Accurate pressure gradient calculations in hydrostatic atmospheric models
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Carroll, John J.; Mendez-Nunez, Luis R.; Tanrikulu, Saffet
1987-01-01
A method for the accurate calculation of the horizontal pressure gradient acceleration in hydrostatic atmospheric models is presented which is especially useful in situations where the isothermal surfaces are not parallel to the vertical coordinate surfaces. The present method is shown to be exact if the potential temperature lapse rate is constant between the vertical pressure integration limits. The technique is applied to both the integration of the hydrostatic equation and the computation of the slope correction term in the horizontal pressure gradient. A fixed vertical grid and a dynamic grid defined by the significant levels in the vertical temperature distribution are employed.
A wet/wet differential pressure sensor for measuring vertical hydraulic gradient.
Fritz, Brad G; Mackley, Rob D
2010-01-01
Vertical hydraulic gradient is commonly measured in rivers, lakes, and streams for studies of groundwater-surface water interaction. While a number of methods with subtle differences have been applied, these methods can generally be separated into two categories; measuring surface water elevation and pressure in the subsurface separately or making direct measurements of the head difference with a manometer. Making separate head measurements allows for the use of electronic pressure sensors, providing large datasets that are particularly useful when the vertical hydraulic gradient fluctuates over time. On the other hand, using a manometer-based method provides an easier and more rapid measurement with a simpler computation to calculate the vertical hydraulic gradient. In this study, we evaluated a wet/wet differential pressure sensor for use in measuring vertical hydraulic gradient. This approach combines the advantage of high-temporal frequency measurements obtained with instrumented piezometers with the simplicity and reduced potential for human-induced error obtained with a manometer board method. Our results showed that the wet/wet differential pressure sensor provided results comparable to more traditional methods, making it an acceptable method for future use.
Observations of wave-induced pore pressure gradients and bed level response on a surf zone sandbar
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Anderson, Dylan; Cox, Dan; Mieras, Ryan; Puleo, Jack A.; Hsu, Tian-Jian
2017-06-01
Horizontal and vertical pressure gradients may be important physical mechanisms contributing to onshore sediment transport beneath steep, near-breaking waves in the surf zone. A barred beach was constructed in a large-scale laboratory wave flume with a fixed profile containing a mobile sediment layer on the crest of the sandbar. Horizontal and vertical pore pressure gradients were obtained by finite differences of measurements from an array of pressure transducers buried within the upper several centimeters of the bed. Colocated observations of erosion depth were made during asymmetric wave trials with wave heights between 0.10 and 0.98 m, consistently resulting in onshore sheet flow sediment transport. The pore pressure gradient vector within the bed exhibited temporal rotations during each wave cycle, directed predominantly upward under the trough and then rapidly rotating onshore and downward as the wavefront passed. The magnitude of the pore pressure gradient during each phase of rotation was correlated with local wave steepness and relative depth. Momentary bed failures as deep as 20 grain diameters were coincident with sharp increases in the onshore-directed pore pressure gradients, but occurred at horizontal pressure gradients less than theoretical critical values for initiation of the motion for compact beds. An expression combining the effects of both horizontal and vertical pore pressure gradients with bed shear stress and soil stability is used to determine that failure of the bed is initiated at nonnegligible values of both forces.
Exploration of Characteristics Governing Dynamics of Whirlwinds: Application to Dust Devils
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pandey, Sanjay Kumar; Maurya, Jagdish Prasad
2017-08-01
It is intended to model mathematically an ideal whirlwind which characterises this geo-physical phenomenon and eventually helps us decode the inherent dynamics. A dense cylindrical aerial mass is taken into consideration surrounding a rarer aerial region in order to keep a radial favourable gradient of pressure to sustain a rotational motion. It has been concluded that the whirlwind will survive as long as the low pressure region exists. The vertical pressure gradient also plays an equally important role. Since it is not connected to any cloud and the axial velocity is in the vertically upward direction, the momentary vertical gradient of pressure is required for its growth and survival. Horizontal ambient winds that rush towards low pressure zone, crush the air in the buffer zone, and turn vertically upward may also take the dust carried with them visibly to some height. It is considered that the angular azimuthal velocity varies within the annulus. An inference is that no whirlwind without a low pressure region within it can survive. This may be termed as the fundamental characteristic of whirlwind. It is further concluded that if the radial pressure difference between the outermost and innermost layers is larger, the whirlwind is thicker and consequently, it will last longer. Moreover, another conclusion arrived at is that the angular velocity will vanish if the inner radius is zero.
The 630 nm MIG and the vertical neutral wind in the low latitude nighttime thermosphere
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Herrero, F. A.; Meriwether, J. W., Jr.
1994-01-01
It is shown that large negative divergences (gradients) in the horizontal neutral wind in the equatorial thermosphere can support downward neutral winds in excess of 20 m/s. With attention to the meridional and vertical winds only, the pressure tendency equation is used to derive the expression U(sub z0) approximately equals (Partial derivative U(sub y)/Partial derivative y)H for the vertical wind U(sub z0) at the reference altitude for the pressure tendency equation; H is the atmospheric density scale height, and (Partial derivative U(sub y)/Partial derivative y) is the meridional wind gradient. The velocity gradient associated with the Meridional Intensity Gradient (MIG) of the O((sup 1)D) emission (630 nm) at low latitudes is used to estimate the vertical neutral wind in the MIG region. Velocity gradients derived from MIG data are about 0.5 (m/s)/km) or more, indicating that the MIG region may contain downward neutral winds in excess of 20 m/s. Though direct measurements of the vertical wind are scarce, Fabry-Perot interferometer data of the equatorial F-region above Natal, Brazil, showed downward winds of 30 m/s occurring during a strong meridional wind convergence in 1982. In-situ measurements with the WATS instrument on the DE-2 satellite also show large vertical neutral winds in the equatorial region.
Vertical heterogeneity in predation pressure in a temperate forest canopy
Aikens, Kathleen R.; Buddle, Christopher M.
2013-01-01
The forest canopy offers a vertical gradient across which variation in predation pressure implies variation in refuge quality for arthropods. Direct and indirect experimental approaches were combined to assess whether canopy strata differ in ability to offer refuge to various arthropod groups. Vertical heterogeneity in impact of avian predators was quantified using exclosure cages in the understory, lower, mid, and upper canopy of a north-temperate deciduous forest near Montreal, Quebec. Bait trials were completed in the same strata to investigate the effects of invertebrate predators. Exclusion of birds yielded higher arthropod densities across all strata, although treatment effects were small for some taxa. Observed gradients in predation pressure were similar for both birds and invertebrate predators; the highest predation pressure was observed in the understory and decreased with height. Our findings support a view of the forest canopy that is heterogeneous with respect to arthropod refuge from natural enemies. PMID:24010017
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Song, Y. T.
1998-01-01
A Jacobian formulation of the pressure gradient force for use in models with topography following coordinates is proposed. It can be used in conjunction with any vertical coordinate system and is easily implemented.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chamorro, Adolfo; Echevin, Vincent; Colas, François; Oerder, Vera; Tam, Jorge; Quispe-Ccalluari, Carlos
2018-01-01
The physical processes driving the wind intensification in a coastal band of 100 km off Peru during the intense 1997-1998 El Niño (EN) event were studied using a regional atmospheric model. A simulation performed for the period 1994-2000 reproduced the coastal wind response to local sea surface temperature (SST) forcing and large scale atmospheric conditions. The model, evaluated with satellite data, represented well the intensity, seasonal and interannual variability of alongshore (i.e. NW-SE) winds. An alongshore momentum budget showed that the pressure gradient was the dominant force driving the surface wind acceleration. The pressure gradient tended to accelerate the coastal wind, while turbulent vertical mixing decelerated it. A quasi-linear relation between surface wind and pressure gradient anomalies was found. Alongshore pressure gradient anomalies were caused by a greater increase in near-surface air temperature off the northern coast than off the southern coast, associated with the inhomogeneous SST warming. Vertical profiles of wind, mixing coefficient, and momentum trends showed that the surface wind intensification was not caused by the increase of turbulence in the planetary boundary layer. Moreover, the temperature inversion in the vertical mitigated the development of pressure gradient due to air convection during part of the event. Sensitivity experiments allowed to isolate the respective impacts of the local SST forcing and large scale condition on the coastal wind intensification. It was primarily driven by the local SST forcing whereas large scale variability associated with the South Pacific Anticyclone modulated its effects. Examination of other EN events using reanalysis data confirmed that intensifications of alongshore wind off Peru were associated with SST alongshore gradient anomalies, as during the 1997-1998 event.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Engwirda, Darren; Kelley, Maxwell; Marshall, John
2017-08-01
Discretisation of the horizontal pressure gradient force in layered ocean models is a challenging task, with non-trivial interactions between the thermodynamics of the fluid and the geometry of the layers often leading to numerical difficulties. We present two new finite-volume schemes for the pressure gradient operator designed to address these issues. In each case, the horizontal acceleration is computed as an integration of the contact pressure force that acts along the perimeter of an associated momentum control-volume. A pair of new schemes are developed by exploring different control-volume geometries. Non-linearities in the underlying equation-of-state definitions and thermodynamic profiles are treated using a high-order accurate numerical integration framework, designed to preserve hydrostatic balance in a non-linear manner. Numerical experiments show that the new methods achieve high levels of consistency, maintaining hydrostatic and thermobaric equilibrium in the presence of strongly-sloping layer geometries, non-linear equations-of-state and non-uniform vertical stratification profiles. These results suggest that the new pressure gradient formulations may be appropriate for general circulation models that employ hybrid vertical coordinates and/or terrain-following representations.
Intrathoracic and venous pressure relationships during responses to changes in body position
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Avasthey, P.; Wood, E. H.
1974-01-01
Simultaneous end-expiratory pressures, referred to midthoracic level, in the superior and abdominal venae cavae, pericardial space, and right and left heart, were recorded without thoracotomy in three anesthetized dogs during sudden changes from supine to vertical head-up or head-down body positions. Intrathoracic and dependent great vein pressures referred to midchest level (sixth thoracic vertebra) decreased and showed simple hydrostatic gradients in either vertical position. However, a discontinuity in the large vein hydrostatic gradient occurred just distal to the superior margin of the thorax in either body position and was resumed again above this level. It is concluded that, just as the cerebrospinal fluid and intraperitoneal pressures minimize the effects of gravitational and inertial forces on the cerebral and visceral circulations, the pericardial and pleural pressures have a similar role for the heart proper.
Pleural mechanics and fluid exchange.
Lai-Fook, Stephen J
2004-04-01
The pleural space separating the lung and chest wall of mammals contains a small amount of liquid that lubricates the pleural surfaces during breathing. Recent studies have pointed to a conceptual understanding of the pleural space that is different from the one advocated some 30 years ago in this journal. The fundamental concept is that pleural surface pressure, the result of the opposing recoils of the lung and chest wall, is the major determinant of the pressure in the pleural liquid. Pleural liquid is not in hydrostatic equilibrium because the vertical gradient in pleural liquid pressure, determined by the vertical gradient in pleural surface pressure, does not equal the hydrostatic gradient. As a result, a viscous flow of pleural liquid occurs in the pleural space. Ventilatory and cardiogenic motions serve to redistribute pleural liquid and minimize contact between the pleural surfaces. Pleural liquid is a microvascular filtrate from parietal pleural capillaries in the chest wall. Homeostasis in pleural liquid volume is achieved by an adjustment of the pleural liquid thickness to the filtration rate that is matched by an outflow via lymphatic stomata.
Vertical two-phase flow regimes and pressure gradients under the influence of SDS surfactant
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Duangprasert, Tanabordee; Sirivat, Anuvat; Siemanond, Kitipat
2008-01-15
Two-phase gas/liquid flows in vertical pipes have been systematically investigated. Water and SDS surfactant solutions at various concentrations were used as the working fluids. In particular, we focus our work on the influence of surfactant addition on the flow regimes, the corresponding pressure gradients, and the bubble sizes and velocity. Adding the surfactant lowers the air critical Reynolds numbers for the bubble-slug flow and the slug flow transitions. The pressure gradients of SDS solutions are lower than those of pure water especially in the slug flow and the slug-churn flow regimes, implying turbulent drag reduction. At low Re{sub air}, themore » bubble sizes of the surfactant solution are lower than those of pure water due to the increase in viscosity. With increasing and at high Re{sub air}, the bubble sizes of the SDS solution become greater than those of pure water which is attributed to the effect of surface tension. (author)« less
Study on cyclic injection gas override in condensate gas reservoir
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sun, Yan; Zhu, Weiyao; Xia, Jing; Li, Baozhu
2018-02-01
Cyclic injection gas override in condensate gas reservoirs for the large density difference between injection gas and condensate gas has been studied, but no relevant mathematical models have been built. In this paper, a mathematical model of cyclic injection gas override in condensate gas reservoir is established, considering density difference between the injected gas and the remaining condensate gas in the formation. The vertical flow ratio and override degree are used to reflect the override law of injected dry gas. Combined with the actual data of Tarim gas condensate reservoir, the parameters of injected dry gas override are calculated and analysed. The results show that the radial pressure rises or falls rapidly and the pressure gradient varies greatly in the near wells. The radial pressure varies slowly and the pressure gradient changes little in the reservoir which is within a certain distance from the wells. In the near injection well, the injected dry gas mainly migrates along the radial direction, and the vertical migration is relatively not obvious. With the distance from the injection well, the vertical flow ratio and override degree of injected dry gas increases, and the vertical flow ratio reaches the maximum in the middle of the injection well and the production well.
Numerical Simulation of Atmospheric Response to Pacific Tropical Instability Waves(.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Small, R. Justin; Xie, Shang-Ping; Wang, Yuqing
2003-11-01
Tropical instability waves (TIWs) are 1000-km-long waves that appear along the sea surface temperature (SST) front of the equatorial cold tongue in the eastern Pacific. The study investigates the atmospheric planetary boundary layer (PBL) response to TIW-induced SST variations using a high-resolution regional climate model. An investigation is made of the importance of pressure gradients induced by changes in air temperature and moisture, and vertical mixing, which is parameterized in the model by a 1.5-level turbulence closure scheme. Significant turbulent flux anomalies of sensible and latent heat are caused by changes in the air sea temperature and moisture differences induced by the TIWs. Horizontal advection leads to the occurrence of the air temperature and moisture extrema downwind of the SST extrema. High and low hydrostatic surface pressures are then located downwind of the cold and warm SST patches, respectively. The maximum and minimum wind speeds occur in phase with SST, and a thermally direct circulation is created. The momentum budget indicates that pressure gradient, vertical mixing, and horizontal advection dominate. In the PBL the vertical mixing acts as a frictional drag on the pressure-gradient-driven winds. Over warm SST the mixed layer deepens relative to over cold SST. The model simulations of the phase and amplitude of wind velocity, wind convergence, and column-integrated water vapor perturbations due to TIWs are similar to those observed from satellite and in situ data.
Bed failure induced by internal solitary waves
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivera-Rosario, Gustavo A.; Diamessis, Peter J.; Jenkins, James T.
2017-07-01
The pressure field inside a porous bed induced by the passage of an Internal Solitary Wave (ISW) of depression is examined using high-accuracy numerical simulations. The velocity and density fields are obtained by solving the Dubreil-Jacotin-Long Equation, for a two-layer, continuously stratified water column. The total wave-induced pressure across the surface of the bed is computed by vertically integrating for the hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic contributions. The bed is assumed to be a continuum composed of either sand or silt, with a small amount of trapped gas. Results show variations in pore-water pressure penetrating deeper into more conductive materials and remaining for a prolonged period after the wave has passed. In order to quantify the potential for failure, the vertical pressure gradient is compared against the buoyant weight of the bed. The pressure gradient exceeds this weight for weakly conductive materials. Failure is further enhanced by a decrease in bed saturation, consistent with studies in surface-wave induced failure. In deeper water, the ISW-induced pressure is stronger, causing failure only for weakly conductive materials. The pressure associated with the free-surface displacement that accompanies ISWs is significant, when the water depth is less than 100 m, but has little influence when it is greater than 100 m, where the hydrostatic pressure due to the pycnocline displacement is much larger. Since the pore-pressure gradient reduces the specific weight of the bed, results show that particles are easier for the flow to suspend, suggesting that pressure contributes to the powerful resuspension events observed in the field.
Low-level wind response to mesoscale pressure systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Garratt, J. R.; Physick, W. L.
1983-09-01
Observations are presented which show a strong correlation between low-level wind behaviour (e.g., rotation near the surface) and the passage of mesoscale pressure systems. The latter are associated with frontal transition zones, are dominated by a pressure-jump line and a mesoscale high pressure area, and produce locally large horizontal pressure gradients. The wind observations are simulated by specifying a time sequence of perturbation pressure gradient and subsequently solving the vertically-integrated momentum equations with appropriate initial conditions. Very good agreement is found between observed and calculated winds; in particular, (i) a 360 ° rotation in wind on passage of the mesoscale high; (ii) wind-shift lines produced dynamically by the pressure-jump line; (iii) rapid linear increase in wind speed on passage of the pressure jump.
Comparison of tracer methods to quantify hydrodynamic exchange within the hyporheic zone
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Engelhardt, I.; Piepenbrink, M.; Trauth, N.; Stadler, S.; Kludt, C.; Schulz, M.; Schüth, C.; Ternes, T. A.
2011-03-01
SummaryHydrodynamic exchange between surface-water and groundwater was studied at a river located within the Rhine Valley in Germany. Piezometric pressure heads and environmental tracers such as temperature, stable isotopes, chloride, X-ray contrast media, and artificial sweetener were investigated within the hyporheic zone and river water plume. Vertical profiles of environmental tracers were collected using multi-level wells within the neutral up-gradient zone, beneath the river bed, and within the horizontal proximal and distal down-gradient zone. Infiltration velocities were calculated from pressure heads, temperature fluctuations and gradients. The amount of river water within groundwater was estimated from vertical profiles of chloride, stable isotopes, and persistent pharmaceuticals. Profiles of stable isotopes and chloride reveal the existence of down-welling within the shallow hyporheic zone that is generated by river bed irregularities. Due to down-welling an above-average migration of river water into the hyporheic zone establishes even under upward hydraulic pressure gradients. The investigated environmental tracers could not distinctively display short-time-infiltration velocities representative for flood waves, while average infiltration velocities calculated over several months are uniform displayed. Based on vertical temperature profiles the down-gradient migration of the river water plume could be observed even after long periods of effluent conditions and over a distance of 200 m from the river bank. X-ray contrast media and artificial sweeteners were observed in high concentrations within the proximal zone, but were not detected at a distance of 200 m from the river bank. Using temperature as environmental tracer within the hyporheic zone may result in overestimating the migration of pollutants within the river water plume as the process of natural attenuation will be neglected. Furthermore, temperature was not able to display the effect of down-welling. Stable isotopes and chloride were found to be suitable environmental tracers to forecast the release and fate of organic contaminants within the hyporheic zone.
Along-shelf current variability on the Catalan inner-shelf (NW Mediterranean)
Grifoll, Manel; Aretxabaleta, Alfredo L.; Espino, Manuel; Warner, John C.
2012-01-01
We examine the circulation over the inner shelf of the Catalan Sea using observations of currents obtained from three ADCPs within the inner-shelf (24 and 50 m depth) during March-April 2011. The along-shelf current fluctuations during that period are mainly controlled by the local wind stress on short time scales and by remote pressure gradients on synoptic time scales. Different forcing mechanisms are involved in the along-shelf momentum balance. During storm conditions, wind stress, sea level gradients and the non-linear terms dominate the balance. During weak wind conditions, the momentum balance is controlled by the pressure gradient, while during periods of moderate wind in the presence of considerable stratification, the balance is established between the Coriolis and wind stress terms. Vertical variations of velocity are affected by the strong observed density gradient. The increased vertical shear is accompanied by the development of stratified conditions due to local heating when the wind is not able to counteract (and destroy) stratification. The occasional influence of the Besòs river plume is observed in time scales of hours to days in a limited area in front of Barcelona. The area affected by the plume depends on the vertical extend of the fresher layer, the fast river discharge peak, and the relaxation of cross-shore velocities after northeast storm events. This contribution provides a first interpretation of the inner-shelf dynamics in the Catalan Sea.
Alperin, Noam; Lee, Sang H; Bagci, Ahmet M
2015-10-01
To add the hydrostatic component of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived intracranial pressure (ICP) measurements in the upright posture for derivation of pressure value in a central cranial location often used in invasive ICP measurements. Additional analyses were performed using data previously collected from 10 healthy subjects scanned in supine and sitting positions with a 0.5T vertical gap MRI scanner (GE Medical). Pulsatile blood and CSF flows to and from the brain were quantified using cine phase-contrast. Intracranial compliance and pressure were calculated using a previously described method. The vertical distance between the location of the CSF flow measurement and a central cranial location was measured manually in the mid-sagittal T1 -weighted image obtained in the upright posture. The hydrostatic pressure gradient of a CSF column with similar height was then added to the MR-ICP value. After adjustment for the hydrostatic component, the mean ICP value was reduced by 7.6 mmHg. Mean ICP referenced to the central cranial level was -3.4 ± 1.7 mmHg compared to the unadjusted value of +4.3 ± 1.8 mmHg. In the upright posture, the hydrostatic pressure component needs to be added to the MRI-derived ICP values for compatibility with invasive ICP at a central cranial location. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Warm-Core Intensification Through Horizontal Eddy Heat Transports into the Eye
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Braun, Scott A.; Montgomery, Michael T.; Fulton, John; Nolan, David S.; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)
2001-01-01
The mechanism for the formation and intensification of the hurricane warm core is not well understood. The generally accepted explanation is that the warm core forms as a result of gentle subsidence of air within the eye that warms as a result of adiabatic compression. Malkus suggested that this subsidence is part of a deep circulation in which air begins descent at high levels in the eye, acquires cyclonic angular momentum as it descends to lower levels, and then diverges at low levels, where it is entrained back into the eyewall. Inward mixing from the eyewall is hypothesized to force the subsidence and maintain the moisture and momentum budgets of the subsiding air. Willoughby suggested that air within the eye has remained so since it was first enclosed during the formation of the eyewall and that it subsides at most only a few kilometers rather than through the depth of the troposphere. He relates the subsidence to the low-level divergence and entrainment into the eyewall noted by Malkus, but suggests that shrinkage of the eye's volume is more than adequate to account for the air lost to the eyewall or converted to cloudy air by turbulent mixing across the eye boundary. Smith offered an alternative view of the subsidence forcing, suggesting that vertical motion in a mature hurricane eye is generated largely by imbalances between the downward vertical pressure gradient force and the upward buoyancy force. The vertical pressure gradient force is associated with the decay and/or radial spread of the tangential wind field with height at those levels were the winds are in approximate gradient wind balance. The rate of subsidence is just that required to warm the air sufficiently such that the buoyancy remains in close hydrostatic balance with an increasing vertical pressure gradient force. In this study, a very high-resolution simulation of Hurricane Bob using a cloud-resolving grid scale of 1.3 km is used to examine the heat budget within the storm with particular emphasis on the mechanisms for warming of the eye.
Mechanical models for dikes: A third school of thought
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Townsend, Meredith R.; Pollard, David D.; Smith, Richard P.
2017-04-01
Geological and geophysical data from continental volcanic centers and giant radial swarms, and from oceanic shield volcanoes and rift zones, indicate that dikes propagate laterally for distances that can be 10 to over 100 times their height. What traps dikes within the shallow lithosphere and promotes these highly eccentric shapes? Gravity-induced stress gradients in the surrounding rock and pressure gradients in the magma are the primary loading mechanisms; pressure gradients due to magma flow are secondary to insignificant, because the flow direction is dominantly horizontal. This configuration of vertical, blade-shaped dikes with horizontal dike propagation and magma flow is fundamentally different from the two dike model configurations described in a recent review paper as two schools of thought for mechanical models of dikes. In School I, a dike is disconnected from its source and ascends under the influence of buoyancy. In School II, a dike is connected to a magma reservoir and is driven upward by magma flux from the source. We review the geological and geophysical data supporting the vertical dike - horizontal flow/propagation configuration and suggest the abundance and veracity of these data in many different geological settings, and the modeling results that address this physical process, warrant adding this as a third school of thought. A new analytical solution for the boundary-value problem of a homogeneous, isotropic, and linear elastic solid with a vertical, fluid-filled crack is used to investigate the effects of gravitationally induced stress and pressure gradients on the aperture distribution, dike-tip stress intensity, and stable height. Model results indicate that in a homogeneous crust, dikes can achieve stable heights greater than a kilometer only if the host rock fracture toughness KIC 100 MPa · m1/2. However, density stratification of the crust is an effective mechanism for trapping kilometer-scale dikes even if the host rock is very weak (KIC = 0). This analysis may explain why vertical dikes propagate laterally for great distances, but reside within a narrow range of depths in the crust.
Neutral winds and electric fields from model studies using reduced ionograms
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Baran, D. E.
1974-01-01
A relationship between the vertical component of the ion velocity and electron density profiles derived from reduced ionograms is developed. Methods for determining the horizontal components of the neutral winds and electric fields by using this relationship and making use of the variations of the inclinations and declinations of the earth's magnetic field are presented. The effects that electric fields have on the neutral wind calculations are estimated to be small but not second order. Seasonal and latitudinal variations of the calculated neutral winds are presented. From the calculated neutral winds a new set of neutral pressure gradients is determined. The new pressure gradients are compared with those generated from several static neutral atmospheric models. Sensitivity factors relating the pressure gradients and neutral winds are calculated and these indicate that mode coupling and harmonic generation are important to studies which assume linearized theories.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Achtemeier, G. L.
1986-01-01
Since late 1982 NASA has supported research to develop a numerical variational model for the diagnostic assimilation of conventional and space-based meteorological data. In order to analyze the model components, four variational models are defined dividing the problem naturally according to increasing complexity. The first of these variational models (MODEL I), the subject of this report, contains the two nonlinear horizontal momentum equations, the integrated continuity equation, and the hydrostatic equation. This report summarizes the results of research (1) to improve the way the large nonmeteorological parts of the pressure gradient force are partitioned between the two terms of the pressure gradient force terms of the horizontal momentum equations, (2) to generalize the integrated continuity equation to account for variable pressure thickness over elevated terrain, and (3) to introduce horizontal variation in the precision modulus weights for the observations.
Klarica, Marijan; Radoš, Milan; Erceg, Gorislav; Petošić, Antonio; Jurjević, Ivana; Orešković, Darko
2014-01-01
Intracranial hypertension is a severe therapeutic problem, as there is insufficient knowledge about the physiology of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. In this paper a new CSF pressure regulation hypothesis is proposed. According to this hypothesis, the CSF pressure depends on the laws of fluid mechanics and on the anatomical characteristics inside the cranial and spinal space, and not, as is today generally believed, on CSF secretion, circulation and absorption. The volume and pressure changes in the newly developed CSF model, which by its anatomical dimensions and basic biophysical features imitates the craniospinal system in cats, are compared to those obtained on cats with and without the blockade of craniospinal communication in different body positions. During verticalization, a long-lasting occurrence of negative CSF pressure inside the cranium in animals with normal cranio-spinal communication was observed. CSF pressure gradients change depending on the body position, but those gradients do not enable unidirectional CSF circulation from the hypothetical site of secretion to the site of absorption in any of them. Thus, our results indicate the existence of new physiological/pathophysiological correlations between intracranial fluids, which opens up the possibility of new therapeutic approaches to intracranial hypertension.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kaplan, Michael L.; Huffman, Allan W.; Lux, Kevin M.; Cetola, Jeffrey D.; Charney, Joseph J.; Riordan, Allen J.; Lin, Yuh-Lang; Waight, Kenneth T., III; Proctor, Fred (Technical Monitor)
2003-01-01
Simulation experiments reveal key processes that organize a hydrostatic environment conducive to severe turbulence. The paradigm requires juxtaposition of the entrance region of a curved jet stream, which is highly subgeostrophic, with the entrance region of a straight jet stream, which is highly supergeostrophic. The wind and mass fields become misphased as the entrance regions converge resulting in the significant spatial variation of inertial forcing, centripetal forcing, and along- and cross-stream pressure gradient forcing over a mesobeta scale region. This results in frontogenesis and the along-stream divergence of cyclonic and convergence of cyclonic ageostrophic vertical vorticity. The centripetally forced mesoscale front becomes the locus of large gradients of ageostrophic vertical vorticity along an overturning isentrope. This region becomes favorable for streamwise vorticity gradient formation enhancing the environment for organization of horizontal vortex tubes in the presence of buoyant forcing.
Impact of plunging breaking waves on a partially submerged cube
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, A.; Ikeda, C.; Duncan, J. H.
2013-11-01
The impact of a deep-water plunging breaking wave on a partially submerged cube is studied experimentally in a tank that is 14.8 m long and 1.2 m wide with a water depth of 0.91 m. The breakers are created from dispersively focused wave packets generated by a programmable wave maker. The water surface profile in the vertical center plane of the cube is measured using a cinematic laser-induced fluorescence technique with movie frame rates ranging from 300 to 4,500 Hz. The pressure distribution on the front face of the cube is measured with 24 fast-response sensors simultaneously with the wave profile measurements. The cube is positioned vertically at three heights relative to the mean water level and horizontally at a distance from the wave maker where a strong vertical water jet is formed. The portion of the water surface between the contact point on the front face of the cube and the wave crest is fitted with a circular arc and the radius and vertical position of the fitted circle is tracked during the impact. The vertical acceleration of the contact point reaches more than 50 times the acceleration of gravity and the pressure distribution just below the free surface shows a localized high-pressure region with a very high vertical pressure gradient. This work is supported by the Office of Naval Research under grant N000141110095.
Interaction of lateral baroclinic forcing and turbulence in an estuary
Lacy, J.R.; Stacey, M.T.; Burau, J.R.; Monismith, Stephen G.
2003-01-01
Observations of density and velocity in a channel in northern San Francisco Bay show that the onset of vertical density stratification during flood tides is controlled by the balance between the cross-channel baroclinic pressure gradient and vertical mixing due to turbulence. Profiles of velocity, salinity, temperature, and suspended sediment concentration were measured in transects across Suisun Cutoff, in northern San Francisco Bay, on two days over the 12.5-hour tidal cycle. During flood tides an axial density front developed between fresher water flowing from the shallows of Grizzly Bay into the northern side of Suisun Cutoff and saltier water flowing up the channel. North of the front, transverse currents were driven by the lateral salinity gradient, with a top-to-bottom velocity difference greater than 30 cm/s. South of the front, the secondary circulation was weak, and along-channel velocities were greater than to the north. The gradient Richardson number shows that stratification was stable north of the front, while the water column was turbulently mixed south of the front. Time-series measurements of velocity and salinity demonstrate that the front develops during each tidal cycle. In estuaries, longitudinal dynamics predict less stratification during flood than ebb tides. These data show that stratification can develop during flood tides due to a lateral baroclinic pressure gradient in estuaries with complex bathymetry.
Fisher, Jason C.; Twining, Brian V.
2011-01-01
During 2007 and 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, collected quarterly depth-discrete measurements of fluid pressure and temperature in six boreholes located in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer of Idaho. Each borehole was instrumented with a multilevel monitoring system consisting of a series of valved measurement ports, packer bladders, casing segments, and couplers. Hydraulic heads (head) and water temperatures in boreholes were monitored at 86 hydraulically-isolated depth intervals located 448.0 to 1,377.6 feet below land surface. The calculation of head is most sensitive to fluid pressure and the altitude of the pressure transducer at each port coupling; it is least sensitive to barometric pressure and water temperature. An analysis of errors associated with the head calculation determined the accuracy of an individual head measurement at +/- 2.3 feet. Many of the sources of measurement error are diminished when considering the differences between two closely-spaced readings of head; therefore, a +/- 0.1 foot measurement accuracy was assumed for vertical head differences (and gradients) calculated between adjacent monitoring zones. Vertical head and temperature profiles were unique to each borehole, and were characteristic of the heterogeneity and anisotropy of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer. The vertical hydraulic gradients in each borehole remained relatively constant over time with minimum Pearson correlation coefficients between head profiles ranging from 0.72 at borehole USGS 103 to 1.00 at boreholes USGS 133 and MIDDLE 2051. Major inflections in the head profiles almost always coincided with low permeability sediment layers. The presence of a sediment layer, however, was insufficient for identifying the location of a major head change in a borehole. The vertical hydraulic gradients were defined for the major inflections in the head profiles and were as much as 2.2 feet per foot. Head gradients generally were downward in boreholes USGS 133, 134, and MIDDLE 2050A, zero in boreholes USGS 103 and 132, and exhibited a reversal in direction in borehole MIDDLE 2051. Water temperatures in all boreholes ranged from 10.2 to 16.3 degrees Celsius. Boreholes USGS 103 and 132 are in an area of concentrated volcanic vents and fissures, and measurements show water temperature decreasing with depth. All other measurements in boreholes show water temperature increasing with depth. A comparison among boreholes of the normalized mean head over time indicates a moderately positive correlation.
Influence of aspect and slope gradient on hydraulic conductivity measured by tension infiltrometer
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Casanova, Manuel; Messing, Ingmar; Joel, Abraham
2000-01-01
A tension infiltrometer technique was used to characterize differences in hydraulic conductivity (K) in two rain-fed hillsides (north-facing and south-facing) in central Chile. For the north-facing locations, smaller values of K (at a range of supply water pressure heads ) compared with south-facing locations were found, with accentuated differences close to saturation (zero pressure head). The differences were attributed to differences in texture and organic matter contents observed for the two sites. Furthermore, K() had a tendency to increase with increasing slope gradient. This tendency was to an extent explained by the deviation from requirements of measurements on level ground. The differences found in K() between different slope gradients were explained by the differences in the vertical and lateral hydraulic conductivity and by the occurrence of surface sealing in low slope plots.
Horizontal cryogenic bushing for the termination of a superconducting power-transmission line
Minati, K.F.; Morgan, G.H.; McNerney, A.J.; Schauer, F.
1982-07-29
A termination for a superconducting power transmission line is disclosed which is comprised of a standard air entrance insulated vertical bushing with an elbow, a horizontal cryogenic bushing linking the pressurized cryogenic cable environment to the ambient temperature bushing and a stress cone which terminated the cable outer shield and transforms the large radial voltage gradient in the cable dielectric into a much lower radial voltage gradient in the high density helium coolant at the cold end of the cryogenic bushing.
Termination for a superconducting power transmission line including a horizontal cryogenic bushing
Minati, Kurt F.; Morgan, Gerry H.; McNerney, Andrew J.; Schauer, Felix
1984-01-01
A termination for a superconducting power transmission line is disclosed which is comprised of a standard air entrance insulated vertical bushing with an elbow, a horizontal cryogenic bushing linking the pressurized cryogenic cable environment to the ambient temperature bushing and a stress cone which terminates the cable outer shield and transforms the large radial voltage gradient in the cable dielectric into a much lower radial voltage gradient in the high density helium coolant at the cold end of the cryogenic bushing.
Radoš, Milan; Erceg, Gorislav; Petošić, Antonio; Jurjević, Ivana
2014-01-01
Intracranial hypertension is a severe therapeutic problem, as there is insufficient knowledge about the physiology of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. In this paper a new CSF pressure regulation hypothesis is proposed. According to this hypothesis, the CSF pressure depends on the laws of fluid mechanics and on the anatomical characteristics inside the cranial and spinal space, and not, as is today generally believed, on CSF secretion, circulation and absorption. The volume and pressure changes in the newly developed CSF model, which by its anatomical dimensions and basic biophysical features imitates the craniospinal system in cats, are compared to those obtained on cats with and without the blockade of craniospinal communication in different body positions. During verticalization, a long-lasting occurrence of negative CSF pressure inside the cranium in animals with normal cranio-spinal communication was observed. CSF pressure gradients change depending on the body position, but those gradients do not enable unidirectional CSF circulation from the hypothetical site of secretion to the site of absorption in any of them. Thus, our results indicate the existence of new physiological/pathophysiological correlations between intracranial fluids, which opens up the possibility of new therapeutic approaches to intracranial hypertension. PMID:24748150
Vapor-dominated zones within hydrothermal systems: evolution and natural state
Ingebritsen, S.E.; Sorey, M.L.
1988-01-01
Three conceptual models illustrate the range of hydrothermal systems in which vapor-dominated conditions are found. The first model (model I) represents a system with an extensive near-vaporstatic vapor-dominated zone and limited liquid throughflow and is analogous to systems such as The Geysers, California. Models II and III represent systems with significant liquid throughflow and include steam-heated discharge features at higher elevations and high-chloride springs at lower elevations connected to and fed by a single circulation system at depth. In model II, as in model I, the vapor-dominated zone has a near-vaporstatic vertical pressure gradient and is generally underpressured with respect to local hydrostatic pressure. The vapor-dominated zone in model III is quite different, in that phase separation takes place at pressures close to local hydrostatic and the overall pressure gradient is near hydrostatic. -from Authors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Humbert, Richard
2010-03-01
A force acting on just part of an extended object (either a solid or a volume of a liquid) can cause all of it to move. That motion is due to the transmission of the force through the object by its material. This paper discusses how the force is distributed to all of the object by a gradient of stress or pressure in it, which creates the local force that directly propels each part of the object. Those gradients resemble the ones created in objects by their weights. An example of the latter is the compressive stress in a column of a building increasing steadily toward its lower end. That gradient occurs because each horizontal section through the column supports all of the weight above it, including the load force pushing down on the column's upper end. The gradient resembles the pressure in a container of liquid increasing with depth in it. Likewise, the weight of a vertically hanging cable causes its tension and tensile stress to increase toward its upper end.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Roth, M.; MacMahan, J.; Reniers, A.; Ozgokmen, T. M.
2016-02-01
Recent work has demonstrated that wind and waves are important forcing mechanisms for the inner shelf vertical current structure. Here, the inner shelf flows are evaluated away from an adjacent inlet where a small-scale buoyant plume emerges. The plume's nearshore extent, speed, vertical thickness, and density are controlled by the passage of low-pressure extratropical cyclones that are common in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The colder, brackish plume water provides vertical stratification and a cross-shore density gradient with the warmer, saline oceanic water. An Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was deployed in 10m water depth as part of an intensive 2-week experiment (SCOPE), which also obtained wind and cross-shelf temperature, salinity, and velocity. The 10m ADCP remained collecting an additional year of velocity observations. The plume was not always present, but episodically influenced the experiment site. When the plume reached the site, the alongshore surface and subsurface typically flowed in opposite directions, likely caused by plume-induced pressure gradients. Plumes that extended into the subsurface appear to have caused depth-averaged onshore flow above that expected from wind and wave-driven forcing. Observations from SCOPE and the 1-year ADCP are used to describe seasonal full-depth flow patterns influenced by wind, waves, and plume presence.
Free convection in the Matian atmosphere
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Clow, G. D.; Haberle, R. M.
1990-01-01
The 'free convective' regime for the Martian atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) was investigated. This state occurs when the mean windspeed at the top of the ABL drops below some critical value U(sub c) and positive buoyant forces are present. Such forces can arise either from vertical temperature or water vapor gradients across the atmospheric surface layer. During free convection, buoyant forces drive narrow plumes that ascend to the inversion height with a return circulation consisting of broad slower-moving downdraughts. Horizontal pressure, temperature, windspeed, and water vapor fluctuations resulting form this circulation pattern can be quite large adjacent to the ground (within the surface layer). The local turbulent fluctuations cause non-zero mean surface stresses, sensible heat fluxes, and latent heat fluxes, even when the mean regional windspeed is zero. Although motions above the surface layer are insensitive to the nature of the surface, the sensible and latent heat fluxes are primarily controlled by processes within the interfacial sublayer immediately adjacent to the ground during free convection. Thus the distinction between aerodynamically smooth and rough airflow within the interfacial sublayer is more important than for the more typical situation where the mean regional windspeed is greater than U(sub c). Buoyant forces associated with water vapor gradients are particularly large on Mars at low pressures and high temperatures when the surface relative humidity is 100 percent, enhancing the likelihood of free convection under these conditions. On this basis, Ingersol postulated the evaporative heat losses from an icy surface on Mars at 237 K and current pressures would exceed the available net radiative flux at the surface, thus prohibiting ice from melting at low atmospheric pressures. Schumann has developed equations describing the horizontal fluctuations and mean vertical gradients occurring during free convection. Schumann's model was generalized to include convection driven by water vapor gradients and to include the effects of circulation above both aerodynamically smooth and rough surfaces.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Qiang; Ma, XinCheng; Tie, Xuexi; Huang, Mengyu; Zhao, Chunsheng
In this study, aerosol vertical distributions of 17 in-situ aircraft measurements during 2005 and 2006 springs are analyzed. The 17 flights are carefully selected to exclude dust events, and the analyses are focused on the vertical distributions of aerosol particles associated with anthropogenic activities. The results show that the vertical distributions of aerosol particles are strongly affected by weather and meteorological conditions, and 3 different types of aerosol vertical distributions corresponding to different weather systems are defined in this study. The measurement with a flat vertical gradient and low surface aerosol concentrations is defined as type-1; a gradual decrease of aerosols with altitudes and modest surface aerosol concentrations is defined as type-2; a sharp vertical gradient (aerosols being strongly depressed in the PBL) with high surface aerosol concentrations is defined as type-3. The weather conditions corresponding to the 3 different aerosol types are high pressure, between two high pressures, and low pressure systems (frontal inversions), respectively. The vertical mixing and horizontal transport for the 3 different vertical distributions are analyzed. Under the type-1 condition, the vertical mixing and horizontal transport were rapid, leading to strong dilution of aerosols in both vertical and horizontal directions. As a result, the aerosol concentrations in PBL (planetary boundary layer) were very low, and the vertical distribution was flat. Under the type-2 condition, the vertical mixing was strong and there was no strong barrier at the PBL height. The horizontal transport (wind flux) was modest. As a result, the aerosol concentrations were gradually reduced with altitude, with modest surface aerosol concentrations. Under the type-3 condition, there was a cold front near the region. As a result, a frontal inversion associated with weak vertical mixing appeared at the top of the inversion layer, forming a very strong barrier to prevent aerosol particles being exchanged from the PBL height to the free troposphere. As a result, the aerosol particles were strongly depressed in the PBL height, producing high surface aerosol concentrations. The measured vertical aerosol distributions have important implications for studying the effects of aerosols on photochemistry. The J[O 3] values are reduced by 11%, 48%, and 50%, under the type-1, type-2, and type-3 conditions, respectively. This result reveals that atmospheric oxidant capacity (OH concentrations) is modestly reduced under the type-1 condition, but is significantly reduced under the type-2 and type-3 conditions. This result also suggests that the effect of aerosol particles on surface solar flux is an integrated column effect, and detailed vertical distributions of aerosol particles are very important for assessing the impacts of aerosol on photochemistry.
On the violation of gradient wind balance at the top of tropical cyclones
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cohen, Yair; Harnik, Nili; Heifetz, Eyal; Nolan, David S.; Tao, Dandan; Zhang, Fuqing
2017-08-01
The existence of physical solutions for the gradient wind balance is examined at the top of 12 simulated tropical cyclones. The pressure field at the top of these storms, which depends on the vertically integrated effect of the warm core and the near surface low, is found to violate the gradient wind balance—termed here as a state of nonbalance. Using a toy model, it is shown that slight changes in the relative location and relative widths of the warm core drastically increase the isobaric curvature at the upper level pressure maps leading to nonbalance. While idealized storms return to balance within several days, simulations of real-world tropical cyclones retain a considerable degree of nonbalance throughout the model integration. Comparing mean and maximum values of different storms shows that peak nonbalance correlates with either peak intensity or intensification, implying the possible importance of nonbalance at upper levels for the near surface winds.
Gravity and gravity gradient changes caused by a point dislocation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Huang, Jian-Liang; Li, Hui; Li, Rui-Hao
1995-02-01
In this paper we studied gravitational potential, gravity and its gradient changes, which are caused by a point dislocation, and gave the concise mathematical deduction with definite physical implication in dealing with the singular integral at a seismic source. We also analysed the features of the fields of gravity and gravity gradient, gravity-vertical-displacement gradient. The conclusions are: (1) Gravity and gravity gradient changes are very small with the change of vertical position; (2) Gravity change is much greater than the gravity gradient change which is not so distinct; (3) The gravity change due to redistribution of mass accounts for 10 50 percent of the total gravity change caused by dislocation. The signs (positive or negative) of total gravity change and vertical displacement are opposite each other at the same point for strike slip and dip slip; (4) Gravity-vertical-displacement-gradient is not constant; it manifests a variety of patterns for different dislocation models; (5) Gravity-vertical-displacement-gradient is approximately equal to apparent gravity-vertical-displacement-gradient.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Reschke, D.; Gubarev, V.; Schaffran, J.; Steder, L.; Walker, N.; Wenskat, M.; Monaco, L.
2017-04-01
The successful production and associated vertical testing of over 800 superconducting 1.3 GHz accelerating cavities for the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) represents the culmination of over 20 years of superconducting radio-frequency R&D. The cavity production took place at two industrial vendors under the shared responsibility of INFN Milano-LASA and DESY. Average vertical testing rates at DESY exceeded 10 cavities per week, peaking at up to 15 cavities per week. The cavities sent for cryomodule assembly at Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA) Saclay achieved an average maximum gradient of approximately 33 MV /m , reducing to ˜30 MV /m when the operational specifications on quality factor (Q) and field emission were included (the so-called usable gradient). Only 16% of the cavities required an additional surface retreatment to recover their low performance (usable gradient less than 20 MV /m ). These cavities were predominantly limited by excessive field emission for which a simple high pressure water rinse (HPR) was sufficient. Approximately 16% of the cavities also received an additional HPR, e.g. due to vacuum problems before or during the tests or other reasons, but these were not directly related to gradient performance. The in-depth statistical analyses presented in this report have revealed several features of the series produced cavities.
Low-latitude Temperatures, Pressures, and Winds on Saturn from Cassini Radio Occultations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Flasar, F. M.; Schinder, P. J.; Kliore, A. J.; French, R. G.; Marouf, E. A.; Nagy, A.; Rappaport, N. J.; Anabtawi, A.; Asmar, S.; Barbinis, E.; Fleischman, D. U.; Goltz, G. L.; Johnston, D. V.; Rochblatt, D.; McGhee, C. A.
2005-12-01
We present results from 12 ingress and egress soundings done within 10 degrees of Saturn's equator. Above the 100-mbar level, near the tropopause, the vertical profiles of temperature are marked by undulatory structure that may be associated with vertically propagating waves. Below the 200-mbar level, in the upper troposphere, the vertical profiles are smoother, and the overall trend of temperatures is to increase away from the equator. This implies a decay of the zonal winds with altitude. The zonal winds can actually be inferred directly from the meridional gradient in pressure, without the need of a boundary condition on the winds. We summarize results of these calculations. This is of interest because recent cloud tracking studies have indicated lower equatorial winds than found earlier, but whether this indicates a real change in the winds at a given altitude or a change in the altitudes of the features tracked is controversial.
Glenny, Robb; Robertson, H Thomas
2011-01-01
Local driving pressures and resistances within the pulmonary vascular tree determine the distribution of perfusion in the lung. Unlike other organs, these local determinants are significantly influenced by regional hydrostatic and alveolar pressures. Those effects on blood flow distribution are further magnified by the large vertical height of the human lung and the relatively low intravascular pressures in the pulmonary circulation. While the distribution of perfusion is largely due to passive determinants such as vascular geometry and hydrostatic pressures, active mechanisms such as vasoconstriction induced by local hypoxia can also redistribute blood flow. This chapter reviews the determinants of regional lung perfusion with a focus on vascular tree geometry, vertical gradients induced by gravity, the interactions between vascular and surrounding alveolar pressures, and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. While each of these determinants of perfusion distribution can be examined in isolation, the distribution of blood flow is dynamically determined and each component interacts with the others so that a change in one region of the lung influences the distribution of blood flow in other lung regions. © 2011 American Physiological Society.
Structure of the microclimate at a woodland/parking-lot interface
David R. Miller
1977-01-01
Radiation balances and vertical and horizontal profiles of air temperature, vapor pressure and wind speed were measured across the interface of a large asphalt parking lot and an 18-m-tall Quercus velutina forest. The partitioning of available energy over the adjacent areas shows steep gradients between the parking lot and forest microclimates....
Study of nitrogen two-phase flow pressure drop in horizontal and vertical orientation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Koettig, T.; Kirsch, H.; Santandrea, D.; Bremer, J.
2017-12-01
The large-scale liquid argon Short Baseline Neutrino Far-detector located at Fermilab is designed to detect neutrinos allowing research in the field of neutrino oscillations. It will be filled with liquid argon and operate at almost ambient pressure. Consequently, its operation temperature is determined at about 87 K. The detector will be surrounded by a thermal shield, which is actively cooled with boiling nitrogen at a pressure of about 2.8 bar absolute, the respective saturation pressure of nitrogen. Due to strict temperature gradient constraints, it is important to study the two-phase flow pressure drop of nitrogen along the cooling circuit of the thermal shield in different orientations of the flow with respect to gravity. An experimental setup has been built in order to determine the two-phase flow pressure drop in nitrogen in horizontal, vertical upward and vertical downward direction. The measurements have been conducted under quasi-adiabatic conditions and at a saturation pressure of 2.8 bar absolute. The mass velocity has been varied in the range of 20 kg·m-2·s-1 to 70 kg·m-2·s-1 and the pressure drop data has been recorded scanning the two-phase region from vapor qualities close to zero up to 0.7. The experimental data will be compared with several established predictions of pressure drop e.g. Mueller-Steinhagen and Heck by using the void fraction correlation of Rouhani.
Magnetic anisotropy at material interfaces
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Greene, Peter Kevin
In this dissertation, a comprehensive set of depth dependent magnetic measurements, as well as structural characterizations, were carried out on the Co/Pd multilayer system. The first-order reversal curve (FORC) technique is applied extensively to identify reversal mechanisms and different reversal phases within the material. In particular, the extension of the FORC technique to x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as a surface sensitive technique that identifies reversible magnetization change was performed for the first time. Polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR) was also used to directly measure the magnetization as a function of depth. The effects of deposition pressure grading within the Co/Pd multilayers were investigated. Structures were graded with three distinct pressure regions. FORC analysis shows that not only does increasing the deposition pressure increase the coercivity and effective anisotropy within that region, but also the order in which the pressure is changed also affects the entire structure. Layers grown at high sputtering pressures tend to reverse via domain wall pinning and rotation while those grown at lower pressures reverse via rapid domain wall propagation laterally across the film. Having high pressure layers underneath low pressure layers causes disorder to vertically propagate and lessen the induced anisotropy gradient. This analysis is confirmed by depth dependent magnetization profiles obtain from PNR. Continuously pressure-graded Co/Pd multilayers were then sputtered at two incident angles onto porous aluminum oxide templates with different pore aspect ratios. The effects of pressure grading versus uniform low pressure deposition is studied, as well as the effect of the angle of the incident deposition flux. The coercivity of the pressure graded perpendicular flux sample is compared to the low pressure sample. Additionally the effect of deposition angle and pore sidewall deposition is investigated. It is shown that sidewall deposition strongly affects the reversal behavior. As another way to induce a vertical anisotropy gradient, Co/Pd multilayers were bombarded with Ar+ ions at different energies and fluences. The effects of the depth dependent structural damage as a function of irradiation conditions were investigated. It is shown that the structural damage weakens the perpendicular anisotropy of the surface layers, causing a tilting of the surface magnetic moment into the plane of the film. The surface behavior is explicitly measured and shown to have a significant tilting angle in the top 5 nm depending on irradiation energy and fluence. Continuing the study of vertical anisotropy gradients in Co/Pd multilayers, multilayers with varied Co thickness were studied. Four films with varying Co thickness profiles were created and then patterned into nanodot arrays with diameters between 700 nm and 70 nm. The different films were graded continuously, or in stacks with varying Co thicknesses. An anisotropy gradient is shown to be established in the graded samples, and the switching field is lowered as a result. Furthermore, in the continuously graded samples the magnetization reversal behavior is fundamentally different from all other samples. The thermal energy barriers are measured in the uniform and continuously graded samples, yielding similar results. Finally, the establishment of exchange anisotropy at the ferromagnet / antiferromagnet (FM/AFM) interface in the epitaxial Fe/CoO system is investigated as a function of AFM thickness. The establishment of frozen AFM moments is analyzed using the FORC technique. The FORC technique combined with vector coil measurements also shows the transition from rotatable AFM to pinned AFM moments and suggests a mechanism of winding domain walls within the bulk AFM. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).
Burns, Sean P.; Sun, Jielun; Lenschow, D.H.; Oncley, S.P.; Stephens, B.B.; Yi, C.; Anderson, D.E.; Hu, Jiawen; Monson, Russell K.
2011-01-01
Air temperature Ta, specific humidity q, CO2 mole fraction ??c, and three-dimensional winds were measured in mountainous terrain from five tall towers within a 1 km region encompassing a wide range of canopy densities. The measurements were sorted by a bulk Richardson number Rib. For stable conditions, we found vertical scalar differences developed over a "transition" region between 0.05 < Rib < 0.5. For strongly stable conditions (Rib > 1), the vertical scalar differences reached a maximum and remained fairly constant with increasing stability. The relationships q and ??c have with Rib are explained by considering their sources and sinks. For winds, the strong momentum absorption in the upper canopy allows the canopy sublayer to be influenced by pressure gradient forces and terrain effects that lead to complex subcanopy flow patterns. At the dense-canopy sites, soil respiration coupled with wind-sheltering resulted in CO2 near the ground being 5-7 ??mol mol-1 larger than aloft, even with strong above-canopy winds (near-neutral conditions). We found Rib-binning to be a useful tool for evaluating vertical scalar mixing; however, additional information (e.g., pressure gradients, detailed vegetation/topography, etc.) is needed to fully explain the subcanopy wind patterns. Implications of our results for CO2 advection over heterogenous, complex terrain are discussed. ?? 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Controllable growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC
Liu, Yu; Chen, Lianlian; Hilliard, Donovan; ...
2016-10-06
We investigated how to control the growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC by varying the processing conditions. It is found that, the growth rate scales with the annealing temperature and the graphene height is proportional to the annealing time. Temperature gradient and crystalline quality of the SiC substrates influence their vaporization. The partial vapor pressure is crucial as it can interfere with further vaporization. A growth mechanism is proposed in terms of physical vapor transport. The monolayer character of vertically aligned graphene is verified by Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. With the processed samples, d 0 magnetism ismore » realized and negative magnetoresistance is observed after Cu implantation. We also prove that multiple carriers exist in vertically aligned graphene.« less
Controllable growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Liu, Yu; Chen, Lianlian; Hilliard, Donovan
We investigated how to control the growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC by varying the processing conditions. It is found that, the growth rate scales with the annealing temperature and the graphene height is proportional to the annealing time. Temperature gradient and crystalline quality of the SiC substrates influence their vaporization. The partial vapor pressure is crucial as it can interfere with further vaporization. A growth mechanism is proposed in terms of physical vapor transport. The monolayer character of vertically aligned graphene is verified by Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. With the processed samples, d 0 magnetism ismore » realized and negative magnetoresistance is observed after Cu implantation. We also prove that multiple carriers exist in vertically aligned graphene.« less
Overpressure and hydrocarbon accumulations in Tertiary strata, Gulf Coast of Louisiana
Nelson, Philip H.
2012-01-01
Many oil and gas reservoirs in Tertiary strata of southern Louisiana are located close to the interface between a sand-rich, normally pressured sequence and an underlying sand-poor, overpressured sequence. This association, recognized for many years by Gulf Coast explorationists, is revisited here because of its relevance to an assessment of undiscovered oil and gas potential in the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. The transition from normally pressured to highly overpressured sediments is documented by converting mud weights to pressure, plotting all pressure data from an individual field as a function of depth, and selecting a top and base of the pressure transition zone. Vertical extents of pressure transition zones in 34 fields across southern onshore Louisiana range from 300 to 9000 ft and are greatest in younger strata and in the larger fields. Display of pressure transition zones on geologic cross sections illustrates the relative independence of the depth of the pressure transition zone and geologic age. Comparison of the depth distribution of pressure transition zones with production intervals confirms previous findings that production intervals generally overlap the pressure transition zone in depth and that the median production depth lies above the base of the pressure transition zone in most fields. However, in 11 of 55 fields with deep drilling, substantial amounts of oil and gas have been produced from depths deeper than 2000 ft below the base of the pressure transition zone. Mud-weight data in 7 fields show that "local" pressure gradients range from 0.91 to 1.26 psi/ft below the base of the pressure transition zone. Pressure gradients are higher and computed effective stress gradients are negative in younger strata in coastal areas, indicating that a greater potential for fluid and sediment movement exists there than in older Tertiary strata.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Y.; Lee, C.; Kim, J.; Jee, G.
2013-12-01
For the first time, vertical winds near the mesopause region were estimated from radial velocities of meteor echoes detected by a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station (KSS) in 2011 and 2012. Since the radar usually detects more than a hundred echoes every hour in an altitude bin of 88 - 92 km, much larger than other radars, we were able to fit measured radial velocities of these echoes with a 6 component model that consists of horizontal winds, spatial gradients of horizontal winds and vertical wind. The conventional method of deriving horizontal winds from meteor echoes utilizes a 2 component model, assuming that vertical winds and spatial gradients of horizontal winds are negligible. We analyzed the radar data obtained for 8400 hours in 2012 and 8100 hours in 2011. We found that daily mean values of vertical winds are mostly within +/- 1 m/s, whereas those of zonal winds are a few tens m/s mostly eastward. The daily mean vertical winds sometimes stay positive or negative for more than 20 days, implying that the atmosphere near the mesopause experiences episodically a large scale low and high pressure environments, respectively, like the tropospheric weather system. By conducting Lomb-normalized periodogram analysis, we also found that the vertical winds have diurnal, semidiurnal and terdiurnal tidal components with about equal significance, in contrast to horizontal winds that show a dominant semidiurnal one. We will discuss about uncertainties of the estimated vertical wind and possible reasons of its tidal and daily variations.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bonan, G. B.
2016-12-01
Soil moisture stress is a key regulator of canopy transpiration, the surface energy budget, and land-atmosphere coupling. Many land surface models used in Earth system models have an ad-hoc parameterization of soil moisture stress that decreases stomatal conductance with soil drying. Parameterization of soil moisture stress from more fundamental principles of plant hydrodynamics is a key research frontier for land surface models. While the biophysical and physiological foundations of such parameterizations are well-known, their best implementation in land surface models is less clear. Land surface models utilize a big-leaf canopy parameterization (or two big-leaves to represent the sunlit and shaded canopy) without vertical gradients in the canopy. However, there are strong biometeorological and physiological gradients in plant canopies. Are these gradients necessary to resolve? Here, I describe a vertically-resolved, multilayer canopy model that calculates leaf temperature and energy fluxes, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and leaf water potential at each level in the canopy. In this model, midday leaf water stress manifests in the upper canopy layers, which receive high amounts of solar radiation, have high leaf nitrogen and photosynthetic capacity, and have high stomatal conductance and transpiration rates (in the absence of leaf water stress). Lower levels in the canopy become water stressed in response to longer-term soil moisture drying. I examine the role of vertical gradients in the canopy microclimate (solar radiation, air temperature, vapor pressure, wind speed), structure (leaf area density), and physiology (leaf nitrogen, photosynthetic capacity, stomatal conductance) in determining above canopy fluxes and gradients of transpiration and leaf water potential within the canopy.
The vertical structure of the circulation and dynamics in Hudson Shelf Valley
Lentz, Steven J.; Butman, Bradford; Harris, Courtney K.
2014-01-01
Hudson Shelf Valley is a 20–30 m deep, 5–10 km wide v-shaped submarine valley that extends across the Middle Atlantic Bight continental shelf. The valley provides a conduit for cross-shelf exchange via along-valley currents of 0.5 m s−1 or more. Current profile, pressure, and density observations collected during the winter of 1999–2000 are used to examine the vertical structure and dynamics of the flow. Near-bottom along-valley currents having times scales of a few days are driven by cross-shelf pressure gradients setup by wind stresses, with eastward (westward) winds driving onshore (offshore) flow within the valley. The along-valley momentum balance in the bottom boundary layer is predominantly between the pressure gradient and bottom stress because the valley bathymetry limits current veering. Above the bottom boundary layer, the flow veers toward an along-shelf (cross-valley) orientation and a geostrophic balance with some contribution from the wind stress (surface Ekman layer). The vertical structure and strength of the along-valley current depends on the magnitude and direction of the wind stress. During offshore flows driven by westward winds, the near-bottom stratification within the valley increases resulting in a thinner bottom boundary layer and weaker offshore currents. Conversely, during onshore flows driven by eastward winds the near-bottom stratification decreases resulting in a thicker bottom boundary layer and stronger onshore currents. Consequently, for wind stress magnitudes exceeding 0.1 N m−2, onshore along-valley transport associated with eastward wind stress exceeds the offshore transport associated with westward wind stress of the same magnitude.
Physical vapor transport of mercurous chloride under a nonlinear thermal profile
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mennetrier, Christophe; Duval, Walter M. B.; Singh, Narsingh B.
1992-01-01
Our study investigates numerically the flow field characteristics during the growth of mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2) crystals in a rectangular ampoule under terrestrial and microgravity conditions for a nonlinear thermal gradient. With a residual gas lighter than the nutrient, the solutal Grashof number is dominant. We observe that in tilted configurations, when solutal convection is dominant, the maximum transport rate occurs at approximately 40 percent. For the vertical configurations, we were able to obtain solutions only for the cases either below the critical Rayleigh numbers or the stabilized configurations. The total mass flux decreases exponentially with an increase of pressure of residual gas, but it increases following a power law with the temperature difference driving the transport. The nonlinear thermal gradient appears to destabilize the flow field when thermal convection is dominant for both vertical top-heated and bottom-heated configurations. However, when the solutal Grashof number is dominant, the density gradient resulting from the solutal gradient appears to stabilize the flow for the bottom-heated configuration. The flow field for the top-heated configuration is destabilized for high Grashof numbers. The microgravity environment provides a means for lowering convection. For gravity levels of 10(exp -3) g(0) or less, the Stefan wind drives the flow, and no recirculating cell is predicted.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Achtemeier, Gary L.; Ochs, Harry T., III
1988-01-01
The variational method of undetermined multipliers is used to derive a multivariate model for objective analysis. The model is intended for the assimilation of 3-D fields of rawinsonde height, temperature and wind, and mean level temperature observed by satellite into a dynamically consistent data set. Relative measurement errors are taken into account. The dynamic equations are the two nonlinear horizontal momentum equations, the hydrostatic equation, and an integrated continuity equation. The model Euler-Lagrange equations are eleven linear and/or nonlinear partial differential and/or algebraic equations. A cyclical solution sequence is described. Other model features include a nonlinear terrain-following vertical coordinate that eliminates truncation error in the pressure gradient terms of the horizontal momentum equations and easily accommodates satellite observed mean layer temperatures in the middle and upper troposphere. A projection of the pressure gradient onto equivalent pressure surfaces removes most of the adverse impacts of the lower coordinate surface on the variational adjustment.
High Altitude Bird Migration at Temperate Latitudes: A Synoptic Perspective on Wind Assistance
Dokter, Adriaan M.; Shamoun-Baranes, Judy; Kemp, Michael U.; Tijm, Sander; Holleman, Iwan
2013-01-01
At temperate latitudes the synoptic patterns of bird migration are strongly structured by the presence of cyclones and anticyclones, both in the horizontal and altitudinal dimensions. In certain synoptic conditions, birds may efficiently cross regions with opposing surface wind by choosing a higher flight altitude with more favourable wind. We observed migratory passerines at mid-latitudes that selected high altitude wind optima on particular nights, leading to the formation of structured migration layers at varying altitude up to 3 km. Using long-term vertical profiling of bird migration by C-band Doppler radar in the Netherlands, we find that such migration layers occur nearly exclusively during spring migration in the presence of a high-pressure system. A conceptual analytic framework providing insight into the synoptic patterns of wind assistance for migrants that includes the altitudinal dimension has so far been lacking. We present a simple model for a baroclinic atmosphere that relates vertical profiles of wind assistance to the pressure and temperature patterns occurring at temperate latitudes. We show how the magnitude and direction of the large scale horizontal temperature gradient affects the relative gain in wind assistance that migrants obtain through ascending. Temperature gradients typical for northerly high-pressure systems in spring are shown to cause high altitude wind optima in the easterly sectors of anticyclones, thereby explaining the frequent observations of high altitude migration in these synoptic conditions. Given the recurring synoptic arrangements of pressure systems across temperate continents, the opportunities for exploiting high altitude wind will differ between flyways, for example between easterly and westerly oceanic coasts. PMID:23300969
High altitude bird migration at temperate latitudes: a synoptic perspective on wind assistance.
Dokter, Adriaan M; Shamoun-Baranes, Judy; Kemp, Michael U; Tijm, Sander; Holleman, Iwan
2013-01-01
At temperate latitudes the synoptic patterns of bird migration are strongly structured by the presence of cyclones and anticyclones, both in the horizontal and altitudinal dimensions. In certain synoptic conditions, birds may efficiently cross regions with opposing surface wind by choosing a higher flight altitude with more favourable wind. We observed migratory passerines at mid-latitudes that selected high altitude wind optima on particular nights, leading to the formation of structured migration layers at varying altitude up to 3 km. Using long-term vertical profiling of bird migration by C-band Doppler radar in the Netherlands, we find that such migration layers occur nearly exclusively during spring migration in the presence of a high-pressure system. A conceptual analytic framework providing insight into the synoptic patterns of wind assistance for migrants that includes the altitudinal dimension has so far been lacking. We present a simple model for a baroclinic atmosphere that relates vertical profiles of wind assistance to the pressure and temperature patterns occurring at temperate latitudes. We show how the magnitude and direction of the large scale horizontal temperature gradient affects the relative gain in wind assistance that migrants obtain through ascending. Temperature gradients typical for northerly high-pressure systems in spring are shown to cause high altitude wind optima in the easterly sectors of anticyclones, thereby explaining the frequent observations of high altitude migration in these synoptic conditions. Given the recurring synoptic arrangements of pressure systems across temperate continents, the opportunities for exploiting high altitude wind will differ between flyways, for example between easterly and westerly oceanic coasts.
McGinnis, L. D.; Otis, R. M.
1979-01-01
Velocities were obtained from unreversed, refracted arrivals on analog records from a 48‐channel, 3.6-km hydrophone cable (3.89 km from the airgun array to the last hydrophone array). Approximately 200 records were analyzed along 1500 km of ship track on Georges Bank, northwest Atlantic Ocean, to obtain regional sediment velocity distribution to a depth of 1.4 km below sea level. This technique provides nearly continuous coverage of refraction velocities and vertical velocity gradients. Because of the length of the hydrophone cable and the vertical velocity gradients, the technique is applicable only to the Continental Shelf and the shallower parts of the Continental Slope in water depths less than 300 m. Sediment diagenesis, the influence of overburden pressure on compaction, lithology, density, and porosity are inferred from these data. Velocities of the sediment near the water‐sediment interface range from less than 1500 m/sec on the north edge of Georges Bank to 1830 m/sec for glacial deposits in the northcentral part of the bank. Velocity gradients in the upper 400 m range from 1.0km/sec/km(sec−1) on the south edge of the bank to 1.7sec−1 on the north. Minimum gradients of 0.8sec−1 were observed south of Nantucket Island. Velocities and velocity gradients are explained in relation to physical properties of the Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Pleistocene sediments. Isovelocity contours at 100-m/sec intervals are nearly horizontal in the upper 400 m. Isovelocity contours at greater depths show a greater difference from a mean depth because of the greater structural and lithological variation. Bottom densities inferred from the velocities range from 1.7 to 1.9g/cm3 and porosities range from 48 to 62 percent. The most significant factor controlling velocity distribution on Georges Bank is overburden pressure and resulting compaction. From the velocity data we conclude that Georges Bank has been partially overridden by a continental ice sheet.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ciucǎ, Ioana; Kawata, Daisuke; Lin, Jane; Casagrande, Luca; Seabroke, George; Cropper, Mark
2018-03-01
We investigate the vertical metallicity gradients of five mono-age stellar populations between 0 and 11 Gyr for a sample of 18 435 dwarf stars selected from the cross-matched Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution and Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) Data Release 5. We find a correlation between the vertical metallicity gradients and age, with no vertical metallicity gradient in the youngest population and an increasingly steeper negative vertical metallicity gradient for the older stellar populations. The metallicity at disc plane remains almost constant between 2 and 8 Gyr, and it becomes significantly lower for the 8 < τ ≤ 11 Gyr population. The current analysis also reveals that the intrinsic dispersion in metallicity increases steadily with age. We discuss that our results are consistent with a scenario that (thin) disc stars formed from a flaring (thin) star-forming disc.
Northern Hemisphere Nitrous Oxide Morphology during the 1989 AASE and the 1991-1992 AASE 2 Campaigns
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Podolske, James R.; Loewenstein, Max; Weaver, Alex; Strahan, Susan; Chan, K. Roland
1993-01-01
Nitrous oxide vertical profiles and latitudinal distributions for the 1989 AASE and 1992 AASE II northern polar winters are developed from the ATLAS N2O dataset, using both potential temperature and pressure as vertical coordinates. Morphologies show strong descent occurring poleward of the polar jet. The AASE II morphology shows a mid latitude 'surf zone,' characterized by strong horizontal mixing, and a horizontal gradient south of 30 deg N due to the sub-tropical jet. These features are similar to those produced by two-dimensional photochemical models which include coupling between transport, radiation, and chemistry.
Northern hemisphere nitrous oxide morphology during the 1989 AASE and the 1991-1992 AASE 2 campaigns
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Podolske, James R.; Loewenstein, Max; Weaver, Alex; Strahan, Susan E.; Chan, K. Roland
1993-01-01
Nitrous oxide vertical profiles and latitudinal distributions for the 1989 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AASE) and 1992 AASE 2 northern polar winters are developed from the ATLAS N2O dataset, using both potential temperature and pressure as vertical coordinates. Morphologies show strong descent occuring poleward of the polar jet. The AASE 2 morphology shows a mid latitude 'surf zone', characterized by strong horizontal mixing, and a horizontal gradient south of 30 deg N due to the sub-tropical jet. These features are similar to those produced by two-dimensional photochemical models which include coupling between transport, radiation, and chemistry.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
García-Díaz, Y.; Quiñones-Bolaños, E.; Bustos-Blanco, C.; Vives-Pérez, L.; Bustillo-Lecompte, C.; Saba, M.
2017-12-01
The energy potential of the osmotic pressure gradient of cyanide waters is evaluated using two membrane modules, horizontal and vertical, operated under dead-end flow. The membrane was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The membrane is mainly composed of carbon, oxygen, and sulphur. The properties of the membrane were unchanged and had no pore clogging after exposure to the cyanide waters. Potentials of 1.78×10-4 and 6.36×10-5Wm-2 were found for the horizontal and vertical modules, respectively, using the Van’t Hoff equation. Likewise, the permeability coefficient of the membrane was higher in the vertical module. Although the energy potential is low under the studied conditions the vertical configuration has a greater potential due to the action of gravity and the homogenous contact of the fluid with the membrane.
Density-driven transport of gas phase chemicals in unsaturated soils
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fen, Chiu-Shia; Sun, Yong-tai; Cheng, Yuen; Chen, Yuanchin; Yang, Whaiwan; Pan, Changtai
2018-01-01
Variations of gas phase density are responsible for advective and diffusive transports of organic vapors in unsaturated soils. Laboratory experiments were conducted to explore dense gas transport (sulfur hexafluoride, SF6) from different source densities through a nitrogen gas-dry soil column. Gas pressures and SF6 densities at transient state were measured along the soil column for three transport configurations (horizontal, vertically upward and vertically downward transport). These measurements and others reported in the literature were compared with simulation results obtained from two models based on different diffusion approaches: the dusty gas model (DGM) equations and a Fickian-type molar fraction-based diffusion expression. The results show that the DGM and Fickian-based models predicted similar dense gas density profiles which matched the measured data well for horizontal transport of dense gas at low to high source densities, despite the pressure variations predicted in the soil column were opposite to the measurements. The pressure evolutions predicted by both models were in trend similar to the measured ones for vertical transport of dense gas. However, differences between the dense gas densities predicted by the DGM and Fickian-based models were discernible for vertically upward transport of dense gas even at low source densities, as the DGM-based predictions matched the measured data better than the Fickian results did. For vertically downward transport, the dense gas densities predicted by both models were not greatly different from our experimental measurements, but substantially greater than the observations obtained from the literature, especially at high source densities. Further research will be necessary for exploring factors affecting downward transport of dense gas in soil columns. Use of the measured data to compute flux components of SF6 showed that the magnitudes of diffusive flux component based on the Fickian-type diffusion expressions in terms of molar concentration, molar fraction and mass density fraction gradient were almost the same. However, they were greater than the result computed with the mass fraction gradient for > 24% and the DGM-based result for more than one time. As a consequence, the DGM-based total flux of SF6 was in magnitude greatly less than the Fickian result not only for horizontal transport (diffusion-dominating) but also for vertical transport (advection and diffusion) of dense gas. Particularly, the Fickian-based total flux was more than two times in magnitude as much as the DGM result for vertically upward transport of dense gas.
Fault reactivation and seismicity risk from CO2 sequestration in the Chinshui gas field, NW Taiwan
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sung, Chia-Yu; Hung, Jih-Hao
2015-04-01
The Chinshui gas field located in the fold-thrust belt of western Taiwan was a depleted reservoir. Recently, CO2 sequestration has been planned at shallower depths of this structure. CO2 injection into reservoir will generate high fluid pressure and trigger slip on reservoir-bounding faults. We present detailed in-situ stresses from deep wells in the Chinshui gas field and evaluated the risk of fault reactivation for underground CO2 injection. The magnitudes of vertical stress (Sv), formation pore pressure (Pf) and minimum horizontal stress (Shmin) were obtained from formation density logs, repeat formation tests, sonic logs, mud weight, and hydraulic fracturing including leak-off tests and hydraulic fracturing. The magnitude of maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) was constrained by frictional limit of critically stressed faults. Results show that vertical stress gradient is about 23.02 MPa/km (1.02 psi/ft), and minimum horizontal stress gradient is 18.05 MPa/km (0.80 psi/ft). Formation pore pressures were hydrostatic at depths 2 km, and increase with a gradient of 16.62 MPa/km (0.73 psi/ft). The ratio of fluid pressure and overburden pressure (λp) is 0.65. The upper bound of maximum horizontal stress constrained by strike-slip fault stress regime (SHmax>Sv>Shmin) and coefficient of friction (μ=0.6) is about 18.55 MPa/km (0.82 psi/ft). The orientation of maximum horizontal stresses was calculated from four-arm caliper tools through the methodology suggested by World Stress Map (WMS). The mean azimuth of preferred orientation of borehole breakouts are in ~65。N. Consequently, the maximum horizontal stress axis trends in 155。N and sub-parallel to the far-field plate-convergence direction. Geomechanical analyses of the reactivation of pre-existing faults was assessed using 3DStress and Traptester software. Under current in-situ stress, the middle block fault has higher slip tendency, but still less than frictional coefficient of 0.6 a common threshold value for motion on incohesive faults. The results also indicate that CO2 injection in the Chinshui gas field will not compromise the stability of faults.
Atmospheric gravity waves with small vertical-to-horizotal wavelength ratios
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Song, I. S.; Jee, G.; Kim, Y. H.; Chun, H. Y.
2017-12-01
Gravity wave modes with small vertical-to-horizontal wavelength ratios of an order of 10-3 are investigated through the systematic scale analysis of governing equations for gravity wave perturbations embedded in the quasi-geostrophic large-scale flow. These waves can be categorized as acoustic gravity wave modes because their total energy is given by the sum of kinetic, potential, and elastic parts. It is found that these waves can be forced by density fluctuations multiplied by the horizontal gradients of the large-scale pressure (geopotential) fields. These theoretical findings are evaluated using the results of a high-resolution global model (Specified Chemistry WACCM with horizontal resolution of 25 km and vertical resolution of 600 m) by computing the density-related gravity-wave forcing terms from the modeling results.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Luce, Hubert; Kantha, Lakshmi; Hashiguchi, Hiroyuki; Lawrence, Dale; Mixa, Tyler; Yabuki, Masanori; Tsuda, Toshitaka
2018-12-01
The ShUREX (Shigaraki UAV Radar Experiment) 2015 campaign carried out at the Shigaraki Middle and Upper atmosphere (MU) observatory (Japan) in June 2015 provided a unique opportunity to compare vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters estimated from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), balloon, and radar data in the lower troposphere. The present work is intended primarily as a demonstration of the potential offered by combination of these three instruments for studying the small-scale structure and dynamics in the lower troposphere. Here, we focus on data collected almost simultaneously by two instrumented UAVs and two meteorological balloons, near the MU radar operated continuously during the campaign. The UAVs flew along helical ascending and descending paths at a nearly constant horizontal distance from the radar ( 1.0 km), while the balloons launched from the MU radar site drifted up to 3-5 km in the altitude range of comparisons ( 0.5 to 4.0 km) due to wind advection. Vertical profiles of squared Brünt-Väisälä frequency N 2 and squared vertical gradient of generalized potential refractive index M 2 were estimated at a vertical resolution of 20 m from pressure, temperature, and humidity data collected by UAVs and radiosondes. Profiles of M 2 were also estimated from MU radar echo power at vertical incidence at a vertical sampling of 20 m and various time resolutions (1-4 min). The balloons and the MU radar provided vertical profiles of wind and wind shear S so that two independent estimates of the gradient Richardson number ( Ri = N 2/ S 2) could be obtained at a range resolution of 150 m. The two estimates of Ri profiles also showed remarkable agreement at all altitudes. We show that all three instruments detected the same prominent temperature and humidity gradients, down to decameter scales in stratified conditions. These gradients extended horizontally over a few kilometers at least and persisted for hours without significant changes, indicating that the turbulent diffusion was weak . Large discrepancies between N 2and M 2 profiles derived from the balloon, UAV, and radar data were found in a turbulent layer generated by a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) shear flow instability in the height range from 1.80 to 2.15 km. The cause of these discrepancies appears to depend on the stage of the KH billows.
Calf pump activity influencing venous hemodynamics in the lower extremity.
Recek, Cestmir
2013-03-01
Calf muscle pump is the motive force enhancing return of venous blood from the lower extremity to the heart. It causes displacement of venous blood in both vertical and horizontal directions, generates ambulatory pressure gradient between thigh and lower leg veins, and bidirectional streaming within calf perforators. Ambulatory pressure gradient triggers venous reflux in incompetent veins, which induces ambulatory venous hypertension in the lower leg and foot. Bidirectional flow in calf perforators enables quick pressure equalization between deep and superficial veins of the lower leg; the outward (into the superficial veins) oriented component of the bidirectional flow taking place during calf muscle contraction is no pathological reflux but a physiological centripetal flow streaming via great saphenous vein into the femoral vein. Calf perforators are communicating channels between both systems making them conjoined vessels; they are not involved in the generation of pathological hemodynamic situations, nor do they cause ambulatory venous hypertension. The real cause why recurrences develop has not as yet been cleared. Pressure gradient arising during calf pump activity between the femoral vein and the saphenous remnant after abolition of saphenous reflux triggers biophysical and biochemical events, which might induce recurrence. Thus, abolition of saphenous reflux removes the hemodynamic disturbance, but at the same time it generates precondition for reflux recurrence and for the comeback of the previous pathological situation; this chain of events has been called hemodynamic paradox.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alekseev, D. A.; Gokhberg, M. B.
2018-05-01
A 2-D boundary problem formulation in terms of pore pressure in Biot poroelasticity model is discussed, with application to a vertical contact model mechanically excited by a lunar-solar tidal deformation wave, representing a fault zone structure. A problem parametrization in terms of permeability and Biot's modulus contrasts is proposed and its numerical solution is obtained for a series of models differing in the values of the above parameters. The behavior of pore pressure and its gradient is analyzed. From those, the electric field of the electrokinetic nature is calculated. The possibilities of estimation of the elastic properties and permeability of geological formations from the observations of the horizontal and vertical electric field measured inside the medium and at the earth's surface near the block boundary are discussed.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Onishi, Isamu K.; Sekiya, Minoru
2017-04-01
We investigate the effect of a radial pressure bump in a protoplanetary disk on planetesimal formation. We performed the two-dimensional numerical simulation of the dynamical interaction of solid particles and gas with an initially defined pressure bump under the assumption of axisymmetry. The aim of this work is to elucidate the effects of the stellar vertical gravity that were omitted in a previous study. Our results are very different from the previous study, which omitted the vertical gravity. Because dust particles settle toward the midplane because of the vertical gravity to form a thin dust layer, the regions outside of the dust layer are scarcely affected by the back-reaction of the dust. Hence, the gas column density keeps its initial profile with a bump, and dust particles migrate toward the bump. In addition, the turbulence due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability caused by the difference of the azimuthal velocities between the inside and outside of the dust layer is suppressed where the radial pressure gradient is reduced by the pressure bump. The dust settling proceeds further where the turbulence is weak, and a number of dust clumps are formed. The dust density in some clumps exceeds the Roche density. Planetesimals are considered to be formed from these clumps owing to the self-gravity.[Figure not available: see fulltext.
On the Vertical Thermal Structure of Pluto's Atmosphere
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Strobel, Darrell F.; Zhu, Xun; Summers, Michael E.; Stevens, Michael H.
1996-04-01
A radiative-conductive model for the vertical thermal structure of Pluto's atmosphere is developed with a non-LTE treatment of solar heating in the CH43.3 μm and 2.3 μm bands, non-LTE radiative exchange and cooling in the CH47.6 μm band, and LTE cooling by CO rotational line emission. The model includes the effects of opacity and vibrational energy transfer in the CH4molecule. Partial thermalization of absorbed solar radiation in the CH43.3 and 2.3 μm bands by rapid vibrational energy transfer from the stretch modes to the bending modes generates high altitude heating at sub-microbar pressures. Heating in the 2.3 μm bands exceeds heating in 3.3 μm bands by approximately a factor of 6 and occurs predominantly at microbar pressures to generate steep temperature gradients ∼10-20 K km-1forp> 2 μbar when the surface or tropopause pressure is ∼3 μbar and the CH4mixing ratio is a constant 3%. This calculated structure may account for the "knee" in the stellar occultation lightcurve. The vertical temperature structure in the first 100 km above the surface is similar for atmospheres with Ar, CO, and N2individually as the major constituent. If a steep temperature gradient ∼20 K km-1is required near the surface or above the tropopause, then the preferred major constituent is Ar with 3% CH4mixing ratio to attain a calculated ratio ofT/M(= 3.5 K amu-1) in agreement with inferred values from stellar occultation data. However, pure Ar and N2ices at the same temperature yield an Ar vapor pressure of only ∼0.04 times the N2vapor pressure. Alternative scenarios are discussed that may yield acceptable fits with N2as the dominant constituent. One possibility is a 3 μbar N2atmosphere with 0.3% CH4that has 106 K isothermal region (T/M= 3.8 K amu-1) and ∼8 K km-1surface/tropopause temperature gradient. Another possibility would be a higher surface pressure ∼10 μbar with a scattering haze forp> 2 μbar. Our model with appropriate adjustments in the CH4density profile to Triton's inferred profile yields a temperature profile consistent with the UVS solar occultation data (Krasnopolsky, V. A., B. R. Sandel, and F. Herbert 1992.J. Geophys. Res.98, 3065-3078.) and ground-based stellar occultation data (Elliot, J. L., E. W. Dunham, and C. B. Olkin 1993.Bull. Am. Astron. Soc.25, 1106.).
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Peslen, C. A.; Koch, S. E.; Uccellini, L. W.
1985-01-01
The impact of satellite-derived cloud motion vectors on SESAME rawinsonde wind fields was studied in two separate cases. The effect of wind and moisture gradients on the arbitrary assignment of the satellite data is assessed to coordinate surfaces in a severe storm environment marked by strong vertical wind shear. Objective analyses of SESAME rawinsonde winds and combined winds are produced and differences between these two analyzed fields are used to make an assessment of coordinate level choice. It is shown that the standard method of arbitrarily assigning wind vectors to a low level coordinate surface yields systematic differences between the rawinsonde and combined wind analyses. Arbitrary assignment of cloud motions to the 0.9 sigma surface produces smaller differences than assignment to the 825 mb pressure surface. Systematic differences occur near moisture discontinuities and in regions of horizontal and vertical wind shears. The differences between the combined and SESAME wind fields are made smallest by vertically interpolating cloud motions to either a pressure or sigma surface.
Optimum gradient of mountain paths.
Minetti, A E
1995-11-01
By combining the experiment results of R. Margaria (Atti Accad. Naz. Lincei Memorie 7: 299-368, 1938), regarding the metabolic cost of gradient locomotion, together with recent insights on gait biomechanics, a prediction about the most economical gradient of mountain paths (approximately 25%) is obtained and interpreted. The pendulum-like mechanism of walking produces a waste of mechanical work against gravity within the gradient range of up to 15% (the overall efficiency is dominated by the low transmission efficiency), whereas for steeper values only the muscular efficiency is responsible for the (slight) metabolic change (per meter of vertical displacement) with respect to gradient. The speeds at the optimum gradient turned out to be approximately 0.65 m/s (+0.16 m/s vertical) and 1.50 m/s (-0.36 m/s vertical), for uphill and downhill walking, respectively, and the ascensional energy expenditure was 0.4 and 2.0 ml O2.kg body mass-1.vertical m-1 climbed or descended. When the metabolic power becomes a burden, as in high-altitude mountaineering, the optimum gradient should be reduced. A sample of real mountain path gradients, experimentally measured, mimics the obtained predictions.
Direction of unsaturated flow in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope
Lu, Ning; Kaya, Basak Sener; Godt, Jonathan W.
2011-01-01
The distribution of soil moisture in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope is a transient, variably saturated physical process controlled by rainfall characteristics, hillslope geometry, and the hydrological properties of the hillslope materials. The major driving mechanisms for moisture movement are gravity and gradients in matric potential. The latter is solely controlled by gradients of moisture content. In a homogeneous and isotropic saturated hillslope, absent a gradient in moisture content and under the driving force of gravity with a constant pressure boundary at the slope surface, flow is always in the lateral downslope direction, under either transient or steady state conditions. However, under variably saturated conditions, both gravity and moisture content gradients drive fluid motion, leading to complex flow patterns. In general, the flow field near the ground surface is variably saturated and transient, and the direction of flow could be laterally downslope, laterally upslope, or vertically downward. Previous work has suggested that prevailing rainfall conditions are sufficient to completely control these flow regimes. This work, however, shows that under time-varying rainfall conditions, vertical, downslope, and upslope lateral flow can concurrently occur at different depths and locations within the hillslope. More importantly, we show that the state of wetting or drying in a hillslope defines the temporal and spatial regimes of flow and when and where laterally downslope and/or laterally upslope flow occurs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kleinböhl, Armin; Friedson, A. James; Schofield, John T.
2017-01-01
The remote sounding of infrared emission from planetary atmospheres using limb-viewing geometry is a powerful technique for deriving vertical profiles of structure and composition on a global scale. Compared with nadir viewing, limb geometry provides enhanced vertical resolution and greater sensitivity to atmospheric constituents. However, standard limb profile retrieval techniques assume spherical symmetry and are vulnerable to biases produced by horizontal gradients in atmospheric parameters. We present a scheme for the correction of horizontal gradients in profile retrievals from limb observations of the martian atmosphere. It characterizes horizontal gradients in temperature, pressure, and aerosol extinction along the line-of-sight of a limb view through neighboring measurements, and represents these gradients by means of two-dimensional radiative transfer in the forward model of the retrieval. The scheme is applied to limb emission measurements from the Mars Climate Sounder instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Retrieval simulations using data from numerical models indicate that biases of up to 10 K in the winter polar region, obtained with standard retrievals using spherical symmetry, are reduced to about 2 K in most locations by the retrieval with two-dimensional radiative transfer. Retrievals from Mars atmospheric measurements suggest that the two-dimensional radiative transfer greatly reduces biases in temperature and aerosol opacity caused by observational geometry, predominantly in the polar winter regions.
Circulation and teleconnection mechanisms of Northeast Brazil droughts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hastenrath, Stefan
2006-08-01
The Northern Nordeste of Brazil has its short rainy season narrowly concentrated around March-April, when the interhemispheric southward gradient of sea surface temperature (SST) is weakest and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which is the main rainbearing system for the Nordeste, reaches its southernmost position in the course of the year. The recurrent Secas (droughts) have a severe socio-economic impact in this semi-arid region. In drought years, the pre-season (October-January) rainfall is scarce, the interhemispheric SST gradient weakened and the basin-wide southerly (northerly) wind component enhanced (reduced), all manifestations of an anomalously far northward ITCZ position. Apart from this ensemble of Atlantic indicators, the Secas also tend to be preceded by anomalously warm equatorial Pacific waters in January. During El Niño years, an upper-tropospheric wave train extends from the equatorial eastern Pacific to the northern tropical Atlantic, affecting the patterns of upper-tropospheric topography and divergence, and hence of vertical motion over the Atlantic. The altered vertical motion leads to a weaker meridional pressure gradient on the equatorward flank of the North Atlantic subtropical high, and thus weaker North Atlantic tradewinds. The concomitant reduction of evaporation and wind stirring allows for warmer surface waters in the tropical North Atlantic and thus steeper interhemispheric meridional thermal gradient. Consequently, the ITCZ stays anomalously far North and the Nordeste rainy season becomes deficient.
Direction of unsaturated flow in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope
Lu, N.; Kaya, B.S.; Godt, J.W.
2011-01-01
The distribution of soil moisture in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope is a transient, variably saturated physical process controlled by rainfall characteristics, hillslope geometry, and the hydrological properties of the hillslope materials. The major driving mechanisms for moisture movement are gravity and gradients in matric potential. The latter is solely controlled by gradients of moisture content. In a homogeneous and isotropic saturated hillslope, absent a gradient in moisture content and under the driving force of gravity with a constant pressure boundary at the slope surface, flow is always in the lateral downslope direction, under either transient or steady state conditions. However, under variably saturated conditions, both gravity and moisture content gradients drive fluid motion, leading to complex flow patterns. In general, the flow field near the ground surface is variably saturated and transient, and the direction of flow could be laterally downslope, laterally upslope, or vertically downward. Previous work has suggested that prevailing rainfall conditions are sufficient to completely control these flow regimes. This work, however, shows that under time-varying rainfall conditions, vertical, downslope, and upslope lateral flow can concurrently occur at different depths and locations within the hillslope. More importantly, we show that the state of wetting or drying in a hillslope defines the temporal and spatial regimes of flow and when and where laterally downslope and/or laterally upslope flow occurs. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.
A Comparison of the Physiology and Mechanics of Exercise in LBNP and Upright Gait
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Boda, W. L.; Watenpaugh, D. E.; Ballard, R. E.; Chang, D.; Looft-Wilson, R.; Hargens, A. R.
1996-01-01
Bone, muscular strength, aerobic capacity, and normal fluid pressure gradients within the body are lost during bed rest and spaceflight. Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) exercise may create musculoskeletal and cardiovascular strains equal to a greater than those experienced on Earth and elucidate some of the mechanisms for maintaining bone integrity. LBNP exercise simulates gravity during supine posture by using negative pressure to pull subjects inward against a treadmill generating footward forces and increasing transmural pressures. Footward forces are generated which equal the product of the pressure differential and the cross-sectional area of the LBNP waist seal. Subjects lie supine within the chamber with their legs suspended from one another via cuffs, bungee cords, and pulleys, such that each leg acts as a counterweight to the other leg during the gait cycle. The subjects then walk or run on a treadmill which is positioned vertically within the chamber. Supine orientation allows only footward force production due to the negative pressure within the chamber. The purpose of this study was to determine if the kinematics, kinetics, and metabolic rate during supine walking and slow running on a vertical treadmill within LBNP are similar to those on a treadmill in 1-g environment in an upright posture.
Microgravimetry and the Measurement and Application of Gravity Gradients,
1980-06-01
Neumann, R., 1972, High precision gravimetry--recent develop- ments: Report to Paris Commission of E.A.E.G., Compagnie Generale de Geophysique , Massy...experimentation on vertical gradient: Compagnie Generale de Geophysique , Massy, France. 12. Fajklewicz, Z. J., 1976, Gravity vertical gradient
a Numerical Simulation of a Tornado-Scale Vortex in a Three-Dimensional Cloud Model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wicker, Louis John
1990-01-01
One of the more spectacular and elusive events of nature is the tornado. Usually spawned by a highly organized, lasting, and rotating thunderstorm called a "supercell", tornadoes are one of the most destructive atmospheric phenomena. Tornadoes almost always have length and time scales smaller than the measurable scales within the observing network of surface stations, conventional radar, Doppler radar and satellites. Therefore direct observations of tornadoes and their parent features are rarely obtained. Consequently, understanding of these phenomena will generally have to come from theoretical work, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations. In this thesis we seek to understand the process of tornadogenesis within the context of a fully three-dimensional cloud model. Very high horizontal and vertical resolution is used to capture a developing tornado-scale vortex during the simulation of a strongly rotating supercell storm simulated within the 3 April 1964 environment from Witchita Fall, Texas. To better represent the influence of surface friction on the vortex flow, a simple surface layer parametrization of the vertical fluxes of horizontal momentum is added to the model. Results from the simulation show that a tornado -scale vortex forms along the western edge of the mesocyclone, intensifies and rotates cyclonically around the center of the mesocyclone over a several minute period. The inclusion of the surface layer parameterization increases the low -level velocity convergence. Surface vertical vorticity is greater than 0.43 s^{-1} for thirty seconds and greater than 0.3 s^ {-1} for several minutes. During tornadogenesis, pressures at the surface fall 3-4 mb in thirty seconds and a pressure gradient develops of over 7 mb from the outer edge of the tornado to the center. A vortex tube extends from the surface to over 2.5 km aloft and tilts to the northwest. Analyses show that tornadogenesis occurs when the vertical velocity gradients along the western side of the mesocyclone increase and that the principle mechanism for intensifying the vertical vorticity is convergence. Analyses also show that the development of the occlusion updraft along the western edge of the mesocyclone is related to advection of warm air southwestward over the gust front and the lowering of pressure aloft within the mesocyclone core.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hannis, Sarah; Bricker, Stephanie; Williams, John
2013-04-01
The Bunter Sandstone Formation in the Southern North Sea is a potential reservoir being considered for carbon dioxide storage as a climate change mitigation option. A geological model of a putative storage site within this saline aquifer was built from 3D seismic and well data to investigate potential reservoir pressure changes and their effects on fault movement, brine and CO2 migration as a result of CO2 injection. The model is located directly beneath the Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation, close to the UK-Netherlands median line. Analysis of the seismic data reveals two large fault zones, one in each of the UK and Netherlands sectors, many tens of kilometres in length, extending from reservoir level to the sea bed. Although it has been shown that similar faults compartmentalise gas fields elsewhere in the Netherlands sector, significant uncertainty remains surrounding the properties of the faults in our model area; in particular their cross- and along-fault permeability and geomechanical behaviour. Despite lying outside the anticipated CO2 plume, these faults could provide potential barriers to pore fluid migration and pressure dissipation, until, under elevated pressures, they provide vertical migration pathways for brine. In this case, the faults will act to enhance injectivity, but potential environmental impacts, should the displaced brine be expelled at the sea bed, will require consideration. Pressure gradients deduced from regional leak-off test data have been input into a simple geomechanical model to estimate the threshold pressure gradient at which faults cutting the Mesozoic succession will fail, assuming reactivation of fault segments will cause an increase in vertical permeability. Various 4D scenarios were run using a single-phase groundwater modelling code, calibrated to results from a multi-phase commercial simulator. Possible end-member ranges of fault parameters were input to investigate the pressure change with time and quantify brine flux to the seabed in potentially reactivated sections of each fault zone. Combining the modelled pressure field with the calculated fault failure criterion suggests that only the fault in the Netherlands sector reactivates, allowing brine displacement at a maximum rate of 800 - 900 m3/d. Model results indicate that the extent of brine displacement is most sensitive to the fault reactivation pressure gradient and fault zone thickness. In conclusion, CO2 injection into a saline aquifer results in a significant increase in pore-fluid pressure gradients. In this case, brine displacement along faults acting as pressure relief valves could increase injectivity in a similar manner to pressure management wells, thereby facilitating the storage operation. However, if the faults act as brine migration pathways, an understanding of seabed flux rates and environmental impacts will need to be demonstrated to regulators prior to injection. This study, close to an international border, also highlights the need to inform neighbouring countries authorities of proposed operations and, potentially, to obtain licences to increase reservoir pressure and/or displace brine across international borders.
Tóta, Julio; Fitzjarrald, David Roy; da Silva Dias, Maria A F
2012-01-01
On the moderately complex terrain covered by dense tropical Amazon Rainforest (Reserva Biologica do Cuieiras--ZF2--02°36'17.1'' S, 60°12'24.4'' W), subcanopy horizontal and vertical gradients of the air temperature, CO(2) concentration and wind field were measured for the dry and wet periods in 2006. We tested the hypothesis that horizontal drainage flow over this study area is significant and can affect the interpretation of the high carbon uptake rates reported by previous works at this site. A similar experimental design as the one by Tóta et al. (2008) was used with a network of wind, air temperature, and CO(2) sensors above and below the forest canopy. A persistent and systematic subcanopy nighttime upslope (positive buoyancy) and daytime downslope (negative buoyancy) flow pattern on a moderately inclined slope (12%) was observed. The microcirculations observed above the canopy (38 m) over the sloping area during nighttime presents a downward motion indicating vertical convergence and correspondent horizontal divergence toward the valley area. During the daytime an inverse pattern was observed. The micro-circulations above the canopy were driven mainly by buoyancy balancing the pressure gradient forces. In the subcanopy space the microcirculations were also driven by the same physical mechanisms but probably with the stress forcing contribution. The results also indicated that the horizontal and vertical scalar gradients (e.g., CO(2)) were modulated by these micro-circulations above and below the canopy, suggesting that estimates of advection using previous experimental approaches are not appropriate due to the tridimensional nature of the vertical and horizontal transport locally. This work also indicates that carbon budget from tower-based measurement is not enough to close the system, and one needs to include horizontal and vertical advection transport of CO(2) into those estimates.
Tóta, Julio; Roy Fitzjarrald, David; da Silva Dias, Maria A. F.
2012-01-01
On the moderately complex terrain covered by dense tropical Amazon Rainforest (Reserva Biologica do Cuieiras—ZF2—02°36′17.1′′ S, 60°12′24.4′′ W), subcanopy horizontal and vertical gradients of the air temperature, CO2 concentration and wind field were measured for the dry and wet periods in 2006. We tested the hypothesis that horizontal drainage flow over this study area is significant and can affect the interpretation of the high carbon uptake rates reported by previous works at this site. A similar experimental design as the one by Tóta et al. (2008) was used with a network of wind, air temperature, and CO2 sensors above and below the forest canopy. A persistent and systematic subcanopy nighttime upslope (positive buoyancy) and daytime downslope (negative buoyancy) flow pattern on a moderately inclined slope (12%) was observed. The microcirculations observed above the canopy (38 m) over the sloping area during nighttime presents a downward motion indicating vertical convergence and correspondent horizontal divergence toward the valley area. During the daytime an inverse pattern was observed. The micro-circulations above the canopy were driven mainly by buoyancy balancing the pressure gradient forces. In the subcanopy space the microcirculations were also driven by the same physical mechanisms but probably with the stress forcing contribution. The results also indicated that the horizontal and vertical scalar gradients (e.g., CO2) were modulated by these micro-circulations above and below the canopy, suggesting that estimates of advection using previous experimental approaches are not appropriate due to the tridimensional nature of the vertical and horizontal transport locally. This work also indicates that carbon budget from tower-based measurement is not enough to close the system, and one needs to include horizontal and vertical advection transport of CO2 into those estimates. PMID:22619608
The role of the geothermal gradient in the emplacement and replenishment of ground ice on Mars
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Clifford, Stephen M.
1993-01-01
Knowledge of the mechanisms by which ground ice is emplaced, removed, and potentially replenished, are critical to understanding the climatic and hydrologic behavior of water on Mars, as well as the morphologic evolution of its surface. Because of the strong temperature dependence of the saturated vapor pressure of H2O, the atmospheric emplacement or replenishment of ground ice is prohibited below the depth at which crustal temperatures begin to monotonically increase due to geothermal heating. In contrast, the emplacement and replenishment of ground ice from reservoirs of H2O residing deep within the crust can occur by at least three different thermally-driven processes, involving all three phases of water. In this regard, Clifford has discussed how the presence of a geothermal gradient as small as 15 K/km can give rise to a corresponding vapor pressure gradient sufficient to drive the vertical transport of 1 km of water from a reservoir of ground water at depth to the base of the cryosphere every 10(exp 6) - 10(exp 7) years. This abstract expands on this earlier treatment by considering the influence of thermal gradients on the transport of H2O at temperatures below the freezing point.
Detecting overpressure using the Eaton and Equivalent Depth methods in Offshore Nova Scotia, Canada
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ernanda; Primasty, A. Q. T.; Akbar, K. A.
2018-03-01
Overpressure is an abnormal high subsurface pressure of any fluids which exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of column of water or formation brine. In Offshore Nova Scotia Canada, the values and depth of overpressure zone are determined using the eaton and equivalent depth method, based on well data and the normal compaction trend analysis. Since equivalent depth method is using effective vertical stress principle and Eaton method considers physical property ratio (velocity). In this research, pressure evaluation only applicable on Penobscot L-30 well. An abnormal pressure is detected at depth 11804 feet as possibly overpressure zone, based on pressure gradient curve and calculation between the Eaton method (7241.3 psi) and Equivalent Depth method (6619.4 psi). Shales within Abenaki formation especially Baccaro Member is estimated as possible overpressure zone due to hydrocarbon generation mechanism.
A study of the vortex structures around circular cylinder mounted on vertical heated plate
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Malah, Hamid; Chumakov, Yurii S.; Levchenya, Alexander M.
2018-05-01
In recent years, studies of natural convection boundary layer interacting with obstacles draw much of attention, because of its practical applications. Pressure gradient resulting from this interaction leads to separation of the boundary layer. The formation of vortex structure around obstacle is characteristic to any kind of convection flow. In this paper, we describe the formation of three-dimensional vortex structure for the case of natural convection flow around the circular cylinder mounted on vertical heated plate. Navier-Stokes equations were used for numerical computations. The results proved the presence of a horseshoe vortex system in the case of natural convection flow as in the forced convection flow.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martinec, Zdeněk; Fullea, Javier
2015-03-01
We aim to interpret the vertical gravity and vertical gravity gradient of the GOCE-GRACE combined gravity model over the southeastern part of the Congo basin to refine the published model of sedimentary rock cover. We use the GOCO03S gravity model and evaluate its spherical harmonic representation at or near the Earth's surface. In this case, the gradiometry signals are enhanced as compared to the original measured GOCE gradients at satellite height and better emphasize the spatial pattern of sedimentary geology. To avoid aliasing, the omission error of the modelled gravity induced by the sedimentary rocks is adjusted to that of the GOCO03S gravity model. The mass-density Green's functions derived for the a priori structure of the sediments show a slightly greater sensitivity to the GOCO03S vertical gravity gradient than to the vertical gravity. Hence, the refinement of the sedimentary model is carried out for the vertical gravity gradient over the basin, such that a few anomalous values of the GOCO03S-derived vertical gravity gradient are adjusted by refining the model. We apply the 5-parameter Helmert's transformation, defined by 2 translations, 1 rotation and 2 scale parameters that are searched for by the steepest descent method. The refined sedimentary model is only slightly changed with respect to the original map, but it significantly improves the fit of the vertical gravity and vertical gravity gradient over the basin. However, there are still spatial features in the gravity and gradiometric data that remain unfitted by the refined model. These may be due to lateral density variation that is not contained in the model, a density contrast at the Moho discontinuity, lithospheric density stratifications or mantle convection. In a second step, the refined sedimentary model is used to find the vertical density stratification of sedimentary rocks. Although the gravity data can be interpreted by a constant sedimentary density, such a model does not correspond to the gravitational compaction of sedimentary rocks. Therefore, the density model is extended by including a linear increase in density with depth. Subsequent L2 and L∞ norm minimization procedures are applied to find the density parameters by adjusting both the vertical gravity and the vertical gravity gradient. We found that including the vertical gravity gradient in the interpretation of the GOCO03S-derived data reduces the non-uniqueness of the inverse gradiometric problem for density determination. The density structure of the sedimentary formations that provide the optimum predictions of the GOCO03S-derived gravity and vertical gradient of gravity consists of a surface density contrast with respect to surrounding rocks of 0.24-0.28 g/cm3 and its decrease with depth of 0.05-0.25 g/cm3 per 10 km. Moreover, the case where the sedimentary rocks are gravitationally completely compacted in the deepest parts of the basin is supported by L∞ norm minimization. However, this minimization also allows a remaining density contrast at the deepest parts of the sedimentary basin of about 0.1 g/cm3.
Dynamics of Katabatic Winds in Colorado' Brush Creek Valley.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vergeiner, I.; Dreiseitl, E.; Whiteman, C. David
1987-01-01
A method is proposed to evaluate the coupled mass, momentum and thermal energy budget equations for a deep valley under two-dimensional, steady-state flow conditions. The method requires the temperature, down- valley wind and valley width fields to be approximated by simple analytical functions. The vertical velocity field is calculated using the mass continuity equation. Advection terms in the momentum and energy equations are then calculated using finite differences computed on a vertical two-dimensional grid that runs down the valley's axis. The pressure gradient term in the momentum equation is calculated from the temperature field by means of the hydrostatic equation. The friction term is then calculated as a residual in the xmomentum equation, and the diabatic cooling term is calculated as a residual in the thermal energy budget equation.The method is applied to data from an 8-km-long segment of Colorado's; Brush Creek Valley on the night of 30-31 July 1982. Pressure decreased with distance down the peak on horizontal surfaces, with peak horizontal pressure gradients of 0.04 hPa km1. The valley mass budget indicated that subsidence was required in the valley to support calculated mean along-valley mass flux divergence. Peak subsidence rates on the order of 0.10 m s1 were calculated. Subsiding motions in the valley produced negative vertical down-valley momentum fluxes in the upper valley atmosphere, but produced positive down-valley momentum fluxes below the level of the jet. Friction, calculated as a residual in the x momentum equation, was negative, as expected on physical grounds. and attained reasonable quantitative values.The strong subsidence field in the stable valley atmosphere produced subsidence warming that was only partly counteracted by down-valley cold air advection. Strong diabatic cooling was therefore required in order to account for the weak net cooling of the valley atmosphere during the nighttime period when tethered balloon observations were made.
Hamedani, Hooman; Shaghaghi, Hoora; Kadlecek, Stephen J.; Xin, Yi; Han, Biao; Siddiqui, Sarmad; Rajaei, Jennia; Ishii, Masaru; Rossman, Milton; Rizi, Rahim R.
2015-01-01
Purpose To evaluate whether regional alveolar oxygen tension (PAO2) vertical gradients imaged with hyperpolarized 3He can identify smoking-induced pulmonary alterations. To compare these gradients with common clinical measurements including pulmonary function tests, the six minute walk test, and the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire. Materials and Methods 8 healthy nonsmokers, 12 asymptomatic smokers, and 7 symptomatic subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) underwent two sets of back-to-back PAO2 imaging acquisitions in supine position with two opposite directions (top to bottom and bottom to top), followed by clinically standard pulmonary tests. The whole-lung mean, standard deviation (DPAO2) and vertical gradients of PAO2 along the slices were extracted, and the results were compared with clinically derived metrics. Statistical tests were performed to analyze the differences between cohorts. Results The anterior-posterior vertical gradients and DPAO2 effectively differentiated all three cohorts (p<0.05). The average vertical gradient PAO2 in healthy subjects was −1.03 ± 0.51 Torr/cm toward lower values in the posterior/dependent regions. The directional gradient was absent in smokers (0.36 ± 1.22 Torr/cm) and was in the opposite direction in COPD subjects (2.18 ± 1.54 Torr/cm). The vertical gradients correlated with Smoking History (p=0.004); BMI (p=0.037), PFT metrics (FEV1, p=0.025; and %RV/TLC, p=0.033) and with distance walked in six minutes (p=0.009). Discussion Regional PAO2 data indicate that cigarette smoke induces physiological alterations that are not being detected by the most widely used physiologic tests. PMID:25395184
A Study of the Flow Structure of Tip Vortices on a Hydrofoil
1986-11-28
as measured from the flow visualization imager. . . 0 . . . 61 III.10 The vertical location of the tip vortex center as measured from the flow...pressure gra- dients of opposite sign exist on both sides of an airfoil . These gradients induce an inward lateral flow on the suc- tion side and an...And most recently, Cebeci et al. (1986) developed a viscous/inviscid interaction method to calculate the flow around airfoils , emphasizing the
Pleural pressure theory revisited: a role for capillary equilibrium.
Casha, Aaron R; Caruana-Gauci, Roberto; Manche, Alexander; Gauci, Marilyn; Chetcuti, Stanley; Bertolaccini, Luca; Scarci, Marco
2017-04-01
Theories elucidating pleural pressures should explain all observations including the equal and opposite recoil of the chest wall and lungs, the less than expected pleural hydrostatic gradient and its variation at lobar margins, why pleural pressures are negative and how pleural fluid circulation functions. A theoretical model describing equilibrium between buoyancy, hydrostatic forces, and capillary forces is proposed. The capillary equilibrium model described depends on control of pleural fluid volume and protein content, powered by an active pleural pump. The interaction between buoyancy forces, hydrostatic pressure and capillary pressure was calculated, and values for pleural thickness and pressure were determined using values for surface tension, contact angle, pleural fluid and lung densities found in the literature. Modelling can explain the issue of the differing hydrostatic vertical pleural pressure gradient at the lobar margins for buoyancy forces between the pleural fluid and the lung floating in the pleural fluid according to Archimedes' hydrostatic paradox. The capillary equilibrium model satisfies all salient requirements for a pleural pressure model, with negative pressures maximal at the apex, equal and opposite forces in the lung and chest wall, and circulatory pump action. This model predicts that pleural effusions cannot occur in emphysema unless concomitant heart failure increases lung density. This model also explains how the non-confluence of the lung with the chest wall (e.g., lobar margins) makes the pleural pressure more negative, and why pleural pressures would be higher after an upper lobectomy compared to a lower lobectomy. Pathological changes in pleural fluid composition and lung density alter the equilibrium between capillarity and buoyancy hydrostatic pressure to promote pleural effusion formation.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schimming, C. D.; Durian, D. J.
2017-09-01
For dry foams, the transport of gas from small high-pressure bubbles to large low-pressure bubbles is dominated by diffusion across the thin soap films separating neighboring bubbles. For wetter foams, the film areas become smaller as the Plateau borders and vertices inflate with liquid. So-called "border-blocking" models can explain some features of wet-foam coarsening based on the presumption that the inflated borders totally block the gas flux; however, this approximation dramatically fails in the wet or unjamming limit where the bubbles become close-packed spheres and coarsening proceeds even though there are no films. Here, we account for the ever-present border-crossing flux by a new length scale defined by the average gradient of gas concentration inside the borders. We compute that it is proportional to the geometric average of film and border thicknesses, and we verify this scaling by numerical solution of the diffusion equation. We similarly consider transport across inflated vertices and surface Plateau borders in quasi-two-dimensional foams. And we show how the d A /d t =K0(n -6 ) von Neumann law is modified by the appearance of terms that depend on bubble size and shape as well as the concentration gradient length scales. Finally, we use the modified von Neumann law to compute the growth rate of the average bubble area, which is not constant.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
LaCasse, Katherine M.; Splitt, Michael E.; Lazarus, Steven M.; Lapenta, William M.
2008-01-01
High- and low-resolution sea surface temperature (SST) analysis products are used to initialize the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model for May 2004 for short-term forecasts over Florida and surrounding waters. Initial and boundary conditions for the simulations were provided by a combination of observations, large-scale model output, and analysis products. The impact of using a 1-km Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) SST composite on subsequent evolution of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) is assessed through simulation comparisons and limited validation. Model results are presented for individual simulations, as well as for aggregates of easterly- and westerly-dominated low-level flows. The simulation comparisons show that the use of MODIS SST composites results in enhanced convergence zones. earlier and more intense horizontal convective rolls. and an increase in precipitation as well as a change in precipitation location. Validation of 10-m winds with buoys shows a slight improvement in wind speed. The most significant results of this study are that 1) vertical wind stress divergence and pressure gradient accelerations across the Florida Current region vary in importance as a function of flow direction and stability and 2) the warmer Florida Current in the MODIS product transports heat vertically and downwind of this heat source, modifying the thermal structure and the MABL wind field primarily through pressure gradient adjustments.
Tidal asymmetries of velocity and stratification over a bathymetric depression in a tropical inlet
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Waterhouse, Amy F.; Valle-Levinson, Arnoldo; Morales Pérez, Rubén A.
2012-10-01
Observations of current velocity, sea surface elevation and vertical profiles of density were obtained in a tropical inlet to determine the effect of a bathymetric depression (hollow) on the tidal flows. Surveys measuring velocity profiles were conducted over a diurnal tidal cycle with mixed spring tides during dry and wet seasons. Depth-averaged tidal velocities during ebb and flood tides behaved according to Bernoulli dynamics, as expected. The dynamic balance of depth-averaged quantities in the along-channel direction was governed by along-channel advection and pressure gradients with baroclinic pressure gradients only being important during the wet season. The vertical structure of the along-channel flow during flood tides exhibited a mid-depth maximum with lateral shear enhanced during the dry season as a result of decreased vertical stratification. During ebb tides, along-channel velocities in the vicinity of the hollow were vertically sheared with a weak return flow at depth due to choking of the flow on the seaward slope of the hollow. The potential energy anomaly, a measure of the amount of energy required to fully mix the water column, showed two peaks in stratification associated with ebb tide and a third peak occurring at the beginning of flood. After the first mid-ebb peak in stratification, ebb flows were constricted on the seaward slope of the hollow resulting in a bottom return flow. The sinking of surface waters and enhanced mixing on the seaward slope of the hollow reduced the potential energy anomaly after maximum ebb. The third peak in stratification during early flood occurred as a result of denser water entering the inlet at mid-depth. This dense water mixed with ambient deep waters increasing the stratification. Lateral shear in the along-channel flow across the hollow allowed trapping of less dense water in the surface layers further increasing stratification.
Coble, Adam P; VanderWall, Brittany; Mau, Alida; Cavaleri, Molly A
2016-09-01
Leaf functional traits are used in modeling forest canopy photosynthesis (Ac) due to strong correlations between photosynthetic capacity, leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf nitrogen per area (Narea). Vertical distributions of these traits may change over time in temperate deciduous forests as a result of acclimation to light, which may result in seasonal changes in Ac To assess both spatial and temporal variations in key traits, we measured vertical profiles of Narea and LMA from leaf expansion through leaf senescence in a sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) forest. To investigate mechanisms behind coordinated changes in leaf morphology and function, we also measured vertical variation in leaf carbon isotope composition (δ(13)C), predawn turgor pressure, leaf water potential and osmotic potential. Finally, we assessed potential biases in Ac estimations by parameterizing models with and without vertical and seasonal Narea variations following leaf expansion. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that hydrostatic constraints on leaf morphology drive the vertical increase in LMA with height early in the growing season; however, LMA in the upper canopy continued to increase over time during light acclimation, indicating that light is primarily driving gradients in LMA later in the growing season. Models with no seasonal variation in Narea overestimated Ac by up to 11% early in the growing season, while models with no vertical variation in Narea overestimated Ac by up to 60% throughout the season. According to the multilayer model, the upper 25% of leaf area contributed to over 50% of Ac, but when gradients of intercellular CO2, as estimated from δ(13)C, were accounted for, the upper 25% of leaf area contributed to 26% of total Ac Our results suggest that ignoring vertical variation of key traits can lead to considerable overestimation of Ac. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Method and apparatus for determining vertical heat flux of geothermal field
Poppendiek, Heinz F.
1982-01-01
A method and apparatus for determining vertical heat flux of a geothermal field, and mapping the entire field, is based upon an elongated heat-flux transducer (10) comprised of a length of tubing (12) of relatively low thermal conductivity with a thermopile (20) inside for measuring the thermal gradient between the ends of the transducer after it has been positioned in a borehole for a period sufficient for the tube to reach thermal equilibrium. The transducer is thermally coupled to the surrounding earth by a fluid annulus, preferably water or mud. A second transducer comprised of a length of tubing of relatively high thermal conductivity is used for a second thermal gradient measurement. The ratio of the first measurement to the second is then used to determine the earth's thermal conductivity, k.sub..infin., from a precalculated graph, and using the value of thermal conductivity thus determined, then determining the vertical earth temperature gradient, b, from predetermined steady state heat balance equations which relate the undisturbed vertical earth temperature distributions at some distance from the borehole and earth thermal conductivity to the temperature gradients in the transducers and their thermal conductivity. The product of the earth's thermal conductivity, k.sub..infin., and the earth's undisturbed vertical temperature gradient, b, then determines the earth's vertical heat flux. The process can be repeated many times for boreholes of a geothermal field to map vertical heat flux.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sullivan, Sharon M.
Observations as part of the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) campaign have allowed for an examination of the thermodynamic and dynamic structure of the LLJ using ground-based and airborne measurements in central Kansas. A shallow jet with wind speeds near 20 m s-1 formed during the nighttime hours on 10 June 2015. The University of Wyoming King Air research aircraft conducted two research flights beginning at sunset and ending near dawn, capturing the full evolution of the LLJ. Each flight included a series of vertical sawtooth maneuvers and isobaric legs along a fixed track at 38.7°N between 98.89°W and 100.3°W. This case featured classic signatures of the LLJ, including but not limited to the inertial oscillation of the ageostrophic wind. Forcing of the LLJ was analyzed using cross sections of D-values that allowed the vertical structure of the horizontal pressure gradient and hence thermal wind to be examined. A series of numerical simulations of the 10 June 2015 case study were made using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to compare with observations. Output grids indicated that a temperature gradient of 6°C over 500 km was present between the surface and 850 hPa. Warmer temperatures were found to the west from the surface up to 600 hPa. The 600 hPa geostrophic winds were from the north. As a result, only weak southerly geostrophic winds were able to develop at the surface. The terrain-induced thermal wind was sufficiently large to overcome the adverse pressure gradient in the free atmosphere, but could only produce weak southerly geostrophic winds at the surface of about 11.4 m s-1.
Heat Transfer in MHD Mixed Convection Flow of a Ferrofluid along a Vertical Channel.
Gul, Aaiza; Khan, Ilyas; Shafie, Sharidan; Khalid, Asma; Khan, Arshad
2015-01-01
This study investigated heat transfer in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection flow of ferrofluid along a vertical channel. The channel with non-uniform wall temperatures was taken in a vertical direction with transverse magnetic field. Water with nanoparticles of magnetite (Fe3O4) was selected as a conventional base fluid. In addition, non-magnetic (Al2O3) aluminium oxide nanoparticles were also used. Comparison between magnetic and magnetite nanoparticles were also conducted. Fluid motion was originated due to buoyancy force together with applied pressure gradient. The problem was modelled in terms of partial differential equations with physical boundary conditions. Analytical solutions were obtained for velocity and temperature. Graphical results were plotted and discussed. It was found that temperature and velocity of ferrofluids depend strongly on viscosity and thermal conductivity together with magnetic field. The results of the present study when compared concurred with published work.
Heat Transfer in MHD Mixed Convection Flow of a Ferrofluid along a Vertical Channel
Gul, Aaiza; Khan, Ilyas; Shafie, Sharidan; Khalid, Asma; Khan, Arshad
2015-01-01
This study investigated heat transfer in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection flow of ferrofluid along a vertical channel. The channel with non-uniform wall temperatures was taken in a vertical direction with transverse magnetic field. Water with nanoparticles of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4) was selected as a conventional base fluid. In addition, non-magnetic (Al 2 O 3) aluminium oxide nanoparticles were also used. Comparison between magnetic and magnetite nanoparticles were also conducted. Fluid motion was originated due to buoyancy force together with applied pressure gradient. The problem was modelled in terms of partial differential equations with physical boundary conditions. Analytical solutions were obtained for velocity and temperature. Graphical results were plotted and discussed. It was found that temperature and velocity of ferrofluids depend strongly on viscosity and thermal conductivity together with magnetic field. The results of the present study when compared concurred with published work. PMID:26550837
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Guerra, J. E.; Ullrich, P. A.
2014-12-01
Tempest is a new non-hydrostatic atmospheric modeling framework that allows for investigation and intercomparison of high-order numerical methods. It is composed of a dynamical core based on a finite-element formulation of arbitrary order operating on cubed-sphere and Cartesian meshes with topography. The underlying technology is briefly discussed, including a novel Hybrid Finite Element Method (HFEM) vertical coordinate coupled with high-order Implicit/Explicit (IMEX) time integration to control vertically propagating sound waves. Here, we show results from a suite of Mesoscale testing cases from the literature that demonstrate the accuracy, performance, and properties of Tempest on regular Cartesian meshes. The test cases include wave propagation behavior, Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, and flow interaction with topography. Comparisons are made to existing results highlighting improvements made in resolving atmospheric dynamics in the vertical direction where many existing methods are deficient.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Niiler, Pearn P.; Maximenko, Nikolai A.; McWilliams, James C.
2003-11-01
The 1992-2002 time-mean absolute sea level distribution of the global ocean is computed for the first time from observations of near-surface velocity. For this computation, we use the near-surface horizontal momentum balance. The velocity observed by drifters is used to compute the Coriolis force and the force due to acceleration of water parcels. The anomaly of horizontal pressure gradient is derived from satellite altimetry and corrects the temporal bias in drifter data distribution. NCEP reanalysis winds are used to compute the force due to Ekman currents. The mean sea level gradient force, which closes the momentum balance, is integrated for mean sea level. We find that our computation agrees, within uncertainties, with the sea level computed from the geostrophic, hydrostatic momentum balance using historical mean density, except in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. A consistent horizontally and vertically dynamically balanced, near-surface, global pressure field has now been derived from observations.
Large Eddy Simulations of a Bottom Boundary Layer Under a Shallow Geostrophic Front
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bateman, S. P.; Simeonov, J.; Calantoni, J.
2017-12-01
The unstratified surf zone and the stratified shelf waters are often separated by dynamic fronts that can strongly impact the character of the Ekman bottom boundary layer. Here, we use large eddy simulations to study the turbulent bottom boundary layer associated with a geostrophic current on a stratified shelf of uniform depth. The simulations are initialized with a spatially uniform vertical shear that is in geostrophic balance with a pressure gradient due to a linear horizontal temperature variation. Superposed on the temperature front is a stable vertical temperature gradient. As turbulence develops near the bottom, the turbulence-induced mixing gradually erodes the initial uniform temperature stratification and a well-mixed layer grows in height until the turbulence becomes fully developed. The simulations provide the spatial distribution of the turbulent dissipation and the Reynolds stresses in the fully developed boundary layer. We vary the initial linear stratification and investigate its effect on the height of the bottom boundary layer and the turbulence statistics. The results are compared to previous models and simulations of stratified bottom Ekman layers.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Taylor, R. G.; Cronin, A. A.; Trowsdale, S. A.; Baines, O. P.; Barrett, M. H.; Lerner, D. N.
2003-12-01
The vertical component of groundwater flow that is responsible for advective penetration of contaminants in sandstone aquifers is poorly understood. This lack of knowledge is of particular concern in urban areas where abstraction disrupts natural groundwater flow regimes and there exists an increased density of contaminant sources. Vertical hydraulic gradients that control vertical groundwater flow were investigated using bundled multilevel piezometers and a double-packer assembly in dedicated boreholes constructed to depths of between 50 and 92 m below ground level in Permo-Triassic sediments underlying two cities within the Trent River Basin of central England (Birmingham, Nottingham). The hydrostratigraphy of the Permo-Triassic sediments, indicated by geophysical logging and hydraulic (packer) testing, demonstrates considerable control over observed vertical hydraulic gradients and, hence, vertical groundwater flow. The direction and magnitude of vertical hydraulic gradients recorded in multilevel piezometers and packers are broadly complementary and range, within error, from +0.1 to -0.7. Groundwater is generally found to flow vertically toward transmissive zones within the hydrostratigraphical profile though urban abstraction from the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer also influences observed vertical hydraulic gradients. Bulk, downward Darcy velocities at two locations affected by abstraction are estimated to be in the order of several metres per year. Consistency in the distribution of hydraulic head with depth in Permo-Triassic sediments is observed over a one-year period and adds support the deduction of hydrostratigraphic control over vertical groundwater flow.
Total Hydrogen Budget of the Equatorial Upper Stratosphere
2010-02-24
series show quasi- biennial ( QBO ) variations which peak near 2.2 hPa in the equatorial upper stratosphere due to the large vertical gradients in CH4...Cordero et al., 1997] and directly relate to the observed QBO variations in H2O through CH4 oxidation. An increase in H2O mixing ratios during the early...by calculating the amplitudes of the QBO , annual, and semiannual cycles as function of pressure determined by a least squares regression fit to the
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fisher, J. A.; Wilson, S. R.; Zeng, G.; Williams, J. E.; Emmons, L. K.; Langenfelds, R. L.; Krummel, P. B.; Steele, L. P.
2014-11-01
We use aircraft observations from the 1991-2000 Cape Grim Overflight Program and the 2009-2011 HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO), together with output from four chemical transport and chemistry-climate models, to better understand the vertical distribution of carbon monoxide (CO) in the remote Southern Hemisphere. Observed CO vertical gradients at Cape Grim vary from 1.6 ppbv km-1 in austral autumn to 2.2 ppbv km-1 in austral spring. CO vertical profiles from Cape Grim are remarkably consistent with those observed over the southern mid-latitudes Pacific during HIPPO, despite major differences in time periods, flight locations, and sampling strategies between the two datasets. Using multi-model simulations from the Southern Hemisphere Model Intercomparison Project (SHMIP), we find that observed CO vertical gradients in austral winter-spring are well-represented in models and can be attributed to primary CO emissions from biomass burning. In austral summer-autumn, inter-model variability in simulated gradients is much larger, and two of the four SHMIP models significantly underestimate the Cape Grim observations. Sensitivity simulations show that CO vertical gradients at this time of year are driven by long-range transport of secondary CO of biogenic origin, implying a large sensitivity of the remote Southern Hemisphere troposphere to biogenic emissions and chemistry. Inter-model variability in summer-autumn gradients can be explained by differences in both the chemical mechanisms that drive secondary production of CO from biogenic sources and the vertical transport that redistributes this CO throughout the Southern Hemisphere. This suggests that the CO vertical gradient in the remote Southern Hemisphere provides a sensitive test of the chemistry and transport processes that define the chemical state of the background atmosphere.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zehe, Erwin; Jackisch, Conrad; Blume, Theresa; Haßler, Sibylle; Allroggen, Niklas; Tronicke, Jens
2013-04-01
The CAOS Research Unit recently proposed a hierarchical classification scheme to subdivide a catchment into what we vaguely name classes of functional entities that puts the gradients driving mass and energy flows and their controls on top of the hierarchy and the arrangement of landscape attributes controlling flow resistances along these driving gradients (for instance soil types and apparent preferential pathways) at the second level. We name these functional entities lead topology classes, to highlight that they are characterized by a spatially ordered arrangement of landscape elements along a superordinate driving gradient. Our idea is that these lead topology classes have a distinct way how their structural and textural architecture controls the interplay of storage dynamics and integral response behavior that is typical for all members of a class, but is dissimilar between different classes. This implies that we might gain exemplary understanding of the typical dynamic behavior of the class, when thoroughly studying a few class members. We propose that the main integral catchment functions mass export and drainage, mass redistribution and storage, energy exchange with the atmosphere, as well as energy redistribution and storage - result from spatially organized interactions of processes within lead topologies that operate at different scale levels and partly dominate during different conditions. We distinguish: 1) Lead topologies controlling the land surface energy balance during radiation driven conditions at the plot/pedon scale level. In this case energy fluxes dominate and deplete a vertical temperature gradient that is build up by depleting a gradient in radiation fluxes. Water is a facilitator in this concert due to the high specific heat of vaporization. Slow vertical water fluxes in soil dominate, which are driven by vertical gradients in atmospheric water potential, chemical potential in the plant and in soil hydraulic potentials. 2) Lead topologies controlling fast drainage and generation stream flow during rainfall events at the hillslope scale level: Fast vertical and lateral mass fluxes dominate. They are driven by vertical and lateral gradients in pressure heads which build up by depleting the kinetic energy/velocity gradient of rainfall when it hits the ground or of vertical subsurface flows that "hit" a layer of low permeability. 3) Lead topologies controlling slow drainage and its supply, and thus creating memory at the catchment scale level: These are the groundwater system and the stream including the riparian zone. Permanent lateral water flows dominate that are driven by permanently active lateral gradients in pressure heads. Event scale stream flow generation and energy exchange with the atmospheric boundary layer are organized by the first two types of lead topologies, and their dominance changes with prevailing type of boundary conditions. We furthermore propose that lead topologies at the plot and the hillslope scale levels can be further subdivided into least functional entities we name call classes of elementary functional units. These classes of elementary functional units co-evolved being exposed to similar superordinate vertical gradients in a self-reinforcing manner. Being located either at the hilltop (sediment source area), midslope (sediment transport area) or hillfoot/riparian zone (sediment deposit area) they experienced similar weathering processes (past water, energy and nutrient flows), causing formation of similar soil texture in different horizons. This implies, depending on hillslope position and aspect, formation of distinct niches (with respect to water, nutrient and sun light availability) and thus "similar filters" to select distinct natural communities of animal and vegetation species. This in turn implies similarity with respect to formation of biotic flow networks (ant-, worm-, mole- and whole burrow systems, as well as root systems), which feeds back on vertical and lateral water/mass and thermal energy flows and so on. The idea is that members of EFU classes interact within lead topologies along a hierarchy of driving potential gradients and that these interactions are mediated by a hierarchy of connected flow networks like macropores, root networks or lateral pipe systems. We hypothesize that members of a functional unit class are similar with respect to the time invariant controls of the vertical gradients (soil hydraulic potentials, soil temperature, plant water potential) and the flow resistances in vertical direction (plant and soil albedo, soil hydraulic and thermal conductivity, vertical macropore networks). This implies that members of an EFU class behave functionally similar at least with respect to vertical flows of water and heat: we may gain exemplary understanding of the typical dynamic behavior of the class, by thoroughly studying a few class members. In the following we will thus use the term "elementary functional units, EFUs" and "elementary functional unit class, EFU class" as synonyms. We propose that a thorough understanding of the behavior of a few representatives of the most important EFU classes and of their interactions within a hierarchy of lead topology classes is sufficient for understanding and distributed modeling of event scale stream flow production under rainfall driven conditions and energy exchange with the atmosphere under radiation driven conditions. Good and not surprising news is that lead topologies controlling stream flow contribution, are an interconnected, ordered arrangement of the lead topologies that control energy exchange. We suggests that a combination of the related model approaches which simplified but physical based approaches to simulate dynamics in the saturated zone, riparian zone and the river network results in a structurally more adequate model framework for catchments of organized complexity. The feasibility of this concept is currently tested in the Attert catchment by setting up pseudo replica of field experiments and a distributed monitoring network in several members of first guess EFUs and superordinate lead topology classes. We combine geophysical and soil physical survey, artificial tracer tests and analysis of stable isotopes and ecological survey with distributed sensor clusters that permanently monitor meteorological variables, soil moisture and matric potential, piezometric heads etc. Within the proposed study we will present first results especially from the sensor clusters and geophysical survey. By using geostatistical methods we will work out to which extend members within a candidate EFU class are similar with respect to subsurface structures like depth to bedrock and soil properties as well as with respect to soil moisture/storage dynamics. Secondly, we will work out whether structurally similar hillslopes produce a similar event scale stream flow contribution, which of course is dependent on the degree of similarity of a) the rainfall forcing they receive and b) of their wetness state. To this end we will perform virtual experiments with the physically based model CATFLOW by perturbing behavioral model structures. These have been shown to portray system behavior and its architecture in a sense that they reproduce distributed observations of soil moisture and subsurface storm flow and represent the observed structural and textural signatures of soils, flow networks and vegetation.
Li, Huayun; Jia, Huibin; Yu, Dongchuan
2018-03-01
Using behavioral measures and ERP technique, researchers discovered at least two factors could influence the final perception of depth in Panum's limiting case, which are the vertical disparity gradient and the degree of cue conflict between two- and three-dimensional shapes. Although certain event-related potential components have been proved to be sensitive to the different levels of these two factors, some methodological limitations existed in this technique. In this study, we proposed that the omega complexity of EEG signal may serve as an important supplement of the traditional event-related potential technique. We found that the trials with lower vertical gradient disparity have lower omega complexity (i.e., higher global functional connectivity) of the occipital region, especially that of the right-occipital hemisphere. Moreover, for occipital omega complexity, the trials with low-cue conflict have significantly larger omega complexity than those with medium- and high-cue conflict. It is also found that the electrodes located in the middle line of the occipital region (i.e., POz and Oz) are more crucial to the impact of different levels of cue conflict on omega complexity than the other electrodes located in the left- and right-occipital hemispheres. These evidences demonstrated that the EEG omega complexity could reflect distinct neural activities evoked by Panum's limiting case configurations, with different levels of vertical disparity gradient and cue conflict. Besides, the influence of vertical disparity gradient and cue conflict on omega complexity may be regional dependent. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The EEG omega complexity could reflect distinct neural activities evoked by Panum's limiting case configurations with different levels of vertical disparity gradient and cue conflict. The influence of vertical disparity gradient and cue conflict on omega complexity is regional dependent. The omega complexity of EEG signal can serve as an important supplement of the traditional ERP technique.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tscherning, Carl Christian; Arabelos, Dimitrios; Reguzzoni, Mirko
2013-04-01
The GOCE satellite measures gravity gradients which are filtered and transformed to gradients into an Earth-referenced frame by the GOCE High Level processing Facility. More than 80000000 data with 6 components are available from the period 2009-2011. IAG Arctic gravity was used north of 83 deg., while data at the Antarctic was not used due to bureaucratic restrictions by the data-holders. Subsets of the data have been used to produce gridded values at 10 km altitude of gravity anomalies and vertical gravity gradients in 20 deg. x 20 deg. blocks with 10' spacing. Various combinations and densities of data were used to obtain values in areas with known gravity anomalies. The (marginally) best choice was vertical gravity gradients selected with an approximately 0.125 deg spacing. Using Least-Squares Collocation, error-estimates were computed and compared to the difference between the GOCE-grids and grids derived from EGM2008 to deg. 512. In general a good agreement was found, however with some inconsistencies in certain areas. The computation time on a usual server with 24 processors was typically 100 minutes for a block with generally 40000 GOCE vertical gradients as input. The computations will be updated with new Wiener-filtered data in the near future.
Florida Harvester Ant Nest Architecture, Nest Relocation and Soil Carbon Dioxide Gradients
Tschinkel, Walter R.
2013-01-01
Colonies of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius, excavate species-typical subterranean nests up the 3 m deep with characteristic vertical distribution of chamber area/shape, spacing between levels and vertical arrangement of the ants by age and brood stage. Colonies excavate and occupy a new nest about once a year, and doing so requires that they have information about the depth below ground. Careful excavation and mapping of vacated and new nests revealed that there was no significant difference between the old and new nests in any measure of nest size, shape or arrangement. Colonies essentially built a replicate of the just-vacated nest (although details differed), and they did so in less than a week. The reason for nest relocation is not apparent. Tschinkel noted that the vertical distribution of chamber area, worker age and brood type was strongly correlated to the soil carbon dioxide gradient, and proposed that this gradient serves as a template for nest excavation and vertical distribution. To test this hypothesis, the carbon dioxide gradient of colonies that were just beginning to excavate a new nest was eliminated by boring 6 vent holes around the forming nest, allowing the soil CO2 to diffuse into the atmosphere and eliminating the gradient. Sadly, neither the nest architecture nor the vertical ant distribution of vented nests differed from either unvented control or from their own vacated nest. In a stronger test, workers excavated a new nest under a reversed carbon dioxide gradient (high concentration near the surface, low below). Even under these conditions, the new and old nests did not differ significantly, showing that the soil carbon dioxide gradient does not serve as a template for nest construction or vertical worker distribution. The possible importance of soil CO2 gradients for soil-dwelling animals is discussed. PMID:23555829
Pleural pressure theory revisited: a role for capillary equilibrium
Caruana-Gauci, Roberto; Manche, Alexander; Gauci, Marilyn; Chetcuti, Stanley; Bertolaccini, Luca
2017-01-01
Background Theories elucidating pleural pressures should explain all observations including the equal and opposite recoil of the chest wall and lungs, the less than expected pleural hydrostatic gradient and its variation at lobar margins, why pleural pressures are negative and how pleural fluid circulation functions. Methods A theoretical model describing equilibrium between buoyancy, hydrostatic forces, and capillary forces is proposed. The capillary equilibrium model described depends on control of pleural fluid volume and protein content, powered by an active pleural pump. Results The interaction between buoyancy forces, hydrostatic pressure and capillary pressure was calculated, and values for pleural thickness and pressure were determined using values for surface tension, contact angle, pleural fluid and lung densities found in the literature. Modelling can explain the issue of the differing hydrostatic vertical pleural pressure gradient at the lobar margins for buoyancy forces between the pleural fluid and the lung floating in the pleural fluid according to Archimedes’ hydrostatic paradox. The capillary equilibrium model satisfies all salient requirements for a pleural pressure model, with negative pressures maximal at the apex, equal and opposite forces in the lung and chest wall, and circulatory pump action. Conclusions This model predicts that pleural effusions cannot occur in emphysema unless concomitant heart failure increases lung density. This model also explains how the non-confluence of the lung with the chest wall (e.g., lobar margins) makes the pleural pressure more negative, and why pleural pressures would be higher after an upper lobectomy compared to a lower lobectomy. Pathological changes in pleural fluid composition and lung density alter the equilibrium between capillarity and buoyancy hydrostatic pressure to promote pleural effusion formation. PMID:28523153
Smith, R.L.; Harvey, R.W.; LeBlanc, D.R.
1991-01-01
Vertical gradients of selected chemical constituents, bacterial populations, bacterial activity and electron acceptors were investigated for an unconfined aquifer contaminated with nitrate and organic compounds on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Fifteen-port multilevel sampling devices (MLS's) were installed within the contaminant plume at the source of the contamination, and at 250 and 2100 m downgradient from the source. Depth profiles of specific conductance and dissolved oxygen at the downgradient sites exhibited vertical gradients that were both steep and inversely related. Narrow zones (2-4 m thick) of high N2O and NH4+ concentrations were also detected within the contaminant plume. A 27-fold change in bacterial abundance; a 35-fold change in frequency of dividing cells (FDC), an indicator of bacterial growth; a 23-fold change in 3H-glucose uptake, a measure of heterotrophic activity; and substantial changes in overall cell morphology were evident within a 9-m vertical interval at 250 m downgradient. The existence of these gradients argues for the need for closely spaced vertical sampling in groundwater studies because small differences in the vertical placement of a well screen can lead to incorrect conclusions about the chemical and microbiological processes within an aquifer.Vertical gradients of selected chemical constituents, bacterial populations, bacterial activity and electron acceptors were investigated for an unconfined aquifer contaminated with nitrate and organic compounds on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Fifteen-port multilevel sampling devices (MLS's) were installed within the contaminant plume at the source of the contamination, and at 250 and 2100 m downgradient from the source. Depth profiles of specific conductance and dissolved oxygen at the downgradient sites exhibited vertical gradients that were both steep and inversely related. Narrow zones (2-4 m thick) of high N2O and NH4+ concentrations were also detected within the contaminant plume. A 27-fold change in bacterial abundance; a 35-fold change in frequency of dividing cells (FDC), an indicator of bacterial growth; a 23-fold change in 3H-glucose uptake, a measure of heterotrophic activity; and substantial changes in overall cell morphology were evident within a 9-m vertical interval at 250 m downgradient. The existence of these gradients argues for the need for closely spaced vertical sampling in ground-water studies because small differences in the vertical placement of a well screen can lead to incorrect conclusions about the chemical and microbiological processes within an aquifer.
Bjorgaard, J. A.; Velizhanin, K. A.; Tretiak, S.
2015-08-06
This study describes variational energy expressions and analytical excited state energy gradients for time-dependent self-consistent field methods with polarizable solvent effects. Linear response, vertical excitation, and state-specific solventmodels are examined. Enforcing a variational ground stateenergy expression in the state-specific model is found to reduce it to the vertical excitation model. Variational excited state energy expressions are then provided for the linear response and vertical excitation models and analytical gradients are formulated. Using semiempiricalmodel chemistry, the variational expressions are verified by numerical and analytical differentiation with respect to a static external electric field. Lastly, analytical gradients are further tested by performingmore » microcanonical excited state molecular dynamics with p-nitroaniline.« less
The role of the oceanic oxygen minima in generating biodiversity in the deep sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rogers, Alex D.
2000-01-01
Many studies on the deep-sea benthic biota have shown that the most species-rich areas lie on the continental margins between 500 and 2500 m, which coincides with the present oxygen-minimum in the world's oceans. Some species have adapted to hypoxic conditions in oxygen-minimum zones, and some can even fulfil all their energy requirements through anaerobic metabolism for at least short periods of time. It is, however, apparent that the geographic and vertical distribution of many species is restricted by the presence of oxygen-minimum zones. Historically, cycles of global warming and cooling have led to periods of expansion and contraction of oxygen-minimum layers throughout the world's oceans. Such shifts in the global distribution of oxygen-minimum zones have presented many opportunities for allopatric speciation in organisms inhabiting slope habitats associated with continental margins, oceanic islands and seamounts. On a smaller scale, oxygen-minimum zones can be seen today as providing a barrier to gene-flow between allopatric populations. Recent studies of the Arabian Sea and in other regions of upwelling also have shown that the presence of an oxygen-minimum layer creates a strong vertical gradient in physical and biological parameters. The reduced utilisation of the downward flux of organic material in the oxygen-minimum zone results in an abundant supply of food for organisms immediately below it. The occupation of this area by species exploiting abundant food supplies may lead to strong vertical gradients in selective pressures for optimal rates of growth, modes of reproduction and development and in other aspects of species biology. The presence of such strong selective gradients may have led to an increase in habitat specialisation in the lower reaches of oxygen-minimum zones and an increased rate of speciation.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pinte, C.; Ménard, F.; Duchêne, G.; Hill, T.; Dent, W. R. F.; Woitke, P.; Maret, S.; van der Plas, G.; Hales, A.; Kamp, I.; Thi, W. F.; de Gregorio-Monsalvo, I.; Rab, C.; Quanz, S. P.; Avenhaus, H.; Carmona, A.; Casassus, S.
2018-01-01
Accurate measurements of the physical structure of protoplanetary discs are critical inputs for planet formation models. These constraints are traditionally established via complex modelling of continuum and line observations. Instead, we present an empirical framework to locate the CO isotopologue emitting surfaces from high spectral and spatial resolution ALMA observations. We apply this framework to the disc surrounding IM Lupi, where we report the first direct, i.e. model independent, measurements of the radial and vertical gradients of temperature and velocity in a protoplanetary disc. The measured disc structure is consistent with an irradiated self-similar disc structure, where the temperature increases and the velocity decreases towards the disc surface. We also directly map the vertical CO snow line, which is located at about one gas scale height at radii between 150 and 300 au, with a CO freeze-out temperature of 21 ± 2 K. In the outer disc (>300 au), where the gas surface density transitions from a power law to an exponential taper, the velocity rotation field becomes significantly sub-Keplerian, in agreement with the expected steeper pressure gradient. The sub-Keplerian velocities should result in a very efficient inward migration of large dust grains, explaining the lack of millimetre continuum emission outside of 300 au. The sub-Keplerian motions may also be the signature of the base of an externally irradiated photo-evaporative wind. In the same outer region, the measured CO temperature above the snow line decreases to ≈15 K because of the reduced gas density, which can result in a lower CO freeze-out temperature, photo-desorption, or deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Huang, Xiang; Andrews, Charles B.; Liu, Jie; Yao, Yingying; Liu, Chuankun; Tyler, Scott W.; Selker, John S.; Zheng, Chunmiao
2016-08-01
Understanding the spatial and temporal characteristics of water flux into or out of shallow aquifers is imperative for water resources management and eco-environmental conservation. In this study, the spatial variability in the vertical specific fluxes and hydraulic conductivities in a streambed were evaluated by integrating distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data and vertical hydraulic gradients into an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and smoother (EnKS) and an empirical thermal-mixing model. The formulation of the EnKF/EnKS assimilation scheme is based on a discretized 1D advection-conduction equation of heat transfer in the streambed. We first systematically tested a synthetic case and performed quantitative and statistical analyses to evaluate the performance of the assimilation schemes. Then a real-world case was evaluated to calculate assimilated specific flux. An initial estimate of the spatial distributions of the vertical hydraulic gradients was obtained from an empirical thermal-mixing model under steady-state conditions using a constant vertical hydraulic conductivity. Then, this initial estimate was updated by repeatedly dividing the assimilated specific flux by estimates of the vertical hydraulic gradients to obtain a refined spatial distribution of vertical hydraulic gradients and vertical hydraulic conductivities. Our results indicate that optimal parameters can be derived with fewer iterations but greater simulation effort using the EnKS compared with the EnKF. For the field application in a stream segment of the Heihe River Basin in northwest China, the average vertical hydraulic conductivities in the streambed varied over three orders of magnitude (5 × 10-1 to 5 × 102 m/d). The specific fluxes ranged from near zero (qz < ±0.05 m/d) to ±1.0 m/d, while the vertical hydraulic gradients were within the range of -0.2 to 0.15 m/m. The highest and most variable fluxes occurred adjacent to a debris-dam and bridge pier. This phenomenon is very likely the result of heterogeneous streambed hydraulic characteristics in these areas. Our results have significant implications for hyporheic micro-habitats, fish spawning and other wildlife incubation, regional flow and hyporheic solute transport models in the Heihe River Basin, as well as in other similar hydrologic settings.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Junde; Liang, Chujin; Tang, Youmin; Liu, Xiaohui; Lian, Tao; Shen, Zheqi; Li, Xiaojing
2017-11-01
The study of Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) has attracted a broad attention in recent years due to its strong response and feedback to the Indian Ocean Dipole. In this paper, we first produce a high-quality simulation of three-dimensional temperature, salinity and zonal current simulation from 1982 to 2014, using a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. On this basis, with two sensitivity experiments, we investigate the role of temperature and salinity anomalies in driving and enhancing the EUC during the positive IOD events by examining the variation of the EUC seasonal cycle and diagnosing the zonal momentum budget along the equatorial Indian Ocean. Our results show that during January-March, the EUC can appear along the entire equatorial Indian Ocean in all years, but during August-November, the EUC can appear and reach the eastern Indian Ocean only during the positive IOD events. The zonal momentum budget analysis indicates that the pressure gradient force contributes most to the variation of the eastward acceleration of zonal currents in the subsurface. During the positive IOD events, strong negative subsurface temperature anomalies exist in the eastern Indian Ocean, with negative surface salinity anomalies in the central and eastern Indian Ocean, resulting in a large pressure gradient force to drive EUC during the August-November. Further, the results of two sensitivity experiments indicate that the temperature anomalies significantly impact the pressure gradient force, playing a leading role in driving the EUC, while the surface salinity anomalies can secondarily help to intensify the eastward EUC through increasing the zonal density gradient in the eastern Indian Ocean and impacting the vertical momentum advection in the subsurface.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pueschel, Rudolf F.; Gore, Warren J. (Technical Monitor)
1996-01-01
Pole-to-pole variability of soot aerosol from subsonic aircraft is evidence of two important aspects of stratospheric transport. Vertical transport to 20 km pressure altitude from flight levels near 10-12 km cannot be explained by isentropic mixing. Instead, lofting in the tropics is a possibility. A strong meridional gradient implies that stratospheric soot aerosol residence time is shorter than are mixing times between the hemispheres. Therefore, little if any of exhaust constituents (with residence times similar to that of aircraft soot aerosol), emitted in heavily traveled flight corridors in northern mid-latitudes by a future supersonic fleet, would be transported to the southern hemisphere. However, a significant fraction of NOx could be lofted to altitudes above flight levels where it would dominate ozone depletion.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schneider, Julia; Flemings, Peter B.; Dugan, Brandon; Long, Hui; Germaine, John T.
2009-05-01
Pore water overpressures (u*) within mudstones beneath Brazos-Trinity Basin IV (deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Texas) are greater than 70% of the hydrostatic vertical effective stress (σ'vh) [λ* = 0.7 = (u*/σ'vh)]. These results are compatible with recent observations that suggest sedimentation rates in this region are rapid (6 mm/a). We compare the petrophysical properties and pore pressures within a 127-m-thick package of mudstone penetrated at two locations: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) sites U1319 and U1320. Site U1319 is at the margin of Brazos-Trinity Basin IV, whereas Site U1320 lies at its center, beneath 180 m of turbidite fill. Experimentally derived preconsolidation stresses and an in situ pore pressure measurement record overpressure at Site U1319 and Site U1320 (λ* ˜ 0.2 to 0.8 and λ* ˜ 0.8, respectively). We use these data to define an average vertical effective stress gradient. Assuming that void ratio (e) is proportional to the log of vertical effective stress (σ'v), we predict pore pressures (u) throughout the mudstone at both sites using bulk density data. Overpressures are greater at Site U1320 due to rapid deposition of the overlying turbidites. However, a large fraction of the overpressure induced by the turbidite load applied at Site U1320 has dissipated by drainage into the overlying basin fill. High overpressures near the seafloor drive shallow fluid flow, reduce slope stability, and may explain large submarine landslides.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Karam, H. N.; Mulligan, A. E.; Abarca, E.; Gardner, A.; Hemond, H.; Harvey, C. F.
2013-12-01
We present time series of vertical pressure gradients in the sea floor at Waquoit Bay, MA, collected along a transect of locations perpendicular to shore, with a 10-minute resolution over two years. The custom-made instruments used for data collection measure pressure differences with an accuracy of 0.5 mm freshwater head, and record pore water and surface water salinities, allowing a robust calculation of the direction and magnitude of flux across the sediment-water interface given an estimate of sediment permeability. Distinct processes of seawater circulation in the subsurface driven by different forcings, including storms, tides, variations in fresh groundwater head, and salinity gradients in coastal groundwater, are manifest as different frequency components in the time series. We characterize the relative contributions of these different forcings to seafloor fluxes at our site, as a function of the time of year and the distance from shore. We find that: 1) Sea level variations drive variations in seafloor flux at time scales of hours to weeks, around a mean flux that is produced by processes with longer time scales, including the seasonal cycle in fresh groundwater head and the density-driven circulation of seawater through the coastal aquifer. 2) Seafloor flux responds non-linearly to shifts in seawater level. Furthermore, this response is asymmetric, with very low tides producing an amplified response in submarine groundwater discharge relative to the recharge produced by equivalently high tides. 3) The amplitude of seafloor pressure gradients shows a three-fold increase during winters relative to summers. We present a model to explain this effect based on the increase in shallow pore water viscosity at colder temperatures. We generalize our findings to help guide the design of sampling studies of seafloor fluxes at other sites. Finally, we present the distribution of subsurface residence times for seawater in Waquoit Bay, derived from our pressure gradient data sets, and discuss the implications for surface water and sediment chemistry.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Clark, David A.
2012-09-01
Acquisition of magnetic gradient tensor data is likely to become routine in the near future. New methods for inverting gradient tensor surveys to obtain source parameters have been developed for several elementary, but useful, models. These include point dipole (sphere), vertical line of dipoles (narrow vertical pipe), line of dipoles (horizontal cylinder), thin dipping sheet, and contact models. A key simplification is the use of eigenvalues and associated eigenvectors of the tensor. The normalised source strength (NSS), calculated from the eigenvalues, is a particularly useful rotational invariant that peaks directly over 3D compact sources, 2D compact sources, thin sheets and contacts, and is independent of magnetisation direction. In combination the NSS and its vector gradient determine source locations uniquely. NSS analysis can be extended to other useful models, such as vertical pipes, by calculating eigenvalues of the vertical derivative of the gradient tensor. Inversion based on the vector gradient of the NSS over the Tallawang magnetite deposit obtained good agreement between the inferred geometry of the tabular magnetite skarn body and drill hole intersections. Besides the geological applications, the algorithms for the dipole model are readily applicable to the detection, location and characterisation (DLC) of magnetic objects, such as naval mines, unexploded ordnance, shipwrecks, archaeological artefacts, and buried drums.
Using absolute gravimeter data to determine vertical gravity gradients
Robertson, D.S.
2001-01-01
The position versus time data from a free-fall absolute gravimeter can be used to estimate the vertical gravity gradient in addition to the gravity value itself. Hipkin has reported success in estimating the vertical gradient value using a data set of unusually good quality. This paper explores techniques that may be applicable to a broader class of data that may be contaminated with "system response" errors of larger magnitude than were evident in the data used by Hipkin. This system response function is usually modelled as a sum of exponentially decaying sinusoidal components. The technique employed here involves combining the x0, v0 and g parameters from all the drops made during a site occupation into a single least-squares solution, and including the value of the vertical gradient and the coefficients of system response function in the same solution. The resulting non-linear equations must be solved iteratively and convergence presents some difficulties. Sparse matrix techniques are used to make the least-squares problem computationally tractable.
Convective flows in enclosures with vertical temperature or concentration gradients
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wang, L. W.; Chai, A. T.; Sun, D. J.
1988-01-01
The transport process in the fluid phase during the growth of a crystal has a profound influence on the structure and quality of the solid phase. In vertical growth techniques the fluid phase is often subjected to vertical temperature and concentration gradients. The main objective is to obtain more experimental data on convective flows in enclosures with vertical temperature or concentration gradients. Among actual crystal systems the parameters vary widely. The parametric ranges studied for mass transfer are mainly dictated by the electrochemical system employed to impose concentration gradients. Temperature or concentration difference are maintained between two horizontal end walls. The other walls are kept insulated. Experimental measurements and observations were made of the heat transfer or mass transfer, flow patterns, and the mean and fluctuating temperature distribution. The method used to visualize the flow pattern in the thermal cases is an electrochemical pH-indicator method. Laser shadowgraphs are employed to visualize flow patterns in the solutal cases.
Convective flows in enclosures with vertical temperature or concentration gradients
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wang, L. W.; Chai, A. T.; Sun, D. J.
1989-01-01
The transport process in the fluid phase during the growth of a crystal has a profound influence on the structure and quality of the solid phase. In vertical growth techniques the fluid phase is often subjected to vertical temperature and concentration gradients. The main objective is to obtain more experimental data on convective flows in enclosures with vertical temperature or concentration gradients. Among actual crystal systems the parameters vary widely. The parametric ranges studied for mass transfer are mainly dictated by the electrochemical system employed to impose concentration gradients. Temperature or concentration difference are maintained between two horizontal end walls. The other walls are kept insulated. Experimental measurements and observations were made of the heat transfer or mass transfer, flow patterns, and the mean and fluctuating temperature distribution. The method used to visualize the flow pattern in the thermal cases is an electrochemical pH-indicator method. Laser shadowgraphs are employed to visualize flow patterns in the solutal cases.
Blood flow analysis with considering nanofluid effects in vertical channel
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Noreen, S.; Rashidi, M. M.; Qasim, M.
2017-06-01
Manipulation of heat convection of copper particles in blood has been considered peristaltically. Two-phase flow model is used in a channel with insulating walls. Flow analysis has been approved by assuming small Reynold number and infinite length of wave. Coupled equations are solved. Numerical solution are computed for the pressure gradient, axial velocity function and temperature. Influence of attention-grabbing parameters on flow entities has been analyzed. This study can be considered as mathematical representation to the vibrance of physiological systems/tissues/organs provided with medicine.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gutierrez, B. T.; Voulgaris, G.; Work, P. A.; Seim, H.; Warner, J. C.
2004-12-01
Cross-shelf variations of near-bed currents and variations in vertical flow were investigated on the inner shelf of Long Bay, South Carolina during the spring and fall of 2001. Current meters sampled near-bed currents at six locations as well as vertical current profiles at three of the sites. The observations showed that the tides accounted for approximately 45-66% of the flow variability. The dominant tidal component, the semi-diurnal constituent M2, exhibited tidal ellipse orientations that are increasingly aligned with the coast closer to the shore. The largest M2 current magnitudes were identified closest to shore and over the top of a sand shoal located 5.5 km offshore of Myrtle Beach. The remaining flow variability was associated with sub-tidal flows which respond to the passage of low-pressure systems across the region. These weather systems were characterized by periods of southwesterly winds in advance of low-pressure centers followed by northeasterly winds as the systems passed over the study area. When strong southwesterly winds persisted, surface flow was oriented approximately in the direction of the wind. At the same time near-bottom flows were also directed to the northeast in the direction of the wind except during periods of stratification when vertical current profiles suggest near-bed onshore flow. The stratified flows were observed mainly during the spring deployment. For periods of strong northeasterly winds, currents were directed alongshore to the southwest and exhibited little variation throughout the water column. These observations are consistent with recent field and modeling studies for the inner-shelf. Comparison of the near-bed flow measurements during the fall deployment revealed a cross-shore gradient in alongshore flow during periods of strong northeasterly winds. During these episodes flows at the offshore measurement stations were oriented in the direction of the wind, while flows closest to shore occurred in the opposite direction. These observations reveal 1) conditions which contribute to cross-shore transport and 2) the presence of an alongshore flow gradient which may affect sediment transport patterns during certain meteorological conditions.
Dynamic regimes of buoyancy-affected two-phase flow in unconsolidated porous media.
Stöhr, M; Khalili, A
2006-03-01
The invasion and subsequent flow of a nonwetting fluid (NWF) in a three-dimensional, unconsolidated porous medium saturated with a wetting fluid of higher density and viscosity have been studied experimentally using a light-transmission technique. Distinct dynamic regimes have been found for different relative magnitudes of viscous, capillary, and gravity forces. It is shown that the ratio of viscous and hydrostatic pressure gradients can be used as a relevant dimensionless number K for the characterization of the different flow regimes. For low values of K, the invasion is characterized by the migration and fragmentation of isolated clusters of the NWF resulting from the prevalence of gravity and capillary forces. At high values of K, the dominance of viscous and gravity forces leads to an anisotropic fingerlike invasion. When the invasion stops after the breakthrough of the NWF at the open upper boundary, the invasion structure retracts under the influence of gravity and transforms into stable vertical channels. It is shown that the stability of these channels is the result of a balance between hydrostatic and viscous pressure gradients.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Coppi, B.
2012-03-01
Field and plasma configurations that can be the distinguishing feature of and surround ``shining'' black holes have been identified. Considering the observation of the Quasi Periodic Oscillations that can be associated with inhomogeneous rotating plasmas, tri-dimensional rotating configurations have been looked for and found under special conditions. One is that these configurations are radially localized, such as narrow plasma ring pairs. Another is that the rotation frequency is nearly constant over the rings. Only axisymmetric local configurations consisting of solitary plasma rings or periodic sequences of rings are found when the gradient of the rotation frequency is (locally) significant. Assuming that the plasma pressure is scalar the problem is reduced to the solution of two coupled non-linear differential equations. One, the ``Master Equation'' [1], relates the magnetic surface function to the plasma rotation frequency that is connected to the gravity field. The other, the Vertical Equilibrium Equation, relates the plasma pressure gradient to both the Lorentz force and to the plasma density profile through the gravitational force.[4pt] [1] B. Coppi, Phys. Plasmas 18, 032901 (2011).
Segregation physics of a macroscale granular ratchet
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bhateja, Ashish; Sharma, Ishan; Singh, Jayant K.
2017-05-01
New experiments with multigrain mixtures in a laterally shaken, horizontal channel show complete axial segregation of species. The channel consists of multiple concatenated trapeziums, and superficially resembles microratchets wherein asymmetric geometries and potentials transport, and sort, randomly agitated microscopic particles. However, the physics of our macroscale granular ratchet is fundamentally different, as macroscopic segregation is gravity driven. Our observations are not explained by classical granular segregation theories either. Motivated by the experiments, extensive parallelized discrete element simulations reveal that the macroratchet differentiates grains through hierarchical bidirectional segregation over two different time scales: Grains rapidly sort vertically into horizontal bands spanning the channel's length that, subsequently, slowly separate axially, driven by strikingly gentle, average interfacial pressure gradients acting over long distances. At its maximum, the pressure gradient responsible for axial separation was due to a change in height of about two big grain diameters (d =7 mm) over a meter-long channel. The strong directional segregation achieved by the granular macroratchet has practical importance, while identifying the underlying new physics will further our understanding of granular segregation in industrial and geophysical processes.
Crosswind Shear Gradient Affect on Wake Vortices
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Proctor, Fred H.; Ahmad, Nashat N.
2011-01-01
Parametric simulations with a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model are used to explore the influence of crosswind shear on aircraft wake vortices. Previous studies based on field measurements, laboratory experiments, as well as LES, have shown that the vertical gradient of crosswind shear, i.e. the second vertical derivative of the environmental crosswind, can influence wake vortex transport. The presence of nonlinear vertical shear of the crosswind velocity can reduce the descent rate, causing a wake vortex pair to tilt and change in its lateral separation. The LES parametric studies confirm that the vertical gradient of crosswind shear does influence vortex trajectories. The parametric results also show that vortex decay from the effects of shear are complex since the crosswind shear, along with the vertical gradient of crosswind shear, can affect whether the lateral separation between wake vortices is increased or decreased. If the separation is decreased, the vortex linking time is decreased, and a more rapid decay of wake vortex circulation occurs. If the separation is increased, the time to link is increased, and at least one of the vortices of the vortex pair may have a longer life time than in the case without shear. In some cases, the wake vortices may never link.
Vertical amplitude phase structure of a low-frequency acoustic field in shallow water
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuznetsov, G. N.; Lebedev, O. V.; Stepanov, A. N.
2016-11-01
We obtain in integral and analytic form the relations for calculating the amplitude and phase characteristics of an interference structure of orthogonal projections of the oscillation velocity vector in shallow water. For different frequencies and receiver depths, we numerically study the source depth dependences of the effective phase velocities of an equivalent plane wave, the orthogonal projections of the sound pressure phase gradient, and the projections of the oscillation velocity vector. We establish that at low frequencies in zones of interference maxima, independently of source depth, weakly varying effective phase velocity values are observed, which exceed the sound velocity in water by 5-12%. We show that the angles of arrival of the equivalent plane wave and the oscillation velocity vector in the general case differ; however, they virtually coincide in the zone of the interference maximum of the sound pressure under the condition that the horizontal projections of the oscillation velocity appreciably exceed the value of the vertical projection. We give recommendations on using the sound field characteristics in zones with maximum values for solving rangefinding and signal-detection problems.
Radiation, Gas and Magnetic Fields: Understanding Accretion Disks with Real Physics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tao, Ted
2011-01-01
This dissertation studies some of the fundamental physics ingredients that underlie the theory of astrophysical accretion disks. We begin by focusing on local radiation magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in static, optically thick, vertically stratified media with constant flux mean opacity. Our analysis includes the effects of vertical gradients in a horizontal background magnetic field. Assuming rapid radiative diffusion, we use the zero gas pressure limit as an entry point for investigating the coupling between the photon bubble instability and the Parker instability. We find that the two instabilities transition smoothly into each other at a characteristic wavelength that is approximately equal to the magnetic pressure scale height times the ratio of radiation to magnetic pressure gradient forces. The Parker instability exists for longer wavelengths, while photon bubbles exist for wavelengths shorter than the transition wavelength. We also consider the effects of finite gas pressure on the coupled instabilities. Finite gas pressure introduces an additional short wavelength limit to the Parker-like behavior, and also limits the growth rate of the photon bubble instability to a constant value at high wave numbers. Finally, our analytic infinite wavenumber perturbation calculation strongly suggest that magnetic pressure gradients do not modify the photon bubble growth rate in the asymptotic regime. Our results may explain why photon bubbles have not yet been observed in recent stratified shearing box accretion disk simulations. Photon bubbles may physically exist in simulations with high radiation to gas pressure ratios, but higher spatial resolution will be needed to resolve the asymptotically growing unstable wavelengths. Next, we turn to the effects of local dissipation physics on the spectra and vertical structure of high luminosity stellar mass black hole X-ray binary accretion disks. More specifically, we present spectral calculations of non-LTE accretion disk models. We first use a dissipation profile based on scaling the results of shearing box simulations to a range of annuli parameters. We simultaneously scale the effective temperature, orbital frequency and surface density of a disk annulus according to the standard Shakura & Sunyaev model in order to bring increased dissipation to the disk surface layers (around the photosphere). We find that annuli spectrum transitions directly from that of a modified black body to one characteristic of saturated Compton scattering without first going through an intermediate power law regime as we increased the effective temperature and orbital frequency while decreasing mid-plane surface density. Next, we construct annuli models based on the parameters of a 0.8 Eddington disk orbiting a 6.62 solar mass black hole (with accretion efficiency approximately 0.083) using two modified dissipation profiles that explicitly put more dissipation per unit mass near the disk surface. The new dissipation profiles are qualitatively similar to the one found by Hirose et al. (2009) and produce strong and distinct non-thermal spectral tails. Our models also include physically motivated magnetic acceleration support based once again on scaling the Hirose et al. (2009) results. We present three full-disk spectra each based on one of the dissipation prescriptions. Our most aggressive dissipation profile results in a disk spectrum that is in approximate quantitative agreement with certain observations of the steep power law (SPL) spectral state from some black hole X-ray binaries.
The innate origin of radial and vertical gradients in a simulated galaxy disc
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Navarro, Julio F.; Yozin, Cameron; Loewen, Nic; Benítez-Llambay, Alejandro; Fattahi, Azadeh; Frenk, Carlos S.; Oman, Kyle A.; Schaye, Joop; Theuns, Tom
2018-05-01
We examine the origin of radial and vertical gradients in the age/metallicity of the stellar component of a galaxy disc formed in the APOSTLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Some of these gradients resemble those in the Milky Way, where they have sometimes been interpreted as due to internal evolution, such as scattering off giant molecular clouds, radial migration driven by spiral patterns, or orbital resonances with a bar. Secular processes play a minor role in the simulated galaxy, which lacks strong spiral or bar patterns, and where such gradients arise as a result of the gradual enrichment of a gaseous disc that is born thick but thins as it turns into stars and settles into centrifugal equilibrium. The settling is controlled by the feedback of young stars; which links the star formation, enrichment, and equilibration time-scales, inducing radial and vertical gradients in the gaseous disc and its descendent stars. The kinematics of coeval stars evolve little after birth and provide a faithful snapshot of the gaseous disc structure at the time of their formation. In this interpretation, the age-velocity dispersion relation would reflect the gradual thinning of the disc rather than the importance of secular orbit scattering; the outward flaring of stars would result from the gas disc flare rather than from radial migration; and vertical gradients would arise because the gas disc gradually thinned as it enriched. Such radial and vertical trends might just reflect the evolving properties of the parent gaseous disc, and are not necessarily the result of secular evolutionary processes.
McDougall, Cameron M; Ban, Vin Shen; Beecher, Jeffrey; Pride, Lee; Welch, Babu G
2018-03-02
OBJECTIVE The role of venous sinus stenting (VSS) for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is not well understood. The aim of this systematic review is to attempt to identify subsets of patients with IIH who will benefit from VSS based on the pressure gradients of their venous sinus stenosis. METHODS MEDLINE/PubMed was searched for studies reporting venous pressure gradients across the stenotic segment of the venous sinus, pre- and post-stent pressure gradients, and clinical outcomes after VSS. Findings are reported according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. RESULTS From 32 eligible studies, a total of 186 patients were included in the analysis. Patients who had favorable outcomes had higher mean pressure gradients (22.8 ± 11.5 mm Hg vs 17.4 ± 8.0 mm Hg, p = 0.033) and higher changes in pressure gradients after stent placement (19.4 ± 10.0 mm Hg vs 12.0 ± 6.0 mm Hg, p = 0.006) compared with those with unfavorable outcomes. The post-stent pressure gradients between the 2 groups were not significantly different (2.8 ± 4.0 mm Hg vs 2.7 ± 2.0 mm Hg, p = 0.934). In a multivariate stepwise logistic regression controlling for age, sex, body mass index, CSF opening pressure, pre-stent pressure gradient, and post-stent pressure gradient, the change in pressure gradient with stent placement was found to be an independent predictor of favorable outcome (p = 0.028). Using a pressure gradient of 21 as a cutoff, 81/86 (94.2%) of patients with a gradient > 21 achieved favorable outcomes, compared with 82/100 (82.0%) of patients with a gradient ≤ 21 (p = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS There appears to be a relationship between the pressure gradient of venous sinus stenosis and the success of VSS in IIH. A randomized controlled trial would help elucidate this relationship and potentially guide patient selection.
Kodama, Nao; Setoi, Ayana; Kose, Katsumi
2018-01-01
Spiral MRI sequences were developed for a 9.4T vertical standard bore (54 mm) superconducting magnet using unshielded and self-shielded gradient coils. Clear spiral images with 64-shot scan were obtained with the self-shielded gradient coil, but severe shading artifacts were observed for the spiral-scan images acquired with the unshielded gradient coil. This shading artifact was successfully corrected with a phase-correction technique using reference scans that we developed based on eddy current field measurements. We therefore concluded that spiral imaging sequences can be installed even for unshielded gradient coils if phase corrections are performed using the reference scans. PMID:28367906
Kodama, Nao; Setoi, Ayana; Kose, Katsumi
2018-04-10
Spiral MRI sequences were developed for a 9.4T vertical standard bore (54 mm) superconducting magnet using unshielded and self-shielded gradient coils. Clear spiral images with 64-shot scan were obtained with the self-shielded gradient coil, but severe shading artifacts were observed for the spiral-scan images acquired with the unshielded gradient coil. This shading artifact was successfully corrected with a phase-correction technique using reference scans that we developed based on eddy current field measurements. We therefore concluded that spiral imaging sequences can be installed even for unshielded gradient coils if phase corrections are performed using the reference scans.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Queck, Ronald; Bernhofer, Christian; Bienert, Anne; Schlegel, Fabian
2016-09-01
Forest ecosystems play an important role in the interaction between the land surface and the atmosphere. Measurements and modelling efforts have revealed significant uncertainties in state-of-the-art flux assessments due to spatial inhomogeneities in the airflow and land surface. Here, a field experiment is used to describe the turbulent flow across a typical Central European forest clearing. A three-dimensional model of the inhomogeneous forest stand was developed using an innovative approach based on terrestrial laser-scanner technology. The comparison of the wind statistics of two measurement campaigns (5 and 12 months long) showed the spatial and temporal representativeness of the ultrasonic anemometer measurements within the canopy. An improved method for the correction of the vertical velocity enables the distinction between the instrumental offsets and the vertical winds due to the inclination of the instrument. Despite a 13 % fraction of deciduous plants within the otherwise evergreen canopy, the effects of phenological seasons on the velocity profiles were small. The data classified according to the wind speed revealed the intermittent nature of recirculating air in the clearing. Furthermore, the development of sub-canopy wind-speed maxima is explained by considering the velocity moments and the momentum equation (including measurements of the local pressure gradient). Clearings deflect the flow downward and feed the sub-canopy flow, i.e., advective fluxes, according to wind speed and, likely, clearing size, whereas local pressure gradients play an important role in the development of sub-canopy flow. The presented dataset is freely available at the project homepage.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stephens, C. R.; Helmig, D.; Evans, J.; Hueber, J.; Park, J.; Boylan, P.
2013-12-01
Emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) are primarily linked to anthropogenic fossil fuel activities, such as oil and natural gas extraction and distribution, and are important tropospheric ozone precursors. The Uintah Basin, Utah, is a region of heavy oil and natural gas development where high winter-time ozone production events have been observed during strong inversions when there is snow cover present. In the winters of 2012 and 2013, we conducted measurements of methane and NMHC during the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study. NMHC were monitored along a vertical gradient up to 150 m using a flux tower and tethered balloon. In 2013, measurements of NMHC were also conducted from within the snowpack. In 2012, no high ozone events were observed. In contrast, during the 2013 study, several periods of high ozone occurred concurrently with strong increases in ambient NMHC. Here, we present vertical profile measurements of C2-C5 alkanes, benzene and toluene comparing 2012 and 2013. Data from 2013 show strong vertical gradients with build-up of NMHC and ozone near the surface during inversion events, with wash out of both ozone and ozone precursors during low pressure front passage from the west. The NOAA/INSTAAR global flask network provides a useful comparison for expected regional background values of NMHC, and we find up to a 570-fold enhancement in Uintah, providing evidence for the importance of local emissions sources. Investigation of NMHC ratios reveals distinctly different values in the ambient air and within the snowpack, suggesting active radical chemistry occurring in the snow. Analysis of butane and pentane isomer ratios points towards the presence of chlorine radicals, indicating that the snow may serve as a reactive chlorine reservoir that may enhance ozone production chemistry.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tomikawa, Y.; Yamanouchi, T.
2010-08-01
An analysis of the static stability and ozone vertical gradient in the ozone tropopause based (OTB) coordinate is applied to the ozonesonde data at 10 stations in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropics. The tropopause inversion layer (TIL) with a static stability maximum just above the tropopause shows similar seasonal variations at two Antarctic stations, which are latitudinally far from each other. Since the sunshine hour varies with time in a quite different way between these two stations, it implies that the radiative heating due to solar ultraviolet absorption of ozone does not contribute to the seasonal variation of the TIL. A meridional section of the static stability in the OTB coordinate shows that the static stability just above the tropopause has a large latitudinal gradient between 60° S and 70° S in austral winter because of the absence of the TIL over the Antarctic. It is accompanied by an increase of westerly shear with height above the tropopause, so that the polar-night jet is formed above this latitude region. This result suggests a close relationship between the absence of the TIL and the stratospheric polar vortex in the Antarctic winter. A vertical gradient of ozone mixing ratio, referred to as ozone vertical gradient, around the tropopause shows similar latitudinal and seasonal variations with the static stability in the SH extratropics. In a height region above the TIL, a small ozone vertical gradient in the midlatitudes associated with the Antarctic ozone hole is observed in a height region of the subvortex but not around the polar vortex. This is a clear evidence of active latitudinal mixing between the midlatitudes and subvortex.
The GALAH survey: properties of the Galactic disc(s) in the solar neighbourhood
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Duong, L.; Freeman, K. C.; Asplund, M.; Casagrande, L.; Buder, S.; Lind, K.; Ness, M.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; De Silva, G. M.; D'Orazi, V.; Kos, J.; Lewis, G. F.; Lin, J.; Martell, S. L.; Schlesinger, K.; Sharma, S.; Simpson, J. D.; Zucker, D. B.; Zwitter, T.; Anguiano, B.; Da Costa, G. S.; Hyde, E.; Horner, J.; Kafle, P. R.; Nataf, D. M.; Reid, W.; Stello, D.; Ting, Y.-S.; Wyse, R. F. G.
2018-06-01
Using data from the GALAH pilot survey, we determine properties of the Galactic thin and thick discs near the solar neighbourhood. The data cover a small range of Galactocentric radius (7.9 ≲ R_GC ≲ 9.5 kpc), but extend up to 4 kpc in height from the Galactic plane, and several kpc in the direction of Galactic anti-rotation (at longitude 260° ≤ ℓ ≤ 280°). This allows us to reliably measure the vertical density and abundance profiles of the chemically and kinematically defined `thick' and `thin' discs of the Galaxy. The thin disc (low-α population) exhibits a steep negative vertical metallicity gradient, at d[M/H]/dz = -0.18 ± 0.01 dex kpc-1, which is broadly consistent with previous studies. In contrast, its vertical α-abundance profile is almost flat, with a gradient of d[α/M]/dz = 0.008 ± 0.002 dex kpc-1. The steep vertical metallicity gradient of the low-α population is in agreement with models where radial migration has a major role in the evolution of the thin disc. The thick disc (high-α population) has a weaker vertical metallicity gradient d[M/H]/dz = -0.058 ± 0.003 dex kpc-1. The α-abundance of the thick disc is nearly constant with height, d[α/M]/dz = 0.007 ± 0.002 dex kpc-1. The negative gradient in metallicity and the small gradient in [α/M] indicate that the high-α population experienced a settling phase, but also formed prior to the onset of major Type Ia supernova enrichment. We explore the implications of the distinct α-enrichments and narrow [α/M] range of the sub-populations in the context of thick disc formation.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marrone, S.; Colagrossi, A.; Chiron, L.; De Leffe, M.; Le Touzé, D.
2018-02-01
The violent water entry of flat plates is investigated using a Riemann-arbitrary Eulerian-Lagrangian (ALE) smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model. The test conditions are of interest for problems related to aircraft and helicopter emergency landing in water. Three main parameters are considered: the horizontal velocity, the approach angle (i.e., vertical to horizontal velocity ratio) and the pitch angle, α. Regarding the latter, small angles are considered in this study. As described in the theoretical work by Zhao and Faltinsen (1993), for small α a very thin, high-speed jet of water is formed, and the time-spatial gradients of the pressure field are extremely high. These test conditions are very challenging for numerical solvers. In the present study an enhanced SPH model is firstly tested on a purely vertical impact with deadrise angle α = 4°. An in-depth validation against analytical solutions and experimental results is carried out, highlighting the several critical aspects of the numerical modelling of this kind of flow, especially when pressure peaks are to be captured. A discussion on the main difficulties when comparing to model scale experiments is also provided. Then, the more realistic case of a plate with both horizontal and vertical velocity components is discussed and compared to ditching experiments recently carried out at CNR-INSEAN. In the latter case both 2-D and 3-D simulations are considered and the importance of 3-D effects on the pressure peak is discussed for α = 4° and α = 10°.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Maldonado, Tito; Rutgersson, Anna; Caballero, Rodrigo; Pausata, Francesco S. R.; Alfaro, Eric; Amador, Jorge
2017-06-01
The Caribbean low-level jet (CLLJ) is an important modulator of regional climate, especially precipitation, in the Caribbean and Central America. Previous work has inferred, due to their semiannual cycle, an association between CLLJ strength and meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradients in the Caribbean Sea, suggesting that the SST gradients may control the intensity and vertical shear of the CLLJ. In addition, both the horizontal and vertical structure of the jet have been related to topographic effects via interaction with the mountains in Northern South America (NSA), including funneling effects and changes in the meridional geopotential gradient. Here we test these hypotheses, using an atmospheric general circulation model to perform a set of sensitivity experiments to examine the impact of both SST gradients and topography on the CLLJ. In one sensitivity experiment, we remove the meridional SST gradient over the Caribbean Sea and in the other, we flatten the mountains over NSA. Our results show that the SST gradient and topography have little or no impact on the jet intensity, vertical, and horizontal wind shears, contrary to previous works. However, our findings do not discount a possible one-way coupling between the SST and the wind over the Caribbean Sea through friction force. We also examined an alternative approach based on barotropic instability to understand the CLLJ intensity, vertical, and horizontal wind shears. Our results show that the current hypothesis about the CLLJ must be reviewed in order to fully understand the atmospheric dynamics governing the Caribbean region.
On the mechanical interaction between a fluid-filled fracture and the earth's surface
Pollard, D.D.; Holzhausen, G.
1979-01-01
The mechanical interaction between a fluid-filled fracture (e.g., hydraulic fracture joint, or igneous dike) and the earth's surface is analyzed using a two-dimensional elastic solution for a slit of arbitrary inclination buried beneath a horizontal free surface and subjected to an arbitrary pressure distribution. The solution is obtained by iteratively superimposing two fundamental sets of analytical solutions. For uniform internal pressure the slit behaves essentially as if it were in an infinite region if the depth-to-center is three times greater than the half-length. For shallower slits interaction with the free surface is pronounced: stresses and displacements near the slit differ by more than 10% from values for the deeply buried slit. The following changes are noted as the depth-to-center decreases: 1. (1) the mode I stress intensity factor increases for both ends of the slit, but more rapidly at the upper end; 2. (2) the mode II stress-intensity factor is significantly different from zero (except for vertical slits) suggesting propagation out of the original plane of the slit; 3. (3) displacements of the slit wall are asymmetric such that the slit gaps open more widely near the upper end. Similar changes are noted if fluid density creates a linear pressure gradient that is smaller than the lithostatic gradient. Under such conditions natural fractures should propagate preferentially upward toward the earth's surface requiring less pressure as they grow in length. If deformation near the surface is of interest, the model should account explicitly for the free surface. Stresses and displacements at the free surface are not approximated very well by values calculated along a line in an infinite region, even when the slit is far from the line. As depth-to-center of a shallow pressurized slit decreases, the following changes are noted: 1. (1) displacements of the free surface increase to the same order of magnitude as the displacements of the slit walls, 2. (2) tensile stresses of magnitude greater than the pressure in the slit are concentrated along the free surface. The relative surface displacements over a shallow vertical slit are downward over the slit and upward to both sides of this area. The tensile stress acting parallel to the free surface over a shallow vertical slit is concentrated in two maxima adjacent to a point of very low stress immediately over the slit. The solution is used to estimate the length-to-depth ratio at which igneous sills have gained sufficient leverage on overlying strata to bend these strata upward and form a laccolith. The pronounced mode II stress intensity associated with shallow horizontal slits explains the tendency for some sills to climb to higher stratigraphie horizons as they grow in length. The bimodal tensile stress concentration over shallow vertical slits correlates qualitatively with the distribution of cracks and normal faults which flank fissure eruptions on volcanoes. The solution may be used to analyze surface displacements and tilts over massive hydraulic fractures in oil fields and to understand the behavior of hydraulic fractures in granite quarries. ?? 1979.
Oval gradient coils for an open magnetic resonance imaging system with a vertical magnetic field.
Matsuzawa, Koki; Abe, Mitsushi; Kose, Katsumi; Terada, Yasuhiko
2017-05-01
Existing open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems use biplanar gradient coils for the spatial encoding of signals. We propose using novel oval gradient coils for an open vertical-field MRI. We designed oval gradients for a 0.3T open MRI system and showed that such a system could outperform a traditional biplanar gradient system while maintaining adequate gradient homogeneity and subject accessibility. Such oval gradient coils would exhibit high efficiency, low inductance and resistance, and high switching capability. Although the designed oval Y and Z coils showed more heat dissipation and less cooling capability than biplanar coils with the same gap, they showed an efficient heat-dissipation path to the surrounding air, which would alleviate the heat problem. The performance of the designed oval-coil system was demonstrated experimentally by imaging a human hand. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Demonstration of an Enhanced Vertical Magnetic Gradient System for UXO
2008-12-01
fluxgate magnetometers , data recording console, laser altimeter, and acoustic altimeters were tested to ensure proper operation and performance. The VG...Simultaneous Electromagnetic Induction and Magnetometer System WAA wide area assessment ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to express our sincere...sensors. The benefits of vertical gradient (VG) configurations in magnetometer systems are common knowledge, and these configurations are routinely
Airship stresses due to vertical velocity gradients and atmospheric turbulence
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sheldon, D.
1975-01-01
Munk's potential flow method is used to calculate the resultant moment experienced by an ellipsoidal airship. This method is first used to calculate the moment arising from basic maneuvers considered by early designers, and then expended to calculate the moment arising from vertical velocity gradients and atmospheric turbulence. This resultant moment must be neutralized by the transverse force of the fins. The results show that vertical velocity gradients at a height of 6000 feet in thunderstorms produce a resultant moment approximately three to four times greater than the moment produced in still air by realistic values of pitch angle or steady turning. Realistic values of atmospheric turbulence produce a moment which is significantly less than the moment produced by maneuvers in still air.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pervin, Mollika; Ghergut, Iulia; Graf, Thomas; Peche, Aaron
2016-04-01
Most geothermal reservoirs are of the liquid-dominated type, and their unexploited-state pressure profile approximately follows the hydrostatic gradient. In very hot liquid-dominated systems, temperature typically follows a boiling-point-for-depth (BPD) relationship. By contrast, vapor-dominated systems exhibit (in their unexploited state) surprisingly small vertical gradients of temperature and pressure, such that a constantly high temperature is encountered over a large vertical thickness, while their pressure approximately follows vapour pressure, pvap(T°). This implies that (Pruess 1985, Truesdell and White 1973): (i) for a vapor-dominated reservoir to exist, it must be sealed laterally - otherwise it would be flooded by neighboring groundwaters with hydrostatic p profile, and (ii) liquid water should somehow be present in the whole system - otherwise p values would not be constrained by the pvap(T°) relationship for water. Historically, one of the most puzzling aspects of vapor-dominated systems was the large amount of heat flowing upwards, while vertical T° gradients remained negligible. This mechanism was deemed as 'heat pipe'(HP) (Eastman 1968): In the central zone of a vapor-dominated system, both vapor and liquid are mobile; vapor flows upwards, condenses at shallower depth, and the liquid condensate flows downwards. Due to the large amount of latent enthalpy released in vapor condensation, the vapor-liquid counter-flow can generate large rates of heat flow with negligible net mass transport (Pruess 1985). In order to be able to exploit two-phase (including vapor-dominated) reservoirs in a sustainable manner, one first needs to understand the conditions under which a two-phase (or a vapor-dominated) system has evolved naturally, and which have led to its present (quasi-) steady undisturbed state. Past studies have found that HP can exist in two distinct states, corresponding to liquid-dominated and vapor-dominated p profiles, respectively. Within this work, we explore some mechanisms and geologic controls that can lead to the formation of extensive vapor-dominated zones within a two-phase system. In particular, we investigate the effect of vertical heterogeneity of permeability (stratified reservoir, containing a permeability barrier) on the liquid water saturation profile within a modified HP model. Though in field observations liquid water has been directly encountered only within the condensation zone at reservoir top, it was speculated that large amounts of liquid water might also exist below the condensation zone. This is of great practical significance to the exploitation of vapor-dominated reservoirs, as their longevity depends on the fluid reserves in place. Within this work, we demonstrate by numerical simulations of a modified HP model that high values of liquid water saturation (>0.8) can prevail even far below the condensation zone. Such findings are useful as a baseline for future calculations regarding the economic exploitation of vapor-dominated systems, where premature productivity drop (or dry-out) is the main issue of concern. References: Eastman, G. Y:, 1968: The heat pipe. Scientific American, 218(5):38-46. Preuss, K. A., 1985: A quantitative model of vapor-dominated geothermal reservoirs as heat pipes in fractured porous rock, Transactions, Geothermal Resources. Council, 9(2), 353-361. Truesdell, A. H., and White, D.E. 1973: Production of superheated Steam from Vapor- dominated geothermal reservoirs. Geothermics, 2(3-4), 154-173
Stable thermophoretic trapping of generic particles at low pressures
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fung, Frankie; Usatyuk, Mykhaylo; DeSalvo, B. J.; Chin, Cheng
2017-01-01
We demonstrate levitation and three-dimensionally stable trapping of a wide variety of particles in a vacuum through thermophoretic force in the presence of a strong temperature gradient. Typical sizes of the trapped particles are between 10 μm and 1 mm at a pressure between 1 and 10 Torr. The trapping stability is provided radially by the increasing temperature field and vertically by the transition from the free molecule to hydrodynamic behavior of thermophoresis as the particles ascend. To determine the levitation force and test various theoretical models, we examine the levitation heights of spherical polyethylene spheres under various conditions. A good agreement with two theoretical models is concluded. Our system offers a platform to discover various thermophoretic phenomena and to simulate dynamics of interacting many-body systems in a microgravity environment.
Twining, Brian V.; Fisher, Jason C.
2012-01-01
During 2009 and 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Idaho National Laboratory Project Office, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, collected quarterly, depth-discrete measurements of fluid pressure and temperature in nine boreholes located in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer. Each borehole was instrumented with a multilevel monitoring system consisting of a series of valved measurement ports, packer bladders, casing segments, and couplers. Multilevel monitoring at the Idaho National Laboratory has been ongoing since 2006. This report summarizes data collected from three multilevel monitoring wells installed during 2009 and 2010 and presents updates to six multilevel monitoring wells. Hydraulic heads (heads) and groundwater temperatures were monitored from 9 multilevel monitoring wells, including 120 hydraulically isolated depth intervals from 448.0 to 1,377.6 feet below land surface. Quarterly head and temperature profiles reveal unique patterns for vertical examination of the aquifer’s complex basalt and sediment stratigraphy, proximity to aquifer recharge and discharge, and groundwater flow. These features contribute to some of the localized variability even though the general profile shape remained consistent over the period of record. Major inflections in the head profiles almost always coincided with low-permeability sediment layers and occasionally thick sequences of dense basalt. However, the presence of a sediment layer or dense basalt layer was insufficient for identifying the location of a major head change within a borehole without knowing the true areal extent and relative transmissivity of the lithologic unit. Temperature profiles for boreholes completed within the Big Lost Trough indicate linear conductive trends; whereas, temperature profiles for boreholes completed within the axial volcanic high indicate mostly convective heat transfer resulting from the vertical movement of groundwater. Additionally, temperature profiles provide evidence for stratification and mixing of water types along the southern boundary of the Idaho National Laboratory. Vertical head and temperature change were quantified for each of the nine multilevel monitoring systems. The vertical head gradients were defined for the major inflections in the head profiles and were as high as 2.1 feet per foot. Low vertical head gradients indicated potential vertical connectivity and flow, and large gradient inflections indicated zones of relatively low vertical connectivity. Generally, zones that primarily are composed of fractured basalt displayed relatively small vertical head differences. Large head differences were attributed to poor vertical connectivity between fracture units because of sediment layering and/or dense basalt. Groundwater temperatures in all boreholes ranged from 10.2 to 16.3˚C. Normalized mean hydraulic head values were analyzed for all nine multilevel monitoring wells for the period of record (2007-10). The mean head values suggest a moderately positive correlation among all boreholes, which reflects regional fluctuations in water levels in response to seasonality. However, the temporal trend is slightly different when the location is considered; wells located along the southern boundary, within the axial volcanic high, show a strongly positive correlation.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Yaroshenko, V. V.; Antonova, T.; Thomas, H. M.
2009-10-15
The screening length, the time-average electric field, and the particle charge as well as the local vertical gradients of these quantities are determined experimentally within a sheath of a capacitively coupled rf, 13.56 MHz, discharge at enhanced argon gas pressures of 30, 55, and 100 Pa. The parameters are derived directly from comparative measurements of levitation positions of the particles of different sizes and variations in the levitation heights caused by formation of new dust layers. The electrostatic effect of the horizontally extended dust layers on the sheath electric field is investigated.
Bredehoeft, J.D.; Wesley, J.B.; Fouch, T.D.
1994-01-01
The Altamont oil field in the deep Uinta basin is known to have reservoir fluid pressures that approach lithostatic. One explanation for this high pore-fluid pressure is the generation of oil from kerogen in the Green River oil shale at depth. A three-dimensional simulation of flow in the basin was done to test this hypothesis.In the flow simulation, oil generation is included as a fluid source. The kinetics of oil generation from oil shale is a function of temperature. The temperature is controlled by (1) the depth of sediment burial and (2) the geothermal gradient.Using this conceptual model, the pressure buildup results from the trade-off between the rate of oil generation and the flow away from the source volume. The pressure increase depends primarily on (1) the rate of the oil-generation reaction and (2) the permeability of the reservoir rocks. A sensitivity analysis was performed in which both of these parameters were systematically varied. The reservoir permeability must be lower than most of the observed data for the pressure to build up to near lithostatic.The results of the simulations indicated that once oil generation was initiated, the pore pressure built up rapidly to near lithostatic. We simulated hydrofractures in that part of the system in which the pressures approach lithostatic by increasing both the horizontal and the vertical permeability by an order of magnitude. Because the simulated hydrofractures were produced by the high pore pressure, they were restricted to the Altamont field. A new flow system was established in the vicinity of the reservoir; the maximum pore pressure was limited by the least principal stress. Fluids moved vertically up and down and laterally outward away from the source of oil generation. The analysis indicated that, assuming that one is willing to accept the low values of permeability, oil generati n can account for the observed high pressures at Altamont field.
Phylogeny, ecology, and heart position in snakes.
Gartner, Gabriel E A; Hicks, James W; Manzani, Paulo R; Andrade, Denis V; Abe, Augusto S; Wang, Tobias; Secor, Stephen M; Garland, Theodore
2010-01-01
The cardiovascular system of all animals is affected by gravitational pressure gradients, the intensity of which varies according to organismic features, behavior, and habitat occupied. A previous nonphylogenetic analysis of heart position in snakes-which often assume vertical postures-found the heart located 15%-25% of total body length from the head in terrestrial and arboreal species but 25%-45% in aquatic species. It was hypothesized that a more anterior heart in arboreal species served to reduce the hydrostatic blood pressure when these animals adopt vertical postures during climbing, whereas an anterior heart position would not be needed in aquatic habitats, where the effects of gravity are less pronounced. We analyzed a new data set of 155 species from five major families of Alethinophidia (one of the two major branches of snakes, the other being blind snakes, Scolecophidia) using both conventional and phylogenetically based statistical methods. General linear models regressing log(10) snout-heart position on log(10) snout-vent length (SVL), as well as dummy variables coding for habitat and/or clade, were compared using likelihood ratio tests and the Akaike Information Criterion. Heart distance to the tip of the snout scaled isometrically with SVL. In all instances, phylogenetic models that incorporated transformation of the branch lengths under an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model of evolution (to mimic stabilizing selection) better fit the data as compared with their nonphylogenetic counterparts. The best-fit model predicting snake heart position included aspects of both habitat and clade and indicated that arboreal snakes in our study tend to have hearts placed more posteriorly, opposite the trend identified in previous studies. Phylogenetic signal in relative heart position was apparent both within and among clades. Our results suggest that overcoming gravitational pressure gradients in snakes most likely involves the combined action of several cardiovascular and behavioral adaptations in addition to alterations in relative heart location.
Shadowgraph Study of Gradient Driven Fluctuations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Cannell, David; Nikolaenko, Gennady; Giglio, Marzio; Vailati, Alberto; Croccolo, Fabrizio; Meyer, William
2002-01-01
A fluid or fluid mixture, subjected to a vertical temperature and/or concentration gradient in a gravitational field, exhibits greatly enhanced light scattering at small angles. This effect is caused by coupling between the vertical velocity fluctuations due to thermal energy and the vertically varying refractive index. Physically, small upward or downward moving regions will be displaced into fluid having a refractive index different from that of the moving region, thus giving rise to the enhanced scattering. The scattered intensity is predicted to vary with scattering wave vector q, as q(sup -4), for sufficiently large q, but the divergence is quenched by gravity at small q. In the absence of gravity, the long wavelength fluctuations responsible for the enhanced scattering are predicted to grow until limited by the sample dimensions. It is thus of interest to measure the mean-squared amplitude of such fluctuations in the microgravity environment for comparison with existing theory and ground based measurements. The relevant wave vectors are extremely small, making traditional low-angle light scattering difficult or impossible because of stray elastically scattered light generated by optical surfaces. An alternative technique is offered by the shadowgraph method, which is normally used to visualize fluid flows, but which can also serve as a quantitative tool to measure fluctuations. A somewhat novel shadowgraph apparatus and the necessary data analysis methods will be described. The apparatus uses a spatially coherent, but temporally incoherent, light source consisting of a super-luminescent diode coupled to a single-mode optical fiber in order to achieve extremely high spatial resolution, while avoiding effects caused by interference of light reflected from the various optical surfaces that are present when using laser sources. Results obtained for a critical mixture of aniline and cyclohexane subjected to a vertical temperature gradient will be presented. The sample was confined between two horizontal parallel sapphire plates with a vertical spacing of 1 mm. The temperatures of the sapphire plates were controlled by independent circulating water loops that used Peltier devices to add or remove heat from the room air as required. For a mixture with a temperature gradient, two effects are involved in generating the vertical refractive index gradient, namely thermal expansion and the Soret effect, which generates a concentration gradient in response to the applied temperature gradient. For the aniline/cyclohexane system, the denser component (aniline) migrates toward the colder surface. Consequently, when heating from above, both effects result in the sample density decreasing with altitude and are stabilizing in the sense that no convective motion occurs regardless of the magnitude of the applied temperature gradient. The Soret effect is strong near a binary liquid critical point, and thus the dominant effect is due to the induced concentration gradient. The results clearly show the divergence at low q and the predicted gravitational quenching. Results obtained for different applied temperature gradients at varying temperature differences from the critical temperature, clearly demonstrate the predicted divergence of the thermal diffusion ratio. Thus, the more closely the critical point is approached, the smaller becomes the temperature gradient required to generate the same signal. Two different methods have been used to generate pure concentration gradients. In the first, a sample cell was filled with a single fluid, ethylene glycol, and a denser miscible fluid, water, was added from below thus establishing a sharp interface to begin the experiment. As time went on the two fluids diffused into each other, and large amplitude fluctuations were clearly observed at low q. The effects of gravitational quenching were also evident. In the second method, the aniline/cyclohexane sample was used, and after applying a vertical temperature gradient for several hours, the top and bottom temperatures were set equal and the thermal gradient died on a time scale of seconds, leaving the Soret induced concentration gradient in place. Again, large-scale fluctuations were observed and died away slowly in amplitude as diffusion destroyed the initial concentration gradient.
Lindstrøm, Erika Kristina; Vatnehol, Svein Are Sirirud; Mardal, Kent-André; Emblem, Kyrre Eeg; Eide, Per Kristian
2017-01-01
Invasive monitoring of pulsatile intracranial pressure can accurately predict shunt response in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, but may potentially cause complications such as bleeding and infection. We tested how a proposed surrogate parameter for pulsatile intracranial pressure, the phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging derived pulse pressure gradient, compared with its invasive counterpart. In 22 patients with suspected idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, preceding invasive intracranial pressure monitoring, and any surgical shunt procedure, we calculated the pulse pressure gradient from phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging derived cerebrospinal fluid flow velocities obtained at the upper cervical spinal canal using a simplified Navier-Stokes equation. Repeated measurements of the pulse pressure gradient were also undertaken in four healthy controls. Of 17 shunted patients, 16 responded, indicating high proportion of “true” normal pressure hydrocephalus in the patient cohort. However, there was no correlation between the magnetic resonance imaging derived pulse pressure gradient and pulsatile intracranial pressure (R = -.18, P = .43). Pulse pressure gradients were also similar in patients and healthy controls (P = .26), and did not differ between individuals with pulsatile intracranial pressure above or below established thresholds for shunt treatment (P = .97). Assessment of pulse pressure gradient at level C2 was therefore not found feasible to replace invasive monitoring of pulsatile intracranial pressure in selection of patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus for surgical shunting. Unlike invasive, overnight monitoring, the pulse pressure gradient from magnetic resonance imaging comprises short-term pressure fluctuations only. Moreover, complexity of cervical cerebrospinal fluid flow and -pulsatility at the upper cervical spinal canal may render the pulse pressure gradient a poor surrogate marker for intracranial pressure pulsations. PMID:29190788
Ringstad, Geir; Lindstrøm, Erika Kristina; Vatnehol, Svein Are Sirirud; Mardal, Kent-André; Emblem, Kyrre Eeg; Eide, Per Kristian
2017-01-01
Invasive monitoring of pulsatile intracranial pressure can accurately predict shunt response in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, but may potentially cause complications such as bleeding and infection. We tested how a proposed surrogate parameter for pulsatile intracranial pressure, the phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging derived pulse pressure gradient, compared with its invasive counterpart. In 22 patients with suspected idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, preceding invasive intracranial pressure monitoring, and any surgical shunt procedure, we calculated the pulse pressure gradient from phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging derived cerebrospinal fluid flow velocities obtained at the upper cervical spinal canal using a simplified Navier-Stokes equation. Repeated measurements of the pulse pressure gradient were also undertaken in four healthy controls. Of 17 shunted patients, 16 responded, indicating high proportion of "true" normal pressure hydrocephalus in the patient cohort. However, there was no correlation between the magnetic resonance imaging derived pulse pressure gradient and pulsatile intracranial pressure (R = -.18, P = .43). Pulse pressure gradients were also similar in patients and healthy controls (P = .26), and did not differ between individuals with pulsatile intracranial pressure above or below established thresholds for shunt treatment (P = .97). Assessment of pulse pressure gradient at level C2 was therefore not found feasible to replace invasive monitoring of pulsatile intracranial pressure in selection of patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus for surgical shunting. Unlike invasive, overnight monitoring, the pulse pressure gradient from magnetic resonance imaging comprises short-term pressure fluctuations only. Moreover, complexity of cervical cerebrospinal fluid flow and -pulsatility at the upper cervical spinal canal may render the pulse pressure gradient a poor surrogate marker for intracranial pressure pulsations.
The role of thermal vapor diffusion in the subsurface hydrologic evolution of Mars
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Clifford, Stephen M.
1991-01-01
The hydrologic response of groundwater to the thermal evolution of the early martian crust is considered. When a temperature gradient is present in a moist porous medium, it gives rise to a vapor-pressure gradient that drives the diffusion of water vapor from regions of high to low temperature. By this process, a geothermal gradient as small as 15 K/km could drive the vertical transport of 1 km of water to the freezing front at the base of the martian crysophere every 10 exp 6-10 exp 7 years, or the equivalent of about 100-1000 km of water over the course of martian geologic history. Models of the thermal history of Mars suggest that this thermally-driven vapor flux may have been as much as 3-5 times greater in the past. The magnitude of this transport suggests that the process of geothermally-induced vapor diffusion may have played a critical role in the initial emplacement of ground ice and the subsequent geomorphic and geochemical evolution of the martian crust.
Michael J. Arbaugh; Andrzej Bytnerowicz; Mark E. Fenn
1998-01-01
A 3-year study of nitrogenous (N) air pollution deposition to ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws.) seedlings along a mature tree vertical canopy gradient was conducted in the mixed conifer forest of the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. Concentrations of nitric acid vapor (HNO3), particulate nitrate...
Mantilla-Contreras, Jasmin
2018-01-01
Environmental and leaf trait effects on herbivory are supposed to vary among different feeding guilds. Herbivores also show variability in their preferences for plant ontogenetic stages. Along the vertical forest gradient, environmental conditions change, and trees represent juvenile and adult individuals in the understorey and canopy, respectively. This study was conducted in ten forests sites in Central Germany for the enrichment of canopy research in temperate forests. Arthropod herbivory of different feeding traces was surveyed on leaves of Fagus sylvatica Linnaeus (European beech; Fagaceae) in three strata. Effects of microclimate, leaf traits, and plant ontogenetic stage were analyzed as determining parameters for herbivory. The highest herbivory was caused by exophagous feeding traces. Herbivore attack levels varied along the vertical forest gradient for most feeding traces with distinct patterns. If differences of herbivory levels were present, they only occurred between juvenile and adult F. sylvatica individuals, but not between the lower and upper canopy. In contrast, differences of microclimate and important leaf traits were present between the lower and upper canopy. In conclusion, the plant ontogenetic stage had a stronger effect on herbivory than microclimate or leaf traits along the vertical forest gradient. PMID:29373542
Relationship between exercise pressure gradient and haemodynamic progression of aortic stenosis.
Ringle, Anne; Levy, Franck; Ennezat, Pierre-Vladimir; Le Goffic, Caroline; Castel, Anne-Laure; Delelis, François; Menet, Aymeric; Malaquin, Dorothée; Graux, Pierre; Vincentelli, André; Tribouilloy, Christophe; Maréchaux, Sylvestre
We hypothesized that large exercise-induced increases in aortic mean pressure gradient can predict haemodynamic progression during follow-up in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis. We retrospectively identified patients with asymptomatic moderate or severe aortic stenosis (aortic valve area<1.5cm 2 or<1cm 2 ) and normal ejection fraction, who underwent an exercise stress echocardiography at baseline with a normal exercise test and a resting echocardiography during follow-up. The relationship between exercise-induced increase in aortic mean pressure gradient and annualised changes in resting mean pressure gradient during follow-up was investigated. Fifty-five patients (mean age 66±15 years; 45% severe aortic stenosis) were included. Aortic mean pressure gradient significantly increased from rest to peak exercise (P<0.001). During a median follow-up of 1.6 [1.1-3.2] years, resting mean pressure gradient increased from 35±13mmHg to 48±16mmHg, P<0.0001. Median annualised change in resting mean pressure gradient during follow-up was 5 [2-11] mmHg. Exercise-induced increase in aortic mean pressure gradient did correlate with annualised changes in mean pressure gradient during follow-up (r=0.35, P=0.01). Hemodynamic progression of aortic stenosis was faster in patients with large exercise-induced increase in aortic mean pressure gradient (≥20mmHg) as compared to those with exercise-induced increase in aortic mean pressure gradient<20mmHg (median annualised increase in mean pressure gradient 19 [6-28] vs. 4 [2-10] mmHg/y respectively, P=0.002). Similar results were found in the subgroup of 30 patients with moderate aortic stenosis. Large exercise-induced increases in aortic mean pressure gradient correlate with haemodynamic progression of stenosis during follow-up in patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis. Further studies are needed to fully establish the role of ESE in the decision-making process in comparison to other prognostic markers in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
On the metallicity gradients of the Galactic disk as revealed by LSS-GAC red clump stars
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Huang, Yang; Liu, Xiao-Wei; Zhang, Hua-Wei; Yuan, Hai-Bo; Xiang, Mao-Sheng; Chen, Bing-Qiu; Ren, Juan-Juan; Sun, Ning-Chen; Wang, Chun; Zhang, Yong; Hou, Yong-Hui; Wang, Yue-Fei; Yang, Ming
2015-08-01
Using a sample of over 70 000 red clump (RC) stars with 5%-10% distance accuracy selected from the LAMOST Spectroscopic Survey of the Galactic Anti-center (LSS-GAC), we study the radial and vertical gradients of the Galactic disk(s) mainly in the anti-center direction, covering a significant volume of the disk in the range of projected Galactocentric radius 7 ≤ RGC ≤ 14 kpc and height from the Galactic midplane 0 ≤ |Z| ≤ 3 kpc. Our analysis shows that both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients are negative across much of the volume of the disk that is probed, and they exhibit significant spatial variations. Near the solar circle (7 ≤ RGC ≤ 115 kpc), the radial gradient has a moderately steep, negative slope of -0.08 dex kpc-1 near the midplane (|Z| < 0.1 kpc), and the slope flattens with increasing |Z|. In the outer disk (11.5 < RGC ≤ 14 kpc), the radial gradients have an essentially constant, much less steep slope of -0.01 dex kpc-1 at all heights above the plane, suggesting that the outer disk may have experienced an evolutionary path different from that of the inner disk. The vertical gradients are found to flatten largely with increasing RGC. However, the vertical gradient of the lower disk (0 ≤ |Z| ≤ 1 kpc) is found to flatten with RGC quicker than that of the upper disk (1 < |Z| ≤ 3 kpc). Our results should provide strong constraints on the theory of disk formation and evolution, as well as the underlying physical processes that shape the disk (e.g. gas flows, radial migration, and internal and external perturbations).
Vertical profile of tritium concentration in air during a chronic atmospheric HT release.
Noguchi, Hiroshi; Yokoyama, Sumi
2003-03-01
The vertical profiles of tritium gas and tritiated water concentrations in air, which would have an influence on the assessment of tritium doses as well as on the environmental monitoring of tritium, were measured in a chronic tritium gas release experiment performed in Canada in 1994. While both of the profiles were rather uniform during the day because of atmospheric mixing, large gradients of the profiles were observed at night. The gradient coefficients of the profiles were derived from the measurements. Correlations were analyzed between the gradient coefficients and meteorological conditions: solar radiation, wind speed, and turbulent diffusivity. It was found that the solar radiation was highly correlated with the gradient coefficients of tritium gas and tritiated water profiles and that the wind speed and turbulent diffusivity showed weaker correlations with those of tritiated water profiles. A one-dimensional tritium transport model was developed to analyze the vertical diffusion of tritiated water re-emitted from the ground into the atmosphere. The model consists of processes of tritium gas deposition to soil including oxidation into tritiated water, reemission of tritiated water, dilution of tritiated water in soil by rain, and vertical diffusion of tritiated water in the atmosphere. The model accurately represents the accumulation of tritiated water in soil water and the time variations and vertical profiles of tritiated water concentrations in air.
Border-Crossing Model for the Diffusive Coarsening of Wet Foams
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Durian, Douglas; Schimming, Cody
For dry foams, the transport of gas from small high-pressure bubbles to large low-pressure bubbles is dominated by diffusion across the thin soap films separating neighboring bubbles. For wetter foams, the film areas become smaller as the Plateau borders and vertices inflate with liquid. So-called ``border-blocking'' models can explain some features of wet-foam coarsening based on the presumption that the inflated borders totally block the gas flux; however, this approximation dramatically fails in the wet/unjamming limit where the bubbles become close-packed spheres. Here, we account for the ever-present border-crossing flux by a new length scale defined by the average gradient of gas concentration inside the borders. We argue that it is proportional to the geometric average of film and border thicknesses, and we verify this scaling and the numerical prefactor by numerical solution of the diffusion equation. Then we show how the dA / dt =K0 (n - 6) von Neumann law is modified by the appearance of terms that depend on bubble size and shape as well as the concentration gradient length scale. Finally, we use the modified von Neumann law to compute the growth rate of the average bubble, which is not constant.
Method of making a functionally graded material
Lauf, Robert J.; Menchhofer, Paul A.; Walls, Claudia A.; Moorhead, Arthur J.
2002-01-01
A gelcasting method of making an internally graded article alternatively includes the steps of: preparing a slurry including a least two different phases suspended in a gelcasting solution, the phases characterized by having different settling characteristics; casting the slurry into a mold having a selected shape; allowing the slurry to stand for a sufficient period of time to permit desired gravitational fractionation in order to achieve a vertical compositional gradient in the molded slurry; gelling the slurry to form a solid gel while preserving the vertical compositional gradient in the molded slurry; drying the gel to form a dried green body; and sintering the dry green body to form a solid object, at least one property thereof varying along the vertical direction because of the compositional gradient in the molded slurry.
Nelson, Phillip H.; Gianoutsos, Nicholas J.
2011-01-01
Departures of resistivity logs from a normal compaction gradient indicate that overpressure previously extended north of the present-day overpressured zone. These indicators of paleopressure, which are strongest in the deep basin, are mapped to the Kansas-Oklahoma border in shales of Desmoinesian age. The broad area of paleopressure has contracted to the deep basin, and today the overpressured deep basin, as determined from drillstem tests, is bounded on the north by strata with near normal pressures (hydrostatic), grading to the northwest to pressures that are less than hydrostatic (underpressured). Thus the pressure regime in the northwest portion of the Anadarko Basin has evolved from paleo-overpressure to present-day underpressure. Using pressure data from drillstem tests, we constructed cross sections and potentiometric maps that illustrate the extent and nature of present-day underpressuring. Downcutting and exposure of Lower Permian and Pennsylvanian strata along, and east of, the Nemaha fault zone in central Oklahoma form the discharge locus where pressure reaches near atmospheric. From east to west, hydraulic head increases by several hundred feet in each rock formation, whereas elevation increases by thousands of feet. The resulting underpressuring of the aquifer-supported oil and gas fields, which also increases from east to west, is a consequence of the vertical separation between surface elevation and hydraulic head. A 1,000-ft thick cap of Permian evaporites and shales isolates the underlying strata from the surface, preventing re-establishment of a normal hydrostatic gradient. Thus, the present-day pressure regime of oil and gas reservoirs, overpressured in the deep basin and underpressured on the northwest flank of the basin, is the result of two distinct geologic events-rapid burial and uplift/erosion-widely separated in time.
Direct Temperature Measurements during Netlander Descent on Mars
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Colombatti, G.; Angrilli, F.; Ferri, F.; Francesconi, A.; Fulchignoni, M.; Lion Stoppato, P. F.; Saggi, B.
1999-09-01
A new design for a platinum thermoresistance temperature sensor has been developed and tested in Earth's atmosphere and stratosphere. It will be one of the sensors equipping the scientific package ATMIS (Atmospheric and Meteorology Instrument System), which will be devoted to the measurement of the meteorological parameters during both the entry/descent phase and the surface phase, aboard the Netlanders. In particular vertical profiles of temperature, density and pressure will allow the resolution of vertical gradients to investigate the atmospheric structure and dynamics. In view of the future missions to Mars, Netlander represents a unique chance to increase significantly the climate record both in time and in space, doubling the current knowledge of the atmospheric parameters. Furthermore is the only opportunity to conduct direct measurement of temperature and pressure (outside the boundary layer of the airbags used for the landing). The temperature sensor proposed is a platinum thermoresistance, enhancement of HASI TEM (Cassini/Huygens Mission); a substantial improvement of the performances, i.e. a faster dynamic response, has been obtained. Two different prototypes of new design sensor have been built, laboratory test are proceeding and the second one has been already flown aboard a stratospheric balloon.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Izuka, Scot K.; Gingerich, Stephen B.
An accurate estimate of the depth to the theoretical interface between fresh, water and salt water is critical to estimates of well yields in coastal and island aquifers. The Ghyben-Herzberg relation, which is commonly used to estimate interface depth, can greatly underestimate or overestimate the fresh-water thickness, because it assumes no vertical head gradients and no vertical flow. Estimation of the interface depth needs to consider the vertical head gradients and aquifer anisotropy that may be present. This paper presents a method to calculate vertical head gradients using water-level measurements made during drilling of a partially penetrating well; the gradient is then used to estimate interface depth. Application of the method to a numerically simulated fresh-water/salt-water system shows that the method is most accurate when the gradient is measured in a deeply penetrating well. Even using a shallow well, the method more accurately estimates the interface position than does the Ghyben-Herzberg relation where substantial vertical head gradients exist. Application of the method to field data shows that drilling, collection methods of water-level data, and aquifer inhomogeneities can cause difficulties, but the effects of these difficulties can be minimized. Résumé Une estimation précise de la profondeur de l'interface théorique entre l'eau douce et l'eau salée est un élément critique dans les estimations de rendement des puits dans les aquifères insulaires et littoraux. La relation de Ghyben-Herzberg, qui est habituellement utilisée pour estimer la profondeur de cette interface, peut fortement sous-estimer ou surestimer l'épaisseur de l'eau douce, parce qu'elle suppose l'absence de gradient vertical de charge et d'écoulement vertical. L'estimation de la profondeur de l'interface requiert de prendre en considération les gradients verticaux de charge et l'éventuelle anisotropie de l'aquifère. Cet article propose une méthode de calcul des gradients verticaux de charge à partir des mesures de niveau piézométrique faites en cours de foration d'un puits incomplet; le gradient est alors utilisé pour estimer la profondeur de l'interface. L'application de cette méthode à un système eau douce - eau salée simulé numériquement montre que la méthode est la plus précise lorsque le gradient est mesuré dans un puits pénétrant profondément dans l'aquifère. Même en utilisant un puits peu profond, la méthode estime la position de l'interface avec plus de précision que ne le fait la relation de Ghyben-Herzberg lorsqu'il existe un gradient vertical de charge bien marqué. L'application de la méthode à des données de terrain montre que la foration, les méthodes de mesure de niveau et les hétérogénéités au sein de l'aquifère peuvent être la cause de difficultés, mais que les effets de ces difficultés peuvent être réduits. Resumen Para la estimación de la productividad de pozos en acuíferos costeros y en islas es necesaria una estimación precisa de la profundidad de la interfaz teórica entre agua dulce y agua salada. La relación de Ghyben-Herzberg, usada habitualmente para estimar la profundidad de la interfaz, puede subestimar o sobrestimar el espesor de agua dulce, al asumir la ausencia de flujos y gradientes verticales. La estimación de la profundidad de la interfaz debe considerar tanto estos gradientes verticales, como la posible anisotropía del acuífero. En este artículo se presenta un método para calcular los gradientes verticales de niveles a partir de las medidas obtenidas durante la perforación de un pozo parcialmente penetrante para, a partir de este gradiente, estimar la profundidad de la interfaz. La aplicación del método a un sistema de agua dulce/agua salada simulado numéricamente muestra que el método es más preciso cuando el gradiente se mide en un pozo profundo. Incluso en el caso de un pozo superficial, el método permite una estimación más precisa de la profundidad de la interfaz que la aplicación de la fórmula de Ghyben-Herzberg, en los casos en los que existen gradientes verticales significativos. La aplicación del método a datos reales muestra que la perforación, la recogida de datos de niveles y la heterogeneidad en el acuífero pueden causar dificultades en la aplicación del método, pero que estas pueden minimizarse.
Simulation of river plume behaviors in a tropical region: Case study of the Upper Gulf of Thailand
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yu, Xiaojie; Guo, Xinyu; Morimoto, Akihiko; Buranapratheprat, Anukul
2018-02-01
River plumes are a general phenomenon in coastal regions. Most previous studies focus on river plumes in middle and high latitudes with few studies examining those in low latitude regions. Here, we apply a numerical model to the Upper Gulf of Thailand (UGoT) to examine a river plume in low latitudes. Consistent with observational data, the modeled plume has seasonal variation dependent on monsoon conditions. During southwesterly monsoons, the plume extends northeastward to the head of the gulf; during northeasterly monsoons, it extends southwestward to the mouth of the gulf. To examine the effects of latitude, wind and river discharge on the river plume, we designed several numerical experiments. Using a middle latitude for the UGoT, the bulge close to the river mouth becomes smaller, the downstream current flows closer to the coast, and the salinity in the northern UGoT becomes lower. The reduction in the size of the bulge is consistent with the relationship between the offshore distance of a bulge and the Coriolis parameter. Momentum balance of the coastal current is maintained by advection, the Coriolis force, pressure gradient and internal stresses in both low and middle latitudes, with the Coriolis force and pressure gradient enlarged in the middle latitude. The larger pressure gradient in the middle latitude is induced by more offshore freshwater flowing with the coastal current, which induces lower salinity. The influence of wind on the river plume not only has the advection effects of changing the surface current direction and increasing the surface current speed, but also decreases the current speed due to enhanced vertical mixing. Changes in river discharge influence stratification in the UGoT but have little effect on the behavior of the river plume.
Estimating the Instantaneous Drag-Wind Relationship for a Horizontally Homogeneous Canopy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pan, Ying; Chamecki, Marcelo; Nepf, Heidi M.
2016-07-01
The mean drag-wind relationship is usually investigated assuming that field data are representative of spatially-averaged metrics of statistically stationary flow within and above a horizontally homogeneous canopy. Even if these conditions are satisfied, large-eddy simulation (LES) data suggest two major issues in the analysis of observational data. Firstly, the streamwise mean pressure gradient is usually neglected in the analysis of data from terrestrial canopies, which compromises the estimates of mean canopy drag and provides misleading information for the dependence of local mean drag coefficients on local velocity scales. Secondly, no standard approach has been proposed to investigate the instantaneous drag-wind relationship, a critical component of canopy representation in LES. Here, a practical approach is proposed to fit the streamwise mean pressure gradient using observed profiles of the mean vertical momentum flux within the canopy. Inclusion of the fitted mean pressure gradient enables reliable estimates of the mean drag-wind relationship. LES data show that a local mean drag coefficient that characterizes the relationship between mean canopy drag and the velocity scale associated with total kinetic energy can be used to identify the dependence of the local instantaneous drag coefficient on instantaneous velocity. Iterative approaches are proposed to fit specific models of velocity-dependent instantaneous drag coefficients that represent the effects of viscous drag and the reconfiguration of flexible canopy elements. LES data are used to verify the assumptions and algorithms employed by these new approaches. The relationship between mean canopy drag and mean velocity, which is needed in models based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, is parametrized to account for both the dependence on velocity and the contribution from velocity variances. Finally, velocity-dependent drag coefficients lead to significant variations of the calculated displacement height and roughness length with wind speed.
The ion temperature gradient: An intrinsic property of Earth's magnetotail
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lu, San; Artemyev, A. V.; Angelopoulos, V.; Lin, Y.; Wang, X. Y.
2017-08-01
Although the ion temperature gradient along (XGSM) and across (ZGSM) the Earth's magnetotail, which plays a key role in generating the cross-tail current and establishing pressure balance with the lobes, has been extensively observed by spacecraft, the mechanism responsible for its formation is still unknown. We use multispacecraft observations and three-dimensional (3-D) global hybrid simulations to reveal this mechanism. Using THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms), Geotail, and ARTEMIS (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon's Interaction with the Sun) observations during individual, near-simultaneous plasma sheet crossings from 10 to 60 RE, we demonstrate that the ion temperature ZGSM profile is bell-shaped at different geocentric distances. This ZGSM profile is also prevalent in statistics of 200 THEMIS current sheet crossings in the near-Earth region. Using 3-D global hybrid simulations, we show that mapping of the XGSM gradient of ion temperature along magnetic field lines produces such a bell-shaped profile. The ion temperature mapping along magnetic field lines in the magnetotail enables construction of two-dimensional distributions of these quantities from vertical (north-south) spacecraft crossings. Our findings suggest that the ion temperature gradient is an intrinsic property of the magnetotail that should be considered in kinetic descriptions of the magnetotail current sheet. Toward this goal, we use theoretical approaches to incorporate the temperature gradient into kinetic current sheet models, making them more realistic.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Song, Y. T.
2002-01-01
It is found that two adaptive parametric functions can be introduced into the basic ocean equations for utilizing the optimal or hybrid features of commonly used z-level, terrain- following, isopycnal, and pressure coordinates in numerical ocean models. The two parametric functions are formulated by combining three techniques: the arbitrary vertical coordinate system of Kasahara (1 974), the Jacobian pressure gradient formulation of Song (1 998), and a newly developed metric factor that permits both compressible (non-Boussinesq) and incompressible (Boussinesq) approximations. Based on the new formulation, an adaptive modeling strategy is proposed and a staggered finite volume method is designed to ensure conservation of important physical properties and numerical accuracy. Implementation of the combined techniques to SCRUM (Song and Haidvogel1994) shows that the adaptive modeling strategy can be applied to any existing ocean model without incurring computational expense or altering the original numerical schemes. Such a generalized coordinate model is expected to benefit diverse ocean modelers for easily choosing optimal vertical structures and sharing modeling resources based on a common model platform. Several representing oceanographic problems with different scales and characteristics, such as coastal canyons, basin-scale circulation, and global ocean circulation, are used to demonstrate the model's capability for multiple applications. New results show that the model is capable of simultaneously resolving both Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq, and both small- and large-scale processes well. This talk will focus on its applications of multiple satellite sensing data in eddy-resolving simulations of Asian Marginal Sea and Kurosio. Attention will be given to how Topex/Poseidon SSH, TRMM SST; and GRACE ocean bottom pressure can be correctly represented in a non- Boussinesq model.
The effect of vocal fold vertical stiffness gradient on sound production
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Geng, Biao; Xue, Qian; Zheng, Xudong
2015-11-01
It is observed in some experimental studies on canine vocal folds (VFs) that the inferior aspect of the vocal fold (VF) is much stiffer than the superior aspect under relatively large strain. Such vertical difference is supposed to promote the convergent-divergent shape during VF vibration and consequently facilitate the production of sound. In this study, we investigate the effect of vertical variation of VF stiffness on sound production using a numerical model. The vertical variation of stiffness is produced by linearly increasing the Young's modulus and shear modulus from the superior to inferior aspects in the cover layer, and its effect on phonation is examined in terms of aerodynamic and acoustic quantities such as flow rate, open quotient, skewness of flow wave form, sound intensity and vocal efficiency. The flow-induced vibration of the VF is solved with a finite element solver coupled with 1D Bernoulli equation, which is further coupled with a digital waveguide model. This study is designed to find out whether it's beneficial to artificially induce the vertical stiffness gradient by certain implanting material in VF restoring surgery, and if it is beneficial, what gradient is the most favorable.
Implications of the nonlinear equation of state for upwelling in the ocean interior
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McDougall, Trevor J.; You, Yuzhu
1990-08-01
The nonlinear nature of the in situ density of seawater as a function of the potential temperature, pressure and salinity causes two vertical advection processes (thermobaricity and cabbeling) and also complicates the use of microstructure data to deduce upwelling velocities. Cabbeling and thermobaricity are evaluated and mapped on some neutral surfaces in each of the world's oceans by taking the lateral flux of scalars to be parameterized by a lateral diffusivity. In most of the ocean, these two processes are weak, but where there is a significant epineutral gradient of potential temperature, the downwelling due to cabbeling is quite large. In the Southern ocean, where there is a large slope of the neutral surfaces, thermobaricity causes a larger downwelling velocity than cabbeling, and the two processes together cause a dianeutral velocity of about -2×10-7 m s-1. The complementary roles of vertical mixing and vertical advection in achieving water-mass conversion are demonstrated, since maps of the dianeutral motion caused by vertical mixing are quite different to maps of water-mass conversion caused by the same process. This emphasizes the need to include both vertical advection and vertical mixing in ocean models. The method that is used to infer the upwelling velocity from microstructure dissipation measurements is also significantly affected by the nonlinear nature of the equation of state. The extra term that needs to be included in this method is a strong function of depth, changing sign at a depth of about 1500m.
Flow-related Right Ventricular - Pulmonary Arterial Pressure Gradients during Exercise.
Wright, Stephen P; Opotowsky, Alexander R; Buchan, Tayler A; Esfandiari, Sam; Granton, John T; Goodman, Jack M; Mak, Susanna
2018-06-06
The assumption of equivalence between right ventricular and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure is fundamental to several assessments of right ventricular or pulmonary vascular hemodynamic function. Our aims were to 1) determine whether systolic pressure gradients develop across the right ventricular outflow tract in healthy adults during exercise, 2) examine the potential correlates of such gradients, and 3) consider the effect of such gradients on calculated indices of right ventricular function. Healthy untrained and endurance-trained adult volunteers were studied using right-heart catheterization at rest and during submaximal cycle ergometry. Right ventricular and pulmonary artery pressures were simultaneously transduced, and cardiac output was determined by thermodilution. Systolic pressures, peak and mean gradients, and indices of chamber, vascular, and valve function were analyzed offline. Summary data are reported as mean ± standard deviation or median [interquartile range]. No significant right ventricular outflow tract gradients were observed at rest (mean gradient = 4 [3-5] mmHg), and calculated effective orifice area was 3.6±1.0 cm2. Right ventricular systolic pressure increases during exercise were greater than that of pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Accordingly, mean gradients developed during light exercise (8 [7-9] mmHg) and increased during moderate exercise (12 [9-14] mmHg, p < 0.001). The magnitude of the mean gradient was linearly related to cardiac output (r2 = 0.70, p < 0.001). In healthy adults without pulmonic stenosis, systolic pressure gradients develop during exercise, and the magnitude is related to blood flow rate.
Tracer Lamination in the Stratosphere: A Global Climatology
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Appenzeller, Christof; Holton, James R.
1997-01-01
Vertical soundings of stratospheric ozone often exhibit laminated tracer structures characterized by strong vertical tracer gradients. The change in time of these gradients is used to define a tracer lamination rate. It is shown that this quantity can be calculated by the cross product of the horizontal temperature and horizontal tracer gradients. A climatology based on UARS satellite-borne ozone data and on ozone-like pseudotracer data is presented. Three stratospheric regions with high lamination rates were found: the part of the stratospheric overworld which is influenced by the polar vortex, the part of the lowermost stratosphere which is influenced by the tropopause and a third region in the subtropical lower stratosphere mainly characterized with strong vertical shear. High lamination rates in the stratospheric overworld were absent during summer, whereas in the lowermost stratosphere high lamination rates were found year-round. This is consistent with the occurrence and seasonal variation of the horizontal tracer gradient and vertical shear necessary for tilting the tracer surfaces. During winter, high lamination rates associated with the stratospheric polar vortex are present down to approximately 100 hPa. Several features of the derived climatology are roughly consistent with earlier balloon-borne studies. The patterns in the southern and northern hemisphere are comparable, but details differ as anticipated from a less disturbed and more symmetric southern polar vortex.
Dip and anisotropy effects on flow using a vertically skewed model grid.
Hoaglund, John R; Pollard, David
2003-01-01
Darcy flow equations relating vertical and bedding-parallel flow to vertical and bedding-parallel gradient components are derived for a skewed Cartesian grid in a vertical plane, correcting for structural dip given the principal hydraulic conductivities in bedding-parallel and bedding-orthogonal directions. Incorrect-minus-correct flow error results are presented for ranges of structural dip (0 < or = theta < or = 90) and gradient directions (0 < or = phi < or = 360). The equations can be coded into ground water models (e.g., MODFLOW) that can use a skewed Cartesian coordinate system to simulate flow in structural terrain with deformed bedding planes. Models modified with these equations will require input arrays of strike and dip, and a solver that can handle off-diagonal hydraulic conductivity terms.
Induced groundwater flux by increases in the aquifer's total stress.
Chang, Ching-Min; Yeh, Hund-Der
2015-01-01
Fluid-filled granular soils experience changes in total stress because of earth and oceanic tides, earthquakes, erosion, sedimentation, and changes in atmospheric pressure. The pore volume may deform in response to the changes in stress and this may lead to changes in pore fluid pressure. The transient fluid flow can therefore be induced by the gradient in excess pressure in a fluid-saturated porous medium. This work demonstrates the use of stochastic methodology in prediction of induced one-dimensional field-scale groundwater flow through a heterogeneous aquifer. A closed-form of mean groundwater flux is developed to quantify the induced field-scale mean behavior of groundwater flow and analyze the impacts of the spatial correlation length scale of log hydraulic conductivity and the pore compressibility. The findings provided here could be useful for the rational planning and management of groundwater resources in aquifers that contain lenses with large vertical aquifer matrix compressibility values. © 2014, National Ground Water Association.
Bio mathematical venture for the metallic nanoparticles due to ciliary motion.
Akbar, Noreen Sher; Butt, Adil Wahid
2016-10-01
The present investigation is associated with the contemporary study of viscous flow in a vertical tube with ciliary motion. The main flow problem has been modeled using cylindrical coordinates; flow equations are simplified to ordinary differential equations using longwave length and low Reynold's number approximation; and exact solutions have been obtained for velocity, pressure gradient and temperature. Results acquired are discussed graphically for better understanding. Streamlines for the velocity profile are plotted to discuss the trapping phenomenon. It is seen that with an increment in the Grashof number, the velocity of the governing fluids starts to decrease significantly. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Duff, J.H.; Murphy, F.; Fuller, C.C.; Triska, F.J.
1998-01-01
A new method for collecting pore-water samples in sand and gravel streambeds is presented. We developed a mini drivepoint solution sampling (MINIPOINT) technique to collect pore-water samples at 2.5-cm vertical resolution. The sampler consisted of six small-diameter stainless steel drivepoints arranged in a 10-cm-diameter circular array. In a simple procedure, the sampler was installed in the streambed to preset drivepoint depths of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0 cm. Sampler performance was evaluated in the Shingobee River, Minnesota, and Pinal Creek, Arizona, by measuring the vertical gradient of chloride concentration in pore water beneath the streambed that was established by the uninterrupted injection to the stream for 3 d. Pore-water samples were withdrawn from all drivepoints simultaneously. In the first evaluation, the vertical chloride gradient was unchanged at withdrawal rates between 0.3 and 4.0 ml min-1 but was disturbed at higher rates. In the second evaluation, up to 70 ml of pore water was withdrawn from each drivepoint at a withdrawal rate of 2.5 ml min-1 without disturbing the vertical chloride gradient. Background concentrations of other solutes were also determined with MINIPOINT sampling. Steep vertical gradients were present for biologically reactive solutes such as DO, NH4/+, NO3/-, and dissolved organic C in the top 20 cm of the streambed. These detailed solute profiles in the hyporheic zone could not have been determined without a method for close interval vertical sampling that does not disturb natural hydrologic mixing between stream water and groundwater.
Statistics of pressure and pressure gradient in homogeneous isotropic turbulence
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gotoh, T.; Rogallo, R. S.
1994-01-01
The statistics of pressure and pressure gradient in stationary isotropic turbulence are measured within direct numerical simulations at low to moderate Reynolds numbers. It is found that the one-point pdf of the pressure is highly skewed and that the pdf of the pressure gradient is of stretched exponential form. The power spectrum of the pressure P(k) is found to be larger than the corresponding spectrum P(sub G)(k) computed from a Gaussian velocity field having the same energy spectrum as that of the DNS field. The ratio P(k)/P(sub G)(k), a measure of the pressure-field intermittence, grows with wavenumber and Reynolds number as -R(sub lambda)(exp 1/2)log(k/k(sub d)) for k less than k(sub d)/2 where k(sub d) is the Kolmogorov wavenumber. The Lagrangian correlations of pressure gradient and velocity are compared and the Lagrangian time scale of the pressure gradient is observed to be much shorter than that of the velocity.
Global variation in elevational diversity patterns
Qinfeng Guo; Douglas A. Kelt; Zhongyu Sun; Hongxiao Liu; Liangjun Hu; Hai Ren; Jun We
2013-01-01
While horizontal gradients of biodiversity have been examined extensively in the past, vertical diversity gradients (elevation, water depth) are attracting increasing attention. We compiled data from 443 elevational gradients involving diverse organisms worldwide to investigate how elevational diversity patterns may vary between the Northern and Southern hemispheres...
Snyder, G.L.
1995-01-01
Large vertical hydraulic-head gradients are present between the unconfined Evangeline aquifer and confined Fleming aquifers at Naval Air Station Chase Field and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Goliad. These gradients, together with the results of the aquifer test at Naval Air Station Chase Field and assumed characteristics of the confining units, indicate that downward flow of ground water probably occurs from the water-table aquifer to the underlying aquifers. The rate of downward flow between the two confined Fleming aquifers (from A-sand to B-sand) can be approximated using an estimate of vertical hydraulic conductivity of the intervening confining unit obtained from assumed storage characteristics and data from the aquifer test. Under the relatively high vertical hydraulic-head gradient induced by the aquifer test, ground-water movement from the A-sand aquifer to the B-sand aquifer could require about 490 years; and about 730 years under the natural gradient. Future increases in ground-water withdrawals from the B-sand aquifer might increase downward flow in the aquifer system of the study area.
Optimal disturbances in boundary layers subject to streamwise pressure gradient
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ashpis, David E.; Tumin, Anatoli
2003-01-01
An analysis of the optimal non-modal growth of perturbations in a boundary layer in the presence of a streamwise pressure gradient is presented. The analysis is based on PSE equations for an incompressible fluid. Examples with Falkner-Scan profiles indicate that a favorable pressure gradient decreases the non-modal growth, while an unfavorable pressure gradient leads to an increase of the amplification. It is suggested that the transient growth mechanism be utilized to choose optimal parameters of tripping elements on a low-pressure turbine (LPT) airfoil. As an example, a boundary layer flow with a streamwise pressure gradient corresponding to the pressure distribution over a LPT airfoil is considered. It is shown that there is an optimal spacing of the tripping elements and that the transient growth effect depends on the starting point.
Huang, Jiang; Carpenter, Joshua H.; Li, Chang -Zhi; ...
2015-12-02
A novel, yet simple solution fabrication technique to address the trade-off between photocurrent and fill factor in thick bulk heterojunction organic solar cells is described. Lastly, the inverted off-center spinning technique promotes a vertical gradient of the donor–acceptor phase-separated morphology, enabling devices with near 100% internal quantum efficiency and a high power conversion efficiency of 10.95%.
Arterial Pressure Gradients during Upright Posture and 30 deg Head Down Tilt
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sanchez, E. R; William, J. M.; Ueno, T.; Ballard, R. E.; Hargens, A. R.; Holton, Emily M. (Technical Monitor)
1997-01-01
Gravity alters local blood pressure within the body so that arterial pressures in the head and foot are lower and higher, respectively, than that at heart level. Furthermore, vascular responses to local alterations of arterial pressure are probably important to maintain orthostatic tolerance upon return to the Earth after space flight. However, it has been difficult to evaluate the body's arterial pressure gradient due to the lack of noninvasive technology. This study was therefore designed to investigate whether finger arterial pressure (FAP), measured noninvasively, follows a normal hydrostatic pressure gradient above and below heart level during upright posture and 30 deg head down tilt (HDT). Seven healthy subjects gave informed consent and were 19 to 52 years old with a height range of 158 to 181 cm. A Finapres device measured arterial pressure at different levels of the body by moving the hand from 36 cm below heart level (BH) to 72 cm above heart level (AH) in upright posture and from 36 cm BH to 48 cm AH during HDT in increments of 12 cm. Mean FAP creased by 85 mmHg transitioning from BH to AH in upright posture, and the pressure gradient calculated from hydrostatic pressure difference (rho(gh)) was 84 mmHg. In HDT, mean FAP decreased by 65 mmHg from BH to AH, and the calculated pressure gradient was also 65 mmHg. There was no significant difference between the measured FAP gradient and the calculated pressure gradient, although a significant (p = 0.023) offset was seen for absolute arterial pressure in upright posture. These results indicate that arterial pressure at various levels can be obtained from the blood pressure at heart level by calculating rho(gh) + an offset. The offset equals the difference between heart level and the site of measurement. In summary, we conclude that local blood pressure gradients can be measured by noninvasive studies of FAP.
Uncertainty based pressure reconstruction from velocity measurement with generalized least squares
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Jiacheng; Scalo, Carlo; Vlachos, Pavlos
2017-11-01
A method using generalized least squares reconstruction of instantaneous pressure field from velocity measurement and velocity uncertainty is introduced and applied to both planar and volumetric flow data. Pressure gradients are computed on a staggered grid from flow acceleration. The variance-covariance matrix of the pressure gradients is evaluated from the velocity uncertainty by approximating the pressure gradient error to a linear combination of velocity errors. An overdetermined system of linear equations which relates the pressure and the computed pressure gradients is formulated and then solved using generalized least squares with the variance-covariance matrix of the pressure gradients. By comparing the reconstructed pressure field against other methods such as solving the pressure Poisson equation, the omni-directional integration, and the ordinary least squares reconstruction, generalized least squares method is found to be more robust to the noise in velocity measurement. The improvement on pressure result becomes more remarkable when the velocity measurement becomes less accurate and more heteroscedastic. The uncertainty of the reconstructed pressure field is also quantified and compared across the different methods.
Analysis of vortical structures in turbulent natural convection
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Park, Sangro; Lee, Changhoon
2014-11-01
Natural convection of fluid within two parallel walls, Rayleigh-Bénard convection, is studied by direct numerical simulation using a spectral method. The flow is in soft turbulence regime with Rayleigh number 106, 107, 108, Prandtl number 0 . 7 and aspect ratio 4. We investigate the relations between thermal plumes and vortical structures through manipulating the evolution equations of vorticity and velocity gradient tensor. According to simulation results, horizontal vorticity occurs near the wall and changes into vertical vorticity by vertical stretching of fluid element which is caused by vertical movement of the thermal plume. Additionally, eigenvalues, eigenvectors and invariants of velocity gradient tensor show the topologies of vortical structures, including how vortical structures are tilted or stretched. Difference of velocity gradient tensor between inside thermal plumes and background region is also investigated, and the result indicates that thermal plumes play an important role in changing the distribution of vortical structures. The results of this study are consistent with other researches which suggest that vertical vorticity is stronger in high Rayleigh number flows. Details will be presented in the meeting.
On the impact of adverse pressure gradient on the supersonic turbulent boundary layer
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Qian-Cheng; Wang, Zhen-Guo; Zhao, Yu-Xin
2016-11-01
By employing the particle image velocimetry, the mean and turbulent characteristics of a Mach 2.95 turbulent boundary layer are experimentally investigated without the impact of curvature. The physical mechanism with which the streamwise adverse pressure gradient affects the supersonic boundary layer is revealed. The data are compared to that of the concave boundary layer with similar streamwise distributions of wall static pressure to clarify the separate impacts of the adverse pressure gradient and the concave curvature. The logarithmic law is observed to be well preserved for both of the cases. The dip below the logarithmic law is not observed in present investigation. Theoretical analysis indicates that it could be the result of compromise between the opposite impacts of the compression wave and the increased turbulent intensity. Compared to the zero pressure gradient boundary layer, the principal strain rate and the turbulent intensities are increased by the adverse pressure gradient. The shear layer formed due the hairpin packets could be sharpened by the compression wave, which leads to higher principal strain rate and the associated turbulent level. Due to the additional impact of the centrifugal instability brought by the concave wall, even higher turbulent intensities than that of the adverse pressure gradient case are introduced. The existence of velocity modes within the zero pressure gradient boundary layer suggests that the large scale motions are statistically well organized. The generation of new velocity modes due to the adverse pressure gradient indicates that the turbulent structure is changed by the adverse pressure gradient, through which more turbulence production that cannot be effectively predicted by the Reynolds-stress transport equations could be brought.
A search for thermospheric composition perturbations due to vertical winds
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krynicki, Matthew P.
The thermosphere is generally in hydrostatic equilibrium, with winds blowing horizontally along stratified constant-pressure surfaces, driven by the dayside-to-nightside pressure gradient. A marked change in this paradigm resulted after Spencer et al. [1976] reported vertical wind measurements of 80 m·s-1 from analyses of AE-C satellite data. It is now established that the thermosphere routinely supports large-magnitude (˜30-150 m·s-1) vertical winds at auroral latitudes. These vertical winds represent significant departure from hydrostatic and diffusive equilibrium, altering locally---and potentially globally---the thermosphere's and ionosphere's composition, chemistry, thermodynamics and energy budget. Because of their localized nature, large-magnitude vertical wind effects are not entirely known. This thesis presents ground-based Fabry-Perot Spectrometer OI(630.0)-nm observations of upper-thermospheric vertical winds obtained at Inuvik, NT, Canada and Poker Flat, AK. The wind measurements are compared with vertical displacement estimates at ˜104 km2 horizontal spatial scales determined from a new modification to the electron transport code of Lummerzheim and Lilensten [1994] as applied to FUV-wavelength observations by POLAR spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imager [Torr et al. , 1995]. The modification, referred to as the column shift, simulates vertical wind effects such as neutral transport and disruption of diffusive equilibrium by vertically displacing the Hedin [1991] MSIS-90 [O2]/[N2] and [O]/([N2]+[O2]) mixing ratios and subsequently redistributing the O, O2, and N 2 densities used in the transport code. Column shift estimates are inferred from comparisons of UVI OI(135.6)-nm auroral observations to their corresponding modeled emission. The modeled OI(135.6)-nm brightness is determined from the modeled thermospheric response to electron precipitation and estimations of the energy flux and characteristic energy of the precipitation, which are inferred from UVI-observed Lyman-Birge-Hopfield N2 emissions in two wavelength ranges. Two-dimensional column shift maps identify the spatial morphology of thermospheric composition perturbations associated with auroral forms relative to the model thermosphere. Case-study examples and statistical analyses of the column shift data sets indicate that column shifts can be attributed to vertical winds. Unanticipated limitations associated with modeling of the OI(135.6)-nm auroral emission make absolute column shift estimates indeterminate. Insufficient knowledge of thermospheric air-parcel time histories hinders interpretations of point-to-point time series comparisons between column shifts and vertical winds.
Vertical gradients and seasonal variation in stem CO2 efflux within a Norway spruce stand.
Tarvainen, Lasse; Räntfors, Mats; Wallin, Göran
2014-05-01
Stem CO2 efflux is known to vary seasonally and vertically along tree stems. However, annual tree- and stand-scale efflux estimates are commonly based on measurements made only a few times a year, during daytime and at breast height. In this study, the effect of these simplifying assumptions on annual efflux estimates and their influence on the estimates of the importance of stems in stand-scale carbon cycling are evaluated. In order to assess the strength of seasonal, diurnal and along-stem variability in CO2 efflux, half-hourly measurements were carried out at three heights on three mature Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees over a period of 3 years. Making the common assumption of breast height efflux rates being representative of the entire stem was found to result in underestimations of 10-17% in the annual tree-scale CO2 efflux. Upscaling using only daytime measurements from breast height increased the underestimation to 15-20%. Furthermore, the results show that the strength of the vertical gradient varies seasonally, being strongest in the early summer and non-existent during the cool months. The observed seasonality in the vertical CO2 efflux gradient could not be explained by variation in stem temperature, temperature response of the CO2 efflux (Q10), outer-bark permeability, CO2 transport in the xylem or CO2 release from the phloem. However, the estimated CO2 concentration immediately beneath the bark was considerably higher in the upper stem during the main period of diameter growth, coinciding with the strongest vertical efflux gradient. These results suggest that higher growth rates in the upper stem are the main cause for the observed vertical variation in the stem CO2 effluxes. Furthermore, the results indicate that accounting for the vertical efflux variation is essential for assessments of the importance of stems in stand-scale carbon cycling. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Kodama, Nao; Kose, Katsumi
2016-10-11
Echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences were developed for a 9.4 Tesla vertical standard bore (~54 mm) superconducting magnet using an unshielded gradient coil optimized for live mice imaging and a data correction technique with reference scans. Because EPI requires fast switching of intense magnetic field gradients, eddy currents were induced in the surrounding metallic materials, e.g., the room temperature bore, and this produced serious artifacts on the EPI images. We solved the problem using an unshielded gradient coil set of proper size (outer diameter = 39 mm, inner diameter = 32 mm) with time control of the current rise and reference scans. The obtained EPI images of a phantom and a plant sample were almost artifact-free and demonstrated the promise of our approach.
Instability of Non-uniform Toroidal Magnetic Fields in Accretion Disks
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hirabayashi, Kota; Hoshino, Masahiro
2016-05-01
We present a new type of instability that is expected to drive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence from a purely toroidal magnetic field in an accretion disk. It is already known that in a differentially rotating system, the uniform toroidal magnetic field is unstable due to magnetorotational instability (MRI) under a non-axisymmetric and vertical perturbation, while it is stable under a purely vertical perturbation. Contrary to the previous study, this paper proposes an unstable mode completely confined to the equatorial plane, driven by the expansive nature of the magnetic pressure gradient force under a non-uniform toroidal field. The basic nature of this growing eigenmode, which we name “magneto-gradient driven instability,” is studied using linear analysis, and the corresponding nonlinear evolution is then investigated using two-dimensional ideal MHD simulations. Although a single localized magnetic field channel alone cannot provide sufficient Maxwell stress to contribute significantly to the angular momentum transport, we find that the mode coupling between neighboring toroidal fields under multiple localized magnetic field channels drastically generates a highly turbulent state and leads to the enhanced transport of angular momentum, which is comparable to the efficiency seen in previous studies on MRIs. This horizontally confined mode may play an important role in the saturation of an MRI through complementray growth with the toroidal MRIs and coupling with magnetic reconnection.
INSTABILITY OF NON-UNIFORM TOROIDAL MAGNETIC FIELDS IN ACCRETION DISKS
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Hirabayashi, Kota; Hoshino, Masahiro, E-mail: hirabayashi-k@eps.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
We present a new type of instability that is expected to drive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence from a purely toroidal magnetic field in an accretion disk. It is already known that in a differentially rotating system, the uniform toroidal magnetic field is unstable due to magnetorotational instability (MRI) under a non-axisymmetric and vertical perturbation, while it is stable under a purely vertical perturbation. Contrary to the previous study, this paper proposes an unstable mode completely confined to the equatorial plane, driven by the expansive nature of the magnetic pressure gradient force under a non-uniform toroidal field. The basic nature of thismore » growing eigenmode, which we name “magneto-gradient driven instability,” is studied using linear analysis, and the corresponding nonlinear evolution is then investigated using two-dimensional ideal MHD simulations. Although a single localized magnetic field channel alone cannot provide sufficient Maxwell stress to contribute significantly to the angular momentum transport, we find that the mode coupling between neighboring toroidal fields under multiple localized magnetic field channels drastically generates a highly turbulent state and leads to the enhanced transport of angular momentum, which is comparable to the efficiency seen in previous studies on MRIs. This horizontally confined mode may play an important role in the saturation of an MRI through complementray growth with the toroidal MRIs and coupling with magnetic reconnection.« less
Del Grande, Leonardo M; Herbella, Fernando A M; Bigatao, Amilcar M; Jardim, Jose R; Patti, Marco G
2016-10-01
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have a high incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) whose pathophysiology seems to be linked to an increased trans-diaphragmatic pressure gradient and not to a defective esophagogastric barrier. Inhaled beta agonist bronchodilators are a common therapy used by patients with COPD. This drug knowingly not only leads to a decrease in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) resting pressure, favoring GERD, but also may improve ventilatory parameters, therefore preventing GERD. This study aims to evaluate the effect of inhaled beta agonist bronchodilators on the trans-diaphragmatic pressure gradient and the esophagogastric barrier. We studied 21 patients (mean age 67 years, 57 % males) with COPD and GERD. All patients underwent high-resolution manometry and esophageal pH monitoring. Abdominal and thoracic pressure, trans-diaphragmatic pressure gradient (abdominal-thoracic pressure), and the LES retention pressure (LES basal pressure-transdiaphragmatic gradient) were measured before and 5 min after inhaling beta agonist bronchodilators. The administration of inhaled beta agonist bronchodilators leads to the following: (a) a simultaneous increase in abdominal and thoracic pressure not affecting the trans-diaphragmatic pressure gradient and (b) a decrease in the LES resting pressure with a reduction of the LES retention pressure. In conclusion, inhaled beta agonist bronchodilators not only increase the thoracic pressure but also lead to an increased abdominal pressure favoring GERD by affecting the esophagogastric barrier.
Pugh, L. G. C. E.
1971-01-01
1. O2 intakes were determined on subjects running and walking at various constant speeds, (a) against wind of up to 18·5 m/sec (37 knots) in velocity, and (b) on gradients ranging from 2 to 8%. 2. In running and walking against wind, O2 intakes increased as the square of wind velocity. 3. In running on gradients the relation of O2 intake and lifting work was linear and independent of speed. In walking on gradients the relation was linear at work rates above 300 kg m/min, but curvilinear at lower work rates. 4. In a 65 kg athlete running at 4·45 m/sec (marathon speed) V̇O2 increased from 3·0 l./min with minimal wind to 5·0 l./min at a wind velocity of 18·5 m/sec. The corresponding values for a 75 kg subject walking at 1·25 m/sec were 0·8 l./min with minimal wind and 3·1 l./min at a wind velocity of 18·5 m/sec. 5. Direct measurements of wind pressure on shapes of similar area to one of the subjects yielded higher values than those predicted from the relation of wind velocity and lifting work at equal O2 intakes. Horizontal work against wind was more efficient than vertical work against gravity. 6. The energy cost of overcoming air resistance in track running may be 7·5% of the total energy cost at middle distance speed and 13% at sprint speed. Running 1 m behind another runner virtually eliminated air resistance and reduced V̇O2 by 6·5% at middle distance speed. PMID:5574828
Coble, Adam P; Cavaleri, Molly A
2015-04-01
Within-canopy gradients of leaf functional traits have been linked to both light availability and vertical gradients in leaf water potential. While observational studies can reveal patterns in leaf traits, within-canopy experimental manipulations can provide mechanistic insight to tease apart multiple interacting drivers. Our objectives were to disentangle effects of height and light environment on leaf functional traits by experimentally shading branches along vertical gradients within a sugar maple (Acer saccharum) forest. Shading reduced leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf density, area-based leaf nitrogen (N(area)), and carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio, and increased mass-based leaf nitrogen (N(mass)), highlighting the importance of light availability on leaf morphology and chemistry. Early in the growing season, midday leaf water potential (Ψ(mid)), LMA, and N(area) were driven primarily by height; later in the growing season, light became the most important driver for LMA and Narea. Carbon isotope composition (δ(13)C) displayed strong, linear correlations with height throughout the growing season, but did not change with shading, implying that height is more influential than light on water use efficiency and stomatal behavior. LMA, leaf density, N(mass), C:N ratio, and δ(13)C all changed seasonally, suggesting that leaf ageing effects on leaf functional traits are equally as important as microclimatic conditions. Overall, our results indicate that: (1) stomatal sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit or Ψ(mid) constrains the supply of CO2 to leaves at higher heights, independent of light environment, and (2) LMA and N(area) distributions become functionally optimized through morphological acclimation to light with increasing leaf age despite height-related constraints.
A new method for mapping variability in vertical seepage flux in streambeds
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Xunhong; Song, Jinxi; Cheng, Cheng; Wang, Deming; Lackey, Susan O.
2009-05-01
A two-step approach was used to measure the flux across the water-sediment interface in river channels. A hollow tube was pressed into the streambed and an in situ sediment column of the streambed was created inside the tube. The hydraulic gradient between the two ends of the sediment column was measured. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of the sediment column was determined using a falling-head permeameter test in the river. Given the availability of the hydraulic gradient and vertical hydraulic conductivity of the streambed, Darcy’s law was used to calculate the specific discharge. This approach was applied to the Elkhorn River and one tributary in northeastern Nebraska, USA. The results suggest that the magnitude of the vertical flux varied greatly within a short distance. Furthermore, the flux can change direction from downward to upward between two locations only several meters apart. This spatial pattern of variation probably represents the inflow and outflow within the hyporheic zone, not the regional ambient flow systems. In this study, a thermal infrared camera was also used to detect the discharge locations of groundwater in the streambed. After the hydraulic gradient and the vertical hydraulic conductivity were estimated from the groundwater spring, the discharge rate was calculated.
Quantifying Dynamic Changes in Plantar Pressure Gradient in Diabetics with Peripheral Neuropathy.
Lung, Chi-Wen; Hsiao-Wecksler, Elizabeth T; Burns, Stephanie; Lin, Fang; Jan, Yih-Kuen
2016-01-01
Diabetic foot ulcers remain one of the most serious complications of diabetes. Peak plantar pressure (PPP) and peak pressure gradient (PPG) during walking have been shown to be associated with the development of diabetic foot ulcers. To gain further insight into the mechanical etiology of diabetic foot ulcers, examination of the pressure gradient angle (PGA) has been recently proposed. The PGA quantifies directional variation or orientation of the pressure gradient during walking and provides a measure of whether pressure gradient patterns are concentrated or dispersed along the plantar surface. We hypothesized that diabetics at risk of foot ulceration would have smaller PGA in key plantar regions, suggesting less movement of the pressure gradient over time. A total of 27 participants were studied, including 19 diabetics with peripheral neuropathy and 8 non-diabetic control subjects. A foot pressure measurement system was used to measure plantar pressures during walking. PPP, PPG, and PGA were calculated for four foot regions - first toe (T1), first metatarsal head (M1), second metatarsal head (M2), and heel (HL). Consistent with prior studies, PPP and PPG were significantly larger in the diabetic group compared with non-diabetic controls in the T1 and M1 regions, but not M2 or HL. For example, PPP was 165% (P = 0.02) and PPG was 214% (P < 0.001) larger in T1. PGA was found to be significantly smaller in the diabetic group in T1 (46%, P = 0.04), suggesting a more concentrated pressure gradient pattern under the toe. The proposed PGA may improve our understanding of the role of pressure gradient on the risk of diabetic foot ulcers.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Landahl, M. T.
1984-08-01
The fundamental ideas behind Prandtl's famous mixing length theory are discussed in the light of newer findings from experimental and theoretical research on coherent turbulence structures in the region near solid walls. A simple theoretical model for 'flat' structures is used to examine the fundamental assumptions behind Prandtl's theory. The model is validated by comparisons with conditionally sampled velocity data obtained in recent channel flow experiments. Particular attention is given to the role of pressure fluctuations on the evolution of flat eddies. The validity of Prandtl's assumption that an element of fluid retains its streamwise momentum as it is moved around by turbulence is confirmed for flat eddies. It is demonstrated that spanwise pressure gradients give rise to a contribution to the vertical displacement of a fluid element which is proportional to the distance from the wall. This contribution is particularly important for eddies that are highly elongated in the streamwise direction.
The Structure of a Quasi-Keplerian Accretion Disk around Magnetized Stars
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Habumugisha, Isaac; Jurua, Edward; Tessema, Solomon B.; Simon, Anguma K.
2018-06-01
In this paper, we present the complete structure of a quasi-Keplerian thin accretion disk with an internal dynamo around a magnetized neutron star. We assume a full quasi-Keplerian disk with the azimuthal velocity deviating from the Keplerian fashion by a factor of ξ (0 < ξ < 2). In our approach, we vertically integrate the radial component of the momentum equation to obtain the radial pressure gradient equation for a thin quasi-Keplerian accretion disk. Our results show that, at large radial distance, the accretion disk behaves in a Keplerian fashion. However, close to the neutron star, pressure gradient force (PGF) largely modifies the disk structure, resulting into sudden dynamical changes in the accretion disk. The corotation radius is shifted inward (outward) for ξ > 1 (for ξ < 1), and the position of the inner edge with respect to the new corotation radius is also relocated accordingly, as compared to the Keplerian model. The resulting PGF torque couples with viscous torque (when ξ < 1) to provide a spin-down torque and a spin-up torque (when ξ > 1) while in the advective state. Therefore, neglecting the PGF, as has been the case in previous models, is a glaring omission. Our result has the potential to explain the observable dynamic consequences of accretion disks around magnetized neutron stars.
Slab Geometry and Segmentation on Seismogenic Subduction Zone; Insight from gravity gradients
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saraswati, A. T.; Mazzotti, S.; Cattin, R.; Cadio, C.
2017-12-01
Slab geometry is a key parameter to improve seismic hazard assessment in subduction zones. In many cases, information about structures beneath subduction are obtained from geophysical dedicated studies, including geodetic and seismic measurements. However, due to the lack of global information, both geometry and segmentation in seismogenic zone of many subductions remain badly-constrained. Here we propose an alternative approach based on satellite gravity observations. The GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) mission enables to probe Earth deep mass structures from gravity gradients, which are more sensitive to spatial structure geometry and directional properties than classical gravitational data. Gravity gradients forward modeling of modeled slab is performed by using horizontal and vertical gravity gradient components to better determine slab geophysical model rather than vertical gradient only. Using polyhedron method, topography correction on gravity gradient signal is undertaken to enhance the anomaly signal of lithospheric structures. Afterward, we compare residual gravity gradients with the calculated signals associated with slab geometry. In this preliminary study, straightforward models are used to better understand the characteristic of gravity gradient signals due to deep mass sources. We pay a special attention to the delineation of slab borders and dip angle variations.
Height is more important than light in determining leaf morphology in a tropical forest.
Cavaleri, Molly A; Oberbauer, Steven F; Clark, David B; Clark, Deborah A; Ryan, Michael G
2010-06-01
Both within and between species, leaf physiological parameters are strongly related to leaf dry mass per area (LMA, g/m2), which has been found to increase from forest floor to canopy top in every forest where it has been measured. Although vertical LMA gradients in forests have historically been attributed to a direct phenotypic response to light, an increasing number of recent studies have provided evidence that water limitation in the upper canopy can constrain foliar morphological adaptations to higher light levels. We measured height, light, and LMA of all species encountered along 45 vertical canopy transects across a Costa Rican tropical rain forest. LMA was correlated with light levels in the lower canopy until approximately 18 m sample height and 22% diffuse transmittance. Height showed a remarkably linear relationship with LMA throughout the entire vertical canopy profile for all species pooled and for each functional group individually (except epiphytes), possibly through the influence of gravity on leaf water potential and turgor pressure. Models of forest function may be greatly simplified by estimating LMA-correlated leaf physiological parameters solely from foliage height profiles, which in turn can be assessed with satellite- and aircraft-based remote sensing.
Baroclinic instability in the solar tachocline
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Gilman, Peter; Dikpati, Mausumi, E-mail: gilman@ucar.edu, E-mail: dikpati@ucar.edu
2014-05-20
The solar tachocline is likely to be close to a geostrophic 'thermal wind', for which the Coriolis force associated with differential rotation is closely balanced by a latitudinal pressure gradient, leading to a tight relation between the vertical gradient of rotation and the latitudinal entropy gradient. Using a hydrostatic but nongeostrophic spherical shell model, we examine baroclinic instability of the tachocline thermal wind. We find that both the overshoot and radiative parts of the tachocline should be baroclinicly unstable at most latitudes. Growth rates are roughly five times higher in middle and high latitudes compared to low latitudes, and muchmore » higher in the overshoot than in the radiative tachocline. They range in e-folding amplification from 10 days in the high latitude overshoot tachocline, down to 20 yr for the low latitude radiative tachocline. In the radiative tachocline only, longitudinal wavenumbers m = 1, 2 are unstable, while in the overshoot tachocline a much broader range of m are unstable. At all latitudes and with all stratifications, the longitudinal scale of the most unstable mode is comparable to the Rossby deformation radius, while the growth rate is set by the local latitudinal entropy gradient. Baroclinic instability in the tachocline competing with instability of the latitude rotation gradient established in earlier studies should be important for the workings of the solar dynamo and should be expected to be found in most stars that contain an interface between radiative and convective domains.« less
Neutral surfaces and potential vorticity in the world's oceans
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
You, Yuzhu; McDougall, Trevor J.
1990-08-01
Several neutral surfaces are mapped in this paper and their properties are contrasted with those of potential density surfaces. It is shown that the Pacific is relatively forgiving to the use of potential density, while more care must be taken in the Atlantic and Indian oceans because of the larger compensating lateral gradients of potential temperature and salinity along neutral surfaces in these oceans. The dynamically important tracer, neutral-surface potential vorticity (NSPV), defined to be proportional to f/h (where f is the Coriolis frequency and h is the height between two neutral surfaces), is mapped on several neutral surfaces in each of the world's oceans. At a depth of 1000m in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, the epineutral gradient of NSPV is different to the isopycnal variations of fN2 by as much as a factor of two (here N is the buoyancy frequency). Maps of isopycnal potential vorticity (IPV) resemble those of fN2, but the values of IPV are less by the simple factor μ, defined by μ = c[Rρ-1]/[Rρ-c], where Rρ is the stability ratio of the water column and c is the ratio of the values of α/β at the in situ pressure to that at the reference pressure (α and β being the thermal expansion and saline contraction coefficients, respectively). Layered models of the ocean circulation often take the vertical shear between layers (the thermal wind) to be given by the product of the interface slope and the contrast of potential density across the interface. The true thermal wind equation involves the interfaeial difference of in situ density, which is larger than the corresponding difference of potential density by the factor μ that is mapped in this paper, taking values up to 1.25 at a depth of 1000 m. This implies that the thermal wind is currently underestimated by up to 25% in layered ocean models. The differences between the slopes of neutral surfaces and potential density surfaces can be quantified Using the factory μ. The magnitudes of these slopes are illustrated here with contour maps and with vertical profiles, One would think that by choosing the reference pressure of potential density to be at the central pressure of a data set, the conservation equation of potential vorticity could be expressed with respect to these potential density surfaces with sufficient accuracy. Here it is shown that even the best potential density variable is significantly in error at thermoclinic frontal regions. This is linked to the fact that diapycnal velocities are not simply due to vertical mixing processes, but are also partly caused by epineutral mixing.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Parrott, Tony L.; Zorumski, William E.; Rawls, John W., Jr.
1990-01-01
The feasibility is discussed for an experimental program for studying the behavior of acoustic wave propagation in the presence of strong gradients of pressure, temperature, and flow. Theory suggests that gradients effects can be experimentally observed as resonant frequency shifts and mode shape changes in a waveguide. A convenient experimental geometry for such experiments is the annular region between two co-rotating cylinders. Radial temperature gradients in a spinning annulus can be generated by differentially heating the two cylinders via electromagnetic induction. Radial pressure gradients can be controlled by varying the cylinder spin rates. Present technology appears adequate to construct an apparatus to allow independent control of temperature and pressure gradients. A complicating feature of a more advanced experiment, involving flow gradients, is the requirement for independently controlled cylinder spin rates. Also, the boundary condition at annulus terminations must be such that flow gradients are minimally disturbed. The design and construction of an advanced apparatus to include flow gradients will require additional technology development.
CO2 Flux Estimation Errors Associated with Moist Atmospheric Processes
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Parazoo, N. C.; Denning, A. S.; Kawa, S. R.; Pawson, S.; Lokupitiya, R.
2012-01-01
Vertical transport by moist sub-grid scale processes such as deep convection is a well-known source of uncertainty in CO2 source/sink inversion. However, a dynamical link between vertical transport, satellite based retrievals of column mole fractions of CO2, and source/sink inversion has not yet been established. By using the same offline transport model with meteorological fields from slightly different data assimilation systems, we examine sensitivity of frontal CO2 transport and retrieved fluxes to different parameterizations of sub-grid vertical transport. We find that frontal transport feeds off background vertical CO2 gradients, which are modulated by sub-grid vertical transport. The implication for source/sink estimation is two-fold. First, CO2 variations contained in moist poleward moving air masses are systematically different from variations in dry equatorward moving air. Moist poleward transport is hidden from orbital sensors on satellites, causing a sampling bias, which leads directly to small but systematic flux retrieval errors in northern mid-latitudes. Second, differences in the representation of moist sub-grid vertical transport in GEOS-4 and GEOS-5 meteorological fields cause differences in vertical gradients of CO2, which leads to systematic differences in moist poleward and dry equatorward CO2 transport and therefore the fraction of CO2 variations hidden in moist air from satellites. As a result, sampling biases are amplified and regional scale flux errors enhanced, most notably in Europe (0.43+/-0.35 PgC /yr). These results, cast from the perspective of moist frontal transport processes, support previous arguments that the vertical gradient of CO2 is a major source of uncertainty in source/sink inversion.
Film stability in a vertical rotating tube with a core-gas flow.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sarma, G. S. R.; Lu, P. C.; Ostrach, S.
1971-01-01
The linear hydrodynamic stability of a thin-liquid layer flowing along the inside wall of a vertical tube rotating about its axis in the presence of a core-gas flow is examined. The stability problem is formulated under the conditions that the liquid film is thin, the density and viscosity ratios of gas to liquid are small and the relative (axial) pressure gradient in the gas is of the same order as gravity. The resulting eigenvalue problem is first solved by a perturbation method appropriate to axisymmetric long-wave disturbances. The damped nature (to within the thin-film and other approximations made) of the nonaxisymmetric and short-wave disturbances is noted. In view of the limitations on a truncated perturbation solution when the disturbance wavenumber is not small, an initial value method using digital computer is presented. Stability characteristics of neutral, growing, and damped modes are presented showing the influences of rotation, surface tension, and the core-gas flow. Energy balance in a neutral mode is also illustrated.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
VeeraKrishna, M.; Subba Reddy, G.; Chamkha, A. J.
2018-02-01
The effects of radiation and Hall current on an unsteady magnetohydrodynamic free convective flow in a vertical channel filled with a porous medium have been studied. We consider an incompressible viscous and electrically conducting incompressible viscous second grade fluid bounded by a loosely packed porous medium. The fluid is driven by an oscillating pressure gradient parallel to the channel plates, and the entire flow field is subjected to a uniform inclined magnetic field of strength Ho inclined at an angle of inclination α with the normal to the boundaries in the transverse xy-plane. The temperature of one of the plates varies periodically, and the temperature difference of the plates is high enough to induce the radiative heat transfer. The effects of various parameters on the velocity profiles, the skin friction, temperature field, rate of heat transfer in terms of their amplitude, and phase angles are shown graphically.
Running GCM physics and dynamics on different grids: Algorithm and tests
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Molod, A.
2006-12-01
The major drawback in the use of sigma coordinates in atmospheric GCMs, namely the error in the pressure gradient term near sloping terrain, leaves the use of eta coordinates an important alternative. A central disadvantage of an eta coordinate, the inability to retain fine resolution in the vertical as the surface rises above sea level, is addressed here. An `alternate grid' technique is presented which allows the tendencies of state variables due to the physical parameterizations to be computed on a vertical grid (the `physics grid') which retains fine resolution near the surface, while the remaining terms in the equations of motion are computed using an eta coordinate (the `dynamics grid') with coarser vertical resolution. As a simple test of the technique a set of perpetual equinox experiments using a simplified lower boundary condition with no land and no topography were performed. The results show that for both low and high resolution alternate grid experiments, much of the benefit of increased vertical resolution for the near surface meridional wind (and mass streamfield) can be realized by enhancing the vertical resolution of the `physics grid' in the manner described here. In addition, approximately half of the increase in zonal jet strength seen with increased vertical resolution can be realized using the `alternate grid' technique. A pair of full GCM experiments with realistic lower boundary conditions and topography were also performed. It is concluded that the use of the `alternate grid' approach offers a promising way forward to alleviate a central problem associated with the use of the eta coordinate in atmospheric GCMs.
Direct measurements of local bed shear stress in the presence of pressure gradients
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pujara, Nimish; Liu, Philip L.-F.
2014-07-01
This paper describes the development of a shear plate sensor capable of directly measuring the local mean bed shear stress in small-scale and large-scale laboratory flumes. The sensor is capable of measuring bed shear stress in the range 200 Pa with an accuracy up to 1 %. Its size, 43 mm in the flow direction, is designed to be small enough to give spatially local measurements, and its bandwidth, 75 Hz, is high enough to resolve time-varying forcing. Typically, shear plate sensors are restricted to use in zero pressure gradient flows because secondary forces on the edge of the shear plate caused by pressure gradients can introduce large errors. However, by analysis of the pressure distribution at the edges of the shear plate in mild pressure gradients, we introduce a new methodology for correcting for the pressure gradient force. The developed sensor includes pressure tappings to measure the pressure gradient in the flow, and the methodology for correction is applied to obtain accurate measurements of bed shear stress under solitary waves in a small-scale wave flume. The sensor is also validated by measurements in a turbulent flat plate boundary layer in open channel flow.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schobeiri, M. T.; John, J.
1996-01-01
The turbomachinery wake flow development is largely influenced by streamline curvature and streamwise pressure gradient. The objective of this investigation is to study the development of the wake under the influence of streamline curvature and streamwise pressure gradient. The experimental investigation is carried out in two phases. The first phase involves the study of the wake behind a stationary circular cylinder (steady wake) in curved channels at positive, zero, and negative streamwise pressure gradients. The mean velocity and Reynolds stress components are measured using a X-hot-film probe. The measured quantities obtained in probe coordinates are transformed to a curvilinear coordinate system along the wake centerline and are presented in similarity coordinates. The results of the steady wakes suggest strong asymmetry in velocity and Reynolds stress components. However, the velocity defect profiles in similarity coordinates are almost symmetrical and follow the same distribution as the zero pressure gradient straight wake. The results of Reynolds stress distributions show higher values on the inner side of the wake than the outer side. Other quantities, including the decay of maximum velocity defect, growth of wake width, and wake integral parameters, are also presented for the three different pressure gradient cases of steady wake. The decay rate of velocity defect is fastest for the negative streamwise pressure gradient case and slowest for the positive pressure gradient case. Conversely, the growth of the wake width is fastest for the positive streamwise pressure gradient case and slowest for the negative streamwise pressure gradient. The second phase studies the development of periodic unsteady wakes generated by the circular cylinders of the rotating wake generator in a curved channel at zero streamwise pressure gradient. Instantaneous velocity components of the periodic unsteady wakes, measured with a stationary X-hot-film probe, are analyzed by the phase averaging techniques. The temporal distribution of velocity and Reynolds stress components obtained in a stationary frame of reference are transformed to a spatial distribution in a relative frame of reference. Profiles of phase-averaged velocity and Reynolds stress distributions in the relative frame of reference and similarity coordinates are presented. The velocity defect and Reynolds stress distributions agree with the results of the wake development behind a stationary cylinder in the curved channel at zero streamwise pressure gradient. The phase-averaged third-order correlations, presented in the relative frame of reference and similarity coordinates, show pronounced asymmetric features.
Gap Winds in a Fjord: Howe Sound, British Columbia.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jackson, Peter L.
1993-01-01
Gap, outflow, or Squamish wind, is the cold low level seaward flow of air through fjords which dissect the coastal mountain barrier of northwestern North America. These flows, occurring mainly during winter, can be strong, threatening safety, economic activity and comfort. Howe Sound gap winds were studied using a combination of observations and several types of models. Observations of winds in Howe Sound showed that gap wind strength varied considerably along the channel, across the channel and vertically. Generally, winds increase down the channel, are strongest along the eastern side, and are below 1000 m depth. Observations were unable to answer all questions about gap winds due to data sparseness, particularly in the vertical direction. Therefore, several modelling approaches were used. The modelling began with a complete 3-dimensional quasi-Boussinesq model (CSU RAMS) and ended with the creation and testing of models which are conceptually simpler, and more easily interpreted and manipulated. A gap wind simulation made using RAMS was shown to be mostly successful by statistical evaluation compared to other mesoscale simulations, and by visual inspection of the fields. The RAMS output, which has very high temporal and spatial resolution, provided much additional information about the details of gap flow. In particular, RAMS results suggested a close analogy between gap wind and hydraulic channel flow, with hydraulic features such as supercritical flow and hydraulic jumps apparent. These findings imply gap wind flow could potentially be represented by much simpler models. The simplest possible models containing pressure gradient, advection and friction but not incorporating hydraulic effects, were created, tested, and found lacking. A hydraulic model, which in addition incorporates varying gap wind height and channel geometry, was created and shown to successfully simulate gap winds. Force balance analysis from RAMS and the hydraulic model showed that pressure gradient and advection are the most important forces, followed by friction which becomes an important force in fast supercritical flow. The sensitivity of gap wind speed to various parameters was found from sensitivity tests using the hydraulic model. Results indicated that gap wind speed increases with increasing boundary layer height and speed at the head of channel, and increasing synoptic pressure gradient. Gap wind speed decreases with increasing friction, and increasing boundary layer height at the seaward channel end. Increasing temperature differences between the cold gap wind air and the warmer air aloft was found to increase the variability of the flow--higher maximum but lower mean wind speeds.
KODAMA, Nao; KOSE, Katsumi
2016-01-01
Echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences were developed for a 9.4 Tesla vertical standard bore (∼54 mm) superconducting magnet using an unshielded gradient coil optimized for live mice imaging and a data correction technique with reference scans. Because EPI requires fast switching of intense magnetic field gradients, eddy currents were induced in the surrounding metallic materials, e.g., the room temperature bore, and this produced serious artifacts on the EPI images. We solved the problem using an unshielded gradient coil set of proper size (outer diameter = 39 mm, inner diameter = 32 mm) with time control of the current rise and reference scans. The obtained EPI images of a phantom and a plant sample were almost artifact-free and demonstrated the promise of our approach. PMID:27001398
Bowman, William P; Turnbull, Matthew H; Tissue, David T; Whitehead, David; Griffin, Kevin L
2008-10-01
Temperature plays a critical role in the regulation of respiration rates and is often used to scale measurements of respiration to the stand-level and calculate annual respiratory fluxes. Previous studies have indicated that failure to consider temperature gradients between sun-exposed stems and branches in the crown and shaded lower stems may result in errors when deriving stand-level estimates of stem CO(2) efflux. We measured vertical gradients in sapwood temperature in a mature lowland podocarp rain forest in New Zealand to: (1) estimate the effects of within-stem temperature variation on the vertical distribution of stem CO(2) efflux; and (2) use these findings to estimate stand-level stem CO(2) efflux for this forest. Large within-stem gradients in sapwood temperature (1.6 +/- 0.1 to 6.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C) were observed. However, these gradients did not significantly influence the stand-level estimate of stem CO(2) efflux in this forest (536 +/- 42 mol CO(2) ha(-1) day(-1)) or the vertical distribution of stem CO(2) efflux, because of the opposing effects of daytime warming and nighttime cooling on CO(2) efflux in the canopy, and the small fraction of the woody biomass in the crowns of forest trees. Our findings suggest that detailed measurements of within-stand temperature gradients are unlikely to greatly improve the accuracy of tree- or stand-level estimates of stem CO(2) efflux.
Interactive Mechanisms of Sliding-Surface Bearings.
1983-08-01
lower, upper) bearing surface V Three-dimensional gradient operator ix Two-dimensional surface gradient operator ( ),. Pertaining to the bearing surface...thermal gradients . The tilt-pad feature required the pad inclination to be determined by the condition of moment equilibrium about the pivot point. This...into the computation of pressure and shear in a fluid film. Incipience Point of Film Rupture On page 93 of Appendix A, pressure gradient and pressure of
Free drainage of aqueous foams: Container shape effects on capillarity and vertical gradients
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saint-Jalmes, A.; Vera, M. U.; Durian, D. J.
2000-06-01
The standard drainage equation applies only to foam columns of constant cross-sectional area. Here, we generalize to include the effects of arbitrary container shape and develop an exact solution for an exponential, "Eiffel Tower", sample. This geometry largely eliminates vertical wetness gradients, and hence capillary effects, and should permit a clean test of dissipation mechanisms. Agreement with experiment is not achieved at late times, however, highlighting the importance of both boundary conditions and coarsening.
Thermal and pressure histories of the Malay Basin, offshore Malaysia
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Yusoff, W.I.; Swarbrick, R.E.
1994-07-01
The Malay Basin is a Neogene intracratonic basin characterized by high heat flow and rapid sedimentation; moderate to high overpressure is common in deeper reservoirs. Thermal conductivity and temperature data from 55 wells have been used to reassess the areal and vertical heat-flow distribution within the basin. Anomalously high temperatures have been observed in some sandstone intervals above the overpressured reservoir section. A narrow to rather abrupt pressure transition zone could be recognized. All hydrocarbon-filled reservoirs seemed to be associated with high heat flow (i.e., about 90 mW/m[sup 2]). Overpressure in some wells is approaching critical fracture pressure (i.e., 0.85more » psi/ft. pressure gradient) in the region. In the central part of the basin, the overpressured sections are found within the shallower (<2000 m) hydrocarbon-bearing units. Selective studies of the temporal development of the pore pressure indicated that overpressure development is associated with episodes of rapid sedimentation. A preliminary fluid flow model supported by pressure modeling is proposed whereby hot fluids are currently being expelled from deeper overpressured sandstone and mudrocks through a fractured seal induced by overpressure. The latter is caused by relatively rapid burial since late Tertiary times. Hydrocarbon migration may have been aided by this fluid movement.« less
Numerical Study on Density Gradient Carbon-Carbon Composite for Vertical Launching System
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yoon, Jin-Young; Kim, Chun-Gon; Lim, Juhwan
2018-04-01
This study presents new carbon-carbon (C/C) composite that has a density gradient within single material, and estimates its heat conduction performance by a numerical method. To address the high heat conduction of a high-density C/C, which can cause adhesion separation in the steel structures of vertical launching systems, density gradient carbon-carbon (DGCC) composite is proposed due to its exhibiting low thermal conductivity as well as excellent ablative resistance. DGCC is manufactured by hybridizing two different carbonization processes into a single carbon preform. One part exhibits a low density using phenolic resin carbonization to reduce heat conduction, and the other exhibits a high density using thermal gradient-chemical vapor infiltration for excellent ablative resistance. Numerical analysis for DGCC is performed with a heat conduction problem, and internal temperature distributions are estimated by the forward finite difference method. Material properties of the transition density layer, which is inevitably formed during DGCC manufacturing, are assumed to a combination of two density layers for numerical analysis. By comparing numerical results with experimental data, we validate that DGCC exhibits a low thermal conductivity, and it can serve as highly effective ablative material for vertical launching systems.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Song, Qingguana; Wang, Cheng; Han, Yong; Gao, Dayuan; Duan, Yingliang
2017-06-01
Since detonation often initiates and propagates in the non-homogeneous mixtures, investigating its behavior in non-uniform mixtures is significant not only for the industrial explosion in the leakage combustible gas, but also for the experimental investigations with a vertical concentration gradient caused by the difference in the molecular weight of gas mixture. Objective of this work is to show the detonation behavior in the mixture with different concentration gradients with detailed chemical reaction mechanism. A globally planar detonation in H2-O2 system is simulated by a high-resolution code based on the fifth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme in spatial discretization and the third-order Additive Runge-Kutta schemes in time discretization. The different shocked combustion modes appear in the rich-fuel and poor-fuel layers due to the concentration gradient effect. Globally, for the cases with the lower gradient detonation can be sustained in a way of the alternation of the multi-heads mode and single-head mode, whereas for the cases with the higher gradient detonation propagates with a single-head mode. Institute of Chemical Materials, CAEP.
De Pauw, Ruben; Swier, Tim; Degreef, Bart; Desmet, Gert; Broeckhoven, Ken
2016-11-18
The limits in operating pressures are extended for narrow-bore columns in gradient elution up to 2000bar. As the required pumps for these pressures are incompatible with common chromatographic solvents and are not suitable to apply a mobile phase composition gradient, a mobile phase delivery and injection system is described and experimentally validated which allows to use any possible chromatographic solvent in isocratic and gradient elution. The mobile phase delivery and injection system also allows to perform multiple separations without the need to depressurize the column. This system consists out of 5 dual on/off valves and two large volume loops in which the gradient and equilibration volume of initial mobile phase are loaded by a commercial liquid chromatography pump. The loops are then flushed toward the column at extreme pressures. The mobile phase delivery and injection system is first evaluated in isocratic elution and shows a comparable performance to a state-of-the-art commercial flow-through-needle injector but with twice the pressure rating. Distortion of the loaded gradient by dispersion in the gradient storage loop is studied. The effect of the most important parameters (such as flow rate, pressure and gradient steepness) is experimentally investigated. Different gradient steepnesses and volumes can be applied at different flow rates and operating pressures with a good repeatability. Due to the isobaric operation of the pumps, the gradient is monitored in real-time by a mass flow meter installed at the detector outlet. The chromatograms are then converted from time to volume-base. A separation of a 19-compound sample is performed on a 300×2.1mm column at 1000bar and on a 600×2.1mm column at 2000bar. The peak capacity was found to increase from 141 to 199 and thus scales with L as is predicted by theory. This allows to conclude that the inlet pressure for narrow-bore columns in gradient elution can be increased up to 2000bar without fundamental pressure-induced limitations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Optimal Disturbances in Boundary Layers Subject to Streamwise Pressure Gradient
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ashpis, David E.; Tumin, Anatoli
2003-01-01
An analysis of the non-modal growth of perturbations in a boundary layer in the presence of a streamwise pressure gradient is presented. The analysis is based on PSE equations for an incompressible fluid. Examples with Falkner- Skan profiles indicate that a favorable pressure gradient decreases the non-modal growth while an unfavorable pressure gradient leads to an increase of the amplification. It is suggested that the transient growth mechanism be utilized to choose optimal parameters of tripping elements on a low-pressure turbine (LPT) airfoil. As an example, a boundary-layer flow with a streamwise pressure gradient corresponding to the pressure distribution over a LPT airfoil is considered. It is shown that there is an optimal spacing of the tripping elements and that the transient growth effect depends on the starting point. The amplification is found to be small at the LPT s very low Reynolds numbers, but there is a possibility to enhance the transient energy growth by means of wall cooling.
Sensitivities of Modeled Tropical Cyclones to Surface Friction and the Coriolis Parameter
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Chao, Winston C.; Chen, Baode; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor)
2002-01-01
In this investigation the sensitivities of a 2-D tropical cyclone (TC) model to surface frictional coefficient and the Coriolis parameter are studied and their implication is discussed. The model used is an axisymmetric version of the latest version of the Goddard cloud ensemble model. The model has stretched vertical grids with 33 levels varying from 30 m near the bottom to 1140 m near the top. The vertical domain is about 21 km. The horizontal domain covers a radius of 962 km (770 grids) with a grid size of 1.25 km. The time step is 10 seconds. An open lateral boundary condition is used. The sea surface temperature is specified at 29C. Unless specified otherwise, the Coriolis parameter is set at its value at 15 deg N. The Newtonian cooling is used with a time scale of 12 hours. The reference vertical temperature profile used in the Newtonian cooling is that of Jordan. The Newtonian cooling models not only the effect of radiative processes but also the effect of processes with scale larger than that of TC. Our experiments showed that if the Newtonian cooling is replaced by a radiation package, the simulated TC is much weaker. The initial condition has a temperature uniform in the radial direction and its vertical profile is that of Jordan. The initial winds are a weak Rankin vortex in the tangential winds superimposed on a resting atmosphere. The initial sea level pressure is set at 1015 hPa everywhere. Since there is no surface pressure perturbation, the initial condition is not in gradient balance. This initial condition is enough to lead to cyclogenesis, but the initial stage (say, the first 24 hrs) is not considered to resemble anything observed. The control experiment reaches quasi-equilibration after about 10 days with an eye wall extending from 15 to 25 km radius, reasonable comparing with the observations. The maximum surface wind of more than 70 m/s is located at about 18 km radius. The minimum sea level pressure on day 10 is about 886 hPa. Thus the overall simulation is considered successful and the model is considered adequate for our investigation.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Karoly, Kis; Taylor, Patrick T.; Geza, Wittmann
2014-01-01
We computed magnetic field gradients at satellite altitude, over Europe with emphasis on the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA). They were calculated using the CHAMP satellite total magnetic anomalies. Our computations were done to determine how the magnetic anomaly data from the new ESA/Swarm satellites could be utilized to determine the structure of the magnetization of the Earths crust, especially in the region of the KMA. Since the ten years of 2 CHAMP data could be used to simulate the Swarm data. An initial East magnetic anomaly gradient map of Europe was computed and subsequently the North, East and Vertical magnetic gradients for the KMA region were calculated. The vertical gradient of the KMA was determined using Hilbert transforms. Inversion of the total KMA was derived using Simplex and Simulated Annealing algorithms. Our resulting inversion depth model is a horizontal quadrangle with upper 300-329 km and lower 331-339 km boundaries.
METALLICITY GRADIENTS THROUGH DISK INSTABILITY: A SIMPLE MODEL FOR THE MILKY WAY'S BOXY BULGE
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Martinez-Valpuesta, Inma; Gerhard, Ortwin, E-mail: imv@mpe.mpg.de, E-mail: gerhard@mpe.mpg.de
2013-03-20
Observations show a clear vertical metallicity gradient in the Galactic bulge, which is often taken as a signature of dissipative processes in the formation of a classical bulge. Various evidence shows, however, that the Milky Way is a barred galaxy with a boxy bulge representing the inner three-dimensional part of the bar. Here we show with a secular evolution N-body model that a boxy bulge formed through bar and buckling instabilities can show vertical metallicity gradients similar to the observed gradient if the initial axisymmetric disk had a comparable radial metallicity gradient. In this framework, the range of metallicities inmore » bulge fields constrains the chemical structure of the Galactic disk at early times before bar formation. Our secular evolution model was previously shown to reproduce inner Galaxy star counts and we show here that it also has cylindrical rotation. We use it to predict a full mean metallicity map across the Galactic bulge from a simple metallicity model for the initial disk. This map shows a general outward gradient on the sky as well as longitudinal perspective asymmetries. We also briefly comment on interpreting metallicity gradient observations in external boxy bulges.« less
Contribution of Field Strength Gradients to the Net Vertical Current of Active Regions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vemareddy, P.
2017-12-01
We examined the contribution of field strength gradients for the degree of net vertical current (NVC) neutralization in active regions (ARs). We used photospheric vector magnetic field observations of AR 11158 obtained by Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board SDO and Hinode. The vertical component of the electric current is decomposed into twist and shear terms. The NVC exhibits systematic evolution owing to the presence of the sheared polarity inversion line between rotating and shearing magnetic regions. We found that the sign of shear current distribution is opposite in dominant pixels (60%–65%) to that of twist current distribution, and its time profile bears no systematic trend. This result indicates that the gradient of magnetic field strength contributes to an opposite signed, though smaller in magnitude, current to that contributed by the magnetic field direction in the vertical component of the current. Consequently, the net value of the shear current is negative in both polarity regions, which when added to the net twist current reduces the direct current value in the north (B z > 0) polarity, resulting in a higher degree of NVC neutralization. We conjecture that the observed opposite signs of shear and twist currents are an indication, according to Parker, that the direct volume currents of flux tubes are canceled by their return currents, which are contributed by field strength gradients. Furthermore, with the increase of spatial resolution, we found higher values of twist, shear current distributions. However, the resolution effect is more useful in resolving the field strength gradients, and therefore suggests more contribution from shear current for the degree of NVC neutralization.
Body height and arterial pressure in seated and supine young males during +2 G centrifugation.
Arvedsen, Sine K; Eiken, Ola; Kölegård, Roger; Petersen, Lonnie G; Norsk, Peter; Damgaard, Morten
2015-11-01
It is known that arterial pressure correlates positively with body height in males, and it has been suggested that this is due to the increasing vertical hydrostatic gradient from the heart to the carotid baroreceptors. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that a higher gravito-inertial stress induced by the use of a human centrifuge would increase mean arterial pressure (MAP) more in tall than in short males in the seated position. In short (162-171 cm; n = 8) and tall (194-203 cm; n = 10) healthy males (18-41 yr), brachial arterial pressure, heart rate (HR), and cardiac output were measured during +2G centrifugation, while they were seated upright with the legs kept horizontal (+2Gz). In a separate experiment, the same measurements were done with the subjects supine (+2Gx). During +2Gz MAP increased in the short (22 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.0001) and tall (23 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.0001) males, with no significant difference between the groups. HR increased more (P < 0.05) in the tall than in the short group (14 ± 2 vs. 7 ± 2 bpm). Stroke volume (SV) decreased in the short group (26 ± 4 ml, P = 0.001) and more so in the tall group (39 ± 5 ml, P < 0.0001; short vs. tall, P = 0.047). During +2Gx, systolic arterial pressure increased (P < 0.001) and SV (P = 0.012) decreased in the tall group only. In conclusion, during +2Gz, MAP increased in both short and tall males, with no difference between the groups. However, in the tall group, HR increased more during +2Gz, which could be caused by a larger hydrostatic pressure gradient from heart to head, leading to greater inhibition of the carotid baroreceptors. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.
Todisco, T; Dottorini, M; Rossi, F; Baldoncini, A; Palumbo, R
1989-01-01
Peripheral airspace epithelial permeability (PAEP) to diethylentriaminopentacetate (DTPA), an index of pulmonary integrity, was measured in 3 groups of subjects for different purposes: (1) to establish vertical regional reference values; (2) to determine the physiological role of acute doubling of total pulmonary blood flow; (3) to quantify the pulmonary epithelial damage in smokers and the possibility of lung protection by an agent stimulating surfactant production. This study broadens previous knowledge of PAEP. First of all, regional reference values are given for young normal nonsmoking subjects and the existence of a vertical gradient of PAEP is confirmed. Furthermore, this study shows that this gradient is independent of the vertical blood flow gradient, since an acute increase of total blood flow in pneumonectomized patients does not modify the regional distribution of PAEP. Finally, it is confirmed that the cigarette smoker's lung is more permeable than the controls and that probably a drug-stimulating surfactant production gives some protection against damage due to chronic smoking.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bense, V. F.; Kurylyk, B. L.
2017-12-01
Sustained ground surface warming on a decadal time scale leads to an inversion of thermal gradients in the upper tens of meters. The magnitude and direction of vertical groundwater flow should influence the propagation of this warming signal, but direct field observations of this phenomenon are rare. Comparison of temperature-depth profiles in boreholes in the Veluwe area, Netherlands, collected in 1978-1982 and 2016 provided such direct measurement. We used these repeated profiles to track the downward propagation rate of the depth at which the thermal gradient is zero. Numerical modeling of the migration of this thermal gradient "inflection point" yielded estimates of downward groundwater flow rates (0-0.24 m a-1) that generally concurred with known hydrogeological conditions in the area. We conclude that analysis of inflection point depths in temperature-depth profiles impacted by surface warming provides a largely untapped opportunity to inform sustainable groundwater management plans that rely on accurate estimates of long-term vertical groundwater fluxes.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Prabhakaran, SP.; Ramesh Babu, R.; Sukumar, M.; Bhagavannarayana, G.; Ramamurthi, K.
2014-03-01
Growth of bulk single crystal of 4-Aminobenzophenone (4-ABP) from the vertical dynamic gradient freeze (VDGF) setup designed with eight zone furnace was investigated. The experimental parameters for the growth of 4-ABP single crystal with respect to the design of VDGF setup are discussed. The eight zones were used to generate multiple temperature gradients over the furnace, and video imaging system helped to capture the real time growth and solid-liquid interface. 4-ABP single crystal with the size of 18 mm diameter and 40 mm length was grown from this investigation. Structural and optical quality of grown crystal was examined by high resolution X-ray diffraction and UV-visible spectral analysis, respectively and the blue emission was also confirmed from the photoluminescence spectrum. Microhardness number of the crystal was estimated at different loads using Vicker's microhardness tester. The size and quality of single crystal grown from the present investigation are compared with the vertical Bridgman grown 4-ABP.
Test of Monin-Obukhov similarity theory using distributed temperature sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cheng, Y.; Sayde, C.; Li, Q.; Gentine, P.
2017-12-01
Monin-Obukhov similarity theory [Monin and Obukhov, 1954] (MOST) has been widely used to calculate atmospheric surface fluxes applying the structure correction functions [Stull, 1988]. The exact forms of the structure correction functions for momentum and heat, which depend on the vertical gradient velocity and temperature, have been determined empirically mostly from the Kansas experiment [Kaimal et al., 1972]. However, due to the limitation of point measurement, the vertical gradient of temperature and horizontal wind speed are not well captured. Here we propose a way to measure the vertical gradient of temperature and horizontal wind speed with high resolution in space (every 12.7 cm) and time (every second) using the Distributed Temperature Sensing [Selker et al., 2006] (DTS), thus determining the exact form of the structure correction functions of MOST under various stability conditions. Two parallel vertical fiber optics will be placed on a tower at the central facility of ARM SGP site. Vertical air temperature will be measured every 12.7 cm by the fiber optics and horizontal wind speed along fiber will be measured. Then vertical gradient of temperature and horizontal wind speed will be calculated and stability correction functions for momentum and heat will be determined. ReferencesKaimal, J. C., Wyngaard, J. C., Izumi, Y., and Cote, O. R. (1972), Spectral characteristics of surface-layer turbulence, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 98(417), 563-589, doi: 10.1002/qj.49709841707. Monin, A., and Obukhov, A. (1954), Basic laws of turbulent mixing in the surface layer of the atmosphere, Contrib. Geophys. Inst. Acad. Sci. USSR, 24(151), 163-187. Selker, J., Thévenaz, L., Huwald, H., Mallet, A., Luxemburg, W., van de Giesen, N., Stejskal, M., Zeman, J., Westhoff, M., and Parlange, M. B. (2006), Distributed fiber-optic temperature sensing for hydrologic systems, Water Resources Research, 42, W12202, doi: 10.1029/2006wr005326. Stull, R. (1988), An Introduction to Boundary Layer Meteorology, pp. 666, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
Experimental analysis of the boundary layer transition with zero and positive pressure gradient
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Arnal, D.; Jullen, J. C.; Michel, R.
1980-01-01
The influence of a positive pressure gradient on the boundary layer transition is studied. The mean velocity and turbulence profiles of four cases are examined. As the intensity of the pressure gradient is increased, the Reynolds number of the transition onset and the length of the transition region are reduced. The Tollmein-Schlichting waves disturb the laminar regime; the amplification of these waves is in good agreement with the stability theory. The three dimensional deformation of the waves leads finally to the appearance of turbulence. In the case of zero pressure gradient, the properties of the turbulent spots are studied by conditional sampling of the hot-wire signal; in the case of positive pressure gradient, the turbulence appears in a progressive manner and the turbulent spots are much more difficult to characterize.
Large-eddy simulations of adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bobke, Alexandra; Vinuesa, Ricardo; Örlü, Ramis; Schlatter, Philipp
2016-04-01
Adverse pressure-gradient (APG) turbulent boundary layers (TBL) are studied by performing well-resolved large-eddy simulations. The pressure gradient is imposed by defining the free-stream velocity distribution with the description of a power law. Different inflow conditions, box sizes and upper boundary conditions are tested in order to determine the final set-up. The statistics of turbulent boundary layers with two different power-law coefficients and thus magnitudes of adverse pressure gradients are then compared to zero pressure-gradient (ZPG) data. The effect of the APG on TBLs is manifested in the mean flow through a much more prominent wake region and in the Reynolds stresses through the existence of an outer peak. The pre-multiplied energy budgets show that more energy is transported from the near-wall region to farther away from the wall.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Semenov, Semen; Schimpf, Martin
2004-01-01
The movement of molecules and homopolymer chains dissolved in a nonelectrolyte solvent in response to a temperature gradient is considered a consequence of temperature-induced pressure gradients in the solvent layer surrounding the solute molecules. Local pressure gradients are produced by nonuniform London van der Waals interactions, established by gradients in the concentration (density) of solvent molecules. The density gradient is produced by variations in solvent thermal expansion within the nonuniform temperature field. The resulting expression for the velocity of the solute contains the Hamaker constants for solute-solvent and solute-solute interactions, the radius of the solute molecule, and the viscosity and cubic coefficient of thermal expansion of the solvent. In this paper we consider an additional force that arises from directional asymmetry in the interaction between solvent molecules. In a closed cell, the resulting macroscopic pressure gradient gives rise to a volume force that affects the motion of dissolved solutes. An expression for this macroscopic pressure gradient is derived and the resulting force is incorporated into the expression for the solute velocity. The expression is used to calculate thermodiffusion coefficients for polystyrene in several organic solvents. When these values are compared to those measured in the laboratory, the consistency is better than that found in previous reports, which did not consider the macroscopic pressure gradient that arises in a closed thermodiffusion cell. The model also allows for the movement of solute in either direction, depending on the relative values of the solvent and solute Hamaker constants.
van Riel, Annelieke C. M. J.; Systrom, David M.; Oliveira, Rudolf K. F.; Landzberg, Michael J.; Mulder, Barbara J. M.; Bouma, Berto J.; Maron, Bradley A.; Shah, Amil M.; Waxman, Aaron B.
2017-01-01
Background We recently reported a novel observation that many patients with equal resting supine right ventricular(RV) and pulmonary artery(PA) systolic pressures develop an RV outflow tract(RVOT) pressure gradient during upright exercise. The current work details the characteristics of patients who develop such an RVOT gradient. Methods We studied 294 patients (59.7±15.5 years-old, 49% male) referred for clinical invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing, who did not have a resting RVOT pressure gradient defined by the simultaneously measured peak-to-peak difference between RV and PA systolic pressures. Results The magnitude of RVOT gradient did not correspond to clinical or hemodynamic findings suggestive of right heart failure; rather, higher gradients were associated with favorable exercise findings. The presence of a high peak RVOT gradient (90th percentile, ≥33mmHg) was associated with male sex (70 vs. 46%, p = 0.01), younger age (43.6±17.7 vs. 61.8±13.9 years, p<0.001), lower peak right atrial pressure (5 [3–7] vs. 8 [4–12]mmHg, p<0.001), higher peak heart rate (159±19 vs. 124±26 beats per minute, p<0.001), and higher peak cardiac index (8.3±2.3 vs. 5.7±1.9 L/min/m2, p<0.001). These associations persisted when treating peak RVOT as a continuous variable and after age and sex adjustment. At peak exercise, patients with a high exercise RVOT gradient had both higher RV systolic pressure (78±11 vs. 66±17 mmHg, p<0.001) and lower PA systolic pressure (34±8 vs. 50±19 mmHg, p<0.001). Conclusions Development of a systolic RV-PA pressure gradient during upright exercise is not associated with an adverse hemodynamic exercise response and may represent a normal physiologic finding in aerobically fit young people. PMID:28636647
Pleural manometry-historical background, rationale for use and methods of measurement.
Zielinska-Krawczyk, Monika; Krenke, Rafal; Grabczak, Elzbieta M; Light, Richard W
2018-03-01
Subatmospheric pleural pressure (Ppl), which is approximately -3 to -5 cmH 2 O at functional residual capacity (FRC) makes pleura a unique organ in the human body. The negative Ppl is critical for maintaining the lungs in a properly inflated state and for proper blood circulation within the thorax. Significant and sudden pleural pressure changes associated with major pleural pathologies, as well as therapeutic interventions may be associated with life-threatening complications. The pleural pressure may show two different values depending on the measurement method applied. These are called pleural liquid pressure and pleural surface pressure. It should also be realized that there are significant differences in pleural pressure distribution in pneumothorax and pleural effusion. In pneumothorax, the pressure is the same throughout the pleural space, while in pleural effusion there is a vertical gradient of approximately 1 cm H 2 O/cm in the pleural pressure associated with the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid column. Currently, two main methods of pleural pressure measurement are used: simple water manometers and electronic systems. The water manometers are conceptually simple, cheap and user-friendly but they only allow the estimation of the mean values of pleural pressure. The electronic systems for pleural pressure measurement are based on pressure transducers. Their major advantages include precise measurements of instantaneous pleural pressure and the ability to display and to store a large amount of data. The paper presents principles and details of pleural pressure measurement as well as the rationale for its use. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
a Numerical Study of Basic Coastal Upwelling Processes.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Zhihong
Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3 -D) numerical models with a second order turbulence closure are developed for the study of coastal upwelling processes. A logarithmic coordinate system is introduced to obtain increased resolution in the regions near the surface and bottom where high velocity shear occurs and in the upwelling zone where its width is confined to the coast. In the experiments performed in the 2-D model an ocean initially at rest is driven by a spatially uniform alongshore wind-stress. There is a development of an offshore flow in the surface layer and an onshore flow below the surface layer. In the wind-stress direction there is a development of a coastal surface jet. The neglect of the alongshore pressure gradient leads to the intensification of the jet, and the concentration of the onshore flow in an over-developed Ekman layer yielding an unrealistic deepening of a bottom mixed layer. When bathymetric variations are introduced, some modifications in the dynamics of upwelling are observed. On the shelf region there is another upwelling zone and isotherms are interested with the bottom topography. When an alongshore pressure gradient is added externally into the model, the strength of the coastal jet decreases and a coastal undercurrent exists at greater depth. In addition the return onshore flow is largely independent of depth and the deepening of the bottom mixed layer disappears. In the experiments performed in the 3-D model a wind-stress with limited domain is used. Coastally trapped waves are generated and propagate along the coastline leading to a development of an alongshore pressure gradient, which has a significant effect on upwelling. The evolution of the alongshore flow, vertical velocity and the temperature is determined by both remote and local wind due to the propagation of waves. As the integration proceeds, the flow pattern becomes remarkably 3-dimensional. Finally the influence of bathymetric variations on upwelling processes is examined.
Thermally developing MHD peristaltic transport of nanofluids with velocity and thermal slip effects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sher Akbar, Noreen; Bintul Huda, A.; Tripathi, D.
2016-09-01
We investigate the velocity slip and thermal slip effects on peristaltically driven thermal transport of nanofluids through the vertical parallel plates under the influence of transverse magnetic field. The wall surface is propagating with sinusoidal wave velocity c. The flow characteristics are governed by the mass, momentum and energy conservation principle. Low Reynolds number and large wavelength approximations are taken into consideration to simplify the non-linear terms. Analytical solutions for axial velocity, temperature field, pressure gradient and stream function are obtained under certain physical boundary conditions. Two types of nanoparticles, SiO2 and Ag, are considered for analysis with water as base fluid. This is the first article in the literature that discusses the SiO2 and Ag nanoparticles for a peristaltic flow with variable viscosity. The effects of physical parameters on velocity, temperature, pressure and trapping are discussed. A comparative study of SiO2 nanofluid, Ag nanofluid and pure water is also presented. This model is applicable in biomedical engineering to make thermal peristaltic pumps and other pumping devices like syringe pumps, etc. It is observed that pressure for pure water is maximum and pressure for Ag nanofluid is minimum.
F-16XL Wing Pressure Distributions and Shock Fence Results from Mach 1.4 to Mach 2.0
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Landers, Stephen F.; Saltzman, John A.; Bjarke, Lisa J.
1997-01-01
Chordwise pressure distributions were obtained in-flight on the upper and lower surfaces of the F-16XL ship 2 aircraft wing between Mach 1.4 and Mach 2.0. This experiment was conducted to determine the location of shock waves which could compromise or invalidate a follow-on test of a large chord laminar flow control suction panel. On the upper surface, the canopy closure shock crossed an area which would be covered by a proposed laminar flow suction panel. At the laminar flow experiment design Mach number of 1.9, 91 percent of the suction panel area would be forward of the shock. At Mach 1.4, that value reduces to 65 percent. On the lower surface, a shock from the inlet diverter would impinge on the proposed suction panel leading edge. A chordwise plate mounted vertically to deflect shock waves, called a shock fence, was installed between the inlet diverter and the leading edge. This plate was effective in reducing the pressure gradients caused by the inlet shock system.
Explosive cyclones in CMIP5 climate models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Seiler, C.; Zwiers, F. W.
2014-12-01
Explosive cyclones are rapidly intensifying low pressure systems with severe wind speeds and precipitation, affecting livelihoods and infrastructure primarily in coastal and marine environments. A better understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on these so called meteorological bombs is therefore of great societal relevance. This study evaluates how well CMIP5 climate models reproduce explosive cyclones in the extratropics of the northern hemisphere, and how these bombs respond to global warming. For this purpose an objective-feature tracking algorithm was used to identify and track extratropical cyclones from 25 CMIP5 models and 3 reanalysis products for the periods 1980 to 2005 and 2070 to 2099. Cyclones were identified as the maxima of T42 vorticity of 6h wind speed at 850 hPa. Explosive and non-explosive cyclones were separated based on the corresponding deepening rates of mean sea level pressure. Most models accurately reproduced the spatial distribution of bombs when compared to results from reanalysis data (R2 = 0.84, p-value = 0.00), with high frequencies along the Kuroshio Current and the Gulf Stream, as well as the exit regions of the polar jet streaks. Most models however significantly underestimated bomb frequencies by a third on average, and by 74% in the most extreme case. This negative frequency bias coincided with significant underestimations of either meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradients, or wind speeds of the polar jet streaks. Bomb frequency biases were significantly correlated with the number vertical model levels (R2= 0.36, p-value = 0.001), suggesting that the vertical atmospheric model resolution is crucial for simulating bomb frequencies accurately. The impacts of climate change on the location, frequency, and intensity of explosive cyclones were then explored for the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. Projections were related to model bias, resolution, projected changes of SST gradients, and wind speeds of the polar jet stream.
A Study of Wake Development and Structure in Constant Pressure Gradients
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thomas, Flint O.; Nelson, R. C.; Liu, Xiaofeng
2000-01-01
Motivated by the application to high-lift aerodynamics for commercial transport aircraft, a systematic investigation into the response of symmetric/asymmetric planar turbulent wake development to constant adverse, zero, and favorable pressure gradients has been conducted. The experiments are performed at a Reynolds number of 2.4 million based on the chord of the wake generator. A unique feature of this wake study is that the pressure gradients imposed on the wake flow field are held constant. The experimental measurements involve both conventional LDV and hot wire flow field surveys of mean and turbulent quantities including the turbulent kinetic energy budget. In addition, similarity analysis and numerical simulation have also been conducted for this wake study. A focus of the research has been to isolate the effects of both pressure gradient and initial wake asymmetry on the wake development. Experimental results reveal that the pressure gradient has a tremendous influence on the wake development, despite the relatively modest pressure gradients imposed. For a given pressure gradient, the development of an initially asymmetric wake is different from the initially symmetric wake. An explicit similarity solution for the shape parameters of the symmetric wake is obtained and agrees with the experimental results. The turbulent kinetic energy budget measurements of the symmetric wake demonstrate that except for the convection term, the imposed pressure gradient does not change the fundamental flow physics of turbulent kinetic energy transport. Based on the turbulent kinetic energy budget measurements, an approach to correct the bias error associated with the notoriously difficult dissipation estimate is proposed and validated through the comparison of the experimental estimate with a direct numerical simulation result.
BAROCLINIC INSTABILITY IN THE SOLAR TACHOCLINE. II. THE EADY PROBLEM
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Gilman, Peter A., E-mail: gilman@ucar.edu
2016-02-20
We solve the nongeostrophic baroclinic instability problem for the tachocline for a continuous model with a constant vertical rotation gradient (the Eady problem), using power series generated by the Frobenius method. The results confirm and greatly extend those from a previous two-layer model. For effective gravity G independent of height, growth rates and ranges of unstable longitudinal wavenumbers m and latitudes increase with decreasing G. As with the two-layer model, the overshoot tachocline is much more unstable than the radiative tachocline. The e-folding growth times range from as short as 10 days to as long as several years, depending on latitude,more » G, and wavenumber. For a more realistic effective gravity that decreases linearly from the radiative interior to near zero at the top of the tachocline, we find that only m = 1, 2 modes are unstable, with growth rates somewhat larger than for constant G, with the same value as at the bottom of the tachocline. All results are the same whether we assume that the vertical velocity or the perturbation pressure is zero at the top of the layer; this is a direct consquence of not employing the geostrophic assumption for perturbations. We explain most of the properties of the instability in terms of the Rossby deformation radius. We discuss further improvements in the realism of the model, particularly adding toroidal fields that vary in height, and including latitudinal gradients of both rotation and toroidal fields.« less
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Johnson, D. R.; Uccellini, L. W.
1983-01-01
In connection with the employment of the sigma coordinates introduced by Phillips (1957), problems can arise regarding an accurate finite-difference computation of the pressure gradient force. Over steeply sloped terrain, the calculation of the sigma-coordinate pressure gradient force involves computing the difference between two large terms of opposite sign which results in large truncation error. To reduce the truncation error, several finite-difference methods have been designed and implemented. The present investigation has the objective to provide another method of computing the sigma-coordinate pressure gradient force. Phillips' method is applied for the elimination of a hydrostatic component to a flux formulation. The new technique is compared with four other methods for computing the pressure gradient force. The work is motivated by the desire to use an isentropic and sigma-coordinate hybrid model for experiments designed to study flow near mountainous terrain.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Devakar, M.; Raje, Ankush
2018-05-01
The unsteady flow of two immiscible micropolar and Newtonian fluids through a horizontal channel is considered. In addition to the classical no-slip and hyper-stick conditions at the boundary, it is assumed that the fluid velocities and shear stresses are continuous across the fluid-fluid interface. Three cases for the applied pressure gradient are considered to study the problem: one with constant pressure gradient and the other two cases with time-dependent pressure gradients, viz. periodic and decaying pressure gradient. The Crank-Nicolson approach has been used to obtain numerical solutions for fluid velocity and microrotation for diverse sets of fluid parameters. The nature of fluid velocities and microrotation with various values of pressure gradient, Reynolds number, ratio of viscosities, micropolarity parameter and time is illustrated through graphs. It has been observed that micropolarity parameter and ratio of viscosities reduce the fluid velocities.
Cetin, Secil; Pirat, Arash; Kundakci, Aycan; Camkiran, Aynur; Zeyneloglu, Pinar; Ozkan, Murat; Arslan, Gulnaz
2014-02-01
To see if radial mean arterial pressure reliably reflects femoral mean arterial pressure in uncomplicated pediatric cardiac surgery. An ethics committee-approved prospective interventional study. Operating room of a tertiary care hospital. Forty-five children aged 3 months to 4 years who underwent pediatric cardiac surgery with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. Simultaneous femoral and radial arterial pressures were recorded at 10-minute intervals intraoperatively. A pressure gradient>5mmHg was considered to be clinically significant. The patients' mean age was 14±11 months and and mean weight was 8.0±3.0kg. A total of 1,816 simultaneous measurements of arterial pressure from the radial and femoral arteries were recorded during the pre-cardiopulmonary bypass, cardiopulmonary bypass, and post-cardiopulmonary bypass periods, including 520 (29%) systolic arterial pressures, 520 (29%) diastolic arterial pressures, and 776 (43%) mean arterial pressures. The paired mean arterial pressure measurements across the 3 periods were significantly and strongly correlated, and this was true for systolic arterial pressures and diastolic arterial pressures as well (r>0.93 and p<0.001 for all). Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement between femoral and radial mean arterial pressures during the pre-cardiopulmonary bypass, cardiopulmonary bypass, and post-cardiopulmonary bypass periods. A significant radial-to-femoral pressure gradient was observed in 150 (8%) of the total 1,816 measurements. These gradients occurred most frequently between pairs of systolic arterial pressure measurements (n = 113, 22% of all systolic arterial pressures), followed by mean arterial pressure measurements (n = 28, 4% of all mean arterial pressures) and diastolic arterial pressures measurements (n = 9, 2% of all diastolic arterial pressures). These significant gradients were not sustained (ie, were not recorded at 2 or more successive time points). The results suggested that radial mean arterial pressure provided an accurate estimate of central mean arterial pressure in uncomplicated pediatric cardiac surgery. There was a significant gradient between radial and femoral mean arterial pressure measurements in only 4% of the mean arterial pressure measurements, and these significant gradients were not sustained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Using Smartphone Pressure Sensors to Measure Vertical Velocities of Elevators, Stairways, and Drones
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Monteiro, Martín; Martí, Arturo C.
2017-01-01
We measure the vertical velocities of elevators, pedestrians climbing stairs, and drones (flying unmanned aerial vehicles), by means of smartphone pressure sensors. The barometric pressure obtained with the smartphone is related to the altitude of the device via the hydrostatic approximation. From the altitude values, vertical velocities are…
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moon, Jiwon; Yeo, In Wook
2013-04-01
Underground unlined caverns have been constructed in fractured rocks to stockpile oil and petroleum products, where they are hydraulically contained by natural groundwater pressure. However, for the case that natural groundwater pressure is not maintained at the required level, water curtain boreholes, through which water is injected, are often constructed above the cavern as engineering barrier to secure water pressure enough to overwhelm the operational pressure of the cavern. For secure containment of oil and petroleum products inside the cavern, it is essential to keep water pressure around the cavern higher than operational pressure of the cavern using either natural groundwater pressure or engineering barrier. In the Republic of Korea, a number of underground stockpile bases are being operated by Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) and private companies, most of which have water curtain system. The criterion that KNOC adopts for water curtain system design and operation such as the vertical distance from the cavern and operational injection rate is based on the Åberg hypothesis that the vertical hydraulic gradient should be larger than one. The criterion has been used for maintaining oil storage cavern without its thorough review. In this study, systematic numerical works have been done for reviewing the Åberg criterion. As groundwater predominantly takes places through fractures in underground caverns, discrete fracture modeling approach is essential for this study. Fracture data, obtained from boreholes drilled at the stage of site investigation at the Yeosu stockpile base in Korea, were statistically analyzed in terms of orientation and intensity, which were used to generate the site descriptive three dimensional fracture networks. Then, groundwater flow modeling has been carried out for the fracture networks. Constant head boundaries were applied along the circumference of the cavern and water curtain boreholes. Main flow channel and hydraulic connectivity between water curtain boreholes and the caverns have been identified, along which hydraulic heads are monitored to find out whether the required hydraulic pressure is maintained around the cavern. The flow modeling has been repeatedly carried out at different constant head boundary conditions to create the criterion for the optimal operation of water curtain system.
Noelting, Jessica; Ratuapli, Shiva K; Bharucha, Adil E; Harvey, Doris M; Ravi, Karthik; Zinsmeister, Alan R
2012-10-01
High-resolution manometry (HRM) is used to measure anal pressures in clinical practice but normal values have not been available. Although rectal evacuation is assessed by the rectoanal gradient during simulated evacuation, there is substantial overlap between healthy people and defecatory disorders, and the effects of age are unknown. We evaluated the effects of age on anorectal pressures and rectal balloon expulsion in healthy women. Anorectal pressures (HRM), rectal sensation, and balloon expulsion time (BET) were evaluated in 62 asymptomatic women ranging in age from 21 to 80 years (median age 44 years) without risk factors for anorectal trauma. In total, 30 women were aged <50 years. Age is associated with lower (r=-0.47, P<0.01) anal resting (63 (5) (≥50 years), 88 (3) (<50 years), mean (s.e.m.)) but not squeeze pressures; higher rectal pressure and rectoanal gradient during simulated evacuation (r=0.3, P<0.05); and a shorter (r=-0.4, P<0.01) rectal BET (17 (9) s (≥50 years) vs. 31 (10) s (<50 years)). Only 5 women had a prolonged (>60 s) rectal BET but 52 had higher anal than rectal pressures (i.e., negative gradient) during simulated evacuation. The gradient was more negative in younger (-41 (6) mm Hg) than older (-12 (6) mm Hg) women and negatively (r=-0.51, P<0.0001) correlated with rectal BET but only explained 16% of the variation in rectal BET. These observations provide normal values for anorectal pressures by HRM. Increasing age is associated with lower anal resting pressure, a more positive rectoanal gradient during simulated evacuation, and a shorter BET in asymptomatic women. Although the rectoanal gradient is negatively correlated with rectal BET, this gradient is negative even in a majority of asymptomatic women, undermining the utility of a negative gradient for diagnosing defecatory disorders by HRM.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Balitsky, V. S.; Balitskaya, L. V.; Penteley, S. V.; Novikova, M. A.
2012-02-01
The compositions and phase conditions of water-hydrocarbon fluids in synthetic quartz inclusions were studied by the methods of microthermometry, local IR spectroscopy, and gas-liquid chromatography. Synthetic quartz was grown in near-neutral fluoride, low-alkali bicarbonate, and alkali carbonate solutions with crude oil and its major fractions. The crystals with fluid inclusions were grown under thermal gradient conditions at relatively low temperatures (240-280°C) and pressures (6-45 MPa). After the study, the inclusions of grown crystals were subject to thermal processing in autoclaves at 350-380°C and 80-125 MPa. As a result, the initial water-hydrocarbon inclusions underwent significant changes. Hydrocarbon gases, largely methane and residual solid bitumens, appeared in their composition; the gasoline-kerosene fraction content increased substantially in liquid hydrocarbons (HCs). These changes are caused, first of all, by crude oil cracking, which is manifested already at 330°C and attains its maximum activity at 350-500°C (pressure of saturated vapor and higher). In natural conditions with increase in depths and, thus, the thermobaric parameters, this process is inevitable. According to the obtained experimental data, this very phenomenon and the existence of real thermal and baric gradients in the Earth's interior provide for the formation of vertical zoning in the distribution of hydrocarbon deposits of different types.
On the calculation of air-sea fluxes of CO2 in the presence of temperature and salinity gradients
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Woolf, D. K.; Land, P. E.; Shutler, J. D.; Goddijn-Murphy, L. M.; Donlon, C. J.
2016-02-01
The presence of vertical temperature and salinity gradients in the upper ocean and the occurrence of variations in temperature and salinity on time scales from hours to many years complicate the calculation of the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) across the sea surface. Temperature and salinity affect the interfacial concentration of aqueous CO2 primarily through their effect on solubility with lesser effects related to saturated vapor pressure and the relationship between fugacity and partial pressure. The effects of temperature and salinity profiles in the water column and changes in the aqueous concentration act primarily through the partitioning of the carbonate system. Climatological calculations of flux require attention to variability in the upper ocean and to the limited validity of assuming "constant chemistry" in transforming measurements to climatological values. Contrary to some recent analysis, it is shown that the effect on CO2 fluxes of a cool skin on the sea surface is large and ubiquitous. An opposing effect on calculated fluxes is related to the occurrence of warm layers near the surface; this effect can be locally large but will usually coincide with periods of low exchange. A salty skin and salinity anomalies in the upper ocean also affect CO2 flux calculations, though these haline effects are generally weaker than the thermal effects.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Clark, D.
2012-12-01
In the future, acquisition of magnetic gradient tensor data is likely to become routine. New methods developed for analysis of magnetic gradient tensor data can also be applied to high quality conventional TMI surveys that have been processed using Fourier filtering techniques, or otherwise, to calculate magnetic vector and tensor components. This approach is, in fact, the only practical way at present to analyze vector component data, as measurements of vector components are seriously afflicted by motion noise, which is not as serious a problem for gradient components. In many circumstances, an optimal approach to extracting maximum information from magnetic surveys would be to combine analysis of measured gradient tensor data with vector components calculated from TMI measurements. New methods for inverting gradient tensor surveys to obtain source parameters have been developed for a number of elementary, but useful, models. These include point dipole (sphere), vertical line of dipoles (narrow vertical pipe), line of dipoles (horizontal cylinder), thin dipping sheet, horizontal line current and contact models. A key simplification is the use of eigenvalues and associated eigenvectors of the tensor. The normalized source strength (NSS), calculated from the eigenvalues, is a particularly useful rotational invariant that peaks directly over 3D compact sources, 2D compact sources, thin sheets and contacts, and is independent of magnetization direction for these sources (and only very weakly dependent on magnetization direction in general). In combination the NSS and its vector gradient enable estimation of the Euler structural index, thereby constraining source geometry, and determine source locations uniquely. NSS analysis can be extended to other useful models, such as vertical pipes, by calculating eigenvalues of the vertical derivative of the gradient tensor. Once source locations are determined, information of source magnetizations can be obtained by simple linear inversion of measured or calculated vector and/or tensor data. Inversions based on the vector gradient of the NSS over the Tallawang magnetite deposit in central New South Wales obtained good agreement between the inferred geometry of the tabular magnetite skarn body and drill hole intersections. Inverted magnetizations are consistent with magnetic property measurements on drill core samples from this deposit. Similarly, inversions of calculated tensor data over the Mount Leyshold gold-mineralized porphyry system in Queensland yield good estimates of the centroid location, total magnetic moment and magnetization direction of the magnetite-bearing potassic alteration zone that are consistent with geological and petrophysical information.
Analytic Formulation and Numerical Implementation of an Acoustic Pressure Gradient Prediction
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Seongkyu; Brentner, Kenneth S.; Farassat, Fereidoun
2007-01-01
The scattering of rotor noise is an area that has received little attention over the years, yet the limited work that has been done has shown that both the directivity and intensity of the acoustic field may be significantly modified by the presence of scattering bodies. One of the inputs needed to compute the scattered acoustic field is the acoustic pressure gradient on a scattering surface. Two new analytical formulations of the acoustic pressure gradient have been developed and implemented in the PSU-WOPWOP rotor noise prediction code. These formulations are presented in this paper. The first formulation is derived by taking the gradient of Farassat's retarded-time Formulation 1A. Although this formulation is relatively simple, it requires numerical time differentiation of the acoustic integrals. In the second formulation, the time differentiation is taken inside the integrals analytically. The acoustic pressure gradient predicted by these new formulations is validated through comparison with the acoustic pressure gradient determined by a purely numerical approach for two model rotors. The agreement between analytic formulations and numerical method is excellent for both stationary and moving observers case.
Inertial oscillation of a vertical rotating draft with application to a supercell storm
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Costen, Robert C.; Stock, Larry V.
1992-01-01
An analytic model (vertical rotating draft) which includes the gross features of a supercell storm on an f-plane, undergoes an inertial oscillation that appears to have been overlooked in previous analytic and numerical models. The oscillation is nonlinear and consists of a long quiescent phase and a short intense phase. During the intense phase, the rotating draft has the following features of a supercell: the diameter of the core contracts as it spins up and expands as it spins down; if vertical wind shear is included, the track of the rotating draft turns to the right (an anticyclonic rotating draft turns to the left); this turning point is followed by a predominantly upward flow; and the horizontal pressure gradient is very small (a property of most tornadoless supercells). The rapid spin-up during the intense phase and the high Rossby numbers obtainable establish the ability of the Coriolis force to spin up single cyclonic or anticyclonic supercells by means of this inertial oscillation. This surprising result has implications for numerical supercell simulations, which generally do not rely on the Coriolis force as a source of rotation. The physics and mathematics of the inertial oscillation are given, and the solution is applied to a documented supercell.
A Theoretical Study of Cold Air Damming.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xu, Qin
1990-12-01
The dynamics of cold air damming are examined analytically with a two-layer steady state model. The upper layer is a warm and saturated cross-mountain (easterly or southeasterly onshore) flow. The lower layer is a cold mountain-parallel (northerly) jet trapped on the windward (eastern) side of the mountain. The interface between the two layers represents a coastal front-a sloping inversion layer coupling the trapped cold dome with the warm onshore flow above through pressure continuity.An analytical expression is obtained for the inviscid upper-layer flow with hydrostatic and moist adiabatic approximations. Blackadar's PBL parameterization of eddy viscosity is used in the lower-layer equations. Solutions for the mountain-parallel jet and its associated secondary transverse circulation are obtained by expanding asymptotically upon a small parameter proportional to the square root of the inertial aspect ratio-the ratio between the mountain height and the radius of inertial oscillation. The geometric shape of the sloping interface is solved numerically from a differential-integral equation derived from the pressure continuity condition imposed at the interface.The observed flow structures and force balances of cold air damming events are produced qualitatively by the model. In the cold dome the mountain-parallel jet is controlled by the competition between the mountain-parallel pressure gradient and friction: the jet is stronger with smoother surfaces, higher mountains, and faster mountain-normal geostrophic winds. In the mountain-normal direction the vertically averaged force balance in the cold dome is nearly geostrophic and controls the geometric shape of the cold dome. The basic mountain-normal pressure gradient generated in the cold dome by the negative buoyancy distribution tends to flatten the sloping interface and expand the cold dome upstream against the mountain-normal pressure gradient (produced by the upper-layer onshore wind) and Coriolis force (induced by the lower-layer mountain-parallel jet). It is found that the interface slope increases and the cold dome shrinks as the Froude number and/or upstream mountain-parallel geostrophic wind increase, or as the Rossby number, upper-layer depth, and/or surface roughness length decrease, and vice versa. The cold dome will either vanish or not be in a steady state if the Froude number is large enough or the roughness length gets too small. The theoretical findings are explained physically based on detailed analyses of the force balance along the inversion interface.
Supersonic turbulent boundary layers with periodic mechanical non-equilibrium
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ekoto, Isaac Wesley
Previous studies have shown that favorable pressure gradients reduce the turbulence levels and length scales in supersonic flow. Wall roughness has been shown to reduce the large-scales in wall bounded flow. Based on these previous observations new questions have been raised. The fundamental questions this dissertation addressed are: (1) What are the effects of wall topology with sharp versus blunt leading edges? and (2) Is it possible that a further reduction of turbulent scales can occur if surface roughness and favorable pressure gradients are combined? To answer these questions and to enhance the current experimental database, an experimental analysis was performed to provide high fidelity documentation of the mean and turbulent flow properties along with surface and flow visualizations of a high-speed (M = 2.86), high Reynolds number (Retheta ≈ 60,000) supersonic turbulent boundary layer distorted by curvature-induced favorable pressure gradients and large-scale ( k+s ≈ 300) uniform surface roughness. Nine models were tested at three separate locations. Three pressure gradient models strengths (a nominally zero, a weak, and a strong favorable pressure gradient) and three roughness topologies (aerodynamically smooth, square, and diamond shaped roughness elements) were used. Highly resolved planar measurements of mean and fluctuating velocity components were accomplished using particle image velocimetry. Stagnation pressure profiles were acquired with a traversing Pitot probe. Surface pressure distributions were characterized using pressure sensitive paint. Finally flow visualization was accomplished using schlieren photographs. Roughness topology had a significant effect on the boundary layer mean and turbulent properties due to shock boundary layer interactions. Favorable pressure gradients had the expected stabilizing effect on turbulent properties, but the improvements were less significant for models with surface roughness near the wall due to increased tendency towards flow separation. It was documented that proper roughness selection coupled with a sufficiently strong favorable pressure gradient produced regions of "negative" production in the transport of turbulent stress. This led to localized areas of significant turbulence stress reduction. With proper roughness selection and sufficient favorable pressure gradient strength, it is believed that localized relaminarization of the boundary layer is possible.
Wang, Yejun; Kulatilaka, Waruna D
2017-04-10
In most coherent spectroscopic methods used in gas-phase laser diagnostics, multiple laser beams are focused and crossed at a specific location in space to form the probe region. The desired signal is then generated as a result of nonlinear interactions between the beams in this overlapped region. When such diagnostic schemes are implemented in practical devices having turbulent reacting flow fields with refractive index gradients, the resulting beam steering can give rise to large measurement uncertainties. The objective of this work is to simulate beam-steering effects arising from pressure and temperature gradients in gas-phase media using an optical ray tracing approach. The ZEMAX OpticStudio software package is used to simulate the beam crossing and uncrossing effects in the presence of pressure and temperature gradients, specifically the conditions present in high-pressure, high-temperature combustion devices such as gas turbine engines. Specific cases involving two-beam and three-beam crossing configurations are simulated. The model formulation, the effects of pressure and temperature gradients, and the resulting beam-steering effects are analyzed. The results show that thermal gradients in the range of 300-3000 K have minimal effects, while pressure gradients in the range of 1-50 atm result in pronounced beam steering and the resulting signal fluctuations in the geometries investigated. However, with increasing pressures, the temperature gradients can also have a pronounced effect on the resultant signal levels.
Kim, Joo-Hyun; Han, Singu; Jeong, Heejeong; Jang, Hayeong; Baek, Seolhee; Hu, Junbeom; Lee, Myungkyun; Choi, Byungwoo; Lee, Hwa Sung
2017-03-22
A thermal gradient distribution was applied to a substrate during the growth of a vacuum-deposited n-type organic semiconductor (OSC) film prepared from N,N'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-1,7-dicyanoperylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboxyimide) (PDI-CN2), and the electrical performances of the films deployed in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) were characterized. The temperature gradient at the surface was controlled by tilting the substrate, which varied the temperature one-dimensionally between the heated bottom substrate and the cooled upper substrate. The vacuum-deposited OSC molecules diffused and rearranged on the surface according to the substrate temperature gradient, producing directional crystalline and grain structures in the PDI-CN2 film. The morphological and crystalline structures of the PDI-CN2 thin films grown under a vertical temperature gradient were dramatically enhanced, comparing with the structures obtained from either uniformly heated films or films prepared under a horizontally applied temperature gradient. The field effect mobilities of the PDI-CN2-FETs prepared using the vertically applied temperature gradient were as high as 0.59 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , more than a factor of 2 higher than the mobility of 0.25 cm 2 V -1 s -1 submitted to conventional thermal annealing and the mobility of 0.29 cm 2 V -1 s -1 from the horizontally applied temperature gradient.
Secondary subharmonic instability of boundary layers with pressure gradient and suction
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
El-Hady, Nabil M.
1988-01-01
Three-dimensional linear secondary instability is investigated for boundary layers with pressure gradient and suction in the presence of a finite amplitude TS wave. The focus is on principal parametric resonance responsible for a strong growth of subharmonics in a low disturbance environment. Calculations are presented for the effect of pressure gradients and suction on controlling the onset and amplification of the secondary instability.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhao, Wenqiang; Reich, Peter B.; Yu, Qiannan; Zhao, Ning; Yin, Chunying; Zhao, Chunzhang; Li, Dandan; Hu, Jun; Li, Ting; Yin, Huajun; Liu, Qing
2018-04-01
Understanding leaf stoichiometric patterns is crucial for improving predictions of plant responses to environmental changes. Leaf stoichiometry of terrestrial ecosystems has been widely investigated along latitudinal and longitudinal gradients. However, very little is known about the vertical distribution of leaf C : N : P and the relative effects of environmental parameters, especially for shrubs. Here, we analyzed the shrub leaf C, N and P patterns in 125 mountainous sites over an extensive altitudinal gradient (523-4685 m) on the Tibetan Plateau. Results showed that the shrub leaf C and C : N were 7.3-47.5 % higher than those of other regional and global flora, whereas the leaf N and N : P were 10.2-75.8 % lower. Leaf C increased with rising altitude and decreasing temperature, supporting the physiological acclimation mechanism that high leaf C (e.g., alpine or evergreen shrub) could balance the cell osmotic pressure and resist freezing. The largest leaf N and high leaf P occurred in valley region (altitude 1500 m), likely due to the large nutrient leaching from higher elevations, faster litter decomposition and nutrient resorption ability of deciduous broadleaf shrub. Leaf N : P ratio further indicated increasing N limitation at higher altitudes. Interestingly, drought severity was the only climatic factor positively correlated with leaf N and P, which was more appropriate for evaluating the impact of water status than precipitation. Among the shrub ecosystem and functional types (alpine, subalpine, montane, valley, evergreen, deciduous, broadleaf, and conifer), their leaf element contents and responses to environments were remarkably different. Shrub type was the largest contributor to the total variations in leaf stoichiometry, while climate indirectly affected the leaf C : N : P via its interactive effects on shrub type or soil. Collectively, the large heterogeneity in shrub type was the most important factor explaining the overall leaf C : N : P variations, despite the broad climate gradient on the plateau. Temperature and drought induced shifts in shrub type distribution will influence the nutrient accumulation in mountainous shrubs.
2014-04-01
hydrostatic pressure vertical coordinate, which are the same as those used in the Weather Research and Forecasting ( WRF ) model, but a hybrid sigma...hydrostatic pressure vertical coordinate, which are the 33 same as those used in the Weather Research and Forecasting ( WRF ) model, but a hybrid 34 sigma...Weather Research and Forecasting 79 ( WRF ) Model. The Euler equations are in flux form based on the hydrostatic pressure vertical 80 coordinate. In
Lee, J.-S.; Lee, B.-G.; Luoma, S.N.; Choi, H.J.; Koh, C.-H.; Brown, C.L.
2000-01-01
The influence of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) on the partitioning of Cd, Ni, and Zn in porewater (PW) and sediment as reactive metals (SEM, simultaneously extracted metals) was investigated in laboratory microcosms. Two spiking procedures were compared, and the effects of vertical geochemical gradients and infaunal activity were evaluated. Sediments were spiked with a Cd-Ni-Zn mixture (0.06, 3, 7.5 ??mol/g, respectively) containing four levels of AVS (0.5, 7.5, 15, 35 ??mol/g). The results were compared to sediments spiked with four levels of Cd-Ni-Zn mixtures at one AVS concentration (7.5 ??mol/g). A vertical redox gradient was generated in each treatment by an 18-d incubation with an oxidized water column. [AVS] in the surface sediments decreased by 65-95% due to oxidation during incubation; initial [AVS] was maintained at 0.5-7.5 cm depth. PW metal concentrations were correlated with [SEM - AVS] among all data. But PW metal concentrations were variable, causing the distribution coefficient, Kd(pw) (the ratio of [SEM] to PW metal concentrations) to vary by 2-3 orders of magnitude at a given [SEM - AVS]. One reason for the variability was that vertical profiles in PW metal concentrations appeared to be influenced by diffusion as well as [SEM - AVS]. The presence of animals appeared to enhance the diffusion of at least Zn. The generalization that PW metal concentrations are controlled by [SEM - AVS] is subject to some important qualifications if vertical gradients are complicated, metal concentrations vary, or equilibration times differ.The influence of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) on the partitioning of Cd, Ni, and Zn in porewater (PW) and sediment as reactive metals (SEM, simultaneously extracted metals) was investigated in laboratory microcosms. Two spiking procedures were compared, and the effects of vertical geochemical gradients and infaunal activity were evaluated. Sediments were spiked with a Cd-Ni-Zn mixture (0.06, 3, 7.5 ??mol/g, respectively) containing four levels of AVS (0.5, 7.5, 15, 35 ??mol/g). The results were compared to sediments spiked with four levels of Cd-Ni-Zn mixtures at one AVS concentration (7.5 ??mol/g). A vertical redox gradient was generated in each treatment by an 18-d incubation with an oxidized water column. [AVS] in the surface sediments decreased by 65-95% due to oxidation during incubation; initial [AVS] was maintained at 0.5-7.5 cm depth. PW metal concentrations were correlated with [SEM - AVS] among all data. But PW metal concentrations were variable, causing the distribution coefficient, Kdpw (the ratio of [SEM] to PW metal concentrations) to vary by 2-3 orders of magnitude at a given [SEM - AVS]. One reason for the variability was that vertical profiles in PW metal concentrations appeared to be influenced by diffusion as well as [SEM - AVS]. The presence of animals appeared to enhance the diffusion of at least Zn. The generalization that PW metal concentrations are controlled by [SEM - AVS] is subject to some important qualifications if vertical gradients are complicated, metal concentrations vary, or equilibration times differ.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Euser, T.; Luxemburg, W. M. J.; Everson, C. S.; Mengistu, M. G.; Clulow, A. D.; Bastiaanssen, W. G. M.
2014-06-01
The Bowen ratio surface energy balance method is a relatively simple method to determine the latent heat flux and the actual land surface evaporation. The Bowen ratio method is based on the measurement of air temperature and vapour pressure gradients. If these measurements are performed at only two heights, correctness of data becomes critical. In this paper we present the concept of a new measurement method to estimate the Bowen ratio based on vertical dry and wet bulb temperature profiles with high spatial resolution. A short field experiment with distributed temperature sensing (DTS) in a fibre optic cable with 13 measurement points in the vertical was undertaken. A dry and a wetted section of a fibre optic cable were suspended on a 6 m high tower installed over a sugar beet trial plot near Pietermaritzburg (South Africa). Using the DTS cable as a psychrometer, a near continuous observation of vapour pressure and air temperature at 0.20 m intervals was established. These data allowed the computation of the Bowen ratio with a high spatial and temporal precision. The daytime latent and sensible heat fluxes were estimated by combining the Bowen ratio values from the DTS-based system with independent measurements of net radiation and soil heat flux. The sensible heat flux, which is the relevant term to evaluate, derived from the DTS-based Bowen ratio (BR-DTS) was compared with that derived from co-located eddy covariance (R2 = 0.91), surface layer scintillometer (R2 = 0.81) and surface renewal (R2 = 0.86) systems. By using multiple measurement points instead of two, more confidence in the derived Bowen ratio values is obtained.
Fan, Jiwen; Han, Bin; Varble, Adam; ...
2017-09-06
An intercomparison study of a midlatitude mesoscale squall line is performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model at 1 km horizontal grid spacing with eight different cloud microphysics schemes to investigate processes that contribute to the large variability in simulated cloud and precipitation properties. All simulations tend to produce a wider area of high radar reflectivity (Z e > 45 dBZ) than observed but a much narrower stratiform area. Furthermore, the magnitude of the virtual potential temperature drop associated with the gust front passage is similar in simulations and observations, while the pressure rise and peak wind speedmore » are smaller than observed, possibly suggesting that simulated cold pools are shallower than observed. Most of the microphysics schemes overestimate vertical velocity and Z e in convective updrafts as compared with observational retrievals. Simulated precipitation rates and updraft velocities have significant variability across the eight schemes, even in this strongly dynamically driven system. Differences in simulated updraft velocity correlate well with differences in simulated buoyancy and low-level vertical perturbation pressure gradient, which appears related to cold pool intensity that is controlled by the evaporation rate. Simulations with stronger updrafts have a more optimal convective state, with stronger cold pools, ambient low-level vertical wind shear, and rear-inflow jets. We found that updraft velocity variability between schemes is mainly controlled by differences in simulated ice-related processes, which impact the overall latent heating rate, whereas surface rainfall variability increases in no-ice simulations mainly because of scheme differences in collision-coalescence parameterizations.« less
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Oliveira, Jorge Luiz Goes; Passos, Julio Cesar; Verschaeren, Ruud
Two-phase flow measurements were carried out using a resistive void fraction meter coupled to a venturi or orifice plate. The measurement system used to estimate the liquid and gas mass flow rates was evaluated using an air-water experimental facility. Experiments included upward vertical and horizontal flow, annular, bubbly, churn and slug patterns, void fraction ranging from 2% to 85%, water flow rate up to 4000 kg/h, air flow rate up to 50 kg/h, and quality up to almost 10%. The fractional root mean square (RMS) deviation of the two-phase mass flow rate in upward vertical flow through a venturi platemore » is 6.8% using the correlation of Chisholm (D. Chisholm, Pressure gradients during the flow of incompressible two-phase mixtures through pipes, venturis and orifice plates, British Chemical Engineering 12 (9) (1967) 454-457). For the orifice plate, the RMS deviation of the vertical flow is 5.5% using the correlation of Zhang et al. (H.J. Zhang, W.T. Yue, Z.Y. Huang, Investigation of oil-air two-phase mass flow rate measurement using venturi and void fraction sensor, Journal of Zhejiang University Science 6A (6) (2005) 601-606). The results show that the flow direction has no significant influence on the meters in relation to the pressure drop in the experimental operation range. Quality and slip ratio analyses were also performed. The results show a mean slip ratio lower than 1.1, when bubbly and slug flow patterns are encountered for mean void fractions lower than 70%. (author)« less
Wave impact on a deck or baffle
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Md Noar, Nor Aida Zuraimi; Greenhow, Martin
2015-02-01
Some coastal or ocean structures have deck-like baffles or horizontal platforms that can be exposed to wave action in heavy seas. A similar situation may occur in partially-filled tanks with horizontal baffles that become engulfed by sloshing waves. This can result in dangerous wave impact loads (slamming) causing a rapid rise of pressures which may lead to local damaging by crack initiation and/or propagation. We consider the wave impact against the whole of underside of horizontal deck (or baffle) projecting from a seawall (or vertical tank wall), previously studied by Wood and Peregrine (1996) using a different method based on conformal mappings. The approach used is to simplify the highly time-dependent and very nonlinear problem by considering the time integral of the pressure over the duration of the impact pressure-impulse, P (x, y). Our method expresses this in terms of eigenfunctions that satisfy the boundary conditions apart from that on the impact region and the matching of the two regions (under the platform and under the free surface); this results in a matrix equation to be solved numerically. As in Wood and Peregrine, we found that the pressure impulse on the deck increases when the length of deck increases, there is a strong pressure gradient beneath the deck near the seaward edge and the maximum pressure impulse occurs at the landward end of the impact zone.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, Kung-Liang; Lin, Chih-Ming; Lin, Yu-Sheng; Jian, Sheng-Rui; Liao, Yen-Fa; Chuang, Yu-Chun; Wang, Chuan-Sheng; Juang, Jenh-Yih
2016-02-01
Pressure-induced phase transitions in n-type silicon-doped gallium arsenide (GaAs:Si ) at ambient temperature were investigated by using angular-dispersive X-ray diffraction (ADXRD) under high pressure up to around 18.6 (1) GPa, with a 4:1 (in volume ratio) methanol-ethanol mixture as the pressure-transmitting medium. In situ ADXRD measurements revealed that n-type GaAs:Si starts to transform from zinc- blende structure to an orthorhombic structure [GaAs-II phase], space group Pmm2, at 16.4 (1) GPa. In contrast to previous studies of pure GaAs under pressure, our results show no evidence of structural transition to Fmmm or Cmcm phase. The fitting of volume compression data to the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state yielded that the zero-pressure isothermal bulk moduli and the first-pressure derivatives were 75 (3) GPa and 6.4 (9) for the B3 phase, respectively. After decompressing to the ambient pressure, the GaAs:Si appears to revert to the B3 phase completely. By fitting to the empirical relations, the Knoop microhardness numbers are between H PK = 6.21 and H A = 5.85, respectively, which are substantially smaller than the values of 7-7.5 for pure GaAs reported previously. A discontinuous drop in the pressure-dependent lattice parameter, N- N distances, and V/ V 0 was observed at a pressure of 11.5 (1) GPa, which was tentatively attributed to the pressure-induced dislocation activities in the crystal grown by vertical gradient freeze method.
Pleural liquid and its exchanges.
Agostoni, Emilio; Zocchi, Luciano
2007-12-15
After an account on morphological features of visceral and parietal pleura, mechanical coupling between lung and chest wall is outlined. Volume of pleural liquid is considered along with its thickness in various regions, and its composition. Pleural liquid pressure (P(liq)) and pressure exerted by lung recoil in various species and postures are then compared, and the vertical gradient of P(liq) considered. Implications of lower P(liq) in the lung zone than in the costo-phrenic sinus at iso-height are pointed out. Mesothelial permeability to H(2)O, Cl(-), Na(+), mannitol, sucrose, inulin, albumin, and various size dextrans is provided, along with paracellular "pore" radius of mesothelium. Pleural liquid is produced by filtration from parietal pleura capillaries according to Starling forces. It is removed by absorption in visceral pleura capillaries according to Starling forces (at least in some species), lymphatic drainage through stomata of parietal mesothelium (essential to remove cells, particles, and large macromolecules), solute-coupled liquid absorption, and transcytosis through mesothelium.
Viscous Aerodynamic Shape Optimization with Installed Propulsion Effects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Heath, Christopher M.; Seidel, Jonathan A.; Rallabhandi, Sriram K.
2017-01-01
Aerodynamic shape optimization is demonstrated to tailor the under-track pressure signature of a conceptual low-boom supersonic aircraft. Primarily, the optimization reduces nearfield pressure waveforms induced by propulsion integration effects. For computational efficiency, gradient-based optimization is used and coupled to the discrete adjoint formulation of the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes equations. The engine outer nacelle, nozzle, and vertical tail fairing are axi-symmetrically parameterized, while the horizontal tail is shaped using a wing-based parameterization. Overall, 48 design variables are coupled to the geometry and used to deform the outer mold line. During the design process, an inequality drag constraint is enforced to avoid major compromise in aerodynamic performance. Linear elastic mesh morphing is used to deform volume grids between design iterations. The optimization is performed at Mach 1.6 cruise, assuming standard day altitude conditions at 51,707-ft. To reduce uncertainty, a coupled thermodynamic engine cycle model is employed that captures installed inlet performance effects on engine operation.
Hosking, S W; Robinson, P; Johnson, A G
1987-01-01
To assess whether Valsalva's manoeuvre might cause variceal bleeding, 22 patients with oesophageal varices were studied. In 12 patients who received no previous treatment to their varices the median pressure gradient across the varix wall at rest was 19 (6-36) mmHg, and in 10 patients whose varices were thrombosed at their distal end the median pressure gradient in the proximal patent varix was 8 (1-6) mmHg. In untreated patients groups, the pressure gradient rose by 6-12 mmHg during Valsalva's manoeuvre in four patients, fell by 4-11 mmHg in five patients and was virtually unchanged in the remainder. These changes seem unlikely to cause variceal bleeding. Patients who repeated Valsalva's manoeuvre showed similar changes on each occasion. Six patients in the untreated group also received hyoscinbutylbromide 20 mg iv. No change was seen in the pressure gradient in five patients, suggesting that it is of little value in preventing variceal bleeding. PMID:3500098
Chen, Apeng; Lynch, Kyle B; Wang, Xiaochun; Lu, Joann J; Gu, Congying; Liu, Shaorong
2014-09-24
We integrate a high-pressure electroosmotic pump (EOP), a nanoflow gradient generator, and a capillary column into a miniaturized liquid chromatographic system that can be directly coupled with a mass spectrometer for proteomic analysis. We have recently developed a low-cost high-pressure EOP capable of generating pressure of tens of thousands psi, ideal for uses in miniaturized HPLC. The pump worked smoothly when it was used for isocratic elutions. When it was used for gradient elutions, generating reproducible gradient profiles was challenging; because the pump rate fluctuated when the pump was used to pump high-content organic solvents. This presents an issue for separating proteins/peptides since high-content organic solvents are often utilized. In this work, we solve this problem by incorporating our high-pressure EOP with a nano-flow gradient generator so that the EOP needs only to pump an aqueous solution. With this combination, we develop a capillary-based nano-HPLC system capable of performing nano-flow gradient elution; the pump rate is stable, and the gradient profiles are reproducible and can be conveniently tuned. To demonstrate its utility, we couple it with either a UV absorbance detector or a mass spectrometer for peptide separations. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ren, Zhengyong; Zhong, Yiyuan; Chen, Chaojian; Tang, Jingtian; Kalscheuer, Thomas; Maurer, Hansruedi; Li, Yang
2018-03-01
During the last 20 years, geophysicists have developed great interest in using gravity gradient tensor signals to study bodies of anomalous density in the Earth. Deriving exact solutions of the gravity gradient tensor signals has become a dominating task in exploration geophysics or geodetic fields. In this study, we developed a compact and simple framework to derive exact solutions of gravity gradient tensor measurements for polyhedral bodies, in which the density contrast is represented by a general polynomial function. The polynomial mass contrast can continuously vary in both horizontal and vertical directions. In our framework, the original three-dimensional volume integral of gravity gradient tensor signals is transformed into a set of one-dimensional line integrals along edges of the polyhedral body by sequentially invoking the volume and surface gradient (divergence) theorems. In terms of an orthogonal local coordinate system defined on these edges, exact solutions are derived for these line integrals. We successfully derived a set of unified exact solutions of gravity gradient tensors for constant, linear, quadratic and cubic polynomial orders. The exact solutions for constant and linear cases cover all previously published vertex-type exact solutions of the gravity gradient tensor for a polygonal body, though the associated algorithms may differ in numerical stability. In addition, to our best knowledge, it is the first time that exact solutions of gravity gradient tensor signals are derived for a polyhedral body with a polynomial mass contrast of order higher than one (that is quadratic and cubic orders). Three synthetic models (a prismatic body with depth-dependent density contrasts, an irregular polyhedron with linear density contrast and a tetrahedral body with horizontally and vertically varying density contrasts) are used to verify the correctness and the efficiency of our newly developed closed-form solutions. Excellent agreements are obtained between our solutions and other published exact solutions. In addition, stability tests are performed to demonstrate that our exact solutions can safely be used to detect shallow subsurface targets.
An objective isobaric/isentropic technique for upper air analysis
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mancuso, R. L.; Endlich, R. M.; Ehernberger, L. J.
1981-01-01
An objective meteorological analysis technique is presented whereby both horizontal and vertical upper air analyses are performed. The process used to interpolate grid-point values from the upper-air station data is the same as for grid points on both an isobaric surface and a vertical cross-sectional plane. The nearby data surrounding each grid point are used in the interpolation by means of an anisotropic weighting scheme, which is described. The interpolation for a grid-point potential temperature is performed isobarically; whereas wind, mixing-ratio, and pressure height values are interpolated from data that lie on the isentropic surface that passes through the grid point. Two versions (A and B) of the technique are evaluated by qualitatively comparing computer analyses with subjective handdrawn analyses. The objective products of version A generally have fair correspondence with the subjective analyses and with the station data, and depicted the structure of the upper fronts, tropopauses, and jet streams fairly well. The version B objective products correspond more closely to the subjective analyses, and show the same strong gradients across the upper front with only minor smoothing.
Measurements of Dust Devil Lower Structure and Properties, El Dorado Valley, Nevada, June 2002
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Towner, M. C.; Ringrose, T. J.; Balme, M.; Greeley, R.; Zarnecki, J. C.
2002-12-01
We report the results of a recent field campaign in Nevada, USA, carried out to investigate the lower structure (less than 2m) and dust lofting mechanisms of terrestrial dust devils. Over several days, an instrumented platform was repeatedly deployed from the back of a pickup truck into the path of oncoming dust devils. Around 40 events were recorded, including core penetrations of large and small dust devils, close misses and periods of ambient background conditions before and after dust devil events, and during periods of dust devil inactivity. The platform deployed consisted of a 2 by 1m base with a 2m mast and carried a total of 24 instruments. The instrument suite consisted of horizontal wind profiling down to 5mm above surface, vertical wind speed and direction, temperature and pressure profiling, airborne and saltating particle recorders, vertical electric field gradient measurements, and upward looking UV sensors. We present preliminary results of profiles for several events, together with details of ambient conditions required for dust devil formation.
Aerothermoelastic Analysis of a NASP-Like Vertical Fin
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rodgers, John P.
1992-01-01
Several aeroelastic stability analyses for a vertical fin similar to that of the National Aero-Space Plane are described. The objectives of the study were to design and obtain an experimental data base for a supersonic wind-tunnel model of the fin in order to examine the effects of thermal loading on the flutter characteristics. This paper describes the preliminary efforts to design the wind-tunnel model, including several of the geometric parameter variations that were analyzed. The dominant flutter mechanism involved a flap vibration mode and a fin bending mode. Variation of the thicknesses of flap and root flexures, used to attach the flap to the fin, and the fin to a support, significantly affected the flutter boundary. Uniform thermal loads, affecting only material properties, had little effect, as did the application of different uniform temperatures to each side of the fin. In contrast, the application of significant chord-wise thermal gradients induced stresses which reduced the flutter dynamic pressure by as much as 37 percent. For less extreme distributed loading, the low-aspect ratio fin was relatively unaffected.
Doyle, William J; Singla, Alok; Banks, Juliane; El-Wagaa, Jenna; Swarts, J Douglas
2014-07-01
Fractional gradient equilibrated (FGE) for ears with applied positive but not negative middle ear (ME)-ambient pressure gradients is highly sensitive to a cold-like illness (CLI). The sequential development of eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction, ME under-pressure, and otitis media (OM) characterizes many children during a CLI. If linked, OM burden would be lessened by interventions that promote/preserve good ET function during a CLI. Evaluating this requires a quantitative ET function test for MEs with an intact tympanic membrane responsive to a CLI. Pressure chamber testing of ET function was performed at +200 and -200 daPa in 3 groups of adults: group I, 21 subjects with an extant CLI and groups II and III, 14 and 57 adults, respectively, without a CLI. ME-chamber pressure gradient was recorded by tympanometry before and after the subject swallowed twice. ET functional efficiency was quantified as the FGE, which was then compared among groups using a Mann-Whitney U test. At chamber pressures of 200 daPa, the ME-chamber pressure gradient was negative, and FGE was low and not different among groups. At chamber pressures of -200 daPa that gradient was positive, and FGE was significantly higher in groups II and III when compared with group I.
Note on the Effect of Horizontal Gradients for Nadir-Viewing Microwave and Infrared Sounders
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Joiner, J.; Poli, P.
2004-01-01
Passive microwave and infrared nadir sounders such as the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A (AMSU-A) and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS), both flying on NASA s EOS Aqua satellite, provide information about vertical temperature and humidity structure that is used in data assimilation systems for numerical weather prediction and climate applications. These instruments scan cross track so that at the satellite swath edges, the satellite zenith angles can reach approx. 60 deg. The emission path through the atmosphere as observed by the satellite is therefore slanted with respect to the satellite footprint s zenith. Although radiative transfer codes currently in use at operational centers use the appropriate satellite zenith angle to compute brightness temperature, the input atmospheric fields are those from the vertical profile above the center of the satellite footprint. If horizontal gradients are present in the atmospheric fields, the use of a vertical atmospheric profile may produce an error. This note attempts to quantify the effects of horizontal gradients on AIRS and AMSU-A channels by computing brightness temperatures with accurate slanted atmospheric profiles. We use slanted temperature, water vapor, and ozone fields from data assimilation systems. We compare the calculated slanted and vertical brightness temperatures with AIRS and AMSU-A observations. We show that the effects of horizontal gradients on these sounders are generally small and below instrument noise. However, there are cases where the effects are greater than the instrument noise and may produce erroneous increments in an assimilation system. The majority of the affected channels have weighting functions that peak in the upper troposphere (water vapor sensitive channels) and above (temperature sensitive channels) and are unlikely t o significantly impact tropospheric numerical weather prediction. However, the errors could be significant for other applications such as stratospheric analysis. Gradients in ozone and tropospheric temperature appear to be well captured by the analyses. In contrast, gradients in upper stratospheric and mesospheric temperature as well as upper tropospheric humidity are less well captured. This is likely due in part to a lack of data to specify these fields accurately in the analyses. Advanced new sounders, like AIRS, may help to better specify these fields in the future.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhou, X.; Ackerman, A. S.; Fridlind, A. M.; Kollias, P.
2016-12-01
Large-eddy simulations are performed to study the mechanisms of stratocumulus organization. Precipitation tends to increase horizontal cloud scales, but is not required for cloud mesoscale organization. A study of the terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance shows the critical impact of vertical moisture gradient on cloud scale. For precipitating clouds, the organization originates from the negative moisture gradient in the boundary layer resulting from evaporation of precipitation. This hypothesis is supported by simulations in which thermodynamics profiles are nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which reduces cloud scales. Cold pools effect are surprisingly found to respond to rather than determine the cloud mesoscale variability. For non-precipitating clouds, organization results from turbulent transport of moisture variance originating primarily from cloud top, where dry air is entrained into the boundary layer through convection driven by cloud top longwave (LW) cooling. Both LW cooling and a moisture gradient above cloud top are essential for the growth of mesoscale fluctuations.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bent, J. D.; Keeling, R. F.; Stephens, B. B.; Wofsy, S. C.; Daube, B. C.; Kort, E. A.; Pittman, J. V.; Jimenez-Pizarro, R.; Santoni, G.
2014-12-01
The atmospheric Ar/N2 ratio varies on a seasonal basis due to temperature-dependent solubility changes in the surface ocean. Low signal:noise ratios, limited vertical coverage, and sampler-sampler offsets have historically hampered characterization of vertical and inter-hemispheric gradients. We present data from the HIPPO Global campaign (2009-11) showing that Ar/N2 and interannually-detrended N2O correlate well in the lower stratosphere, suggesting that, as stratospheric air ages and loses N2O to photolysis and photo-oxidation, it also gradually loses argon to gravity as the heavier atom preferentially "rains out" of the air parcel. The HIPPO Ar/N2 data from the lower troposphere also resolve seasonal cycles in each hemisphere, as well as a gradient in the annual mean between hemispheres, with higher values in the southern hemisphere. The HIPPO cycles and inter-hemispheric gradient are in good agreement with data from surface stations.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Venable, D. D.; Punjabi, A. R.; Poole, L. R.
1984-01-01
A semianalytic Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulation model for airborne laser fluorosensors has been extended to investigate the effects of inhomogeneities in the vertical distribution of phytoplankton concentrations in clear seawater. Simulation results for linearly varying step concentrations of chlorophyll are presented. The results indicate that statistically significant differences can be seen under certain conditions in the water Raman-normalized fluorescence signals between nonhomogeneous and homogeneous cases. A statistical test has been used to establish ranges of surface concentrations and/or verticl gradients in which calibration by surface samples would by inappropriate, and the results are discussed.
Formation of temperature front in stably stratified turbulence
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kimura, Yoshifumi; Sullivan, Peter; Herring, Jackson
2016-11-01
An important feature of stably stratified turbulence is the significant influence of internal gravity waves which makes stably stratified turbulence unique compared to homogeneous isotropic turbulence. In this paper, we investigate the genesis of temperature fronts-a crucial subject both practically and fundamentally-in stably stratified turbulence using Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of the Navier-Stokes equation under the Boussinesq approximation with 10243 grid points. Vertical profiles of temperature fluctuations show almost vertically periodic sawtooth wavy structures with negative and positive layers stacked together with clear boundaries implying a sharp temperature fronts. The sawtooth waves consist of gradual decreasing temperature fluctuations with rapid recovery to a positive value as the frontal boundary is crossed vertically. This asymmetry of gradients comes from the structure that warm temperature region lies on top of cool temperature region, and can be verified in the skewed probability density function (PDF) of vertical temperature gradient. We try to extract the flow structures and mechanism for the formation and maintenance of the strong temperature front numerically.
Regional volume changes in canine lungs suspended in air
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Abbrecht, Peter H.; Kyle, Richard R.; Bryant, Howard J.; Feuerstein, Irwin
1995-01-01
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the absence of a pleural pressure gradient (simulating the presumed condition found in microgravity) upon regional expansion of the lung. We attempted to produce a uniform pressure over the surface of the lung by suspending excised lungs in air. Such studies should help determine whether or not the absence of a pleural pressure gradient leads to uniform ventilation. A preparation in which there is no pleural pressure gradient should also be useful in studying non-gravitational effects on ventilation distribution.
An analytical solution for transient flow of Bingham viscoplastic materials in rock fractures
Amadei, B.; Savage, W.Z.
2001-01-01
We present below an analytical solution to model the one-dimensional transient flow of a Bingham viscoplastic material in a fracture with parallel walls (smooth or rough) that is subjected to an applied pressure gradient. The solution models the acceleration and the deceleration of the material as the pressure gradient changes with time. Two cases are considered: A pressure gradient applied over a finite time interval and an applied pressure gradient that is constant over time. The solution is expressed in dimensionless form and can therefore be used for a wide range of Bingham viscoplastic materials. The solution is also capable of capturing the transition that takes place in a fracture between viscoplastic flow and rigid plug flow. Also, it shows the development of a rigid central layer in fractures, the extent of which depends on the fluid properties (viscosity and yield stress), the magnitude of the pressure gradient, and the fracture aperture and surface roughness. Finally, it is shown that when a pressure gradient is applied and kept constant, the solution for the fracture flow rate converges over time to a steady-state solution that can be defined as a modified cubic law. In this case, the fracture transmissivity is found to be a non-linear function of the head gradient. This solution provides a tool for a better understanding of the flow of Bingham materials in rock fractures, interfaces, and cracks. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evolution of a Planar Wake in Adverse Pressure Gradient
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Driver, David M.; Mateer, George G.
2016-01-01
In the interest of improving the predictability of high-lift systems at maximum lift conditions, a series of fundamental experiments were conducted to study the effects of adverse pressure gradient on a wake flow. Mean and fluctuating velocities were measured with a two-component laser-Doppler velocimeter. Data were obtained for several cases of adverse pressure gradient, producing flows ranging from no reversed flow to massively reversed flow. While the turbulent Reynolds stresses increase with increasing size of the reversed flow region, the gradient of Reynolds stress does not. Computations using various turbulence models were unable to reproduce the reversed flow.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hoffmann, Jon A.
1988-01-01
The influence of near isotropic free-stream turbulence on the shape factors and skin friction coefficients of turbulent bounday layers is presented for the cases of zero and mild adverse pressure gradients. With free-stream turbulence, improved fluid mixing occurs in boundary layers with adverse pressure gradients relative to the zero pressure gradient condition, with the same free-stream turbulence intensity and length scale. Stronger boundary layers with lower shape factors occur as a result of a lower ratio of the integral scale of turbulence to the boundary layer thickness, and to vortex stretching of the turbulent eddies in the free stream, both of which act to improve the transmission of momentum from the free stream to the boundary layers.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hoffmann, J. A.; Kassir, S. M.; Larwood, S. M.
1989-01-01
The influence of near isotropic free-stream turbulence on the shape factors and skin friction coefficients of turbulent boundary layers is presented for the cases of zero and mild adverse pressure gradients. With free-stream turbulence, improved fluid mixing occurs in boundary layers with adverse pressure gradients relative to the zero pressure gradient condition, with the same free-stream turbulence intensity and length scale. Stronger boundary layers with lower shape factors occur as a result of a lower ratio of the integral scale of turbulence to the boundary layer thickness, and to vortex stretching of the turbulent eddies in the free-stream, both of which act to improve the transmission of momentum from the free-stream to the boundary layers.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Riel, N.; Guillot, S.; Jaillard, E.; Martelat, J.-E.; Paquette, J.-L.; Schwartz, S.; Goncalves, P.; Duclaux, G.; Thebaud, N.; Lanari, P.; Janots, E.; Yuquilema, J.
2013-01-01
In the forearc of the Andean active margin in southwest Ecuador, the El Oro metamorphic complex exhibits a well exposed tilted forearc section partially migmatized. We used Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous matter (RSCM) thermometry and pseudosections coupled with mineralogical and textural studies to constrain the pressure-temperature (P-T) evolution of the El Oro metamorphic complex during Triassic times. Our results show that anatexis of the continental crust occurred by white-mica and biotite dehydration melting along a 10 km thick crustal domain (from 4.5 to 8 kbar) with increasing temperature from 650 to 700 °C. In the biotite dehydration melting zone, temperature was buffered at 750-820 °C in a 5 km thick layer. The estimated average thermal gradient during peak metamorphism is of 30 °C/km within the migmatitic domain can be partitioned into two apparent gradients parts. The upper part from surface to 7 km depth records a 40-45 °C/km gradient. The lower part records a quasi-adiabatic geotherm with a 10 °C/km gradient consistent with an isothermal melting zone. Migmatites U-Th-Pb geochronology yielded zircon and monazite ages of 229.3 ± 2.1 Ma and 224.5 ± 2.3 Ma, respectively. This thermal event generated S-type magmatism (the Marcabeli granitoid) and was immediately followed by underplating of the high-pressure low-temperature (HP-LT) Arenillas-Panupalí unit at 225.8 ± 1.8 Ma. The association of high-temperature low-pressure (HT-LP) migmatites with HP-LT unit constitutes a new example of a paired metamorphic belt along the South American margin. We propose that in addition to crustal thinning, underplating of the Piedras gabbroic unit before 230 Ma provided the heat source necessary to foster crustal anatexis. Furthermore, its MORB signature shows that the asthenosphere was involved as the source of the heat anomaly. S-type felsic magmatism is widespread during this time and suggests that a large-scale thermal anomaly affected a large part of the South American margin during the late Triassic. We propose that crustal anatexis is related to an anomaly that arose during subduction of the Panthalassa ocean under the South American margin. Slab verticalization or slab break-off can be invoked as the origin of the upwelling of the asthenosphere.
Controlled droplet transport to target on a high adhesion surface with multi-gradients
Deng, Siyan; Shang, Weifeng; Feng, Shile; Zhu, Shiping; Xing, Yan; Li, Dan; Hou, Yongping; Zheng, Yongmei
2017-01-01
We introduce multi-gradients including Laplace pressure gradient, wettable gradient and wettable different gradient on a high adhesion surface via special wedge-pattern and improved anodic oxidation method. As a result of the cooperative effect mentioned above, controlled directional motion of a droplet on a high adhesion surface is realized, even when the surface is turned upside down. The droplet motion can be predicted and the movement distances can be controlled by simply adjusting the wedge angle and droplet volume. More interestingly, when Laplace pressure gradient is introduced on a V-shaped wettable gradient surface, two droplets can move toward one another as designed. PMID:28368020
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tsai, J.; Pikelnaya, O.; Hurlock, S. C.; Wong, K.; Cheung, R.; Haman, C. L.; Lefer, B. L.; Stutz, J.
2010-12-01
Nocturnal chemistry, through the conversion and removal of air pollutants, plays an important role in determining the initial condition for photochemistry during the following day. In the stable nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) the interplay between suppressed vertical mixing and surface emissions of NOx and VOCs can result in pronounced vertical trace gas profiles. The resulting altitude dependence of nocturnal chemistry makes the interpretation of ground observations challenging. In particular, the quantification of the nocturnal loss of NOx, due to NO3 and N2O5 chemistry, requires observations throughout the entire vertical extent of the NBL. The formation of daytime radical precursors, such as HONO, is also altitude dependent. An accurate assessment of their impact on daytime chemistry requires measurements of their profiles during the night and morning. Here we present observations from the CalNex-LA experiment, which took place from May 15 to June 15, 2010 on the east side of the Los Angeles Basin, CA. A Long-Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (LP-DOAS) was set up on the roof of the Millikan library (265 m asl, 35m agl) on the campus of the California Institute of Technology. Four retroreflector arrays were mounted about 5 -7 km North-East of the instrument at 310m, 353m, 487m and 788 m asl. The vertical profiles of NO3, HONO, NO2, O3, HCHO, and SO2 were retrieved at altitude intervals of 35-78m, 78-121m, 121-255m and 255-556m above the ground. During many nights vertical gradients were observed, with elevated NO2 and HONO concentrations near the surface and larger ozone and NO3 concentrations aloft. Simultaneous ceilometer observations of the NBL structure show the impact of meteorology on the vertical trace gas distributions. We will discuss the consequences of trace gases gradients on the nocturnal NOx budget.
Integrated geophysical survey in defining subsidence features on a golf course
Xia, J.; Miller, R.D.
2007-01-01
Subsidence was observed at several places on the Salina Municipal Golf Course in areas known to be built over a landfill in Salina, Kansas. High-resolution magnetic survey (???5400 m2), multi-channel electrical resistivity profiling (three 154 m lines) and microgravity profiling (23 gravity-station values) were performed on a subsidence site (Green 16) to aid in determining boundaries and density deficiency of the landfill in the vicinity of the subsidence. Horizontal boundaries of the landfill were confidently defined by both magnetic anomalies and the pseudo-vertical gradient of total field magnetic anomalies. Furthermore, the pseudo-vertical gradient of magnetic anomalies presented a unique anomaly at Green 16, which provided a criterion for predicting other spots with subsidence potential using the same gradient property. Results of multi-channel electrical resistivity profiling (ERP) suggested the bottom limit of the landfill at Green 16 was around 21 m below the ground surface based on the vertical gradient of electric resistivity and a priori information on the depth of the landfill. ERP results also outlined several possible landfill bodies based on their low resistivity values. Microgravity results suggested a -0.14 g cm-3 density deficiency at Green 16 that could equate to future surface subsidence of as much as 1.5 m due to gradual compaction. ?? 2007 Nanjing Institute of Geophysical Prospecting.
Puértolas, Jaime; Alcobendas, Rosalía; Alarcón, Juan J; Dodd, Ian C
2013-08-01
To determine how root-to-shoot abscisic acid (ABA) signalling is regulated by vertical soil moisture gradients, root ABA concentration ([ABA](root)), the fraction of root water uptake from, and root water potential of different parts of the root zone, along with bulk root water potential, were measured to test various predictive models of root xylem ABA concentration [RX-ABA](sap). Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Nassau) were grown in soil columns and received different irrigation treatments (top and basal watering, and withholding water for varying lengths of time) to induce different vertical soil moisture gradients. Root water uptake was measured at four positions within the column by continuously recording volumetric soil water content (θv). Average θv was inversely related to bulk root water potential (Ψ(root)). In turn, Ψ(root) was correlated with both average [ABA](root) and [RX-ABA](sap). Despite large gradients in θv, [ABA](root) and root water potential was homogenous within the root zone. Consequently, unlike some split-root studies, root water uptake fraction from layers with different soil moisture did not influence xylem sap (ABA). This suggests two different patterns of ABA signalling, depending on how soil moisture heterogeneity is distributed within the root zone, which might have implications for implementing water-saving irrigation techniques. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
What are the driving forces for water lifting in the xylem conduit?
Zimmermann, Ulrich; Schneider, Heike; Wegner, Lars H; Wagner, Hans-Jürgen; Szimtenings, Michael; Haase, Axel; Bentrup, Friedrich-Wilhelm
2002-03-01
After Renner had shown convincingly in 1925 that the transpirational water loss generates tensions larger than 0.1 MPa (i.e. negative pressures) in the xylem of cut leafy twigs the Cohesion Theory proposed by Böhm, Askenasy, Dixon and Joly at the end of the 19th century was immediately accepted by plant physiologists. Introduction of the pressure chamber technique by Scholander et al. in 1965 enforced the general belief that tension is the only driving force for water lifting although substantial criticism regarding the technique and/or the Cohesion Theory was published by several authors. As typical for scientific disciplines, the advent of minimal- and non-invasive techniques in the last decade as well as the development of a new, reliable method for xylem sap sampling have challenged this view. Today, xylem pressure gradients, potentials, ion concentrations and volume flows as well as cell turgor pressure gradients can be monitored online in intact transpiring higher plants, and within a given physiological context by using the pressure probe technique and high-resolution NMR imaging techniques, respectively. Application of the pressure probe technique to transpiring plants has shown that negative absolute pressures (down to - 0.6 MPa) and pressure gradients can exist temporarily in the xylem conduit, but that the magnitude and (occasionally) direction of gradients contrasts frequently the belief that tension is the only driving force. This seems to be particularly the case for plants faced with problems of height, drought, freezing and salinity as well as with cavitation of the tensile water. Reviewing the current data base shows that other forces come into operation when exclusively tension fails to lift water against gravity due to environmental conditions. Possible candidates are longitudinal cellular and xylem osmotic pressure gradients, axial potential gradients in the vessels as well as gel- and gas bubble-supported interfacial gradients. The multiforce theory overcomes the problem of the Cohesion Theory that life on earth depends on water being in a highly metastable state.
Why Gas Hydrate Occurrenced Over Topographic Highs in Shenhu Area Northern South China Sea?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liao, J.
2015-12-01
Methane gas hydrate has been drilled by China Geological Survey in shenhu area northern south china sea in 2007 .Shenhu area is located in the middle-lower continental slope and 17 submarine canyons are incised into the shelf,gas hydrtae was observed in boreholes over topographic highs,but origin of the hydrate is controversial.Accumulation of gas hydrate is depending on temperature-pressure field and supply quantities of methane and some other factors,in the same depth of the shallow sediments there is the same press,so temperature field and supply quantities of methane become the most important factors.Lachenbruch(1968) calculated the topographic disturbance to geothermal gradients,in shenhu area consistent local variations were observed, notably low heat flow values over prominent topographic highs and high heat flow values over the flanks of the topographic highs. At some localities over a horizontal distance of 2.5 km, heat flow increased by as much as 50%, from typical values of 65 to 100 mW/m2 .Some vertical fractures were observed beneath topographic highs in previous studies.Based on the profile across borehole SH7,we designed four experiments:A,uniform distribution of heat flux with no vertical fractures;B,Uniform distribution of heat flux with vertical fractures beneath geographic highs;C,uneven distribution of heat flux with no vertical fractures;D,uneven distribution of heat flux with vertical fractures beneath geographic highs.According to previous studies,we restored Palaeobathymetry,abundance of organic matters, sandstone-madstone ratio ,porosity and permeability of each,and parameters of vertical fractures.The result of experiment D shows the similar distribution characteristic with the drilling result,so We believe that low heat flux and Vertical fractures are the most important factors . This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China(grant no. 41406080).
Metallicity gradient of the thick disc progenitor at high redshift
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kawata, Daisuke; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Brook, Chris B.; Casagrande, Luca; Ciucă, Ioana; Gibson, Brad K.; Grand, Robert J. J.; Hayden, Michael R.; Hunt, Jason A. S.
2018-01-01
We have developed a novel Markov Chain Monte Carlo chemical 'painting' technique to explore possible radial and vertical metallicity gradients for the thick disc progenitor. In our analysis, we match an N-body simulation to the data from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment survey. We assume that the thick disc has a constant scaleheight and has completed its formation at an early epoch, after which time radial mixing of its stars has taken place. Under these assumptions, we find that the initial radial metallicity gradient of the thick disc progenitor should not be negative, but either flat or even positive, to explain the current negative vertical metallicity gradient of the thick disc. Our study suggests that the thick disc was built-up in an inside-out and upside-down fashion, and older, smaller and thicker populations are more metal poor. In this case, star-forming discs at different epochs of the thick disc formation are allowed to have different radial metallicity gradients, including a negative one, which helps to explain a variety of slopes observed in high-redshift disc galaxies. This scenario helps to explain the positive slope of the metallicity-rotation velocity relation observed for the Galactic thick disc. On the other hand, radial mixing flattens the slope of an existing gradient.
Vertical Mixing In Western Lake Constance Due To Long Internal Waves
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boehrer, B.
Current profiles in the pelagic waters of western Lake Constance have been broken up into modes of the internal wave equation [1,2]. All current profiles can be well represented by a combination of the first and second mode wave. The temporal vari- ation of the modal composition with the interaction of the first and second mode im- plies current shear at varying depths. From current and density profiles, the gradient Richardson number can be evaluated in its spatial and temporal pattern with occa- tional occurence of supercritical values at all depths, also in the deep hypolimnion. An empiric connection between gradient Richardson number and diapycnical mixing [3] is applied to yield a profile of vertical transport coefficients, which can be com- pared with transport coefficients from gradient flux calculations of temperature and electrical conductivity profiles [4]. [1] B. Boehrer, J. Ilmberger and K.O. Münnich (2000): Vertical Structure of Current in Western Lake Constance, JGR-Oceans, 105 (12), 28823-28835 [2] B. Boehrer (2000): Modal Response of a Deep Stratified Lake: Western Lake Con- stance, JGR-Oceans, 105 (12), 28837-28845 [3] H. Peeters, M.C. Gregg and J.M. Toole (1988): On the parameterization of equa- torial turbulence, JGR, 93, 1199-1218 [4] G. Heinz, J. Ilmberger and M. Schimmele (1990): Vertical Mixing in Überlinger See, western part of Lake Constance, Aquat. Sci., 52(3), 256-268
Rate limits in silicon sheet growth - The connections between vertical and horizontal methods
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thomas, Paul D.; Brown, Robert A.
1987-01-01
Meniscus-defined techniques for the growth of thin silicon sheets fall into two categories: vertical and horizontal growth. The interactions of the temperature field and the crystal shape are analyzed for both methods using two-dimensional finite-element models which include heat transfer and capillarity. Heat transfer in vertical growth systems is dominated by conduction in the melt and the crystal, with almost flat melt/crystal interfaces that are perpendicular to the direction of growth. The high axial temperature gradients characteristic of vertical growth lead to high thermal stresses. The maximum growth rate is also limited by capillarity which can restrict the conduction of heat from the melt into the crystal. In horizontal growth the melt/crystal interface stretches across the surface of the melt pool many times the crystal thickness, and low growth rates are achievable with careful temperature control. With a moderate axial temperature gradient in the sheet a substantial portion of the latent heat conducts along the sheet and the surface of the melt pool becomes supercooled, leading to dendritic growth. The thermal supercooling is surpressed by lowering the axial gradient in the crystal; this configuration is the most desirable for the growth of high quality crystals. An expression derived from scaling analysis relating the growth rate and the crucible temperature is shown to be reliable for horizontal growth.
Bögelein, Rebekka; Thomas, Frank M; Kahmen, Ansgar
2017-07-01
Distinguishing meteorological and plant-mediated drivers of leaf water isotopic enrichment is prerequisite for ecological interpretations of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in plant tissue. We measured input and leaf water δ 2 H and δ 18 O as well as micrometeorological and leaf morpho-physiological variables along a vertical gradient in a mature angiosperm (European beech) and gymnosperm (Douglas fir) tree. We used these variables and different enrichment models to quantify the influence of Péclet and non-steady state effects and of the biophysical drivers on leaf water enrichment. The two-pool model accurately described the diurnal variation of leaf water enrichment. The estimated unenriched water fraction was linked to leaf dry matter content across the canopy heights. Non-steady state effects and reduced stomatal conductance caused a higher enrichment of Douglas fir compared to beech leaf water. A dynamic effect analyses revealed that the light-induced vertical gradients of stomatal conductance and leaf temperature outbalanced each other in their effects on evaporative enrichment. We conclude that neither vertical canopy gradients nor the Péclet effect is important for estimates and interpretation of isotopic leaf water enrichment in hypostomatous trees. Contrarily, species-specific non-steady state effects and leaf temperatures as well as the water vapour isotope composition need careful consideration. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Kherada, Nisharahmed; Brenes, Juan Carlos; Kini, Annapoorna S; Dangas, George D
2017-03-15
Accurate evaluation of trans-aortic valvular pressure gradients is challenging in cases where dual mechanical aortic and mitral valve prostheses are present. Non-invasive Doppler echocardiographic imaging has its limitations due to multiple geometric assumptions. Invasive measurement of trans-valvular gradients with cardiac catheterization can provide further information in patients with two mechanical valves, where simultaneous pressure measurements in the left ventricle and ascending aorta must be obtained. Obtaining access to the left ventricle via the mitral valve after a trans-septal puncture is not feasible in the case of a concomitant mechanical mitral valve, whereas left ventricular apical puncture technique is associated with high procedural risks. Retrograde crossing of a bileaflet mechanical aortic prosthesis with standard catheters is associated with the risk of catheter entrapment and acute valvular regurgitation. In these cases, the assessment of trans-valvular gradients using a 0.014˝ diameter coronary pressure wire technique has been described in a few case reports. We present the case of a 76-year-old female with rheumatic valvular heart disease who underwent mechanical aortic and mitral valve replacement in the past. She presented with decompensated heart failure and echocardiographic findings suggestive of elevated pressure gradient across the mechanical aortic valve prosthesis. The use of a high-fidelity 0.014˝ diameter coronary pressure guidewire resulted in the detection of a normal trans-valvular pressure gradient across the mechanical aortic valve. This avoided a high-risk third redo valve surgery in our patient. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Al-Hadhrami, Luai M.; Shaahid, S. M.; Tunde, Lukman O.; Al-Sarkhi, A.
2014-01-01
An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the flow regimes and pressure gradients of air-oil-water three-phase flows in 2.25 ID horizontal pipe at different flow conditions. The effects of water cuts, liquid and gas velocities on flow patterns and pressure gradients have been studied. The experiments have been conducted at 20°C using low viscosity Safrasol D80 oil, tap water and air. Superficial water and oil velocities were varied from 0.3 m/s to 3 m/s and air velocity varied from 0.29 m/s to 52.5 m/s to cover wide range of flow patterns. The experiments were performed for 10% to 90% water cuts. The flow patterns were observed and recorded using high speed video camera while the pressure drops were measured using pressure transducers and U-tube manometers. The flow patterns show strong dependence on water fraction, gas velocities, and liquid velocities. The observed flow patterns are stratified (smooth and wavy), elongated bubble, slug, dispersed bubble, and annular flow patterns. The pressure gradients have been found to increase with the increase in gas flow rates. Also, for a given superficial gas velocity, the pressure gradients increased with the increase in the superficial liquid velocity. The pressure gradient first increases and then decreases with increasing water cut. In general, phase inversion was observed with increase in the water cut. The experimental results have been compared with the existing unified Model and a good agreement has been noticed. PMID:24523645
Al-Hadhrami, Luai M; Shaahid, S M; Tunde, Lukman O; Al-Sarkhi, A
2014-01-01
An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the flow regimes and pressure gradients of air-oil-water three-phase flows in 2.25 ID horizontal pipe at different flow conditions. The effects of water cuts, liquid and gas velocities on flow patterns and pressure gradients have been studied. The experiments have been conducted at 20 °C using low viscosity Safrasol D80 oil, tap water and air. Superficial water and oil velocities were varied from 0.3 m/s to 3 m/s and air velocity varied from 0.29 m/s to 52.5 m/s to cover wide range of flow patterns. The experiments were performed for 10% to 90% water cuts. The flow patterns were observed and recorded using high speed video camera while the pressure drops were measured using pressure transducers and U-tube manometers. The flow patterns show strong dependence on water fraction, gas velocities, and liquid velocities. The observed flow patterns are stratified (smooth and wavy), elongated bubble, slug, dispersed bubble, and annular flow patterns. The pressure gradients have been found to increase with the increase in gas flow rates. Also, for a given superficial gas velocity, the pressure gradients increased with the increase in the superficial liquid velocity. The pressure gradient first increases and then decreases with increasing water cut. In general, phase inversion was observed with increase in the water cut. The experimental results have been compared with the existing unified Model and a good agreement has been noticed.
Light drives vertical gradients of leaf morphology in a sugar maple (Acer saccharum) forest.
Coble, Adam P; Cavaleri, Molly A
2014-02-01
Leaf mass per area (LMA, g m(-2)) is an essential trait for modeling canopy function due to its strong association with photosynthesis, respiration and leaf nitrogen. Leaf mass per area, which is influenced by both leaf thickness and density (LMA = thickness × density), generally increases from the bottom to the top of tree canopies, yet the mechanisms behind this universal pattern are not yet resolved. For decades, the light environment was assumed to be the most influential driver of within-canopy variation in LMA, yet recent evidence has shown hydrostatic gradients to be more important in upper canopy positions, especially in tall evergreen trees in temperate and tropical forests. The aim of this study was to disentangle the importance of various environmental drivers on vertical LMA gradients in a mature sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) forest. We compared LMA, leaf density and leaf thickness relationships with height, light and predawn leaf water potential (ΨPre) within a closed and an exposed canopy to assess leaf morphological traits at similar heights but different light conditions. Contrary to our expectations and recent findings in the literature, we found strong evidence that light was the primary driver of vertical gradients in leaf morphology. At similar heights (13-23 m), LMA was greater within the exposed canopy than the closed canopy, and light had a stronger influence over LMA compared with ΨPre. Light also had a stronger influence over both leaf thickness and density compared with ΨPre; however, the increase in LMA within both canopy types was primarily due to increasing leaf thickness with increasing light availability. This study provides strong evidence that canopy structure and crown exposure, in addition to height, should be considered as a parameter for determining vertical patterns in LMA and modeling canopy function.
Rosen, Michael R; Alvarez, David A; Goodbred, Steven L; Leiker, Thomas J; Patiño, Reynaldo
2010-01-01
The delineation of lateral and vertical gradients of organic contaminants in lakes is hampered by low concentrationsand nondetection of many organic compounds in water. Passive samplers (semipermeable membrane devices [SPMDs] and polar organic chemical integrative samplers [POCIS]) are well suited for assessing gradients because they can detect synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) at pg L(-1) concentrations. Semi-permeable membrane devices and POCIS were deployed in Lake Mead, at two sites in Las Vegas Wash, at four sites across Lake Mead, and in the Colorado River downstream from Hoover Dam. Concentrations of hydrophobic SOCs were highest in Las Vegas Wash downstream from waste water and urban inputs and at 8 m depth in Las Vegas Bay (LVB) where Las Vegas Wash enters Lake Mead. The distribution of hydrophobic SOCs showed a lateral distribution across 10 km of Lake Mead from LVB to Boulder Basin. To assess possible vertical gradient SOCs, SPMDs were deployed at 4-m intervals in 18 m of water in LVB. Fragrances and legacy SOCs were found at the greatest concentrations at the deepest depth. The vertical gradient of SOCs indicated that contaminants were generally confined to within 6 m of the lake bottom during the deployment interval. The high SOC concentrations, warmer water temperatures, and higher total dissolved solids concentrations at depth are indicative of a plume of Las Vegas Wash water moving along the lake bottom. The lateral and vertical distribution of SOCs is discussed in the context of other studies that have shown impaired health of fish exposed to SOCs.
Boundary-Layer Transition on a Group of Blunt Nose Shapes at a Mach Number of 2.20
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jackson, Mary W.; Czarnecki, K. R.
1961-01-01
An investigation has been made to study boundary-layer transition on six axisymmetrical blunt bodies of revolution. Model shapes were selected with respect to the degree of favorable pressure gradient over the model surface. Tests were conducted at a Mach number of 2.20 and over a range of free-stream Reynolds number per foot of about 1.4 x 10(exp 6) to 6.5 x 10(exp 6). The tests were made at an angle of attack of 0 deg. with zero heat transfer. For the hemisphere, the flow remained essentially laminar over the model surface length for the entire pressure range of the tests. For a strong favorable pressure gradient followed by any weak favorable, neutral, or adverse gradient, the tendency was for transition to occur at or immediately behind the shoulder. A single strip of three-dimensional roughness in the region of strong favorable pressure gradient did not fix transition on the models at the roughness location except at the maximum test pressures, whereas a second roughness strip added in a region of neutral or adverse pressure gradient did fix transition. Experimental pressure coefficients agreed closely with modified Newtonian theory except in the shoulder region.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Margolis, Kenneth; Bobbitt, Percy J
1956-01-01
Velocity potentials, pressure, distributions, and stability derivatives are derived by use of supersonic linearized theory for families of thin isolated vertical tails performing steady rolling, steady yawing, and constant-lateral-acceleration motions. Vertical-tail families (half-delta and rectangular plan forms) are considered for a broad Mach number range. Also considered are the vertical tail with arbitrary sweepback and taper ratio at Mach numbers for which both the leading edge and trailing edge of the tail are supersonic and the triangular vertical tail with a subsonic leading edge and a supersonic trailing edge. Expressions for potentials, pressures, and stability derivatives are tabulated.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Conley, Julianne M.
1994-01-01
Computational fluid dynamics is being used increasingly to predict flows for aerospace propulsion applications, yet there is still a need for an easy to use, computationally inexpensive turbulence model capable of accurately predicting a wide range of turbulent flows. The Baldwin-Lomax model is the most widely used algebraic model, even though it has known difficulties calculating flows with strong adverse pressure gradients and large regions of separation. The modified mixing length model (MML) was developed specifically to handle the separation which occurs on airfoils and has given significantly better results than the Baldwin-Lomax model. The success of these calculations warrants further evaluation and development of MML. The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of MML for zero and adverse pressure gradient flows, and modify it as needed. The Proteus Navier-Stokes code was used for this study and all results were compared with experimental data and with calculations made using the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic model, which is currently available in Proteus. The MML model was first evaluated for zero pressure gradient flow over a flat plate, then modified to produce the proper boundary layer growth. Additional modifications, based on experimental data for three adverse pressure gradient flows, were also implemented. The adapted model, called MMLPG (modified mixing length model for pressure gradient flows), was then evaluated for a typical propulsion flow problem, flow through a transonic diffuser. Three cases were examined: flow with no shock, a weak shock and a strong shock. The results of these calculations indicate that the objectives of this study have been met. Overall, MMLPG is capable of accurately predicting the adverse pressure gradient flows examined in this study, giving generally better agreement with experimental data than the Baldwin-Lomax model.
A model for jet-noise analysis using pressure-gradient correlations on an imaginary cone
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Norum, T. D.
1974-01-01
The technique for determining the near and far acoustic field of a jet through measurements of pressure-gradient correlations on an imaginary conical surface surrounding the jet is discussed. The necessary analytical developments are presented, and their feasibility is checked by using a point source as the sound generator. The distribution of the apparent sources on the cone, equivalent to the point source, is determined in terms of the pressure-gradient correlations.
Depth-related gradients of viral activity in Lake Pavin.
Colombet, J; Sime-Ngando, T; Cauchie, H M; Fonty, G; Hoffmann, L; Demeure, G
2006-06-01
High-resolution vertical sampling and determination of viral and prokaryotic parameters in a deep volcanic lake shows that in the absence of thermal stratification but within light, oxygen, and chlorophyll gradients, host availability empirically is prevalent over the physical and chemical environments and favors lytic over lysogenic "viral life cycles."
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Volatilization represents a significant loss pathway for many pesticides, herbicides and other agrochemicals. One common method for measuring the volatilization of agrochemicals is the flux-gradient method. Using this method, the chemical flux is estimated as the product of the vertical concentratio...
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Tumin, Anatoli; Ashpis, David E.
2003-01-01
An analysis of the non-modal growth of perturbations in a boundary layer in the presence of a streamwise pressure gradient is presented. The analysis is based on PSE equations for an incompressible fluid. Examples with Falkner-Skan profiles indicate that a favorable pressure gradient decreases the non-modal growth while an unfavorable pressure gradient leads to an increase of the amplification. It is suggested that the transient growth mechanism be utilized to choose optimal parameters of tripping elements on a low-pressure turbine (LPT) airfoil. As an example, a boundary layer flow with a streamwise pressure gradient corresponding to the pressure distribution over a LPT airfoil is considered. It is shown that there is an optimal spacing of the tripping elements and that the transient growth effect depends on the starting point. At very low Reynolds numbers, there is a possibility to enhance the transient energy growth by means of wall cooling.
Increasing arboreality with altitude: a novel biogeographic dimension
Scheffers, Brett R.; Phillips, Ben L.; Laurance, William F.; Sodhi, Navjot S.; Diesmos, Arvin; Williams, Stephen E.
2013-01-01
Biodiversity is spatially organized by climatic gradients across elevation and latitude. But do other gradients exist that might drive biogeographic patterns? Here, we show that rainforest's vertical strata provide climatic gradients much steeper than those offered by elevation and latitude, and biodiversity of arboreal species is organized along this gradient. In Philippine and Singaporean rainforests, we demonstrate that rainforest frogs tend to shift up in the rainforest strata as altitude increases. Moreover, a Philippine-wide dataset of frog distributions shows that frog assemblages become increasingly arboreal at higher elevations. Thus, increased arboreality with elevation at broad biogeographic scales mirrors patterns we observed at local scales. Our proposed ‘arboreality hypothesis’ suggests that the ability to exploit arboreal habitats confers the potential for larger geographical distributions because species can shift their location in the rainforest strata to compensate for shifts in temperature associated with elevation and latitude. This novel finding may help explain patterns of species richness and abundance wherever vegetation produces a vertical microclimatic gradient. Our results further suggest that global warming will ‘flatten’ the biodiversity in rainforests by pushing arboreal species towards the cooler and wetter ground. This ‘flattening’ could potentially have serious impacts on forest functioning and species survival. PMID:24026817
Increasing arboreality with altitude: a novel biogeographic dimension.
Scheffers, Brett R; Phillips, Ben L; Laurance, William F; Sodhi, Navjot S; Diesmos, Arvin; Williams, Stephen E
2013-11-07
Biodiversity is spatially organized by climatic gradients across elevation and latitude. But do other gradients exist that might drive biogeographic patterns? Here, we show that rainforest's vertical strata provide climatic gradients much steeper than those offered by elevation and latitude, and biodiversity of arboreal species is organized along this gradient. In Philippine and Singaporean rainforests, we demonstrate that rainforest frogs tend to shift up in the rainforest strata as altitude increases. Moreover, a Philippine-wide dataset of frog distributions shows that frog assemblages become increasingly arboreal at higher elevations. Thus, increased arboreality with elevation at broad biogeographic scales mirrors patterns we observed at local scales. Our proposed 'arboreality hypothesis' suggests that the ability to exploit arboreal habitats confers the potential for larger geographical distributions because species can shift their location in the rainforest strata to compensate for shifts in temperature associated with elevation and latitude. This novel finding may help explain patterns of species richness and abundance wherever vegetation produces a vertical microclimatic gradient. Our results further suggest that global warming will 'flatten' the biodiversity in rainforests by pushing arboreal species towards the cooler and wetter ground. This 'flattening' could potentially have serious impacts on forest functioning and species survival.
Alongshore Momentum Balance Over Shoreface-Connected Ridges, Fire Island, NY
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ofsthun, C.; Wu, X.; Voulgaris, G.; Warner, J. C.
2016-12-01
he momentum balance of alongshore flows over straight, uniform shelfs has been analyzed extensively over the last few decades. More recently, the effect of coastline curvature and how this might alter the relative significance of the momentum terms has received additional attention. In this contribution, the alongshore momentum over shelves with straight coastline, but non-uniform bathymetry is examined. Hydrodynamic and hydrographic data collected by the US Geological Survey (Fire Island Coastal Change project) on the inner shelf of Fire Island, NY over a region of shore-face connected ridges (SFCRs) are used to describe wind-induced circulation and the terms of the alongshore momentum balance equation. Analysis of the data revealed a predominantly alongshore circulation, under westward wind forcing, with localized offshore (onshore) current veering over the ridge crests (troughs). Momentum balance analysis hinted that local acceleration, advective acceleration, and bottom stress are balanced by wind stress and regional (>100 km) pressure gradient force. In addition, a numerical model using an idealized SFCR bathymetry, forced by our observed winds, was employed to compare the momentum balance relationships identified by the data and those under steady-state conditions published earlier (Warner et al., 2014). A synthesis of the numerical and experimental data revealed that the true pressure gradient force results from the sum of local pressure gradient force, which maintains a Bernoulli-like relationship with alongshore advective acceleration, and regional pressure gradient force, which maintains a strong, negative relationship with wind stress. The differences between steady-state and realistic conditions is mainly on the contributions of regional scale pressure gradients that develop under realistic conditions, and the reduced contribution of local scale pressure gradients which develop best under steady-state conditions. Our analysis indicates that current veering over ridge crests, a consistent occurrence, is a combination of a cross-shore gradient in the inconsistent relationship between local advective acceleration and pressure gradient and frictional-torque with the latter being the dominant mechanism under realistic forcing.
Leak-off mechanism and pressure prediction for shallow sediments in deepwater drilling
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tan, Qiang; Deng, Jingen; Sun, Jin; Liu, Wei; Yu, Baohua
2018-02-01
Deepwater sediments are prone to loss circulation in drilling due to a low overburden gradient. How to predict the magnitude of leak-off pressure more accurately is an important issue in the protection of drilling safety and the reduction of drilling cost in deep water. Starting from the mechanical properties of a shallow formation and based on the basic theory of rock-soil mechanics, the stress distribution around a borehole was analyzed. It was found that the rock or soil on a borehole is in the plastic yield state before the effective tensile stress is generated, and the effective tangential and vertical stresses increase as the drilling fluid density increases; thus, tensile failure will not occur on the borehole wall. Based on the results of stress calculation, two mechanisms and leak-off pressure prediction models for shallow sediments in deepwater drilling were put forward, and the calculated values of these models were compared with the measured value of shallow leak-off pressure in actual drilling. The results show that the MHPS (minimum horizontal principle stress) model and the FIF (fracturing in formation) model can predict the lower and upper limits of leak-off pressure. The PLC (permeable lost circulation) model can comprehensively analyze the factors influencing permeable leakage and provide a theoretical basis for leak-off prevention and plugging in deepwater drilling.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Throckmorton, D. A.
1975-01-01
An experimental investigation was performed to determine the effect of pressure gradient on the heat transfer to space shuttle reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile array gaps under thick, turbulent boundary layer conditions. Heat transfer and pressure measurements were obtained on a curved array of full-scale simulated RSI tiles in a tunnel wall boundary layer at a nominal freestream Mach number of 10.3 and freestream unit Reynolds numbers of 1.6, 3.3, and and 6.1 million per meter. Transverse pressure gradients were induced over the model surface by rotating the curved array with respect to the flow. Definition of the tunnel wall boundary layer flow was obtained by measurement of boundary layer pitot pressure profiles, and flat plate wall pressure and heat transfer. Flat plate wall heat transfer data were correlated and a method was derived for prediction of smooth, curved array heat transfer in the highly three-dimensional tunnel wall boundary layer flow and simulation of full-scale space shuttle vehicle pressure gradient levels was assessed.
A measurement system for vertical seawater profiles close to the air-sea interface
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sims, Richard P.; Schuster, Ute; Watson, Andrew J.; Yang, Ming Xi; Hopkins, Frances E.; Stephens, John; Bell, Thomas G.
2017-09-01
This paper describes a near-surface ocean profiler, which has been designed to precisely measure vertical gradients in the top 10 m of the ocean. Variations in the depth of seawater collection are minimized when using the profiler compared to conventional CTD/rosette deployments. The profiler consists of a remotely operated winch mounted on a tethered yet free-floating buoy, which is used to raise and lower a small frame housing sensors and inlet tubing. Seawater at the inlet depth is pumped back to the ship for analysis. The profiler can be used to make continuous vertical profiles or to target a series of discrete depths. The profiler has been successfully deployed during wind speeds up to 10 m s-1 and significant wave heights up to 2 m. We demonstrate the potential of the profiler by presenting measured vertical profiles of the trace gases carbon dioxide and dimethylsulfide. Trace gas measurements use an efficient microporous membrane equilibrator to minimize the system response time. The example profiles show vertical gradients in the upper 5 m for temperature, carbon dioxide and dimethylsulfide of 0.15 °C, 4 µatm and 0.4 nM respectively.
Pressure gradients fail to predict diffusio-osmosis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Yawei; Ganti, Raman; Frenkel, Daan
2018-05-01
We present numerical simulations of diffusio-osmotic flow, i.e. the fluid flow generated by a concentration gradient along a solid-fluid interface. In our study, we compare a number of distinct approaches that have been proposed for computing such flows and compare them with a reference calculation based on direct, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. As alternatives, we consider schemes that compute diffusio-osmotic flow from the gradient of the chemical potentials of the constituent species and from the gradient of the component of the pressure tensor parallel to the interface. We find that the approach based on treating chemical potential gradients as external forces acting on various species agrees with the direct simulations, thereby supporting the approach of Marbach et al (2017 J. Chem. Phys. 146 194701). In contrast, an approach based on computing the gradients of the microscopic pressure tensor does not reproduce the direct non-equilibrium results.
Get a Grip: Substrate Orientation and Digital Grasping Pressures in Strepsirrhines.
Congdon, Kimberly A; Ravosa, Matthew J
2016-01-01
Skeletal functional morphology in primates underlies many fossil interpretations. Understanding the functional correlates of arboreal grasping is central to identifying locomotor signatures in extinct primates. We tested 3 predictions linking substrate orientation and digital grasping pressures: (1) below-branch pressures are greater than above-branch and vertical-branch pressures; (2) there is no difference in pressure exerted across digits within autopods at any substrate orientation, and (3) there is no difference in pressure exerted between homologous digits across autopods at any substrate orientation. Adult males and females from 3 strepsirrhine species crossed an artificial arboreal substrate oriented for above-, below- and vertical-branch locomotion. We compared digital pressures within and across behaviors via ANOVA and Tukey's Honest Significant Difference test. Results show limited support for all predictions: below-branch pressures exceeded vertical-branch pressures and above-branch pressures for some digits and species (prediction 1), lateral digits often exerted greater pressures than medial digits (prediction 2), and pedal digits occasionally exerted greater pressures than manual digits during above-branch and vertical orientations but less often for below-branch locomotion (prediction 3). We observed functional variability across autopods, substrate and species that could underlie morphological variation within and across primates. Future work should consider the complexity of arboreality when inferring locomotor modes in fossils. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.
On the role and value of β in incompressible MHD simulations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chahine, Robert; Bos, Wouter J. T.
2018-04-01
The parameter β, defined as the ratio of the pressure to the square of the magnetic field, is widely used to characterize astrophysical and fusion plasmas. However, in the dynamics of a plasma flow, it is the pressure gradient which is important rather than the value of the pressure itself. It is shown that if one is interested in the influence of the pressure gradient on the dynamics of a plasma, it is not the quantity β which should be considered, but a similar quantity depending on the pressure gradient. The scaling of this newly defined quantity is investigated using incompressible magnetohydrodynamic simulations in a periodic cylinder in the Reversed Field Pinch flow regime.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brown, Steven S.; Dubé, William P.; Osthoff, Hans D.; Stutz, Jochen; Ryerson, Thomas B.; Wollny, Adam G.; Brock, Charles A.; Warneke, Carsten; de Gouw, Joost A.; Atlas, Eliot; Neuman, J. Andrew; Holloway, John S.; Lerner, Brian M.; Williams, Eric J.; Kuster, William C.; Goldan, Paul D.; Angevine, Wayne M.; Trainer, Michael; Fehsenfeld, Frederick C.; Ravishankara, A. R.
2007-11-01
The nocturnal nitrogen oxides, NO3 and N2O5, are important to the chemical transformation and transport of NOx, O3 and VOC. Their concentrations, sources and sinks are known to be vertically stratified in the nighttime atmosphere. In this paper, we report vertical profiles for NO3 and N2O5 measured from an aircraft (the NOAA P-3) as part of the New England Air Quality Study in July and August 2004. The aircraft data are compared to surface measurements made in situ from a ship and by long-path DOAS. Consistent with previous, vertically resolved studies of NO3 and N2O5, the aircraft measurements show that these species occur at larger concentrations and are longer lived aloft than they are at the surface. The array of in situ measurements available on the P-3 allows for investigation of the mechanisms that give rise to the observed vertical gradients. Selected vertical profiles from this campaign illustrate the role of biogenic VOC, particularly isoprene and dimethyl sulfide, both within and above the nocturnal and/or marine boundary layer. Gradients in relative humidity and aerosol surface may also create a vertical gradient in the rate of N2O5 hydrolysis. Low-altitude intercepts of power plant plumes showed strong vertical stratification, with plume depths of 80 m. The efficiency of N2O5 hydrolysis within these plumes was an important factor determining the low-level NOx and O3 transport or loss at night. Averages of nocturnal O3, NO2, NO3 and N2O5 binned according to altitude were consistent with the trends from individual profiles. While production rates of NO3 peaked near the surface, lifetimes of NO3 and N2O5 were maximum aloft, particularly in the free troposphere. Variability in NO3 and N2O5 was large and exceeded that of NO2 or O3 because of inhomogeneous distribution of NOx emissions and NO3 and N2O5 sinks.
Sabatini, Angelo Maria; Genovese, Vincenzo
2014-07-24
A sensor fusion method was developed for vertical channel stabilization by fusing inertial measurements from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and pressure altitude measurements from a barometric altimeter integrated in the same device (baro-IMU). An Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) estimated the quaternion from the sensor frame to the navigation frame; the sensed specific force was rotated into the navigation frame and compensated for gravity, yielding the vertical linear acceleration; finally, a complementary filter driven by the vertical linear acceleration and the measured pressure altitude produced estimates of height and vertical velocity. A method was also developed to condition the measured pressure altitude using a whitening filter, which helped to remove the short-term correlation due to environment-dependent pressure changes from raw pressure altitude. The sensor fusion method was implemented to work on-line using data from a wireless baro-IMU and tested for the capability of tracking low-frequency small-amplitude vertical human-like motions that can be critical for stand-alone inertial sensor measurements. Validation tests were performed in different experimental conditions, namely no motion, free-fall motion, forced circular motion and squatting. Accurate on-line tracking of height and vertical velocity was achieved, giving confidence to the use of the sensor fusion method for tracking typical vertical human motions: velocity Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was in the range 0.04-0.24 m/s; height RMSE was in the range 5-68 cm, with statistically significant performance gains when the whitening filter was used by the sensor fusion method to track relatively high-frequency vertical motions.
Wind Characterization for the Assessment of Collision Risk During Flight Level Changes
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Carreno, Victor; Chartrand, Ryan
2009-01-01
A model of vertical wind gradient is presented based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wind data. The objective is to have an accurate representation of wind to be used in Collision Risk Models (CRM) of aircraft procedures. Depending on how an aircraft procedure is defined, wind and the different characteristics of the wind will have a more severe or less severe impact on distances between aircraft. For the In-Trail Procedure, the non-linearity of the vertical wind gradient has the greatest impact on longitudinal distance. The analysis in this paper extracts standard deviation, mean, maximum, and linearity characteristics from the NOAA data.
Heat and mass transfer analogy for condensation of humid air in a vertical channel
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Desrayaud, G.; Lauriat, G.
This study examines energy transport associated with liquid film condensation in natural convection flows driven by differences in density due to temperature and concentration gradients. The condensation problem is based on the thin-film assumptions. The most common compositional gradient, which is encountered in humid air at ambient temperature is considered. A steady laminar Boussinesq flow of an ideal gas-vapor mixture is studied for the case of a vertical parallel plate channel. New correlations for the latent and sensible Nusselt numbers are established, and the heat and mass transfer analogy between the sensible Nusselt number and Sherwood number is demonstrated.
Determination of wall shear stress from mean velocity and Reynolds shear stress profiles
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Volino, Ralph J.; Schultz, Michael P.
2018-03-01
An analytical method is presented for determining the Reynolds shear stress profile in steady, two-dimensional wall-bounded flows using the mean streamwise velocity. The method is then utilized with experimental data to determine the local wall shear stress. The procedure is applicable to flows on smooth and rough surfaces with arbitrary pressure gradients. It is based on the streamwise component of the boundary layer momentum equation, which is transformed into inner coordinates. The method requires velocity profiles from at least two streamwise locations, but the formulation of the momentum equation reduces the dependence on streamwise gradients. The method is verified through application to laminar flow solutions and turbulent DNS results from both zero and nonzero pressure gradient boundary layers. With strong favorable pressure gradients, the method is shown to be accurate for finding the wall shear stress in cases where the Clauser fit technique loses accuracy. The method is then applied to experimental data from the literature from zero pressure gradient studies on smooth and rough walls, and favorable and adverse pressure gradient cases on smooth walls. Data from very near the wall are not required for determination of the wall shear stress. Wall friction velocities obtained using the present method agree with those determined in the original studies, typically to within 2%.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Israelsson, U. E.; Duncan, R. V.
1993-01-01
A design is presented of a low gravity simulator where a magnetic field gradient is employed to oppose the hydrostatic pressure effects of gravity. It appears feasible to reduce the effective gravity environment of the helium in the cell by about two orders of magnitude. The corresponding shift in transition temperature with vertical height would be reduced to 12.7 nK/cm. Methods for instrumenting the simulator to perform high resolution investigations of non-equilibrium phenomena near the lambda point are presented. The advantages of using a low gravity simulator in searching for the predicted change in character of the superfluid transition from continuous to first order in the presence of a heat current are also discussed.
Numerical simulation of the baking of porous anode carbon in a vertical flue ring furnace
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Jacobsen, M.; Melaaen, M.C.
The interaction of pitch pyrolysis in porous anode carbon during heating and volatiles combustion in the flue gas channel has been analyzed to gain insight in the anode baking process. A two-dimensional geometry of a flue gas channel adjacent to a porous flue gas wall, packing coke, and an anode was used for studying the effect of heating rate on temperature gradients and internal gas pressure in the anodes. The mathematical model included porous heat and mass transfer, pitch pyrolysis, combustion of volatiles, radiation, and turbulent channel flow. The mathematical model was developed through source code modification of the computationalmore » fluid dynamics code FLUENT. The model was useful for studying the effects of heating rate, geometry, and anode properties.« less
Mohkam, Kayvan; Rode, Agnès; Darnis, Benjamin; Manichon, Anne-Frédérique; Boussel, Loïc; Ducerf, Christian; Merle, Philippe; Lesurtel, Mickaël; Mabrut, Jean-Yves
2018-05-09
The impact of portal hemodynamic variations after portal vein embolization on liver regeneration remains unknown. We studied the correlation between the parameters of hepatic venous pressure measured before and after portal vein embolization and future hypertrophy of the liver remnant after portal vein embolization. Between 2014 and 2017, we reviewed patients who were eligible for major hepatectomy and who had portal vein embolization. Patients had undergone simultaneous measurement of portal venous pressure and hepatic venous pressure gradient before and after portal vein embolization by direct puncture of portal vein and inferior vena cava. We assessed these parameters to predict future liver remnant hypertrophy. Twenty-six patients were included. After portal vein embolization, median portal venous pressure (range) increased from 15 (9-24) to 19 (10-27) mm Hg and hepatic venous pressure gradient increased from 5 (0-12) to 8 (0-14) mm Hg. Median future liver remnant volume (range) was 513 (299-933) mL before portal vein embolization versus 724 (499-1279) mL 3 weeks after portal vein embolization, representing a 35% (7.4-83.6) median hypertrophy. Post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient was the most accurate parameter to predict failure of future liver remnant to reach a 30% hypertrophy (c-statistic: 0.882 [95% CI: 0.727-1.000], P < 0.001). A cut-off value of post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient of 8 mm Hg showed a sensitivity of 91% (95% CI: 57%-99%), specificity of 80% (95% CI: 52%-96%), positive predictive value of 77% (95% CI: 46%-95%) and negative predictive value of 92.3% (95% CI: 64.0%-99.8%). On multivariate analysis, post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient and previous chemotherapy were identified as predictors of impaired future liver remnant hypertrophy. Post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient is a simple and reproducible tool which accurately predicts future liver remnant hypertrophy after portal vein embolization and allows early detection of patients who may benefit from more aggressive procedures inducing future liver remnant hypertrophy. (Surgery 2018;143:1-2.). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Mert, Murat; Saltik, Levent; Gunay, Ilhan
2004-08-15
An 8-month old girl was presented with superior caval vein syndrome early after cardiac surgery. Angiography showed severe stenosis of the superior caval vein with 50 mmHg pressure gradient. Following balloon angioplasty, the pressure gradient was reduced to 7 mmHg with some residual stenosis of the superior caval vein. When the patient was reevaluated 5 months after the procedure, angiography revealed a normal diameter of the superior caval vein without a pressure gradient.
Acoustic waves in gases with strong pressure gradients
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Zorumski, William E.
1989-01-01
The effect of strong pressure gradients on the acoustic modes (standing waves) of a rectangular cavity is investigated analytically. When the cavity response is represented by a sum of modes, each mode is found to have two resonant frequencies. The lower frequency is near the Viaesaela-Brundt frequency, which characterizes the buoyant effect, and the higher frequency is above the ordinary acoustic resonance frequency. This finding shows that the propagation velocity of the acoustic waves is increased due to the pressure gradient effect.
Pulmonary hypertension in dogs with mitral regurgitation attributable to myxomatous valve disease.
Chiavegato, David; Borgarelli, Michele; D'Agnolo, Gino; Santilli, Roberto A
2009-01-01
Pulmonary hypertension has been associated with mitral insufficiency caused by chronic degenerative valve disease in dogs. Our aim was to search for associations between left atrial to aortic root ratio, end-systolic and end-diastolic volume indices, and changes in the right ventricular to right atrial pressure gradient as estimated by the peak velocity of tricuspid regurgitation in dogs with chronic degenerative valve disease and different classes of heart failure. Dogs, for which follow-up was available were evaluated for changes in the right ventricular to right atrial systolic pressure gradient over time. Three hundred and forty-four dogs were studied; 51 in the International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council class la, 75 in class 1b, 113 in class 2, 97 in class 3a, and 8 in class 3b. The mean values for right ventricular to right atrial systolic pressure gradient, end-systolic volume index, end-diastolic volume index, and left atrial to aortic ratio were 49.2 +/- 17.1 mmHg, 149.12 +/- 60.8 and 37.7 +/- 21.6 ml/m2, and 1.9 +/- 0.5, respectively. A weak positive correlation was found between the right ventricular to right atrial systolic pressure gradient and the left atrial to aorta ratio (r = 0.242, P < 0.0001), end-diastolic volume index (r = 0.242, P < 0.0001), and end-systolic volume index (r = 0.129, P < 0.001). Follow up was available for 49 dogs. Of these, 18 had an increased, 12 a decreased, and 19 a stable right ventricular to right atrial systolic pressure gradient despite therapy. The equivalence point between the sensitivity and specificity curves of about 80% in the coincident point corresponded to a right ventricular to right atrial systolic pressure gradient of 48 mmHg. Our results suggest an association between the progressive nature of chronic degenerative mitral valve disease and pulmonary hypertension. It is of clinical interest that, with a right ventricular to right atrial systolic pressure gradient pressure gradient at or above 48 mmHg, pulmonary hypertension does not appear to improve despite therapy targeted at lowering the left atrial load.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hathaway, D. H.; Fowlis, W. W.
1986-01-01
Experimental flow regime diagrams are determined for a new rotating cylindrical annulus configuration which permits a measure of control over the internal vertical temperature gradient. The new annulus has radial temperature gradients imposed on plane horizontal thermally conducting endwalls (with the cylindrical sidewalls as insulators) and is considered to be more relevant to atmospheric dynamics studies than the classical cylindrical annulus. Observations have revealed that, in addition to the axisymmetric flow and nonaxisymmetric baroclinic wave flow which occur in the classical annulus, two additional nonaxisymmetric flow types occur in the new annulus: boundary-layer thermal convection and deep thermal convection. Flow regime diagrams for three different values of the imposed vertical temperature difference are presented, and explanations for the flow transitions are offered. The new annulus provides scientific backup for the proposed Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment for Spacelab. The apparatus diagram is included.
Knowles, Leel; Phelps, G.G.; Kinnaman, Sandra L.; German, Edward R.
2005-01-01
Two internally drained karstic wetlands in central Florida-Boggy Marsh at the Hilochee Wildlife Management Area and a large unnamed wetland at the Lyonia Preserve-were studied during 2001-03 to gain a better understanding of the net-recharge function that these wetlands provide, the significance of exchanges with ground water with regard to wetland water budgets, and the variability in wetland hydrologic response to a range of climate conditions. These natural, relatively remote and unaltered wetlands were selected to provide a baseline of natural wetland hydrologic variability to which anthropogenic influences on wetland hydrology could be compared. Large departures from normal rainfall during the study were fortuitous, and allowed monitoring of hydrologic processes over a wide range of climate conditions. Wetland responses varied greatly as a result of climate conditions that ranged from moderate drought to extremely moist. Anthropogenic activities influenced water levels at both study sites; however, because these activities were brief relative to the duration of the study, sufficient data were collected during unimpacted periods to allow for the following conclusions to be made. Water budgets developed for Boggy Marsh and the Lyonia large wetland showed strong similarity between the flux terms of rainfall, evaporation, net change in storage, and the net ground-water exchange residual. Runoff was assumed to be negligible. Of the total annual flux at Boggy Marsh, rainfall accounted for 45 percent; evaporation accounted for 25 percent; net change in storage accounted for 25 percent; and the net residual accounted for 5 percent. At the Lyonia large wetland, rainfall accounted for 44 percent; evaporation accounted for 29 percent; net change in storage accounted for 21 percent; and the net residual accounted for 6 percent of the total annual flux. Wetland storage and ground-water exchange were important when compared to the total water budget at both wetlands. Even though rainfall was far above average during the study, wetland evaporation volumetrically exceeded rainfall. Ground-water inflow was effective in partially offsetting the negative residual between rainfall and evaporation, thus adding to wetland storage. Ground-water inflow was most common at both wetlands when rainfall continued for days or weeks, or during a week with more than about 2.5 inches of rainfall. Large decreases in wetland storage were associated with large negative fluxes of evaporation and ground-water exchange. The response of wetland water levels to rainfall showed a strong and similar relation at both study sites; however, the greater variability in the relation of wetland water-level change to rainfall at higher rainfall rates indicated that hydrologic processes other than rainfall became more important in the response of the wetland. Changes in wetland water levels seemed to be related more to vertical gradients than to lateral gradients. The largest wetland water-level rises were associated mostly with lower vertical gradients, when vertical head differences were below the 18-month average; however, at the Lyonia large wetland, extremely large lateral gradients toward the wetland during late June 2002 may have contributed to substantial gains in wetland water. During the remainder of the study, wetland water-level rises were associated mostly with decreasing vertical gradients and highly variable lateral gradients. Conversely, wetland water-level decreases were associated mostly with increasing vertical gradients and lateral gradients away from the wetland, particularly during the dry season. The potential for lateral ground-water exchange with the wetlands varied substantially more than that for vertical exchange. Potential for vertical losses of wetland water to ground water was highest during a dry period from December 2001 to June 2002, during the wet season of 2002, and for several months into the following dry season. Lateral he
Confinement effects in premelting dynamics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pramanik, Satyajit; Wettlaufer, John
2017-11-01
We examine the effects of confinement on the dynamics of premelted films driven by thermomolecular pressure gradients. Our approach is to modify a well-studied setting in which the thermomolecular pressure gradient is driven by a temperature gradient parallel to an interfacially premelted elastic wall. The modification treats the increase in viscosity associated with the thinning of films studied in a wide variety of materials using a power law and we examine the consequent evolution of the elastic wall. We treat (i) a range of interactions that are known to underlie interfacial premelting and (ii) a constant temperature gradient wherein the thermomolecular pressure gradient is a constant. The difference between the cases with and without the proximity effect arises in the volume flux of premelted liquid. The proximity effect increases the viscosity as the film thickness decreases thereby requiring the thermomolecular pressure driven flux to be accommodated at larger temperatures where the premelted film thickness is the largest. Implications for experiment and observations of frost heave are discussed.
Confinement effects in premelting dynamics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pramanik, Satyajit; Wettlaufer, John S.
2017-11-01
We examine the effects of confinement on the dynamics of premelted films driven by thermomolecular pressure gradients. Our approach is to modify a well-studied setting in which the thermomolecular pressure gradient is driven by a temperature gradient parallel to an interfacially premelted elastic wall. The modification treats the increase in viscosity associated with the thinning of films, studied in a wide variety of materials, using a power law and we examine the consequent evolution of the confining elastic wall. We treat (1) a range of interactions that are known to underlie interfacial premelting and (2) a constant temperature gradient wherein the thermomolecular pressure gradient is a constant. The difference between the cases with and without the proximity effect arises in the volume flux of premelted liquid. The proximity effect increases the viscosity as the film thickness decreases thereby requiring the thermomolecular pressure driven flux to be accommodated at higher temperatures where the premelted film thickness is the largest. Implications for experiment and observations of frost heave are discussed.
Larval biology of the crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould): a synthesis.
Forward, Richard B
2009-06-01
This synthesis reviews the physiological ecology and behavior of larvae of the benthic crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii, which occurs in low-salinity areas of estuaries. Larvae are released rhythmically around the time of high tide in tidal estuaries and in the 2-h interval after sunset in nontidal estuaries. As in most subtidal crustaceans, the timing of larval release is controlled by the developing embryos, which release peptide pheromones that stimulate larval release behavior by the female to synchronize the time of egg hatching. Larvae pass through four zoeal stages and a postlarval or megalopal stage that are planktonic before metamorphosis. They are retained near the adult population by means of an endogenous tidal rhythm in vertical migration. Larvae have several safeguards against predation: they undergo nocturnal diel vertical migration (DVM) and have a shadow response to avoid encountering predators, and they bear long spines as a deterrent. Photoresponses during DVM and the shadow response are enhanced by exposure to chemical cues from the mucus of predator fishes and ctenophores. The primary visual pigment has a spectral sensitivity maximum at about 500 nm, which is typical for zooplankton and matches the ambient spectrum at twilight. Larvae can detect vertical gradients in temperature, salinity, and hydrostatic pressure, which are used for depth regulation and avoidance of adverse environmental conditions. Characteristics that are related to the larval habitat and are common to other crab larval species are considered.
Independent control of differently-polarized waves using anisotropic gradient-index metamaterials
Ma, Hui Feng; Wang, Gui Zhen; Jiang, Wei Xiang; Cui, Tie Jun
2014-01-01
We propose a kind of anisotropic gradient-index (GRIN) metamaterials, which can be used to control differently-polarized waves independently. We show that two three- dimensional (3D) planar lenses made of such anisotropic GRIN metamaterials are able to make arbitrary beam deflections for the vertical (or horizontal) polarization but have no response to the horizontal (or vertical) polarization. Then the vertically- and horizontally-polarized waves are separated and controlled independently to deflect to arbitrarily different directions by designing the anisotropic GRIN planar lenses. We make experimental verifications of the lenses using such a special metamaterial, which has both electric and magnetic responses simultaneously to reach approximately equal permittivity and permeability. Hence excellent impedance matching is obtained between the GRIN planar lenses and the air. The measurement results demonstrate good performance on the independent controls of differently-polarized waves, as observed in the numerical simulations. PMID:25231412
Ortho-para-hydrogen equilibration on Jupiter
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Carlson, Barbara E.; Lacis, Andrew A.; Rossow, William B.
1992-01-01
Voyager IRIS observations reveal that the Jovian para-hydrogen fraction is not in thermodynamic equilibrium near the NH3 cloud top, implying that a vertical gradient exists between the high-temperature equilibrium value of 0.25 at depth and the cloud top values. The height-dependent para-hydrogen profile is obtained using an anisotropic multiple-scattering radiative transfer model. A vertical correlation is found to exist between the location of the para-hydrogen gradient and the NH3 cloud, strongly suggesting that paramagnetic conversion on NH3 cloud particle surfaces is the dominant equilibration mechanism. Below the NH3 cloud layer, the para fraction is constant with depth and equal to the high-temperature equilibrium value of 0.25. The degree of cloud-top equilibration appears to depend on the optical depth of the NH3 cloud layer. Belt-zone variations in the para-hydrogen profile seem to be due to differences in the strength of the vertical mixing.
Subsurface fluid pressures from drill-stem tests, Uinta Basin, Utah
Nelson, P.H.
2002-01-01
High fluid pressures are known to be associated with oil and gas fields in the Uinta Basin, Utah. Shut-in pressure measurements from drill-stem tests show how pressure varies with depth and by area within the basin. The data base used in this report incorporates over 2,000 pressure measurements from drill-stem tests in wells completed prior to 1985. However, the number of useful pressure measurements is considerably less, because many drill-stem tests fail to stabilize at the actual formation pressure if the permeability is low. By extracting the maximum pressure measurements recorded in a collection of wells within an area, the trend of formation pressure within that area can be approximated. Areal compilations of pressures from drill-stem tests show that overpressured rock formations occur throughout much of the northern and eastern areas of the Uinta Basin. In particular, significant overpressuring (0.5 < pressure gradient < 0.8 psi/ft) is found throughout much of the Altamont-Bluebell field at depths ranging from 10,000 to 13,000 ft, equivalent to 5,000 to 8,000 ft below sea level. Limited data indicate that the pressure gradient declines at depths greater than 13,000 ft. An underpressured zone appears to exist in the Altamont-Bluebell field at depths shallower than 5,000 ft. Throughout the eastern Uinta Basin, moderately overpressured zones (0.46 < pressure gradient < 0.5 psi/ft) are common, with local evidence of significantly overpressured zones, but pressure gradients greater than 0.6 psi/ft are rare.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Klein, Amélie; Ancellet, Gérard; Ravetta, François; Thomas, Jennie L.; Pazmino, Andrea
2017-10-01
Systematic ozone LIDAR measurements were completed during a 4 year period (2011-2014) in Paris, France to study the seasonal variability of the vertical structure of ozone in the urban boundary layer. In addition, we use in-situ measurements from the surface air quality network that is located in Paris (AIRPARIF). Specifically, we use ozone and NO2 measurements made at two urban stations: Paris13 (60 m ASL) and the Eiffel Tower (310 m ASL) to validate and interpret the LIDAR profiles. Remote sensed tropospheric NO2 integrated columns from the SAOZ instrument located in Paris are also used to interpret ozone measurements. Comparison between ozone LIDAR measurements averaged from 250 m to 500 m and the Eiffel Tower in-situ measurements shows that the accuracy of the LIDAR (originally ±14 μg·m-3) is significantly improved (±7 μg·m-3) when a small telescope with a wide angular aperture is used. Results for the seasonal cycle of the ozone vertical gradient are found to be similar using two methods: (1) measured differences between AIRPARIF stations with measurements at 60 m ASL and 310 m ASL and (2) using LIDAR profiles from 300 m to the top of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL). Ozone concentrations measured by the LIDAR increase with altitude within the PBL, with a steeper gradient in winter (60 μg·m-3·km-1) and a less strong gradient in summer (20 μg·m-3·km-1). Results show that in winter, there is a sharp positive gradient of ozone at the surface, which is explained by ozone titration by NO combined with increased atmospheric stability in winter. In the afternoon during summer, photochemistry and vertical mixing are large enough to compensate for ozone titration near the surface, where NOx is emitted, and there is no gradient in ozone observed. In contrast, in the summer during the morning, ozone has a sharper positive vertical gradient similar to the winter values. Comparison of the vertically averaged ozone concentrations up to (0-3 km) and urban layer (0-310 m) ozone concentrations shows that the ratio between these two quantities is the largest in summer (86%) and the lowest in winter (49%). We conclude that satellite measurements that represent the 0-3 km integrated ozone column are not necessarily a good proxy for surface ozone and may lead to incorrect conclusions about the surface ozone seasonal variability. The ratio between the urban layer NO2 average concentration and the boundary layer NO2 average concentration obtained from SAOZ NO2 tropospheric columns is always less than 50%, meaning NO2 does not decrease linearly in the PBL, but with a sharper decrease close to the surface.
Dynamics of Atmospheric Boundary Layers: Large-Eddy Simulations and Reduced Analytical Models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Momen, Mostafa
Real-world atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers (ABL) involve many inherent complexities, the understanding and modeling of which manifestly exceeds our current capabilities. Previous studies largely focused on the "textbook ABL", which is (quasi) steady and barotropic. However, it is evident that the "real-world ABL", even over flat terrain, rarely meets such simplifying assumptions. The present thesis aims to illustrate and model four complicating features of ABLs that have been overlooked thus far despite their ubiquity: 1) unsteady pressure gradients in neutral ABLs (Chapters 2 and 3), 2) interacting effects of unsteady pressure gradients and static stability in diabatic ABLs (Chapter 4), 3) time-variable buoyancy fluxes (Chapter 5) , and 4) impacts of baroclinicity in neutral and diabatic ABLs (Chapter 6). State-of-the-art large-eddy simulations will be used as a tool to explain the underlying physics and to validate analytical models we develop for these features. Chapter 2 focuses on the turbulence equilibrium: when the forcing time scale is comparable to the turbulence time scale, the turbulence is shown to be out of equilibrium, and the velocity profiles depart from the log-law; However, for longer, and surprisingly for shorter forcing times, quasi-equilibrium is maintained. In Chapter 3, a reduced analytical model, based on the Navier-Stokes equations, will be introduced and shown to be analogous to a damped oscillator where inertial, Coriolis, and friction forces mirror the mass, spring, and damper, respectively. When a steady buoyancy (stable or unstable) is superposed on the unsteady pressure gradient, the same model structure can be maintained, but the damping term, corresponding to friction forces and vertical coupling, needs to account for stability. However, for the reverse case with variable buoyancy flux and stability, the model needs to be extended to allow time-variable damper coefficient. These extensions of the analytical model are presented respectively in Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 6 investigates the interacting effects of baroclinicity (direction and strength) and stability on ABLs. Cold advection and positive shear increased the friction velocity, the low-level jet elevation and strength while warm advection and negative shear acted opposite. Finally, Chapter 7 provides a synthesis and a future outlook.
Šesták, Jozef; Kahle, Vladislav
2014-07-11
Performing gradient liquid chromatography at constant pressure instead of constant flow rate has serious potential for shortening the analysis time and increasing the productivity of HPLC instruments that use gradient methods. However, in the constant pressure mode the decreasing column permeability during a long period of time negatively affects the repeatability of retention time. Thus a volume-based approach, in which the detector signal is plotted as a function of retention volume, must be taken into consideration. Traditional HPLC equipment, however, requires quite complex hardware and software modifications in order to work at constant pressure and in the volume-based mode. In this short communication, a low cost and easily feasible pressure-controlled extension of the previously described simple gradient liquid chromatography platform is proposed. A test mixture of four nitro esters was separated by 10-60% (v/v) acetone/water gradient and a high repeatability of retention volumes at 20MPa (RSD less than 0.45%) was realized. Separations were also performed at different values of pressure (20, 25, and 31MPa), and only small variations of the retention volumes (up to 0.8%) were observed. In this particular case, the gain in the analysis speed of 7% compared to the constant flow mode was realized at a constant pressure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Depth-Related Gradients of Viral Activity in Lake Pavin
Colombet, J.; Sime-Ngando, T.; Cauchie, H. M.; Fonty, G.; Hoffmann, L.; Demeure, G.
2006-01-01
High-resolution vertical sampling and determination of viral and prokaryotic parameters in a deep volcanic lake shows that in the absence of thermal stratification but within light, oxygen, and chlorophyll gradients, host availability empirically is prevalent over the physical and chemical environments and favors lytic over lysogenic “viral life cycles.” PMID:16751565
Spatial and temporal dynamics of disturbance interactions along an ecological gradient
Christopher D. O' Connor
2013-01-01
Interactions among site conditions, disturbance events, and climate determine the patterns of forest species recruitment and mortality across landscapes. Forests of the American Southwest have undergone significant changes over a century of altered disturbance regimes, human land uses, and changing environmental conditions. Along steep vertical gradients such as those...
Stankovich, Joseph J; Gritti, Fabrice; Stevenson, Paul G; Beaver, Lois A; Guiochon, Georges
2014-01-17
Five methods for controlling the mobile phase flow rate for gradient elution analyses using very high pressure liquid chromatography (VHPLC) were tested to determine thermal stability of the column during rapid gradient separations. To obtain rapid separations, instruments are operated at high flow rates and high inlet pressure leading to uneven thermal effects across columns and additional time needed to restore thermal equilibrium between successive analyses. The purpose of this study is to investigate means to minimize thermal instability and obtain reliable results by measuring the reproducibility of the results of six replicate gradient separations of a nine component RPLC standard mixture under various experimental conditions with no post-run times. Gradient separations under different conditions were performed: constant flow rates, two sets of constant pressure operation, programmed flow constant pressure operation, and conditions which theoretically should yield a constant net heat loss at the column's wall. The results show that using constant flow rates, programmed flow constant pressures, and constant heat loss at the column's wall all provide reproducible separations. However, performing separations using a high constant pressure with programmed flow reduces the analysis time by 16% compared to constant flow rate methods. For the constant flow rate, programmed flow constant pressure, and constant wall heat experiments no equilibration time (post-run time) was required to obtain highly reproducible data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
On Localized Vapor Pressure Gradients Governing Condensation and Frost Phenomena.
Nath, Saurabh; Boreyko, Jonathan B
2016-08-23
Interdroplet vapor pressure gradients are the driving mechanism for several phase-change phenomena such as condensation dry zones, interdroplet ice bridging, dry zones around ice, and frost halos. Despite the fundamental nature of the underlying pressure gradients, the majority of studies on these emerging phenomena have been primarily empirical. Using classical nucleation theory and Becker-Döring embryo formation kinetics, here we calculate the pressure field for all possible modes of condensation and desublimation in order to gain fundamental insight into how pressure gradients govern the behavior of dry zones, condensation frosting, and frost halos. Our findings reveal that in a variety of phase-change systems the thermodynamically favorable mode of nucleation can switch between condensation and desublimation depending upon the temperature and wettability of the surface. The calculated pressure field is used to model the length of a dry zone around liquid or ice droplets over a broad parameter space. The long-standing question of whether the vapor pressure at the interface of growing frost is saturated or supersaturated is resolved by considering the kinetics of interdroplet ice bridging. Finally, on the basis of theoretical calculations, we propose that there exists a new mode of frost halo that is yet to be experimentally observed; a bimodal phase map is developed, demonstrating its dependence on the temperature and wettability of the underlying substrate. We hope that the model and predictions contained herein will assist future efforts to exploit localized vapor pressure gradients for the design of spatially controlled or antifrosting phase-change systems.
Assessment of fluctuating pressure gradient using acceleration spectra in near wall flows
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cadel, Daniel; Lowe, K. Todd
2015-11-01
Separation of contributions to the fluctuating acceleration from pressure gradient fluctuations and viscous shear fluctuations in the frequency domain is examined in a turbulent boundary layer. Past work leveraging turbulent accelerations for pressure gradient measurements has neglected the viscous shear term from the momentum equation--an invalid assumption in the case of near wall flows. The present study seeks to account for the influence of the viscous shear term and spectrally reject its contribution, which is thought to be concentrated at higher frequencies. Spectra of velocity and acceleration fluctuations in a flat plate, zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer at a momentum thickness Reynolds number of 7500 are measured using a spatially resolving three-component laser Doppler velocimeter. This canonical case data is applied for validation of the spectral approach for future application in more complex aerodynamic flows.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bandopadhyay, Aditya; Le Borgne, Tanguy; Davy, Philippe
2017-04-01
Topography-driven subsurface flows are thought to play a central role in determining solute turnover and biogeochemical processes at different scales in the critical zone, including river-hyporheic zone exchanges, hillslope solute transport and reactions, and catchment biogeochemical cycles. Hydraulic head gradients, induced by topography gradients at different scales, generate a distribution of streamlines at depth, dictating the spatial distribution of redox sensitive species, the magnitude of surface water - ground water exchanges and ultimately the source/sink function of the subsurface. Flow velocities generally decrease with depth, leading to broad residence time distributions, which have been shown to affect river chemistry and geochemical reactions in catchments. In this presentation, we discuss the impact of topography-driven flows on mixing processes and the formation of localized reactive hotspots. For this, we solve analytically the coupled flow, mixing and reaction equations in two-dimensional vertical cross-sections of subsurface domains with different topography gradients. For a given topography gradient, we derive the spatial distribution of subsurface velocities, the rates of solute mixing accross streamlines and the induced kinetics of redox, precipitation and dissolution reactions using a Lagrangian approach (Le Borgne et al. 2014). We demonstrate that vertical velocity profiles driven by topography variations, act effectively as shear flows, hence stretching continuously the mixing fronts between recently infiltrated and resident water (Bandopadhyay et al. 2017). We thus derive analytical expressions for residence time distributions, mixing rates and kinetics of chemical reactions as a function of the topography gradients. We show that the rates dissolution and precipitation reactions are significantly enhanced by the existence of vertical velocity gradients and that reaction rates reach a maximum in a localized subsurface reactive layer, whose location and intensity depends on topography gradients. As a consequence of these findings, we discuss the links between topography variations, subsurface velocity gradients and biogeochemical processes in the critical zone. References: Bandopadhyay A., T. Le Borgne, Y. Méheust and M. Dentz (2017) Enhanced reaction kinetics and reactive mixing scale dynamics in mixing fronts under shear flow for arbitrary Damkohler numbers, Adv. in Water Resour. Vol. 100, p. 78-95 Le Borgne T., T. Ginn and M. Dentz (2014) Impact of Fluid Deformation on Mixing-Induced Chemical Reactions in Heterogeneous Flows, Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol. 41, 22, p. 7898-790
Chen, Xiaodong; Zielinski, Rachel; Ghadiali, Samir N
2014-10-01
Although mechanical ventilation is a life-saving therapy for patients with severe lung disorders, the microbubble flows generated during ventilation generate hydrodynamic stresses, including pressure and shear stress gradients, which damage the pulmonary epithelium. In this study, we used computational fluid dynamics to investigate how gravity, inertia, and surface tension influence both microbubble flow patterns in bifurcating airways and the magnitude/distribution of hydrodynamic stresses on the airway wall. Direct interface tracking and finite element techniques were used to simulate bubble propagation in a two-dimensional (2D) liquid-filled bifurcating airway. Computational solutions of the full incompressible Navier-Stokes equation were used to investigate how inertia, gravity, and surface tension forces as characterized by the Reynolds (Re), Bond (Bo), and Capillary (Ca) numbers influence pressure and shear stress gradients at the airway wall. Gravity had a significant impact on flow patterns and hydrodynamic stress magnitudes where Bo > 1 led to dramatic changes in bubble shape and increased pressure and shear stress gradients in the upper daughter airway. Interestingly, increased pressure gradients near the bifurcation point (i.e., carina) were only elevated during asymmetric bubble splitting. Although changes in pressure gradient magnitudes were generally more sensitive to Ca, under large Re conditions, both Re and Ca significantly altered the pressure gradient magnitude. We conclude that inertia, gravity, and surface tension can all have a significant impact on microbubble flow patterns and hydrodynamic stresses in bifurcating airways.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McKain, K.; Sweeney, C.; Stephens, B. B.; Long, M. C.; Jacobson, A. R.; Basu, S.; Chatterjee, A.; Weir, B.; Wofsy, S. C.; Atlas, E. L.; Blake, D. R.; Montzka, S. A.; Stern, R.
2017-12-01
The Southern Ocean plays an important role in the global carbon cycle and climate system, but net CO2 flux into the Southern Ocean is difficult to measure and model because it results from large opposing and seasonally-varying fluxes due to thermal forcing, biological uptake, and deep-water mixing. We present an analysis to constrain the seasonal cycle of net CO2 exchange with the Southern Ocean, and the magnitude of summer uptake, using the vertical gradients in atmospheric CO2 observed during three aircraft campaigns in the southern polar region. The O2/N2 Ratio and CO2 Airborne Southern Ocean Study (ORCAS) was an airborne campaign that intensively sampled the atmosphere at 0-13 km altitude and 45-75 degrees south latitude in the austral summer (January-February) of 2016. The global airborne campaigns, the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) study and the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom), provide additional measurements over the Southern Ocean from other seasons and multiple years (2009-2011, 2016-2017). Derivation of fluxes from measured vertical gradients requires robust estimates of the residence time of air in the polar tropospheric domain, and of the contribution of long-range transport from northern latitudes outside the domain to the CO2 gradient. We use diverse independent approaches to estimate both terms, including simulations using multiple transport and flux models, and observed gradients of shorter-lived tracers with specific sources regions and well-known loss processes. This study demonstrates the utility of aircraft profile measurements for constraining large-scale air-sea fluxes for the Southern Ocean, in contrast to those derived from the extrapolation of sparse ocean and atmospheric measurements and uncertain flux parameterizations.
Hunt, R.J.; Strand, M.; Walker, J.F.
2006-01-01
Measurements of groundwater-surface water exchange at three wetland stream sites were related to patterns in benthic productivity as part of the US Geological Survey's Northern Temperate Lakes-Water, Energy and Biogeochemical Budgets (NTL-WEBB) project. The three sites included one high groundwater discharge (HGD) site, one weak groundwater discharge (WGD) site, and one groundwater recharge (GR) site. Large upward vertical gradients at the HGD site were associated with smallest variation in head below the stream and fewest gradient reversals between the stream and the groundwater beneath the stream, and the stream and the adjacent streambank. The WGD site had the highest number of gradient reversals reflecting the average condition being closest to zero vertical gradient. The duration of groundwater discharge events was related to the amount of discharge, where the HGD site had the longest strong-gradient durations for both horizontal and vertical groundwater flow. Strong groundwater discharge also controlled transient temperature and chemical hyporheic conditions by limiting the infiltration of surface water. Groundwater-surface water interactions were related to highly significant patterns in benthic invertebrate abundance, taxonomic richness, and periphyton respiration. The HGD site abundance was 35% greater than in the WGD site and 53% greater than the GR site; richness and periphyton respiration were also significantly greater (p???0.001, 31 and 44%, respectively) in the HGD site than in the GR site. The WGD site had greater abundance (27%), richness (19%) and periphyton respiration (39%) than the GR site. This work suggests groundwater-surface water interactions can strongly influence benthic productivity, thus emphasizing the importance of quantitative hydrology for management of wetland-stream ecosystems in the northern temperate regions. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Teatini, P.; Castelletto, N.; Ferronato, M.; Gambolati, G.; Janna, C.; Cairo, E.; Marzorati, D.; Colombo, D.; Ferretti, A.; Bagliani, A.; Bottazzi, F.
2011-06-01
Underground gas storage (UGS) in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs is a strategic practice to cope with the growing energy demand and occurs in many places in Europe and North America. In response to summer gas injection and winter gas withdrawal the reservoir expands and contracts essentially elastically as a major consequence of the fluid (gas and water) pore pressure fluctuations. Depending on a number of factors, including the reservoir burial depth, the difference between the largest and the smallest gas pore pressure, and the geomechanical properties of the injected formation and the overburden, the porous medium overlying the reservoir is subject to three-dimensional deformation with the related cyclic motion of the land surface being both vertical and horizontal. We present a methodology to evaluate the environmental impact of underground gas storage and sequestration from the geomechanical perspective, particularly in relation to the ground surface displacements. Long-term records of injected and removed gas volume and fluid pore pressure in the "Lombardia" gas field, northern Italy, are available together with multiyear detection of vertical and horizontal west-east displacement of the land surface above the reservoir by an advanced permanent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR) analysis. These data have been used to calibrate a 3-D fluid-dynamic model and develop a 3-D transversally isotropic geomechanical model. The latter has been successfully implemented and used to reproduce the vertical and horizontal cyclic displacements, on the range of 8-10 mm and 6-8 mm, respectively, measured between 2003 and 2007 above the reservoir where a UGS program has been underway by Stogit-Eni S.p.A. since 1986 following a 5 year field production life. Because of the great economical interest to increase the working gas volume as much as possible, the model addresses two UGS scenarios where the gas pore overpressure is pushed from the current 103%pi, where pi is the gas pore pressure prior to the field development, to 107%pi and 120%pi. Results of both scenarios show that there is a negligible impact on the ground surface, with deformation gradients that remain well below the most restrictive admissible limits for the civil structures and infrastructures.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tobin, H. J.; Saffer, D. M.; Castillo, D. A.; Hirose, T.
2016-12-01
During IODP Expedition 348, borehole C0002F/N/P was advanced to a depth of 3058 m below the seafloor (mbsf) into the inner forearc accretionary wedge of the Nankai subduction zone (SW Japan), now the deepest scientific drilling ever into the ocean floor. The goals were to investigate the physical properties, structure, and state of stress deep within the hanging wall of a seismogenic subduction plate boundary. Mud pressure and gas monitoring, injection tests, leak-off tests (LOT), logging-while-drilling (LWD) measurements, and observations of mud losses and hole conditions provide both direct and indirect information about in situ pore pressure and stress state. The LOTs show that the minimum principal stress is consistently less than the vertical stress defined by the overburden, ruling out a thrust faulting stress state throughout the drilled section, and define a nearly linear gradient in Shmin from the seafloor to the base of the hole. Observations of mud loss and the lack of observed gas shows indicate that formation pore fluid pressure is not significantly (< 10 MPa) greater than hydrostatic. The maximum horizontal stress, estimated from borehole breakout width and pressure spikes during pack-off events, is close in magnitude to the vertical stress. Therefore the accretionary prism lies in either a normal or strike-slip faulting regime, or is transitional between the two, from 1 to 3 km depth. At 3002 mbsf we estimate that the effective stresses are: Sv' = 33 MPa; SHmax' = 25-36 MPa; and Shmin' = 18.5-21 MPa. Differential stresses are therefore low, on the order of 10-12 MPa, in the hanging wall of the subduction thrust. We conclude that (1) the inner wedge is not critically stressed in horizontal compression; (2) basal traction along the megathrust must be low in order to permit concurrent locking of the fault and low differential stresses deep within the upper plate; and (3) although low differential stresses may persist down to the plate boundary at 5000 mbsf, the maximum horizontal stress SHmax must transition to become greater than the vertical stress, either spatially below the base of the borehole, or temporally leading up to megathrust fault rupture, in order to drive slip on the megathrust.
Air-snow exchange of nitrogen oxides and ozone at a polluted mid-latitude site
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Murphy, Jennifer G.; Hong, Angela C.; Quinn, Patricia K.; Bates, Tim
2017-04-01
Vertical gradients of O3, NO, NO2 and NOywere measured within and above the snowpack between January 17 to February 14, 2014 as part of the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study. During the first half of the campaign, the snowpack was relatively aged and contained high levels of inorganic ions and dissolved and particulate organics. A snowfall on Jan 31 added 5 cm of fresh snow with lower solute concentrations to the top of the snowpack. Vertical gradients (ΔC = C(25cm) - C(125cm)) in the measured gas phase species were used to investigate the role of the snowpack as a source or sink. Small positive gradients were seen for NO, peaking in the middle of the day, which much larger negative gradients were seen for O3 and NOy. Comparing the fresh to the aged snowpacks, there was a noticeable decrease in the gradient for O3, but not for NOy over the fresh snow, implying a chemical control of O3 deposition to the snow. The ratio of the gradient of NOx to the gradient of NOy was used to determine a snowpack NOy recycling ratio (emission/deposition) of approximately 4 %, consistent with independent estimates of low nitrate photolysis rates inferred from nitrogen isotopes by Zatko et al., (2016). Reference Zatko et al., The magnitude of the snow-sourced reactive nitrogen flux to the boundary layer in the Uintah Basin, Utah, USA, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 13837-13851, 2016.
Trouwborst, Govert; Oosterkamp, Joke; Hogewoning, Sander W; Harbinson, Jeremy; van Ieperen, Wim
2010-03-01
Mathematical models of light attenuation and canopy photosynthesis suggest that crop photosynthesis increases by more uniform vertical irradiance within crops. This would result when a larger proportion of total irradiance is applied within canopies (interlighting) instead of from above (top lighting). These irradiance profiles can be generated by Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). We investigated the effects of interlighting with LEDs on light interception, on vertical gradients of leaf photosynthetic characteristics and on crop production and development of a greenhouse-grown Cucumis sativus'Samona' crop and analysed the interaction between them. Plants were grown in a greenhouse under low natural irradiance (winter) with supplemental irradiance of 221 micromol photosynthetic photon flux m(-2) s(-1) (20 h per day). In the interlighting treatment, LEDs (80% Red, 20% Blue) supplied 38% of the supplemental irradiance within the canopy with 62% as top lighting by High-Pressure Sodium (HPS)-lamps. The control was 100% top lighting (HPS lamps). We measured horizontal and vertical light extinction as well as leaf photosynthetic characteristics at different leaf layers, and determined total plant production. Leaf mass per area and dry mass allocation to leaves were significantly greater but leaf appearance rate and plant length were smaller in the interlighting treatment. Although leaf photosynthetic characteristics were significantly increased in the lower leaf layers, interlighting did not increase total biomass or fruit production, partly because of a significantly reduced vertical and horizontal light interception caused by extreme leaf curling, likely because of the LED-light spectrum used, and partly because of the relatively low irradiances from above.
Primary succession on a Hawaiian dryland chronosequence
Kealohanuiopuna M. Kinney; Gregory P. Asner; Susan Cordell; Oliver A. Chadwick; Katherine Heckman; Sara Hotchkiss; Marjeta Jeraj; Ty Kennedy-Bowdoin; David E. Knapp
2015-01-01
We used measurements from airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR to quantify the biophysical structure and composition of vegetation on a dryland substrate age gradient in Hawaii. Both vertical stature and species composition changed during primary succession, and reveal a progressive increase in vertical stature on younger substrates followed by a collapse on...
Stirring Up the Biological Pump: Vertical Mixing and Carbon Export in the Southern Ocean
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stukel, Michael R.; Ducklow, Hugh W.
2017-09-01
The biological carbon pump (BCP) transports organic carbon from the surface to the ocean's interior via sinking particles, vertically migrating organisms, and passive transport of organic matter by advection and diffusion. While many studies have quantified sinking particles, the magnitude of passive transport remains poorly constrained. In the Southern Ocean weak thermal stratification, strong vertical gradients in particulate organic matter, and weak vertical nitrate gradients suggest that passive transport from the euphotic zone may be particularly important. We compile data from seasonal time series at a coastal site near Palmer Station, annual regional cruises in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), cruises throughout the broader Southern Ocean, and SOCCOM (Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling) autonomous profiling floats to estimate spatial and temporal patterns in vertical gradients of nitrate, particulate nitrogen (PN), and dissolved organic carbon. Under a steady state approximation, the ratio of ∂PN/∂z to ∂NO3-/∂z suggests that passive transport of PN may be responsible for removing 46% (37%-58%) of the nitrate introduced into the surface ocean of the WAP (with dissolved organic matter contributing an additional 3-6%) and for 23% (19%-28%) of the BCP in the broader Southern Ocean. A simple model parameterized with in situ nitrate, PN, and primary production data suggested that passive transport was responsible for 54% of the magnitude of the BCP in the WAP. Our results highlight the potential importance of passive transport (by advection and diffusion) of organic matter in the Southern Ocean but should only be considered indicative of high passive transport (rather than conclusive evidence) due to our steady state assumptions.
Grauwet, Tara; Van der Plancken, Iesel; Vervoort, Liesbeth; Hendrickx, Marc E; Van Loey, Ann
2009-01-01
The potential of Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase (BSA) as a pressure-temperature-time indicator (pTTI) for high pressure pasteurization processing (400-600 MPa; T(i) 10-40 degrees C; 1-15 min) was investigated. A stepwise approach was followed for the development of an enzyme-based, extrinsic, isolated pTTI. First, based on literature data on the pressure stability, BSA was selected as a candidate indicator. Next to the accuracy and ease of the measurement of the indicator's response (residual activity) to the pressure treatment, the storage and handling stability of BSA at atmospheric pressure was verified. Second, the stability of BSA at a constant temperature (T) and time in function of pressure (p) was investigated. Solvent engineering was used to shift the inactivation window of BSA in the processing range of interest. Third, the enzyme (1 g/L BSA-MES 0.05 M pH 5.0) was kinetically calibrated under isobaric-isothermal conditions. Time dependent changes in activity could be modeled best by a first-order model. Except for low pressures and high temperatures, a synergistic effect between pressure and temperature could be observed. Based on the model selected to describe the combined p,T-dependency of the inactivation rate constant, an elliptically shaped isorate contour plot could be constructed, illustrating the processing range where BSA can be used to demonstrate temperature gradients. Fourth, the validity of the kinetic model was tested successfully under dynamic conditions similar to those used in food industry. Finally, the indicator was found suitable to demonstrate nonuniformity in two-sectional planes of a vertical, single vessel system. (c) 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Biotechnol. Prog., 2009.
High-pressure balloon dilation in a dog with supravalvular aortic stenosis.
Pinkos, A; Stauthammer, C; Rittenberg, R; Barncord, K
2017-02-01
A 6-month-old female intact Goldendoodle was presented for diagnostic work up of a grade IV/VI left basilar systolic heart murmur. An echocardiogram was performed and revealed a ridge of tissue distal to the aortic valve leaflets at the sinotubular junction causing an instantaneous pressure gradient of 62 mmHg across the supravalvular aortic stenosis and moderate concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle. Intervention with a high-pressure balloon dilation catheter was pursued and significantly decreased the pressure gradient to 34 mmHg. No complications were encountered. The patient returned in 5 months for re-evaluation and static long-term reduction in the pressure gradient was noted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Use of vertical temperature gradients for prediction of tidal flat sediment characteristics
Miselis, Jennifer L.; Holland, K. Todd; Reed, Allen H.; Abelev, Andrei
2012-01-01
Sediment characteristics largely govern tidal flat morphologic evolution; however, conventional methods of investigating spatial variability in lithology on tidal flats are difficult to employ in these highly dynamic regions. In response, a series of laboratory experiments was designed to investigate the use of temperature diffusion toward sediment characterization. A vertical thermistor array was used to quantify temperature gradients in simulated tidal flat sediments of varying compositions. Thermal conductivity estimates derived from these arrays were similar to measurements from a standard heated needle probe, which substantiates the thermistor methodology. While the thermal diffusivities of dry homogeneous sediments were similar, diffusivities for saturated homogeneous sediments ranged approximately one order of magnitude. The thermal diffusivity of saturated sand was five times the thermal diffusivity of saturated kaolin and more than eight times the thermal diffusivity of saturated bentonite. This suggests that vertical temperature gradients can be used for distinguishing homogeneous saturated sands from homogeneous saturated clays and perhaps even between homogeneous saturated clay types. However, experiments with more realistic tidal flat mixtures were less discriminating. Relationships between thermal diffusivity and percent fines for saturated mixtures varied depending upon clay composition, indicating that clay hydration and/or water content controls thermal gradients. Furthermore, existing models for the bulk conductivity of sediment mixtures were improved only through the use of calibrated estimates of homogeneous end-member conductivity and water content values. Our findings suggest that remotely sensed observations of water content and thermal diffusivity could only be used to qualitatively estimate tidal flat sediment characteristics.
A laboratory study of mean flow generation in rotating fluids by Reynolds stress gradients
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McGuinness, D. S.; Boyer, D. L.; Fernando, H. J. S.
2001-06-01
Laboratory experiments were conducted that demonstrate that a mean azimuthal flow can be produced by introducing Reynolds stress gradients to a rotating fluid with zero initial mean flow. This mechanism may play a role in the generation of mean currents in coastal regions. The experiments entail the establishment of turbulence in a thin annular-shaped region centered within a cylindrical test cell through the use of a vertically oscillating grid. This region rests in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the tank, and the entire system is placed on a turntable to simulate background rotation. Flow visualization techniques are used to depict qualitative features of the resulting flow field. Measurements of the mean and turbulent velocity fields are performed using a two-component laser-Doppler velocimeter. The results show how rectified currents (mean flows) can be generated via Reynolds stress gradients induced by periodic forcing of the grid. In the absence of background rotation, rectified flow is observed in the radial and vertical directions only. The presence of background rotation tends to organize these motions in that the flow tends to move parallel to the turbulent source, i.e., in the azimuthal direction, with the source (strong turbulence) located to the right, facing downstream. The influence of rotation on the Reynolds stresses and their gradients as well as on the ensuing mean flow is evaluated, and the observations are examined by considering individual contributions of the terms in the Reynolds-averaged momentum equations.
Vohra, Varun; Anzai, Takuya; Inaba, Shusei; Porzio, William; Barba, Luisa
2016-01-01
Abstract Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are greatly influenced by both the vertical concentration gradient in the active layer and the quality of the various interfaces. To achieve vertical concentration gradients in inverted PSCs, a sequential deposition approach is necessary. However, a direct approach to sequential deposition by spin-coating results in partial dissolution of the underlying layers which decreases the control over the process and results in not well-defined interfaces. Here, we demonstrate that by using a transfer-printing process based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps we can obtain increased control over the thickness of the various layers while at the same time increasing the quality of the interfaces and the overall concentration gradient within the active layer of PSCs prepared in air. To optimize the process and understand the influence of various interlayers, our approach is based on surface free energy, spreading parameters and work of adhesion calculations. The key parameter presented here is the insertion of high quality hole transporting and electron transporting layers, respectively above and underneath the active layer of the inverted structure PSC which not only facilitates the transfer process but also induces the adequate vertical concentration gradient in the device to facilitate charge extraction. The resulting non-encapsulated devices (active layer prepared in air) demonstrate over 40% increase in power conversion efficiency with respect to the reference spin-coated inverted PSCs. PMID:27877901
Major Fault Patterns in Zanjan State of Iran Based of GECO Global Geoid Model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Beheshty, Sayyed Amir Hossein; Abrari Vajari, Mohammad; Raoufikelachayeh, SeyedehSusan
2016-04-01
A new Earth Gravitational Model (GECO) to degree 2190 has been developed incorporates EGM2008 and the latest GOCE based satellite solutions. Satellite gradiometry data are more sensitive information of the long- and medium- wavelengths of the gravity field than the conventional satellite tracking data. Hence, by utilizing this new technique, more accurate, reliable and higher degrees/orders of the spherical harmonic expansion of the gravity field can be achieved. Gravity gradients can also be useful in geophysical interpretation and prospecting. We have presented the concept of gravity gradients with some simple interpretations. A MATLAB based computer programs were developed and utilized for determining the gravity and gradient components of the gravity field using the GGMs, followed by a case study in Zanjan State of Iran. Our numerical studies show strong (more than 72%) correlations between gravity anomalies and the diagonal elements of the gradient tensor. Also, strong correlations were revealed between the components of the deflection of vertical and the off-diagonal elements as well as between the horizontal gradient and magnitude of the deflection of vertical. We clearly distinguished two big faults in North and South of Zanjan city based on the current information. Also, several minor faults were detected in the study area. Therefore, the same geophysical interpretation can be stated for gravity gradient components too. Our mathematical derivations support some of these correlations.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Andrioli, V. F.; Batista, P. P.; Xu, Jiyao; Yang, Guotao; Chi, Wang; Zhengkuan, Liu
2017-04-01
Na lidar temperature measurements were taken successfully from 2007 to 2009 in the mesopause region over São José dos Campos (23.1°S, 45.9°W). Strong gradients on these vertical temperature profiles are often observed. A simple theoretical study has shown that temperature gradient of at least -8 K/km is required concurrently with the typical tidal wind shear in order to generate dynamical instability in the MLT region. We have studied vertical shear in horizontal wind related to atmospheric tides, inferred by meteor radar, with the aim of analyzing instability occurrence. These wind measurements were taken from an all-sky meteor radar at Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S, 45°W). Two years of simultaneous data, wind and temperature, were used in this analysis which represent 79 days, totalizing 589 h of simultaneous observations. We realize that the condition for the local Richardson number (Ri) dropping below the critical value of instability (Ri < 0.25) is often reached in 98% of the analyzed cases. The mean probabilities for occurrence of convective and dynamical instabilities, in the altitude region between 82 and 98 km, were observed to be about 3% and 17.5%, respectively. Additionally, vertical distribution of these probabilities has revealed a weak occurrence of dynamical instability around 90 km, and this fact can be related to the double mesopause typically observed in this site.
[Diagnostic importance of the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient].
Weinans, Marije A E; Drost-de Klerck, Amanda M; ter Maaten, Jan C
2012-01-01
The alveolar-arterial (A-a) oxygen gradient is the difference between the partial pressure of oxygen in the alveoli and the partial pressure of arterial oxygen and can be elevated in the case of pulmonary disease. We describe a 41-year-old patient with pneumonia who presented with abdominal pain, in whom calculation of the A-a gradient could have led to earlier diagnosis. The A-a oxygen gradient is mainly of diagnostic importance and the presented nomogram allows easy and quick interpretation. This might lead to a more frequent use of the A-a oxygen gradient in the future.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Clark, David A.
2013-04-01
Acquisition of magnetic gradient tensor data is anticipated to become routine in the near future. In the meantime, modern ultrahigh resolution conventional magnetic data can be used, with certain important caveats, to calculate magnetic vector components and gradient tensor elements from total magnetic intensity (TMI) or TMI gradient surveys. An accompanying paper presented new methods for inverting gradient tensor data to obtain source parameters for several elementary, but useful, models. These include point dipole (sphere), vertical line of dipoles (narrow vertical pipe), line of dipoles (horizontal cylinder), thin dipping sheet, and contact models. A key simplification is the use of eigenvalues and associated eigenvectors of the tensor. The normalised source strength (NSS), calculated from the eigenvalues, is a particularly useful rotational invariant that peaks directly over 3D compact sources, 2D compact sources, thin sheets, and contacts, independent of magnetisation direction. Source locations can be inverted directly from the NSS and its vector gradient. Some of these new methods have been applied to analysis of the magnetic signature of the Early Permian Mount Leyshon gold-mineralised system, Queensland. The Mount Leyshon magnetic anomaly is a prominent TMI low that is produced by rock units with strong reversed remanence acquired during the Late Palaeozoic Reverse Superchron. The inferred magnetic moment for the source zone of the Mount Leyshon magnetic anomaly is ~1010Am2. Its direction is consistent with petrophysical measurements. Given estimated magnetisation from samples and geological information, this suggests a volume of ~1.5km×1.5km×2km (vertical). The inferred depth of the centre of magnetisation is ~900m below surface, suggesting that the depth extent of the magnetic zone is ~1800m. Some of the deeper, undrilled portion of the magnetic zone could be a mafic intrusion similar to the nearby coeval Fenian Diorite, representing part of the parent magma chamber beneath the Mount Leyshon Intrusive Complex.
Coble, Adam P; Fogel, Marilyn L; Parker, Geoffrey G
2017-10-01
In temperate deciduous forests, vertical gradients in leaf mass per area (LMA) and area-based leaf nitrogen (Narea) are strongly controlled by gradients in light availability. While there is evidence that hydrostatic constraints on leaf development may diminish LMA and Narea responses to light, inherent differences among tree species may also influence leaf developmental and morphological response to light. We investigated vertical gradients in LMA, Narea and leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C) for three temperate deciduous species (Carpinus caroliniana Walter, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., Liriodendron tulipifera L.) that differed in growth strategy (e.g., indeterminate and determinate growth), shade tolerance and leaf area to sapwood ratio (Al:As). Leaves were sampled across a broad range of light conditions within three vertical layers of tree crowns to maximize variation in light availability at each height and to minimize collinearity between light and height. All species displayed similar responses to light with respect to Narea and δ13C, but not for LMA. Light was more important for gradients in LMA for the shade-tolerant (C. caroliniana) and -intolerant (L. tulipifera) species with indeterminate growth, and height (e.g., hydrostatic gradients) and light were equally important for the shade-tolerant (F. grandifolia) species with determinate growth. Fagus grandifolia had a higher morphological plasticity in response to light, which may offer a competitive advantage in occupying a broader range of light conditions throughout the canopy. Differences in responses to light and height for the taller tree species, L. tulipifera and F. grandifolia, may be attributed to differences in growth strategy or Al:As, which may alter morphological and functional responses to light availability. While height was important in F. grandifolia, height was no more robust in predicting LMA than light in any of the species, confirming the strong role of light availability in determining LMA for temperate deciduous species. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Statistics of pressure fluctuations in decaying isotropic turbulence.
Kalelkar, Chirag
2006-04-01
We present results from a systematic direct-numerical simulation study of pressure fluctuations in an unforced, incompressible, homogeneous, and isotropic three-dimensional turbulent fluid. At cascade completion, isosurfaces of low pressure are found to be organized as slender filaments, whereas the predominant isostructures appear sheetlike. We exhibit several results, including plots of probability distributions of the spatial pressure difference, the pressure-gradient norm, and the eigenvalues of the pressure-Hessian tensor. Plots of the temporal evolution of the mean pressure-gradient norm, and the mean eigenvalues of the pressure-Hessian tensor are also exhibited. We find the statistically preferred orientations between the eigenvectors of the pressure-Hessian tensor, the pressure gradient, the eigenvectors of the strain-rate tensor, the vorticity, and the velocity. Statistical properties of the nonlocal part of the pressure-Hessian tensor are also exhibited. We present numerical tests (in the viscous case) of some conjectures of Ohkitani [Phys. Fluids A 5, 2570 (1993)] and Ohkitani and Kishiba [Phys. Fluids 7, 411 (1995)] concerning the pressure-Hessian and the strain-rate tensors, for the unforced, incompressible, three-dimensional Euler equations.
Sabatini, Angelo Maria; Genovese, Vincenzo
2014-01-01
A sensor fusion method was developed for vertical channel stabilization by fusing inertial measurements from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and pressure altitude measurements from a barometric altimeter integrated in the same device (baro-IMU). An Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) estimated the quaternion from the sensor frame to the navigation frame; the sensed specific force was rotated into the navigation frame and compensated for gravity, yielding the vertical linear acceleration; finally, a complementary filter driven by the vertical linear acceleration and the measured pressure altitude produced estimates of height and vertical velocity. A method was also developed to condition the measured pressure altitude using a whitening filter, which helped to remove the short-term correlation due to environment-dependent pressure changes from raw pressure altitude. The sensor fusion method was implemented to work on-line using data from a wireless baro-IMU and tested for the capability of tracking low-frequency small-amplitude vertical human-like motions that can be critical for stand-alone inertial sensor measurements. Validation tests were performed in different experimental conditions, namely no motion, free-fall motion, forced circular motion and squatting. Accurate on-line tracking of height and vertical velocity was achieved, giving confidence to the use of the sensor fusion method for tracking typical vertical human motions: velocity Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was in the range 0.04–0.24 m/s; height RMSE was in the range 5–68 cm, with statistically significant performance gains when the whitening filter was used by the sensor fusion method to track relatively high-frequency vertical motions. PMID:25061835
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fisher, J. A.; Wilson, S. R.; Zeng, G.; Williams, J. E.; Emmons, L. K.; Langenfelds, R. L.; Krummel, P. B.; Steele, L. P.
2015-03-01
The combination of low anthropogenic emissions and large biogenic sources that characterizes the Southern Hemisphere (SH) leads to significant differences in atmospheric composition relative to the better studied Northern Hemisphere. This unique balance of sources poses significant challenges for global models. Carbon monoxide (CO) in particular is difficult to simulate in the SH due to the increased importance of secondary chemical production associated with the much more limited primary emissions. Here, we use aircraft observations from the 1991-2000 Cape Grim Overflight Program (CGOP) and the 2009-2011 HIAPER (High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research) Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO), together with model output from the SH Model Intercomparison Project, to elucidate the drivers of CO vertical structure in the remote SH. Observed CO vertical profiles from Cape Grim are remarkably consistent with those observed over the southern mid-latitudes Pacific 10-20 years later, despite major differences in time periods, flight locations, and sampling strategies between the two data sets. These similarities suggest the processes driving observed vertical gradients are coherent across much of the remote SH and have not changed significantly over the past 2 decades. Model ability to simulate CO profiles reflects the interplay between biogenic emission sources, the chemical mechanisms that drive CO production from these sources, and the transport that redistributes this CO throughout the SH. The four chemistry-climate and chemical transport models included in the intercomparison show large variability in their abilities to reproduce the observed CO profiles. In particular, two of the four models significantly underestimate vertical gradients in austral summer and autumn, which we find are driven by long-range transport of CO produced from oxidation of biogenic compounds. Comparisons between the models show that more complex chemical mechanisms do not necessarily provide more accurate simulation of CO vertical gradients due to the convolved impacts of emissions, chemistry, and transport. Our results imply a large sensitivity of the remote SH troposphere to biogenic emissions and chemistry, both of which remain key uncertainties in global modeling. We suggest that the CO vertical gradient can be used as a metric for future model evaluation as it provides a sensitive test of the processes that define the chemical state of the background atmosphere.
Theoretical and Experimental Study of Deep-Based Structures in Intact and Jointed Rock.
1979-09-01
PRESSURE, PV ksi (X 6.9 = MpaI FIGURE A.65 CROWN-INVERT TUNNEL CLOSURE VERSUS VERTICAL PRESSURE - TEST LSUJX-21 231 QO2 wd 0 -J0 z -2 S-4 510 15 2 VERTICAL...J "A’ %V-FW ’-’X 2530I • 10- - - - - - -0, I 8 C- uj C,, (4 z 0 1 2 VERTICAL PRESSURE, Pv - ksi (X 6.9 = MPaI MA-5762-200 FIGURE A.91 LATERAL
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1973-01-01
Some experiments on turbulent free shear layers in pressure gradients are discussed. Topics covered in the discussion include: (1) two dimensional vortex structures, (2) the effect of channel walls, and (3) the case of a mixing layer in pressure gradient.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Askelson, Mark Anthony
Recent studies have revealed that the thermodynamic properties of the rear flank downdraft (RFD) may dictate whether or not a supercell becomes tornadic. Since hydrometeors are thought to be an important driving force for the RFD, it is postulated that they may be important to its thermodynamic properties and, possibly, to tornadogenesis. The role hook-echo hydrometeors play in driving RFDs is investigated by estimating hook-echo hydrometeor types and amounts from polarimetric radar data and by using that information to drive a relatively simple downdraft model. Soundings for the individual cases are used to initialize the downdraft model in order to replicate the environments of the storms as closely as possible. Since this effort and others like it require the quantitative utilization of radar data, issues pertaining to this are explored. In addition to analyses of coordinate transformation equations and an innovative objective analysis technique for weather radar data, the difficult problem of response functions for arbitrary weight functions and data distributions was considered. A novel approach to this problem revealed that the local response function for distance dependent weighted averaging schemes is the complex conjugate of the normalized Fourier transform of the effective weight function. This facilitates new research avenues, especially regarding analyses of irregularly spaced data. Simulations of hydrometeor driven RFDs show that hydrometeor fields inferred from radar data are able to drive significant downdrafts without the influence of vertical perturbation pressure gradients. Moreover, they reveal that above the boundary layer supercell environments are relatively resistant to downdrafts whereas within the boundary layer they are generally supportive of downdrafts. It appears that in many supercell environments relatively large hail (≥1 cm in diameter) or vertical perturbation pressure gradients may be needed to drive deep midlevel downdrafts that penetrate into the boundary layer. Because the boundary layer is an important downdraft generation/intensification layer, its thetae profile appears to be important to the surface RFD thetae deficit and, consequently, to tornadogenesis. To further examine these issues, analyses using idealized soundings that represent multiple possible RFD environments and analyses of the complete set of VORTEX cases are planned.
1999-09-30
Coupling Behavior and Vertical Distribution of Pteropods in Coastal Waters using Data from the Video Plankton Recorder Scott M. Gallager Woods Hole...gradients. OBJECTIVES My objective in this project is to test the hypothesis that the vertical distribution of the pteropod Limacina retroversa...the mini-VPR are being used to infer behavior of individual pteropods . Third, a random walk turbulence model with behavioral feed-back is providing
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Basutkar, Monali N.; Samant, Saumil; Strzalka, Joseph
Here, template-free directed self-assembly of ultrathin (~10’s nm) lamellar block copolymer (l-BCP) films of high-interfacial area into vertically oriented nanodomains holds much technological relevance for fabrication of next-generation devices from nanoelectronics to nanomembranes due to domain interconnectivity and high interfacial area. We report for the first time, the formation of full thru-thickness vertically oriented lamellar domains in 100 nm thin polystyrene- block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS- b-PMMA) films on quartz substrate, achieved without any PMMA-block wetting layer formation, quartz surface modification (templating chemical, topographical) or system modifications (added surfactant, top-layer coat). Vertical ordering of l-BCPs results from the coupling between a molecularmore » and a macroscopic phenomenon. A molecular relaxation induced vertical l-BCP ordering occurs under a transient macroscopic vertical strain field, imposed by a high film thermal expansion rate under sharp thermal gradient cold zone annealing (CZA-S). The parametric window for vertical ordering is quantified via a coupling constant, C (= v∇ T), whose range is established in terms of a thermal gradient (∇ T) above a threshold value, and an optimal dynamic sample sweep rate ( v ~ d/τ), where τ is the l-BCP’s longest molecular relaxation time and d is the T g,heat- T g,cool distance. Real-time CZA-S morphology evolution of vertically oriented l-BCP tracked along ∇ T using in-situ Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering exhibited an initial formation phase of vertical lamellae, a polygrain structure formation stage, and a grain coarsening phase to fully vertically ordered l-BCP morphology development. CZA-S is a roll-to-roll manufacturing method, rendering this template-free thru-thickness vertical ordering of l-BCP films highly attractive and industrially relevant.« less
Basutkar, Monali N.; Samant, Saumil; Strzalka, Joseph; ...
2017-11-14
Here, template-free directed self-assembly of ultrathin (~10’s nm) lamellar block copolymer (l-BCP) films of high-interfacial area into vertically oriented nanodomains holds much technological relevance for fabrication of next-generation devices from nanoelectronics to nanomembranes due to domain interconnectivity and high interfacial area. We report for the first time, the formation of full thru-thickness vertically oriented lamellar domains in 100 nm thin polystyrene- block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS- b-PMMA) films on quartz substrate, achieved without any PMMA-block wetting layer formation, quartz surface modification (templating chemical, topographical) or system modifications (added surfactant, top-layer coat). Vertical ordering of l-BCPs results from the coupling between a molecularmore » and a macroscopic phenomenon. A molecular relaxation induced vertical l-BCP ordering occurs under a transient macroscopic vertical strain field, imposed by a high film thermal expansion rate under sharp thermal gradient cold zone annealing (CZA-S). The parametric window for vertical ordering is quantified via a coupling constant, C (= v∇ T), whose range is established in terms of a thermal gradient (∇ T) above a threshold value, and an optimal dynamic sample sweep rate ( v ~ d/τ), where τ is the l-BCP’s longest molecular relaxation time and d is the T g,heat- T g,cool distance. Real-time CZA-S morphology evolution of vertically oriented l-BCP tracked along ∇ T using in-situ Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering exhibited an initial formation phase of vertical lamellae, a polygrain structure formation stage, and a grain coarsening phase to fully vertically ordered l-BCP morphology development. CZA-S is a roll-to-roll manufacturing method, rendering this template-free thru-thickness vertical ordering of l-BCP films highly attractive and industrially relevant.« less
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-10-29
... window channels, aft cabin pressure web, external wing to fuselage fillets, and fasteners; repair or..., the vertical channels, the upper picture window channels, aft cabin pressure web, external wing to... lower wing main spar, the vertical channels, the upper picture window channels, aft cabin pressure web...
Fortier, Catherine; Desjardins, Marie-Pier; Agharazii, Mohsen
2018-03-01
Aortic stiffness, measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), is used for the prediction of cardiovascular risk. This mini-review describes the nonlinear relationship between cf-PWV and operational blood pressure, presents the proposed methods to adjust for this relationship, and discusses a potential place for aortic-brachial PWV ratio (a measure of arterial stiffness gradient) as a blood pressure-independent measure of vascular aging. PWV is inherently dependent on the operational blood pressure. In cross-sectional studies, PWV adjustment for mean arterial pressure (MAP) is preferred, but still remains a nonoptimal approach, as the relationship between PWV and blood pressure is nonlinear and varies considerably among individuals due to heterogeneity in genetic background, vascular tone, and vascular remodeling. Extrapolations from the blood pressure-independent stiffness parameter β (β 0 ) have led to the creation of stiffness index β, which can be used for local stiffness. A similar approach has been used for cardio-ankle PWV to generate a blood pressure-independent cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). It was recently demonstrated that stiffness index β and CAVI remain slightly blood pressure-dependent, and a more appropriate formula has been proposed to make the proper adjustments. On the other hand, the negative impact of aortic stiffness on clinical outcomes is thought to be mediated through attenuation or reversal of the arterial stiffness gradient, which can also be influenced by a reduction in peripheral medium-sized muscular arteries in conditions that predispose to accelerate vascular aging. Arterial stiffness gradient, assessed by aortic-brachial PWV ratio, is emerging to be at least as good as cf-PWV for risk prediction, but has the advantage of not being affected by operating MAP. The negative impacts of aortic stiffness on clinical outcomes are proposed to be mediated through attenuation or reversal of arterial stiffness gradient. Aortic-brachial PWV ratio, a measure of arterial stiffness gradient, is independent of MAP.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Baniamerian, Jamaledin; Liu, Shuang; Abbas, Mahmoud Ahmed
2018-04-01
The vertical gradient is an essential tool in interpretation algorithms. It is also the primary enhancement technique to improve the resolution of measured gravity and magnetic field data, since it has higher sensitivity to changes in physical properties (density or susceptibility) of the subsurface structures than the measured field. If the field derivatives are not directly measured with the gradiometers, they can be calculated from the collected gravity or magnetic data using numerical methods such as those based on fast Fourier transform technique. The gradients behave similar to high-pass filters and enhance the short-wavelength anomalies which may be associated with either small-shallow sources or high-frequency noise content in data, and their numerical computation is susceptible to suffer from amplification of noise. This behaviour can adversely affect the stability of the derivatives in the presence of even a small level of the noise and consequently limit their application to interpretation methods. Adding a smoothing term to the conventional formulation of calculating the vertical gradient in Fourier domain can improve the stability of numerical differentiation of the field. In this paper, we propose a strategy in which the overall efficiency of the classical algorithm in Fourier domain is improved by incorporating two different smoothing filters. For smoothing term, a simple qualitative procedure based on the upward continuation of the field to a higher altitude is introduced to estimate the related parameters which are called regularization parameter and cut-off wavenumber in the corresponding filters. The efficiency of these new approaches is validated by computing the first- and second-order derivatives of noise-corrupted synthetic data sets and then comparing the results with the true ones. The filtered and unfiltered vertical gradients are incorporated into the extended Euler deconvolution to estimate the depth and structural index of a magnetic sphere, hence, quantitatively evaluating the methods. In the real case, the described algorithms are used to enhance a portion of aeromagnetic data acquired in Mackenzie Corridor, Northern Mainland, Canada.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Baozhang; Chen, Jing M.; Tans, Pieter P.; Huang, Lin
2006-11-01
Stable isotopes of CO2 contain unique information on the biological and physical processes that exchange CO2 between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Ecosystem exchange of carbon isotopes with the atmosphere is correlated diurnally and seasonally with the planetary boundary layer (PBL) dynamics. The strength of this kind of covariation affects the vertical gradient of δ13C and thus the global δ13C distribution pattern. We need to understand the various processes involved in transport/diffusion of carbon isotope ratio in the PBL and between the PBL and the biosphere and the troposphere. In this study, we employ a one-dimensional vertical diffusion/transport atmospheric model (VDS), coupled to an ecosystem isotope model (BEPS-EASS) to simulate dynamics of 13CO2 in the PBL over a boreal forest region in the vicinity of the Fraserdale (FRD) tower (49°52'29.9''N, 81°34'12.3''W) in northern Ontario, Canada. The data from intensive campaigns during the growing season in 1999 at this site are used for model validation in the surface layer. The model performance, overall, is satisfactory in simulating the measured data over the whole course of the growing season. We examine the interaction of the biosphere and the atmosphere through the PBL with respect to δ13C on diurnal and seasonal scales. The simulated annual mean vertical gradient of δ13C in the PBL in the vicinity of the FRD tower was about 0.25‰ in 1999. The δ13C vertical gradient exhibited strong diurnal (29%) and seasonal (71%) variations that do not exactly mimic those of CO2. Most of the vertical gradient (96.5% +/-) resulted from covariation between ecosystem exchange of carbon isotopes and the PBL dynamics, while the rest (3.5%+/-) was contributed by isotopic disequilibrium between respiration and photosynthesis. This disequilibrium effect on δ13C of CO2 dynamics in PBL, moreover, was confined to the near surface layers (less than 350 m).
Subsurface temperatures and geothermal gradients on the North Slope, Alaska
Collett, Timothy S.; Bird, Kenneth J.; Magoon, Leslie B.
1989-01-01
Geothermal gradients as interpreted from a series of high-resolution stabilized well-bore-temperature surveys from 46 North Slope, Alaska, wells vary laterally and vertically throughout the near-surface sediment (0-2,000 m). The data from these surveys have been used in conjunction with depths of ice-bearing permafrost, as interpreted from 102 well logs, to project geothermal gradients within and below the ice-bearing permafrost sequence. The geothermal gradients calculated from the projected temperature profiles are similar to the geothermal gradients measured in the temperature surveys. Measured and projected geothermal gradients in the ice-bearing permafrost sequence range from 1.5??C/100m in the Prudhoe Bay area to 5.1??C/100m in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA).
Gorcsan, J; Snow, F R; Paulsen, W; Nixon, J V
1991-03-01
A completely noninvasive method for estimating left atrial pressure in patients with congestive heart failure and mitral regurgitation has been devised with the use of continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography and brachial sphygmomanometry. Of 46 patients studied with mitral regurgitation, 35 (76%) had jets with distinct Doppler spectral envelopes recorded. The peak ventriculoatrial gradient was obtained by measuring peak mitral regurgitant velocity in systole and using the modified Bernoulli equation. This gradient was then subtracted from peak brachial systolic blood pressure, an estimate of left ventricular systolic pressure, to yield left atrial pressure (left atrial pressure = systolic blood pressure - mitral regurgitant pressure gradient). Noninvasive estimates of left atrial pressure from 35 patients were plotted against simultaneous recordings of mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure resulting in the correlation y = 0.88x + 3.3, r = 0.88, standard error of estimate = +/- 4 mm Hg (p less than 0.001). Therefore, continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography and sphygmomanometry may be used in selected patients with congestive heart failure and mitral regurgitation for noninvasive estimation of left atrial pressure.
The composite TTG series: evidence for a non-unique tectonic setting for Archaean crustal growth.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moyen, Jean-François
2010-05-01
The geodynamic context of formation of the Archaean TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) series, the dominant component of the Archaean continental crust, is a matter of debate. The two end-member models for TTG formation are melting of the basaltic slab in a "hot subduction"; and intra-plate melting of basaltic rocks at the base of thick crust (oceanic plateau?). Both models do however predict strikingly different geothermal gradients, as in the modern Earth a typical subduction gradient is less than 10 °C/km compared to > 25-30 °C/km in the case of plateau melting. Using a large database of published TTG compositions, and filtering it to remove rocks that do not match the definition of TTG, it is possible to show that the TTG series is actually composite and made of a range of geochemically identifiable components that can be referred to as low-, medium- and high-pressure groups. The geochemistry of the low-pressure group (low Al, Na, Sr, relatively high Y and Nb) is consistent with derivation from a plagioclase and garnet- amphibolite; the medium-pressure group was formed in equilibrium with a garnet-rich, plagioclase-poor amphibolite, whereas the high pressure group derived from a rutile bearing eclogite. As the temperature of melting of metamafic rocks is largely independent from pressure, this corresponds to melting along a range of contrasting geothermal gradients. The low pressure group requires gradients of 10-12 °C/km, whereas the gradient required for the low pressure group can be as high as 25—30 °C/km. Regardless of the preferred tectonic model for the Archaean, such a range of gradients requires an equally large range of tectonic sites for the formation of the Archaean continental crust.
Direct Numerical Simulation of Fingering Instabilities in Coating Flows
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Eres, Murat H.; Schwartz, Leonard W.
1998-11-01
We consider stability and finger formation in free surface flows. Gravity driven downhill drainage and temperature gradient driven climbing flows are two examples of such problems. The former situation occurs when a mound of viscous liquid on a vertical wall is allowed to flow. Constant surface shear stress due to temperature gradients (Marangoni stress) can initiate the latter problem. The evolution equations are derived using the lubrication approximation. We also include the effects of finite-contact angles in the evolution equations using a disjoining pressure model. Evolution equations for both problems are solved using an efficient alternating-direction-implicit method. For both problems a one-dimensional base state is established, that is steady in a moving reference frame. This base state is unstable to transverse perturbations. The transverse wavenumbers for the most rapidly growing modes are found through direct numerical solution of the nonlinear evolution equations, and are compared with published experimental results. For a range of finite equilibrium contact angles, the fingers can grow without limit leading to semi-finite steady fingers in a moving coordinate system. A computer generated movie of the nonlinear simulation results, for several sets of input parameters, will be shown.
Decontamination of combustion gases in fluidized bed incinerators
Leon, Albert M.
1982-01-01
Sulfur-containing atmospheric pollutants are effectively removed from exit gas streams produced in a fluidized bed combustion system by providing a fluidized bed of particulate material, i.e. limestone and/or dolomite wherein a concentration gradient is maintained in the vertical direction. Countercurrent contacting between upwardly directed sulfur containing combustion gases and descending sorbent particulate material creates a concentration gradient across the vertical extent of the bed characterized in progressively decreasing concentration of sulfur, sulfur dioxide and like contaminants upwardly and decreasing concentration of e.g. calcium oxide, downwardly. In this manner, gases having progressively decreasing sulfur contents contact correspondingly atmospheres having progressively increasing concentrations of calcium oxide thus assuring optimum sulfur removal.
Growth of benzil crystals by vertical dynamic gradient freeze technique in a transparent furnace
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lan, C. W.; Song, C. R.
1997-09-01
The vertical dynamic gradient freeze technique using a transparent furnace was applied to the growth of benzil single crystals. A flat-bottom ampoule with a <0001> seed was used for growth. During crystal growth, dynamic heating profiles were controlled through a computer, and the growth interface was recorded by a CCD camera. Computer simulation was also conducted, and the calculated convex interface and dynamic growth rate were consistent with the observed ones for various growth conditions. Conditions for growing single crystals were also determined, and they were mainly limited by constitutional supercooling. As the grown crystals were clear in appearance, their optical absorption spectra were insensitive to growth conditions and post-annealing.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Blackwell, B. F.; Kays, W. M.; Moffat, R. J.
1972-01-01
An experimental investigation of the heat transfer behavior of the near equilibrium transpired turbulent boundary layer with adverse pressure gradient has been carried out. Stanton numbers were measured by an energy balance on electrically heated plates that form the bottom wall of the wind tunnel. Two adverse pressure gradients were studied. Two types of transpiration boundary conditions were investigated. The concept of an equilibrium thermal boundary layer was introduced. It was found that Stanton number as a function of enthalpy thickness Reynolds number is essentially unaffected by adverse pressure gradient with no transpiration. Shear stress, heat flux, and turbulent Prandtl number profiles were computed from mean temperature and velocity profiles. It was concluded that the turbulent Prandtl number is greater than unity in near the wall and decreases continuously to approximately 0.5 at the free stream.
Unsteady separation and vortex shedding from a laminar separation bubble over a bluff body
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Das, S. P.; Srinivasan, U.; Arakeri, J. H.
2013-07-01
Boundary layers are subject to favorable and adverse pressure gradients because of both the temporal and spatial components of the pressure gradient. The adverse pressure gradient may cause the flow to separate. In a closed loop unsteady tunnel we have studied the initiation of separation in unsteady flow past a constriction (bluff body) in a channel. We have proposed two important scalings for the time when boundary layer separates. One is based on the local pressure gradient and the other is a convective time scale based on boundary layer parameters. The flow visualization using a dye injection technique shows the flow structure past the body. Nondimensional shedding frequency (Strouhal number) is calculated based on boundary layer and momentum thicknesses. Strouhal number based on the momentum thickness shows a close agreement with that for flat plate and circular cylinder.
Schmidt, Eric; Ros, Maxime; Moyse, Emmanuel; Lorthois, Sylvie; Swider, Pascal
2016-01-01
In line with the first law of thermodynamics, Bernoulli's principle states that the total energy in a fluid is the same at all points. We applied Bernoulli's principle to understand the relationship between intracranial pressure (ICP) and intracranial fluids. We analyzed simple fluid physics along a tube to describe the interplay between pressure and velocity. Bernoulli's equation demonstrates that a fluid does not flow along a gradient of pressure or velocity; a fluid flows along a gradient of energy from a high-energy region to a low-energy region. A fluid can even flow against a pressure gradient or a velocity gradient. Pressure and velocity represent part of the total energy. Cerebral blood perfusion is not driven by pressure but by energy: the blood flows from high-energy to lower-energy regions. Hydrocephalus is related to increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) resistance (i.e., energy transfer) at various points. Identification of the energy transfer within the CSF circuit is important in understanding and treating CSF-related disorders. Bernoulli's principle is not an abstract concept far from clinical practice. We should be aware that pressure is easy to measure, but it does not induce resumption of fluid flow. Even at the bedside, energy is the key to understanding ICP and fluid dynamics.
Feedback Regulation of Intracellular Hydrostatic Pressure in Surface Cells of the Lens
Gao, Junyuan; Sun, Xiurong; White, Thomas W.; Delamere, Nicholas A.; Mathias, Richard T.
2015-01-01
In wild-type lenses from various species, an intracellular hydrostatic pressure gradient goes from ∼340 mmHg in central fiber cells to 0 mmHg in surface cells. This gradient drives a center-to-surface flow of intracellular fluid. In lenses in which gap-junction coupling is increased, the central pressure is lower, whereas if gap-junction coupling is reduced, the central pressure is higher but surface pressure is always zero. Recently, we found that surface cell pressure was elevated in PTEN null lenses. This suggested disruption of a feedback control system that normally maintained zero surface cell pressure. Our purpose in this study was to investigate and characterize this feedback control system. We measured intracellular hydrostatic pressures in mouse lenses using a microelectrode/manometer-based system. We found that all feedback went through transport by the Na/K ATPase, which adjusted surface cell osmolarity such that pressure was maintained at zero. We traced the regulation of Na/K ATPase activity back to either TRPV4, which sensed positive pressure and stimulated activity, or TRPV1, which sensed negative pressure and inhibited activity. The inhibitory effect of TRPV1 on Na/K pumps was shown to signal through activation of the PI3K/AKT axis. The stimulatory effect of TRPV4 was shown in previous studies to go through a different signal transduction path. Thus, there is a local two-legged feedback control system for pressure in lens surface cells. The surface pressure provides a pedestal on which the pressure gradient sits, so surface pressure determines the absolute value of pressure at each radial location. We speculate that the absolute value of intracellular pressure may set the radial gradient in the refractive index, which is essential for visual acuity. PMID:26536260
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Considine, David B.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Olsen, Mark A.
2008-01-01
The NASA Global Modeling Initiative has developed a combined stratosphere/troposphere chemistry and transport model which fully represents the processes governing atmospheric composition near the tropopause. We evaluate model ozone distributions near the tropopause, using two high vertical resolution monthly mean ozone profile climatologies constructed with ozonesonde data, one by averaging on pressure levels and the other relative to the thermal tropopause. Model ozone is high biased at the SH tropical and NH midlatitude tropopause by approx. 45% in a 4 deg. latitude x 5 deg. longitude model simulation. Increasing the resolution to 2 deg. x 2.5 deg. increases the NH tropopause high bias to approx. 60%, but decreases the tropical tropopause bias to approx. 30%, an effect of a better-resolved residual circulation. The tropopause ozone biases appear not to be due to an overly vigorous residual circulation or excessive stratosphere/troposphere exchange, but are more likely due to insufficient vertical resolution or excessive vertical diffusion near the tropopause. In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, model/measurement intercomparisons are strongly affected by the averaging technique. NH and tropical mean model lower stratospheric biases are less than 20%. In the upper troposphere, the 2 deg. x 2.5 deg. simulation exhibits mean high biases of approx. 20% and approx. 35% during April in the tropics and NH midlatitudes, respectively, compared to the pressure averaged climatology. However, relative-to-tropopause averaging produces upper troposphere high biases of approx. 30% and 70% in the tropics and NH midlatitudes. This is because relative-to-tropopause averaging better preserves large cross-tropopause O3 gradients, which are seen in the daily sonde data, but not in daily model profiles. The relative annual cycle of ozone near the tropopause is reproduced very well in the model Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes. In the tropics, the model amplitude of the near tropopause annual cycle is weak. This is likely due to the annual amplitude of mean vertical upwelling near the tropopause, which analysis suggests is approx. 30% weaker than in the real atmosphere.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Turner, J. S.; Veronis, G.
2004-03-01
This study has been motivated by two oceanographic observations: an increased rate of melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and the advance of an anomalously warm tongue of Atlantic water across the Arctic below the halocline over the last few decades. A series of laboratory experiments has been carried out in order to explore the physical principles underlying these phenomena, and the possibility that the extra heating at depth is responsible for the enhanced melting rate. A tank was filled with salt solution having various constant vertical density gradients. A block of ice one third of the length of the tank was floated on the surface at one end, and the rest of the surface and the walls of the tank were insulated. When no extra heat was supplied the melting rate (loss of weight of the ice in 1 h) systematically decreased as the stratification was changed from homogeneous fluid to increasingly large density gradients, while keeping the salinity of the solution in contact with the ice constant. An analogue of the intruding Atlantic water was produced by heating the lower portion of the vertical end wall at the end of the tank opposite to the ice end, keeping its temperature constant, and using the same range of salinity gradients as in the unheated experiments. Again the melting rate decreased as the density gradient was increased, but for low gradients it was larger than that in the unheated experiments. Above a certain intermediate gradient there was no significant difference in melting rate between the unheated and heated runs. The melting data were supplemented by photographs and vertical temperature and salinity profiles. The upward transfer of heat from the body of the fluid to melt the ice was clearly double-diffusive: overturning layers, separated by 'diffusive' interfaces, were visible on shadowgraphs, and the thickness of the layers decreased as the density gradient increased. The mean thickness of the layers through the depth of the tank also systematically decreased as the density gradient increased. With weak gradients an extra heat flux to the ice came from the intruding heated layer, but at large gradients this tongue of warm water at depth did not add to the flux near the surface. Though they were obtained in a simple, arbitrary and fixed geometry, we believe that the results of these experiments can be used as the basis for a better physical understanding of the melting rates of ice in the Arctic under various conditions.
Marginal sea surface temperature variation as a pre-cursor of heat waves over the Korean Peninsula
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ham, Yoo-Geun; Na, Hye-Yun
2017-11-01
This study examines the role of the marginal sea surface temperature (SST) on heat waves over Korea. It is found that sea surface warming in the south sea of Korea/Japan (122-138°E, 24- 33°N) causes heat waves after about a week. Due to the frictional force, the positive geopotential height anomalies associated with the south sea warming induce divergent flows over the boundary layer. This divergent flow induces the southerly in Korea, which leads to a positive temperature advection. On the other hand, over the freeatmosphere, the geostrophic wind around high-pressure anomalies flows in a westerly direction over Korea during the south sea warming, which is not effective in temperature advection. Therefore, the positive temperature advection in Korea due to the south sea warming decreases with height. This reduces the vertical potential temperature gradient, which indicates a negative potential vorticity (PV) tendency over Korea. Therefore, the high-pressure anomaly over the south sea of Korea is propagated northward, which results in heat waves due to more incoming solar radiation.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rahman, Syazila; Yusoff, Mohd. Zamri; Hasini, Hasril
2012-06-01
This paper describes the comparison between the cell centered scheme and cell vertex scheme in the calculation of high speed compressible flow properties. The calculation is carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) in which the mass, momentum and energy equations are solved simultaneously over the flow domain. The geometry under investigation consists of a Binnie and Green convergent-divergent nozzle and structured mesh scheme is implemented throughout the flow domain. The finite volume CFD solver employs second-order accurate central differencing scheme for spatial discretization. In addition, the second-order accurate cell-vertex finite volume spatial discretization is also introduced in this case for comparison. The multi-stage Runge-Kutta time integration is implemented for solving a set of non-linear governing equations with variables stored at the vertices. Artificial dissipations used second and fourth order terms with pressure switch to detect changes in pressure gradient. This is important to control the solution stability and capture shock discontinuity. The result is compared with experimental measurement and good agreement is obtained for both cases.
Existence, stability, and nonlinear dynamics of detached Bridgman growth states under zero gravity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yeckel, Andrew; Derby, Jeffrey J.
2011-01-01
A thermocapillary model is used to study the existence, stability, and nonlinear dynamics of detached melt crystal growth in a vertical Bridgman system under zero gravity conditions. The model incorporates time-dependent heat, mass, and momentum transport, and accounts for temperature-dependent surface tension effects at the menisci bounding the melt. The positions of the menisci and phase-change boundary are computed to satisfy the conservation laws rigorously. A rich bifurcation structure in gap width versus pressure difference is uncovered, demarcating conditions under which growth with a stable gap is feasible. Thermal effects shift the bifurcation diagram to a slightly different pressure range, but do not alter its general structure. Necking and freeze-off are shown to be two different manifestations of the same instability mechanism. Supercooling of melt at the meniscus and low thermal gradients in the melt ahead of the crystal-melt-gas triple phase line, either of which may be destabilizing, are both observed under some conditions. The role of wetting and growth angles in dynamic shape stability is clarified.
Stankovicha, Joseph J; Gritti, Fabrice; Beaver, Lois Ann; Stevensona, Paul G; Guiochon, Georges
2013-11-29
Five methods were used to implement fast gradient separations: constant flow rate, constant column-wall temperature, constant inlet pressure at moderate and high pressures (controlled by a pressure controller),and programmed flow constant pressure. For programmed flow constant pressure, the flow rates and gradient compositions are controlled using input into the method instead of the pressure controller. Minor fluctuations in the inlet pressure do not affect the mobile phase flow rate in programmed flow. There producibilities of the retention times, the response factors, and the eluted band width of six successive separations of the same sample (9 components) were measured with different equilibration times between 0 and 15 min. The influence of the length of the equilibration time on these reproducibilities is discussed. The results show that the average column temperature may increase from one separation to the next and that this contributes to fluctuation of the results.
The effect of density gradients on hydrometers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Heinonen, Martti; Sillanpää, Sampo
2003-05-01
Hydrometers are simple but effective instruments for measuring the density of liquids. In this work, we studied the effect of non-uniform density of liquid on a hydrometer reading. The effect induced by vertical temperature gradients was investigated theoretically and experimentally. A method for compensating for the effect mathematically was developed and tested with experimental data obtained with the MIKES hydrometer calibration system. In the tests, the method was found reliable. However, the reliability depends on the available information on the hydrometer dimensions and density gradients.
Surface-tension-driven flow in a glass melt
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mcneil, Thomas J.; Cole, Robert; Shankar Subramanian, R.
1985-01-01
Motion driven by surface tension gradients was observed in a vertical capillary liquid bridge geometry in a sodium borate melt. The surface tension gradients were introduced by maintaining a temperature gradient on the free melt surface. The flow velocities at the free surface of the melt, which were measured using a tracer technique, were found to be proportional to the applied temperature difference and inversely proportional to the melt viscosity. The experimentally observed velocities were in reasonable accord with predictions from a theoretical model of the system.
Analytic Formulation and Numerical Implementation of an Acoustic Pressure Gradient Prediction
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Seongkyu; Brentner, Kenneth S.; Farassat, F.; Morris, Philip J.
2008-01-01
Two new analytical formulations of the acoustic pressure gradient have been developed and implemented in the PSU-WOPWOP rotor noise prediction code. The pressure gradient can be used to solve the boundary condition for scattering problems and it is a key aspect to solve acoustic scattering problems. The first formulation is derived from the gradient of the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) equation. This formulation has a form involving the observer time differentiation outside the integrals. In the second formulation, the time differentiation is taken inside the integrals analytically. This formulation avoids the numerical time differentiation with respect to the observer time, which is computationally more efficient. The acoustic pressure gradient predicted by these new formulations is validated through comparison with available exact solutions for a stationary and moving monopole sources. The agreement between the predictions and exact solutions is excellent. The formulations are applied to the rotor noise problems for two model rotors. A purely numerical approach is compared with the analytical formulations. The agreement between the analytical formulations and the numerical method is excellent for both stationary and moving observer cases.
Pressure evolution and deformation of confined granular media during pneumatic fracturing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Eriksen, Fredrik K.; Toussaint, Renaud; Turquet, Antoine Léo; Mâløy, Knut J.; Flekkøy, Eirik G.
2018-01-01
By means of digital image correlation, we experimentally characterize the deformation of a dry granular medium confined inside a Hele-Shaw cell due to air injection at a constant overpressure high enough to deform it (from 50 to 250 kPa). Air injection at these overpressures leads to the formation of so-called pneumatic fractures, i.e., channels empty of beads, and we discuss the typical deformations of the medium surrounding these structures. In addition we simulate the diffusion of the fluid overpressure into the medium, comparing it with the Laplacian solution over time and relating pressure gradients with corresponding granular displacements. In the compacting medium we show that the diffusing pressure field becomes similar to the Laplace solution on the order of a characteristic time given by the properties of the pore fluid, the granular medium, and the system size. However, before the diffusing pressure approaches the Laplace solution on the system scale, we find that it resembles the Laplacian field near the channels, with the highest pressure gradients on the most advanced channel tips and a screened pressure gradient behind them. We show that the granular displacements more or less always move in the direction against the local pressure gradients, and when comparing granular velocities with pressure gradients in the zone ahead of channels, we observe a Bingham type of rheology for the granular paste (the mix of air and beads), with an effective viscosity μB and displacement thresholds ∇ ⃗Pc evolving during mobilization and compaction of the medium. Such a rheology, with disorder in the displacement thresholds, could be responsible for placing the pattern growth at moderate injection pressures in a universality class like the dielectric breakdown model with η =2 , where fractal dimensions are found between 1.5 and 1.6 for the patterns.
Cardiovascular Pressures with Venous Gas Embolism and Decompression
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Butler, B. D.; Robinson, R.; Sutton, T.; Kemper, G. B.
1995-01-01
Venous gas embolism (VGE) is reported with decompression to a decreased ambient pressure. With severe decompression, or in cases where an intracardiac septal defect (patent foramen ovale) exists, the venous bubbles can become arterialized and cause neurological decompression illness. Incidence rates of patent foramen ovale in the general population range from 25-34% and yet aviators, astronauts, and deepsea divers who have decompression-induced venous bubbles do not demonstrate neurological symptoms at these high rates. This apparent disparity may be attributable to the normal pressure gradient across the atria of the heart that must be reversed for there to be flow potency. We evaluated the effects of: venous gas embolism (0.025, 0.05 and 0.15 ml/ kg min for 180 min.) hyperbaric decompression; and hypobaric decompression on the pressure gradient across the left and right atria in anesthetized dogs with intact atrial septa. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was used as a measure of left atrial pressure. In a total of 92 experimental evaluations in 22 dogs, there were no reported reversals in the mean pressure gradient across the atria; a total of 3 transient reversals occurred during the peak pressure gradient changes. The reasons that decompression-induced venous bubbles do not consistently cause serious symptoms of decompression illness may be that the amount of venous gas does not always cause sufficient pressure reversal across a patent foramen ovale to cause arterialization of the venous bubbles.
The influence of pressure relaxation on the structure of an axial vortex
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ash, Robert L.; Zardadkhan, Irfan; Zuckerwar, Allan J.
2011-07-01
Governing equations including the effects of pressure relaxation have been utilized to study an incompressible, steady-state viscous axial vortex with specified far-field circulation. When sound generation is attributed to a velocity gradient tensor-pressure gradient product, the modified conservation of momentum equations that result yield an exact solution for a steady, incompressible axial vortex. The vortex velocity profile has been shown to closely approximate experimental vortex measurements in air and water over a wide range of circulation-based Reynolds numbers. The influence of temperature and humidity on the pressure relaxation coefficient in air has been examined using theoretical and empirical approaches, and published axial vortex experiments have been employed to estimate the pressure relaxation coefficient in water. Non-equilibrium pressure gradient forces have been shown to balance the viscous stresses in the vortex core region, and the predicted pressure deficits that result from this non-equilibrium balance can be substantially larger than the pressure deficits predicted using a Bernoulli equation approach. Previously reported pressure deficit distributions for dust devils and tornados have been employed to validate the non-equilibrium pressure deficit predictions.
Färber, Leonie; Sølhaug, Knut Asbjorn; Esseen, Per-Anders; Bilger, Wolfgang; Gauslaa, Yngvar
2014-06-01
Pendulous lichens dominate canopies of boreal forests, with dark Bryoria species in the upper canopy vs. light Alectoria and Usnea species in lower canopy. These genera offer important ecosystem services such as winter forage for reindeer and caribou. The mechanism behind this niche separation is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that species-specific sunscreening fungal pigments protect underlying symbiotic algae differently against high light, and thus shape the vertical canopy gradient of epiphytes. Three pale species with the reflecting pigment usnic acid (Alectoria sarmentosa, Usnea dasypoga, U. longissima) and three with dark, absorbing melanins (Bryoria capillaris, B. fremontii, B. fuscescens) were compared. We subjected the lichens to desiccation stress with and without light, and assessed their performance with chlorophyll fluorescence. Desiccation alone only affected U. longissima. By contrast, light in combination with desiccation caused photoinhibitory damage in all species. Usnic lichens were significantly more susceptible to light during desiccation than melanic ones. Thus, melanin is a more efficient light-screening pigment than usnic acid. Thereby, the vertical gradient of pendulous lichens in forest canopies is consistent with a shift in type and functioning of sunscreening pigments, from high-light-tolerant Bryoria in the upper to susceptible Alectoria and Usnea in the lower canopy.
Apparatus for magnetic separation of paramagnetic and diamagnetic material
Doctor, Richard D.
1988-01-01
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for segregating paramagnetic from diamagnetic particles in particulate material and, in particular, to the open gradient magnetic separation of ash producing components and pyritic sulfur from coal. The apparatus includes a vertical cylinder and a rotatable vertical screw positioned within the cylinder, the screw having a helical blade angled downwardly and outwardly from the axis. Rotation of the vertical screw causes denser particles, which in the case of coal include pyritic sulfur and ash, which are paramagnetic, to migrate to the outside of the screw, and less dense particles, such as the low sulfur organic portion of the coal, which are diamagnetic, to migrate towards the center of the screw. A vibration mechanism attached to the screw causes the screw to vibrate during rotation, agitating and thereby accommodating further segregation of the particles. An open gradient magnetic field is applied circumferentially along the entire length of the screw by a superconducting quadropole magnet. The open gradient magnetic field further segregates the paramagnetic particles from the diamagnetic particles. The paramagnetic particles may then be directed from the cylinder into a first storage bin, and the diamagnetic particles, which are suitable for relatively clean combustion, may be directed into a second storage bin.
Apparatus for magnetic separation of paramagnetic and diamagnetic material
Doctor, R.D.
1988-10-18
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for segregating paramagnetic from diamagnetic particles in particulate material and, in particular, to the open gradient magnetic separation of ash producing components and pyritic sulfur from coal. The apparatus includes a vertical cylinder and a rotatable vertical screw positioned within the cylinder, the screw having a helical blade angled downwardly and outwardly from the axis. Rotation of the vertical screw causes denser particles, which in the case of coal include pyritic sulfur and ash, which are paramagnetic, to migrate to the outside of the screw, and less dense particles, such as the low sulfur organic portion of the coal, which are diamagnetic, to migrate towards the center of the screw. A vibration mechanism attached to the screw causes the screw to vibrate during rotation, agitating and thereby accommodating further segregation of the particles. An open gradient magnetic field is applied circumferentially along the entire length of the screw by a superconducting quadrupole magnet. The open gradient magnetic field further segregates the paramagnetic particles from the diamagnetic particles. The paramagnetic particles may then be directed from the cylinder into a first storage bin, and the diamagnetic particles, which are suitable for relatively clean combustion, may be directed into a second storage bin. 5 figs.
Apparatus for magnetic separation of paramagnetic and diamagnetic material
Doctor, R.D.
1986-07-24
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for segregating paramagnetic from diamagnetic particles in particulate material and, in particular, to the open gradient magnetic separation of ash producing components and pyritic sulfur from coal. The apparatus includes a vertical cylinder and a rotatable vertical screw positioned within the cylinder, the screw having a helical blade angled downwardly and outwardly from the axis. Rotation of the vertical screw causes denser particles, which in the case of coal include pyritic sulfur and ash, which are paramagnetic, to migrate to the outside of the screw, and less dense particles, such as the low sulfur organic portion of the coal, which are diamagnetic, to migrate towards the center of the screw. A vibration mechanism attached to the screw causes the screw to vibrate during rotation, agitating and thereby accommodating further segregation of the particles. An open gradient magnetic field is applied circumferentially along the entire length of the screw by a superconducting quadrupole magnet. The open gradient magnetic field further segregates the paramagnetic-particles from the diamagnetic particles. The paramagnetic particles may then be directed from the cylinder into a first storage bin, and the diamagnetic particles, which are suitable for relatively clean combustion, may be directed into a second storage bin. 5 figs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Flaherty, Kevin M.; Hughes, A. Meredith; Teague, Richard; Simon, Jacob B.; Andrews, Sean M.; Wilner, David J.
2018-04-01
Turbulence is a fundamental parameter in models of grain growth during the early stages of planet formation. As such, observational constraints on its magnitude are crucial. Here we self-consistently analyze ALMA CO(2–1), SMA CO(3–2), and SMA CO(6–5) observations of the disk around TW Hya and find an upper limit on the turbulent broadening of <0.08c s (α < 0.007 for α defined only within 2–3 pressure scale heights above the midplane), lower than the tentative detection previously found from an analysis of the CO(2–1) data. We examine in detail the challenges of image plane fitting versus directly fitting the visibilities, while also considering the role of the vertical temperature gradient, systematic uncertainty in the amplitude calibration, and assumptions about the CO abundance, as potential sources of the discrepancy in the turbulence measurements. These tests result in variations of the turbulence limit between <0.04c s and <0.13c s , consistently lower than the 0.2–0.4c s found previously. Having ruled out numerous factors, we restrict the source of the discrepancy to our assumed coupling between temperature and density through hydrostatic equilibrium in the presence of a vertical temperature gradient and/or the confinement of CO to a thin molecular layer above the midplane, although further work is needed to quantify the influence of these prescriptions. Assumptions about hydrostatic equilibrium and the CO distribution are physically motivated, and may have a small influence on measuring the kinematics of the gas, but they become important when constraining small effects such as the strength of the turbulence within a protoplanetary disk.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Patil, Nitin; Venkataraman, Chandra; Muduchuru, Kaushik; Ghosh, Subimal; Mondal, Arpita
2018-05-01
Recent studies point to combined effects of changes in regional land-use, anthropogenic aerosol forcing and sea surface temperature (SST) gradient on declining trends in the South Asian monsoon (SAM). This study attempted disentangling the effects produced by changes in SST gradient from those by aerosol levels in an atmospheric general circulation model. Two pairs of transient ensemble simulations were made, for a 40-year period from 1971 to 2010, with evolving versus climatological SSTs and with anthropogenic aerosol emissions fixed at 1971 versus 2010, in each case with evolution of the other forcing element, as well as GHGs. Evolving SST was linked to a widespread feedback on increased surface temperature, reduced land-sea thermal contrast and a weakened Hadley circulation, with weakening of cross-equatorial transport of moisture transport towards South Asia. Increases in anthropogenic aerosol levels (1971 versus 2010), led to an intensification of drying in the peninsular Indian region, through several regional pathways. Aerosol forcing induced north-south asymmetries in temperature and sea-level pressure response, and a cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal, leading to an easterly flow, which opposes the monsoon flow, suppressing moisture transport over peninsular India. Further, aerosol induced decreases in convection, vertically integrated moisture flux convergence, evaporation flux and cloud fraction, in the peninsular region, were spatially congruent with reduced convective and stratiform rainfall. Overall, evolution of SST acted through a weakening of cross-equatorial moisture flow, while increases in aerosol levels acted through suppression of Arabian Sea moisture transport, as well as, of convection and vertical moisture transport, to influence the suppression of SAM rainfall.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oldenburg, C. M.; Peters, C. A.; Dobson, P. F.; Doughty, C.
2010-12-01
Understanding the processes involved in large-scale upward flow of CO2 related to Geologic Carbon Sequestration (GCS) is critical to evaluating trapping mechanisms and potential impacts of CO2 leakage over long distances. The Laboratory for Underground CO2 Investigations (LUCI) is being planned to be built at DUSEL to host large-scale vertical CO2 and brine flow experiments. As conceived, LUCI would consist of a 500 m-long vertical raisebore approximately 3 m in diameter which will contain three suspended long-column pressure vessels. The long-column pressure vessels are planned to be 1 m in diameter with thermal control on the outer walls with a centralized inner fiberglass well for accommodating monitoring tools for determining phase saturation, porosity, temperature, and other properties of the flow region. The outer wall of the inner fiberglass well and the inner wall of the main vessel comprise the lateral boundaries of the long vertical annular regions that will be filled with porous media in which experiments investigating flow and transport, geochemical alterations of well cement, and biological processes involving injected CO2 will be performed. The large vertical extent of the column is needed to span the full range of CO2 conditions from supercritical (scCO2, P > 7.4 MPa, T > 31 °C) to gaseous CO2 that is believed to be significant as CO2 flows upwards. Here we consider the CO2-brine flow experiments in which the annular region will be pressurized at the top and bottom and contain brine-filled porous media through which scCO2 introduced at the bottom will flow upward. We are carrying out two-phase flow simulations of the buoyancy- and pressure-driven flow of CO2 and brine upward in the annular porous media region to further design the flow columns, e.g., to determine critical length and diameter requirements, as well as to plan the experiments to be performed. The simulations are carried out using TOUGH2/ECO2N, which models two-phase non-isothermal flow and transport of water, CO2, and NaCl in porous media. To treat important issues of drainage and imbibition at the leading and trailing edges of the CO2 slug, we employ hysteretic relative permeability functions. Simulation results will be presented showing flow rate, saturation, and temperature dependence on permeability, relative permeability parameters, size of initial CO2 slug, imposed upward flow rate, and different side boundary conditions (e.g., fully insulated and temperature equal to a constant geothermal gradient).
Kim, Yong Joon; Jo, Sungkil; Moon, Daruchi; Joo, Youngcheol; Choi, Kyung Seek
2014-05-01
To comprehend the mechanism of focal chorioretinal damage by analysis of the pressure distribution and dynamic pressure induced by infused air during fluid-air exchange. A precise simulation featuring a model eye and a fluid circuit was designed to analyze fluid-air exchange. The pressure distribution, flow velocity, and dynamic pressure induced by infusion of air into an air-filled eye were analyzed using an approach based on fluid dynamics. The size of the port and the infusion pressure were varied during simulated iterations. We simulated infusion of an air-filled eye with balanced salt solution (BSS) to better understand the mechanism of chorioretinal damage induced by infused air. Infused air was projected straight toward a point on the retina contralateral to the infusion port (the "vulnerable point"). The highest pressure was evident at the vulnerable point, and the lowest pressure was recorded on most retinal areas. Simulations using greater infusion pressure and a port of larger size were associated with elevations in dynamic pressure and the pressure gradient. The pressure gradients were 2.8 and 5.1 mm Hg, respectively, when infusion pressures of 30 and 50 mm Hg were delivered through a 20-gauge port. The pressure gradient associated with BSS infusion was greater than that created by air, but lasted for only a moment. Our simulation explains the mechanism of focal chorioretinal damage in numerical terms. Infused air induces a prolonged increase in focal pressure on the vulnerable point, and this may be responsible for visual field defects arising after fluid-air exchange. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
G.Y. Fu; L.P. Ku; M.H. Redi
A key issue for compact stellarators is the stability of beta-limiting MHD modes, such as external kink modes driven by bootstrap current and pressure gradient. We report here recent progress in MHD stability studies for low-aspect-ratio Quasi-Axisymmetric Stellarators (QAS) and Quasi-Omnigeneous Stellarators (QOS). We find that the N = 0 periodicity-preserving vertical mode is significantly more stable in stellarators than in tokamaks because of the externally generated rotational transform. It is shown that both low-n external kink modes and high-n ballooning modes can be stabilized at high beta by appropriate 3D shaping without a conducting wall. The stabilization mechanism formore » external kink modes in QAS appears to be an enhancement of local magnetic shear due to 3D shaping. The stabilization of ballooning mode in QOS is related to a shortening of the normal curvature connection length.« less
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Brill, K. F.; Uccellini, L. W.; Burkhart, R. P.; Warner, T. T.; Anthes, R. A.
1985-01-01
A numerical study was performed of a severe weather event (tornado) which occurred on May 10, 1973 in the Ohio region. The situation was modeled with a primitive equation mesoscale dynamic formulation. Account was taken of precipitation, the planetary boundary layer parameters as bulk quantities, the vertical pressure gradient, and lateral boundary conditions based on radiosonde data. Two 12-hr simulations, adiabatic and nondivergent, respectively, were analyzed for relationships between upper and lower level jets. In the adiabatic formulation, a transverse circulation with a low level jet formed at the exit region of the upper level jet. The nondivergent situation led to similar, but weaker, phenomena. Both forms suggest that indirect circulation in the exit zone of an upper level jet is strongly influenced by the initial structure of the jet.
Tempest - Efficient Computation of Atmospheric Flows Using High-Order Local Discretization Methods
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ullrich, P. A.; Guerra, J. E.
2014-12-01
The Tempest Framework composes several compact numerical methods to easily facilitate intercomparison of atmospheric flow calculations on the sphere and in rectangular domains. This framework includes the implementations of Spectral Elements, Discontinuous Galerkin, Flux Reconstruction, and Hybrid Finite Element methods with the goal of achieving optimal accuracy in the solution of atmospheric problems. Several advantages of this approach are discussed such as: improved pressure gradient calculation, numerical stability by vertical/horizontal splitting, arbitrary order of accuracy, etc. The local numerical discretization allows for high performance parallel computation and efficient inclusion of parameterizations. These techniques are used in conjunction with a non-conformal, locally refined, cubed-sphere grid for global simulations and standard Cartesian grids for simulations at the mesoscale. A complete implementation of the methods described is demonstrated in a non-hydrostatic setting.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martin, William G. K.; Hasekamp, Otto P.
2018-01-01
In previous work, we derived the adjoint method as a computationally efficient path to three-dimensional (3D) retrievals of clouds and aerosols. In this paper we will demonstrate the use of adjoint methods for retrieving two-dimensional (2D) fields of cloud extinction. The demonstration uses a new 2D radiative transfer solver (FSDOM). This radiation code was augmented with adjoint methods to allow efficient derivative calculations needed to retrieve cloud and surface properties from multi-angle reflectance measurements. The code was then used in three synthetic retrieval studies. Our retrieval algorithm adjusts the cloud extinction field and surface albedo to minimize the measurement misfit function with a gradient-based, quasi-Newton approach. At each step we compute the value of the misfit function and its gradient with two calls to the solver FSDOM. First we solve the forward radiative transfer equation to compute the residual misfit with measurements, and second we solve the adjoint radiative transfer equation to compute the gradient of the misfit function with respect to all unknowns. The synthetic retrieval studies verify that adjoint methods are scalable to retrieval problems with many measurements and unknowns. We can retrieve the vertically-integrated optical depth of moderately thick clouds as a function of the horizontal coordinate. It is also possible to retrieve the vertical profile of clouds that are separated by clear regions. The vertical profile retrievals improve for smaller cloud fractions. This leads to the conclusion that cloud edges actually increase the amount of information that is available for retrieving the vertical profile of clouds. However, to exploit this information one must retrieve the horizontally heterogeneous cloud properties with a 2D (or 3D) model. This prototype shows that adjoint methods can efficiently compute the gradient of the misfit function. This work paves the way for the application of similar methods to 3D remote sensing problems.
Markham, Larry W; Knecht, Sandra K; Daniels, Stephen R; Mays, Wayne A; Khoury, Philip R; Knilans, Timothy K
2004-11-01
Often, the lack of systemic arterial hypertension and the lack of a resting arm-leg blood pressure gradient are used to assess the adequacy of the anatomic result after intervention for coarctation of the aorta (CoA). Some patients with no arm-leg gradient at rest may develop a gradient with exercise, leading caregivers to question the success of the repair. It is not clear what the prevalence is of patients who have undergone a successful intervention for CoA and have no arm-leg gradient at rest but develop a significant gradient with exercise and which factors may predict the development of an arm-leg gradient with exercise. This study evaluates the prevalence and predictors of an exercise-induced arm-leg gradient in subjects who have undergone an apparently successful intervention for CoA.
Analytical Expressions for Deformation from an Arbitrarily Oriented Spheroid in a Half-Space
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cervelli, P. F.
2013-12-01
Deformation from magma chambers can be modeled by an elastic half-space with an embedded cavity subject to uniform pressure change along its interior surface. For a small number of cavity shapes, such as a sphere or a prolate spheroid, closed-form, analytical expressions for deformation have been derived, although these only approximate the uniform-pressure-change boundary condition, with the approximation becoming more accurate as the ratio of source depth to source dimension increases. Using the method of Elshelby [1957] and Yang [1988], which consists of a distribution of double forces and centers of dilatation along the vertical axis, I have derived expressions for displacement from a finite spheroid of arbitrary orientation and aspect ratio that are exact in an infinite elastic medium and approximate in a half-space. The approximation, like those for other cavity shapes, becomes increasingly accurate as the depth to source ratio grows larger, and is accurate to within a few percent in most real-world cases. I have also derived expressions for the deformation-gradient tensor, i.e., the derivatives of each component of displacement with respect to each coordinate direction. These can be transformed easily into the strain and stress tensors. The expressions give deformation both at the surface and at any point within the half-space, and include conditional statements that account for limiting cases that would otherwise prove singular. I have developed MATLAB code for these expressions (and their derivatives), which I use to demonstrate the accuracy of the approximation by showing how well the uniform-pressure-change boundary condition is satisfied in a variety of cases. I also show that a vertical, oblate spheroid with a zero-length vertical axis is equivalent to the penny-shaped crack of Fialko [2001] in an infinite medium and an excellent approximation in a half-space. Finally, because, in many cases, volume change is more tangible than pressure change, I have derived an equation that relates these two quantities for the spheroid: volume change equals pressure change × 2/3 × π/μ × a constant that depends on Poisson's ratio and the spheroid geometry. Eshelby, J. D., The determination of the elastic field of an ellipsoidal inclusion and related problems, Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 241, 376-396, 1957. Fialko, Y., Khazan, Y, and Simons, M. Deformation due to a pressurized horizontal circular crack in an elastic half-space, with applications to volcano geodesy, Geophys. J. Int., no. 146, 181-190, 2001. Yang, X., Davis, P. M., and Dieterich, J.H, Deformation from inflation of a dipping finite prolate spheroid in an Elastic Half-Space as a model for volcanic stressing, J. Geophys. Res., vol. 93, no. B5, 4249-4257, 1988.
Measurement of earth pressures on concrete box culverts under highway embankments
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Yang, M.Z.; Drumm, E.C.; Bennett, R.M.
1999-07-01
To obtain a better understanding of the stresses acting on cast-in-place concrete box culverts, and to investigate the conditions which resulted in a culvert failure under about 12 meters of backfill, two sections of a new culvert were instrumented. The measured earth pressure distribution was found to depend upon the height of the embankment over the culvert. For low embankment heights (less than one-half the culvert width), the average measured vertical earth pressures, weighted by tributary length, were about 30% greater than the recommended AASHTO pressures. The measured lateral pressures were slightly greater than the AASHTO pressures. As the embankmentmore » height increased, the measured weighted average vertical stress exceeded the AASHTO pressures by about 20%. Lateral pressures which exceeded the vertical pressures were recorded at the bottom of the culvert walls, and small lateral pressures were recorded on the upper locations of the wall. The high lateral pressures at the base of the wall are consistent with the results from finite element analyses with high density (modulus) backfill material placed around the culvert.« less
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moreto, Jose; Liu, Xiaofeng
2017-11-01
The accuracy of the Rotating Parallel Ray omnidirectional integration for pressure reconstruction from the measured pressure gradient (Liu et al., AIAA paper 2016-1049) is evaluated against both the Circular Virtual Boundary omnidirectional integration (Liu and Katz, 2006 and 2013) and the conventional Poisson equation approach. Dirichlet condition at one boundary point and Neumann condition at all other boundary points are applied to the Poisson solver. A direct numerical simulation database of isotropic turbulence flow (JHTDB), with a homogeneously distributed random noise added to the entire field of DNS pressure gradient, is used to assess the performance of the methods. The random noise, generated by the Matlab function Rand, has a magnitude varying randomly within the range of +/-40% of the maximum DNS pressure gradient. To account for the effect of the noise distribution pattern on the reconstructed pressure accuracy, a total of 1000 different noise distributions achieved by using different random number seeds are involved in the evaluation. Final results after averaging the 1000 realizations show that the error of the reconstructed pressure normalized by the DNS pressure variation range is 0.15 +/-0.07 for the Poisson equation approach, 0.028 +/-0.003 for the Circular Virtual Boundary method and 0.027 +/-0.003 for the Rotating Parallel Ray method, indicating the robustness of the Rotating Parallel Ray method in pressure reconstruction. Sponsor: The San Diego State University UGP program.
Using smartphone pressure sensors to measure vertical velocities of elevators, stairways, and drones
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Monteiro, Martín; Martí, Arturo C.
2017-01-01
We measure the vertical velocities of elevators, pedestrians climbing stairs, and drones (flying unmanned aerial vehicles), by means of smartphone pressure sensors. The barometric pressure obtained with the smartphone is related to the altitude of the device via the hydrostatic approximation. From the altitude values, vertical velocities are derived. The approximation considered is valid in the first hundred meters of the inner layers of the atmosphere. In addition to pressure, acceleration values were also recorded using the built-in accelerometer. Numerical integration was performed, obtaining both vertical velocity and altitude. We show that data obtained using the pressure sensor is significantly less noisy than that obtained using the accelerometer. Error accumulation is also evident in the numerical integration of the acceleration values. In the proposed experiments, the pressure sensor also outperforms GPS, because this sensor does not receive satellite signals indoors and, in general, the operating frequency is considerably lower than that of the pressure sensor. In the cases in which it is possible, comparison with reference values taken from the architectural plans of buildings validates the results obtained using the pressure sensor. This proposal is ideally performed as an external or outreach activity with students to gain insight about fundamental questions in mechanics, fluids, and thermodynamics.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Gong, Hong-Yu; Gu, Wei-Min, E-mail: guwm@xmu.edu.cn
2017-04-20
In the classic picture of standard thin accretion disks, viscous heating is balanced by radiative cooling through the diffusion process, and the radiation-pressure-dominated inner disk suffers convective instability. However, recent simulations have shown that, owing to the magnetic buoyancy, the vertical advection process can significantly contribute to energy transport. In addition, in comparing the simulation results with the local convective stability criterion, no convective instability has been found. In this work, following on from simulations, we revisit the vertical structure of radiation-pressure-dominated thin disks and include the vertical advection process. Our study indicates a link between the additional energy transportmore » and the convectively stable property. Thus, the vertical advection not only significantly contributes to the energy transport, but it also plays an important role in making the disk convectively stable. Our analyses may help to explain the discrepancy between classic theory and simulations on standard thin disks.« less
Atar, D; Ramanujam, P S; Saunamäki, K; Haunsø, S
1994-01-01
The aim of the study described here was to correlate coronary artery (CA) stenosis pressure gradients calculated by quantitative coronary arteriography (QCA) to invasively measured transstenotic pressure drops in patients with anginal symptoms and with known or suspected coronary artery disease. Furthermore, the known mathematical models are improved by introducing (1) pressure catheter-corrected minimal stenosis area, (2) modification of flow assumptions, and (3) stenosis exit angle. Included in the study were 45 patients with 61 stenoses. The visually estimated CA lesion severity in these non-complex stenoses was in the equivocal range of 40-70%. All measurements were performed after intracoronary administration of nifedipine and nitroglycerin. Stenosis dimensions were assessed from magnified cinefilms, using hand-held calipers. Highly significant overall correlation was found between measured and calculated pressure gradients with correction for the impact of the intracoronary catheter (P < 0.00001, r = 0.84). In particular, a substantial number of stenoses with haemodynamically-insignificant pressure gradients were identified by hydrodynamic calculations. In conclusion, the great majority of the coronary artery stenoses could be classified reliably by QCA as being haemodynamically insignificant or significant, respectively.
Frontal dynamics at the edge of the Columbia River plume
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akan, Çiğdem; McWilliams, James C.; Moghimi, Saeed; Özkan-Haller, H. Tuba
2018-02-01
In the tidal ebb-cycle at the Mouth of the Columbia River, strong density and velocity fronts sometimes form perpendicular to the coast at the edges of the freshwater plume. They are distinct from previously analyzed fronts at the offshore western edge of the plume that evolve as a gravity-wave bore. We present simulation results to demonstrate their occurrence and investigate the mechanisms behind their frontogenesis and evolution. Tidal velocities on average ranged between 1.5 m s-1 in flood and 2.5 m s-1 in ebb during the brief hindcast period. The tidal fronts exhibit strong horizontal velocity and buoyancy gradients on a scale ∼ 100 m in width with normalized relative vorticity (ζz/f) values reaching up to 50. We specifically focus on the front on the northern edge of the plume and examine the evolution in plume characteristics such as its water mass gradients, horizontal and vertical velocity structure, vertical velocity, turbulent vertical mixing, horizontal propagation, cross-front momentum balance, and Lagrangian frontogenetic tendencies in both buoyancy and velocity gradients. Advective frontogenesis leads to a very sharp front where lateral mixing near the grid-resolution limit arrests its further contraction. The negative vorticity within the front is initiated by the positive bottom drag curl on the north side of the Columbia estuary and against the north jetty. Because of the large negative vorticity and horizontal vorticity gradient, centrifugal and lateral shear instability begins to develop along the front, but frontal fragmentation and decay set in only after the turn of the tide because of the briefness of the ebb interval.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Denneulin, T.; Wollschläger, N.; Everhardt, A. S.; Farokhipoor, S.; Noheda, B.; Snoeck, E.; Hÿtch, M.
2018-05-01
Lead zirconate titanate samples are used for their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties in various types of micro-devices. Epitaxial layers of tetragonal perovskites have a tendency to relax by forming ferroelastic domains. The accommodation of the a/c/a/c polydomain structure on a flat substrate leads to nanoscale deformation gradients which locally influence the polarization by flexoelectric effect. Here, we investigated the deformation fields in epitaxial layers of Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 grown on SrTiO3 substrates using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found that the deformation gradients depend on the domain walls inclination ( or to the substrate interface) of the successive domains and we describe three different a/c/a domain configurations: one configuration with parallel a-domains and two configurations with perpendicular a-domains (V-shaped and hat--shaped). In the parallel configuration, the c-domains contain horizontal and vertical gradients of out-of-plane deformation. In the V-shaped and hat--shaped configurations, the c-domains exhibit a bending deformation field with vertical gradients of in-plane deformation. Each of these configurations is expected to have a different influence on the polarization and so the local properties of the film. The deformation gradients were measured using dark-field electron holography, a TEM technique, which offers a good sensitivity (0.1%) and a large field-of-view (hundreds of nanometers). The measurements are compared with finite element simulations.
Water potential gradient in a tall sequoiadendron.
Tobiessen, P
1971-09-01
With an elevator installed in a 90-meter tall Sequoiadendron to collect the samples, xylem pressure potential measurements were made approximately every 15 meters along 60 meters of the tree's height. The measured gradient was about -0.8 bar per 10 meters of height, i.e., less than the hydrostatic gradient. Correction of the xylem pressure potential data by calibration against a thermocouple psychrometer confirmed this result. Similar gradients are described in the literature in tall conifers at times of low transpiration, although a different sampling technique was used. If the data in the present study and those supporting it are typical, they imply a re-evaluation of either the use of the pressure chamber to estimate water potential or the present theories describing water transport in tall trees.
Water Potential Gradient in a Tall Sequoiadendron
Tobiessen, Peter; Rundel, Philip W.; Stecker, R. E.
1971-01-01
With an elevator installed in a 90-meter tall Sequoiadendron to collect the samples, xylem pressure potential measurements were made approximately every 15 meters along 60 meters of the tree's height. The measured gradient was about −0.8 bar per 10 meters of height, i.e., less than the hydrostatic gradient. Correction of the xylem pressure potential data by calibration against a thermocouple psychrometer confirmed this result. Similar gradients are described in the literature in tall conifers at times of low transpiration, although a different sampling technique was used. If the data in the present study and those supporting it are typical, they imply a re-evaluation of either the use of the pressure chamber to estimate water potential or the present theories describing water transport in tall trees. PMID:16657786
One-shot 3D scanning by combining sparse landmarks with dense gradient information
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Di Martino, Matías; Flores, Jorge; Ferrari, José A.
2018-06-01
Scene understanding is one of the most challenging and popular problems in the field of robotics and computer vision and the estimation of 3D information is at the core of most of these applications. In order to retrieve the 3D structure of a test surface we propose a single shot approach that combines dense gradient information with sparse absolute measurements. To that end, we designed a colored pattern that codes fine horizontal and vertical fringes, with sparse corners landmarks. By measuring the deformation (bending) of horizontal and vertical fringes, we are able to estimate surface local variations (i.e. its gradient field). Then corner sparse landmarks are detected and matched to infer spare absolute information about the test surface height. Local gradient information is combined with the sparse absolute values which work as anchors to guide the integration process. We show that this can be mathematically done in a very compact and intuitive way by properly defining a Poisson-like partial differential equation. Then we address in detail how the problem can be formulated in a discrete domain and how it can be practically solved by straight forward linear numerical solvers. Finally, validation experiment are presented.
Chen, Lidong; Basu, Anup; Zhang, Maojun; Wang, Wei; Liu, Yu
2014-03-20
A complementary catadioptric imaging technique was proposed to solve the problem of low and nonuniform resolution in omnidirectional imaging. To enhance this research, our paper focuses on how to generate a high-resolution panoramic image from the captured omnidirectional image. To avoid the interference between the inner and outer images while fusing the two complementary views, a cross-selection kernel regression method is proposed. First, in view of the complementarity of sampling resolution in the tangential and radial directions between the inner and the outer images, respectively, the horizontal gradients in the expected panoramic image are estimated based on the scattered neighboring pixels mapped from the outer, while the vertical gradients are estimated using the inner image. Then, the size and shape of the regression kernel are adaptively steered based on the local gradients. Furthermore, the neighboring pixels in the next interpolation step of kernel regression are also selected based on the comparison between the horizontal and vertical gradients. In simulation and real-image experiments, the proposed method outperforms existing kernel regression methods and our previous wavelet-based fusion method in terms of both visual quality and objective evaluation.
Sloto, Ronald A.
2002-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted borehole geophysical logging, collected and analyzed water-level data, and sampled sections of a rock core to determine the concentration of volatile organic compounds in the aquifer matrix of the Stockton Formation. Borehole geophysical logs were run in three monitor wells. At well 05MW04I, the vertical gradient was upward at depths above 42 feet below land surface (ft bls), downward between 42 and 82 ft bls, and upward below 82 ft bls. At well 05MW05I, a downward vertical gradient was present. At well 05MW12I, the vertical gradient was downward above 112 ft bls and upward below 112 ft bls.Three water-bearing fractures in a 17-foot long rock core from 23.5 to 40.5 ft bls were identified and sampled. Three samples were analyzed from each water-bearing fracture—at the fracture face, 2 centimeters (cm) below the fracture, and 4 cm below the fracture. Fifteen compounds were detected; however, concentrations of seven compounds were less than 1 microgram per kilogram (mg/kg) when detected. Concentrations of benzene (from 0.39 to 3.3 mg/kg), 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE) (from 0.15 to 13 mg/kg), 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) (from 0.17 to 22 mg/kg), and trichloroethylene (TCE) (from 0.092 to 9.6 mg/kg) were detected in all samples. The highest concentrations detected were for toluene, which was detected at a concentration of 32 and 86 mg/kg in the samples from unweathered sandstone at 2 and 4 cm below the fracture, respectively. Concentrations generally decreased with distance below the fracture in the mudstone samples. Concentrations of benzene and toluene increased with distance below the fractures in the unweathered sandstone samples. Concentrations of 1,1-DCE, TCA, and TCE were higher in the mudstone samples than in the samples from sandstone. Toluene concentrations were higher in unweathered sandstone than in weathered sandstone or mudstone.The effect of the pumping of Horsham Water and Sewer Authority public supply well 26 (HWSA-26), 0.2 mile southwest of the base boundary, on groundwater levels on the base was determined by shutting the well down for 6 days to allow water levels to recover. Water levels in 22 nearby wells were measured. The only well (02MW01I) that showed an unambiguous response to the shutdown of well HWSA-26 is 1,350 feet directly along strike from well HWSA-26. The recovery of well 05MW11I in response to the shutdown of well HWSA-26 is masked by recharge from snowmelt but probably does not exceed about 0.2 feet on the basis of the water level in well 05MW11I, which showed a response to the pumping of well HWSA-26 that ranged from 0.5 to 0.15 foot.Horizontal gradients differ with depth, and the rate and direction of ground-water flow and contaminant movement is depth dependent. The potentiometric-surface map for water levels measured in wells screened between 5 and 44 ft bls in the aquifer shows a ground-water mound that is the high point on a regional ground-water divide. From this divide, ground water flows both northwest toward Park Creek and southeast toward Pennypack Creek. The hydraulic gradient around this mound is relatively flat to the southeast and particularly flat to the northwest. The potentiometric-surface map for water levels measured in wells screened between 40 and 100 ft bls in the aquifer shows a very flat hydraulic gradient. Differences in the elevation of the potentiometric surface are less than 2 feet. The potentiometric-surface map for water levels measured in wells screened between 105 and 179 ft bls in the aquifer shows a steep hydraulic gradient between Sites 5 and 2 and a relatively flat hydraulic gradient between Sites 5 and 3. Water levels measured on October 7, 1999, showed downward vertical head gradients for all well clusters at Site 5. Vertical gradients ranged from 0.01 at well cluster 05MW10 to 0.2 at cluster 05MW11. Most gradients were between 0.01 and 0.026. Vertical head gradients vary with time. The variability is caused by a difference in the magnitude of water-level fluctuations between shallow and the deep fractures. The difference in the magnitude of water-level fluctuations is because of differences in lithology and aquifer storativity.
Dynamics of the global meridional ice flow of Europa's icy shell
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ashkenazy, Yosef; Sayag, Roiy; Tziperman, Eli
2018-01-01
Europa is one of the most probable places in the solar system to find extra-terrestrial life1,2, motivating the study of its deep ( 100 km) ocean3-6 and thick icy shell3,7-11. The chaotic terrain patterns on Europa's surface12-15 have been associated with vertical convective motions within the ice8,10. Horizontal gradients of ice thickness16,17 are expected due to the large equator-to-pole gradient of surface temperature and can drive a global horizontal ice flow, yet such a flow and its observable implications have not been studied. We present a global ice flow model for Europa composed of warm, soft ice flowing beneath a cold brittle rigid ice crust3. The model is coupled to an underlying (diffusive) ocean and includes the effect of tidal heating and convection within the ice. We show that Europa's ice can flow meridionally due to pressure gradients associated with equator-to-pole ice thickness differences, which can be up to a few km and can be reduced both by ice flow and due to ocean heat transport. The ice thickness and meridional flow direction depend on whether the ice convects or not; multiple (convecting and non-convecting) equilibria are found. Measurements of the ice thickness and surface temperature from future Europa missions18,19 can be used with our model to deduce whether Europa's icy shell convects and to constrain the effectiveness of ocean heat transport.
An atlas of objectively analyzed atmospheric cross sections, 1973-1980
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Goodman, J.; Gaines, S. E.; Hipskind, R. S.
1985-01-01
Atmospheric variability over time scales greater than one month is conceptually simplified and readily recognized from vertical cross-sections of zonal-monthly mean data. The reduction to two dimensions, latitude and height, explicitly eliminates all zonal waves but implicity retains their effects on the thermal-pressure fields and the dynamically related zonal wind fields. This atlas contains 96 examples, spanning all latitudes in both the northern and southern hemispheres and two decades in pressure, from 1000 to 10 mb. Four analyses, representing each month from January 1973 through December 1980, depicts the potential virtual temperature, the observed zonal wind velocity, the virtual temperature and the geostrophic zonal wind velocity. Each variable is contoured at a close interval to facilitate visual estimates of stability and vorticity via their gradients. The analyses are generated and contoured by objective computer methods from just one data source: in situ measurements from the conventional rawin-radiosonde system. Although the analyses are independently made at constant pressure levels (the mandatory levels) the cross-sections are drawn with geopotential height as the ordinate. With this ordinate one can observe the seasonal expansion and contraction of the earth's atmosphere, especially that of the polar stratosphere. Also, the quasi-biannual cycle can be identified and studied directly from successive cross-sections.
A Tube Seepage Meter for In Situ Measurement of Seepage Rate and Groundwater Sampling.
Solder, John E; Gilmore, Troy E; Genereux, David P; Solomon, D Kip
2016-07-01
We designed and evaluated a "tube seepage meter" for point measurements of vertical seepage rates (q), collecting groundwater samples, and estimating vertical hydraulic conductivity (K) in streambeds. Laboratory testing in artificial streambeds show that seepage rates from the tube seepage meter agreed well with expected values. Results of field testing of the tube seepage meter in a sandy-bottom stream with a mean seepage rate of about 0.5 m/day agreed well with Darcian estimates (vertical hydraulic conductivity times head gradient) when averaged over multiple measurements. The uncertainties in q and K were evaluated with a Monte Carlo method and are typically 20% and 60%, respectively, for field data, and depend on the magnitude of the hydraulic gradient and the uncertainty in head measurements. The primary advantages of the tube seepage meter are its small footprint, concurrent and colocated assessments of q and K, and that it can also be configured as a self-purging groundwater-sampling device. © 2015, National Ground Water Association.
A tube seepage meter for in situ measurement of seepage rate and groundwater sampling
Solder, John; Gilmore, Troy E.; Genereux, David P.; Solomon, D. Kip
2016-01-01
We designed and evaluated a “tube seepage meter” for point measurements of vertical seepage rates (q), collecting groundwater samples, and estimating vertical hydraulic conductivity (K) in streambeds. Laboratory testing in artificial streambeds show that seepage rates from the tube seepage meter agreed well with expected values. Results of field testing of the tube seepage meter in a sandy-bottom stream with a mean seepage rate of about 0.5 m/day agreed well with Darcian estimates (vertical hydraulic conductivity times head gradient) when averaged over multiple measurements. The uncertainties in q and K were evaluated with a Monte Carlo method and are typically 20% and 60%, respectively, for field data, and depend on the magnitude of the hydraulic gradient and the uncertainty in head measurements. The primary advantages of the tube seepage meter are its small footprint, concurrent and colocated assessments of q and K, and that it can also be configured as a self-purging groundwater-sampling device.
Thermal convection currents in NMR: flow profiles and implications for coherence pathway selection
Jerschow
2000-07-01
Rayleigh-Benard convection currents are visualized in a vertical cylindrical tube by means of magnetic resonance imaging. Axially antisymmetric flow, multiple vertical rolls, and twisted node planes are observed. The flow can also be induced by strong RF irradiation. Its effects on the coherence pathways in NMR experiments employing field gradients are discussed. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
On the mechanism of self gravitating Rossby interfacial waves in proto-stellar accretion discs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yellin-Bergovoy, Ron; Heifetz, Eyal; Umurhan, Orkan M.
2016-05-01
The dynamical response of edge waves under the influence of self-gravity is examined in an idealised two-dimensional model of a proto-stellar disc, characterised in steady state as a rotating vertically infinite cylinder of fluid with constant density except for a single density interface at some radius ?. The fluid in basic state is prescribed to rotate with a Keplerian profile ? modified by some additional azimuthal sheared flow. A linear analysis shows that there are two azimuthally propagating edge waves, kin to the familiar Rossby waves and surface gravity waves in terrestrial studies, which move opposite to one another with respect to the local basic state rotation rate at the interface. Instability only occurs if the radial pressure gradient is opposite to that of the density jump (unstably stratified) where self-gravity acts as a wave stabiliser irrespective of the stratification of the system. The propagation properties of the waves are discussed in detail in the language of vorticity edge waves. The roles of both Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq effects upon the stability and propagation of these waves with and without the inclusion of self-gravity are then quantified. The dynamics involved with self-gravity non-Boussinesq effect is shown to be a source of vorticity production where there is a jump in the basic state density In addition, self-gravity also alters the dynamics via the radial main pressure gradient, which is a Boussinesq effect. Further applications of these mechanical insights are presented in the conclusion including the ways in which multiple density jumps or gaps may or may not be stable.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gutierrez, Benjamin T.; Voulgaris, George; Work, Paul A.
2006-03-01
The cross-shore structure of subtidal flows on the inner shelf (7 to 12 m water depth) of Long Bay, South Carolina, a concave-shaped bay, is examined through the analysis of nearly 80 days of near-bed (1.7-2.2 m above bottom) current observations acquired during the spring and fall of 2001. In the spring and under northeastward winds (upwelling favorable) a two-layered flow was observed at depths greater than 10 m, while closer to the shore the currents were aligned with the wind. The two-layered flow is attributed to the presence of stratification, which has been observed under similar conditions in the South Atlantic Bight. When the wind stress was southwestward (downwelling favorable) and exceeded 0.1 N/m2, vertical mixing occurred, the two-layered flow pattern disappeared, and currents were directed alongshore with the wind at all sites and throughout the water column. In the fall, near-bed flows close to the shore (water depth <7 m) were often reduced compared to or opposed those measured farther offshore under southwestward winds. A simplified analysis of the depth-averaged, alongshore momentum balance illustrates that the alongshore pressure gradient approached or exceeded the magnitude of the alongshore wind stress at the same time that the nearshore alongshore current opposed the wind stress and alongshore currents farther offshore. In addition, the analysis suggests that the wind stress is reduced closer to shore so that the alongshore pressure gradient is large enough to drive the flow against the wind.
Experimental constraints on the outgassing dynamics of basaltic magmas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pioli, L.; Bonadonna, C.; Azzopardi, B. J.; Phillips, J. C.; Ripepe, M.
2012-03-01
The dynamics of separated two-phase flow of basaltic magmas in cylindrical conduits has been explored combining large-scale experiments and theoretical studies. Experiments consisted of the continuous injection of air into water or glucose syrup in a 0.24 m diameter, 6.5 m long bubble column. The model calculates vesicularity and pressure gradient for a range of gas superficial velocities (volume flow rates/pipe area, 10-2-102 m/s), conduit diameters (100-2 m), and magma viscosities (3-300 Pa s). The model is calibrated with the experimental results to extrapolate key flow parameters such as Co (distribution parameter) and Froude number, which control the maximum vesicularity of the magma in the column, and the gas rise speed of gas slugs. It predicts that magma vesicularity increases with increasing gas volume flow rate and decreases with increasing conduit diameter, until a threshold value (45 vol.%), which characterizes churn and annular flow regimes. Transition to annular flow regimes is expected to occur at minimum gas volume flow rates of 103-104 m3/s. The vertical pressure gradient decreases with increasing gas flow rates and is controlled by magma vesicularity (in bubbly flows) or the length and spacing of gas slugs. This study also shows that until conditions for separated flow are met, increases in magma viscosity favor stability of slug flow over bubbly flow but suggests coexistence between gas slugs and small bubbles, which contribute to a small fraction of the total gas outflux. Gas flow promotes effective convection of the liquid, favoring magma homogeneity and stable conditions.
Sensitivity of Coupled Tropical Pacific Model Biases to Convective Parameterization in CESM1
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Woelfle, M. D.; Yu, S.; Bretherton, C. S.; Pritchard, M. S.
2018-01-01
Six month coupled hindcasts show the central equatorial Pacific cold tongue bias development in a GCM to be sensitive to the atmospheric convective parameterization employed. Simulations using the standard configuration of the Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1) develop a cold bias in equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) within the first two months of integration due to anomalous ocean advection driven by overly strong easterly surface wind stress along the equator. Disabling the deep convection parameterization enhances the zonal pressure gradient leading to stronger zonal wind stress and a stronger equatorial SST bias, highlighting the role of pressure gradients in determining the strength of the cold bias. Superparameterized hindcasts show reduced SST bias in the cold tongue region due to a reduction in surface easterlies despite simulating an excessively strong low-level jet at 1-1.5 km elevation. This reflects inadequate vertical mixing of zonal momentum from the absence of convective momentum transport in the superparameterized model. Standard CESM1simulations modified to omit shallow convective momentum transport reproduce the superparameterized low-level wind bias and associated equatorial SST pattern. Further superparameterized simulations using a three-dimensional cloud resolving model capable of producing realistic momentum transport simulate a cold tongue similar to the default CESM1. These findings imply convective momentum fluxes may be an underappreciated mechanism for controlling the strength of the equatorial cold tongue. Despite the sensitivity of equatorial SST to these changes in convective parameterization, the east Pacific double-Intertropical Convergence Zone rainfall bias persists in all simulations presented in this study.
Subtidal circulation on the Alabama shelf during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dzwonkowski, Brian; Park, Kyeong
2012-03-01
Water column velocity and hydrographic measurements on the inner Alabama shelf are used to examine the flow field and its forcing dynamics during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the spring and summer of 2010. Comparison between two sites provides insight into the flow variability and dynamics of a shallow, highly stratified shelf in the presence of complicating geographic and bathymetric features. Seasonal currents reveal a convergent flow with strong, highly sheared offshore flow near a submarine bank just outside of Mobile Bay. At synoptic time scales, the flow is relatively consistent with typical characteristics of wind-driven Ekman coastal circulation. Analysis of the depth-averaged along-shelf momentum balance indicates that both bottom stress and along-shelf pressure gradient act to counter wind stress. As a consequence of the along-shelf pressure gradient and thermal wind shear, flow reversals in the bottom currents can occur during periods of transitional winds. Despite the relatively short distance between the two sites (14 km), significant spatial variability is observed. This spatial variability is argued to be a result of local variations in the bathymetry and density field as the study region encompasses a submarine bank near the mouth of a major freshwater source. Given the physical parameters of the system, along-shelf flow in this region would be expected to separate from the local isobaths, generating a mean offshore flow. The local, highly variable density field is expected to be, in part, responsible for the differences in the vertical variability in the current profiles.
Keshavarz-Motamed, Zahra; Nezami, Farhad Rikhtegar; Partida, Ramon A.; Nakamura, Kenta; Staziaki, Pedro Vinícius; Ben-Assa, Eyal; Ghoshhajra, Brian; Bhatt, Ami B.; Edelman, Elazer R.
2017-01-01
OBJECTIVES To investigate the impact of transcatheter intervention on left ventricular (LV) function and aortic hemodynamics in patients with mild coarctation of the aorta (COA). BACKGROUND The optimal method and timing of transcatheter intervention for COA remains unclear, especially when the severity of COA is mild (peak-to-peak trans-coarctation pressure gradient, PKdP < 20 mmHg). Debate rages regarding the risk/benefit ratio of intervention vs. long-term effects of persistent minimal gradient in this heterogeneous population with differing blood pressures, ventricular function and peripheral perfusion. METHODS We developed a unique computational fluid dynamics and lumped parameter modeling framework based on patient-specific hemodynamic input parameters and validated it against patient-specific clinical outcomes (pre- and post-intervention). We used clinically measured hemodynamic metrics and imaging of the aorta and the LV in thirty-four patients with mild COA to make these correlations. RESULTS Despite dramatic reduction in trans-coarctation pressure gradient (catheter and Doppler echocardiography pressure gradients reduced 75% and 47.3%,), there was only modest effect on aortic flow and no significant impact on aortic shear stress (maximum time-averaged wall shear stress in descending aorta was reduced 5.1%). In no patient did transcatheter intervention improve LV function (e.g., stroke work and normalized stroke work were reduced by only 4.48% and 3.9%). CONCLUSIONS Transcatheter intervention which successfully relieves mild COA pressure gradients does not translate to decrease myocardial strain. The effects of intervention were determined to the greatest degree by ventricular-vascular coupling hemodynamics, and provide a novel valuable mechanism to evaluate patients with COA which may influence clinical practice. PMID:27659574
A Proof of Concept Experiment for Reducing Skin Friction by Using a Micro-Blowing Technique
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hwang, Danny P.
1996-01-01
A proof of concept experiment for reducing skin friction has been conducted in the Advanced Nozzle and Engine Components Test Facility at the NASA Lewis Research Center. In this unique concept, called the micro-blowing technique (MBT), an extremely small amount of air was blown vertically through very small holes to reduce the surface roughness and to control the gradient of the flow velocity profile on the surface thereby reducing skin friction. Research revealed that the skin was the most important factor to make this concept achievable. The proposed skin consisted of two layers. The inner layer was a low permeable porous skin for distributing the blowing air evenly while the outer layer with small holes controlled the vertical or nearly vertical blowing air. Preliminary experimental results showed that the MBT has the potential of a very large reduction in skin friction below the skin friction of a nonporous plain flat plate. Of the skins tested, three have been identified as the MBT skins. They provided very low unblown skin friction such that a large skin friction reduction, below a flat plate value, was achieved with very small amounts of blowing air. The reduction in skin friction of 55 percent was achieved at the Mach number of 0.3 for the exhaust pressure of 0.85 atm, and 60 percent reduction was obtained for the exhaust pressure of 0.24 atm (corresponding to 10 700-m altitude) at the same Mach number. A significant reduction in skin friction of over 25 percent was achieved for the exhaust pressure of 0.24 atm at the Mach number of 0.7. This implied that the MBT could be applied to a wide range of flight conditions. It is also believed that additional 10 percent reduction could be obtained by eliminating the gap between the inner layer and the outer layer. The aspect ratio of the vertical small holes for the outer layer of the MBT skin should be larger than 4 based on the preliminary conclusion from this test. Many experiments are needed to find out the optimal MBT skin. The penalty associated with the MBT needs to be assessed. However, preliminary results indicated that the MBT could provide a 25 to 35 percent reduction for real-world application. The concept can be applied to not only an airplane, but also a missile, a submarine (micro-blow water instead of air), and an ocean liner.
Eddy-driven stratification initiates North Atlantic spring phytoplankton blooms.
Mahadevan, Amala; D'Asaro, Eric; Lee, Craig; Perry, Mary Jane
2012-07-06
Springtime phytoplankton blooms photosynthetically fix carbon and export it from the surface ocean at globally important rates. These blooms are triggered by increased light exposure of the phytoplankton due to both seasonal light increase and the development of a near-surface vertical density gradient (stratification) that inhibits vertical mixing of the phytoplankton. Classically and in current climate models, that stratification is ascribed to a springtime warming of the sea surface. Here, using observations from the subpolar North Atlantic and a three-dimensional biophysical model, we show that the initial stratification and resulting bloom are instead caused by eddy-driven slumping of the basin-scale north-south density gradient, resulting in a patchy bloom beginning 20 to 30 days earlier than would occur by warming.
Oxygen and Temperature Effects on Vertically Migrating Animals in Oxygen Minimum Zones
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Seibel, B.
2016-02-01
Large populations of oceanic nekton and zooplankton undergo daily migrations from shallow water at night to depths greater than 200 m during the daytime. In some regions, these migrations cross extreme gradients of temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are extensive and characterized by deep-water (100-800 m) oxygen partial pressures that would be lethal to most marine organisms, yet are tolerated by vertical migrators. Climate change is predicted to further deplete oxygen, and measurable reductions in oxygen have already been documented in some regions. Increases in shallow water temperature and carbon dioxide are occurring simultaneously. Oxygen levels and temperature are important drivers of biodiversity and distribution, and documented changes in community structure and function are reportedly associated with OMZ expansion and warming. Here I answer fundamental questions concerning zooplankton distributions, adaptations, and functions in oxygen minimum zones. In particular I report that metabolic suppression is a common strategy that facilitates diel occupancy of extreme hypoxia in many oceanic taxa. Anaerobic metabolic pathways play a minimal role in compensating for reduced aerobic ATP production. Numerous epigenetic mechanisms lead to reductions in energetically costly cellular processes, such as transcription and translation. Total metabolism is reduced by 50% or more during exposure to levels of hypoxia that characterize the daytime habitat for most vertically-migrating zooplankton. I further show that many migrators approach their upper thermal maximum in shallow water at night. Thus expanding OMZs and global warming may together compress the habitable depth range for many species.
A mechanistic model of heat transfer for gas-liquid flow in vertical wellbore annuli.
Yin, Bang-Tang; Li, Xiang-Fang; Liu, Gang
2018-01-01
The most prominent aspect of multiphase flow is the variation in the physical distribution of the phases in the flow conduit known as the flow pattern. Several different flow patterns can exist under different flow conditions which have significant effects on liquid holdup, pressure gradient and heat transfer. Gas-liquid two-phase flow in an annulus can be found in a variety of practical situations. In high rate oil and gas production, it may be beneficial to flow fluids vertically through the annulus configuration between well tubing and casing. The flow patterns in annuli are different from pipe flow. There are both casing and tubing liquid films in slug flow and annular flow in the annulus. Multiphase heat transfer depends on the hydrodynamic behavior of the flow. There are very limited research results that can be found in the open literature for multiphase heat transfer in wellbore annuli. A mechanistic model of multiphase heat transfer is developed for different flow patterns of upward gas-liquid flow in vertical annuli. The required local flow parameters are predicted by use of the hydraulic model of steady-state multiphase flow in wellbore annuli recently developed by Yin et al. The modified heat-transfer model for single gas or liquid flow is verified by comparison with Manabe's experimental results. For different flow patterns, it is compared with modified unified Zhang et al. model based on representative diameters.
Han, Yun-Fei; Liu, Wen-Hua; Chen, Xiang-Liang; Xiong, Yun-Yun; Yin, Qin-; Xu, Ge-Lin; Zhu, Wu-Sheng; Zhang, Ren-Liang; Ma, Min-Min; Li, Min-; Dai, Qi-Liang; Sun, Wen-; Liu, De-Zhi; Duan, Li-Hui; Liu, Xin-Feng
2016-08-01
Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided revascularization strategy is popular in coronary intervention. However, the feasibility of assessing stenotic severity in intracranial large arteries using pressure gradient measurements still remains unclear. Between March 2013 and May 2014, 12 consecutive patients with intracranial large artery stenosis (including intracranial internal carotid artery, middle cerebral M1 segment, intracranial vertebral artery, and basilar artery) were enrolled in this study. The trans-stenotic pressure gradient was measured before and/or after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS), and was then compared with percent diameter stenosis. A Pd /Pa cut-off of ≤0.70 was used to guide stenting of hemodynamically significant stenoses. The device-related and procedure-related serious adverse events and recurrent cerebral ischemic events were recorded. The target vessel could be reached in all cases. No technical complications occurred due to the specific study protocol. Excellent pressure signals were obtained in all patients. For seven patients who performed PTAS, the mean pre-procedural pressure gradient decreased from 59.0 ± 17.2 to 13.3 ± 13.6 mm Hg after the procedure (P < 0.01). Only one patient who refused stenting experienced a TIA event in the ipsilateral MCA territory. No recurrent ischemic event was observed in other patients. Mean trans-stenotic pressure gradients can be safely and easily measured with a 0.014-inch fluid-filled guide wire in intracranial large arteries. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Generation of region 1 current by magnetospheric pressure gradients
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Yang, Y. S.; Spiro, R. W.; Wolf, R. A.
1994-01-01
The Rice Convection Model (RCM) is used to illustrate theoretical possibilities for generating region 1 Birkeland currents by pressure gradients on closed field lines in the Earth's magnetosphere. Inertial effects and viscous forces are neglected. The RCM is applied to idealized cases, to emphasize the basic physical ideas rather than realistic representation of the actual magnetosphere. Ionospheric conductance is taken to be uniform, and the simplest possible representations of the magnetospheric plasma are used. Three basic cases are considered: (1) the case of pure northward Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF), with cusp merging assumed to create new closed field lines near the nose of the magnetosphere, following the suggestion by Song and Russell (1992); (2) the case where Dungey-type reconnection occurs at the nose, but magnetosheath plasma somehow enters closed field lines on the dawnside and duskside of the merging region, causing a pressure-driven low-latitude boundary layer; and (3) the case where Dungey-type reconnection occurs at the nose, but region 1 currents flow on sunward drifting plasma sheet field lines. In case 1, currents of region 1 sense are generated by pressure gradients, but those currents do not supply the power for ionospheric convection. Results for case 2 suggest that pressure gradients at the inner edge of the low-latitude boundary layer might generate a large fraction of the region 1 Birkeland currents that drive magnetospheric convection. Results for case 3 indicate that pressure gradients in the plasma sheet could provide part of the region 1 current.
Simonds, F. William; Sinclair, Kirk A.
2002-01-01
The Dungeness River emerges from the Olympic Mountains and flows generally north toward the Strait of Juan De Fuca, crossing the broad, fertile alluvial fan of the Sequim-Dungeness peninsula in northeastern Clallam County, Washington. Increasing competition for the peninsula's ground-water resources, changing water-use patterns, and recent requirements to maintain minimum in-stream flows to enhance endangered salmon and trout populations have severely strained the peninsula's water resources and necessitated a better understanding of the interaction between surface water and groundwater. Three methods were used to characterize the interchange between surface water and groundwater along the lower 11.8 miles of the Dungeness River corridor between September 1999 and July 2001. In-stream mini-piezometers were used to measure vertical hydraulic gradients between the river and the water-table aquifer at 27 points along the river and helped to define the distribution of gaining and losing stream reaches. Seepage runs were used to quantify the net volume of water exchanged between the river and ground water within each of five river reaches, termed 'seepage reaches.' Continuous water-level and water-temperature monitoring at two off-stream well transects provided data on near-river horizontal hydraulic gradients and temporal patterns of water exchange for a representative gaining stream reach and a representative losing stream reach. Vertical hydraulic gradients in the mini-piezometers generally were negative between river miles 11.8 and 3.6, indicating loss of water from the river to ground water. Gradients decreased in the downstream direction from an average of -0.86 at river mile 10.3 to -0.23 at river mile 3.7. Small positive gradients (+0.01 to +0.02) indicating ground-water discharge occurred in three localized reaches below river mile 3.7. Data from the seepage runs and off-stream transect wells supported and were generally consistent with the mini-piezometer findings. An exception occurred between river miles 8.1 and 5.5 where seepage results showed a small gain and the mini-piezometers showed negative gradients. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of riverbed sediments was estimated using hydraulic gradients measured with the mini-piezometers and estimated seepage fluxes. The resulting conductivity values ranged from an average of 1 to 29 feet per day and are similar to values reported for similar river environments elsewhere. The results of this study will be used to calibrate a transient, three-dimensional ground-water flow model of the Sequim-Dungeness peninsula. The model will be used to assess the potential effects on ground-water levels and river flows that result from future water use and land-use changes on the peninsula.
The Phase Rule in a System Subject to a Pressure Gradient
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Podladchikov, Yuri; Connolly, James; Powell, Roger; Aardvark, Alberto
2015-04-01
It can be shown by diligent application of Lagrange's method of undetermined multipliers that the phase rule in a system subject to a pressure gradient is: � + 赑 ≥ ρ. We explore the consequence of this important relationship for natural systems.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bluestein, H. B.; Weiss, C.; Rotunno, R.; Reif, D. W.; Romine, G. S.
2016-12-01
On 27 May 2015 a quasi-stationary supercell in the northern Texas Panhandle produced several tornadoes, before it evolved into a mesoscale convective system. The pre-storm environment was characterized by relatively weak midlevel winds from the west and surface winds from the south/southwest, such that the 0 - 6 km vertical shear was too weak for supercells to have evolved. There was, however, an increase in speed and backing of the surface wind to the easterly/southeasterly direction during the afternoon, so that the 0 - 6 km shear exceeded 20 m s-1, the approximate threshold for supercell formation. The approximate motion of a convective storm without taking into account shear-related or gust-front propagation is the mean wind in the lowest 6 km. With an increase in the easterly component of the surface winds, the mean wind in the lowest 6 km, in the absence of any increase in westerlies at 6 km, decreased. Some physical mechanisms that could be responsible for the backing and increase in easterly component of the surface wind are as follows: (a) the approach of a synoptic-scale, upper-level trough, with its attendant pre-trough, quasi-geostrophic-induced ascent accompanied by surface convergence, an increase in surface vorticity, and concomitant drop in surface pressure, so that east of the region of ascent a westward-directed pressure-gradient forced develops; (b) surface heating on a surface that slopes upward to the west, such that a westward-directed pressure-gradient force develops; (c) the westward movement of a low-level cold pool that had developed in pre-existing, upstream convective storms; (d) the downward mixing of easterly momentum aloft; and (e) the diurnal inertial oscillation in boundary-layer wind due to the diurnal change in vertical mixing of momentum. It is hypothesized that for this case the primary mechanism was (b). A WRF forecast is described in which evidence is presented in favor of our hypothesis. An estimate will also be given of how much backing and increase in surface wind could be explained by heating on the sloping terrain and also climatological changes in wind speed and direction during the afternoon based on surface mesonet data will be shown. The results of this study could have applications to the study of convection anywhere around the globe where there is gently sloping terrain.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Morduchow, Morris
1955-01-01
A survey of integral methods in laminar-boundary-layer analysis is first given. A simple and sufficiently accurate method for practical purposes of calculating the properties (including stability) of the laminar compressible boundary layer in an axial pressure gradient with heat transfer at the wall is presented. For flow over a flat plate, the method is applicable for an arbitrarily prescribed distribution of temperature along the surface and for any given constant Prandtl number close to unity. For flow in a pressure gradient, the method is based on a Prandtl number of unity and a uniform wall temperature. A simple and accurate method of determining the separation point in a compressible flow with an adverse pressure gradient over a surface at a given uniform wall temperature is developed. The analysis is based on an extension of the Karman-Pohlhausen method to the momentum and the thermal energy equations in conjunction with fourth- and especially higher degree velocity and stagnation-enthalpy profiles.
Kinetic electromagnetic instabilities in an ITB plasma with weak magnetic shear
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, W.; Yu, D. L.; Ma, R. R.; Shi, P. W.; Li, Y. Y.; Shi, Z. B.; Du, H. R.; Ji, X. Q.; Jiang, M.; Yu, L. M.; Yuan, B. S.; Li, Y. G.; Yang, Z. C.; Zhong, W. L.; Qiu, Z. Y.; Ding, X. T.; Dong, J. Q.; Wang, Z. X.; Wei, H. L.; Cao, J. Y.; Song, S. D.; Song, X. M.; Liu, Yi.; Yang, Q. W.; Xu, M.; Duan, X. R.
2018-05-01
Kinetic Alfvén and pressure gradient driven instabilities are very common in magnetized plasmas, both in space and the laboratory. These instabilities will be easily excited by energetic particles (EPs) and/or pressure gradients in present-day fusion and future burning plasmas. This will not only cause the loss and redistribution of the EPs, but also affect plasma confinement and transport. Alfvénic ion temperature gradient (AITG) instabilities with the frequency ω_BAE<ω<ω_TAE and the toroidal mode numbers n=2{-}8 are found to be unstable in NBI internal transport barrier plasmas with weak shear and low pressure gradients, where ω_BAE and ω_TAE are the frequencies of the beta- and toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes, respectively. The measured results are consistent with the general fishbone-like dispersion relation and kinetic ballooning mode equation, and the modes become more unstable the smaller the magnetic shear is in low pressure gradient regions. The interaction between AITG activity and EPs also needs to be investigated with greater attention in fusion plasmas, such as ITER (Tomabechi and The ITER Team 1991 Nucl. Fusion 31 1135), since these fluctuations can be enhanced by weak magnetic shear and EPs.
Mills, P.C.
1993-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey investigated contaminant migration in the Galena-Platteville aquifer at the Parson's Casket Hardware site in Belvidere, Ill. This report presents the results of the first phase of the investigation, from August through December 1990. A packer assembly was used to isolate various depth intervals in three 150-foot-deep boreholes in the dolomite aquifer. Aquifer-test data include vertical distributions of vertical hydraulic gradient, horizontal hydraulic conductivity (K), and response of water levels in observation wells to borehole pumping. Water-quality data include vertical distributions of field-measured properties and laboratory determinations of concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). vertical hydraulic gradients in the aquifer were downward. The downward gradients ranged from less than 0.01 to 0.37 foot/foot. The largest gradient was associated with an elevated-K interval at 115 to 125 feet below land surface. The hydraulic characteristics of strata within the aquifer seem to be generally consistent across the site. The strata can be subdivided into five hydraulic units with the following approximate depth ranges-and K's : (1) a 1- to 5-foot-thick weathered surface at about 35 feet below land surface, 1-200 ft/d (feet per day); (2) 35-80 feet, 0.05-0.5 ft/d; (3) 80-115 feet, 0.5 ft/d; (4) 115-125 feet, 0.5-10 ft/d; and (5) 125-150 feet, 0.5 ft/d. Water-level drawdowns were detected in one shallow bedrock observation well during pumping of some of the packed intervals in a nearby borehole, indicating that the degree of vertical connection between some intervals in the aquifer may be greater than that between others. During development pumping of one borehole, drawdowns were detected in a nearby well screened in the lower part of the overlying glacial-drift deposits, indicating hydraulic connection between the glacial drift aquifer and the bedrock aquifer. VOC's were detected throughout the upper half (about 150 feet ) of the bedrock aquifer beneath the site. The detected compounds were predominantly chlorinated ethenes and ethanes (maximum concentration was 570 ppb (parts per billion) of trichloroethylene. There was a positive correlation between concentrations of VOC's, specific conductance, and K. The distribution of VOC concentrations indicate that the low-K dolomite beds in the Galena-Platteville aquifer may impede the downward migration of the VOC's and that the high-K beds and fissures may provide pathways for the lateral migration of VOC's through the aquifer. Contaminant migration is possibly affected by ground-water flow through vertical fractures that connect shallow beds with deeper beds in the aquifer, thus explaining the detections of some VOC species at intermittent depths.
Fully kinetic Biermann battery and associated generation of pressure anisotropy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schoeffler, K. M.; Loureiro, N. F.; Silva, L. O.
2018-03-01
The dynamical evolution of a fully kinetic, collisionless system with imposed background density and temperature gradients is investigated analytically. The temperature gradient leads to the generation of temperature anisotropy, with the temperature along the gradient becoming larger than that in the direction perpendicular to it. This causes the system to become unstable to pressure anisotropy driven instabilities, dominantly to the electron Weibel instability. When both density and temperature gradients are present and nonparallel to each other, we obtain a Biermann-like linear-in-time magnetic field growth. Accompanying particle-in-cell numerical simulations are shown to confirm our analytical results.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schofield, J. T.; Mccleese, Daniel J.
1988-01-01
An analysis is presented of the Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR) capabilities along with how the vertical profiles of water vapor will be obtained. The PMIRR will employ filter and pressure modulation radiometry using nine spectral channels, in both limb scanning and nadir sounding modes, to obtain daily, global maps of temperature, dust extinction, condensate extinction, and water vapor mixing ratio profiles as a function of pressure to half scale height or 5 km vertical resolution. Surface thermal properties will also be mapped, and the polar radiactive balance will be monitored.
Lee, Simon; Lytrivi, Irene D; Roytman, Zhanna; Ko, Hyun-Sook Helen; Vinograd, Cheryl; Srivastava, Shubhika
2016-10-01
Introduction Agreement between echocardiography and right heart catheterisation-derived right ventricular systolic pressure is modest in the adult heart failure population, but is unknown in the paediatric cardiomyopathy population. All patients at a single centre from 2001 to 2012 with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy who underwent echocardiography and catheterisation within 30 days were included in this study. The correlation between tricuspid regurgitation gradient and catheterisation-derived right ventricular systolic pressure and mean pulmonary artery pressure was determined. Agreement between echocardiography and catheterisation-derived right ventricular systolic pressure was assessed using Bland-Altman plots. Analysis was repeated for patients who underwent both procedures within 7 days. Haemodynamic data from those with poor agreement and good agreement between echocardiography and catheterisation were compared. A total of 37 patients who underwent 48 catheterisation procedures were included in our study. The median age was 11.8 (0.1-20.6 years) with 22 males (58% total). There was a modest correlation (r=0.65) between echocardiography and catheterisation-derived right ventricular systolic pressure, but agreement was poor. Agreement between tricuspid regurgitation gradient and right ventricular systolic pressure showed wide 95% limits of agreement. There was a modest correlation between the tricuspid regurgitation gradient and mean pulmonary artery pressure (r=0.6). Shorter time interval between the two studies did not improve agreement. Those with poor agreement between echocardiography and catheterisation had higher right heart pressures, but this difference became insignificant after accounting for right atrial pressure. Transthoracic echocardiography estimation of right ventricular systolic pressure shows modest correlation with right heart pressures, but has limited agreement and may underestimate the degree of pulmonary hypertension in paediatric cardiomyopathy patients.
Gao, Chan; Zhang, Xueyong; Zhang, Chuanchao; Sui, Zhilei; Hou, Meng; Dai, Rucheng; Wang, Zhongping; Zheng, Xianxu; Zhang, Zengming
2018-05-17
Herein, pressure-induced phase transitions of RDX up to 50 GPa were systematically studied under different compression conditions. Precise phase transition points were obtained based on high-quality Raman spectra with small pressure intervals. This favors the correctness of the theoretical formula for detonation and the design of a precision weapon. The experimental results indicated that α-RDX immediately transformed to γ-RDX at 3.5 GPa due to hydrostatic conditions and possible interaction between the penetrating helium and RDX, with helium gas as the pressure-transmitting medium (PTM). Mapping of pressure distribution in samples demonstrates that the pressure gradient is generated in the chamber and independent of other PTMs. The gradient induced the first phase transition starts at 2.3 GPa and completed at 4.1 GPa. The larger pressure gradient promoted phase transition in advance under higher pressures. Experimental results supported that there existed two conformers of AAI and AAE for γ-RDX, as proposed by another group. δ-RDX was considered to only occur in a hydrostatic environment around 18 GPa using helium as the PTM. This study confirms that δ-RDX is independent of PTM and exists under non-hydrostatic conditions. Evidence for a new phase (ζ) was found at about 28 GPa. These 4 phases have also been verified via XRD under high pressures. In addition to this, another new phase (η) may exist above 38 GPa, and it needs to be further confirmed in the future. Moreover, all the phase transitions were reversible after the pressure was released, and original α-RDX was always obtained at ambient pressure.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Dussauge, J. P.; Debieve, J. F.
1980-01-01
The amplification or reduction of unsteady velocity perturbations under the influence of strong flow acceleration or deceleration was studied. Supersonic flows with large velocity, pressure gradients, and the conditions in which the velocity fluctuations depend on the action of the average gradients of pressure and velocity rather than turbulence, are described. Results are analyzed statistically and interpreted as a return to laminar process. It is shown that this return to laminar implies negative values in the turbulence production terms for kinetic energy. A simple geometrical representation of the Reynolds stress production is given.
1989-08-01
points on both the photos and base map. Transects placed at 100-m intervals along the waterline, oriented perpendicular to the gradient or slope just...the identifica- tion of major factors influencing bank erosion, independent variables measured included gradient of the land at the intersection of...have a very steep gradient , approaching vertical in some cases, broken only by intermittent minor drainages which have dissected terrace margins. b
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lv, Dongwei; Zhang, Jian; Yu, Xinhai
2018-05-01
In this paper, a fluid-structure interaction dynamic simulation method of spring-loaded pressure relief valve was established. The dynamic performances of the fluid regions and the stress and strain of the structure regions were calculated at the same time by accurately setting up the contact pairs between the solid parts and the coupling surfaces between the fluid regions and the structure regions. A two way fluid-structure interaction dynamic simulation of a simplified pressure relief valve model was carried out. The influence of vertical sinusoidal seismic waves on the performance of the pressure relief valve was preliminarily investigated by loading sine waves. Under vertical seismic waves, the pressure relief valve will flutter, and the reseating pressure was affected by the amplitude and frequency of the seismic waves. This simulation method of the pressure relief valve under vertical seismic waves can provide effective means for investigating the seismic performances of the valves, and make up for the shortcomings of the experiment.
Incompressible spectral-element method: Derivation of equations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Deanna, Russell G.
1993-01-01
A fractional-step splitting scheme breaks the full Navier-Stokes equations into explicit and implicit portions amenable to the calculus of variations. Beginning with the functional forms of the Poisson and Helmholtz equations, we substitute finite expansion series for the dependent variables and derive the matrix equations for the unknown expansion coefficients. This method employs a new splitting scheme which differs from conventional three-step (nonlinear, pressure, viscous) schemes. The nonlinear step appears in the conventional, explicit manner, the difference occurs in the pressure step. Instead of solving for the pressure gradient using the nonlinear velocity, we add the viscous portion of the Navier-Stokes equation from the previous time step to the velocity before solving for the pressure gradient. By combining this 'predicted' pressure gradient with the nonlinear velocity in an explicit term, and the Crank-Nicholson method for the viscous terms, we develop a Helmholtz equation for the final velocity.
Study on Calculation Model of Culvert Soil Pressure
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Jing; Tian, Xiao-yan; Gao, Xiao-mei
2017-09-01
Culvert diseases are prevalent in highway engineering. There are many factors involved in the occurrence of the disease, and the problem is complex. However, the design cannot accurately determine the role of the soil pressure on the culvert is the main reason to the disease. Based on the theoretical analysis and field test, this paper studies the characteristics of the stress and deformation of the culvert-soil structure. According to the theory of soil mechanics, the calculation model of vertical soil pressure at the top of culvert is determined, and the formula of vertical soil pressure at the top of culvert is deduced. Through the field test of the vertical soil pressure at the top of culvert of several engineering examples, the calculation formula of this paper is verified, which can provide reference for future practical engineering.
The development of an advanced vertical discretisation scheme for a regional ocean model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bruciaferri, Diego; Shapiro, Georgy; Wobus, Fred
2017-04-01
When designing an ocean model, the choice of the vertical coordinate system must be pursued very carefully (Griffies et al., 2000); especially in those regional areas where local multi-scale processes interact with large-scale oceanographic features. Three main vertical coordinates are usually used in ocean modelling, namely the geopotential, terrain-following and isopycnic, but each one presents its own limitations and strengths. In the last decades, much research has been spent to investigate and develop hybrid approaches able to combine the advantages of each vertical coordinate system but minimising their disadvantages. Here we propose the hybrid s-s-z vertical discretisation scheme, an advanced version of the approach used by Shapiro et al. (2013). In our new scheme, the vertical domain is divided into three zones: in the upper and middle zones use s-coordinates while the deeper zone uses z-levels. The s-s-z vertical grid is introduced into the NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean) model code and we compare the model skill of our new vertical discretisation scheme with the NEMO vertical grid using z-levels with partial steps through a set of idealized numerical experiments for which analytical solutions or theoretical models exist. Modelling results demonstrate that the magnitude of spurious currents arising from the horizontal pressure gradient errors are of the same order (10 ^ -3 m/s ) both with z-partial steps or with s-s-z vertical grids for the conditions favourable for the geopotential grids ( horizontal initial density levels). For a number of more realistic conditions representing a general cyclonic circulation in the sea, the new discretisation scheme produces smaller spurious currents and hence is more accurate than the z-level approach. Moreover, the enhanced capability of the s-s-z scheme to reproduce dense water cascades as compared to the z-partial steps grid is shown. Finally, we show how the new s-s-z grid can be useful to improve lateral sub-grid-physics parametrisation in ocean model with s-levels. References: Griffies, S. M., Boning, C., Bryan, F. O., Chassignet, E. P., Gerdes, R., Hasumi, H., Hirst, A., Treguier, A.-M., and Webb, D., 2000. Developments in Ocean Climate Modelling, Ocean Modelling, 2, 123-192. Shapiro, G., Luneva, M., Pickering, J., and Storkey, D.: The effect of various vertical discretisation schemes and horizontal diffusion parameterisation on the performance of a 3-D ocean model: the Black Sea case study, Ocean Sci., 9, 377-390, doi:10.5194/os-9-377-2013, 2013.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Alford, William J., Jr.
1958-01-01
An investigation has been made in the Langley high-speed 7- by 10-foot tunnel of some effects of horizontal-tail position on the vertical-tail pressure distributions of a complete model in sideslip at high subsonic speeds. The wing of the model was swept back 28.82 deg at the quarter-chord line and had an aspect ratio of 3.50, a taper ratio of 0.067, and NACA 65A004 airfoil sections parallel to the model plane of symmetry. Tests were made with the horizontal tail off, on the wing-chord plane extended, and in T-tail arrangements in forward and rearward locations. The test Mach numbers ranged from 0.60 to 0.92, which corresponds to a Reynolds number range from approximately 2.93 x 10(exp 6) to 3.69 x 10(exp 6), based on the wing mean aerodynamic chord. The sideslip angles varied from -3.9 deg to 12.7 deg at several selected angles of attack. The results indicated that, for a given angle of sideslip, increases in angle of attack caused reductions in the vertical-tail loads in the vicinity of the root chord and increases at the midspan and tip locations, with rearward movements in the local chordwise centers of pressure for the midspan locations and forward movements near the tip of the vertical tail. At the higher angles of attack all configurations investigated experienced outboard and rearward shifts in the center of pressure of the total vertical-tail load. Location of the horizontal tail on the wing- chord plane extended produced only small effects on the vertical-tail loads and centers of pressure. Locating the horizontal tail at the tip of the vertical tail in the forward position caused increases in the vertical-tail loads; this configuration, however, experienced considerable reduction in loads with increasing Mach number. Location of the horizontal tail at the tip of the vertical tail in the rearward position produced the largest increases in vertical-tail loads per degree sideslip angle; this configuration experienced the smallest variations of loads with Mach number of any of the configurations investigated.
Barrier island breach evolution: Alongshore transport and bay-ocean pressure gradient interactions
Safak, Ilgar; Warner, John C.; List, Jeffrey
2016-01-01
Physical processes controlling repeated openings and closures of a barrier island breach between a bay and the open ocean are studied using aerial photographs and atmospheric and hydrodynamic observations. The breach site is located on Pea Island along the Outer Banks, separating Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. Wind direction was a major control on the pressure gradients between the bay and the ocean to drive flows that initiate or maintain the breach opening. Alongshore sediment flux was found to be a major contributor to breach closure. During the analysis period from 2011 to 2016, three hurricanes had major impacts on the breach. First, Hurricane Irene opened the breach with wind-driven flow from bay to ocean in August 2011. Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 quadrupled the channel width from pressure gradient flows due to water levels that were first higher on the ocean side and then higher on the bay side. The breach closed sometime in Spring 2013, most likely due to an event associated with strong alongshore sediment flux but minimal ocean-bay pressure gradients. Then, in July 2014, Hurricane Arthur briefly opened the breach again from the bay side, in a similar fashion to Irene. In summary, opening and closure of breaches are shown to follow a dynamic and episodic balance between along-channel pressure gradient driven flows and alongshore sediment fluxes.
Pressure Gradient Effects on Hypersonic Cavity Flow Heating
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Everhart, Joel L.; Alter, Stephen J.; Merski, N. Ronald; Wood, William A.; Prabhu, Ramadas K.
2006-01-01
The effect of a pressure gradient on the local heating disturbance of rectangular cavities tested at hypersonic freestream conditions has been globally assessed using the two-color phosphor thermography method. These experiments were conducted in the Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Tunnel and were initiated in support of the Space Shuttle Return-To-Flight Program. Two blunted-nose test surface geometries were developed, including an expansion plate test surface with nearly constant negative pressure gradient and a flat plate surface with nearly zero pressure gradient. The test surface designs and flow characterizations were performed using two-dimensional laminar computational methods, while the experimental boundary layer state conditions were inferred using the measured heating distributions. Three-dimensional computational predictions of the entire model geometry were used as a check on the design process. Both open-flow and closed-flow cavities were tested on each test surface. The cavity design parameters and the test condition matrix were established using the computational predictions. Preliminary conclusions based on an analysis of only the cavity centerline data indicate that the presence of the pressure gradient did not alter the open cavity heating for laminar-entry/laminar-exit flows, but did raise the average floor heating for closed cavities. The results of these risk-reduction studies will be used to formulate a heating assessment of potential damage scenarios occurring during future Space Shuttle flights.
Pressure Gradient Effects on Hypersonic Cavity Flow Heating
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Everhart, Joel L.; Alter, Stephen J.; Merski, N. Ronald; Wood, William A.; Prabhu, Ramdas K.
2007-01-01
The effect of a pressure gradient on the local heating disturbance of rectangular cavities tested at hypersonic freestream conditions has been globally assessed using the two-color phosphor thermography method. These experiments were conducted in the Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Tunnel and were initiated in support of the Space Shuttle Return-To-Flight Program. Two blunted-nose test surface geometries were developed, including an expansion plate test surface with nearly constant negative pressure gradient and a flat plate surface with nearly zero pressure gradient. The test surface designs and flow characterizations were performed using two-dimensional laminar computational methods, while the experimental boundary layer state conditions were inferred using the measured heating distributions. Three-dimensional computational predictions of the entire model geometry were used as a check on the design process. Both open-flow and closed-flow cavities were tested on each test surface. The cavity design parameters and the test condition matrix were established using the computational predictions. Preliminary conclusions based on an analysis of only the cavity centerline data indicate that the presence of the pressure gradient did not alter the open cavity heating for laminar-entry/laminar-exit flows, but did raise the average floor heating for closed cavities. The results of these risk-reduction studies will be used to formulate a heating assessment of potential damage scenarios occurring during future Space Shuttle flights.
Tidally influenced alongshore circulation at an inlet-adjacent shoreline
Hansen, Jeff E.; Elias, Edwin P.L.; List, Jeffrey H.; Erikson, Li H.; Barnard, Patrick L.
2013-01-01
The contribution of tidal forcing to alongshore circulation inside the surfzone is investigated at a 7 km long sandy beach adjacent to a large tidal inlet. Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA (USA) is onshore of a ∼150 km2 ebb-tidal delta and directly south of the Golden Gate, the sole entrance to San Francisco Bay. Using a coupled flow-wave numerical model, we find that the tides modulate, and in some cases can reverse the direction of, surfzone alongshore flows through two separate mechanisms. First, tidal flow through the inlet results in a barotropic tidal pressure gradient that, when integrated across the surfzone, represents an important contribution to the surfzone alongshore force balance. Even during energetic wave conditions, the tidal pressure gradient can account for more than 30% of the total alongshore pressure gradient (wave and tidal components) and up to 55% during small waves. The wave driven component of the alongshore pressure gradient results from alongshore wave height and corresponding setup gradients induced by refraction over the ebb-tidal delta. Second, wave refraction patterns over the inner shelf are tidally modulated as a result of both tidal water depth changes and strong tidal flows (∼1 m/s), with the effect from currents being larger. These tidally induced changes in wave refraction result in corresponding variability of the alongshore radiation stress and pressure gradients within the surfzone. Our results indicate that tidal contributions to the surfzone force balance can be significant and important in determining the direction and magnitude of alongshore flow.
Canovas, Fernando; Ferreira Costa, Joana; Serrão, Ester A.; Pearson, Gareth A.
2011-01-01
Gene flow among hybridizing species with incomplete reproductive barriers blurs species boundaries, while selection under heterogeneous local ecological conditions or along strong gradients may counteract this tendency. Congeneric, externally-fertilizing fucoid brown algae occur as distinct morphotypes along intertidal exposure gradients despite gene flow. Combining analyses of genetic and phenotypic traits, we investigate the potential for physiological resilience to emersion stressors to act as an isolating mechanism in the face of gene flow. Along vertical exposure gradients in the intertidal zone of Northern Portugal and Northwest France, the mid-low shore species Fucus vesiculosus, the upper shore species Fucus spiralis, and an intermediate distinctive morphotype of F. spiralis var. platycarpus were morphologically characterized. Two diagnostic microsatellite loci recovered 3 genetic clusters consistent with prior morphological assignment. Phylogenetic analysis based on single nucleotide polymorphisms in 14 protein coding regions unambiguously resolved 3 clades; sympatric F. vesiculosus, F. spiralis, and the allopatric (in southern Iberia) population of F. spiralis var. platycarpus. In contrast, the sympatric F. spiralis var. platycarpus (from Northern Portugal) was distributed across the 3 clades, strongly suggesting hybridization/introgression with both other entities. Common garden experiments showed that physiological resilience following exposure to desiccation/heat stress differed significantly between the 3 sympatric genetic taxa; consistent with their respective vertical distribution on steep environmental clines in exposure time. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that F. spiralis var. platycarpus is a distinct entity in allopatry, but that extensive gene flow occurs with both higher and lower shore species in sympatry. Experimental results suggest that strong selection on physiological traits across steep intertidal exposure gradients acts to maintain the 3 distinct genetic and morphological taxa within their preferred vertical distribution ranges. On the strength of distributional, genetic, physiological and morphological differences, we propose elevation of F. spiralis var. platycarpus from variety to species level, as F. guiryi. PMID:21695117
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de Rooij, G. H.
2010-09-01
Soil water is confined behind the menisci of its water-air interface. Catchment-scale fluxes (groundwater recharge, evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, etc.) affect the matric potential, and thereby the interface curvature and the configuration of the phases. In turn, these affect the fluxes (except precipitation), creating feedbacks between pore-scale and catchment-scale processes. Tracking pore-scale processes beyond the Darcy scale is not feasible. Instead, for a simplified system based on the classical Darcy's Law and Laplace-Young Law we i) clarify how menisci transfer pressure from the atmosphere to the soil water, ii) examine large-scale phenomena arising from pore-scale processes, and iii) analyze the relationship between average meniscus curvature and average matric potential. In stagnant water, changing the gravitational potential or the curvature of the air-water interface changes the pressure throughout the water. Adding small amounts of water can thus profoundly affect water pressures in a much larger volume. The pressure-regulating effect of the interface curvature showcases the meniscus as a pressure port that transfers the atmospheric pressure to the water with an offset directly proportional to its curvature. This property causes an extremely rapid rise of phreatic levels in soils once the capillary fringe extends to the soil surface and the menisci flatten. For large bodies of subsurface water, the curvature and vertical position of any meniscus quantify the uniform hydraulic potential under hydrostatic equilibrium. During unit-gradient flow, the matric potential corresponding to the mean curvature of the menisci should provide a good approximation of the intrinsic phase average of the matric potential.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Meng, D.; Weng, Z.; Xiang, Y.
1985-09-01
This paper presents a method for predicting the blade root loss in an annular nozzle cascade in which consideration is given to the influence of the radial pressure gradient (RPG) on it. The variation of blade root losses under different RPG is obtained experimentally, and finite element method is used to calculate the pressure distribution in the blade passage.
The quiet evening auroral arc and the structure of the growth phase near-Earth plasma sheet
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Coroniti, F. V.; Pritchett, P. L.
2014-03-01
The plasma pressure and current configuration of the near-Earth plasma sheet that creates and sustains the quiet evening auroral arc during the growth phase of magnetospheric substorms is investigated. We propose that the quiet evening arc (QEA) connects to the thin near-Earth current sheet, which forms during the development of the growth phase enhancement of convection. The current sheet's large polarization electric fields are shielded from the ionosphere by an Inverted-V parallel potential drop, thereby producing the electron precipitation responsible for the arc's luminosity. The QEA is located in the plasma sheet region of maximal radial pressure gradient and, in the east-west direction, follows the vanishing of the approximately dawn-dusk-directed gradient or fold in the plasma pressure. In the evening sector, the boundary between the Region1 and Region 2 current systems occurs where the pressure maximizes (approximately radial gradient of the pressure vanishes) and where the approximately radial gradient of the magnetic flux tube volume also vanishes in an inflection region. The proposed intricate balance of plasma sheet pressure and currents may well be very sensitive to disruption by the arrival of equatorward traveling auroral streamers and their associated earthward traveling dipolarization fronts.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Firstenberg, M. S.; Greenberg, N. L.; Smedira, N. G.; Prior, D. L.; Scalia, G. M.; Thomas, J. D.; Garcia, M. J.
2000-01-01
The simplified Bernoulli equation relates fluid convective energy derived from flow velocities to a pressure gradient and is commonly used in clinical echocardiography to determine pressure differences across stenotic orifices. Its application to pulmonary venous flow has not been described in humans. Twelve patients undergoing cardiac surgery had simultaneous high-fidelity pulmonary venous and left atrial pressure measurements and pulmonary venous pulsed Doppler echocardiography performed. Convective gradients for the systolic (S), diastolic (D), and atrial reversal (AR) phases of pulmonary venous flow were determined using the simplified Bernoulli equation and correlated with measured actual pressure differences. A linear relationship was observed between the convective (y) and actual (x) pressure differences for the S (y = 0.23x + 0.0074, r = 0.82) and D (y = 0.22x + 0.092, r = 0.81) waves, but not for the AR wave (y = 0. 030x + 0.13, r = 0.10). Numerical modeling resulted in similar slopes for the S (y = 0.200x - 0.127, r = 0.97), D (y = 0.247x - 0. 354, r = 0.99), and AR (y = 0.087x - 0.083, r = 0.96) waves. Consistent with numerical modeling, the convective term strongly correlates with but significantly underestimates actual gradient because of large inertial forces.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hsu, Shao-Yiu; Glantz, Roland; Hilpert, Markus
2011-11-01
The mobilization of residual oil blobs in porous media is of major interest to the petroleum industry. We studied the Jamin effect, which hampers the blob mobilization, experimentally in a pore doublet model and explain the Jamin effect through contact angle hysteresis. A liquid blob was trapped in one of the tubes of the pore doublet model and then subjected to different pressure gradients. We measured the contact angles (in 2D and 3D) as well as the mean curvatures of the blob. Due to gravity effects and hysteresis, the contact angles of the blob were initially (zero pressure gradient) non-uniform and exhibited a pronounced altitude dependence. As the pressure gradient was increased, the contact angles became more uniform and the altitude dependence of the contact angle decreased. At the same time, the mean curvature of the drainage interface increased, and the mean curvature of the imbibition interface decreased. The pressure drops across the pore model, which we inferred with our theory from the measured contact angles and mean curvatures, were in line with the directly measured pressure data. We not only show that a trapped blob can sustain a finite pressure gradient but also develop methods to measure the contact angles and mean curvatures in 3D.
Firstenberg, M S; Greenberg, N L; Smedira, N G; Prior, D L; Scalia, G M; Thomas, J D; Garcia, M J
2000-08-01
The simplified Bernoulli equation relates fluid convective energy derived from flow velocities to a pressure gradient and is commonly used in clinical echocardiography to determine pressure differences across stenotic orifices. Its application to pulmonary venous flow has not been described in humans. Twelve patients undergoing cardiac surgery had simultaneous high-fidelity pulmonary venous and left atrial pressure measurements and pulmonary venous pulsed Doppler echocardiography performed. Convective gradients for the systolic (S), diastolic (D), and atrial reversal (AR) phases of pulmonary venous flow were determined using the simplified Bernoulli equation and correlated with measured actual pressure differences. A linear relationship was observed between the convective (y) and actual (x) pressure differences for the S (y = 0.23x + 0.0074, r = 0.82) and D (y = 0.22x + 0.092, r = 0.81) waves, but not for the AR wave (y = 0. 030x + 0.13, r = 0.10). Numerical modeling resulted in similar slopes for the S (y = 0.200x - 0.127, r = 0.97), D (y = 0.247x - 0. 354, r = 0.99), and AR (y = 0.087x - 0.083, r = 0.96) waves. Consistent with numerical modeling, the convective term strongly correlates with but significantly underestimates actual gradient because of large inertial forces.
Cavity Solitons in Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers and their Applications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Giudici, Massimo; Pedaci, Francesco; Caboche, Emilie; Genevet, Patrice; Barland, Stephane; Tredicce, Jorge; Tissoni, Giovanna; Lugiato, Luigi
Cavity solitons (CS) are single peak localized structures which form over a homogeneous background in the section of broad-area non linear resonator driven by a coherent holding beam. They can be switched on and off by shining a writing/ erasing local laser pulse into the optical cavity. Moreover, when a phase or amplitude gradient is introduced in the holding beam, CS are set in motion along the gradient with a speed that depends on gradient strength. The ability to address CS and to control their location as well as their motion makes them interesting for alloptical processing units. In this chapter we report on several functionalities of CS that have been experimentally implemented in a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) biased below threshold. We show that CS positions in the transverse section of the resonator can be reconfigured according to a phase landscape introduced in the holding beam. CS drifting propelled by a phase gradient in the holding beam can be used for realizing an all-optical delay line. Information bits are written in form of CS at a point of the device and a time delayed version of the written information can be read elsewhere along the gradient direction. CS existence and functionalities are deeply affected by presence of device defects generated during the fabrication process and randomly distributed through the device section. The sensitivity of CS to parameters gradients can be used to probe these defects, otherwise not detectable, and mapping their positions. Finally, a periodic flow of moving CS can be obtained by the interplay between a device defect and an external parameter gradient. This suggests the possibility of engineering a CS source directly onto the device.
Stereo transparency and the disparity gradient limit
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
McKee, Suzanne P.; Verghese, Preeti
2002-01-01
Several studies (Vision Research 15 (1975) 583; Perception 9 (1980) 671) have shown that binocular fusion is limited by the disparity gradient (disparity/distance) separating image points, rather than by their absolute disparity values. Points separated by a gradient >1 appear diplopic. These results are sometimes interpreted as a constraint on human stereo matching, rather than a constraint on fusion. Here we have used psychophysical measurements on stereo transparency to show that human stereo matching is not constrained by a gradient of 1. We created transparent surfaces composed of many pairs of dots, in which each member of a pair was assigned a disparity equal and opposite to the disparity of the other member. For example, each pair could be composed of one dot with a crossed disparity of 6' and the other with uncrossed disparity of 6', vertically separated by a parametrically varied distance. When the vertical separation between the paired dots was small, the disparity gradient for each pair was very steep. Nevertheless, these opponent-disparity dot pairs produced a striking appearance of two transparent surfaces for disparity gradients ranging between 0.5 and 3. The apparent depth separating the two transparent planes was correctly matched to an equivalent disparity defined by two opaque surfaces. A test target presented between the two transparent planes was easily detected, indicating robust segregation of the disparities associated with the paired dots into two transparent surfaces with few mismatches in the target plane. Our simulations using the Tsai-Victor model show that the response profiles produced by scaled disparity-energy mechanisms can account for many of our results on the transparency generated by steep gradients.
Observations and analysis of a stratification-destratification event in a tropical estuary
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Uncles, R. J.; Ong, J. E.; Gong, W. K.
1990-11-01
A data set comprising 31 continuous tidal cycles was collected in the Sungai Merbok Estuary, Malaysia, in June 1987 as part of an ecological study of nutrient fluxes from a tropical mangrove estuary. Currents, salinity and salinity stratification at a deep-channel (15 m) station near the mouth of the Merbok Estuary showed a pronounced spring-neap variability. The slow currents and weak vertical mixing at neap tides favoured the formation of a stratified water column and generated a neap-spring cycle of water column stabilization and destabilization. A strong stratification event occurred during the period of observations. This was partly driven by a modest freshwater spate which coincided with neap tides. An eddy viscosity-diffusivity model of the stratification, which assumed a constant, longitudinal salinity gradient, demonstrated a pronounced stratification-destratification cycle due to neap-spring variations in vertical mixing. Larger and more realistic stratification was modelled when the estimated, time-varying longitudinal salinity gradient was incorporated. This gradient maximized in response to the peak in freshwater runoff. The measured and modelled density-driven circulations showed qualitative similarities and were of the order of 10 cm s -1 at neap tides. The circulation was weaker during spring tides. The tidally-filtered salt transport due to vertical shear was directed up-estuary and was an order of magnitude smaller during spring tides. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance to mangrove system oceanography.
Donnelly, Colleen A.; Tenbus, Fredrick J.
1998-01-01
Water-level data and interpretations from previous hydrogeological studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, were compared to determine similarities and differences among the aquifers. Because the sediments that comprise the shallow aquifers are discontinuous, the shallow ground-water-flow systems are local rather than extensive across the Edgewood Area. Hydrogeologic cross sections, hydrographs of water levels, and vertical gradients calculated from previous studies in the Canal Creek area, Graces Quarters, the O-Field area, Carroll Island, and the J-Field area, over periods of record ranging from 1 to 10 years during 1986-97, were used to determine recharge and discharge areas, connections between aquifers, and hydrologic responses of aquifers to natural and anthropogenic stress. Each of the aquifers in the study areas exhibited variation of hydraulic head that was attributed to seasonal changes in recharge. Upward hydraulic gradients and seasonal reversals of vertical hydraulic gradients between aquifers indicate the potential for local ground-water discharge from most of the aquifers that were studied in the Edgewood Area. Hydraulic head in individual aquifers in Graces Quarters and Carroll Island responded to offsite pumping during part of the period of record. Hydraulic head in most of the confined aquifers responded to tidal loading effects from nearby estuaries.
An analysis of induced pressure fields in electroosmotic flows through microchannels.
Zhang, Yonghao; Gu, Xiao-Jun; Barber, Robert W; Emerson, David R
2004-07-15
Induced pressure gradients are found to cause band-broadening effects which are important to the performance of microfluidic devices, such as capillary electrophoresis and capillary chromatography. An improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms causing an induced pressure gradient in electroosmotic flows is presented. The analysis shows that the induced pressure distribution is the key to understanding the experimentally observed phenomena of leakage flows. A novel way of determining the static pressures at the inlet and outlet of microchannels is also presented that takes account of the pressure losses due to flow contraction and expansion. These commonly neglected pressure losses at the channel entrance and outlet are shown to be important in accurately describing the flow. The important parameters that define the effect of induced pressure on the flows are discussed, which may facilitate the design of improved microfluidic devices. The present model clearly identifies the mechanism behind the experimentally observed leakage flows, which is further confirmed by numerical simulations. Not only can the leakage flow occur from the electric-field-free side channel to the main channel, but also the fluid in the main channel can be attracted into the side channel by the induced pressure gradient. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.
Dynamic variation in sapwood specific conductivity in six woody species
Jean-Christophe Domec; Frederick C. Meinzer; Barbara Lachenbruch; Johann Housset
2008-01-01
Our goals were to quantify how non-embolism inducing pressure gradients influence trunk sapwood specific conductivity (ks) and to compare the impacts of constant and varying pressure gradients on ks with KCl and H20 as the perfusion solutions. We studied six woody species (three conifers and three...
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gilooly, S.; Foster, D. L.
2017-12-01
In nearshore environments, the motion of munitions results from a mixture of sediment transport conditions including sheet flow, scour, bedform migration, and momentary liquefaction. Incipient motion can be caused by disruptive shear stresses and pressure gradients. Foster et al. (2006) incorporated both processes into a single parameter, indicating incipient motion as a function of the bed state. This research looks to evaluate the role of the pressure gradient in positional state changes such as burial, exposure, and mobility. In the case of munitions, this may include pressure gradients induced by vortex shedding or the passing wave. Pressure-mapped model munitions are being developed to measure the orientation, rotation, and surface pressure of the munitions during threshold events leading to a new positional state. These munitions will be deployed in inner surf zone and estuary environments along with acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs), pore water pressure sensors, a laser grid, and a pencil beam sonar with an azimuth drive. The additional instruments allow for near bed and far field water column and sediment bed sampling. Currently preliminary assessments of various pressure sensors and munition designs are underway. Two pressure sensors were selected; the thin FlexiForce A201 sensors will be used to indicate munition rolling during threshold events and diaphragm sensors will be used to understand changes in surrounding pore water pressure as the munition begins to bury/unbury. Both sensors are expected to give quantitative measurements of dynamic pressure gradients in the flow field surrounding the munition. Resolving the role of this process will give insight to an improved incipient motion parameter and allow for better munition motion predictions.
Abd Razak, Nasrul A; Abu Osman, Noor A; Ali, Sadeeq A; Gholizadeh, Hossein
2016-01-15
While considering how important the interface between the amputees with the prostheses socket, we have carried out research to compare the gradient pressure occur at the interface socket that may lead to the discomforting effects to the user using common ICRC polypropylene socket and air splint socket. Not Applicable SETTING: Not Applicable POPULATION: The subject was a 23 year old who suffered a traumatic defect on the right arm caused by higher electrical volt. F-Socket sensors have been used to measure dynamic socket interface pressure for the transradial amputee wearer during static and dynamic movements. The printed circuit with a thickness of 0.18 mm is equipped between the socket and the surface of the residual limb. Two F-Socket sensor is required to cover the entire socket surface attached to the residual limb. The average of 10 trials made on prosthetic user using both type of sockets for static and dynamic movements was recorded. The pressure gradient shows that the circumference of the socket interface for the ICRC polypropylene socket gives the most pressure distributions to the amputees compared to the pressure gradient for the air splint socket. The pressure gradient for ICRC socket increased consistently when the user makes movements while for the air splint socket remain constantly. The specific interface pressure occur at the socket interface help in determine the comfort and pain of the socket design and improve the correlation between the user and the prosthesis.
An experimental study of geyser-like flows induced by a pressurized air pocket
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Elayeb, I. S.; Leon, A.; Choi, Y.; Alnahit, A. O.
2015-12-01
Previous studies argues that the entrapment of pressurized air pockets within combined sewer systems can produce geyser flows, which is an oscillating jetting of a mixture of gas-liquid flows. To verify that pressurized air pockets can effectively produce geysers, laboratory experiments were conducted. However, past experiments were conducted in relatively small-scale apparatus (i.e. maximum φ2" vertical shaft). This study conducted a set of experiments in a larger apparatus. The experimental setup consists of an upstream head tank, a downstream head tank, a horizontal pipe (46.5ft long, φ6") and a vertical pipe (10ft long, φ6"). The initial condition for the experiments is constant flow discharge through the horizontal pipe. The experiments are initiated by injecting an air pocket with pre-determined volume and pressure at the upstream end of the horizontal pipe. The air pocket propagates through the horizontal pipe until it arrives to the vertical shaft, where it is released producing a geyser-like flow. Three flow rates in the horizontal pipe and three injected air pressures were tested. The variables measured were pressure at two locations in the horizontal pipe and two locations in the vertical pipe. High resolution videos at two regions in the vertical shaft were also recorded. To gain further insights in the physics of air-water interaction, the laboratory experiments were complemented with numerical simulations conducted using a commercial 3D CFD model, previously validated with experiments.
Estimation of pressure gradients at renal artery stenoses
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yim, Peter J.; Cebral, Juan R.; Weaver, Ashley; Lutz, Robert J.; Vasbinder, G. Boudewijn C.
2003-05-01
Atherosclerotic disease of the renal artery can reduce the blood flow leading to renovascular hypertension and ischemic nephopathy. The kidney responds to a decrease in blood flow by activation of the renin-angiotensin system that increases blood pressure and can result in severe hypertension. Percutaneous translumenal angioplasty (PTA) may be indicated for treatment of renovascular hypertension (RVH). However, direct measurement of renal artery caliber and degree of stenosis has only moderate specificity for detection of RVH. A confounding factor in assessment of the proximal renal artery is that diffuse atherosclerotic disease of the distal branches of the renal artery can produce the same effect on blood-flow as atherosclerotic disease of the proximal renal artery. A methodology is proposed for estimation of pressure gradients at renal artery stenoses from magnetic resonance imaging that could improve the evaluation of renal artery disease. In the proposed methodology, pressure gradients are estimated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. Realistic CFD models are constructed from images of vessel shape and measurements of blood-flow rates which are available from magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging respectively. CFD measurement of renal artery pressure gradients has been validated in a physical flow-through model.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chashechkin, Yuli. D.; Mitkin, Vladimir V.
2001-10-01
Experimental investigations of fine and macroscopic structures of density and velocity disturbances generated by a towing cylinder or a vertical strip in a linearly stratified liquid are carried out in a rectangular tank. A density gradient field is visualised by different Schlieren methods (direct shadow, 'slit-knife', 'slit-thread', 'natural rainbow') characterised by a high spatial resolution. Profiles of fluid velocity are visualised by density markers — wakes past a vertically descending sugar crystal or an ascending gas bubble. In a fluid at rest, the density marker acts as a vertical linear source of internal oscillations which allows us to measure buoyancy frequency over all depth by the Schlieren instrument directly or by a conductivity probe in a particular point. Sensitive methods reveal a set of high gradient interfaces inside and outside the downstream wake besides well-known large scale elements: upstream disturbances, attached internal waves and vortices. Solitary interfaces located inside the attached internal waves field have no features on their leading and trailing edges. A thickness of interfaces is defined by an appropriate diffusion coefficient and a buoyancy frequency. High gradient interfaces bound compact vortices. Vortices moving with respect to environment emit their own systems of internal waves randomising a regular pattern of attached antisymmetric internal waves. But after a rather long time a wave recurrence occurs and a regular but symmetric structure of the longest waves (similar to the pattern of initial attached internal waves) is observed again. High gradient interfaces and lines of their intersections act as collectors of a dye coming from a compact source or from a coloured liquid volume inside the tank and separate coloured and clear areas.
Denneulin, T; Wollschläger, N; Everhardt, A S; Farokhipoor, S; Noheda, B; Snoeck, E; Hÿtch, M
2018-05-31
Lead zirconate titanate samples are used for their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties in various types of micro-devices. Epitaxial layers of tetragonal perovskites have a tendency to relax by forming [Formula: see text] ferroelastic domains. The accommodation of the a/c/a/c polydomain structure on a flat substrate leads to nanoscale deformation gradients which locally influence the polarization by flexoelectric effect. Here, we investigated the deformation fields in epitaxial layers of Pb(Zr 0.2 Ti 0.8 )O 3 grown on SrTiO 3 substrates using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found that the deformation gradients depend on the domain walls inclination ([Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] to the substrate interface) of the successive [Formula: see text] domains and we describe three different a/c/a domain configurations: one configuration with parallel a-domains and two configurations with perpendicular a-domains (V-shaped and hat-[Formula: see text]-shaped). In the parallel configuration, the c-domains contain horizontal and vertical gradients of out-of-plane deformation. In the V-shaped and hat-[Formula: see text]-shaped configurations, the c-domains exhibit a bending deformation field with vertical gradients of in-plane deformation. Each of these configurations is expected to have a different influence on the polarization and so the local properties of the film. The deformation gradients were measured using dark-field electron holography, a TEM technique, which offers a good sensitivity (0.1%) and a large field-of-view (hundreds of nanometers). The measurements are compared with finite element simulations.
A model for simulating random atmospheres as a function of latitude, season, and time
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Campbell, J. W.
1977-01-01
An empirical stochastic computer model was developed with the capability of generating random thermodynamic profiles of the atmosphere below an altitude of 99 km which are characteristic of any given season, latitude, and time of day. Samples of temperature, density, and pressure profiles generated by the model are statistically similar to measured profiles in a data base of over 6000 rocket and high-altitude atmospheric soundings; that is, means and standard deviations of modeled profiles and their vertical gradients are in close agreement with data. Model-generated samples can be used for Monte Carlo simulations of aircraft or spacecraft trajectories to predict or account for the effects on a vehicle's performance of atmospheric variability. Other potential uses for the model are in simulating pollutant dispersion patterns, variations in sound propagation, and other phenomena which are dependent on atmospheric properties, and in developing data-reduction software for satellite monitoring systems.
Synchrotron X-ray topography of electronic materials.
Tuomi, T
2002-05-01
Large-area transmission, transmission section, large-area back-reflection, back-reflection section and grazing-incidence topography are the geometries used when recording high-resolution X-ray diffraction images with synchrotron radiation from a bending magnet, a wiggler or an undulator of an electron or a positron storage ring. Defect contrast can be kinematical, dynamical or orientational even in the topographs recorded on the same film at the same time. In this review article limited to static topography experiments, examples of defect studies on electronic materials cover the range from voids and precipitates in almost perfect float-zone and Czochralski silicon, dislocations in gallium arsenide grown by the liquid-encapsulated Czochralski technique, the vapour-pressure controlled Czochralski technique and the vertical-gradient freeze technique, stacking faults and micropipes in silicon carbide to misfit dislocations in epitaxic heterostructures. It is shown how synchrotron X-ray topographs of epitaxic laterally overgrown gallium arsenide layer structures are successfully explained by orientational contrast.
A response to: Limitations within "The Limits to Tree Height".
Koch, George W; Sillett, Stephen C
2009-02-01
Here we respond to the communication in American Journal of Botany (96: 542-544 in this issue) by Netting, who proposes several ways in which our paper "The Limits to Tree Height" (Nature 428: 851-854) may have erred in estimating the biophysical limits to height growth in Sequoia sempervirens. We first explain that because embolism repair requires long time periods and is generally incomplete, xylem vulnerability characteristics offer a sound basis for estimating performance limits in woody plants. We reaffirm our earlier use of vertical gradients of foliar carbon isotope composition with new data for S. sempervirens. We support these arguments with reference to studies in other tree species. We take exception with Netting's view that the turgor pressure-cell expansion relationship for Zea mays is applicable to S. sempervirens. Finally, we second Netting's call for more work on carbon allocation vis a vis height growth limits.
A surge observed in H alpha and C IV
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schmieder, B.; Mein, P.; Vial, J. C.; Tandberg-Hanssen, E.
1982-01-01
Results are presented of simultaneous measurements of H-alpha (MSDP at Meudon) and C IV (UVSP onboard SMM) of Active Region 2701 made on October 2, 1980. Isodensity and velocity maps were obtained for both lines and these maps were superimposed. Results show a good correlation between the H-alpha and C IV velocities with a surge being observed for 10 minutes. The base of the surge was determined to be located in a bright point in C IV and H-alpha, while the escaping matter followed the same channel ('absorbing' in H-alpha, 'emitting' in C IV). It was found that the velocity along the surge was about 80 km/s in H-alpha and 100 km/s in C IV. In addition, a loop appeared in C IV during the surge. It is concluded that the vertical pressure gradient was capable of driving the surge.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Webb, G. M.
1988-01-01
The paper presents a family of isothermal magnetostatic atmospheres with one ignorable coordinate corresponding to a uniform gravitational field in a plane geometry. The distributed current in the model J is directed along the x-axis, where x is the horizontal ignorable coordinate. The current J is taken to be proportional to the cube of the magnetostatic potential A and falls off exponentially with distance vertical to the base with an e-folding distance equal to the gravitational scale height. A range of similarity solution examples are displayed depending on the values of the similarity parameters. Each similarity parameter corresponds to a symmetry of the underlying nonlinear elliptic equation for A. The similarity parameters also determine the source currents for the potential field solution of the family. The solutions show the interplay between the gravitational force, the J & B force (B, magnetic field induction) and the gas pressure gradient.
Pashin, J.C.; McIntyre, M.R.
2003-01-01
Sorption of gas onto coal is sensitive to pressure and temperature, and carbon dioxide can be a potentially volatile supercritical fluid in coalbed methane reservoirs. More than 5000 wells have been drilled in the coalbed methane fields of the Black Warrior basin in west-central Alabama, and the hydrologic and geothermic information from geophysical well logs provides a robust database that can be used to assess the potential for carbon sequestration in coal-bearing strata.Reservoir temperature within the coalbed methane target zone generally ranges from 80 to 125 ??F (27-52 ??C), and geothermal gradient ranges from 6.0 to 19.9 ??F/1000 ft (10.9-36.2 ??C/km). Geothermal gradient data have a strong central tendency about a mean of 9.0 ??F/1000 ft (16.4 ??C/km). Hydrostatic pressure gradients in the coalbed methane fields range from normal (0.43 psi/ft) to extremely underpressured (<0.05 psi/ft). Pressure-depth plots establish a bimodal regime in which 70% of the wells have pressure gradients greater than 0.30 psi/ft, and 20% have pressure gradients lower than 0.10 psi/ft. Pockets of underpressure are developed around deep longwall coal mines and in areas distal to the main hydrologic recharge zone, which is developed in structurally upturned strata along the southeastern margin of the basin.Geothermal gradients within the coalbed methane fields are high enough that reservoirs never cross the gas-liquid condensation line for carbon dioxide. However, reservoirs have potential for supercritical fluid conditions beyond a depth of 2480 ft (756 m) under normally pressured conditions. All target coal beds are subcritically pressured in the northeastern half of the coalbed methane exploration fairway, whereas those same beds were in the supercritical phase window prior to gas production in the southwestern half of the fairway. Although mature reservoirs are dewatered and thus are in the carbon dioxide gas window, supercritical conditions may develop as reservoirs equilibrate toward a normal hydrostatic pressure gradient after abandonment. Coal can hold large quantities of carbon dioxide under supercritical conditions, and supercritical isotherms indicate non-Langmiur conditions under which some carbon dioxide may remain mobile in coal or may react with formation fluids or minerals. Hence, carbon sequestration and enhanced coalbed methane recovery show great promise in subcritical reservoirs, and additional research is required to assess the behavior of carbon dioxide in coal under supercritical conditions where additional sequestration capacity may exist. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The use of magnetic fields in vertical Bridgman/Gradient Freeze-type crystal growth
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pätzold, Olf; Niemietz, Kathrin; Lantzsch, Ronny; Galindo, Vladimir; Grants, Ilmars; Bellmann, Martin; Gerbeth, Gunter
2013-03-01
This paper outlines advanced vertical Bridgman/Gradient Freeze techniques with flow control using magnetic fields developed for the growth of semiconductor crystals. Low-temperature flow modelling, as well as laboratory-scaled crystal growth under the influence of rotating, travelling, and static magnetic fields are presented. Experimental and numerical flow modelling demonstrate the potential of the magnetic fields to establish a well-defined flow for tailoring heat and mass transfer in the melt during growth. The results of the growth experiments are discussed with a focus on the influence of a rotating field on the segregation of dopants, the influence of a travelling field on the temperature field and thermal stresses, and the potential of rotating and static fields for a stabilization of the melt flow.
Irreversible transport in the stratosphere by internal waves of short vertical wavelength
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Danielsen, Edwin F.; Hipskind, R. S.; Starr, Walter L.; Vedder, James F.; Gaines, Steven E.; Kley, Dieter; Kelley, Ken K.
1991-01-01
Measurements performed during stratospheric flights of the U-2 aircraft confirm that cross-jet transport is dominated by waves, not by large-scale circulations. Monotonic gradients of trace constituents normal to the jet axis, with upper stratospheric tracers increasing poleward and tropospheric tracers increasing equatorward, are augmented by large-scale confluence as the jet intensifies during cyclogenesis. These gradients are rotated, intensified, and significantly increased in areas as their mixing ratio surfaces are folded by the differential transport of a very low frequency transverse wave. The quasi-horizontal transport produces a laminar structure with stable layers rich in upper stratospheric tracers alternating vertically with less stable layers rich in tropospheric tracers. The transport proceeds toward irreversibility at higher frequency, shear-gravity waves extend the folding to smaller horizontal scales.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bunn, M. I.; Jones, J.; Endres, A. L.
2008-12-01
Hydrogeologists quantify the properties of unconfined aquifers by analyzing the data from pumping tests. The most appropriate method of incorporating flow contributions from the vadose zone into these analyses has been the subject of debate for decades. Recently, a highly detailed data set was collected during a seven- day pumping test at CFB Borden, Ontario (Bevan et al., 2005) which has allowed a close examination of the vadose zone response to pumping. Water table drawdown was monitored using pressure transducers in 11 monitoring wells, while moisture profiles were collected 19 times during the 7-day test using neutron logging. The Borden aquifer system is quite homogeneous, and numerical simulations using the variably saturated model InHM resulted in excellent reproduction of the observed hydraulic head drawdowns. Conversely, the simulated moisture profiles correlated poorly with neutron-logging-derived observed profiles. Specifically, the field results show delayed drawdown in the vadose zone, resulting in a persistent and significant extension of the capillary fringe, with the shape of the moisture profile remaining constant through the transition zone. Numerical simulations using various forms of the capillary pressure-saturation relationship with reasonable parameter sets were unable produce the extension. Neutron moisture profiles were selected from three locations (3, 5, and 15 m radial distance from the pumping well) at which an adjacent shallow deep piezometer pair could be used to accurately estimate water table location. Using this data in conjunction with the inverse modeling tool PEST, a set of van Genuchten capillary pressure-saturation parameters was generated to match each observed moisture profile. Horizontal and vertical hydraulic gradients and flow rates at the water table were generated using model output and compared to the fitted parameters. The van Genuchten parameter n was found to have significant scatter in both profile location and observation time when compared to any of the modeled results. The van Genuchten parameter alpha was found to vary linearly as a function of horizontal hydraulic gradient; further the results from all observation locations and times were found to follow the same linear relationship. The likely effects of consolidation, entrapped air, heterogeneity, and hydraulic gradients on the observed moisture profile were also evaluated. Results indicate a need for further investigation into the applicability of laboratory derived steady-state water retention curves for field scale simulations.
Scale-dependent coupling of hysteretic capillary pressure, trapping, and fluid mobilities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Doster, F.; Celia, M. A.; Nordbotten, J. M.
2012-12-01
Many applications of multiphase flow in porous media, including CO2-storage and enhanced oil recovery, require mathematical models that span a large range of length scales. In the context of numerical simulations, practical grid sizes are often on the order of tens of meters, thereby de facto defining a coarse model scale. Under particular conditions, it is possible to approximate the sub-grid-scale distribution of the fluid saturation within a grid cell; that reconstructed saturation can then be used to compute effective properties at the coarse scale. If both the density difference between the fluids and the vertical extend of the grid cell are large, and buoyant segregation within the cell on a sufficiently shorte time scale, then the phase pressure distributions are essentially hydrostatic and the saturation profile can be reconstructed from the inferred capillary pressures. However, the saturation reconstruction may not be unique because the parameters and parameter functions of classical formulations of two-phase flow in porous media - the relative permeability functions, the capillary pressure -saturation relationship, and the residual saturations - show path dependence, i.e. their values depend not only on the state variables but also on their drainage and imbibition histories. In this study we focus on capillary pressure hysteresis and trapping and show that the contribution of hysteresis to effective quantities is dependent on the vertical length scale. By studying the transition from the two extreme cases - the homogeneous saturation distribution for small vertical extents and the completely segregated distribution for large extents - we identify how hysteretic capillary pressure at the local scale induces hysteresis in all coarse-scale quantities for medium vertical extents and finally vanishes for large vertical extents. Our results allow for more accurate vertically integrated modeling while improving our understanding of the coupling of capillary pressure and relative permeabilities over larger length scales.
On the physics of the pressure and temperature gradients in the edge of tokamak plasmas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stacey, Weston M.
2018-04-01
An extended plasma fluid theory including atomic physics, radiation, electromagnetic and themodynamic forces, external sources of particles, momentum and energy, and kinetic ion orbit loss is employed to derive theoretical expressions that display the role of the various factors involved in the determination of the pressure and temperature gradients in the edge of tokamak plasmas. Calculations for current experiments are presented to illustrate the magnitudes of various effects including strong radiative and atomic physics edge cooling effects and strong reduction in ion particle and energy fluxes due to ion orbit loss in the plasma edge. An important new insight is the strong relation between rotation and the edge pressure gradient.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schneider, J.; Boccio, J.
1972-01-01
A computer program is described capable of determining the properties of a compressible turbulent boundary layer with pressure gradient and heat transfer. The program treats the two-dimensional problem assuming perfect gas and Crocco integral energy solution. A compressibility transformation is applied to the equation for the conservation of mass and momentum, which relates this flow to a low speed constant property flow with simultaneous mass transfer and pressure gradient. The resulting system of describing equations consists of eight ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically. For Part 1, see N72-12226; for Part 2, see N72-15264.
Computation of Turbulent Wake Flows in Variable Pressure Gradient
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Duquesne, N.; Carlson, J. R.; Rumsey, C. L.; Gatski, T. B.
1999-01-01
Transport aircraft performance is strongly influenced by the effectiveness of high-lift systems. Developing wakes generated by the airfoil elements are subjected to strong pressure gradients and can thicken very rapidly, limiting maximum lift. This paper focuses on the effects of various pressure gradients on developing symmetric wakes and on the ability of a linear eddy viscosity model and a non-linear explicit algebraic stress model to accurately predict their downstream evolution. In order to reduce the uncertainties arising from numerical issues when assessing the performance of turbulence models, three different numerical codes with the same turbulence models are used. Results are compared to available experimental data to assess the accuracy of the computational results.
Norris, Peter M.; da Silva, Arlindo M.
2018-01-01
Part 1 of this series presented a Monte Carlo Bayesian method for constraining a complex statistical model of global circulation model (GCM) sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud data, thereby permitting parameter estimation and cloud data assimilation for large-scale models. This article performs some basic testing of this new approach, verifying that it does indeed reduce mean and standard deviation biases significantly with respect to the assimilated MODIS cloud optical depth, brightness temperature and cloud-top pressure and that it also improves the simulated rotational–Raman scattering cloud optical centroid pressure (OCP) against independent (non-assimilated) retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Of particular interest, the Monte Carlo method does show skill in the especially difficult case where the background state is clear but cloudy observations exist. In traditional linearized data assimilation methods, a subsaturated background cannot produce clouds via any infinitesimal equilibrium perturbation, but the Monte Carlo approach allows non-gradient-based jumps into regions of non-zero cloud probability. In the example provided, the method is able to restore marine stratocumulus near the Californian coast, where the background state has a clear swath. This article also examines a number of algorithmic and physical sensitivities of the new method and provides guidance for its cost-effective implementation. One obvious difficulty for the method, and other cloud data assimilation methods as well, is the lack of information content in passive-radiometer-retrieved cloud observables on cloud vertical structure, beyond cloud-top pressure and optical thickness, thus necessitating strong dependence on the background vertical moisture structure. It is found that a simple flow-dependent correlation modification from Riishojgaard provides some help in this respect, by better honouring inversion structures in the background state. PMID:29618848
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Norris, Peter M.; da Silva, Arlindo M.
2016-01-01
Part 1 of this series presented a Monte Carlo Bayesian method for constraining a complex statistical model of global circulation model (GCM) sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud data, thereby permitting parameter estimation and cloud data assimilation for large-scale models. This article performs some basic testing of this new approach, verifying that it does indeed reduce mean and standard deviation biases significantly with respect to the assimilated MODIS cloud optical depth, brightness temperature and cloud-top pressure and that it also improves the simulated rotational-Raman scattering cloud optical centroid pressure (OCP) against independent (non-assimilated) retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Of particular interest, the Monte Carlo method does show skill in the especially difficult case where the background state is clear but cloudy observations exist. In traditional linearized data assimilation methods, a subsaturated background cannot produce clouds via any infinitesimal equilibrium perturbation, but the Monte Carlo approach allows non-gradient-based jumps into regions of non-zero cloud probability. In the example provided, the method is able to restore marine stratocumulus near the Californian coast, where the background state has a clear swath. This article also examines a number of algorithmic and physical sensitivities of the new method and provides guidance for its cost-effective implementation. One obvious difficulty for the method, and other cloud data assimilation methods as well, is the lack of information content in passive-radiometer-retrieved cloud observables on cloud vertical structure, beyond cloud-top pressure and optical thickness, thus necessitating strong dependence on the background vertical moisture structure. It is found that a simple flow-dependent correlation modification from Riishojgaard provides some help in this respect, by better honouring inversion structures in the background state.
Norris, Peter M; da Silva, Arlindo M
2016-07-01
Part 1 of this series presented a Monte Carlo Bayesian method for constraining a complex statistical model of global circulation model (GCM) sub-gridcolumn moisture variability using high-resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud data, thereby permitting parameter estimation and cloud data assimilation for large-scale models. This article performs some basic testing of this new approach, verifying that it does indeed reduce mean and standard deviation biases significantly with respect to the assimilated MODIS cloud optical depth, brightness temperature and cloud-top pressure and that it also improves the simulated rotational-Raman scattering cloud optical centroid pressure (OCP) against independent (non-assimilated) retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Of particular interest, the Monte Carlo method does show skill in the especially difficult case where the background state is clear but cloudy observations exist. In traditional linearized data assimilation methods, a subsaturated background cannot produce clouds via any infinitesimal equilibrium perturbation, but the Monte Carlo approach allows non-gradient-based jumps into regions of non-zero cloud probability. In the example provided, the method is able to restore marine stratocumulus near the Californian coast, where the background state has a clear swath. This article also examines a number of algorithmic and physical sensitivities of the new method and provides guidance for its cost-effective implementation. One obvious difficulty for the method, and other cloud data assimilation methods as well, is the lack of information content in passive-radiometer-retrieved cloud observables on cloud vertical structure, beyond cloud-top pressure and optical thickness, thus necessitating strong dependence on the background vertical moisture structure. It is found that a simple flow-dependent correlation modification from Riishojgaard provides some help in this respect, by better honouring inversion structures in the background state.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Cohen, Clarence B; Reshotko, Eli
1956-01-01
Stewartson's transformation is applied to the laminar compressible boundary-layer equations and the requirement of similarity is introduced, resulting in a set of ordinary nonlinear differential equations previously quoted by Stewartson, but unsolved. The requirements of the system are Prandtl number of 1.0, linear viscosity-temperature relation across the boundary layer, an isothermal surface, and the particular distributions of free-stream velocity consistent with similar solutions. This system admits axial pressure gradients of arbitrary magnitude, heat flux normal to the surface, and arbitrary Mach numbers. The system of differential equations is transformed to integral system, with the velocity ratio as the independent variable. For this system, solutions are found by digital computation for pressure gradients varying from that causing separation to the infinitely favorable gradient and for wall temperatures from absolute zero to twice the free-stream stagnation temperature. Some solutions for separated flows are also presented.
ARC DISCHARGE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME
Neidigh, R.V.
1960-03-15
A device for producing an energetic gas arc discharge between spaced electrodes in an evacuated chamber and within a magnetic field is described. Gas is fed into the arc in a direction normal to a refluxing stream of electrons and at a pressure higher than the pressure within the chamber to establish a pressure gradient along the arc discharge formed between the electrodes. This pressure gradient establishes rotating, time varying, radial electrical fields in the volume surroundimg the discharge, causing the discharge to rotate about the arc center line.
Lei, M H; Chen, J J; Ko, Y L; Cheng, J J; Kuan, P; Lien, W P
1995-01-01
This study assessed the usefulness of continuous wave Doppler echocardiography and color flow mapping in evaluating pulmonary regurgitation (PR) and estimating pulmonary artery (PA) pressure. Forty-three patients were examined, and high quality Doppler spectral recordings of PR were obtained in 32. All patients underwent cardiac catheterization, and simultaneous PA and right ventricular (RV) pressures were recorded in 17. Four Doppler regurgitant flow velocity patterns were observed: pandiastolic plateau, biphasic, peak and plateau, and early diastolic triangular types. The peak diastolic and end-diastolic PA-to-RV pressure gradients derived from the Doppler flow profiles correlated well with the catheter measurements (r = 0.95 and r = 0.95, respectively). As PA pressure increased, the PR flow velocity became higher; a linear relationship between either systolic or mean PA pressure and Doppler-derived peak diastolic pressure gradient was noted (r = 0.90 and 0.94, respectively). Based on peak diastolic gradients of < 15, 15-30 or > 30 mm Hg, patients could be separated as those with mild, moderate or severe pulmonary hypertension, respectively (p < 0.05). A correlation was also observed between PA diastolic pressure and Doppler-derived end-diastolic pressure gradient (r = 0.91). Moreover, the Doppler velocity decay slope of PR closely correlated with that derived from the catheter method (r = 0.98). The decay slope tended to be steeper with the increment in regurgitant jet area and length obtained from color flow mapping. In conclusion, continuous wave Doppler evaluation of PR is a useful means for noninvasive estimation of PA pressure, and the Doppler velocity decay slope seems to reflect the severity of PR.
Fabrication Processes to Generate Concentration Gradients in Polymer Solar Cell Active Layers
Inaba, Shusei; Vohra, Varun
2017-01-01
Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are considered as one of the most promising low-cost alternatives for renewable energy production with devices now reaching power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) above the milestone value of 10%. These enhanced performances were achieved by developing new electron-donor (ED) and electron-acceptor (EA) materials as well as finding the adequate morphologies in either bulk heterojunction or sequentially deposited active layers. In particular, producing adequate vertical concentration gradients with higher concentrations of ED and EA close to the anode and cathode, respectively, results in an improved charge collection and consequently higher photovoltaic parameters such as the fill factor. In this review, we relate processes to generate active layers with ED–EA vertical concentration gradients. After summarizing the formation of such concentration gradients in single layer active layers through processes such as annealing or additives, we will verify that sequential deposition of multilayered active layers can be an efficient approach to remarkably increase the fill factor and PCE of PSCs. In fact, applying this challenging approach to fabricate inverted architecture PSCs has the potential to generate low-cost, high efficiency and stable devices, which may revolutionize worldwide energy demand and/or help develop next generation devices such as semi-transparent photovoltaic windows. PMID:28772878
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fan, Tingting; Xu, Shibin; Huang, Fei; Zhao, Jinping
2018-04-01
This study compares the interdecadal variations in tropical cyclone (TC) activities over the western North Pacific (WNP) basin during the peak season (July-September) and late season (October-December) of 1955-2014 and explores the possible physical mechanisms behind the variations. Both the peak- and late-season tropical storm (TS) days show distinct interdecadal variations, while the late-season TS days lead the peak-season TS days by approximately 4 years on an interdecadal time scale. The late-season TC activity is related to the east-west sea surface temperature (SST) gradient across the equatorial Pacific. The westerly winds induced by the SST gradient can reduce the vertical wind shear and increase the low-level vorticity, which favors TC genesis over the TC genesis region. The peak-season TC activity appears to relate to the SST gradient between the Indian Ocean and the Central Pacific. The westerly wind induced by the SST gradient can reduce the vertical wind shear and increase the mid-level relative humidity, thereby enhancing the TC activity. The full picture of the interdecadal variation in the WNP TC activity during the peak and late seasons revealed in this study provides a new perspective on the seasonal TC forecasts and future projections.
The natural statistics of blur
Sprague, William W.; Cooper, Emily A.; Reissier, Sylvain; Yellapragada, Baladitya; Banks, Martin S.
2016-01-01
Blur from defocus can be both useful and detrimental for visual perception: It can be useful as a source of depth information and detrimental because it degrades image quality. We examined these aspects of blur by measuring the natural statistics of defocus blur across the visual field. Participants wore an eye-and-scene tracker that measured gaze direction, pupil diameter, and scene distances as they performed everyday tasks. We found that blur magnitude increases with increasing eccentricity. There is a vertical gradient in the distances that generate defocus blur: Blur below the fovea is generally due to scene points nearer than fixation; blur above the fovea is mostly due to points farther than fixation. There is no systematic horizontal gradient. Large blurs are generally caused by points farther rather than nearer than fixation. Consistent with the statistics, participants in a perceptual experiment perceived vertical blur gradients as slanted top-back whereas horizontal gradients were perceived equally as left-back and right-back. The tendency for people to see sharp as near and blurred as far is also consistent with the observed statistics. We calculated how many observations will be perceived as unsharp and found that perceptible blur is rare. Finally, we found that eye shape in ground-dwelling animals conforms to that required to put likely distances in best focus. PMID:27580043
Fabrication Processes to Generate Concentration Gradients in Polymer Solar Cell Active Layers.
Inaba, Shusei; Vohra, Varun
2017-05-09
Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are considered as one of the most promising low-cost alternatives for renewable energy production with devices now reaching power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) above the milestone value of 10%. These enhanced performances were achieved by developing new electron-donor (ED) and electron-acceptor (EA) materials as well as finding the adequate morphologies in either bulk heterojunction or sequentially deposited active layers. In particular, producing adequate vertical concentration gradients with higher concentrations of ED and EA close to the anode and cathode, respectively, results in an improved charge collection and consequently higher photovoltaic parameters such as the fill factor. In this review, we relate processes to generate active layers with ED-EA vertical concentration gradients. After summarizing the formation of such concentration gradients in single layer active layers through processes such as annealing or additives, we will verify that sequential deposition of multilayered active layers can be an efficient approach to remarkably increase the fill factor and PCE of PSCs. In fact, applying this challenging approach to fabricate inverted architecture PSCs has the potential to generate low-cost, high efficiency and stable devices, which may revolutionize worldwide energy demand and/or help develop next generation devices such as semi-transparent photovoltaic windows.