DMI's Baltic Sea Coastal operational forecasting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murawski, Jens; Berg, Per; Weismann Poulsen, Jacob

2017-04-01

Operational forecasting is challenged with bridging the gap between the large scales of the driving weather systems and the local, human scales of the model applications. The limit of what can be represented by local model has been continuously shifted to higher and higher spatial resolution, with the aim to better resolve the local dynamic and to make it possible to describe processes that could only be parameterised in older versions, with the ultimate goal to improve the quality of the forecast. Current hardware trends demand a str onger focus on the development of efficient, highly parallelised software and require a refactoring of the code with a solid focus on portable performance. The gained performance can be used for running high resolution model with a larger coverage. Together with the development of efficient two-way nesting routines, this has made it possible to approach the near-coastal zone with model applications that can run in a time effective way. Denmarks Meteorological Institute uses the HBM(1) ocean circulation model for applications that covers the entire Baltic Sea and North Sea with an integrated model set-up that spans the range of horizontal resolution from 1nm for the entire Baltic Sea to approx. 200m resolution in local fjords (Limfjord). For the next model generation, the high resolution set-ups are going to be extended and new high resolution domains in coastal zones are either implemented or tested for operational use. For the first time it will be possible to cover large stretches of the Baltic coastal zone with sufficiently high resolution to model the local hydrodynamic adequately. (1) HBM stands for HIROMB-BOOS-Model, whereas HIROMB stands for "High Resolution Model for the Baltic Sea" and BOOS stands for "Baltic Operational Oceanography System".

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

Erickson III, David J

The climate of the last glacial maximum (LGM) is simulated with a high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model, the NCAR CCM3 at spectral truncation of T170, corresponding to a grid cell size of roughly 75 km. The purpose of the study is to assess whether there are significant benefits from the higher resolution simulation compared to the lower resolution simulation associated with the role of topography. The LGM simulations were forced with modified CLIMAP sea ice distribution and sea surface temperatures (SST) reduced by 1 C, ice sheet topography, reduced CO{sub 2}, and 21,000 BP orbital parameters. The high-resolution model capturesmore » modern climate reasonably well, in particular the distribution of heavy precipitation in the tropical Pacific. For the ice age case, surface temperature simulated by the high-resolution model agrees better with those of proxy estimates than does the low-resolution model. Despite the fact that tropical SSTs were only 2.1 C less than the control run, there are many lowland tropical land areas 4-6 C colder than present. Comparison of T170 model results with the best constrained proxy temperature estimates (noble gas concentrations in groundwater) now yield no significant differences between model and observations. There are also significant upland temperature changes in the best resolved tropical mountain belt (the Andes). We provisionally attribute this result in part as resulting from decreased lateral mixing between ocean and land in a model with more model grid cells. A longstanding model-data discrepancy therefore appears to be resolved without invoking any unusual model physics. The response of the Asian summer monsoon can also be more clearly linked to local geography in the high-resolution model than in the low-resolution model; this distinction should enable more confident validation of climate proxy data with the high-resolution model. Elsewhere, an inferred salinity increase in the subtropical North Atlantic may have significant implications for ocean circulation changes during the LGM. A large part of the Amazon and Congo Basins are simulated to be substantially drier in the ice age - consistent with many (but not all) paleo data. These results suggest that there are considerable benefits derived from high-resolution model regarding regional climate responses, and that observationalists can now compare their results with models that resolve geography at a resolution comparable to that which the proxy data represent.« less

Image resolution enhancement via image restoration using neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuangteng; Lu, Yihong

2011-04-01

Image super-resolution aims to obtain a high-quality image at a resolution that is higher than that of the original coarse one. This paper presents a new neural network-based method for image super-resolution. In this technique, the super-resolution is considered as an inverse problem. An observation model that closely follows the physical image acquisition process is established to solve the problem. Based on this model, a cost function is created and minimized by a Hopfield neural network to produce high-resolution images from the corresponding low-resolution ones. Not like some other single frame super-resolution techniques, this technique takes into consideration point spread function blurring as well as additive noise and therefore generates high-resolution images with more preserved or restored image details. Experimental results demonstrate that the high-resolution images obtained by this technique have a very high quality in terms of PSNR and visually look more pleasant.

The influence of spatially and temporally high-resolution wind forcing on the power input to near-inertial waves in the ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimac, Antonija; von Storch, Jin-Song; Eden, Carsten

2013-04-01

The estimated power required to sustain global general circulation in the ocean is about 2 TW. This power is supplied with wind stress and tides. Energy spectrum shows pronounced maxima at near-inertial frequency. Near-inertial waves excited by high-frequency winds represent an important source for deep ocean mixing since they can propagate into the deep ocean and dissipate far away from the generation sites. The energy input by winds to near-inertial waves has been studied mostly using slab ocean models and wind stress forcing with coarse temporal resolution (e.g. 6-hourly). Slab ocean models lack the ability to reproduce fundamental aspects of kinetic energy balance and systematically overestimate the wind work. Also, slab ocean models do not account the energy used for the mixed layer deepening or the energy radiating downward into the deep ocean. Coarse temporal resolution of the wind forcing strongly underestimates the near-inertial energy. To overcome this difficulty we use an eddy permitting ocean model with high-frequency wind forcing. We establish the following model setup: We use the Max Planck Institute Ocean Model (MPIOM) on a tripolar grid with 45 km horizontal resolution and 40 vertical levels. We run the model with wind forcings that vary in horizontal and temporal resolution. We use high-resolution (1-hourly with 35 km horizontal resolution) and low-resolution winds (6-hourly with 250 km horizontal resolution). We address the following questions: Is the kinetic energy of near-inertial waves enhanced when high-resolution wind forcings are used? If so, is this due to higher level of overall wind variability or higher spatial or temporal resolution of wind forcing? How large is the power of near-inertial waves generated by winds? Our results show that near-inertial waves are enhanced and the near-inertial kinetic energy is two times higher (in the storm track regions 3.5 times higher) when high-resolution winds are used. Filtering high-resolution winds in space and time, the near-inertial kinetic energy reduces. The reduction is faster when a temporal filter is used suggesting that the high-frequency wind forcing is more efficient in generating near-inertial wave energy than the small-scale wind forcing. Using low-resolution wind forcing the wind generated power to near-inertial waves is 0.55 TW. When we use high-resolution wind forcing the result is 1.6 TW meaning that the result increases by 300%.

Application and evaluation of high-resolution WRF-CMAQ with simple urban parameterization.

EPA Science Inventory

The 2-way coupled WRF-CMAQ meteorology and air quality modeling system is evaluated for high-resolution applications by comparing to a regional air quality field study (Discover-AQ). The model was modified to better account for the effects of urban environments. High-resolution...

Application and evaluation of high-resolution WRF-CMAQ with simple urban parameterization

EPA Science Inventory

The 2-way coupled WRF-CMAQ meteorology and air quality modeling system is evaluated for high-resolution applications by comparing to a regional air quality field study (Discover-AQ). The model was modified to better account for the effects of urban environments. High-resolution...

When What You See Isn’t What You Get: How Viewshed Analysis is Impacted by Digital Surface Model (DSM) Resolution

EPA Science Inventory

A key factor for improving models of ecosystem benefits is the availability of high quality spatial data. High resolution LIDAR data are now commonly available and can be used to produce more accurate model outputs. However, increased resolution leads to higher computer resource...

High-resolution observations of the near-surface wind field over an isolated mountain and in a steep river canyon

Treesearch

B. W. Butler; N. S. Wagenbrenner; J. M. Forthofer; B. K. Lamb; K. S. Shannon; D. Finn; R. M. Eckman; K. Clawson; L. Bradshaw; P. Sopko; S. Beard; D. Jimenez; C. Wold; M. Vosburgh

2015-01-01

A number of numerical wind flow models have been developed for simulating wind flow at relatively fine spatial resolutions (e.g., 100 m); however, there are very limited observational data available for evaluating these high-resolution models. This study presents high-resolution surface wind data sets collected from an isolated mountain and a steep river canyon. The...

Statistical Examination of the Resolution of a Block-Scale Urban Drainage Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, A.; Montalto, F. A.; Digiovanni, K. A.

2009-12-01

Stormwater drainage models are utilized by cities in order to plan retention systems to prevent combined sewage overflows and design for development. These models aggregate subcatchments and ignore small pipelines providing a coarse representation of a sewage network. This study evaluates the importance of resolution by comparing two models developed on a neighborhood scale for predicting the total quantity and peak flow of runoff to observed runoff measured at the site. The low and high resolution models were designed for a 2.6 ha block in Bronx, NYC in EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) using a single catchment and separate subcatchments based on surface cover, respectively. The surface covers represented included sidewalks, street, buildings, and backyards. Characteristics for physical surfaces and the infrastructure in the high resolution mode were determined from site visits, sewer pipe maps, aerial photographs, and GIS data-sets provided by the NYC Department of City Planning. Since the low resolution model was depicted at a coarser scale, generalizations were assumed about the overall average characteristics of the catchment. Rainfall and runoff data were monitored over a four month period during the summer rainy season. A total of 53 rain fall events were recorded but only 29 storms produced significant amount of runoffs to be evaluated in the simulations. To determine which model was more accurate at predicting the observed runoff, three characteristics for each storm were compared: peak runoff, total runoff, and time to peak. Two statistical tests were used to determine the significance of the results: the percent difference for each storm and the overall Chi-squared Goodness of Fit distribution for both the low and high resolution model. These tests will evaluate if there is a statistical difference depending on the resolution of scale of the stormwater model. The scale of representation is being evaluated because it could have a profound impact on how low-impact development strategies are assessed. Rerouting flows to delay the time of entry into the combined sewage is the primary goal of stormwater source controls which may be better differentiated in a high resolution as opposed to low resolution model. The preliminary hypothesis is that the low resolution model simplifies watershed by defining attributes uniformly across the watershed. In the high resolution model, the physical flow can be more accurate depicted by connected the various subcatchments. For example, the runoff from buildings can directly be routed to the backyard. The main drawback to the high resolution model is the risk of adding uncertainty due to the number of parameters.

Fusing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Imagery with High Resolution Hydrologic Modeling (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vivoni, E. R.; Pierini, N.; Schreiner-McGraw, A.; Anderson, C.; Saripalli, S.; Rango, A.

2013-12-01

After decades of development and applications, high resolution hydrologic models are now common tools in research and increasingly used in practice. More recently, high resolution imagery from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that provide information on land surface properties have become available for civilian applications. Fusing the two approaches promises to significantly advance the state-of-the-art in terms of hydrologic modeling capabilities. This combination will also challenge assumptions on model processes, parameterizations and scale as land surface characteristics (~0.1 to 1 m) may now surpass traditional model resolutions (~10 to 100 m). Ultimately, predictions from high resolution hydrologic models need to be consistent with the observational data that can be collected from UAVs. This talk will describe our efforts to develop, utilize and test the impact of UAV-derived topographic and vegetation fields on the simulation of two small watersheds in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts at the Santa Rita Experimental Range (Green Valley, AZ) and the Jornada Experimental Range (Las Cruces, NM). High resolution digital terrain models, image orthomosaics and vegetation species classification were obtained from a fixed wing airplane and a rotary wing helicopter, and compared to coarser analyses and products, including Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). We focus the discussion on the relative improvements achieved with UAV-derived fields in terms of terrain-hydrologic-vegetation analyses and summer season simulations using the TIN-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS) model. Model simulations are evaluated at each site with respect to a high-resolution sensor network consisting of six rain gauges, forty soil moisture and temperature profiles, four channel runoff flumes, a cosmic-ray soil moisture sensor and an eddy covariance tower over multiple summer periods. We also discuss prospects for the fusion of high resolution models with novel observations from UAVs, including synthetic aperture radar and multispectral imagery.

The challenges associated with applying global models in heterogeneous landscapes: A case study using MOD17 GPP estimates in Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimball, H.; Selmants, P. C.; Running, S. W.; Moreno, A.; Giardina, C. P.

2016-12-01

In this study we evaluate the influence of spatial data product accuracy and resolution on the application of global models for smaller scale heterogeneous landscapes. In particular, we assess the influence of locally specific land cover and high-resolution climate data products on estimates of Gross Primary Production (GPP) for the Hawaiian Islands using the MOD17 model. The MOD17 GPP algorithm uses a measure of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Observation System. This direct measurement is combined with global land cover (500-m resolution) and climate models ( 1/2-degree resolution) to estimate GPP. We first compared the alignment between the global land cover model used in MOD17 with a Hawaii specific land cover data product. We found that there was a 51.6% overall agreement between the two land cover products. We then compared four MOD17 GPP models: A global model that used the global land cover and low-resolution global climate data products, a model produced using the Hawaii specific land cover and low-resolution global climate data products, a model with global land cover and high-resolution climate data products, and finally, a model using both Hawaii specific land cover and high-resolution climate data products. We found that including either the Hawaii specific land cover or the high-resolution Hawaii climate data products with MOD17 reduced overall estimates of GPP by 8%. When both were used, GPP estimates were reduced by 16%. The reduction associated with land cover is explained by a reduction of the total area designated as evergreen broad leaf forest and an increase in the area designated as barren or sparsely vegetated in the Hawaii land cover product as compared to the global product. The climate based reduction is explained primarily by the spatial resolution and distribution of solar radiation in the Hawaiian Islands. This study highlights the importance of accuracy and resolution when applying global models to highly variable landscapes and provides an estimate of the influence of land cover and climate data products on estimates of GPP using MOD17.

High-resolution spatial modeling of daily weather elements for a catchment in the Oregon Cascade Mountains, United States

Treesearch

Christopher Daly; Jonathan W. Smith; Joseph I. Smith; Robert B. McKane

2007-01-01

High-quality daily meteorological data at high spatial resolution are essential for a variety of hydrologic and ecological modeling applications that support environmental risk assessments and decisionmaking. This paper describes the development. application. and assessment of methods to construct daily high resolution (~50-m cell size) meteorological grids for the...

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

Li, Fuyu; Collins, William D.; Wehner, Michael F.

High-resolution climate models have been shown to improve the statistics of tropical storms and hurricanes compared to low-resolution models. The impact of increasing horizontal resolution in the tropical storm simulation is investigated exclusively using a series of Atmospheric Global Climate Model (AGCM) runs with idealized aquaplanet steady-state boundary conditions and a fixed operational storm-tracking algorithm. The results show that increasing horizontal resolution helps to detect more hurricanes, simulate stronger extreme rainfall, and emulate better storm structures in the models. However, increasing model resolution does not necessarily produce stronger hurricanes in terms of maximum wind speed, minimum sea level pressure, andmore » mean precipitation, as the increased number of storms simulated by high-resolution models is mainly associated with weaker storms. The spatial scale at which the analyses are conducted appears to have more important control on these meteorological statistics compared to horizontal resolution of the model grid. When the simulations are analyzed on common low-resolution grids, the statistics of the hurricanes, particularly the hurricane counts, show reduced sensitivity to the horizontal grid resolution and signs of scale invariant.« less

X-ray structure determination at low resolution

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

Brunger, Axel T., E-mail: brunger@stanford.edu; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University

2009-02-01

Refinement is meaningful even at 4 Å or lower, but with present methodologies it should start from high-resolution crystal structures whenever possible. As an example of structure determination in the 3.5–4.5 Å resolution range, crystal structures of the ATPase p97/VCP, consisting of an N-terminal domain followed by a tandem pair of ATPase domains (D1 and D2), are discussed. The structures were originally solved by molecular replacement with the high-resolution structure of the N-D1 fragment of p97/VCP, whereas the D2 domain was manually built using its homology to the D1 domain as a guide. The structure of the D2 domain alonemore » was subsequently solved at 3 Å resolution. The refined model of D2 and the high-resolution structure of the N-D1 fragment were then used as starting models for re-refinement against the low-resolution diffraction data for full-length p97. The re-refined full-length models showed significant improvement in both secondary structure and R values. The free R values dropped by as much as 5% compared with the original structure refinements, indicating that refinement is meaningful at low resolution and that there is information in the diffraction data even at ∼4 Å resolution that objectively assesses the quality of the model. It is concluded that de novo model building is problematic at low resolution and refinement should start from high-resolution crystal structures whenever possible.« less

OpenMP parallelization of a gridded SWAT (SWATG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ying; Hou, Jinliang; Cao, Yongpan; Gu, Juan; Huang, Chunlin

2017-12-01

Large-scale, long-term and high spatial resolution simulation is a common issue in environmental modeling. A Gridded Hydrologic Response Unit (HRU)-based Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWATG) that integrates grid modeling scheme with different spatial representations also presents such problems. The time-consuming problem affects applications of very high resolution large-scale watershed modeling. The OpenMP (Open Multi-Processing) parallel application interface is integrated with SWATG (called SWATGP) to accelerate grid modeling based on the HRU level. Such parallel implementation takes better advantage of the computational power of a shared memory computer system. We conducted two experiments at multiple temporal and spatial scales of hydrological modeling using SWATG and SWATGP on a high-end server. At 500-m resolution, SWATGP was found to be up to nine times faster than SWATG in modeling over a roughly 2000 km2 watershed with 1 CPU and a 15 thread configuration. The study results demonstrate that parallel models save considerable time relative to traditional sequential simulation runs. Parallel computations of environmental models are beneficial for model applications, especially at large spatial and temporal scales and at high resolutions. The proposed SWATGP model is thus a promising tool for large-scale and high-resolution water resources research and management in addition to offering data fusion and model coupling ability.

High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP v1.0) for CMIP6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haarsma, Reindert J.; Roberts, Malcolm J.; Vidale, Pier Luigi; Senior, Catherine A.; Bellucci, Alessio; Bao, Qing; Chang, Ping; Corti, Susanna; Fučkar, Neven S.; Guemas, Virginie; von Hardenberg, Jost; Hazeleger, Wilco; Kodama, Chihiro; Koenigk, Torben; Leung, L. Ruby; Lu, Jian; Luo, Jing-Jia; Mao, Jiafu; Mizielinski, Matthew S.; Mizuta, Ryo; Nobre, Paulo; Satoh, Masaki; Scoccimarro, Enrico; Semmler, Tido; Small, Justin; von Storch, Jin-Song

2016-11-01

Robust projections and predictions of climate variability and change, particularly at regional scales, rely on the driving processes being represented with fidelity in model simulations. The role of enhanced horizontal resolution in improved process representation in all components of the climate system is of growing interest, particularly as some recent simulations suggest both the possibility of significant changes in large-scale aspects of circulation as well as improvements in small-scale processes and extremes. However, such high-resolution global simulations at climate timescales, with resolutions of at least 50 km in the atmosphere and 0.25° in the ocean, have been performed at relatively few research centres and generally without overall coordination, primarily due to their computational cost. Assessing the robustness of the response of simulated climate to model resolution requires a large multi-model ensemble using a coordinated set of experiments. The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) is the ideal framework within which to conduct such a study, due to the strong link to models being developed for the CMIP DECK experiments and other model intercomparison projects (MIPs). Increases in high-performance computing (HPC) resources, as well as the revised experimental design for CMIP6, now enable a detailed investigation of the impact of increased resolution up to synoptic weather scales on the simulated mean climate and its variability. The High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) presented in this paper applies, for the first time, a multi-model approach to the systematic investigation of the impact of horizontal resolution. A coordinated set of experiments has been designed to assess both a standard and an enhanced horizontal-resolution simulation in the atmosphere and ocean. The set of HighResMIP experiments is divided into three tiers consisting of atmosphere-only and coupled runs and spanning the period 1950-2050, with the possibility of extending to 2100, together with some additional targeted experiments. This paper describes the experimental set-up of HighResMIP, the analysis plan, the connection with the other CMIP6 endorsed MIPs, as well as the DECK and CMIP6 historical simulations. HighResMIP thereby focuses on one of the CMIP6 broad questions, "what are the origins and consequences of systematic model biases?", but we also discuss how it addresses the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) grand challenges.

An Overview of Numerical Weather Prediction on Various Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, J.-W.

2009-04-01

The increasing public need for detailed weather forecasts, along with the advances in computer technology, has motivated many research institutes and national weather forecasting centers to develop and run global as well as regional numerical weather prediction (NWP) models at high resolutions (i.e., with horizontal resolutions of ~10 km or higher for global models and 1 km or higher for regional models, and with ~60 vertical levels or higher). The need for running NWP models at high horizontal and vertical resolutions requires the implementation of non-hydrostatic dynamic core with a choice of horizontal grid configurations and vertical coordinates that are appropriate for high resolutions. Development of advanced numerics will also be needed for high resolution global and regional models, in particular, when the models are applied to transport problems and air quality applications. In addition to the challenges in numerics, the NWP community is also facing the challenges of developing physics parameterizations that are well suited for high-resolution NWP models. For example, when NWP models are run at resolutions of ~5 km or higher, the use of much more detailed microphysics parameterizations than those currently used in NWP model will become important. Another example is that regional NWP models at ~1 km or higher only partially resolve convective energy containing eddies in the lower troposphere. Parameterizations to account for the subgrid diffusion associated with unresolved turbulence still need to be developed. Further, physically sound parameterizations for air-sea interaction will be a critical component for tropical NWP models, particularly for hurricane predictions models. In this review presentation, the above issues will be elaborated on and the approaches to address them will be discussed.

Uncertainty of global summer precipitation in the CMIP5 models: a comparison between high-resolution and low-resolution models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Danqing; Yan, Peiwen; Zhu, Jian; Zhang, Yaocun; Kuang, Xueyuan; Cheng, Jing

2018-04-01

The uncertainty of global summer precipitation simulated by the 23 CMIP5 CGCMs and the possible impacts of model resolutions are investigated in this study. Large uncertainties exist over the tropical and subtropical regions, which can be mainly attributed to convective precipitation simulation. High-resolution models (HRMs) and low-resolution models (LRMs) are further investigated to demonstrate their different contributions to the uncertainties of the ensemble mean. It shows that the high-resolution model ensemble means (HMME) and low-resolution model ensemble mean (LMME) mitigate the biases between the MME and observation over most continents and oceans, respectively. The HMME simulates more precipitation than the LMME over most oceans, but less precipitation over some continents. The dominant precipitation category in the HRMs (LRMs) is the heavy precipitation (moderate precipitation) over the tropic regions. The combinations of convective and stratiform precipitation are also quite different: the HMME has much higher ratio of stratiform precipitation while the LMME has more convective precipitation. Finally, differences in precipitation between the HMME and LMME can be traced to their differences in the SST simulations via the local and remote air-sea interaction.

Remote sensing in support of high-resolution terrestrial carbon monitoring and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtt, G. C.; Zhao, M.; Dubayah, R.; Huang, C.; Swatantran, A.; ONeil-Dunne, J.; Johnson, K. D.; Birdsey, R.; Fisk, J.; Flanagan, S.; Sahajpal, R.; Huang, W.; Tang, H.; Armstrong, A. H.

2014-12-01

As part of its Phase 1 Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) activities, NASA initiated a Local-Scale Biomass Pilot study. The goals of the pilot study were to develop protocols for fusing high-resolution remotely sensed observations with field data, provide accurate validation test areas for the continental-scale biomass product, and demonstrate efficacy for prognostic terrestrial ecosystem modeling. In Phase 2, this effort was expanded to the state scale. Here, we present results of this activity focusing on the use of remote sensing in high-resolution ecosystem modeling. The Ecosystem Demography (ED) model was implemented at 90 m spatial resolution for the entire state of Maryland. We rasterized soil depth and soil texture data from SSURGO. For hourly meteorological data, we spatially interpolated 32-km 3-hourly NARR into 1-km hourly and further corrected them at monthly level using PRISM data. NLCD data were used to mask sand, seashore, and wetland. High-resolution 1 m forest/non-forest mapping was used to define forest fraction of 90 m cells. Three alternative strategies were evaluated for initialization of forest structure using high-resolution lidar, and the model was used to calculate statewide estimates of forest biomass, carbon sequestration potential, time to reach sequestration potential, and sensitivity to future forest growth and disturbance rates, all at 90 m resolution. To our knowledge, no dynamic ecosystem model has been run at such high spatial resolution over such large areas utilizing remote sensing and validated as extensively. There are over 3 million 90 m land cells in Maryland, greater than 43 times the ~73,000 half-degree cells in a state-of-the-art global land model.

High-resolution regional climate model evaluation using variable-resolution CESM over California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X.; Rhoades, A.; Ullrich, P. A.; Zarzycki, C. M.

2015-12-01

Understanding the effect of climate change at regional scales remains a topic of intensive research. Though computational constraints remain a problem, high horizontal resolution is needed to represent topographic forcing, which is a significant driver of local climate variability. Although regional climate models (RCMs) have traditionally been used at these scales, variable-resolution global climate models (VRGCMs) have recently arisen as an alternative for studying regional weather and climate allowing two-way interaction between these domains without the need for nudging. In this study, the recently developed variable-resolution option within the Community Earth System Model (CESM) is assessed for long-term regional climate modeling over California. Our variable-resolution simulations will focus on relatively high resolutions for climate assessment, namely 28km and 14km regional resolution, which are much more typical for dynamically downscaled studies. For comparison with the more widely used RCM method, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model will be used for simulations at 27km and 9km. All simulations use the AMIP (Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project) protocols. The time period is from 1979-01-01 to 2005-12-31 (UTC), and year 1979 was discarded as spin up time. The mean climatology across California's diverse climate zones, including temperature and precipitation, is analyzed and contrasted with the Weather Research and Forcasting (WRF) model (as a traditional RCM), regional reanalysis, gridded observational datasets and uniform high-resolution CESM at 0.25 degree with the finite volume (FV) dynamical core. The results show that variable-resolution CESM is competitive in representing regional climatology on both annual and seasonal time scales. This assessment adds value to the use of VRGCMs for projecting climate change over the coming century and improve our understanding of both past and future regional climate related to fine-scale processes. This assessment is also relevant for addressing the scale limitation of current RCMs or VRGCMs when next-generation model resolution increases to ~10km and beyond.

Multi-resolution voxel phantom modeling: a high-resolution eye model for computational dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracappa, Peter F.; Rhodes, Ashley; Fiedler, Derek

2014-09-01

Voxel models of the human body are commonly used for simulating radiation dose with a Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Due to memory limitations, the voxel resolution of these computational phantoms is typically too large to accurately represent the dimensions of small features such as the eye. Recently reduced recommended dose limits to the lens of the eye, which is a radiosensitive tissue with a significant concern for cataract formation, has lent increased importance to understanding the dose to this tissue. A high-resolution eye model is constructed using physiological data for the dimensions of radiosensitive tissues, and combined with an existing set of whole-body models to form a multi-resolution voxel phantom, which is used with the MCNPX code to calculate radiation dose from various exposure types. This phantom provides an accurate representation of the radiation transport through the structures of the eye. Two alternate methods of including a high-resolution eye model within an existing whole-body model are developed. The accuracy and performance of each method is compared against existing computational phantoms.

Advanced very high resolution radiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The advanced very high resolution radiometer development program is considered. The program covered the design, construction, and test of a breadboard model, engineering model, protoflight model, mechanical structural model, and a life test model. Special bench test and calibration equipment was also developed for use on the program.

Fragmentation of urban forms and the environmental consequences: results from a high-spatial resolution model system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, U. W.; Wang, Z. S.

2008-10-01

Each city has its unique urban form. The importance of urban form on sustainable development has been recognized in recent years. Traditionally, air quality modelling in a city is in a mesoscale with grid resolution of kilometers, regardless of its urban form. This paper introduces a GIS-based air quality and noise model system developed to study the built environment of highly compact urban forms. Compared with traditional mesoscale air quality model system, the present model system has a higher spatial resolution down to individual buildings along both sides of the street. Applying the developed model system in the Macao Peninsula with highly compact urban forms, the average spatial resolution of input and output data is as high as 174 receptor points per km2. Based on this input/output dataset with a high spatial resolution, this study shows that even the highly compact urban forms can be fragmented into a very small geographic scale of less than 3 km2. This is due to the significant temporal variation of urban development. The variation of urban form in each fragment in turn affects air dispersion, traffic condition, and thus air quality and noise in a measurable scale.

Performance of European chemistry transport models as function of horizontal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaap, M.; Cuvelier, C.; Hendriks, C.; Bessagnet, B.; Baldasano, J. M.; Colette, A.; Thunis, P.; Karam, D.; Fagerli, H.; Graff, A.; Kranenburg, R.; Nyiri, A.; Pay, M. T.; Rouïl, L.; Schulz, M.; Simpson, D.; Stern, R.; Terrenoire, E.; Wind, P.

2015-07-01

Air pollution causes adverse effects on human health as well as ecosystems and crop yield and also has an impact on climate change trough short-lived climate forcers. To design mitigation strategies for air pollution, 3D Chemistry Transport Models (CTMs) have been developed to support the decision process. Increases in model resolution may provide more accurate and detailed information, but will cubically increase computational costs and pose additional challenges concerning high resolution input data. The motivation for the present study was therefore to explore the impact of using finer horizontal grid resolution for policy support applications of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) model within the Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) convention. The goal was to determine the "optimum resolution" at which additional computational efforts do not provide increased model performance using presently available input data. Five regional CTMs performed four runs for 2009 over Europe at different horizontal resolutions. The models' responses to an increase in resolution are broadly consistent for all models. The largest response was found for NO2 followed by PM10 and O3. Model resolution does not impact model performance for rural background conditions. However, increasing model resolution improves the model performance at stations in and near large conglomerations. The statistical evaluation showed that the increased resolution better reproduces the spatial gradients in pollution regimes, but does not help to improve significantly the model performance for reproducing observed temporal variability. This study clearly shows that increasing model resolution is advantageous, and that leaving a resolution of 50 km in favour of a resolution between 10 and 20 km is practical and worthwhile. As about 70% of the model response to grid resolution is determined by the difference in the spatial emission distribution, improved emission allocation procedures at high spatial and temporal resolution are a crucial factor for further model resolution improvements.

Regional Community Climate Simulations with variable resolution meshes in the Community Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarzycki, C. M.; Gettelman, A.; Callaghan, P.

2017-12-01

Accurately predicting weather extremes such as precipitation (floods and droughts) and temperature (heat waves) requires high resolution to resolve mesoscale dynamics and topography at horizontal scales of 10-30km. Simulating such resolutions globally for climate scales (years to decades) remains computationally impractical. Simulating only a small region of the planet is more tractable at these scales for climate applications. This work describes global simulations using variable-resolution static meshes with multiple dynamical cores that target the continental United States using developmental versions of the Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2). CESM2 is tested in idealized, aquaplanet and full physics configurations to evaluate variable mesh simulations against uniform high and uniform low resolution simulations at resolutions down to 15km. Different physical parameterization suites are also evaluated to gauge their sensitivity to resolution. Idealized variable-resolution mesh cases compare well to high resolution tests. More recent versions of the atmospheric physics, including cloud schemes for CESM2, are more stable with respect to changes in horizontal resolution. Most of the sensitivity is due to sensitivity to timestep and interactions between deep convection and large scale condensation, expected from the closure methods. The resulting full physics model produces a comparable climate to the global low resolution mesh and similar high frequency statistics in the high resolution region. Some biases are reduced (orographic precipitation in the western United States), but biases do not necessarily go away at high resolution (e.g. summertime JJA surface Temp). The simulations are able to reproduce uniform high resolution results, making them an effective tool for regional climate studies and are available in CESM2.

Landslide model performance in a high resolution small-scale landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Sy, V.; Schoorl, J. M.; Keesstra, S. D.; Jones, K. E.; Claessens, L.

2013-05-01

The frequency and severity of shallow landslides in New Zealand threatens life and property, both on- and off-site. The physically-based shallow landslide model LAPSUS-LS is tested for its performance in simulating shallow landslide locations induced by a high intensity rain event in a small-scale landscape. Furthermore, the effect of high resolution digital elevation models on the performance was tested. The performance of the model was optimised by calibrating different parameter values. A satisfactory result was achieved with a high resolution (1 m) DEM. Landslides, however, were generally predicted lower on the slope than mapped erosion scars. This discrepancy could be due to i) inaccuracies in the DEM or in other model input data such as soil strength properties; ii) relevant processes for this environmental context that are not included in the model; or iii) the limited validity of the infinite length assumption in the infinite slope stability model embedded in the LAPSUS-LS. The trade-off between a correct prediction of landslides versus stable cells becomes increasingly worse with coarser resolutions; and model performance decreases mainly due to altering slope characteristics. The optimal parameter combinations differ per resolution. In this environmental context the 1 m resolution topography resembles actual topography most closely and landslide locations are better distinguished from stable areas than for coarser resolutions. More gain in model performance could be achieved by adding landslide process complexities and parameter heterogeneity of the catchment.

Los Angeles megacity: a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions

DOE PAGES

Feng, Sha; Lauvaux, Thomas; Newman, Sally; ...

2016-07-22

Megacities are major sources of anthropogenic fossil fuel CO 2 (FFCO 2) emissions. The spatial extents of these large urban systems cover areas of 10 000 km 2 or more with complex topography and changing landscapes. We present a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions over the Los Angeles (LA) megacity area. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Chem model was coupled to a very high-resolution FFCO 2 emission product, Hestia-LA, to simulate atmospheric CO 2 concentrations across the LA megacity at spatial resolutions as fine as ~1 km. We evaluated multiple WRF configurations, selecting one that minimizedmore » errors in wind speed, wind direction, and boundary layer height as evaluated by its performance against meteorological data collected during the CalNex-LA campaign (May–June 2010). Our results show no significant difference between moderate-resolution (4 km) and high-resolution (1.3 km) simulations when evaluated against surface meteorological data, but the high-resolution configurations better resolved planetary boundary layer heights and vertical gradients in the horizontal mean winds. We coupled our WRF configuration with the Vulcan 2.2 (10 km resolution) and Hestia-LA (1.3 km resolution) fossil fuel CO 2 emission products to evaluate the impact of the spatial resolution of the CO 2 emission products and the meteorological transport model on the representation of spatiotemporal variability in simulated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. We find that high spatial resolution in the fossil fuel CO 2 emissions is more important than in the atmospheric model to capture CO 2 concentration variability across the LA megacity. Finally, we present a novel approach that employs simultaneous correlations of the simulated atmospheric CO 2 fields to qualitatively evaluate the greenhouse gas measurement network over the LA megacity. Spatial correlations in the atmospheric CO 2 fields reflect the coverage of individual measurement sites when a statistically significant number of sites observe emissions from a specific source or location. We conclude that elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations over the LA megacity are composed of multiple fine-scale plumes rather than a single homogenous urban dome. Furthermore, we conclude that FFCO 2 emissions monitoring in the LA megacity requires FFCO 2 emissions modelling with ~1 km resolution because coarser-resolution emissions modelling tends to overestimate the observational constraints on the emissions estimates.« less

Los Angeles megacity: a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions

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

Feng, Sha; Lauvaux, Thomas; Newman, Sally

Megacities are major sources of anthropogenic fossil fuel CO 2 (FFCO 2) emissions. The spatial extents of these large urban systems cover areas of 10 000 km 2 or more with complex topography and changing landscapes. We present a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions over the Los Angeles (LA) megacity area. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Chem model was coupled to a very high-resolution FFCO 2 emission product, Hestia-LA, to simulate atmospheric CO 2 concentrations across the LA megacity at spatial resolutions as fine as ~1 km. We evaluated multiple WRF configurations, selecting one that minimizedmore » errors in wind speed, wind direction, and boundary layer height as evaluated by its performance against meteorological data collected during the CalNex-LA campaign (May–June 2010). Our results show no significant difference between moderate-resolution (4 km) and high-resolution (1.3 km) simulations when evaluated against surface meteorological data, but the high-resolution configurations better resolved planetary boundary layer heights and vertical gradients in the horizontal mean winds. We coupled our WRF configuration with the Vulcan 2.2 (10 km resolution) and Hestia-LA (1.3 km resolution) fossil fuel CO 2 emission products to evaluate the impact of the spatial resolution of the CO 2 emission products and the meteorological transport model on the representation of spatiotemporal variability in simulated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. We find that high spatial resolution in the fossil fuel CO 2 emissions is more important than in the atmospheric model to capture CO 2 concentration variability across the LA megacity. Finally, we present a novel approach that employs simultaneous correlations of the simulated atmospheric CO 2 fields to qualitatively evaluate the greenhouse gas measurement network over the LA megacity. Spatial correlations in the atmospheric CO 2 fields reflect the coverage of individual measurement sites when a statistically significant number of sites observe emissions from a specific source or location. We conclude that elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations over the LA megacity are composed of multiple fine-scale plumes rather than a single homogenous urban dome. Furthermore, we conclude that FFCO 2 emissions monitoring in the LA megacity requires FFCO 2 emissions modelling with ~1 km resolution because coarser-resolution emissions modelling tends to overestimate the observational constraints on the emissions estimates.« less

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

Krishnan, Venkat; Cole, Wesley

Power sector capacity expansion models (CEMs) have a broad range of spatial resolutions. This paper uses the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model, a long-term national scale electric sector CEM, to evaluate the value of high spatial resolution for CEMs. ReEDS models the United States with 134 load balancing areas (BAs) and captures the variability in existing generation parameters, future technology costs, performance, and resource availability using very high spatial resolution data, especially for wind and solar modeled at 356 resource regions. In this paper we perform planning studies at three different spatial resolutions--native resolution (134 BAs), state-level, and NERCmore » region level--and evaluate how results change under different levels of spatial aggregation in terms of renewable capacity deployment and location, associated transmission builds, and system costs. The results are used to ascertain the value of high geographically resolved models in terms of their impact on relative competitiveness among renewable energy resources.« less

Constraining Stochastic Parametrisation Schemes Using High-Resolution Model Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, H. M.; Dawson, A.; Palmer, T.

2017-12-01

Stochastic parametrisations are used in weather and climate models as a physically motivated way to represent model error due to unresolved processes. Designing new stochastic schemes has been the target of much innovative research over the last decade. While a focus has been on developing physically motivated approaches, many successful stochastic parametrisation schemes are very simple, such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) multiplicative scheme `Stochastically Perturbed Parametrisation Tendencies' (SPPT). The SPPT scheme improves the skill of probabilistic weather and seasonal forecasts, and so is widely used. However, little work has focused on assessing the physical basis of the SPPT scheme. We address this matter by using high-resolution model simulations to explicitly measure the `error' in the parametrised tendency that SPPT seeks to represent. The high resolution simulations are first coarse-grained to the desired forecast model resolution before they are used to produce initial conditions and forcing data needed to drive the ECMWF Single Column Model (SCM). By comparing SCM forecast tendencies with the evolution of the high resolution model, we can measure the `error' in the forecast tendencies. In this way, we provide justification for the multiplicative nature of SPPT, and for the temporal and spatial scales of the stochastic perturbations. However, we also identify issues with the SPPT scheme. It is therefore hoped these measurements will improve both holistic and process based approaches to stochastic parametrisation. Figure caption: Instantaneous snapshot of the optimal SPPT stochastic perturbation, derived by comparing high-resolution simulations with a low resolution forecast model.

ON THE IMPACT OF SUPER RESOLUTION WSR-88D DOPPLER RADAR DATA ASSIMILATION ON HIGH RESOLUTION NUMERICAL MODEL FORECASTS

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

Chiswell, S

2009-01-11

Assimilation of radar velocity and precipitation fields into high-resolution model simulations can improve precipitation forecasts with decreased 'spin-up' time and improve short-term simulation of boundary layer winds (Benjamin, 2004 & 2007; Xiao, 2008) which is critical to improving plume transport forecasts. Accurate description of wind and turbulence fields is essential to useful atmospheric transport and dispersion results, and any improvement in the accuracy of these fields will make consequence assessment more valuable during both routine operation as well as potential emergency situations. During 2008, the United States National Weather Service (NWS) radars implemented a significant upgrade which increased the real-timemore » level II data resolution to 8 times their previous 'legacy' resolution, from 1 km range gate and 1.0 degree azimuthal resolution to 'super resolution' 250 m range gate and 0.5 degree azimuthal resolution (Fig 1). These radar observations provide reflectivity, velocity and returned power spectra measurements at a range of up to 300 km (460 km for reflectivity) at a frequency of 4-5 minutes and yield up to 13.5 million point observations per level in super-resolution mode. The migration of National Weather Service (NWS) WSR-88D radars to super resolution is expected to improve warning lead times by detecting small scale features sooner with increased reliability; however, current operational mesoscale model domains utilize grid spacing several times larger than the legacy data resolution, and therefore the added resolution of radar data is not fully exploited. The assimilation of super resolution reflectivity and velocity data into high resolution numerical weather model forecasts where grid spacing is comparable to the radar data resolution is investigated here to determine the impact of the improved data resolution on model predictions.« less

High Resolution Global Climate Modeling with GEOS-5: Intense Precipitation, Convection and Tropical Cyclones on Seasonal Time-Scales.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putnam, WilliamM.

2011-01-01

In 2008 the World Modeling Summit for Climate Prediction concluded that "climate modeling will need-and is ready-to move to fundamentally new high-resolution approaches to capitalize on the seamlessness of the weather-climate continuum." Following from this, experimentation with very high-resolution global climate modeling has gained enhanced priority within many modeling groups and agencies. The NASA Goddard Earth Observing System model (GEOS-5) has been enhanced to provide a capability for the execution at the finest horizontal resolutions POS,SIOle with a global climate model today. Using this high-resolution, non-hydrostatic version of GEOS-5, we have developed a unique capability to explore the intersection of weather and climate within a seamless prediction system. Week-long weather experiments, to mUltiyear climate simulations at global resolutions ranging from 3.5- to 14-km have demonstrated the predictability of extreme events including severe storms along frontal systems, extra-tropical storms, and tropical cyclones. The primary benefits of high resolution global models will likely be in the tropics, with better predictions of the genesis stages of tropical cyclones and of the internal structure of their mature stages. Using satellite data we assess the accuracy of GEOS-5 in representing extreme weather phenomena, and their interaction within the global climate on seasonal time-scales. The impacts of convective parameterization and the frequency of coupling between the moist physics and dynamics are explored in terms of precipitation intensity and the representation of deep convection. We will also describe the seasonal variability of global tropical cyclone activity within a global climate model capable of representing the most intense category 5 hurricanes.

High-resolution model for estimating the economic and policy implications of agricultural soil salinization in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welle, Paul D.; Mauter, Meagan S.

2017-09-01

This work introduces a generalizable approach for estimating the field-scale agricultural yield losses due to soil salinization. When integrated with regional data on crop yields and prices, this model provides high-resolution estimates for revenue losses over large agricultural regions. These methods account for the uncertainty inherent in model inputs derived from satellites, experimental field data, and interpreted model results. We apply this method to estimate the effect of soil salinity on agricultural outputs in California, performing the analysis with both high-resolution (i.e. field scale) and low-resolution (i.e. county-scale) data sources to highlight the importance of spatial resolution in agricultural analysis. We estimate that soil salinity reduced agricultural revenues by 3.7 billion (1.7-7.0 billion) in 2014, amounting to 8.0 million tons of lost production relative to soil salinities below the crop-specific thresholds. When using low-resolution data sources, we find that the costs of salinization are underestimated by a factor of three. These results highlight the need for high-resolution data in agro-environmental assessment as well as the challenges associated with their integration.

Mesoscale landscape model of gypsy moth phenology

Treesearch

Joseph M. Russo; John G. W. Kelley; Andrew M. Liebhold

1991-01-01

A recently-developed high resolution climatological temperature data base was input into a gypsy moth phenology model. The high resolution data were created from a coupling of 30-year averages of station observations and digital elevation data. The resultant maximum and minimum temperatures have about a 1 km resolution which represents meteorologically the mesoscale....

High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP v1.0) for CMIP6

DOE PAGES

Haarsma, Reindert J.; Roberts, Malcolm J.; Vidale, Pier Luigi; ...

2016-11-22

Robust projections and predictions of climate variability and change, particularly at regional scales, rely on the driving processes being represented with fidelity in model simulations. The role of enhanced horizontal resolution in improved process representation in all components of the climate system is of growing interest, particularly as some recent simulations suggest both the possibility of significant changes in large-scale aspects of circulation as well as improvements in small-scale processes and extremes. However, such high-resolution global simulations at climate timescales, with resolutions of at least 50 km in the atmosphere and 0.25° in the ocean, have been performed at relativelymore » few research centres and generally without overall coordination, primarily due to their computational cost. Assessing the robustness of the response of simulated climate to model resolution requires a large multi-model ensemble using a coordinated set of experiments. The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) is the ideal framework within which to conduct such a study, due to the strong link to models being developed for the CMIP DECK experiments and other model intercomparison projects (MIPs). Increases in high-performance computing (HPC) resources, as well as the revised experimental design for CMIP6, now enable a detailed investigation of the impact of increased resolution up to synoptic weather scales on the simulated mean climate and its variability. The High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) presented in this paper applies, for the first time, a multi-model approach to the systematic investigation of the impact of horizontal resolution. A coordinated set of experiments has been designed to assess both a standard and an enhanced horizontal-resolution simulation in the atmosphere and ocean. The set of HighResMIP experiments is divided into three tiers consisting of atmosphere-only and coupled runs and spanning the period 1950–2050, with the possibility of extending to 2100, together with some additional targeted experiments. This paper describes the experimental set-up of HighResMIP, the analysis plan, the connection with the other CMIP6 endorsed MIPs, as well as the DECK and CMIP6 historical simulations. Lastly, HighResMIP thereby focuses on one of the CMIP6 broad questions, “what are the origins and consequences of systematic model biases?”, but we also discuss how it addresses the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) grand challenges.« less

Utilization of Short-Simulations for Tuning High-Resolution Climate Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, W.; Xie, S.; Ma, P. L.; Rasch, P. J.; Qian, Y.; Wan, H.; Ma, H. Y.; Klein, S. A.

2016-12-01

Many physical parameterizations in atmospheric models are sensitive to resolution. Tuning the models that involve a multitude of parameters at high resolution is computationally expensive, particularly when relying primarily on multi-year simulations. This work describes a complementary set of strategies for tuning high-resolution atmospheric models, using ensembles of short simulations to reduce the computational cost and elapsed time. Specifically, we utilize the hindcast approach developed through the DOE Cloud Associated Parameterization Testbed (CAPT) project for high-resolution model tuning, which is guided by a combination of short (< 10 days ) and longer ( 1 year) Perturbed Parameters Ensemble (PPE) simulations at low resolution to identify model feature sensitivity to parameter changes. The CAPT tests have been found to be effective in numerous previous studies in identifying model biases due to parameterized fast physics, and we demonstrate that it is also useful for tuning. After the most egregious errors are addressed through an initial "rough" tuning phase, longer simulations are performed to "hone in" on model features that evolve over longer timescales. We explore these strategies to tune the DOE ACME (Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy) model. For the ACME model at 0.25° resolution, it is confirmed that, given the same parameters, major biases in global mean statistics and many spatial features are consistent between Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP)-type simulations and CAPT-type hindcasts, with just a small number of short-term simulations for the latter over the corresponding season. The use of CAPT hindcasts to find parameter choice for the reduction of large model biases dramatically improves the turnaround time for the tuning at high resolution. Improvement seen in CAPT hindcasts generally translates to improved AMIP-type simulations. An iterative CAPT-AMIP tuning approach is therefore adopted during each major tuning cycle, with the former to survey the likely responses and narrow the parameter space, and the latter to verify the results in climate context along with assessment in greater detail once an educated set of parameter choice is selected. Limitations on using short-term simulations for tuning climate model are also discussed.

Studies regarding the quality of numerical weather forecasts of the WRF model integrated at high-resolutions for the Romanian territory

DOE PAGES

Iriza, Amalia; Dumitrache, Rodica C.; Lupascu, Aurelia; ...

2016-01-01

Our paper aims to evaluate the quality of high-resolution weather forecasts from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical weather prediction model. The lateral and boundary conditions were obtained from the numerical output of the Consortium for Small-scale Modeling (COSMO) model at 7 km horizontal resolution. Furthermore, the WRF model was run for January and July 2013 at two horizontal resolutions (3 and 1 km). The numerical forecasts of the WRF model were evaluated using different statistical scores for 2 m temperature and 10 m wind speed. Our results showed a tendency of the WRF model to overestimate the valuesmore » of the analyzed parameters in comparison to observations.« less

Studies regarding the quality of numerical weather forecasts of the WRF model integrated at high-resolutions for the Romanian territory

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

Iriza, Amalia; Dumitrache, Rodica C.; Lupascu, Aurelia

Our paper aims to evaluate the quality of high-resolution weather forecasts from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical weather prediction model. The lateral and boundary conditions were obtained from the numerical output of the Consortium for Small-scale Modeling (COSMO) model at 7 km horizontal resolution. Furthermore, the WRF model was run for January and July 2013 at two horizontal resolutions (3 and 1 km). The numerical forecasts of the WRF model were evaluated using different statistical scores for 2 m temperature and 10 m wind speed. Our results showed a tendency of the WRF model to overestimate the valuesmore » of the analyzed parameters in comparison to observations.« less

A new synoptic scale resolving global climate simulation using the Community Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Small, R. Justin; Bacmeister, Julio; Bailey, David; Baker, Allison; Bishop, Stuart; Bryan, Frank; Caron, Julie; Dennis, John; Gent, Peter; Hsu, Hsiao-ming; Jochum, Markus; Lawrence, David; Muñoz, Ernesto; diNezio, Pedro; Scheitlin, Tim; Tomas, Robert; Tribbia, Joseph; Tseng, Yu-heng; Vertenstein, Mariana

2014-12-01

High-resolution global climate modeling holds the promise of capturing planetary-scale climate modes and small-scale (regional and sometimes extreme) features simultaneously, including their mutual interaction. This paper discusses a new state-of-the-art high-resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulation that was performed with these goals in mind. The atmospheric component was at 0.25° grid spacing, and ocean component at 0.1°. One hundred years of "present-day" simulation were completed. Major results were that annual mean sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific and El-Niño Southern Oscillation variability were well simulated compared to standard resolution models. Tropical and southern Atlantic SST also had much reduced bias compared to previous versions of the model. In addition, the high resolution of the model enabled small-scale features of the climate system to be represented, such as air-sea interaction over ocean frontal zones, mesoscale systems generated by the Rockies, and Tropical Cyclones. Associated single component runs and standard resolution coupled runs are used to help attribute the strengths and weaknesses of the fully coupled run. The high-resolution run employed 23,404 cores, costing 250 thousand processor-hours per simulated year and made about two simulated years per day on the NCAR-Wyoming supercomputer "Yellowstone."

The Impact of Horizontal and Temporal Resolution on Convection and Precipitation with High-Resolution GEOS-5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William P.

2012-01-01

Using a high-resolution non-hydrostatic version of GEOS-5 with the cubed-sphere finite-volume dynamical core, the impact of spatial and temporal resolution on cloud properties will be evaluated. There are indications from examining convective cluster development in high resolution GEOS-5 forecasts that the temporal resolution within the model may playas significant a role as horizontal resolution. Comparing modeled convective cloud clusters versus satellite observations of brightness temperature, we have found that improved. temporal resolution in GEOS-S accounts for a significant portion of the improvements in the statistical distribution of convective cloud clusters. Using satellite simulators in GEOS-S we will compare the cloud optical properties of GEOS-S at various spatial and temporal resolutions with those observed from MODIS. The potential impact of these results on tropical cyclone formation and intensity will be examined as well.

Robust Hydrological Forecasting for High-resolution Distributed Models Using a Unified Data Assimilation Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, F.; Liang, X.

2017-12-01

Reliable real-time hydrological forecasting, to predict important phenomena such as floods, is invaluable to the society. However, modern high-resolution distributed models have faced challenges when dealing with uncertainties that are caused by the large number of parameters and initial state estimations involved. Therefore, to rely on these high-resolution models for critical real-time forecast applications, considerable improvements on the parameter and initial state estimation techniques must be made. In this work we present a unified data assimilation algorithm called Optimized PareTo Inverse Modeling through Inverse STochastic Search (OPTIMISTS) to deal with the challenge of having robust flood forecasting for high-resolution distributed models. This new algorithm combines the advantages of particle filters and variational methods in a unique way to overcome their individual weaknesses. The analysis of candidate particles compares model results with observations in a flexible time frame, and a multi-objective approach is proposed which attempts to simultaneously minimize differences with the observations and departures from the background states by using both Bayesian sampling and non-convex evolutionary optimization. Moreover, the resulting Pareto front is given a probabilistic interpretation through kernel density estimation to create a non-Gaussian distribution of the states. OPTIMISTS was tested on a low-resolution distributed land surface model using VIC (Variable Infiltration Capacity) and on a high-resolution distributed hydrological model using the DHSVM (Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model). In the tests streamflow observations are assimilated. OPTIMISTS was also compared with a traditional particle filter and a variational method. Results show that our method can reliably produce adequate forecasts and that it is able to outperform those resulting from assimilating the observations using a particle filter or an evolutionary 4D variational method alone. In addition, our method is shown to be efficient in tackling high-resolution applications with robust results.

Framework for Detection and Localization of Extreme Climate Event with Pixel Recursive Super Resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. K.; Lee, J.; Zhang, C.; Ames, S.; Williams, D. N.

2017-12-01

Deep learning techniques have been successfully applied to solve many problems in climate and geoscience using massive-scaled observed and modeled data. For extreme climate event detections, several models based on deep neural networks have been recently proposed and attend superior performance that overshadows all previous handcrafted expert based method. The issue arising, though, is that accurate localization of events requires high quality of climate data. In this work, we propose framework capable of detecting and localizing extreme climate events in very coarse climate data. Our framework is based on two models using deep neural networks, (1) Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to detect and localize extreme climate events, and (2) Pixel recursive recursive super resolution model to reconstruct high resolution climate data from low resolution climate data. Based on our preliminary work, we have presented two CNNs in our framework for different purposes, detection and localization. Our results using CNNs for extreme climate events detection shows that simple neural nets can capture the pattern of extreme climate events with high accuracy from very coarse reanalysis data. However, localization accuracy is relatively low due to the coarse resolution. To resolve this issue, the pixel recursive super resolution model reconstructs the resolution of input of localization CNNs. We present a best networks using pixel recursive super resolution model that synthesizes details of tropical cyclone in ground truth data while enhancing their resolution. Therefore, this approach not only dramat- ically reduces the human effort, but also suggests possibility to reduce computing cost required for downscaling process to increase resolution of data.

Evaluating surface transport predictions of alternative ocean-atmosphere models using surface drifters in the Belizean Barrier Reef

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindo-Atichati, D.; Curcic, M.; Paris, C. B.; Buston, P. M.

2016-02-01

Determining the appropriate resolution of circulation models often lacks statistical evaluation. Thus, the gains from implementing high-resolution versus less-costly low-resolution models are not always clear. Here we construct a hierarchy of ocean-atmosphere models operating at multiple-scales within a 1×1° domain of the Belizean Barrier Reef (BBR). We compare the dispersion and velocity of 55 surface drifters released in the field in summer 2013 to the dispersion and velocity of simulated drifters under alternative model configurations. Increasing the resolution of the ocean model (from 1/12° to 1/100°, from 1 day to 1 h), the resolution of the atmosphere model forcing (from 1/2° to 1/100°, from 6 h to 1 h), and incorporating tidal forcing incrementally reduces discrepancy between simulated and observed velocities and dispersion. We also investigate the effect of semi-diurnal tides on the local circulation. The model with highest resolution and with tidal forcing resolves higher number of looping trajectories and sub-mesoscale coherent structures. This may be a key factor in reducing discrepancy between simulated and observed velocities and dispersion. Simulations conducted with the highest resolution ocean-atmosphere model and tidal forcing highlight an intensification of the velocity fields throughout the summer and reveal several processes: mesoscale anticyclonic circulation around Glovers Reef, and recurrent sub-mesoscale cyclonic eddies formed in the vicinity of Columbus Island. This study provides a general framework to estimate the best surface transport prediction from different ocean-atmosphere models using metrics derived from high frequency drifters' data. Also, this study provides an evaluated high-resolution ocean-atmosphere model that resolves tides for the Belizean Barrier Reef.

LM-3: A High-resolution Lake Michigan Mass Balance Water Quality Model

EPA Science Inventory

This report is a user’s manual that describes the high-resolution mass balance model known as LM3. LM3 has been applied to Lake Michigan to describe the transport and fate of atrazine, PCB congeners, and chloride in that system. The model has also been used to model eutrophicat...

Spatial and temporal resolution effects on urban catchments with different imperviousness degrees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristiano, Elena; ten Veldhuis, Marie-Claire; van de Giesen, Nick C.

2015-04-01

One of the main problems in urban hydrological analysis is to measure the rainfall at urban scale with high resolution and use these measurements to model urban runoff processes to predict flows and reduce flood risk. With the aim of building a semi-distribute hydrological sewer model for an urban catchment, high resolution rainfall data are required as input. In this study, the sensitivity of hydrological response to high resolution precipitation data for hydrodynamic models at urban scale is evaluated with different combinations of spatial and temporal resolutions. The aim is to study sensitivity in relation to catchment characteristics, especially drainage area size, imperviousness degree and hydraulic properties such as special structures (weirs, pumping stations). Rainfall data of nine storms are considered with 4 different spatial resolutions (3000m, 1000m, 500m and 100m) combined with 4 different temporal resolutions (10min, 5min, 3min and 1min). The dual polarimetric X-band weather radar, located in the Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research (CESAR) provided the high resolution rainfall data of these rainfall events, used to improve the sewer model. The effects of spatial-temporal rainfall input resolution on response is studied in three Districts of Rotterdam (NL): Kralingen, Spaanse Polder and Centrum district. These catchments have different average drainage area size (from 2km2 to 7km2), and different general characteristics. Centrum district and Kralingen are, indeed, more various and include residential and commercial areas, big green areas and a small industrial area, while Spaanse Polder is a industrial area, densely urbanized, and presents a high percentage of imperviousness.

High Resolution Land Surface Modeling with the next generation Land Data Assimilation Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, S. V.; Eylander, J.; Peters-Lidard, C.

2005-12-01

Knowledge of land surface processes is important to many real-world applications such as agricultural production, water resources management, and flood predication. The Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) has provided the USDA and other customers global soil moisture and temperature data for the past 30 years using the agrometeorological data assimilation model (now called AGRMET), merging atmospheric data. Further, accurate initialization of land surface conditions has been shown to greatly influence and improve weather forecast model and seasonal-to-interannual climate predictions. The AFWA AGRMET model exploits real time precipitation observations and analyses, global forecast model and satellite data to generate global estimates of soil moisture, soil temperature and other land surface states at 48km spatial resolution. However, to truly address the land surface initialization and climate prediction problem, and to mitigate the errors introduced by the differences in spatial scales of models, representations of land surface conditions need to be developed at the same fine scales such as that of cloud resolving models. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has developed an offline land data assimilation system known as the Land Information System (LIS) capable of modeling land atmosphere interactions at spatial resolutions as fine as 1km. LIS provides a software architecture that integrates the use of the state of the art land surface models, data assimilation techniques, and high performance computing and data management tools. LIS also employs many high resolution surface parameters such as the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS)-era products. In this study we describe the development of a next generation high resolution land surface modeling and data assimilation system, combining the capabilities of LIS and AGRMET. We investigate the influence of high resolution land surface data and observations on the land surface conditions by comparing with the operational AGRMET outputs.

Air-Sea Interaction Processes in Low and High-Resolution Coupled Climate Model Simulations for the Southeast Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porto da Silveira, I.; Zuidema, P.; Kirtman, B. P.

2017-12-01

The rugged topography of the Andes Cordillera along with strong coastal upwelling, strong sea surface temperatures (SST) gradients and extensive but geometrically-thin stratocumulus decks turns the Southeast Pacific (SEP) into a challenge for numerical modeling. In this study, hindcast simulations using the Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) at two resolutions were analyzed to examine the importance of resolution alone, with the parameterizations otherwise left unchanged. The hindcasts were initialized on January 1 with the real-time oceanic and atmospheric reanalysis (CFSR) from 1982 to 2003, forming a 10-member ensemble. The two resolutions are (0.1o oceanic and 0.5o atmospheric) and (1.125o oceanic and 0.9o atmospheric). The SST error growth in the first six days of integration (fast errors) and those resulted from model drift (saturated errors) are assessed and compared towards evaluating the model processes responsible for the SST error growth. For the high-resolution simulation, SST fast errors are positive (+0.3oC) near the continental borders and negative offshore (-0.1oC). Both are associated with a decrease in cloud cover, a weakening of the prevailing southwesterly winds and a reduction of latent heat flux. The saturated errors possess a similar spatial pattern, but are larger and are more spatially concentrated. This suggests that the processes driving the errors already become established within the first week, in contrast to the low-resolution simulations. These, instead, manifest too-warm SSTs related to too-weak upwelling, driven by too-strong winds and Ekman pumping. Nevertheless, the ocean surface tends to be cooler in the low-resolution simulation than the high-resolution due to a higher cloud cover. Throughout the integration, saturated SST errors become positive and could reach values up to +4oC. These are accompanied by upwelling dumping and a decrease in cloud cover. High and low resolution models presented notable differences in how SST errors variability drove atmospheric changes, especially because the high resolution is sensitive to resurgence regions. This allows the model to resolve cloud heights and establish different radiative feedbacks.

A New High Resolution Climate Dataset for Climate Change Impacts Assessments in New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komurcu, M.; Huber, M.

2016-12-01

Assessing regional impacts of climate change (such as changes in extreme events, land surface hydrology, water resources, energy, ecosystems and economy) requires much higher resolution climate variables than those available from global model projections. While it is possible to run global models in higher resolution, the high computational cost associated with these simulations prevent their use in such manner. To alleviate this problem, dynamical downscaling offers a method to deliver higher resolution climate variables. As part of an NSF EPSCoR funded interdisciplinary effort to assess climate change impacts on New Hampshire ecosystems, hydrology and economy (the New Hampshire Ecosystems and Society project), we create a unique high-resolution climate dataset for New England. We dynamically downscale global model projections under a high impact emissions scenario using the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) with three nested grids of 27, 9 and 3 km horizontal resolution with the highest resolution innermost grid focusing over New England. We prefer dynamical downscaling over other methods such as statistical downscaling because it employs physical equations to progressively simulate climate variables as atmospheric processes interact with surface processes, emissions, radiation, clouds, precipitation and other model components, hence eliminates fix relationships between variables. In addition to simulating mean changes in regional climate, dynamical downscaling also allows for the simulation of climate extremes that significantly alter climate change impacts. We simulate three time slices: 2006-2015, 2040-2060 and 2080-2100. This new high-resolution climate dataset (with more than 200 variables saved in hourly (six hourly) intervals for the highest resolution domain (outer two domains)) along with model input and restart files used in our WRF simulations will be publicly available for use to the broader scientific community to support in-depth climate change impacts assessments for New England. We present results focusing on future changes in New England extreme events.

HIGH-RESOLUTION SPATIAL MODELING OF DAILY WEATHER ELEMENTS FOR A CATCHMENT IN THE OREGON CASCADE MOUNTAINS, UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

High-quality, daily meteorological data at high spatial resolution are essential for a variety of hydrologic and ecological modeling applications that support environmental risk assessments and decision making. This paper describes the development, application, and assessment of ...

Nested hyper-resolution modeling of urban areas for the National Water Model - The Dallas-Fort Worth Testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, S. J.; Kim, S.; Habibi, H.; Seo, D. J.; Welles, E.; Philips, B.; Adams, E.; Smith, M. B.; Wells, E.

2017-12-01

With the development of the National Water Model (NWM), the NWS has made a step-change advance in operational water forecasting by enabling high-resolution hydrologic modeling across the US. As a part of a separate initiative to enhance flash flood forecasting and inundation mapping capacity, the NWS has been mandated to provide forecasts at even finer spatiotemporal resolutions when and where such information is demanded. In this presentation, we describe implementation of the NWM at a hyper resolution over a nested domain. We use WRF-Hydro as the core model but at significantly higher resolutions with scale-commensurate model parameters. The demonstration domain is multiple urban catchments within the Cities of Arlington and Grand Prairie in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. This area is susceptible to urban flooding due to the hydroclimatology coupled with large impervious cover. The nested model is based on hyper-resolution terrain data to resolve significant land surface features such as streets and large man-made structures, and forced by the high-resolution radar-based quantitative precipitation information. In this presentation, we summarize progress and preliminary results and share issues and challenges.

Improving Numerical Weather Predictions of Summertime Precipitation Over the Southeastern U.S. Through a High-Resolution Initialization of the Surface State

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Krikishen, Jayanthi; Jedlovec, Gary J.

2011-01-01

It is hypothesized that high-resolution, accurate representations of surface properties such as soil moisture and sea surface temperature are necessary to improve simulations of summertime pulse-type convective precipitation in high resolution models. This paper presents model verification results of a case study period from June-August 2008 over the Southeastern U.S. using the Weather Research and Forecasting numerical weather prediction model. Experimental simulations initialized with high-resolution land surface fields from the NASA Land Information System (LIS) and sea surface temperature (SST) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are compared to a set of control simulations initialized with interpolated fields from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction 12-km North American Mesoscale model. The LIS land surface and MODIS SSTs provide a more detailed surface initialization at a resolution comparable to the 4-km model grid spacing. Soil moisture from the LIS spin-up run is shown to respond better to the extreme rainfall of Tropical Storm Fay in August 2008 over the Florida peninsula. The LIS has slightly lower errors and higher anomaly correlations in the top soil layer, but exhibits a stronger dry bias in the root zone. The model sensitivity to the alternative surface initial conditions is examined for a sample case, showing that the LIS/MODIS data substantially impact surface and boundary layer properties.

Horizontal Residual Mean Circulation: Evaluation of Spatial Correlations in Coarse Resolution Ocean Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; McDougall, T. J.

2016-02-01

Coarse resolution ocean models lack knowledge of spatial correlations between variables on scales smaller than the grid scale. Some researchers have shown that these spatial correlations play a role in the poleward heat flux. In order to evaluate the poleward transport induced by the spatial correlations at a fixed horizontal position, an equation is obtained to calculate the approximate transport from velocity gradients. The equation involves two terms that can be added to the quasi-Stokes streamfunction (based on temporal correlations) to incorporate the contribution of spatial correlations. Moreover, these new terms do not need to be parameterized and is ready to be evaluated by using model data directly. In this study, data from a high resolution ocean model have been used to estimate the accuracy of this HRM approach for improving the horizontal property fluxes in coarse-resolution ocean models. A coarse grid is formed by sub-sampling and box-car averaging the fine grid scale. The transport calculated on the coarse grid is then compared to the transport on original high resolution grid scale accumulated over a corresponding number of grid boxes. The preliminary results have shown that the estimate on coarse resolution grids roughly match the corresponding transports on high resolution grids.

Effects of Drake Passage on a strongly eddying global ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viebahn, Jan; von der Heydt, Anna S.; Dijkstra, Henk A.

2015-04-01

During the past 65 Million (Ma) years, Earth's climate has undergone a major change from warm 'greenhouse' to colder 'icehouse' conditions with extensive ice sheets in the polar regions of both hemispheres. The Eocene-Oligocene (~34 Ma) and Oligocene-Miocene (~23 Ma) boundaries reflect major transitions in Cenozoic global climate change. Proposed mechanisms of these transitions include reorganization of ocean circulation due to critical gateway opening/deepening, changes in atmospheric CO2-concentration, and feedback mechanisms related to land-ice formation. Drake Passage (DP) is an intensively studied gateway because it plays a central role in closing the transport pathways of heat and chemicals in the ocean. The climate response to a closed DP has been explored with a variety of general circulation models, however, all of these models employ low model-grid resolutions such that the effects of subgrid-scale fluctuations ('eddies') are parameterized. We present results of the first high-resolution (0.1° horizontally) realistic global ocean model simulation with a closed DP in which the eddy field is largely resolved. The simulation extends over more than 200 years such that the strong transient adjustment process is passed and a near-equilibrium ocean state is reached. The effects of DP are diagnosed by comparing with both an open DP high-resolution control simulation (of same length) and corresponding low-resolution simulations. By focussing on the heat/tracer transports we demonstrate that the results are twofold: Considering spatially integrated transports the overall response to a closed DP is well captured by low-resolution simulations. However, looking at the actual spatial distributions drastic differences appear between far-scattered high-resolution and laminar-uniform low-resolution fields. We conclude that sparse and highly localized tracer proxy observations have to be interpreted carefully with the help of high-resolution model simulations.

Impact of surface coupling grids on tropical cyclone extremes in high-resolution atmospheric simulations

DOE PAGES

Zarzycki, Colin M.; Reed, Kevin A.; Bacmeister, Julio T.; ...

2016-02-25

This article discusses the sensitivity of tropical cyclone climatology to surface coupling strategy in high-resolution configurations of the Community Earth System Model. Using two supported model setups, we demonstrate that the choice of grid on which the lowest model level wind stress and surface fluxes are computed may lead to differences in cyclone strength in multi-decadal climate simulations, particularly for the most intense cyclones. Using a deterministic framework, we show that when these surface quantities are calculated on an ocean grid that is coarser than the atmosphere, the computed frictional stress is misaligned with wind vectors in individual atmospheric gridmore » cells. This reduces the effective surface drag, and results in more intense cyclones when compared to a model configuration where the ocean and atmosphere are of equivalent resolution. Our results demonstrate that the choice of computation grid for atmosphere–ocean interactions is non-negligible when considering climate extremes at high horizontal resolution, especially when model components are on highly disparate grids.« less

A Petascale Non-Hydrostatic Atmospheric Dynamical Core in the HOMME Framework

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

Tufo, Henry

The High-Order Method Modeling Environment (HOMME) is a framework for building scalable, conserva- tive atmospheric models for climate simulation and general atmospheric-modeling applications. Its spatial discretizations are based on Spectral-Element (SE) and Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods. These are local methods employing high-order accurate spectral basis-functions that have been shown to perform well on massively parallel supercomputers at any resolution and scale particularly well at high resolutions. HOMME provides the framework upon which the CAM-SE community atmosphere model dynamical-core is constructed. In its current incarnation, CAM-SE employs the hydrostatic primitive-equations (PE) of motion, which limits its resolution to simulations coarser thanmore » 0.1 per grid cell. The primary objective of this project is to remove this resolution limitation by providing HOMME with the capabilities needed to build nonhydrostatic models that solve the compressible Euler/Navier-Stokes equations.« less

A Parallel, Multi-Scale Watershed-Hydrologic-Inundation Model with Adaptively Switching Mesh for Capturing Flooding and Lake Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, X.; Shen, C.

2017-12-01

Flood inundation presents substantial societal hazards and also changes biogeochemistry for systems like the Amazon. It is often expensive to simulate high-resolution flood inundation and propagation in a long-term watershed-scale model. Due to the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) restriction, high resolution and large local flow velocity both demand prohibitively small time steps even for parallel codes. Here we develop a parallel surface-subsurface process-based model enhanced by multi-resolution meshes that are adaptively switched on or off. The high-resolution overland flow meshes are enabled only when the flood wave invades to floodplains. This model applies semi-implicit, semi-Lagrangian (SISL) scheme in solving dynamic wave equations, and with the assistant of the multi-mesh method, it also adaptively chooses the dynamic wave equation only in the area of deep inundation. Therefore, the model achieves a balance between accuracy and computational cost.

Generation of High Resolution Land Surface Parameters in the Community Land Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Y.; Coleman, A. M.; Wigmosta, M. S.; Leung, L.; Huang, M.; Li, H.

2010-12-01

The Community Land Model (CLM) is the land surface model used for the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) and the Community Climate System Model (CCSM). It examines the physical, chemical, and biological processes across a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Currently, efforts are being made to improve the spatial resolution of the CLM, in part, to represent finer scale hydrologic characteristics. Current land surface parameters of CLM4.0, in particular plant functional types (PFT) and leaf area index (LAI), are generated from MODIS and calculated at a 0.05 degree resolution. These MODIS-derived land surface parameters have also been aggregated to coarser resolutions (e.g., 0.5, 1.0 degrees). To evaluate the response of CLM across various spatial scales, higher spatial resolution land surface parameters need to be generated. In this study we examine the use of Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery and data fusion techniques for generating land surface parameters at a 1km resolution within the Pacific Northwest United States. . Land cover types and PFTs are classified based on Landsat multi-season spectral information, DEM, National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and the USDA-NASS Crop Data Layer (CDL). For each PFT, relationships between MOD15A2 high quality LAI values, Landsat-based vegetation indices, climate variables, terrain, and laser-altimeter derived vegetation height are used to generate monthly LAI values at a 30m resolution. The high-resolution PFT and LAI data are aggregated to create a 1km model grid resolution. An evaluation and comparison of CLM land surface response at both fine and moderate scale is presented.

A meteorological distribution system for high-resolution terrestrial modeling (MicroMet)

Treesearch

Glen E. Liston; Kelly Elder

2006-01-01

An intermediate-complexity, quasi-physically based, meteorological model (MicroMet) has been developed to produce high-resolution (e.g., 30-m to 1-km horizontal grid increment) atmospheric forcings required to run spatially distributed terrestrial models over a wide variety of landscapes. The following eight variables, required to run most terrestrial models, are...

Impacts of high resolution data on traveler compliance levels in emergency evacuation simulations

DOE PAGES

Lu, Wei; Han, Lee D.; Liu, Cheng; ...

2016-05-05

In this article, we conducted a comparison study of evacuation assignment based on Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) and high resolution LandScan USA Population Cells (LPC) with detailed real world roads network. A platform for evacuation modeling built on high resolution population distribution data and activity-based microscopic traffic simulation was proposed. This platform can be extended to any cities in the world. The results indicated that evacuee compliance behavior affects evacuation efficiency with traditional TAZ assignment, but it did not significantly compromise the performance with high resolution LPC assignment. The TAZ assignment also underestimated the real travel time during evacuation. Thismore » suggests that high data resolution can improve the accuracy of traffic modeling and simulation. The evacuation manager should consider more diverse assignment during emergency evacuation to avoid congestions.« less

Evaluation of a Mesoscale Convective System in Variable-Resolution CESM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payne, A. E.; Jablonowski, C.

2017-12-01

Warm season precipitation over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) follows a well observed diurnal pattern of variability, peaking at night-time, due to the eastward propagation of mesoscale convection systems that develop over the eastern slopes of the Rockies in the late afternoon. While most climate models are unable to adequately capture the organization of convection and characteristic pattern of precipitation over this region, models with high enough resolution to explicitly resolve convection show improvement. However, high resolution simulations are computationally expensive and, in the case of regional climate models, are subject to boundary conditions. Newly developed variable resolution global climate models strike a balance between the benefits of high-resolution regional climate models and the large-scale dynamics of global climate models and low computational cost. Recently developed parameterizations that are insensitive to the model grid scale provide a way to improve model performance. Here, we present an evaluation of the newly available Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB) parameterization scheme in a suite of variable-resolution CESM simulations with resolutions ranging from 110 km to 7 km within a regionally refined region centered over the SGP Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site. Simulations utilize the hindcast approach developed by the Department of Energy's Cloud-Associated Parameterizations Testbed (CAPT) for the assessment of climate models. We limit our evaluation to a single mesoscale convective system that passed over the region on May 24, 2008. The effects of grid-resolution on the timing and intensity of precipitation, as well as, on the transition from shallow to deep convection are assessed against ground-based observations from the SGP ARM site, satellite observations and ERA-Interim reanalysis.

High-Resolution Mesoscale Simulations of the 6-7 May 2000 Missouri Flash Flood: Impact of Model Initialization and Land Surface Treatment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, R. David; Wang, Yansen; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Wetzel, Peter; Belcher, Larry R.

2004-01-01

High-resolution mesoscale model simulations of the 6-7 May 2000 Missouri flash flood event were performed to test the impact of model initialization and land surface treatment on timing, intensity, and location of extreme precipitation. In this flash flood event, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) produced over 340 mm of rain in roughly 9 hours in some locations. Two different types of model initialization were employed: 1) NCEP global reanalysis with 2.5-degree grid spacing and 12-hour temporal resolution, and 2) Eta reanalysis with 40- km grid spacing and $hour temporal resolution. In addition, two different land surface treatments were considered. A simple land scheme. (SLAB) keeps soil moisture fixed at initial values throughout the simulation, while a more sophisticated land model (PLACE) allows for r interactive feedback. Simulations with high-resolution Eta model initialization show considerable improvement in the intensity of precipitation due to the presence in the initialization of a residual mesoscale convective vortex (hlCV) from a previous MCS. Simulations with the PLACE land model show improved location of heavy precipitation. Since soil moisture can vary over time in the PLACE model, surface energy fluxes exhibit strong spatial gradients. These surface energy flux gradients help produce a strong low-level jet (LLJ) in the correct location. The LLJ then interacts with the cold outflow boundary of the MCS to produce new convective cells. The simulation with both high-resolution model initialization and time-varying soil moisture test reproduces the intensity and location of observed rainfall.

Collision cross section measurements for biomolecules within a high-resolution FT-ICR cell: theory.

PubMed

Guo, Dan; Xin, Yi; Li, Dayu; Xu, Wei

2015-04-14

In this study, an energetic hard-sphere ion-neutral collision model was proposed to bridge-link ion collision cross section (CCS) with the image current collected from a high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) cell. By investigating the nonlinear effects induced by high-order electric fields and image charge forces, the energetic hard-sphere collision model was validated through experiments. Suitable application regions for the energetic hard-sphere collision model, as well as for the conventional Langevin and hard-sphere collision models, were also discussed. The energetic hard-sphere collision model was applied in the extraction of ion CCSs from high-resolution FT-ICR mass spectra. Discussions in the present study also apply to FT-Orbitraps and FT-quadrupole ion traps.

NREL: International Activities - Pakistan Resource Maps

Science.gov Websites

. The high-resolution (1-km) annual wind power maps were developed using a numerical modeling approach along with NREL's empirical validation methodology. The high-resolution (10-km) annual and seasonal KB) | High-Res (ZIP 281 KB) 40-km Resolution Annual Maps (Direct) Low-Res (JPG 156 KB) | High-Res

Photoionization Rate of Atomic Oxygen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, R. R.; McLaughlin, B. M.; Warren, H. P.; Bishop, J.

2006-05-01

Accurate knowledge of the photoionization rate of atomic oxygen is important for the study and understanding of the ionospheres and emission processes of terrestrial, planetary, and cometary atmospheres. Past calculations of the photoionization rate have been carried out at various spectral resolutions, but none were at sufficiently high resolution to accommodate accidental resonances between solar emission lines and highly structured auto-ionization features in the photoionization cross section. A new version of the NRLEUV solar spectral irradiance model (at solar minimum) and a new model of the O photoionization cross section enable calculations at very high spectral resolution. We find unattenuated photoionization rates computed at 0.001 nm resolution are larger than those at moderate resolution (0.1 nm) by amounts approaching 20%. Allowing for attenuation in the terrestrial atmosphere, we find differences in photoionization rates computed at high and moderate resolution to vary with altitude, especially below 200 km where deviations of plus or minus 20% occur between the two cases.

High-resolution surface analysis for extended-range downscaling with limited-area atmospheric models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Separovic, Leo; Husain, Syed Zahid; Yu, Wei; Fernig, David

2014-12-01

High-resolution limited-area model (LAM) simulations are frequently employed to downscale coarse-resolution objective analyses over a specified area of the globe using high-resolution computational grids. When LAMs are integrated over extended time frames, from months to years, they are prone to deviations in land surface variables that can be harmful to the quality of the simulated near-surface fields. Nudging of the prognostic surface fields toward a reference-gridded data set is therefore devised in order to prevent the atmospheric model from diverging from the expected values. This paper presents a method to generate high-resolution analyses of land-surface variables, such as surface canopy temperature, soil moisture, and snow conditions, to be used for the relaxation of lower boundary conditions in extended-range LAM simulations. The proposed method is based on performing offline simulations with an external surface model, forced with the near-surface meteorological fields derived from short-range forecast, operational analyses, and observed temperatures and humidity. Results show that the outputs of the surface model obtained in the present study have potential to improve the near-surface atmospheric fields in extended-range LAM integrations.

P-CSI v1.0, an accelerated barotropic solver for the high-resolution ocean model component in the Community Earth System Model v2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xiaomeng; Tang, Qiang; Tseng, Yuheng; Hu, Yong; Baker, Allison H.; Bryan, Frank O.; Dennis, John; Fu, Haohuan; Yang, Guangwen

2016-11-01

In the Community Earth System Model (CESM), the ocean model is computationally expensive for high-resolution grids and is often the least scalable component for high-resolution production experiments. The major bottleneck is that the barotropic solver scales poorly at high core counts. We design a new barotropic solver to accelerate the high-resolution ocean simulation. The novel solver adopts a Chebyshev-type iterative method to reduce the global communication cost in conjunction with an effective block preconditioner to further reduce the iterations. The algorithm and its computational complexity are theoretically analyzed and compared with other existing methods. We confirm the significant reduction of the global communication time with a competitive convergence rate using a series of idealized tests. Numerical experiments using the CESM 0.1° global ocean model show that the proposed approach results in a factor of 1.7 speed-up over the original method with no loss of accuracy, achieving 10.5 simulated years per wall-clock day on 16 875 cores.

Development of High-Resolution Dynamic Dust Source Function - A Case Study with a Strong Dust Storm in a Regional Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Dongchul; Chin, Mian; Kemp, Eric M.; Tao, Zhining; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Ginoux, Paul

2017-01-01

A high-resolution dynamic dust source has been developed in the NASA Unified-Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) model to improve the existing coarse static dust source. In the new dust source map, topographic depression is in 1-km resolution and surface bareness is derived using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The new dust source better resolves the complex topographic distribution over the Western United States where its magnitude is higher than the existing, coarser resolution static source. A case study is conducted with an extreme dust storm that occurred in Phoenix, Arizona in 0203 UTC July 6, 2011. The NU-WRF model with the new high-resolution dynamic dust source is able to successfully capture the dust storm, which was not achieved with the old source identification. However the case study also reveals several challenges in reproducing the time evolution of the short-lived, extreme dust storm events.

Development of High-Resolution Dynamic Dust Source Function -A Case Study with a Strong Dust Storm in a Regional Model

PubMed Central

Kim, Dongchul; Chin, Mian; Kemp, Eric M.; Tao, Zhining; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Ginoux, Paul

2018-01-01

A high-resolution dynamic dust source has been developed in the NASA Unified-Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) model to improve the existing coarse static dust source. In the new dust source map, topographic depression is in 1-km resolution and surface bareness is derived using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The new dust source better resolves the complex topographic distribution over the Western United States where its magnitude is higher than the existing, coarser resolution static source. A case study is conducted with an extreme dust storm that occurred in Phoenix, Arizona in 02-03 UTC July 6, 2011. The NU-WRF model with the new high-resolution dynamic dust source is able to successfully capture the dust storm, which was not achieved with the old source identification. However the case study also reveals several challenges in reproducing the time evolution of the short-lived, extreme dust storm events. PMID:29632432

Development of High-Resolution Dynamic Dust Source Function -A Case Study with a Strong Dust Storm in a Regional Model.

PubMed

Kim, Dongchul; Chin, Mian; Kemp, Eric M; Tao, Zhining; Peters-Lidard, Christa D; Ginoux, Paul

2017-06-01

A high-resolution dynamic dust source has been developed in the NASA Unified-Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) model to improve the existing coarse static dust source. In the new dust source map, topographic depression is in 1-km resolution and surface bareness is derived using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The new dust source better resolves the complex topographic distribution over the Western United States where its magnitude is higher than the existing, coarser resolution static source. A case study is conducted with an extreme dust storm that occurred in Phoenix, Arizona in 02-03 UTC July 6, 2011. The NU-WRF model with the new high-resolution dynamic dust source is able to successfully capture the dust storm, which was not achieved with the old source identification. However the case study also reveals several challenges in reproducing the time evolution of the short-lived, extreme dust storm events.

Applying an Empirical Hydropathic Forcefield in Refinement May Improve Low-Resolution Protein X-Ray Crystal Structures

PubMed Central

Koparde, Vishal N.; Scarsdale, J. Neel; Kellogg, Glen E.

2011-01-01

Background The quality of X-ray crystallographic models for biomacromolecules refined from data obtained at high-resolution is assured by the data itself. However, at low-resolution, >3.0 Å, additional information is supplied by a forcefield coupled with an associated refinement protocol. These resulting structures are often of lower quality and thus unsuitable for downstream activities like structure-based drug discovery. Methodology An X-ray crystallography refinement protocol that enhances standard methodology by incorporating energy terms from the HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions) empirical forcefield is described. This protocol was tested by refining synthetic low-resolution structural data derived from 25 diverse high-resolution structures, and referencing the resulting models to these structures. The models were also evaluated with global structural quality metrics, e.g., Ramachandran score and MolProbity clashscore. Three additional structures, for which only low-resolution data are available, were also re-refined with this methodology. Results The enhanced refinement protocol is most beneficial for reflection data at resolutions of 3.0 Å or worse. At the low-resolution limit, ≥4.0 Å, the new protocol generated models with Cα positions that have RMSDs that are 0.18 Å more similar to the reference high-resolution structure, Ramachandran scores improved by 13%, and clashscores improved by 51%, all in comparison to models generated with the standard refinement protocol. The hydropathic forcefield terms are at least as effective as Coulombic electrostatic terms in maintaining polar interaction networks, and significantly more effective in maintaining hydrophobic networks, as synthetic resolution is decremented. Even at resolutions ≥4.0 Å, these latter networks are generally native-like, as measured with a hydropathic interactions scoring tool. PMID:21246043

Enhancing SMAP Soil Moisture Retrievals via Superresolution Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beale, K. D.; Ebtehaj, A. M.; Romberg, J. K.; Bras, R. L.

2017-12-01

Soil moisture is a key state variable that modulates land-atmosphere interactions and its high-resolution global scale estimates are essential for improved weather forecasting, drought prediction, crop management, and the safety of troop mobility. Currently, NASA's Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) satellite provides a global picture of soil moisture variability at a resolution of 36 km, which is prohibitive for some hydrologic applications. The goal of this research is to enhance the resolution of SMAP passive microwave retrievals by a factor of 2 to 4 using modern superresolution techniques that rely on the knowledge of high-resolution land surface models. In this work, we explore several super-resolution techniques including an empirical dictionary method, a learned dictionary method, and a three-layer convolutional neural network. Using a year of global high-resolution land surface model simulations as training set, we found that we are able to produce high-resolution soil moisture maps that outperform the original low-resolution observations both qualitatively and quantitatively. In particular, on a patch-by-patch basis we are able to produce estimates of high-resolution soil moisture maps that improve on the original low-resolution patches by on average 6% in terms of mean-squared error, and 14% in terms of the structural similarity index.

A description and evaluation of an air quality model nested within global and regional composition-climate models using MetUM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neal, Lucy S.; Dalvi, Mohit; Folberth, Gerd; McInnes, Rachel N.; Agnew, Paul; O'Connor, Fiona M.; Savage, Nicholas H.; Tilbee, Marie

2017-11-01

There is a clear need for the development of modelling frameworks for both climate change and air quality to help inform policies for addressing these issues simultaneously. This paper presents an initial attempt to develop a single modelling framework, by introducing a greater degree of consistency in the meteorological modelling framework by using a two-step, one-way nested configuration of models, from a global composition-climate model (GCCM) (140 km resolution) to a regional composition-climate model covering Europe (RCCM) (50 km resolution) and finally to a high (12 km) resolution model over the UK (AQUM). The latter model is used to produce routine air quality forecasts for the UK. All three models are based on the Met Office's Unified Model (MetUM). In order to better understand the impact of resolution on the downscaling of projections of future climate and air quality, we have used this nest of models to simulate a 5-year period using present-day emissions and under present-day climate conditions. We also consider the impact of running the higher-resolution model with higher spatial resolution emissions, rather than simply regridding emissions from the RCCM. We present an evaluation of the models compared to in situ air quality observations over the UK, plus a comparison against an independent 1 km resolution gridded dataset, derived from a combination of modelling and observations, effectively producing an analysis of annual mean surface pollutant concentrations. We show that using a high-resolution model over the UK has some benefits in improving air quality modelling, but that the use of higher spatial resolution emissions is important to capture local variations in concentrations, particularly for primary pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. For secondary pollutants such as ozone and the secondary component of PM10, the benefits of a higher-resolution nested model are more limited and reasons for this are discussed. This study highlights the point that the resolution of models is not the only factor in determining model performance - consistency between nested models is also important.

Improving High-resolution Weather Forecasts using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with Upgraded Kain-Fritsch Cumulus Scheme

EPA Science Inventory

High-resolution weather forecasting is affected by many aspects, i.e. model initial conditions, subgrid-scale cumulus convection and cloud microphysics schemes. Recent 12km grid studies using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model have identified the importance of inco...

Assimilation of SMOS (and SMAP) Retrieved Soil Moisture into the Land Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankenship, Clay; Zavodsky, Bradley; Case, Jonathan; Stano, Geoffrey

2016-01-01

Goal: Accurate, high-resolution (approx.3 km) soil moisture in near-real time. Situational awareness (drought assessment, flood and fire threat). Local modeling applications (to improve sfc-PBL exchanges) Method: Assimilate satellite soil moisture retrievals into a land surface model. Combines high-resolution geophysical model data with latest satellite observations.

High-Resolution Remote Sensing Image Building Extraction Based on Markov Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, W.; Yan, L.; Chang, Y.; Gong, L.

2018-04-01

With the increase of resolution, remote sensing images have the characteristics of increased information load, increased noise, more complex feature geometry and texture information, which makes the extraction of building information more difficult. To solve this problem, this paper designs a high resolution remote sensing image building extraction method based on Markov model. This method introduces Contourlet domain map clustering and Markov model, captures and enhances the contour and texture information of high-resolution remote sensing image features in multiple directions, and further designs the spectral feature index that can characterize "pseudo-buildings" in the building area. Through the multi-scale segmentation and extraction of image features, the fine extraction from the building area to the building is realized. Experiments show that this method can restrain the noise of high-resolution remote sensing images, reduce the interference of non-target ground texture information, and remove the shadow, vegetation and other pseudo-building information, compared with the traditional pixel-level image information extraction, better performance in building extraction precision, accuracy and completeness.

Challenges in the development of very high resolution Earth System Models for climate science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasch, Philip J.; Xie, Shaocheng; Ma, Po-Lun; Lin, Wuyin; Wan, Hui; Qian, Yun

2017-04-01

The authors represent the 20+ members of the ACME atmosphere development team. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has, like many other organizations around the world, identified the need for an Earth System Model capable of rapid completion of decade to century length simulations at very high (vertical and horizontal) resolution with good climate fidelity. Two years ago DOE initiated a multi-institution effort called ACME (Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy) to meet this an extraordinary challenge, targeting a model eventually capable of running at 10-25km horizontal and 20-400m vertical resolution through the troposphere on exascale computational platforms at speeds sufficient to complete 5+ simulated years per day. I will outline the challenges our team has encountered in development of the atmosphere component of this model, and the strategies we have been using for tuning and debugging a model that we can barely afford to run on today's computational platforms. These strategies include: 1) evaluation at lower resolutions; 2) ensembles of short simulations to explore parameter space, and perform rough tuning and evaluation; 3) use of regionally refined versions of the model for probing high resolution model behavior at less expense; 4) use of "auto-tuning" methodologies for model tuning; and 5) brute force long climate simulations.

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

Krishnan, Venkat; Cole, Wesley

This poster is based on the paper of the same name, presented at the IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, July18, 2016. Power sector capacity expansion models (CEMs) have a broad range of spatial resolutions. This paper uses the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model, a long-term national scale electric sector CEM, to evaluate the value of high spatial resolution for CEMs. ReEDS models the United States with 134 load balancing areas (BAs) and captures the variability in existing generation parameters, future technology costs, performance, and resource availability using very high spatial resolution data, especially for wind and solarmore » modeled at 356 resource regions. In this paper we perform planning studies at three different spatial resolutions - native resolution (134 BAs), state-level, and NERC region level - and evaluate how results change under different levels of spatial aggregation in terms of renewable capacity deployment and location, associated transmission builds, and system costs. The results are used to ascertain the value of high geographically resolved models in terms of their impact on relative competitiveness among renewable energy resources.« less

Mapping evapotranspiration with high resolution aircraft imagery over vineyards using one and two source modeling schemes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thermal and multispectral remote sensing data from low-altitude aircraft can provide high spatial resolution necessary for sub-field (= 10 m) and plant canopy (= 1 m) scale evapotranspiration (ET) monitoring. In this study, high resolution aircraft sub-meter scale thermal infrared and multispectral...

Multiframe super resolution reconstruction method based on light field angular images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Shubo; Yuan, Yan; Su, Lijuan; Ding, Xiaomin; Wang, Jichao

2017-12-01

The plenoptic camera can directly obtain 4-dimensional light field information from a 2-dimensional sensor. However, based on the sampling theorem, the spatial resolution is greatly limited by the microlenses. In this paper, we present a method of reconstructing high-resolution images from the angular images. First, the ray tracing method is used to model the telecentric-based light field imaging process. Then, we analyze the subpixel shifts between the angular images extracted from the defocused light field data and the blur in the angular images. According to the analysis above, we construct the observation model from the ideal high-resolution image to the angular images. Applying the regularized super resolution method, we can obtain the super resolution result with a magnification ratio of 8. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed observation model.

Modeling Above-Ground Biomass Across Multiple Circum-Arctic Tundra Sites Using High Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Räsänen, Aleksi; Juutinen, Sari; Aurela, Mika; Virtanen, Tarmo

2017-04-01

Biomass is one of the central bio-geophysical variables in Earth observation for tracking plant productivity, and flow of carbon, nutrients, and water. Most of the satellite based biomass mapping exercises in Arctic environments have been performed by using rather coarse spatial resolution data, e.g. Landsat and AVHRR which have spatial resolutions of 30 m and >1 km, respectively. While the coarse resolution images have high temporal resolution, they are incapable of capturing the fragmented nature of tundra environment and fine-scale changes in vegetation and carbon exchange patterns. Very high spatial resolution (VHSR, spatial resolution 0.5-2 m) satellite images have the potential to detect environmental variables with an ecologically sound spatial resolution. The usage of VHSR images has, nevertheless, been modest so far in biomass modeling in the Arctic. Our objectives were to use VHSR for predicting above ground biomass in tundra landscapes, evaluate whether a common predictive model can be applied across circum-Arctic tundra and peatland sites having different types of vegetation, and produce knowledge on distribution of plant functional types (PFT) in these sites. Such model development is dependent on ground-based surveys of vegetation with the same spatial resolution and extent with the VHSR images. In this study, we conducted ground-based surveys of vegetation composition and biomass in four different arctic tundra or peatland areas located in Russia, Canada, and Finland. First, we sorted species into PFTs and developed PFT-specific models to predict biomass on the basis of non-destructive measurements (cover, height). Second, we predicted overall biomass on landscape scale by combinations of single bands and vegetation indices of very high resolution satellite images (QuickBird or WorldView-2 images of the eight sites). We compared area-specific empirical regression models and common models that were applied across all sites. We found that NDVI was usually the highest scoring spectral indices in explaining biomass distribution with good explanatory power. Furthermore, models which had more than one explanatory variable had higher explanatory power than models with a single index. The dissimilarity between common and site-specific model estimates was, however, high and data indicates that variation in vegetation properties and its impact on spectral reflectance needs to be acknowledged. Our work produced knowledge on above-ground biomass distribution and contribution of PFTs across circum-Arctic low-growth landscapes and will contribute to developing space-borne vegetation monitoring schemes utilizing VHSR satellite images.

Visualization of Stereoscopic Anatomic Models of the Paranasal Sinuses and Cervical Vertebrae from the Surgical and Procedural Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jian; Smith, Andrew D.; Khan, Majid A.; Sinning, Allan R.; Conway, Marianne L.; Cui, Dongmei

2017-01-01

Recent improvements in three-dimensional (3D) virtual modeling software allows anatomists to generate high-resolution, visually appealing, colored, anatomical 3D models from computed tomography (CT) images. In this study, high-resolution CT images of a cadaver were used to develop clinically relevant anatomic models including facial skull, nasal…

Estimating Vegetation Rainfall Interception Using Remote Sensing Observations at Very High Resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Y.; Zhao, P.; Hong, Y.; Fan, W.; Yan, B.; Xie, H.

2017-12-01

Abstract: As an important compont of evapotranspiration, vegetation rainfall interception is the proportion of gross rainfall that is intercepted, stored and subsequently evaporated from all parts of vegetation during or following rainfall. Accurately quantifying the vegetation rainfall interception at a high resolution is critical for rainfall-runoff modeling and flood forecasting, and is also essential for understanding its further impact on local, regional, and even global water cycle dynamics. In this study, the Remote Sensing-based Gash model (RS-Gash model) is developed based on a modified Gash model for interception loss estimation using remote sensing observations at the regional scale, and has been applied and validated in the upper reach of the Heihe River Basin of China for different types of vegetation. To eliminate the scale error and the effect of mixed pixels, the RS-Gash model is applied at a fine scale of 30 m with the high resolution vegetation area index retrieved by using the unified model of bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF-U) for the vegetation canopy. Field validation shows that the RMSE and R2 of the interception ratio are 3.7% and 0.9, respectively, indicating the model's strong stability and reliability at fine scale. The temporal variation of vegetation rainfall interception loss and its relationship with precipitation are further investigated. In summary, the RS-Gash model has demonstrated its effectiveness and reliability in estimating vegetation rainfall interception. When compared to the coarse resolution results, the application of this model at 30-m fine resolution is necessary to resolve the scaling issues as shown in this study. Keywords: rainfall interception; remote sensing; RS-Gash analytical model; high resolution

HESS Opinions: The need for process-based evaluation of large-domain hyper-resolution models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melsen, Lieke A.; Teuling, Adriaan J.; Torfs, Paul J. J. F.; Uijlenhoet, Remko; Mizukami, Naoki; Clark, Martyn P.

2016-03-01

A meta-analysis on 192 peer-reviewed articles reporting on applications of the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model in a distributed way reveals that the spatial resolution at which the model is applied has increased over the years, while the calibration and validation time interval has remained unchanged. We argue that the calibration and validation time interval should keep pace with the increase in spatial resolution in order to resolve the processes that are relevant at the applied spatial resolution. We identified six time concepts in hydrological models, which all impact the model results and conclusions. Process-based model evaluation is particularly relevant when models are applied at hyper-resolution, where stakeholders expect credible results both at a high spatial and temporal resolution.

HESS Opinions: The need for process-based evaluation of large-domain hyper-resolution models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melsen, L. A.; Teuling, A. J.; Torfs, P. J. J. F.; Uijlenhoet, R.; Mizukami, N.; Clark, M. P.

2015-12-01

A meta-analysis on 192 peer-reviewed articles reporting applications of the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model in a distributed way reveals that the spatial resolution at which the model is applied has increased over the years, while the calibration and validation time interval has remained unchanged. We argue that the calibration and validation time interval should keep pace with the increase in spatial resolution in order to resolve the processes that are relevant at the applied spatial resolution. We identified six time concepts in hydrological models, which all impact the model results and conclusions. Process-based model evaluation is particularly relevant when models are applied at hyper-resolution, where stakeholders expect credible results both at a high spatial and temporal resolution.

High resolution modeling in urban hydrology: comparison between two modeling approaches and their sensitivity to high rainfall variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichiba, Abdellah; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Bompard, Philippe; Schertzer, Daniel

2015-04-01

Urban water management is becoming increasingly complex, due to the rapid increase of impervious areas, and the potential effects of climate change. The large amount of water generated in a very short period of time and the limited capacity of sewer systems increase the vulnerability of urban environments to flooding risk and make it necessary to implement specific devices in order to handle the volume of water generated. This complex situation in urban environments makes the use of hydrological models as well as the implementation of more accurate and reliable tools for flow and rainfall measurements essential for a good pluvial network management, the use of decision support tools such as real-time radar forecasting system, the developpement of general public communication and warning systems, and the implementation of management strategy participate on limiting the flood damages. The very high spatial variability characteristic of urban environments makes it necessary to integrate the variability of physical properties and precipitation at fine scales in modeling processes, suggesting a high resolution modeling approach. In this paper we suggest a comparison between two modeling approaches and their sensitivity to small-scale rainfall variability on a 2.15 km2 urban area located in the County of Val-de-Marne (South-East of Paris, France). The first model used in this study is CANOE, which is a semi-distributed model widely used in France by practitioners for urban hydrology and urban water management. Two configurations of this model are be used in this study, the first one integrate 9 sub-catchments with sizes range from (1ha to 76ha), in the second configuration, the spatial resolution of this model has been improved with 45 sub-catchments with sizes range from (1ha to 14ha), the aim is to see how the semi-distributed model resolution affects it sensitivity to rainfall variability. The second model is Multi-Hydro fully distributed model developed at the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. It is an interacting core between open source software packages, each of them representing a portion of the water cycle in urban environment. Multi-Hydro has been set up at two resolutions, 10m and 5m. The validation of these two models is performed using 5 rainfall events that occurred between 2010 and 2013. Radar data comes from the Météo-France radar mosaic and the resolution is 1 km in space and 5 min in time. Raingauge and flow measurements data comes from the General Council of Val-de-Marne County. In this validation part, the hydrological responses given by two models and the different configurations are compared to flow measurements. It appears that CANOE gives better results than Multi-Hydro model, especially when using raingauge data. For some events, we noticed that model responses given when using raingauge and radar data are different, suggesting a sign of sensitivity to the spatial variability of rainfall. 10 high-resolution rainfall events are used in the second part to study the sensitivity of each modeling approach to high rainfall variability. Radar data was available at four spatial resolutions (100, 200, 500 and 1000m) and two temporal resolutions (1min and 5min), for each event, two rainfall directions (parallel and perpendicular) are used, meaning that 16 hydrological responses are simulated for each event and the variability within it analyzed. First results suggest that the fully distributed model is more sensitive to high rainfall variability than the semi-distributed one, the increase of both hydrological model spatial resolution improves their sensitivity to rainfall variability. This study highlights some technical challenges facing the high-resolution modeling, especially the difficulty to obtain reliable input data at an acceptable resolution and also the high computation time noticed particularly for the semi-distributed model making it difficult to use it in real time. The authors greatly acknowledge partial financial support from the project RainGain (http://www.raingain.eu) of the EU Interreg program.

A comparative verification of high resolution precipitation forecasts using model output statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Plas, Emiel; Schmeits, Maurice; Hooijman, Nicolien; Kok, Kees

2017-04-01

Verification of localized events such as precipitation has become even more challenging with the advent of high-resolution meso-scale numerical weather prediction (NWP). The realism of a forecast suggests that it should compare well against precipitation radar imagery with similar resolution, both spatially and temporally. Spatial verification methods solve some of the representativity issues that point verification gives rise to. In this study a verification strategy based on model output statistics is applied that aims to address both double penalty and resolution effects that are inherent to comparisons of NWP models with different resolutions. Using predictors based on spatial precipitation patterns around a set of stations, an extended logistic regression (ELR) equation is deduced, leading to a probability forecast distribution of precipitation for each NWP model, analysis and lead time. The ELR equations are derived for predictands based on areal calibrated radar precipitation and SYNOP observations. The aim is to extract maximum information from a series of precipitation forecasts, like a trained forecaster would. The method is applied to the non-hydrostatic model Harmonie (2.5 km resolution), Hirlam (11 km resolution) and the ECMWF model (16 km resolution), overall yielding similar Brier skill scores for the 3 post-processed models, but larger differences for individual lead times. Besides, the Fractions Skill Score is computed using the 3 deterministic forecasts, showing somewhat better skill for the Harmonie model. In other words, despite the realism of Harmonie precipitation forecasts, they only perform similarly or somewhat better than precipitation forecasts from the 2 lower resolution models, at least in the Netherlands.

High definition clouds and precipitation for climate prediction -results from a unified German research initiative on high resolution modeling and observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauser, F.

2013-12-01

We present results from the German BMBF initiative 'High Definition Cloud and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction -HD(CP)2'. This initiative addresses most of the problems that are discussed in this session in one, unified approach: cloud physics, convection, boundary layer development, radiation and subgrid variability are approached in one organizational framework. HD(CP)2 merges both observation and high performance computing / model development communities to tackle a shared problem: how to improve the understanding of the most important subgrid-scale processes of cloud and precipitation physics, and how to utilize this knowledge for improved climate predictions. HD(CP)2 is a coordinated initiative to: (i) realize; (ii) evaluate; and (iii) statistically characterize and exploit for the purpose of both parameterization development and cloud / precipitation feedback analysis; ultra-high resolution (100 m in the horizontal, 10-50 m in the vertical) regional hind-casts over time periods (3-15 y) and spatial scales (1000-1500 km) that are climatically meaningful. HD(CP)2 thus consists of three elements (the model development and simulations, their observational evaluation and exploitation/synthesis to advance CP prediction) and its first three-year phase has started on October 1st 2012. As a central part of HD(CP)2, the HD(CP)2 Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) has been carried out in spring 2013. In this campaign, high resolution measurements with a multitude of instruments from all major centers in Germany have been carried out in a limited domain, to allow for unprecedented resolution and precision in the observation of microphysics parameters on a resolution that will allow for evaluation and improvement of ultra-high resolution models. At the same time, a local area version of the new climate model ICON of the Max Planck Institute and the German weather service has been developed that allows for LES-type simulations on high resolutions on limited domains. The advantage of modifying an existing, evolving climate model is to share insights from high resolution runs directly with the large-scale modelers and to allow for easy intercomparison and evaluation later on. Within this presentation, we will give a short overview on HD(CP)2 , show results from the observation campaign HOPE and the LES simulations of the same domain and conditions and will discuss how these will lead to an improved understanding and evaluation background for the efforts to improve fast physics in our climate model.

Coupling high-resolution hydraulic and hydrologic models for flash flood forecasting and inundation mapping in urban areas - A case study for the City of Fort Worth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazari, B.; Seo, D.; Cannon, A.

2013-12-01

With many diverse features such as channels, pipes, culverts, buildings, etc., hydraulic modeling in urban areas for inundation mapping poses significant challenges. Identifying the practical extent of the details to be modeled in order to obtain sufficiently accurate results in a timely manner for effective emergency management is one of them. In this study we assess the tradeoffs between model complexity vs. information content for decision making in applying high-resolution hydrologic and hydraulic models for real-time flash flood forecasting and inundation mapping in urban areas. In a large urban area such as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW), there exists very large spatial variability in imperviousness depending on the area of interest. As such, one may expect significant sensitivity of hydraulic model results to the resolution and accuracy of hydrologic models. In this work, we present the initial results from coupling of high-resolution hydrologic and hydraulic models for two 'hot spots' within the City of Fort Worth for real-time inundation mapping.

A downscaling scheme for atmospheric variables to drive soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schomburg, A.; Venema, V.; Lindau, R.; Ament, F.; Simmer, C.

2010-09-01

For driving soil-vegetation-transfer models or hydrological models, high-resolution atmospheric forcing data is needed. For most applications the resolution of atmospheric model output is too coarse. To avoid biases due to the non-linear processes, a downscaling system should predict the unresolved variability of the atmospheric forcing. For this purpose we derived a disaggregation system consisting of three steps: (1) a bi-quadratic spline-interpolation of the low-resolution data, (2) a so-called `deterministic' part, based on statistical rules between high-resolution surface variables and the desired atmospheric near-surface variables and (3) an autoregressive noise-generation step. The disaggregation system has been developed and tested based on high-resolution model output (400m horizontal grid spacing). A novel automatic search-algorithm has been developed for deriving the deterministic downscaling rules of step 2. When applied to the atmospheric variables of the lowest layer of the atmospheric COSMO-model, the disaggregation is able to adequately reconstruct the reference fields. Applying downscaling step 1 and 2, root mean square errors are decreased. Step 3 finally leads to a close match of the subgrid variability and temporal autocorrelation with the reference fields. The scheme can be applied to the output of atmospheric models, both for stand-alone offline simulations, and a fully coupled model system.

A Variable Resolution Atmospheric General Circulation Model for a Megasite at the North Slope of Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennis, L.; Roesler, E. L.; Guba, O.; Hillman, B. R.; McChesney, M.

2016-12-01

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) climate research facility has three siteslocated on the North Slope of Alaska (NSA): Barrrow, Oliktok, and Atqasuk. These sites, incombination with one other at Toolik Lake, have the potential to become a "megasite" whichwould combine observational data and high resolution modeling to produce high resolutiondata products for the climate community. Such a data product requires high resolutionmodeling over the area of the megasite. We present three variable resolution atmosphericgeneral circulation model (AGCM) configurations as potential alternatives to stand-alonehigh-resolution regional models. Each configuration is based on a global cubed-sphere gridwith effective resolution of 1 degree, with a refinement in resolution down to 1/8 degree overan area surrounding the ARM megasite. The three grids vary in the size of the refined areawith 13k, 9k, and 7k elements. SquadGen, NCL, and GIMP are used to create the grids.Grids vary based upon the selection of areas of refinement which capture climate andweather processes that may affect a proposed NSA megasite. A smaller area of highresolution may not fully resolve climate and weather processes before they reach the NSA,however grids with smaller areas of refinement have a significantly reduced computationalcost compared with grids with larger areas of refinement. Optimal size and shape of thearea of refinement for a variable resolution model at the NSA is investigated.

A comparison of GLAS SAT and NMC high resolution NOSAT forecasts from 19 and 11 February 1976

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atlas, R.

1979-01-01

A subjective comparison of the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences (GLAS) and the National Meteorological Center (NMC) high resolution model forecasts is presented. Two cases where NMC's operational model in 1976 had serious difficulties in forecasting for the United States were examined. For each of the cases, the GLAS model forecasts from initial conditions which included satellite sounding data were compared directly to the NMC higher resolution model forecasts, from initial conditions which excluded the satellite data. The comparison showed that the GLAS satellite forecasts significantly improved upon the current NMC operational model's predictions in both cases.

Towards Direct Simulation of Future Tropical Cyclone Statistics in a High-Resolution Global Atmospheric Model

DOE PAGES

Wehner, Michael F.; Bala, G.; Duffy, Phillip; ...

2010-01-01

We present a set of high-resolution global atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulations focusing on the model's ability to represent tropical storms and their statistics. We find that the model produces storms of hurricane strength with realistic dynamical features. We also find that tropical storm statistics are reasonable, both globally and in the north Atlantic, when compared to recent observations. The sensitivity of simulated tropical storm statistics to increases in sea surface temperature (SST) is also investigated, revealing that a credible late 21st century SST increase produced increases in simulated tropical storm numbers and intensities in all ocean basins. Whilemore » this paper supports previous high-resolution model and theoretical findings that the frequency of very intense storms will increase in a warmer climate, it differs notably from previous medium and high-resolution model studies that show a global reduction in total tropical storm frequency. However, we are quick to point out that this particular model finding remains speculative due to a lack of radiative forcing changes in our time-slice experiments as well as a focus on the Northern hemisphere tropical storm seasons.« less

Development, calibration, and sensitivity analyses of a high-resolution dissolved oxygen mass balance model for the northern Gulf of Mexico

EPA Science Inventory

A high-resolution dissolved oxygen mass balance model was developed for the Louisiana coastal shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico. GoMDOM (Gulf of Mexico Dissolved Oxygen Model) was developed to assist in evaluating the impacts of nutrient loading on hypoxia development and exte...

The southern high-resolution modeling consortium - a source for research and operational collaboration

Treesearch

Gary L. Achtemeier; Scott L. Goodrick; Yongqiang Liu

2003-01-01

The Southern High-Resolution Modeling Consortium (SHRMC) is one of five regional Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke (FCAMMS) consortia established as part of the National Fire Plan. FCAMMS involves research and development activities collaborating across all land management agencies, NOAA, NASA, and Universities. These activities will support...

Assessing the competing roles of model resolution and meteorological forcing fidelity in hyperresolution simulations of snowpack and streamflow in the southern Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gochis, D. J.; Dugger, A. L.; Karsten, L. R.; Barlage, M. J.; Sampson, K. M.; Yu, W.; Pan, L.; McCreight, J. L.; Howard, K.; Busto, J.; Deems, J. S.

2017-12-01

Hydrometeorological processes vary over comparatively short length scales in regions of complex terrain such as the southern Rocky Mountains. Changes in temperature, precipitation, wind and solar radiation can vary significantly across elevation gradients, terrain landform and land cover conditions throughout the region. Capturing such variability in hydrologic models can necessitate the utilization of so-called `hyper-resolution' spatial meshes with effective element spacings of less than 100m. However, it is often difficult to obtain meteorological forcings of high quality in such regions at those resolutions which can result in significant uncertainty in fundamental in hydrologic model inputs. In this study we examine the comparative influences of meteorological forcing data fidelity and spatial resolution on seasonal simulations of snowpack evolution, runoff and streamflow in a set of high mountain watersheds in southern Colorado. We utilize the operational, NOAA National Water Model configuration of the community WRF-Hydro system as a baseline and compare against it, additional model scenarios with differing specifications of meteorological forcing data, with and without topographic downscaling adjustments applied, with and without experimental high resolution radar derived precipitation estimates and with WRF-Hydro configurations of progressively finer spatial resolution. The results suggest significant influence from and importance of meteorological downscaling techniques in controlling spatial distributions of meltout and runoff timing. The use of radar derived precipitation exhibits clear sensitivity on hydrologic simulation skill compared with the use of coarser resolution, background precipitation analyses. Advantages and disadvantages of the utilization of progressively higher resolution model configurations both in terms of computational requirements and model fidelity are also discussed.

Enhancing GIS Capabilities for High Resolution Earth Science Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koziol, B. W.; Oehmke, R.; Li, P.; O'Kuinghttons, R.; Theurich, G.; DeLuca, C.

2017-12-01

Applications for high performance GIS will continue to increase as Earth system models pursue more realistic representations of Earth system processes. Finer spatial resolution model input and output, unstructured or irregular modeling grids, data assimilation, and regional coordinate systems present novel challenges for GIS frameworks operating in the Earth system modeling domain. This presentation provides an overview of two GIS-driven applications that combine high performance software with big geospatial datasets to produce value-added tools for the modeling and geoscientific community. First, a large-scale interpolation experiment using National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) catchments, a high resolution rectilinear CONUS grid, and the Earth System Modeling Framework's (ESMF) conservative interpolation capability will be described. ESMF is a parallel, high-performance software toolkit that provides capabilities (e.g. interpolation) for building and coupling Earth science applications. ESMF is developed primarily by the NOAA Environmental Software Infrastructure and Interoperability (NESII) group. The purpose of this experiment was to test and demonstrate the utility of high performance scientific software in traditional GIS domains. Special attention will be paid to the nuanced requirements for dealing with high resolution, unstructured grids in scientific data formats. Second, a chunked interpolation application using ESMF and OpenClimateGIS (OCGIS) will demonstrate how spatial subsetting can virtually remove computing resource ceilings for very high spatial resolution interpolation operations. OCGIS is a NESII-developed Python software package designed for the geospatial manipulation of high-dimensional scientific datasets. An overview of the data processing workflow, why a chunked approach is required, and how the application could be adapted to meet operational requirements will be discussed here. In addition, we'll provide a general overview of OCGIS's parallel subsetting capabilities including challenges in the design and implementation of a scientific data subsetter.

Earth System Modeling 2.0: A Blueprint for Models That Learn From Observations and Targeted High-Resolution Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Tapio; Lan, Shiwei; Stuart, Andrew; Teixeira, João.

2017-12-01

Climate projections continue to be marred by large uncertainties, which originate in processes that need to be parameterized, such as clouds, convection, and ecosystems. But rapid progress is now within reach. New computational tools and methods from data assimilation and machine learning make it possible to integrate global observations and local high-resolution simulations in an Earth system model (ESM) that systematically learns from both and quantifies uncertainties. Here we propose a blueprint for such an ESM. We outline how parameterization schemes can learn from global observations and targeted high-resolution simulations, for example, of clouds and convection, through matching low-order statistics between ESMs, observations, and high-resolution simulations. We illustrate learning algorithms for ESMs with a simple dynamical system that shares characteristics of the climate system; and we discuss the opportunities the proposed framework presents and the challenges that remain to realize it.

Simulating the Agulhas system in global ocean models - nesting vs. multi-resolution unstructured meshes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biastoch, Arne; Sein, Dmitry; Durgadoo, Jonathan V.; Wang, Qiang; Danilov, Sergey

2018-01-01

Many questions in ocean and climate modelling require the combined use of high resolution, global coverage and multi-decadal integration length. For this combination, even modern resources limit the use of traditional structured-mesh grids. Here we compare two approaches: A high-resolution grid nested into a global model at coarser resolution (NEMO with AGRIF) and an unstructured-mesh grid (FESOM) which allows to variably enhance resolution where desired. The Agulhas system around South Africa is used as a testcase, providing an energetic interplay of a strong western boundary current and mesoscale dynamics. Its open setting into the horizontal and global overturning circulations also requires global coverage. Both model configurations simulate a reasonable large-scale circulation. Distribution and temporal variability of the wind-driven circulation are quite comparable due to the same atmospheric forcing. However, the overturning circulation differs, owing each model's ability to represent formation and spreading of deep water masses. In terms of regional, high-resolution dynamics, all elements of the Agulhas system are well represented. Owing to the strong nonlinearity in the system, Agulhas Current transports of both configurations and in comparison with observations differ in strength and temporal variability. Similar decadal trends in Agulhas Current transport and Agulhas leakage are linked to the trends in wind forcing.

Exploring the impacts of physics and resolution on aqua-planet simulations from a nonhydrostatic global variable-resolution modeling framework: IMPACTS OF PHYSICS AND RESOLUTION

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

Zhao, Chun; Leung, L. Ruby; Park, Sang-Hun

Advances in computing resources are gradually moving regional and global numerical forecasting simulations towards sub-10 km resolution, but global high resolution climate simulations remain a challenge. The non-hydrostatic Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) provides a global framework to achieve very high resolution using regional mesh refinement. Previous studies using the hydrostatic version of MPAS (H-MPAS) with the physics parameterizations of Community Atmosphere Model version 4 (CAM4) found notable resolution dependent behaviors. This study revisits the resolution sensitivity using the non-hydrostatic version of MPAS (NH-MPAS) with both CAM4 and CAM5 physics. A series of aqua-planet simulations at global quasi-uniform resolutionsmore » ranging from 240 km to 30 km and global variable resolution simulations with a regional mesh refinement of 30 km resolution over the tropics are analyzed, with a primary focus on the distinct characteristics of NH-MPAS in simulating precipitation, clouds, and large-scale circulation features compared to H-MPAS-CAM4. The resolution sensitivity of total precipitation and column integrated moisture in NH-MPAS is smaller than that in H-MPAS-CAM4. This contributes importantly to the reduced resolution sensitivity of large-scale circulation features such as the inter-tropical convergence zone and Hadley circulation in NH-MPAS compared to H-MPAS. In addition, NH-MPAS shows almost no resolution sensitivity in the simulated westerly jet, in contrast to the obvious poleward shift in H-MPAS with increasing resolution, which is partly explained by differences in the hyperdiffusion coefficients used in the two models that influence wave activity. With the reduced resolution sensitivity, simulations in the refined region of the NH-MPAS global variable resolution configuration exhibit zonally symmetric features that are more comparable to the quasi-uniform high-resolution simulations than those from H-MPAS that displays zonal asymmetry in simulations inside the refined region. Overall, NH-MPAS with CAM5 physics shows less resolution sensitivity compared to CAM4. These results provide a reference for future studies to further explore the use of NH-MPAS for high-resolution climate simulations in idealized and realistic configurations.« less

Spatial Modeling and Uncertainty Assessment of Fine Scale Surface Processes Based on Coarse Terrain Elevation Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasera, L. G.; Mariethoz, G.; Lane, S. N.

2017-12-01

Frequent acquisition of high-resolution digital elevation models (HR-DEMs) over large areas is expensive and difficult. Satellite-derived low-resolution digital elevation models (LR-DEMs) provide extensive coverage of Earth's surface but at coarser spatial and temporal resolutions. Although useful for large scale problems, LR-DEMs are not suitable for modeling hydrologic and geomorphic processes at scales smaller than their spatial resolution. In this work, we present a multiple-point geostatistical approach for downscaling a target LR-DEM based on available high-resolution training data and recurrent high-resolution remote sensing images. The method aims at generating several equiprobable HR-DEMs conditioned to a given target LR-DEM by borrowing small scale topographic patterns from an analogue containing data at both coarse and fine scales. An application of the methodology is demonstrated by using an ensemble of simulated HR-DEMs as input to a flow-routing algorithm. The proposed framework enables a probabilistic assessment of the spatial structures generated by natural phenomena operating at scales finer than the available terrain elevation measurements. A case study in the Swiss Alps is provided to illustrate the methodology.

Detailed climate-change projections for urban land-use change and green-house gas increases for Belgium with COSMO-CLM coupled to TERRA_URB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wouters, Hendrik; Vanden Broucke, Sam; van Lipzig, Nicole; Demuzere, Matthias

2016-04-01

Recent research clearly show that climate modelling at high resolution - which resolve the deep convection, the detailed orography and land-use including urbanization - leads to better modelling performance with respect to temperatures, the boundary-layer, clouds and precipitation. The increasing computational power enables the climate research community to address climate-change projections with higher accuracy and much more detail. In the framework of the CORDEX.be project aiming for coherent high-resolution micro-ensemble projections for Belgium employing different GCMs and RCMs, the KU Leuven contributes by means of the downscaling of EC-EARTH global climate model projections (provided by the Royal Meteorological Institute of the Netherlands) to the Belgian domain. The downscaling is obtained with regional climate simulations at 12.5km resolution over Europe (CORDEX-EU domain) and at 2.8km resolution over Belgium (CORDEX.be domain) using COSMO-CLM coupled to urban land-surface parametrization TERRA_URB. This is done for the present-day (1975-2005) and future (2040 → 2070 and 2070 → 2100). In these high-resolution runs, both GHG changes (in accordance to RCP8.5) and urban land-use changes (in accordance to a business-as-usual urban expansion scenario) are taken into account. Based on these simulations, it is shown how climate-change statistics are modified when going from coarse resolution modelling to high-resolution modelling. The climate-change statistics of particular interest are the changes in number of extreme precipitation events and extreme heat waves in cities. Hereby, it is futher investigated for the robustness of the signal change between the course and high-resolution and whether a (statistical) translation is possible. The different simulations also allow to address the relative impact and synergy between the urban expansion and increased GHG on the climate-change statistics. Hereby, it is investigated for which climate-change statistics the urban heat island and urban expansion is relevant, and to what extent the urban expansion can be included in the coarse-to-high resolution translation.

Application of Classification Models to Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mielens, Jason D.; Hoffman, Matthew R.; Ciucci, Michelle R.; McCulloch, Timothy M.; Jiang, Jack J.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The authors present 3 methods of performing pattern recognition on spatiotemporal plots produced by pharyngeal high-resolution manometry (HRM). Method: Classification models, including the artificial neural networks (ANNs) multilayer perceptron (MLP) and learning vector quantization (LVQ), as well as support vector machines (SVM), were…

Obtaining high-resolution stage forecasts by coupling large-scale hydrologic models with sensor data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fries, K. J.; Kerkez, B.

2017-12-01

We investigate how "big" quantities of distributed sensor data can be coupled with a large-scale hydrologic model, in particular the National Water Model (NWM), to obtain hyper-resolution forecasts. The recent launch of the NWM provides a great example of how growing computational capacity is enabling a new generation of massive hydrologic models. While the NWM spans an unprecedented spatial extent, there remain many questions about how to improve forecast at the street-level, the resolution at which many stakeholders make critical decisions. Further, the NWM runs on supercomputers, so water managers who may have access to their own high-resolution measurements may not readily be able to assimilate them into the model. To that end, we ask the question: how can the advances of the large-scale NWM be coupled with new local observations to enable hyper-resolution hydrologic forecasts? A methodology is proposed whereby the flow forecasts of the NWM are directly mapped to high-resolution stream levels using Dynamical System Identification. We apply the methodology across a sensor network of 182 gages in Iowa. Of these sites, approximately one third have shown to perform well in high-resolution flood forecasting when coupled with the outputs of the NWM. The quality of these forecasts is characterized using Principal Component Analysis and Random Forests to identify where the NWM may benefit from new sources of local observations. We also discuss how this approach can help municipalities identify where they should place low-cost sensors to most benefit from flood forecasts of the NWM.

Scale dependency of regional climate modeling of current and future climate extremes in Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tölle, Merja H.; Schefczyk, Lukas; Gutjahr, Oliver

2017-11-01

A warmer climate is projected for mid-Europe, with less precipitation in summer, but with intensified extremes of precipitation and near-surface temperature. However, the extent and magnitude of such changes are associated with creditable uncertainty because of the limitations of model resolution and parameterizations. Here, we present the results of convection-permitting regional climate model simulations for Germany integrated with the COSMO-CLM using a horizontal grid spacing of 1.3 km, and additional 4.5- and 7-km simulations with convection parameterized. Of particular interest is how the temperature and precipitation fields and their extremes depend on the horizontal resolution for current and future climate conditions. The spatial variability of precipitation increases with resolution because of more realistic orography and physical parameterizations, but values are overestimated in summer and over mountain ridges in all simulations compared to observations. The spatial variability of temperature is improved at a resolution of 1.3 km, but the results are cold-biased, especially in summer. The increase in resolution from 7/4.5 km to 1.3 km is accompanied by less future warming in summer by 1 ∘C. Modeled future precipitation extremes will be more severe, and temperature extremes will not exclusively increase with higher resolution. Although the differences between the resolutions considered (7/4.5 km and 1.3 km) are small, we find that the differences in the changes in extremes are large. High-resolution simulations require further studies, with effective parameterizations and tunings for different topographic regions. Impact models and assessment studies may benefit from such high-resolution model results, but should account for the impact of model resolution on model processes and climate change.

High-resolution local gravity model of the south pole of the Moon from GRAIL extended mission data.

PubMed

Goossens, Sander; Sabaka, Terence J; Nicholas, Joseph B; Lemoine, Frank G; Rowlands, David D; Mazarico, Erwan; Neumann, Gregory A; Smith, David E; Zuber, Maria T

2014-05-28

We estimated a high-resolution local gravity field model over the south pole of the Moon using data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory's extended mission. Our solution consists of adjustments with respect to a global model expressed in spherical harmonics. The adjustments are expressed as gridded gravity anomalies with a resolution of 1/6° by 1/6° (equivalent to that of a degree and order 1080 model in spherical harmonics), covering a cap over the south pole with a radius of 40°. The gravity anomalies have been estimated from a short-arc analysis using only Ka-band range-rate (KBRR) data over the area of interest. We apply a neighbor-smoothing constraint to our solution. Our local model removes striping present in the global model; it reduces the misfit to the KBRR data and improves correlations with topography to higher degrees than current global models. We present a high-resolution gravity model of the south pole of the Moon Improved correlations with topography to higher degrees than global models Improved fits to the data and reduced striping that is present in global models.

High-resolution local gravity model of the south pole of the Moon from GRAIL extended mission data

PubMed Central

Goossens, Sander; Sabaka, Terence J; Nicholas, Joseph B; Lemoine, Frank G; Rowlands, David D; Mazarico, Erwan; Neumann, Gregory A; Smith, David E; Zuber, Maria T

2014-01-01

We estimated a high-resolution local gravity field model over the south pole of the Moon using data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory's extended mission. Our solution consists of adjustments with respect to a global model expressed in spherical harmonics. The adjustments are expressed as gridded gravity anomalies with a resolution of 1/6° by 1/6° (equivalent to that of a degree and order 1080 model in spherical harmonics), covering a cap over the south pole with a radius of 40°. The gravity anomalies have been estimated from a short-arc analysis using only Ka-band range-rate (KBRR) data over the area of interest. We apply a neighbor-smoothing constraint to our solution. Our local model removes striping present in the global model; it reduces the misfit to the KBRR data and improves correlations with topography to higher degrees than current global models. Key Points We present a high-resolution gravity model of the south pole of the Moon Improved correlations with topography to higher degrees than global models Improved fits to the data and reduced striping that is present in global models PMID:26074637

Structural studies of RNA-protein complexes: A hybrid approach involving hydrodynamics, scattering, and computational methods.

PubMed

Patel, Trushar R; Chojnowski, Grzegorz; Astha; Koul, Amit; McKenna, Sean A; Bujnicki, Janusz M

2017-04-15

The diverse functional cellular roles played by ribonucleic acids (RNA) have emphasized the need to develop rapid and accurate methodologies to elucidate the relationship between the structure and function of RNA. Structural biology tools such as X-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance are highly useful methods to obtain atomic-level resolution models of macromolecules. However, both methods have sample, time, and technical limitations that prevent their application to a number of macromolecules of interest. An emerging alternative to high-resolution structural techniques is to employ a hybrid approach that combines low-resolution shape information about macromolecules and their complexes from experimental hydrodynamic (e.g. analytical ultracentrifugation) and solution scattering measurements (e.g., solution X-ray or neutron scattering), with computational modeling to obtain atomic-level models. While promising, scattering methods rely on aggregation-free, monodispersed preparations and therefore the careful development of a quality control pipeline is fundamental to an unbiased and reliable structural determination. This review article describes hydrodynamic techniques that are highly valuable for homogeneity studies, scattering techniques useful to study the low-resolution shape, and strategies for computational modeling to obtain high-resolution 3D structural models of RNAs, proteins, and RNA-protein complexes. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Virtual Study of Grid Resolution on Experiments of a Highly-Resolved Turbulent Plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maisto, Pietro M. F.; Marshall, Andre W.; Gollner, Michael J.; Fire Protection Engineering Department Collaboration

2017-11-01

An accurate representation of sub-grid scale turbulent mixing is critical for modeling fire plumes and smoke transport. In this study, PLIF and PIV diagnostics are used with the saltwater modeling technique to provide highly-resolved instantaneous field measurements in unconfined turbulent plumes useful for statistical analysis, physical insight, and model validation. The effect of resolution was investigated employing a virtual interrogation window (of varying size) applied to the high-resolution field measurements. Motivated by LES low-pass filtering concepts, the high-resolution experimental data in this study can be analyzed within the interrogation windows (i.e. statistics at the sub-grid scale) and on interrogation windows (i.e. statistics at the resolved scale). A dimensionless resolution threshold (L/D*) criterion was determined to achieve converged statistics on the filtered measurements. Such a criterion was then used to establish the relative importance between large and small-scale turbulence phenomena while investigating specific scales for the turbulent flow. First order data sets start to collapse at a resolution of 0.3D*, while for second and higher order statistical moments the interrogation window size drops down to 0.2D*.

Super Resolution Imaging Applied to Scientific Images

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

norm has found favor in the image restoration community because it allows discontinuities in its solution. As opposed to the L2 norm it does not...Oxford University Press. 31) Malay Kumar Nema , S.Rakshit and S.Chaudhuri,”Edge Model Based High Resolution Image Genration”Indian Conference on...Society of America, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 572- 579, February 1994 37) M. Nema , S. Rakshit and S. Chaudhuri, ``Edge Model Based High Resolution Image

Assessment of the Suitability of High Resolution Numerical Weather Model Outputs for Hydrological Modelling in Mountainous Cold Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasouli, K.; Pomeroy, J. W.; Hayashi, M.; Fang, X.; Gutmann, E. D.; Li, Y.

2017-12-01

The hydrology of mountainous cold regions has a large spatial variability that is driven both by climate variability and near-surface process variability associated with complex terrain and patterns of vegetation, soils, and hydrogeology. There is a need to downscale large-scale atmospheric circulations towards the fine scales that cold regions hydrological processes operate at to assess their spatial variability in complex terrain and quantify uncertainties by comparison to field observations. In this research, three high resolution numerical weather prediction models, namely, the Intermediate Complexity Atmosphere Research (ICAR), Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF), and Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) models are used to represent spatial and temporal patterns of atmospheric conditions appropriate for hydrological modelling. An area covering high mountains and foothills of the Canadian Rockies was selected to assess and compare high resolution ICAR (1 km × 1 km), WRF (4 km × 4 km), and GEM (2.5 km × 2.5 km) model outputs with station-based meteorological measurements. ICAR with very low computational cost was run with different initial and boundary conditions and with finer spatial resolution, which allowed an assessment of modelling uncertainty and scaling that was difficult with WRF. Results show that ICAR, when compared with WRF and GEM, performs very well in precipitation and air temperature modelling in the Canadian Rockies, while all three models show a fair performance in simulating wind and humidity fields. Representation of local-scale atmospheric dynamics leading to realistic fields of temperature and precipitation by ICAR, WRF, and GEM makes these models suitable for high resolution cold regions hydrological predictions in complex terrain, which is a key factor in estimating water security in western Canada.

Cloud-Based Tools to Support High-Resolution Modeling (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, N.; Nelson, J.; Swain, N.; Christensen, S.

2013-12-01

The majority of watershed models developed to support decision-making by water management agencies are simple, lumped-parameter models. Maturity in research codes and advances in the computational power from multi-core processors on desktop machines, commercial cloud-computing resources, and supercomputers with thousands of cores have created new opportunities for employing more accurate, high-resolution distributed models for routine use in decision support. The barriers for using such models on a more routine basis include massive amounts of spatial data that must be processed for each new scenario and lack of efficient visualization tools. In this presentation we will review a current NSF-funded project called CI-WATER that is intended to overcome many of these roadblocks associated with high-resolution modeling. We are developing a suite of tools that will make it possible to deploy customized web-based apps for running custom scenarios for high-resolution models with minimal effort. These tools are based on a software stack that includes 52 North, MapServer, PostGIS, HT Condor, CKAN, and Python. This open source stack provides a simple scripting environment for quickly configuring new custom applications for running high-resolution models as geoprocessing workflows. The HT Condor component facilitates simple access to local distributed computers or commercial cloud resources when necessary for stochastic simulations. The CKAN framework provides a powerful suite of tools for hosting such workflows in a web-based environment that includes visualization tools and storage of model simulations in a database to archival, querying, and sharing of model results. Prototype applications including land use change, snow melt, and burned area analysis will be presented. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1135482

Roi-Orientated Sensor Correction Based on Virtual Steady Reimaging Model for Wide Swath High Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Y.; Jin, S.; Tian, Y.; Wang, M.

2017-09-01

To meet the requirement of high accuracy and high speed processing for wide swath high resolution optical satellite imagery under emergency situation in both ground processing system and on-board processing system. This paper proposed a ROI-orientated sensor correction algorithm based on virtual steady reimaging model for wide swath high resolution optical satellite imagery. Firstly, the imaging time and spatial window of the ROI is determined by a dynamic search method. Then, the dynamic ROI sensor correction model based on virtual steady reimaging model is constructed. Finally, the corrected image corresponding to the ROI is generated based on the coordinates mapping relationship which is established by the dynamic sensor correction model for corrected image and rigours imaging model for original image. Two experimental results show that the image registration between panchromatic and multispectral images can be well achieved and the image distortion caused by satellite jitter can be also corrected efficiently.

Predicting Near-surface Winds with WindNinja for Wind Energy Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagenbrenner, N. S.; Forthofer, J.; Shannon, K.; Butler, B.

2016-12-01

WindNinja is a high-resolution diagnostic wind model widely used by operational wildland fire managers to predict how near-surface winds may influence fire behavior. Many of the features which have made WindNinja successful for wildland fire are also important for wind energy applications. Some of these features include flexible runtime options which allow the user to initialize the model with coarser scale weather model forecasts, sparse weather station observations, or a simple domain-average wind for what-if scenarios; built-in data fetchers for required model inputs, including gridded terrain and vegetation data and operational weather model forecasts; relatively fast runtimes on simple hardware; an extremely user-friendly interface; and a number of output format options, including KMZ files for viewing in Google Earth and GeoPDFs which can be viewed in a GIS. The recent addition of a conservation of mass and momentum solver based on OpenFOAM libraries further increases the utility of WindNinja to modelers in the wind energy sector interested not just in mean wind predictions, but also in turbulence metrics. Here we provide an evaluation of WindNinja forecasts based on (1) operational weather model forecasts and (2) weather station observations provided by the MesoWest API. We also compare the high-resolution WindNinja forecasts to the coarser operational weather model forecasts. For this work we will use the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model and the North American Mesoscale (NAM) model. Forecasts will be evaluated with data collected in the Birch Creek valley of eastern Idaho, USA between June-October 2013. Near-surface wind, turbulence data, and vertical wind and temperature profiles were collected at very high spatial resolution during this field campaign specifically for use in evaluating high-resolution wind models like WindNinja. This work demonstrates the ability of WindNinja to generate very high-resolution wind forecasts for wind energy applications and evaluates the forecasts produced by two different initialization methods with data collected in a broad valley surrounded by complex terrain.

Hydrologic Derivatives for Modeling and Analysis—A new global high-resolution database

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verdin, Kristine L.

2017-07-17

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a new global high-resolution hydrologic derivative database. Loosely modeled on the HYDRO1k database, this new database, entitled Hydrologic Derivatives for Modeling and Analysis, provides comprehensive and consistent global coverage of topographically derived raster layers (digital elevation model data, flow direction, flow accumulation, slope, and compound topographic index) and vector layers (streams and catchment boundaries). The coverage of the data is global, and the underlying digital elevation model is a hybrid of three datasets: HydroSHEDS (Hydrological data and maps based on SHuttle Elevation Derivatives at multiple Scales), GMTED2010 (Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010), and the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission). For most of the globe south of 60°N., the raster resolution of the data is 3 arc-seconds, corresponding to the resolution of the SRTM. For the areas north of 60°N., the resolution is 7.5 arc-seconds (the highest resolution of the GMTED2010 dataset) except for Greenland, where the resolution is 30 arc-seconds. The streams and catchments are attributed with Pfafstetter codes, based on a hierarchical numbering system, that carry important topological information. This database is appropriate for use in continental-scale modeling efforts. The work described in this report was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center.

Evaluation on newly developed high resolution of surface solar radiation from MTSAT observations for the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, X.; Yang, K.; Tang, W.; Qin, J.

2015-12-01

Neither surface measurement nor existing remote sensing products of the Surface Solar Radiation (SSR) can meet the application requirements of hydrological and land process modeling in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). High resolution (hourly; 0.1⁰) of SSR estimates have been derived recently from the geostationary satellite observations - the Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT). This SSR estimation is based on updating an existing physical model, the UMD-SRB (University of Maryland Surface Radiation Budget) which is the basis of the well-known GEWEX-SRB model. In the updated framework introduced is the high-resolution Global Land Surface Broadband Albedo Product (GLASS) with spatial continuity. The developed SSR estimates are demonstrated at different temporal resolutions over the TP and are evaluated against ground observations and other satellite products from: (1) China Meteorological Administration (CMA) radiation stations in TP; (2) three TP radiation stations contributed from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research; (3) and the universal used satellite products (i.e. ISCCP-FD, GEWEX-SRB) in relatively low spatial resolution (0.5º-2.5º) and temporal resolution (3-hourly, daily, or monthly).

Asymmetric Eyewall Vertical Motion in a High-Resolution Simulation of Hurricane Bonnie (1998)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braun, Scott A.; Montgomery, Michael T.; Pu, Zhao-Xia

2003-01-01

This study examines a high-resolution simulation of Hurricane Bonnie. Results from the simulation will be compared to the conceptual model of Heymsfield et al. (2001) to determine the extent to which this conceptual model explains vertical motions and precipitation growth in the eyewall.

Resolution dependence of precipitation statistical fidelity in hindcast simulations

DOE PAGES

O'Brien, Travis A.; Collins, William D.; Kashinath, Karthik; ...

2016-06-19

This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Numerous studies have shown that atmospheric models with high horizontal resolution better represent the physics and statistics of precipitation in climate models. While it is abundantly clear from these studies that high-resolution increases the rate of extreme precipitation, it is not clear whether these added extreme events are “realistic”; whether they occur in simulations in response to the same forcings that drive similar events in reality. In order to understand whether increasing horizontal resolution results in improved model fidelity, a hindcast-based, multiresolution experimental designmore » has been conceived and implemented: the InitiaLIzed-ensemble, Analyze, and Develop (ILIAD) framework. The ILIAD framework allows direct comparison between observed and simulated weather events across multiple resolutions and assessment of the degree to which increased resolution improves the fidelity of extremes. Analysis of 5 years of daily 5 day hindcasts with the Community Earth System Model at horizontal resolutions of 220, 110, and 28 km shows that: (1) these hindcasts reproduce the resolution-dependent increase of extreme precipitation that has been identified in longer-duration simulations, (2) the correspondence between simulated and observed extreme precipitation improves as resolution increases; and (3) this increase in extremes and precipitation fidelity comes entirely from resolved-scale precipitation. Evidence is presented that this resolution-dependent increase in precipitation intensity can be explained by the theory of Rauscher et al. (), which states that precipitation intensifies at high resolution due to an interaction between the emergent scaling (spectral) properties of the wind field and the constraint of fluid continuity.« less

Resolution dependence of precipitation statistical fidelity in hindcast simulations

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

O'Brien, Travis A.; Collins, William D.; Kashinath, Karthik

This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Numerous studies have shown that atmospheric models with high horizontal resolution better represent the physics and statistics of precipitation in climate models. While it is abundantly clear from these studies that high-resolution increases the rate of extreme precipitation, it is not clear whether these added extreme events are “realistic”; whether they occur in simulations in response to the same forcings that drive similar events in reality. In order to understand whether increasing horizontal resolution results in improved model fidelity, a hindcast-based, multiresolution experimental designmore » has been conceived and implemented: the InitiaLIzed-ensemble, Analyze, and Develop (ILIAD) framework. The ILIAD framework allows direct comparison between observed and simulated weather events across multiple resolutions and assessment of the degree to which increased resolution improves the fidelity of extremes. Analysis of 5 years of daily 5 day hindcasts with the Community Earth System Model at horizontal resolutions of 220, 110, and 28 km shows that: (1) these hindcasts reproduce the resolution-dependent increase of extreme precipitation that has been identified in longer-duration simulations, (2) the correspondence between simulated and observed extreme precipitation improves as resolution increases; and (3) this increase in extremes and precipitation fidelity comes entirely from resolved-scale precipitation. Evidence is presented that this resolution-dependent increase in precipitation intensity can be explained by the theory of Rauscher et al. (), which states that precipitation intensifies at high resolution due to an interaction between the emergent scaling (spectral) properties of the wind field and the constraint of fluid continuity.« less

[Estimation of desert vegetation coverage based on multi-source remote sensing data].

PubMed

Wan, Hong-Mei; Li, Xia; Dong, Dao-Rui

2012-12-01

Taking the lower reaches of Tarim River in Xinjiang of Northwest China as study areaAbstract: Taking the lower reaches of Tarim River in Xinjiang of Northwest China as study area and based on the ground investigation and the multi-source remote sensing data of different resolutions, the estimation models for desert vegetation coverage were built, with the precisions of different estimation methods and models compared. The results showed that with the increasing spatial resolution of remote sensing data, the precisions of the estimation models increased. The estimation precision of the models based on the high, middle-high, and middle-low resolution remote sensing data was 89.5%, 87.0%, and 84.56%, respectively, and the precisions of the remote sensing models were higher than that of vegetation index method. This study revealed the change patterns of the estimation precision of desert vegetation coverage based on different spatial resolution remote sensing data, and realized the quantitative conversion of the parameters and scales among the high, middle, and low spatial resolution remote sensing data of desert vegetation coverage, which would provide direct evidence for establishing and implementing comprehensive remote sensing monitoring scheme for the ecological restoration in the study area.

The micro-mechanics of strength, durability and damage tolerance in composites: new insights from high resolution computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spearing, S. Mark; Sinclair, Ian

2016-07-01

Recent work, led by the authors, on impact damage resistance, particle toughening and tensile fibre failure is reviewed in order to illustrate the use of high-resolution X-ray tomography to observe and quantify damage mechanisms in carbon fibre composite laminates. Using synchrotron and micro-focus X-ray sources resolutions of less than 1 μm have been routinely achieved. This enables individual broken fibres and the micromechanisms of particle toughening to be observed and quantified. The data for fibre failure, cluster formation and overall tensile strength are compared with model predictions. This allows strategies for future model development to be identified. The overall implications for using such high-resolution 3-D measurements to inform a “data-rich mechanics” approach to materials evaluation and modeling is discussed.

Computation of high-resolution SAR distributions in a head due to a radiating dipole antenna representing a hand-held mobile phone.

PubMed

Van de Kamer, J B; Lagendijk, J J W

2002-05-21

SAR distributions in a healthy female adult head as a result of a radiating vertical dipole antenna (frequency 915 MHz) representing a hand-held mobile phone have been computed for three different resolutions: 2 mm, 1 mm and 0.4 mm. The extremely high resolution of 0.4 mm was obtained with our quasistatic zooming technique, which is briefly described in this paper. For an effectively transmitted power of 0.25 W, the maximum averaged SAR values in both cubic- and arbitrary-shaped volumes are, respectively, about 1.72 and 2.55 W kg(-1) for 1 g and 0.98 and 1.73 W kg(-1) for 10 g of tissue. These numbers do not vary much (<8%) for the different resolutions, indicating that SAR computations at a resolution of 2 mm are sufficiently accurate to describe the large-scale distribution. However, considering the detailed SAR pattern in the head, large differences may occur if high-resolution computations are performed rather than low-resolution ones. These deviations are caused by both increased modelling accuracy and improved anatomical description in higher resolution simulations. For example, the SAR profile across a boundary between tissues with high dielectric contrast is much more accurately described at higher resolutions. Furthermore, low-resolution dielectric geometries may suffer from loss of anatomical detail, which greatly affects small-scale SAR distributions. Thus. for strongly inhomogeneous regions high-resolution SAR modelling is an absolute necessity.

Modeling soil temperature change in Seward Peninsula, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debolskiy, M. V.; Nicolsky, D.; Romanovsky, V. E.; Muskett, R. R.; Panda, S. K.

2017-12-01

Increasing demand for assessment of climate change-induced permafrost degradation and its consequences promotes creation of high-resolution modeling products of soil temperature changes. This is especially relevant for areas with highly vulnerable warm discontinuous permafrost in the Western Alaska. In this study, we apply ecotype-based modeling approach to simulate high-resolution permafrost distribution and its temporal dynamics in Seward Peninsula, Alaska. To model soil temperature dynamics, we use a transient soil heat transfer model developed at the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory (GIPL-2). The model solves one dimensional nonlinear heat equation with phase change. The developed model is forced with combination of historical climate and different future scenarios for 1900-2100 with 2x2 km resolution prepared by Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (2017). Vegetation, snow and soil properties are calibrated by ecotype and up-scaled by using Alaska Existing Vegetation Type map for Western Alaska (Flemming, 2015) with 30x30 m resolution provided by Geographic Information Network of Alaska (UAF). The calibrated ecotypes cover over 75% of the study area. We calibrate the model using a data assimilation technique utilizing available observations of air, surface and sub-surface temperatures and snow cover collected by various agencies and research groups (USGS, Geophysical Institute, USDA). The calibration approach takes into account a natural variability between stations in the same ecotype and finds an optimal set of model parameters (snow and soil properties) within the study area. This approach allows reduction in microscale heterogeneity and aggregated soil temperature data from shallow boreholes which is highly dependent on local conditions. As a result of this study we present a series of preliminary high resolution maps for the Seward Peninsula showing changes in the active layer depth and ground temperatures for the current climate and future climate change scenarios.

Benchmarking urban flood models of varying complexity and scale using high resolution terrestrial LiDAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fewtrell, Timothy J.; Duncan, Alastair; Sampson, Christopher C.; Neal, Jeffrey C.; Bates, Paul D.

2011-01-01

This paper describes benchmark testing of a diffusive and an inertial formulation of the de St. Venant equations implemented within the LISFLOOD-FP hydraulic model using high resolution terrestrial LiDAR data. The models are applied to a hypothetical flooding scenario in a section of Alcester, UK which experienced significant surface water flooding in the June and July floods of 2007 in the UK. The sensitivity of water elevation and velocity simulations to model formulation and grid resolution are analyzed. The differences in depth and velocity estimates between the diffusive and inertial approximations are within 10% of the simulated value but inertial effects persist at the wetting front in steep catchments. Both models portray a similar scale dependency between 50 cm and 5 m resolution which reiterates previous findings that errors in coarse scale topographic data sets are significantly larger than differences between numerical approximations. In particular, these results confirm the need to distinctly represent the camber and curbs of roads in the numerical grid when simulating surface water flooding events. Furthermore, although water depth estimates at grid scales coarser than 1 m appear robust, velocity estimates at these scales seem to be inconsistent compared to the 50 cm benchmark. The inertial formulation is shown to reduce computational cost by up to three orders of magnitude at high resolutions thus making simulations at this scale viable in practice compared to diffusive models. For the first time, this paper highlights the utility of high resolution terrestrial LiDAR data to inform small-scale flood risk management studies.

Short-Range Prediction of Monsoon Precipitation by NCMRWF Regional Unified Model with Explicit Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamgain, Ashu; Rajagopal, E. N.; Mitra, A. K.; Webster, S.

2018-03-01

There are increasing efforts towards the prediction of high-impact weather systems and understanding of related dynamical and physical processes. High-resolution numerical model simulations can be used directly to model the impact at fine-scale details. Improvement in forecast accuracy can help in disaster management planning and execution. National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) has implemented high-resolution regional unified modeling system with explicit convection embedded within coarser resolution global model with parameterized convection. The models configurations are based on UK Met Office unified seamless modeling system. Recent land use/land cover data (2012-2013) obtained from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are also used in model simulations. Results based on short-range forecast of both the global and regional models over India for a month indicate that convection-permitting simulations by the high-resolution regional model is able to reduce the dry bias over southern parts of West Coast and monsoon trough zone with more intense rainfall mainly towards northern parts of monsoon trough zone. Regional model with explicit convection has significantly improved the phase of the diurnal cycle of rainfall as compared to the global model. Results from two monsoon depression cases during study period show substantial improvement in details of rainfall pattern. Many categories in rainfall defined for operational forecast purposes by Indian forecasters are also well represented in case of convection-permitting high-resolution simulations. For the statistics of number of days within a range of rain categories between `No-Rain' and `Heavy Rain', the regional model is outperforming the global model in all the ranges. In the very heavy and extremely heavy categories, the regional simulations show overestimation of rainfall days. Global model with parameterized convection have tendency to overestimate the light rainfall days and underestimate the heavy rain days compared to the observation data.

Variability along the Atlantic water pathway in the forced Norwegian Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langehaug, H. R.; Sandø, A. B.; Årthun, M.; Ilıcak, M.

2018-03-01

The growing attention on mechanisms that can provide predictability on interannual-to-decadal time scales, makes it necessary to identify how well climate models represent such mechanisms. In this study we use a high (0.25° horizontal grid) and a medium (1°) resolution version of a forced global ocean-sea ice model, utilising the Norwegian Earth System Model, to assess the impact of increased ocean resolution. Our target is the simulation of temperature and salinity anomalies along the pathway of warm Atlantic water in the subpolar North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas. Although the high resolution version has larger biases in general at the ocean surface, the poleward propagation of thermohaline anomalies is better resolved in this version, i.e., the time for an anomaly to travel northward is more similar to observation based estimates. The extent of these anomalies can be rather large in both model versions, as also seen in observations, e.g., stretching from Scotland to northern Norway. The easternmost branch into the Nordic and Barents Seas, carrying warm Atlantic water, is also improved by higher resolution, both in terms of mean heat transport and variability in thermohaline properties. A more detailed assessment of the link between the North Atlantic Ocean circulation and the thermohaline anomalies at the entrance of the Nordic Seas reveals that the high resolution is more consistent with mechanisms that are previously published. This suggests better dynamics and variability in the subpolar region and the Nordic Seas in the high resolution compared to the medium resolution. This is most likely due a better representation of the mean circulation in the studied region when using higher resolution. As the poleward propagation of ocean heat anomalies is considered to be a key source of climate predictability, we recommend that similar methodology presented herein should be performed on coupled climate models that are used for climate prediction.

High resolution infrared datasets useful for validating stratospheric models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rinsland, Curtis P.

1992-01-01

An important objective of the High Speed Research Program (HSRP) is to support research in the atmospheric sciences that will improve the basic understanding of the circulation and chemistry of the stratosphere and lead to an interim assessment of the impact of a projected fleet of High Speed Civil Transports (HSCT's) on the stratosphere. As part of this work, critical comparisons between models and existing high quality measurements are planned. These comparisons will be used to test the reliability of current atmospheric chemistry models. Two suitable sets of high resolution infrared measurements are discussed.

Climate SPHINX: High-resolution present-day and future climate simulations with an improved representation of small-scale variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davini, Paolo; von Hardenberg, Jost; Corti, Susanna; Subramanian, Aneesh; Weisheimer, Antje; Christensen, Hannah; Juricke, Stephan; Palmer, Tim

2016-04-01

The PRACE Climate SPHINX project investigates the sensitivity of climate simulations to model resolution and stochastic parameterization. The EC-Earth Earth-System Model is used to explore the impact of stochastic physics in 30-years climate integrations as a function of model resolution (from 80km up to 16km for the atmosphere). The experiments include more than 70 simulations in both a historical scenario (1979-2008) and a climate change projection (2039-2068), using RCP8.5 CMIP5 forcing. A total amount of 20 million core hours will be used at end of the project (March 2016) and about 150 TBytes of post-processed data will be available to the climate community. Preliminary results show a clear improvement in the representation of climate variability over the Euro-Atlantic following resolution increase. More specifically, the well-known atmospheric blocking negative bias over Europe is definitely resolved. High resolution runs also show improved fidelity in representation of tropical variability - such as the MJO and its propagation - over the low resolution simulations. It is shown that including stochastic parameterization in the low resolution runs help to improve some of the aspects of the MJO propagation further. These findings show the importance of representing the impact of small scale processes on the large scale climate variability either explicitly (with high resolution simulations) or stochastically (in low resolution simulations).

Description of surface transport in the region of the Belizean Barrier Reef based on observations and alternative high-resolution models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindo-Atichati, D.; Curcic, M.; Paris, C. B.; Buston, P. M.

2016-10-01

The gains from implementing high-resolution versus less costly low-resolution models to describe coastal circulation are not always clear, often lacking statistical evaluation. Here we construct a hierarchy of ocean-atmosphere models operating at multiple scales within a 1 × 1° domain of the Belizean Barrier Reef (BBR). The various components of the atmosphere-ocean models are evaluated with in situ observations of surface drifters, wind and sea surface temperature. First, we compare the dispersion and velocity of 55 surface drifters released in the field in summer 2013 to the dispersion and velocity of simulated drifters under alternative model configurations. Increasing the resolution of the ocean model (from 1/12° to 1/100°, from 1 day to 1 h) and atmosphere model forcing (from 1/2° to 1/100°, from 6 h to 1 h), and incorporating tidal forcing incrementally reduces discrepancy between simulated and observed velocities and dispersion. Next, in trying to understand why the high-resolution models improve prediction, we find that resolving both the diurnal sea-breeze and semi-diurnal tides is key to improving the Lagrangian statistics and transport predictions along the BBR. Notably, the model with the highest ocean-atmosphere resolution and with tidal forcing generates a higher number of looping trajectories and sub-mesoscale coherent structures that are otherwise unresolved. Finally, simulations conducted with this model from June to August of 2013 show an intensification of the velocity fields throughout the summer and reveal a mesoscale anticyclonic circulation around Glovers Reef, and sub-mesoscale cyclonic eddies formed in the vicinity of Columbus Island. This study provides a general framework to assess the best surface transport prediction from alternative ocean-atmosphere models using metrics derived from high frequency drifters' data and meteorological stations.

Improving the accuracy of macromolecular structure refinement at 7 Å resolution.

PubMed

Brunger, Axel T; Adams, Paul D; Fromme, Petra; Fromme, Raimund; Levitt, Michael; Schröder, Gunnar F

2012-06-06

In X-ray crystallography, molecular replacement and subsequent refinement is challenging at low resolution. We compared refinement methods using synchrotron diffraction data of photosystem I at 7.4 Å resolution, starting from different initial models with increasing deviations from the known high-resolution structure. Standard refinement spoiled the initial models, moving them further away from the true structure and leading to high R(free)-values. In contrast, DEN refinement improved even the most distant starting model as judged by R(free), atomic root-mean-square differences to the true structure, significance of features not included in the initial model, and connectivity of electron density. The best protocol was DEN refinement with initial segmented rigid-body refinement. For the most distant initial model, the fraction of atoms within 2 Å of the true structure improved from 24% to 60%. We also found a significant correlation between R(free) values and the accuracy of the model, suggesting that R(free) is useful even at low resolution. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LITE microscopy: Tilted light-sheet excitation of model organisms offers high resolution and low photobleaching

PubMed Central

Gerbich, Therese M.; Rana, Kishan; Suzuki, Aussie; Schaefer, Kristina N.; Heppert, Jennifer K.; Boothby, Thomas C.; Allbritton, Nancy L.; Gladfelter, Amy S.; Maddox, Amy S.

2018-01-01

Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful approach for studying subcellular dynamics at high spatiotemporal resolution; however, conventional fluorescence microscopy techniques are light-intensive and introduce unnecessary photodamage. Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) mitigates these problems by selectively illuminating the focal plane of the detection objective by using orthogonal excitation. Orthogonal excitation requires geometries that physically limit the detection objective numerical aperture (NA), thereby limiting both light-gathering efficiency (brightness) and native spatial resolution. We present a novel live-cell LSFM method, lateral interference tilted excitation (LITE), in which a tilted light sheet illuminates the detection objective focal plane without a sterically limiting illumination scheme. LITE is thus compatible with any detection objective, including oil immersion, without an upper NA limit. LITE combines the low photodamage of LSFM with high resolution, high brightness, and coverslip-based objectives. We demonstrate the utility of LITE for imaging animal, fungal, and plant model organisms over many hours at high spatiotemporal resolution. PMID:29490939

Online dynamical downscaling of temperature and precipitation within the iLOVECLIM model (version 1.1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiquet, Aurélien; Roche, Didier M.; Dumas, Christophe; Paillard, Didier

2018-02-01

This paper presents the inclusion of an online dynamical downscaling of temperature and precipitation within the model of intermediate complexity iLOVECLIM v1.1. We describe the following methodology to generate temperature and precipitation fields on a 40 km × 40 km Cartesian grid of the Northern Hemisphere from the T21 native atmospheric model grid. Our scheme is not grid specific and conserves energy and moisture in the same way as the original climate model. We show that we are able to generate a high-resolution field which presents a spatial variability in better agreement with the observations compared to the standard model. Although the large-scale model biases are not corrected, for selected model parameters, the downscaling can induce a better overall performance compared to the standard version on both the high-resolution grid and on the native grid. Foreseen applications of this new model feature include the improvement of ice sheet model coupling and high-resolution land surface models.

Improved large-scale hydrological modelling through the assimilation of streamflow and downscaled satellite soil moisture observations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López López, Patricia; Wanders, Niko; Sutanudjaja, Edwin; Renzullo, Luigi; Sterk, Geert; Schellekens, Jaap; Bierkens, Marc

2015-04-01

The coarse spatial resolution of global hydrological models (typically > 0.25o) often limits their ability to resolve key water balance processes for many river basins and thus compromises their suitability for water resources management, especially when compared to locally-tunes river models. A possible solution to the problem may be to drive the coarse resolution models with high-resolution meteorological data as well as to assimilate ground-based and remotely-sensed observations of key water cycle variables. While this would improve the modelling resolution of the global model, the impact of prediction accuracy remains largely an open question. In this study we investigated the impact that assimilating streamflow and satellite soil moisture observations have on global hydrological model estimation, driven by coarse- and high-resolution meteorological observations, for the Murrumbidgee river basin in Australia. The PCR-GLOBWB global hydrological model is forced with downscaled global climatological data (from 0.5o downscaled to 0.1o resolution) obtained from the WATCH Forcing Data (WFDEI) and local high resolution gauging station based gridded datasets (0.05o), sourced from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Downscaled satellite derived soil moisture (from 0.5o downscaled to 0.1o resolution) from AMSR-E and streamflow observations collected from 25 gauging stations are assimilated using an ensemble Kalman filter. Several scenarios are analysed to explore the added value of data assimilation considering both local and global climatological data. Results show that the assimilation of streamflow observations result in the largest improvement of the model estimates. The joint assimilation of both streamflow and downscaled soil moisture observations leads to further improved in streamflow simulations (10% reduction in RMSE), mainly in the headwater catchments (up to 10,000 km2). Results also show that the added contribution of data assimilation, for both soil moisture and streamflow, is more pronounced when the global meteorological data are used to force the models. This is caused by the higher uncertainty and coarser resolution of the global forcing. This study demonstrates that it is possible to improve hydrological simulations forced by coarse resolution meteorological data with downscaled satellite soil moisture and streamflow observations and bring them closer to a hydrological model forced with local climatological data. These findings are important in light of the efforts that are currently done to go to global hyper-resolution modelling and can significantly help to advance this research.

Assessment of Multiple Daily Precipitation Statistics in ERA-Interim Driven Med-CORDEX and EURO-CORDEX Experiments Against High Resolution Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppola, E.; Fantini, A.; Raffaele, F.; Torma, C. Z.; Bacer, S.; Giorgi, F.; Ahrens, B.; Dubois, C.; Sanchez, E.; Verdecchia, M.

2017-12-01

We assess the statistics of different daily precipitation indices in ensembles of Med-CORDEX and EUROCORDEX experiments at high resolution (grid spacing of ˜0.11° , or RCM11) and medium resolution (grid spacing of ˜0.44° , or RCM44) with regional climate models (RCMs) driven by the ERA-Interim reanalysis of observations for the period 1989-2008. The assessment is carried out by comparison with a set of high resolution observation datasets for 9 European subregions. The statistics analyzed include quantitative metrics for mean precipitation, daily precipitation Probability Density Functions (PDFs), daily precipitation intensity, frequency, 95th percentile and 95th percentile of dry spell length. We assess both an ensemble including all Med-CORDEX and EURO-CORDEX models and one including the Med-CORDEX models alone. For the All Models ensembles, the RCM11 one shows a remarkable performance in reproducing the spatial patterns and seasonal cycle of mean precipitation over all regions, with a consistent and marked improvement compared to the RCM44 ensemble and the ERA-Interim reanalysis. A good consistency with observations by the RCM11 ensemble (and a substantial improvement compared to RCM44 and ERA-Interim) is found also for the daily precipitation PDFs, mean intensity and, to a lesser extent, the 95th percentile. In fact, for some regions the RCM11 ensemble overestimates the occurrence of very high intensity events while for one region the models underestimate the occurrence of the largest extremes. The RCM11 ensemble still shows a general tendency to underestimate the dry day frequency and 95th percentile of dry spell length over wetter regions, with only a marginal improvement compared to the lower resolution models. This indicates that the problem of the excessive production of low precipitation events found in many climate models persists also at relatively high resolutions, at least in wet climate regimes. Concerning the Med-CORDEX model ensembles we find that their performance is of similar quality as that of the all-models over the Mediterranean regions analyzed. Finally, we stress the need of consistent and quality checked fine scale observation datasets for the assessment of RCMs run at increasingly high horizontal resolutions.

Spectral decomposition of internal gravity wave sea surface height in global models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, Anna C.; Arbic, Brian K.; Alford, Matthew H.; Ansong, Joseph K.; Farrar, J. Thomas; Menemenlis, Dimitris; O'Rourke, Amanda K.; Richman, James G.; Shriver, Jay F.; Voet, Gunnar; Wallcraft, Alan J.; Zamudio, Luis

2017-10-01

Two global ocean models ranging in horizontal resolution from 1/12° to 1/48° are used to study the space and time scales of sea surface height (SSH) signals associated with internal gravity waves (IGWs). Frequency-horizontal wavenumber SSH spectral densities are computed over seven regions of the world ocean from two simulations of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and three simulations of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm). High wavenumber, high-frequency SSH variance follows the predicted IGW linear dispersion curves. The realism of high-frequency motions (>0.87 cpd) in the models is tested through comparison of the frequency spectral density of dynamic height variance computed from the highest-resolution runs of each model (1/25° HYCOM and 1/48° MITgcm) with dynamic height variance frequency spectral density computed from nine in situ profiling instruments. These high-frequency motions are of particular interest because of their contributions to the small-scale SSH variability that will be observed on a global scale in the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite altimetry mission. The variance at supertidal frequencies can be comparable to the tidal and low-frequency variance for high wavenumbers (length scales smaller than ˜50 km), especially in the higher-resolution simulations. In the highest-resolution simulations, the high-frequency variance can be greater than the low-frequency variance at these scales.

The effect of model resolution in predicting meteorological parameters used in fire danger rating.

Treesearch

Jeanne L. Hoadley; Ken Westrick; Sue A. Ferguson; Scott L. Goodrick; Larry Bradshaw; Paul Werth

2004-01-01

Previous studies of model performance at varying resolutions have focused on winter storms or isolated convective events. Little attention has been given to the static high pressure situations that may lead to severe wildfire outbreaks. This study focuses on such an event so as to evaluate the value of increased model resolution for prediction of fire danger. The...

The effect of model resolution in predicting meteorological parameters used in fire danger rating

Treesearch

Jeanne L. Hoadley; Ken Westrick; Sue a. Ferguson; Scott L. Goodrick; Larry Bradshaw; Paul Wreth

2004-01-01

Previous studies of model perfonnance at varying resolutions have focused on winter stonns or isolated convective events. Little attention has been given to the static high pressure situations that may lead to severe wildfire outbreaks. This study focuses on such an event so as to evaluate the value of increased model resolution for prediction of fire danger. The...

Alleviating tropical Atlantic sector biases in the Kiel climate model by enhancing horizontal and vertical atmosphere model resolution: climatology and interannual variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlaß, Jan; Latif, Mojib; Park, Wonsun

2018-04-01

We investigate the quality of simulating tropical Atlantic (TA) sector climatology and interannual variability in integrations of the Kiel climate model (KCM) with varying atmosphere model resolution. The ocean model resolution is kept fixed. A reasonable simulation of TA sector annual-mean climate, seasonal cycle and interannual variability can only be achieved at sufficiently high horizontal and vertical atmospheric resolution. Two major reasons for the improvements are identified. First, the western equatorial Atlantic westerly surface wind bias in spring can be largely eliminated, which is explained by a better representation of meridional and especially vertical zonal momentum transport. The enhanced atmospheric circulation along the equator in turn greatly improves the thermal structure of the upper equatorial Atlantic with much reduced warm sea surface temperature (SST) biases. Second, the coastline in the southeastern TA and steep orography are better resolved at high resolution, which improves wind structure and in turn reduces warm SST biases in the Benguela upwelling region. The strongly diminished wind and SST biases at high atmosphere model resolution allow for a more realistic latitudinal position of the intertropical convergence zone. Resulting stronger cross-equatorial winds, in conjunction with a shallower thermocline, enable a rapid cold tongue development in the eastern TA in boreal spring. This enables simulation of realistic interannual SST variability and its seasonal phase locking in the KCM, which primarily is the result of a stronger thermocline feedback. Our findings suggest that enhanced atmospheric resolution, both vertical and horizontal, could be a key to achieving more realistic simulation of TA climatology and interannual variability in climate models.

Scale effect challenges in urban hydrology highlighted with a Fully Distributed Model and High-resolution rainfall data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichiba, Abdellah; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel; Bompard, Philippe; Ten Veldhuis, Marie-Claire

2017-04-01

Nowadays, there is a growing interest on small-scale rainfall information, provided by weather radars, to be used in urban water management and decision-making. Therefore, an increasing interest is in parallel devoted to the development of fully distributed and grid-based models following the increase of computation capabilities, the availability of high-resolution GIS information needed for such models implementation. However, the choice of an appropriate implementation scale to integrate the catchment heterogeneity and the whole measured rainfall variability provided by High-resolution radar technologies still issues. This work proposes a two steps investigation of scale effects in urban hydrology and its effects on modeling works. In the first step fractal tools are used to highlight the scale dependency observed within distributed data used to describe the catchment heterogeneity, both the structure of the sewer network and the distribution of impervious areas are analyzed. Then an intensive multi-scale modeling work is carried out to understand scaling effects on hydrological model performance. Investigations were conducted using a fully distributed and physically based model, Multi-Hydro, developed at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. The model was implemented at 17 spatial resolutions ranging from 100 m to 5 m and modeling investigations were performed using both rain gauge rainfall information as well as high resolution X band radar data in order to assess the sensitivity of the model to small scale rainfall variability. Results coming out from this work demonstrate scale effect challenges in urban hydrology modeling. In fact, fractal concept highlights the scale dependency observed within distributed data used to implement hydrological models. Patterns of geophysical data change when we change the observation pixel size. The multi-scale modeling investigation performed with Multi-Hydro model at 17 spatial resolutions confirms scaling effect on hydrological model performance. Results were analyzed at three ranges of scales identified in the fractal analysis and confirmed in the modeling work. The sensitivity of the model to small-scale rainfall variability was discussed as well.

Developing Local Scale, High Resolution, Data to Interface with Numerical Storm Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witkop, R.; Becker, A.; Stempel, P.

2017-12-01

High resolution, physical storm models that can rapidly predict storm surge, inundation, rainfall, wind velocity and wave height at the intra-facility scale for any storm affecting Rhode Island have been developed by Researchers at the University of Rhode Island's (URI's) Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) (Ginis et al., 2017). At the same time, URI's Marine Affairs Department has developed methods that inhere individual geographic points into GSO's models and enable the models to accurately incorporate local scale, high resolution data (Stempel et al., 2017). This combination allows URI's storm models to predict any storm's impacts on individual Rhode Island facilities in near real time. The research presented here determines how a coastal Rhode Island town's critical facility managers (FMs) perceive their assets as being vulnerable to quantifiable hurricane-related forces at the individual facility scale and explores methods to elicit this information from FMs in a format usable for incorporation into URI's storm models.

Small-Scale Tropopause Dynamics and TOMS Total Ozone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanford, John L.

2002-01-01

This project used Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP TOMS) along-track ozone retrievals, in conjunction with ancillary meteorological fields and modeling studies, for high resolution investigations of upper troposphere and lower stratosphere dynamics. Specifically, high resolution along-track (Level 2) EP TOMS data were used to investigate the beautiful fine-scale structure in constituent and meteorological fields prominent in the evolution of highly non-linear baroclinic storm systems. Comparison was made with high resolution meteorological models. The analyses provide internal consistency checks and validation of the EP TOMS data which are vital for monitoring ozone depletion in both polar and midlatitude regions.

A Comparison Between Gravity Wave Momentum Fluxes in Observations and Climate Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geller, Marvin A.; Alexadner, M. Joan; Love, Peter T.; Bacmeister, Julio; Ern, Manfred; Hertzog, Albert; Manzini, Elisa; Preusse, Peter; Sato, Kaoru; Scaife, Adam A.;

FACILITATING ADVANCED URBAN METEOROLOGY AND AIR QUALITY MODELING CAPABILITIES WITH HIGH RESOLUTION URBAN DATABASE AND ACCESS PORTAL TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

Information of urban morphological features at high resolution is needed to properly model and characterize the meteorological and air quality fields in urban areas. We describe a new project called National Urban Database with Access Portal Tool, (NUDAPT) that addresses this nee...

Non-Destructive High-Resolution Organic Matter Record on Lake Sediment using Steady-State Solid Phase Fluorescence: Organic Matter Quality and Quantity Assessment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiers, M.; Perrette, Y.; Etienne, D.; Develle, A. L.; Jacq, K.

2017-12-01

The use of organic proxies increases in paleoenvironmental reconstructions from natural archives. Major advances have been achieved by the development of new highly informative molecular proxies usually linked to specific compounds. While studies focused on targeted compounds, offering a high information degree, advances on bulk organic matter are limited. However, this bulk is the main contributor to carbon cycle and has been shown to be a driver of many mineral or organic compounds transfer and record. Development of target proxies need complementary information on bulk organic matter to understand biases link to controlling factors or analytical methods, and provide a robust interpretation. Fluorescence methods have often been employed to characterize and quantify organic matter. However, these technics are mainly developed for liquid samples, inducing material and resolution loss when working on natural archives (either stalagmite or sediments). High-resolution solid phase fluorescence (SPF) was developed on speleothems. This method allows now to analyse organic matter quality and quantity if procedure to constrain the optical density are adopted. In fact, a calibration method using liquid phase fluorescence (LPF) was developed for speleothem, allowing to quantify organic carbon at high-resolution. We report here an application of such a procedure SPF/LPF measurements on lake sediments. In order to avoid sediment matrix effects on the fluorescence signal, a calibration using LPF measurements was realised. First results using this method provided organic matter quality record of different organic matter compounds (humic-like, protein-like and chlorophylle-like compounds) at high resolution for the sediment core. High resolution organic matter fluxes are obtained in a second time, applying pragmatic chemometrics model (non linear models, partial least square models) on high resolution fluorescence data. SPF method can be considered as a promising tool for high resolution record on organic matter quality and quantity. Potential application of this method will be evocated (lake ecosystem dynamic, changes in trophic levels)

Theoretical Models of Protostellar Binary and Multiple Systems with AMR Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, Tomoaki; Tokuda, Kazuki; Onishi, Toshikazu; Inutsuka, Shu-ichiro; Saigo, Kazuya; Takakuwa, Shigehisa

2017-05-01

We present theoretical models for protostellar binary and multiple systems based on the high-resolution numerical simulation with an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code, SFUMATO. The recent ALMA observations have revealed early phases of the binary and multiple star formation with high spatial resolutions. These observations should be compared with theoretical models with high spatial resolutions. We present two theoretical models for (1) a high density molecular cloud core, MC27/L1521F, and (2) a protobinary system, L1551 NE. For the model for MC27, we performed numerical simulations for gravitational collapse of a turbulent cloud core. The cloud core exhibits fragmentation during the collapse, and dynamical interaction between the fragments produces an arc-like structure, which is one of the prominent structures observed by ALMA. For the model for L1551 NE, we performed numerical simulations of gas accretion onto protobinary. The simulations exhibit asymmetry of a circumbinary disk. Such asymmetry has been also observed by ALMA in the circumbinary disk of L1551 NE.

GFDL's unified regional-global weather-climate modeling system with variable resolution capability for severe weather predictions and regional climate simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, S. J.

2015-12-01

The NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory has been developing a unified regional-global modeling system with variable resolution capabilities that can be used for severe weather predictions (e.g., tornado outbreak events and cat-5 hurricanes) and ultra-high-resolution (1-km) regional climate simulations within a consistent global modeling framework. The fundation of this flexible regional-global modeling system is the non-hydrostatic extension of the vertically Lagrangian dynamical core (Lin 2004, Monthly Weather Review) known in the community as FV3 (finite-volume on the cubed-sphere). Because of its flexability and computational efficiency, the FV3 is one of the final candidates of NOAA's Next Generation Global Prediction System (NGGPS). We have built into the modeling system a stretched (single) grid capability, a two-way (regional-global) multiple nested grid capability, and the combination of the stretched and two-way nests, so as to make convection-resolving regional climate simulation within a consistent global modeling system feasible using today's High Performance Computing System. One of our main scientific goals is to enable simulations of high impact weather phenomena (such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, category-5 hurricanes) within an IPCC-class climate modeling system previously regarded as impossible. In this presentation I will demonstrate that it is computationally feasible to simulate not only super-cell thunderstorms, but also the subsequent genesis of tornadoes using a global model that was originally designed for century long climate simulations. As a unified weather-climate modeling system, we evaluated the performance of the model with horizontal resolution ranging from 1 km to as low as 200 km. In particular, for downscaling studies, we have developed various tests to ensure that the large-scale circulation within the global varaible resolution system is well simulated while at the same time the small-scale can be accurately captured within the targeted high resolution region.

In search of random noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kester, DO; Bontekoe, Tj. Romke

1994-01-01

In order to make the best high resolution images of IRAS data it is necessary to incorporate any knowledge about the instrument into a model: the IRAS model. This is necessary since every remaining systematic effect will be amplified by any high resolution technique into spurious artifacts in the images. The search for random noise is in fact the never-ending quest for better quality results, and can only be obtained by better models. The Dutch high-resolution effort has resulted in HIRAS which drives the MEMSYS5 algorithm. It is specifically designed for IRAS image construction. A detailed description of HIRAS with many results is in preparation. In this paper we emphasize many of the instrumental effects incorporated in the IRAS model, including our improved 100 micron IRAS response functions.

Global high-resolution simulations of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide using CHASER V4.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sekiya, Takashi; Miyazaki, Kazuyuki; Ogochi, Koji; Sudo, Kengo; Takigawa, Masayuki

2018-03-01

We evaluate global tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) simulations using the CHASER V4.0 global chemical transport model (CTM) at horizontal resolutions of 0.56, 1.1, and 2.8°. Model evaluation was conducted using satellite tropospheric NO2 retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) and aircraft observations from the 2014 Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPÉ). Agreement against satellite retrievals improved greatly at 1.1 and 0.56° resolutions (compared to 2.8° resolution) over polluted and biomass burning regions. The 1.1° simulation generally captured the regional distribution of the tropospheric NO2 column well, whereas 0.56° resolution was necessary to improve the model performance over areas with strong local sources, with mean bias reductions of 67 % over Beijing and 73 % over San Francisco in summer. Validation using aircraft observations indicated that high-resolution simulations reduced negative NO2 biases below 700 hPa over the Denver metropolitan area. These improvements in high-resolution simulations were attributable to (1) closer spatial representativeness between simulations and observations and (2) better representation of large-scale concentration fields (i.e., at 2.8°) through the consideration of small-scale processes. Model evaluations conducted at 0.5 and 2.8° bin grids indicated that the contributions of both these processes were comparable over most polluted regions, whereas the latter effect (2) made a larger contribution over eastern China and biomass burning areas. The evaluations presented in this paper demonstrate the potential of using a high-resolution global CTM for studying megacity-scale air pollutants across the entire globe, potentially also contributing to global satellite retrievals and chemical data assimilation.

Influence of Scale Effect and Model Performance in Downscaling ASTER Land Surface Temperatures to a Very High Spatial Resolution in an Agricultural Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, J.; Li, G.; Liu, S.; Zhan, W.; Zhang, X.

2015-12-01

At present land surface temperatures (LSTs) can be generated from thermal infrared remote sensing with spatial resolutions from ~100 m to tens of kilometers. However, LSTs with high spatial resolution, e.g. tens of meters, are still lack. The purpose of LST downscaling is to generate LSTs with finer spatial resolutions than their native spatial resolutions. The statistical linear or nonlinear regression models are most frequently used for LST downscaling. The basic assumption of these models is the scale-invariant relationships between LST and its descriptors, which is questioned but rare researches have been reported. In addition, few researches can be found for downscaling satellite LST or TIR data to a high spatial resolution, i.e. better than 100 m or even finer. The lack of LST with high spatial resolution cannot satisfy the requirements of applications such as evapotranspiration mapping at the field scale. By selecting a dynamically developing agricultural oasis as the study area, the aim of this study is to downscale the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) LSTs to 15 m, to satisfy the requirement of evapotranspiration mapping at the field scale. Twelve ASTER images from May to September in 2012, covering the entire growth stage of maize, were selected. Four statistical models were evaluated, including one global model, one piecewise model, and two local models. The influence from scale effect in downscaling LST was quantified. The downscaled LSTs are evaluated from accuracy and image quality. Results demonstrate that the influence from scale effect varies according to models and the maize growth stage. Significant influence about -4 K to 6 K existed at the early stage and weaker influence existed in the middle stage. When compared with the ground measured LSTs, the downscaled LSTs resulted from the global and local models yielded higher accuracies and better image qualities than the local models. In addition to the vegetation indices, the surface albedo is an important descriptor for downscaling LST through explaining its spatial variation induced by soil moisture.

Oil spill model coupled to an ultra-high-resolution circulation model: implementation for the Adriatic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korotenko, K.

2003-04-01

An ultra-high-resolution version of DieCAST was adjusted for the Adriatic Sea and coupled with an oil spill model. Hydrodynamic module was developed on base of th low dissipative, four-order-accuracy version DieCAST with the resolution of ~2km. The oil spill model was developed on base of particle tracking technique The effect of evaporation is modeled with an original method developed on the base of the pseudo-component approach. A special dialog interface of this hybrid system allowing direct coupling to meteorlogical data collection systems or/and meteorological models. Experiments with hypothetic oil spill are analyzed for the Northern Adriatic Sea. Results (animations) of mesoscale circulation and oil slick modeling are presented at wabsite http://thayer.dartmouth.edu/~cushman/adriatic/movies/

Evaluation of GOCE-based Global Geoid Models in Finnish Territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saari, Timo; Bilker-Koivula, Mirjam

2015-04-01

The gravity satellite mission GOCE made its final observations in the fall of 2013. By then it had exceeded its expected lifespan of one year with more than three additional years. Thus, the mission collected more data from the Earth's gravitational field than expected, and more comprehensive global geoid models have been derived ever since. The GOCE High-level Processing Facility (HPF) by ESA has published GOCE global gravity field models annually. We compared all of the 12 HPF-models as well as 3 additional GOCE, 11 GRACE and 6 combined GOCE+GRACE models with GPS-levelling data and gravity observations in Finland. The most accurate models were compared against high resolution global geoid models EGM96 and EGM2008. The models were evaluated up to three different degrees and order: 150 (the common maximum for the GRACE models), 240 (the common maximum for the GOCE models) and maximum. When coefficients up to degree and order 150 are used, the results of the GOCE models are comparable with the results of the latest GRACE models. Generally, all of the latest GOCE and GOCE+GRACE models give standard deviations of the height anomaly differences of around 15 cm and of gravity anomaly differences of around 10 mgal over Finland. The best solutions were not always achieved with the highest maximum degree and order of the satellite gravity field models, since the highest coefficients (above 240) may be less accurately determined. Over Finland, the latest GOCE and GOCE+GRACE models give similar results as the high resolution models EGM96 and EGM2008 when coefficients up to degree and order 240 are used. This is mainly due to the high resolution terrestrial data available in the area of Finland, which was used in the high resolution models.

Super-resolution biomolecular crystallography with low-resolution data.

PubMed

Schröder, Gunnar F; Levitt, Michael; Brunger, Axel T

2010-04-22

X-ray diffraction plays a pivotal role in the understanding of biological systems by revealing atomic structures of proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes, with much recent interest in very large assemblies like the ribosome. As crystals of such large assemblies often diffract weakly (resolution worse than 4 A), we need methods that work at such low resolution. In macromolecular assemblies, some of the components may be known at high resolution, whereas others are unknown: current refinement methods fail as they require a high-resolution starting structure for the entire complex. Determining the structure of such complexes, which are often of key biological importance, should be possible in principle as the number of independent diffraction intensities at a resolution better than 5 A generally exceeds the number of degrees of freedom. Here we introduce a method that adds specific information from known homologous structures but allows global and local deformations of these homology models. Our approach uses the observation that local protein structure tends to be conserved as sequence and function evolve. Cross-validation with R(free) (the free R-factor) determines the optimum deformation and influence of the homology model. For test cases at 3.5-5 A resolution with known structures at high resolution, our method gives significant improvements over conventional refinement in the model as monitored by coordinate accuracy, the definition of secondary structure and the quality of electron density maps. For re-refinements of a representative set of 19 low-resolution crystal structures from the Protein Data Bank, we find similar improvements. Thus, a structure derived from low-resolution diffraction data can have quality similar to a high-resolution structure. Our method is applicable to the study of weakly diffracting crystals using X-ray micro-diffraction as well as data from new X-ray light sources. Use of homology information is not restricted to X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy: as optical imaging advances to subnanometre resolution, it can use similar tools.

Accuracy of a high-resolution lidar terrain model under a conifer forest canopy

Treesearch

S.E. Reutebuch; R.J. McGaughey; H.-E. Andersen; W.W. Carson

2003-01-01

Airborne laser scanning systems can provide terrain elevation data for open areas with a vertical accuracy of 15 cm. In this study, a high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) was produced from high-density lidar data. Vegetation in the 500-ha mountainous study area varied from bare ground to dense 70-year-old conifer forest. Conventional ground survey methods were...

Hurricane Forecasting with the High-resolution NASA Finite-volume General Circulation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atlas, R.; Reale, O.; Shen, B.-W.; Lin, S.-J.; Chern, J.-D.; Putman, W.; Lee, T.; Yeh, K.-S.; Bosilovich, M.; Radakovich, J.

2004-01-01

A high-resolution finite-volume General Circulation Model (fvGCM), resulting from a development effort of more than ten years, is now being run operationally at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center. The model is based on a finite-volume dynamical core with terrain-following Lagrangian control-volume discretization and performs efficiently on massive parallel architectures. The computational efficiency allows simulations at a resolution of a quarter of a degree, which is double the resolution currently adopted by most global models in operational weather centers. Such fine global resolution brings us closer to overcoming a fundamental barrier in global atmospheric modeling for both weather and climate, because tropical cyclones and even tropical convective clusters can be more realistically represented. In this work, preliminary results of the fvGCM are shown. Fifteen simulations of four Atlantic tropical cyclones in 2002 and 2004 are chosen because of strong and varied difficulties presented to numerical weather forecasting. It is shown that the fvGCM, run at the resolution of a quarter of a degree, can produce very good forecasts of these tropical systems, adequately resolving problems like erratic track, abrupt recurvature, intense extratropical transition, multiple landfall and reintensification, and interaction among vortices.

Sources and pathways of the upscale effects on the Southern Hemisphere jet in MPAS-CAM4 variable-resolution simulations

DOE PAGES

Sakaguchi, Koichi; Lu, Jian; Leung, L. Ruby; ...

2016-10-22

Impacts of regional grid refinement on large-scale circulations (“upscale effects”) were detected in a previous study that used the Model for Prediction Across Scales-Atmosphere coupled to the physics parameterizations of the Community Atmosphere Model version 4. The strongest upscale effect was identified in the Southern Hemisphere jet during austral winter. This study examines the detailed underlying processes by comparing two simulations at quasi-uniform resolutions of 30 and 120 km to three variable-resolution simulations in which the horizontal grids are regionally refined to 30 km in North America, South America, or Asia from 120 km elsewhere. In all the variable-resolution simulations,more » precipitation increases in convective areas inside the high-resolution domains, as in the reference quasi-uniform high-resolution simulation. With grid refinement encompassing the tropical Americas, the increased condensational heating expands the local divergent circulations (Hadley cell) meridionally such that their descending branch is shifted poleward, which also pushes the baroclinically unstable regions, momentum flux convergence, and the eddy-driven jet poleward. This teleconnection pathway is not found in the reference high-resolution simulation due to a strong resolution sensitivity of cloud radiative forcing that dominates the aforementioned teleconnection signals. The regional refinement over Asia enhances Rossby wave sources and strengthens the upper level southerly flow, both facilitating the cross-equatorial propagation of stationary waves. Evidence indicates that this teleconnection pathway is also found in the reference high-resolution simulation. Lastly, the result underlines the intricate diagnoses needed to understand the upscale effects in global variable-resolution simulations, with implications for science investigations using the computationally efficient modeling framework.« less

Sources and pathways of the upscale effects on the Southern Hemisphere jet in MPAS-CAM4 variable-resolution simulations

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

Sakaguchi, Koichi; Lu, Jian; Leung, L. Ruby

Impacts of regional grid refinement on large-scale circulations (“upscale effects”) were detected in a previous study that used the Model for Prediction Across Scales-Atmosphere coupled to the physics parameterizations of the Community Atmosphere Model version 4. The strongest upscale effect was identified in the Southern Hemisphere jet during austral winter. This study examines the detailed underlying processes by comparing two simulations at quasi-uniform resolutions of 30 and 120 km to three variable-resolution simulations in which the horizontal grids are regionally refined to 30 km in North America, South America, or Asia from 120 km elsewhere. In all the variable-resolution simulations,more » precipitation increases in convective areas inside the high-resolution domains, as in the reference quasi-uniform high-resolution simulation. With grid refinement encompassing the tropical Americas, the increased condensational heating expands the local divergent circulations (Hadley cell) meridionally such that their descending branch is shifted poleward, which also pushes the baroclinically unstable regions, momentum flux convergence, and the eddy-driven jet poleward. This teleconnection pathway is not found in the reference high-resolution simulation due to a strong resolution sensitivity of cloud radiative forcing that dominates the aforementioned teleconnection signals. The regional refinement over Asia enhances Rossby wave sources and strengthens the upper level southerly flow, both facilitating the cross-equatorial propagation of stationary waves. Evidence indicates that this teleconnection pathway is also found in the reference high-resolution simulation. Lastly, the result underlines the intricate diagnoses needed to understand the upscale effects in global variable-resolution simulations, with implications for science investigations using the computationally efficient modeling framework.« less

Analysis and modeling of atmospheric turbulence on the high-resolution space optical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lili, Jiang; Chen, Xiaomei; Ni, Guoqiang

2016-09-01

Modeling and simulation of optical remote sensing system plays an unslightable role in remote sensing mission predictions, imaging system design, image quality assessment. It has already become a hot research topic at home and abroad. Atmospheric turbulence influence on optical systems is attached more and more importance to as technologies of remote sensing are developed. In order to study the influence of atmospheric turbulence on earth observation system, the atmospheric structure parameter was calculated by using the weak atmospheric turbulence model; and the relationship of the atmospheric coherence length and high resolution remote sensing optical system was established; then the influence of atmospheric turbulence on the coefficient r0h of optical remote sensing system of ground resolution was derived; finally different orbit height of high resolution optical system imaging quality affected by atmospheric turbulence was analyzed. Results show that the influence of atmospheric turbulence on the high resolution remote sensing optical system, the resolution of which has reached sub meter level meter or even the 0.5m, 0.35m and even 0.15m ultra in recent years, image quality will be quite serious. In the above situation, the influence of the atmospheric turbulence must be corrected. Simulation algorithms of PSF are presented based on the above results. Experiment and analytical results are posted.

High-resolution remotely sensed small target detection by imitating fly visual perception mechanism.

PubMed

Huang, Fengchen; Xu, Lizhong; Li, Min; Tang, Min

2012-01-01

The difficulty and limitation of small target detection methods for high-resolution remote sensing data have been a recent research hot spot. Inspired by the information capture and processing theory of fly visual system, this paper endeavors to construct a characterized model of information perception and make use of the advantages of fast and accurate small target detection under complex varied nature environment. The proposed model forms a theoretical basis of small target detection for high-resolution remote sensing data. After the comparison of prevailing simulation mechanism behind fly visual systems, we propose a fly-imitated visual system method of information processing for high-resolution remote sensing data. A small target detector and corresponding detection algorithm are designed by simulating the mechanism of information acquisition, compression, and fusion of fly visual system and the function of pool cell and the character of nonlinear self-adaption. Experiments verify the feasibility and rationality of the proposed small target detection model and fly-imitated visual perception method.

Single-shot spiral imaging at 7 T.

PubMed

Engel, Maria; Kasper, Lars; Barmet, Christoph; Schmid, Thomas; Vionnet, Laetitia; Wilm, Bertram; Pruessmann, Klaas P

2018-03-25

The purpose of this work is to explore the feasibility and performance of single-shot spiral MRI at 7 T, using an expanded signal model for reconstruction. Gradient-echo brain imaging is performed on a 7 T system using high-resolution single-shot spiral readouts and half-shot spirals that perform dual-image acquisition after a single excitation. Image reconstruction is based on an expanded signal model including the encoding effects of coil sensitivity, static off-resonance, and magnetic field dynamics. The latter are recorded concurrently with image acquisition, using NMR field probes. The resulting image resolution is assessed by point spread function analysis. Single-shot spiral imaging is achieved at a nominal resolution of 0.8 mm, using spiral-out readouts of 53-ms duration. High depiction fidelity is achieved without conspicuous blurring or distortion. Effective resolutions are assessed as 0.8, 0.94, and 0.98 mm in CSF, gray matter and white matter, respectively. High image quality is also achieved with half-shot acquisition yielding image pairs at 1.5-mm resolution. Use of an expanded signal model enables single-shot spiral imaging at 7 T with unprecedented image quality. Single-shot and half-shot spiral readouts deploy the sensitivity benefit of high field for rapid high-resolution imaging, particularly for functional MRI and arterial spin labeling. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

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

Sakaguchi, Koichi; Leung, Lai-Yung R.; Zhao, Chun

This study presents a diagnosis of a multi-resolution approach using the Model for Prediction Across Scales - Atmosphere (MPAS-A) for simulating regional climate. Four AMIP experiments are conducted for 1999-2009. In the first two experiments, MPAS-A is configured using global quasi-uniform grids at 120 km and 30 km grid spacing. In the other two experiments, MPAS-A is configured using variable-resolution (VR) mesh with local refinement at 30 km over North America and South America embedded inside a quasi-uniform domain at 120 km elsewhere. Precipitation and related fields in the four simulations are examined to determine how well the VR simulationsmore » reproduce the features simulated by the globally high-resolution model in the refined domain. In previous analyses of idealized aqua-planet simulations, the characteristics of the global high-resolution simulation in moist processes only developed near the boundary of the refined region. In contrast, the AMIP simulations with VR grids are able to reproduce the high-resolution characteristics across the refined domain, particularly in South America. This indicates the importance of finely resolved lower-boundary forcing such as topography and surface heterogeneity for the regional climate, and demonstrates the ability of the MPAS-A VR to replicate the large-scale moisture transport as simulated in the quasi-uniform high-resolution model. Outside of the refined domain, some upscale effects are detected through large-scale circulation but the overall climatic signals are not significant at regional scales. Our results provide support for the multi-resolution approach as a computationally efficient and physically consistent method for modeling regional climate.« less

Constraining regional scale carbon budgets at the US West Coast using a high-resolution atmospheric inverse modeling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goeckede, M.; Michalak, A. M.; Vickers, D.; Turner, D.; Law, B.

2009-04-01

The study presented is embedded within the NACP (North American Carbon Program) West Coast project ORCA2, which aims at determining the regional carbon balance of the US states Oregon, California and Washington. Our work specifically focuses on the effect of disturbance history and climate variability, aiming at improving our understanding of e.g. drought stress and stand age on carbon sources and sinks in complex terrain with fine-scale variability in land cover types. The ORCA2 atmospheric inverse modeling approach has been set up to capture flux variability on the regional scale at high temporal and spatial resolution. Atmospheric transport is simulated coupling the mesoscale model WRF (Weather Research and Forecast) with the STILT (Stochastic Time Inverted Lagrangian Transport) footprint model. This setup allows identifying sources and sinks that influence atmospheric observations with highly resolved mass transport fields and realistic turbulent mixing. Terrestrial biosphere carbon fluxes are simulated at spatial resolutions of up to 1km and subdaily timesteps, considering effects of ecoregion, land cover type and disturbance regime on the carbon budgets. Our approach assimilates high-precision atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements and eddy-covariance data from several sites throughout the model domain, as well as high-resolution remote sensing products (e.g. LandSat, MODIS) and interpolated surface meteorology (DayMet, SOGS, PRISM). We present top-down modeling results that have been optimized using Bayesian inversion, reflecting the information on regional scale carbon processes provided by the network of high-precision CO2 observations. We address the level of detail (e.g. spatial and temporal resolution) that can be resolved by top-down modeling on the regional scale, given the uncertainties introduced by various sources for model-data mismatch. Our results demonstrate the importance of accurate modeling of carbon-water coupling, with the representation of water availability and drought stress playing a dominant role to capture spatially variable CO2 exchange rates in a region characterized by strong climatic gradients.

Linear mixing model applied to coarse resolution satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holben, Brent N.; Shimabukuro, Yosio E.

1992-01-01

A linear mixing model typically applied to high resolution data such as Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, Thematic Mapper, and Multispectral Scanner System is applied to the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer coarse resolution satellite data. The reflective portion extracted from the middle IR channel 3 (3.55 - 3.93 microns) is used with channels 1 (0.58 - 0.68 microns) and 2 (0.725 - 1.1 microns) to run the Constrained Least Squares model to generate fraction images for an area in the west central region of Brazil. The derived fraction images are compared with an unsupervised classification and the fraction images derived from Landsat TM data acquired in the same day. In addition, the relationship betweeen these fraction images and the well known NDVI images are presented. The results show the great potential of the unmixing techniques for applying to coarse resolution data for global studies.

High resolution change estimation of soil moisture and its assimilation into a land surface model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Ujjwal

Near surface soil moisture plays an important role in hydrological processes including infiltration, evapotranspiration and runoff. These processes depend non-linearly on soil moisture and hence sub-pixel scale soil moisture variability characterization is important for accurate modeling of water and energy fluxes at the pixel scale. Microwave remote sensing has evolved as an attractive technique for global monitoring of near surface soil moisture. A radiative transfer model has been tested and validated for soil moisture retrieval from passive microwave remote sensing data under a full range of vegetation water content conditions. It was demonstrated that soil moisture retrieval errors of approximately 0.04 g/g gravimetric soil moisture are attainable with vegetation water content as high as 5 kg/m2. Recognizing the limitation of low spatial resolution associated with passive sensors, an algorithm that uses low resolution passive microwave (radiometer) and high resolution active microwave (radar) data to estimate soil moisture change at the spatial resolution of radar operation has been developed and applied to coincident Passive and Active L and S band (PALS) and Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) datasets acquired during the Soil Moisture Experiments in 2002 (SMEX02) campaign with root mean square error of 10% and a 4 times enhancement in spatial resolution. The change estimation algorithm has also been used to estimate soil moisture change at 5 km resolution using AMSR-E soil moisture product (50 km) in conjunction with the TRMM-PR data (5 km) for a 3 month period demonstrating the possibility of high resolution soil moisture change estimation using satellite based data. Soil moisture change is closely related to precipitation and soil hydraulic properties. A simple assimilation framework has been implemented to investigate whether assimilation of surface layer soil moisture change observations into a hydrologic model will potentially improve it performance. Results indicate an improvement in model prediction of near surface and deep layer soil moisture content when the update is performed to the model state as compared to free model runs. It is also seen that soil moisture change assimilation is able to mitigate the effect of erroneous precipitation input data.

Modelling and observations of molecules in discs around young stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilee, John David

2013-04-01

This thesis contains a study of molecules within circumstellar discs around young stars. Firstly, the chemistry of a disc around a young, Class 0 protostar is modelled. Such discs are thought to be massive, and thus experience gravitational instabilities, which produce spiral density waves. These affect the chemistry in three ways; by desorbing molecules from dust grains, by providing extra energy for new reactions to take place, and by mixing the internal structure of the disc to provide a rich chemistry near the midplane. Secondly, high resolution near-infrared spectra of 20 massive young stellar objects are presented. The objects display CO first overtone bandhead emission, which is excited in the conditions expected within circumstellar discs. The emission is modelled using a simple analytic model of a Keplerian disc, and good fits are found to all spectra. On average, the discs correspond to being geometrically thin, spread across a wide range of inclinations. The discs are located within the dust sublimation radius, providing strong evidence that the CO emission originates in small gaseous discs, supporting the scenario in which massive stars form via disc accretion. Finally, medium resolution near-infrared spectra of 5 Herbig Ae/Be stars are presented. The spectra cover both CO bandhead and Br gamma emission. Accretion rates are derived from the measuring the Br gamma emission and through modelling the CO emission, however these accretion rates are found to be inconsistent. High resolution archival data of one of the targets is presented, and it is shown that this CO disc model is unable to fit the high resolution data. Therefore, it is concluded that to properly fit CO spectra, high resolution data are needed, and that previously published information determined from low resolution spectra should be treated with caution.

Tropical Cyclone Activity in the High-Resolution Community Earth System Model and the Impact of Ocean Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hui; Sriver, Ryan L.

2018-01-01

High-resolution Atmosphere General Circulation Models (AGCMs) are capable of directly simulating realistic tropical cyclone (TC) statistics, providing a promising approach for TC-climate studies. Active air-sea coupling in a coupled model framework is essential to capturing TC-ocean interactions, which can influence TC-climate connections on interannual to decadal time scales. Here we investigate how the choices of ocean coupling can affect the directly simulated TCs using high-resolution configurations of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). We performed a suite of high-resolution, multidecadal, global-scale CESM simulations in which the atmosphere (˜0.25° grid spacing) is configured with three different levels of ocean coupling: prescribed climatological sea surface temperature (SST) (ATM), mixed layer ocean (SLAB), and dynamic ocean (CPL). We find that different levels of ocean coupling can influence simulated TC frequency, geographical distributions, and storm intensity. ATM simulates more storms and higher overall storm intensity than the coupled simulations. It also simulates higher TC track density over the eastern Pacific and the North Atlantic, while TC tracks are relatively sparse within CPL and SLAB for these regions. Storm intensification and the maximum wind speed are sensitive to the representations of local surface flux feedbacks in different coupling configurations. Key differences in storm number and distribution can be attributed to variations in the modeled large-scale climate mean state and variability that arise from the combined effect of intrinsic model biases and air-sea interactions. Results help to improve our understanding about the representation of TCs in high-resolution coupled Earth system models, with important implications for TC-climate applications.

Realistic 3D computer model of the gerbil middle ear, featuring accurate morphology of bone and soft tissue structures.

PubMed

Buytaert, Jan A N; Salih, Wasil H M; Dierick, Manual; Jacobs, Patric; Dirckx, Joris J J

2011-12-01

In order to improve realism in middle ear (ME) finite-element modeling (FEM), comprehensive and precise morphological data are needed. To date, micro-scale X-ray computed tomography (μCT) recordings have been used as geometric input data for FEM models of the ME ossicles. Previously, attempts were made to obtain these data on ME soft tissue structures as well. However, due to low X-ray absorption of soft tissue, quality of these images is limited. Another popular approach is using histological sections as data for 3D models, delivering high in-plane resolution for the sections, but the technique is destructive in nature and registration of the sections is difficult. We combine data from high-resolution μCT recordings with data from high-resolution orthogonal-plane fluorescence optical-sectioning microscopy (OPFOS), both obtained on the same gerbil specimen. State-of-the-art μCT delivers high-resolution data on the 3D shape of ossicles and other ME bony structures, while the OPFOS setup generates data of unprecedented quality both on bone and soft tissue ME structures. Each of these techniques is tomographic and non-destructive and delivers sets of automatically aligned virtual sections. The datasets coming from different techniques need to be registered with respect to each other. By combining both datasets, we obtain a complete high-resolution morphological model of all functional components in the gerbil ME. The resulting 3D model can be readily imported in FEM software and is made freely available to the research community. In this paper, we discuss the methods used, present the resulting merged model, and discuss the morphological properties of the soft tissue structures, such as muscles and ligaments.

High-resolution modelling of waves, currents and sediment transport in the Catalan Sea.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Arcilla, Agustín; Grifoll, Manel; Pallares, Elena; Espino, Manuel

2013-04-01

In order to investigate coastal shelf dynamics, a sequence of high resolution multi-scale models have been implemented for the Catalan shelf (North-western Mediterranean Sea). The suite consists of a set of increasing-resolution nested models, based on the circulation model ROMS (Regional Ocean Modelling System), the wave model SWAN (Simulation Waves Nearshore) and the sediment transport model CSTM (Community Sediment Transport Model), covering different ranges of spatial (from ~1 km at shelf-slope regions to ~40 m around river mouth or local beaches) and temporal scales (from storms events to seasonal variability). Contributions in the understanding of local processes such as along-shelf dynamics in the inner-shelf, sediment dispersal from the river discharge or bi-directional wave-current interactions under different synoptic conditions and resolution have been obtained using the Catalan Coast as a pilot site. Numerical results have been compared with "ad-hoc" intensive field campaigns, data from observational models and remote sensing products. The results exhibit acceptable agreement with observations and the investigation has allowed developing generic knowledge and more efficient (process-based) strategies for the coastal and shelf management.

Impact of resolution on aerosol radiative feedbacks with in online-coupled chemistry/climate simulations (WRF-Chem) for EURO-CORDEX compliant domains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Romero, Jose Maria; Baró, Rocío; Palacios-Peña, Laura; Jerez, Sonia; Jiménez-Guerrero, Pedro; Montávez, Juan Pedro

2016-04-01

Several studies have shown that a high spatial resolution in atmospheric model runs improves the simulation of some meteorological variables, such as precipitation, particularly extreme events and in regions with complex orography [1]. However, increasing model spatial resolution makes the computational time rise exponentially. Hence, very high resolution experiments on large domains can hamper the execution of climatic runs. This problem shoots up when using online-coupled chemistry climate models, making a careful evaluation of improvements versus costs mandatory. Under this umbrella, the objective of this work is to investigate the sensitivity of aerosol radiative feedbacks from online-coupled chemistry regional model simulations to the spatial resolution. For that, the WRF-Chem [2] model is used for a case study to simulate the episode occurring between July 25th and August 15th of 2010. It is characterized by a high loading of atmospheric aerosol particles coming mainly from wildfires over large European regions (Russia, Iberian Peninsula). Three spatial resolutions are used defined for Euro-Cordex compliant domains [3]: 0.44°, 0.22° and 0.11°. Anthropogenic emissions come from TNO databases [4]. The analysis focuses on air quality variables (mainly PM10, PM2.5), meteorological variables (temperature, radiation) and other aerosol optical properties (aerosol optical depth). The CPU time ratio for the different domains is 1 (0.44°), 4(0.22°) and 28(0.11°) (normalized times). Comparison among simulations and observations are analyzed. Preliminary results show the difficulty to justify the much larger computational cost of high-resolution experiments when comparing with observations from a meteorological point of view, despite the finer spatio-temporal detail of the obtained pollutant fields. [1] Prein, A. F. (2014, December). Precipitation in the EURO-CORDEX 0.11° and 0.44° simulations: high resolution, high benefits?. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 3893). [2] Grell, G. A., Peckham, S. E., Schmitz, R., McKeen, S. A., Frost, G., Skamarock, W. C., & Eder, B. (2005). Fully coupled "online" chemistry within the WRF model. Atmospheric Environment, 39(37), 6957-6975. [3] Jacob, D., Petersen, J., Eggert, B., Alias, A., Christensen, O. B., Bouwer, L. M., ... & Georgopoulou, E. (2014). EURO-CORDEX: new high-resolution climate change projections for European impact research. Regional Environmental Change, 14(2), 563-578. [4] Pouliot, G., Denier van der Gon, H., Kuenen, J., Makar, P., Zhang, J., Moran, M., 2015. Analysis of the emission inventories and model-ready emission datasets of Europe and North America for phase 2 of the AQMEII project. Atmos. Environ. 115, 345-360.

On the Importance of Spatial Resolution for Flap Side Edge Noise Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mineck, Raymond E.; Khorrami, Mehdi R.

2017-01-01

A spatial resolution study of flap tip flow and the effects on the farfield noise signature for an 18%-scale, semispan Gulfstream aircraft model are presented. The NASA FUN3D unstructured, compressible Navier-Stokes solver was used to perform the highly resolved, time-dependent, detached eddy simulations of the flow field associated with the flap for this high-fidelity aircraft model. Following our previous work on the same model, the latest computations were undertaken to determine the causes of deficiencies observed in our earlier predictions of the steady and unsteady surface pressures and off-surface flow field at the flap tip regions, in particular the outboard tip area, where the presence of a cavity at the side-edge produces very complex flow features and interactions. The present results show gradual improvement in steady loading at the outboard flap edge region with increasing spatial resolution, yielding more accurate fluctuating surface pressures, off-surface flow field, and farfield noise with improved high-frequency content when compared with wind tunnel measurements. The spatial resolution trends observed in the present study demonstrate that the deficiencies reported in our previous computations are mostly caused by inadequate spatial resolution and are not related to the turbulence model.

Simulation of population-based commuter exposure to NO₂ using different air pollution models.

PubMed

Ragettli, Martina S; Tsai, Ming-Yi; Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte; de Nazelle, Audrey; Schindler, Christian; Ineichen, Alex; Ducret-Stich, Regina E; Perez, Laura; Probst-Hensch, Nicole; Künzli, Nino; Phuleria, Harish C

2014-05-12

We simulated commuter routes and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution during commute in a representative population sample in Basel (Switzerland), and evaluated three air pollution models with different spatial resolution for estimating commute exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as a marker of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Our approach includes spatially and temporally resolved data on actual commuter routes, travel modes and three air pollution models. Annual mean NO2 commuter exposures were similar between models. However, we found more within-city and within-subject variability in annual mean (±SD) NO2 commuter exposure with a high resolution dispersion model (40 ± 7 µg m(-3), range: 21-61) than with a dispersion model with a lower resolution (39 ± 5 µg m(-3); range: 24-51), and a land use regression model (41 ± 5 µg m(-3); range: 24-54). Highest median cumulative exposures were calculated along motorized transport and bicycle routes, and the lowest for walking. For estimating commuter exposure within a city and being interested also in small-scale variability between roads, a model with a high resolution is recommended. For larger scale epidemiological health assessment studies, models with a coarser spatial resolution are likely sufficient, especially when study areas include suburban and rural areas.

Linking rainforest ecophysiology and microclimate through fusion of airborne LiDAR and hyperspectral imagery

Treesearch

Eben N. Broadbent; Angélica M. Almeyda Zambrano; Gregory P. Asner; Christopher B. Field; Brad E. Rosenheim; Ty Kennedy-Bowdoin; David E. Knapp; David Burke; Christian Giardina; Susan Cordell

2014-01-01

We develop and validate a high-resolution three-dimensional model of light and air temperature for a tropical forest interior in Hawaii along an elevation gradient varying greatly in structure but maintaining a consistent species composition. Our microclimate models integrate high-resolution airborne waveform light detection and ranging data (LiDAR) and hyperspectral...

High-resolution numerical models for smoke transport in plumes from wildland fires

Treesearch

Philip Cunningham; Scott Goodrick

2013-01-01

A high-resolution large-eddy simulation (LES) model is employed to examine the fundamental structure and dynamics of buoyant plumes arising from heat sources representative of wildland fires. Herein we describe several aspects of the mean properties of the simulated plumes. Mean plume trajectories are apparently well described by the traditional two-thirds law for...

Fennec dust forecast intercomparison over the Sahara in June 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaboureau, Jean-Pierre; Flamant, Cyrille; Dauhut, Thibaut; Kocha, Cécile; Lafore, Jean-Philippe; Lavaysse, Chistophe; Marnas, Fabien; Mokhtari, Mohamed; Pelon, Jacques; Reinares Martínez, Irene; Schepanski, Kerstin; Tulet, Pierre

2016-06-01

In the framework of the Fennec international programme, a field campaign was conducted in June 2011 over the western Sahara. It led to the first observational data set ever obtained that documents the dynamics, thermodynamics and composition of the Saharan atmospheric boundary layer (SABL) under the influence of the heat low. In support to the aircraft operation, four dust forecasts were run daily at low and high resolutions with convection-parameterizing and convection-permitting models, respectively. The unique airborne and ground-based data sets allowed the first ever intercomparison of dust forecasts over the western Sahara. At monthly scale, large aerosol optical depths (AODs) were forecast over the Sahara, a feature observed by satellite retrievals but with different magnitudes. The AOD intensity was correctly predicted by the high-resolution models, while it was underestimated by the low-resolution models. This was partly because of the generation of strong near-surface wind associated with thunderstorm-related density currents that could only be reproduced by models representing convection explicitly. Such models yield emissions mainly in the afternoon that dominate the total emission over the western fringes of the Adrar des Iforas and the Aïr Mountains in the high-resolution forecasts. Over the western Sahara, where the harmattan contributes up to 80 % of dust emission, all the models were successful in forecasting the deep well-mixed SABL. Some of them, however, missed the large near-surface dust concentration generated by density currents and low-level winds. This feature, observed repeatedly by the airborne lidar, was partly forecast by one high-resolution model only.

Fennec dust forecast intercomparison over the Sahara in June 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaboureau, J. P.; Flamant, C.; Dauhut, T.; Lafore, J. P.; Lavaysse, C.; Pelon, J.; Schepanski, K.; Tulet, P.

2016-12-01

In the framework of the Fennec international programme, a field campaign was conducted in June 2011 over the western Sahara. It led to the first observational data set ever obtained that documents the dynamics, thermodynam-ics and composition of the Saharan atmospheric boundary layer (SABL) under the influence of the heat low. In support to the aircraft operation, four dust forecasts were run daily at low and high resolutions with convection-parameterizing and convection-permitting models, respectively. The unique airborne and ground-based data sets allowed the first ever intercomparison of dust forecasts over the western Sahara. At monthly scale, large aerosol optical depths (AODs) were forecast over the Sahara, a feature observed by satellite retrievals but with different magnitudes. The AOD intensity was correctly predicted by the high-resolution models, while it was underestimated by the low-resolution models. This was partly because of the generation of strong near-surface wind associated with thunderstorm-related density currents that could only be reproduced by models representing convection explicitly. Such models yield emissions mainly in the afternoon that dominate the total emission over the western fringes of the Adrar des Iforas and the Aïr Mountains in the high-resolution forecasts. Over the western Sahara, where the harmattan contributes up to 80 % of dust emission, all the models were successful in forecasting the deep well-mixed SABL. Some of them, however, missed the large near-surface dust concentration generated by density currents and low-level winds. This feature, observed repeatedly by the airborne lidar, was partly forecast by one high-resolution model only.

High Resolution Simulations of Future Climate in West Africa Using a Variable-Resolution Atmospheric Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adegoke, J. O.; Engelbrecht, F.; Vezhapparambu, S.

2013-12-01

In previous work demonstrated the application of a var¬iable-resolution global atmospheric model, the conformal-cubic atmospheric model (CCAM), across a wide range of spatial and time scales to investigate the ability of the model to provide realistic simulations of present-day climate and plausible projections of future climate change over sub-Saharan Africa. By applying the model in stretched-grid mode the versatility of the model dynamics, numerical formulation and physical parameterizations to function across a range of length scales over the region of interest, was also explored. We primarily used CCAM to illustrate the capability of the model to function as a flexible downscaling tool at the climate-change time scale. Here we report on additional long term climate projection studies performed by downscaling at much higher resolutions (8 Km) over an area that stretches from just south of Sahara desert to the southern coast of the Niger Delta and into the Gulf of Guinea. To perform these simulations, CCAM was provided with synoptic-scale forcing of atmospheric circulation from 2.5 deg resolution NCEP reanalysis at 6-hourly interval and SSTs from NCEP reanalysis data uses as lower boundary forcing. CCAM 60 Km resolution downscaled to 8 Km (Schmidt factor 24.75) then 8 Km resolution simulation downscaled to 1 Km (Schmidt factor 200) over an area approximately 50 Km x 50 Km in the southern Lake Chad Basin (LCB). Our intent in conducting these high resolution model runs was to obtain a deeper understanding of linkages between the projected future climate and the hydrological processes that control the surface water regime in this part of sub-Saharan Africa.

A novel super-resolution camera model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Xiaopeng; Wang, Yi; Xu, Jie; Wang, Lin; Liu, Fei; Luo, Qiuhua; Chen, Xiaodong; Bi, Xiangli

2015-05-01

Aiming to realize super resolution(SR) to single image and video reconstruction, a super resolution camera model is proposed for the problem that the resolution of the images obtained by traditional cameras behave comparatively low. To achieve this function we put a certain driving device such as piezoelectric ceramics in the camera. By controlling the driving device, a set of continuous low resolution(LR) images can be obtained and stored instantaneity, which reflect the randomness of the displacements and the real-time performance of the storage very well. The low resolution image sequences have different redundant information and some particular priori information, thus it is possible to restore super resolution image factually and effectively. The sample method is used to derive the reconstruction principle of super resolution, which analyzes the possible improvement degree of the resolution in theory. The super resolution algorithm based on learning is used to reconstruct single image and the variational Bayesian algorithm is simulated to reconstruct the low resolution images with random displacements, which models the unknown high resolution image, motion parameters and unknown model parameters in one hierarchical Bayesian framework. Utilizing sub-pixel registration method, a super resolution image of the scene can be reconstructed. The results of 16 images reconstruction show that this camera model can increase the image resolution to 2 times, obtaining images with higher resolution in currently available hardware levels.

North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones: historical simulations and future changes with the new high-resolution Arpege AGCM.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilon, R.; Chauvin, F.; Palany, P.; Belmadani, A.

2017-12-01

A new version of the variable high-resolution Meteo-France Arpege atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) has been developed for tropical cyclones (TC) studies, with a focus on the North Atlantic basin, where the model horizontal resolution is 15 km. Ensemble historical AMIP (Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project)-type simulations (1965-2014) and future projections (2020-2080) under the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario have been produced. TC-like vortices tracking algorithm is used to investigate TC activity and variability. TC frequency, genesis, geographical distribution and intensity are examined. Historical simulations are compared to best-track and reanalysis datasets. Model TC frequency is generally realistic but tends to be too high during the rst decade of the historical simulations. Biases appear to originate from both the tracking algorithm and model climatology. Nevertheless, the model is able to simulate extremely well intense TCs corresponding to category 5 hurricanes in the North Atlantic, where grid resolution is highest. Interaction between developing TCs and vertical wind shear is shown to be contributing factor for TC variability. Future changes in TC activity and properties are also discussed.

Comments on “A Unified Representation of Deep Moist Convection in Numerical Modeling of the Atmosphere. Part I”

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

Zhang, Guang; Fan, Jiwen; Xu, Kuan-Man

2015-06-01

Arakawa and Wu (2013, hereafter referred to as AW13) recently developed a formal approach to a unified parameterization of atmospheric convection for high-resolution numerical models. The work is based on ideas formulated by Arakawa et al. (2011). It lays the foundation for a new parameterization pathway in the era of high-resolution numerical modeling of the atmosphere. The key parameter in this approach is convective cloud fraction. In conventional parameterization, it is assumed that <<1. This assumption is no longer valid when horizontal resolution of numerical models approaches a few to a few tens kilometers, since in such situations convective cloudmore » fraction can be comparable to unity. Therefore, they argue that the conventional approach to parameterizing convective transport must include a factor 1 - in order to unify the parameterization for the full range of model resolutions so that it is scale-aware and valid for large convective cloud fractions. While AW13’s approach provides important guidance for future convective parameterization development, in this note we intend to show that the conventional approach already has this scale awareness factor 1 - built in, although not recognized for the last forty years. Therefore, it should work well even in situations of large convective cloud fractions in high-resolution numerical models.« less

HPC Aspects of Variable-Resolution Global Climate Modeling using a Multi-scale Convection Parameterization

EPA Science Inventory

High performance computing (HPC) requirements for the new generation variable grid resolution (VGR) global climate models differ from that of traditional global models. A VGR global model with 15 km grids over the CONUS stretching to 60 km grids elsewhere will have about ~2.5 tim...

Spatial Modeling of Geometallurgical Properties: Techniques and a Case Study

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

Deutsch, Jared L., E-mail: jdeutsch@ualberta.ca; Palmer, Kevin; Deutsch, Clayton V.

High-resolution spatial numerical models of metallurgical properties constrained by geological controls and more extensively by measured grade and geomechanical properties constitute an important part of geometallurgy. Geostatistical and other numerical techniques are adapted and developed to construct these high-resolution models accounting for all available data. Important issues that must be addressed include unequal sampling of the metallurgical properties versus grade assays, measurements at different scale, and complex nonlinear averaging of many metallurgical parameters. This paper establishes techniques to address each of these issues with the required implementation details and also demonstrates geometallurgical mineral deposit characterization for a copper–molybdenum deposit inmore » South America. High-resolution models of grades and comminution indices are constructed, checked, and are rigorously validated. The workflow demonstrated in this case study is applicable to many other deposit types.« less

Single image super-resolution via an iterative reproducing kernel Hilbert space method.

PubMed

Deng, Liang-Jian; Guo, Weihong; Huang, Ting-Zhu

2016-11-01

Image super-resolution, a process to enhance image resolution, has important applications in satellite imaging, high definition television, medical imaging, etc. Many existing approaches use multiple low-resolution images to recover one high-resolution image. In this paper, we present an iterative scheme to solve single image super-resolution problems. It recovers a high quality high-resolution image from solely one low-resolution image without using a training data set. We solve the problem from image intensity function estimation perspective and assume the image contains smooth and edge components. We model the smooth components of an image using a thin-plate reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) and the edges using approximated Heaviside functions. The proposed method is applied to image patches, aiming to reduce computation and storage. Visual and quantitative comparisons with some competitive approaches show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

First results of high-resolution modeling of Cenozoic subduction orogeny in Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, S.; Sobolev, S. V.; Babeyko, A. Y.; Krueger, F.; Quinteros, J.; Popov, A.

2016-12-01

The Andean Orogeny is the result of the upper-plate crustal shortening during the Cenozoic Nazca plate subduction beneath South America plate. With up to 300 km shortening, the Earth's second highest Altiplano-Puna Plateau was formed with a pronounced N-S oriented deformation diversity. Furthermore, the tectonic shortening in the Southern Andes was much less intensive and started much later. The mechanism of the shortening and the nature of N-S variation of its magnitude remain controversial. The previous studies of the Central Andes suggested that they might be related to the N-S variation in the strength of the lithosphere, friction coupling at slab interface, and are probably influenced by the interaction of the climate and tectonic systems. However, the exact nature of the strength variation was not explored due to the lack of high numerical resolution and 3D numerical models at that time. Here we will employ large-scale subduction models with a high resolution to reveal and quantify the factors controlling the strength of lithospheric structures and their effect on the magnitude of tectonic shortening in the South America plate between 18°-35°S. These high-resolution models are performed by using the highly scalable parallel 3D code LaMEM (Lithosphere and Mantle Evolution Model). This code is based on finite difference staggered grid approach and employs massive linear and non-linear solvers within the PETSc library to complete high-performance MPI-based parallelization in geodynamic modeling. Currently, in addition to benchmark-models we are developing high-resolution (< 1km) 2D subduction models with application to Nazca-South America convergence. In particular, we will present the models focusing on the effect of friction reduction in the Paleozoic-Cenozoic sediments above the uppermost crust in the Subandean Ranges. Future work will be focused on the origin of different styles of deformation and topography evolution in Altiplano-Puna Plateau and Central-Southern Andes through 3D modeling of large-scale interaction of subducting and overriding plates.

High Resolution Global Topography of Eros from NEAR Imaging and LIDAR Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskell, Robert W.; Konopliv, A.; Barnouin-Jha, O.; Scheeres, D.

2006-01-01

Principal Data Products: Ensemble of L-maps from SPC, Spacecraft state, Asteroid pole and rotation. Secondary Products: Global topography model, inertia tensor, gravity. Composite high resolution topography. Three dimensional image maps.

Detection and Attribution of Regional Climate Change

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

Bala, G; Mirin, A

2007-01-19

We developed a high resolution global coupled modeling capability to perform breakthrough studies of the regional climate change. The atmospheric component in our simulation uses a 1{sup o} latitude x 1.25{sup o} longitude grid which is the finest resolution ever used for the NCAR coupled climate model CCSM3. Substantial testing and slight retuning was required to get an acceptable control simulation. The major accomplishment is the validation of this new high resolution configuration of CCSM3. There are major improvements in our simulation of the surface wind stress and sea ice thickness distribution in the Arctic. Surface wind stress and oceanmore » circulation in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current are also improved. Our results demonstrate that the FV version of the CCSM coupled model is a state of the art climate model whose simulation capabilities are in the class of those used for IPCC assessments. We have also provided 1000 years of model data to Scripps Institution of Oceanography to estimate the natural variability of stream flow in California. In the future, our global model simulations will provide boundary data to high-resolution mesoscale model that will be used at LLNL. The mesoscale model would dynamically downscale the GCM climate to regional scale on climate time scales.« less

Analysis and characterization of high-resolution and high-aspect-ratio imaging fiber bundles.

PubMed

Motamedi, Nojan; Karbasi, Salman; Ford, Joseph E; Lomakin, Vitaliy

2015-11-10

High-contrast imaging fiber bundles (FBs) are characterized and modeled for wide-angle and high-resolution imaging applications. Scanning electron microscope images of FB cross sections are taken to measure physical parameters and verify the variations of irregular fibers due to the fabrication process. Modal analysis tools are developed that include irregularities in the fiber core shapes and provide results in agreement with experimental measurements. The modeling demonstrates that the irregular fibers significantly outperform a perfectly regular "ideal" array. Using this method, FBs are designed that can provide high contrast with core pitches of only a few wavelengths of the guided light. Structural modifications of the commercially available FB can reduce the core pitch by 60% for higher resolution image relay.

Stochastic Downscaling of Digital Elevation Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasera, Luiz Gustavo; Mariethoz, Gregoire; Lane, Stuart N.

2016-04-01

High-resolution digital elevation models (HR-DEMs) are extremely important for the understanding of small-scale geomorphic processes in Alpine environments. In the last decade, remote sensing techniques have experienced a major technological evolution, enabling fast and precise acquisition of HR-DEMs. However, sensors designed to measure elevation data still feature different spatial resolution and coverage capabilities. Terrestrial altimetry allows the acquisition of HR-DEMs with centimeter to millimeter-level precision, but only within small spatial extents and often with dead ground problems. Conversely, satellite radiometric sensors are able to gather elevation measurements over large areas but with limited spatial resolution. In the present study, we propose an algorithm to downscale low-resolution satellite-based DEMs using topographic patterns extracted from HR-DEMs derived for example from ground-based and airborne altimetry. The method consists of a multiple-point geostatistical simulation technique able to generate high-resolution elevation data from low-resolution digital elevation models (LR-DEMs). Initially, two collocated DEMs with different spatial resolutions serve as an input to construct a database of topographic patterns, which is also used to infer the statistical relationships between the two scales. High-resolution elevation patterns are then retrieved from the database to downscale a LR-DEM through a stochastic simulation process. The output of the simulations are multiple equally probable DEMs with higher spatial resolution that also depict the large-scale geomorphic structures present in the original LR-DEM. As these multiple models reflect the uncertainty related to the downscaling, they can be employed to quantify the uncertainty of phenomena that are dependent on fine topography, such as catchment hydrological processes. The proposed methodology is illustrated for a case study in the Swiss Alps. A swissALTI3D HR-DEM (with 5 m resolution) and a SRTM-derived LR-DEM from the Western Alps are used to downscale a SRTM-based LR-DEM from the eastern part of the Alps. The results show that the method is capable of generating multiple high-resolution synthetic DEMs that reproduce the spatial structure and statistics of the original DEM.

GIEMS-D3: A new long-term, dynamical, high-spatial resolution inundation extent dataset at global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aires, Filipe; Miolane, Léo; Prigent, Catherine; Pham Duc, Binh; Papa, Fabrice; Fluet-Chouinard, Etienne; Lehner, Bernhard

2017-04-01

The Global Inundation Extent from Multi-Satellites (GIEMS) provides multi-year monthly variations of the global surface water extent at 25kmx25km resolution. It is derived from multiple satellite observations. Its spatial resolution is usually compatible with climate model outputs and with global land surface model grids but is clearly not adequate for local applications that require the characterization of small individual water bodies. There is today a strong demand for high-resolution inundation extent datasets, for a large variety of applications such as water management, regional hydrological modeling, or for the analysis of mosquitos-related diseases. A new procedure is introduced to downscale the GIEMS low spatial resolution inundations to a 3 arc second (90 m) dataset. The methodology is based on topography and hydrography information from the HydroSHEDS database. A new floodability index is adopted and an innovative smoothing procedure is developed to ensure the smooth transition, in the high-resolution maps, between the low-resolution boxes from GIEMS. Topography information is relevant for natural hydrology environments controlled by elevation, but is more limited in human-modified basins. However, the proposed downscaling approach is compatible with forthcoming fusion with other more pertinent satellite information in these difficult regions. The resulting GIEMS-D3 database is the only high spatial resolution inundation database available globally at the monthly time scale over the 1993-2007 period. GIEMS-D3 is assessed by analyzing its spatial and temporal variability, and evaluated by comparisons to other independent satellite observations from visible (Google Earth and Landsat), infrared (MODIS) and active microwave (SAR).

A framework for global river flood risk assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winsemius, H. C.; Van Beek, L. P. H.; Bouwman, A.; Ward, P. J.; Jongman, B.

2012-04-01

There is an increasing need for strategic global assessments of flood risks. Such assessments may be required by: (a) International Financing Institutes and Disaster Management Agencies to evaluate where, when, and which investments in flood risk mitigation are most required; (b) (re-)insurers, who need to determine their required coverage capital; and (c) large companies to account for risks of regional investments. In this contribution, we propose a framework for global river flood risk assessment. The framework combines coarse scale resolution hazard probability distributions, derived from global hydrological model runs (typical scale about 0.5 degree resolution) with high resolution estimates of exposure indicators. The high resolution is required because floods typically occur at a much smaller scale than the typical resolution of global hydrological models, and exposure indicators such as population, land use and economic value generally are strongly variable in space and time. The framework therefore estimates hazard at a high resolution ( 1 km2) by using a) global forcing data sets of the current (or in scenario mode, future) climate; b) a global hydrological model; c) a global flood routing model, and d) importantly, a flood spatial downscaling routine. This results in probability distributions of annual flood extremes as an indicator of flood hazard, at the appropriate resolution. A second component of the framework combines the hazard probability distribution with classical flood impact models (e.g. damage, affected GDP, affected population) to establish indicators for flood risk. The framework can be applied with a large number of datasets and models and sensitivities of such choices can be evaluated by the user. The framework is applied using the global hydrological model PCR-GLOBWB, combined with a global flood routing model. Downscaling of the hazard probability distributions to 1 km2 resolution is performed with a new downscaling algorithm, applied on a number of target regions. We demonstrate the use of impact models in these regions based on global GDP, population, and land use maps. In this application, we show sensitivities of the estimated risks with regard to the use of different climate input datasets, decisions made in the downscaling algorithm, and different approaches to establish distributed estimates of GDP and asset exposure to flooding.

Sensitivity studies of high-resolution RegCM3 simulations of precipitation over the European Alps: the effect of lateral boundary conditions and domain size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadeem, Imran; Formayer, Herbert

2016-11-01

A suite of high-resolution (10 km) simulations were performed with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) Regional Climate Model (RegCM3) to study the effect of various lateral boundary conditions (LBCs), domain size, and intermediate domains on simulated precipitation over the Great Alpine Region. The boundary conditions used were ECMWF ERA-Interim Reanalysis with grid spacing 0.75∘, the ECMWF ERA-40 Reanalysis with grid spacing 1.125 and 2.5∘, and finally the 2.5∘ NCEP/DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis. The model was run in one-way nesting mode with direct nesting of the high-resolution RCM (horizontal grid spacing Δx = 10 km) with driving reanalysis, with one intermediate resolution nest (Δx = 30 km) between high-resolution RCM and reanalysis forcings, and also with two intermediate resolution nests (Δx = 90 km and Δx = 30 km) for simulations forced with LBC of resolution 2.5∘. Additionally, the impact of domain size was investigated. The results of multiple simulations were evaluated using different analysis techniques, e.g., Taylor diagram and a newly defined useful statistical parameter, called Skill-Score, for evaluation of daily precipitation simulated by the model. It has been found that domain size has the major impact on the results, while different resolution and versions of LBCs, e.g., 1.125∘ ERA40 and 0.7∘ ERA-Interim, do not produce significantly different results. It is also noticed that direct nesting with reasonable domain size, seems to be the most adequate method for reproducing precipitation over complex terrain, while introducing intermediate resolution nests seems to deteriorate the results.

Unraveling the martian water cycle with high-resolution global climate simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pottier, Alizée; Forget, François; Montmessin, Franck; Navarro, Thomas; Spiga, Aymeric; Millour, Ehouarn; Szantai, André; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste

2017-07-01

Global climate modeling of the Mars water cycle is usually performed at relatively coarse resolution (200 - 300km), which may not be sufficient to properly represent the impact of waves, fronts, topography effects on the detailed structure of clouds and surface ice deposits. Here, we present new numerical simulations of the annual water cycle performed at a resolution of 1° × 1° (∼ 60 km in latitude). The model includes the radiative effects of clouds, whose influence on the thermal structure and atmospheric dynamics is significant, thus we also examine simulations with inactive clouds to distinguish the direct impact of resolution on circulation and winds from the indirect impact of resolution via water ice clouds. To first order, we find that the high resolution does not dramatically change the behavior of the system, and that simulations performed at ∼ 200 km resolution capture well the behavior of the simulated water cycle and Mars climate. Nevertheless, a detailed comparison between high and low resolution simulations, with reference to observations, reveal several significant changes that impact our understanding of the water cycle active today on Mars. The key northern cap edge dynamics are affected by an increase in baroclinic wave strength, with a complication of northern summer dynamics. South polar frost deposition is modified, with a westward longitudinal shift, since southern dynamics are also influenced. Baroclinic wave mode transitions are observed. New transient phenomena appear, like spiral and streak clouds, already documented in the observations. Atmospheric circulation cells in the polar region exhibit a large variability and are fine structured, with slope winds. Most modeled phenomena affected by high resolution give a picture of a more turbulent planet, inducing further variability. This is challenging for long-period climate studies.

LOR-interleaving image reconstruction for PET imaging with fractional-crystal collimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yusheng; Matej, Samuel; Karp, Joel S.; Metzler, Scott D.

2015-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) has become an important modality in medical and molecular imaging. However, in most PET applications, the resolution is still mainly limited by the physical crystal sizes or the detector’s intrinsic spatial resolution. To achieve images with better spatial resolution in a central region of interest (ROI), we have previously proposed using collimation in PET scanners. The collimator is designed to partially mask detector crystals to detect lines of response (LORs) within fractional crystals. A sequence of collimator-encoded LORs is measured with different collimation configurations. This novel collimated scanner geometry makes the reconstruction problem challenging, as both detector and collimator effects need to be modeled to reconstruct high-resolution images from collimated LORs. In this paper, we present a LOR-interleaving (LORI) algorithm, which incorporates these effects and has the advantage of reusing existing reconstruction software, to reconstruct high-resolution images for PET with fractional-crystal collimation. We also develop a 3D ray-tracing model incorporating both the collimator and crystal penetration for simulations and reconstructions of the collimated PET. By registering the collimator-encoded LORs with the collimator configurations, high-resolution LORs are restored based on the modeled transfer matrices using the non-negative least-squares method and EM algorithm. The resolution-enhanced images are then reconstructed from the high-resolution LORs using the MLEM or OSEM algorithm. For validation, we applied the LORI method to a small-animal PET scanner, A-PET, with a specially designed collimator. We demonstrate through simulated reconstructions with a hot-rod phantom and MOBY phantom that the LORI reconstructions can substantially improve spatial resolution and quantification compared to the uncollimated reconstructions. The LORI algorithm is crucial to improve overall image quality of collimated PET, which can have significant implications in preclinical and clinical ROI imaging applications.

High resolution modeling of a small urban catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skouri-Plakali, Ilektra; Ichiba, Abdellah; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel

2016-04-01

Flooding is one of the most complex issues that urban environments have to deal with. In France, flooding remains the first natural risk with 72% of decrees state of natural disaster issued between October 1982 and mid-November 2014. Flooding is a result of meteorological extremes that are usually aggravated by the hydrological behavior of urban catchments and human factors. The continuing urbanization process is indeed changing the whole urban water cycle by limiting the infiltration and promoting runoff. Urban environments are very complex systems due to their extreme variability, the interference between human activities and natural processes but also the effect of the ongoing urbanization process that changes the landscape and hardly influences their hydrologic behavior. Moreover, many recent works highlight the need to simulate all urban water processes at their specific temporal and spatial scales. However, considering urban catchments heterogeneity still challenging for urban hydrology, even after advances noticed in term of high-resolution data collection and computational resources. This issue is more to be related to the architecture of urban models being used and how far these models are ready to take into account the extreme variability of urban catchments. In this work, high spatio-temporal resolution modeling is performed for a small and well-equipped urban catchment. The aim of this work is to identify urban modeling needs in terms of spatial and temporal resolution especially for a very small urban area (3.7 ha urban catchment located in the Perreux-sur-Marne city at the southeast of Paris) MultiHydro model was selected to carry out this work, it is a physical based and fully distributed model that interacts four existing modules each of them representing a portion of the water cycle in urban environments. MultiHydro was implemented at 10m, 5m and 2m resolution. Simulations were performed at different spatio-temporal resolutions and analyzed with respect to real flow measurements. First Results coming out show improvements obtained in terms of the model performance at high spatio-temporal resolution.

Development of a High Resolution Weather Forecast Model for Mesoamerica Using the NASA Ames Code I Private Cloud Computing Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molthan, Andrew; Case, Jonathan; Venner, Jason; Moreno-Madrinan, Max J.; Delgado, Francisco

2012-01-01

Two projects at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center have collaborated to develop a high resolution weather forecast model for Mesoamerica: The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center, which integrates unique NASA satellite and weather forecast modeling capabilities into the operational weather forecasting community. NASA's SERVIR Program, which integrates satellite observations, ground-based data, and forecast models to improve disaster response in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Himalayas.

EMRinger: side chain–directed model and map validation for 3D cryo-electron microscopy

DOE PAGES

Barad, Benjamin A.; Echols, Nathaniel; Wang, Ray Yu-Ruei; ...

2015-08-17

Advances in high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) require the development of validation metrics to independently assess map quality and model geometry. We report that EMRinger is a tool that assesses the precise fitting of an atomic model into the map during refinement and shows how radiation damage alters scattering from negatively charged amino acids. EMRinger (https://github.com/fraser-lab/EMRinger) will be useful for monitoring progress in resolving and modeling high-resolution features in cryo-EM.

Estimation of trabecular bone parameters in children from multisequence MRI using texture-based regression

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

Lekadir, Karim, E-mail: karim.lekadir@upf.edu; Hoogendoorn, Corné; Armitage, Paul

Purpose: This paper presents a statistical approach for the prediction of trabecular bone parameters from low-resolution multisequence magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children, thus addressing the limitations of high-resolution modalities such as HR-pQCT, including the significant exposure of young patients to radiation and the limited applicability of such modalities to peripheral bones in vivo. Methods: A statistical predictive model is constructed from a database of MRI and HR-pQCT datasets, to relate the low-resolution MRI appearance in the cancellous bone to the trabecular parameters extracted from the high-resolution images. The description of the MRI appearance is achieved between subjects by usingmore » a collection of feature descriptors, which describe the texture properties inside the cancellous bone, and which are invariant to the geometry and size of the trabecular areas. The predictive model is built by fitting to the training data a nonlinear partial least square regression between the input MRI features and the output trabecular parameters. Results: Detailed validation based on a sample of 96 datasets shows correlations >0.7 between the trabecular parameters predicted from low-resolution multisequence MRI based on the proposed statistical model and the values extracted from high-resolution HRp-QCT. Conclusions: The obtained results indicate the promise of the proposed predictive technique for the estimation of trabecular parameters in children from multisequence MRI, thus reducing the need for high-resolution radiation-based scans for a fragile population that is under development and growth.« less

Wind-Stress Dust Lifting in a Mars Global Circulation Model: Representation across Resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, R.; Lewis, S.; Balme, M. R.; Steele, L.

2017-12-01

The formation of Martian dust storms is believed to be driven by dust lifting by near-surface wind stress (NSWS). Accurately representing this dust lifting within Mars Global Circulation Models (MGCMs) is important in order to gain a full understanding of the Martian dust storm cycle. Parameterisations of dust lifting by NSWS exist within several MGCMs; implementations differ but they all follow a similar design, so progress within one model is relevant to the entire field. Few studies have explored in detail how the results of these parameterisations can be affected by changing the horizontal resolution of the model. An accurate parameterisation of dust lifting by NSWS will lift a representative dust mass, reproducing characteristic dust optical depths in the atmosphere. The geographical distribution of the dust lifting by NSWS will also change throughout the year, affecting patterns of dust storm formation and development. Currently, suitable values for dust lifting parameters must be identified at every new model resolution. Resolutions of 5° latitude x 5° longitude are often used to model the Martian climate, as thermal tides and long-term weather patterns can be well represented at this resolution. However, smaller scale phenomena (such as near-surface winds driven by local topography) cannot be accurately depicted at this resolution. We use the LMD-UK MGCM to complete multi-year simulations across multiple model resolutions. Our experiments range from `low' resolution 5° lat x 5° lon to `high' resolution 1° lat x 1° lon. In experiments with fixed, constant lifting parameters, we find that higher resolution simulations lift more dust, but that this trend is asymptotic. At low resolutions, dust lifting increases proportionately with the increase in number of horizontal gridboxes. However, at high resolutions, doubling the number of gridboxes results only in a 30% increase in the total dust mass lifted. Geographical and temporal distributions of dust lifting are investigated, as well as the total dust lifted, in order to assess the optimum parameters for each resolution, and to develop a calibration scheme for this dust lifting across model resolutions. The scheme is verified through comparison with spacecraft observations of dust optical depths and dust storm locations.

Simulation of Deep Convective Clouds with the Dynamic Reconstruction Turbulence Closure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, X.; Chow, F. K.; Street, R. L.; Bryan, G. H.

2017-12-01

The terra incognita (TI), or gray zone, in simulations is a range of grid spacing comparable to the most energetic eddy diameter. Spacing in mesoscale and simulations is much larger than the eddies, and turbulence is parameterized with one-dimensional vertical-mixing. Large eddy simulations (LES) have grid spacing much smaller than the energetic eddies, and use three-dimensional models of turbulence. Studies of convective weather use convection-permitting resolutions, which are in the TI. Neither mesoscale-turbulence nor LES models are designed for the TI, so TI turbulence parameterization needs to be discussed. Here, the effects of sub-filter scale (SFS) closure schemes on the simulation of deep tropical convection are evaluated by comparing three closures, i.e. Smagorinsky model, Deardorff-type TKE model and the dynamic reconstruction model (DRM), which partitions SFS turbulence into resolvable sub-filter scales (RSFS) and unresolved sub-grid scales (SGS). The RSFS are reconstructed, and the SGS are modeled with a dynamic eddy viscosity/diffusivity model. The RSFS stresses/fluxes allow backscatter of energy/variance via counter-gradient stresses/fluxes. In high-resolution (100m) simulations of tropical convection use of these turbulence models did not lead to significant differences in cloud water/ice distribution, precipitation flux, or vertical fluxes of momentum and heat. When model resolutions are coarsened, the Smagorinsky and TKE models overestimate cloud ice and produces large-amplitude downward heat flux in the middle troposphere (not found in the high-resolution simulations). This error is a result of unrealistically large eddy diffusivities, i.e., the eddy diffusivity of the DRM is on the order of 1 for the coarse resolution simulations, the eddy diffusivity of the Smagorinsky and TKE model is on the order of 100. Splitting the eddy viscosity/diffusivity scalars into vertical and horizontal components by using different length scales and strain rate components helps to reduce the errors, but does not completely remedy the problem. In contrast, the coarse resolution simulations using the DRM produce results that are more consistent with the high-resolution results, suggesting that the DRM is a more appropriate turbulence model for simulating convection in the TI.

Coarsening of physics for biogeochemical model in NEMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bricaud, Clement; Le Sommer, Julien; Madec, Gurvan; Deshayes, Julie; Chanut, Jerome; Perruche, Coralie

2017-04-01

Ocean mesoscale and submesoscale turbulence contribute to ocean tracer transport and to shaping ocean biogeochemical tracers distribution. Representing adequately tracer transport in ocean models therefore requires to increase model resolution so that the impact of ocean turbulence is adequately accounted for. But due to supercomputers power and storage limitations, global biogeochemical models are not yet run routinely at eddying resolution. Still, because the "effective resolution" of eddying ocean models is much coarser than the physical model grid resolution, tracer transport can be reconstructed to a large extent by computing tracer transport and diffusion with a model grid resolution close to the effective resolution of the physical model. This observation has motivated the implementation of a new capability in NEMO ocean model (http://www.nemo-ocean.eu/) that allows to run the physical model and the tracer transport model at different grid resolutions. In a first time, we present results obtained with this new capability applied to a synthetic age tracer in a global eddying model configuration. In this model configuration, ocean dynamic is computed at ¼° resolution but tracer transport is computed at 3/4° resolution. The solution obtained is compared to 2 reference setup ,one at ¼° resolution for both physics and passive tracer models and one at 3/4° resolution for both physics and passive tracer model. We discuss possible options for defining the vertical diffusivity coefficient for the tracer transport model based on information from the high resolution grid. We describe the impact of this choice on the distribution and one the penetration of the age tracer. In a second time we present results obtained by coupling the physics with the biogeochemical model PISCES. We look at the impact of this methodology on some tracers distribution and dynamic. The method described here can found applications in ocean forecasting, such as the Copernicus Marine service operated by Mercator-Ocean, and in Earth System Models for climate applications.

High-resolution modeling assessment of tidal stream resource in Western Passage of Maine, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhaoqing; Wang, Taiping; Feng, Xi; Xue, Huijie; Kilcher, Levi

2017-04-01

Although significant efforts have been taken to assess the maximum potential of tidal stream energy at system-wide scale, accurate assessment of tidal stream energy resource at project design scale requires detailed hydrodynamic simulations using high-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) numerical models. Extended model validation against high quality measured data is essential to minimize the uncertainties of the resource assessment. Western Passage in the State of Maine in U.S. has been identified as one of the top ranking sites for tidal stream energy development in U.S. coastal waters, based on a number of criteria including tidal power density, market value and transmission distance. This study presents an on-going modeling effort for simulating the tidal hydrodynamics in Western Passage using the 3-D unstructured-grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). The model domain covers a large region including the entire the Bay of Fundy with grid resolution varies from 20 m in the Western Passage to approximately 1000 m along the open boundary near the mouth of Bay of Fundy. Preliminary model validation was conducted using existing NOAA measurements within the model domain. Spatial distributions of tidal power density were calculated and extractable tidal energy was estimated using a tidal turbine module embedded in FVCOM under different tidal farm scenarios. Additional field measurements to characterize resource and support model validation were discussed. This study provides an example of high resolution resource assessment based on the guidance recommended by the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Specification.

Resolution of ab initio shapes determined from small-angle scattering.

PubMed

Tuukkanen, Anne T; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Svergun, Dmitri I

2016-11-01

Spatial resolution is an important characteristic of structural models, and the authors of structures determined by X-ray crystallography or electron cryo-microscopy always provide the resolution upon publication and deposition. Small-angle scattering of X-rays or neutrons (SAS) has recently become a mainstream structural method providing the overall three-dimensional structures of proteins, nucleic acids and complexes in solution. However, no quantitative resolution measure is available for SAS-derived models, which significantly hampers their validation and further use. Here, a method is derived for resolution assessment for ab initio shape reconstruction from scattering data. The inherent variability of the ab initio shapes is utilized and it is demonstrated how their average Fourier shell correlation function is related to the model resolution. The method is validated against simulated data for proteins with known high-resolution structures and its efficiency is demonstrated in applications to experimental data. It is proposed that henceforth the resolution be reported in publications and depositions of ab initio SAS models.

Resolution of ab initio shapes determined from small-angle scattering

PubMed Central

Tuukkanen, Anne T.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Svergun, Dmitri I.

2016-01-01

Spatial resolution is an important characteristic of structural models, and the authors of structures determined by X-ray crystallography or electron cryo-microscopy always provide the resolution upon publication and deposition. Small-angle scattering of X-rays or neutrons (SAS) has recently become a mainstream structural method providing the overall three-dimensional structures of proteins, nucleic acids and complexes in solution. However, no quantitative resolution measure is available for SAS-derived models, which significantly hampers their validation and further use. Here, a method is derived for resolution assessment for ab initio shape reconstruction from scattering data. The inherent variability of the ab initio shapes is utilized and it is demonstrated how their average Fourier shell correlation function is related to the model resolution. The method is validated against simulated data for proteins with known high-resolution structures and its efficiency is demonstrated in applications to experimental data. It is proposed that henceforth the resolution be reported in publications and depositions of ab initio SAS models. PMID:27840683

High-resolution dust modelling over complex terrains in West Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basart, S.; Vendrell, L.; Baldasano, J. M.

2016-12-01

The present work demonstrates the impact of model resolution in dust propagation in a complex terrain region such as West Asia. For this purpose, two simulations using the NMMB/BSC-Dust model are performed and analysed, one with a high horizontal resolution (at 0.03° × 0.03°) and one with a lower horizontal resolution (at 0.33° × 0.33°). Both model experiments cover two intense dust storms that occurred on 17-20 March 2012 as a consequence of strong northwesterly Shamal winds that spanned over thousands of kilometres in West Asia. The comparison with ground-based (surface weather stations and sunphotometers) and satellite aerosol observations (Aqua/MODIS and MSG/SEVIRI) shows that despite differences in the magnitude of the simulated dust concentrations, the model is able to reproduce these two dust outbreaks. Differences between both simulations on the dust spread rise on regional dust transport areas in south-western Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. The complex orography in south-western Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman (with peaks higher than 3000 m) has an impact on the transported dust concentration fields over mountain regions. Differences between both model configurations are mainly associated to the channelization of the dust flow through valleys and the differences in the modelled altitude of the mountains that alters the meteorology and blocks the dust fronts limiting the dust transport. These results demonstrate how the dust prediction in the vicinity of complex terrains improves using high-horizontal resolution simulations.

Simulation of climatology and Interannual Variability of Spring Persistent Rains by Meteorological Research Institute Model: Impacts of different horizontal resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Puxi; Zhou, Tianjun; Zou, Liwei

2016-04-01

The authors evaluated the performance of Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) AGCM3.2 models in the simulations of climatology and interannual variability of the Spring Persistent Rains (SPR) over southeastern China. The possible impacts of different horizontal resolutions were also investigated based on the experiments with three different horizontal resolutions (i.e., 120, 60, and 20km). The model could reasonably reproduce the main rainfall center over southeastern China in boreal spring under the three different resolutions. In comparison with 120 simulation, it revealed that 60km and 20km simulations show the superiority in simulating rainfall centers anchored by the Nanling-Wuyi Mountains, but overestimate rainfall intensity. Water vapor budget diagnosis showed that, the 60km and 20km simulations tended to overestimate the water vapor convergence over southeastern China, which leads to wet biases. In the aspect of interannual variability of SPR, the model could reasonably reproduce the anomalous lower-tropospheric anticyclone in the western North Pacific (WNPAC) and positive precipitation anomalies over southeastern China in El Niño decaying spring. Compared with the 120km resolution, the large positive biases are substantially reduced in the mid and high resolution models which evidently improve the simulation of horizontal moisture advection in El Niño decaying spring. We highlight the importance of developing high resolution climate model as it could potentially improve the climatology and interannual variability of SPR.

A parametric approach for simultaneous bias correction and high-resolution downscaling of climate model rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamalakis, Antonios; Langousis, Andreas; Deidda, Roberto; Marrocu, Marino

2017-03-01

Distribution mapping has been identified as the most efficient approach to bias-correct climate model rainfall, while reproducing its statistics at spatial and temporal resolutions suitable to run hydrologic models. Yet its implementation based on empirical distributions derived from control samples (referred to as nonparametric distribution mapping) makes the method's performance sensitive to sample length variations, the presence of outliers, the spatial resolution of climate model results, and may lead to biases, especially in extreme rainfall estimation. To address these shortcomings, we propose a methodology for simultaneous bias correction and high-resolution downscaling of climate model rainfall products that uses: (a) a two-component theoretical distribution model (i.e., a generalized Pareto (GP) model for rainfall intensities above a specified threshold u*, and an exponential model for lower rainrates), and (b) proper interpolation of the corresponding distribution parameters on a user-defined high-resolution grid, using kriging for uncertain data. We assess the performance of the suggested parametric approach relative to the nonparametric one, using daily raingauge measurements from a dense network in the island of Sardinia (Italy), and rainfall data from four GCM/RCM model chains of the ENSEMBLES project. The obtained results shed light on the competitive advantages of the parametric approach, which is proved more accurate and considerably less sensitive to the characteristics of the calibration period, independent of the GCM/RCM combination used. This is especially the case for extreme rainfall estimation, where the GP assumption allows for more accurate and robust estimates, also beyond the range of the available data.

Gaia: automated quality assessment of protein structure models.

PubMed

Kota, Pradeep; Ding, Feng; Ramachandran, Srinivas; Dokholyan, Nikolay V

2011-08-15

Increasing use of structural modeling for understanding structure-function relationships in proteins has led to the need to ensure that the protein models being used are of acceptable quality. Quality of a given protein structure can be assessed by comparing various intrinsic structural properties of the protein to those observed in high-resolution protein structures. In this study, we present tools to compare a given structure to high-resolution crystal structures. We assess packing by calculating the total void volume, the percentage of unsatisfied hydrogen bonds, the number of steric clashes and the scaling of the accessible surface area. We assess covalent geometry by determining bond lengths, angles, dihedrals and rotamers. The statistical parameters for the above measures, obtained from high-resolution crystal structures enable us to provide a quality-score that points to specific areas where a given protein structural model needs improvement. We provide these tools that appraise protein structures in the form of a web server Gaia (http://chiron.dokhlab.org). Gaia evaluates the packing and covalent geometry of a given protein structure and provides quantitative comparison of the given structure to high-resolution crystal structures. dokh@unc.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

LTE modeling of inhomogeneous chromospheric structure using high-resolution limb observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, C.

1987-01-01

The paper discusses considerations relevant to LTE modeling of rough atmospheres. Particular attention is given to the application of recent high-resolution observations of the solar limb in the far-infrared and radio continuum to the modeling of chromospheric spicules. It is explained how the continuum limb observations can be combined with morphological knowledge of spicule structure to model the physical conditions in chromospheric spicules. This discussion forms the basis for a chromospheric model presented in a parallel publication based on observations ranging from 100 microns to 2.6 mm.

Standard, Random, and Optimum Array conversions from Two-Pole resistance data

DOE PAGES

Rucker, D. F.; Glaser, Danney R.

2014-09-01

We present an array evaluation of standard and nonstandard arrays over a hydrogeological target. We develop the arrays by linearly combining data from the pole-pole (or 2-pole) array. The first test shows that reconstructed resistances for the standard Schlumberger and dipoledipole arrays are equivalent or superior to the measured arrays in terms of noise, especially at large geometric factors. The inverse models for the standard arrays also confirm what others have presented in terms of target resolvability, namely the dipole-dipole array has the highest resolution. In the second test, we reconstruct random electrode combinations from the 2-pole data segregated intomore » inner, outer, and overlapping dipoles. The resistance data and inverse models from these randomized arrays show those with inner dipoles to be superior in terms of noise and resolution and that overlapping dipoles can cause model instability and low resolution. Finally, we use the 2-pole data to create an optimized array that maximizes the model resolution matrix for a given electrode geometry. The optimized array produces the highest resolution and target detail. Thus, the tests demonstrate that high quality data and high model resolution can be achieved by acquiring field data from the pole-pole array.« less

Efficient Approaches for Propagating Hydrologic Forcing Uncertainty: High-Resolution Applications Over the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobbs, J.; Turmon, M.; David, C. H.; Reager, J. T., II; Famiglietti, J. S.

2017-12-01

NASA's Western States Water Mission (WSWM) combines remote sensing of the terrestrial water cycle with hydrological models to provide high-resolution state estimates for multiple variables. The effort includes both land surface and river routing models that are subject to several sources of uncertainty, including errors in the model forcing and model structural uncertainty. Computational and storage constraints prohibit extensive ensemble simulations, so this work outlines efficient but flexible approaches for estimating and reporting uncertainty. Calibrated by remote sensing and in situ data where available, we illustrate the application of these techniques in producing state estimates with associated uncertainties at kilometer-scale resolution for key variables such as soil moisture, groundwater, and streamflow.

The Use of Scale-Dependent Precision to Increase Forecast Accuracy in Earth System Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thornes, Tobias; Duben, Peter; Palmer, Tim

2016-04-01

At the current pace of development, it may be decades before the 'exa-scale' computers needed to resolve individual convective clouds in weather and climate models become available to forecasters, and such machines will incur very high power demands. But the resolution could be improved today by switching to more efficient, 'inexact' hardware with which variables can be represented in 'reduced precision'. Currently, all numbers in our models are represented as double-precision floating points - each requiring 64 bits of memory - to minimise rounding errors, regardless of spatial scale. Yet observational and modelling constraints mean that values of atmospheric variables are inevitably known less precisely on smaller scales, suggesting that this may be a waste of computer resources. More accurate forecasts might therefore be obtained by taking a scale-selective approach whereby the precision of variables is gradually decreased at smaller spatial scales to optimise the overall efficiency of the model. To study the effect of reducing precision to different levels on multiple spatial scales, we here introduce a new model atmosphere developed by extending the Lorenz '96 idealised system to encompass three tiers of variables - which represent large-, medium- and small-scale features - for the first time. In this chaotic but computationally tractable system, the 'true' state can be defined by explicitly resolving all three tiers. The abilities of low resolution (single-tier) double-precision models and similar-cost high resolution (two-tier) models in mixed-precision to produce accurate forecasts of this 'truth' are compared. The high resolution models outperform the low resolution ones even when small-scale variables are resolved in half-precision (16 bits). This suggests that using scale-dependent levels of precision in more complicated real-world Earth System models could allow forecasts to be made at higher resolution and with improved accuracy. If adopted, this new paradigm would represent a revolution in numerical modelling that could be of great benefit to the world.

Changing the scale of hydrogeophysical aquifer heterogeneity characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paradis, Daniel; Tremblay, Laurie; Ruggeri, Paolo; Brunet, Patrick; Fabien-Ouellet, Gabriel; Gloaguen, Erwan; Holliger, Klaus; Irving, James; Molson, John; Lefebvre, Rene

2015-04-01

Contaminant remediation and management require the quantitative predictive capabilities of groundwater flow and mass transport numerical models. Such models have to encompass source zones and receptors, and thus typically cover several square kilometers. To predict the path and fate of contaminant plumes, these models have to represent the heterogeneous distribution of hydraulic conductivity (K). However, hydrogeophysics has generally been used to image relatively restricted areas of the subsurface (small fractions of km2), so there is a need for approaches defining heterogeneity at larger scales and providing data to constrain conceptual and numerical models of aquifer systems. This communication describes a workflow defining aquifer heterogeneity that was applied over a 12 km2 sub-watershed surrounding a decommissioned landfill emitting landfill leachate. The aquifer is a shallow, 10 to 20 m thick, highly heterogeneous and anisotropic assemblage of littoral sand and silt. Field work involved the acquisition of a broad range of data: geological, hydraulic, geophysical, and geochemical. The emphasis was put on high resolution and continuous hydrogeophysical data, the use of direct-push fully-screened wells and the acquisition of targeted high-resolution hydraulic data covering the range of observed aquifer materials. The main methods were: 1) surface geophysics (ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity); 2) direct-push operations with a geotechnical drilling rig (cone penetration tests with soil moisture resistivity CPT/SMR; full-screen well installation); and 3) borehole operations, including high-resolution hydraulic tests and geochemical sampling. New methods were developed to acquire high vertical resolution hydraulic data in direct-push wells, including both vertical and horizontal K (Kv and Kh). Various data integration approaches were used to represent aquifer properties in 1D, 2D and 3D. Using relevant vector machines (RVM), the mechanical and geophysical CPT/SMR measurements were used to recognize hydrofacies (HF) and obtain high-resolution 1D vertical profiles of hydraulic properties. Bayesian sequential simulation of the low-resolution surface-based geoelectrical measurements as well as high-resolution direct-push measurements of the electrical and hydraulic conductivities provided realistic estimates of the spatial distribution of K on a 250-m-long 2D survey line. Following a similar approach, all 1D vertical profiles of K derived from CPT/SMR soundings were integrated with available 2D geoelectrical profiles to obtain the 3D distribution of K over the study area. Numerical models were developed to understand flow and mass transport and assess how indicators could constrain model results and their K distributions. A 2D vertical section model was first developed based on a conceptual representation of heterogeneity which showed a significant effect of layering on flow and transport. The model demonstrated that solute and age tracers provide key model constraints. Additional 2D vertical section models with synthetic representations of low and high K hydrofacies were also developed on the basis of CPT/SMR soundings. These models showed that high-resolution profiles of hydraulic head could help constrain the spatial distribution and continuity of hydrofacies. History matching approaches are still required to simulate geostatistical models of K using hydrogeophysical data, while considering their impact on flow and transport with constraints provided by tracers of solutes and groundwater age.

Minimal modeling of the extratropical general circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Brien, Enda; Branscome, Lee E.

1989-01-01

The ability of low-order, two-layer models to reproduce basic features of the mid-latitude general circulation is investigated. Changes in model behavior with increased spectral resolution are examined in detail. Qualitatively correct time-mean heat and momentum balances are achieved in a beta-plane channel model which includes the first and third meridional modes. This minimal resolution also reproduces qualitatively realistic surface and upper-level winds and mean meridional circulations. Higher meridional resolution does not result in substantial changes in the latitudinal structure of the circulation. A qualitatively correct kinetic energy spectrum is produced when the resolution is high enough to include several linearly stable modes. A model with three zonal waves and the first three meridional modes has a reasonable energy spectrum and energy conversion cycle, while also satisfying heat and momentum budget requirements. This truncation reproduces the basic mechanisms and zonal circulation features that are obtained at higher resolution. The model performance improves gradually with higher resolution and is smoothly dependent on changes in external parameters.

Super-resolution Time-Lapse Seismic Waveform Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovcharenko, O.; Kazei, V.; Peter, D. B.; Alkhalifah, T.

2017-12-01

Time-lapse seismic waveform inversion is a technique, which allows tracking changes in the reservoirs over time. Such monitoring is relatively computationally extensive and therefore it is barely feasible to perform it on-the-fly. Most of the expenses are related to numerous FWI iterations at high temporal frequencies, which is inevitable since the low-frequency components can not resolve fine scale features of a velocity model. Inverted velocity changes are also blurred when there is noise in the data, so the problem of low-resolution images is widely known. One of the problems intensively tackled by computer vision research community is the recovering of high-resolution images having their low-resolution versions. Usage of artificial neural networks to reach super-resolution from a single downsampled image is one of the leading solutions for this problem. Each pixel of the upscaled image is affected by all the pixels of its low-resolution version, which enables the workflow to recover features that are likely to occur in the corresponding environment. In the present work, we adopt machine learning image enhancement technique to improve the resolution of time-lapse full-waveform inversion. We first invert the baseline model with conventional FWI. Then we run a few iterations of FWI on a set of the monitoring data to find desired model changes. These changes are blurred and we enhance their resolution by using a deep neural network. The network is trained to map low-resolution model updates predicted by FWI into the real perturbations of the baseline model. For supervised training of the network we generate a set of random perturbations in the baseline model and perform FWI on the noisy data from the perturbed models. We test the approach on a realistic perturbation of Marmousi II model and demonstrate that it outperforms conventional convolution-based deblurring techniques.

CHARRON: Code for High Angular Resolution of Rotating Objects in Nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, A.; Zorec, J.; Vakili, F.

2012-12-01

Rotation is one of the fundamental physical parameters governing stellar physics and evolution. At the same time, spectrally resolved optical/IR long-baseline interferometry has proven to be an important observing tool to measure many physical effects linked to rotation, in particular, stellar flattening, gravity darkening, differential rotation. In order to interpret the high angular resolution observations from modern spectro-interferometers, such as VLTI/AMBER and VEGA/CHARA, we have developed an interferometry-oriented numerical model: CHARRON (Code for High Angular Resolution of Rotating Objects in Nature). We present here the characteristics of CHARRON, which is faster (≃q10-30 s per model) and thus more adapted to model-fitting than the first version of the code presented by Domiciano de Souza et al. (2002).

The influence of spatially and temporally high-resolution wind forcing on the power input to near-inertial waves in the ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimac, A.; Eden, C.; von Storch, J.

2012-12-01

Coexistence of stable stratification, the meridional overturning circulation and meso-scale eddies and their influence on the ocean's circulation still raise complex questions concerning the ocean energetics. Oceanic general circulation is mainly forced by the wind field and deep water tides. Its essential energetics are the conversion of kinetic energy of the winds and tides into oceanic potential and kinetic energy. Energy needed for the circulation is bound to internal wave fields. Direct internal wave generation by the wind at the sea surface is one of the sources of this energy. Previous studies using mixed-layer type of models and low frequency wind forcings (six-hourly and daily) left room for improvement. Using mixed-layer models it is not possible to assess the distribution of near-inertial energy into the deep ocean. Also, coarse temporal resolution of wind forcing strongly underestimates the near-inertial wave energy. To overcome this difficulty we use a high resolution ocean model with high frequency wind forcings. We establish the following model setup: We use the Max Planck Institute Ocean Model (MPIOM) on a tripolar grid with 45km horizontal resolution and 40 vertical levels. We run the model with wind forcings that vary in horizontal (250km versus 40km) and temporal resolution (six versus one-hourly). In our study we answer the following questions: How big is the wind kinetic energy input to the near-inertial waves? Is the kinetic energy of the near-inertial waves enhanced when high-frequency wind forcings are used? If so, by how much and why, due to higher level of temporal wind variability or due to better spatial representation of the near-inertial waves? How big is the total power of near-inertial waves generated by the wind at the surface of the ocean? We run the model for one year. Our model results show that the near-inertial waves are excited both using wind forcings of high and low horizontal and temporal resolution. Near-inertial energy is almost two times higher when we force the model with high frequency wind forcings. The influence on the energy mostly depends on the time difference between two forcing fields while the spatial difference has little influence.

A review of surface energy balance models for estimating actual evapotranspiration with remote sensing at high spatiotemporal resolution over large extents

USGS Publications Warehouse

McShane, Ryan R.; Driscoll, Katelyn P.; Sando, Roy

2017-09-27

Many approaches have been developed for measuring or estimating actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and research over many years has led to the development of remote sensing methods that are reliably reproducible and effective in estimating ETa. Several remote sensing methods can be used to estimate ETa at the high spatial resolution of agricultural fields and the large extent of river basins. More complex remote sensing methods apply an analytical approach to ETa estimation using physically based models of varied complexity that require a combination of ground-based and remote sensing data, and are grounded in the theory behind the surface energy balance model. This report, funded through cooperation with the International Joint Commission, provides an overview of selected remote sensing methods used for estimating water consumed through ETa and focuses on Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) and Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop), two energy balance models for estimating ETa that are currently applied successfully in the United States. The METRIC model can produce maps of ETa at high spatial resolution (30 meters using Landsat data) for specific areas smaller than several hundred square kilometers in extent, an improvement in practice over methods used more generally at larger scales. Many studies validating METRIC estimates of ETa against measurements from lysimeters have shown model accuracies on daily to seasonal time scales ranging from 85 to 95 percent. The METRIC model is accurate, but the greater complexity of METRIC results in greater data requirements, and the internalized calibration of METRIC leads to greater skill required for implementation. In contrast, SSEBop is a simpler model, having reduced data requirements and greater ease of implementation without a substantial loss of accuracy in estimating ETa. The SSEBop model has been used to produce maps of ETa over very large extents (the conterminous United States) using lower spatial resolution (1 kilometer) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Model accuracies ranging from 80 to 95 percent on daily to annual time scales have been shown in numerous studies that validated ETa estimates from SSEBop against eddy covariance measurements. The METRIC and SSEBop models can incorporate low and high spatial resolution data from MODIS and Landsat, but the high spatiotemporal resolution of ETa estimates using Landsat data over large extents takes immense computing power. Cloud computing is providing an opportunity for processing an increasing amount of geospatial “big data” in a decreasing period of time. For example, Google Earth EngineTM has been used to implement METRIC with automated calibration for regional-scale estimates of ETa using Landsat data. The U.S. Geological Survey also is using Google Earth EngineTM to implement SSEBop for estimating ETa in the United States at a continental scale using Landsat data.

Development of a High-Resolution Climate Model for Future Climate Change Projection on the Earth Simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanzawa, H.; Emori, S.; Nishimura, T.; Suzuki, T.; Inoue, T.; Hasumi, H.; Saito, F.; Abe-Ouchi, A.; Kimoto, M.; Sumi, A.

2002-12-01

The fastest supercomputer of the world, the Earth Simulator (total peak performance 40TFLOPS) has recently been available for climate researches in Yokohama, Japan. We are planning to conduct a series of future climate change projection experiments on the Earth Simulator with a high-resolution coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model. The main scientific aims for the experiments are to investigate 1) the change in global ocean circulation with an eddy-permitting ocean model, 2) the regional details of the climate change including Asian monsoon rainfall pattern, tropical cyclones and so on, and 3) the change in natural climate variability with a high-resolution model of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system. To meet these aims, an atmospheric GCM, CCSR/NIES AGCM, with T106(~1.1o) horizontal resolution and 56 vertical layers is to be coupled with an oceanic GCM, COCO, with ~ 0.28ox 0.19o horizontal resolution and 48 vertical layers. This coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model, named MIROC, also includes a land-surface model, a dynamic-thermodynamic seaice model, and a river routing model. The poles of the oceanic model grid system are rotated from the geographic poles so that they are placed in Greenland and Antarctic land masses to avoild the singularity of the grid system. Each of the atmospheric and the oceanic parts of the model is parallelized with the Message Passing Interface (MPI) technique. The coupling of the two is to be done with a Multi Program Multi Data (MPMD) fashion. A 100-model-year integration will be possible in one actual month with 720 vector processors (which is only 14% of the full resources of the Earth Simulator).

Sensitivity of the summertime tropical Atlantic precipitation distribution to convective parameterization and model resolution in ECHAM6

DOE PAGES

Siongco, Angela Cheska; Hohenegger, Cathy; Stevens, Bjorn

2017-02-09

A realistic simulation of the tropical Atlantic precipitation distribution remains a challenge for atmospheric general circulation models, owing to their too coarse resolution that makes it necessary to parameterize convection. During boreal summer, models tend to underestimate the northward shift of the tropical Atlantic rain belt, leading to deficient precipitation over land and an anomalous precipitation maximum over the west Atlantic ocean. In this study, the model ECHAM6 is used to test the sensitivity of the precipitation biases to convective parameterization and horizontal resolution. Two sets of sensitivity experiments are performed. In the first set of experiments, modifications are appliedmore » to the convection scheme in order to investigate the relative roles of the trigger, entrainment, and closure formulations. In the second set, the model is run at high resolution with low-resolution boundary conditions in order to identify the relative contributions of a high-resolution atmosphere, orography, and surface. Results show that the dry bias over land in the model can be reduced by weakening the entrainment rate over land. Over ocean, it is found that the anomalous precipitation maximum occurs because of model choices that decrease the sensitivity of convection to the monsoon circulation in the east Atlantic. A reduction of the west Atlantic precipitation bias can be achieved by (i) using a moisture convergence closure, (ii) increasing the resolution of orography, or (iii) enhancing the production of deep convection in the east Atlantic. As a result, the biases over land and over ocean do not impact each other.« less

ESiWACE: A Center of Excellence for HPC applications to support cloud resolving earth system modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biercamp, Joachim; Adamidis, Panagiotis; Neumann, Philipp

2017-04-01

With the exa-scale era approaching, length and time scales used for climate research on one hand and numerical weather prediction on the other hand blend into each other. The Centre of Excellence in Simulation of Weather and Climate in Europe (ESiWACE) represents a European consortium comprising partners from climate, weather and HPC in their effort to address key scientific challenges that both communities have in common. A particular challenge is to reach global models with spatial resolutions that allow simulating convective clouds and small-scale ocean eddies. These simulations would produce better predictions of trends and provide much more fidelity in the representation of high-impact regional events. However, running such models in operational mode, i.e with sufficient throughput in ensemble mode clearly will require exa-scale computing and data handling capability. We will discuss the ESiWACE initiative and relate it to work-in-progress on high-resolution simulations in Europe. We present recent strong scalability measurements from ESiWACE to demonstrate current computability in weather and climate simulation. A special focus in this particular talk is on the Icosahedal Nonhydrostatic (ICON) model used for a comparison of high resolution regional and global simulations with high quality observation data. We demonstrate that close-to-optimal parallel efficiency can be achieved in strong scaling global resolution experiments on Mistral/DKRZ, e.g. 94% for 5km resolution simulations using 36k cores on Mistral/DKRZ. Based on our scalability and high-resolution experiments, we deduce and extrapolate future capabilities for ICON that are expected for weather and climate research at exascale.

Development of a hybrid 3-D hydrological model to simulate hillslopes and the regional unconfined aquifer system in Earth system models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazenberg, P.; Broxton, P. D.; Brunke, M.; Gochis, D.; Niu, G. Y.; Pelletier, J. D.; Troch, P. A. A.; Zeng, X.

2015-12-01

The terrestrial hydrological system, including surface and subsurface water, is an essential component of the Earth's climate system. Over the past few decades, land surface modelers have built one-dimensional (1D) models resolving the vertical flow of water through the soil column for use in Earth system models (ESMs). These models generally have a relatively coarse model grid size (~25-100 km) and only account for sub-grid lateral hydrological variations using simple parameterization schemes. At the same time, hydrologists have developed detailed high-resolution (~0.1-10 km grid size) three dimensional (3D) models and showed the importance of accounting for the vertical and lateral redistribution of surface and subsurface water on soil moisture, the surface energy balance and ecosystem dynamics on these smaller scales. However, computational constraints have limited the implementation of the high-resolution models for continental and global scale applications. The current work presents a hybrid-3D hydrological approach is presented, where the 1D vertical soil column model (available in many ESMs) is coupled with a high-resolution lateral flow model (h2D) to simulate subsurface flow and overland flow. H2D accounts for both local-scale hillslope and regional-scale unconfined aquifer responses (i.e. riparian zone and wetlands). This approach was shown to give comparable results as those obtained by an explicit 3D Richards model for the subsurface, but improves runtime efficiency considerably. The h3D approach is implemented for the Delaware river basin, where Noah-MP land surface model (LSM) is used to calculated vertical energy and water exchanges with the atmosphere using a 10km grid resolution. Noah-MP was coupled within the WRF-Hydro infrastructure with the lateral 1km grid resolution h2D model, for which the average depth-to-bedrock, hillslope width function and soil parameters were estimated from digital datasets. The ability of this h3D approach to simulate the hydrological dynamics of the Delaware River basin will be assessed by comparing the model results (both hydrological performance and numerical efficiency) with the standard setup of the NOAH-MP model and a high-resolution (1km) version of NOAH-MP, which also explicitly accounts for lateral subsurface and overland flow.

DEM Based Modeling: Grid or TIN? The Answer Depends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogden, F. L.; Moreno, H. A.

2015-12-01

The availability of petascale supercomputing power has enabled process-based hydrological simulations on large watersheds and two-way coupling with mesoscale atmospheric models. Of course with increasing watershed scale come corresponding increases in watershed complexity, including wide ranging water management infrastructure and objectives, and ever increasing demands for forcing data. Simulations of large watersheds using grid-based models apply a fixed resolution over the entire watershed. In large watersheds, this means an enormous number of grids, or coarsening of the grid resolution to reduce memory requirements. One alternative to grid-based methods is the triangular irregular network (TIN) approach. TINs provide the flexibility of variable resolution, which allows optimization of computational resources by providing high resolution where necessary and low resolution elsewhere. TINs also increase required effort in model setup, parameter estimation, and coupling with forcing data which are often gridded. This presentation discusses the costs and benefits of the use of TINs compared to grid-based methods, in the context of large watershed simulations within the traditional gridded WRF-HYDRO framework and the new TIN-based ADHydro high performance computing watershed simulator.

High-resolution Local Gravity Model of the South Pole of the Moon from GRAIL Extended Mission Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goossens, Sander Johannes; Sabaka, Terence J.; Nicholas, Joseph B.; Lemoine, Frank G.; Rowlands, David D.; Mazarico, Erwan; Neumann, Gregory A.; Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.

2014-01-01

We estimated a high-resolution local gravity field model over the south pole of the Moon using data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory's extended mission. Our solution consists of adjustments with respect to a global model expressed in spherical harmonics. The adjustments are expressed as gridded gravity anomalies with a resolution of 1/6deg by 1/6deg (equivalent to that of a degree and order 1080 model in spherical harmonics), covering a cap over the south pole with a radius of 40deg. The gravity anomalies have been estimated from a short-arc analysis using only Ka-band range-rate (KBRR) data over the area of interest. We apply a neighbor-smoothing constraint to our solution. Our local model removes striping present in the global model; it reduces the misfit to the KBRR data and improves correlations with topography to higher degrees than current global models.

Soil Erosion map of Europe based on high resolution input datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panagos, Panos; Borrelli, Pasquale; Meusburger, Katrin; Ballabio, Cristiano; Alewell, Christine

2015-04-01

Modelling soil erosion in European Union is of major importance for agro-environmental policies. Soil erosion estimates are important inputs for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the implementation of the Soil Thematic Strategy. Using the findings of a recent pan-European data collection through the EIONET network, it was concluded that most Member States are applying the empirical Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) for the modelling soil erosion at National level. This model was chosen for the pan-European soil erosion risk assessment and it is based on 6 input factors. Compared to past approaches, each of the factors is modelled using the latest pan-European datasets, expertise and data from Member states and high resolution remote sensing data. The soil erodibility (K-factor) is modelled using the recently published LUCAS topsoil database with 20,000 point measurements and incorporating the surface stone cover which can reduce K-factor by 15%. The rainfall erosivity dataset (R-factor) has been implemented using high temporal resolution rainfall data from more than 1,500 precipitation stations well distributed in Europe. The cover-management (C-factor) incorporates crop statistics and management practices such as cover crops, tillage practices and plant residuals. The slope length and steepness (combined LS-factor) is based on the first ever 25m Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Europe. Finally, the support practices (P-factor) is modelled for first time at this scale taking into account the 270,000 LUCAS earth observations and the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) that farmers have to follow in Europe. The high resolution input layers produce the final soil erosion risk map at 100m resolution and allow policy makers to run future land use, management and climate change scenarios.

Application of Radioxenon Stack Emission Data in High-Resolution Atmospheric Transport Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusmierczyk-Michulec, J.; Schoeppner, M.; Kalinowski, M.; Bourgouin, P.; Kushida, N.; Barè, J.

2017-12-01

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) has developed the capability to run high-resolution atmospheric transport modelling by employing WRF and Flexpart-WRF. This new capability is applied to simulate the impact of stack emission data on simulated concentrations and how the availability of such data improves the overall accuracy of atmospheric transport modelling. The presented case study focuses on xenon-133 emissions from IRE, a medical isotope production facility in Belgium, and air concentrations detected at DEX33, a monitoring station close to Freiburg, Germany. The CTBTO is currently monitoring the atmospheric concentration of xenon-133 at 25 stations and will further expand the monitoring efforts to 40 stations worldwide. The incentive is the ability to detect xenon-133 that has been produced and released from a nuclear explosion. A successful detection can be used to prove the nuclear nature of an explosion and even support localization efforts. However, xenon-133 is also released from nuclear power plants and to a larger degree from medical isotope production facilities. The availability of stack emission data in combination with atmospheric transport modelling can greatly facilitate the understanding of xenon-133 concentrations detected at monitoring stations to distinguish between xenon-133 that has been emitted from a nuclear explosion and from civilian sources. Newly available stack emission data is used with a high-resolution version of the Flexpart atmospheric transport model, namely Flexpart-WRF, to assess the impact of the emissions on the detected concentrations and the advantage gained from the availability of such stack emission data. The results are analyzed with regard to spatial and time resolution of the high-resolution model and in comparison to conventional atmospheric transport models with and without stack emission data.

Dynamical downscaling inter-comparison for high resolution climate reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, J.; Rocha, A.; Castanheira, J. M.; Carvalho, A. C.

2012-04-01

In the scope of the project: "High-resolution Rainfall EroSivity analysis and fORecasTing - RESORT", an evaluation of various methods of dynamic downscaling is presented. The methods evaluated range from the classic method of nesting a regional model results in a global model, in this case the ECMWF reanalysis, to more recently proposed methods, which consist in using Newtonian relaxation methods in order to nudge the results of the regional model to the reanalysis. The method with better results involves using a system of variational data assimilation to incorporate observational data with results from the regional model. The climatology of a simulation of 5 years using this method is tested against observations on mainland Portugal and the ocean in the area of the Portuguese Continental Shelf, which shows that the method developed is suitable for the reconstruction of high resolution climate over continental Portugal.

Wave Dissipation over Nearshore Beach Morphology: Insights from High-Resolution LIDAR Observations and the SWASH Wave Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulligan, R. P.; Gomes, E.; McNinch, J.; Brodie, K. L.

2016-02-01

Numerical modelling of the nearshore zone can be computationally intensive due to the complexity of wave breaking, and the need for high temporal and spatial resolution. In this study we apply the SWASH non-hydrostatic wave-flow model that phase-resolves the free surface and fluid motions in the water column at high resolution. The model is forced using observed directional energy spectra, and results are compared to wave observations during moderate storm events. Observations are collected outside the surf zone using acoustic wave and currents sensors, and inside the surf zone over a 100 m transect using high-resolution LIDAR measurements of the sea surface from a sensor mounted on a tower on the beach dune at the Field Research Facility in Duck, NC. The model is applied to four cases with different wave conditions and bathymetry, and used to predict the spatial variability in wave breaking, and correlation between energy dissipation and morphologic features. Model results compare well with observations of spectral evolution outside the surf zone, and with the remotely sensed observations of wave transformation inside the surf zone. The results indicate the importance of nearshore bars, rip-channels, and larger features (major scour depression under the pier following large waves from Hurricane Irene) on the location of wave breaking and alongshore variability in wave energy dissipation.

High-resolution stochastic generation of extreme rainfall intensity for urban drainage modelling applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peleg, Nadav; Blumensaat, Frank; Molnar, Peter; Fatichi, Simone; Burlando, Paolo

2016-04-01

Urban drainage response is highly dependent on the spatial and temporal structure of rainfall. Therefore, measuring and simulating rainfall at a high spatial and temporal resolution is a fundamental step to fully assess urban drainage system reliability and related uncertainties. This is even more relevant when considering extreme rainfall events. However, the current space-time rainfall models have limitations in capturing extreme rainfall intensity statistics for short durations. Here, we use the STREAP (Space-Time Realizations of Areal Precipitation) model, which is a novel stochastic rainfall generator for simulating high-resolution rainfall fields that preserve the spatio-temporal structure of rainfall and its statistical characteristics. The model enables a generation of rain fields at 102 m and minute scales in a fast and computer-efficient way matching the requirements for hydrological analysis of urban drainage systems. The STREAP model was applied successfully in the past to generate high-resolution extreme rainfall intensities over a small domain. A sub-catchment in the city of Luzern (Switzerland) was chosen as a case study to: (i) evaluate the ability of STREAP to disaggregate extreme rainfall intensities for urban drainage applications; (ii) assessing the role of stochastic climate variability of rainfall in flow response and (iii) evaluate the degree of non-linearity between extreme rainfall intensity and system response (i.e. flow) for a small urban catchment. The channel flow at the catchment outlet is simulated by means of a calibrated hydrodynamic sewer model.

Can High-resolution WRF Simulations Be Used for Short-term Forecasting of Lightning?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, S. J.; Lapenta, W.; McCaul, E. W., Jr.; LaCasse, K.; Petersen, W.

2006-01-01

A number of research teams have begun to make quasi-operational forecast simulations at high resolution with models such as the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. These model runs have used horizontal meshes of 2-4 km grid spacing, and thus resolved convective storms explicitly. In the light of recent global satellite-based observational studies that reveal robust relationships between total lightning flash rates and integrated amounts of precipitation-size ice hydrometeors in storms, it is natural to inquire about the capabilities of these convection-resolving models in representing the ice hydrometeor fields faithfully. If they do, this might make operational short-term forecasts of lightning activity feasible. We examine high-resolution WRF simulations from several Southeastern cases for which either NLDN or LMA lightning data were available. All the WRF runs use a standard microphysics package that depicts only three ice species, cloud ice, snow and graupel. The realism of the WRF simulations is examined by comparisons with both lightning and radar observations and with additional even higher-resolution cloud-resolving model runs. Preliminary findings are encouraging in that they suggest that WRF often makes convective storms of the proper size in approximately the right location, but they also indicate that higher resolution and better hydrometeor microphysics would be helpful in improving the realism of the updraft strengths, reflectivity and ice hydrometeor fields.

Simulation of Population-Based Commuter Exposure to NO2 Using Different Air Pollution Models

PubMed Central

Ragettli, Martina S.; Tsai, Ming-Yi; Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte; de Nazelle, Audrey; Schindler, Christian; Ineichen, Alex; Ducret-Stich, Regina E.; Perez, Laura; Probst-Hensch, Nicole; Künzli, Nino; Phuleria, Harish C.

2014-01-01

We simulated commuter routes and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution during commute in a representative population sample in Basel (Switzerland), and evaluated three air pollution models with different spatial resolution for estimating commute exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as a marker of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Our approach includes spatially and temporally resolved data on actual commuter routes, travel modes and three air pollution models. Annual mean NO2 commuter exposures were similar between models. However, we found more within-city and within-subject variability in annual mean (±SD) NO2 commuter exposure with a high resolution dispersion model (40 ± 7 µg m−3, range: 21–61) than with a dispersion model with a lower resolution (39 ± 5 µg m−3; range: 24–51), and a land use regression model (41 ± 5 µg m−3; range: 24–54). Highest median cumulative exposures were calculated along motorized transport and bicycle routes, and the lowest for walking. For estimating commuter exposure within a city and being interested also in small-scale variability between roads, a model with a high resolution is recommended. For larger scale epidemiological health assessment studies, models with a coarser spatial resolution are likely sufficient, especially when study areas include suburban and rural areas. PMID:24823664

Objective tropical cyclone extratropical transition detection in high-resolution reanalysis and climate model data

DOE PAGES

Zarzycki, Colin M.; Thatcher, Diana R.; Jablonowski, Christiane

2017-01-22

This paper describes an objective technique for detecting the extratropical transition (ET) of tropical cyclones (TCs) in high-resolution gridded climate data. The algorithm is based on previous observational studies using phase spaces to define the symmetry and vertical thermal structure of cyclones. Storm tracking is automated, allowing for direct analysis of climate data. Tracker performance in the North Atlantic is assessed using 23 years of data from the variable-resolution Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) at two different resolutions (DX 55 km and 28 km), the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR, DX 38 km), and the ERA-Interim Reanalysis (ERA-I, DX 80 km).more » The mean spatiotemporal climatologies and seasonal cycles of objectively detected ET in the observationally constrained CFSR and ERA-I are well matched to previous observational studies, demonstrating the capability of the scheme to adequately find events. High resolution CAM reproduces TC and ET statistics that are in general agreement with reanalyses. One notable model bias, however, is significantly longer time between ET onset and ET completion in CAM, particularly for TCs that lose symmetry prior to developing a cold-core structure and becoming extratropical cyclones, demonstrating the capability of this method to expose model biases in simulated cyclones beyond the tropical phase.« less

Model validation and error estimation of tsunami runup using high resolution data in Sadeng Port, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basith, Abdul; Prakoso, Yudhono; Kongko, Widjo

2017-07-01

A tsunami model using high resolution geometric data is indispensable in efforts to tsunami mitigation, especially in tsunami prone areas. It is one of the factors that affect the accuracy results of numerical modeling of tsunami. Sadeng Port is a new infrastructure in the Southern Coast of Java which could potentially hit by massive tsunami from seismic gap. This paper discusses validation and error estimation of tsunami model created using high resolution geometric data in Sadeng Port. Tsunami model validation uses the height wave of Tsunami Pangandaran 2006 recorded by Tide Gauge of Sadeng. Tsunami model will be used to accommodate the tsunami numerical modeling involves the parameters of earthquake-tsunami which is derived from the seismic gap. The validation results using t-test (student) shows that the height of the tsunami modeling results and observation in Tide Gauge of Sadeng are considered statistically equal at 95% confidence level and the value of the RMSE and NRMSE are 0.428 m and 22.12%, while the differences of tsunami wave travel time is 12 minutes.

Behavior of predicted convective clouds and precipitation in the high-resolution Unified Model over the Indian summer monsoon region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayakumar, A.; Sethunadh, Jisesh; Rakhi, R.; Arulalan, T.; Mohandas, Saji; Iyengar, Gopal R.; Rajagopal, E. N.

2017-05-01

National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting high-resolution regional convective-scale Unified Model with latest tropical science settings is used to evaluate vertical structure of cloud and precipitation over two prominent monsoon regions: Western Ghats (WG) and Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ). Model radar reflectivity generated using Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observation Simulator Package along with CloudSat profiling radar reflectivity is sampled for an active synoptic situation based on a new method using Budyko's index of turbulence (BT). Regime classification based on BT-precipitation relationship is more predominant during the active monsoon period when convective-scale model's resolution increases from 4 km to 1.5 km. Model predicted precipitation and vertical distribution of hydrometeors are found to be generally in agreement with Global Precipitation Measurement products and BT-based CloudSat observation, respectively. Frequency of occurrence of radar reflectivity from model implies that the low-level clouds below freezing level is underestimated compared to the observations over both regions. In addition, high-level clouds in the model predictions are much lesser over WG than MCZ.

The Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak : Large Eddy Simulations for Modeling Atmospheric Dynamics and Interpretation of Observations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, K.; Thorpe, A. K.; Duren, R. M.; Thompson, D. R.; Whetstone, J. R.

2016-12-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has supported the development and demonstration of a measurement capability to accurately locate greenhouse gas sources and measure their flux to the atmosphere over urban domains. However, uncertainties in transport models which form the basis of all top-down approaches can significantly affect our capability to attribute sources and predict their flux to the atmosphere. Reducing uncertainties between bottom-up and top-down models will require high resolution transport models as well as validation and verification of dispersion models over an urban domain. Tracer experiments involving the release of Perfluorocarbon Tracers (PFTs) at known flow rates offer the best approach for validating dispersion / transport models. However, tracer experiments are limited by cost, ability to make continuous measurements, and environmental concerns. Natural tracer experiments, such as the leak from the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility offers a unique opportunity to improve and validate high resolution transport models, test leak hypothesis, and to estimate the amount of methane released.High spatial resolution (10 m) Large Eddy Simulations (LES) coupled with WRF atmospheric transport models were performed to simulate the dynamics of the Aliso Canyon methane plume and to quantify the source. High resolution forward simulation results were combined with aircraft and tower based in-situ measurements as well as data from NASA airborne imaging spectrometers. Comparison of simulation results with measurement data demonstrate the capability of the LES models to accurately model transport and dispersion of methane plumes over urban domains.

A method for generating high resolution satellite image time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Tao

2014-10-01

There is an increasing demand for satellite remote sensing data with both high spatial and temporal resolution in many applications. But it still is a challenge to simultaneously improve spatial resolution and temporal frequency due to the technical limits of current satellite observation systems. To this end, much R&D efforts have been ongoing for years and lead to some successes roughly in two aspects, one includes super resolution, pan-sharpen etc. methods which can effectively enhance the spatial resolution and generate good visual effects, but hardly preserve spectral signatures and result in inadequate analytical value, on the other hand, time interpolation is a straight forward method to increase temporal frequency, however it increase little informative contents in fact. In this paper we presented a novel method to simulate high resolution time series data by combing low resolution time series data and a very small number of high resolution data only. Our method starts with a pair of high and low resolution data set, and then a spatial registration is done by introducing LDA model to map high and low resolution pixels correspondingly. Afterwards, temporal change information is captured through a comparison of low resolution time series data, and then projected onto the high resolution data plane and assigned to each high resolution pixel according to the predefined temporal change patterns of each type of ground objects. Finally the simulated high resolution data is generated. A preliminary experiment shows that our method can simulate a high resolution data with a reasonable accuracy. The contribution of our method is to enable timely monitoring of temporal changes through analysis of time sequence of low resolution images only, and usage of costly high resolution data can be reduces as much as possible, and it presents a highly effective way to build up an economically operational monitoring solution for agriculture, forest, land use investigation, environment and etc. applications.

High-Speed and Scalable Whole-Brain Imaging in Rodents and Primates.

PubMed

Seiriki, Kaoru; Kasai, Atsushi; Hashimoto, Takeshi; Schulze, Wiebke; Niu, Misaki; Yamaguchi, Shun; Nakazawa, Takanobu; Inoue, Ken-Ichi; Uezono, Shiori; Takada, Masahiko; Naka, Yuichiro; Igarashi, Hisato; Tanuma, Masato; Waschek, James A; Ago, Yukio; Tanaka, Kenji F; Hayata-Takano, Atsuko; Nagayasu, Kazuki; Shintani, Norihito; Hashimoto, Ryota; Kunii, Yasuto; Hino, Mizuki; Matsumoto, Junya; Yabe, Hirooki; Nagai, Takeharu; Fujita, Katsumasa; Matsuda, Toshio; Takuma, Kazuhiro; Baba, Akemichi; Hashimoto, Hitoshi

2017-06-21

Subcellular resolution imaging of the whole brain and subsequent image analysis are prerequisites for understanding anatomical and functional brain networks. Here, we have developed a very high-speed serial-sectioning imaging system named FAST (block-face serial microscopy tomography), which acquires high-resolution images of a whole mouse brain in a speed range comparable to that of light-sheet fluorescence microscopy. FAST enables complete visualization of the brain at a resolution sufficient to resolve all cells and their subcellular structures. FAST renders unbiased quantitative group comparisons of normal and disease model brain cells for the whole brain at a high spatial resolution. Furthermore, FAST is highly scalable to non-human primate brains and human postmortem brain tissues, and can visualize neuronal projections in a whole adult marmoset brain. Thus, FAST provides new opportunities for global approaches that will allow for a better understanding of brain systems in multiple animal models and in human diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of DTM resolution on slope steepness and soil loss prediction on hillslope profiles

Treesearch

Eder Paulo Moreira; William J. Elliot; Andrew T. Hudak

2011-01-01

Topographic attributes play a critical role in predicting erosion in models such as the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). The effects of four different high resolution hillslope profiles were studied using four different DTM resolutions: 1-m, 3-m, 5-m and 10-m. The WEPP model used a common scenario encountered in the forest environment and the selected hillslope...

Parameterized and resolved Southern Ocean eddy compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poulsen, Mads B.; Jochum, Markus; Nuterman, Roman

2018-04-01

The ability to parameterize Southern Ocean eddy effects in a forced coarse resolution ocean general circulation model is assessed. The transient model response to a suite of different Southern Ocean wind stress forcing perturbations is presented and compared to identical experiments performed with the same model in 0.1° eddy-resolving resolution. With forcing of present-day wind stress magnitude and a thickness diffusivity formulated in terms of the local stratification, it is shown that the Southern Ocean residual meridional overturning circulation in the two models is different in structure and magnitude. It is found that the difference in the upper overturning cell is primarily explained by an overly strong subsurface flow in the parameterized eddy-induced circulation while the difference in the lower cell is mainly ascribed to the mean-flow overturning. With a zonally constant decrease of the zonal wind stress by 50% we show that the absolute decrease in the overturning circulation is insensitive to model resolution, and that the meridional isopycnal slope is relaxed in both models. The agreement between the models is not reproduced by a 50% wind stress increase, where the high resolution overturning decreases by 20%, but increases by 100% in the coarse resolution model. It is demonstrated that this difference is explained by changes in surface buoyancy forcing due to a reduced Antarctic sea ice cover, which strongly modulate the overturning response and ocean stratification. We conclude that the parameterized eddies are able to mimic the transient response to altered wind stress in the high resolution model, but partly misrepresent the unperturbed Southern Ocean meridional overturning circulation and associated heat transports.

A FEDERATED PARTNERSHIP FOR URBAN METEOROLOGICAL AND AIR QUALITY MODELING

EPA Science Inventory

Recently, applications of urban meteorological and air quality models have been performed at resolutions on the order of km grid sizes. This necessitated development and incorporation of high resolution landcover data and additional boundary layer parameters that serve to descri...

The Effect of Rainfall Measurement Technique and Its Spatiotemporal Resolution on Discharge Predictions in the Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uijlenhoet, R.; Brauer, C.; Overeem, A.; Sassi, M.; Rios Gaona, M. F.

2014-12-01

Several rainfall measurement techniques are available for hydrological applications, each with its own spatial and temporal resolution. We investigated the effect of these spatiotemporal resolutions on discharge simulations in lowland catchments by forcing a novel rainfall-runoff model (WALRUS) with rainfall data from gauges, radars and microwave links. The hydrological model used for this analysis is the recently developed Wageningen Lowland Runoff Simulator (WALRUS). WALRUS is a rainfall-runoff model accounting for hydrological processes relevant to areas with shallow groundwater (e.g. groundwater-surface water feedback). Here, we used WALRUS for case studies in a freely draining lowland catchment and a polder with controlled water levels. We used rain gauge networks with automatic (hourly resolution but low spatial density) and manual gauges (high spatial density but daily resolution). Operational (real-time) and climatological (gauge-adjusted) C-band radar products and country-wide rainfall maps derived from microwave link data from a cellular telecommunication network were also used. Discharges simulated with these different inputs were compared to observations. We also investigated the effect of spatiotemporal resolution with a high-resolution X-band radar data set for catchments with different sizes. Uncertainty in rainfall forcing is a major source of uncertainty in discharge predictions, both with lumped and with distributed models. For lumped rainfall-runoff models, the main source of input uncertainty is associated with the way in which (effective) catchment-average rainfall is estimated. When catchments are divided into sub-catchments, rainfall spatial variability can become more important, especially during convective rainfall events, leading to spatially varying catchment wetness and spatially varying contribution of quick flow routes. Improving rainfall measurements and their spatiotemporal resolution can improve the performance of rainfall-runoff models, indicating their potential for reducing flood damage through real-time control.

Stochastic Ocean Eddy Perturbations in a Coupled General Circulation Model.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, N.; Williams, P. D.; Gregory, J. M.; Smith, R. S.

2014-12-01

High-resolution ocean models, which are eddy permitting and resolving, require large computing resources to produce centuries worth of data. Also, some previous studies have suggested that increasing resolution does not necessarily solve the problem of unresolved scales, because it simply introduces a new set of unresolved scales. Applying stochastic parameterisations to ocean models is one solution that is expected to improve the representation of small-scale (eddy) effects without increasing run-time. Stochastic parameterisation has been shown to have an impact in atmosphere-only models and idealised ocean models, but has not previously been studied in ocean general circulation models. Here we apply simple stochastic perturbations to the ocean temperature and salinity tendencies in the low-resolution coupled climate model, FAMOUS. The stochastic perturbations are implemented according to T(t) = T(t-1) + (ΔT(t) + ξ(t)), where T is temperature or salinity, ΔT is the corresponding deterministic increment in one time step, and ξ(t) is Gaussian noise. We use high-resolution HiGEM data coarse-grained to the FAMOUS grid to provide information about the magnitude and spatio-temporal correlation structure of the noise to be added to the lower resolution model. Here we present results of adding white and red noise, showing the impacts of an additive stochastic perturbation on mean climate state and variability in an AOGCM.

High resolution simulations of orographic flow over a complex terrain on the Southeast coast of Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, S. C.; Zolino, M. M.; Gomes, J. L.; Bustamante, J. F.; Lima-e-Silva, P. P.

2012-04-01

The Eta Model is used operationally by CPTEC to produce weather forecasts over South America since 1997. The model has gone through upgrades. In order to prepare the model for operational higher resolution forecasts, the model is configured and tested over a region of complex topography located near the coast of Southeast Brazil. The Eta Model was configured, with 2-km horizontal resolution and 50 layers. The Eta-2km is a second nesting, it is driven by Eta-15km, which in its turn is driven by Era-Interim reanalyses. The model domain includes the two Brazilians cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, urban areas, preserved tropical forest, pasture fields, and complex terrain and coastline. Mountains can rise up to about 700m. The region suffers frequent events of floods and landslides. The objective of this work is to evaluate high resolution simulations of wind and temperature in this complex area. Verification of model runs uses observations taken from the nuclear power plant. Accurate near-surface wind direction and magnitude are needed for the plant emergency plan and winds are highly sensitive to model spatial resolution and atmospheric stability. Verification of two cases during summer shows that model has clear diurnal cycle signal for wind in that region. The area is characterized by weak winds which makes the simulation more difficult. The simulated wind magnitude is about 1.5m/s, which is close to observations of about 2m/s; however, the observed change of wind direction of the sea breeze is fast whereas it is slow in the simulations. Nighttime katabatic flow is captured by the simulations. Comparison against Eta-5km runs show that the valley circulation is better described in the 2-km resolution run. Simulated temperatures follow closely the observed diurnal cycle. Experiments improving some surface conditions such as the surface temperature and land cover show simulation error reduction and improved diurnal cycle.

Secondary Gravity Waves in the Winter Mesosphere: Results From a High-Resolution Global Circulation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Erich; Vadas, Sharon L.

2018-03-01

This study analyzes a new high-resolution general circulation model with regard to secondary gravity waves in the mesosphere during austral winter. The model resolves gravity waves down to horizontal and vertical wavelengths of 165 and 1.5 km, respectively. The resolved mean wave drag agrees well with that from a conventional model with parameterized gravity waves up to the midmesosphere in winter and up to the upper mesosphere in summer. About half of the zonal-mean vertical flux of westward momentum in the southern winter stratosphere is due to orographic gravity waves. The high intermittency of the primary orographic gravity waves gives rise to secondary waves that result in a substantial eastward drag in the winter mesopause region. This induces an additional eastward maximum of the mean zonal wind at z ˜ 100 km. Radar and lidar measurements at polar latitudes and results from other high-resolution global models are consistent with this finding. Hence, secondary gravity waves may play a significant role in the general circulation of the winter mesopause region.

Clouds in ECMWF's 30 KM Resolution Global Atmospheric Forecast Model (TL639)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cahalan, R. F.; Morcrette, J. J.

1999-01-01

Global models of the general circulation of the atmosphere resolve a wide range of length scales, and in particular cloud structures extend from planetary scales to the smallest scales resolvable, now down to 30 km in state-of-the-art models. Even the highest resolution models do not resolve small-scale cloud phenomena seen, for example, in Landsat and other high-resolution satellite images of clouds. Unresolved small-scale disturbances often grow into larger ones through non-linear processes that transfer energy upscale. Understanding upscale cascades is of crucial importance in predicting current weather, and in parameterizing cloud-radiative processes that control long term climate. Several movie animations provide examples of the temporal and spatial variation of cloud fields produced in 4-day runs of the forecast model at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading, England, at particular times and locations of simultaneous measurement field campaigns. model resolution is approximately 30 km horizontally (triangular truncation TL639) with 31 vertical levels from surface to stratosphere. Timestep of the model is about 10 minutes, but animation frames are 3 hours apart, at timesteps when the radiation is computed. The animations were prepared from an archive of several 4-day runs at the highest available model resolution, and archived at ECMWF. Cloud, wind and temperature fields in an approximately 1000 km X 1000 km box were retrieved from the archive, then approximately 60 Mb Vis5d files were prepared with the help of Graeme Kelly of ECMWF, and were compressed into MPEG files each less than 3 Mb. We discuss the interaction of clouds and radiation in the model, and compare the variability of cloud liquid as a function of scale to that seen in cloud observations made in intensive field campaigns. Comparison of high-resolution global runs to cloud-resolving models, and to lower resolution climate models is leading to better understanding of the upscale cascade and suggesting new cloud-radiation parameterizations for climate models.

Calibrating a hydraulic model using water levels derived from time series high-resolution Radarsat-2 synthetic aperture radar images and elevation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trudel, M.; Desrochers, N.; Leconte, R.

2017-12-01

Knowledge of water extent (WE) and level (WL) of rivers is necessary to calibrate and validate hydraulic models and thus to better simulate and forecast floods. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has demonstrated its potential for delineating water bodies, as backscattering of water is much lower than that of other natural surfaces. The ability of SAR to obtain information despite cloud cover makes it an interesting tool for temporal monitoring of water bodies. The delineation of WE combined with a high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) allows extracting WL. However, most research using SAR data to calibrate hydraulic models has been carried out using one or two images. The objectives of this study is to use WL derived from time series high resolution Radarsat-2 SAR images for the calibration of a 1-D hydraulic model (HEC-RAS). Twenty high-resolution (5 m) Radarsat-2 images were acquired over a 40 km reach of the Athabasca River, in northern Alberta, Canada, between 2012 and 2016, covering both low and high flow regimes. A high-resolution (2m) DTM was generated combining information from LIDAR data and bathymetry acquired between 2008 and 2016 by boat surveying. The HEC-RAS model was implemented on the Athabasca River to simulate WL using cross-sections spaced by 100 m. An image histogram thresholding method was applied on each Radarsat-2 image to derive WE. WE were then compared against each cross-section to identify those were the slope of the banks is not too abrupt and therefore amenable to extract WL. 139 observations of WL at different locations along the river reach and with streamflow measurements were used to calibrate the HEC-RAS model. The RMSE between SAR-derived and simulated WL is under 0.35 m. Validation was performed using in situ observations of WL measured in 2008, 2012 and 2016. The RMSE between the simulated water levels calibrated with SAR images and in situ observations is less than 0.20 m. In addition, a critical success index (CSI) was performed to compare the WE simulated by HEC-RAS and that derived from SARs images. The CSI is higher than 0.85 for each date, which means that simulated WE is highly similar to the WE derived from SARs images. Thereby, the results of our analysis indicate that calibration of a hydraulic model can be performed from WL derived from time series of high-resolution SAR images.

Some lessons and thoughts from development of an old-fashioned high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohfuchi, Wataru; Enomoto, Takeshi; Yoshioka, Mayumi K.; Takaya, Koutarou

2014-05-01

Some high-resolution simulations with a conventional atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) were conducted right after the first Earth Simulator started operating in the spring of 2002. More simulations with various resolutions followed. The AGCM in this study, AFES (Agcm For the Earth Simulator), is a primitive equation spectral transform method model with a cumulus convection parameterization. In this presentation, some findings from comparisons between high and low-resolution simulations, and some future perspectives of old-fashioned AGCMs will be discussed. One obvious advantage of increasing resolution is capability of resolving the fine structures of topography and atmospheric flow. By increasing resolution from T39 (about 320 km horizontal grid interval) to T79 (160 km), to T159 (80 km) to T319 (40 km), topographic precipitation over Japan becomes increasingly realistic. This feature is necessary for climate and weather studies involving both global and local aspects. In order to resolve submesoscale (about 100 km horizontal scale) atmospheric circulation, about 10-km grid interval is necessary. Comparing T1279 (10 km) simulations with T319 ones, it is found that, for example, the intensity of heavy rain associated with Baiu front and the central pressure of typhoon become more realistic. These realistic submesoscale phenomena should have impact on larger-sale flow through dynamics and thermodynamics. An interesting finding by increasing horizontal resolution of a conventional AGCM is that some cumulus convection parameterizations, such as Arakawa-Schubert type scheme, gradually stop producing precipitation, while some others, such as Emanuel type, do not. With the former, the grid condensation increases with the model resolution to compensate. Which characteristics are more desirable is arguable but it is an important feature one has to consider when developing a high-resolution conventional AGCM. Many may think that conventional primitive equation spectral transform AGCMs, such as AFES, have no future. Developing globally homogeneous nonhydrostatic cloud resolving grid AGCMs is obviously a straightforward direction for the future. However these models will be very expensive for many users for a while, perhaps for the next some decades. On the other hand, old-fashioned AGCMs with a grid interval of 20-100 km will remain to be accurate and efficient tools for many users for many years to come. Also by coupling with a fine-resolution regional nonhydrostatic model, a conventional AGCM may overcome its limitation for use in climate and weather studies in the future.

The sensitivity of biological finite element models to the resolution of surface geometry: a case study of crocodilian crania

PubMed Central

Evans, Alistair R.; McHenry, Colin R.

2015-01-01

The reliability of finite element analysis (FEA) in biomechanical investigations depends upon understanding the influence of model assumptions. In producing finite element models, surface mesh resolution is influenced by the resolution of input geometry, and influences the resolution of the ensuing solid mesh used for numerical analysis. Despite a large number of studies incorporating sensitivity studies of the effects of solid mesh resolution there has not yet been any investigation into the effect of surface mesh resolution upon results in a comparative context. Here we use a dataset of crocodile crania to examine the effects of surface resolution on FEA results in a comparative context. Seven high-resolution surface meshes were each down-sampled to varying degrees while keeping the resulting number of solid elements constant. These models were then subjected to bite and shake load cases using finite element analysis. The results show that incremental decreases in surface resolution can result in fluctuations in strain magnitudes, but that it is possible to obtain stable results using lower resolution surface in a comparative FEA study. As surface mesh resolution links input geometry with the resulting solid mesh, the implication of these results is that low resolution input geometry and solid meshes may provide valid results in a comparative context. PMID:26056620

High-Resolution Specification of the Land and Ocean Surface for Improving Regional Mesoscale Model Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; Lazarus, Steven M.; Splitt, Michael E.; Crosson, William L.; Lapenta, William M.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.

2008-01-01

The exchange of energy and moisture between the Earth's surface and the atmospheric boundary layer plays a critical role in many meteorological processes. High-resolution, accurate representations of surface properties such as sea-surface temperature (SST), soil temperature and moisture content, ground fluxes, and vegetation are necessary to better understand the Earth-atmosphere interactions and improve numerical predictions of sensible weather. The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has been conducting separate studies to examine the impacts of high-resolution land-surface initialization data from the Goddard Space Flight Center Land Information System (LIS) on subsequent WRF forecasts, as well as the influence of initializing WRF with SST composites derived from the MODIS instrument. This current project addresses the combined impacts of using high-resolution lower boundary data over both land (LIS data) and water (MODIS SSTs) on the subsequent daily WRF forecasts over Florida during May 2004. For this experiment, the WRF model is configured to run on a nested domain with 9- km and 3-kin grid spacing, centered on the Florida peninsula and adjacent coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. A control configuration of WRF is established to take all initial condition data from the NCEP Eta model. Meanwhile, two WRF experimental runs are configured to use high-resolution initialization data from (1) LIS land-surface data only, and (2) a combination of LIS data and high-resolution MODIS SST composites. The experiment involves running 24-hour simulations of the control WRF configuration, the MS-initialized WRF, and the LIS+MODIS-initialized WRF daily for the entire month of May 2004. All atmospheric data for initial and boundary conditions for the Control, LIS, and LIS+MODIS runs come from the NCEP Eta model on a 40-km grid. Verification statistics are generated at land surface observation sites and buoys, and the impacts of the high-resolution lower boundary data on the development and evolution of mesoscale circulations such as sea and land breezes are examined, This paper will present the results of these WRF modeling experiments using LIS and MODIS lower boundary datasets over the Florida peninsula during May 2004.

A comprehensive pipeline for multi-resolution modeling of the mitral valve: Validation, computational efficiency, and predictive capability.

PubMed

Drach, Andrew; Khalighi, Amir H; Sacks, Michael S

2018-02-01

Multiple studies have demonstrated that the pathological geometries unique to each patient can affect the durability of mitral valve (MV) repairs. While computational modeling of the MV is a promising approach to improve the surgical outcomes, the complex MV geometry precludes use of simplified models. Moreover, the lack of complete in vivo geometric information presents significant challenges in the development of patient-specific computational models. There is thus a need to determine the level of detail necessary for predictive MV models. To address this issue, we have developed a novel pipeline for building attribute-rich computational models of MV with varying fidelity directly from the in vitro imaging data. The approach combines high-resolution geometric information from loaded and unloaded states to achieve a high level of anatomic detail, followed by mapping and parametric embedding of tissue attributes to build a high-resolution, attribute-rich computational models. Subsequent lower resolution models were then developed and evaluated by comparing the displacements and surface strains to those extracted from the imaging data. We then identified the critical levels of fidelity for building predictive MV models in the dilated and repaired states. We demonstrated that a model with a feature size of about 5 mm and mesh size of about 1 mm was sufficient to predict the overall MV shape, stress, and strain distributions with high accuracy. However, we also noted that more detailed models were found to be needed to simulate microstructural events. We conclude that the developed pipeline enables sufficiently complex models for biomechanical simulations of MV in normal, dilated, repaired states. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High-Efficiency High-Resolution Global Model Developments at the NASA Goddard Data Assimilation Office

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shian-Jiann; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Data Assimilation Office (DAO) has been developing a new generation of ultra-high resolution General Circulation Model (GCM) that is suitable for 4-D data assimilation, numerical weather predictions, and climate simulations. These three applications have conflicting requirements. For 4-D data assimilation and weather predictions, it is highly desirable to run the model at the highest possible spatial resolution (e.g., 55 km or finer) so as to be able to resolve and predict socially and economically important weather phenomena such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and severe winter storms. For climate change applications, the model simulations need to be carried out for decades, if not centuries. To reduce uncertainty in climate change assessments, the next generation model would also need to be run at a fine enough spatial resolution that can at least marginally simulate the effects of intense tropical cyclones. Scientific problems (e.g., parameterization of subgrid scale moist processes) aside, all three areas of application require the model's computational performance to be dramatically improved as compared to the previous generation. In this talk, I will present the current and future developments of the "finite-volume dynamical core" at the Data Assimilation Office. This dynamical core applies modem monotonicity preserving algorithms and is genuinely conservative by construction, not by an ad hoc fixer. The "discretization" of the conservation laws is purely local, which is clearly advantageous for resolving sharp gradient flow features. In addition, the local nature of the finite-volume discretization also has a significant advantage on distributed memory parallel computers. Together with a unique vertically Lagrangian control volume discretization that essentially reduces the dimension of the computational problem from three to two, the finite-volume dynamical core is very efficient, particularly at high resolutions. I will also present the computational design of the dynamical core using a hybrid distributed-shared memory programming paradigm that is portable to virtually any of today's high-end parallel super-computing clusters.

High-Efficiency High-Resolution Global Model Developments at the NASA Goddard Data Assimilation Office

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shian-Jiann; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Data Assimilation Office (DAO) has been developing a new generation of ultra-high resolution General Circulation Model (GCM) that is suitable for 4-D data assimilation, numerical weather predictions, and climate simulations. These three applications have conflicting requirements. For 4-D data assimilation and weather predictions, it is highly desirable to run the model at the highest possible spatial resolution (e.g., 55 kin or finer) so as to be able to resolve and predict socially and economically important weather phenomena such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and severe winter storms. For climate change applications, the model simulations need to be carried out for decades, if not centuries. To reduce uncertainty in climate change assessments, the next generation model would also need to be run at a fine enough spatial resolution that can at least marginally simulate the effects of intense tropical cyclones. Scientific problems (e.g., parameterization of subgrid scale moist processes) aside, all three areas of application require the model's computational performance to be dramatically improved as compared to the previous generation. In this talk, I will present the current and future developments of the "finite-volume dynamical core" at the Data Assimilation Office. This dynamical core applies modem monotonicity preserving algorithms and is genuinely conservative by construction, not by an ad hoc fixer. The "discretization" of the conservation laws is purely local, which is clearly advantageous for resolving sharp gradient flow features. In addition, the local nature of the finite-volume discretization also has a significant advantage on distributed memory parallel computers. Together with a unique vertically Lagrangian control volume discretization that essentially reduces the dimension of the computational problem from three to two, the finite-volume dynamical core is very efficient, particularly at high resolutions. I will also present the computational design of the dynamical core using a hybrid distributed- shared memory programming paradigm that is portable to virtually any of today's high-end parallel super-computing clusters.

High resolution extremity CT for biomechanics modeling

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

Ashby, A.E.; Brand, H.; Hollerbach, K.

1995-09-23

With the advent of ever more powerful computing and finite element analysis (FEA) capabilities, the bone and joint geometry detail available from either commercial surface definitions or from medical CT scans is inadequate. For dynamic FEA modeling of joints, precise articular contours are necessary to get appropriate contact definition. In this project, a fresh cadaver extremity was suspended in parafin in a lucite cylinder and then scanned with an industrial CT system to generate a high resolution data set for use in biomechanics modeling.

High-resolution modelling of health impacts and related external cost from air pollution over 36 years using the integrated model system EVA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Jørgen; Andersen, Mikael S.; Bønløkke, Jakob; Christensen, Jesper H.; Geels, Camilla; Hansen, Kaj M.; Hertel, Ole; Im, Ulas; Jensen, Steen S.; Ketzel, Matthias; Nielsen, Ole-Kenneth; Plejdrup, Marlene S.; Sigsgaard, Torben

2016-04-01

A high-resolution assessment of health impacts from air pollution and related external cost has been conducted for Denmark using the integrated EVA model system. The EVA system is based on the impact-pathway methodology, where the site-specific emissions will result, via atmospheric transport and chemistry, in a concentration distribution, which together with detailed population data, is used to estimate the population-level exposure. Using exposure-response functions and economic valuations, the exposure is transformed into impacts on human health and related external costs. In this study we have used a coupling of two chemistry transport models to calculate the air pollution concentration at different domain and scales; the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM) to calculate the air pollution levels in the Northern Hemisphere with a resolution down to 5.6 km x 5.6 km and the Urban Background Model (UBM) to further calculate the air pollution in Denmark at 1 km x 1 km resolution using results from DEHM as boundary conditions. Both the emission data as well as the population density has been represented in the model system with the same high resolution. Previous health impact assessments related to air pollution have been made on a lower resolution. In this study, the integrated model system, EVA, has been used to estimate the health impacts and related external cost for Denmark at a 1 km x 1 km resolution. New developments of the integrated model system will be presented as well as the development of health impacts and related external costs in Europe and Denmark over a period of 36 years (1979-2014). Acknowledgements This work was funded by: DCE - National Centre for Environment and Energy. Project: "Health impacts and external costs from air pollution in Denmark over 25 years" and NordForsk under the Nordic Programme on Health and Welfare. Project: "Understanding the link between air pollution and distribution of related health impacts and welfare in the Nordic countries (NordicWelfAir)".

Simulations of Madden-Julian Oscillation in High Resolution Atmospheric General Circulation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Liping; Stenchikov, Georgiy; McCabe, Matthew; Bangalath, HamzaKunhu; Raj, Jerry; Osipov, Sergey

2014-05-01

The simulation of tropical signals, especially the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), is one of the major deficiencies in current numerical models. The unrealistic features in the MJO simulations include the weak amplitude, more power at higher frequencies, displacement of the temporal and spatial distributions, eastward propagation speed being too fast, and a lack of coherent structure for the eastward propagation from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific (e.g., Slingo et al. 1996). While some improvement in simulating MJO variance and coherent eastward propagation has been attributed to model physics, model mean background state and air-sea interaction, studies have shown that the model resolution, especially for higher horizontal resolution, may play an important role in producing a more realistic simulation of MJO (e.g., Sperber et al. 2005). In this study, we employ unique high-resolution (25-km) simulations conducted using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory global High Resolution Atmospheric Model (HIRAM) to evaluate the MJO simulation against the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim re-analysis (ERAI) dataset. We specifically focus on the ability of the model to represent the MJO related amplitude, spatial distribution, eastward propagation, and horizontal and vertical structures. Additionally, as the HIRAM output covers not only an historic period (1979-2012) but also future period (2012-2050), the impact of future climate change related to the MJO is illustrated. The possible changes in intensity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g., strong wind and heavy rainfall) in the western Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region are highlighted.

Spatial resolution limitation of liquid crystal spatial light modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xinghua; Wang, Bin; McManamon, Paul F., III; Pouch, John J.; Miranda, Felix A.; Anderson, James E.; Bos, Philip J.

2004-10-01

The effect of fringing electric fields in a liquid crystal (LC) Optical Phased Array (OPA), also referred to as a spatial light modulator (SLM), is a governing factor that determines the diffraction efficiency (DE) of the LC OPA for high resolution spatial phase modulation. In this article, the fringing field effect in a high resolution LC OPA is studied by accurate modeling the DE of the LC blazed gratings by LC director simulation and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation. Influence factors that contribute significantly to the DE are discussed. Such results provide fundamental understanding for high resolution LC devices.

The high-resolution spectrum of the pulsating, pre-white dwarf star PG 1159-035 (GW VIR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebert, James; Wesemael, F.; Husfeld, D.; Wehrse, R.; Starrfield, S. G.

1989-01-01

High-resolution and low-resolution UV spectra and a high-resolution optical spectrum were obtained for PG 1159-035, revealing apparent photospheric absorption features with defined cores from N V 1240 A, N IV 1270 A, O V 1371 A, and C IV 1550 A. The photospheric velocity derived using all of these lines except for C IV is about +35 km/s. Equivalent-width measurements determined for all of the features may provide a tighter constraint on the photospheric temperature in a detailed model atmosphere analysis treating the CNO ions.

Imaging Analysis of the Hard X-Ray Telescope ProtoEXIST2 and New Techniques for High-Resolution Coded-Aperture Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Jaesub; Allen, Branden; Grindlay, Jonathan; Barthelmy, Scott D.

2016-01-01

Wide-field (greater than or approximately equal to 100 degrees squared) hard X-ray coded-aperture telescopes with high angular resolution (greater than or approximately equal to 2 minutes) will enable a wide range of time domain astrophysics. For instance, transient sources such as gamma-ray bursts can be precisely localized without the assistance of secondary focusing X-ray telescopes to enable rapid followup studies. On the other hand, high angular resolution in coded-aperture imaging introduces a new challenge in handling the systematic uncertainty: the average photon count per pixel is often too small to establish a proper background pattern or model the systematic uncertainty in a timescale where the model remains invariant. We introduce two new techniques to improve detection sensitivity, which are designed for, but not limited to, a high-resolution coded-aperture system: a self-background modeling scheme which utilizes continuous scan or dithering operations, and a Poisson-statistics based probabilistic approach to evaluate the significance of source detection without subtraction in handling the background. We illustrate these new imaging analysis techniques in high resolution coded-aperture telescope using the data acquired by the wide-field hard X-ray telescope ProtoEXIST2 during a high-altitude balloon flight in fall 2012. We review the imaging sensitivity of ProtoEXIST2 during the flight, and demonstrate the performance of the new techniques using our balloon flight data in comparison with a simulated ideal Poisson background.

Comparing long-term geomorphic model outcomes with sediment archives highlights the need for high-resolution Holocene land cover reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Brue, Hanne; Verstraeten, Gert

2013-04-01

During the last decade, several global land cover reconstructions have been produced that enable to quantify human impact on the landscape since the introduction of agriculture. Application of these land cover maps in geomorphic models potentially allows to estimate the anthropogenic impact on sediment fluxes and thus to reconstruct changes in landscape morphology through time. However, current land cover reconstructions face some drawbacks. First of all, their low spatial resolution (i.e. 5 arc-minutes at best) questions their use in geomorphic models, as sub-catchment vegetation patterns play an important role in sediment dynamics. Existing global land cover reconstructions also do not differentiate the typology of human impact (cropland, grazing land, disturbed forests), although the susceptibility of different anthropogenic land uses towards erosion varies greatly. Finally, the various land cover reconstructions differ significantly regarding the estimated intensity of human impact for the preindustrial period. In this study, we assessed the performance of a spatially distributed erosion and sediment redistribution model that operates at high resolution (100 m) to the quality and spatial resolution of input land cover maps. This was done through a comparison of two sets of model runs. Firstly, low-resolution land cover (expressed as percentage of non-natural vegetation) maps were resampled to a spatial resolution of 100 m without differentiation of non-natural vegetation types. For the second set of model runs, estimated non-natural vegetation was differentiated in areas of cropland and grassland, and spatially allocated to a high-resolution grid (100 m) using a logistic model that relates contemporary land cover classes to slope, soil characteristics, landforms and distance to rivers. For both land cover maps, different scenarios for the ratio between cropland and grassland were simulated. Analyses were performed for several time periods throughout the Holocene, for the Scheldt River Basin (19,000 km2) in Belgium and northern France. Results indicate that low-resolution land cover information, regardless of the considered cropland/grassland ratio, leads to largely overestimated sediment fluxes when compared to field-based sediment budgets. Allocation of land cover to a higher spatial resolution yields far better results. Variations in model outcomes are related to differences in landscape connectivity between allocated and non-allocated land cover. These results point towards the need for higher-resolution land cover maps that incorporate the patchiness of vegetation at relevant scales regarding geomorphic processes. Also, model results with allocated and non-allocated land cover maps differ greatly for different cropland/grassland ratios. This indicates that there is not only a need for land cover reconstructions at high spatial resolution, but also that differentiation between cropland and grassland is essential for accurate geomorphic modeling. Further improvements in land cover reconstructions are thus needed before reliable quantitative estimates of anthropogenic impact on soil profiles and sediment redistribution can be simulated at continental scales. Detailed historic sediment budgets can provide an important tool not only for validating but also for reconstructing land cover histories.

Hierarchical algorithms for modeling the ocean on hierarchical architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, C. N.

2012-12-01

This presentation will describe an approach to using accelerator/co-processor technology that maps hierarchical, multi-scale modeling techniques to an underlying hierarchical hardware architecture. The focus of this work is on making effective use of both CPU and accelerator/co-processor parts of a system, for large scale ocean modeling. In the work, a lower resolution basin scale ocean model is locally coupled to multiple, "embedded", limited area higher resolution sub-models. The higher resolution models execute on co-processor/accelerator hardware and do not interact directly with other sub-models. The lower resolution basin scale model executes on the system CPU(s). The result is a multi-scale algorithm that aligns with hardware designs in the co-processor/accelerator space. We demonstrate this approach being used to substitute explicit process models for standard parameterizations. Code for our sub-models is implemented through a generic abstraction layer, so that we can target multiple accelerator architectures with different programming environments. We will present two application and implementation examples. One uses the CUDA programming environment and targets GPU hardware. This example employs a simple non-hydrostatic two dimensional sub-model to represent vertical motion more accurately. The second example uses a highly threaded three-dimensional model at high resolution. This targets a MIC/Xeon Phi like environment and uses sub-models as a way to explicitly compute sub-mesoscale terms. In both cases the accelerator/co-processor capability provides extra compute cycles that allow improved model fidelity for little or no extra wall-clock time cost.

The Navy’s Application of Ocean Forecasting to Decision Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Prediction Center (OPC) website for graphics or the National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System ( NOMADS ) for data files. Regional...inputs: » GLOBE = Global Land One-km Base Elevation » WVS = World Vector Shoreline » DBDB2 = Digital Bathymetry Data Base 2 minute resolution » DBDBV... Digital Bathymetry Data Base variable resolution Oceanography | Vol. 27, No.3130 Very High-Resolution Coastal Circulation Models Nearshore

Urban topography for flood modeling by fusion of OpenStreetMap, SRTM and local knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winsemius, Hessel; Donchyts, Gennadii; Eilander, Dirk; Chen, Jorik; Leskens, Anne; Coughlan, Erin; Mawanda, Shaban; Ward, Philip; Diaz Loaiza, Andres; Luo, Tianyi; Iceland, Charles

2016-04-01

Topography data is essential for understanding and modeling of urban flood hazard. Within urban areas, much of the topography is defined by highly localized man-made features such as roads, channels, ditches, culverts and buildings. This results in the requirement that urban flood models require high resolution topography, and water conveying connections within the topography are considered. In recent years, more and more topography information is collected through LIDAR surveys however there are still many cities in the world where high resolution topography data is not available. Furthermore, information on connectivity is required for flood modelling, even when LIDAR data are used. In this contribution, we demonstrate how high resolution terrain data can be synthesized using a fusion between features in OpenStreetMap (OSM) data (including roads, culverts, channels and buildings) and existing low resolution and noisy SRTM elevation data using the Google Earth Engine platform. Our method uses typical existing OSM properties to estimate heights and topology associated with the features, and uses these to correct noise and burn features on top of the existing low resolution SRTM elevation data. The method has been setup in the Google Earth Engine platform so that local stakeholders and mapping teams can on-the-fly propose, include and visualize the effect of additional features and properties of features, which are deemed important for topography and water conveyance. These features can be included in a workshop environment. We pilot our tool over Dar Es Salaam.

Precipitation response to solar geoengineering in a high-resolution tropical-cyclone permitting coupled general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irvine, P. J.; Keith, D.; Dykema, J. A.; Vecchi, G. A.; Horowitz, L. W.

2016-12-01

Solar geoengineering may limit or even halt the rise in global-average surface temperatures. Evidence from the geoMIP model intercomparison project shows that idealized geoengineering can greatly reduce temperature changes on a region-by-region basis. If solar geoengineering is used to hold radiative forcing or surface temperatures constant in the face of rising CO2, then the global evaporation and precipitation rates will be reduced below pre-industrial. The spartial and frequency distribution of the precipitation response is, however, much less well understood. There is limited evidence that solar geoengineering may reduce extreme precipitation events more that it reduces mean precipitation, but that evidence is based on relatively course resolution models that may to a poor job representing the distribution of extreme precipitation in the current climate. The response of global and regional climate, as well as tropical cyclone (TC) activity, to increasing solar geoengineering is explored through experiments with climate models spanning a broad range of atmospheric resolutions. Solar geoengineering is represented by an idealized adjustment of the solar constant that roughly halves the rate of increase in radiative forcing in a scenario with increasing CO2 concentration. The coarsest resolution model has approximately a 2-degree global resolution, representative of the typical resolution of past GCMs used to explore global response to CO2 increase, and its response is compared to that of two tropical cyclone permitting GCMs of approximately 0.5 and 0.25 degree resolution (FLOR and HiFLOR). The models have exactly the same ocean and sea-ice components, as well as the same parameterizations and parameter settings. These high-resolution models are used for real-time seasonal prediction, providing a unified framework for seasonal-to-multidecadal climate modeling. We assess the extreme precipitation response, comparing the frequency distribution of extreme events with and without solar geoengineering. We compare our results to two prior studies of the response of climate extremes to solar geoengineering.

Exploring the Circulation Dynamics of Mississippi Sound and Bight Using the CONCORDE Synthesis Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, C.; Dinniman, M. S.; Fitzpatrick, P. J.; Lau, Y.; Cambazoglu, M. K.; Parra, S. M.; Hofmann, E. E.; Dzwonkowski, B.; Warner, S. J.; O'Brien, S. J.; Dykstra, S. L.; Wiggert, J. D.

2017-12-01

As part of the modeling effort of the GOMRI (Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative)-funded CONCORDE consortium, a high resolution ( 400 m) regional ocean model is implemented for the Mississippi (MS) Sound and Bight. The model is based on the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Wave Sediment Transport Modeling System (COAWST), with initial and lateral boundary conditions drawn from data assimilative 3-day forecasts of the 1km-resolution Gulf of Mexico Navy Coastal Ocean Model (GOM-NCOM). The model initiates on 01/01/2014 and runs for 3 years. The model results are validated with available remote sensing data and with CONCORDE's moored and ship-based in-situ observations. Results from a three-year simulation (2014-2016) show that ocean circulation and water properties of the MS Sound and Bight are sensitive to meteorological forcing. A low resolution surface forcing, drawn from the North America Regional Reanalysis (NARR), and a high resolution forcing, called CONCORDE Meteorological Analysis (CMA) ) that resolves the diurnal sea breeze, are used to drive the model to examine the sensitivity of the circulation to surface forcing. The model responses to the low resolution NARR forcing and to the high resolution CMA are compared in detail for the CONCORDE Fall and Spring field campaigns when contemporaneous in situ data are available, with a focus on how simulated exchanges between MS Sound and MS Bight are impacted. In most cases, the model shows higher simulation skill when it is driven by CMA. Freshwater plumes of the MS River, MS Sound and Mobile Bay influence the shelf waters of the MS Bight in terms of material budget and dynamics. Drifters and dye experiments near Mobile Bay demonstrate that material exchanges between Mobile Bay and the Sound, and between the Sound and Bight, are sensitive to the wind strength and direction. A model - data comparison targeting the Mobile Bay plume suggests that under both northerly and southerly wind conditions the model is capable of simulating the variation of the plume in terms of velocity, plume extent, heat and salt budgets.

Generating daily high spatial land surface temperatures by combining ASTER and MODIS land surface temperature products for environmental process monitoring.

PubMed

Wu, Mingquan; Li, Hua; Huang, Wenjiang; Niu, Zheng; Wang, Changyao

2015-08-01

There is a shortage of daily high spatial land surface temperature (LST) data for use in high spatial and temporal resolution environmental process monitoring. To address this shortage, this work used the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM), Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM), and the Spatial and Temporal Data Fusion Approach (STDFA) to estimate high spatial and temporal resolution LST by combining Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) LST and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST products. The actual ASTER LST products were used to evaluate the precision of the combined LST images using the correlation analysis method. This method was tested and validated in study areas located in Gansu Province, China. The results show that all the models can generate daily synthetic LST image with a high correlation coefficient (r) of 0.92 between the synthetic image and the actual ASTER LST observations. The ESTARFM has the best performance, followed by the STDFA and the STARFM. Those models had better performance in desert areas than in cropland. The STDFA had better noise immunity than the other two models.

Thematic and spatial resolutions affect model-based predictions of tree species distribution.

PubMed

Liang, Yu; He, Hong S; Fraser, Jacob S; Wu, ZhiWei

2013-01-01

Subjective decisions of thematic and spatial resolutions in characterizing environmental heterogeneity may affect the characterizations of spatial pattern and the simulation of occurrence and rate of ecological processes, and in turn, model-based tree species distribution. Thus, this study quantified the importance of thematic and spatial resolutions, and their interaction in predictions of tree species distribution (quantified by species abundance). We investigated how model-predicted species abundances changed and whether tree species with different ecological traits (e.g., seed dispersal distance, competitive capacity) had different responses to varying thematic and spatial resolutions. We used the LANDIS forest landscape model to predict tree species distribution at the landscape scale and designed a series of scenarios with different thematic (different numbers of land types) and spatial resolutions combinations, and then statistically examined the differences of species abundance among these scenarios. Results showed that both thematic and spatial resolutions affected model-based predictions of species distribution, but thematic resolution had a greater effect. Species ecological traits affected the predictions. For species with moderate dispersal distance and relatively abundant seed sources, predicted abundance increased as thematic resolution increased. However, for species with long seeding distance or high shade tolerance, thematic resolution had an inverse effect on predicted abundance. When seed sources and dispersal distance were not limiting, the predicted species abundance increased with spatial resolution and vice versa. Results from this study may provide insights into the choice of thematic and spatial resolutions for model-based predictions of tree species distribution.

Thematic and Spatial Resolutions Affect Model-Based Predictions of Tree Species Distribution

PubMed Central

Liang, Yu; He, Hong S.; Fraser, Jacob S.; Wu, ZhiWei

2013-01-01

Subjective decisions of thematic and spatial resolutions in characterizing environmental heterogeneity may affect the characterizations of spatial pattern and the simulation of occurrence and rate of ecological processes, and in turn, model-based tree species distribution. Thus, this study quantified the importance of thematic and spatial resolutions, and their interaction in predictions of tree species distribution (quantified by species abundance). We investigated how model-predicted species abundances changed and whether tree species with different ecological traits (e.g., seed dispersal distance, competitive capacity) had different responses to varying thematic and spatial resolutions. We used the LANDIS forest landscape model to predict tree species distribution at the landscape scale and designed a series of scenarios with different thematic (different numbers of land types) and spatial resolutions combinations, and then statistically examined the differences of species abundance among these scenarios. Results showed that both thematic and spatial resolutions affected model-based predictions of species distribution, but thematic resolution had a greater effect. Species ecological traits affected the predictions. For species with moderate dispersal distance and relatively abundant seed sources, predicted abundance increased as thematic resolution increased. However, for species with long seeding distance or high shade tolerance, thematic resolution had an inverse effect on predicted abundance. When seed sources and dispersal distance were not limiting, the predicted species abundance increased with spatial resolution and vice versa. Results from this study may provide insights into the choice of thematic and spatial resolutions for model-based predictions of tree species distribution. PMID:23861828

Development of a procedure to model high-resolution wind profiles from smoothed or low-frequency data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Camp, D. W.

1977-01-01

The derivation of simulated Jimsphere wind profiles from low-frequency rawinsonde data and a generated set of white noise data are presented. A computer program is developed to model high-resolution wind profiles based on the statistical properties of data from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Comparison of the measured Jimsphere data, rawinsonde data, and the simulated profiles shows excellent agreement.

The high-resolution regional reanalysis COSMO-REA6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlwein, C.

2016-12-01

Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. The regional reanalysis for Europe matches the domain of the CORDEX EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km) and comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO complemented by a special soil moisture analysis with boundary conditions provided by ERA-Interim data. The reanalysis data set covers the past 20 years. Extensive evaluation of the reanalysis is performed using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations indicating a better representation of small scale variability. Further, the evaluation shows an added value of the regional reanalysis with respect to the forcing ERA Interim reanalysis and compared to a pure high-resolution dynamical downscaling approach without data assimilation.

A high-resolution regional reanalysis for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlwein, C.

2015-12-01

Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. The regional reanalysis for Europe matches the domain of the CORDEX EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km) and comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO complemented by a special soil moisture analysis with boundary conditions provided by ERA-Interim data. The reanalysis data set covers the past 20 years. Extensive evaluation of the reanalysis is performed using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations indicating a better representation of small scale variability. Further, the evaluation shows an added value of the regional reanalysis with respect to the forcing ERA Interim reanalysis and compared to a pure high-resolution dynamical downscaling approach without data assimilation.

Evaluating RGB photogrammetry and multi-temporal digital surface models for detecting soil erosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anders, Niels; Keesstra, Saskia; Seeger, Manuel

2013-04-01

Photogrammetry is a widely used tool for generating high-resolution digital surface models. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), equipped with a Red Green Blue (RGB) camera, have great potential in quickly acquiring multi-temporal high-resolution orthophotos and surface models. Such datasets would ease the monitoring of geomorphological processes, such as local soil erosion and rill formation after heavy rainfall events. In this study we test a photogrammetric setup to determine data requirements for soil erosion studies with UAVs. We used a rainfall simulator (5 m2) and above a rig with attached a Panasonic GX1 16 megapixel digital camera and 20mm lens. The soil material in the simulator consisted of loamy sand at an angle of 5 degrees. Stereo pair images were taken before and after rainfall simulation with 75-85% overlap. Acquired images were automatically mosaicked to create high-resolution orthorectified images and digital surface models (DSM). We resampled the DSM to different spatial resolutions to analyze the effect of cell size to the accuracy of measured rill depth and soil loss estimations, and determined an optimal cell size (thus flight altitude). Furthermore, the high spatial accuracy of the acquired surface models allows further analysis of rill formation and channel initiation related to e.g. surface roughness. We suggest implementing near-infrared and temperature sensors to combine soil moisture and soil physical properties with surface morphology for future investigations.

Crack nucleation using combined crystal plasticity modelling, high-resolution digital image correlation and high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction in a superalloy containing non-metallic inclusions under fatigue

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tiantian; Britton, Ben; Shollock, Barbara; Dunne, Fionn

2016-01-01

A crystal plasticity finite-element model, which explicitly and directly represents the complex microstructures of a non-metallic agglomerate inclusion within polycrystal nickel alloy, has been developed to study the mechanistic basis of fatigue crack nucleation. The methodology is to use the crystal plasticity model in conjunction with direct measurement at the microscale using high (angular) resolution-electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) and high (spatial) resolution-digital image correlation (HR-DIC) strain measurement techniques. Experimentally, this sample has been subjected to heat treatment leading to the establishment of residual (elastic) strains local to the agglomerate and subsequently loaded under conditions of low cyclic fatigue. The full thermal and mechanical loading history was reproduced within the model. HR-EBSD and HR-DIC elastic and total strain measurements demonstrate qualitative and quantitative agreement with crystal plasticity results. Crack nucleation by interfacial decohesion at the nickel matrix/agglomerate inclusion boundaries is observed experimentally, and systematic modelling studies enable the mechanistic basis of the nucleation to be established. A number of fatigue crack nucleation indicators are also assessed against the experimental results. Decohesion was found to be driven by interface tensile normal stress alone, and the interfacial strength was determined to be in the range of 1270–1480 MPa. PMID:27279765

Crack nucleation using combined crystal plasticity modelling, high-resolution digital image correlation and high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction in a superalloy containing non-metallic inclusions under fatigue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tiantian; Jiang, Jun; Britton, Ben; Shollock, Barbara; Dunne, Fionn

2016-05-01

A crystal plasticity finite-element model, which explicitly and directly represents the complex microstructures of a non-metallic agglomerate inclusion within polycrystal nickel alloy, has been developed to study the mechanistic basis of fatigue crack nucleation. The methodology is to use the crystal plasticity model in conjunction with direct measurement at the microscale using high (angular) resolution-electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) and high (spatial) resolution-digital image correlation (HR-DIC) strain measurement techniques. Experimentally, this sample has been subjected to heat treatment leading to the establishment of residual (elastic) strains local to the agglomerate and subsequently loaded under conditions of low cyclic fatigue. The full thermal and mechanical loading history was reproduced within the model. HR-EBSD and HR-DIC elastic and total strain measurements demonstrate qualitative and quantitative agreement with crystal plasticity results. Crack nucleation by interfacial decohesion at the nickel matrix/agglomerate inclusion boundaries is observed experimentally, and systematic modelling studies enable the mechanistic basis of the nucleation to be established. A number of fatigue crack nucleation indicators are also assessed against the experimental results. Decohesion was found to be driven by interface tensile normal stress alone, and the interfacial strength was determined to be in the range of 1270-1480 MPa.

Unstructured mesh adaptivity for urban flooding modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, R.; Fang, F.; Salinas, P.; Pain, C. C.

2018-05-01

Over the past few decades, urban floods have been gaining more attention due to their increase in frequency. To provide reliable flooding predictions in urban areas, various numerical models have been developed to perform high-resolution flood simulations. However, the use of high-resolution meshes across the whole computational domain causes a high computational burden. In this paper, a 2D control-volume and finite-element flood model using adaptive unstructured mesh technology has been developed. This adaptive unstructured mesh technique enables meshes to be adapted optimally in time and space in response to the evolving flow features, thus providing sufficient mesh resolution where and when it is required. It has the advantage of capturing the details of local flows and wetting and drying front while reducing the computational cost. Complex topographic features are represented accurately during the flooding process. For example, the high-resolution meshes around the buildings and steep regions are placed when the flooding water reaches these regions. In this work a flooding event that happened in 2002 in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom has been simulated to demonstrate the capability of the adaptive unstructured mesh flooding model. The simulations have been performed using both fixed and adaptive unstructured meshes, and then results have been compared with those published 2D and 3D results. The presented method shows that the 2D adaptive mesh model provides accurate results while having a low computational cost.

Validating high-resolution California coastal flood modeling with Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, A.

2015-12-01

The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) is a numerical modeling scheme used to predict coastal flooding due to sea level rise and storms influenced by climate change, currently in use in central California and in development for Southern California (Pt. Conception to the Mexican border). Using a framework of circulation, wave, analytical, and Bayesian models at different geographic scales, high-resolution results are translated as relevant hazards projections at the local scale that include flooding, wave heights, coastal erosion, shoreline change, and cliff failures. Ready access to accurate, high-resolution coastal flooding data is critical for further validation and refinement of CoSMoS and improved coastal hazard projections. High-resolution Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) provides an exceptional data source as appropriately-timed flights during extreme tides or storms provide a geographically-extensive method for determining areas of inundation and flooding extent along expanses of complex and varying coastline. Landward flood extents are numerically identified via edge-detection in imagery from single flights, and can also be ascertained via change detection using additional flights and imagery collected during average wave/tide conditions. The extracted flooding positions are compared against CoSMoS results for similar tide, water level, and storm-intensity conditions, allowing for robust testing and validation of CoSMoS and providing essential feedback for supporting regional and local model improvement.

Retrieval of Precipitation Profiles from Multiresolution, Multifrequency, Active and Passive Microwave Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grecu, Mircea; Anagnostou, Emmanouil N.; Olson, William S.; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In this study, a technique for estimating vertical profiles of precipitation from multifrequency, multiresolution active and passive microwave observations is investigated using both simulated and airborne data. The technique is applicable to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite multi-frequency active and passive observations. These observations are characterized by various spatial and sampling resolutions. This makes the retrieval problem mathematically more difficult and ill-determined because the quality of information decreases with decreasing resolution. A model that, given reflectivity profiles and a small set of parameters (including the cloud water content, the intercept drop size distribution, and a variable describing the frozen hydrometeor properties), simulates high-resolution brightness temperatures is used. The high-resolution simulated brightness temperatures are convolved at the real sensor resolution. An optimal estimation procedure is used to minimize the differences between simulated and observed brightness temperatures. The retrieval technique is investigated using cloud model synthetic and airborne data from the Fourth Convection And Moisture Experiment. Simulated high-resolution brightness temperatures and reflectivities and airborne observation strong are convolved at the resolution of the TRMM instruments and retrievals are performed and analyzed relative to the reference data used in observations synthesis. An illustration of the possible use of the technique in satellite rainfall estimation is presented through an application to TRMM data. The study suggests improvements in combined active and passive retrievals even when the instruments resolutions are significantly different. Future work needs to better quantify the retrievals performance, especially in connection with satellite applications, and the uncertainty of the models used in retrieval.

New learning based super-resolution: use of DWT and IGMRF prior.

PubMed

Gajjar, Prakash P; Joshi, Manjunath V

2010-05-01

In this paper, we propose a new learning-based approach for super-resolving an image captured at low spatial resolution. Given the low spatial resolution test image and a database consisting of low and high spatial resolution images, we obtain super-resolution for the test image. We first obtain an initial high-resolution (HR) estimate by learning the high-frequency details from the available database. A new discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based approach is proposed for learning that uses a set of low-resolution (LR) images and their corresponding HR versions. Since the super-resolution is an ill-posed problem, we obtain the final solution using a regularization framework. The LR image is modeled as the aliased and noisy version of the corresponding HR image, and the aliasing matrix entries are estimated using the test image and the initial HR estimate. The prior model for the super-resolved image is chosen as an Inhomogeneous Gaussian Markov random field (IGMRF) and the model parameters are estimated using the same initial HR estimate. A maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation is used to arrive at the cost function which is minimized using a simple gradient descent approach. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by conducting the experiments on gray scale as well as on color images. The method is compared with the standard interpolation technique and also with existing learning-based approaches. The proposed approach can be used in applications such as wildlife sensor networks, remote surveillance where the memory, the transmission bandwidth, and the camera cost are the main constraints.

An evaluation of onshore digital elevation models for tsunami inundation modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, J.; Latief, H.; Kongko, W.; Harig, S.; Horspool, N.; Hanung, R.; Rojali, A.; Maher, N.; Fountain, L.; Fuchs, A.; Hossen, J.; Upi, S.; Dewanto, S. E.; Cummins, P. R.

2012-12-01

Tsunami inundation models provide fundamental information about coastal areas that may be inundated in the event of a tsunami along with additional parameters such as flow depth and velocity. This can inform disaster management activities including evacuation planning, impact and risk assessment and coastal engineering. A fundamental input to tsunami inundation models is adigital elevation model (DEM). Onshore DEMs vary widely in resolution, accuracy, availability and cost. A proper assessment of how the accuracy and resolution of DEMs translates into uncertainties in modelled inundation is needed to ensure results are appropriately interpreted and used. This assessment can in turn informdata acquisition strategies depending on the purpose of the inundation model. For example, lower accuracy elevation data may give inundation results that are sufficiently accurate to plan a community's evacuation route but not sufficient to inform engineering of a vertical evacuation shelters. A sensitivity study is undertaken to assess the utility of different available onshore digital elevation models for tsunami inundation modelling. We compare airborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR), ASTER and SRTM against high resolution (<1 m horizontal resolution, < 0.15 m vertical accuracy) LiDAR or stereo-camera data in three Indonesian locations with different coastal morphologies (Padang, West Sumatra; Palu, Central Sulawesi; and Maumere, Flores), using three different computational codes (ANUGA, TUNAMI-N3 and TsunAWI). Tsunami inundation extents modelled with IFSAR are comparable with those modelled with the high resolution datasets and with historical tsunami run-up data. Large vertical errors (> 10 m) and poor resolution of the coastline in the ASTER and SRTM elevation models cause modelled inundation to be much less compared with models using better data and with observations. Therefore we recommend that ASTER and SRTM should not be used for modelling tsunami inundation in order to determine tsunami extent or any other measure of onshore tsunami hazard. We suggest that for certain disaster management applications where the important factor is the extent of inundation, such as evacuation planning, airborne IFSAR provides a good compromise between cost and accuracy; however the representation of flow parameters such as depth and velocity is not sufficient to inform detailed engineering of structures. Differences in modelled inundation extent between digital terrain models (DTM) and digital surface models (DSM) for LiDAR, high resolution stereo-camera and airborne IFSAR data are greater than differences between the data types. The presence of trees and buildings as solid elevation in the DSM leads to underestimated inundation extents compared with observations, while removal of these features in the DTM causes more extensive inundation. Further work is needed to resolve whether DTM or DSM should be used and, in particular for DTM, how and at what spatial scale roughness should be parameterized to appropriately account for the presence of buildings and vegetation. We also test model mesh resolutions up to 0.8 m but find that there are only negligible changes in inundation extent between 0.8 and 25 m mesh resolution, even using the highest resolution elevation data.

Flat field concave holographic grating with broad spectral region and moderately high resolution.

PubMed

Wu, Jian Fen; Chen, Yong Yan; Wang, Tai Sheng

2012-02-01

In order to deal with the conflicts between broad spectral region and high resolution in compact spectrometers based on a flat field concave holographic grating and line array CCD, we present a simple and practical method to design a flat field concave holographic grating that is capable of imaging a broad spectral region at a moderately high resolution. First, we discuss the principle of realizing a broad spectral region and moderately high resolution. Second, we provide the practical method to realize our ideas, in which Namioka grating theory, a genetic algorithm, and ZEMAX are used to reach this purpose. Finally, a near-normal-incidence example modeled in ZEMAX is shown to verify our ideas. The results show that our work probably has a general applicability in compact spectrometers with a broad spectral region and moderately high resolution.

Combining low- to high-resolution transit spectroscopy of HD 189733b. Linking the troposphere and the thermosphere of a hot gas giant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pino, Lorenzo; Ehrenreich, David; Wyttenbach, Aurélien; Bourrier, Vincent; Nascimbeni, Valerio; Heng, Kevin; Grimm, Simon; Lovis, Christophe; Malik, Matej; Pepe, Francesco; Piotto, Giampaolo

2018-04-01

Space-borne low- to medium-resolution (ℛ 102-103) and ground-based high-resolution spectrographs (ℛ 105) are commonly used to obtain optical and near infrared transmission spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres. In this wavelength range, space-borne observations detect the broadest spectral features (alkali doublets, molecular bands, scattering, etc.), while high-resolution, ground-based observations probe the sharpest features (cores of the alkali lines, molecular lines). The two techniques differ by several aspects. (1) The line spread function of ground-based observations is 103 times narrower than for space-borne observations; (2) Space-borne transmission spectra probe up to the base of thermosphere (P ≳ 10-6 bar), while ground-based observations can reach lower pressures (down to 10-11 bar) thanks to their high resolution; (3) Space-borne observations directly yield the transit depth of the planet, while ground-based observations can only measure differences in the apparent size of the planet at different wavelengths. These differences make it challenging to combine both techniques. Here, we develop a robust method to compare theoretical models with observations at different resolutions. We introduce πη, a line-by-line 1D radiative transfer code to compute theoretical transmission spectra over a broad wavelength range at very high resolution (ℛ 106, or Δλ 0.01 Å). An hybrid forward modeling/retrieval optimization scheme is devised to deal with the large computational resources required by modeling a broad wavelength range 0.3-2 μm at high resolution. We apply our technique to HD 189733b. In this planet, HST observations reveal a flattened spectrum due to scattering by aerosols, while high-resolution ground-based HARPS observations reveal sharp features corresponding to the cores of sodium lines. We reconcile these apparent contrasting results by building models that reproduce simultaneously both data sets, from the troposphere to the thermosphere. We confirm: (1) the presence of scattering by tropospheric aerosols; (2) that the sodium core feature is of thermospheric origin. When we take into account the presence of aerosols, the large contrast of the core of the sodium lines measured by HARPS indicates a temperature of up to 10 000K in the thermosphere, higher than what reported in the literature. We also show that the precise value of the thermospheric temperature is degenerate with the relative optical depth of sodium, controlled by its abundance, and of the aerosol deck.

High Resolution Surface Geometry and Albedo by Combining Laser Altimetry and Visible Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Robin D.; vonToussaint, Udo; Cheeseman, Peter C.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The need for accurate geometric and radiometric information over large areas has become increasingly important. Laser altimetry is one of the key technologies for obtaining this geometric information. However, there are important application areas where the observing platform has its orbit constrained by the other instruments it is carrying, and so the spatial resolution that can be recorded by the laser altimeter is limited. In this paper we show how information recorded by one of the other instruments commonly carried, a high-resolution imaging camera, can be combined with the laser altimeter measurements to give a high resolution estimate both of the surface geometry and its reflectance properties. This estimate has an accuracy unavailable from other interpolation methods. We present the results from combining synthetic laser altimeter measurements on a coarse grid with images generated from a surface model to re-create the surface model.

Preliminary validation of WRF model in two Arctic fjords, Hornsund and Porsanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aniskiewicz, Paulina; Stramska, Małgorzata

2017-04-01

Our research is focused on development of efficient modeling system for arctic fjords. This tool should include high-resolution meteorological data derived using downscaling approach. In this presentation we have focused on modeling, with high spatial resolution, of the meteorological conditions in two Arctic fjords: Hornsund (H), located in the western part of Svalbard archipelago and Porsanger (P) located in the coastal waters of the Barents Sea. The atmospheric downscaling is based on The Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF, www.wrf-model.org) with polar stereographic projection. We have created two parent domains with grid point distances of about 3.2 km (P) and 3.0 km (H) and with nested domains (almost 5 times higher resolution than parent domains). We tested what is the impact of the spatial resolution of the model on derived meteorological quantities. For both fjords the input topography data resolution is 30 sec. To validate the results we have used meteorological data from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute for stations Lakselv (L) and Honningsvåg (Ho) located in the inner and outer parts of the Porsanger fjord as well as from station in the outer part of the Hornsund fjord. We have estimated coefficients of determination (r2), statistical errors (St) and systematic errors (Sy) between measured and modelled air temperature and wind speed at each station. This approach will allow us to create high resolution spatially variable meteorological fields that will serve as forcing for numerical models of the fjords. We will investigate the role of different meteorological quantities (e. g. wind, solar insolation, precipitation) on hydrohraphic processes in fjords. The project has been financed from the funds of the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) received by the Centre for Polar Studies for the period 2014-2018. This work was also funded by the Norway Grants (NCBR contract No. 201985, project NORDFLUX). Partial support comes from the Institute of Oceanology (IO PAN).

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Acceleration of the Goddard Earth Observing System Atmospheric Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putnam, Williama

2011-01-01

The Goddard Earth Observing System 5 (GEOS-5) is the atmospheric model used by the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) for a variety of applications, from long-term climate prediction at relatively coarse resolution, to data assimilation and numerical weather prediction, to very high-resolution cloud-resolving simulations. GEOS-5 is being ported to a graphics processing unit (GPU) cluster at the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS). By utilizing GPU co-processor technology, we expect to increase the throughput of GEOS-5 by at least an order of magnitude, and accelerate the process of scientific exploration across all scales of global modeling, including: The large-scale, high-end application of non-hydrostatic, global, cloud-resolving modeling at 10- to I-kilometer (km) global resolutions Intermediate-resolution seasonal climate and weather prediction at 50- to 25-km on small clusters of GPUs Long-range, coarse-resolution climate modeling, enabled on a small box of GPUs for the individual researcher After being ported to the GPU cluster, the primary physics components and the dynamical core of GEOS-5 have demonstrated a potential speedup of 15-40 times over conventional processor cores. Performance improvements of this magnitude reduce the required scalability of 1-km, global, cloud-resolving models from an unfathomable 6 million cores to an attainable 200,000 GPU-enabled cores.

SEM-microphotogrammetry, a new take on an old method for generating high-resolution 3D models from SEM images.

PubMed

Ball, A D; Job, P A; Walker, A E L

2017-08-01

The method we present here uses a scanning electron microscope programmed via macros to automatically capture dozens of images at suitable angles to generate accurate, detailed three-dimensional (3D) surface models with micron-scale resolution. We demonstrate that it is possible to use these Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images in conjunction with commercially available software originally developed for photogrammetry reconstructions from Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras and to reconstruct 3D models of the specimen. These 3D models can then be exported as polygon meshes and eventually 3D printed. This technique offers the potential to obtain data suitable to reconstruct very tiny features (e.g. diatoms, butterfly scales and mineral fabrics) at nanometre resolution. Ultimately, we foresee this as being a useful tool for better understanding spatial relationships at very high resolution. However, our motivation is also to use it to produce 3D models to be used in public outreach events and exhibitions, especially for the blind or partially sighted. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Modeling the depth-sectioning effect in reflection-mode dynamic speckle-field interferometric microscopy

PubMed Central

Zhou, Renjie; Jin, Di; Hosseini, Poorya; Singh, Vijay Raj; Kim, Yang-hyo; Kuang, Cuifang; Dasari, Ramachandra R.; Yaqoob, Zahid; So, Peter T. C.

2017-01-01

Unlike most optical coherence microscopy (OCM) systems, dynamic speckle-field interferometric microscopy (DSIM) achieves depth sectioning through the spatial-coherence gating effect. Under high numerical aperture (NA) speckle-field illumination, our previous experiments have demonstrated less than 1 μm depth resolution in reflection-mode DSIM, while doubling the diffraction limited resolution as under structured illumination. However, there has not been a physical model to rigorously describe the speckle imaging process, in particular explaining the sectioning effect under high illumination and imaging NA settings in DSIM. In this paper, we develop such a model based on the diffraction tomography theory and the speckle statistics. Using this model, we calculate the system response function, which is used to further obtain the depth resolution limit in reflection-mode DSIM. Theoretically calculated depth resolution limit is in an excellent agreement with experiment results. We envision that our physical model will not only help in understanding the imaging process in DSIM, but also enable better designing such systems for depth-resolved measurements in biological cells and tissues. PMID:28085800

Technical Challenges and Solutions in Representing Lakes when using WRF in Downscaling Applications

EPA Science Inventory

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is commonly used to make high resolution future projections of regional climate by downscaling global climate model (GCM) outputs. Because the GCM fields are typically at a much coarser spatial resolution than the target regional ...

An Intervention Model of Constructive Conflict Resolution and Cooperative Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Quanwu

1994-01-01

Tests an intervention model of constructive conflict resolution (CCR) and cooperative learning in three urban high schools. Findings show that improvements in CCR increased social support and decreased victimization for the students. These changes improved student's attitudes, self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and academic achievement. (GLR)

High resolution estimates of the corrosion risk for cultural heritage in Italy.

PubMed

De Marco, Alessandra; Screpanti, Augusto; Mircea, Mihaela; Piersanti, Antonio; Proietti, Chiara; Fornasier, M Francesca

2017-07-01

Air pollution plays a pivotal role in the deterioration of many materials used in buildings and cultural monuments causing an inestimable damage. This study aims to estimate the impacts of air pollution (SO 2 , HNO 3 , O 3 , PM 10 ) and meteorological conditions (temperature, precipitation, relative humidity) on limestone, copper and bronze based on high resolution air quality data-base produced with AMS-MINNI modelling system over the Italian territory over the time period 2003-2010. A comparison between high resolution data (AMS-MINNI grid, 4 × 4 km) and low resolution data (EMEP grid, 50 × 50 km) has been performed. Our results pointed out that the corrosion levels for limestone, copper and bronze are decreased in Italy from 2003 to 2010 in relation to decrease of pollutant concentrations. However, some problem related to air pollution persists especially in Northern and Southern Italy. In particular, PM 10 and HNO 3 are considered the main responsible for limestone corrosion. Moreover, the high resolution data (AMS-MINNI) allowed the identification of risk areas that are not visible with the low resolution data (EMEP modelling system) in all considered years and, especially, in the limestone case. Consequently, high resolution air quality simulations are suitable to provide concrete benefits in providing information for national effective policy against corrosion risk for cultural heritage, also in the context of climate changes that are affecting strongly Mediterranean basin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Resolution Climate Modeling of the Water Cycle over the Contiguous United States Including Potential Climate Change Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmussen, R.; Ikeda, K.; Liu, C.; Gochis, D.; Chen, F.; Barlage, M. J.; Dai, A.; Dudhia, J.; Clark, M. P.; Gutmann, E. D.; Li, Y.

2015-12-01

The NCAR Water System program strives to improve the full representation of the water cycle in both regional and global models. Our previous high-resolution simulations using the WRF model over the Rocky Mountains revealed that proper spatial and temporal depiction of snowfall adequate for water resource and climate change purposes can be achieved with the appropriate choice of model grid spacing (< 6 km horizontal) and parameterizations. The climate sensitivity experiment consistent with expected climate change showed an altered hydrological cycle with increased fraction of rain versus snow, increased snowfall at high altitudes, earlier melting of snowpack, and decreased total runoff. In order to investigate regional differences between the Rockies and other major mountain barriers and to study climate change impacts over other regions of the contiguous U.S. (CONUS), we have expanded our prior CO Headwaters modeling study to encompass most of North America at a horizontal grid spacing of 4 km. A domain expansion provides the opportunity to assess changes in orographic precipitation across different mountain ranges in the western USA, as well as the very dominant role of convection in the eastern half of the USA. The high resolution WRF-downscaled climate change data will also become a valuable community resource for many university groups who are interested in studying regional climate changes and impacts but unable to perform such long-duration and high-resolution WRF-based downscaling simulations of their own. The scientific goals and details of the model dataset will be presented including some preliminary results.

Spectroscopic Characterisation of CARMENES Target Candidates from FEROS, CAFE and HRS High-Resolution Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passegger, Vera Maria; Reiners, Ansgar; Jeffers, Sandra V.; Wende, Sebastian; Schöfer, Patrick; Amado, Pedro J.; Caballero, Jose A.; Montes, David; Mundt, Reinhard; Ribas, Ignasi; Quirrenbach, Andreas

2016-07-01

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Échelle Spectrographs) started a new planet survey on M-dwarfs in January this year. The new high-resolution spectrographs are operating in the visible and near-infrared at Calar Alto Observatory. They will perform high-accuracy radial-velocity measurements (goal 1 m s-1) of about 300 M-dwarfs with the aim to detect low-mass planets within habitable zones. We characterised the candidate sample for CARMENES and provide fundamental parameters for these stars in order to constrain planetary properties and understand star-planet systems. Using state-of-the-art model atmospheres (PHOENIX-ACES) and χ2-minimization with a downhill-simplex method we determine effective temperature, surface gravity and metallicity [Fe/H] for high-resolution spectra of around 480 stars of spectral types M0.0-6.5V taken with FEROS, CAFE and HRS. We find good agreement between the models and our observed high-resolution spectra. We show the performance of the algorithm, as well as results, parameter and spectral type distributions for the CARMENES candidate sample, which is used to define the CARMENES target sample. We also present first preliminary results obtained from CARMENES spectra.

Spatial variability of the Black Sea surface temperature from high resolution modeling and satellite measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizyuk, Artem; Senderov, Maxim; Korotaev, Gennady

2016-04-01

Large number of numerical ocean models were implemented for the Black Sea basin during last two decades. They reproduce rather similar structure of synoptical variability of the circulation. Since 00-s numerical studies of the mesoscale structure are carried out using high performance computing (HPC). With the growing capacity of computing resources it is now possible to reconstruct the Black Sea currents with spatial resolution of several hundreds meters. However, how realistic these results can be? In the proposed study an attempt is made to understand which spatial scales are reproduced by ocean model in the Black Sea. Simulations are made using parallel version of NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean). A two regional configurations with spatial resolutions 5 km and 2.5 km are described. Comparison of the SST from simulations with two spatial resolutions shows rather qualitative difference of the spatial structures. Results of high resolution simulation are compared also with satellite observations and observation-based products from Copernicus using spatial correlation and spectral analysis. Spatial scales of correlations functions for simulated and observed SST are rather close and differs much from satellite SST reanalysis. Evolution of spectral density for modelled SST and reanalysis showed agreed time periods of small scales intensification. Using of the spectral analysis for satellite measurements is complicated due to gaps. The research leading to this results has received funding from Russian Science Foundation (project № 15-17-20020)

Structure of high latitude currents in magnetosphere-ionosphere models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiltberger, M. J.; Lyon, J.; Merkin, V. G.; Rigler, E. J.

2016-12-01

Using three resolutions of the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global magnetosphere-ionosphere model (LFM) and the Weimer 2005 empirical model the structure of the high latitude field-aligned current patterns is examined. Each LFM resolution was run for the entire Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI), which contained two high-speed solar wind streams and modest interplanetary magnetic field strengths. Average states of the field-aligned current (FAC) patterns for 8 interplanetary magnetic field clock angle directions are computed using data from these runs. Generally speaking the patterns obtained agree well with results from the Weimer 2005 computed using the solar wind and IMF conditions that correspond to each bin. As the simulation resolution increases the currents become more intense and confined. A machine learning analysis of the FAC patterns shows that the ratio of Region 1 (R1) to Region 2 (R2) currents decreases as the simulation resolution increases. This brings the simulation results into better agreement with observational predictions and the Weimer 2005 model results. The increase in R2 current strengths in the model also results in a better shielding of mid- and low-latitude ionosphere from the polar cap convection, also in agreement with observations. Current-voltage relationships between the R1 strength and the cross-polar cap potential (CPCP) are quite similar at the higher resolutions indicating the simulation is converging on a common solution. We conclude that LFM simulations are capable of reproducing the statistical features of FAC patterns.

The influence of resolution of meteorology, biogeochemical models and fossil fuel emissions on forward and inverse modelling of CO2 exchange over Europe using the network of tall towers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeulen, A.; Verheggen, B.; Pieterse, G.; Haszpra, L.

2007-12-01

Tall towers allow us to observe the integrated influence of carbon exchange processes from large areas on the concentrations of CO2. The signal received shows a large variability at diurnal and synoptic timescales. The question remains how high resolutions and how accurate transport models need to be, in order to discriminate the relevant source terms from the atmospheric signal. We will examine the influence of the resolution of (ECMWF) meteorological fields, antropogenic and biogenic fluxes when going from resolutions of 2° to 0.2° lat-lon, using a simple Lagrangian 2D transport model. Model results will be compared to other Eulerian model results and observations at the CHIOTTO/CarboEurope tall tower network in Europe. Biogenic fluxes taken into account are from the FACEM model (Pieterse et al, 2006). Results show that the relative influence of the different CO2 exchange processes is very different at each tower and that higher model resolution clearly pays off in better model performance.

An Investigation on the Sensitivity of the Parameters of Urban Flood Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M, A. B.; Lohani, B.; Jain, A.

2015-12-01

Global climatic change has triggered weather patterns which lead to heavy and sudden rainfall in different parts of world. The impact of heavy rainfall is severe especially on urban areas in the form of urban flooding. In order to understand the effect of heavy rainfall induced flooding, it is necessary to model the entire flooding scenario more accurately, which is now becoming possible with the availability of high resolution airborne LiDAR data and other real time observations. However, there is not much understanding on the optimal use of these data and on the effect of other parameters on the performance of the flood model. This study aims at developing understanding on these issues. In view of the above discussion, the aim of this study is to (i) understand that how the use of high resolution LiDAR data improves the performance of urban flood model, and (ii) understand the sensitivity of various hydrological parameters on urban flood modelling. In this study, modelling of flooding in urban areas due to heavy rainfall is carried out considering Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, India as the study site. The existing model MIKE FLOOD, which is accepted by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is used along with the high resolution airborne LiDAR data. Once the model is setup it is made to run by changing the parameters such as resolution of Digital Surface Model (DSM), manning's roughness, initial losses, catchment description, concentration time, runoff reduction factor. In order to realize this, the results obtained from the model are compared with the field observations. The parametric study carried out in this work demonstrates that the selection of catchment description plays a very important role in urban flood modelling. Results also show the significant impact of resolution of DSM, initial losses and concentration time on urban flood model. This study will help in understanding the effect of various parameters that should be part of a flood model for its accurate performance.

A Bayesian Nonparametric Approach to Image Super-Resolution.

PubMed

Polatkan, Gungor; Zhou, Mingyuan; Carin, Lawrence; Blei, David; Daubechies, Ingrid

2015-02-01

Super-resolution methods form high-resolution images from low-resolution images. In this paper, we develop a new Bayesian nonparametric model for super-resolution. Our method uses a beta-Bernoulli process to learn a set of recurring visual patterns, called dictionary elements, from the data. Because it is nonparametric, the number of elements found is also determined from the data. We test the results on both benchmark and natural images, comparing with several other models from the research literature. We perform large-scale human evaluation experiments to assess the visual quality of the results. In a first implementation, we use Gibbs sampling to approximate the posterior. However, this algorithm is not feasible for large-scale data. To circumvent this, we then develop an online variational Bayes (VB) algorithm. This algorithm finds high quality dictionaries in a fraction of the time needed by the Gibbs sampler.

The sensitivity of ecosystem service models to choices of input data and spatial resolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Cohen, Erika; Ancona, Zachary H.; McNulty, Steven; Sun, Ge

2018-01-01

Although ecosystem service (ES) modeling has progressed rapidly in the last 10–15 years, comparative studies on data and model selection effects have become more common only recently. Such studies have drawn mixed conclusions about whether different data and model choices yield divergent results. In this study, we compared the results of different models to address these questions at national, provincial, and subwatershed scales in Rwanda. We compared results for carbon, water, and sediment as modeled using InVEST and WaSSI using (1) land cover data at 30 and 300 m resolution and (2) three different input land cover datasets. WaSSI and simpler InVEST models (carbon storage and annual water yield) were relatively insensitive to the choice of spatial resolution, but more complex InVEST models (seasonal water yield and sediment regulation) produced large differences when applied at differing resolution. Six out of nine ES metrics (InVEST annual and seasonal water yield and WaSSI) gave similar predictions for at least two different input land cover datasets. Despite differences in mean values when using different data sources and resolution, we found significant and highly correlated results when using Spearman's rank correlation, indicating consistent spatial patterns of high and low values. Our results confirm and extend conclusions of past studies, showing that in certain cases (e.g., simpler models and national-scale analyses), results can be robust to data and modeling choices. For more complex models, those with different output metrics, and subnational to site-based analyses in heterogeneous environments, data and model choices may strongly influence study findings.

From Panoramic Photos to a Low-Cost Photogrammetric Workflow for Cultural Heritage 3d Documentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Annibale, E.; Tassetti, A. N.; Malinverni, E. S.

2013-07-01

The research aims to optimize a workflow of architecture documentation: starting from panoramic photos, tackling available instruments and technologies to propose an integrated, quick and low-cost solution of Virtual Architecture. The broader research background shows how to use spherical panoramic images for the architectural metric survey. The input data (oriented panoramic photos), the level of reliability and Image-based Modeling methods constitute an integrated and flexible 3D reconstruction approach: from the professional survey of cultural heritage to its communication in virtual museum. The proposed work results from the integration and implementation of different techniques (Multi-Image Spherical Photogrammetry, Structure from Motion, Imagebased Modeling) with the aim to achieve high metric accuracy and photorealistic performance. Different documentation chances are possible within the proposed workflow: from the virtual navigation of spherical panoramas to complex solutions of simulation and virtual reconstruction. VR tools make for the integration of different technologies and the development of new solutions for virtual navigation. Image-based Modeling techniques allow 3D model reconstruction with photo realistic and high-resolution texture. High resolution of panoramic photo and algorithms of panorama orientation and photogrammetric restitution vouch high accuracy and high-resolution texture. Automated techniques and their following integration are subject of this research. Data, advisably processed and integrated, provide different levels of analysis and virtual reconstruction joining the photogrammetric accuracy to the photorealistic performance of the shaped surfaces. Lastly, a new solution of virtual navigation is tested. Inside the same environment, it proposes the chance to interact with high resolution oriented spherical panorama and 3D reconstructed model at once.

Can low-resolution airborne laser scanning data be used to model stream rating curves?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyon, Steve; Nathanson, Marcus; Lam, Norris; Dahlke, Helen; Rutzinger, Martin; Kean, Jason W.; Laudon, Hjalmar

2015-01-01

This pilot study explores the potential of using low-resolution (0.2 points/m2) airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived elevation data to model stream rating curves. Rating curves, which allow the functional translation of stream water depth into discharge, making them integral to water resource monitoring efforts, were modeled using a physics-based approach that captures basic geometric measurements to establish flow resistance due to implicit channel roughness. We tested synthetically thinned high-resolution (more than 2 points/m2) ALS data as a proxy for low-resolution data at a point density equivalent to that obtained within most national-scale ALS strategies. Our results show that the errors incurred due to the effect of low-resolution versus high-resolution ALS data were less than those due to flow measurement and empirical rating curve fitting uncertainties. As such, although there likely are scale and technical limitations to consider, it is theoretically possible to generate rating curves in a river network from ALS data of the resolution anticipated within national-scale ALS schemes (at least for rivers with relatively simple geometries). This is promising, since generating rating curves from ALS scans would greatly enhance our ability to monitor streamflow by simplifying the overall effort required.

Effects of Reduced Terrestrial LiDAR Point Density on High-Resolution Grain Crop Surface Models in Precision Agriculture

PubMed Central

Hämmerle, Martin; Höfle, Bernhard

2014-01-01

3D geodata play an increasingly important role in precision agriculture, e.g., for modeling in-field variations of grain crop features such as height or biomass. A common data capturing method is LiDAR, which often requires expensive equipment and produces large datasets. This study contributes to the improvement of 3D geodata capturing efficiency by assessing the effect of reduced scanning resolution on crop surface models (CSMs). The analysis is based on high-end LiDAR point clouds of grain crop fields of different varieties (rye and wheat) and nitrogen fertilization stages (100%, 50%, 10%). Lower scanning resolutions are simulated by keeping every n-th laser beam with increasing step widths n. For each iteration step, high-resolution CSMs (0.01 m2 cells) are derived and assessed regarding their coverage relative to a seamless CSM derived from the original point cloud, standard deviation of elevation and mean elevation. Reducing the resolution to, e.g., 25% still leads to a coverage of >90% and a mean CSM elevation of >96% of measured crop height. CSM types (maximum elevation or 90th-percentile elevation) react differently to reduced scanning resolutions in different crops (variety, density). The results can help to assess the trade-off between CSM quality and minimum requirements regarding equipment and capturing set-up. PMID:25521383

An Experimental High-Resolution Forecast System During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mailhot, J.; Milbrandt, J. A.; Giguère, A.; McTaggart-Cowan, R.; Erfani, A.; Denis, B.; Glazer, A.; Vallée, M.

2014-01-01

Environment Canada ran an experimental numerical weather prediction (NWP) system during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, consisting of nested high-resolution (down to 1-km horizontal grid-spacing) configurations of the GEM-LAM model, with improved geophysical fields, cloud microphysics and radiative transfer schemes, and several new diagnostic products such as density of falling snow, visibility, and peak wind gust strength. The performance of this experimental NWP system has been evaluated in these winter conditions over complex terrain using the enhanced mesoscale observing network in place during the Olympics. As compared to the forecasts from the operational regional 15-km GEM model, objective verification generally indicated significant added value of the higher-resolution models for near-surface meteorological variables (wind speed, air temperature, and dewpoint temperature) with the 1-km model providing the best forecast accuracy. Appreciable errors were noted in all models for the forecasts of wind direction and humidity near the surface. Subjective assessment of several cases also indicated that the experimental Olympic system was skillful at forecasting meteorological phenomena at high-resolution, both spatially and temporally, and provided enhanced guidance to the Olympic forecasters in terms of better timing of precipitation phase change, squall line passage, wind flow channeling, and visibility reduction due to fog and snow.

Structure of High Latitude Currents in Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiltberger, M.; Rigler, E. J.; Merkin, V.; Lyon, J. G.

2017-03-01

Using three resolutions of the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global magnetosphere-ionosphere model (LFM) and the Weimer 2005 empirical model we examine the structure of the high latitude field-aligned current patterns. Each resolution was run for the entire Whole Heliosphere Interval which contained two high speed solar wind streams and modest interplanetary magnetic field strengths. Average states of the field-aligned current (FAC) patterns for 8 interplanetary magnetic field clock angle directions are computed using data from these runs. Generally speaking the patterns obtained agree well with results obtained from the Weimer 2005 computing using the solar wind and IMF conditions that correspond to each bin. As the simulation resolution increases the currents become more intense and narrow. A machine learning analysis of the FAC patterns shows that the ratio of Region 1 (R1) to Region 2 (R2) currents decreases as the simulation resolution increases. This brings the simulation results into better agreement with observational predictions and the Weimer 2005 model results. The increase in R2 current strengths also results in the cross polar cap potential (CPCP) pattern being concentrated in higher latitudes. Current-voltage relationships between the R1 and CPCP are quite similar at the higher resolution indicating the simulation is converging on a common solution. We conclude that LFM simulations are capable of reproducing the statistical features of FAC patterns.

Structure of high latitude currents in global magnetospheric-ionospheric models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiltberger, M; Rigler, E. J.; Merkin, V; Lyon, J. G

2016-01-01

Using three resolutions of the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global magnetosphere-ionosphere model (LFM) and the Weimer 2005 empirical model we examine the structure of the high latitude field-aligned current patterns. Each resolution was run for the entire Whole Heliosphere Interval which contained two high speed solar wind streams and modest interplanetary magnetic field strengths. Average states of the field-aligned current (FAC) patterns for 8 interplanetary magnetic field clock angle directions are computed using data from these runs. Generally speaking the patterns obtained agree well with results obtained from the Weimer 2005 computing using the solar wind and IMF conditions that correspond to each bin. As the simulation resolution increases the currents become more intense and narrow. A machine learning analysis of the FAC patterns shows that the ratio of Region 1 (R1) to Region 2 (R2) currents decreases as the simulation resolution increases. This brings the simulation results into better agreement with observational predictions and the Weimer 2005 model results. The increase in R2 current strengths also results in the cross polar cap potential (CPCP) pattern being concentrated in higher latitudes. Current-voltage relationships between the R1 and CPCP are quite similar at the higher resolution indicating the simulation is converging on a common solution. We conclude that LFM simulations are capable of reproducing the statistical features of FAC patterns.

Hydrologic Simulation in Mediterranean flood prone Watersheds using high-resolution quality data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eirini Vozinaki, Anthi; Alexakis, Dimitrios; Pappa, Polixeni; Tsanis, Ioannis

2015-04-01

Flooding is a significant threat causing lots of inconveniencies in several societies, worldwide. The fact that the climatic change is already happening, increases the flooding risk, which is no longer a substantial menace to several societies and their economies. The improvement of spatial-resolution and accuracy of the topography and land use data due to remote sensing techniques could provide integrated flood inundation simulations. In this work hydrological analysis of several historic flood events in Mediterranean flood prone watersheds (island of Crete/Greece) takes place. Satellite images of high resolution are elaborated. A very high resolution (VHR) digital elevation model (DEM) is produced from a GeoEye-1 0.5-m-resolution satellite stereo pair and is used for floodplain management and mapping applications such as watershed delineation and river cross-section extraction. Sophisticated classification algorithms are implemented for improving Land Use/ Land Cover maps accuracy. In addition, soil maps are updated with means of Radar satellite images. The above high-resolution data are innovatively used to simulate and validate several historical flood events in Mediterranean watersheds, which have experienced severe flooding in the past. The hydrologic/hydraulic models used for flood inundation simulation in this work are HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) curve number (CN) approach is implemented to account for the effect of LULC and soil on the hydrologic response of the catchment. The use of high resolution data provides detailed validation results and results of high precision, accordingly. Furthermore, the meteorological forecasting data, which are also combined to the simulation model results, manage the development of an integrated flood forecasting and early warning system tool, which is capable of confronting or even preventing this imminent risk. The research reported in this paper was fully supported by the "ARISTEIA II" Action ("REINFORCE" program) of the "Operational Education and Life Long Learning programme" and is co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and National Resources.

Spatial Ensemble Postprocessing of Precipitation Forecasts Using High Resolution Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Moritz N.; Schicker, Irene; Kann, Alexander; Wang, Yong

2017-04-01

Ensemble prediction systems are designed to account for errors or uncertainties in the initial and boundary conditions, imperfect parameterizations, etc. However, due to sampling errors and underestimation of the model errors, these ensemble forecasts tend to be underdispersive, and to lack both reliability and sharpness. To overcome such limitations, statistical postprocessing methods are commonly applied to these forecasts. In this study, a full-distributional spatial post-processing method is applied to short-range precipitation forecasts over Austria using Standardized Anomaly Model Output Statistics (SAMOS). Following Stauffer et al. (2016), observation and forecast fields are transformed into standardized anomalies by subtracting a site-specific climatological mean and dividing by the climatological standard deviation. Due to the need of fitting only a single regression model for the whole domain, the SAMOS framework provides a computationally inexpensive method to create operationally calibrated probabilistic forecasts for any arbitrary location or for all grid points in the domain simultaneously. Taking advantage of the INCA system (Integrated Nowcasting through Comprehensive Analysis), high resolution analyses are used for the computation of the observed climatology and for model training. The INCA system operationally combines station measurements and remote sensing data into real-time objective analysis fields at 1 km-horizontal resolution and 1 h-temporal resolution. The precipitation forecast used in this study is obtained from a limited area model ensemble prediction system also operated by ZAMG. The so called ALADIN-LAEF provides, by applying a multi-physics approach, a 17-member forecast at a horizontal resolution of 10.9 km and a temporal resolution of 1 hour. The performed SAMOS approach statistically combines the in-house developed high resolution analysis and ensemble prediction system. The station-based validation of 6 hour precipitation sums shows a mean improvement of more than 40% in CRPS when compared to bilinearly interpolated uncalibrated ensemble forecasts. The validation on randomly selected grid points, representing the true height distribution over Austria, still indicates a mean improvement of 35%. The applied statistical model is currently set up for 6-hourly and daily accumulation periods, but will be extended to a temporal resolution of 1-3 hours within a new probabilistic nowcasting system operated by ZAMG.

Development and Implementation of the DTOPLATS-MP land surface model over the Continental US at 30 meters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaney, N.; Wood, E. F.

2014-12-01

The increasing accessibility of high-resolution land data (< 100 m) and high performance computing allows improved parameterizations of subgrid hydrologic processes in macroscale land surface models. Continental scale fully distributed modeling at these spatial scales is possible; however, its practicality for operational use is still unknown due to uncertainties in input data, model parameters, and storage requirements. To address these concerns, we propose a modeling framework that provides the spatial detail of a fully distributed model yet maintains the benefits of a semi-distributed model. In this presentation we will introduce DTOPLATS-MP, a coupling between the NOAH-MP land surface model and the Dynamic TOPMODEL hydrologic model. This new model captures a catchment's spatial heterogeneity by clustering high-resolution land datasets (soil, topography, and land cover) into hundreds of hydrologic similar units (HSUs). A prior DEM analysis defines the connections between each HSU. At each time step, the 1D land surface model updates each HSU; the HSUs then interact laterally via the subsurface and surface. When compared to the fully distributed form of the model, this framework allows a significant decrease in computation and storage while providing most of the same information and enabling parameter transferability. As a proof of concept, we will show how this new modeling framework can be run over CONUS at a 30-meter spatial resolution. For each catchment in the WBD HUC-12 dataset, the model is run between 2002 and 2012 using available high-resolution continental scale land and meteorological datasets over CONUS (dSSURGO, NLCD, NED, and NCEP Stage IV). For each catchment, the model is run with 1000 model parameter sets obtained from a Latin hypercube sample. This exercise will illustrate the feasibility of running the model operationally at continental scales while accounting for model parameter uncertainty.

High resolution climate projection of storm surge at the Venetian coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mel, R.; Sterl, A.; Lionello, P.

2013-04-01

Climate change impact on storm surge regime is of great importance for the safety and maintenance of Venice. In this study a future storm surge scenario is evaluated using new high resolution sea level pressure and wind data recently produced by EC-Earth, an Earth System Model based on the operational seasonal forecast system of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The study considers an ensemble of six 5 yr long simulations of the rcp45 scenario at 0.25° resolution and compares the 2094-2098 to the 2004-2008 period. EC-Earth sea level pressure and surface wind fields are used as input for a shallow water hydrodynamic model (HYPSE) which computes sea level and barotropic currents in the Adriatic Sea. Results show that a high resolution climate model is needed for producing realistic values of storm surge statistics and confirm previous studies in that they show little sensitivity of storm surge levels to climate change. However, some climate change signals are detected, such as increased persistence of high pressure conditions, an increased frequency of windless hour, and a decreased number of moderate windstorms.

High-frequency Rayleigh-wave method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xia, J.; Miller, R.D.; Xu, Y.; Luo, Y.; Chen, C.; Liu, J.; Ivanov, J.; Zeng, C.

2009-01-01

High-frequency (???2 Hz) Rayleigh-wave data acquired with a multichannel recording system have been utilized to determine shear (S)-wave velocities in near-surface geophysics since the early 1980s. This overview article discusses the main research results of high-frequency surface-wave techniques achieved by research groups at the Kansas Geological Survey and China University of Geosciences in the last 15 years. The multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method is a non-invasive acoustic approach to estimate near-surface S-wave velocity. The differences between MASW results and direct borehole measurements are approximately 15% or less and random. Studies show that simultaneous inversion with higher modes and the fundamental mode can increase model resolution and an investigation depth. The other important seismic property, quality factor (Q), can also be estimated with the MASW method by inverting attenuation coefficients of Rayleigh waves. An inverted model (S-wave velocity or Q) obtained using a damped least-squares method can be assessed by an optimal damping vector in a vicinity of the inverted model determined by an objective function, which is the trace of a weighted sum of model-resolution and model-covariance matrices. Current developments include modeling high-frequency Rayleigh-waves in near-surface media, which builds a foundation for shallow seismic or Rayleigh-wave inversion in the time-offset domain; imaging dispersive energy with high resolution in the frequency-velocity domain and possibly with data in an arbitrary acquisition geometry, which opens a door for 3D surface-wave techniques; and successfully separating surface-wave modes, which provides a valuable tool to perform S-wave velocity profiling with high-horizontal resolution. ?? China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Springer-Verlag GmbH 2009.

CMIP5 model simulations of Ethiopian Kiremt-season precipitation: current climate and future changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Laifang; Li, Wenhong; Ballard, Tristan; Sun, Ge; Jeuland, Marc

2016-05-01

Kiremt-season (June-September) precipitation provides a significant water supply for Ethiopia, particularly in the central and northern regions. The response of Kiremt-season precipitation to climate change is thus of great concern to water resource managers. However, the complex processes that control Kiremt-season precipitation challenge the capability of general circulation models (GCMs) to accurately simulate precipitation amount and variability. This in turn raises questions about their utility for predicting future changes. This study assesses the impact of climate change on Kiremt-season precipitation using state-of-the-art GCMs participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5. Compared to models with a coarse resolution, high-resolution models (horizontal resolution <2°) can more accurately simulate precipitation, most likely due to their ability to capture precipitation induced by topography. Under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario, these high-resolution models project an increase in precipitation over central Highlands and northern Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia, but a decrease in precipitation over the southern part of the country. Such a dipole pattern is attributable to the intensification of the North Atlantic subtropical high (NASH) in a warmer climate, which influences Ethiopian Kiremt-season precipitation mainly by modulating atmospheric vertical motion. Diagnosis of the omega equation demonstrates that an intensified NASH increases (decreases) the advection of warm air and positive vorticity into the central Highlands and northern Great Rift Valley (southern part of the country), enhancing upward motion over the northern Rift Valley but decreasing elsewhere. Under the RCP 4.5 scenario, the high-resolution models project an intensification of the NASH by 15 (3 × 105 m2 s-2) geopotential meters (stream function) at the 850-hPa level, contributing to the projected precipitation change over Ethiopia. The influence of the NASH on Kiremt-season precipitation becomes more evident in the future due to the offsetting effects of two other major circulation systems: the East African Low-level Jet (EALLJ) and the Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ). The high-resolution models project a strengthening of the EALLJ, but a weakening of the TEJ. Future changes in the EALLJ and TEJ will drive this precipitation system in opposite directions, leading to small or no net changes in precipitation in Ethiopia.

Sampling supraglacial debris thickness using terrestrial photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, Lindsey; Mertes, Jordan

2017-04-01

The melt rate of debris-covered ice differs to that of clean ice primarily as a function of debris thickness. The spatial distribution of supraglacial debris thickness must therefore be known in order to understand how it is likely to impact glacier behaviour, and meltwater contribution to local hydrological resources and global sea level rise. However, practical means of determining debris cover thickness remain elusive. In this study we explore the utility of terrestrial photogrammetry to produce high resolution, scaled and texturized digital terrain models of debris cover exposures above ice cliffs as a means of quantifying and characterizing debris thickness. Two Nikon D5000 DSLRs with Tamron 100mm lenses were used to photograph a sample area of the Ngozumpa glacier in the Khumbu Himal of Nepal in April 2016. A Structure from Motion workflow using Agisoft Photoscan software was used to generate a surface models with <10cm resolution. A Trimble Geo7X differential GPS with Zephyr antenna, along with a local base station, was used to precisely measure marked ground control points to scale the photogrammetric surface model. Measurements of debris thickness along the exposed cliffline were made from this scaled model, assuming that the ice surface at the debris-ice boundary is horizontal, and these data are compared to 50 manual point measurements along the same clifftops. We conclude that sufficiently high resolution photogrammetry, with precise scaling information, provides a useful means to determine debris thickness at clifftop exposures. The resolution of the possible measurements depends on image resolution, the accuracy of the ground control points and the computational capacity to generate centimetre scale surface models. Application of such techniques to sufficiently high resolution imagery from UAV-borne cameras may offer a powerful means of determining debris thickness distribution patterns over debris covered glacier termini.

Application of Raytracing Through the High Resolution Numerical Weather Model HIRLAM for the Analysis of European VLBI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia-Espada, Susana; Haas, Rudiger; Colomer, Francisco

2010-01-01

An important limitation for the precision in the results obtained by space geodetic techniques like VLBI and GPS are tropospheric delays caused by the neutral atmosphere, see e.g. [1]. In recent years numerical weather models (NWM) have been applied to improve mapping functions which are used for tropospheric delay modeling in VLBI and GPS data analyses. In this manuscript we use raytracing to calculate slant delays and apply these to the analysis of Europe VLBI data. The raytracing is performed through the limited area numerical weather prediction (NWP) model HIRLAM. The advantages of this model are high spatial (0.2 deg. x 0.2 deg.) and high temporal resolution (in prediction mode three hours).

Retrieval of total suspended matter concentrations from high resolution WorldView-2 imagery: a case study of inland rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Liangliang; Mao, Zhihua; Wang, Zheng

2018-02-01

Satellite imagery has played an important role in monitoring water quality of lakes or coastal waters presently, but scarcely been applied in inland rivers. This paper presents an attempt of feasibility to apply regression model to quantify and map the concentrations of total suspended matter (CTSM) in inland rivers which have a large scale of spatial and a high CTSM dynamic range by using high resolution satellite remote sensing data, WorldView-2. An empirical approach to quantify CTSM by integrated use of high resolution WorldView-2 multispectral data and 21 in situ CTSM measurements. Radiometric correction, geometric and atmospheric correction involved in image processing procedure is carried out for deriving the surface reflectance to correlate the CTSM and satellite data by using single-variable and multivariable regression technique. Results of regression model show that the single near-infrared (NIR) band 8 of WorldView-2 have a relative strong relationship (R2=0.93) with CTSM. Different prediction models were developed on various combinations of WorldView-2 bands, the Akaike Information Criteria approach was used to choose the best model. The model involving band 1, 3, 5, and 8 of WorldView-2 had a best performance, whose R2 reach to 0.92, with SEE of 53.30 g/m3. The spatial distribution maps were produced by using the best multiple regression model. The results of this paper indicated that it is feasible to apply the empirical model by using high resolution satellite imagery to retrieve CTSM of inland rivers in routine monitoring of water quality.

The effect of bathymetric filtering on nearshore process model results

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plant, N.G.; Edwards, K.L.; Kaihatu, J.M.; Veeramony, J.; Hsu, L.; Holland, K.T.

2009-01-01

Nearshore wave and flow model results are shown to exhibit a strong sensitivity to the resolution of the input bathymetry. In this analysis, bathymetric resolution was varied by applying smoothing filters to high-resolution survey data to produce a number of bathymetric grid surfaces. We demonstrate that the sensitivity of model-predicted wave height and flow to variations in bathymetric resolution had different characteristics. Wave height predictions were most sensitive to resolution of cross-shore variability associated with the structure of nearshore sandbars. Flow predictions were most sensitive to the resolution of intermediate scale alongshore variability associated with the prominent sandbar rhythmicity. Flow sensitivity increased in cases where a sandbar was closer to shore and shallower. Perhaps the most surprising implication of these results is that the interpolation and smoothing of bathymetric data could be optimized differently for the wave and flow models. We show that errors between observed and modeled flow and wave heights are well predicted by comparing model simulation results using progressively filtered bathymetry to results from the highest resolution simulation. The damage done by over smoothing or inadequate sampling can therefore be estimated using model simulations. We conclude that the ability to quantify prediction errors will be useful for supporting future data assimilation efforts that require this information.

An Eye Model for Computational Dosimetry Using A Multi-Scale Voxel Phantom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracappa, Peter F.; Rhodes, Ashley; Fiedler, Derek

2014-06-01

The lens of the eye is a radiosensitive tissue with cataract formation being the major concern. Recently reduced recommended dose limits to the lens of the eye have made understanding the dose to this tissue of increased importance. Due to memory limitations, the voxel resolution of computational phantoms used for radiation dose calculations is too large to accurately represent the dimensions of the eye. A revised eye model is constructed using physiological data for the dimensions of radiosensitive tissues, and is then transformed into a high-resolution voxel model. This eye model is combined with an existing set of whole body models to form a multi-scale voxel phantom, which is used with the MCNPX code to calculate radiation dose from various exposure types. This phantom provides an accurate representation of the radiation transport through the structures of the eye. Two alternate methods of including a high-resolution eye model within an existing whole body model are developed. The accuracy and performance of each method is compared against existing computational phantoms.

Near-inertial Wave Studies Using Historical Mooring Records and a High-Resolution General Circulation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-30

Mooring Records and a High- Resolution General Circulation Model Harper Simmons School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences 903 Koyukuk Drive Fairbanks AK...oceanographic community has been to develop a global internal wave prediction system analogous to those already in place for surface waves. Early steps have... Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,903 Koyukuk Drive,Fairbanks,AK,99775 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND

High Resolution IRAS Maps and IR Emission of M31 -- II. Diffuse Component and Interstellar Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, C.; Helou, G.

1995-01-01

Large-scale dust heating and cooling in the diffuse medium of M31 is studied using the high resolution (HiRes) IRAS maps in conjunction with UV, optical (UBV), and the HI maps. A dust heating/cooling model is developed based on a radiative transfer model which assumes a 'Sandwich' configuration of dust and stars takes account of the effect of dust grain scattering.

Development of high resolution simulations of the atmospheric environment using the MASS model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, Michael L.; Zack, John W.; Karyampudi, V. Mohan

1989-01-01

Numerical simulations were performed with a very high resolution (7.25 km) version of the MASS model (Version 4.0) in an effort to diagnose the vertical wind shear and static stability structure during the Shuttle Challenger disaster which occurred on 28 January 1986. These meso-beta scale simulations reveal that the strongest vertical wind shears were concentrated in the 200 to 150 mb layer at 1630 GMT, i.e., at about the time of the disaster. These simulated vertical shears were the result of two primary dynamical processes. The juxtaposition of both of these processes produced a shallow (30 mb deep) region of strong vertical wind shear, and hence, low Richardson number values during the launch time period. Comparisons with the Cape Canaveral (XMR) rawinsonde indicates that the high resolution MASS 4.0 simulation more closely emulated nature than did previous simulations of the same event with the GMASS model.

Impact relevance and usability of high resolution climate modeling and data

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

Arnott, James C.

2016-10-30

The Aspen Global Change Institute hosted a technical science workshop entitled, “Impact Relevance and Usability of High-Resolution Climate Modeling and Datasets,” on August 2-7, 2015 in Aspen, CO. Kate Calvin (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), Andrew Jones (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) and Jean-François Lamarque (NCAR) served as co-chairs for the workshop. The meeting included the participation of 29 scientists for a total of 145 participant days. Following the workshop, workshop co-chairs authored a meeting report published in Eos on April 27, 2016. Insights from the workshop directly contributed to the formation of a new DOE-supported project co-led by workshop co-chair Andymore » Jones. A subset of meeting participants continue to work on a publication on institutional innovations that can support the usability of high resolution modeling, among other sources of climate information.« less

Numerical simulation of "An American Haboob"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vukovic, A.; Vujadinovic, M.; Pejanovic, G.; Andric, J.; Kumjian, M. R.; Djurdjevic, V.; Dacic, M.; Prasad, A. K.; El-Askary, H. M.; Paris, B. C.; Petkovic, S.; Nickovic, S.; Sprigg, W. A.

2013-10-01

A dust storm of fearful proportions hit Phoenix in the early evening hours of 5 July 2011. This storm, an American haboob, was predicted hours in advance because numerical, land-atmosphere modeling, computing power and remote sensing of dust events have improved greatly over the past decade. High resolution numerical models are required for accurate simulation of the small-scales of the haboob process, with high velocity surface winds produced by strong convection and severe downbursts. Dust productive areas in this region consist mainly of agricultural fields, with soil surfaces disturbed by plowing and tracks of land in the high Sonoran desert laid barren by ongoing draught. Model simulation of the 5 July 2011 dust storm uses the coupled atmospheric-dust model NMME-DREAM with 3.5 km horizontal resolution. A mask of the potentially dust productive regions is obtained from the land cover and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Model results are compared with radar and other satellite-based images and surface meteorological and PM10 observations. The atmospheric model successfully hindcasted the position of the front in space and time, with about 1 h late arrival in Phoenix. The dust model predicted the rapid uptake of dust and high values of dust concentration in the ensuing storm. South of Phoenix, over the closest source regions (~ 25 km), the model PM10 surface dust concentration reached ~ 2500 μg m-3, but underestimated the values measured by the PM10stations within the city. Model results are also validated by the MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD), employing deep blue (DB) algorithms for aerosol loadings. Model validation included Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), equipped with the lidar instrument, to disclose the vertical structure of dust aerosols as well as aerosol subtypes. Promising results encourage further research and application of high-resolution modeling and satellite-based remote sensing to warn of approaching severe dust events and reduce risks for safety and health.

A seamless, high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the north-central California coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foxgrover, Amy C.; Barnard, Patrick L.

2012-01-01

A seamless, 2-meter resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the north-central California coast has been created from the most recent high-resolution bathymetric and topographic datasets available. The DEM extends approximately 150 kilometers along the California coastline, from Half Moon Bay north to Bodega Head. Coverage extends inland to an elevation of +20 meters and offshore to at least the 3 nautical mile limit of state waters. This report describes the procedures of DEM construction, details the input data sources, and provides the DEM for download in both ESRI Arc ASCII and GeoTIFF file formats with accompanying metadata.

Modeling defect cluster evolution in irradiated structural materials: Focus on comparing to high-resolution experimental characterization studies

DOE PAGES

Wirth, Brian D.; Hu, Xunxiang; Kohnert, Aaron; ...

2015-03-02

Exposure of metallic structural materials to irradiation environments results in significant microstructural evolution, property changes, and performance degradation, which limits the extended operation of current generation light water reactors and restricts the design of advanced fission and fusion reactors. Further, it is well recognized that these irradiation effects are a classic example of inherently multiscale phenomena and that the mix of radiation-induced features formed and the corresponding property degradation depend on a wide range of material and irradiation variables. This inherently multiscale evolution emphasizes the importance of closely integrating models with high-resolution experimental characterization of the evolving radiation-damaged microstructure. Lastly,more » this article provides a review of recent models of the defect microstructure evolution in irradiated body-centered cubic materials, which provide good agreement with experimental measurements, and presents some outstanding challenges, which will require coordinated high-resolution characterization and modeling to resolve.« less

A physiological model for the investigation of esophageal motility in healthy and pathologic conditions.

PubMed

Carniel, Emanuele Luigi; Frigo, Alessandro; Costantini, Mario; Giuliani, Tommaso; Nicoletti, Loredana; Merigliano, Stefano; Natali, Arturo N

2016-07-15

Recent technological advances in esophageal manometry allowed the definition of new classification methods for the diagnosis of disorders of esophageal motility and the implementation of innovative computational tools for the autonomic, reliable and unbiased detection of different disorders. Computational models can be developed aiming to interpret the mechanical behavior and functionality of the gastrointestinal tract and to summarize the results from clinical measurements, as high-resolution manometry pressure plots, into model parameters. A physiological model was here developed to interpret data from esophageal high-resolution manometry. Such model accounts for parameters related to specific physiological properties of the biological structures involved in the peristaltic mechanism. The identification of model parameters was performed by minimizing the discrepancy between clinical data from high-resolution manometry and model results. Clinical data were collected from both healthy volunteers (n = 35) and patients with different motor disorders, such as achalasia patterns 1 (n = 13), 2 (n = 20) and 3 (n = 5), distal esophageal spasm (n = 69), esophago-gastric junction outflow obstruction (n = 25), nutcracker esophagus (n = 11) and normal motility (n = 42). The physiological model that was formulated in this work can properly explain high-resolution manometry data, as confirmed by the evaluation of the coefficient of determination R 2  = 0.83 - 0.96. The study finally led to identify the statistical distributions of model parameters for each healthy or pathologic conditions considered, addressing the applicability of the achieved results for the implementation of autonomic diagnosis procedures to support the medical staff during the traditional diagnostic process. © IMechE 2016.

Land surface sensitivity of monsoon depressions formed over Bay of Bengal using improved high-resolution land state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajesh, P. V.; Pattnaik, S.; Mohanty, U. C.; Rai, D.; Baisya, H.; Pandey, P. C.

2017-12-01

Monsoon depressions (MDs) constitute a large fraction of the total rainfall during the Indian summer monsoon season. In this study, the impact of high-resolution land state is addressed by assessing the evolution of inland moving depressions formed over the Bay of Bengal using a mesoscale modeling system. Improved land state is generated using High Resolution Land Data Assimilation System employing Noah-MP land-surface model. Verification of soil moisture using Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and soil temperature using tower observations demonstrate promising results. Incorporating high-resolution land state yielded least root mean squared errors with higher correlation coefficient in the surface and mid tropospheric parameters. Rainfall forecasts reveal that simulations are spatially and quantitatively in accordance with observations and provide better skill scores. The improved land surface characteristics have brought about the realistic evolution of surface, mid-tropospheric parameters, vorticity and moist static energy that facilitates the accurate MDs dynamics in the model. Composite moisture budget analysis reveals that the surface evaporation is negligible compared to moisture flux convergence of water vapor, which supplies moisture into the MDs over land. The temporal relationship between rainfall and moisture convergence show high correlation, suggesting a realistic representation of land state help restructure the moisture inflow into the system through rainfall-moisture convergence feedback.

Modeling and Simulation of High Resolution Optical Remote Sensing Satellite Geometric Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Z.; Cheng, S.; Huang, Q.; Tian, G.

2018-04-01

The high resolution satellite with the longer focal length and the larger aperture has been widely used in georeferencing of the observed scene in recent years. The consistent end to end model of high resolution remote sensing satellite geometric chain is presented, which consists of the scene, the three line array camera, the platform including attitude and position information, the time system and the processing algorithm. The integrated design of the camera and the star tracker is considered and the simulation method of the geolocation accuracy is put forward by introduce the new index of the angle between the camera and the star tracker. The model is validated by the geolocation accuracy simulation according to the test method of the ZY-3 satellite imagery rigorously. The simulation results show that the geolocation accuracy is within 25m, which is highly consistent with the test results. The geolocation accuracy can be improved about 7 m by the integrated design. The model combined with the simulation method is applicable to the geolocation accuracy estimate before the satellite launching.

MRI Superresolution Using Self-Similarity and Image Priors

PubMed Central

Manjón, José V.; Coupé, Pierrick; Buades, Antonio; Collins, D. Louis; Robles, Montserrat

2010-01-01

In Magnetic Resonance Imaging typical clinical settings, both low- and high-resolution images of different types are routinarily acquired. In some cases, the acquired low-resolution images have to be upsampled to match with other high-resolution images for posterior analysis or postprocessing such as registration or multimodal segmentation. However, classical interpolation techniques are not able to recover the high-frequency information lost during the acquisition process. In the present paper, a new superresolution method is proposed to reconstruct high-resolution images from the low-resolution ones using information from coplanar high resolution images acquired of the same subject. Furthermore, the reconstruction process is constrained to be physically plausible with the MR acquisition model that allows a meaningful interpretation of the results. Experiments on synthetic and real data are supplied to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A comparison with classical state-of-the-art interpolation techniques is presented to demonstrate the improved performance of the proposed methodology. PMID:21197094

Urban-scale mapping of PM2.5 distribution via data fusion between high-density sensor network and MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ba, Yu Tao; xian Liu, Bao; Sun, Feng; Wang, Li hua; Tang, Yu jia; Zhang, Da wei

2017-04-01

High-resolution mapping of PM2.5 is the prerequisite for precise analytics and subsequent anti-pollution interventions. Considering the large variances of particulate distribution, urban-scale mapping is challenging either with ground-based fixed stations, with satellites or via models. In this study, a dynamic fusion method between high-density sensor network and MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) was introduced. The sensor network was deployed in Beijing ( > 1000 fixed monitors across 16000 km2 area) to provide raw observations with high temporal resolution (sampling interval < 1 hour), high spatial resolution in flat areas ( < 1 km), and low spatial resolution in mountainous areas ( > 5 km). The MODIS AOD was calibrated to provide distribution map with low temporal resolution (daily) and moderate spatial resolution ( = 3 km). By encoding the data quality and defects (e.g. could, reflectance, abnormal), a hybrid interpolation procedure with cross-validation generated PM2.5 distribution with both high temporal and spatial resolution. Several no-pollutant and high-pollution periods were tested to validate the proposed fusion method for capturing the instantaneous patterns of PM2.5 emission.

Surface Temperature Mapping of the University of Northern Iowa Campus Using High Resolution Thermal Infrared Aerial Imageries

PubMed Central

Savelyev, Alexander; Sugumaran, Ramanathan

2008-01-01

The goal of this project was to map the surface temperature of the University of Northern Iowa campus using high-resolution thermal infrared aerial imageries. A thermal camera with a spectral bandwidth of 3.0-5.0 μm was flown at the average altitude of 600 m, achieving ground resolution of 29 cm. Ground control data was used to construct the pixel- to-temperature conversion model, which was later used to produce temperature maps of the entire campus and also for validation of the model. The temperature map then was used to assess the building rooftop conditions and steam line faults in the study area. Assessment of the temperature map revealed a number of building structures that may be subject to insulation improvement due to their high surface temperatures leaks. Several hot spots were also identified on the campus for steam pipelines faults. High-resolution thermal infrared imagery proved highly effective tool for precise heat anomaly detection on the campus, and it can be used by university facility services for effective future maintenance of buildings and grounds. PMID:27873800

An automatic chip structure optical inspection system for electronic components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Zhichao; Xue, Bindang; Liang, Jiyuan; Wang, Ke; Chen, Junzhang; Liu, Yunhe

2018-01-01

An automatic chip structure inspection system based on machine vision is presented to ensure the reliability of electronic components. It consists of four major modules, including a metallographic microscope, a Gigabit Ethernet high-resolution camera, a control system and a high performance computer. An auto-focusing technique is presented to solve the problem that the chip surface is not on the same focusing surface under the high magnification of the microscope. A panoramic high-resolution image stitching algorithm is adopted to deal with the contradiction between resolution and field of view, caused by different sizes of electronic components. In addition, we establish a database to storage and callback appropriate parameters to ensure the consistency of chip images of electronic components with the same model. We use image change detection technology to realize the detection of chip images of electronic components. The system can achieve high-resolution imaging for chips of electronic components with various sizes, and clearly imaging for the surface of chip with different horizontal and standardized imaging for ones with the same model, and can recognize chip defects.

A New Hybrid Spatio-temporal Model for Estimating Daily Multi-year PM2.5 Concentrations Across Northeastern USA Using High Resolution Aerosol Optical Depth Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kloog, Itai; Chudnovsky, Alexandra A.; Just, Allan C.; Nordio, Francesco; Koutrakis, Petros; Coull, Brent A.; Lyapustin, Alexei; Wang, Yujie; Schwartz, Joel

2014-01-01

The use of satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) to estimate fine particulate matter PM(sub 2.5) for epidemiology studies has increased substantially over the past few years. These recent studies often report moderate predictive power, which can generate downward bias in effect estimates. In addition, AOD measurements have only moderate spatial resolution, and have substantial missing data. We make use of recent advances in MODIS satellite data processing algorithms (Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC), which allow us to use 1 km (versus currently available 10 km) resolution AOD data.We developed and cross validated models to predict daily PM(sub 2.5) at a 1X 1 km resolution across the northeastern USA (New England, New York and New Jersey) for the years 2003-2011, allowing us to better differentiate daily and long term exposure between urban, suburban, and rural areas. Additionally, we developed an approach that allows us to generate daily high-resolution 200 m localized predictions representing deviations from the area 1 X 1 km grid predictions. We used mixed models regressing PM(sub 2.5) measurements against day-specific random intercepts, and fixed and random AOD and temperature slopes. We then use generalized additive mixed models with spatial smoothing to generate grid cell predictions when AOD was missing. Finally, to get 200 m localized predictions, we regressed the residuals from the final model for each monitor against the local spatial and temporal variables at each monitoring site. Our model performance was excellent (mean out-of-sample R(sup 2) = 0.88). The spatial and temporal components of the out-of-sample results also presented very good fits to the withheld data (R(sup 2) = 0.87, R(sup)2 = 0.87). In addition, our results revealed very little bias in the predicted concentrations (Slope of predictions versus withheld observations = 0.99). Our daily model results show high predictive accuracy at high spatial resolutions and will be useful in reconstructing exposure histories for epidemiological studies across this region.

A New Hybrid Spatio-Temporal Model For Estimating Daily Multi-Year PM2.5 Concentrations Across Northeastern USA Using High Resolution Aerosol Optical Depth Data.

PubMed

Kloog, Itai; Chudnovsky, Alexandra A; Just, Allan C; Nordio, Francesco; Koutrakis, Petros; Coull, Brent A; Lyapustin, Alexei; Wang, Yujie; Schwartz, Joel

2014-10-01

The use of satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) to estimate fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) for epidemiology studies has increased substantially over the past few years. These recent studies often report moderate predictive power, which can generate downward bias in effect estimates. In addition, AOD measurements have only moderate spatial resolution, and have substantial missing data. We make use of recent advances in MODIS satellite data processing algorithms (Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC), which allow us to use 1 km (versus currently available 10 km) resolution AOD data. We developed and cross validated models to predict daily PM 2.5 at a 1×1km resolution across the northeastern USA (New England, New York and New Jersey) for the years 2003-2011, allowing us to better differentiate daily and long term exposure between urban, suburban, and rural areas. Additionally, we developed an approach that allows us to generate daily high-resolution 200 m localized predictions representing deviations from the area 1×1 km grid predictions. We used mixed models regressing PM 2.5 measurements against day-specific random intercepts, and fixed and random AOD and temperature slopes. We then use generalized additive mixed models with spatial smoothing to generate grid cell predictions when AOD was missing. Finally, to get 200 m localized predictions, we regressed the residuals from the final model for each monitor against the local spatial and temporal variables at each monitoring site. Our model performance was excellent (mean out-of-sample R 2 =0.88). The spatial and temporal components of the out-of-sample results also presented very good fits to the withheld data (R 2 =0.87, R 2 =0.87). In addition, our results revealed very little bias in the predicted concentrations (Slope of predictions versus withheld observations = 0.99). Our daily model results show high predictive accuracy at high spatial resolutions and will be useful in reconstructing exposure histories for epidemiological studies across this region.

A New Hybrid Spatio-Temporal Model For Estimating Daily Multi-Year PM2.5 Concentrations Across Northeastern USA Using High Resolution Aerosol Optical Depth Data

PubMed Central

Kloog, Itai; Chudnovsky, Alexandra A.; Just, Allan C.; Nordio, Francesco; Koutrakis, Petros; Coull, Brent A.; Lyapustin, Alexei; Wang, Yujie; Schwartz, Joel

2017-01-01

Background The use of satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) to estimate fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for epidemiology studies has increased substantially over the past few years. These recent studies often report moderate predictive power, which can generate downward bias in effect estimates. In addition, AOD measurements have only moderate spatial resolution, and have substantial missing data. Methods We make use of recent advances in MODIS satellite data processing algorithms (Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC), which allow us to use 1 km (versus currently available 10 km) resolution AOD data. We developed and cross validated models to predict daily PM2.5 at a 1×1km resolution across the northeastern USA (New England, New York and New Jersey) for the years 2003–2011, allowing us to better differentiate daily and long term exposure between urban, suburban, and rural areas. Additionally, we developed an approach that allows us to generate daily high-resolution 200 m localized predictions representing deviations from the area 1×1 km grid predictions. We used mixed models regressing PM2.5 measurements against day-specific random intercepts, and fixed and random AOD and temperature slopes. We then use generalized additive mixed models with spatial smoothing to generate grid cell predictions when AOD was missing. Finally, to get 200 m localized predictions, we regressed the residuals from the final model for each monitor against the local spatial and temporal variables at each monitoring site. Results Our model performance was excellent (mean out-of-sample R2=0.88). The spatial and temporal components of the out-of-sample results also presented very good fits to the withheld data (R2=0.87, R2=0.87). In addition, our results revealed very little bias in the predicted concentrations (Slope of predictions versus withheld observations = 0.99). Conclusion Our daily model results show high predictive accuracy at high spatial resolutions and will be useful in reconstructing exposure histories for epidemiological studies across this region. PMID:28966552

Submesoscale features and their interaction with fronts and internal tides in a high-resolution coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave model of the Bay of Bengal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Tommy G.; Shulman, Igor; Wijesekera, Hemantha W.; Anderson, Stephanie; Ladner, Sherwin

2018-03-01

Large freshwater fluxes into the Bay of Bengal by rainfall and river discharges result in strong salinity fronts in the bay. In this study, a high-resolution coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave model with comprehensive physics is used to model the weather, ocean circulation, and wave field in the Bay of Bengal. Our objective is to explore the submesoscale activity that occurs in a realistic coupled model that resolves mesoscales and allows part of the submesoscale field. Horizontal resolution in the atmosphere varies from 2 to 6 km and is 13 km for surface waves, while the ocean model is submesoscale permitting with resolutions as high as 1.5 km and a vertical resolution of 0.5 m in the upper 10 m. In this paper, three different cases of oceanic submesoscale features are discussed. In the first case, heavy rainfall and intense downdrafts produced by atmospheric convection are found to force submesoscale currents, temperature, and salinity anomalies in the oceanic mixed layer and impact the mesoscale flow. In a second case, strong solitary-like waves are generated by semidiurnal tides in the Andaman Sea and interact with mesoscale flows and fronts and affect submesoscale features generated along fronts. A third source of submesoscale variability is found further north in the Bay of Bengal where river outflows help maintain strong salinity gradients throughout the year. For that case, a comparison with satellite observations of sea surface height anomalies, sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll shows that the model captures the observed mesoscale eddy features of the flow field, but in addition, submesoscale upwelling and downwelling patterns associated with ageostrophic secondary circulations along density fronts are also captured by the model.

Relative humidity vertical profiling using lidar-based synergistic methods in the framework of the Hygra-CD campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labzovskii, Lev D.; Papayannis, Alexandros; Binietoglou, Ioannis; Banks, Robert F.; Baldasano, Jose M.; Toanca, Florica; Tzanis, Chris G.; Christodoulakis, John

2018-02-01

Accurate continuous measurements of relative humidity (RH) vertical profiles in the lower troposphere have become a significant scientific challenge. In recent years a synergy of various ground-based remote sensing instruments have been successfully used for RH vertical profiling, which has resulted in the improvement of spatial resolution and, in some cases, of the accuracy of the measurement. Some studies have also suggested the use of high-resolution model simulations as input datasets into RH vertical profiling techniques. In this paper we apply two synergetic methods for RH profiling, including the synergy of lidar with a microwave radiometer and high-resolution atmospheric modeling. The two methods are employed for RH retrieval between 100 and 6000 m with increased spatial resolution, based on datasets from the HygrA-CD (Hygroscopic Aerosols to Cloud Droplets) campaign conducted in Athens, Greece from May to June 2014. RH profiles from synergetic methods are then compared with those retrieved using single instruments or as simulated by high-resolution models. Our proposed technique for RH profiling provides improved statistical agreement with reference to radiosoundings by 27 % when the lidar-radiometer (in comparison with radiometer measurements) approach is used and by 15 % when a lidar model is used (in comparison with WRF-model simulations). Mean uncertainty of RH due to temperature bias in RH profiling was ˜ 4.34 % for the lidar-radiometer and ˜ 1.22 % for the lidar-model methods. However, maximum uncertainty in RH retrievals due to temperature bias showed that lidar-model method is more reliable at heights greater than 2000 m. Overall, our results have demonstrated the capability of both combined methods for daytime measurements in heights between 100 and 6000 m when lidar-radiometer or lidar-WRF combined datasets are available.

Prescription of land-surface boundary conditions in GISS GCM 2: A simple method based on high-resolution vegetation data bases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, E.

1984-01-01

A simple method was developed for improved prescription of seasonal surface characteristics and parameterization of land-surface processes in climate models. This method, developed for the Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model II (GISS GCM II), maintains the spatial variability of fine-resolution land-cover data while restricting to 8 the number of vegetation types handled in the model. This was achieved by: redefining the large number of vegetation classes in the 1 deg x 1 deg resolution Matthews (1983) vegetation data base as percentages of 8 simple types; deriving roughness length, field capacity, masking depth and seasonal, spectral reflectivity for the 8 types; and aggregating these surface features from the 1 deg x 1 deg resolution to coarser model resolutions, e.g., 8 deg latitude x 10 deg longitude or 4 deg latitude x 5 deg longitude.

High-resolution Modeling Assisted Design of Customized and Individualized Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Protocols

PubMed Central

Bikson, Marom; Rahman, Asif; Datta, Abhishek; Fregni, Felipe; Merabet, Lotfi

2012-01-01

Objectives Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that delivers low-intensity currents facilitating or inhibiting spontaneous neuronal activity. tDCS is attractive since dose is readily adjustable by simply changing electrode number, position, size, shape, and current. In the recent past, computational models have been developed with increased precision with the goal to help customize tDCS dose. The aim of this review is to discuss the incorporation of high-resolution patient-specific computer modeling to guide and optimize tDCS. Methods In this review, we discuss the following topics: (i) The clinical motivation and rationale for models of transcranial stimulation is considered pivotal in order to leverage the flexibility of neuromodulation; (ii) The protocols and the workflow for developing high-resolution models; (iii) The technical challenges and limitations of interpreting modeling predictions, and (iv) Real cases merging modeling and clinical data illustrating the impact of computational models on the rational design of rehabilitative electrotherapy. Conclusions Though modeling for non-invasive brain stimulation is still in its development phase, it is predicted that with increased validation, dissemination, simplification and democratization of modeling tools, computational forward models of neuromodulation will become useful tools to guide the optimization of clinical electrotherapy. PMID:22780230

Sparse Bayesian Inference of White Matter Fiber Orientations from Compressed Multi-resolution Diffusion MRI

PubMed Central

Pisharady, Pramod Kumar; Duarte-Carvajalino, Julio M; Sotiropoulos, Stamatios N; Sapiro, Guillermo; Lenglet, Christophe

2017-01-01

The RubiX [1] algorithm combines high SNR characteristics of low resolution data with high spacial specificity of high resolution data, to extract microstructural tissue parameters from diffusion MRI. In this paper we focus on estimating crossing fiber orientations and introduce sparsity to the RubiX algorithm, making it suitable for reconstruction from compressed (under-sampled) data. We propose a sparse Bayesian algorithm for estimation of fiber orientations and volume fractions from compressed diffusion MRI. The data at high resolution is modeled using a parametric spherical deconvolution approach and represented using a dictionary created with the exponential decay components along different possible directions. Volume fractions of fibers along these orientations define the dictionary weights. The data at low resolution is modeled using a spatial partial volume representation. The proposed dictionary representation and sparsity priors consider the dependence between fiber orientations and the spatial redundancy in data representation. Our method exploits the sparsity of fiber orientations, therefore facilitating inference from under-sampled data. Experimental results show improved accuracy and decreased uncertainty in fiber orientation estimates. For under-sampled data, the proposed method is also shown to produce more robust estimates of fiber orientations. PMID:28845484

High resolution flow field prediction for tail rotor aeroacoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quackenbush, Todd R.; Bliss, Donald B.

1989-01-01

The prediction of tail rotor noise due to the impingement of the main rotor wake poses a significant challenge to current analysis methods in rotorcraft aeroacoustics. This paper describes the development of a new treatment of the tail rotor aerodynamic environment that permits highly accurate resolution of the incident flow field with modest computational effort relative to alternative models. The new approach incorporates an advanced full-span free wake model of the main rotor in a scheme which reconstructs high-resolution flow solutions from preliminary, computationally inexpensive simulations with coarse resolution. The heart of the approach is a novel method for using local velocity correction terms to capture the steep velocity gradients characteristic of the vortex-dominated incident flow. Sample calculations have been undertaken to examine the principal types of interactions between the tail rotor and the main rotor wake and to examine the performance of the new method. The results of these sample problems confirm the success of this approach in capturing the high-resolution flows necessary for analysis of rotor-wake/rotor interactions with dramatically reduced computational cost. Computations of radiated sound are also carried out that explore the role of various portions of the main rotor wake in generating tail rotor noise.

Sparse Bayesian Inference of White Matter Fiber Orientations from Compressed Multi-resolution Diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Pisharady, Pramod Kumar; Duarte-Carvajalino, Julio M; Sotiropoulos, Stamatios N; Sapiro, Guillermo; Lenglet, Christophe

2015-10-01

The RubiX [1] algorithm combines high SNR characteristics of low resolution data with high spacial specificity of high resolution data, to extract microstructural tissue parameters from diffusion MRI. In this paper we focus on estimating crossing fiber orientations and introduce sparsity to the RubiX algorithm, making it suitable for reconstruction from compressed (under-sampled) data. We propose a sparse Bayesian algorithm for estimation of fiber orientations and volume fractions from compressed diffusion MRI. The data at high resolution is modeled using a parametric spherical deconvolution approach and represented using a dictionary created with the exponential decay components along different possible directions. Volume fractions of fibers along these orientations define the dictionary weights. The data at low resolution is modeled using a spatial partial volume representation. The proposed dictionary representation and sparsity priors consider the dependence between fiber orientations and the spatial redundancy in data representation. Our method exploits the sparsity of fiber orientations, therefore facilitating inference from under-sampled data. Experimental results show improved accuracy and decreased uncertainty in fiber orientation estimates. For under-sampled data, the proposed method is also shown to produce more robust estimates of fiber orientations.

High Resolution Simulations of Arctic Sea Ice, 1979-1993

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

William H. Lipscomb * PO[ARISSP To evaluate improvements in modelling Arctic sea ice, we compare results from two regional models at 1/120 horizontal...resolution. The first is a coupled ice-ocean model of the Arctic Ocean, consisting of an ocean model (adapted from the Parallel Ocean Program, Los...Alamos National Laboratory [LANL]) and the "old" sea ice model . The second model uses the same grid but consists of an improved "new" sea ice model (LANL

What model resolution is required in climatological downscaling over complex terrain?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Samra, Renalda; Bou-Zeid, Elie; El-Fadel, Mutasem

2018-05-01

This study presents results from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model applied for climatological downscaling simulations over highly complex terrain along the Eastern Mediterranean. We sequentially downscale general circulation model results, for a mild and wet year (2003) and a hot and dry year (2010), to three local horizontal resolutions of 9, 3 and 1 km. Simulated near-surface hydrometeorological variables are compared at different time scales against data from an observational network over the study area comprising rain gauges, anemometers, and thermometers. The overall performance of WRF at 1 and 3 km horizontal resolution was satisfactory, with significant improvement over the 9 km downscaling simulation. The total yearly precipitation from WRF's 1 km and 3 km domains exhibited < 10% bias with respect to observational data. The errors in minimum and maximum temperatures were reduced by the downscaling, along with a high-quality delineation of temperature variability and extremes for both the 1 and 3 km resolution runs. Wind speeds, on the other hand, are generally overestimated for all model resolutions, in comparison with observational data, particularly on the coast (up to 50%) compared to inland stations (up to 40%). The findings therefore indicate that a 3 km resolution is sufficient for the downscaling, especially that it would allow more years and scenarios to be investigated compared to the higher 1 km resolution at the same computational effort. In addition, the results provide a quantitative measure of the potential errors for various hydrometeorological variables.

Generating High Resolution Climate Scenarios Through Regional Climate Modelling Over Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ndhlovu, G. Z.; Woyessa, Y. E.; Vijayaraghavan, S.

2017-12-01

limate change has impacted the global environment and the Continent of Africa, especially Southern Africa, regarded as one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa, has not been spared from these impacts. Global Climate Models (GCMs) with coarse horizontal resolutions of 150-300 km do not provide sufficient details at the local basin scale due to mismatch between the size of river basins and the grid cell of the GCM. This makes it difficult to apply the outputs of GCMs directly to impact studies such as hydrological modelling. This necessitates the use of regional climate modelling at high resolutions that provide detailed information at regional and local scales to study both climate change and its impacts. To this end, an experiment was set up and conducted with PRECIS, a regional climate model, to generate climate scenarios at a high resolution of 25km for the local region in Zambezi River basin of Southern Africa. The major input data used included lateral and surface boundary conditions based on the GCMs. The data is processed, analysed and compared with CORDEX climate change project data generated for Africa. This paper, highlights the major differences of the climate scenarios generated by PRECIS Model and CORDEX Project for Africa and further gives recommendations for further research on generation of climate scenarios. The climatic variables such as precipitation and temperatures have been analysed for flood and droughts in the region. The paper also describes the setting up and running of an experiment using a high-resolution PRECIS model. In addition, a description has been made in running the model and generating the output variables on a sub basin scale. Regional climate modelling which provides information on climate change impact may lead to enhanced understanding of adaptive water resources management. Understanding the regional climate modelling results on sub basin scale is the first step in analysing complex hydrological processes and a basis for designing of adaptation and mitigation strategies in the region. Key words: Climate change, regional climate modelling, hydrological processes, extremes, scenarios [1] Corresponding author: Email:gndhlovu@cut.ac.za Tel:+27 (0) 51 507 3072

Quantification of dopamine transporters in the mouse brain using ultra-high resolution single-photon emission tomography.

PubMed

Acton, Paul D; Choi, Seok-Rye; Plössl, Karl; Kung, Hank F

2002-05-01

Functional imaging of small animals, such as mice and rats, using ultra-high resolution positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission tomography (SPET), is becoming a valuable tool for studying animal models of human disease. While several studies have shown the utility of PET imaging in small animals, few have used SPET in real research applications. In this study we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using ultra-high resolution SPET in quantitative studies of dopamine transporters (DAT) in the mouse brain. Four healthy ICR male mice were injected with (mean+/-SD) 704+/-154 MBq [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1, and scanned using an ultra-high resolution SPET system equipped with pinhole collimators (spatial resolution 0.83 mm at 3 cm radius of rotation). Each mouse had two studies, to provide an indication of test-retest reliability. Reference tissue kinetic modeling analysis of the time-activity data in the striatum and cerebellum was used to quantitate the availability of DAT. A simple equilibrium ratio of striatum to cerebellum provided another measure of DAT binding. The SPET imaging results were compared against ex vivo biodistribution data from the striatum and cerebellum. The mean distribution volume ratio (DVR) from the reference tissue kinetic model was 2.17+/-0.34, with a test-retest reliability of 2.63%+/-1.67%. The ratio technique gave similar results (DVR=2.03+/-0.38, test-retest reliability=6.64%+/-3.86%), and the ex vivo analysis gave DVR=2.32+/-0.20. Correlations between the kinetic model and the ratio technique ( R(2)=0.86, P<0.001) and the ex vivo data ( R(2)=0.92, P=0.04) were both excellent. This study demonstrated clearly that ultra-high resolution SPET of small animals is capable of accurate, repeatable, and quantitative measures of DAT binding, and should open up the possibility of further studies of cerebral binding sites in mice using pinhole SPET.

High-resolution RCMs as pioneers for future GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schar, C.; Ban, N.; Arteaga, A.; Charpilloz, C.; Di Girolamo, S.; Fuhrer, O.; Hoefler, T.; Leutwyler, D.; Lüthi, D.; Piaget, N.; Ruedisuehli, S.; Schlemmer, L.; Schulthess, T. C.; Wernli, H.

2017-12-01

Currently large efforts are underway to refine the horizontal resolution of global and regional climate models to O(1 km), with the intent to represent convective clouds explicitly rather than using semi-empirical parameterizations. This refinement will move the governing equations closer to first principles and is expected to reduce the uncertainties of climate models. High resolution is particularly attractive in order to better represent critical cloud feedback processes (e.g. related to global climate sensitivity and extratropical summer convection) and extreme events (such as heavy precipitation events, floods, and hurricanes). The presentation will be illustrated using decade-long simulations at 2 km horizontal grid spacing, some of these covering the European continent on a computational mesh with 1536x1536x60 grid points. To accomplish such simulations, use is made of emerging heterogeneous supercomputing architectures, using a version of the COSMO limited-area weather and climate model that is able to run entirely on GPUs. Results show that kilometer-scale resolution dramatically improves the simulation of precipitation in terms of the diurnal cycle and short-term extremes. The modeling framework is used to address changes of precipitation scaling with climate change. It is argued that already today, modern supercomputers would in principle enable global atmospheric convection-resolving climate simulations, provided appropriately refactored codes were available, and provided solutions were found to cope with the rapidly growing output volume. A discussion will be provided of key challenges affecting the design of future high-resolution climate models. It is suggested that km-scale RCMs should be exploited to pioneer this terrain, at a time when GCMs are not yet available at such resolutions. Areas of interest include the development of new parameterization schemes adequate for km-scale resolution, the exploration of new validation methodologies and data sets, the assessment of regional-scale climate feedback processes, and the development of alternative output analysis methodologies.

Single-image super-resolution based on Markov random field and contourlet transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wei; Liu, Zheng; Gueaieb, Wail; He, Xiaohai

2011-04-01

Learning-based methods are well adopted in image super-resolution. In this paper, we propose a new learning-based approach using contourlet transform and Markov random field. The proposed algorithm employs contourlet transform rather than the conventional wavelet to represent image features and takes into account the correlation between adjacent pixels or image patches through the Markov random field (MRF) model. The input low-resolution (LR) image is decomposed with the contourlet transform and fed to the MRF model together with the contourlet transform coefficients from the low- and high-resolution image pairs in the training set. The unknown high-frequency components/coefficients for the input low-resolution image are inferred by a belief propagation algorithm. Finally, the inverse contourlet transform converts the LR input and the inferred high-frequency coefficients into the super-resolved image. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with the experiments on facial, vehicle plate, and real scene images. A better visual quality is achieved in terms of peak signal to noise ratio and the image structural similarity measurement.

Understanding climate variability and global climate change using high-resolution GCM simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xuelei

In this study, three climate processes are examined using long-term simulations from multiple climate models with increasing horizontal resolutions. These simulations include the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) runs forced with observed sea surface temperatures (SST) (the Athena runs) and a set of coupled ocean-atmosphere seasonal hindcasts (the Minerva runs). Both sets of runs use different AGCM resolutions, the highest at 16 km. A pair of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) simulations with ocean general circulation model (OGCM) resolutions at 100 and 10 km are also examined. The higher resolution CCSM run fully resolves oceanic mesoscale eddies. The resolution influence on the precipitation climatology over the Gulf Stream (GS) region is first investigated. In the Athena simulations, the resolution increase generates enhanced mean GS precipitation moderately in both large-scale and sub-scale rainfalls in the North Atlantic, with the latter more tightly confined near the oceanic front. However, the non-eddy resolving OGCM in the Minerva runs simulates a weaker oceanic front and weakens the mean GS precipitation response. On the other hand, an increase in CCSM oceanic resolutions from non-eddy-resolving to eddy resolving regimes greatly improves the model's GS precipitation climatology, resulting in both stronger intensity and more realistic structure. Further analyses show that the improvement of the GS precipitation climatology due to resolution increases is caused by the enhanced atmospheric response to an increased SST gradient near the oceanic front, which leads to stronger surface convergence and upper level divergence. Another focus of this study is on the global warming impacts on precipitation characteristic changes using the high-resolution Athena simulations under the SST forcing from the observations and a global warming scenario. As a comparison, results from the coarse resolution simulation are also analyzed to examine the dependence on resolution. The increasing rates of globally averaged precipitation amount for the high and low resolution simulations are 1.7%/K-1 and 1.8%/K-1, respectively. The sensitivities for heavy, moderate, light and drizzle rain are 6.8, -1.2, 0.0, 0.2%/K-1 for low and 6.3, -1.5, 0.4, -0.2%/K -1 for high resolution simulations. The number of rainy days decreases in a warming scenario, by 3.4 and 4.2 day/year-1, respectively. The most sensitive response of 6.3-6.8%/K-1 for the heavy rain approaches that of the 7%/K-1 for the Clausius-Clapeyron scaling limit. During the twenty-first century simulation, the increases in precipitation are larger over high latitude and wet regions in low and mid-latitudes. Over the dry regions, such as the subtropics, the precipitation amount and frequency decrease. There is a higher occurrence of low and heavy rain from the tropics to mid-latitudes at the expense of the decreases in the frequency of moderate rain. In the third part, the inter-annual variability of the northern hemisphere storm tracks is examined. In the Athena simulations, the leading modes of the observed storm track variability are reproduced realistically by all runs. In general, the fluctuations of the model storm tracks in the North Pacific and Atlantic basins are largely independent of each other. Within each basin, the variations are characterized by the intensity change near the climatological center and the meridional shift of the storm track location. These two modes are associated with major teleconnection patterns of the low frequency atmospheric variations. These model results are not sensitive to resolution. Using the Minerva hindcast initialized in November, it is shown that a portion of the winter (December-January) storm track variability is predictable, mainly due to the influences of the atmospheric wave trains induced by the El Nino and Southern Oscillation.

Advancing Cyberinfrastructure to support high resolution water resources modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarboton, D. G.; Ogden, F. L.; Jones, N.; Horsburgh, J. S.

2012-12-01

Addressing the problem of how the availability and quality of water resources at large scales are sensitive to climate variability, watershed alterations and management activities requires computational resources that combine data from multiple sources and support integrated modeling. Related cyberinfrastructure challenges include: 1) how can we best structure data and computer models to address this scientific problem through the use of high-performance and data-intensive computing, and 2) how can we do this in a way that discipline scientists without extensive computational and algorithmic knowledge and experience can take advantage of advances in cyberinfrastructure? This presentation will describe a new system called CI-WATER that is being developed to address these challenges and advance high resolution water resources modeling in the Western U.S. We are building on existing tools that enable collaboration to develop model and data interfaces that link integrated system models running within an HPC environment to multiple data sources. Our goal is to enhance the use of computational simulation and data-intensive modeling to better understand water resources. Addressing water resource problems in the Western U.S. requires simulation of natural and engineered systems, as well as representation of legal (water rights) and institutional constraints alongside the representation of physical processes. We are establishing data services to represent the engineered infrastructure and legal and institutional systems in a way that they can be used with high resolution multi-physics watershed modeling at high spatial resolution. These services will enable incorporation of location-specific information on water management infrastructure and systems into the assessment of regional water availability in the face of growing demands, uncertain future meteorological forcings, and existing prior-appropriations water rights. This presentation will discuss the informatics challenges involved with data management and easy-to-use access to high performance computing being tackled in this project.

The Representation of Tropical Cyclones Within the Global William Putman Non-Hydrostatic Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5) at Cloud-Permitting Resolutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William M.

2010-01-01

The Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-S), an earth system model developed in the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), has integrated the non-hydrostatic finite-volume dynamical core on the cubed-sphere grid. The extension to a non-hydrostatic dynamical framework and the quasi-uniform cubed-sphere geometry permits the efficient exploration of global weather and climate modeling at cloud permitting resolutions of 10- to 4-km on today's high performance computing platforms. We have explored a series of incremental increases in global resolution with GEOS-S from irs standard 72-level 27-km resolution (approx.5.5 million cells covering the globe from the surface to 0.1 hPa) down to 3.5-km (approx. 3.6 billion cells).

Image super-resolution via sparse representation.

PubMed

Yang, Jianchao; Wright, John; Huang, Thomas S; Ma, Yi

2010-11-01

This paper presents a new approach to single-image super-resolution, based on sparse signal representation. Research on image statistics suggests that image patches can be well-represented as a sparse linear combination of elements from an appropriately chosen over-complete dictionary. Inspired by this observation, we seek a sparse representation for each patch of the low-resolution input, and then use the coefficients of this representation to generate the high-resolution output. Theoretical results from compressed sensing suggest that under mild conditions, the sparse representation can be correctly recovered from the downsampled signals. By jointly training two dictionaries for the low- and high-resolution image patches, we can enforce the similarity of sparse representations between the low resolution and high resolution image patch pair with respect to their own dictionaries. Therefore, the sparse representation of a low resolution image patch can be applied with the high resolution image patch dictionary to generate a high resolution image patch. The learned dictionary pair is a more compact representation of the patch pairs, compared to previous approaches, which simply sample a large amount of image patch pairs, reducing the computational cost substantially. The effectiveness of such a sparsity prior is demonstrated for both general image super-resolution and the special case of face hallucination. In both cases, our algorithm generates high-resolution images that are competitive or even superior in quality to images produced by other similar SR methods. In addition, the local sparse modeling of our approach is naturally robust to noise, and therefore the proposed algorithm can handle super-resolution with noisy inputs in a more unified framework.

Lagrangian Timescales of Southern Ocean Upwelling in a Hierarchy of Model Resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, Henri F.; Morrison, Adele K.; Griffies, Stephen M.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Weijer, Wilbert; Gray, Alison R.

2018-01-01

In this paper we study upwelling pathways and timescales of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) in a hierarchy of models using a Lagrangian particle tracking method. Lagrangian timescales of CDW upwelling decrease from 87 years to 31 years to 17 years as the ocean resolution is refined from 1° to 0.25° to 0.1°. We attribute some of the differences in timescale to the strength of the eddy fields, as demonstrated by temporally degrading high-resolution model velocity fields. Consistent with the timescale dependence, we find that an average Lagrangian particle completes 3.2 circumpolar loops in the 1° model in comparison to 0.9 loops in the 0.1° model. These differences suggest that advective timescales and thus interbasin merging of upwelling CDW may be overestimated by coarse-resolution models, potentially affecting the skill of centennial scale climate change projections.

On Super-Resolution and the MUSIC Algorithm,

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-05-01

SUPER-RESOLUTION AND THE MUSIC ALGORITHM AUTHOR: G D de Villiers DATE: May 1985 SUMMARY Simulation results for phased array signal processing using...the MUSIC algorithm are presented. The model used is more realistic than previous ones and it gives an indication as to how the algorithm would perform...resolution ON SUPER-RESOLUTION AND THE MUSIC ALGORITHM 1. INTRODUCTION At present there is a considerable amount of interest in "high-resolution" b

Exploring New Challenges of High-Resolution SWOT Satellite Altimetry with a Regional Model of the Solomon Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasseur, P.; Verron, J. A.; Djath, B.; Duran, M.; Gaultier, L.; Gourdeau, L.; Melet, A.; Molines, J. M.; Ubelmann, C.

2014-12-01

The upcoming high-resolution SWOT altimetry satellite will provide an unprecedented description of the ocean dynamic topography for studying sub- and meso-scale processes in the ocean. But there is still much uncertainty on the signal that will be observed. There are many scientific questions that are unresolved about the observability of altimetry at vhigh resolution and on the dynamical role of the ocean meso- and submesoscales. In addition, SWOT data will raise specific problems due to the size of the data flows. These issues will probably impact the data assimilation approaches for future scientific or operational oceanography applications. In this work, we propose to use a high-resolution numerical model of the Western Pacific Solomon Sea as a regional laboratory to explore such observability and dynamical issues, as well as new data assimilation challenges raised by SWOT. The Solomon Sea connects subtropical water masses to the equatorial ones through the low latitude western boundary currents and could potentially modulate the tropical Pacific climate. In the South Western Pacific, the Solomon Sea exhibits very intense eddy kinetic energy levels, while relatively little is known about the mesoscale and submesoscale activities in this region. The complex bathymetry of the region, complicated by the presence of narrow straits and numerous islands, raises specific challenges. So far, a Solomon sea model configuration has been set up at 1/36° resolution. Numerical simulations have been performed to explore the meso- and submesoscales dynamics. The numerical solutions which have been validated against available in situ data, show the development of small scale features, eddies, fronts and filaments. Spectral analysis reveals a behavior that is consistent with the SQG theory. There is a clear evidence of energy cascade from the small scales including the submesoscales, although those submesoscales are only partially resolved by the model. In parallel, investigations have been conducted using image assimilation approaches in order to explore the richness of high-resolution altimetry missions. These investigations illustrate the potential benefit of combining tracer fields (SST, SSS and spiciness) with high-resolution SWOT data to estimate the fine-scale circulation.

High resolution present climate and surface mass balance (SMB) of Svalbard modelled by MAR and implementation of a new online SMB downscaling method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, C.; Fettweis, X.; Kittel, C.; Erpicum, M.

2017-12-01

We present the results of high resolution simulations of the climate and SMB of Svalbard with the regional climate model MAR forced by ERA-40 then ERA-Interim, as well as an online downscaling method allowing us to model the SMB and its components at a resolution twice as high (2.5 vs 5 km here) using only about 25% more CPU time. Spitsbergen, the largest island in Svalbard, has a very hilly topography and a high spatial resolution is needed to correctly represent the local topography and the complex pattern of ice distribution and precipitation. However, high resolution runs with an RCM fully coupled to an energy balance module like MAR require a huge amount of computation time. The hydrostatic equilibrium hypothesis used in MAR also becomes less valid as the spatial resolution increases. We therefore developed in MAR a method to run the snow module at a resolution twice as high as the atmospheric module. Near-surface temperature and humidity are corrected on a grid with a resolution twice as high, as a function of their local gradients and the elevation difference between the corresponding pixels in the 2 grids. We compared the results of our runs at 5 km and with SMB downscaled at 2.5 km over 1960 — 2016 and compared those to previous 10 km runs. On Austfonna, where the slopes are gentle, the agreement between observations and the 5 km SMB is better than with the 10 km SMB. It is again improved at 2.5 km but the gain is relatively small, showing the interest of our method rather than running a time consuming classic 2.5 km resolution simulation. On Spitsbergen, we show that a spatial resolution of 2.5 km is still not enough to represent the complex pattern of topography, precipitation and SMB. Due to a change in the summer atmospheric circulation, from a westerly flow over Svalbard to a northwesterly flow bringing colder air, the SMB of Svalbard was stable between 2006 and 2012, while several melt records were broken in Greenland, due to conditions more anticyclonic than usual. In 2013, the reverse situation happened and a southwesterly atmospheric circulation brought warmer air over Svalbard. The SMB broke the last 55 years' record. In 2016, the temperature was higher than average and a new record melt was broken despite a northwesterly flow. The northerly flow still mitigated the warming over Svalbard, which was much lower than most regions of the Arctic.

A Large-Scale, High-Resolution Hydrological Model Parameter Data Set for Climate Change Impact Assessment for the Conterminous US

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

Oubeidillah, Abdoul A; Kao, Shih-Chieh; Ashfaq, Moetasim

2014-01-01

To extend geographical coverage, refine spatial resolution, and improve modeling efficiency, a computation- and data-intensive effort was conducted to organize a comprehensive hydrologic dataset with post-calibrated model parameters for hydro-climate impact assessment. Several key inputs for hydrologic simulation including meteorologic forcings, soil, land class, vegetation, and elevation were collected from multiple best-available data sources and organized for 2107 hydrologic subbasins (8-digit hydrologic units, HUC8s) in the conterminous United States at refined 1/24 (~4 km) spatial resolution. Using high-performance computing for intensive model calibration, a high-resolution parameter dataset was prepared for the macro-scale Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model. The VICmore » simulation was driven by DAYMET daily meteorological forcing and was calibrated against USGS WaterWatch monthly runoff observations for each HUC8. The results showed that this new parameter dataset may help reasonably simulate runoff at most US HUC8 subbasins. Based on this exhaustive calibration effort, it is now possible to accurately estimate the resources required for further model improvement across the entire conterminous United States. We anticipate that through this hydrologic parameter dataset, the repeated effort of fundamental data processing can be lessened, so that research efforts can emphasize the more challenging task of assessing climate change impacts. The pre-organized model parameter dataset will be provided to interested parties to support further hydro-climate impact assessment.« less

Maximum Likelihood Shift Estimation Using High Resolution Polarimetric SAR Clutter Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harant, Olivier; Bombrun, Lionel; Vasile, Gabriel; Ferro-Famil, Laurent; Gay, Michel

2011-03-01

This paper deals with a Maximum Likelihood (ML) shift estimation method in the context of High Resolution (HR) Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) clutter. Texture modeling is exposed and the generalized ML texture tracking method is extended to the merging of various sensors. Some results on displacement estimation on the Argentiere glacier in the Mont Blanc massif using dual-pol TerraSAR-X (TSX) and quad-pol RADARSAT-2 (RS2) sensors are finally discussed.

High-Resolution Topography of Mercury from Messenger Orbital Stereo Imaging - the Southern Hemisphere Quadrangles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preusker, F.; Oberst, J.; Stark, A.; Burmeister, S.

2018-04-01

We produce high-resolution (222 m/grid element) Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) for Mercury using stereo images from the MESSENGER orbital mission. We have developed a scheme to process large numbers, typically more than 6000, images by photogrammetric techniques, which include, multiple image matching, pyramid strategy, and bundle block adjustments. In this paper, we present models for map quadrangles of the southern hemisphere H11, H12, H13, and H14.

The Circumstellar Environment of Low Mass Star Forming Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butner, Harold M.

1997-01-01

We have obtained the complete SED from 10 microns out to 1.3 mm for all of our sources. We have the FIR imaging data, processed to reveal the maximum angular resolution possible, which allows us to model the disk. To model the disk, we have high resolution millimeter interferometry data.

Evaluation of the high resolution DEHM/UBM model system over Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Im, Ulas; Christensen, Jesper H.; Ellermann, Thomas; Ketzel, Matthias; Geels, Camilla; Hansen, Kaj M.; Plejdrup, Marlene S.; Brandt, Jørgen

2015-04-01

The air pollutant levels over Denmark are simulated using the high resolution DEHM/UBM model system for the years 2006 to 2014. The system employs a hemispheric chemistry-transport model, the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM; Brandt et al., 2012) that runs on a 150 km x 150 km resolution over the Northern Hemisphere, with nesting capability for higher resolutions over Europe, Northern Europe and Denmark on 50 km x 50 km, 16.7 km x 16.7 km and 5.6 km x 5.6 km resolutions, respectively, coupled to the Urban Background Model (UBM; Berkowicz, 2000; Brandt et al., 2001) that covers the whole of Denmark with a 1 km x 1 km spatial resolution. Over Denmark, the system uses the SPREAD emission model (Plejdrup and Gyldenkærne, 2011) that distributes the Danish emissions for all pollutants and all sectors in the national emission database on a 1 km x 1 km resolution grid covering Denmark and its national sea territory. The study will describe the model system and we will evaluate the performance of the model system in simulating hourly and daily ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations against surface measurements from eight monitoring stations. Finally we investigate the spatial variation of air pollutants over Denmark on different time scales. References Berkowicz, R., 2000. A Simple Model for Urban Background Pollution. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 65, 1/2, 259-267. Brandt, J., J. H. Christensen, L. M. Frohn, F. Palmgren, R. Berkowicz and Z. Zlatev, 2001: "Operational air pollution forecasts from European to local scale". Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 35, Sup. No. 1, pp. S91-S98, 2001 Brandt et al., 2012. An integrated model study for Europe and North America using the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model with focus on intercontinental transport. Atmospheric Environment, 53, 156-176. Plejdrup, M.S., Gyldenkærne, S., 2011. Spatial distribution of pollutants to air - the SPREAD model. NERI Technical Report No. 823.

The optimization of high resolution topographic data for 1D hydrodynamic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ales, Ronovsky; Michal, Podhoranyi

2016-06-01

The main focus of our research presented in this paper is to optimize and use high resolution topographical data (HRTD) for hydrological modelling. Optimization of HRTD is done by generating adaptive mesh by measuring distance of coarse mesh and the surface of the dataset and adapting the mesh from the perspective of keeping the geometry as close to initial resolution as possible. Technique described in this paper enables computation of very accurate 1-D hydrodynamic models. In the paper, we use HEC-RAS software as a solver. For comparison, we have chosen the amount of generated cells/grid elements (in whole discretization domain and selected cross sections) with respect to preservation of the accuracy of the computational domain. Generation of the mesh for hydrodynamic modelling is strongly reliant on domain size and domain resolution. Topographical dataset used in this paper was created using LiDAR method and it captures 5.9km long section of a catchment of the river Olše. We studied crucial changes in topography for generated mesh. Assessment was done by commonly used statistical and visualization methods.

The optimization of high resolution topographic data for 1D hydrodynamic models

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

Ales, Ronovsky, E-mail: ales.ronovsky@vsb.cz; Michal, Podhoranyi

2016-06-08

The main focus of our research presented in this paper is to optimize and use high resolution topographical data (HRTD) for hydrological modelling. Optimization of HRTD is done by generating adaptive mesh by measuring distance of coarse mesh and the surface of the dataset and adapting the mesh from the perspective of keeping the geometry as close to initial resolution as possible. Technique described in this paper enables computation of very accurate 1-D hydrodynamic models. In the paper, we use HEC-RAS software as a solver. For comparison, we have chosen the amount of generated cells/grid elements (in whole discretization domainmore » and selected cross sections) with respect to preservation of the accuracy of the computational domain. Generation of the mesh for hydrodynamic modelling is strongly reliant on domain size and domain resolution. Topographical dataset used in this paper was created using LiDAR method and it captures 5.9km long section of a catchment of the river Olše. We studied crucial changes in topography for generated mesh. Assessment was done by commonly used statistical and visualization methods.« less

Very high resolution surface mass balance over Greenland modeled by the regional climate model MAR with a downscaling technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kittel, Christoph; Lang, Charlotte; Agosta, Cécile; Prignon, Maxime; Fettweis, Xavier; Erpicum, Michel

2016-04-01

This study presents surface mass balance (SMB) results at 5 km resolution with the regional climate MAR model over the Greenland ice sheet. Here, we use the last MAR version (v3.6) where the land-ice module (SISVAT) using a high resolution grid (5km) for surface variables is fully coupled while the MAR atmospheric module running at a lower resolution of 10km. This online downscaling technique enables to correct near-surface temperature and humidity from MAR by a gradient based on elevation before forcing SISVAT. The 10 km precipitation is not corrected. Corrections are stronger over the ablation zone where topography presents more variations. The model has been force by ERA-Interim between 1979 and 2014. We will show the advantages of using an online SMB downscaling technique in respect to an offline downscaling extrapolation based on local SMB vertical gradients. Results at 5 km show a better agreement with the PROMICE surface mass balance data base than the extrapolated 10 km MAR SMB results.

The Canadian Hydrological Model (CHM): A multi-scale, variable-complexity hydrological model for cold regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsh, C.; Pomeroy, J. W.; Wheater, H. S.

2016-12-01

There is a need for hydrological land surface schemes that can link to atmospheric models, provide hydrological prediction at multiple scales and guide the development of multiple objective water predictive systems. Distributed raster-based models suffer from an overrepresentation of topography, leading to wasted computational effort that increases uncertainty due to greater numbers of parameters and initial conditions. The Canadian Hydrological Model (CHM) is a modular, multiphysics, spatially distributed modelling framework designed for representing hydrological processes, including those that operate in cold-regions. Unstructured meshes permit variable spatial resolution, allowing coarse resolutions at low spatial variability and fine resolutions as required. Model uncertainty is reduced by lessening the necessary computational elements relative to high-resolution rasters. CHM uses a novel multi-objective approach for unstructured triangular mesh generation that fulfills hydrologically important constraints (e.g., basin boundaries, water bodies, soil classification, land cover, elevation, and slope/aspect). This provides an efficient spatial representation of parameters and initial conditions, as well as well-formed and well-graded triangles that are suitable for numerical discretization. CHM uses high-quality open source libraries and high performance computing paradigms to provide a framework that allows for integrating current state-of-the-art process algorithms. The impact of changes to model structure, including individual algorithms, parameters, initial conditions, driving meteorology, and spatial/temporal discretization can be easily tested. Initial testing of CHM compared spatial scales and model complexity for a spring melt period at a sub-arctic mountain basin. The meshing algorithm reduced the total number of computational elements and preserved the spatial heterogeneity of predictions.

The Impact of Infiltration Losses and Model Resolution on the Simulated Hydrometeorological Response of a Semi-Arid Catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, M. F.; Goodrich, D. C.; Gochis, D. J.; Lahmers, T. M.

2017-12-01

In semi-arid environments with complex terrain, redistribution of moisture occurs through runoff, stream infiltration, and regional groundwater flow. In semi-arid regions, stream infiltration has been shown to account for 10-40% of total recharge in high runoff years. These processes can potentially significantly alter land-atmosphere interactions through changes in sensible and latent heat release. However, currently, their overall impact is still unclear as historical model simulations generally made use of a coarse grid resolution, where these smaller-scale processes were either parameterized or not accounted for. To improve our understanding on the importance of stream infiltration and our ability to represent them in a coupled land-atmosphere model, this study focuses on the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) and Long-Term Agro-ecosystem Research (LTAR) site, surrounding the city of Tombstone, AZ. High-resolution surface precipitation, meteorological forcing and distributed runoff measurements have been obtained in WGEW since the 1960s. These data will be used as input for the spatially distributed WRF-Hydro model, a spatially distributed hydrological model that uses the NOAH-MP land surface model. Recently, we have implemented an infiltration loss scheme to WRF-Hydro. We will present the performance of WRF-Hydro to account for stream infiltration by comparing model simulation with in-situ observations. More specifically, as the performance of the model simulations has been shown to depend on the used model grid resolution, in the current work results will present WRF-Hydro simulations obtained at different pixel resolution (10-1000m).

Improving Barotropic Tides by Two-way Nesting High and Low Resolution Domains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, C. H.; Buijsman, M. C.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Shriver, J. F.; Hogan, P. J.; Arbic, B. K.; Richman, J. G.

2017-12-01

In a realistically forced global ocean model, relatively large sea-surface-height root-mean-square (RMS) errors are observed in the North Atlantic near the Hudson Strait. These may be associated with large tidal resonances interacting with coastal bathymetry that are not correctly represented with a low resolution grid. This issue can be overcome by using high resolution grids, but at a high computational cost. In this paper we apply two-way nesting as an alternative solution. This approach applies high resolution to the area with large RMS errors and a lower resolution to the rest. It is expected to improve the tidal solution as well as reduce the computational cost. To minimize modification of the original source codes of the ocean circulation model (HYCOM), we apply the coupler OASIS3-MCT. This coupler is used to exchange barotropic pressures and velocity fields through its APIs (Application Programming Interface) between the parent and the child components. The developed two-way nesting framework has been validated with an idealized test case where the parent and the child domains have identical grid resolutions. The result of the idealized case shows very small RMS errors between the child and parent solutions. We plan to show results for a case with realistic tidal forcing in which the resolution of the child grid is three times that of the parent grid. The numerical results of this realistic case are compared to TPXO data.

Graphics Processing Units (GPU) and the Goddard Earth Observing System atmospheric model (GEOS-5): Implementation and Potential Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putnam, William M.

2011-01-01

Earth system models like the Goddard Earth Observing System model (GEOS-5) have been pushing the limits of large clusters of multi-core microprocessors, producing breath-taking fidelity in resolving cloud systems at a global scale. GPU computing presents an opportunity for improving the efficiency of these leading edge models. A GPU implementation of GEOS-5 will facilitate the use of cloud-system resolving resolutions in data assimilation and weather prediction, at resolutions near 3.5 km, improving our ability to extract detailed information from high-resolution satellite observations and ultimately produce better weather and climate predictions

High-resolution modeling of indirectly driven high-convergence layered inertial confinement fusion capsule implosions

DOE PAGES

Haines, Brian M.; Aldrich, C. H.; Campbell, J. M.; ...

2017-04-24

In this study, we present the results of high-resolution simulations of the implosion of high-convergence layered indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion capsules of the type fielded on the National Ignition Facility using the xRAGE radiation-hydrodynamics code. In order to evaluate the suitability of xRAGE to model such experiments, we benchmark simulation results against available experimental data, including shock-timing, shock-velocity, and shell trajectory data, as well as hydrodynamic instability growth rates. We discuss the code improvements that were necessary in order to achieve favorable comparisons with these data. Due to its use of adaptive mesh refinement and Eulerian hydrodynamics, xRAGE is particularlymore » well suited for high-resolution study of multi-scale engineering features such as the capsule support tent and fill tube, which are known to impact the performance of high-convergence capsule implosions. High-resolution two-dimensional (2D) simulations including accurate and well-resolved models for the capsule fill tube, support tent, drive asymmetry, and capsule surface roughness are presented. These asymmetry seeds are isolated in order to study their relative importance and the resolution of the simulations enables the observation of details that have not been previously reported. We analyze simulation results to determine how the different asymmetries affect hotspot reactivity, confinement, and confinement time and how these combine to degrade yield. Yield degradation associated with the tent occurs largely through decreased reactivity due to the escape of hot fuel mass from the hotspot. Drive asymmetries and the fill tube, however, degrade yield primarily via burn truncation, as associated instability growth accelerates the disassembly of the hotspot. Finally, modeling all of these asymmetries together in 2D leads to improved agreement with experiment but falls short of explaining the experimentally observed yield degradation, consistent with previous 2D simulations of such capsules.« less

Does objective cluster analysis serve as a useful precursor to seasonal precipitation prediction at local scale? Application to western Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ying; Moges, Semu; Block, Paul

2018-01-01

Prediction of seasonal precipitation can provide actionable information to guide management of various sectoral activities. For instance, it is often translated into hydrological forecasts for better water resources management. However, many studies assume homogeneity in precipitation across an entire study region, which may prove ineffective for operational and local-level decisions, particularly for locations with high spatial variability. This study proposes advancing local-level seasonal precipitation predictions by first conditioning on regional-level predictions, as defined through objective cluster analysis, for western Ethiopia. To our knowledge, this is the first study predicting seasonal precipitation at high resolution in this region, where lives and livelihoods are vulnerable to precipitation variability given the high reliance on rain-fed agriculture and limited water resources infrastructure. The combination of objective cluster analysis, spatially high-resolution prediction of seasonal precipitation, and a modeling structure spanning statistical and dynamical approaches makes clear advances in prediction skill and resolution, as compared with previous studies. The statistical model improves versus the non-clustered case or dynamical models for a number of specific clusters in northwestern Ethiopia, with clusters having regional average correlation and ranked probability skill score (RPSS) values of up to 0.5 and 33 %, respectively. The general skill (after bias correction) of the two best-performing dynamical models over the entire study region is superior to that of the statistical models, although the dynamical models issue predictions at a lower resolution and the raw predictions require bias correction to guarantee comparable skills.

Inverse modeling of pan-Arctic methane emissions at high spatial resolution: what can we learn from assimilating satellite retrievals and using different process-based wetland and lake biogeochemical models?

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

Tan, Zeli; Zhuang, Qianlai; Henze, Daven K.

Understanding methane emissions from the Arctic, a fast-warming carbon reservoir, is important for projecting future changes in the global methane cycle. Here we optimized methane emissions from north of 60° N (pan-Arctic) regions using a nested-grid high-resolution inverse model that assimilates both high-precision surface measurements and column-average SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartogrphY (SCIAMACHY) satellite retrievals of methane mole fraction. For the first time, methane emissions from lakes were integrated into an atmospheric transport and inversion estimate, together with prior wetland emissions estimated with six biogeochemical models. In our estimates, in 2005, global methane emissions were in the range ofmore » 496.4–511.5 Tg yr −1, and pan-Arctic methane emissions were in the range of 11.9–28.5 Tg yr −1. Methane emissions from pan-Arctic wetlands and lakes were 5.5–14.2 and 2.4–14.2 Tg yr −1, respectively. Methane emissions from Siberian wetlands and lakes are the largest and also have the largest uncertainty. Our results indicate that the uncertainty introduced by different wetland models could be much larger than the uncertainty of each inversion. We also show that assimilating satellite retrievals can reduce the uncertainty of the nested-grid inversions. The significance of lake emissions cannot be identified across the pan-Arctic by high-resolution inversions, but it is possible to identify high lake emissions from some specific regions. In contrast to global inversions, high-resolution nested-grid inversions perform better in estimating near-surface methane concentrations.« less

Inverse modeling of pan-Arctic methane emissions at high spatial resolution: what can we learn from assimilating satellite retrievals and using different process-based wetland and lake biogeochemical models?

DOE PAGES

Tan, Zeli; Zhuang, Qianlai; Henze, Daven K.; ...

2016-10-12

Understanding methane emissions from the Arctic, a fast-warming carbon reservoir, is important for projecting future changes in the global methane cycle. Here we optimized methane emissions from north of 60° N (pan-Arctic) regions using a nested-grid high-resolution inverse model that assimilates both high-precision surface measurements and column-average SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartogrphY (SCIAMACHY) satellite retrievals of methane mole fraction. For the first time, methane emissions from lakes were integrated into an atmospheric transport and inversion estimate, together with prior wetland emissions estimated with six biogeochemical models. In our estimates, in 2005, global methane emissions were in the range ofmore » 496.4–511.5 Tg yr −1, and pan-Arctic methane emissions were in the range of 11.9–28.5 Tg yr −1. Methane emissions from pan-Arctic wetlands and lakes were 5.5–14.2 and 2.4–14.2 Tg yr −1, respectively. Methane emissions from Siberian wetlands and lakes are the largest and also have the largest uncertainty. Our results indicate that the uncertainty introduced by different wetland models could be much larger than the uncertainty of each inversion. We also show that assimilating satellite retrievals can reduce the uncertainty of the nested-grid inversions. The significance of lake emissions cannot be identified across the pan-Arctic by high-resolution inversions, but it is possible to identify high lake emissions from some specific regions. In contrast to global inversions, high-resolution nested-grid inversions perform better in estimating near-surface methane concentrations.« less

Top-down quantification of NOx emissions from traffic in an urban area using a high-resolution regional atmospheric chemistry model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuik, Friderike; Kerschbaumer, Andreas; Lauer, Axel; Lupascu, Aurelia; von Schneidemesser, Erika; Butler, Tim M.

2018-06-01

With NO2 limit values being frequently exceeded in European cities, complying with the European air quality regulations still poses a problem for many cities. Traffic is typically a major source of NOx emissions in urban areas. High-resolution chemistry transport modelling can help to assess the impact of high urban NOx emissions on air quality inside and outside of urban areas. However, many modelling studies report an underestimation of modelled NOx and NO2 compared with observations. Part of this model bias has been attributed to an underestimation of NOx emissions, particularly in urban areas. This is consistent with recent measurement studies quantifying underestimations of urban NOx emissions by current emission inventories, identifying the largest discrepancies when the contribution of traffic NOx emissions is high. This study applies a high-resolution chemistry transport model in combination with ambient measurements in order to assess the potential underestimation of traffic NOx emissions in a frequently used emission inventory. The emission inventory is based on officially reported values and the Berlin-Brandenburg area in Germany is used as a case study. The WRF-Chem model is used at a 3 km × 3 km horizontal resolution, simulating the whole year of 2014. The emission data are downscaled from an original resolution of ca. 7 km × 7 km to a resolution of 1 km × 1 km. An in-depth model evaluation including spectral decomposition of observed and modelled time series and error apportionment suggests that an underestimation in traffic emissions is likely one of the main causes of the bias in modelled NO2 concentrations in the urban background, where NO2 concentrations are underestimated by ca. 8 µg m-3 (-30 %) on average over the whole year. Furthermore, a diurnal cycle of the bias in modelled NO2 suggests that a more realistic treatment of the diurnal cycle of traffic emissions might be needed. Model problems in simulating the correct mixing in the urban planetary boundary layer probably play an important role in contributing to the model bias, particularly in summer. Also taking into account this and other possible sources of model bias, a correction factor for traffic NOx emissions of ca. 3 is estimated for weekday daytime traffic emissions in the core urban area, which corresponds to an overall underestimation of traffic NOx emissions in the core urban area of ca. 50 %. Sensitivity simulations for the months of January and July using the calculated correction factor show that the weekday model bias can be improved from -8.8 µg m-3 (-26 %) to -5.4 µg m-3 (-16 %) in January on average in the urban background, and -10.3 µg m-3 (-46 %) to -7.6 µg m-3 (-34 %) in July. In addition, the negative bias of weekday NO2 concentrations downwind of the city in the rural and suburban background can be reduced from -3.4 µg m-3 (-12 %) to -1.2 µg m-3 (-4 %) in January and from -3.0 µg m-3 (-22 %) to -1.9 µg m-3 (-14 %) in July. The results and their consistency with findings from other studies suggest that more research is needed in order to more accurately understand the spatial and temporal variability in real-world NOx emissions from traffic, and apply this understanding to the inventories used in high-resolution chemical transport models.

A Tool for Creating Regionally Calibrated High-Resolution Land Cover Data Sets for the West African Sahel: Using Machine Learning to Scale Up Hand-Classified Maps in a Data-Sparse Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Gordon, M.; Van Gordon, S.; Min, A.; Sullivan, J.; Weiner, Z.; Tappan, G. G.

2017-12-01

Using support vector machine (SVM) learning and high-accuracy hand-classified maps, we have developed a publicly available land cover classification tool for the West African Sahel. Our classifier produces high-resolution and regionally calibrated land cover maps for the Sahel, representing a significant contribution to the data available for this region. Global land cover products are unreliable for the Sahel, and accurate land cover data for the region are sparse. To address this gap, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Regional Center for Agriculture, Hydrology and Meteorology (AGRHYMET) in Niger produced high-quality land cover maps for the region via hand-classification of Landsat images. This method produces highly accurate maps, but the time and labor required constrain the spatial and temporal resolution of the data products. By using these hand-classified maps alongside SVM techniques, we successfully increase the resolution of the land cover maps by 1-2 orders of magnitude, from 2km-decadal resolution to 30m-annual resolution. These high-resolution regionally calibrated land cover datasets, along with the classifier we developed to produce them, lay the foundation for major advances in studies of land surface processes in the region. These datasets will provide more accurate inputs for food security modeling, hydrologic modeling, analyses of land cover change and climate change adaptation efforts. The land cover classification tool we have developed will be publicly available for use in creating additional West Africa land cover datasets with future remote sensing data and can be adapted for use in other parts of the world.

Atmospheric rivers in a hierarchy of high resolution global climate models: results from the UPSCALE simulation campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demory, Marie-Estelle; Vidale, Pier-Luigi; Schiemann, Reinhard; Roberts, Malcolm; Mizielinski, Matthew

2014-05-01

A traceable hierarchy of global climate models (based on the Met Office Unified Model, GA3 formulation), with mesh sizes ranging from 130km to 25km, has been developed in order to study the impact of improved representation of small-scale processes on the mean climate, its variability and extremes. Five-member ensembles of atmosphere-only integrations were completed at these resolutions, each 27 years in length, using both present day forcing and a future climate scenario. These integrations, collectively known as the "UPSCALE campaign", were completed using time provided by the European PrACE project on supercomputer HERMIT (HLRS Stuttgart). A wide variety of processes are being studied to assess these integrations, in particular with regards to the role of resolution. It has been shown that the relatively coarse resolution of atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) limits their ability to represent moisture transport from ocean to land. Understanding of the processes underlying this observed improvement with higher resolution remains insufficient. Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are an important process of moisture transport onto land in mid-latitude eddies and have been shown by Lavers et al. (2012) to be involved in creating the moisture supply that sustains extreme precipitation events. We investigated the ability of a state-of-the art climate model to represent the location, frequency and 3D structure of atmospheric rivers affecting Western Europe, with a focus on the UK. We show that the climatology of atmospheric rivers, in particular frequency, is underrepresented in the GCM at standard resolution and that this is slightly improved at high resolution (25km): our results are in better agreement with reanalysis data, even if sizable biases remain. The three-dimensional structure of the atmospheric rivers is also more credibly represented at high-resolution. Some aspects of the relationship between the improved simulation in current climate conditions, and how this impacts on changes in the future climate, with much larger atmospheric moisture availability, will also be discussed. In particular, we aim to quantify the relative roles of atmospheric transport and increased precipitation rates in the higher quantiles.

Sensitivity of The High-resolution Wam Model With Respect To Time Step

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasemets, K.; Soomere, T.

The northern part of the Baltic Proper and its subbasins (Bothnian Sea, the Gulf of Finland, Moonsund) serve as a challenge for wave modellers. In difference from the southern and the eastern parts of the Baltic Sea, their coasts are highly irregular and contain many peculiarities with the characteristic horizontal scale of the order of a few kilometres. For example, the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland is extremely ragged and contains a huge number of small islands. Its southern coast is more or less regular but has up to 50m high cliff that is frequently covered by high forests. The area also contains numerous banks that have water depth a couple of meters and that may essentially modify wave properties near the banks owing to topographical effects. This feature suggests that a high-resolution wave model should be applied for the region in question, with a horizontal resolution of an order of 1 km or even less. According to the Courant-Friedrich-Lewy criterion, the integration time step for such models must be of the order of a few tens of seconds. A high-resolution WAM model turns out to be fairly sensitive with respect to the particular choice of the time step. In our experiments, a medium-resolution model for the whole Baltic Sea was used, with the horizontal resolution 3 miles (3' along latitudes and 6' along longitudes) and the angular resolution 12 directions. The model was run with steady wind blowing 20 m/s from different directions and with two time steps (1 and 3 minutes). For most of the wind directions, the rms. difference of significant wave heights calculated with differ- ent time steps did not exceed 10 cm and typically was of the order of a few per cents. The difference arose within a few tens of minutes and generally did not increase in further computations. However, in the case of the north wind, the difference increased nearly monotonously and reached 25-35 cm (10-15%) within three hours of integra- tion whereas mean of significant wave heights over the whole Baltic Sea was 2.4 m (1 minute) and 2.04 m (3 minutes), respectively. The most probable reason of such difference is that the WAM model with a relatively large time step poorly describes wave field evolution in the Aland area with extremely ragged bottom topography and coastal line. In earlier studies, it has been reported that the WAM model frequently underestimates wave heights in the northern Baltic Proper by 20-30% in the case of strong north storms (Tuomi et al, Report series of the Finnish Institute of Marine Re- search, 1999). The described results suggest that a part of this underestimation may be removed through a proper choice of the time step.

Modeling ocean primary production: Sensitivity to spectral resolution of attenuation and absorption of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kettle, Helen; Merchant, Chris J.

2008-08-01

Modeling the vertical penetration of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) through the ocean, and its utilization by phytoplankton, is fundamental to simulating marine primary production. The variation of attenuation and absorption of light with wavelength suggests that photosynthesis should be modeled at high spectral resolution, but this is computationally expensive. To model primary production in global 3d models, a balance between computer time and accuracy is necessary. We investigate the effects of varying the spectral resolution of the underwater light field and the photosynthetic efficiency of phytoplankton ( α∗), on primary production using a 1d coupled ecosystem ocean turbulence model. The model is applied at three sites in the Atlantic Ocean (CIS (∼60°N), PAP (∼50°N) and ESTOC (∼30°N)) to include the effect of different meteorological forcing and parameter sets. We also investigate three different methods for modeling α∗ - as a fixed constant, varying with both wavelength and chlorophyll concentration [Bricaud, A., Morel, A., Babin, M., Allali, K., Claustre, H., 1998. Variations of light absorption by suspended particles with chlorophyll a concentration in oceanic (case 1) waters. Analysis and implications for bio-optical models. J. Geophys. Res. 103, 31033-31044], and using a non-spectral parameterization [Anderson, T.R., 1993. A spectrally averaged model of light penetration and photosynthesis. Limnol. Oceanogr. 38, 1403-1419]. After selecting the appropriate ecosystem parameters for each of the three sites we vary the spectral resolution of light and α∗ from 1 to 61 wavebands and study the results in conjunction with the three different α∗ estimation methods. The results show modeled estimates of ocean primary productivity are highly sensitive to the degree of spectral resolution and α∗. For accurate simulations of primary production and chlorophyll distribution we recommend a spectral resolution of at least six wavebands if α∗ is a function of wavelength and chlorophyll, and three wavebands if α∗ is a fixed value.

Predicting nucleic acid binding interfaces from structural models of proteins

PubMed Central

Dror, Iris; Shazman, Shula; Mukherjee, Srayanta; Zhang, Yang; Glaser, Fabian; Mandel-Gutfreund, Yael

2011-01-01

The function of DNA- and RNA-binding proteins can be inferred from the characterization and accurate prediction of their binding interfaces. However the main pitfall of various structure-based methods for predicting nucleic acid binding function is that they are all limited to a relatively small number of proteins for which high-resolution three dimensional structures are available. In this study, we developed a pipeline for extracting functional electrostatic patches from surfaces of protein structural models, obtained using the I-TASSER protein structure predictor. The largest positive patches are extracted from the protein surface using the patchfinder algorithm. We show that functional electrostatic patches extracted from an ensemble of structural models highly overlap the patches extracted from high-resolution structures. Furthermore, by testing our pipeline on a set of 55 known nucleic acid binding proteins for which I-TASSER produces high-quality models, we show that the method accurately identifies the nucleic acids binding interface on structural models of proteins. Employing a combined patch approach we show that patches extracted from an ensemble of models better predicts the real nucleic acid binding interfaces compared to patches extracted from independent models. Overall, these results suggest that combining information from a collection of low-resolution structural models could be a valuable approach for functional annotation. We suggest that our method will be further applicable for predicting other functional surfaces of proteins with unknown structure. PMID:22086767

Bayesian Peptide Peak Detection for High Resolution TOF Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhang, Jianqiu; Zhou, Xiaobo; Wang, Honghui; Suffredini, Anthony; Zhang, Lin; Huang, Yufei; Wong, Stephen

2010-11-01

In this paper, we address the issue of peptide ion peak detection for high resolution time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) data. A novel Bayesian peptide ion peak detection method is proposed for TOF data with resolution of 10 000-15 000 full width at half-maximum (FWHW). MS spectra exhibit distinct characteristics at this resolution, which are captured in a novel parametric model. Based on the proposed parametric model, a Bayesian peak detection algorithm based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling is developed. The proposed algorithm is tested on both simulated and real datasets. The results show a significant improvement in detection performance over a commonly employed method. The results also agree with expert's visual inspection. Moreover, better detection consistency is achieved across MS datasets from patients with identical pathological condition.

Bayesian Peptide Peak Detection for High Resolution TOF Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jianqiu; Zhou, Xiaobo; Wang, Honghui; Suffredini, Anthony; Zhang, Lin; Huang, Yufei; Wong, Stephen

2011-01-01

In this paper, we address the issue of peptide ion peak detection for high resolution time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) data. A novel Bayesian peptide ion peak detection method is proposed for TOF data with resolution of 10 000–15 000 full width at half-maximum (FWHW). MS spectra exhibit distinct characteristics at this resolution, which are captured in a novel parametric model. Based on the proposed parametric model, a Bayesian peak detection algorithm based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling is developed. The proposed algorithm is tested on both simulated and real datasets. The results show a significant improvement in detection performance over a commonly employed method. The results also agree with expert’s visual inspection. Moreover, better detection consistency is achieved across MS datasets from patients with identical pathological condition. PMID:21544266

Effects of downscaled high-resolution meteorological data on the PSCF identification of emission sources

DOE PAGES

Cheng, Meng -Dawn; Kabela, Erik D.

2016-04-30

The Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) model has been successfully used for identifying regions of emission source at a long distance in this study, the PSCF model relies on backward trajectories calculated by the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. In this study, we investigated the impacts of grid resolution and Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) parameterization (e.g., turbulent transport of pollutants) on the PSCF analysis. The Mellor-Yamada-Janjic (MYJ) and Yonsei University (YUS) parameterization schemes were selected to model the turbulent transport in the PBL within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF version 3.6) model. Two separate domain grid sizesmore » (83 and 27 km) were chosen in the WRF downscaling in generating the wind data for driving the HYSPLIT calculation. The effects of grid size and PBL parameterization are important in incorporating the influ- ence of regional and local meteorological processes such as jet streaks, blocking patterns, Rossby waves, and terrain-induced convection on the transport of pollutants by a wind trajectory. We found high resolution PSCF did discover and locate source areas more precisely than that with lower resolution meteorological inputs. The lack of anticipated improvement could also be because a PBL scheme chosen to produce the WRF data was only a local parameterization and unable to faithfully duplicate the real atmosphere on a global scale. The MYJ scheme was able to replicate PSCF source identification by those using the Reanalysis and discover additional source areas that was not identified by the Reanalysis data. In conclusion, a potential benefit for using high-resolution wind data in the PSCF modeling is that it could discover new source location in addition to those identified by using the Reanalysis data input.« less

Test of High-resolution Global and Regional Climate Model Projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenchikov, Georgiy; Nikulin, Grigory; Hansson, Ulf; Kjellström, Erik; Raj, Jerry; Bangalath, Hamza; Osipov, Sergey

2014-05-01

In scope of CORDEX project we have simulated the past (1975-2005) and future (2006-2050) climates using the GFDL global high-resolution atmospheric model (HIRAM) and the Rossby Center nested regional model RCA4 for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Both global and nested runs were performed with roughly the same spatial resolution of 25 km in latitude and longitude, and were driven by the 2°x2.5°-resolution fields from GFDL ESM2M IPCC AR5 runs. The global HIRAM simulations could naturally account for interaction of regional processes with the larger-scale circulation features like Indian Summer Monsoon, which is lacking from regional model setup. Therefore in this study we specifically address the consistency of "global" and "regional" downscalings. The performance of RCA4, HIRAM, and ESM2M is tested based on mean, extreme, trends, seasonal and inter-annual variability of surface temperature, precipitation, and winds. The impact of climate change on dust storm activity, extreme precipitation and water resources is specifically addressed. We found that the global and regional climate projections appear to be quite consistent for the modeled period and differ more significantly from ESM2M than between each other.

Impact of model resolution on simulating the water vapor transport through the central Himalayas: implication for models' wet bias over the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Changgui; Chen, Deliang; Yang, Kun; Ou, Tinghai

2018-01-01

Current climate models commonly overestimate precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), which limits our understanding of past and future water balance in the region. Identifying sources of such models' wet bias is therefore crucial. The Himalayas is considered a major pathway of water vapor transport (WVT) towards the TP. Their steep terrain, together with associated small-scale processes, cannot be resolved by coarse-resolution models, which may result in excessive WVT towards the TP. This paper, therefore, investigated the resolution dependency of simulated WVT through the central Himalayas and its further impact on precipitation bias over the TP. According to a summer monsoon season of simulations conducted using the weather research forecasting (WRF) model with resolutions of 30, 10, and 2 km, the study found that finer resolutions (especially 2 km) diminish the positive precipitation bias over the TP. The higher-resolution simulations produce more precipitation over the southern Himalayan slopes and weaker WVT towards the TP, explaining the reduced wet bias. The decreased WVT is reflected mostly in the weakened wind speed, which is due to the fact that the high resolution can improve resolving orographic drag over a complex terrain and other processes associated with heterogeneous surface forcing. A significant difference was particularly found when the model resolution is changed from 30 to 10 km, suggesting that a resolution of approximately 10 km represents a good compromise between a more spatially detailed simulation of WVT and computational cost for a domain covering the whole TP.

Increasing horizontal resolution in numerical weather prediction and climate simulations: illusion or panacea?

PubMed

Wedi, Nils P

2014-06-28

The steady path of doubling the global horizontal resolution approximately every 8 years in numerical weather prediction (NWP) at the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts may be substantially altered with emerging novel computing architectures. It coincides with the need to appropriately address and determine forecast uncertainty with increasing resolution, in particular, when convective-scale motions start to be resolved. Blunt increases in the model resolution will quickly become unaffordable and may not lead to improved NWP forecasts. Consequently, there is a need to accordingly adjust proven numerical techniques. An informed decision on the modelling strategy for harnessing exascale, massively parallel computing power thus also requires a deeper understanding of the sensitivity to uncertainty--for each part of the model--and ultimately a deeper understanding of multi-scale interactions in the atmosphere and their numerical realization in ultra-high-resolution NWP and climate simulations. This paper explores opportunities for substantial increases in the forecast efficiency by judicious adjustment of the formal accuracy or relative resolution in the spectral and physical space. One path is to reduce the formal accuracy by which the spectral transforms are computed. The other pathway explores the importance of the ratio used for the horizontal resolution in gridpoint space versus wavenumbers in spectral space. This is relevant for both high-resolution simulations as well as ensemble-based uncertainty estimation. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

A fast mass spring model solver for high-resolution elastic objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Mianlun; Yuan, Zhiyong; Zhu, Weixu; Zhang, Guian

2017-03-01

Real-time simulation of elastic objects is of great importance for computer graphics and virtual reality applications. The fast mass spring model solver can achieve visually realistic simulation in an efficient way. Unfortunately, this method suffers from resolution limitations and lack of mechanical realism for a surface geometry model, which greatly restricts its application. To tackle these problems, in this paper we propose a fast mass spring model solver for high-resolution elastic objects. First, we project the complex surface geometry model into a set of uniform grid cells as cages through *cages mean value coordinate method to reflect its internal structure and mechanics properties. Then, we replace the original Cholesky decomposition method in the fast mass spring model solver with a conjugate gradient method, which can make the fast mass spring model solver more efficient for detailed surface geometry models. Finally, we propose a graphics processing unit accelerated parallel algorithm for the conjugate gradient method. Experimental results show that our method can realize efficient deformation simulation of 3D elastic objects with visual reality and physical fidelity, which has a great potential for applications in computer animation.

High-resolution simulation of link-level vehicle emissions and concentrations for air pollutants in a traffic-populated eastern Asian city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shaojun; Wu, Ye; Huang, Ruikun; Wang, Jiandong; Yan, Han; Zheng, Yali; Hao, Jiming

2016-08-01

Vehicle emissions containing air pollutants created substantial environmental impacts on air quality for many traffic-populated cities in eastern Asia. A high-resolution emission inventory is a useful tool compared with traditional tools (e.g. registration data-based approach) to accurately evaluate real-world traffic dynamics and their environmental burden. In this study, Macau, one of the most populated cities in the world, is selected to demonstrate a high-resolution simulation of vehicular emissions and their contribution to air pollutant concentrations by coupling multimodels. First, traffic volumes by vehicle category on 47 typical roads were investigated during weekdays in 2010 and further applied in a networking demand simulation with the TransCAD model to establish hourly profiles of link-level vehicle counts. Local vehicle driving speed and vehicle age distribution data were also collected in Macau. Second, based on a localized vehicle emission model (e.g. the emission factor model for the Beijing vehicle fleet - Macau, EMBEV-Macau), this study established a link-based vehicle emission inventory in Macau with high resolution meshed in a temporal and spatial framework. Furthermore, we employed the AERMOD (AMS/EPA Regulatory Model) model to map concentrations of CO and primary PM2.5 contributed by local vehicle emissions during weekdays in November 2010. This study has discerned the strong impact of traffic flow dynamics on the temporal and spatial patterns of vehicle emissions, such as a geographic discrepancy of spatial allocation up to 26 % between THC and PM2.5 emissions owing to spatially heterogeneous vehicle-use intensity between motorcycles and diesel fleets. We also identified that the estimated CO2 emissions from gasoline vehicles agreed well with the statistical fuel consumption in Macau. Therefore, this paper provides a case study and a solid framework for developing high-resolution environment assessment tools for other vehicle-populated cities in eastern Asia.

Parameterization of water vapor using high-resolution GPS data and empirical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ningombam, Shantikumar S.; Jade, Sridevi; Shrungeshwara, T. S.

2018-03-01

The present work evaluates eleven existing empirical models to estimate Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) over a high-altitude (4500 m amsl), cold-desert environment. These models are tested extensively and used globally to estimate PWV for low altitude sites (below 1000 m amsl). The moist parameters used in the model are: water vapor scale height (Hc), dew point temperature (Td) and water vapor pressure (Es 0). These moist parameters are derived from surface air temperature and relative humidity measured at high temporal resolution from automated weather station. The performance of these models are examined statistically with observed high-resolution GPS (GPSPWV) data over the region (2005-2012). The correlation coefficient (R) between the observed GPSPWV and Model PWV is 0.98 at daily data and varies diurnally from 0.93 to 0.97. Parameterization of moisture parameters were studied in-depth (i.e., 2 h to monthly time scales) using GPSPWV , Td , and Es 0 . The slope of the linear relationships between GPSPWV and Td varies from 0.073°C-1 to 0.106°C-1 (R: 0.83 to 0.97) while GPSPWV and Es 0 varied from 1.688 to 2.209 (R: 0.95 to 0.99) at daily, monthly and diurnal time scales. In addition, the moist parameters for the cold desert, high-altitude environment are examined in-depth at various time scales during 2005-2012.

Canopies to Continents: What spatial scales are needed to represent landcover distributions in earth system models?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenther, A. B.; Duhl, T.

2011-12-01

Increasing computational resources have enabled a steady improvement in the spatial resolution used for earth system models. Land surface models and landcover distributions have kept ahead by providing higher spatial resolution than typically used in these models. Satellite observations have played a major role in providing high resolution landcover distributions over large regions or the entire earth surface but ground observations are needed to calibrate these data and provide accurate inputs for models. As our ability to resolve individual landscape components improves, it is important to consider what scale is sufficient for providing inputs to earth system models. The required spatial scale is dependent on the processes being represented and the scientific questions being addressed. This presentation will describe the development a contiguous U.S. landcover database using high resolution imagery (1 to 1000 meters) and surface observations of species composition and other landcover characteristics. The database includes plant functional types and species composition and is suitable for driving land surface models (CLM and MEGAN) that predict land surface exchange of carbon, water, energy and biogenic reactive gases (e.g., isoprene, sesquiterpenes, and NO). We investigate the sensitivity of model results to landcover distributions with spatial scales ranging over six orders of magnitude (1 meter to 1000000 meters). The implications for predictions of regional climate and air quality will be discussed along with recommendations for regional and global earth system modeling.

Improving dust emission characterization in dust models using dynamic high-resolution geomorphic erodibility map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parajuli, S. P.; Yang, Z.; Kocurek, G.

2013-12-01

Dust is known to affect the earth radiation budget, biogeochemical cycle, precipitation, human health and visibility. Despite the increased research effort, dust emission modeling remains challenging because dust emission is affected by complex geomorphological processes. Existing dust models overestimate dust emission and rely on tuning and a static erodibility factor in order to make simulated results comparable to remote sensing and ground-based observations. In most of current models, dust emission is expressed in terms of threshold friction speed, which ultimately depends mainly upon the percentage clay content and soil moisture. Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of accurate and high resolution input data of the clay content and soil moisture, estimated threshold friction speed commonly does not represent the variability in field condition. In this work, we attempt to improve dust emission characterization by developing a high resolution geomorphic map of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which is responsible for more than 50% of global dust emission. We develop this geomorphic map by visually examining high resolution satellite images obtained from Google Earth Pro and ESRI base map. Albeit subjective, our technique is more reliable compared to automatic image classification technique because we incorporate knowledge of geological/geographical setting in identifying dust sources. We hypothesize that the erodibility is unique for different geomorphic landforms and that it can be quantified by the correlation between observed wind speed and satellite retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD). We classify the study area into several key geomorphological categories with respect to their dust emission potential. Then we quantify their dust emission potential using the correlation between observed wind speed and satellite retrieved AOD. The dynamic, high-resolution geomorphic erodibility map thus prepared will help to reduce the uncertainty in current dust models associated with poor characterization of dust sources. The baseline dust scheme used in this study is the Dust Entrainment and Deposition (DEAD) model, which is also a component of the community land model (CLM). Proposed improvements in the dust emission representation will help to better understand the accurate effect of dust on climate processes.

Simulations of Tornadoes, Tropical Cyclones, MJOs, and QBOs, using GFDL's multi-scale global climate modeling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Shian-Jiann; Harris, Lucas; Chen, Jan-Huey; Zhao, Ming

2014-05-01

A multi-scale High-Resolution Atmosphere Model (HiRAM) is being developed at NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. The model's dynamical framework is the non-hydrostatic extension of the vertically Lagrangian finite-volume dynamical core (Lin 2004, Monthly Wea. Rev.) constructed on a stretchable (via Schmidt transformation) cubed-sphere grid. Physical parametrizations originally designed for IPCC-type climate predictions are in the process of being modified and made more "scale-aware", in an effort to make the model suitable for multi-scale weather-climate applications, with horizontal resolution ranging from 1 km (near the target high-resolution region) to as low as 400 km (near the antipodal point). One of the main goals of this development is to enable simulation of high impact weather phenomena (such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, category-5 hurricanes) within an IPCC-class climate modeling system previously thought impossible. We will present preliminary results, covering a very wide spectrum of temporal-spatial scales, ranging from simulation of tornado genesis (hours), Madden-Julian Oscillations (intra-seasonal), topical cyclones (seasonal), to Quasi Biennial Oscillations (intra-decadal), using the same global multi-scale modeling system.

Urban Modelling Performance of Next Generation SAR Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sefercik, U. G.; Yastikli, N.; Atalay, C.

2017-09-01

In synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology, urban mapping and modelling have become possible with revolutionary missions TerraSAR-X (TSX) and Cosmo-SkyMed (CSK) since 2007. These satellites offer 1m spatial resolution in high-resolution spotlight imaging mode and capable for high quality digital surface model (DSM) acquisition for urban areas utilizing interferometric SAR (InSAR) technology. With the advantage of independent generation from seasonal weather conditions, TSX and CSK DSMs are much in demand by scientific users. The performance of SAR DSMs is influenced by the distortions such as layover, foreshortening, shadow and double-bounce depend up on imaging geometry. In this study, the potential of DSMs derived from convenient 1m high-resolution spotlight (HS) InSAR pairs of CSK and TSX is validated by model-to-model absolute and relative accuracy estimations in an urban area. For the verification, an airborne laser scanning (ALS) DSM of the study area was used as the reference model. Results demonstrated that TSX and CSK urban DSMs are compatible in open, built-up and forest land forms with the absolute accuracy of 8-10 m. The relative accuracies based on the coherence of neighbouring pixels are superior to absolute accuracies both for CSK and TSX.

Improving High-Resolution Weather Forecasts Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with an Updated Kain–Fritsch Scheme

EPA Science Inventory

Efforts to improve the prediction accuracy of high-resolution (1–10 km) surface precipitation distribution and variability are of vital importance to local aspects of air pollution, wet deposition, and regional climate. However, precipitation biases and errors can occur at ...

A COMPARISON OF ILLUMINATION GEOMETRY-BASED METHODS FOR TOPOGRAPHIC CORRECTION OF QUICKBIRD IMAGES OF AN UNDULANT AREA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The high spatial resolution of QuickBird satellite images makes it possible to show spatial variability at fine details. However, the effect of topography-induced illumination variations become more evident, even in moderately sloped areas. Based on a high resolution (1 m) digital elevation model ge...

Application of high resolution images from unmanned aerial vehicles for hydrology and range science

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A common problem in many natural resource disciplines is the lack of high-enough spatial resolution images that can be used for monitoring and modeling purposes. Advances have been made in the utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in hydrology and rangeland science. By utilizing low fligh...

Climatologies at high resolution for the earth’s land surface areas

PubMed Central

Karger, Dirk Nikolaus; Conrad, Olaf; Böhner, Jürgen; Kawohl, Tobias; Kreft, Holger; Soria-Auza, Rodrigo Wilber; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Linder, H. Peter; Kessler, Michael

2017-01-01

High-resolution information on climatic conditions is essential to many applications in environmental and ecological sciences. Here we present the CHELSA (Climatologies at high resolution for the earth’s land surface areas) data of downscaled model output temperature and precipitation estimates of the ERA-Interim climatic reanalysis to a high resolution of 30 arc sec. The temperature algorithm is based on statistical downscaling of atmospheric temperatures. The precipitation algorithm incorporates orographic predictors including wind fields, valley exposition, and boundary layer height, with a subsequent bias correction. The resulting data consist of a monthly temperature and precipitation climatology for the years 1979–2013. We compare the data derived from the CHELSA algorithm with other standard gridded products and station data from the Global Historical Climate Network. We compare the performance of the new climatologies in species distribution modelling and show that we can increase the accuracy of species range predictions. We further show that CHELSA climatological data has a similar accuracy as other products for temperature, but that its predictions of precipitation patterns are better. PMID:28872642

Climatologies at high resolution for the earth's land surface areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karger, Dirk Nikolaus; Conrad, Olaf; Böhner, Jürgen; Kawohl, Tobias; Kreft, Holger; Soria-Auza, Rodrigo Wilber; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Linder, H. Peter; Kessler, Michael

2017-09-01

High-resolution information on climatic conditions is essential to many applications in environmental and ecological sciences. Here we present the CHELSA (Climatologies at high resolution for the earth's land surface areas) data of downscaled model output temperature and precipitation estimates of the ERA-Interim climatic reanalysis to a high resolution of 30 arc sec. The temperature algorithm is based on statistical downscaling of atmospheric temperatures. The precipitation algorithm incorporates orographic predictors including wind fields, valley exposition, and boundary layer height, with a subsequent bias correction. The resulting data consist of a monthly temperature and precipitation climatology for the years 1979-2013. We compare the data derived from the CHELSA algorithm with other standard gridded products and station data from the Global Historical Climate Network. We compare the performance of the new climatologies in species distribution modelling and show that we can increase the accuracy of species range predictions. We further show that CHELSA climatological data has a similar accuracy as other products for temperature, but that its predictions of precipitation patterns are better.

High resolution NMR imaging using a high field yokeless permanent magnet.

PubMed

Kose, Katsumi; Haishi, Tomoyuki

2011-01-01

We measured the homogeneity and stability of the magnetic field of a high field (about 1.04 tesla) yokeless permanent magnet with 40-mm gap for high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging. Homogeneity was evaluated using a 3-dimensional (3D) lattice phantom and 3D spin-echo imaging sequences. In the central sphere (20-mm diameter), peak-to-peak magnetic field inhomogeneity was about 60 ppm, and the root-mean-square was 8 ppm. We measured room temperature, magnet temperature, and NMR frequency of the magnet simultaneously every minute for about 68 hours with and without the thermal insulator of the magnet. A simple mathematical model described the magnet's thermal property. Based on magnet performance, we performed high resolution (up to [20 µm](2)) imaging with internal NMR lock sequences of several biological samples. Our results demonstrated the usefulness of the high field small yokeless permanent magnet for high resolution NMR imaging.

High Spatiotemporal Resolution Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Enterography in Crohn Disease Terminal Ileitis Using Continuous Golden-Angle Radial Sampling, Compressed Sensing, and Parallel Imaging.

PubMed

Ream, Justin M; Doshi, Ankur; Lala, Shailee V; Kim, Sooah; Rusinek, Henry; Chandarana, Hersh

2015-06-01

The purpose of this article was to assess the feasibility of golden-angle radial acquisition with compress sensing reconstruction (Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel [GRASP]) for acquiring high temporal resolution data for pharmacokinetic modeling while maintaining high image quality in patients with Crohn disease terminal ileitis. Fourteen patients with biopsy-proven Crohn terminal ileitis were scanned using both contrast-enhanced GRASP and Cartesian breath-hold (volume-interpolated breath-hold examination [VIBE]) acquisitions. GRASP data were reconstructed with 2.4-second temporal resolution and fitted to the generalized kinetic model using an individualized arterial input function to derive the volume transfer coefficient (K(trans)) and interstitial volume (v(e)). Reconstructions, including data from the entire GRASP acquisition and Cartesian VIBE acquisitions, were rated for image quality, artifact, and detection of typical Crohn ileitis features. Inflamed loops of ileum had significantly higher K(trans) (3.36 ± 2.49 vs 0.86 ± 0.49 min(-1), p < 0.005) and v(e) (0.53 ± 0.15 vs 0.20 ± 0.11, p < 0.005) compared with normal bowel loops. There were no significant differences between GRASP and Cartesian VIBE for overall image quality (p = 0.180) or detection of Crohn ileitis features, although streak artifact was worse with the GRASP acquisition (p = 0.001). High temporal resolution data for pharmacokinetic modeling and high spatial resolution data for morphologic image analysis can be achieved in the same acquisition using GRASP.

Recommended Isolated-Line Profile for Representing High-Resolution Spectroscoscopic Transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tennyson, J.; Bernath, P. F.; Campargue, A.; Császár, A. G.; Daumont, L.; Gamache, R. R.; Hodges, J. T.; Lisak, D.; Naumenko, O. V.; Rothman, L. S.; Tran, H.; Hartmann, J.-M.; Zobov, N. F.; Buldyreva, J.; Boone, C. D.; De Vizia, M. Domenica; Gianfrani, L.; McPheat, R.; Weidmann, D.; Murray, J.; Ngo, N. H.; Polyansky, O. L.

2014-06-01

Recommendations of an IUPAC Task Group, formed in 2011 on "Intensities and line shapes in high-resolution spectra of water isotopologues from experiment and theory" (Project No. 2011-022-2-100), on line profiles of isolated high-resolution rotational-vibrational transitions perturbed by neutral gas-phase molecules are presented. The well-documented inadequacies of the Voigt profile, used almost universally by databases and radiative-transfer codes to represent pressure effects and Doppler broadening in isolated vibrational-rotational and pure rotational transitions of the water molecule, have resulted in the development of a variety of alternative line profile models. These models capture more of the physics of the influence of pressure on line shapes but, in general, at the price of greater complexity. The Task Group recommends that the partially-Correlated quadratic-Speed-Dependent Hard-Collision profile should be adopted as the appropriate model for high-resolution spectroscopy. For simplicity this should be called the Hartmann-Tran profile (HTP). This profile is sophisticated enough to capture the various collisional contributions to the isolated line shape, can be computed in a straightforward and rapid manner, and reduces to simpler profiles, including the Voigt profile, under certain simplifying assumptions. For further details see: J. Tennyson et al, Pure Appl. Chem., 2014, in press.

Estimation of hydromorphological attributes of a small forested catchment by applying the Structure from Motion (SfM) approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez-Barroso, Luis A.; Zárate-Valdez, Jose L.; Robles-Morúa, Agustín

2018-07-01

Structure from Motion (SfM) represents a good low-cost alternative to generate high resolution topography where LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data is scarce or unaffordable. In this work, we demonstrate the advantages of high resolution elevation models (DEM) obtained using the SfM technique to delineate catchment boundaries and the stream network. The SfM-based DEM was compared with LiDAR data, distributed by the Mexican Government, and a previous high resolution topographic map generated by a RTK-GPS system. Aerial images were collected on a forested ecohydrological monitoring site in northwest Mexico using a commercial grade digital camera attached to a tethered helium balloon. Here we applied the SfM method with the removal of the vegetation, similarly to the more advance LiDAR methods. This was achieved by adjusting the point cloud classification parameters (maximum angle, maximum distance and cell size), which to our knowledge, has not has not been reported in the available SfM literature. The SfM terrain model showed minimal differences in ground elevation in the center of the image domain (0-0.5 m) while errors increased on the edges of the domain. The SfM model generated the largest catchment area, main and total channel length (1.07 ha, 106.1 and 223 m, respectively) while LiDAR model obtained the smallest area and main channel length (0.77 ha and 92.9 m, respectively). On the other hand, the SfM model had a better and accurate representation of the river network among all models evaluated due to its closest proximity to the observed GPS-tracked main channel. We concluded that the integration of low cost unmanned aerial vehicles and the SfM method is a good alternative to estimate hydro-morphological attributes in small catchments. Furthermore, we found that high resolution SfM-based terrain models had a fairly good representation of small catchments which is useful in regions with limited data availability. The main findings of this research provide scientific value within the field of hydrological remote sensing in particular in the acquisition of high resolution topography in remote areas without access to more expensive LiDAR or survey techniques. High resolution DEMs allow for a better characterization of catchment area size and stream network delineation which influence hydrological processes (i.e. soil moisture redistribution, runoff, ET).

High-Resolution Soil Moisture Retrieval using SMAP-L Band Radiometer and RISAT-C band Radar Data for the Indian Subcontinent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, G.; Das, N. N.; Panda, R. K.; Mohanty, B.; Entekhabi, D.; Bhattacharya, B. K.

2016-12-01

Soil moisture status at high resolution (1-10 km) is vital for hydrological, agricultural and hydro-metrological applications. The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission had potential to provide reliable soil moisture estimate at finer spatial resolutions (3 km and 9 km) at the global extent, but suffered a malfunction of its radar, consequently making the SMAP mission observations only from radiometer that are of coarse spatial resolution. At present, the availability of high-resolution soil moisture product is limited, especially in developing countries like India, which greatly depends on agriculture for sustaining a huge population. Therefore, an attempt has been made in the reported study to combine the C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) with the SMAP mission L-band radiometer data to obtain high-resolution (1 km and 3 km) soil moisture estimates. In this study, a downscaling approach (Active-Passive Algorithm) implemented for the SMAP mission was used to disaggregate the SMAP radiometer brightness temperature (Tb) using the fine resolution SAR backscatter (σ0) from RISAT. The downscaled high-resolution Tb was then subjected to tau-omega model in conjunction with high-resolution ancillary data to retrieve soil moisture at 1 and 3 km scale. The retrieved high-resolution soil moisture estimates were then validated with ground based soil moisture measurement under different hydro-climatic regions of India. Initial results show tremendous potential and reasonable accuracy for the retrieved soil moisture at 1 km and 3 km. It is expected that ISRO will implement this approach to produce high-resolution soil moisture estimates for the Indian subcontinent.

High-resolution mapping and modelling of surface albedo in Norwegian boreal forests: from remotely sensed data to predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherubini, Francesco; Hu, Xiangping; Vezhapparambu, Sajith; Stromman, Anders

2017-04-01

Surface albedo, a key parameter of the Earth's climate system, has high variability in space, time, and land cover and its parameterization is among the most important variables in climate models. The lack of extensive estimates for model improvement is one of the main limitations for accurately quantifying the influence of surface albedo changes on the planetary radiation balance. We use multi-year satellite retrievals of MODIS surface albedo (MCD43A3), high resolution land cover maps, and meteorological records to characterize albedo variations in Norway across latitude, seasons, land cover type, and topography. We then use this dataset to elaborate semi-empirical models to predict albedo values as a function of tree species, age, volume and climate variables like temperature and snow water equivalents (SWE). Given the complexity of the dataset and model formulation, we apply an innovative non-linear programming approach simultaneously coupled with linear un-mixing. The MODIS albedo products are at a resolution of about 500 m and 8 days. The land cover maps provide vegetation structure information on relative abundance of tree species, age, and biomass volumes at 16 m resolution (for both deciduous and coniferous species). Daily observations of meteorological information on air temperature and SWE are produced at 1 km resolution from interpolation of meteorological weather stations in Norway. These datasets have different resolution and projection, and are harmonized by identifying, for each MODIS pixel, the intersecting land cover polygons and the percentage area of the MODIS pixel represented by each land cover type. We then filter the subplots according to the following criteria: i) at least 96% of the total pixel area is covered by a single land cover class (either forest or cropland); ii) if forest area, at least 98% of the forest area is covered by spruce, deciduous or pine. Forested pixels are then categorized as spruce, deciduous, or pine dominant if the fraction of the respective tree species is greater than 75%. Results show averages of albedo estimates for forests and cropland depicting spatial (along a latitudinal gradient) and temporal (daily, monthly, and seasonal) variations across Norway. As the case study region is a country with heterogeneous topography, we also study the sensitivity of the albedo estimates to the slope and aspect of the terrain. The mathematical programming approach uses a variety of functional forms, constraints and variables, leading to many different model outputs. There are several models with relatively high performances, allowing for a flexibility in the model selection, with different model variants suitable for different situations. This approach produces albedo predictions at the same resolution of the land cover dataset (16 m, notably higher than the MODIS estimates), can incorporate changes in climate conditions, and is robust to cross-validation between different locations. By integrating satellite measurements and high-resolution vegetation maps, we can thus produce semi-empirical models that can predict albedo values for boreal forests using a variety of input variables representing climate and/or vegetation structure. Further research can explore the possible advantages of its implementation in land surface schemes over existing approaches.

Linear mixing model applied to coarse spatial resolution data from multispectral satellite sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holben, Brent N.; Shimabukuro, Yosio E.

1993-01-01

A linear mixing model was applied to coarse spatial resolution data from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. The reflective component of the 3.55-3.95 micron channel was used with the two reflective channels 0.58-0.68 micron and 0.725-1.1 micron to run a constrained least squares model to generate fraction images for an area in the west central region of Brazil. The fraction images were compared with an unsupervised classification derived from Landsat TM data acquired on the same day. The relationship between the fraction images and normalized difference vegetation index images show the potential of the unmixing techniques when using coarse spatial resolution data for global studies.

[Extraction of buildings three-dimensional information from high-resolution satellite imagery based on Barista software].

PubMed

Zhang, Pei-feng; Hu, Yuan-man; He, Hong-shi

2010-05-01

The demand for accurate and up-to-date spatial information of urban buildings is becoming more and more important for urban planning, environmental protection, and other vocations. Today's commercial high-resolution satellite imagery offers the potential to extract the three-dimensional information of urban buildings. This paper extracted the three-dimensional information of urban buildings from QuickBird imagery, and validated the precision of the extraction based on Barista software. It was shown that the extraction of three-dimensional information of the buildings from high-resolution satellite imagery based on Barista software had the advantages of low professional level demand, powerful universality, simple operation, and high precision. One pixel level of point positioning and height determination accuracy could be achieved if the digital elevation model (DEM) and sensor orientation model had higher precision and the off-Nadir View Angle was relatively perfect.

An Integrated Photogrammetric and Photoclinometric Approach for Pixel-Resolution 3d Modelling of Lunar Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W. C.; Wu, B.

2018-04-01

High-resolution 3D modelling of lunar surface is important for lunar scientific research and exploration missions. Photogrammetry is known for 3D mapping and modelling from a pair of stereo images based on dense image matching. However dense matching may fail in poorly textured areas and in situations when the image pair has large illumination differences. As a result, the actual achievable spatial resolution of the 3D model from photogrammetry is limited by the performance of dense image matching. On the other hand, photoclinometry (i.e., shape from shading) is characterised by its ability to recover pixel-wise surface shapes based on image intensity and imaging conditions such as illumination and viewing directions. More robust shape reconstruction through photoclinometry can be achieved by incorporating images acquired under different illumination conditions (i.e., photometric stereo). Introducing photoclinometry into photogrammetric processing can therefore effectively increase the achievable resolution of the mapping result while maintaining its overall accuracy. This research presents an integrated photogrammetric and photoclinometric approach for pixel-resolution 3D modelling of the lunar surface. First, photoclinometry is interacted with stereo image matching to create robust and spatially well distributed dense conjugate points. Then, based on the 3D point cloud derived from photogrammetric processing of the dense conjugate points, photoclinometry is further introduced to derive the 3D positions of the unmatched points and to refine the final point cloud. The approach is able to produce one 3D point for each image pixel within the overlapping area of the stereo pair so that to obtain pixel-resolution 3D models. Experiments using the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera - Narrow Angle Camera (LROC NAC) images show the superior performances of the approach compared with traditional photogrammetric technique. The results and findings from this research contribute to optimal exploitation of image information for high-resolution 3D modelling of the lunar surface, which is of significance for the advancement of lunar and planetary mapping.

Modelling high-resolution ALMA observations of strongly lensed highly star-forming galaxies detected by Herschel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dye, S.; Furlanetto, C.; Dunne, L.; Eales, S. A.; Negrello, M.; Nayyeri, H.; van der Werf, P. P.; Serjeant, S.; Farrah, D.; Michałowski, M. J.; Baes, M.; Marchetti, L.; Cooray, A.; Riechers, D. A.; Amvrosiadis, A.

2018-06-01

We have modelled ˜0.1 arcsec resolution Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array imaging of six strong gravitationally lensed galaxies detected by the Herschel Space Observatory. Our modelling recovers mass properties of the lensing galaxies and, by determining magnification factors, intrinsic properties of the lensed submillimetre sources. We find that the lensed galaxies all have high ratios of star formation rate to dust mass, consistent with or higher than the mean ratio for high-redshift submillimetre galaxies and low-redshift ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. Source reconstruction reveals that most galaxies exhibit disturbed morphologies. Both the cleaned image plane data and the directly observed interferometric visibilities have been modelled, enabling comparison of both approaches. In the majority of cases, the recovered lens models are consistent between methods, all six having mass density profiles that are close to isothermal. However, one system with poor signal to noise shows mildly significant differences.

A Robust Multi-Scale Modeling System for the Study of Cloud and Precipitation Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo

2012-01-01

During the past decade, numerical weather and global non-hydrostatic models have started using more complex microphysical schemes originally developed for high resolution cloud resolving models (CRMs) with 1-2 km or less horizontal resolutions. These microphysical schemes affect the dynamic through the release of latent heat (buoyancy loading and pressure gradient) the radiation through the cloud coverage (vertical distribution of cloud species), and surface processes through rainfall (both amount and intensity). Recently, several major improvements of ice microphysical processes (or schemes) have been developed for cloud-resolving model (Goddard Cumulus Ensemble, GCE, model) and regional scale (Weather Research and Forecast, WRF) model. These improvements include an improved 3-ICE (cloud ice, snow and graupel) scheme (Lang et al. 2010); a 4-ICE (cloud ice, snow, graupel and hail) scheme and a spectral bin microphysics scheme and two different two-moment microphysics schemes. The performance of these schemes has been evaluated by using observational data from TRMM and other major field campaigns. In this talk, we will present the high-resolution (1 km) GeE and WRF model simulations and compared the simulated model results with observation from recent field campaigns [i.e., midlatitude continental spring season (MC3E; 2010), high latitude cold-season (C3VP, 2007; GCPEx, 2012), and tropical oceanic (TWP-ICE, 2006)].

Near-inertial Wave Studies using Historical Mooring Records and a High-Resolution General Circulation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Mooring Records and a High- Resolution General Circulation Model Harper Simmons School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences 903 Koyukuk Drive Fairbanks AK...oceanographic community has been to develop a global internal wave prediction system analogous to those already in place for surface waves. Early steps have...AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) School of Fisheries and Ocean

The impact of resolution on the dynamics of the martian global atmosphere: Varying resolution studies with the MarsWRF GCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toigo, Anthony D.; Lee, Christopher; Newman, Claire E.; Richardson, Mark I.

2012-09-01

We investigate the sensitivity of the circulation and thermal structure of the martian atmosphere to numerical model resolution in a general circulation model (GCM) using the martian implementation (MarsWRF) of the planetWRF atmospheric model. We provide a description of the MarsWRF GCM and use it to study the global atmosphere at horizontal resolutions from 7.5° × 9° to 0.5° × 0.5°, encompassing the range from standard Mars GCMs to global mesoscale modeling. We find that while most of the gross-scale features of the circulation (the rough location of jets, the qualitative thermal structure, and the major large-scale features of the surface level winds) are insensitive to horizontal resolution over this range, several major features of the circulation are sensitive in detail. The northern winter polar circulation shows the greatest sensitivity, showing a continuous transition from a smooth polar winter jet at low resolution, to a distinct vertically “split” jet as resolution increases. The separation of the lower and middle atmosphere polar jet occurs at roughly 10 Pa, with the split jet structure developing in concert with the intensification of meridional jets at roughly 10 Pa and above 0.1 Pa. These meridional jets appear to represent the separation of lower and middle atmosphere mean overturning circulations (with the former being consistent with the usual concept of the “Hadley cell”). Further, the transition in polar jet structure is more sensitive to changes in zonal than meridional horizontal resolution, suggesting that representation of small-scale wave-mean flow interactions is more important than fine-scale representation of the meridional thermal gradient across the polar front. Increasing the horizontal resolution improves the match between the modeled thermal structure and the Mars Climate Sounder retrievals for northern winter high latitudes. While increased horizontal resolution also improves the simulation of the northern high latitudes at equinox, even the lowest model resolution considered here appears to do a good job for the southern winter and southern equinoctial pole (although in detail some discrepancies remain). These results suggest that studies of the northern winter jet (e.g., transient waves and cyclogenesis) will be more sensitive to global model resolution that those of the south (e.g., the confining dynamics of the southern polar vortex relevant to studies of argon transport). For surface winds, the major effect of increased horizontal resolution is in the superposition of circulations forced by local-scale topography upon the large-scale surface wind patterns. While passive predictions of dust lifting are generally insensitive to model horizontal resolution when no lifting threshold is considered, increasing the stress threshold produces significantly more lifting in higher resolution simulations with the generation of finer-scale, higher-stress winds due primarily to better-resolved topography. Considering the positive feedbacks expected for radiatively active dust lifting, we expect this bias to increase when such feedbacks are permitted.

Constraints on the Profiles of Total Water PDF in AGCMs from AIRS and a High-Resolution Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molod, Andrea

2012-01-01

Atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) cloud parameterizations generally include an assumption about the subgrid-scale probability distribution function (PDF) of total water and its vertical profile. In the present study, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) monthly-mean cloud amount and relative humidity fields are used to compute a proxy for the second moment of an AGCM total water PDF called the RH01 diagnostic, which is the AIRS mean relative humidity for cloud fractions of 0.1 or less. The dependence of the second moment on horizontal grid resolution is analyzed using results from a high-resolution global model simulation.The AIRS-derived RH01 diagnostic is generally larger near the surface than aloft, indicating a narrower PDF near the surface, and varies with the type of underlying surface. High-resolution model results show that the vertical structure of profiles of the AGCM PDF second moment is unchanged as the grid resolution changes from 200 to 100 to 50 km, and that the second-moment profiles shift toward higher values with decreasing grid spacing.Several Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5), AGCM simulations were performed with several choices for the profile of the PDF second moment. The resulting cloud and relative humidity fields were shown to be quite sensitive to the prescribed profile, and the use of a profile based on the AIRS-derived proxy results in improvements relative to observational estimates. The AIRS-guided total water PDF profiles, including their dependence on underlying surface type and on horizontal resolution, have been implemented in the version of the GEOS-5 AGCM used for publicly released simulations.

Generating High-Temporal and Spatial Resolution TIR Image Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero-Huerta, M.; Lagüela, S.; Alfieri, S. M.; Menenti, M.

2017-09-01

Remote sensing imagery to monitor global biophysical dynamics requires the availability of thermal infrared data at high temporal and spatial resolution because of the rapid development of crops during the growing season and the fragmentation of most agricultural landscapes. Conversely, no single sensor meets these combined requirements. Data fusion approaches offer an alternative to exploit observations from multiple sensors, providing data sets with better properties. A novel spatio-temporal data fusion model based on constrained algorithms denoted as multisensor multiresolution technique (MMT) was developed and applied to generate TIR synthetic image data at both temporal and spatial high resolution. Firstly, an adaptive radiance model is applied based on spectral unmixing analysis of . TIR radiance data at TOA (top of atmosphere) collected by MODIS daily 1-km and Landsat - TIRS 16-day sampled at 30-m resolution are used to generate synthetic daily radiance images at TOA at 30-m spatial resolution. The next step consists of unmixing the 30 m (now lower resolution) images using the information about their pixel land-cover composition from co-registered images at higher spatial resolution. In our case study, TIR synthesized data were unmixed to the Sentinel 2 MSI with 10 m resolution. The constrained unmixing preserves all the available radiometric information of the 30 m images and involves the optimization of the number of land-cover classes and the size of the moving window for spatial unmixing. Results are still being evaluated, with particular attention for the quality of the data streams required to apply our approach.

Air quality over Europe and Iberian Peninsula for 2004 at high horizontal resolution: evaluation of the CALIOPE modelling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorba, O.; Piot, M.; Pay, M. T.; Jiménez-Guerrero, P.; López, E.; Pérez, C.; Gassó, S.; Baldasano, J. M.

2009-09-01

In the frame of the CALIOPE project (Baldasano et al., 2008a), a high-resolution air quality forecasting system, WRF-ARW/HERMES/CMAQ/DREAM, is under development and applied to the European domain (12km x 12km, 1hr) as well as to the Iberian Peninsula domain (4km x 4km, 1hr) to provide air quality forecasts for Spain (http://www.bsc.es/caliope/). The simulation of such high-resolution model system is possible by its implementation on the MareNostrum supercomputer. To reassure potential users and reduce uncertainties, the model system must be evaluated to assess its performances in terms of air quality levels and dynamics reproducibility. The present contribution describes a thorough quantitative evaluation study performed for a reference year (2004). CALIOPE is a complex system that integrates a variety of environmental models. WRF-ARW provides high-resolution meteorological fields to the system. It is configured with 38 vertical layers reaching up to 50 hPa. Meteorological initial and boundary conditions are obtained from the NCEP final analysis data. The HERMES emission model (Baldasano et al., 2008b) computes the emissions for the Iberian Peninsula simulation at 4 km horizontal resolution every hour using a bottom-up approach. For the European domain, HERMES disaggregates the EMEP expert emission inventory for 2004. The CMAQ chemical transport model solves the physico-chemical processes in the system. The vertical resolution of CMAQ for gas-phase and aerosols has been increased from 8 to 15 layers in order to simulate vertical exchanges more accurately. Chemical boundary conditions are provided by the LMDz-INCA2 global climate-chemistry model (see Hauglustaine et al., 2004). Finally, the DREAM model simulates long-range transport of mineral dust over the domains under study. In order to evaluate the performances of the CALIOPE system, model simulations were compared with ground-based measurements from the EMEP and Spanish air quality networks. For the European domain, 45 stations have been used to evaluate NO2, 60 for O3, 39 for SO2, 25 for PM10 and 16 for PM2.5. On the other hand, the Iberian Peninsula domain has been evaluated against 75 NO2 stations, 84 O3 stations, 69 for SO2, and 46 for PM10. Such large number of observations allows us to provide a detailed discussion of the model skills over quite different geographical locations and meteorological situations. The model simulation for Europe satisfactorily reproduces O3 concentrations throughout the year with small errors: monthly MNGE values range from 13% to 24%, and MNBE values show a slight negative bias ranging from -15% to 0%. These values lie within the range defined by the US-EPA guidelines (MNGE: +/- 30-35%; MNBE: +/- 10-15%). The reproduction of SO2 concentrations is relatively correct but false peaks are reported (mean MNBE=22%). The simulated variation of particulate matter is reliable, with a mean correlation of 0.5. False peaks were reduced by use of an improved 8-bin aerosol description in the DREAM dust model, but mean aerosol levels are still underestimated. This problem is most probably related to uncertainties in our knowledge of the sources and in the description of organic aerosols. The nested high-resolution simulation of Spain (4 km) shows a very good agreement with observations for O3 (monthly MNGE range from 13 to 19%). Particulate matter results are in agreement with the European simulation, and a net improvement on nitrate and sulphate is observed in several stations in Spain. Such high-resolution simulation will allow analysing the small scale features observed over Spain. REFERENCES Baldasano J.M, P. Jiménez-Guerrero, O. Jorba, C. Pérez, E. López, P. Güereca, F. Martin, M. García-Vivanco, I. Palomino, X. Querol, M. Pandolfi, M.J. Sanz and J.J. Diéguez, 2008a: CALIOPE: An operational air quality forecasting system for the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands- First annual evaluation and ongoing developments. Adv. Sci. and Res., 2: 89-98. Baldasano J.M., L. P. Güereca, E. López, S. Gassó, P. Jimenez-Guerrero, 2008b: Development of a high-resolution (1 km x 1 km, 1 h) emission model for Spain: the High-Elective Resolution Modelling Emission System (HERMES). Atm. Environ., 42 (31): 7215-7233. Hauglustaine, D. A. and F. Hourdin and L. Jourdain and M.A. Filiberti and S. Walters and J. F. Lamarque and E. A. Holland, 2004: Interactive chemistry in the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique general circulation model: Description and background tropospheric chemistry evaluation. J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2003JD003,957.

Calibrating a numerical model's morphology using high-resolution spatial and temporal datasets from multithread channel flume experiments.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javernick, L.; Bertoldi, W.; Redolfi, M.

2017-12-01

Accessing or acquiring high quality, low-cost topographic data has never been easier due to recent developments of the photogrammetric techniques of Structure-from-Motion (SfM). Researchers can acquire the necessary SfM imagery with various platforms, with the ability to capture millimetre resolution and accuracy, or large-scale areas with the help of unmanned platforms. Such datasets in combination with numerical modelling have opened up new opportunities to study river environments physical and ecological relationships. While numerical models overall predictive accuracy is most influenced by topography, proper model calibration requires hydraulic data and morphological data; however, rich hydraulic and morphological datasets remain scarce. This lack in field and laboratory data has limited model advancement through the inability to properly calibrate, assess sensitivity, and validate the models performance. However, new time-lapse imagery techniques have shown success in identifying instantaneous sediment transport in flume experiments and their ability to improve hydraulic model calibration. With new capabilities to capture high resolution spatial and temporal datasets of flume experiments, there is a need to further assess model performance. To address this demand, this research used braided river flume experiments and captured time-lapse observed sediment transport and repeat SfM elevation surveys to provide unprecedented spatial and temporal datasets. Through newly created metrics that quantified observed and modeled activation, deactivation, and bank erosion rates, the numerical model Delft3d was calibrated. This increased temporal data of both high-resolution time series and long-term temporal coverage provided significantly improved calibration routines that refined calibration parameterization. Model results show that there is a trade-off between achieving quantitative statistical and qualitative morphological representations. Specifically, statistical agreement simulations suffered to represent braiding planforms (evolving toward meandering), and parameterization that ensured braided produced exaggerated activation and bank erosion rates. Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship: River-HMV, 656917

Demonstrating the Uneven Importance of Fine-Scale Forest Structure on Snow Distributions using High Resolution Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broxton, P. D.; Harpold, A. A.; van Leeuwen, W.; Biederman, J. A.

2016-12-01

Quantifying the amount of snow in forested mountainous environments, as well as how it may change due to warming and forest disturbance, is critical given its importance for water supply and ecosystem health. Forest canopies affect snow accumulation and ablation in ways that are difficult to observe and model. Furthermore, fine-scale forest structure can accentuate or diminish the effects of forest-snow interactions. Despite decades of research demonstrating the importance of fine-scale forest structure (e.g. canopy edges and gaps) on snow, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of where and when forest structure has the largest impact on snowpack mass and energy budgets. Here, we use a hyper-resolution (1 meter spatial resolution) mass and energy balance snow model called the Snow Physics and Laser Mapping (SnowPALM) model along with LIDAR-derived forest structure to determine where spatial variability of fine-scale forest structure has the largest influence on large scale mass and energy budgets. SnowPALM was set up and calibrated at sites representing diverse climates in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Then, we compared simulations at different model resolutions (i.e. 1, 10, and 100 m) to elucidate the effects of including versus not including information about fine scale canopy structure. These experiments were repeated for different prescribed topographies (i.e. flat, 30% slope north, and south-facing) at each site. Higher resolution simulations had more snow at lower canopy cover, with the opposite being true at high canopy cover. Furthermore, there is considerable scatter, indicating that different canopy arrangements can lead to different amounts of snow, even when the overall canopy coverage is the same. This modeling is contributing to the development of a high resolution machine learning algorithm called the Snow Water Artificial Network (SWANN) model to generate predictions of snow distributions over much larger domains, which has implications for improving land surface models that do not currently resolve or parameterize fine-scale canopy structure. In addition, these findings have implications for understanding the potential of different forest management strategies (i.e. thinning) based on local topography and climate to maximize the amount and retention of snow.

Sensitivity of U.S. summer precipitation to model resolution and convective parameterizations across gray zone resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yang; Leung, L. Ruby; Zhao, Chun; Hagos, Samson

2017-03-01

Simulating summer precipitation is a significant challenge for climate models that rely on cumulus parameterizations to represent moist convection processes. Motivated by recent advances in computing that support very high-resolution modeling, this study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of model resolution and convective parameterizations across the gray zone resolutions. Simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting model were conducted at grid spacings of 36 km, 12 km, and 4 km for two summers over the conterminous U.S. The convection-permitting simulations at 4 km grid spacing are most skillful in reproducing the observed precipitation spatial distributions and diurnal variability. Notable differences are found between simulations with the traditional Kain-Fritsch (KF) and the scale-aware Grell-Freitas (GF) convection schemes, with the latter more skillful in capturing the nocturnal timing in the Great Plains and North American monsoon regions. The GF scheme also simulates a smoother transition from convective to large-scale precipitation as resolution increases, resulting in reduced sensitivity to model resolution compared to the KF scheme. Nonhydrostatic dynamics has a positive impact on precipitation over complex terrain even at 12 km and 36 km grid spacings. With nudging of the winds toward observations, we show that the conspicuous warm biases in the Southern Great Plains are related to precipitation biases induced by large-scale circulation biases, which are insensitive to model resolution. Overall, notable improvements in simulating summer rainfall and its diurnal variability through convection-permitting modeling and scale-aware parameterizations suggest promising venues for improving climate simulations of water cycle processes.

Evaluating an image-fusion algorithm with synthetic-image-generation tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, Harry N.; Schott, John R.

1996-06-01

An algorithm that combines spectral mixing and nonlinear optimization is used to fuse multiresolution images. Image fusion merges images of different spatial and spectral resolutions to create a high spatial resolution multispectral combination. High spectral resolution allows identification of materials in the scene, while high spatial resolution locates those materials. In this algorithm, conventional spectral mixing estimates the percentage of each material (called endmembers) within each low resolution pixel. Three spectral mixing models are compared; unconstrained, partially constrained, and fully constrained. In the partially constrained application, the endmember fractions are required to sum to one. In the fully constrained application, all fractions are additionally required to lie between zero and one. While negative fractions seem inappropriate, they can arise from random spectral realizations of the materials. In the second part of the algorithm, the low resolution fractions are used as inputs to a constrained nonlinear optimization that calculates the endmember fractions for the high resolution pixels. The constraints mirror the low resolution constraints and maintain consistency with the low resolution fraction results. The algorithm can use one or more higher resolution sharpening images to locate the endmembers to high spatial accuracy. The algorithm was evaluated with synthetic image generation (SIG) tools. A SIG developed image can be used to control the various error sources that are likely to impair the algorithm performance. These error sources include atmospheric effects, mismodeled spectral endmembers, and variability in topography and illumination. By controlling the introduction of these errors, the robustness of the algorithm can be studied and improved upon. The motivation for this research is to take advantage of the next generation of multi/hyperspectral sensors. Although the hyperspectral images will be of modest to low resolution, fusing them with high resolution sharpening images will produce a higher spatial resolution land cover or material map.

Evaluation of a High-Resolution Regional Reanalysis for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlwein, C.; Wahl, S.; Keller, J. D.; Bollmeyer, C.

2014-12-01

Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. The regional reanalysis for Europe matches the domain of the CORDEX EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km) and comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO complemented by a special soil moisture analysis with boundary conditions provided by ERA-Interim data. The reanalysis data set covers 6 years (2007-2012) and is currently extended to 16 years. Extensive evaluation of the reanalysis is performed using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations indicating a better representation of small scale variability. Further, the evaluation shows an added value of the regional reanalysis with respect to the forcing ERA Interim reanalysis and compared to a pure high-resolution dynamical downscaling approach without data assimilation.

A High-resolution Reanalysis for the European CORDEX Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentzien, Sabrina; Bollmeyer, Christoph; Crewell, Susanne; Friederichs, Petra; Hense, Andreas; Keller, Jan; Keune, Jessica; Kneifel, Stefan; Ohlwein, Christian; Pscheidt, Ieda; Redl, Stephanie; Steinke, Sandra

2014-05-01

A High-resolution Reanalysis for the European CORDEX Region Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. The work presented here focuses on the regional reanalysis for Europe with a domain matching the CORDEX-EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km). The COSMO reanalysis system comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO and is complemented by a special soil moisture analysis and boundary conditions given by ERA-interim data. The reanalysis data set currently covers 6 years (2007-2012). The evaluation of the reanalyses is done using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations. The development and evaluation of the COSMO-based reanalysis for the CORDEX-Euro domain can be seen as a preparation for joint European activities on the development of an ensemble system of regional reanalyses for Europe.

Spatial Variability in Column CO2 Inferred from High Resolution GEOS-5 Global Model Simulations: Implications for Remote Sensing and Inversions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, L.; Putman, B.; Collatz, J.; Gregg, W.

2012-01-01

Column CO2 observations from current and future remote sensing missions represent a major advancement in our understanding of the carbon cycle and are expected to help constrain source and sink distributions. However, data assimilation and inversion methods are challenged by the difference in scale of models and observations. OCO-2 footprints represent an area of several square kilometers while NASA s future ASCENDS lidar mission is likely to have an even smaller footprint. In contrast, the resolution of models used in global inversions are typically hundreds of kilometers wide and often cover areas that include combinations of land, ocean and coastal areas and areas of significant topographic, land cover, and population density variations. To improve understanding of scales of atmospheric CO2 variability and representativeness of satellite observations, we will present results from a global, 10-km simulation of meteorology and atmospheric CO2 distributions performed using NASA s GEOS-5 general circulation model. This resolution, typical of mesoscale atmospheric models, represents an order of magnitude increase in resolution over typical global simulations of atmospheric composition allowing new insight into small scale CO2 variations across a wide range of surface flux and meteorological conditions. The simulation includes high resolution flux datasets provided by NASA s Carbon Monitoring System Flux Pilot Project at half degree resolution that have been down-scaled to 10-km using remote sensing datasets. Probability distribution functions are calculated over larger areas more typical of global models (100-400 km) to characterize subgrid-scale variability in these models. Particular emphasis is placed on coastal regions and regions containing megacities and fires to evaluate the ability of coarse resolution models to represent these small scale features. Additionally, model output are sampled using averaging kernels characteristic of OCO-2 and ASCENDS measurement concepts to create realistic pseudo-datasets. Pseudo-data are averaged over coarse model grid cell areas to better understand the ability of measurements to characterize CO2 distributions and spatial gradients on both short (daily to weekly) and long (monthly to seasonal) time scales

Spectral Resolution-linked Bias in Transit Spectroscopy of Extrasolar Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deming, Drake; Sheppard, Kyle

2017-05-01

We re-visit the principles of transmission spectroscopy for transiting extrasolar planets, focusing on the overlap between the planetary spectrum and the illuminating stellar spectrum. Virtually all current models of exoplanetary transmission spectra utilize an approximation that is inaccurate when the spectrum of the illuminating star has a complex line structure, such as molecular bands in M-dwarf spectra. In those cases, it is desirable to model the observations using a coupled stellar-planetary radiative transfer model calculated at high spectral resolving power, followed by convolution to the observed resolution. Not consistently accounting for overlap of stellar M-dwarf and planetary lines at high spectral resolution can bias the modeled amplitude of the exoplanetary transmission spectrum, producing modeled absorption that is too strong. We illustrate this bias using the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1b, as observed using Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3. The bias in this case is about 250 ppm, 12% of the modeled transit absorption. Transit spectroscopy using JWST will have access to longer wavelengths where the water bands are intrinsically stronger, and the observed signal-to-noise ratios will be higher than currently possible. We therefore expect that this resolution-linked bias will be especially important for future JWST observations of TESS-discovered super-Earths and mini-Neptunes transiting M-dwarfs.

Mid-Frequency Sonar Interactions with Beaked Whales

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-30

Beaked Whale, was not completed. However, several other goals were achieved, including synthesis of a morphometric model of a beaked whale. This and work...induced acoustic fields inside beaked whales and other marine mammals. Another high-level goal was to acquire new high-resolution morphometric and...range 1-10 kHz; collecting high-resolution morphometric data through computerized tomography (CT) scans on marine mammal specimens, and constructing

Airplane detection based on fusion framework by combining saliency model with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Hao; Sun, Xiao; Li, Bin; Deng, Qianqian; Yang, Xubo; Liu, Di; Tian, Jinwen

2018-03-01

Aircraft detection from very high resolution remote sensing images, has gained more increasing interest in recent years due to the successful civil and military applications. However, several problems still exist: 1) how to extract the high-level features of aircraft; 2) locating objects within such a large image is difficult and time consuming; 3) A common problem of multiple resolutions of satellite images still exists. In this paper, inspirited by biological visual mechanism, the fusion detection framework is proposed, which fusing the top-down visual mechanism (deep CNN model) and bottom-up visual mechanism (GBVS) to detect aircraft. Besides, we use multi-scale training method for deep CNN model to solve the problem of multiple resolutions. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can achieve a better detection result than the other methods.

Interactive Correlation Analysis and Visualization of Climate Data

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

Ma, Kwan-Liu

The relationship between our ability to analyze and extract insights from visualization of climate model output and the capability of the available resources to make those visualizations has reached a crisis point. The large volume of data currently produced by climate models is overwhelming the current, decades-old visualization workflow. The traditional methods for visualizing climate output also have not kept pace with changes in the types of grids used, the number of variables involved, and the number of different simulations performed with a climate model or the feature-richness of high-resolution simulations. This project has developed new and faster methods formore » visualization in order to get the most knowledge out of the new generation of high-resolution climate models. While traditional climate images will continue to be useful, there is need for new approaches to visualization and analysis of climate data if we are to gain all the insights available in ultra-large data sets produced by high-resolution model output and ensemble integrations of climate models such as those produced for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Towards that end, we have developed new visualization techniques for performing correlation analysis. We have also introduced highly scalable, parallel rendering methods for visualizing large-scale 3D data. This project was done jointly with climate scientists and visualization researchers at Argonne National Laboratory and NCAR.« less

A high-resolution and observationally constrained OMI NO 2 satellite retrieval

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

Goldberg, Daniel L.; Lamsal, Lok N.; Loughner, Christopher P.

Here, this work presents a new high-resolution NO 2 dataset derived from the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO 2 version 3.0 retrieval that can be used to estimate surface-level concentrations. The standard NASA product uses NO 2 vertical profile shape factors from a 1.25° × 1° (~110 km × 110 km) resolution Global Model Initiative (GMI) model simulation to calculate air mass factors, a critical value used to determine observed tropospheric NO 2 vertical columns. To better estimate vertical profile shape factors, we use a high-resolution (1.33 km × 1.33 km) Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model simulation constrained by in situmore » aircraft observations to recalculate tropospheric air mass factors and tropospheric NO 2 vertical columns during summertime in the eastern US. In this new product, OMI NO 2 tropospheric columns increase by up to 160% in city centers and decrease by 20–50 % in the rural areas outside of urban areas when compared to the operational NASA product. Our new product shows much better agreement with the Pandora NO 2 and Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM) NO 2 spectrometer measurements acquired during the DISCOVER-AQ Maryland field campaign. Furthermore, the correlation between our satellite product and EPA NO 2 monitors in urban areas has improved dramatically: r 2 = 0.60 in the new product vs. r 2 = 0.39 in the operational product, signifying that this new product is a better indicator of surface concentrations than the operational product. Our work emphasizes the need to use both high-resolution and high-fidelity models in order to recalculate satellite data in areas with large spatial heterogeneities in NO x emissions. Although the current work is focused on the eastern US, the methodology developed in this work can be applied to other world regions to produce high-quality region-specific NO 2 satellite retrievals.« less

A high-resolution and observationally constrained OMI NO 2 satellite retrieval

DOE PAGES

Goldberg, Daniel L.; Lamsal, Lok N.; Loughner, Christopher P.; ...

2017-09-26

Here, this work presents a new high-resolution NO 2 dataset derived from the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO 2 version 3.0 retrieval that can be used to estimate surface-level concentrations. The standard NASA product uses NO 2 vertical profile shape factors from a 1.25° × 1° (~110 km × 110 km) resolution Global Model Initiative (GMI) model simulation to calculate air mass factors, a critical value used to determine observed tropospheric NO 2 vertical columns. To better estimate vertical profile shape factors, we use a high-resolution (1.33 km × 1.33 km) Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model simulation constrained by in situmore » aircraft observations to recalculate tropospheric air mass factors and tropospheric NO 2 vertical columns during summertime in the eastern US. In this new product, OMI NO 2 tropospheric columns increase by up to 160% in city centers and decrease by 20–50 % in the rural areas outside of urban areas when compared to the operational NASA product. Our new product shows much better agreement with the Pandora NO 2 and Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM) NO 2 spectrometer measurements acquired during the DISCOVER-AQ Maryland field campaign. Furthermore, the correlation between our satellite product and EPA NO 2 monitors in urban areas has improved dramatically: r 2 = 0.60 in the new product vs. r 2 = 0.39 in the operational product, signifying that this new product is a better indicator of surface concentrations than the operational product. Our work emphasizes the need to use both high-resolution and high-fidelity models in order to recalculate satellite data in areas with large spatial heterogeneities in NO x emissions. Although the current work is focused on the eastern US, the methodology developed in this work can be applied to other world regions to produce high-quality region-specific NO 2 satellite retrievals.« less

A high-resolution and observationally constrained OMI NO2 satellite retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, Daniel L.; Lamsal, Lok N.; Loughner, Christopher P.; Swartz, William H.; Lu, Zifeng; Streets, David G.

2017-09-01

This work presents a new high-resolution NO2 dataset derived from the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 version 3.0 retrieval that can be used to estimate surface-level concentrations. The standard NASA product uses NO2 vertical profile shape factors from a 1.25° × 1° (˜ 110 km × 110 km) resolution Global Model Initiative (GMI) model simulation to calculate air mass factors, a critical value used to determine observed tropospheric NO2 vertical columns. To better estimate vertical profile shape factors, we use a high-resolution (1.33 km × 1.33 km) Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model simulation constrained by in situ aircraft observations to recalculate tropospheric air mass factors and tropospheric NO2 vertical columns during summertime in the eastern US. In this new product, OMI NO2 tropospheric columns increase by up to 160 % in city centers and decrease by 20-50 % in the rural areas outside of urban areas when compared to the operational NASA product. Our new product shows much better agreement with the Pandora NO2 and Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM) NO2 spectrometer measurements acquired during the DISCOVER-AQ Maryland field campaign. Furthermore, the correlation between our satellite product and EPA NO2 monitors in urban areas has improved dramatically: r2 = 0.60 in the new product vs. r2 = 0.39 in the operational product, signifying that this new product is a better indicator of surface concentrations than the operational product. Our work emphasizes the need to use both high-resolution and high-fidelity models in order to recalculate satellite data in areas with large spatial heterogeneities in NOx emissions. Although the current work is focused on the eastern US, the methodology developed in this work can be applied to other world regions to produce high-quality region-specific NO2 satellite retrievals.

Hybrid network modeling and the effect of image resolution on digitally-obtained petrophysical and two-phase flow properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghaei, A.

2017-12-01

Digital imaging and modeling of rocks and subsequent simulation of physical phenomena in digitally-constructed rock models are becoming an integral part of core analysis workflows. One of the inherent limitations of image-based analysis, at any given scale, is image resolution. This limitation becomes more evident when the rock has multiple scales of porosity such as in carbonates and tight sandstones. Multi-scale imaging and constructions of hybrid models that encompass images acquired at multiple scales and resolutions are proposed as a solution to this problem. In this study, we investigate the effect of image resolution and unresolved porosity on petrophysical and two-phase flow properties calculated based on images. A helical X-ray micro-CT scanner with a high cone-angle is used to acquire digital rock images that are free of geometric distortion. To remove subjectivity from the analyses, a semi-automated image processing technique is used to process and segment the acquired data into multiple phases. Direct and pore network based models are used to simulate physical phenomena and obtain absolute permeability, formation factor and two-phase flow properties such as relative permeability and capillary pressure. The effect of image resolution on each property is investigated. Finally a hybrid network model incorporating images at multiple resolutions is built and used for simulations. The results from the hybrid model are compared against results from the model built at the highest resolution and those from laboratory tests.

Added-values of high spatiotemporal remote sensing data in crop yield estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, F.; Anderson, M. C.

2017-12-01

Timely and accurate estimation of crop yield before harvest is critical for food market and administrative planning. Remote sensing derived parameters have been used for estimating crop yield by using either empirical or crop growth models. The uses of remote sensing vegetation index (VI) in crop yield modeling have been typically evaluated at regional and country scales using coarse spatial resolution (a few hundred to kilo-meters) data or assessed over a small region at field level using moderate resolution spatial resolution data (10-100m). Both data sources have shown great potential in capturing spatial and temporal variability in crop yield. However, the added value of data with both high spatial and temporal resolution data has not been evaluated due to the lack of such data source with routine, global coverage. In recent years, more moderate resolution data have become freely available and data fusion approaches that combine data acquired from different spatial and temporal resolutions have been developed. These make the monitoring crop condition and estimating crop yield at field scale become possible. Here we investigate the added value of the high spatial and temporal VI for describing variability of crop yield. The explanatory ability of crop yield based on high spatial and temporal resolution remote sensing data was evaluated in a rain-fed agricultural area in the U.S. Corn Belt. Results show that the fused Landsat-MODIS (high spatial and temporal) VI explains yield variability better than single data source (Landsat or MODIS alone), with EVI2 performing slightly better than NDVI. The maximum VI describes yield variability better than cumulative VI. Even though VI is effective in explaining yield variability within season, the inter-annual variability is more complex and need additional information (e.g. weather, water use and management). Our findings augment the importance of high spatiotemporal remote sensing data and supports new moderate resolution satellite missions for agricultural applications.

High Resolution Full-Aperture ISAR Processing through Modified Doppler History Based Motion Compensation

PubMed Central

Song, Jung-Hwan; Lee, Kee-Woong; Lee, Woo-Kyung; Jung, Chul-Ho

2017-01-01

A high resolution inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) technique is presented using modified Doppler history based motion compensation. To this purpose, a novel wideband ISAR system is developed that accommodates parametric processing over extended aperture length. The proposed method is derived from an ISAR-to-SAR approach that makes use of high resolution spotlight SAR and sub-aperture recombination. It is dedicated to wide aperture ISAR imaging and exhibits robust performance against unstable targets having non-linear motions. We demonstrate that the Doppler histories of the full aperture ISAR echoes from disturbed targets are efficiently retrieved with good fitting models. Experiments have been conducted on real aircraft targets and the feasibility of the full aperture ISAR processing is verified through the acquisition of high resolution ISAR imagery. PMID:28555036

Global 7 km mesh nonhydrostatic Model Intercomparison Project for improving TYphoon forecast (TYMIP-G7): experimental design and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, Masuo; Wada, Akiyoshi; Sawada, Masahiro; Yoshimura, Hiromasa; Onishi, Ryo; Kawahara, Shintaro; Sasaki, Wataru; Nasuno, Tomoe; Yamaguchi, Munehiko; Iriguchi, Takeshi; Sugi, Masato; Takeuchi, Yoshiaki

2017-03-01

Recent advances in high-performance computers facilitate operational numerical weather prediction by global hydrostatic atmospheric models with horizontal resolutions of ˜ 10 km. Given further advances in such computers and the fact that the hydrostatic balance approximation becomes invalid for spatial scales < 10 km, the development of global nonhydrostatic models with high accuracy is urgently required. The Global 7 km mesh nonhydrostatic Model Intercomparison Project for improving TYphoon forecast (TYMIP-G7) is designed to understand and statistically quantify the advantages of high-resolution nonhydrostatic global atmospheric models to improve tropical cyclone (TC) prediction. A total of 137 sets of 5-day simulations using three next-generation nonhydrostatic global models with horizontal resolutions of 7 km and a conventional hydrostatic global model with a horizontal resolution of 20 km were run on the Earth Simulator. The three 7 km mesh nonhydrostatic models are the nonhydrostatic global spectral atmospheric Double Fourier Series Model (DFSM), the Multi-Scale Simulator for the Geoenvironment (MSSG) and the Nonhydrostatic ICosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM). The 20 km mesh hydrostatic model is the operational Global Spectral Model (GSM) of the Japan Meteorological Agency. Compared with the 20 km mesh GSM, the 7 km mesh models reduce systematic errors in the TC track, intensity and wind radii predictions. The benefits of the multi-model ensemble method were confirmed for the 7 km mesh nonhydrostatic global models. While the three 7 km mesh models reproduce the typical axisymmetric mean inner-core structure, including the primary and secondary circulations, the simulated TC structures and their intensities in each case are very different for each model. In addition, the simulated track is not consistently better than that of the 20 km mesh GSM. These results suggest that the development of more sophisticated initialization techniques and model physics is needed to further improve the TC prediction.

Time series evapotranspiration maps at a regional scale: A methodology, evaluation, and their use in water resources management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gowda, P. H.

2016-12-01

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important process in ecosystems' water budget and closely linked to its productivity. Therefore, regional scale daily time series ET maps developed at high and medium resolutions have large utility in studying the carbon-energy-water nexus and managing water resources. There are efforts to develop such datasets on a regional to global scale but often faced with the limitations of spatial-temporal resolution tradeoffs in satellite remote sensing technology. In this study, we developed frameworks for generating high and medium resolution daily ET maps from Landsat and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data, respectively. For developing high resolution (30-m) daily time series ET maps with Landsat TM data, the series version of Two Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model was used to compute sensible and latent heat fluxes of soil and canopy separately. Landsat 5 (2000-2011) and Landsat 8 (2013-2014) imageries for row 28/35 and 27/36 covering central Oklahoma was used. MODIS data (2001-2014) covering Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle was used to develop medium resolution (250-m), time series daily ET maps with SEBS (Surface Energy Balance System) model. An extensive network of weather stations managed by Texas High Plains ET Network and Oklahoma Mesonet was used to generate spatially interpolated inputs of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, pressure, and reference ET. A linear interpolation sub-model was used to estimate the daily ET between the image acquisition days. Accuracy assessment of daily ET maps were done against eddy covariance data from two grassland sites at El Reno, OK. Statistical results indicated good performance by modeling frameworks developed for deriving time series ET maps. Results indicated that the proposed ET mapping framework is suitable for deriving daily time series ET maps at regional scale with Landsat and MODIS data.

Rapid Target Detection in High Resolution Remote Sensing Images Using Yolo Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Z.; Chen, X.; Gao, Y.; Li, Y.

2018-04-01

Object detection in high resolution remote sensing images is a fundamental and challenging problem in the field of remote sensing imagery analysis for civil and military application due to the complex neighboring environments, which can cause the recognition algorithms to mistake irrelevant ground objects for target objects. Deep Convolution Neural Network(DCNN) is the hotspot in object detection for its powerful ability of feature extraction and has achieved state-of-the-art results in Computer Vision. Common pipeline of object detection based on DCNN consists of region proposal, CNN feature extraction, region classification and post processing. YOLO model frames object detection as a regression problem, using a single CNN predicts bounding boxes and class probabilities in an end-to-end way and make the predict faster. In this paper, a YOLO based model is used for object detection in high resolution sensing images. The experiments on NWPU VHR-10 dataset and our airport/airplane dataset gain from GoogleEarth show that, compare with the common pipeline, the proposed model speeds up the detection process and have good accuracy.

mRM - multiscale Routing Model for Land Surface and Hydrologic Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuntz, M.; Thober, S.; Mai, J.; Samaniego, L. E.; Gochis, D. J.; Kumar, R.

2015-12-01

Routing streamflow through a river network is a basic step within any distributed hydrologic model. It integrates the generated runoff and allows comparison with observed discharge at the outlet of a catchment. The Muskingum routing is a textbook river routing scheme that has been implemented in Earth System Models (e.g., WRF-HYDRO), stand-alone routing schemes (e.g., RAPID), and hydrologic models (e.g., the mesoscale Hydrologic Model). Most implementations suffer from a high computational demand because the spatial routing resolution is fixed to that of the elevation model irrespective of the hydrologic modeling resolution. This is because the model parameters are scale-dependent and cannot be used at other resolutions without re-estimation. Here, we present the multiscale Routing Model (mRM) that allows for a flexible choice of the routing resolution. mRM exploits the Multiscale Parameter Regionalization (MPR) included in the open-source mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM, www.ufz.de/mhm) that relates model parameters to physiographic properties and allows to estimate scale-independent model parameters. mRM is currently coupled to mHM and is presented here as stand-alone Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The mRM source code is highly modular and provides a subroutine for internal re-use in any land surface scheme. mRM is coupled in this work to the state-of-the-art land surface model Noah-MP. Simulation results using mRM are compared with those available in WRF-HYDRO for the Red River during the period 1990-2000. mRM allows to increase the routing resolution from 100m to more than 10km without deteriorating the model performance. Therefore, it speeds up model calculation by reducing the contribution of routing to total runtime from over 80% to less than 5% in the case of WRF-HYDRO. mRM thus makes discharge data available to land surface modeling with only little extra calculations.

Influence of air quality model resolution on uncertainty associated with health impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, T. M.; Selin, N. E.

2012-10-01

We use regional air quality modeling to evaluate the impact of model resolution on uncertainty associated with the human health benefits resulting from proposed air quality regulations. Using a regional photochemical model (CAMx), we ran a modeling episode with meteorological inputs simulating conditions as they occurred during August through September 2006 (a period representative of conditions leading to high ozone), and two emissions inventories (a 2006 base case and a 2018 proposed control scenario, both for Houston, Texas) at 36, 12, 4 and 2 km resolution. The base case model performance was evaluated for each resolution against daily maximum 8-h averaged ozone measured at monitoring stations. Results from each resolution were more similar to each other than they were to measured values. Population-weighted ozone concentrations were calculated for each resolution and applied to concentration response functions (with 95% confidence intervals) to estimate the health impacts of modeled ozone reduction from the base case to the control scenario. We found that estimated avoided mortalities were not significantly different between the 2, 4 and 12 km resolution runs, but the 36 km resolution may over-predict some potential health impacts. Given the cost/benefit analysis requirements motivated by Executive Order 12866 as it applies to the Clean Air Act, the uncertainty associated with human health impacts and therefore the results reported in this study, we conclude that health impacts calculated from population weighted ozone concentrations obtained using regional photochemical models at 36 km resolution fall within the range of values obtained using fine (12 km or finer) resolution modeling. However, in some cases, 36 km resolution may not be fine enough to statistically replicate the results achieved using 2, 4 or 12 km resolution. On average, when modeling at 36 km resolution, an estimated 5 deaths per week during the May through September ozone season are avoided because of ozone reductions resulting from the proposed emissions reductions (95% confidence interval was 2-8). When modeling at 2, 4 or 12 km finer scale resolution, on average 4 deaths are avoided due to the same reductions (95% confidence interval was 1-7). Study results show that ozone modeling at a resolution finer than 12 km is unlikely to reduce uncertainty in benefits analysis for this specific region. We suggest that 12 km resolution may be appropriate for uncertainty analyses of health impacts due to ozone control scenarios, in areas with similar chemistry, meteorology and population density, but that resolution requirements should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and revised as confidence intervals for concentration-response functions are updated.

High resolution climate scenarios for snowmelt modelling in small alpine catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schirmer, M.; Peleg, N.; Burlando, P.; Jonas, T.

2017-12-01

Snow in the Alps is affected by climate change with regard to duration, timing and amount. This has implications with respect to important societal issues as drinking water supply or hydropower generation. In Switzerland, the latter received a lot of attention following the political decision to phase out of nuclear electricity production. An increasing number of authorization requests for small hydropower plants located in small alpine catchments was observed in the recent years. This situation generates ecological conflicts, while the expected climate change poses a threat to water availability thus putting at risk investments in such hydropower plants. Reliable high-resolution climate scenarios are thus required, which account for small-scale processes to achieve realistic predictions of snowmelt runoff and its variability in small alpine catchments. We therefore used a novel model chain by coupling a stochastic 2-dimensional weather generator (AWE-GEN-2d) with a state-of-the-art energy balance snow cover model (FSM). AWE-GEN-2d was applied to generate ensembles of climate variables at very fine temporal and spatial resolution, thus providing all climatic input variables required for the energy balance modelling. The land-surface model FSM was used to describe spatially variable snow cover accumulation and melt processes. The FSM was refined to allow applications at very high spatial resolution by specifically accounting for small-scale processes, such as a subgrid-parametrization of snow covered area or an improved representation of forest-snow processes. For the present study, the model chain was tested for current climate conditions using extensive observational dataset of different spatial and temporal coverage. Small-scale spatial processes such as elevation gradients or aspect differences in the snow distribution were evaluated using airborne LiDAR data. 40-year of monitoring data for snow water equivalent, snowmelt and snow-covered area for entire Switzerland was used to verify snow distribution patterns at coarser spatial and temporal scale. The ability of the model chain to reproduce current climate conditions in small alpine catchments makes this model combination an outstanding candidate to produce high resolution climate scenarios of snowmelt in small alpine catchments.

High-Resolution Land Use and Land Cover Mapping

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1999-01-01

As the Nation?s population grows, quantifying, monitoring, and managing land use becomes increasingly important. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long heritage of leadership and innovation in land use and land cover (LULC) mapping that has been the model both nationally and internationally for over 20 years. At present, the USGS is producing high-resolution LULC data for several watershed and urban areas within the United States. This high-resolution LULC mapping is part of an ongoing USGS Land Cover Characterization Program (LCCP). The four components of the LCCP are global (1:2,000,000-scale), national (1:100,000-scale), urban (1:24,000-scale), and special projects (various scales and time periods). Within the urban and special project components, the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping Center (RMMC) is collecting historical as well as contemporary high-resolution LULC data. RMMC?s high-resolution LULC mapping builds on the heritage and success of previous USGS LULC programs and provides LULC information to meet user requirements.

Per-Pixel Coded Exposure for High-Speed and High-Resolution Imaging Using a Digital Micromirror Device Camera

PubMed Central

Feng, Wei; Zhang, Fumin; Qu, Xinghua; Zheng, Shiwei

2016-01-01

High-speed photography is an important tool for studying rapid physical phenomena. However, low-frame-rate CCD (charge coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) camera cannot effectively capture the rapid phenomena with high-speed and high-resolution. In this paper, we incorporate the hardware restrictions of existing image sensors, design the sampling functions, and implement a hardware prototype with a digital micromirror device (DMD) camera in which spatial and temporal information can be flexibly modulated. Combined with the optical model of DMD camera, we theoretically analyze the per-pixel coded exposure and propose a three-element median quicksort method to increase the temporal resolution of the imaging system. Theoretically, this approach can rapidly increase the temporal resolution several, or even hundreds, of times without increasing bandwidth requirements of the camera. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method via extensive examples and achieve 100 fps (frames per second) gain in temporal resolution by using a 25 fps camera. PMID:26959023

Per-Pixel Coded Exposure for High-Speed and High-Resolution Imaging Using a Digital Micromirror Device Camera.

PubMed

Feng, Wei; Zhang, Fumin; Qu, Xinghua; Zheng, Shiwei

2016-03-04

High-speed photography is an important tool for studying rapid physical phenomena. However, low-frame-rate CCD (charge coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) camera cannot effectively capture the rapid phenomena with high-speed and high-resolution. In this paper, we incorporate the hardware restrictions of existing image sensors, design the sampling functions, and implement a hardware prototype with a digital micromirror device (DMD) camera in which spatial and temporal information can be flexibly modulated. Combined with the optical model of DMD camera, we theoretically analyze the per-pixel coded exposure and propose a three-element median quicksort method to increase the temporal resolution of the imaging system. Theoretically, this approach can rapidly increase the temporal resolution several, or even hundreds, of times without increasing bandwidth requirements of the camera. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method via extensive examples and achieve 100 fps (frames per second) gain in temporal resolution by using a 25 fps camera.

High-resolution clustered pinhole (131)Iodine SPECT imaging in mice.

PubMed

van der Have, Frans; Ivashchenko, Oleksandra; Goorden, Marlies C; Ramakers, Ruud M; Beekman, Freek J

2016-08-01

High-resolution pre-clinical (131)I SPECT can facilitate development of new radioiodine therapies for cancer. To this end, it is important to limit resolution-degrading effects of pinhole edge penetration by the high-energy γ-photons of iodine. Here we introduce, optimize and validate (131)I SPECT performed with a dedicated high-energy clustered multi-pinhole collimator. A SPECT-CT system (VECTor/CT) with stationary gamma-detectors was equipped with a tungsten collimator with clustered pinholes. Images were reconstructed with pixel-based OSEM, using a dedicated (131)I system matrix that models the distance- and energy-dependent resolution and sensitivity of each pinhole, as well as the intrinsic detector blurring and variable depth of interaction in the detector. The system performance was characterized with phantoms and in vivo static and dynamic (131)I-NaI scans of mice. Reconstructed image resolution reached 0.6mm, while quantitative accuracy measured with a (131)I filled syringe reaches an accuracy of +3.6±3.5% of the gold standard value. In vivo mice scans illustrated a clear shape of the thyroid and biodistribution of (131)I within the animal. Pharmacokinetics of (131)I was assessed with 15-s time frames from the sequence of dynamic images and time-activity curves of (131)I-NaI. High-resolution quantitative and fast dynamic (131)I SPECT in mice is possible by means of a high-energy collimator and optimized system modeling. This enables analysis of (131)I uptake even within small organs in mice, which can be highly valuable for development and optimization of targeted cancer therapies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of High-Order and Low-Order Methods for Large-Eddy Simulation of a Compressible Shear Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mankbadi, M. R.; Georgiadis, N. J.; DeBonis, J. R.

2015-01-01

The objective of this work is to compare a high-order solver with a low-order solver for performing large-eddy simulations (LES) of a compressible mixing layer. The high-order method is the Wave-Resolving LES (WRLES) solver employing a Dispersion Relation Preserving (DRP) scheme. The low-order solver is the Wind-US code, which employs the second-order Roe Physical scheme. Both solvers are used to perform LES of the turbulent mixing between two supersonic streams at a convective Mach number of 0.46. The high-order and low-order methods are evaluated at two different levels of grid resolution. For a fine grid resolution, the low-order method produces a very similar solution to the high-order method. At this fine resolution the effects of numerical scheme, subgrid scale modeling, and filtering were found to be negligible. Both methods predict turbulent stresses that are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. However, when the grid resolution is coarsened, the difference between the two solvers becomes apparent. The low-order method deviates from experimental results when the resolution is no longer adequate. The high-order DRP solution shows minimal grid dependence. The effects of subgrid scale modeling and spatial filtering were found to be negligible at both resolutions. For the high-order solver on the fine mesh, a parametric study of the spanwise width was conducted to determine its effect on solution accuracy. An insufficient spanwise width was found to impose an artificial spanwise mode and limit the resolved spanwise modes. We estimate that the spanwise depth needs to be 2.5 times larger than the largest coherent structures to capture the largest spanwise mode and accurately predict turbulent mixing.

On the role of horizontal resolution over the Tibetan Plateau in the REMO regional climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jingwei; Koldunov, Nikolay; Remedio, Armelle Reca C.; Sein, Dmitry V.; Zhi, Xiefei; Jiang, Xi; Xu, Min; Zhu, Xiuhua; Fraedrich, Klaus; Jacob, Daniela

2018-02-01

A number of studies have shown that added value is obtained by increasing the horizontal resolution of a regional climate model to capture additional fine-scale weather processes. However, the mechanisms leading to this added value are different over areas with complicated orographic features, such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP). To determine the role that horizontal resolution plays over the TP, a detailed comparison was made between the results from the REMO regional climate model at resolutions of 25 and 50 km for the period 1980-2007. The model was driven at the lateral boundaries by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis data. The experiments differ only in representation of topography, all other land parameters (e.g., vegetation characteristics, soil texture) are the same. The results show that the high-resolution topography affects the regional air circulation near the ground surface around the edge of the TP, which leads to a redistribution of the transport of atmospheric water vapor, especially over the Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy valleys—the main water vapor paths for the southern TP—increasing the amount of atmospheric water vapor transported onto the TP by about 5%. This, in turn, significantly decreases the temperature at 2 m by > 1.5 °C in winter in the high-resolution simulation of the southern TP. The impact of topography on the 2 m temperature over the TP is therefore by influencing the transport of atmospheric water vapor in the main water vapor paths.

AMM15: a new high-resolution NEMO configuration for operational simulation of the European north-west shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Jennifer A.; O'Dea, Enda; Holt, Jason; Polton, Jeff; Hewitt, Helene T.; Furner, Rachel; Guihou, Karen; Brereton, Ashley; Arnold, Alex; Wakelin, Sarah; Castillo Sanchez, Juan Manuel; Mayorga Adame, C. Gabriela

2018-02-01

This paper describes the next-generation ocean forecast model for the European north-west shelf, which will become the basis of operational forecasts in 2018. This new system will provide a step change in resolution and therefore our ability to represent small-scale processes. The new model has a resolution of 1.5 km compared with a grid spacing of 7 km in the current operational system. AMM15 (Atlantic Margin Model, 1.5 km) is introduced as a new regional configuration of NEMO v3.6. Here we describe the technical details behind this configuration, with modifications appropriate for the new high-resolution domain. Results from a 30-year non-assimilative run using the AMM15 domain demonstrate the ability of this model to represent the mean state and variability of the region.

Overall, there is an improvement in the representation of the mean state across the region, suggesting similar improvements may be seen in the future operational system. However, the reduction in seasonal bias is greater off-shelf than on-shelf. In the North Sea, biases are largely unchanged. Since there has been no change to the vertical resolution or parameterization schemes, performance improvements are not expected in regions where stratification is dominated by vertical processes rather than advection. This highlights the fact that increased horizontal resolution will not lead to domain-wide improvements. Further work is needed to target bias reduction across the north-west shelf region.

High-spectral resolution solar microwave observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurford, G. J.

1986-01-01

The application of high-spectral resolution microwave observations to the study of solar activity is discussed with particular emphasis on the frequency dependence of microwave emission from solar active regions. A shell model of gyroresonance emission from active regions is described which suggest that high-spectral resolution, spatially-resolved observations can provide quantitative information about the magnetic field distribution at the base of the corona. Corresponding observations of a single sunspot with the Owens Valley frequency-agile interferometer at 56 frequencies between 1.2 and 14 Ghs are presented. The overall form of the observed size and brightness temperature spectra was consistent with expectations based on the shell model, although there were differences of potential physical significance. The merits and weaknesses of microwave spectroscopy as a technique for measuring magnetic fields in the solar corona are briefly discussed.

Projecting the effects of climate change on Calanus finmarchicus distribution within the U.S. Northeast Continental Shelf.

PubMed

Grieve, Brian D; Hare, Jon A; Saba, Vincent S

2017-07-24

Calanus finmarchicus is vital to pelagic ecosystems in the North Atlantic Ocean. Previous studies suggest the species is vulnerable to the effects of global warming, particularly on the Northeast U.S. Shelf, which is in the southern portion of its range. In this study, we evaluate an ensemble of six different downscaled climate models and a high-resolution global climate model, and create a generalized additive model (GAM) to examine how future changes in temperature and salinity could affect the distribution and density of C. finmarchicus. By 2081-2100, we project average C. finmarchicus density will decrease by as much as 50% under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario. These decreases are particularly pronounced in the spring and summer in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. When compared to a high-resolution global climate model, the ensemble showed a more uniform change throughout the Northeast U.S. Shelf, while the high-resolution model showed larger decreases in the Northeast Channel, Shelf Break, and Central Gulf of Maine. C. finmarchicus is an important link between primary production and higher trophic levels, and the decrease projected here could be detrimental to the North Atlantic Right Whale and a host of important fishery species.

Generation of real-time mode high-resolution water vapor fields from GPS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chen; Penna, Nigel T.; Li, Zhenhong

2017-02-01

Pointwise GPS measurements of tropospheric zenith total delay can be interpolated to provide high-resolution water vapor maps which may be used for correcting synthetic aperture radar images, for numeral weather prediction, and for correcting Network Real-time Kinematic GPS observations. Several previous studies have addressed the importance of the elevation dependency of water vapor, but it is often a challenge to separate elevation-dependent tropospheric delays from turbulent components. In this paper, we present an iterative tropospheric decomposition interpolation model that decouples the elevation and turbulent tropospheric delay components. For a 150 km × 150 km California study region, we estimate real-time mode zenith total delays at 41 GPS stations over 1 year by using the precise point positioning technique and demonstrate that the decoupled interpolation model generates improved high-resolution tropospheric delay maps compared with previous tropospheric turbulence- and elevation-dependent models. Cross validation of the GPS zenith total delays yields an RMS error of 4.6 mm with the decoupled interpolation model, compared with 8.4 mm with the previous model. On converting the GPS zenith wet delays to precipitable water vapor and interpolating to 1 km grid cells across the region, validations with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer near-IR water vapor product show 1.7 mm RMS differences by using the decoupled model, compared with 2.0 mm for the previous interpolation model. Such results are obtained without differencing the tropospheric delays or water vapor estimates in time or space, while the errors are similar over flat and mountainous terrains, as well as for both inland and coastal areas.

2010 bathymetric survey and digital elevation model of Corte Madera Bay, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foxgrover, Amy C.; Finlayson, David P.; Jaffe, Bruce E.; Takekawa, John Y.; Thorne, Karen M.; Spragens, Kyle A.

2011-01-01

A high-resolution bathymetric survey of Corte Madera Bay, California, was collected in early 2010 in support of a collaborative research project initiated by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The primary objective of the Innovative Wetland Adaptation in the Lower Corte Madera Creek Watershed Project is to develop shoreline adaptation strategies to future sea-level rise based upon sound science. Fundamental to this research was the development of an of an up-to-date, high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) extending from the subtidal environment through the surrounding intertidal marsh. We provide bathymetric data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and have merged the bathymetry with a 1-m resolution aerial lidar data set that was collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the same time period to create a seamless, high-resolution DEM of Corte Madera Bay and the surrounding topography. The bathymetric and DEM surfaces are provided at both 1 m and 10 m resolutions formatted as both X, Y, Z text files and ESRI Arc ASCII files, which are accompanied by Federal Geographic Data Committee compliant metadata.

3D printing of high-resolution PLA-based structures by hybrid electrohydrodynamic and fused deposition modeling techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bin; Seong, Baekhoon; Nguyen, VuDat; Byun, Doyoung

2016-02-01

Recently, the three-dimensional (3D) printing technique has received much attention for shape forming and manufacturing. The fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer is one of the various 3D printers available and has become widely used due to its simplicity, low-cost, and easy operation. However, the FDM technique has a limitation whereby its patterning resolution is too low at around 200 μm. In this paper, we first present a hybrid mechanism of electrohydrodynamic jet printing with the FDM technique, which we name E-FDM. We then develop a novel high-resolution 3D printer based on the E-FDM process. To determine the optimal condition for structuring, we also investigated the effect of several printing parameters, such as temperature, applied voltage, working height, printing speed, flow-rate, and acceleration on the patterning results. This method was capable of fabricating both high resolution 2D and 3D structures with the use of polylactic acid (PLA). PLA has been used to fabricate scaffold structures for tissue engineering, which has different hierarchical structure sizes. The fabrication speed was up to 40 mm/s and the pattern resolution could be improved to 10 μm.

Modelling the distribution of chickens, ducks, and geese in China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Prosser, Diann J.; Wu, Junxi; Ellis, Erie C.; Gale, Fred; Van Boeckel, Thomas P.; Wint, William; Robinson, Tim; Xiao, Xiangming; Gilbert, Marius

2011-01-01

Global concerns over the emergence of zoonotic pandemics emphasize the need for high-resolution population distribution mapping and spatial modelling. Ongoing efforts to model disease risk in China have been hindered by a lack of available species level distribution maps for poultry. The goal of this study was to develop 1 km resolution population density models for China's chickens, ducks, and geese. We used an information theoretic approach to predict poultry densities based on statistical relationships between poultry census data and high-resolution agro-ecological predictor variables. Model predictions were validated by comparing goodness of fit measures (root mean square error and correlation coefficient) for observed and predicted values for 1/4 of the sample data which were not used for model training. Final output included mean and coefficient of variation maps for each species. We tested the quality of models produced using three predictor datasets and 4 regional stratification methods. For predictor variables, a combination of traditional predictors for livestock mapping and land use predictors produced the best goodness of fit scores. Comparison of regional stratifications indicated that for chickens and ducks, a stratification based on livestock production systems produced the best results; for geese, an agro-ecological stratification produced best results. However, for all species, each method of regional stratification produced significantly better goodness of fit scores than the global model. Here we provide descriptive methods, analytical comparisons, and model output for China's first high resolution, species level poultry distribution maps. Output will be made available to the scientific and public community for use in a wide range of applications from epidemiological studies to livestock policy and management initiatives.

High-resolution regional gravity field modelling in a mountainous area from terrestrial gravity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucha, Blažej; Janák, Juraj; Papčo, Juraj; Bezděk, Aleš

2016-11-01

We develop a high-resolution regional gravity field model by a combination of spherical harmonics, band-limited spherical radial basis functions (SRBFs) and the residual terrain model (RTM) technique. As the main input data set, we employ a dense terrestrial gravity database (3-6 stations km-2), which enables gravity field modelling up to very short spatial scales. The approach is based on the remove-compute-restore methodology in which all the parts of the signal that can be modelled are removed prior to the least-squares adjustment in order to smooth the input gravity data. To this end, we utilize degree-2159 spherical harmonic models and the RTM technique using topographic models at 2 arcsec resolution. The residual short-scale gravity signal is modelled via the band-limited Shannon SRBF expanded up to degree 21 600, which corresponds to a spatial resolution of 30 arcsec. The combined model is validated against GNSS/levelling-based height anomalies, independent surface gravity data, deflections of the vertical and terrestrial vertical gravity gradients achieving an accuracy of 2.7 cm, 0.53 mGal, 0.39 arcsec and 279 E in terms of the RMS error, respectively. A key aspect of the combined approach, especially in mountainous areas, is the quality of the RTM. We therefore compare the performance of two RTM techniques within the innermost zone, the tesseroids and the polyhedron. It is shown that the polyhedron-based approach should be preferred in rugged terrain if a high-quality RTM is required. In addition, we deal with the RTM computations at points located below the reference surface of the residual terrain which is known to be a rather delicate issue.

Modelling the distribution of chickens, ducks, and geese in China

PubMed Central

Prosser, Diann J.; Wu, Junxi; Ellis, Erle C.; Gale, Fred; Van Boeckel, Thomas P.; Wint, William; Robinson, Tim; Xiao, Xiangming; Gilbert, Marius

2011-01-01

Global concerns over the emergence of zoonotic pandemics emphasize the need for high-resolution population distribution mapping and spatial modelling. Ongoing efforts to model disease risk in China have been hindered by a lack of available species level distribution maps for poultry. The goal of this study was to develop 1 km resolution population density models for China’s chickens, ducks, and geese. We used an information theoretic approach to predict poultry densities based on statistical relationships between poultry census data and high-resolution agro-ecological predictor variables. Model predictions were validated by comparing goodness of fit measures (root mean square error and correlation coefficient) for observed and predicted values for ¼ of the sample data which was not used for model training. Final output included mean and coefficient of variation maps for each species. We tested the quality of models produced using three predictor datasets and 4 regional stratification methods. For predictor variables, a combination of traditional predictors for livestock mapping and land use predictors produced the best goodness of fit scores. Comparison of regional stratifications indicated that for chickens and ducks, a stratification based on livestock production systems produced the best results; for geese, an agro-ecological stratification produced best results. However, for all species, each method of regional stratification produced significantly better goodness of fit scores than the global model. Here we provide descriptive methods, analytical comparisons, and model output for China’s first high resolution, species level poultry distribution maps. Output will be made available to the scientific and public community for use in a wide range of applications from epidemiological studies to livestock policy and management initiatives. PMID:21765567

Identification and visualisation of possible ancient ocean shoreline on Mars using submeter-resolution Digital Terrain Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Świąder, Andrzej

2014-12-01

Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) produced from stereoscopic, submeter-resolution High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) imagery provide a solid basis for all morphometric analyses of the surface of Mars. In view of the fact that a more effective use of DTMs is hindered by complicated and time-consuming manual handling, the automated process provided by specialists of the Ames Intelligent Robotics Group (NASA), Ames Stereo Pipeline, constitutes a good alternative. Four DTMs, covering the global dichotomy boundary between the southern highlands and northern lowlands along the line of the presumable Arabia shoreline, were produced and analysed. One of them included forms that are likely to be indicative of an oceanic basin that extended across the lowland northern hemisphere of Mars in the geological past. The high resolution DTMs obtained were used in the process of landscape visualisation.

Computational methods for constructing protein structure models from 3D electron microscopy maps.

PubMed

Esquivel-Rodríguez, Juan; Kihara, Daisuke

2013-10-01

Protein structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy (EM) has made significant progress in the past decades. Resolutions of EM maps have been improving as evidenced by recently reported structures that are solved at high resolutions close to 3Å. Computational methods play a key role in interpreting EM data. Among many computational procedures applied to an EM map to obtain protein structure information, in this article we focus on reviewing computational methods that model protein three-dimensional (3D) structures from a 3D EM density map that is constructed from two-dimensional (2D) maps. The computational methods we discuss range from de novo methods, which identify structural elements in an EM map, to structure fitting methods, where known high resolution structures are fit into a low-resolution EM map. A list of available computational tools is also provided. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Robust High-Resolution Cloth Using Parallelism, History-Based Collisions and Accurate Friction

PubMed Central

Selle, Andrew; Su, Jonathan; Irving, Geoffrey; Fedkiw, Ronald

2015-01-01

In this paper we simulate high resolution cloth consisting of up to 2 million triangles which allows us to achieve highly detailed folds and wrinkles. Since the level of detail is also influenced by object collision and self collision, we propose a more accurate model for cloth-object friction. We also propose a robust history-based repulsion/collision framework where repulsions are treated accurately and efficiently on a per time step basis. Distributed memory parallelism is used for both time evolution and collisions and we specifically address Gauss-Seidel ordering of repulsion/collision response. This algorithm is demonstrated by several high-resolution and high-fidelity simulations. PMID:19147895

Assimilation of Sea Surface Temperature in a doubly, two-way nested primitive equation model of the Ligurian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, A.; Alvera-Azcarate, A.; Rixen, M.; Beckers, J.-M.; Testut, C.-E.; Brankart, J.-M.; Brasseur, P.

2003-04-01

The GHER 3D primitive equation model is implemented with three different resolutions: a low resolution model (1/4^o) covering the whole Mediterranean Sea, an intermediate resolution model (1/20^o) of the Liguro-Provençal basin and a high resolution model (1/60^o) simulating the fine mesoscale structures in the Ligurian Sea. Boundary conditions and the averaged fields (feedback) are exchanged between two successive nesting levels. The model of the Ligurian Sea is also coupled with the assimilation package SESAM. It allows to assimilate satellite data and in situ observations using the local adaptative SEEK (Singular Evolutive Extended Kalman) filter. Instead of evolving the error space by the numerically expensive Lyapunov equation, a simplified algebraic equation depending on the misfit between observation and model forecast is used. Starting from the 1st January 1998 the low and intermediate resolution models are spun up for 18 months. The initial conditions for the Ligurian Sea are interpolated from the intermediate resolution model. The three models are then integrated until August 1999. During this period AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature of the Ligurian Sea is assimilated. The results are validated by using CTD and XBT profiles of the SIRENA cruise from the SACLANT Center. The overall objective of this study is pre-operational. It should help to identify limitations and weaknesses of forecasting methods and to suggest improvements of existing operational models.

High-Resolution Forest Carbon Monitoring and Modeling: Continued Prototype Development and Deployment Across The Tri-state Area (MD, PA, DE), USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtt, G. C.; Birdsey, R.; Campbell, E.; Dolan, K. A.; Dubayah, R.; Escobar, V. M.; Finley, A. O.; Flanagan, S.; Huang, W.; Johnson, K.; Lister, A.; ONeil-Dunne, J.; Sepulveda Carlo, E.; Zhao, M.

2017-12-01

Local, national and international programs have increasing need for precise and accurate estimates of forest carbon and structure to support greenhouse gas reduction plans, climate initiatives, and other international climate treaty frameworks. In 2010 Congress directed NASA to initiate research towards the development of Carbon Monitoring Systems (CMS). In response, our team has worked to develop a robust, replicable framework to produce maps of high-resolution carbon stocks and future carbon sequestration potential. High-resolution (30m) maps of carbon stocks and uncertainty were produced by linking national 1m-resolution imagery and existing wall-to-wall airborne lidar to spatially explicit in-situ field observations such as the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) network. These same data, characterizing forest extent and vertical structure, were used to drive a prognostic ecosystem model to predict carbon fluxes and carbon sequestration potential at unprecedented spatial resolution and scale (90m), more than 100,000 times the spatial resolution of standard global models. Through project development, the domain of this research has expanded from two counties in MD (2,181 km2), to the entire state (32,133 km2), to the tri-state region of MD, PA, and DE (157,868 km2), covering forests in four major USDA ecological providences (Eastern Broadleaf, Northeastern Mixed, Outer Coastal Plain, and Central Appalachian). Across the region, we estimate 694 Tg C (14 DE, 113 MD, 567 PA) in above ground biomass, and estimate a carbon sequestration potential more than twice that amount. Empirical biomass products enhance existing approaches though high resolution accounting for trees outside traditional forest maps. Modeling products move beyond traditional MRV, and map future afforestation and reforestation potential for carbon at local actionable spatial scales. These products are relevant to multiple stakeholder needs in the region as discussed through the Tri-sate Working Group, and are actively being used to inform the state of MD's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act. The approach is scalable, and provides a protoype framework for application in other domains and for future spaceborne lidar missions.

Mesoscale weather and climate modeling with the global non-hydrostatic Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5) at cloud-permitting resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putman, W. M.; Suarez, M.

2009-12-01

The Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5), an earth system model developed in the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), has integrated the non-hydrostatic finite-volume dynamical core on the cubed-sphere grid. The extension to a non-hydrostatic dynamical framework and the quasi-uniform cubed-sphere geometry permits the efficient exploration of global weather and climate modeling at cloud permitting resolutions of 10- to 4-km on today's high performance computing platforms. We have explored a series of incremental increases in global resolution with GEOS-5 from it's standard 72-level 27-km resolution (~5.5 million cells covering the globe from the surface to 0.1 hPa) down to 3.5-km (~3.6 billion cells). We will present results from a series of forecast experiments exploring the impact of the non-hydrostatic dynamics at transition resolutions of 14- to 7-km, and the influence of increased horizontal/vertical resolution on convection and physical parameterizations within GEOS-5. Regional and mesoscale features of 5- to 10-day weather forecasts will be presented and compared with satellite observations. Our results will highlight the impact of resolution on the structure of cloud features including tropical convection and tropical cyclone predicability, cloud streets, von Karman vortices, and the marine stratocumulus cloud layer. We will also present experiment design and early results from climate impact experiments for global non-hydrostatic models using GEOS-5. Our climate experiments will focus on support for the Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC). We will also discuss a seasonal climate time-slice experiment design for downscaling coarse resolution century scale climate simulations to global non-hydrostatic resolutions of 14- to 7-km with GEOS-5.

Influence of speckle image reconstruction on photometric precision for large solar telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peck, C. L.; Wöger, F.; Marino, J.

2017-11-01

Context. High-resolution observations from large solar telescopes require adaptive optics (AO) systems to overcome image degradation caused by Earth's turbulent atmosphere. AO corrections are, however, only partial. Achieving near-diffraction limited resolution over a large field of view typically requires post-facto image reconstruction techniques to reconstruct the source image. Aims: This study aims to examine the expected photometric precision of amplitude reconstructed solar images calibrated using models for the on-axis speckle transfer functions and input parameters derived from AO control data. We perform a sensitivity analysis of the photometric precision under variations in the model input parameters for high-resolution solar images consistent with four-meter class solar telescopes. Methods: Using simulations of both atmospheric turbulence and partial compensation by an AO system, we computed the speckle transfer function under variations in the input parameters. We then convolved high-resolution numerical simulations of the solar photosphere with the simulated atmospheric transfer function, and subsequently deconvolved them with the model speckle transfer function to obtain a reconstructed image. To compute the resulting photometric precision, we compared the intensity of the original image with the reconstructed image. Results: The analysis demonstrates that high photometric precision can be obtained for speckle amplitude reconstruction using speckle transfer function models combined with AO-derived input parameters. Additionally, it shows that the reconstruction is most sensitive to the input parameter that characterizes the atmospheric distortion, and sub-2% photometric precision is readily obtained when it is well estimated.

The evolution of extreme precipitations in high resolution scenarios over France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colin, J.; Déqué, M.; Somot, S.

2009-09-01

Over the past years, improving the modelling of extreme events and their variability at climatic time scales has become one of the challenging issue raised in the regional climate research field. This study shows the results of a high resolution (12 km) scenario run over France with the limited area model (LAM) ALADIN-Climat, regarding the representation of extreme precipitations. The runs were conducted in the framework of the ANR-SCAMPEI national project on high resolution scenarios over French mountains. As a first step, we attempt to quantify one of the uncertainties implied by the use of LAM : the size of the area on which the model is run. In particular, we address the issue of whether a relatively small domain allows the model to create its small scale process. Indeed, high resolution scenarios cannot be run on large domains because of the computation time. Therefore one needs to answer this preliminary question before producing and analyzing such scenarios. To do so, we worked in the framework of a « big brother » experiment. We performed a 23-year long global simulation in present-day climate (1979-2001) with the ARPEGE-Climat GCM, at a resolution of approximately 50 km over Europe (stretched grid). This first simulation, named ARP50, constitutes the « big brother » reference of our experiment. It has been validated in comparison with the CRU climatology. Then we filtered the short waves (up to 200 km) from ARP50 in order to obtain the equivalent of coarse resolution lateral boundary conditions (LBC). We have carried out three ALADIN-Climat simulations at a 50 km resolution with these LBC, using different configurations of the model : * FRA50, run over a small domain (2000 x 2000 km, centered over France), * EUR50, run over a larger domain (5000 x 5000 km, centered over France as well), * EUR50-SN, run over the large domain (using spectral nudging). Considering the facts that ARPEGE-Climat and ALADIN-Climat models share the same physics and dynamics and that both regional and global simulations were run at the same resolution, ARP50 can be regarded as a reference with which FRA50, EUR50 and EUR50-SN should each be compared. After an analysis of the differences between the regional simulations and ARP50 in annual and seasonal mean, we focus on the representation of rainfall extremes comparing two dimensional fields of various index inspired from STARDEX and quantile-quantile plots. The results show a good agreement with the ARP50 reference for all three regional simulations and little differences are found between them. This result indicates that the use of small domains is not significantly detrimental to the modelling of extreme precipitation events. It also shows that the spectral nudging technique has no detrimental effect on the extreme precipitation. Therefore, high resolution scenarios performed on a relatively small domain such as the ones run for SCAMPEI, can be regarded as good tools to explore their possible evolution in the future climate. Preliminary results on the response of precipitation extremes over South-East France are given.

Grid of Supergiant B[e] Models from HDUST Radiative Transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, A.; Carciofi, A. C.

2012-12-01

By using the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code HDUST (developed by A. C. Carciofi and J..E. Bjorkman) we have built a grid of models for stars presenting the B[e] phenomenon and a bimodal outflowing envelope. The models are particularly adapted to the study of B[e] supergiants and FS CMa type stars. The adopted physical parameters of the calculated models make the grid well adapted to interpret high angular and high spectral observations, in particular spectro-interferometric data from ESO-VLTI instruments AMBER (near-IR at low and medium spectral resolution) and MIDI (mid-IR at low spectral resolution). The grid models include, for example, a central B star with different effective temperatures, a gas (hydrogen) and silicate dust circumstellar envelope with a bimodal mass loss presenting dust in the denser equatorial regions. The HDUST grid models were pre-calculated using the high performance parallel computing facility Mésocentre SIGAMM, located at OCA, France.

Improving catchment scale water quality modelling with continuous high resolution monitoring of metals in runoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saari, Markus; Rossi, Pekka; Blomberg von der Geest, Kalle; Mäkinen, Ari; Postila, Heini; Marttila, Hannu

2017-04-01

High metal concentrations in natural waters is one of the key environmental and health problems globally. Continuous in-situ analysis of metals from runoff water is technically challenging but essential for the better understanding of processes which lead to pollutant transport. Currently, typical analytical methods for monitoring elements in liquids are off-line laboratory methods such as ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy) and ICP-MS (ICP combined with a mass spectrometer). Disadvantage of the both techniques is time consuming sample collection, preparation, and off-line analysis at laboratory conditions. Thus use of these techniques lack possibility for real-time monitoring of element transport. We combined a novel high resolution on-line metal concentration monitoring with catchment scale physical hydrological modelling in Mustijoki river in Southern Finland in order to study dynamics of processes and form a predictive warning system for leaching of metals. A novel on-line measurement technique based on micro plasma emission spectroscopy (MPES) is tested for on-line detection of selected elements (e.g. Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Fe, Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb) in runoff waters. The preliminary results indicate that MPES can sufficiently detect and monitor metal concentrations from river water. Water and Soil Assessment Tool (SWAT) catchment scale model was further calibrated with high resolution metal concentration data. We show that by combining high resolution monitoring and catchment scale physical based modelling, further process studies and creation of early warning systems, for example to optimization of drinking water uptake from rivers, can be achieved.

Regional model simulations of New Zealand climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renwick, James A.; Katzfey, Jack J.; Nguyen, Kim C.; McGregor, John L.

1998-03-01

Simulation of New Zealand climate is examined through the use of a regional climate model nested within the output of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation nine-level general circulation model (GCM). R21 resolution GCM output is used to drive a regional model run at 125 km grid spacing over the Australasian region. The 125 km run is used in turn to drive a simulation at 50 km resolution over New Zealand. Simulations with a full seasonal cycle are performed for 10 model years. The focus is on the quality of the simulation of present-day climate, but results of a doubled-CO2 run are discussed briefly. Spatial patterns of mean simulated precipitation and surface temperatures improve markedly as horizontal resolution is increased, through the better resolution of the country's orography. However, increased horizontal resolution leads to a positive bias in precipitation. At 50 km resolution, simulated frequency distributions of daily maximum/minimum temperatures are statistically similar to those of observations at many stations, while frequency distributions of daily precipitation appear to be statistically different to those of observations at most stations. Modeled daily precipitation variability at 125 km resolution is considerably less than observed, but is comparable to, or exceeds, observed variability at 50 km resolution. The sensitivity of the simulated climate to changes in the specification of the land surface is discussed briefly. Spatial patterns of the frequency of extreme temperatures and precipitation are generally well modeled. Under a doubling of CO2, the frequency of precipitation extremes changes only slightly at most locations, while air frosts become virtually unknown except at high-elevation sites.

High-resolution CO2 and CH4 flux inverse modeling combining GOSAT, OCO-2 and ground-based observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maksyutov, S. S.; Oda, T.; Saito, M.; Ito, A.; Janardanan Achari, R.; Sasakawa, M.; Machida, T.; Kaiser, J. W.; Belikov, D.; Valsala, V.; O'Dell, C.; Yoshida, Y.; Matsunaga, T.

2017-12-01

We develop a high-resolution CO2 and CH4 flux inversion system that is based on the Lagrangian-Eulerian coupled tracer transport model, and is designed to estimate surface fluxes from atmospheric CO2 and CH4 data observed by the GOSAT and OCO-2 satellites and by global in-situ networks, including observation in Siberia. We use the Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM) FLEXPART to estimate the surface flux footprints for each observation at 0.1-degree spatial resolution for three days of transport. The LPDM is coupled to a global atmospheric tracer transport model (NIES-TM). The adjoint of the coupled transport model is used in an iterative optimization procedure based on either quasi-Newtonian algorithm or singular value decomposition. Combining surface and satellite data for use in inversion requires correcting for biases present in satellite observation data, that is done in a two-step procedure. As a first step, bi-weekly corrections to prior flux fields are estimated for the period of 2009 to 2015 from in-situ CO2 and CH4 data from global observation network, included in Obspack-GVP (for CO2), WDCGG (CH4) and JR-STATION datasets. High-resolution prior fluxes were prepared for anthropogenic emissions (ODIAC and EDGAR), biomass burning (GFAS), and the terrestrial biosphere. The terrestrial biosphere flux was constructed using a vegetation mosaic map and separate simulations of CO2 fluxes by the VISIT model for each vegetation type present in a grid. The prior flux uncertainty for land is scaled proportionally to monthly mean GPP by the MODIS product for CO2 and EDGAR emissions for CH4. Use of the high-resolution transport leads to improved representation of the anthropogenic plumes, often observed at continental continuous observation sites. OCO-2 observations are aggregated to 1 second averages, to match the 0.1 degree resolution of the transport model. Before including satellite observations in the inversion, the monthly varying latitude-dependent bias is estimated by comparing satellite observations with column abundance simulated with surface fluxes optimized by surface inversion. The bias-corrected GOSAT and OCO-2 data are then used in the inversion together with ground-based observations. Application of the bias correction to satellite data reduces the difference between the flux estimates based on ground-based and satellite observations.

Testing a high resolution CO2 and CO emission inventory against atmospheric observations in Salt Lake City, Utah for policy applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, D. L.; Lin, J. C.; Mitchell, L.; Gurney, K. R.; Patarasuk, R.; Mallia, D. V.; Fasoli, B.; Bares, R.; Catharine, D.; O'Keeffe, D.; Song, Y.; Huang, J.; Horel, J.; Crosman, E.; Hoch, S.; Ehleringer, J. R.

2016-12-01

We address the need for robust highly-resolved emissions and trace gas concentration data required for planning purposes and policy development aimed at managing pollutant sources. Adverse health effects resulting from urban pollution exposure are the result of proximity to emission sources and atmospheric mixing, necessitating models with high spatial and temporal resolution. As urban emission sources co-emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and criteria air pollutants (CAPs), efforts to reduce specific pollutants would synergistically reduce others. We present a contemporary (2010-2015) emissions inventory and modeled CO2 and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations for Salt Lake County, Utah. We compare emissions transported by a dispersion model against stationary measurement data and present a systematic quantification of uncertainties. The emissions inventory for CO2 is based on the Hestia emissions data inventory that resolves emissions at hourly, building and road-link resolutions, as well as on an hourly gridded scale. The emissions were scaled using annual Energy Information Administration (EIA) fuel consumption data. We derived a CO emissions inventory using methods similar to Hestia, downscaling total county emissions from the 2011 Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Emissions Inventory (NEI). The gridded CO emissions were compared against the Hestia CO2 gridded data to characterize spatial similarities and differences between them. Correlations were calculated at multiple scales of aggregation. The Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Trasport (STILT) dispersion model was used to transport emissions and estimate pollutant concentrations at an hourly resolution. Modeled results were compared against stationary measurements in the Salt Lake County area. This comparison highlights spatial locations and hours of high variability and uncertainty. Sensitivity to biological fluxes as well as to specific economic sectors was tested by varying their contributions to modeled concentrations and calibrating their emissions.

Developing High-resolution Soil Database for Regional Crop Modeling in East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, E.; Ines, A. V. M.

2014-12-01

The most readily available soil data for regional crop modeling in Africa is the World Inventory of Soil Emission potentials (WISE) dataset, which has 1125 soil profiles for the world, but does not extensively cover countries Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa. Another dataset available is the HC27 (Harvest Choice by IFPRI) in a gridded format (10km) but composed of generic soil profiles based on only three criteria (texture, rooting depth, and organic carbon content). In this paper, we present a development and application of a high-resolution (1km), gridded soil database for regional crop modeling in East Africa. Basic soil information is extracted from Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS), which provides essential soil properties (bulk density, soil organic carbon, soil PH and percentages of sand, silt and clay) for 6 different standardized soil layers (5, 15, 30, 60, 100 and 200 cm) in 1km resolution. Soil hydraulic properties (e.g., field capacity and wilting point) are derived from the AfSIS soil dataset using well-proven pedo-transfer functions and are customized for DSSAT-CSM soil data requirements. The crop model is used to evaluate crop yield forecasts using the new high resolution soil database and compared with WISE and HC27. In this paper we will present also the results of DSSAT loosely coupled with a hydrologic model (VIC) to assimilate root-zone soil moisture. Creating a grid-based soil database, which provides a consistent soil input for two different models (DSSAT and VIC) is a critical part of this work. The created soil database is expected to contribute to future applications of DSSAT crop simulation in East Africa where food security is highly vulnerable.

Near-infrared Spectroscopic Observations of Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) by WINERED: CN Red-system Band Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinnaka, Yoshiharu; Kawakita, Hideyo; Kondo, Sohei; Ikeda, Yuji; Kobayashi, Naoto; Hamano, Satoshi; Sameshima, Hiroaki; Fukue, Kei; Matsunaga, Noriyuki; Yasui, Chikako; Izumi, Natsuko; Mizumoto, Misaki; Otsubo, Shogo; Takenaka, Keiichi; Watase, Ayaka; Kawanishi, Takafumi; Nakanishi, Kenshi; Nakaoka, Tetsuya

2017-08-01

Although high-resolution spectra of the CN red-system band are considered useful in cometary sciences, e.g., in the study of isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen in cometary volatiles, there have been few reports to date due to the lack of high-resolution (R ≡ λ/Δλ > 20,000) spectrographs in the near-infrared region around ˜1 μm. Here, we present the high-resolution emission spectrum of the CN red-system band in comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy), acquired by the near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph WINERED mounted on the 1.3 m Araki telescope at the Koyama Astronomical Observatory, Kyoto, Japan. We applied our fluorescence excitation models for CN, based on modern spectroscopic studies, to the observed spectrum of comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) to search for CN isotopologues (13C14N and 12C15N). We used a CN fluorescence excitation model involving both a “pure” fluorescence excitation model for the outer coma and a “fully collisional” fluorescence excitation model for the inner coma region. Our emission model could reproduce the observed 12C14N red-system band of comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy). The derived mixing ratio between the two excitation models was 0.94(+0.02/-0.03):0.06(+0.03/-0.02), corresponding to the radius of the collision-dominant region of ˜800-1600 km from the nucleus. No isotopologues were detected. The observed spectrum is consistent, within error, with previous estimates in comets of 12C/13C (˜90) and 14N/15N (˜150).

The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA): A High Resolution, Time-Stamped Digital Elevation Model for the Antarctic Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howat, I.; Noh, M. J.; Porter, C. C.; Smith, B. E.; Morin, P. J.

2017-12-01

We are creating the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA), a continuous, high resolution (2-8 m), high precision (accuracy better than 1 m) reference surface for a wide range of glaciological and geodetic applications. REMA will be constructed from stereo-photogrammetric Digital Surface Models (DSM) extracted from pairs of submeter resolution DigitalGlobe satellite imagery and vertically registred to precise elevations from near-coincident airborne LiDAR, ground-based GPS surveys and Cryosat-2 radar altimetry. Both a seamless mosaic and individual, time-stamped DSM strips, collected primarily between 2012 and 2016, will be distributed to enable change measurement. These data will be used for mapping bed topography from ice thickness, measuring ice thickness changes, constraining ice flow and geodynamic models, mapping glacial geomorphology, terrain corrections and filtering of remote sensing observations, and many other science tasks. Is will also be critical for mapping ice traverse routes, landing sites and other field logistics planning. REMA will also provide a critical elevation benchmark for future satellite altimetry missions including ICESat-2. Here we report on REMA production progress, initial accuracy assessment and data availability.

CLICK: The new USGS center for LIDAR information coordination and knowledge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoker, Jason M.; Greenlee, Susan K.; Gesch, Dean B.; Menig, Jordan C.

2006-01-01

Elevation data is rapidly becoming an important tool for the visualization and analysis of geographic information. The creation and display of three-dimensional models representing bare earth, vegetation, and structures have become major requirements for geographic research in the past few years. Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) has been increasingly accepted as an effective and accurate technology for acquiring high-resolution elevation data for bare earth, vegetation, and structures. Lidar is an active remote sensing system that records the distance, or range, of a laser fi red from an airborne or space borne platform such as an airplane, helicopter or satellite to objects or features on the Earth’s surface. By converting lidar data into bare ground topography and vegetation or structural morphologic information, extremely accurate, high-resolution elevation models can be derived to visualize and quantitatively represent scenes in three dimensions. In addition to high-resolution digital elevation models (Evans et al., 2001), other lidar-derived products include quantitative estimates of vegetative features such as canopy height, canopy closure, and biomass (Lefsky et al., 2002), and models of urban areas such as building footprints and three-dimensional city models (Maas, 2001).

Evaluating the impact of lower resolutions of digital elevation model on rainfall-runoff modeling for ungauged catchments.

PubMed

Ghumman, Abul Razzaq; Al-Salamah, Ibrahim Saleh; AlSaleem, Saleem Saleh; Haider, Husnain

2017-02-01

Geomorphological instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) usually uses geomorphologic parameters of catchment estimated from digital elevation model (DEM) for rainfall-runoff modeling of ungauged watersheds with limited data. Higher resolutions (e.g., 5 or 10 m) of DEM play an important role in the accuracy of rainfall-runoff models; however, such resolutions are expansive to obtain and require much greater efforts and time for preparation of inputs. In this research, a modeling framework is developed to evaluate the impact of lower resolutions (i.e., 30 and 90 m) of DEM on the accuracy of Clark GIUH model. Observed rainfall-runoff data of a 202-km 2 catchment in a semiarid region was used to develop direct runoff hydrographs for nine rainfall events. Geographical information system was used to process both the DEMs. Model accuracy and errors were estimated by comparing the model results with the observed data. The study found (i) high model efficiencies greater than 90% for both the resolutions, and (ii) that the efficiency of Clark GIUH model does not significantly increase by enhancing the resolution of the DEM from 90 to 30 m. Thus, it is feasible to use lower resolutions (i.e., 90 m) of DEM in the estimation of peak runoff in ungauged catchments with relatively less efforts. Through sensitivity analysis (Monte Carlo simulations), the kinematic wave parameter and stream length ratio are found to be the most significant parameters in velocity and peak flow estimations, respectively; thus, they need to be carefully estimated for calculation of direct runoff in ungauged watersheds using Clark GIUH model.

High resolution weather data for urban hydrological modelling and impact assessment, ICT requirements and future challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ten Veldhuis, Marie-claire; van Riemsdijk, Birna

2013-04-01

Hydrological analysis of urban catchments requires high resolution rainfall and catchment information because of the small size of these catchments, high spatial variability of the urban fabric, fast runoff processes and related short response times. Rainfall information available from traditional radar and rain gauge networks does no not meet the relevant scales of urban hydrology. A new type of weather radars, based on X-band frequency and equipped with Doppler and dual polarimetry capabilities, promises to provide more accurate rainfall estimates at the spatial and temporal scales that are required for urban hydrological analysis. Recently, the RAINGAIN project was started to analyse the applicability of this new type of radars in the context of urban hydrological modelling. In this project, meteorologists and hydrologists work closely together in several stages of urban hydrological analysis: from the acquisition procedure of novel and high-end radar products to data acquisition and processing, rainfall data retrieval, hydrological event analysis and forecasting. The project comprises of four pilot locations with various characteristics of weather radar equipment, ground stations, urban hydrological systems, modelling approaches and requirements. Access to data processing and modelling software is handled in different ways in the pilots, depending on ownership and user context. Sharing of data and software among pilots and with the outside world is an ongoing topic of discussion. The availability of high resolution weather data augments requirements with respect to the resolution of hydrological models and input data. This has led to the development of fully distributed hydrological models, the implementation of which remains limited by the unavailability of hydrological input data. On the other hand, if models are to be used in flood forecasting, hydrological models need to be computationally efficient to enable fast responses to extreme event conditions. This presentation will highlight ICT-related requirements and limitations in high resolution urban hydrological modelling and analysis. Further ICT challenges arise in provision of high resolution radar data for diverging information needs as well as in combination with other data sources in the urban environment. Different types of information are required for such diverse activities as operational flood protection, traffic management, large event organisation, business planning in shopping districts and restaurants, timing of family activities. These different information needs may require different configurations and data processing for radars and other data sources. An ICT challenge is to develop techniques for deciding how to automatically respond to these diverging information needs (e.g., through (semi-)automated negotiation). Diverse activities also provide a wide variety of information resources that can supplement traditional networks of weather sensors, such as rain sensors on cars and social media. Another ICT challenge is how to combine data from these different sources for answering a particular information need. Examples will be presented of solutions are currently being explored.

Usefulness of high resolution coastal models for operational oil spill forecast: the Full City accident

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broström, G.; Carrasco, A.; Hole, L. R.; Dick, S.; Janssen, F.; Mattsson, J.; Berger, S.

2011-06-01

Oil spill modeling is considered to be an important decision support system (DeSS) useful for remedial action in case of accidents, as well as for designing the environmental monitoring system that is frequently set up after major accidents. Many accidents take place in coastal areas implying that low resolution basin scale ocean models is of limited use for predicting the trajectories of an oil spill. In this study, we target the oil spill in connection with the Full City accident on the Norwegian south coast and compare three different oil spill models for the area. The result of the analysis is that all models do a satisfactory job. The "standard" operational model for the area is shown to have severe flaws but including an analysis based on a higher resolution model (1.5 km resolution) for the area the model system show results that compare well with observations. The study also shows that an ensemble using three different models is useful when predicting/analyzing oil spill in coastal areas.

Combining multiple approaches and optimized data resolution for an improved understanding of stream temperature dynamics of a forested headwater basin in the Southern Appalachians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belica, L.; Mitasova, H.; Caldwell, P.; McCarter, J. B.; Nelson, S. A. C.

2017-12-01

Thermal regimes of forested headwater streams continue to be an area of active research as climatic, hydrologic, and land cover changes can influence water temperature, a key aspect of aquatic ecosystems. Widespread monitoring of stream temperatures have provided an important data source, yielding insights on the temporal and spatial patterns and the underlying processes that influence stream temperature. However, small forested streams remain challenging to model due to the high spatial and temporal variability of stream temperatures and the climatic and hydrologic conditions that drive them. Technological advances and increased computational power continue to provide new tools and measurement methods and have allowed spatially explicit analyses of dynamic natural systems at greater temporal resolutions than previously possible. With the goal of understanding how current stream temperature patterns and processes may respond to changing landcover and hydroclimatoligical conditions, we combined high-resolution, spatially explicit geospatial modeling with deterministic heat flux modeling approaches using data sources that ranged from traditional hydrological and climatological measurements to emerging remote sensing techniques. Initial analyses of stream temperature monitoring data revealed that high temporal resolution (5 minutes) and measurement resolutions (<0.1°C) were needed to adequately describe diel stream temperature patterns and capture the differences between paired 1st order and 4th order forest streams draining north and south facing slopes. This finding along with geospatial models of subcanopy solar radiation and channel morphology were used to develop hypotheses and guide field data collection for further heat flux modeling. By integrating multiple approaches and optimizing data resolution for the processes being investigated, small, but ecologically significant differences in stream thermal regimes were revealed. In this case, multi-approach research contributed to the identification of the dominant mechanisms driving stream temperature in the study area and advanced our understanding of the current thermal fluxes and how they may change as environmental conditions change in the future.

Dynamic inundation mapping of Hurricane Harvey flooding in the Houston metro area using hyper-resolution modeling and quantitative image reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, S. J.; Lee, J. H.; Lee, S.; Zhang, Y.; Seo, D. J.

2017-12-01

Hurricane Harvey was one of the most extreme weather events in Texas history and left significant damages in the Houston and adjoining coastal areas. To understand better the relative impact to urban flooding of extreme amount and spatial extent of rainfall, unique geography, land use and storm surge, high-resolution water modeling is necessary such that natural and man-made components are fully resolved. In this presentation, we reconstruct spatiotemporal evolution of inundation during Hurricane Harvey using hyper-resolution modeling and quantitative image reanalysis. The two-dimensional urban flood model used is based on dynamic wave approximation and 10 m-resolution terrain data, and is forced by the radar-based multisensor quantitative precipitation estimates. The model domain includes Buffalo, Brays, Greens and White Oak Bayous in Houston. The model is simulated using hybrid parallel computing. To evaluate dynamic inundation mapping, we combine various qualitative crowdsourced images and video footages with LiDAR-based terrain data.

Evaluating hourly rainfall characteristics over the U.S. Great Plains in dynamically downscaled climate model simulations using NASA-Unified WRF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Huikyo; Waliser, Duane E.; Ferraro, Robert; Iguchi, Takamichi; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Tian, Baijun; Loikith, Paul C.; Wright, Daniel B.

2017-07-01

Accurate simulation of extreme precipitation events remains a challenge in climate models. This study utilizes hourly precipitation data from ground stations and satellite instruments to evaluate rainfall characteristics simulated by the NASA-Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) regional climate model at horizontal resolutions of 4, 12, and 24 km over the Great Plains of the United States. We also examined the sensitivity of the simulated precipitation to different spectral nudging approaches and the cumulus parameterizations. The rainfall characteristics in the observations and simulations were defined as an hourly diurnal cycle of precipitation and a joint probability distribution function (JPDF) between duration and peak intensity of precipitation events over the Great Plains in summer. We calculated a JPDF for each data set and the overlapping area between observed and simulated JPDFs to measure the similarity between the two JPDFs. Comparison of the diurnal precipitation cycles between observations and simulations does not reveal the added value of high-resolution simulations. However, the performance of NU-WRF simulations measured by the JPDF metric strongly depends on horizontal resolution. The simulation with the highest resolution of 4 km shows the best agreement with the observations in simulating duration and intensity of wet spells. Spectral nudging does not affect the JPDF significantly. The effect of cumulus parameterizations on the JPDFs is considerable but smaller than that of horizontal resolution. The simulations with lower resolutions of 12 and 24 km show reasonable agreement but only with the high-resolution observational data that are aggregated into coarse resolution and spatially averaged.

A trade-off between model resolution and variance with selected Rayleigh-wave data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xia, J.; Miller, R.D.; Xu, Y.

2008-01-01

Inversion of multimode surface-wave data is of increasing interest in the near-surface geophysics community. For a given near-surface geophysical problem, it is essential to understand how well the data, calculated according to a layered-earth model, might match the observed data. A data-resolution matrix is a function of the data kernel (determined by a geophysical model and a priori information applied to the problem), not the data. A data-resolution matrix of high-frequency (??? 2 Hz) Rayleigh-wave phase velocities, therefore, offers a quantitative tool for designing field surveys and predicting the match between calculated and observed data. First, we employed a data-resolution matrix to select data that would be well predicted and to explain advantages of incorporating higher modes in inversion. The resulting discussion using the data-resolution matrix provides insight into the process of inverting Rayleigh-wave phase velocities with higher mode data to estimate S-wave velocity structure. Discussion also suggested that each near-surface geophysical target can only be resolved using Rayleigh-wave phase velocities within specific frequency ranges, and higher mode data are normally more accurately predicted than fundamental mode data because of restrictions on the data kernel for the inversion system. Second, we obtained an optimal damping vector in a vicinity of an inverted model by the singular value decomposition of a trade-off function of model resolution and variance. In the end of the paper, we used a real-world example to demonstrate that selected data with the data-resolution matrix can provide better inversion results and to explain with the data-resolution matrix why incorporating higher mode data in inversion can provide better results. We also calculated model-resolution matrices of these examples to show the potential of increasing model resolution with selected surface-wave data. With the optimal damping vector, we can improve and assess an inverted model obtained by a damped least-square method.

Synergies Between Grace and Regional Atmospheric Modeling Efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusche, J.; Springer, A.; Ohlwein, C.; Hartung, K.; Longuevergne, L.; Kollet, S. J.; Keune, J.; Dobslaw, H.; Forootan, E.; Eicker, A.

2014-12-01

In the meteorological community, efforts converge towards implementation of high-resolution (< 12km) data-assimilating regional climate modelling/monitoring systems based on numerical weather prediction (NWP) cores. This is driven by requirements of improving process understanding, better representation of land surface interactions, atmospheric convection, orographic effects, and better forecasting on shorter timescales. This is relevant for the GRACE community since (1) these models may provide improved atmospheric mass separation / de-aliasing and smaller topography-induced errors, compared to global (ECMWF-Op, ERA-Interim) data, (2) they inherit high temporal resolution from NWP models, (3) parallel efforts towards improving the land surface component and coupling groundwater models; this may provide realistic hydrological mass estimates with sub-diurnal resolution, (4) parallel efforts towards re-analyses, with the aim of providing consistent time series. (5) On the other hand, GRACE can help validating models and aids in the identification of processes needing improvement. A coupled atmosphere - land surface - groundwater modelling system is currently being implemented for the European CORDEX region at 12.5 km resolution, based on the TerrSysMP platform (COSMO-EU NWP, CLM land surface and ParFlow groundwater models). We report results from Springer et al. (J. Hydromet., accept.) on validating the water cycle in COSMO-EU using GRACE and precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff data; confirming that the model does favorably at representing observations. We show that after GRACE-derived bias correction, basin-average hydrological conditions prior to 2002 can be reconstructed better than before. Next, comparing GRACE with CLM forced by EURO-CORDEX simulations allows identifying processes needing improvement in the model. Finally, we compare COSMO-EU atmospheric pressure, a proxy for mass corrections in satellite gravimetry, with ERA-Interim over Europe at timescales shorter/longer than 1 month, and spatial scales below/above ERA resolution. We find differences between regional and global model more pronounced at high frequencies, with magnitude at sub-grid scale and larger scale corresponding to 1-3 hPa (1-3 cm EWH); relevant for the assessment of post-GRACE concepts.

Tests of high-resolution simulations over a region of complex terrain in Southeast coast of Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, Sin Chan; Luís Gomes, Jorge; Ristic, Ivan; Mesinger, Fedor; Sueiro, Gustavo; Andrade, Diego; Lima-e-Silva, Pedro Paulo

2013-04-01

The Eta Model is used operationally by INPE at the Centre for Weather Forecasts and Climate Studies (CPTEC) to produce weather forecasts over South America since 1997. The model has gone through upgrades along these years. In order to prepare the model for operational higher resolution forecasts, the model is configured and tested over a region of complex topography located near the coast of Southeast Brazil. The model domain includes the two Brazilians cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, urban areas, preserved tropical forest, pasture fields, and complex terrain where it can rise from sea level up to about 1000 m. Accurate near-surface wind direction and magnitude are needed for the power plant emergency plan. Besides, the region suffers from frequent events of floods and landslides, therefore accurate local forecasts are required for disaster warnings. The objective of this work is to carry out a series of numerical experiments to test and evaluate high resolution simulations in this complex area. Verification of model runs uses observations taken from the nuclear power plant and higher resolution reanalyses data. The runs were tested in a period when flow was predominately forced by local conditions and in a period forced by frontal passage. The Eta Model was configured initially with 2-km horizontal resolution and 50 layers. The Eta-2km is a second nesting, it is driven by Eta-15km, which in its turn is driven by Era-Interim reanalyses. The series of experiments consists of replacing surface layer stability function, adjusting cloud microphysics scheme parameters, further increasing vertical and horizontal resolutions. By replacing the stability function for the stable conditions substantially increased the katabatic winds and verified better against the tower wind data. Precipitation produced by the model was excessive in the region. Increasing vertical resolution to 60 layers caused a further increase in precipitation production. This excessive precipitation was reduced by adjusting some parameters in the cloud microphysics scheme. Precipitation overestimate still occurs and further tests are still necessary. The increase of horizontal resolution to 1 km required adjusting model diffusion parameters and refining divergence calculations. Available observations in the region for a thorough evaluation is a major constraint.

Predicting nucleic acid binding interfaces from structural models of proteins.

PubMed

Dror, Iris; Shazman, Shula; Mukherjee, Srayanta; Zhang, Yang; Glaser, Fabian; Mandel-Gutfreund, Yael

2012-02-01

The function of DNA- and RNA-binding proteins can be inferred from the characterization and accurate prediction of their binding interfaces. However, the main pitfall of various structure-based methods for predicting nucleic acid binding function is that they are all limited to a relatively small number of proteins for which high-resolution three-dimensional structures are available. In this study, we developed a pipeline for extracting functional electrostatic patches from surfaces of protein structural models, obtained using the I-TASSER protein structure predictor. The largest positive patches are extracted from the protein surface using the patchfinder algorithm. We show that functional electrostatic patches extracted from an ensemble of structural models highly overlap the patches extracted from high-resolution structures. Furthermore, by testing our pipeline on a set of 55 known nucleic acid binding proteins for which I-TASSER produces high-quality models, we show that the method accurately identifies the nucleic acids binding interface on structural models of proteins. Employing a combined patch approach we show that patches extracted from an ensemble of models better predicts the real nucleic acid binding interfaces compared with patches extracted from independent models. Overall, these results suggest that combining information from a collection of low-resolution structural models could be a valuable approach for functional annotation. We suggest that our method will be further applicable for predicting other functional surfaces of proteins with unknown structure. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Computation of Surface Laplacian for tri-polar ring electrodes on high-density realistic geometry head model.

PubMed

Junwei Ma; Han Yuan; Sunderam, Sridhar; Besio, Walter; Lei Ding

2017-07-01

Neural activity inside the human brain generate electrical signals that can be detected on the scalp. Electroencephalograph (EEG) is one of the most widely utilized techniques helping physicians and researchers to diagnose and understand various brain diseases. Due to its nature, EEG signals have very high temporal resolution but poor spatial resolution. To achieve higher spatial resolution, a novel tri-polar concentric ring electrode (TCRE) has been developed to directly measure Surface Laplacian (SL). The objective of the present study is to accurately calculate SL for TCRE based on a realistic geometry head model. A locally dense mesh was proposed to represent the head surface, where the local dense parts were to match the small structural components in TCRE. Other areas without dense mesh were used for the purpose of reducing computational load. We conducted computer simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed mesh and evaluated possible numerical errors as compared with a low-density model. Finally, with achieved accuracy, we presented the computed forward lead field of SL for TCRE for the first time in a realistic geometry head model and demonstrated that it has better spatial resolution than computed SL from classic EEG recordings.

Overview of Proposal on High Resolution Climate Model Simulations of Recent Hurricane and Typhoon Activity: The Impact of SSTs and the Madden Julian Oscillation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schubert, Siegfried; Kang, In-Sik; Reale, Oreste

2009-01-01

This talk gives an update on the progress and further plans for a coordinated project to carry out and analyze high-resolution simulations of tropical storm activity with a number of state-of-the-art global climate models. Issues addressed include, the mechanisms by which SSTs control tropical storm. activity on inter-annual and longer time scales, the modulation of that activity by the Madden Julian Oscillation on sub-seasonal time scales, as well as the sensitivity of the results to model formulation. The project also encourages companion coarser resolution runs to help assess resolution dependence, and. the ability of the models to capture the large-scale and long-terra changes in the parameters important for hurricane development. Addressing the above science questions is critical to understanding the nature of the variability of the Asian-Australian monsoon and its regional impacts, and thus CLIVAR RAMP fully endorses the proposed tropical storm simulation activity. The project is open to all interested organizations and investigators, and the results from the runs will be shared among the participants, as well as made available to the broader scientific community for analysis.

The planetary hydraulics analysis based on a multi-resolution stereo DTMs and LISFLOOD-FP model: Case study in Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Schumann, G.; Neal, J. C.; Lin, S.

2013-12-01

Earth is the only planet possessing an active hydrological system based on H2O circulation. However, after Mariner 9 discovered fluvial channels on Mars with similar features to Earth, it became clear that some solid planets and satellites once had water flows or pseudo hydrological systems of other liquids. After liquid water was identified as the agent of ancient martian fluvial activities, the valley and channels on the martian surface were investigated by a number of remote sensing and in-suit measurements. Among all available data sets, the stereo DTM and ortho from various successful orbital sensor, such as High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), Context Camera (CTX), and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), are being most widely used to trace the origin and consequences of martian hydrological channels. However, geomorphological analysis, with stereo DTM and ortho images over fluvial areas, has some limitations, and so a quantitative modeling method utilizing various spatial resolution DTMs is required. Thus in this study we tested the application of hydraulics analysis with multi-resolution martian DTMs, constructed in line with Kim and Muller's (2009) approach. An advanced LISFLOOD-FP model (Bates et al., 2010), which simulates in-channel dynamic wave behavior by solving 2D shallow water equations without advection, was introduced to conduct a high accuracy simulation together with 150-1.2m DTMs over test sites including Athabasca and Bahram valles. For application to a martian surface, technically the acceleration of gravity in LISFLOOD-FP was reduced to the martian value of 3.71 m s-2 and the Manning's n value (friction), the only free parameter in the model, was adjusted for martian gravity by scaling it. The approach employing multi-resolution stereo DTMs and LISFLOOD-FP was superior compared with the other research cases using a single DTM source for hydraulics analysis. HRSC DTMs, covering 50-150m resolutions was used to trace rough routes of water flows for extensive target areas. After then, refinements through hydraulics simulations with CTX DTMs (~12-18m resolution) and HiRISE DTMs (~1- 4m resolution) were conducted by employing the output of HRSC simulations as the initial conditions. Thus even a few high and very high resolution stereo DTMs coverage enabled the performance of a high precision hydraulics analysis for reconstructing a whole fluvial event. In this manner, useful information to identify the characteristics of martian fluvial activities, such as water depth along the time line, flow direction, and travel time, were successfully retrieved with each target tributary. Together with all above useful outputs of hydraulics analysis, the local roughness and photogrammetric control of the stereo DTMs appeared to be crucial elements for accurate fluvial simulation. The potential of this study should be further explored for its application to the other extraterrestrial bodies where fluvial activity once existed, as well as the major martian channel and valleys.

Long-term, high-spatial resolution carbon balance monitoring of the Amazonian frontier: Predisturbance and postdisturbance carbon emissions and uptake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toomey, Michael; Roberts, Dar A.; Caviglia-Harris, Jill; Cochrane, Mark A.; Dewes, Candida F.; Harris, Daniel; Numata, Izaya; Sales, Marcio H.; Sills, Erin; Souza, Carlos M.

2013-06-01

We performed high-spatial and high-temporal resolution modeling of carbon stocks and fluxes in the state of Rondônia, Brazil for the period 1985-2009, using annual Landsat-derived land cover classifications and a modified bookkeeping modeling approach. According to these results, Rondônia contributed 3.5-4% of pantropical humid forest deforestation emissions over this period. Similar to well-known figures reported by the Brazilian Space Agency, we found a decline in deforestation rates since 2006. However, we estimate a lesser decrease, with deforestation rates continuing at levels similar to the early 2000s. Forest carbon stocks declined at an annual rate of 1.51%; emissions from postdisturbance land use nearly equaled those of the initial deforestation events. Carbon uptake by secondary forest was negligible due to limited spatial extent and high turnover rates. Net carbon emissions represented 93% of initial forest carbon stocks, due in part to repeated slash and pasture burnings and secondary forest clearing. We analyzed potential error incurred when spatially aggregating land cover by comparing results based on coarser-resolution (250 m) and full-resolution land cover products. At the coarser resolution, more than 90% of deforestation and secondary forest would be unresolvable, assuming that a 50% change threshold is necessary for detection. Therefore, we strongly suggest the use of Landsat-scale ( 30m) resolution carbon monitoring in tropical regions dominated by nonmechanized, smallholder land use change.

Statistical Downscaling of WRF-Chem Model: An Air Quality Analysis over Bogota, Colombia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Anikender; Rojas, Nestor

2015-04-01

Statistical downscaling is a technique that is used to extract high-resolution information from regional scale variables produced by coarse resolution models such as Chemical Transport Models (CTMs). The fully coupled WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) model is used to simulate air quality over Bogota. Bogota is a tropical Andean megacity located over a high-altitude plateau in the middle of very complex terrain. The WRF-Chem model was adopted for simulating the hourly ozone concentrations. The computational domains were chosen of 120x120x32, 121x121x32 and 121x121x32 grid points with horizontal resolutions of 27, 9 and 3 km respectively. The model was initialized with real boundary conditions using NCAR-NCEP's Final Analysis (FNL) and a 1ox1o (~111 km x 111 km) resolution. Boundary conditions were updated every 6 hours using reanalysis data. The emission rates were obtained from global inventories, namely the REanalysis of the TROpospheric (RETRO) chemical composition and the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR). Multiple linear regression and artificial neural network techniques are used to downscale the model output at each monitoring stations. The results confirm that the statistically downscaled outputs reduce simulated errors by up to 25%. This study provides a general overview of statistical downscaling of chemical transport models and can constitute a reference for future air quality modeling exercises over Bogota and other Colombian cities.

The North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP): Status and results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutowski, W. J.

2009-12-01

NARCCAP is a multi-institutional program that is investigating systematically the uncertainties in regional scale simulations of contemporary climate and projections of future climate. NARCCAP is supported by multiple federal agencies. NARCCAP is producing an ensemble of high-resolution climate-change scenarios by nesting multiple RCMs in reanalyses and multiple atmosphere-ocean GCM simulations of contemporary and future-scenario climates. The RCM domains cover the contiguous U.S., northern Mexico, and most of Canada. The simulation suite also includes time-slice, high resolution GCMs that use sea-surface temperatures from parent atmosphere-ocean GCMs. The baseline resolution of the RCMs and time-slice GCMs is 50 km. Simulations use three sources of boundary conditions: National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/Department of Energy (DOE) AMIP-II Reanalysis, GCMs simulating contemporary climate and GCMs using the A2 SRES emission scenario for the twenty-first century. Simulations cover 1979-2004 and 2038-2060, with the first 3 years discarded for spin-up. The resulting RCM and time-slice simulations offer opportunity for extensive analysis of RCM simulations as well as a basis for multiple high-resolution climate scenarios for climate change impacts assessments. Geophysical statisticians are developing measures of uncertainty from the ensemble. To enable very high-resolution simulations of specific regions, both RCM and high-resolution time-slice simulations are saving output needed for further downscaling. All output is publically available to the climate analysis and the climate impacts assessment community, through an archiving and data-distribution plan. Some initial results show that the models closely reproduce ENSO-related precipitation variations in coastal California, where the correlation between the simulated and observed monthly time series exceeds 0.94 for all models. The strong El Nino events of 1982-83 and 1997-98 are well reproduced for the Pacific coastal region of the U.S. in all models. ENSO signals are less well reproduced in other regions. The models also produce well extreme monthly precipitation in coastal California and the Upper Midwest. Model performance tends to deteriorate from west to east across the domain, or roughly from the inflow boundary toward the outflow boundary. This deterioration with distance from the inflow boundary is ameliorated to some extent in models formulated such that large-scale information is included in the model solution, whether implemented by spectral nudging or by use of a perturbation form of the governing equations.

Effect of elevation resolution on evapotranspiration simulations using MODFLOW.

PubMed

Kambhammettu, B V N P; Schmid, Wolfgang; King, James P; Creel, Bobby J

2012-01-01

Surface elevations represented in MODFLOW head-dependent packages are usually derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) that are available at much high resolution. Conventional grid refinement techniques to simulate the model at DEM resolution increases computational time, input file size, and in many cases are not feasible for regional applications. This research aims at utilizing the increasingly available high resolution DEMs for effective simulation of evapotranspiration (ET) in MODFLOW as an alternative to grid refinement techniques. The source code of the evapotranspiration package is modified by considering for a fixed MODFLOW grid resolution and for different DEM resolutions, the effect of variability in elevation data on ET estimates. Piezometric head at each DEM cell location is corrected by considering the gradient along row and column directions. Applicability of the research is tested for the lower Rio Grande (LRG) Basin in southern New Mexico. The DEM at 10 m resolution is aggregated to resampled DEM grid resolutions which are integer multiples of MODFLOW grid resolution. Cumulative outflows and ET rates are compared at different coarse resolution grids. Results of the analysis conclude that variability in depth-to-groundwater within the MODFLOW cell is a major contributing parameter to ET outflows in shallow groundwater regions. DEM aggregation methods for the LRG Basin have resulted in decreased volumetric outflow due to the formation of a smoothing error, which lowered the position of water table to a level below the extinction depth. © 2011, The Author(s). Ground Water © 2011, National Ground Water Association.

Development of Forest Drought Index and Forest Water Use Prediction in Gyeonggi Province, Korea Using High-Resolution Weather Research and Forecast Data and Localized JULES Land Surface Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H.; Park, J.; Cho, S.; Lee, S. J.; Kim, H. S.

2017-12-01

Forest determines the amount of water available to low land ecosystems, which use the rest of water after evapotranspiration by forests. Substantial increase of drought, especially for seasonal drought, has occurred in Korea due to climate change, recently. To cope with this increasing crisis, it is necessary to predict the water use of forest. In our study, forest water use in the Gyeonggi Province in Korea was estimated using high-resolution (spatial and temporal) meteorological forecast data and localized Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) which is one of the widely used land surface models. The modeled estimation was used for developing forest drought index. The localization of the model was conducted by 1) refining the existing two tree plant functional types (coniferous and deciduous trees) into five (Quercus spp., other deciduous tree spp., Pinus spp., Larix spp., and other coniferous spp.), 2) correcting moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index (LAI) through data assimilation with in situ measured LAI, and 3) optimizing the unmeasured plant physiological parameters (e.g. leaf nitrogen contents, nitrogen distribution within canopy, light use efficiency) based on sensitivity analysis of model output values. The high-resolution (hourly and 810 × 810 m) National Center for AgroMeteorology-Land-Atmosphere Modeling Package (NCAM-LAMP) data were employed as meteorological input data in JULES. The plant functional types and soil texture of each grid cell in the same resolution with that of NCAM-LAMP was also used. The performance of the localized model in estimating forest water use was verified by comparison with the multi-year sapflow measurements and Eddy covariance data of Taehwa Mountain site. Our result can be used as referential information to estimate the forest water use change by the climate change. Moreover, the drought index can be used to foresee the drought condition and prepare to it.

Single image super-resolution reconstruction algorithm based on eage selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yaolan; Liu, Yijun

2017-05-01

Super-resolution (SR) has become more important, because it can generate high-quality high-resolution (HR) images from low-resolution (LR) input images. At present, there are a lot of work is concentrated on developing sophisticated image priors to improve the image quality, while taking much less attention to estimating and incorporating the blur model that can also impact the reconstruction results. We present a new reconstruction method based on eager selection. This method takes full account of the factors that affect the blur kernel estimation and accurately estimating the blur process. When comparing with the state-of-the-art methods, our method has comparable performance.

Describing litho-constrained layout by a high-resolution model filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Min-Chun

2008-05-01

A novel high-resolution model (HRM) filtering technique was proposed to describe litho-constrained layouts. Litho-constrained layouts are layouts that have difficulties to pattern or are highly sensitive to process-fluctuations under current lithography technologies. HRM applies a short-wavelength (or high NA) model simulation directly on the pre-OPC, original design layout to filter out low spatial-frequency regions, and retain high spatial-frequency components which are litho-constrained. Since no OPC neither mask-synthesis steps are involved, this new technique is highly efficient in run time and can be used in design stage to detect and fix litho-constrained patterns. This method has successfully captured all the hot-spots with less than 15% overshoots on a realistic 80 mm2 full-chip M1 layout in 65nm technology node. A step by step derivation of this HRM technique is presented in this paper.

Evaluation of precipitation extremes over the Asian domain: observation and modelling studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, In-Won; Oh, Jaiho; Woo, Sumin; Kripalani, R. H.

2018-04-01

In this study, a comparison in the precipitation extremes as exhibited by the seven reference datasets is made to ascertain whether the inferences based on these datasets agree or they differ. These seven datasets, roughly grouped in three categories i.e. rain-gauge based (APHRODITE, CPC-UNI), satellite-based (TRMM, GPCP1DD) and reanalysis based (ERA-Interim, MERRA, and JRA55), having a common data period 1998-2007 are considered. Focus is to examine precipitation extremes in the summer monsoon rainfall over South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. Measures of extreme precipitation include the percentile thresholds, frequency of extreme precipitation events and other quantities. Results reveal that the differences in displaying extremes among the datasets are small over South Asia and East Asia but large differences among the datasets are displayed over the Southeast Asian region including the maritime continent. Furthermore, precipitation data appear to be more consistent over East Asia among the seven datasets. Decadal trends in extreme precipitation are consistent with known results over South and East Asia. No trends in extreme precipitation events are exhibited over Southeast Asia. Outputs of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) simulation data are categorized as high, medium and low-resolution models. The regions displaying maximum intensity of extreme precipitation appear to be dependent on model resolution. High-resolution models simulate maximum intensity of extreme precipitation over the Indian sub-continent, medium-resolution models over northeast India and South China and the low-resolution models over Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand. In summary, there are differences in displaying extreme precipitation statistics among the seven datasets considered here and among the 29 CMIP5 model data outputs.

The future of structural fieldwork - UAV assisted aerial photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollgger, Stefan; Cruden, Alexander

2015-04-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, are opening new and low cost possibilities to acquire high-resolution aerial images and digital surface models (DSM) for applications in structural geology. UAVs can be programmed to fly autonomously along a user defined grid to systematically capture high-resolution photographs, even in difficult to access areas. The photographs are subsequently processed using software that employ SIFT (scale invariant feature transform) and SFM (structure from motion) algorithms. These photogrammetric routines allow the extraction of spatial information (3D point clouds, digital elevation models, 3D meshes, orthophotos) from 2D images. Depending on flight altitude and camera setup, sub-centimeter spatial resolutions can be achieved. By "digitally mapping" georeferenced 3D models and images, orientation data can be extracted directly and used to analyse the structural framework of the mapped object or area. We present UAV assisted aerial mapping results from a coastal platform near Cape Liptrap (Victoria, Australia), where deformed metasediments of the Palaeozoic Lachlan Fold Belt are exposed. We also show how orientation and spatial information of brittle and ductile structures extracted from the photogrammetric model can be linked to the progressive development of folds and faults in the region. Even though there are both technical and legislative limitations, which might prohibit the use of UAVs without prior commercial licensing and training, the benefits that arise from the resulting high-resolution, photorealistic models can substantially contribute to the collection of new data and insights for applications in structural geology.