approximately 700m to 1100m. It is found that the major air pollutants tend to be confined in a relatively shallow boundary layer, which represents that the boundary layer height is the dominant factor for controlling the vertical distribution of the air pollutants. In the observations, several strong temperature inversion layers are also found in the surface layer and the middle part of the boundary layer, which lead to the suppression of the vertical mixing of the air pollutants. The jet stream occurring in the boundary layer also contributes to the prevention of the vertical dissipation of the air pollutants. It is also observed that the temporal and spatial evolution of the air pollutants and the hygroscopic growth of the aerosols in the boundary layer are heavily dependent on the humidity of the air.

Lear jet boundary layer/shear layer laser propagation experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, K.

1980-01-01

Optical degradations of aircraft turbulent boundary layers with shear layers generated by aerodynamic fences are analyzed. A collimated 2.5 cm diameter helium-neon laser (0.63 microns) traversed the approximate 5 cm thick natural aircraft boundary layer in double pass via a reflective airfoil. In addition, several flights examined shear layer-induced optical degradation. Flight altitudes ranged from 1.5 to 12 km, while Mach numbers were varied from 0.3 to 0.8. Average line spread function (LSF) and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) data were obtained by averaging a large number of tilt-removed curves. Fourier transforming the resulting average MTF yields an LSF, thus affording a direct comparison of the two optical measurements. Agreement was good for the aerodynamic fence arrangement, but only fair in the case of a turbulent boundary layer. Values of phase variance inferred from the LSF instrument for a single pass through the random flow and corrected for a large aperture ranged from 0.08 to 0.11 waves (lambda = .63 microns) for the boundary layer. Corresponding values for the fence vary from 0.08 to 0.16 waves. Extrapolation of these values to 10.6 microns suggests negligible degradation for a CO2 laser transmitted through a 5 cm thick, subsonic turbulent boundary layer.

Mapping the Distribution of Cloud Forests Using MODIS Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, M. W.; Mejia, J.; Murillo, J.; Orozco, R.

2007-05-01

Tropical cloud forests - those forests that are frequently immersed in clouds or otherwise very humid, are extremely difficult to map from the ground, and are not easily distinguished in satellite imagery from other forest types, but they have a very different flora and fauna than lowland rainforest. Cloud forests, although found in many parts of the tropics, have a very restricted vertical extent and thus are also restricted horizontally. As a result, they are subject to both human disturbance (coffee growing for example) and the effects of possible climate change. Motivated by a desire to seek meteorological explanations for the distribution of cloud forests, we have begun to map cloudiness using MODIS Terra and Aqua visible imagery. This imagery, at ~1030 LT and 1330 LT, is an approximation for mid-day cloudiness. In tropical regions the amount of mid-day cloudiness strongly controls the shortwave radiation and thus the potential for evaporation (and aridity). We have mapped cloudiness using a simple algorithm that distinguishes between the cloud-free background brightness and the generally more reflective clouds to separate clouds from the underlying background. A major advantage of MODIS imagery over many other sources of satellite imagery is its high spatial resolution (~250m). This, coupled with precisely navigated images, means that detailed maps of cloudiness can be produced. The cloudiness maps can then be related to the underlying topography to further refine the location of the cloud forests. An advantage of this technique is that we are mapping the potential cloud forest, based on cloudiness, rather than the actual cloud forest, which are commonly based on forest estimates from satellite and digital elevation data. We do not derive precipitation, only estimates of daytime cloudiness. Although only a few years of MODIS imagery has been used in our studies, we will show that this is sufficient to describe the climatology of cloudiness with acceptable accuracy for its intended purposes. Even periods as short as one month are sufficient for depicting the location of most cloud forest environments. However, we are proceeding to distinguish different characteristics of cloud forests, depending on the overall frequency of cloudiness, the seasonality of cloudiness, and the interannual variability of cloudiness. These results should be useful to those seeking to describe relationships between the physical characteristics of the cloud forests and their biological environment.

An experimental investigation of the effect of boundary layer refraction on the noise from a high-speed propeller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittmar, J. H.; Burns, R. J.; Leciejewski, D. J.

1984-01-01

Models of supersonic propellers were previously tested for acoustics in the Lewis 8- by 6-Foot Wind Tunnel using pressure transducers mounted in the tunnel ceiling. The boundary layer on the tunnel ceiling is believed to refract some of the propeller noise away from the measurement transducers. Measurements were made on a plate installed in the wind tunnel which had a thinner boundary layer than the ceiling boundary layer. The plate was installed in two locations for comparison with tunnel ceiling noise data and with fuselage data taken on the NASA Dryden Jetstar airplane. Analysis of the data indicates that the refraction increases with: increasing boundary layer thickness; increasing free stream Mach number; increasing frequency; and decreasing sound radiation angle (toward the inlet axis). At aft radiation angles greater than about 100 deg there was little or no refraction. Comparisons with the airplane data indicated that not only is the boundary layer thickness important but also the shape of the velocity profile. Comparisons with an existing two-dimensional theory, using an idealized shear layer to approximate the boundary layer, showed that the theory and data had the same trends. Analysis of the data taken in the tunnel at two different distances from the propeller indicates a decay with distance in the wind tunnel at high Mach numbers but the decay at low Mach numbers is not as clear.

F-16XL ship #1 wing close-up showing boundary layer detection Preston tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

This photo shows the boundary layer Preston tubes mounted on the left wing of NASA's single-seat F-16XL (ship #1) used for the Cranked-Arrow Wing Aerodynamic Project (CAWAP) at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The modified airplane features a delta 'cranked-arrow' wing with strips of tubing along the leading edge to the trailing edge to sense static on the wing and obtain pressure distribution data. The right wing receives data on pressure distribution and the left wing has three types of instrumentation - preston tubes to measure local skin friction, boundary layer rakes to measure boundary layer profiles (the layer where the air interacts with the surfaces of a moving aircraft), and hot films to determine boundary layer transition locations. The first flight of CAWAP occurred on November 21, 1995, and the test program ended in April 1996.

On the Existence of the Logarithmic Surface Layer in the Inner Core of Hurricanes

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

characteristics of eyewall boundary layer of Hurricane Hugo (1989). Mon. Wea. Rev., 139, 1447-1462. Zhang, JA, Montgomery MT. 2012 Observational...the inner core of hurricanes Roger K. Smitha ∗and Michael T. Montgomeryb a Meteorological Institute, University of Munich, Munich, Germany b Dept. of...logarithmic surface layer”, or log layer, in the boundary layer of the rapidly-rotating core of a hurricane . One such study argues that boundary-layer

The boundary layer as a means of controlling the flow of liquids and gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrenk, Oskar

1930-01-01

According to one of the main propositions of the boundary layer theory the scarcely noticeable boundary layer may, under certain conditions, have a decisive influence on the form of the external flow by causing it to separate from the wing surface. These phenomena are known to be caused by a kind of stagnation of the boundary layer at the point of separation. The present report deals with similar phenomena. It is important to note that usually the cause (external interference) directly affects only the layer close to the wall, while its indirect effect extends to a large portion of the external flow.

Application of a transonic similarity rule to correct the effects of sidewall boundary layers in two-dimensional transonic wind tunnels. M.S. Thesis - George Washington Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sewall, W. G.

1982-01-01

A transonic similarity rule which accounts for the effects of attached sidewall boundary layers is presented and evaluated by comparison with the characteristics of airfoils tested in a two dimensional transonic tunnel with different sidewall boundary layer thicknesses. The rule appears valid provided the sidewall boundary layer both remains attached in the vicinity of the model and occupies a small enough fraction of the tunnel width to preserve sufficient two dimensionality in the tunnel.

Comparative Measurements of Total Temperature in a Supersonic Turbulent Boundary Layer Using a Conical Equilibrium and Combined Temperature-Pressure Probe

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-07-01

AD/A-002 982 COMPARATIVE MEASUREMENTS CF TOTAL TEMPERATURE IN A SUPERSONIC TURBULENT BOUNDARY LAYER USING A CONICAL EQUILIB- RIUM AND COMBINED...SUPERSONIC TURBULENT BOUNDARY LAYER USING A CONICAL EQUILIORIUM AND COMBINED TEMPERATURE-PRESSURE PROBE H.L.P. Vowt R.E. L" 0H.U. M.i July 1974 NAVAL...1 ~~o iotaPRO eig ature In A Supersonic Turbulent Boundary ____________ Layer Using A Conical Equilibrium and 6. 111111ORWING OR. 0111001117,~t

Vortex/boundary layer interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutler, A. D.; Bradshaw, P.

1989-01-01

Detailed and high quality measurements with hot-wires and pressure probes are presented for two different interactions between a vortex pair with common flow down and a turbulent boundary layer. The interactions studied have larger values of the vortex circulation parameter than those studied previously. The results indicate that the boundary layer under the vortex pair is thinned by lateral divergence and that boundary layer fluid is entrained into the vortex. The effect of the interaction on the vortex core (other than the inviscid effect of the image vortices behind the surface) is small.

An eddy-viscosity treatment of the unsteady turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate in an expansion tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, R. N.; Trimpi, R. L.

1974-01-01

An analysis is presented for the relaxation of a turbulent boundary layer on a semiinfinite flat plate after passage of a shock wave and a trailing driver gas-driven gas interface. The problem has special application to expansion tube flows. The flow-governing equations have been transformed into the Lamcrocco variables. The numerical results indicate that a fully turbulent boundary layer relaxes faster to the final steady-state values of heat transfer and skin-friction than a fully laminar boundary layer.

Notes on the Prediction of Shock-induced Boundary-layer Separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lange, Roy H.

1953-01-01

The present status of available information relative to the prediction of shock-induced boundary-layer separation is discussed. Experimental results showing the effects of Reynolds number and Mach number on the separation of both laminar and turbulent boundary layer are given and compared with available methods for predicting separation. The flow phenomena associated with separation caused by forward-facing steps, wedges, and incident shock waves are discussed. Applications of the flat-plate data to problems of separation on spoilers, diffusers, and scoop inlets are indicated for turbulent boundary layers.

Structure of turbulence in three-dimensional boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramanian, Chelakara S.

1993-01-01

This report provides an overview of the three dimensional turbulent boundary layer concepts and of the currently available experimental information for their turbulence modeling. It is found that more reliable turbulence data, especially of the Reynolds stress transport terms, is needed to improve the existing modeling capabilities. An experiment is proposed to study the three dimensional boundary layer formed by a 'sink flow' in a fully developed two dimensional turbulent boundary layer. Also, the mean and turbulence field measurement procedure using a three component laser Doppler velocimeter is described.

An Estimation of Turbulent Kinetic Energy and Energy Dissipation Rate Based on Atmospheric Boundary Layer Similarity Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, Jongil; Arya, S. Pal; Shaohua, Shen; Lin, Yuh-Lang; Proctor, Fred H. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Algorithms are developed to extract atmospheric boundary layer profiles for turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and energy dissipation rate (EDR), with data from a meteorological tower as input. The profiles are based on similarity theory and scalings for the atmospheric boundary layer. The calculated profiles of EDR and TKE are required to match the observed values at 5 and 40 m. The algorithms are coded for operational use and yield plausible profiles over the diurnal variation of the atmospheric boundary layer.

A novel concept for subsonic inlet boundary-layer control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, B. A.

1977-01-01

A self-bleeding method for boundary layer control is described and tested for a subsonic inlet designed to operate in the flowfield generated by high angles of attack. Naturally occurring surface static pressure gradients are used to remove the boundary layer from a separation-prone region of the inlet and to reinject it at a less critical location with a net performance gain. The results suggest that this self-bleeding method for boundary-layer control might be successfully applied to other inlets operating at extreme aerodynamic conditions.

The atmospheric boundary layer — advances in knowledge and application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.; Hess, G. D.; Physick, W. L.; Bougeault, P.

1996-02-01

We summarise major activities and advances in boundary-layer knowledge in the 25 years since 1970, with emphasis on the application of this knowledge to surface and boundary-layer parametrisation schemes in numerical models of the atmosphere. Progress in three areas is discussed: (i) the mesoscale modelling of selected phenomena; (ii) numerical weather prediction; and (iii) climate simulations. Future trends are identified, including the incorporation into models of advanced cloud schemes and interactive canopy schemes, and the nesting of high resolution boundary-layer schemes in global climate models.

Boundary-layer cumulus over land: Some observations and conceptual models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stull, R.B.

1993-09-01

Starting in 1980, the Boundary Layer Research Team at the University of Wisconsin has been systematically studying the formation and evolution of nonprecipitating boundary-layer cumulus clouds (BLCu) in regions of fair weather (anticyclones) over land (Stull, 1980). Our approach is to quantify the average statistical characteristics of the surface, thermals, boundary layer, and clouds over horizontal regions of roughly 20 km in diameter. Within such a region over land, there is typically quite a variation in land use, and associated variations in surface albedo and moisture.

An investigation of the effects of the propeller slipstream of a laminar wing boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, R. M.; Miley, S. J.; Holmes, B. J.

1985-01-01

A research program is in progress to study the effects of the propeller slipstream on natural laminar flow. Flight and wind tunnel measurements of the wing boundary layer have been made using hot-film velocity sensor probes. The results show the boundary layer, at any given point, to alternate between laminar and turbulent states. This cyclic behavior is due to periodic external flow turbulence originating from the viscous wake of the propeller blades. Analytic studies show the cyclic laminar/turbulent boundary layer to result in a significantly lower wing section drag than a fully turbulent boundary layer. The application of natural laminar flow design philosophy yields drag reduction benefits in the slipstream affected regions of the airframe, as well as the unaffected regions.

Calculations of unsteady turbulent boundary layers with flow reversal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nash, J. F.; Patel, V. C.

1975-01-01

The results are presented of a series of computational experiments aimed at studying the characteristics of time-dependent turbulent boundary layers with embedded reversed-flow regions. A calculation method developed earlier was extended to boundary layers with reversed flows for this purpose. The calculations were performed for an idealized family of external velocity distributions, and covered a range of degrees of unsteadiness. The results confirmed those of previous studies in demonstrating that the point of flow reversal is nonsingular in a time-dependent boundary layer. A singularity was observed to develop downstream of reversal, under certain conditions, accompanied by the breakdown of the boundary-layer approximations. A tentative hypothesis was advanced in an attempt to predict the appearance of the singularity, and is shown to be consistent with the calculated results.

Energy efficient engine, low-pressure turbine boundary layer program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, W. B.

1981-01-01

A study was conducted to investigate development of boundary layers under the influence of velocity distributions simulating the suction side of two state-of-the-art turbine airfoils: a forward loaded airfoil (squared-off design) and an aft loaded airfoil (aft-loaded design). These velocity distributions were simulated in a boundary layer wind tunnel. Detailed measurements of boundary layer mean velocity and turbulence intensity profiles were obtained for an inlet turbulence level of 2.4 percent and an exit Reynolds number of 800,000. Flush-mounted hot film probes identified the boundary layer transition regimes in the adverse pressure gradient regions for both velocity distributions. Wall intermittency data showed good agreement with the correlations of Dhawan and Narasimha for the intermittency factor distribution in transitional flow regimes.

Experimental measurements of unsteady turbulent boundary layers near separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, R. L.

1982-01-01

Investigations conducted to document the behavior of turbulent boundary layers on flat surfaces that separate due to adverse pressure gradients are reported. Laser and hot wire anemometers measured turbulence and flow structure of a steady free stream separating turbulent boundary layer produced on the flow of a wind tunnel section. The effects of sinusoidal and unsteadiness of the free stream velocity on this separating turbulent boundary layer at a reduced frequency were determined. A friction gage and a thermal tuft were developed and used to measure the surface skin friction and the near wall fraction of time the flow moves downstream for several cases. Abstracts are provided of several articles which discuss the effects of the periodic free stream unsteadiness on the structure or separating turbulent boundary layers.

Computation of turbulent boundary layers on curved surfaces, 1 June 1975 - 31 January 1976

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, D. C.; Chambers, T. L.

1976-01-01

An accurate method was developed for predicting effects of streamline curvature and coordinate system rotation on turbulent boundary layers. A new two-equation model of turbulence was developed which serves as the basis of the study. In developing the new model, physical reasoning is combined with singular perturbation methods to develop a rational, physically-based set of equations which are, on the one hand, as accurate as mixing-length theory for equilibrium boundary layers and, on the other hand, suitable for computing effects of curvature and rotation. The equations are solved numerically for several boundary layer flows over plane and curved surfaces. For incompressible boundary layers, results of the computations are generally within 10% of corresponding experimental data. Somewhat larger discrepancies are noted for compressible applications.

Effect of Sub-Boundary Layer Vortex Generations on Incident Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Casper, J.; Lin, J. C.; Yao, C. S.

2003-01-01

Sub-boundary layer vortex generators were tested in a wind tunnel to assess their effect on the velocity field within the wake region of a turbulent boundary layer. Both mean flow quantities and turbulence statistics were measured. Although very small relative to the boundary layer thickness, these so-called micro vortex generators were found to have a measurable effect on the power spectra and integral length scales of the turbulence at a distance many times the height of the devices themselves. In addition, the potential acoustic impact of these devices is also discussed. Measured turbulence spectra are used as input to an acoustic formulation in a manner that compares predicted sound pressure levels that result from the incident boundary-layer turbulence, with and without the vortex generators in the flow.

Hypersonic three-dimensional nonequilibrium boundary-layer equations in generalized curvilinear coordinates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Jong-Hun

1993-01-01

The basic governing equations for the second-order three-dimensional hypersonic thermal and chemical nonequilibrium boundary layer are derived by means of an order-of-magnitude analysis. A two-temperature concept is implemented into the system of boundary-layer equations by simplifying the rather complicated general three-temperature thermal gas model. The equations are written in a surface-oriented non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system, where two curvilinear coordinates are non-orthogonial and a third coordinate is normal to the surface. The equations are described with minimum use of tensor expressions arising from the coordinate transformation, to avoid unnecessary confusion for readers. The set of equations obtained will be suitable for the development of a three-dimensional nonequilibrium boundary-layer code. Such a code could be used to determine economically the aerodynamic/aerothermodynamic loads to the surfaces of hypersonic vehicles with general configurations. In addition, the basic equations for three-dimensional stagnation flow, of which solution is required as an initial value for space-marching integration of the boundary-layer equations, are given along with the boundary conditions, the boundary-layer parameters, and the inner-outer layer matching procedure. Expressions for the chemical reaction rates and the thermodynamic and transport properties in the thermal nonequilibrium environment are explicitly given.

Boundary layer effects on liners for aircraft engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabard, Gwénaël

2016-10-01

The performance of acoustic treatments installed on aircraft engines is strongly influenced by the boundary layer of the grazing flow on the surface of the liner. The parametric study presented in this paper illustrates the extent of this effect and identifies when it is significant. The acoustic modes of a circular duct with flow are calculated using a finite difference method. The parameters are representative of the flow conditions, liners and sound fields found in current turbofan engines. Both the intake and bypass ducts are considered. Results show that there is a complex interplay between the boundary layer thickness, the direction of propagation and the liner impedance and that the boundary layer can have a strong impact on liner performance for typical configurations (including changes of the order of 30 dB on the attenuation of modes associated with tonal fan noise). A modified impedance condition including the effect of a small but finite boundary layer thickness is considered and compared to the standard Myers condition based on an infinitely thin boundary layer. We show how this impedance condition can be implemented in a mode calculation method by introducing auxiliary variables. This condition is able to capture the trends associated with the boundary layer effects and in most cases provides improved predictions of liner performance.

Effects of Periodic Unsteady Wake Flow and Pressure Gradient on Boundary Layer Transition Along the Concave Surface of a Curved Plate. Part 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schobeiri, M. T.; Radke, R. E.

1996-01-01

Boundary layer transition and development on a turbomachinery blade is subjected to highly periodic unsteady turbulent flow, pressure gradient in longitudinal as well as lateral direction, and surface curvature. To study the effects of periodic unsteady wakes on the concave surface of a turbine blade, a curved plate was utilized. On the concave surface of this plate, detailed experimental investigations were carried out under zero and negative pressure gradient. The measurements were performed in an unsteady flow research facility using a rotating cascade of rods positioned upstream of the curved plate. Boundary layer measurements using a hot-wire probe were analyzed by the ensemble-averaging technique. The results presented in the temporal-spatial domain display the transition and further development of the boundary layer, specifically the ensemble-averaged velocity and turbulence intensity. As the results show, the turbulent patches generated by the wakes have different leading and trailing edge velocities and merge with the boundary layer resulting in a strong deformation and generation of a high turbulence intensity core. After the turbulent patch has totally penetrated into the boundary layer, pronounced becalmed regions were formed behind the turbulent patch and were extended far beyond the point they would occur in the corresponding undisturbed steady boundary layer.

An experimental study of the turbulent boundary layer on a transport wing in subsonic and transonic flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spaid, Frank W.; Roos, Frederick W.; Hicks, Raymond M.

1990-01-01

The upper surface boundary layer on a transport wing model was extensively surveyed with miniature yaw probes at a subsonic and a transonic cruise condition. Additional data were obtained at a second transonic test condition, for which a separated region was present at mid-semispan, aft of mid-chord. Significant variation in flow direction with distance from the surface was observed near the trailing edge except at the wing root and tip. The data collected at the transonic cruise condition show boundary layer growth associated with shock wave/boundary layer interaction, followed by recovery of the boundary layer downstream of the shock. Measurements of fluctuating surface pressure and wingtip acceleration were also obtained. The influence of flow field unsteadiness on the boundary layer data is discussed. Comparisons among the data and predictions from a variety of computational methods are presented. The computed predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data in the outboard regions where 3-D effects are moderate and adverse pressure gradients are mild. In the more highly loaded mid-span region near the trailing edge, displacement thickness growth was significantly underpredicted, except when unrealistically severe adverse pressure gradients associated with inviscid calculations were used to perform boundary layer calculations.

Measurements of tropospheric nitric acid over the Western United States and Northeastern Pacific Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebel, P. J.; Huebert, B. J.; Schiff, H. I.; Vay, S. A.; Vanbramer, S. E.; Hastie, D. R.

1990-01-01

Over 240 measurements of nitric acid (HNO3) were made in the free troposphere as well as in the boundary layer. Marine HNO3 measurement results were strikingly similar to results from GAMETAG and other past atmospheric field experiments. The marine boundary layer HNO3 average, 62 parts-per-trillion by volume (pptv), was 1/3 lower than the marine free tropospheric average, 108 pptv, suggesting that the boundary layer is a sink for tropospheric nitric acid, probably by dry deposition. Nitric acid measurements on a nighttime continental flight gave a free tropospheric average of 218 pptv, substantially greater than the daytime continental free tropospheric 5-flight average of 61 pptv. However, the nighttime results may be influenced by highly convective conditions that existed from thunderstorms in the vicinity during that night flight. The continental boundary layer HNO3 average of 767 pptv is an order of magnitude greater than the free tropospheric average, indicating that the boundary layer is a source of free tropospheric HNO3. The distribution of continental boundary layer HNO3 data, from averages of 123 over rural Nevada and Utah to 1057 pptv in the polluted San Joaquin Valley of California suggest a close tie between boundary layer HNO3 and anthropogenic activity.

Steady Boundary Layer Disturbances Created By Two-Dimensional Surface Ripples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuester, Matthew

2017-11-01

Multiple experiments have shown that surface roughness can enhance the growth of Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) waves in a laminar boundary layer. One of the common observations from these studies is a ``wall displacement'' effect, where the boundary layer profile shape remains relatively unchanged, but the origin of the profile pushes away from the wall. The objective of this work is to calculate the steady velocity field (including this wall displacement) of a laminar boundary layer over a surface with small, 2D surface ripples. The velocity field is a combination of a Blasius boundary layer and multiple disturbance modes, calculated using the linearized Navier-Stokes equations. The method of multiple scales is used to include non-parallel boundary layer effects of O (Rδ- 1) ; the non-parallel terms are necessary, because a wall displacement is mathematically inconsistent with a parallel boundary layer assumption. This technique is used to calculate the steady velocity field over ripples of varying height and wavelength, including cases where a separation bubble forms on the leeward side of the ripple. In future work, the steady velocity field will be the input for stability calculations, which will quantify the growth of T-S waves over rough surfaces. The author would like to acknowledge the support of the Kevin T. Crofton Aerospace & Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech.

PLIF Visualization of Active Control of Hypersonic Boundary Layers Using Blowing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bathel, Brett F.; Danehy, Paul M.; Inman, Jennifer A.; Alderfer, David W.; Berry, Scott A.

2008-01-01

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging was used to visualize the boundary layer flow on a 1/3-scale Hyper-X forebody model. The boundary layer was perturbed by blowing out of orifices normal to the model surface. Two blowing orifice configurations were used: a spanwise row of 17-holes spaced at 1/8 inch, with diameters of 0.020 inches and a single-hole orifice with a diameter of 0.010 inches. The purpose of the study was to visualize and identify laminar and turbulent structures in the boundary layer and to make comparisons with previous phosphor thermography measurements of surface heating. Jet penetration and its influence on the boundary layer development was also examined as was the effect of a compression corner on downstream boundary layer transition. Based upon the acquired PLIF images, it was determined that global surface heating measurements obtained using the phosphor thermography technique provide an incomplete indicator of transitional and turbulent behavior of the corresponding boundary layer flow. Additionally, the PLIF images show a significant contribution towards transition from instabilities originating from the underexpanded jets. For this experiment, a nitric oxide/nitrogen mixture was seeded through the orifices, with nitric oxide (NO) serving as the fluorescing gas. The experiment was performed in the 31-inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center.

Climatic change by cloudiness linked to the spatial variability of sea surface temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otterman, J.

1975-01-01

An active role in modifying the earth's climate is suggested for low cloudiness over the circumarctic oceans. Such cloudiness, linked to the spatial differences in ocean surface temperatures, was studied. The temporal variations from year to year of ocean temperature patterns can be pronounced and therefore, the low cloudiness over this region should also show strong temporal variations, affecting the albedo of the earth and therefore the climate. Photographs are included.

The Summertime Arctic Atmosphere: Meteorological Measurements during the Arctic Ocean Experiment 2001.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tjernström, Michael; Leck, Caroline; Persson, P. Ola G.; Jensen, Michael L.; Oncley, Steven P.; Targino, Admir

2004-09-01

An atmospheric boundary layer experiment into the high Arctic was carried out on the Swedish ice-breaker Oden during the summer of 2001, with the primary boundary layer observations obtained while the icebreaker drifted with the ice near 89°N during 3 weeks in August. The purposes of the experiment were to gain an understanding of atmospheric boundary layer structure and transient mixing mechanisms, in addition to their relationships to boundary layer clouds and aerosol production. Using a combination of in situ and remote sensing instruments, with temporal and spatial resolutions previously not deployed in the Arctic, continuous measurements of the lower-troposphere structure and boundary layer turbulence were taken concurrently with atmospheric gas and particulate chemistry, and marine biology measurements.The boundary layer was strongly controlled by ice thermodynamics and local turbulent mixing. Near-surface temperatures mostly remained between near the melting points of the sea- and freshwater, and near-surface relative humidity was high. Low clouds prevailed and fog appeared frequently. Visibility outside of fog was surprisingly good even with very low clouds, probably due to a lack of aerosol particles preventing the formation of haze. The boundary layer was shallow but remained well mixed, capped by an occasionally very strong inversion. Specific humidity often increased with height across the capping inversion.In contrast to the boundary layer, the free troposphere often retained its characteristics from well beyond the Arctic. Elevated intrusions of warm, moist air from open seas to the south were frequent. The picture that the Arctic atmosphere is less affected by transport from lower latitudes in summer than the winter may, thus, be an artifact of analyzing only surface measurements. The transport of air from lower latitudes at heights above the boundary layer has a major impact on the Arctic boundary layer, even very close to the North Pole. During a few week-long periods synoptic-scale weather systems appeared, while weaker and shallower mesoscale fronts were frequent. While frontal passages changed the properties of the free troposphere, changes in the boundary layer were more determined by local effects that often led to changes contrary to those aloft. For example, increasing winds associated with a cold front often led to a warming of the near-surface air by mixing and entrainment.

Balloon-borne match measurements of midlatitude cirrus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirisan, A.; Luo, B. P.; Engel, I.; Wienhold, F. G.; Sprenger, M.; Krieger, U. K.; Weers, U.; Romanens, G.; Levrat, G.; Jeannet, P.; Ruffieux, D.; Philipona, R.; Calpini, B.; Spichtinger, P.; Peter, T.

2014-07-01

Observations of high supersaturations with respect to ice inside cirrus clouds with high ice water content (> 0.01 g kg-1) and high crystal number densities (> 1 cm-3) are challenging our understanding of cloud microphysics and of climate feedback processes in the upper troposphere. However, single measurements of a cloudy air mass provide only a snapshot from which the persistence of ice supersaturation cannot be judged. We introduce here the "cirrus match technique" to obtain information about the evolution of clouds and their saturation ratio. The aim of these coordinated balloon soundings is to analyze the same air mass twice. To this end the standard radiosonde equipment is complemented by a frost point hygrometer, "SnowWhite", and a particle backscatter detector, "COBALD" (Compact Optical Backscatter AerosoL Detector). Extensive trajectory calculations based on regional weather model COSMO (Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling) forecasts are performed for flight planning, and COSMO analyses are used as a basis for comprehensive microphysical box modeling (with grid scale of 2 and 7 km, respectively). Here we present the results of matching a cirrus cloud to within 2-15 km, realized on 8 June 2010 over Payerne, Switzerland, and a location 120 km downstream close to Zurich. A thick cirrus cloud was detected over both measurement sites. We show that in order to quantitatively reproduce the measured particle backscatter ratios, the small-scale temperature fluctuations not resolved by COSMO must be superimposed on the trajectories. The stochastic nature of the fluctuations is captured by ensemble calculations. Possibilities for further improvements in the agreement with the measured backscatter data are investigated by assuming a very slow mass accommodation of water on ice, the presence of heterogeneous ice nuclei, or a wide span of (spheroidal) particle shapes. However, the resulting improvements from these microphysical refinements are moderate and comparable in magnitude with changes caused by assuming different regimes of temperature fluctuations for clear-sky or cloudy-sky conditions, highlighting the importance of proper treatment of subscale fluctuations. The model yields good agreement with the measured backscatter over both sites and reproduces the measured saturation ratios with respect to ice over Payerne. Conversely, the 30% in-cloud supersaturation measured in a massive 4 km thick cloud layer over Zurich cannot be reproduced, irrespective of the choice of meteorological or microphysical model parameters. The measured supersaturation can only be explained by either resorting to an unknown physical process, which prevents the ice particles from consuming the excess humidity, or - much more likely - by a measurement error, such as a contamination of the sensor housing of the SnowWhite hygrometer by a precipitation drop from a mixed-phase cloud just below the cirrus layer or from some very slight rain in the boundary layer. This uncertainty calls for in-flight checks or calibrations of hygrometers under the special humidity conditions in the upper troposphere.

Linking Dynamics of the Near-surface Flow to Deeper Boundary Layer Forcing in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

Kaimal and Finnigan (1994), modified) Figure 2.2 illustrates the evolution from unstable CBL to a nocturnal Stable Bound- ary Layer ( SBL ) in the absence...mixed layer acts as a cap for the SBL . The SBL persists through the night until sunrise when surface heating resumes and a new unstable layer begins...to form at the surface, gradually returning to a CBL. 7 2.2.1 Dynamics of the stable boundary layer Because the SBL is stably stratified, buoyancy

Boundary-layer effects in droplet splashing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riboux, Guillaume; Gordillo, Jose Manuel

2017-11-01

A drop falling onto a solid substrate will disintegrate into smaller parts when its impact velocity exceeds the so called critical velocity for splashing. Under these circumstances, the very thin liquid sheet ejected tangentially to the solid after the drop touches the substrate, lifts off as a consequence of the aerodynamic forces exerted on it and finally breaks into smaller droplets, violently ejected radially outwards, provoking the splash. Here, the tangential deceleration experienced by the fluid entering the thin liquid sheet is investigated making use of boundary layer theory. The velocity component tangent to the solid, computed using potential flow theory provides the far field boundary condition as well as the pressure gradient for the boundary layer equations. The structure of the flow permits to find a self similar solution of the boundary layer equations. This solution is then used to calculate the boundary layer thickness at the root of the lamella as well as the shear stress at the wall. The splash model presented in, which is slightly modified to account for the results obtained from the boundary layer analysis, provides a very good agreement between the measurements and the predicted values of the critical velocity for the splash.

Boundary layer and fundamental problems of hydrodynamics (compatibility of a logarithmic velocity profile in a turbulent boundary layer with the experience values)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaryankin, A. E.

2017-11-01

The compatibility of the semiempirical turbulence theory of L. Prandtl with the actual flow pattern in a turbulent boundary layer is considered in this article, and the final calculation results of the boundary layer is analyzed based on the mentioned theory. It shows that accepted additional conditions and relationships, which integrate the differential equation of L. Prandtl, associating the turbulent stresses in the boundary layer with the transverse velocity gradient, are fulfilled only in the near-wall region where the mentioned equation loses meaning and are inconsistent with the physical meaning on the main part of integration. It is noted that an introduced concept about the presence of a laminar sublayer between the wall and the turbulent boundary layer is the way of making of a physical meaning to the logarithmic velocity profile, and can be defined as adjustment of the actual flow to the formula that is inconsistent with the actual boundary conditions. It shows that coincidence of the experimental data with the actual logarithmic profile is obtained as a result of the use of not particular physical value, as an argument, but function of this value.

Semi-discrete Galerkin solution of the compressible boundary-layer equations with viscous-inviscid interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, Brad A.; Meade, Andrew J., Jr.

1993-01-01

A semi-discrete Galerkin (SDG) method is under development to model attached, turbulent, and compressible boundary layers for transonic airfoil analysis problems. For the boundary-layer formulation the method models the spatial variable normal to the surface with linear finite elements and the time-like variable with finite differences. A Dorodnitsyn transformed system of equations is used to bound the infinite spatial domain thereby providing high resolution near the wall and permitting the use of a uniform finite element grid which automatically follows boundary-layer growth. The second-order accurate Crank-Nicholson scheme is applied along with a linearization method to take advantage of the parabolic nature of the boundary-layer equations and generate a non-iterative marching routine. The SDG code can be applied to any smoothly-connected airfoil shape without modification and can be coupled to any inviscid flow solver. In this analysis, a direct viscous-inviscid interaction is accomplished between the Euler and boundary-layer codes through the application of a transpiration velocity boundary condition. Results are presented for compressible turbulent flow past RAE 2822 and NACA 0012 airfoils at various freestream Mach numbers, Reynolds numbers, and angles of attack.

EAULIQ: The Next Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, David A.; Fowler, Laura D.

1999-01-01

This report summarizes the design of a new version of the stratiform cloud parameterization called Eauliq; the new version is called Eauliq NG. The key features of Eauliq NG are: (1) a prognostic fractional area covered by stratiform cloudiness, following the approach developed by M. Tiedtke for use in the ECMWF model; (2) separate prognostic thermodynamic variables for the clear and cloudy portions of each grid cell; (3) separate vertical velocities for the clear and cloudy portions of each grid cell, allowing the model to represent some aspects of observed mesoscale circulations; (4) cumulus entrainment from both the clear and cloudy portions of a grid cell, and cumulus detrainment into the cloudy portion only; and (5) the effects of the cumulus-induced subsidence in the cloudy portion of a grid cell on the cloud water and ice there. In this paper we present the mathematical framework of Eauliq NG; a discussion of cumulus effects; a new parameterization of lateral mass exchanges between clear and cloudy regions; and a theory to determine the mesoscale mass circulation, based on the hypothesis that the stratiform clouds remain neutrally buoyant through time and that the mesoscale circulations are the mechanism which makes this possible. An appendix also discusses some time-differencing methods.

Sediment transport under wave groups: Relative importance between nonlinear waveshape and nonlinear boundary layer streaming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yu, X.; Hsu, T.-J.; Hanes, D.M.

2010-01-01

Sediment transport under nonlinear waves in a predominately sheet flow condition is investigated using a two-phase model. Specifically, we study the relative importance between the nonlinear waveshape and nonlinear boundary layer streaming on cross-shore sand transport. Terms in the governing equations because of the nonlinear boundary layer process are included in this one-dimensional vertical (1DV) model by simplifying the two-dimensional vertical (2DV) ensemble-averaged two-phase equations with the assumption that waves propagate without changing their form. The model is first driven by measured time series of near-bed flow velocity because of a wave group during the SISTEX99 large wave flume experiment and validated with the measured sand concentration in the sheet flow layer. Additional studies are then carried out by including and excluding the nonlinear boundary layer terms. It is found that for the grain diameter (0.24 mm) and high-velocity skewness wave condition considered here, nonlinear waveshape (e.g., skewness) is the dominant mechanism causing net onshore transport and nonlinear boundary layer streaming effect only causes an additional 36% onshore transport. However, for conditions of relatively low-wave skewness and a stronger offshore directed current, nonlinear boundary layer streaming plays a more critical role in determining the net transport. Numerical experiments further suggest that the nonlinear boundary layer streaming effect becomes increasingly important for finer grain. When the numerical model is driven by measured near-bed flow velocity in a more realistic surf zone setting, model results suggest nonlinear boundary layer processes may nearly double the onshore transport purely because of nonlinear waveshape. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.

[Clinical, pathological and imaging features of primary pelvic Ewing's sarcoma].

PubMed

Liu, J; Chen, Y; Ling, X L; Gong, Y; Ding, J P; Zhang, Z K; Wang, Y J

2016-07-19

To explore the clinical, pathological and imaging features of Ewing's sarcoma in pelvis and to improve knowledge and diagnosis of the disease. A retrospective analysis of the clinical, pathological and imaging data of pathologically confirmed 13 cases of Ewing's sarcoma in pelvis was carried out between May 2008 and March 2016 in the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University and the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University. The median age 13 cases of pelvic primary Ewing's sarcoma was 17 years old.The X-ray and CT imagings showed osteolytic and mixed bone destruction, CT showed mixed type in 10 cases, 8 cases of bone tumors as a flocculent, 10 cases of bone expansion failure, 10 cases of periosteal reaction, the layered 5 cases, radial in 5 cases.Thirteen cases showed soft tissue mass, soft tissue mass was equal or slightly lower density.Four cases showed heterogeneous contrast enhancement.The lesions showed low signal in T1WI and mixed high signal in T2WI of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). The boundary of the lesions were obscure, and 5 cases had patchy necrosis area, and 9 cases had incomplete false capsule, surrounding soft tissue was violated.Four cases showed heterogeneous contrast enhancement after MRI enhancement scan. The age of onset of Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis is more concentrated in about 15 years.The imaging feaures are mixed bone destruction and more bone is swelling and permeability damage, soft tissue mass is larger, bone tumor is cloudy or acicular, periosteal reaction in a layered and radial, most cases show that the false envelope is not complete.Combined with clinical and imaging examination, the diagnosis of the disease can be made.

A computer program for calculating laminar and turbulent boundary layers for two-dimensional time-dependent flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cebeci, T.; Carr, L. W.

1978-01-01

A computer program is described which provides solutions of two dimensional equations appropriate to laminar and turbulent boundary layers for boundary conditions with an external flow which fluctuates in magnitude. The program is based on the numerical solution of the governing boundary layer equations by an efficient two point finite difference method. An eddy viscosity formulation was used to model the Reynolds shear stress term. The main features of the method are briefly described and instructions for the computer program with a listing are provided. Sample calculations to demonstrate its usage and capabilities for laminar and turbulent unsteady boundary layers with an external flow which fluctuated in magnitude are presented.

Rotor boundary layer development with inlet guide vane (IGV) wake impingement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Lichao; Zou, Tengda; Zhu, Yiding; Lee, Cunbiao

2018-04-01

This paper examines the transition process in a boundary layer on a rotor blade under the impingement of an inlet guide vane wake. The effects of wake strengths and the reduced frequency on the unsteady boundary layer development on a low-speed axial compressor were investigated using particle image velocimetry. The measurements were carried out at two reduced frequencies (fr = fIGVS0/U2i, fr = 1.35, and fr = 0.675) with the Reynolds number, based on the blade chord and the isentropic inlet velocity, being 97 500. At fr = 1.35, the flow separated at the trailing edge when the wake strength was weak. However, the separation was almost totally suppressed as the wake strength increased. For the stronger wake, both the wake's high turbulence and the negative jet behavior of the wake dominated the interaction between the unsteady wake and the separated boundary layer on the suction surface of the airfoil. The boundary layer displacement thickened first due to the negative jet effect. Then, as the disturbances developed underneath the wake, the boundary layer thickness reduced gradually. The high disturbance region convected downstream at a fraction of the free-stream velocity and spread in the streamwise direction. The separation on the suction surface was suppressed until the next wake's arrival. Because of the long recovery time at fr = 0.675, the boundary layer thickened gradually as the wake convected further downstream and finally separated due to the adverse pressure gradient. The different boundary layer states in turn affected the development of disturbances.

Evaluation of Flush-Mounted, S-Duct Inlets With Large Amounts of Boundary Layer Ingestion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrier, Bobby L.; Morehouse, Melissa B.

2003-01-01

A new high Reynolds number test capability for boundary layer ingesting inlets has been developed for the NASA Langley Research Center 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel. Using this new capability, an experimental investigation of four S-duct inlet configurations with large amounts of boundary layer ingestion (nominal boundary layer thickness of about 40% of inlet height) was conducted at realistic operating conditions (high subsonic Mach numbers and full-scale Reynolds numbers). The objectives of this investigation were to 1) develop a new high Reynolds number, boundary-layer ingesting inlet test capability, 2) evaluate the performance of several boundary layer ingesting S-duct inlets, 3) provide a database for CFD tool validation, and 4) provide a baseline inlet for future inlet flow-control studies. Tests were conducted at Mach numbers from 0.25 to 0.83, Reynolds numbers (based on duct exit diameter) from 5.1 million to a fullscale value of 13.9 million, and inlet mass-flow ratios from 0.39 to 1.58 depending on Mach number. Results of this investigation indicate that inlet pressure recovery generally decreased and inlet distortion generally increased with increasing Mach number. Except at low Mach numbers, increasing inlet mass-flow increased pressure recovery and increased distortion. Increasing the amount of boundary layer ingestion (by decreasing inlet throat height and increasing inlet throat width) or ingesting a boundary layer with a distorted profile decreased pressure recovery and increased distortion. Finally, increasing Reynolds number had almost no effect on inlet distortion but increased inlet recovery by about one-half percent at a Mach number near cruise.

Trade cumulus clouds embedded in a deep regional haze: Results from Indian Ocean CARDEX experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, E. M.; Thomas, R. M.; Praveen, P. S.; Pistone, K.; Bender, F.; Feng, Y.; Ramanathan, V.

2013-12-01

During the winter monsoon, trade cumulus clouds over the North Indian Ocean are embedded within a deep regional haze described as an atmospheric brown cloud. While the trade-cu clouds are largely confined to the marine boundary layer, the sooty brown cloud extends from the boundary layer to as high as 3 km; well above the tops of the cumulus. The boundary layer pollution is persistent and limits drizzle in the cumulus over a period of greater than a month at the Maldives Climate Observatory located at Hanimaadhoo Island. The elevated haze from 1 to 3 km altitude is episodic and strongly modulated by synoptic variability in the 700 hPa flow. The elevated plume enhances heating above the marine boundary layer through daytime absorption of sunlight by the haze particles. The interplay between the microphysical modification of clouds by boundary layer pollution and the episodic elevated heating by the atmospheric brown cloud are explored in in-situ observations from UAVs and surface remote sensing during the CARDEX field campaign of winter 2012 and supported by multi-year analysis of satellite remote sensing observations. These observations document the variability in pollution at the surface and above the marine boundary layer and the effects of pollution on the microphysics of the trade-cu clouds, the depth of the marine boundary layer, the liquid water path of trade-cu clouds, and the profile of turbulent moisture flux through the boundary layer. The consequences of these effects for the radiative forcing of regional climate will be discussed.

ATTENUATION OF VISIBLE SUNLIGHT BY LIMITED VISIBILITY AND CLOUDINESS

EPA Science Inventory

Variability in the irradiance measurements arises from systematic changes in the solar zenith angle (SZA), cloudiness and changing visibility. Measurements in the wavelength band centered on 612 nm serve as a reference for the initial characterization of the effects of cloudy ...

The Azimuthally Averaged Boundary Layer Structure of a Numerically Simulated Major Hurricane

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-14

layer in which the effects of sur- face friction are associated with significant departures from gradient wind balance. The boundary layer in the... effects of surface friction are associated with significant departures from gradient wind balance. More specifically, we follow Key Points: The...comprises a balance between three horizontal forces: Coriolis , pressure gradient, and friction. The boundary layer flow is characterized by a large Reynolds

Large-Eddy Simulation in Planetary Boundary-Layer Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wyngaard, J. C.

1985-01-01

The structure and dynamics of the convective boundary layer are discussed. The vertical transport of a conservative, passive scalar was simulated. Also studied were the statistics by top-down and bottom-up scalar fields. Substantial differences were found between them due, presumably, to the asymmetry in the convective boundary layer. A generalization of mixed-layer scaling was developed which allows one to include the effects of top-down diffusion.

Investigation of Boundary Layer Disturbances Caused by Periodic Heating of a Thin Ribbon

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-01

boundary layer. To obtain quantitative information about the development of these waves, they introduced a two-dimensional artificial disturbance into the...AF IT a. Thermo Systems Inc. (TSI) IFA-iO Intellegent Flow Analyzer Anemometry System b. TSI Model 1218-20 Hot Film Boundary Layer Probe c. Zenith Z

Towards Natural Transition in Compressible Boundary Layers

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-29

Behaviour of a natural laminar flow aerofoil in flight through atmospheric turbulence. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 767:394–429, 003 2015. [70] O...DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited See report Wave packet, compressible boundary layer, subsonic flow ...Base flow generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 3.1.1 Boundary layer profiles

Numerical study of shock-wave/boundary layer interactions in premixed hydrogen-air hypersonic flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yungster, Shaye

1991-01-01

A computational study of shock wave/boundary layer interactions involving premixed combustible gases, and the resulting combustion processes is presented. The analysis is carried out using a new fully implicit, total variation diminishing (TVD) code developed for solving the fully coupled Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and species continuity equations in an efficient manner. To accelerate the convergence of the basic iterative procedure, this code is combined with vector extrapolation methods. The chemical nonequilibrium processes are simulated by means of a finite-rate chemistry model for hydrogen-air combustion. Several validation test cases are presented and the results compared with experimental data or with other computational results. The code is then applied to study shock wave/boundary layer interactions in a ram accelerator configuration. Results indicate a new combustion mechanism in which a shock wave induces combustion in the boundary layer, which then propagates outwards and downstream. At higher Mach numbers, spontaneous ignition in part of the boundary layer is observed, which eventually extends along the entire boundary layer at still higher values of the Mach number.

Space-Time Correlations and Spectra of Wall Pressure in a Turbulent Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willmarth, W. W.

1959-01-01

Measurements of the statistical properties of the fluctuating wall pressure produced by a subsonic turbulent boundary layer are described. The measurements provide additional information about the structure of the turbulent boundary layer; they are applicable to the problems of boundary-layer induced noise inside an airplane fuselage and to the generation of waves-on water. The spectrum of the wall pressure is presented in dimensionless form. The ratio of the root-mean-square wall pressure to the free-stream dynamic pressure is found to be a constant square root of bar P(sup 2)/q(sub infinity) = 0.006 independent of Mach number and Reynolds number. In addition, space- time correlation measurements in the stream direction show that pressure fluctuations whose scale is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the boundary-layer thickness are convected with the convection speed U(sub c) = 0.82U(sub infinity) where U(infinity) is the free-stream velocity and have lost their identity in a distance approximately equal to 10 boundary-layer thicknesses.

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Stability over a Flared Cone in a Quiet Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lachowicz, Jason T.; Chokani, Ndaona; Wilkinson, Stephen P.

1996-01-01

Hypersonic boundary layer measurements were conducted over a flared cone in a quiet wind tunnel. The flared cone was tested at a freestream unit Reynolds number of 2.82x106/ft in a Mach 6 flow. This Reynolds number provided laminar-to-transitional flow over the model in a low-disturbance environment. Point measurements with a single hot wire using a novel constant voltage anemometry system were used to measure the boundary layer disturbances. Surface temperature and schlieren measurements were also conducted to characterize the laminar-to-transitional state of the boundary layer and to identify instability modes. Results suggest that the second mode disturbances were the most unstable and scaled with the boundary layer thickness. The integrated growth rates of the second mode compared well with linear stability theory in the linear stability regime. The second mode is responsible for transition onset despite the existence of a second mode sub-harmonic. The sub-harmonic wavelength also scales with the boundary layer thickness. Furthermore, the existence of higher harmonics of the fundamental suggests that non-linear disturbances are not associated with high free stream disturbance levels.

High enthalpy hypersonic boundary layer flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yanow, G.

1972-01-01

A theoretical and experimental study of an ionizing laminar boundary layer formed by a very high enthalpy flow (in excess of 12 eV per atom or 7000 cal/gm) with allowance for the presence of helium driver gas is described. The theoretical investigation has shown that the use of variable transport properties and their respective derivatives is very important in the solution of equilibrium boundary layer equations of high enthalpy flow. The effect of low level helium contamination on the surface heat transfer rate is minimal. The variation of ionization is much smaller in a chemically frozen boundary layer solution than in an equilibrium boundary layer calculation and consequently, the variation of the transport properties in the case of the former was not essential in the integration. The experiments have been conducted in a free piston shock tunnel, and a detailed study of its nozzle operation, including the effects of low levels of helium driver gas contamination has been made. Neither the extreme solutions of an equilibrium nor of a frozen boundary layer will adequately predict surface heat transfer rate in very high enthalpy flows.

An experimental investigation of heat transfer to reusable surface insulation tile array gaps in a turbulent boundary layer with pressure gradient. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Throckmorton, D. A.

1975-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed to determine the effect of pressure gradient on the heat transfer to space shuttle reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile array gaps under thick, turbulent boundary layer conditions. Heat transfer and pressure measurements were obtained on a curved array of full-scale simulated RSI tiles in a tunnel wall boundary layer at a nominal freestream Mach number of 10.3 and freestream unit Reynolds numbers of 1.6, 3.3, and and 6.1 million per meter. Transverse pressure gradients were induced over the model surface by rotating the curved array with respect to the flow. Definition of the tunnel wall boundary layer flow was obtained by measurement of boundary layer pitot pressure profiles, and flat plate wall pressure and heat transfer. Flat plate wall heat transfer data were correlated and a method was derived for prediction of smooth, curved array heat transfer in the highly three-dimensional tunnel wall boundary layer flow and simulation of full-scale space shuttle vehicle pressure gradient levels was assessed.

Relaxation of an unsteady turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate in an expansion tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurta, R. N.; Trimpi, R. L.

1974-01-01

An analysis is presented for the relaxation of a turbulent boundary layer on a semi-infinite flat plate after passage of a shock wave and a trailing driver gas-driven gas interface. The problem has special application to expansion-tube flows. The flow-governing equations have been transformed into the Crocco variables, and a time-similar solution is presented in terms of the dimensionless distance-time variable alpha and the dimensionless velocity variable beta. An eddy-viscosity model, similar to that of time-steady boundary layers, is applied to the inner and outer regions of the boundary layer. A turbulent Prandtl number equal to the molecular Prandtl number is used to relate the turbulent heat flux to the eddy viscosity. The numerical results, obtained by using the Gauss-Seidel line-relaxation method, indicate that a fully turbulent boundary layer relaxes faster to the final steady-state values of heat transfer and skin friction than a laminar boundary layer. The results also give a fairly good estimate of the local skin friction and heat transfer for near steady-flow conditions.

Simulations of laminar boundary-layer flow encountering large-scale surface indentions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beratlis, N.; Balaras, E.; Squires, K.; Vizard, A.

2016-03-01

The transition from laminar to turbulent flow over dimples and grooves has been investigated through a series of direct numerical simulations. Emphasis has been given to the mechanism of transition and the momentum transport in the post-dimple boundary layer. It has been found that the dimple geometry plays an important role in the evolution of the turbulent boundary layer downstream. The mechanism of transition in all cases is that of the reorientation of the spanwise vorticity into streamwise oriented structures resembling hairpin vortices commonly encountered in wall bounded turbulent flows. Although qualitatively the transition mechanism amongst the three different cases is similar, important quantitative differences exist. It was shown that two-dimensional geometries like a groove are more stable than three-dimensional geometries like a dimple. In addition, it was found that the cavity geometry controls the initial thickness of the boundary layer and practically results in a shift of the virtual origin of the turbulent boundary layer. Important differences in the momentum transport downstream of the dimples exist but in all cases the boundary layer grows in a self-similar manner.

A Real-Time Method for Estimating Viscous Forebody Drag Coefficients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A.; Hurtado, Marco; Rivera, Jose; Naughton, Jonathan W.

2000-01-01

This paper develops a real-time method based on the law of the wake for estimating forebody skin-friction coefficients. The incompressible law-of-the-wake equations are numerically integrated across the boundary layer depth to develop an engineering model that relates longitudinally averaged skin-friction coefficients to local boundary layer thickness. Solutions applicable to smooth surfaces with pressure gradients and rough surfaces with negligible pressure gradients are presented. Model accuracy is evaluated by comparing model predictions with previously measured flight data. This integral law procedure is beneficial in that skin-friction coefficients can be indirectly evaluated in real-time using a single boundary layer height measurement. In this concept a reference pitot probe is inserted into the flow, well above the anticipated maximum thickness of the local boundary layer. Another probe is servomechanism-driven and floats within the boundary layer. A controller regulates the position of the floating probe. The measured servomechanism position of this second probe provides an indirect measurement of both local and longitudinally averaged skin friction. Simulation results showing the performance of the control law for a noisy boundary layer are then presented.

A numerical method for the prediction of high-speed boundary-layer transition using linear theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mack, L. M.

1975-01-01

A method is described of estimating the location of transition in an arbitrary laminar boundary layer on the basis of linear stability theory. After an examination of experimental evidence for the relation between linear stability theory and transition, a discussion is given of the three essential elements of a transition calculation: (1) the interaction of the external disturbances with the boundary layer; (2) the growth of the disturbances in the boundary layer; and (3) a transition criterion. The computer program which carried out these three calculations is described. The program is first tested by calculating the effect of free-stream turbulence on the transition of the Blasius boundary layer, and is then applied to the problem of transition in a supersonic wind tunnel. The effects of unit Reynolds number and Mach number on the transition of an insulated flat-plate boundary layer are calculated on the basis of experimental data on the intensity and spectrum of free-stream disturbances. Reasonable agreement with experiment is obtained in the Mach number range from 2 to 4.5.

Sensored Field Oriented Control of a Robust Induction Motor Drive Using a Novel Boundary Layer Fuzzy Controller

PubMed Central

Saghafinia, Ali; Ping, Hew Wooi; Uddin, Mohammad Nasir

2013-01-01

Physical sensors have a key role in implementation of real-time vector control for an induction motor (IM) drive. This paper presents a novel boundary layer fuzzy controller (NBLFC) based on the boundary layer approach for speed control of an indirect field-oriented control (IFOC) of an induction motor (IM) drive using physical sensors. The boundary layer approach leads to a trade-off between control performances and chattering elimination. For the NBLFC, a fuzzy system is used to adjust the boundary layer thickness to improve the tracking performance and eliminate the chattering problem under small uncertainties. Also, to eliminate the chattering under the possibility of large uncertainties, the integral filter is proposed inside the variable boundary layer. In addition, the stability of the system is analyzed through the Lyapunov stability theorem. The proposed NBLFC based IM drive is implemented in real-time using digital signal processor (DSP) board TI TMS320F28335. The experimental and simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed NBLFC based IM drive at different operating conditions.

An experimental study of the compressor rotor blade boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouagare, M.; Lakshminarayana, B.; Galmes, J. M.

1984-01-01

The three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer developing on a rotor blade of an axial flow compressor was measured using a miniature 'x' configuration hot-wire probe. The measurements were carried out at nine radial locations on both surfaces of the blade at various chordwise locations. The data derived includes streamwise and radial mean velocities and turbulence intensities. The validity of conventional velocity profiles such as the 'power law profile' for the streamwise profile, and Mager and Eichelbrenner's for the radial profile, is examined. A modification to Mager's crossflow profile is proposed. Away from the blade tip, the streamwise component of the blade boundary layer seems to be mainly influenced by the streamwise pressure gradient. Near the tip of the blade, the behavior of the blade boundary layer is affected by the tip leakage flow and the annulus wall boundary layer. The 'tangential blockage' due to the blade boundary layer is derived from the data. The profile losses are found to be less than that of an equivalent cascade, except in the tip region of the blade.

An experimental study of low Re cavity vortex formation embedded in a laminar boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautam, Sashank; Lang, Amy; Wilroy, Jacob

2016-11-01

Laminar boundary layer flow across a grooved surface leads to the formation of vortices inside rectangular cavities. The nature and stability of the vortex inside any single cavity is determined by the Re and cavity geometry. According to the hypothesis, under low Re and stable vortex conditions a single cavity vortex leads to a roller-bearing effect which results in a decrease in drag as quantified by velocity profiles measured within the boundary layer. At higher Re once the vortex becomes unstable, drag should increase due to the mixing of low-momentum fluid within the cavity and the outer boundary layer flow. The primary objective of this experiment is to document the phenomenon using DPIV in a tow tank facility. This study focuses on the transition of the cavity flow from a steady to an unsteady state as the Re is increased above a critical value. The change in boundary layer momentum and cavity vortex characteristics are documented as a function of Re and boundary layer thickness. Funding from NSF CBET fluid dynamics Grant 1335848 is gratefully acknowledged.

Laser transit anemometer and Pitot probe comparative measurements in a sharp cone boundary layer at Mach 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, W. W., Jr.; Ocheltree, S. L.; Russ, C. E., Jr.

1991-01-01

Laser transit anemometer (LTA) measurements of a 7 degree sharp cone boundary layer were conducted in the Air Force/AEDC Supersonic Tunnel A Mach 4 flow field. These measurements are compared with Pitot probe measurements and tricone theory provided by AEDC staff. Measurements were made both in laminar and turbulent boundary layers of the model. Comparison of LTA measurements with theory showed agreement to better than 1 percent for the laminar boundary layer cases. This level of agreement was obtained after small position corrections, 0.01 to 0.6 mm, were applied to the experimental data sets. Pitot probe data when compared with theory also showed small positioning errors. The Pitot data value was also limited due to probe interference with the flow near the model. The LTA turbulent boundary layer data indicated a power law dependence of 6.3 to 6.9. The LTA data was analyzed in the time (Tau) domain in which it was obtained and in the velocity domain. No significant differences were noted between Tau and velocity domain results except in one turbulent boundary layer case.

Modeling of the heat transfer in bypass transitional boundary-layer flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Frederick F.; Stephens, Craig A.

1991-01-01

A low Reynolds number k-epsilon turbulence model and conditioned momentum, energy and turbulence equations were used to predict bypass transition heat transfer on a flat plate in a high-disturbance environment with zero pressure gradient. The use of conditioned equations was demonstrated to be an improvement over the use of the global-time-averaged equations for the calculation of velocity profiles and turbulence intensity profiles in the transition region of a boundary layer. The approach of conditioned equations is extended to include heat transfer and a modeling of transition events is used to predict transition onset and the extent of transition on a flat plate. The events, which describe the boundary layer at the leading edge, result in boundary-layer regions consisting of: (1) the laminar, (2) pseudolaminar, (3) transitional, and (4) turbulent boundary layers. The modeled transition events were incorporated into the TEXSTAN 2-D boundary-layer code which is used to numerically predict the heat transfer. The numerical predictions in general compared well with the experimental data and revealed areas where additional experimental information is needed.

Pressure-sensing performance of upright cylinders in a Mach 10 boundary-layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Steven; Murphy, Kelly

1994-01-01

An experimental research program to provide basic knowledge of the pressure-sensing performance of upright, flushported cylinders in a hypersonic boundary layer is described. Three upright cylinders of 0.25-, 0.5- and l.0-in. diameters and a conventional rake were placed in the test section sidewall boundary layer of the 31 Inch Mach 10 Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Boundary-layer pressures from these cylinders were compared to those measured with a conventional rake. A boundary-layer thickness-to-cylinder-diameter ratio of 8 proved sufficient to accurately measure an overall pressure profile and ascertain the boundary-layer thickness. Effects of Reynolds number, flow angularity, and shock wave impingement on pressure measurement were also investigated. Although Reynolds number effects were negligible at the conditions studied, flow angularity above 10 deg significantly affects the measured pressures. Shock wave impingement was used to investigate orifice-to-orifice pressure crosstalk. No crosstalk was measured. The lower pressure measured above the oblique shock wave impingement showed no influence of the higher pressure generated at the lower port locations.

Investigation of boundary layer and turbulence characteristics inside the passages of an axial flow inducer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anand, A.; Gorton, C.; Lakshminarayana, B.; Yamaoka, H.

1973-01-01

A study of the boundary layer and turbulence characteristics inside the passages of an axial flow inducer is reported. The first part deals with the analytical and experimental investigation of the boundary layer characteristics in a four bladed flat plate inducer passage operated with no throttle. An approximate analysis for the prediction of radial and chordwise velocity profiles across the passage is carried out. The momentum integral technique is used to predict the gross properties of the boundary layer. Equations are given for the exact analysis of the turbulent boundary layer characteristics using the turbulent field method. Detailed measurement of boundary layer profiles, limiting streamline angle and skin friction stress on the rotating blade is also reported. Part two of this report deals with the prediction of the flow as well as blade static pressure measurements in a three bladed inducer with cambered blades operated at a flow coefficient of 0.065. In addition, the mean velocity and turbulence measurements carried out inside the passage using a rotating triaxial probe is reported.

Numerical study of shock-wave/boundary layer interactions in premixed hydrogen-air hypersonic flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yungster, Shaye

1990-01-01

A computational study of shock wave/boundary layer interactions involving premixed combustible gases, and the resulting combustion processes is presented. The analysis is carried out using a new fully implicit, total variation diminishing (TVD) code developed for solving the fully coupled Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and species continuity equations in an efficient manner. To accelerate the convergence of the basic iterative procedure, this code is combined with vector extrapolation methods. The chemical nonequilibrium processes are simulated by means of a finite-rate chemistry model for hydrogen-air combustion. Several validation test cases are presented and the results compared with experimental data or with other computational results. The code is then applied to study shock wave/boundary layer interactions in a ram accelerator configuration. Results indicate a new combustion mechanism in which a shock wave induces combustion in the boundary layer, which then propagates outwards and downstream. At higher Mach numbers, spontaneous ignition in part of the boundary layer is observed, which eventually extends along the entire boundary layer at still higher values of the Mach number.

Premixed Turbulent Combustion in High Reynolds Number Regimes of Thickened Flamelets and Distributed Reactions

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-24

thickened preheat (TP) regime that is bounded by the Klimov-Williams limit, (b) the broken reaction layers (BR) boundary and the partially-distributed...b) the broken reaction layers (BR) boundary that is bounded by Norbert Peters predicted limit, and the partially-distributed reactions (PDR...Nomenclature BR = broken reaction layer boundary DR = distributed reaction zone boundary Ka = Karlovitz number of Peters (Eq. 1) equal to (δF,L

Probing Into the Atmosphere of the Young Exoplanet K2-25b

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chia Thao, Pa; Mann, Andrew

2018-01-01

Planets are most transformative during their early life, yet there remains little research on this developmental stage. In order to construct a more accurate picture of the diversity and evolution of planetary atmospheres, we present Spitzer infrared photometry of five transits both in 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm bands of the young exoplanet, K2-25b (650-800 Myr). To correct for the intra-pixel photometric response, we interpolated high-resolution sensitivity maps. Light curves were then created using a transit model and an MCMC framework to find the planet parameters in each wavelength. In comparison to atmospheric theoretical models, we find K2-25b unlikely to have a solar-metallicity atmosphere. However, observed through a full transmission spectrum, K2-25b is consistent with either a high-metallicity atmosphere or a cloudy/hazy layer. Further HST data would provide significantly more detail on the structure of the atmosphere. In a future project, we plan to apply this same method to a younger planet, K2-33b (11 Myr), to determine if cloudy/hazy atmospheres are primordial.

Nature, theory and modelling of geophysical convective planetary boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zilitinkevich, Sergej

2015-04-01

Geophysical convective planetary boundary layers (CPBLs) are still poorly reproduced in oceanographic, hydrological and meteorological models. Besides the mean flow and usual shear-generated turbulence, CPBLs involve two types of motion disregarded in conventional theories: 'anarchy turbulence' comprised of the buoyancy-driven plumes, merging to form larger plumes instead of breaking down, as postulated in conventional theory (Zilitinkevich, 1973), large-scale organised structures fed by the potential energy of unstable stratification through inverse energy transfer in convective turbulence (and performing non-local transports irrespective of mean gradients of transporting properties). C-PBLs are strongly mixed and go on growing as long as the boundary layer remains unstable. Penetration of the mixed layer into the weakly turbulent, stably stratified free flow causes turbulent transports through the CPBL outer boundary. The proposed theory, taking into account the above listed features of CPBL, is based on the following recent developments: prognostic CPBL-depth equation in combination with diagnostic algorithm for turbulence fluxes at the CPBL inner and outer boundaries (Zilitinkevich, 1991, 2012, 2013; Zilitinkevich et al., 2006, 2012), deterministic model of self-organised convective structures combined with statistical turbulence-closure model of turbulence in the CPBL core (Zilitinkevich, 2013). It is demonstrated that the overall vertical transports are performed mostly by turbulence in the surface layer and entrainment layer (at the CPBL inner and outer boundaries) and mostly by organised structures in the CPBL core (Hellsten and Zilitinkevich, 2013). Principal difference between structural and turbulent mixing plays an important role in a number of practical problems: transport and dispersion of admixtures, microphysics of fogs and clouds, etc. The surface-layer turbulence in atmospheric and marine CPBLs is strongly enhanced by the velocity shears in horizontal branches of organised structures. This mechanism (Zilitinkevich et al., 2006), was overlooked in conventional local theories, such as the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory, and convective heat/mass transfer law: Nu~Ra1/3, where Nu and Ra are the Nusselt number and Raleigh numbers. References Hellsten A., Zilitinkevich S., 2013: Role of convective structures and background turbulence in the dry convective boundary layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 149, 323-353. Zilitinkevich, S.S., 1973: Shear convection. Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 3, 416-423. Zilitinkevich, S.S., 1991: Turbulent Penetrative Convection, Avebury Technical, Aldershot, 180 pp. Zilitinkevich S.S., 2012: The Height of the Atmospheric Planetary Boundary layer: State of the Art and New Development - Chapter 13 in 'National Security and Human Health Implications of Climate Change', edited by H.J.S. Fernando, Z. Klaić, J.L. McKulley, NATO Science for Peace and Security Series - C: Environmental Security (ISBN 978-94-007-2429-7), Springer, 147-161. Zilitinkevich S.S., 2013: Atmospheric Turbulence and Planetary Boundary Layers. Fizmatlit, Moscow, 248 pp. Zilitinkevich, S.S., Hunt, J.C.R., Grachev, A.A., Esau, I.N., Lalas, D.P., Akylas, E., Tombrou, M., Fairall, C.W., Fernando, H.J.S., Baklanov, and A., Joffre, S.M., 2006: The influence of large convective eddies on the surface layer turbulence. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc. 132, 1423-1456. Zilitinkevich S.S., Tyuryakov S.A., Troitskaya Yu. I., Mareev E., 2012: Theoretical models of the height of the atmospheric planetary boundary layer and turbulent entrainment at its upper boundary. Izvestija RAN, FAO, 48, No.1, 150-160 Zilitinkevich, S.S., Elperin, T., Kleeorin, N., Rogachevskii, I., Esau, I.N., 2013: A hierarchy of energy- and flux-budget (EFB) turbulence closure models for stably stratified geophysical flows. Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 146, 341-373.

Non-local sub-characteristic zones of influence in unsteady interactive boundary-layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothmayer, A. P.

1992-01-01

The properties of incompressible, unsteady, interactive, boundary layers are examined for a model hypersonic boundary layer and internal flow past humps or, equivalently, external flow past short-scaled humps. Using a linear high frequency analysis, it is shown that the domains of dependence within the viscous sublayer may be a strong function of position within the sublayer and may be strongly influenced by the pressure displacement interaction, or the prescribed displacement condition. Detailed calculations are presented for the hypersonic boundary layer. This effect is found to carry over directly to the fully viscous problem as well as the nonlinear problem. In the fully viscous problem, the non-local character of the domains of dependence manifests itself in the sub-characteristics. Potential implications of the domain of dependence structure on finite difference computations of unsteady boundary layers are briefly discussed.

Effects of Riblets on Skin Friction in High-Speed Turbulent Boundary Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duan, Lian; Choudhari, Meelan M.

2012-01-01

Direct numerical simulations of spatially developing turbulent boundary layers over riblets are conducted to examine the effects of riblets on skin friction at supersonic speeds. Zero-pressure gradient boundary layers with an adiabatic wall, a Mach number of M1 = 2.5, and a Reynolds number based on momentum thickness of Re = 1720 are considered. Simulations are conducted for boundary-layer flows over a clean surface and symmetric V- groove riblets with nominal spacings of 20 and 40 wall units. The DNS results confirm the few existing experimental observations and show that a drag reduction of approximately 7% is achieved for riblets with proper spacing. The influence of riblets on turbulence statistics is analyzed in detail with an emphasis on identifying the differences, if any, between the drag reduction mechanisms for incompressible and high-speed boundary layers.

Friction and Wear Management Using Solvent Partitioning of Hydrophilic-Surface-Interactive Chemicals Contained in Boundary Layer-Targeted Emulsions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richmond, Robert Chaffee (Inventor); Schramm, Jr., Harry F. (Inventor); Defalco, Francis G. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Lubrication additives of the current invention require formation of emulsions in base lubricants, created with an aqueous salt solution plus a single-phase compound such that partitioning within the resulting emulsion provides thermodynamically targeted compounds for boundary layer organization thus establishing anti-friction and/or anti-wear. The single-phase compound is termed "boundary layer organizer", abbreviated BLO. These emulsion-contained compounds energetically favor association with tribologic surfaces in accord with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and will organize boundary layers on those surfaces in ways specific to the chemistry of the salt and BLO additives. In this way friction modifications may be provided by BLOs targeted to boundary layers via emulsions within lubricating fluids, wherein those lubricating fluids may be water-based or oil-based.

Numerical simulations of the stratified oceanic bottom boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, John R.

Numerical simulations are used to consider several problems relevant to the turbulent oceanic bottom boundary layer. In the first study, stratified open channel flow is considered with thermal boundary conditions chosen to approximate a shallow sea. Specifically, a constant heat flux is applied at the free surface and the lower wall is assumed to be adiabatic. When the surface heat flux is strong, turbulent upwellings of low speed fluid from near the lower wall are inhibited by the stable stratification. Subsequent studies consider a stratified bottom Ekman layer over a non-sloping lower wall. The influence of the free surface is removed by using an open boundary condition at the top of the computational domain. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the outer layer stratification on the boundary layer structure. When the density field is initialized with a linear profile, a turbulent mixed layer forms near the wall, which is separated from the outer layer by a strongly stable pycnocline. It is found that the bottom stress is not strongly affected by the outer layer stratification. However, stratification reduces turbulent transport to the outer layer and strongly limits the boundary layer height. The mean shear at the top of the boundary layer is enhanced when the outer layer is stratified, and this shear is strong enough to cause intermittent instabilities above the pycnocline. Turbulence-generated internal gravity waves are observed in the outer layer with a relatively narrow frequency range. An explanation for frequency content of these waves is proposed, starting with an observed broad-banded turbulent spectrum and invoking linear viscous decay to explain the preferential damping of low and high frequency waves. During the course of this work, an open-source computational fluid dynamics code has been developed with a number of advanced features including scalar advection, subgrid-scale models for large-eddy simulation, and distributed memory parallelism.

Hairpin vortices in turbulent boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eitel-Amor, G.; Örlü, R.; Schlatter, P.; Flores, O.

2015-02-01

The present work presents a number of parallel and spatially developing simulations of boundary layers to address the question of whether hairpin vortices are a dominant feature of near-wall turbulence, and which role they play during transition. In the first part, the parent-offspring regeneration mechanism is investigated in parallel (temporal) simulations of a single hairpin vortex introduced in a mean shear flow corresponding to either turbulent channels or boundary layers (Reτ ≲ 590). The effect of a turbulent background superimposed on the mean flow is considered by using an eddy viscosity computed from resolved simulations. Tracking the vortical structure downstream, it is found that secondary hairpins are only created shortly after initialization, with all rotational structures decaying for later times. For hairpins in a clean (laminar) environment, the decay is relatively slow, while hairpins in weak turbulent environments (10% of νt) dissipate after a couple of eddy turnover times. In the second part, the role of hairpin vortices in laminar-turbulent transition is studied using simulations of spatial boundary layers tripped by hairpin vortices. These vortices are generated by means of specific volumetric forces representing an ejection event, creating a synthetic turbulent boundary layer initially dominated by hairpin-like vortices. These hairpins are advected towards the wake region of the boundary layer, while a sinusoidal instability of the streaks near the wall results in rapid development of a turbulent boundary layer. For Reθ > 400, the boundary layer is fully developed, with no evidence of hairpin vortices reaching into the wall region. The results from both the parallel and spatial simulations strongly suggest that the regeneration process is rather short-lived and may not sustain once a turbulent background is developed. From the transitional flow simulations, it is conjectured that the forest of hairpins reported in former direct numerical simulation studies is reminiscent of the transitional boundary layer and may not be connected to some aspects of the dynamics of the fully developed wall-bounded turbulence.

Convenient models of the atmosphere: optics and solar radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, Ginsburg; Victor, Frolkis; Irina, Melnikova; Sergey, Novikov; Dmitriy, Samulenkov; Maxim, Sapunov

2017-11-01

Simple optical models of clear and cloudy atmosphere are proposed. Four versions of atmospheric aerosols content are considered: a complete lack of aerosols in the atmosphere, low background concentration (500 cm-3), high concentrations (2000 cm-3) and very high content of particles (5000 cm-3). In a cloud scenario, the model of external mixture is assumed. The values of optical thickness and single scattering albedo for 13 wavelengths are calculated in the short wavelength range of 0.28-0.90 µm, with regard to the molecular absorption bands, that is simulated with triangle function. A comparison of the proposed optical parameters with results of various measurements and retrieval (lidar measurement, sampling, processing radiation measurements) is presented. For a cloudy atmosphere models of single-layer and two-layer atmosphere are proposed. It is found that cloud optical parameters with assuming the "external mixture" agrees with retrieved values from airborne observations. The results of calculating hemispherical fluxes of the reflected and transmitted solar radiation and the radiative divergence are obtained with the Delta-Eddington approach. The calculation is done for surface albedo values of 0, 0.5, 0.9 and for spectral values of the sandy surface. Four values of solar zenith angle: 0°, 30°, 40° and 60° are taken. The obtained values are compared with data of radiative airborne observations. Estimating the local instantaneous radiative forcing of atmospheric aerosols and clouds for considered models is presented together with the heating rate.

Interferometric data for a shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunagan, Stephen E.; Brown, James L.; Miles, John B.

1986-01-01

An experimental study of the axisymmetric shock-wave / boundary-layer strong interaction flow generated in the vicinity of a cylinder-cone intersection was conducted. The study data are useful in the documentation and understanding of compressible turbulent strong interaction flows, and are part of a more general effort to improve turbulence modeling for compressible two- and three-dimensional strong viscous/inviscid interactions. The nominal free stream Mach number was 2.85. Tunnel total pressures of 1.7 and 3.4 atm provided Reynolds number values of 18 x 10(6) and 36 x 10(6) based on model length. Three cone angles were studied giving negligible, incipient, and large scale flow separation. The initial cylinder boundary layer upstream of the interaction had a thickness of 1.0 cm. The subsonic layer of the cylinder boundary layer was quite thin, and in all cases, the shock wave penetrated a significant portion of the boundary layer. Owing to the thickness of the cylinder boundary layer, considerable structural detail was resolved for the three shock-wave / boundary-layer interaction cases considered. The primary emphasis was on the application of the holographic interferometry technique. The density field was deduced from an interferometric analysis based on the Able transform. Supporting data were obtained using a 2-D laser velocimeter, as well as mean wall pressure and oil flow measurements. The attached flow case was observed to be steady, while the separated cases exhibited shock unsteadiness. Comparisons with Navier-Stokes computations using a two-equation turbulence model are presented.

Interaction between a normal shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer at high transonic speeds. I - Pressure distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messiter, A. F.

1980-01-01

Asymptotic solutions are derived for the pressure distribution in the interaction of a weak normal shock wave with a turbulent boundary layer. The undisturbed boundary layer is characterized by the law of the wall and the law of the wake for compressible flow. In the limiting case considered, for 'high' transonic speeds, the sonic line is very close to the wall. Comparisons with experiment are shown, with corrections included for the effect of longitudinal wall curvature and for the boundary-layer displacement effect in a circular pipe.

Experimental studies on the stability and transition of 3-dimensional boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitschke-Kowsky, P.

1987-01-01

Three-dimensional unstable boundary layers were investigated as to their characteristic instabilities, leading to turbulence. Standing cross-flow instabilities and traveling waves preceding the transition were visualized with the hydrogen bubble technique in the boundary layer above the wall of a swept cylinder. With the sublimation method and hot film technique, a model consisting of a swept flat plate with a pressure-inducing displacement body in the 1 m wind tunnel was studied. Standing waves and traveling waves in a broad frequency are observed. The boundary layer of this model is close to the assumptions of the theory.

Evaluation of a technique to generate artificially thickened boundary layers in supersonic and hypersonic flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porro, A. R.; Hingst, W. R.; Davis, D. O.; Blair, A. B., Jr.

1991-01-01

The feasibility of using a contoured honeycomb model to generate a thick boundary layer in high-speed, compressible flow was investigated. The contour of the honeycomb was tailored to selectively remove momentum in a minimum of streamwise distance to create an artificially thickened turbulent boundary layer. Three wind tunnel experiments were conducted to verify the concept. Results indicate that this technique is a viable concept, especially for high-speed inlet testing applications. In addition, the compactness of the honeycomb boundary layer simulator allows relatively easy integration into existing wind tunnel model hardware.

Exact solution for the layered convection of a viscous incompressible fluid at specified temperature gradients and tangential forces on the free boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burmasheva, N. V.; Prosviryakov, E. Yu.

2017-12-01

A new exact analytical solution of a system of thermal convection equations in the Boussinesq approximation describing layered flows in an incompressible viscous fluid is obtained. A fluid flow in an infinite layer is considered. Convection in the fluid is induced by tangential stresses specified on the upper non-deformable boundary. At the fixed lower boundary, the no-slip condition is satisfied. Temperature corrections are given on the both boundaries of the fluid layer. The possibility of physical field stratification is investigated.

An experimental investigation of wall boundary layer transition Reynolds numbers in an expansion tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weilmuenster, K. J.

1974-01-01

Experimental measurements of boundary-layer transition in an expansion-tube test-gas flow are presented along with radial distributions of pitot pressure. An integral method for calculating constant Reynolds number lines for an expansion-tube flow is introduced. Comparison of experimental data and constant Reynolds number calculations has shown that for given conditions, wall boundary-layer transition occurs at a constant Reynolds number in an expansion-tube flow. Operating conditions in the expansion tube were chosen so that the effects of test-gas nonequilibrium on boundary-layer transition could be studied.

Forward-facing steps induced transition in a subsonic boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zh, Hui; Fu, Song

2017-10-01

A forward-facing step (FFS) immersed in a subsonic boundary layer is studied through a high-order flux reconstruction (FR) method to highlight the flow transition induced by the step. The step height is a third of the local boundary-layer thickness. The Reynolds number based on the step height is 720. Inlet disturbances are introduced giving rise to streamwise vortices upstream of the step. It is observed that these small-scale streamwise structures interact with the step and hairpin vortices are quickly developed after the step leading to flow transition in the boundary layer.

Computer program for design of two-dimensional supersonic turbine rotor blades with boundary-layer correction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, L. J.; Scullin, V. J.

1971-01-01

A FORTRAN 4 computer program for the design of two-dimensional supersonic rotor blade sections corrected for boundary-layer displacement thickness is presented. The ideal rotor is designed by the method of characteristics to produce vortex flow within the blade passage. The boundary-layer parameters are calculated by Cohen and Reshotoko's method for laminar flow and Sasman and Cresci's method for turbulent flow. The program input consists essentially of the blade surface Mach number distribution and total flow conditions. The primary output is the corrected blade profile and the boundary-layer parameters.

Correlations for Boundary-Layer Transition on Mars Science Laboratory Entry Vehicle Due to Heat-Shield Cavities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollis, Brian R.; Liechty, Derek S.

2008-01-01

The influence of cavities (for attachment bolts) on the heat-shield of the proposed Mars Science Laboratory entry vehicle has been investigated experimentally and computationally in order to develop a criterion for assessing whether the boundary layer becomes turbulent downstream of the cavity. Wind tunnel tests were conducted on the 70-deg sphere-cone vehicle geometry with various cavity sizes and locations in order to assess their influence on convective heating and boundary layer transition. Heat-transfer coefficients and boundary-layer states (laminar, transitional, or turbulent) were determined using global phosphor thermography.

Ozone Laminae and Their Entrainment Into a Valley Boundary Layer, as Observed From a Mountaintop Monitoring Station, Ozonesondes, and Aircraft Over California's San Joaquin Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faloona, I. C.; Conley, S. A.; Caputi, D.; Trousdell, J.; Chiao, S.; Eiserloh, A. J., Jr.; Clark, J.; Iraci, L. T.; Yates, E. L.; Marrero, J. E.; Ryoo, J. M.; McNamara, M. E.

2016-12-01

The San Joaquin Valley of California is wide ( 75 km) and long ( 400 km), and is situated under strong atmospheric subsidence due, in part, to the proximity of the midlatitude anticyclone of the Pacific High. The capping effect of this subsidence is especially prominent during the warm season when ground level ozone is a serious air quality concern across the region. While relatively clean marine boundary layer air is primarily funneled into the valley below the strong subsidence inversion at significant gaps in the upwind Coast Range mountains, airflow aloft also spills over these barriers and mixes into the valley from above. Because this transmountain flow occurs under the influence of synoptic subsidence it tends to present discrete, laminar sheets of differing air composition above the valley boundary layer. Meanwhile, although the boundary layers tend to remain shallow due to the prevailing subsidence, orographic and anabatic venting of valley boundary layer air around the basin whips up a complex admixture of regional air masses into a "buffer layer" just above the boundary layer (zi) and below the lower free troposphere. We present scalar data of widely varying lifetimes including ozone, methane, NOx, and thermodynamic observations from upwind and within the San Joaquin Valley to better explain this layering and its subsequent erosion into the valley boundary layer via entrainment. Data collected at a mountaintop monitoring station on Chews Ridge in the Coast Range, by coastal ozonesondes, and aircraft are analyzed to document the dynamic layering processes around the complex terrain surrounding the valley. Particular emphasis will be made on observational methods whereby distal ozone can be distinguished from the regional ozone to better understand the influence of exogenous sources on air quality in the valley.

Characteristics of the nocturnal boundary layer inferred from ozone measurements onboard a Zeppelin airship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohrer, Franz; Li, Xin; Hofzumahaus, Andreas; Ehlers, Christian; Holland, Frank; Klemp, Dieter; Lu, Keding; Mentel, Thomas F.; Kiendler-Scharr, Astrid; Wahner, Andreas

2014-05-01

The nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) is a sublayer within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) which evolves above solid land each day in the late afternoon due to radiation cooling of the surface. It is a region of several hundred meters thickness which inhibits vertical mixing. A residual and a surface layer remain above and below the NBL. Inside the surface layer, almost all direct emissions of atmospheric constituents take place during this time. This stratification lasts until the next morning after sunrise. Then, the heating of the surface generates a new convectionally mixed layer which successively eats up the NBL from below. This process lasts until shortly before noon when the NBL disappears completely and the PBL is mixed convectionally. Ozone measurements onboard a Zeppelin airship in The Netherlands, in Italy, and in Finland are used to analyse this behaviour with respect to atmospheric constituents and consequences for the diurnal cycles observed in the surface layer, the nocturnal boundary layer, and the residual layer are discussed.

The influence of free-stream turbulence on separation of turbulent boundary layers in incompressible, two-dimensional flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, J. Leith; Barnett, R. Joel; Fisher, Carl E.; Koukousakis, Costas E.

1986-01-01

Experiments were conducted to determine if free-stream turbulence scale affects separation of turbulent boundary layers. In consideration of possible interrelation between scale and intensity of turbulence, the latter characteristic also was varied and its role was evaluated. Flow over a 2-dimensional airfoil in a subsonic wind tunnel was studied with the aid of hot-wire anemometry, liquid-film flow visualization, a Preston tube, and static pressure measurements. Profiles of velocity, relative turbulence intensity, and integral scale in the boundary layer were measured. Detachment boundary was determined for various angles of attack and free-stream turbulence. The free-stream turbulence intensity and scale were found to spread into the entire turbulent boundary layer, but the effect decreased as the airfoil surface was approached. When the changes in stream turbulence were such that the boundary layer velocity profiles were unchanged, detachment location was not significantly affected by the variations of intensity and scale. Pressure distribution remained the key factor in determining detachment location.

The Role of Wave Cyclones in Transporting Boundary Layer Air to the Free Troposphere During the Spring 2001 NASA / TRACE-P Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuelberg, Henry E.; Hannan, J. R.; Crawford, J. H.; Sachse, G. W.; Blake, D. R.

2003-01-01

Transport of boundary layer air to the free troposphere by cyclones during NASA's Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) experiment is investigated. Airstreams responsible for boundary layer venting are diagnosed using results from a high-resolution meteorological model (MM5) together with in situ and remotely sensed chemical data. Hourly wind data from the MM5 are used to calculate three-dimensional grids of backward air trajectories. A reverse domain filling (RDF) technique then is employed to examine the characteristics of airstreams over the computational domain, and to isolate airstreams ascending from the boundary layer to the free troposphere during the previous 36 hours. Two cases are examined in detail. Results show that airstreams responsible for venting the boundary layer differ considerably from those described by classic conceptual models and in the recent literature. In addition, airstreams sampled by the TRACE-P aircraft are found to exhibit large variability in chemical concentrations. This variability is due to differences in the boundary layer histories of individual airstreams with respect to anthropogenic sources over continental Asia and Japan. Complex interactions between successive wave cyclones also are found to be important in determining the chemical composition of the airstreams. Particularly important is the process of post-cold frontal boundary layer air being rapidly transported offshore and recirculated into ascending airstreams of upstream cyclones.

Development of a Boundary Layer Property Interpolation Tool in Support of Orbiter Return To Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Francis A.; Hamilton, H. Harris

2006-01-01

A new tool was developed to predict the boundary layer quantities required by several physics-based predictive/analytic methods that assess damaged Orbiter tile. This new tool, the Boundary Layer Property Prediction (BLPROP) tool, supplies boundary layer values used in correlations that determine boundary layer transition onset and surface heating-rate augmentation/attenuation factors inside tile gouges (i.e. cavities). BLPROP interpolates through a database of computed solutions and provides boundary layer and wall data (delta, theta, Re(sub theta)/M(sub e), Re(sub theta)/M(sub e), Re(sub theta), P(sub w), and q(sub w)) based on user input surface location and free stream conditions. Surface locations are limited to the Orbiter s windward surface. Constructed using predictions from an inviscid w/boundary-layer method and benchmark viscous CFD, the computed database covers the hypersonic continuum flight regime based on two reference flight trajectories. First-order one-dimensional Lagrange interpolation accounts for Mach number and angle-of-attack variations, whereas non-dimensional normalization accounts for differences between the reference and input Reynolds number. Employing the same computational methods used to construct the database, solutions at other trajectory points taken from previous STS flights were computed: these results validate the BLPROP algorithm. Percentage differences between interpolated and computed values are presented and are used to establish the level of uncertainty of the new tool.

On the turbulent friction layer for rising pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieghardt, K; Tillmann, W

1951-01-01

Among the information presented are included displacement, momentum, and kinetic energy thicknesses, shearing stress distributions across boundary layer, and surface friction coefficients. The Gruschwitz method and its modifications are examined and tested. An energy theorem for the turbulent boundary layer is introduced and discussed but does not lead to a method for the prediction of the behavior of the turbulent boundary layer because relations for the shearing stress and the surface friction are lacking.

Boundary streaming with Navier boundary condition.

PubMed

Xie, Jin-Han; Vanneste, Jacques

2014-06-01

In microfluidic applications involving high-frequency acoustic waves over a solid boundary, the Stokes boundary-layer thickness δ is so small that some non-negligible slip may occur at the fluid-solid interface. This paper assesses the impact of this slip by revisiting the classical problem of steady acoustic streaming over a flat boundary, replacing the no-slip boundary condition with the Navier condition u|_{y=0}=L_{s}∂_{y}u|_{y=0}, where u is the velocity tangent to the boundary y=0, and the parameter L_{s} is the slip length. A general expression is obtained for the streaming velocity across the boundary layer as a function of the dimensionless parameter L_{s}/δ. The limit outside the boundary layer provides an effective slip velocity satisfied by the interior mean flow. Particularizing to traveling and standing waves shows that the boundary slip respectively increases and decreases the streaming velocity.

Adaptive step-size algorithm for Fourier beam-propagation method with absorbing boundary layer of auto-determined width.

PubMed

Learn, R; Feigenbaum, E

2016-06-01

Two algorithms that enhance the utility of the absorbing boundary layer are presented, mainly in the framework of the Fourier beam-propagation method. One is an automated boundary layer width selector that chooses a near-optimal boundary size based on the initial beam shape. The second algorithm adjusts the propagation step sizes based on the beam shape at the beginning of each step in order to reduce aliasing artifacts.

On an Asymptotically Consistent Unsteady Interacting Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartels, Robert E.

2007-01-01

This paper develops the asymptotic matching of an unsteady compressible boundary layer to an inviscid flow. Of particular importance is the velocity injection or transpiration boundary condition derived by this theory. It is found that in general the transpiration will contain a slope of the displacement thickness and a time derivative of a density integral. The conditions under which the second term may be neglected, and its consistency with the established results of interacting boundary layer are discussed.

Adaptive step-size algorithm for Fourier beam-propagation method with absorbing boundary layer of auto-determined width

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Learn, R.; Feigenbaum, E.

Two algorithms that enhance the utility of the absorbing boundary layer are presented, mainly in the framework of the Fourier beam-propagation method. One is an automated boundary layer width selector that chooses a near-optimal boundary size based on the initial beam shape. Furthermore, the second algorithm adjusts the propagation step sizes based on the beam shape at the beginning of each step in order to reduce aliasing artifacts.

Adaptive step-size algorithm for Fourier beam-propagation method with absorbing boundary layer of auto-determined width

DOE PAGES

Learn, R.; Feigenbaum, E.

2016-05-27

Two algorithms that enhance the utility of the absorbing boundary layer are presented, mainly in the framework of the Fourier beam-propagation method. One is an automated boundary layer width selector that chooses a near-optimal boundary size based on the initial beam shape. Furthermore, the second algorithm adjusts the propagation step sizes based on the beam shape at the beginning of each step in order to reduce aliasing artifacts.

Shooting method for solution of boundary-layer flows with massive blowing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, T.-M.; Nachtsheim, P. R.

1973-01-01

A modified, bidirectional shooting method is presented for solving boundary-layer equations under conditions of massive blowing. Unlike the conventional shooting method, which is unstable when the blowing rate increases, the proposed method avoids the unstable direction and is capable of solving complex boundary-layer problems involving mass and energy balance on the surface.

Solution of the surface Euler equations for accurate three-dimensional boundary-layer analysis of aerodynamic configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iyer, V.; Harris, J. E.

1987-01-01

The three-dimensional boundary-layer equations in the limit as the normal coordinate tends to infinity are called the surface Euler equations. The present paper describes an accurate method for generating edge conditions for three-dimensional boundary-layer codes using these equations. The inviscid pressure distribution is first interpolated to the boundary-layer grid. The surface Euler equations are then solved with this pressure field and a prescribed set of initial and boundary conditions to yield the velocities along the two surface coordinate directions. Results for typical wing and fuselage geometries are presented. The smoothness and accuracy of the edge conditions obtained are found to be superior to the conventional interpolation procedures.

An investigation of turbulence structure in a low-Reynolds-number incompressible turbulent boundary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, B. R.; Strataridakis, C. J.

1987-01-01

An existing high turbulence intensity level (5%) atmospheric boundary-layer wind tunnel has been successfully converted to a relatively low level turbulence (0.3%) wind tunnel through extensive modification, testing, and calibration. A splitter plate was designed, built, and installed into the wind-tunnel facility to create thick, mature, two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer flow at zero pressure gradient. Single and cross hot-wire measurements show turbulent boundary layer characteristics of good quality with unusually large physical size, i.e., viscous sublayer of the order of 1 mm high. These confirm the potential ability of the tunnel to be utilized for future high-quality near-wall turbulent boundary layer measurements. It compares very favorably with many low turbulence research tunnels.

Amendment to "Analytical Solution for the Convectively-Mixed Atmospheric Boundary Layer": Inclusion of Subsidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouwersloot, H. G.; de Arellano, J. Vilà-Guerau

2013-09-01

In Ouwersloot and Vilà-Guerau de Arellano (Boundary-Layer Meteorol. doi: 10.1007/s10546-013-9816-z , 2013, this issue), the analytical solutions for the boundary-layer height and scalar evolutions are derived for the convective boundary layer, based on the prognostic equations of mixed-layer slab models without taking subsidence into account. Here, we include and quantify the added effect of subsidence if the subsidence velocity scales linearly with height throughout the atmosphere. This enables analytical analyses for a wider range of observational cases. As a demonstration, the sensitivity of the boundary-layer height and the potential temperature jump to subsidence and the free tropospheric stability is graphically presented. The new relations show the importance of the temporal distribution of the surface buoyancy flux in determining the evolution if there is subsidence.

F-16XL ship #1 - CAWAP boundary layer hot film, left wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This photo shows the boundary layer hot film on the left wing of NASA's single-seat F-16XL (ship #1) used for the Cranked-Arrow Wing Aerodynamic Project (CAWAP) at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Hot film is used to measure temperature changes on a surface. The modified airplane features a delta 'cranked-arrow' wing with strips of tubing along the leading edge to the trailing edge to sense static on the wing and obtain pressure distribution data. The right wing receives data on pressure distribution and the left wing has three types of instrumentation - preston tubes to measure local skin friction, boundary layer rakes to measure boundary layer profiles (the layer where the air interacts with the surfaces of a moving aircraft), and hot films to determine boundary layer transition locations. The program also gathered aero data on two wing planforms for NASA's High Speed Research Program. The first flight of CAWAP occurred on November 21, 1995, and the test program ended in April 1996.

Boundary layer thermal stresses in angle-ply composite laminates, part 1. [graphite-epoxy composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, S. S.; Choi, I.

1981-01-01

Thermal boundary-layer stresses (near free edges) and displacements were determined by a an eigenfunction expansion technique and the establishment of an appropriate particular solution. Current solutions in the region away from the singular domain (free edge) are found to be excellent agreement with existing approximate numerical results. As the edge is approached, the singular term controls the near field behavior of the boundary layer. Results are presented for cases of various angle-ply graphite/epoxy laminates with (theta/-theta/theta/theta) configurations. These results show high interlaminar (through-the-thickness) stresses. Thermal boundary-layer thicknesses of different composite systems are determined by examining the strain energy density distribution in composites. It is shown that the boundary-layer thickness depends on the degree of anisotropy of each individual lamina, thermomechanical properties of each ply, and the relative thickness of adjacent layers. The interlaminar thermal stresses are compressive with increasing temperature. The corresponding residual stresses are tensile and may enhance interply delaminations.

Method for transition prediction in high-speed boundary layers, phase 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbert, T.; Stuckert, G. K.; Lin, N.

1993-09-01

The parabolized stability equations (PSE) are a new and more reliable approach to analyzing the stability of streamwise varying flows such as boundary layers. This approach has been previously validated for idealized incompressible flows. Here, the PSE are formulated for highly compressible flows in general curvilinear coordinates to permit the analysis of high-speed boundary-layer flows over fairly general bodies. Vigorous numerical studies are carried out to study convergence and accuracy of the linear-stability code LSH and the linear/nonlinear PSE code PSH. Physical interfaces are set up to analyze the M = 8 boundary layer over a blunt cone calculated by using a thin-layer Navier Stokes (TNLS) code and the flow over a sharp cone at angle of attack calculated using the AFWAL parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) code. While stability and transition studies at high speeds are far from routine, the method developed here is the best tool available to research the physical processes in high-speed boundary layers.

Large Eddy Simulations of a Bottom Boundary Layer Under a Shallow Geostrophic Front

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bateman, S. P.; Simeonov, J.; Calantoni, J.

2017-12-01

The unstratified surf zone and the stratified shelf waters are often separated by dynamic fronts that can strongly impact the character of the Ekman bottom boundary layer. Here, we use large eddy simulations to study the turbulent bottom boundary layer associated with a geostrophic current on a stratified shelf of uniform depth. The simulations are initialized with a spatially uniform vertical shear that is in geostrophic balance with a pressure gradient due to a linear horizontal temperature variation. Superposed on the temperature front is a stable vertical temperature gradient. As turbulence develops near the bottom, the turbulence-induced mixing gradually erodes the initial uniform temperature stratification and a well-mixed layer grows in height until the turbulence becomes fully developed. The simulations provide the spatial distribution of the turbulent dissipation and the Reynolds stresses in the fully developed boundary layer. We vary the initial linear stratification and investigate its effect on the height of the bottom boundary layer and the turbulence statistics. The results are compared to previous models and simulations of stratified bottom Ekman layers.

A New View on Origin, Role and Manipulation of Large Scales in Turbulent Boundary Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corke, T. C.; Nagib, H. M.; Guezennec, Y. G.

1982-01-01

The potential of passive 'manipulators' for altering the large scale turbulent structures in boundary layers was investigated. Utilizing smoke wire visualization and multisensor probes, the experiment verified that the outer scales could be suppressed by simple arrangements of parallel plates. As a result of suppressing the outer scales in turbulent layers, a decrease in the streamwise growth of the boundary layer thickness was achieved and was coupled with a 30 percent decrease in the local wall friction coefficient. After accounting for the drag on the manipulator plates, the net drag reduction reached a value of 20 percent within 55 boundary layer thicknesses downstream of the device. No evidence for the reoccurrence of the outer scales was present at this streamwise distance thereby suggesting that further reductions in the net drag are attainable. The frequency of occurrence of the wall events is simultaneously dependent on the two parameters, Re2 delta sub 2 and Re sub x. As a result of being able to independently control the inner and outer boundary layer characteristics with these manipulators, a different view of these layers emerged.

Damage Tolerance and Mechanics of Interfaces in Nanostructured Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foley, Daniel J.

The concept of interface driven properties in crystalline metals has been one of the most intensely discussed topics in materials science for decades. Since the 1980s researchers have been exploring the concept of grain boundary engineering as route for tuning properties such as fracture toughness and irradiation resistance. This is especially true in ultra-fine grained and nanocrystalline materials where grain boundary mediated properties become dominant. More recently, materials composed of hierarchical nanostructures, such as amorphous-crystalline nanolaminates, have attracted considerable attention due to their favorable properties, ease of manufacture and highly tunable microstructure. While both grain boundary engineering and hierarchical nanostructures have shown promise there are still questions remaining regarding the role of specific attributes of the microstructure (such as grain boundaries, grain/layer size and inter/intralayer morphology) in determining material properties. This thesis attempts to address these questions by using atomistic simulations to perform deformation and damage loading studies on a series of nanolaminate and bicrystalline structures. During the course of this thesis the roles of layer thickness, interlayer structure and interlayer chemistry on the mechanical properties of Ni-NiX amorphous-crystalline nanolaminates were explored using atomistic simulations. This thesis found that layer thickness/thickness ratio and amorphous layer chemistry play a crucial role in yield strength and Young's modulus. Analysis of the deformation mechanisms at the atomic scale revealed that structures containing single crystalline, crystalline layers undergo plastic deformation when shear transformation zones form in the amorphous layer and impinge on the amorphous-crystalline interface, leading to dislocation emission. However, structures containing nanocrystalline, crystalline layers (both equiaxed and columnar nanocrystalline) undergo plastic deformation through a combination of grain boundary sliding and grain boundary mediated dislocation nucleation. Since grain boundaries were found to play a critical role as sources and sinks for dislocations in amorphous-crystalline nanolaminates a follow-up study on the effect of grain boundary character on damage accumulation/accommodation in copper symmetric tilt grain boundaries was performed. This study found that grain boundaries will become saturated with damage, a state where grain boundary energy and grain boundary free volume oscillate about a plateau during continuous defect loading (vacancy, interstitial and frenkel pair loading were all considered). Further, grain boundary character (specifically equilibrium grain boundary energy) was strongly correlated to the damage accommodation behavior of grain boundaries in copper. Finally, a study that attempted to link grain boundary damage saturation behavior to variations in grain boundary mechanical properties was performed. This study found no direct relationships between grain boundary damage saturation behavior and variations in grain boundary properties. The results of this thesis provide researchers with several strategies for tuning the properties of amorphous-crystalline nanolaminates. These strategies include manipulated bulk attributes such as layer thickness and morphology as well as manipulation of microscale attributes such as grain boundary engineering. Finally, this thesis provides valuable insight into the damage loading/accommodation behavior of FCC symmetric tilt grain boundaries.

Shock-like structures in the tropical cyclone boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Gabriel J.; Taft, Richard K.; McNoldy, Brian D.; Schubert, Wayne H.

2013-06-01

This paper presents high horizontal resolution solutions of an axisymmetric, constant depth, slab boundary layer model designed to simulate the radial inflow and boundary layer pumping of a hurricane. Shock-like structures of increasing intensity appear for category 1-5 hurricanes. For example, in the category 3 case, the u>(∂u/∂r>) term in the radial equation of motion produces a shock-like structure in the radial wind, i.e., near the radius of maximum tangential wind the boundary layer radial inflow decreases from approximately 22 m s-1 to zero over a radial distance of a few kilometers. Associated with this large convergence is a spike in the radial distribution of boundary layer pumping, with updrafts larger than 22 m s-1 at a height of 1000 m. Based on these model results, it is argued that observed hurricane updrafts of this magnitude so close to the ocean surface are attributable to the dry dynamics of the frictional boundary layer rather than moist convective dynamics. The shock-like structure in the boundary layer radial wind also has important consequences for the evolution of the tangential wind and the vertical component of vorticity. On the inner side of the shock the tangential wind tendency is essentially zero, while on the outer side of the shock the tangential wind tendency is large due to the large radial inflow there. The result is the development of a U-shaped tangential wind profile and the development of a thin region of large vorticity. In many respects, the model solutions resemble the remarkable structures observed in the boundary layer of Hurricane Hugo (1989).

Partly cloudy with a chance of migration: Weather, radars, and aeroecology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chilson, Phillip B.; Frick, Winifred F.; Kelly, Jeffrey F.; Howard, Kenneth W.; Larkin, Ronald P.; Diehl, Robert H.; Westbrook, John K.; Kelly, T. Adam; Kunz, Thomas H.

2012-01-01

Aeroecology is an emerging scientific discipline that integrates atmospheric science, Earth science, geography, ecology, computer science, computational biology, and engineering to further the understanding of biological patterns and processes. The unifying concept underlying this new transdisciplinary field of study is a focus on the planetary boundary layer and lower free atmosphere (i.e., the aerosphere), and the diversity of airborne organisms that inhabit and depend on the aerosphere for their existence. Here, we focus on the role of radars and radar networks in aeroecological studies. Radar systems scanning the atmosphere are primarily used to monitor weather conditions and track the location and movements of aircraft. However, radar echoes regularly contain signals from other sources, such as airborne birds, bats, and arthropods. We briefly discuss how radar observations can be and have been used to study a variety of airborne organisms and examine some of the many potential benefits likely to arise from radar aeroecology for meteorological and biological research over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Radar systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated with the advent of innovative signal processing and dual-polarimetric capabilities. These capabilities should be better harnessed to promote both meteorological and aeroecological research and to explore the interface between these two broad disciplines. We strongly encourage close collaboration among meteorologists, radar scientists, biologists, and others toward developing radar products that will contribute to a better understanding of airborne fauna.

On the contribution of atmospheric moisture to dew formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.; Segal, M.

1988-09-01

The relative contributions of dewfall (a flux of water vapour from air to surface) and distillation (a flux of water vapour from soil to canopy) to dew formation on closed canopy and bare soil surfaces are assessed, and the dependence of dew amount upon wind speed, absolute temperature, atmospheric stability, relative humidity, soil characteristics and cloudiness, all of which are significant factors, is evaluated. Some of these evaluations provide refinements to similar ones given in Monteith (1961). High dewfall rates are usually ≲0.06 mm hr-1 over canopy or bare soil, though upon a canopy under soil-saturated and air-saturated conditions, rates of dew formation may reach 0.07 0.09 mm hr-1 with contributions from distillation. Various sets of observations are reanalyzed to illustrate the importance of the horizontal advection of moisture in the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) to observed high rates of dew formation arising from the atmospheric contribution of water vapour (dewfall). These locally observed high dewfall rates must be the result of small-scale or mesoscale horizontal advection of moisture in the NBL, since the humidity changes within the typically shallow NBL required to balance the loss of water at the surface are not observed. Over extensive areas of uniform surface (horizontal scales ≫10 km), such continuously high dewfall rates could only be balanced by a local supply of atmospheric moisture since advection of moisture would necessarily be small.

New concepts for Reynolds stress transport equation modeling of inhomogeneous flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perot, J. Blair; Moin, Parviz

1993-01-01

The ability to model turbulence near solid walls and other types of boundaries is important in predicting complex engineering flows. Most turbulence modeling has concentrated either on flows which are nearly homogeneous or isotropic, or on turbulent boundary layers. Boundary layer models usually rely very heavily on the presence of mean shear and the production of turbulence due to that mean shear. Most other turbulence models are based on the assumption of quasi-homogeneity. However, there are many situations of engineering interest which do not involve large shear rates and which are not quasi-homogeneous or isotropic. Shear-free turbulent boundary layers are the prototypical example of such flows, with practical situations being separation and reattachment, bluff body flow, high free-stream turbulence, and free surface flows. Although these situations are not as common as the variants of the flat plate turbulent boundary layer, they tend to be critical factors in complex engineering situations. The models developed are intended to extend classical quasi-homogeneous models into regions of large inhomogeneity. These models do not rely on the presence of mean shear or production, but are still applicable when those additional effects are included. Although the focus is on shear-free boundary layers as tests for these models, results for standard shearing boundary layers are also shown.

Calculation of compressible boundary layer flow about airfoils by a finite element/finite difference method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strong, Stuart L.; Meade, Andrew J., Jr.

1992-01-01

Preliminary results are presented of a finite element/finite difference method (semidiscrete Galerkin method) used to calculate compressible boundary layer flow about airfoils, in which the group finite element scheme is applied to the Dorodnitsyn formulation of the boundary layer equations. The semidiscrete Galerkin (SDG) method promises to be fast, accurate and computationally efficient. The SDG method can also be applied to any smoothly connected airfoil shape without modification and possesses the potential capability of calculating boundary layer solutions beyond flow separation. Results are presented for low speed laminar flow past a circular cylinder and past a NACA 0012 airfoil at zero angle of attack at a Mach number of 0.5. Also shown are results for compressible flow past a flat plate for a Mach number range of 0 to 10 and results for incompressible turbulent flow past a flat plate. All numerical solutions assume an attached boundary layer.

In-flight comparisons of boundary-layer and wake measurement probes for incompressible flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mertaugh, L. J., Jr.

1972-01-01

The results are presented of in-flight comparisons of a number of boundary-layer and wake measurement probes suitable for low-speed flight-test investigations. The tested boundary-layer probes included a traversing total-pressure probe and a hot-film probe mounted on an internally-mounted drive mechanism, a curved and a straight boundary-layer rake, and a traversing hot-film probe with an externally-mounted drive mechanism. The wake measuring devices included a traversing, self-aligning probe, a wake rake, and an integrating wake rate. The boundary-layer data are compared with a common reference velocity profile and comments given regarding the accuracy of the static-pressure and total-pressure measurements. Discussions on the various calibration presentations used with hot-wire and hot-film sensors and various aspects of improving the accuracy of hot-film sensor results are given in the appendix of this report.

Heat addition to a subsonic boundary layer: A preliminary analytical study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macha, J. M.; Norton, D. J.

1971-01-01

A preliminary analytical study of the effects of heat addition to the subsonic boundary layer flow over a typical airfoil shape is presented. This phenomenon becomes of interest in the space shuttle mission since heat absorbed by the wing structure during re-entry will be rejected to the boundary layer during the subsequent low speed maneuvering and landing phase. A survey of existing literature and analytical solutions for both laminar and turbulent flow indicate that a heated surface generally destabilizes the boundary layer. Specifically, the boundary layer thickness is increased, the skin friction at the surface is decreased and the point of flow separation is moved forward. In addition, limited analytical results predict that the angle of attack at which a heated airfoil will stall is significantly less than the stall angle of an unheated wing. These effects could adversely affect the lift and drag, and thus the maneuvering capabilities of booster and orbiter shuttle vehicles.

Shuttle Return To Flight Experimental Results: Protuberance Effects on Boundary Layer Transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liechty, Derek S.; Berry, Scott A.; Horvath, Thomas J.

2006-01-01

The effect of isolated roughness elements on the windward boundary layer of the Shuttle Orbiter has been experimentally examined in the Langley Aerothermodynamic Laboratory in support of an agency-wide effort to prepare the Shuttle Orbiter for return to flight. This experimental effort was initiated to provide a roughness effects database for developing transition criteria to support on-orbit decisions to repair damage to the thermal protection system. Boundary layer transition results were obtained using trips of varying heights and locations along the centerline and attachment lines of 0.0075-scale models. Global heat transfer images using phosphor thermography of the Orbiter windward surface and the corresponding heating distributions were used to infer the state of the boundary layer (laminar, transitional, or turbulent). The database contained within this report will be used to formulate protuberance-induced transition correlations using predicted boundary layer edge parameters.

Laser Doppler velocimeter measurements of boundary layer velocity and turbulent intensities in Mach 2.5 flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sewell, Jesse; Chew, Larry

1994-01-01

In recent years, the interest in developing a high-speed civil transport has increased. This has led to an increase in research activity on compressible supersonic flows, in particular the boundary layer. The structure of subsonic boundary layers has been extensively documented using conditional sampling techniques which exploit the knowledge of both u and v velocities. Researchers using these techniques have been able to explore some of the complex three-dimensional motions which are responsible for Reynolds stress production and transport in the boundary layer. As interest in turbulent structure has grown to include supersonic flows, a need for simultaneous multicomponent velocity measurements in these flows has developed. The success of conditional analysis in determining the characteristics of coherent motions and structures in the boundary layer relies on accurate, simultaneous measurement of two instantaneous velocity components.

An experimental investigation of the flow physics of high-lift systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Flint O.; Nelson, R. C.

1995-01-01

This progress report is a series of overviews outlining experiments on the flow physics of confluent boundary layers for high-lift systems. The research objectives include establishing the role of confluent boundary layer flow physics in high-lift production; contrasting confluent boundary layer structures for optimum and non-optimum C(sub L) cases; forming a high quality, detailed archival data base for CFD/modelling; and examining the role of relaminarization and streamline curvature. Goals of this research include completing LDV study of an optimum C(sub L) case; performing detailed LDV confluent boundary layer surveys for multiple non-optimum C(sub L) cases; obtaining skin friction distributions for both optimum and non-optimum C(sub L) cases for scaling purposes; data analysis and inner and outer variable scaling; setting-up and performing relaminarization experiments; and a final report establishing the role of leading edge confluent boundary layer flow physics on high-lift performance.

Wind tunnel-sidewall-boundary-layer effects in transonic airfoil testing-some correctable, but some not

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynch, F. T.; Johnson, C. B.

1988-01-01

The need to correct transonic airfoil wind tunnel test data for the influence of the tunnel sidewall boundary layers, in addition to the wall accepted corrections for the analytical investigation was carried out in order to evaluate sidewall boundary layer effects on transonic airfoil characteristics, and to validate proposed correction and the limit to their applications. This investigation involved testing of modern airfoil configurations in two different transonic airfoil test facilities, the 15 x 60 inch two-dimensional insert of the National Aeronautical Establishment (NAE) 5 foot tunnel in Ottawa, Canada, and the two-dimensional test section of the NASA Langley 0.3 m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT). Results presented included effects of variations in sidewall-boundary layer bleed in both facilities, different sidewall boundary layer correction procedures, tunnel-to tunnel comparisons of correcte results, and flow conditions with and without separation.

A preliminary investigation of boundary-layer transition along a flat plate with adverse pressure gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Von Doenhoff, Albert E

1938-01-01

Boundary-layer surveys were made throughout the transition region along a smooth flat plate placed in an airstream of practically zero turbulence and with an adverse pressure gradient. The boundary-layer Reynolds number at the laminar separation point was varied from 1,800 to 2,600. The test data, when considered in the light of certain theoretical deductions, indicated that transition probably began with separation of the laminar boundary layer. The extent of the transition region, defined as the distance from a calculated laminar separation point to the position of the first fully developed turbulent boundary-layer profile, could be expressed as a constant Reynolds number run of approximately 70,000. Some speculations are presented concerning the application of the foregoing concepts, after certain assumptions have been made, to the problem of the connection between transition on the upper surface of an airfoil at high angles of attack and the maximum lift.

RACORO Extended-Term Aircraft Observations of Boundary-Layer Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vogelmann, Andrew M.; McFarquhar, Greg M.; Ogren, John A.; Turner, David D.; Comstock, Jennifer M.; Feingold, Graham; Long, Charles N.; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Bucholtz, Anthony; Collins, Don R.;

Predicted and measured boundary layer refraction for advanced turboprop propeller noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittmar, James H.; Krejsa, Eugene A.

1990-01-01

Currently, boundary layer refraction presents a limitation to the measurement of forward arc propeller noise measured on an acoustic plate in the NASA Lewis 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The use of a validated boundary layer refraction model to adjust the data could remove this limitation. An existing boundary layer refraction model is used to predict the refraction for cases where boundary layer refraction was measured. In general, the model exhibits the same qualitative behavior as the measured refraction. However, the prediction method does not show quantitative agreement with the data. In general, it overpredicts the amount of refraction for the far forward angles at axial Mach number of 0.85 and 0.80 and underpredicts the refraction at axial Mach numbers of 0.75 and 0.70. A more complete propeller source description is suggested as a way to improve the prediction method.

Micro-Ramp Flow Control for Oblique Shock Interactions: Comparisons of Computational and Experimental Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirt, Stefanie M.; Reich, David B.; O'Connor, Michael B.

2010-01-01

Computational fluid dynamics was used to study the effectiveness of micro-ramp vortex generators to control oblique shock boundary layer interactions. Simulations were based on experiments previously conducted in the 15 x 15 cm supersonic wind tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center. Four micro-ramp geometries were tested at Mach 2.0 varying the height, chord length, and spanwise spacing between micro-ramps. The overall flow field was examined. Additionally, key parameters such as boundary-layer displacement thickness, momentum thickness and incompressible shape factor were also examined. The computational results predicted the effects of the micro-ramps well, including the trends for the impact that the devices had on the shock boundary layer interaction. However, computing the shock boundary layer interaction itself proved to be problematic since the calculations predicted more pronounced adverse effects on the boundary layer due to the shock than were seen in the experiment.

Micro-Ramp Flow Control for Oblique Shock Interactions: Comparisons of Computational and Experimental Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirt, Stephanie M.; Reich, David B.; O'Connor, Michael B.

2012-01-01

Computational fluid dynamics was used to study the effectiveness of micro-ramp vortex generators to control oblique shock boundary layer interactions. Simulations were based on experiments previously conducted in the 15- by 15-cm supersonic wind tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Four micro-ramp geometries were tested at Mach 2.0 varying the height, chord length, and spanwise spacing between micro-ramps. The overall flow field was examined. Additionally, key parameters such as boundary-layer displacement thickness, momentum thickness and incompressible shape factor were also examined. The computational results predicted the effects of the microramps well, including the trends for the impact that the devices had on the shock boundary layer interaction. However, computing the shock boundary layer interaction itself proved to be problematic since the calculations predicted more pronounced adverse effects on the boundary layer due to the shock than were seen in the experiment.

Coordinated Parameterization Development and Large-Eddy Simulation for Marine and Arctic Cloud-Topped Boundary Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bretherton, Christopher S.

2002-01-01

The goal of this project was to compare observations of marine and arctic boundary layers with: (1) parameterization systems used in climate and weather forecast models; and (2) two and three dimensional eddy resolving (LES) models for turbulent fluid flow. Based on this comparison, we hoped to better understand, predict, and parameterize the boundary layer structure and cloud amount, type, and thickness as functions of large scale conditions that are predicted by global climate models. The principal achievements of the project were as follows: (1) Development of a novel boundary layer parameterization for large-scale models that better represents the physical processes in marine boundary layer clouds; and (2) Comparison of column output from the ECMWF global forecast model with observations from the SHEBA experiment. Overall the forecast model did predict most of the major precipitation events and synoptic variability observed over the year of observation of the SHEBA ice camp.

Flight-measured base pressure coefficients for thick boundary-layer flow over an aft-facing step for Mach numbers from 0.4 to 2.5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goecke, S. A.

1973-01-01

A 0.56-inch thick aft-facing step was located 52.1 feet from the leading edge of the left wing of an XB-70 airplane. A boundary-layer rake at a mirror location on the right wing was used to obtain local flow properties. Reynolds numbers were near 10 to the 8th power, resulting in a relatively thick boundary-layer. The momentum thickness ranged from slightly thinner to slightly thicker than the step height. Surface static pressures forward of the step were obtained for Mach numbers near 0.9, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.4. The data were compared with thin boundary-layer results from flight and wind-tunnel experiments and semiempirical relationships. Significant differences were found between the thick and the thin boundary-layer data.

High order accurate solutions of viscous problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayder, M. Ehtesham; Turkel, Eli

1993-01-01

We consider a fourth order extension to MacCormack's scheme. The original extension was fourth order only for the inviscid terms but was second order for the viscous terms. We show how to modify the viscous terms so that the scheme is uniformly fourth order in the spatial derivatives. Applications are given to some boundary layer flows. In addition, for applications to shear flows the effect of the outflow boundary conditions are very important. We compare the accuracy of several of these different boundary conditions for both boundary layer and shear flows. Stretching at the outflow usually increases the oscillations in the numerical solution but the addition of a filtered sponge layer (with or without stretching) reduces such oscillations. The oscillations are generated by insufficient resolution of the shear layer. When the shear layer is sufficiently resolved then oscillations are not generated and there is less of a need for a nonreflecting boundary condition.

Control of shock wave-boundary layer interactions by bleed in supersonic mixed compression inlets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukuda, M. K.; Hingst, W. G.; Reshotko, E.

1975-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the effect of bleed on a shock wave-boundary layer interaction in an axisymmetric mixed-compression supersonic inlet. The inlet was designed for a free-stream Mach number of 2.50 with 60-percent supersonic internal area contraction. The experiment was conducted in the NASA Lewis Research Center 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The effects of bleed amount and bleed geometry on the boundary layer after a shock wave-boundary layer interaction were studied. The effect of bleed on the transformed form factor is such that the full realizable reduction is obtained by bleeding of a mass flow equal to about one-half of the incident boundary layer mass flow. More bleeding does not yield further reduction. Bleeding upstream or downstream of the shock-induced pressure rise is preferable to bleeding across the shock-induced pressure rise.

The response of a laminar boundary layer in supersonic flow to small amplitude progressive waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duck, Peter W.

1989-01-01

The effect of a small amplitude progressive wave on the laminar boundary layer on a semi-infinite flat plate, due to a uniform supersonic freestream flow, is considered. The perturbation to the flow divides into two streamwise zones. In the first, relatively close to the leading edge of the plate, on a transverse scale comparable to the boundary layer thickness, the perturbation flow is described by a form of the unsteady linearized compressible boundary layer equations. In the freestream, this component of flow is governed by the wave equation, the solution of which provides the outer velocity conditions for the boundary layer. This system is solved numerically, and also the asymptotic structure in the far downstream limit is studied. This reveals a breakdown and a subsequent second streamwise zone, where the flow disturbance is predominantly inviscid. The two zones are shown to match in a proper asymptotic sense.

Budget of Turbulent Kinetic Energy in a Shock Wave Boundary-Layer Interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vyas, Manan A.; Waindim, Mbu; Gaitonde, Datta V.

2016-01-01

Implicit large-eddy simulation (ILES) of a shock wave/boundary-layer interaction (SBLI) was performed. Quantities present in the exact equation of the turbulent kinetic energy transport were accumulated and used to calculate terms like production, dissipation, molecular diffusion, and turbulent transport. The present results for a turbulent boundary layer were validated by comparison with direct numerical simulation data. It was found that a longer development domain was necessary for the boundary layer to reach an equilibrium state and a finer mesh resolution would improve the predictions. In spite of these findings, trends of the present budget match closely with that of the direct numerical simulation. Budgets for the SBLI region are presented at key axial stations. These budgets showed interesting dynamics as the incoming boundary layer transforms and the terms of the turbulent kinetic energy budget change behavior within the interaction region.

Thermal Boundary Layer Effects on Line-of-Sight Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) Gas Concentration Measurements.

PubMed

Qu, Zhechao; Werhahn, Olav; Ebert, Volker

2018-06-01

The effects of thermal boundary layers on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) measurement results must be quantified when using the line-of-sight (LOS) TDLAS under conditions with spatial temperature gradient. In this paper, a new methodology based on spectral simulation is presented quantifying the LOS TDLAS measurement deviation under conditions with thermal boundary layers. The effects of different temperature gradients and thermal boundary layer thickness on spectral collisional widths and gas concentration measurements are quantified. A CO 2 TDLAS spectrometer, which has two gas cells to generate the spatial temperature gradients, was employed to validate the simulation results. The measured deviations and LOS averaged collisional widths are in very good agreement with the simulated results for conditions with different temperature gradients. We demonstrate quantification of thermal boundary layers' thickness with proposed method by exploitation of the LOS averaged the collisional width of the path-integrated spectrum.

Planetary Boundary Layer Simulation Using TASS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schowalter, David G.; DeCroix, David S.; Lin, Yuh-Lang; Arya, S. Pal; Kaplan, Michael

1996-01-01

Boundary conditions to an existing large-eddy simulation model have been changed in order to simulate turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. Several options are now available, including the use of a surface energy balance. In addition, we compare convective boundary layer simulations with the Wangara and Minnesota field experiments as well as with other model results. We find excellent agreement of modelled mean profiles of wind and temperature with observations and good agreement for velocity variances. Neutral boundary simulation results are compared with theory and with previously used models. Agreement with theory is reasonable, while agreement with previous models is excellent.

Stereo particle image velocimetry of nonequilibrium turbulence relaxation in a supersonic boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapsa, Andrew P.; Dahm, Werner J. A.

2011-01-01

Measurements using stereo particle image velocimetry are presented for a developing turbulent boundary layer in a wind tunnel with a Mach 2.75 free stream. As the boundary layer exits from the tunnel nozzle and moves through the wave-free test section, small initial departures from equilibrium turbulence relax, and the boundary layer develops toward the equilibrium zero-pressure-gradient form. This relaxation process is quantified by comparison of first and second order mean, fluctuation, and gradient statistics to classical inner and outer layer scalings. Simultaneous measurement of all three instantaneous velocity components enables direct assessment of the complete turbulence anisotropy tensor. Profiles of the turbulence Mach number show that, despite the M = 2.75 free stream, the incompressibility relation among spatial gradients in the velocity fluctuations applies. This result is used in constructing various estimates of the measured-dissipation rate, comparisons among which show only remarkably small differences over most of the boundary layer. The resulting measured-dissipation profiles, together with measured profiles of the turbulence kinetic energy and mean-flow gradients, enable an assessment of how the turbulence anisotropy relaxes toward its equilibrium zero-pressure-gradient state. The results suggest that the relaxation of the initially disturbed turbulence anisotropy profile toward its equilibrium zero-pressure-gradient form begins near the upper edge of the boundary layer and propagates downward through the defect layer.

Finite-Difference Solutions for Compressible Laminar Boundary-Layer Flows of a Dusty Gas over a Semi-Infinite Flat Plate.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-08-01

AD-A174 952 FINITE - DIFFERENCE SOLUTIONS FOR CONPRESSIBLE LANINAR 1/2 BOUNDARY-LAYER FLOUS (U) TORONTO UNIV DOWNSVIEW (ONTARIO) INST FOR AEROSPACE...dilute dusty gas over a semi-infinite flat plate. Details are given of the impliit finite , difference schemes as well as the boundary conditions... FINITE - DIFFERENCE SOLUTIONS FOR COMPRESSIBLE LAMINAR BOUNDARY-LAYER FLOWS OF A DUSTY GAS OVER A SEMI-INFINITE FLAT PLATE by B. Y. Wang and I. I

Investigation of 3D Shock-Boundary Layer Interaction: A Combined Approach using Experiments, Numerical Simulations and Stability Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-02

layer , the non-reflecting boundary condition suggested by Poinsot and Lele is adopted.38 On the flat – plate surface, the no-penetration (v = 0) and the no...generator plate is emulated to create an oblique shock that impinges on the boundary layer causing separation. This is similar to the experimental...without SBLI and with SBLI. To calculate the steady flat – plate solution with no shock, a characteristic boundary condition according to Harris is used.39

The assessment of UV resources over Northern Eurasia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chubarova, Natalia; Zhdanova, Yekaterina

2013-05-01

The spatial and temporal distribution of UV resources was assessed over Northern Eurasia by using RT modeling (8 stream DISORT RT code) with 1×1 degree grid and month resolution. For this purpose a special dataset of main input geophysical parameters (total ozone content, aerosol characteristics, surface UV albedo, and UV cloud modification factor) has been developed. To define the UV resources both erythemally-weighted and vitamin D irradiances were used. In order to better quantify vitamin D irradiance threshold we accounted for a body exposure fraction S as a function of surface effective temperature. The UV resources are defined by using several classes and subclasses: UV deficiency, UV optimum, and UV excess. They were evaluated for clear and typical cloudy conditions for different skin types. We show that for typical cloudy conditions in winter (January) there are only few regions in Europe at the south of Spain (southward 43°N) with conditions of UV optimum for people with skin type 2 and no such conditions for people with skin type 4. In summer (July) UV optimum for skin 2 is observed northward 63°N with a boundary biased towards higher latitudes at the east, while for skin type 4 these conditions are observed over the most territory of Northern Eurasia.

Molecular Diagnostics of Diffusive Boundary Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawlings, J. M. C.; Hartquist, T. W.

1997-10-01

We have examined the chemistry in thin (<~0.01 pc) boundary layers between dark star-forming cores and warm, shocked T Tauri winds on the assumption that turbulence-driven diffusion occurs within them. The results indicate that emissions from C+, CH, OH, H2O and the J = 6 --> 5 transition of CO, among others, may serve as diagnostics of the boundary layers.

Boundary Layer Remote Sensing with Combined Active and Passive Techniques: GPS Radio Occultation and High-Resolution Stereo Imaging (WindCam) Small Satellite Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mannucci, A.J.; Wu, D.L.; Teixeira, J.; Ao, C.O.; Xie, F.; Diner, D.J.; Wood, R.; Turk, Joe

2012-01-01

Objective: significant progress in understanding low-cloud boundary layer processes. This is the Single largest uncertainty in climate projections. Radio occultation has unique features suited to boundary layer remote sensing (1) Cloud penetrating (2) Very high vertical resolution (approximately 50m-100m) (3) Sensitivity to thermodynamic variables

UAV-borne coherent doppler lidar for marine atmospheric boundary layer observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Songhua; Wang, Qichao; Liu, Bingyi; Liu, Jintao; Zhang, Kailin; Song, Xiaoquan

2018-04-01

A compact UAV-borne Coherent Doppler Lidar (UCDL) has been developed at the Ocean University of China for the observation of wind profile and boundary layer structure in Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL). The design, specifications and motion-correction methodology of the UCDL are presented. Preliminary results of the first flight campaign in Hailing Island in December 2016 is discussed.

Cyclone separator having boundary layer turbulence control

DOEpatents

Krishna, Coimbatore R.; Milau, Julius S.

1985-01-01

A cyclone separator including boundary layer turbulence control that is operable to prevent undue build-up of particulate material at selected critical areas on the separator walls, by selectively varying the fluid pressure at those areas to maintain the momentum of the vortex, thereby preventing particulate material from inducing turbulence in the boundary layer of the vortical fluid flow through the separator.

DIFFUSION IN THE VICINITY OF STANDARD-DESIGN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS-I. WIND-TUNNEL EVALUATION OF DIFFUSIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SIMULATED SUBURBAN NEUTRAL ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER

EPA Science Inventory

A large meteorological wind tunnel was used to simulate a suburban atmospheric boundary layer. The model-prototype scale was 1:300 and the roughness length was approximately 1.0 m full scale. The model boundary layer simulated full scale dispersion from ground-level and elevated ...

Control and reduction of unsteady pressure loads in separated shock wave turbulent boundary layer interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolling, David S.; Barter, John W.

1995-01-01

The focus was on developing means of controlling and reducing unsteady pressure loads in separated shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions. Section 1 describes how vortex generators can be used to effectively reduce loads in compression ramp interaction, while Section 2 focuses on the effects of 'boundary-layer separators' on the same interaction.

A brief review of some mechanisms causing boundary layer transition at high speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tauber, M. E.

1990-01-01

In high speed flight, the state of the boundary layer can strongly influence the design of vehicles through its effect on skin friction drag and aerodynamic heating. The major mechanisms causing boundary layer transition on high speed vehicles are briefly reviewed and some empirical relations from the unclassified literature are given for the transition Reynolds numbers.

One-dimensional simulation of temperature and moisture in atmospheric and soil boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bornstein, R. D.; Santhanam, K.

1981-01-01

Meteorologists are interested in modeling the vertical flow of heat and moisture through the soil in order to better simulate the vertical and temporal variations of the atmospheric boundary layer. The one dimensional planetary boundary layer model of is modified by the addition of transport equations to be solved by a finite difference technique to predict soil moisture.

Summary of past experience in natural laminar flow and experimental program for resilient leading edge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carmichael, B. H.

1979-01-01

The potential of natural laminar flow for significant drag reduction and improved efficiency for aircraft is assessed. Past experience with natural laminar flow as reported in published and unpublished data and personal observations of various researchers is summarized. Aspects discussed include surface contour, waviness, and smoothness requirements; noise and vibration effects on boundary layer transition, boundary layer stability criteria; flight experience with natural laminar flow and suction stabilized boundary layers; and propeller slipstream, rain, frost, ice and insect contamination effects on boundary layer transition. The resilient leading edge appears to be a very promising method to prevent leading edge insect contamination.

Use of long-lived radon daughters as indicators of exchange between the free troposphere and the marine boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kritz, M. A.

1983-01-01

Fluxes and exchange coefficients are derived for the transport of Sr-90, Pb-210, Bi-210, and Po-210 between the free troposphere and the marine boundary layer and between the boundary layer and the sea surface. Radionuclide concentrations previously measured near Hawaii are used in the derivations. Values obtained for the free troposphere/boundary layer exchange coefficient (expressed as a piston velocity) were 185, 228 and 203 m/d for Pb-210, Bi-210, and Sr-90, respectively. The magnitude of the local sea-surface source of Po-210 is also determined.

Boundary-layer effects in composite laminates: Free-edge stress singularities, part 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wanag, S. S.; Choi, I.

1981-01-01

A rigorous mathematical model was obtained for the boundary-layer free-edge stress singularity in angleplied and crossplied fiber composite laminates. The solution was obtained using a method consisting of complex-variable stress function potentials and eigenfunction expansions. The required order of the boundary-layer stress singularity is determined by solving the transcendental characteristic equation obtained from the homogeneous solution of the partial differential equations. Numerical results obtained show that the boundary-layer stress singularity depends only upon material elastic constants and fiber orientation of the adjacent plies. For angleplied and crossplied laminates the order of the singularity is weak in general.

Boundary layer control for airships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pake, F. A.; Pipitone, S. J.

1975-01-01

An investigation is summarized of the aerodynamic principle of boundary layer control for nonrigid LTA craft. The project included a wind tunnel test on a BLC body of revolution at zero angle of attack. Theoretical analysis is shown to be in excellent agreement with the test data. Methods are evolved for predicting the boundary layer development on a body of revolution and the suction pumping and propulsive power requirements. These methods are used to predict the performance characteristics of a full-scale airship. The analysis indicates that propulsive power reductions of 15 to 25 percent and endurance improvements of 20 to 40 percent may be realized in employing boundary-layer control to nonrigid airships.

The inducement of planetary boundary layer mass convergence associated with varying vorticity beneath tropospheric wind maximum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, D. R.

1984-01-01

The effects of the vorticity distribution are applied to study planetary boundary layer mass convergence beneath free tropospheric wind maximum. For given forcing by viscous and pressure gradient forces beneath a wind maximum, boundary layer cross stream mass transport is increased by anticyclonic vorticity on the right flank and decreased by cyclonic vorticity on the left flank. Such frictionally forced mass transport induces boundary layer mass convergence beneath the relative wind maximum. This result is related to the empirical rule that the most intense convection and severe weather frequently develop beneath the 500 mb zero relative vorticity isopleth.

Tomographic PIV investigation of roughness-induced transition in a hypersonic boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avallone, F.; Ye, Q.; Schrijer, F. F. J.; Scarano, F.; Cardone, G.

2014-11-01

The disturbance generated by roughness elements in a hypersonic laminar boundary layer is investigated, with attention to its three-dimensional properties. The transition of the boundary layer is inspected with tomographic particle image velocimetry that is applied for the first time at Mach 7.5 inside a short duration hypersonic wind tunnel. A low aspect ratio cylindrical roughness element is installed on a flat plate, and experiments are conducted downstream of the element describing the mean velocity field and the turbulent fluctuations. Details of the experimental procedure needed to realize these measurements are discussed, along with the fluid dynamic behaviour of the perturbed hypersonic boundary layer.

Control of supersonic wind-tunnel noise by laminarization of nozzle-wall boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckwith, I. E.; Harvey, W. D.; Harris, J. E.; Holley, B. B.

1973-01-01

One of the principal design requirements for a quiet supersonic or hypersonic wind tunnel is to maintain laminar boundary layers on the nozzle walls and thereby reduce disturbance levels in the test flow. The conditions and apparent reasons for laminar boundary layers which have been observed during previous investigations on the walls of several nozzles for exit Mach numbers from 2 to 20 are reviewed. Based on these results, an analysis and an assessment of nozzle design requirements for laminar boundary layers including low Reynolds numbers, high acceleration, suction slots, wall temperature control, wall roughness, and area suction are presented.

Development of a Flow Field for Testing a Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Propulsor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirt, Stefanie M.; Arend, David J.; Wolter, John D.

2017-01-01

The test section of the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center was modified to produce the test conditions for a boundary-layer-ingesting propulsor. A test was conducted to measure the flow properties in the modified test section before the propulsor was installed. Measured boundary layer and freestream conditions were compared to results from computational fluid dynamics simulations of the external surface for the reference vehicle. Testing showed that the desired freestream conditions and boundary layer thickness could be achieved; however, some non-uniformity of the freestream conditions, particularly the total temperature, were observed.

The effect of small streamwise velocity distortion on the boundary layer flow over a thin flat plate with application to boundary layer stability theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, M. E.; Leib, S. J.; Cowley, S. J.

1990-01-01

Researchers show how an initially linear spanwise disturbance in the free stream velocity field is amplified by leading edge bluntness effects and ultimately leads to a small amplitude but linear spanwise motion far downstream from the edge. This spanwise motion is imposed on the boundary layer flow and ultimately causes an order-one change in its profile shape. The modified profiles are highly unstable and can support Tollmein-Schlichting wave growth well upstream of the theoretical lower branch of the neutral stability curve for a Blasius boundary layer.

Correlation of heat transfer for the zero pressure gradient hypersonic laminar boundary layer for several gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, W. J.

1973-01-01

A theoretical study of heat transfer for zero pressure gradient hypersonic laminar boundary layers for various gases with particular application to the flows produced in an expansion tube facility was conducted. A correlation based on results obtained from solutions to the governing equations for five gases was formulated. Particular attention was directed toward the laminar boundary layer shock tube splitter plates in carbon dioxide flows generated by high speed shock waves. Computer analysis of the splitter plate boundary layer flow provided information that is useful in interpreting experimental data obtained in shock tube gas radiation studies.

Integral method for the calculation of three-dimensional, laminar and turbulent boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stock, H. W.

1978-01-01

The method for turbulent flows is a further development of an existing method; profile families with two parameters and a lag entrainment method replace the simple entrainment method and power profiles with one parameter. The method for laminar flows is a new development. Moment of momentum equations were used for the solution of the problem, the profile families were derived from similar solutions of boundary layer equations. Laminar and turbulent flows at the wings were calculated. The influence of wing tapering on the boundary layer development was shown. The turbulent boundary layer for a revolution ellipsoid is calculated for 0 deg and 10 deg incidence angles.

Separated flows receptivity for external disturbances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanin, B. Yu.

2017-10-01

Results of experimental investigations of the flow over a straight-wing model in a low-turbulence wind tunnel are reported. The influence of a turbulent wake due to a thin filament on the structure of boundary layer on the model surface was examined. Also the fishing line was installed in the test section of the wind tunnel and the effect of line on the boundary-layer flow structure is considered. Flow visualization in boundary layer and hot-wire measurements were performed. The wake and the grid substantially modified the boundary layer flow pattern: the separation disappeared from the wing surface, and the formation of longitudinal structures was observed.

Measurements of the turbulent transport of heat and momentum in convexly curved boundary layers - Effects of curvature, recovery and free-stream turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, J.; Simon, T. W.

1987-01-01

The effects of streamwise convex curvature, recovery, and freestream turbulence intensity on the turbulent transport of heat and momentum in a mature boundary layer are studied using a specially designed three-wire hot-wire probe. Increased freestream turbulence is found to increase the profiles throughout the boundary layer on the flat developing wall. Curvature effects were found to dominate turbulence intensity effects for the present cases considered. For the higher TI (turbulence intensity) case, negative values of the turbulent Prandtl number are found in the outer half of the boundary layer, indicating a breakdown in Reynolds analogy.

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Stability Experiments in a Quiet Wind Tunnel with Bluntness Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lachowicz, Jason T.; Chokani, Ndaona

1996-01-01

Hypersonic boundary layer measurements over a flared cone were conducted in a Mach 6 quiet wind tunnel at a freestream unit Reynolds number of 2.82 million/ft. This Reynolds number provided laminar-to-transitional flow over the cone model in a low-disturbance environment. Four interchangeable nose-tips, including a sharp-tip, were tested. Point measurements with a single hot-wire using a novel constant voltage anemometer were used to measure the boundary layer disturbances. Surface temperature and schlieren measurements were also conducted to characterize the transitional state of the boundary layer and to identify instability modes. Results suggest that second mode disturbances were the most unstable and scaled with the boundary layer thickness. The second mode integrated growth rates compared well with linear stability theory in the linear stability regime. The second mode is responsible for transition onset despite the existence of a second mode subharmonic. The subharmonic disturbance wavelength also scales with the boundary layer thickness. Furthermore, the existence of higher harmonics of the fundamental suggests that nonlinear disturbances are not associated with 'high' free stream disturbance levels. Nose-tip radii greater than 2.7% of the base radius completely stabilized the second mode.

Temporal and Spatial Evolution Characteristics of Disturbance Wave in a Hypersonic Boundary Layer due to Single-Frequency Entropy Disturbance

PubMed Central

Lv, Hongqing; Shi, Jianqiang

2014-01-01

By using a high-order accurate finite difference scheme, direct numerical simulation of hypersonic flow over an 8° half-wedge-angle blunt wedge under freestream single-frequency entropy disturbance is conducted; the generation and the temporal and spatial nonlinear evolution of boundary layer disturbance waves are investigated. Results show that, under the freestream single-frequency entropy disturbance, the entropy state of boundary layer is changed sharply and the disturbance waves within a certain frequency range are induced in the boundary layer. Furthermore, the amplitudes of disturbance waves in the period phase are larger than that in the response phase and ablation phase and the frequency range in the boundary layer in the period phase is narrower than that in these two phases. In addition, the mode competition, dominant mode transformation, and disturbance energy transfer exist among different modes both in temporal and in spatial evolution. The mode competition changes the characteristics of nonlinear evolution of the unstable waves in the boundary layer. The development of the most unstable mode along streamwise relies more on the motivation of disturbance waves in the upstream than that of other modes on this motivation. PMID:25143983

Temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of disturbance wave in a hypersonic boundary layer due to single-frequency entropy disturbance.

PubMed

Wang, Zhenqing; Tang, Xiaojun; Lv, Hongqing; Shi, Jianqiang

2014-01-01

By using a high-order accurate finite difference scheme, direct numerical simulation of hypersonic flow over an 8° half-wedge-angle blunt wedge under freestream single-frequency entropy disturbance is conducted; the generation and the temporal and spatial nonlinear evolution of boundary layer disturbance waves are investigated. Results show that, under the freestream single-frequency entropy disturbance, the entropy state of boundary layer is changed sharply and the disturbance waves within a certain frequency range are induced in the boundary layer. Furthermore, the amplitudes of disturbance waves in the period phase are larger than that in the response phase and ablation phase and the frequency range in the boundary layer in the period phase is narrower than that in these two phases. In addition, the mode competition, dominant mode transformation, and disturbance energy transfer exist among different modes both in temporal and in spatial evolution. The mode competition changes the characteristics of nonlinear evolution of the unstable waves in the boundary layer. The development of the most unstable mode along streamwise relies more on the motivation of disturbance waves in the upstream than that of other modes on this motivation.

Variation of turbulence in a coastal thermal internal boundary layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SethuRaman, S.; Raynor, G.S.; Brown, R.M.

1981-01-01

Internal boundary layers (IBL) form when an air mass encounters a change in surface characteristics. There are essentially two types of internal boundary layers - one caused by the change in surface roughness and the other by the variation in surface heating. The former is known as the aerodynamic internal boundary layer (AIBL) and the latter the thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL). Change in shear stress generally characterizes the AIBL and change in turbulence the TIBL. Results of some observations of the vertical component of turbulence made in a coastal TIBL over Long Island, New York from 1974 to 1978more » are reported. Vertical turbulence measured by a simple sail plane variometer in a thermal internal boundary layer over Long Island with onshore flows indicates the structure to depend significantly on the land-water temperature difference. The position of the vertical velocity fluctuation maximum seems to vary from one test to another but its variation could not be correlated to other parameters due to lack of a sufficient number of tests. The structure of vertical turbulence was found to be different for sea breeze flows as compared to gradient winds.« less

Numerical modeling of the transitional boundary layer over a flat plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Dimitry; Chorny, Andrei

2015-11-01

Our example is connected with fundamental research on understanding how an initially laminar boundary layer becomes turbulent. We have chosen the flow over a flat plate as a prototype for boundary-layer flows around bodies. Special attention was paid to the near-wall region in order to capture all levels of the boundary layer. In this study, the numerical software package OpenFOAM has been used in order to solve the flow field. The results were used in a comparative study with data obtained from Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The composite SGS-wall model is presently incorporated into a computer code suitable for the LES of developing flat-plate boundary layers. Presently this model is extended to the LES of the zero-pressure gradient, flat-plate turbulent boundary layer. In current study the time discretization is based on a second order Crank-Nicolson/Adams-Bashforth method. LES solver using Smagorinsky and the one-equation LES turbulence models. The transition models significantly improve the prediction of the onset location compared to the fully turbulent models.LES methods appear to be the most promising new tool for the design and analysis of flow devices including transition regions of the turbulent flow.

Particle motion in atmospheric boundary layers of Mars and Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, B. R.; Iversen, J. D.; Greeley, R.; Pollack, J. B.

1975-01-01

To study the eolian mechanics of saltating particles, both an experimental investigation of the flow field around a model crater in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel and numerical solutions of the two- and three-dimensional equations of motion of a single particle under the influence of a turbulent boundary layer were conducted. Two-dimensional particle motion was calculated for flow near the surfaces of both Earth and Mars. For the case of Earth both a turbulent boundary layer with a viscous sublayer and one without were calculated. For the case of Mars it was only necessary to calculate turbulent boundary layer flow with a laminar sublayer because of the low values of friction Reynolds number; however, it was necessary to include the effects of slip flow on a particle caused by the rarefied Martian atmosphere. In the equations of motion the lift force functions were developed to act on a single particle only in the laminar sublayer or a corresponding small region of high shear near the surface for a fully turbulent boundary layer. The lift force functions were developed from the analytical work by Saffman concerning the lift force acting on a particle in simple shear flow.

A model for the estimation of the surface fluxes of momentum, heat and moisture of the cloud topped marine atmospheric boundary layer from satellite measurable parameters. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, D. E.

1984-01-01

A model is developed for the estimation of the surface fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture of the cloud topped marine atmospheric boundary layer by use of satellite remotely sensed parameters. The parameters chosen for the problem are the integrated liquid water content, q sub li, the integrated water vapor content, q sub vi, the cloud top temperature, and either a measure of the 10 meter neutral wind speed or the friction velocity at the surface. Under the assumption of a horizontally homogeneous, well-mixed boundary layer, the model calculates the equivalent potential temperature and total water profiles of the boundary layer along with the boundary layer height from inputs of q sub li, q sub vi, and cloud top temperature. These values, along with the 10m neutral wind speed or friction velocity and the sea surface temperature are then used to estimate the surface fluxes. The development of a scheme to parameterize the integrated water vapor outside of the boundary layer for the cases of cold air outbreak and California coastal stratus is presented.

A numerical investigation of the impact of surface topology on laminar boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beratlis, Nikolaos; Squires, Kyle; Balaras, Elias

2015-11-01

Surface topology, such as dimples or trip wires, has been utilized in the past for passive separation control over bluff bodies. The majority of the work, however, has focused on the indirect effects on the drag and lift forces, while the details of the impact on the boundary layer evolution are not well understood. Here we report a series of DNS of flow over a single row of spherical and hexagonal dimples, as well as, circular grooves. The Reynolds number and the thickness of the incoming laminar boundary layer is carefully controlled. In all cases transition to turbulence downstream of the elements comes with reorientation of the spanwise vorticity into hairpin like vortices. Although qualitatively the transition mechanism amongst different dimples and grooves is similar, important quantitative differences exist: two-dimensional geometries such as the groove, are more stable than three-dimensional geometries. In addition, it was found that the cavity geometry controls the initial thickness of the boundary layer and practically results in a shift of the virtual origin of the turbulent boundary layer. Important differences in the momentum transport downstream of the dimples exist, but in all cases the boundary layer evolves in a self-similar manner.

High-Order Finite-Difference Schemes for Numerical Simulation of Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Xiaolin

1998-08-01

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) has become a powerful tool in studying fundamental phenomena of laminar-turbulent transition of high-speed boundary layers. Previous DNS studies of supersonic and hypersonic boundary layer transition have been limited to perfect-gas flow over flat-plate boundary layers without shock waves. For hypersonic boundary layers over realistic blunt bodies, DNS studies of transition need to consider the effects of bow shocks, entropy layers, surface curvature, and finite-rate chemistry. It is necessary that numerical methods for such studies are robust and high-order accurate both in resolving wide ranges of flow time and length scales and in resolving the interaction between the bow shocks and flow disturbance waves. This paper presents a new high-order shock-fitting finite-difference method for the DNS of the stability and transition of hypersonic boundary layers over blunt bodies with strong bow shocks and with (or without) thermo-chemical nonequilibrium. The proposed method includes a set of new upwind high-order finite-difference schemes which are stable and are less dissipative than a straightforward upwind scheme using an upwind-bias grid stencil, a high-order shock-fitting formulation, and third-order semi-implicit Runge-Kutta schemes for temporal discretization of stiff reacting flow equations. The accuracy and stability of the new schemes are validated by numerical experiments of the linear wave equation and nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations. The algorithm is then applied to the DNS of the receptivity of hypersonic boundary layers over a parabolic leading edge to freestream acoustic disturbances.

Observations of the Early Morning Boundary-Layer Transition with Small Remotely-Piloted Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wildmann, Norman; Rau, Gerrit Anke; Bange, Jens

2015-12-01

A remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA), equipped with a high resolution thermodynamic sensor package, was used to investigate physical processes during the morning transition of the atmospheric boundary layer over land. Experiments were conducted at a test site in heterogeneous terrain in south-west Germany on 5 days from June to September 2013 in an evolving shallow convective boundary layer, which then developed into a well-mixed layer later in the day. A combination of vertical profiling and constant-altitude profiling (CAP) at 100 m height above ground level was chosen as the measuring strategy throughout the experiment. The combination of flight strategies allows the application of mixed-layer scaling using the boundary-layer height z_i, convective velocity scale w_* and convective temperature scale θ _*. The hypothesis that mixed-layer theory is valid during the whole transition was not confirmed for all parameters. A good agreement is found for temperature variances, especially in the upper half of the boundary layer, and the normalized heat-flux profile. The results were compared to a previous study with the helicopter-borne turbulence probe Helipod, and it was found that similar data quality can be achieved with the RPA. On all days, the CAP flight level was within the entrainment zone for a short time, and the horizontal variability of temperature and water vapour along the flight path is presented as an example of the inhomogeneity of layer interfaces in the boundary layer. The study serves as a case study of the possibilities and limitations with state-of-the-art RPA technology in micrometeorology.

Experimental investigation on aero-optical aberration of shock wave/boundary layer interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Haolin; Yi, Shihe; Fu, Jia; He, Lin

2016-10-01

After streaming through the flow field which including the expansion, shock wave, boundary, etc., the optical wave would be distorted by fluctuations in the density field. Interactions between laminar/turbulent boundary layer and shock wave contain large number complex flow structures, which offer a condition for studying the influences that different flow structures of the complex flow field have on the aero-optical aberrations. Interactions between laminar/turbulent boundary layer and shock wave are investigated in a Mach 3.0 supersonic wind tunnel, based on nanoparticle-tracer planar laser scattering (NPLS) system. Boundary layer separation/attachment, induced suppression waves, induced shock wave, expansion fan and boundary layer are presented by NPLS images. Its spatial resolution is 44.15 μm/pixel. Time resolution is 6ns. Based on the NPLS images, the density fields with high spatial-temporal resolution are obtained by the flow image calibration, and then the optical path difference (OPD) fluctuations of the original 532nm planar wavefront are calculated using Ray-tracing theory. According to the different flow structures in the flow field, four parts are selected, (1) Y=692 600pixel; (2) Y=600 400pixel; (3) Y=400 268pixel; (4) Y=268 0pixel. The aerooptical effects of different flow structures are quantitatively analyzed, the results indicate that: the compressive waves such as incident shock wave, induced shock wave, etc. rise the density, and then uplift the OPD curve, but this kind of shock are fixed in space position and intensity, the aero-optics induced by it can be regarded as constant; The induced shock waves are induced by the coherent structure of large size vortex in the interaction between turbulent boundary layer, its unsteady characteristic decides the induced waves unsteady characteristic; The space position and intensity of the induced shock wave are fixed in the interaction between turbulent boundary layer; The boundary layer aero-optics are induced by the coherent structure of large size vortex, which result in the fluctuation of OPD.

A map overlay error model based on boundary geometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gaeuman, D.; Symanzik, J.; Schmidt, J.C.

2005-01-01

An error model for quantifying the magnitudes and variability of errors generated in the areas of polygons during spatial overlay of vector geographic information system layers is presented. Numerical simulation of polygon boundary displacements was used to propagate coordinate errors to spatial overlays. The model departs from most previous error models in that it incorporates spatial dependence of coordinate errors at the scale of the boundary segment. It can be readily adapted to match the scale of error-boundary interactions responsible for error generation on a given overlay. The area of error generated by overlay depends on the sinuosity of polygon boundaries, as well as the magnitude of the coordinate errors on the input layers. Asymmetry in boundary shape has relatively little effect on error generation. Overlay errors are affected by real differences in boundary positions on the input layers, as well as errors in the boundary positions. Real differences between input layers tend to compensate for much of the error generated by coordinate errors. Thus, the area of change measured on an overlay layer produced by the XOR overlay operation will be more accurate if the area of real change depicted on the overlay is large. The model presented here considers these interactions, making it especially useful for estimating errors studies of landscape change over time. ?? 2005 The Ohio State University.

A new Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary locality in the western powder River basin, Wyoming: biological and geological implications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, D.J.; Brown, J.L.; Attrep, M.; Orth, C.J.

1992-01-01

A newly discovered Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary locality in the western Powder River basin, Wyoming, is characterized by a palynologically defined extinction horizon, a fern-spore abundance anomaly, a strong iridium anomaly, and shock-metamorphosed quartz grains. Detailed microstratigraphic analyses show that about one third of the palynoflora (mostly angiosperm pollen) disappeared abruptly, placing the K-T boundary within a distinctive, 1- to 2-cm-thick claystone layer. Shocked quartz grains are concentrated at the top of this layer, and although fern-spore and iridium concentrations are high in this layer, they reach their maximum concentrations in a 2-cm-thick carbonaceous claystone that overlies the boundary claystone layer. The evidence supports the theory that the K-T boundary event was associated with the impact of an extraterrestrial body or bodies. Palynological analyses of samples from the K-T boundary interval document extensive changes in the flora that resulted from the boundary event. The palynologically and geochemically defined K-T boundary provides a unique time-line of use in regional basin analysis. ?? 1992.

Semidiscrete Galerkin modelling of compressible viscous flow past a circular cone at incidence. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meade, Andrew James, Jr.

1989-01-01

A numerical study of the laminar and compressible boundary layer, about a circular cone in a supersonic free stream, is presented. It is thought that if accurate and efficient numerical schemes can be produced to solve the boundary layer equations, they can be joined to numerical codes that solve the inviscid outer flow. The combination of these numerical codes is competitive with the accurate, but computationally expensive, Navier-Stokes schemes. The primary goal is to develop a finite element method for the calculation of 3-D compressible laminar boundary layer about a yawed cone. The proposed method can, in principle, be extended to apply to the 3-D boundary layer of pointed bodies of arbitrary cross section. The 3-D boundary layer equations governing supersonic free stream flow about a cone are examined. The 3-D partial differential equations are reduced to 2-D integral equations by applying the Howarth, Mangler, Crocco transformations, a linear relation between viscosity, and a Blasius-type of similarity variable. This is equivalent to a Dorodnitsyn-type formulation. The reduced equations are independent of density and curvature effects, and resemble the weak form of the 2-D incompressible boundary layer equations in Cartesian coordinates. In addition the coordinate normal to the wall has been stretched, which reduces the gradients across the layer and provides high resolution near the surface. Utilizing the parabolic nature of the boundary layer equations, a finite element method is applied to the Dorodnitsyn formulation. The formulation is presented in a Petrov-Galerkin finite element form and discretized across the layer using linear interpolation functions. The finite element discretization yields a system of ordinary differential equations in the circumferential direction. The circumferential derivatives are solved by an implicit and noniterative finite difference marching scheme. Solutions are presented for a 15 deg half angle cone at angles of attack of 5 and 10 deg. The numerical solutions assume a laminar boundary layer with free stream Mach number of 7. Results include circumferential distribution of skin friction and surface heat transfer, and cross flow velocity distributions across the layer.

Similarity solutions for unsteady free-convection flow from a continuous moving vertical surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd-El-Malek, Mina B.; Kassem, Magda M.; Mekky, Mohammad L.

2004-03-01

The transformation group theoretic approach is applied to present an analysis of the problem of unsteady free convection flow over a continuous moving vertical sheet in an ambient fluid. The thermal boundary layer induced within a vertical semi-infinite layer of Boussinseq fluid by a constant heated bounding plate. The application of two-parameter groups reduces the number of independent variables by two, and consequently the system of governing partial differential equations with the boundary conditions reduces to a system of ordinary differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions. The obtained ordinary differential equations are solved analytically for the temperature and numerically for the velocity using the shooting method. Effect of Prandtl number on the thermal boundary-layer and velocity boundary-layer are studied and plotted in curves.

Coupling of magnetopause-boundary layer to the polar ionosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wei, C. Q.; Lee, L. C.

1993-01-01

The plasma dynamics in the low-latitude boundary layer and its coupling to the polar ionosphere under boundary conditions at the magnetopause are investigated. In the presence of a driven plasma flow along the magnetopause, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability can develop, leading to the formation and growth of plasma vortices in the boundary layer. The finite ionospheric conductivity leads to the decay of these vortices. The competing effect of the formation and decay of vortices leads to the formation of strong vortices only in a limited region. Several enhanced field-aligned power density regions associated with the boundary layer vortices and the upward field-aligned current (FAC) filaments can be found along the postnoon auroral oval. These enhanced field-aligned power density regions may account for the observed auroral bright spots.

USSR and Eastern Europe Scientific Abstracts, Geophysics, Astronomy and Space, Number 395

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-04-15

of the air masses, wind condi- tions, cloudiness and precipitation in the eastern part of the Arabian Sea are related to the beginning of the monsoon...layer of the atmosphere which plays a large role in the air shifts near the earth’s surface. In the west- ern part of the Arabian Sea the "Yu. M...mod- el. Gravity anomalies can be used in both the Bouguer and in the Faye re- ductions. It is noted, in particular, that investigations of ocean

Technical Papers Presented at the Defense Nuclear Agency Global Effects Review Held in Santa Barbara, California on 7-9 April 1987. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-19

Prescribed 341 Burn - Einfield, Zak, Mokler and Morrison 23. Measurements of Cloud Active Aerosol in Large Scale Fires - Hudson 356 24. Optical Depth...Cover A LAI change with I Leaf drop temperaturelseason STEMSilraio I R u plo oilS u r fa c e Surfctie %ooil temeraureUpper leyer wetness layer( du...Michigan can be attributed to an unforecast mesoscale region of cloudiness. The positive error region in western Tennessee and Kentucky is associated

Evaluation of Flush-Mounted, S-Duct Inlets with Large Amounts of Boundary Layer Ingestion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrier, Bobby L.; Morehouse, Melissa B.

2003-01-01

A new high Reynolds number test capability for boundary layer ingesting inlets has been developed for the NASA Langley Research Center 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel. Using this new capability, an experimental investigation of four S-duct inlet configurations with large amounts of boundary layer ingestion (nominal boundary layer thickness of about 40% of inlet height) was conducted at realistic operating conditions (high subsonic Mach numbers and full-scale Reynolds numbers). The objectives of this investigation were to 1) provide a database for CFD tool validation on boundary layer ingesting inlets operating at realistic conditions and 2) provide a baseline inlet for future inlet flow-control studies. Tests were conducted at Mach numbers from 0.25 to 0.83, Reynolds numbers (based on duct exit diameter) from 5.1 million to a full-scale value of 13.9 million, and inlet mass-flow ratios from 0.39 to 1.58 depending on Mach number. Results of this investigation indicate that inlet pressure recovery generally decreased and inlet distortion generally increased with increasing Mach number. Except at low Mach numbers, increasing inlet mass-flow increased pressure recovery and increased distortion. Increasing the amount of boundary layer ingestion (by decreasing inlet throat height) or ingesting a boundary layer with a distorted (adverse) profile decreased pressure recovery and increased distortion. Finally, increasing Reynolds number had almost no effect on inlet distortion but increased inlet recovery by about one-half percent at a Mach number near cruise.

Numerical simulations of the flow in the HYPULSE expansion tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Gregory J.; Sussman, Myles A.; Bakos, Robert J.

1995-01-01

Axisymmetric numerical simulations with finite-rate chemistry are presented for two operating conditions in the HYPULSE expansion tube. The operating gas for these two cases is nitrogen and the computations are compared to experimental data. One test condition is at a total enthalpy of 15.2 MJ/Kg and a relatively low static pressure of 2 kPa. This case is characterized by a laminar boundary layer and significant chemical nonequilibrium in the acceleration gas. The second test condition is at a total enthalpy of 10.2 MJ/Kg and a static pressure of 38 kPa and is characterized by a turbulent boundary layer. For both cases, the time-varying test gas pressure predicted by the simulations is in good agreement with experimental data. The computations are also found to be in good agreement with Mirels' correlations for shock tube flow. It is shown that the nonuniformity of the test gas observed in the HYPULSE expansion tube is strongly linked to the boundary layer thickness. The turbulent flow investigated has a larger boundary layer and greater test gas nonuniformity. In order to investigate possibilities of improving expansion tube flow quality by reducing the boundary layer thickness, parametric studies showing the effect of density and turbulent transition point on the test conditions are also presented. Although an increase in the expansion tube operating pressure level would reduce the boundary layer thickness, the simulations indicate that the reduction would be less than what is predicted by flat plate boundary layer correlations.

Gas diffusion in and out of super-hydrophobic surface in transitional and turbulent boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Hangjian; Fu, Matthew; Hultmark, Marcus; Katz, Joseph

2017-11-01

The rate of gas diffusion in and out of a super-hydrophobic surface (SHS) located in boundary layers is investigated at varying Reynolds numbers and ambient pressures. The hierarchical SHS consists of nano-textured, 100 μm wide spanwise grooves. The boundary layers over the SHS under the Cassie-Baxter and Wenzel states as well as a smooth wall at same conditions are characterized by particle image velocimetry. The Reynolds number based on momentum thickness of the smooth wall, ReΘ0, ranges from 518 to 2088, covering transitional and turbulent boundary layer regimes. The mass diffusion rate is estimated by using microscopy to measure the time-evolution of plastron shape and volume. The data is used for calculating the Sherwood number based on smooth wall momentum thickness, ShΘ0. As expected, the diffusion rate increases linearly with the under- or super-saturation level, i.e., ShΘ0 is independent of ambient pressure. For the turbulent boundary layers, the data collapses onto ShΘ0 = 0.47ReΘ00.77 . For the transitional boundary layer, ShΘ0 is lower than the turbulent power law. When ShΘ0 is plotted against the friction Reynolds number (Reτ0) , both the transitional and turbulent boundary layer data collapse onto a single power law, ShΘ0 = 0.34Reτ00.913 . Results scaled based on Wenzel state momentum thickness show very similar trends. Sponsored by ONR.

Early Warning Signals for Regime Transition in the Stable Boundary Layer: A Model Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Hooijdonk, I. G. S.; Moene, A. F.; Scheffer, M.; Clercx, H. J. H.; van de Wiel, B. J. H.

2017-02-01

The evening transition is investigated in an idealized model for the nocturnal boundary layer. From earlier studies it is known that the nocturnal boundary layer may manifest itself in two distinct regimes, depending on the ambient synoptic conditions: strong-wind or overcast conditions typically lead to weakly stable, turbulent nights; clear-sky and weak-wind conditions, on the other hand, lead to very stable, weakly turbulent conditions. Previously, the dynamical behaviour near the transition between these regimes was investigated in an idealized setting, relying on Monin-Obukhov (MO) similarity to describe turbulent transport. Here, we investigate a similar set-up, using direct numerical simulation; in contrast to MO-based models, this type of simulation does not need to rely on turbulence closure assumptions. We show that previous predictions are verified, but now independent of turbulence parametrizations. Also, it appears that a regime shift to the very stable state is signaled in advance by specific changes in the dynamics of the turbulent boundary layer. Here, we show how these changes may be used to infer a quantitative estimate of the transition point from the weakly stable boundary layer to the very stable boundary layer. In addition, it is shown that the idealized, nocturnal boundary-layer system shares important similarities with generic non-linear dynamical systems that exhibit critical transitions. Therefore, the presence of other, generic early warning signals is tested as well. Indeed, indications are found that such signals are present in stably stratified turbulent flows.

Acoustic measurements of the spatial and temporal structure of the near-bottom boundary layer in the 1990-1991 STRESS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynch, James F.; Irish, James D.; Gross, Thomas F.; Wiberg, Patricia L.; Newhall, Arthur E.; Traykovski, Peter A.; Warren, Joseph D.

1997-08-01

As part of the 1990-1991 Sediment TRansport Events on Shelves and Slopes (STRESS) experiment, a 5 MHz Acoustic BackScatter System (ABSS) was deployed in 90 m of water to measure vertical profiles of near-bottom suspended sediment concentration. By looking at the vertical profile of concentration from 0 to 50 cm above bottom (cmab) with 1 cm vertical resolution, the ABSS was able to examine the detailed structure of the bottom boundary layer created by combined wave and current stresses. The acoustic profiles clearly showed the wave-current boundary layer, which extends to (order) 10 cmab. The profiles also showed evidence of an "intermediate" boundary layer, also influenced by combined wave and current stresses, just above the wave-current boundary layer. This paper examines the boundary-layer structure by comparing acoustic data obtained by the authors to a 1-D eddy viscosity model formulation. Specifically, these data are compared to a simple extension of the Grant-Glenn-Madsen model formulation. Also of interest is the appearance of apparently 3-D "advective plume" structures in these data. This is an interesting feature in a site which was initially chosen to be a good example of (temporally averaged) 1-D bottom boundary-layer dynamics. Computer modeling and sector-scanning sonar images are presented to justify the plausibility of observing 3-D structure at the STRESS site. 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd

Fuselage boundary-layer refraction of fan tones radiated from an installed turbofan aero-engine.

PubMed

Gaffney, James; McAlpine, Alan; Kingan, Michael J

2017-03-01

A distributed source model to predict fan tone noise levels of an installed turbofan aero-engine is extended to include the refraction effects caused by the fuselage boundary layer. The model is a simple representation of an installed turbofan, where fan tones are represented in terms of spinning modes radiated from a semi-infinite circular duct, and the aircraft's fuselage is represented by an infinitely long, rigid cylinder. The distributed source is a disk, formed by integrating infinitesimal volume sources located on the intake duct termination. The cylinder is located adjacent to the disk. There is uniform axial flow, aligned with the axis of the cylinder, everywhere except close to the cylinder where there is a constant thickness boundary layer. The aim is to predict the near-field acoustic pressure, and in particular, to predict the pressure on the cylindrical fuselage which is relevant to assess cabin noise. Thus no far-field approximations are included in the modelling. The effect of the boundary layer is quantified by calculating the area-averaged mean square pressure over the cylinder's surface with and without the boundary layer included in the prediction model. The sound propagation through the boundary layer is calculated by solving the Pridmore-Brown equation. Results from the theoretical method show that the boundary layer has a significant effect on the predicted sound pressure levels on the cylindrical fuselage, owing to sound radiation of fan tones from an installed turbofan aero-engine.

Including fluid shear viscosity in a structural acoustic finite element model using a scalar fluid representation

PubMed Central

Cheng, Lei; Li, Yizeng; Grosh, Karl

2013-01-01

An approximate boundary condition is developed in this paper to model fluid shear viscosity at boundaries of coupled fluid-structure system. The effect of shear viscosity is approximated by a correction term to the inviscid boundary condition, written in terms of second order in-plane derivatives of pressure. Both thin and thick viscous boundary layer approximations are formulated; the latter subsumes the former. These approximations are used to develop a variational formation, upon which a viscous finite element method (FEM) model is based, requiring only minor modifications to the boundary integral contributions of an existing inviscid FEM model. Since this FEM formulation has only one degree of freedom for pressure, it holds a great computational advantage over the conventional viscous FEM formulation which requires discretization of the full set of linearized Navier-Stokes equations. The results from thick viscous boundary layer approximation are found to be in good agreement with the prediction from a Navier-Stokes model. When applicable, thin viscous boundary layer approximation also gives accurate results with computational simplicity compared to the thick boundary layer formulation. Direct comparison of simulation results using the boundary layer approximations and a full, linearized Navier-Stokes model are made and used to evaluate the accuracy of the approximate technique. Guidelines are given for the parameter ranges over which the accurate application of the thick and thin boundary approximations can be used for a fluid-structure interaction problem. PMID:23729844

Including fluid shear viscosity in a structural acoustic finite element model using a scalar fluid representation.

PubMed

Cheng, Lei; Li, Yizeng; Grosh, Karl

2013-08-15

An approximate boundary condition is developed in this paper to model fluid shear viscosity at boundaries of coupled fluid-structure system. The effect of shear viscosity is approximated by a correction term to the inviscid boundary condition, written in terms of second order in-plane derivatives of pressure. Both thin and thick viscous boundary layer approximations are formulated; the latter subsumes the former. These approximations are used to develop a variational formation, upon which a viscous finite element method (FEM) model is based, requiring only minor modifications to the boundary integral contributions of an existing inviscid FEM model. Since this FEM formulation has only one degree of freedom for pressure, it holds a great computational advantage over the conventional viscous FEM formulation which requires discretization of the full set of linearized Navier-Stokes equations. The results from thick viscous boundary layer approximation are found to be in good agreement with the prediction from a Navier-Stokes model. When applicable, thin viscous boundary layer approximation also gives accurate results with computational simplicity compared to the thick boundary layer formulation. Direct comparison of simulation results using the boundary layer approximations and a full, linearized Navier-Stokes model are made and used to evaluate the accuracy of the approximate technique. Guidelines are given for the parameter ranges over which the accurate application of the thick and thin boundary approximations can be used for a fluid-structure interaction problem.

Sheared boundary layers in turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomon, T. H.; Gollub, J. P.

1990-05-01

Thermal boundary layers in turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection are studied experimentally using a novel system in which the convecting fluid is sheared from below with a flowing layer of mercury. Oscillatory shear substantially alters the spatial structure and frequency of the eruptions, with minimal effect on the heat flux (less than 5 percent). The temperature probability distribution function (PDF) just above the lower boundary layer changes from Gaussian to exponential without significant changes in the interior PDF. Implications for theories of 'hard' turbulence are discussed.

An Optimization Technique for the Development of Two-Dimensional Steady Turbulent Boundary Layer Models.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-03-01

observed coherent structure of the wall layer flow and will now be briefly described. Over the past decade, it has been well documented (see, for example...D2, and x are all arbitrary constants. Equilibrium flows have been examined experimentally for a number of years and an equilibrium boundary layer...CP93, Paper No. 27, 6. Clauser, F.H. (1954). "Turbulent Boundary Layers in Adverse Pressure Gradients", J. Aeronaut. Sci., 21, pp. 91-108. 7. Clauser

Initial-boundary layer associated with the nonlinear Darcy-Brinkman-Oberbeck-Boussinesq system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Mingwen; Han, Daozhi; Wang, Xiaoming

2017-01-01

In this paper, we study the vanishing Darcy number limit of the nonlinear Darcy-Brinkman-Oberbeck-Boussinesq system (DBOB). This singular perturbation problem involves singular structures both in time and in space giving rise to initial layers, boundary layers and initial-boundary layers. We construct an approximate solution to the DBOB system by the method of multiple scale expansions. The convergence with optimal convergence rates in certain Sobolev norms is established rigorously via the energy method.