Continuous measurements of water surface height and width along a 6.5km river reach for discharge algorithm development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuozzolo, S.; Durand, M. T.; Pavelsky, T.; Pentecost, J.

2015-12-01

The upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will provide measurements of river width and water surface elevation and slope along continuous swaths of world rivers. Understanding water surface slope and width dynamics in river reaches is important for both developing and validating discharge algorithms to be used on future SWOT data. We collected water surface elevation and river width data along a 6.5km stretch of the Olentangy River in Columbus, Ohio from October to December 2014. Continuous measurements of water surface height were supplemented with periodical river width measurements at twenty sites along the study reach. The water surface slope of the entire reach ranged from during 41.58 cm/km at baseflow to 45.31 cm/km after a storm event. The study reach was also broken into sub-reaches roughly 1km in length to study smaller scale slope dynamics. The furthest upstream sub-reaches are characterized by free-flowing riffle-pool sequences, while the furthest downstream sub-reaches were directly affected by two low-head dams. In the sub-reaches immediately upstream of each dam, baseflow slope is as low as 2 cm/km, while the furthest upstream free-flowing sub-reach has a baseflow slope of 100 cm/km. During high flow events the backwater effect of the dams was observed to propagate upstream: sub-reaches impounded by the dams had increased water surface slopes, while free flowing sub-reaches had decreased water surface slopes. During the largest observed flow event, a stage change of 0.40 m affected sub-reach slopes by as much as 30 cm/km. Further analysis will examine height-width relationships within the study reach and relate cross-sectional flow area to river stage. These relationships can be used in conjunction with slope data to estimate discharge using a modified Manning's equation, and are a core component of discharge algorithms being developed for the SWOT mission.

Wettability behavior of water droplet on organic-polluted fused quartz surfaces of pillar-type nanostructures applying molecular dynamics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jiaxuan; Chen, Wenyang; Xie, Yajing; Wang, Zhiguo; Qin, Jianbo

2017-02-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) is applied to research the wettability behaviors of different scale of water clusters absorbed on organic-polluted fused quartz (FQ) surface and different surface structures. The wettability of water clusters is studied under the effect of organic pollutant. With the combined influence of pillar height and interval, the stair-step Wenzel-Cassie transition critical line is obtained by analyzing stable state of water clusters on different surface structures. The results also show that when interval of pillars and the height of pillars keep constant respectively, the changing rules are exactly the opposite and these are termed as the "waterfall" rules. The substrate models of water clusters at Cassie-Baxter state which are at the vicinity of critical line are chosen to analyze the relationship of HI (refers to the pillar height/interval) ratio and scale of water cluster. The study has found that there is a critical changing threshold in the wettability changing process. When the HI ratio keeps constant, the wettability decreases first and then increase as the size of cluster increases; on the contrary, when the size of cluster keeps constant, the wettability decreases and then increase with the decrease of HI ratio, but when the size of water cluster is close to the threshold the HI ratio has little effect on the wettability.

33 CFR 177.07 - Other unsafe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) The wave height within the Regulated Boating Area is 4 feet or greater; or (2) The wave height within the Regulated Boating Area is equal to or greater than the wave height determined by the formula L/10... from the lowest point along the upper strake edge to the surface of the water. W=Maximum wave height in...

33 CFR 177.07 - Other unsafe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) The wave height within the Regulated Boating Area is 4 feet or greater; or (2) The wave height within the Regulated Boating Area is equal to or greater than the wave height determined by the formula L/10... from the lowest point along the upper strake edge to the surface of the water. W=Maximum wave height in...

33 CFR 177.07 - Other unsafe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) The wave height within the Regulated Boating Area is 4 feet or greater; or (2) The wave height within the Regulated Boating Area is equal to or greater than the wave height determined by the formula L/10... from the lowest point along the upper strake edge to the surface of the water. W=Maximum wave height in...

Correcting the hooking effect in satellite altimetry data for time series estimation over smaller rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boergens, Eva; Dettmering, Denise; Schwatke, Christian

2015-04-01

Since many years the numbers of in-situ gauging stations are declining. Satellite altimetry can be used as a gap-filler even over smaller inland waters like rivers. However, since altimetry measurements are not designed for inland water bodies a special data handling is necessary in order to estimate reliable water level heights over inland waters. We developed a new routine for estimating water level heights over smaller inland waters with satellite altimetry by correcting the hooking effect. The hooking effect occurs when the altimeter is not measuring in nadir before and after passing a water body due to the stronger reflectance of the water than the surrounding land surface. These off-nadir measurements, together with the motion of the satellite, lead to overlong ranges and heights declining in a parabolic shape. The vertex of this parabola is on the water surface. Therefore, by estimating the parabola we are able to determine the water level height without the need of any point over the water body itself. For estimating the parabola we only use selected measurements which are effected by the hooking effect. The applied search approach is based on the RANSAC algorithm (random sample consensus) which is a non-deterministic algorithm especially designed for finding geometric entities in point clouds with many outliers. With the hooking effect correction we are able to retrieve water level height time series from the Mekong River from Envisat and Saral/Altika high frequency data. It is possible to determine reliable time series even if the river has only a width of 500m or less. The expected annual variations are clearly depicted and the comparison of the time series with available in-situ gauging data shows a very good agreement.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - El Nino Warm Water Pool Decreasing, Jan, 08, 1998

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Jan. 8, 1998, and sea surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the ocean. The volume of the warm water pool related to the El Nino has decreased by about 40 percent since its maximum in early November, but the area of the warm water pool is still about one and a half times the size of the continental United States. The volume measurements are computed as the sum of all the sea surface height changes as compared to normal ocean conditions. In addition, the maximum water temperature in the eastern tropical Pacific, as measured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is still higher than normal. Until these high temperatures diminish, the El Nino warm water pool still has great potential to disrupt global weather because the high water temperatures directly influence the atmosphere. Oceanographers believe the recent decrease in the size of the warm water pool is a normal part of El Nino's natural rhythm. TOPEX/Poseidon has been tracking these fluctuations of the El Nino warm pool since it began in early 1997. These sea surface height measurements have provided scientists with their first detailed view of how El Nino's warm pool behaves because the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measures the changing sea surface height with unprecedented precision. In this image, the white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level.

The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using these global data, limited regional measurements from buoys and ships, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), has issued an advisory indicating the presence of a strong El Nino condition throughout the winter.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov

Improving NOAA's NWLON Through Enhanced Data Inputs from NASA's Ocean Surface Topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guest, DeNeice C.

2010-01-01

This report assesses the benefit of incorporating NASA's OSTM (Ocean Surface Topography Mission) altimeter data (C- and Ku-band) into NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NWLON (National Water Level Observation Network) DSS (Decision Support System). This data will enhance the NWLON DSS by providing additional inforrnation because not all stations collect all meteorological parameters (sea-surface height, ocean tides, wave height, and wind speed over waves). OSTM will also provide data where NWLON stations are not present. OSTM will provide data on seasurface heights for determining sea-level rise and ocean circulation. Researchers and operational users currently use satellite altimeter data products with the GSFCOO NASA data model to obtain sea-surface height and ocean circulation inforrnation. Accurate and tirnely inforrnation concerning sea-level height, tide, and ocean currents is needed to irnprove coastal tidal predictions, tsunarni and storm surge warnings, and wetland restoration.

FLASHFlux Info

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-05-20

... Surface Emissivity Cloud Area Fraction Cloud Effective Pressure Cloud Effective Temperature Cloud Effective Height Cloud Top Pressure Cloud Base Pressure Cloud Particle Phase Liquid Water Path Ice Water Path Water Particle Radius Ice Particle ...

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - El Nino Warm Water Pool Returns to Near Normal State, Mar, 14, 1998

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Mar. 14, 1998 and sea surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the ocean. The image shows that the sea surface height along the central equatorial Pacific has returned to a near normal state. Oceanographers indicate this is a classic pattern, typical of a mature El Nino condition. Remnants of the El Nino warm water pool, shown in red and white, are situated to the north and south of the equator. These sea surface height measurements have provided scientists with a detailed view of how the 1997-98 El Nino's warm pool behaves because the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measures the changing sea surface height with unprecedented precision. In this image, the white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level. The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using satellite imagery, buoy and ship data, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), has continued to issue an advisory indicating the so-called El Nino weather conditions that have impacted much of the United States and the world are expected to remain through the spring.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov

CERES-MISR Info

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-05-20

... Surface Albedo Cloud Area Fraction Cloud Effective Pressure Cloud Effective Temperature Cloud Effective Height Cloud Top Pressure Cloud Base Pressure Cloud Particle Phase Liquid Water Path Ice Water Path Water Particle Radius Ice Particle ...

Ice nucleation on nanotextured surfaces: the influence of surface fraction, pillar height and wetting states.

PubMed

Metya, Atanu K; Singh, Jayant K; Müller-Plathe, Florian

2016-09-29

In this work, we address the nucleation behavior of a supercooled monatomic cylindrical water droplet on nanoscale textured surfaces using molecular dynamics simulations. The ice nucleation rate at 203 K on graphite based textured surfaces with nanoscale roughness is evaluated using the mean fast-passage time method. The simulation results show that the nucleation rate depends on the surface fraction as well as the wetting states. The nucleation rate enhances with increasing surface fraction for water in the Cassie-Baxter state, while contrary behavior is observed for the case of Wenzel state. Based on the spatial histogram distribution of ice formation, we observed two pathways for ice nucleation. Heterogeneous nucleation is observed at a high surface fraction. However, the probability of homogeneous ice nucleation events increases with decreasing surface fraction. We further investigate the role of the nanopillar height in ice nucleation. The nucleation rate is enhanced with increasing nanopillar height. This is attributed to the enhanced contact area with increasing nanopillar height and the shift in nucleation events towards the three-phase contact line associated with the nanotextured surface. The ice-surface work of adhesion for the Wenzel state is found to be 1-2 times higher than that in the Cassie-Baxter state. Furthermore, the work of adhesion of ice in the Wenzel state is found to be linearly dependent on the contour length of the droplet, which is in line with that reported for liquid droplets.

Inland and Near Shore Water Profiles Derived from the High Altitude Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jasinski, Michael F.; Stoll, Jeremy D.; Cook, William B.; Ondrusek, Michael; Stengel, Eric; Brunt, Kelly

2016-01-01

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2) mission is a six beam, low energy, high repetition rate, 532 nm laser transmitter with photon counting detectors. Although designed primarily for detecting height changes in icecaps, sea ice and vegetation, the polar-orbital satellite will observe global surface water during its designed three year life span, including inland water bodies, coasts, and open oceans. In preparation for the mission, an ICESat-2 prototype or the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), was built and flown on high altitude aircraft experiments over a range of inland and near-shore targets. The purpose was to test the ATLAS concept and to provide a database for developing an algorithm that detects along track surface water height and light penetration under a range of atmospheric and water conditions. The current analysis examines the datasets of three MABEL transects observed from 20 km above ground of coastal and inland waters conducted in 2012 and 2013. Transects ranged from about 2 to 12 km in length and included the middle Chesapeake Bay, the near shore Atlantic coast at Virginia Beach, and Lake Mead. Results indicate MABEL's high capability for retrieving surface water height statistics with a mean height precision of approximately 5-7 cm per 100m segment length. Profiles of attenuated subsurface backscatter, characterized using a Signal to Background Ratio written in Log10 base, or LSBR0, were observed over a range of 1.3 to 9.3 meters depending on water clarity and atmospheric background. Results indicate that observable penetration depth, although primarily dependent on water properties, was greatest when solar background rate was low. Near shore bottom reflectance was detected only at the Lake Mead site down to maximum of 10 m under a clear night sky and low turbidity of approximately 1.6 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The overall results suggest that the feasibility of retrieving operational surface water height statistics from space-based photon counting systems such as ATLAS is very high for resolutions down to about 100m, even in partly cloudy conditions. The capability to observe subsurface backscatter profiles is achievable but requires much longer transects of several hundreds of meters.

CERES SSF Current Info

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-05-17

... Surface Albedo Cloud Area Fraction Cloud Effective Pressure Cloud Effective Temperature Cloud Effective Height Cloud Top Pressure Cloud Base Pressure Cloud Particle Phase Liquid Water Path Ice Water Path Water Particle Radius Ice Particle ...

Acoustics and hydrodynamics of a drop impact on a water surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chashechkin, Yu. D.; Prokhorov, V. E.

2017-01-01

Hydrodynamic and acoustic processes associated with a drop impact on a water surface were studied experimentally. Acoustic signals were detected underwater (with a hydrophone) and in air (with a microphone), the flow pattern was recorded with a high-speed camera, and the surface perturbation was monitored with a laser detector. The dimensionless parameters of flows (Reynolds, Froude, and Weber numbers) induced by the impact varied with fall height within the ranges of 5000 < Re < 20000, 20 < Fr < 350, and 70 < We < 1000. The sequence of acoustic signals incorporated an impact pulse at the moment of contact between a drop and the surface and a series of acoustic packets attributable to the resonance emission of gas cavities. The top of the impact pulse, which was detected clearly in the entire fall height range, had a complex structure with short high-frequency and longer low-frequency oscillations. The total number and the parameters of emitted acoustic packets depended to a considerable extent on the fall height. The cases of lacking, one-time, and repeated emission of packets were noted in a series of experiments performed at a constant fall height. The analysis of video data showed that the signal variability was induced by considerable differences in the scenarios of water entry of a drop, which assumed an ovoid shape at the end trajectory segment, in the mentioned experiments.

Inferring Discharge at River Mouths from Water Surface Height Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Branch, R.; Horner-Devine, A.; Chickadel, C. C.

2016-02-01

Numerical model results suggest that a relationship exists between river discharge and surface height anomalies near the mouth of rivers, which presents an opportunity to use satellite elevation data to measure discharge remotely. Here we investigate whether such a relationship can be observed in the field using airborne lidar data at the mouth of the Columbia River. Airborne Lidar data were used because current NASA altimeter data does not have high enough spatial resolution to image surface elevation along a river. NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography, SWOT, sensor is planned to have a spatial resolution of less than 100 m and maximum height precision of 1 cm. The magnitude and temporal duration of the elevation signal found in the lidar data will be used to determine if SWOT will have the resolution and precision capabilities to measure discharge from space. Lidar data were acquired during a range of tidal conditions and discharge rates from May through September of 2013. Our results suggest that there is a measurable surface height anomaly at the river mouth during part of the tidal cycle. A 0.7 m surface depression was found during ebb tide and a uniform surface tilt was found at slack tide. The variation of the anomaly over the tidal period presents a challenge for decoupling the tidal component from that due to the discharge.

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Below-canopy Surface Water Height , Slope and Optical Properties in the Florida Everglades Shark River Slough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabney, P.; Harding, D. J.; Valett, S. R.; Yu, A. W.; Feliciano, E. A.; Neuenschwander, A. L.; Pitts, K.

2015-12-01

Determining the presence, persistence, optical properties and variation in height and slope of surface water beneath the dense canopies of flooded forests and mangrove stands could contribute to studies of the acquisition of water and nutrients by plant roots. NASA's airborne Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) provides unique capabilities that can identify below-canopy surface water, measure its height with respect to vegetation constituents with sub-decimeter precision and quantify its slope. It also provides information on canopy structure and closure, the water column extinction profile as a proxy for turbidity and water depth, with the penetration depth constrained by turbidity. It achieves this by using four laser beams operating at two wavelengths with measurements of water surface elevation at 1064 nm (near infrared) and water column properties at 532 nm (green), analogous to a bathymetric lidar. Importantly the instrument adds a polarimetry function, like some atmospheric lidars, which measures the amount of depolarization determined by the degree to which the plane-parallel transmitted laser pulse energy is converted to the perpendicular state. The degree of depolarization is sensitive to the number of photon multiple-scattering events. For the water surface, which is specular consisting only of single-scattering events, the near-infrared received signal retains the parallel polarization state. Absence of the perpendicular signal uniquely identifies surface water. Penetration of green light and the depth profile of photons converted to the perpendicular state compared to those in the parallel state is a measure of water-column multiple scattering, providing a relative measure of turbidity. The amount of photons reflected from the canopy versus the water provides a wavelength-dependent measure of canopy closure. By rapidly firing laser pulses (11,400 pulses per second) with a narrow width (1 nsec) and detecting single photons with 8 cm ranging precision, the surface altimetry data is acquired with very high spatial and vertical resolution. Examples of these capabilities will be shown using data collected in 2011 along and across the flow axis of the Florida Everglades Shark River Slough, targeting the slough's Long Term Ecology Research (LTER) field sites.

A numerical study on the effects of wave-current-surge interactions on the height and propagation of sea surface waves in Charleston Harbor during Hurricane Hugo 1989

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Huiqing; Xie, Lian

2009-06-01

The effects of wave-current interactions on ocean surface waves induced by Hurricane Hugo in and around the Charleston Harbor and its adjacent coastal waters are examined by using a three-dimensional (3D) wave-current coupled modeling system. The 3D storm surge modeling component of the coupled system is based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), the wave modeling component is based on the third generation wave model, Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN), and the inundation model is adopted from [Xie, L., Pietrafesa, L. J., Peng, M., 2004. Incorporation of a mass-conserving inundation scheme into a three-dimensional storm surge model. J. Coastal Res., 20, 1209-1223]. The results indicate that the change of water level associated with the storm surge is the primary cause for wave height changes due to wave-surge interaction. Meanwhile, waves propagating on top of surge cause a feedback effect on the surge height by modulating the surface wind stress and bottom stress. This effect is significant in shallow coastal waters, but relatively small in offshore deep waters. The influence of wave-current interaction on wave propagation is relatively insignificant, since waves generally propagate in the direction of the surface currents driven by winds. Wave-current interactions also affect the surface waves as a result of inundation and drying induced by the storm. Waves break as waters retreat in regions of drying, whereas waves are generated in flooded regions where no waves would have occurred without the flood water.

Exchange of E. coli from the foreshore reservoir to surface waters during intensified wave conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malott, S. S.; Vogel, L. J.; Edge, T.; O'Carroll, D. M.; Robinson, C. E.

2014-12-01

In recent years a number of studies have suggested that foreshore sand and porewater can act as a non-point source of microbial contamination to adjacent surface waters. Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) can be released from the sand into the surface water through sand erosion or wave-induced porewater flows leading to FIB detachment. Although regression models often show that there is a strong correlation between wave events and high E. coli in surface waters, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms by which E. coli is transported from the subsurface foreshore reservoir (sand and porewater) to surface waters during wave events. An improved understanding of the transport mechanisms will facilitate the development of better water quality exceedences predictions. Detailed groundwater flow, sand level and E. coli measurements were conducted at Ipperwash Beach, Lake Huron (Ontario) for three wave events during the 2014 bathing season to evaluate the relative contribution of sand erosion and wave-induced pore water flow in transporting E. coli from the subsurface reservoir to the shallow waters. As expected, results indicate increased E. coli concentrations in ankle and waist deep surface water during periods of increased wave activity (wave height > 0.5m). Considerable sand erosion from the foreshore may have contributed to these increased surface water concentrations. The E. coli concentrations in the foreshore reservoir generally decreased as the wave height intensified, while E. coli concentrations in upshore sand and porewater locations increased.

Fractal characterization and wettability of ion treated silicon surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, R. P.; Kumar, Tanuj; Baranwal, V.; Vandana, Kumar, Manvendra; Priya, P. K.; Pandey, S. N.; Mittal, A. K.

2017-02-01

Fractal characterization of surface morphology can be useful as a tool for tailoring the wetting properties of solid surfaces. In this work, rippled surfaces of Si (100) are grown using 200 keV Ar+ ion beam irradiation at different ion doses. Relationship between fractal and wetting properties of these surfaces are explored. The height-height correlation function extracted from atomic force microscopic images, demonstrates an increase in roughness exponent with an increase in ion doses. A steep variation in contact angle values is found for low fractal dimensions. Roughness exponent and fractal dimensions are found correlated with the static water contact angle measurement. It is observed that after a crossover of the roughness exponent, the surface morphology has a rippled structure. Larger values of interface width indicate the larger ripples on the surface. The contact angle of water drops on such surfaces is observed to be lowest. Autocorrelation function is used for the measurement of ripple wavelength.

Verification and transfer of thermal pollution model. Volume 6: User's manual for 1-dimensional numerical model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. S.; Sengupta, S.; Nwadike, E. V.

1982-01-01

The six-volume report: describes the theory of a three dimensional (3-D) mathematical thermal discharge model and a related one dimensional (1-D) model, includes model verification at two sites, and provides a separate user's manual for each model. The 3-D model has two forms: free surface and rigid lid. The former, verified at Anclote Anchorage (FL), allows a free air/water interface and is suited for significant surface wave heights compared to mean water depth; e.g., estuaries and coastal regions. The latter, verified at Lake Keowee (SC), is suited for small surface wave heights compared to depth (e.g., natural or man-made inland lakes) because surface elevation has been removed as a parameter.

Inland and Near-Shore Water Profiles Derived from the High-Altitude Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jasinski, Michael F.; Stoll, Jeremy D.; Cook, William B.; Ondrusek, Michael; Stengel, Eric; Brunt, Kelly

2016-01-01

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2) mission is a six beam, low energy, high repetition rate, 532-nanometer laser transmitter with photon counting detectors. Although designed primarily for detecting height changes in ice caps, sea ice, and vegetation, the polar-orbiting satellite will observe global surface water during its designed three-year life span, including inland waterbodies, coasts, and open oceans. In preparation for the mission, an ICESat-2 prototype, the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), was built and flown on high-altitude aircraft experiments over a range of inland and near-shore targets. The purpose was to test the ATLAS concept and to provide a database for developing an algorithm that detects along track surface water height and light penetration under a range of atmospheric and water conditions. The current analysis examines the data sets of three MABEL transects observed from 20 kilometers above ground of coastal and inland waters conducted in 2012 and 2013. Transects ranged from about 2 to 12 kilometers in length and included the middle Chesapeake Bay, the near-shore Atlantic coast at Virginia Beach, and Lake Mead. Results indicate MABEL's high capability for retrieving surface water height statistics with a mean height precision ofapproximately 5-7 centimeters per 100-meter segment length. Profiles of attenuated subsurface backscatter, characterized using a Signal to Background Ratio written in Log10 base, or LSBR (sub 0), were observed over a range of 1.3 to 9.3 meters, depending on water clarity and atmospheric background. Results indicate that observable penetration depth, although primarily dependent on water properties, was greatest when the solar background rate was low. Near-shore bottom reflectance was detected only at the Lake Mead site down to a maximum of 10 meters under a clear night sky and low turbidity of approximately 1.6 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The overall results suggest that the feasibility of retrieving operational surface water height statistics from space-based photon counting systems such as ATLAS is very high for resolutions down to about 100 meters, even in partly cloudy conditions. The capability to observe subsurface backscatterprofiles is achievable but requires much longer transects of several hundreds of meters.

Swath-altimetry measurements of the main stem Amazon River: measurement errors and hydraulic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, M. D.; Durand, M.; Jung, H. C.; Alsdorf, D.

2015-04-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, scheduled for launch in 2020, will provide a step-change improvement in the measurement of terrestrial surface-water storage and dynamics. In particular, it will provide the first, routine two-dimensional measurements of water-surface elevations. In this paper, we aimed to (i) characterise and illustrate in two dimensions the errors which may be found in SWOT swath measurements of terrestrial surface water, (ii) simulate the spatio-temporal sampling scheme of SWOT for the Amazon, and (iii) assess the impact of each of these on estimates of water-surface slope and river discharge which may be obtained from SWOT imagery. We based our analysis on a virtual mission for a ~260 km reach of the central Amazon (Solimões) River, using a hydraulic model to provide water-surface elevations according to SWOT spatio-temporal sampling to which errors were added based on a two-dimensional height error spectrum derived from the SWOT design requirements. We thereby obtained water-surface elevation measurements for the Amazon main stem as may be observed by SWOT. Using these measurements, we derived estimates of river slope and discharge and compared them to those obtained directly from the hydraulic model. We found that cross-channel and along-reach averaging of SWOT measurements using reach lengths greater than 4 km for the Solimões and 7.5 km for Purus reduced the effect of systematic height errors, enabling discharge to be reproduced accurately from the water height, assuming known bathymetry and friction. Using cross-sectional averaging and 20 km reach lengths, results show Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency values of 0.99 for the Solimões and 0.88 for the Purus, with 2.6 and 19.1 % average overall error in discharge, respectively. We extend the results to other rivers worldwide and infer that SWOT-derived discharge estimates may be more accurate for rivers with larger channel widths (permitting a greater level of cross-sectional averaging and the use of shorter reach lengths) and higher water-surface slopes (reducing the proportional impact of slope errors on discharge calculation).

Spaceborne Sensors Track Marine Debris Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reahard, Ross; Mitchell, Brandie; Lee, Lucas; Pezold, Blaise; Brook, Chris; Mallett, Candis; Barrett, Shelby; Albin, Aaron

2011-01-01

Marine debris is a problem for coastal areas throughout the world, including the Gulf of Mexico. To aid the NOAA Marine Debris Program in monitoring marine debris dispersal and regulating marine debris practices, sea surface height and height anomaly data provided by the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, were utilized to help assess trash and other discarded items that routinely wash ashore in southeastern Texas, at Padre Island National Seashore. These data were generated from the NASA radar altimeter satellites TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason 1, and Jason 2, as well as the European altimeter satellites ERS-1, ERS-2 (European Remote Sensing Satellite), and ENVISAT (Environmental Satellite). Sea surface temperature data from MODIS were used to study of the dynamics of the Loop Current. Sea surface height and MODIS data analysis were used to show that warm water in the core of eddies, which periodically separate from the Loop Current, can be as high as 30 cm above the surrounding water. These eddies are known to directly transfer marine debris to the western continental shelf and the elevated area of water can be tracked using satellite radar altimeter data. Additionally, using sea surface height, geostrophic velocity, and particle path data, foretracking and backtracking simulations were created. These simulation runs demonstrated that marine debris on Padre Island National Seashore may arise from a variety of sources, such as commercial fishing/shrimping, the oil and gas industry, recreational boaters, and from rivers that empty into the Gulf of Mexico.

Verification and transfer of thermal pollution model. Volume 2: User's manual for 3-dimensional free-surface model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. S.; Sengupta, S.; Tuann, S. Y.; Lee, C. R.

1982-01-01

The six-volume report: describes the theory of a three-dimensional (3-D) mathematical thermal discharge model and a related one-dimensional (1-D) model, includes model verification at two sites, and provides a separate user's manual for each model. The 3-D model has two forms: free surface and rigid lid. The former, verified at Anclote Anchorage (FL), allows a free air/water interface and is suited for significant surface wave heights compared to mean water depth; e.g., estuaries and coastal regions. The latter, verified at Lake Keowee (SC), is suited for small surface wave heights compared to depth. These models allow computation of time-dependent velocity and temperature fields for given initial conditions and time-varying boundary conditions.

Warm and Humid Air Blowing over Cold Water - Grand Banks Fog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, P.; Weng, W.

2016-12-01

The condensation of water vapour into droplets and the formation of fog in the Earth's atmospheric boundary layer involves a complex balance between horizontal advection and vertical turbulent mixing of heat and water vapour, cloud microphysical processes and radiative transfers of heat, plus the impact of water droplets, and sometimes ice crystals, on visibility. It is a phenomenon which has been studied for many years in a variety of contexts. On land, surface cooling of the ground via long wave radiation at night is often the trigger and a number of 1-D (height and time dependent) radiative fog models have been developed. Over the waters offshore from Newfoundland a key factor is the advection of moist air from over warm gulf stream waters to colder Labrador current water - an internal boundary-layer problem. Some basic properties can be learned from a steady state 2-D (x-z) model.The WTS (Weng, Taylor and Salmon, 2010, J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 98, 121-132 ) model of flow above changes in surface conditions has been used to investigate planetary boundary-layer flow over water with spatial changes in temperature, and to investigate situations leading to saturation and fog formation. Our turbulence closure includes the turbulent kinetic energy equation but we prefer to specify a height, surface roughness, Rossby number and local stability dependent, "master" length scale instead of a somewhat empirical dissipation or similar equation. Results show that fog can develop and extent to heights of order 100m in some conditions, depending on upstream profiles of wind, temperature and mixing ratio, and on solar radiation and the horizontal variations in water surface temperature.Next steps will involve validation against data being collected (by AMEC-Foster Wheeler in the Hibernia Management and Development Company Metocean project) over the Grand Banks and an interface with WRF and high resolution sea surface temperature data for forecasting fog conditions over the Grand Banks.

Satellite altimetry in sea ice regions - detecting open water for estimating sea surface heights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Felix L.; Dettmering, Denise; Bosch, Wolfgang

2017-04-01

The Greenland Sea and the Farm Strait are transporting sea ice from the central Arctic ocean southwards. They are covered by a dynamic changing sea ice layer with significant influences on the Earth climate system. Between the sea ice there exist various sized open water areas known as leads, straight lined open water areas, and polynyas exhibiting a circular shape. Identifying these leads by satellite altimetry enables the extraction of sea surface height information. Analyzing the radar echoes, also called waveforms, provides information on the surface backscatter characteristics. For example waveforms reflected by calm water have a very narrow and single-peaked shape. Waveforms reflected by sea ice show more variability due to diffuse scattering. Here we analyze altimeter waveforms from different conventional pulse-limited satellite altimeters to separate open water and sea ice waveforms. An unsupervised classification approach employing partitional clustering algorithms such as K-medoids and memory-based classification methods such as K-nearest neighbor is used. The classification is based on six parameters derived from the waveform's shape, for example the maximum power or the peak's width. The open-water detection is quantitatively compared to SAR images processed while accounting for sea ice motion. The classification results are used to derive information about the temporal evolution of sea ice extent and sea surface heights. They allow to provide evidence on climate change relevant influences as for example Arctic sea level rise due to enhanced melting rates of Greenland's glaciers and an increasing fresh water influx into the Arctic ocean. Additionally, the sea ice cover extent analyzed over a long-time period provides an important indicator for a globally changing climate system.

A new Ellipsoidal Gravimetric-Satellite Altimetry Boundary Value Problem; Case study: High Resolution Geoid of Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardalan, A.; Safari, A.; Grafarend, E.

2003-04-01

A new ellipsoidal gravimetric-satellite altimetry boundary value problem has been developed and successfully tested. This boundary value problem has been constructed for gravity observables of the type (i) gravity potential (ii) gravity intensity (iii) deflection of vertical and (iv) satellite altimetry data. The developed boundary value problem is enjoying the ellipsoidal nature and as such can take advantage of high precision GPS observations in the set-up of the problem. The highlights of the solution are as follows: begin{itemize} Application of ellipsoidal harmonic expansion up to degree/order and ellipsoidal centrifugal field for the reduction of global gravity and isostasy effects from the gravity observable at the surface of the Earth. Application of ellipsoidal Newton integral on the equal area map projection surface for the reduction of residual mass effects within a radius of 55 km around the computational point. Ellipsoidal harmonic downward continuation of the residual observables from the surface of the earth down to the surface of reference ellipsoid using the ellipsoidal height of the observation points derived from GPS. Restore of the removed effects at the application points on the surface of reference ellipsoid. Conversion of the satellite altimetry derived heights of the water bodies into potential. Combination of the downward continued gravity information with the potential equivalent of the satellite altimetry derived heights of the water bodies. Application of ellipsoidal Bruns formula for converting the potential values on the surface of the reference ellipsoid into the geoidal heights (i.e. ellipsoidal heights of the geoid) with respect to the reference ellipsoid. Computation of the high-resolution geoid of Iran has successfully tested this new methodology!

How well Can We Classify SWOT-derived Water Surface Profiles?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frasson, R. P. M.; Wei, R.; Picamilh, C.; Durand, M. T.

2015-12-01

The upcoming Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will detect water bodies and measure water surface elevation throughout the globe. Within its continental high resolution mask, SWOT is expected to deliver measurements of river width, water elevation and slope of rivers wider than ~50 m. The definition of river reaches is an integral step of the computation of discharge based on SWOT's observables. As poorly defined reaches can negatively affect the accuracy of discharge estimations, we seek strategies to break up rivers into physically meaningful sections. In the present work, we investigate how accurately we can classify water surface profiles based on simulated SWOT observations. We assume that most river sections can be classified as either M1 (mild slope, with depth larger than the normal depth), or A1 (adverse slope with depth larger than the critical depth). This assumption allows the classification to be based solely on the second derivative of water surface profiles, with convex profiles being classified as A1 and concave profiles as M1. We consider a HEC-RAS model of the Sacramento River as a representation of the true state of the river. We employ the SWOT instrument simulator to generate a synthetic pass of the river, which includes our best estimates of height measurement noise and geolocation errors. We process the resulting point cloud of water surface heights with the RiverObs package, which delineates the river center line and draws the water surface profile. Next, we identify inflection points in the water surface profile and classify the sections between the inflection points. Finally, we compare our limited classification of simulated SWOT-derived water surface profile to the "exact" classification of the modeled Sacramento River. With this exercise, we expect to determine if SWOT observations can be used to find inflection points in water surface profiles, which would bring knowledge of flow regimes into the definition of river reaches.

Theoretical model of droplet wettability on a low-surface-energy solid under the influence of gravity.

PubMed

Yonemoto, Yukihiro; Kunugi, Tomoaki

2014-01-01

The wettability of droplets on a low surface energy solid is evaluated experimentally and theoretically. Water-ethanol binary mixture drops of several volumes are used. In the experiment, the droplet radius, height, and contact angle are measured. Analytical equations are derived that incorporate the effect of gravity for the relationships between the droplet radius and height, radius and contact angle, and radius and liquid surface energy. All the analytical equations display good agreement with the experimental data. It is found that the fundamental wetting behavior of the droplet on the low surface energy solid can be predicted by our model which gives geometrical information of the droplet such as the contact angle, droplet radius, and height from physical values of liquid and solid.

FREE-SURFACE SEPARATION OF STEAM AND WATER FOR APPLICATION IN A MARINE REACTOR AT 1000 PSIG

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

Steamer, A.G.; Ongman, H.D.

1960-07-13

A series of free-surface steam separation tests were carried out at 1000 psig to obtain data to aid in checking out analytical methods for the effect of ship-s motion on steam separation. Data are presented on the shape and height of the steam-water interface with respect to the indicated water level for two vessel sizes. Further data are presented on the effects of water level and downcomer water velocity on steam carryunder. (auth)

High Temperature Monitoring the Height of Condensed Water in Steam Pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Lih, Shyh-Shiuh; Badescu, Mircea; Bao, Xiaoqi; Sherrit, Stewart; Widholm, Scott; Ostlund, Patrick; Blosiu, Julian

2011-01-01

An in-service health monitoring system is needed for steam pipes to track through their wall the condensation of water. The system is required to measure the height of the condensed water inside the pipe while operating at temperatures that are as high as 250 deg. C. The system needs to be able to make real time measurements while accounting for the effects of cavitation and wavy water surface. For this purpose, ultrasonic wave in pulse-echo configuration was used and reflected signals were acquired and auto-correlated to remove noise from the data and determine the water height. Transmitting and receiving the waves is done by piezoelectric transducers having Curie temperature that is significantly higher than 250 deg. C. Measurements were made at temperatures as high as 250 deg. C and have shown the feasibility of the test method. This manuscript reports the results of this feasibility study.

Arctic PBL Cloud Height and Motion Retrievals from MISR and MINX

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Dong L.

2012-01-01

How Arctic clouds respond and feedback to sea ice loss is key to understanding of the rapid climate change seen in the polar region. As more open water becomes available in the Arctic Ocean, cold air outbreaks (aka. off-ice flow from polar lows) produce a vast sheet of roll clouds in the planetary boundary layer (PBl). The cold air temperature and wind velocity are the critical parameters to determine and understand the PBl structure formed under these roll clouds. It has been challenging for nadir visible/IR sensors to detect Arctic clouds due to lack of contrast between clouds and snowy/icy surfaces. In addition) PBl temperature inversion creates a further problem for IR sensors to relate cloud top temperature to cloud top height. Here we explore a new method with the Multiangle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) instrument to measure cloud height and motion over the Arctic Ocean. Employing a stereoscopic-technique, MISR is able to measure cloud top height accurately and distinguish between clouds and snowy/icy surfaces with the measured height. We will use the MISR INteractive eXplorer (MINX) to quantify roll cloud dynamics during cold-air outbreak events and characterize PBl structures over water and over sea ice.

Verification and transfer of thermal pollution model. Volume 5: Verification of 2-dimensional numerical model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. S.; Sengupta, S.; Nwadike, E. V.

1982-01-01

The six-volume report: describes the theory of a three dimensional (3-D) mathematical thermal discharge model and a related one dimensional (1-D) model, includes model verification at two sites, and provides a separate user's manual for each model. The 3-D model has two forms: free surface and rigid lid. The former, verified at Anclote Anchorate (FL), allows a free air/water interface and is suited for significant surface wave heights compared to mean water depth; e.g., estuaries and coastal regions. The latter, verified at Lake Keowee (SC), is suited for small surface wave heights compared to depth (e.g., natural or man-made inland lakes) because surface elevation has been removed as a parameter. These models allow computation of time dependent velocity and temperature fields for given initial conditions and time-varying boundary conditions.

Nutritional status and dental fluorosis among schoolchildren in communities with different drinking water fluoride concentrations in a central region in Mexico.

PubMed

Irigoyen-Camacho, M E; García Pérez, A; Mejía González, A; Huizar Alvarez, R

2016-01-15

Poor water quality and under nutrition are important factors affecting the health of many communities in developing countries. The aims of this study were: i) to describe the fluoride water concentration and the hydrogeological conditions in a region of a state located in the central in Mexico ii) to measure the association between undernutrition and dental fluorosis in children living in communities with different drinking water fluoride concentrations in a state located in the central region of Mexico. Field work was performed in the region to identify the prevailing groundwater flow characteristics and water wells were sampled to analyze water fluoride concentration. Children were selected from three communities that had different drinking water fluoride concentrations (i.e., 0.56, 0.70 and 1.60 mg/l). Fluoridated salt was available in these communities. The Thylstrup-Fejerskov Index (TFI) was used to assess dental fluorosis. Categories four or higher of this index involve changes in the entire tooth surface (ITF ≥ 4). The weight and height of the children were measured. The assessment of undernutrition was based on the World Health Organization criteria: children were classified as being at risk of low-height (Height-for-Age Z score < − 1.0 SD) and having low-height (Height-for-Age Z score < − 2.0 SD) for age and sex, the same cutoff points of the Z score were used to classify "risk of low-weight" and" low-weight children". In the region the mineralization of the water captured by the wells is the result of a reaction with volcanic materials. The water fluoride concentration in the region ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 mg/l. A total of 734 schoolchildren participated in the study. The percentage of children in fluorosis categories (ITF ≥ 4) was 15.9%, 21.1% of the children were at risk of low height-for-age, and 8.0% had low height-for-age. The percentage of children with fluorosis (ITF ≥ 4) was 6.3%, 9.1% and 31.9% (p ˂ 0.001) and low high-for-age was 2.9%, 2.5% and 8.4% (p ˂ 0.001), for the communities with F concentrations of 0.56 mg/l, 0.70 mg/l and 1.6 mg/l, respectively. The logistic regression model showed an association between dental fluorosis (TFI ≥ 4) and low height-for-age (OR 2.09, p = 0.022) after adjusting for sex, number of teeth erupted, source of drinking water, use of fluoridated toothpaste and tap water fluoride concentration in the community. Children with low height-for-age were more likely to have dental fluorosis in the TFI categories that affect the entire tooth surface. The results suggest that subpopulations with chronic undernutrition are more susceptible to dental fluorosis.

Three modes of interdecadal trends in sea surface temperature and sea surface height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnanadesikan, A.; Pradal, M.

2013-12-01

It might be thought that sea surface height and sea surface temperature would be tightly related. We show that this is not necessarily the case on a global scale. We analysed this relationship in a suite of coupled climate models run under 1860 forcing conditions. The models are low-resolution variants of the GFDL Earth System Model, reported in Galbraith et al. (J. Clim. 2011). 1. Correlated changes in global sea surface height and global sea surface temperature. This mode corresponds to opening and closing of convective chimneys in the Southern Ocean. As the Southern Ocean destratifies, sea ice formation is suppressed during the winter and more heat is taken up during the summer. This mode of variability is highly correlated with changes in the top of the atmosphere radiative budget and weakly correlated with changes in the deep ocean circulation. 2. Uncorrelated changes in global sea surface height and global sea surface temperature. This mode of variability is associated with interdecadal variabliity in tropical winds. Changes in the advective flux of heat to the surface ocean play a critical role in driving these changes, which also result in significant local changes in sea level. Changes sea ice over the Southern Ocean still result in changes in solar absorption, but these are now largely cancelled by changes in outgoing longwave radiation. 3. Anticorrelated changes in global sea surface height and global sea surface temperatures. By varying the lateral diffusion coefficient in the ocean model, we are able to enhance and suppress convection in the Southern and Northern Pacific Oceans. Increasing the lateral diffusion coefficients shifts the balance sources of deep water away from the warm salty deep water of the North Atlantic and towards cold fresh deep water from the other two regions. As a result, even though the planet as a whole warms, the deep ocean cools and sea level falls, with changes of order 30 cm over 500 years. The increase in solar absorption in polar regions is more than compensated by an increase in outgoing longwave radiation. Relationship between global SSH trend over a decade and (A) local SSH change over a decade (m/m). (B) Global SST change over a decade (m/K) (C) Portion of decadal SST change correlated with net radiation at the top of the atmosphere (m/K) (D) Portion of decadal SST change not correlated with net radiation at the top of the atmosphere.

Understanding the Steric Height Long Term Variability at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (BATS) Site with a Neutral Density Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncalves Neto, A.; Johnson, R. J.; Bates, N. R.

2016-02-01

Rising sea level is one of the main concerns for human life in a scenario with global atmosphere and ocean warming, which is of particular concern for oceanic islands. Bermuda, located in the center of the Sargasso Sea, provides an ideal location to investigate sea level rise since it has a long term tide gauge (1933-present) and is in close proximity to deep ocean time-series sites, namely, Hydrostation `S' (1954-present) and the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study site (1988-present). In this study, we use the monthly CTD deep casts at BATS to compute the contribution of steric height (SH) to the local sea surface height (SSH) for the past 24 years. To determine the relative contribution from the various water masses we first define 8 layers (Surface Layer, Upper Thermocline, Subtropical Mode-Water, Lower Thermocline, Antarctic Intermediate Water, Labrador Sea Water, Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water, Denmark Strait Overflow Water) based on neutral density criteria for which SH is computed. Additionally, we calculate the thermosteric and halosteric components for each of the defined neutral density layers. Surprisingly, the results show that, despite a 3.3mm/yr sea level rise observed at the Bermuda tide gauge, the steric contribution to the SSH at BATS has decreased at a rate of -1.1mm/yr during the same period. The thermal component is found to account for the negative trend in the steric height (-4.4mm/yr), whereas the halosteric component (3.3mm/yr) partially compensates the thermal signal and can be explained by an overall cooling and freshening at the BATS site. Although the surface layer and the upper thermocline waters are warming, all the subtropical and polar water masses, which represent most of the local water column, are cooling and therefore drive the overall SH contribution to the local SSH. Hence, it suggests that the mass contribution to the local SSH plays an important role in the sea level rise, for which we investigate with GRACE data.

Study of dilution, height, and lateral spread of vertical dense jets in marine shallow water.

PubMed

Ahmad, Nadeem; Suzuki, Takayuki

2016-01-01

This study provides information for the design of sea outfalls to dispose of brine from desalination plants into shallow lagoons of the sea. The behavior of vertical dense jets was studied experimentally by discharging cold saline water vertically upward into a tank filled with hot freshwater under stagnant ambient conditions. The minimum return point dilution, μmin, was determined using thermocouples, and the maximum height, Z(m), and the lateral spread, R(sp), of the fountains were determined by observing shadowgraph pictures. The flow was turbulent and the densimetric Froude number Fr(0) varied from 9 to 18.8. Three mixing regimes were identified: deep, intermediate, and impinging mixing regimes. In the intermediate mixing regime, μ(min) and Z(m) were analyzed and compared with the results of deep water studies. The μ(min) and Z(m) values of fountains at an intermediate water depth were found to be higher than those of fountains at deep water depths. In the impinging regime, μ(min) decreases rapidly when a fountain starts to continuously impinge on the water surface, showing a noticeable disturbance in the water surface. Therefore, a good rule of thumb is to reduce the flow through multiport diffusers from desalination plants when the noticeable disturbance is observed from the top water surface.

Escape jumping by three age-classes of water striders from smooth, wavy and bubbling water surfaces.

PubMed

Ortega-Jimenez, Victor Manuel; von Rabenau, Lisa; Dudley, Robert

2017-08-01

Surface roughness is a ubiquitous phenomenon in both oceanic and terrestrial waters. For insects that live at the air-water interface, such as water striders, non-linear and multi-scale perturbations produce dynamic surface deformations which may impair locomotion. We studied escape jumps of adults, juveniles and first-instar larvae of the water strider Aquarius remigis on smooth, wave-dominated and bubble-dominated water surfaces. Effects of substrate on takeoff jumps were substantial, with significant reductions in takeoff angles, peak translational speeds, attained heights and power expenditure on more perturbed water surfaces. Age effects were similarly pronounced, with the first-instar larvae experiencing the greatest degradation in performance; age-by-treatment effects were also significant for many kinematic variables. Although commonplace in nature, perturbed water surfaces thus have significant and age-dependent effects on water strider locomotion, and on behavior more generally of surface-dwelling insects. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Surface and Flow Field Measurements on the FAITH Hill Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, James H.; Heineck, James T.; Zilliac, Gregory; Mehta, Rabindra D.; Long, Kurtis R.

2012-01-01

A series of experimental tests, using both qualitative and quantitative techniques, were conducted to characterize both surface and off-surface flow characteristics of an axisymmetric, modified-cosine-shaped, wall-mounted hill named "FAITH" (Fundamental Aero Investigates The Hill). Two separate models were employed: a 6" high, 18" base diameter machined aluminum model that was used for wind tunnel tests and a smaller scale (2" high, 6" base diameter) sintered nylon version that was used in the water channel facility. Wind tunnel and water channel tests were conducted at mean test section speeds of 165 fps (Reynolds Number based on height = 500,000) and 0.1 fps (Reynolds Number of 1000), respectively. The ratio of model height to boundary later height was approximately 3 for both tests. Qualitative techniques that were employed to characterize the complex flow included surface oil flow visualization for the wind tunnel tests, and dye injection for the water channel tests. Quantitative techniques that were employed to characterize the flow included Cobra Probe to determine point-wise steady and unsteady 3D velocities, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to determine 3D velocities and turbulence statistics along specified planes, Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) to determine mean surface pressures, and Fringe Imaging Skin Friction (FISF) to determine surface skin friction (magnitude and direction). This initial report summarizes the experimental set-up, techniques used, data acquired and describes some details of the dataset that is being constructed for use by other researchers, especially the CFD community. Subsequent reports will discuss the data and their interpretation in more detail

Long-Wave Radiation Divergence over Water and Land from Measurement and Calculation (Die Langwellige Strahlungsdivergenz ueber Wasser und ueber dem Festen Boden nach Messung und Rechnung),

DTIC Science & Technology

surface temperature field. If these are eliminated, which is relatively simple over a water surface, the differences between calculated and measured...divergences at these levels is less than 20%, on the average. The relative variation of the divergence with height is somewhat greater over water than over land, due to the different temperature profiles. (Author)

Installation Restoration Program. Phase II. Confirmation McClellan AFB, California. Volume 2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

ARM SYSTE . Hazard Assesment Rating Methodology. HEAD. Height of the free surface of fluid above any point in a hydrau- lic...pest/herb/metals) previous sample was insuf- 1 gallon bottle ficient. Hydrocarbons were (GC/NS) on top of water surface , I VDA bottle about 1/2 inch... surface . Water became 1 quart polyeth- silty during bailing. Samples ylene bottle waere obtained using the glass/ (cyanide) Teflon sampler. Both the

Estimation of Bridge Height over Water from Polarimetric SAR Image Data Using Mapping and Projection Algorithm and De-Orientation Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Haipeng; Xu, Feng; Jin, Ya-Qiu; Ouchi, Kazuo

An inversion method of bridge height over water by polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is developed. A geometric ray description to illustrate scattering mechanism of a bridge over water surface is identified by polarimetric image analysis. Using the mapping and projecting algorithm, a polarimetric SAR image of a bridge model is first simulated and shows that scattering from a bridge over water can be identified by three strip lines corresponding to single-, double-, and triple-order scattering, respectively. A set of polarimetric parameters based on the de-orientation theory is applied to analysis of three types scattering, and the thinning-clustering algorithm and Hough transform are then employed to locate the image positions of these strip lines. These lines are used to invert the bridge height. Fully polarimetric image data of airborne Pi-SAR at X-band are applied to inversion of the height and width of the Naruto Bridge in Japan. Based on the same principle, this approach is also applicable to spaceborne ALOSPALSAR single-polarization data of the Eastern Ocean Bridge in China. The results show good feasibility to realize the bridge height inversion.

Pacific Dictates Droughts and Drenchings

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-30

The latest remote sensing data from NASA's Jason satellite show that the equatorial Pacific sea surface levels are higher, indicating warmer sea surface temperatures in the central and west Pacific Ocean. This pattern has the appearance of La Niña rather than El Niño. This contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and U.S. West Coast where lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue (indicated by blue and purple areas). The image above is a global map of sea surface height, accurate to within 30 millimeters. The image represents data collected and composited over a 10-day period, ending on Jan 23, 2004. The height of the water relates to the temperature of the water. As the ocean warms, its level rises; and as it cools, its level falls. Yellow and red areas indicate where the waters are relatively warmer and have expanded above sea level, green indicates near normal sea level, and blue and purple areas show where the waters are relatively colder and the surface is lower than sea level. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05071

A Mostly Quiet Pacific

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-18

Some climate forecast models indicate there is an above average chance that there could be a weak to borderline El Niño by the end of November 2003. However, the trade winds, blowing from east to west across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, remain strong. Thus, there remains some uncertainty among climate scientists as to whether the warm temperature anomaly will form again this year. The latest remote sensing data from NASA's Jason satellite show near normal conditions across the equatorial Pacific. There are currently no visible signs in sea surface height of an impending El Niño. This equatorial quiet contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and U.S. West Coast where lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue (indicated by blue and purple areas). The image above is a global map of sea surface height, accurate to within 30 millimeters. The image represents data collected and composited over a 10-day period, ending on Nov. 3, 2003. The height of the water relates to the temperature of the water. As the ocean warms, its level rises; and as it cools, its level falls. Yellow and red areas indicate where the waters are relatively warmer and have expanded above sea level, green indicates near normal sea level, and blue and purple areas show where the waters are relatively colder and the surface is lower than sea level. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04878

An evolutionary attractor model for sapwood cross section in relation to leaf area.

PubMed

Westoby, Mark; Cornwell, William K; Falster, Daniel S

2012-06-21

Sapwood cross-sectional area per unit leaf area (SA:LA) is an influential trait that plants coordinate with physical environment and with other traits. We develop theory for SA:LA and also for root surface area per leaf area (RA:LA) on the premise that plants maximizing the surplus of revenue over costs should have competitive advantage. SA:LA is predicted to increase in water-relations environments that reduce photosynthetic revenue, including low soil water potential, high water vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and low atmospheric CO(2). Because sapwood has costs, SA:LA adjustment does not completely offset difficult water relations. Where sapwood costs are large, as in tall plants, optimal SA:LA may actually decline with (say) high VPD. Large soil-to-root resistance caps the benefits that can be obtained from increasing SA:LA. Where a plant can adjust water-absorbing surface area of root per leaf area (RA:LA) as well as SA:LA, optimal RA:SA is not affected by VPD, CO(2) or plant height. If selection favours increased height more so than increased revenue-minus-cost, then height is predicted to rise substantially under improved water-relations environments such as high-CO(2) atmospheres. Evolutionary-attractor theory for SA:LA and RA:LA complements models that take whole-plant conductivity per leaf area as a parameter. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of the Deep Water Surface Wave Variability in the California Current Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villas Bôas, Ana B.; Gille, Sarah T.; Mazloff, Matthew R.; Cornuelle, Bruce D.

2017-11-01

Surface waves are crucial for the dynamics of the upper ocean not only because they mediate exchanges of momentum, heat, energy, and gases between the ocean and the atmosphere, but also because they determine the sea state. The surface wave field in a given region is set by the combination of local and remote forcing. The present work characterizes the seasonal variability of the deep water surface wave field in the California Current region, as retrieved from over two decades of satellite altimetry data combined with wave buoys and wave model hindcast (WaveWatch III). In particular, the extent to which the local wind modulates the variability of the significant wave height, peak period, and peak direction is assessed. During spring/summer, regional-scale wind events of up to 10 m/s are the dominant forcing for waves off the California coast, leading to relatively short-period waves (8-10 s) that come predominantly from the north-northwest. The wave climatology throughout the California Current region shows average significant wave heights exceeding 2 m during most of the year, which may have implications for the planning and retrieval methods of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission.

Expected Performance of the Upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission Measurements of River Height, Width, and Slope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, R.; Frasson, R. P. M.; Williams, B. A.; Rodriguez, E.; Pavelsky, T.; Altenau, E. H.; Durand, M. T.

2017-12-01

The upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will measure river widths and water surface elevations of rivers wider than 100 m. In preparation for the SWOT mission, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory built the SWOT hydrology simulator with the intent of generating synthetic SWOT overpasses over rivers with realistic error characteristics. These synthetic overpasses can be used to guide the design of processing methods and data products, as well as develop data assimilation techniques that will incorporate the future SWOT data into hydraulic and hydrologic models as soon as the satellite becomes operational. SWOT simulator uses as inputs water depth, river bathymetry, and the surrounding terrain digital elevation model to create simulated interferograms of the study area. Next, the simulator emulates the anticipated processing of SWOT data by attempting to geolocate and classify the radar returns. The resulting cloud of points include information on water surface elevation, pixel area, and surface classification (land vs water). Finally, we process the pixel clouds by grouping pixels into equally spaced nodes located at the river centerline. This study applies the SWOT simulator to six different rivers: Sacramento River, Tanana River, Saint Lawrence River, Platte River, Po River, and Amazon River. This collection of rivers covers a range of size, slope, and planform complexity with the intent of evaluating the impact of river width, slope, planform complexity, and surrounding topography on the anticipated SWOT height, width, and slope error characteristics.

Water entry of cylindrical bodies with various aspect ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Nayoung; Park, Hyungmin

2017-11-01

We experimentally investigate the water entry of cylindrical bodies with different aspect ratio (1.0-8.0), focusing on the deformation of free surface and resulting phenomena over and under the surface. The experiment is performed using a high-speed imaging (upto 10000 fps) and PIV. The head and tail of bodies are hemispherical and the nose part is additionally roughened with a sandpaper to see the effect of roughness as well. The release height is also adjusted to change the impact velocity at the free surface (Reynolds number is order of 105). For smooth surface (without cavity formation), a thin liquid film rises up the body after impacting, gathers at the pole and forms a jet over the free surfaces. The jet is created in the form of a thick and thin jet. The thin jet is produced by a water film riding up the surface of an object, and a thick jet is produced by rising water from underwater as the object sinks. However, as the aspect ratio increases, the liquid film does not fully ride up the body and cannot close, so there is an empty space below the free surface. With roughness (with cavity), the liquid film is detached from the body and splash/dome is formed above the free surface. The splash height and its collapsing time decrease with increasing the aspect ratio. Supported by Grants (MPSS-CG-2016-02, NRF-2017R1A4A1015523) of the Korea government.

Characteristics of surface roughness associated with leading edge ice accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, Jaiwon

1994-01-01

Detailed size measurements of surface roughness associated with leading edge ice accretions are presented to provide information on characteristics of roughness and trends of roughness development with various icing parameters. Data was obtained from icing tests conducted in the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) using a NACA 0012 airfoil. Measurements include diameters, heights, and spacing of roughness elements along with chordwise icing limits. Results confirm the existence of smooth and rough ice zones and that the boundary between the two zones (surface roughness transition region) moves upstream towards stagnation region with time. The height of roughness grows as the air temperature and the liquid water content increase, however, the airspeed has little effect on the roughness height. Results also show that the roughness in the surface roughness transition region grows during a very early stage of accretion but reaches a critical height and then remains fairly constant. Results also indicate that a uniformly distributed roughness model is only valid at a very initial stage of the ice accretion process.

Effects of morphology parameters on anti-icing performance in superhydrophobic surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thanh-Binh; Park, Seungchul; Lim, Hyuneui

2018-03-01

In this paper, we report the contributions of actual ice-substrate contact area and nanopillar height to passive anti-icing performance in terms of adhesion force and freezing time. Well-textured nanopillars with various parameters were fabricated via colloidal lithography and a dry etching process. The nanostructured quartz surface was coated with low-energy material to confer water-repellent properties. These superhydrophobic surfaces were investigated to determine the parameters essential for reducing adhesion strength and delaying freezing time. A well-textured surface with nanopillars of very small top diameter, regardless of height, could reduce adhesion force and delay freezing time in a subsequent de-icing process. Small top diameters of nanopillars also ensured the metastable Cassie-Baxter state based on energy barrier calculations. The results demonstrated the important role of areal fraction in anti-icing efficiency, and the negligible contribution of texture height. This insight into icing phenomena should lead to design of improved ice-phobic surfaces in the future.

Relationship between wind, waves and radar backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katsaros, Kristina B.; Ataktuerk, Serhad S.

1991-01-01

The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between wind, waves, and radar backscatter from water surface. To this end, three field experiments with periods of 2 to 4 weeks were carried out during summer months in 1988, 1989 and 1990. For these periods, the University of Washington group provided (1) environmental parameters such as wind speed, wind stress, and atmospheric stratification through measurements of surface fluxes (of momentum, sensible heat and latent heat) and of air and water temperatures; and (2) wave height spectra including both the dominant waves and the short gravity-capillary waves. Surface flux measurements were performed by using our well tested instruments: a K-Gill twin propeller-vane anemometer and a fast response thermocouple psychrometer. Wave heights were measured by a resistance wire wave gauge. The University of Kansas group was responsible for the operation of the microwave radars.

High Temperatures Health Monitoring of the Condensed Water Height in Steam Pipe Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lih, Shyh-Shiuh; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Lee, Hyeong Jae; Badescu, Mircea; Bao, Xiaoqi; Sherrit, Stewart; Takano, Nobuyuki; Ostlund, Patrick; Blosiu, Julian

2013-01-01

Ultrasonic probes were designed, fabricated and tested for high temperature health monitoring system. The goal of this work was to develop the health monitoring system that can determine the height level of the condensed water through the pipe wall at high temperature up to 250 deg while accounting for the effects of surface perturbation. Among different ultrasonic probe designs, 2.25 MHz probes with air backed configuration provide satisfactory results in terms of sensitivity, receiving reflections from the target through the pipe wall. A series of tests were performed using the air-backed probes under irregular conditions, such as surface perturbation and surface disturbance at elevated temperature, to qualify the developed ultrasonic system. The results demonstrate that the fabricated air-backed probes combined with advanced signal processing techniques offer the capability of health monitoring of steam pipe under various operating conditions.

The Effects of the Saluda Dam on the Surface-Water and Ground-Water Hydrology of the Congaree National Park Flood Plain, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conrads, Paul; Feaster, Toby D.; Harrelson, Larry G.

2008-01-01

The Congaree National Park was established '... to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of present and future generations an outstanding example of a near-virgin, southern hardwood forest situated in the Congaree River flood plain in Richland County, South Carolina' (Public Law 94-545). The resource managers at Congaree National Park are concerned about the timing, frequency, magnitude, and duration of flood-plain inundation of the Congaree River. The dynamics of the Congaree River directly affect ground-water levels in the flood plain, and the delivery of sediments and nutrients is constrained by the duration, extent, and frequency of flooding from the Congaree River. The Congaree River is the southern boundary of the Congaree National Park and is formed by the convergence of the Saluda and Broad Rivers 24 river miles upstream from the park. The streamflow of the Saluda River has been regulated since 1929 by the operation of the Saluda Dam at Lake Murray. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, Congaree National Park, studied the interaction between surface water in the Congaree River and ground water in the flood plain to determine the effect Saluda Dam operations have on water levels in the Congaree National Park flood plain. Analysis of peak flows showed the reduction in peak flows after the construction of Lake Murray was more a result of climate variability and the absence of large floods after 1930 than the operation of the Lake Murray dam. Dam operations reduced the recurrence interval of the 2-year to 100-year peak flows by 6.1 to 17.6 percent, respectively. Analysis of the daily gage height of the Congaree River showed that the dam has had the effect of lowering high gage heights (95th percentile) in the first half of the year (December to May) and raising low gage heights (5th percentile) in the second half of the year (June to November). The dam has also had the effect of increasing the 1-, 3-, 7-, 30-, and 90-day minimum gage heights by as much as 23.9 percent and decreasing the 1-, 3-, 7-, 30-, and 90-day maximum gage heights by as much as 7.2 percent. Analysis of the ground-water elevations in the Congaree National Park flood plain shows similar results as the gage-height analysis--the dam has had the effect of lowering high ground-water elevations and increasing low ground-water elevations. Overall, the operation of the dam has had a greater effect on the gage heights within the river banks than gage heights in the flood plain. This result may have a greater effect on the subsurface water levels of the surficial flood-plain aquifer than the frequency and magnitude of inundation of the flood plain.

GPS Tides and Datums

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-07-01

REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Ap~ovd -qmp Pu~~~~~~~~~~hc~~~~~ omef.A Nu0001U~ 0Itg O Mcq ~n, ’tmoa1a q 0 0 fft *cuqIO~ ’W𔃻i.q~ii os .ete .7qO0t.Aqea...water level heights. Using OTF technology it should be possible to obtain a time series of water surface heights to an accuracy of 1 to 2 ymfa...receiver location. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES On-the-Fly, study of water levels , datum, Bay of Fundy 10 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY

Evaluation of Water Vapor Radiometer on HY-2A Satellite with the Ship-borne GNSS Observations over the India Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Wu, Z.; Chen, G.; Liu, W.

2016-12-01

HY-2A is the first marine dynamic environment satellite in China. It is used to observe the global sea surface wind field, sea surface height, significant wave heights and sea surface temperature. In order to correct tropospheric delay in the radar altimeter measurements, the calibration microwave radiometer (CMR) is on board satellite. In this paper, a ship-borne GNSS experiment was done to evaluate the accuracy of water vapor content observed from CMR over the India Ocean in 2014. Because the HY-2A satellite orbit is in S-N direction, the ship course was designed in E-W direction to produce the cross-point over the ocean for the calibration. During two months experiment, three cross-points were captured on the 29th April/5th May/13th May. The GNSS data include GPS,GLONASS and BDS, and its sampling rate is 1s. The GNSS observations are processed with the Point Precise Positioning (PPP) algorithm by our software. The Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) is better than 3mm accuracy, which is consistent with the results from NAVCOM and FUFRO. The GNSS derived PWV are compared with those from HY-2A CMR on the three cross-points. Their differences are -1.68mm,-0.88mm and -2.21mm respectively, and the average is -1.58mm. This result means the CMR derived PWV is good agreement with that from GNSS. It demonstrates that the HY-2A satellite has the ability of high accuracy water vapor measurement. It is quite beneficial to the radar altimeter for sea surface height measurements.

Impact of El Nino and La Nina on the meteorological elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaiswal, Rajasri Sen; Subitha, T.; Samuthra, G.; Punitha, M.; Vinotha, R.

2016-05-01

The El Nino and La Nina have been found to influence the weather at a remote place. In this paper, the authors investigate the impact of El Nino & La Nina on the surface temperature and rainfall over few selected locations in India and abroad. The study shows that the ENSO affects the surface rainfall; however, the impact is not the same over all the locations. In order to find out whether such influence is latitude sensitive, the study has been performed over locations located at different latitudes and at a fixed longitude. To check if the El Nino/La Nina leaves any impressions on the upper air meteorological elements, the cloud liquid water (CLW), precipitation water (PW), latent heat (LH), freezing level height (HFL) and the bright band height (BBH) over a few locations have been studied from the Earth's surface up to a height of 18 km above. The CLW, PW and LH values have been obtained from the data product 2A12 of the Tropical Microwave Imager (TMI) onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Satellite (TRMM), while that of the BBH and the HFL are obtained from the data product 2A23 of the precipitation radar (PR) onboard the TRMM.

Molecular dynamics simulations of energy dissipation and non-thermal diffusion on amorphous solid water.

PubMed

Fredon, A; Cuppen, H M

2018-02-21

Molecules in space are synthesized via a large variety of gas-phase reactions, and reactions on dust-grain surfaces, where the surface acts as a catalyst. Especially, saturated, hydrogen-rich molecules are formed through surface chemistry where the interstellar grains act as a meeting place and absorbing energy. Here we present the results of thousands of molecular dynamics simulations to quantify the outcome of an energy dissipation process. Admolecules on top of an amorphous solid water surface have been given translational energy between 0.5 and 5 eV. Three different surface species are considered, CO 2 , H 2 O and CH 4 , spanning a range in binding energies, number of internal degrees of freedom and molecular weight. The results are compared against a previous study using a crystalline water ice surface. Possible outcomes of a dissipation process are adsorption - possibly after long-range diffusion-, desorption and desorption of a surface molecule. The three admolecules were found to bind at different locations on the surface, particularly in terms of height. Water preferably binds on top of the surface, whereas methane fills the nanopores on the surface. This has direct consequences for desorption, travelled distance, and kick-out probabilities. The admolecules are found to frequently travel several tens of angstroms before stabilizing on a binding site, allowing follow-up reactions en route. We present kick-out probabilities and we have been able to quantify the desorption probability which depends on the binding energy of the species, the translational excitation, and a factor that accounts for difference in binding site height. We provide expressions that can be incorporated in astrochemical models to predict grain surface formation and return into the gas phase of these products.

Physical Limits on Hmax, the Maximum Height of Glaciers and Ice Sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipovsky, B. P.

2017-12-01

The longest glaciers and ice sheets on Earth never achieve a topographic relief, or height, greater than about Hmax = 4 km. What laws govern this apparent maximum height to which a glacier or ice sheet may rise? Two types of answer appear possible: one relating to geological process and the other to ice dynamics. In the first type of answer, one might suppose that if Earth had 100 km tall mountains then there would be many 20 km tall glaciers. The counterpoint to this argument is that recent evidence suggests that glaciers themselves limit the maximum height of mountain ranges. We turn, then, to ice dynamical explanations for Hmax. The classical ice dynamical theory of Nye (1951), however, does not predict any break in scaling to give rise to a maximum height, Hmax. I present a simple model for the height of glaciers and ice sheets. The expression is derived from a simplified representation of a thermomechanically coupled ice sheet that experiences a basal shear stress governed by Coulomb friction (i.e., a stress proportional to the overburden pressure minus the water pressure). I compare this model to satellite-derived digital elevation map measurements of glacier surface height profiles for the 200,000 glaciers in the Randolph Glacier Inventory (Pfeffer et al., 2014) as well as flowlines from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets. The simplified model provides a surprisingly good fit to these global observations. Small glaciers less than 1 km in length are characterized by having negligible influence of basal melt water, cold ( -15C) beds, and high surface slopes ( 30 deg). Glaciers longer than a critical distance 30km are characterized by having an ice-bed interface that is weakened by the presence of meltwater and is therefore not capable of supporting steep surface slopes. The simplified model makes predictions of ice volume change as a function of surface temperature, accumulation rate, and geothermal heat flux. For this reason, it provides insights into both past and future global ice volume changes.

Synthetic temperature profiles derived from Geosat altimetry: Comparison with air-dropped expendable bathythermograph profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnes, Michael R.; Mitchell, Jim L.; de Witt, P. Webb

1990-10-01

Synthetic temperature profiles are computed from altimeter-derived sea surface heights in the Gulf Stream region. The required relationships between surface height (dynamic height at the surface relative to 1000 dbar) and subsurface temperature are provided from regression relationships between dynamic height and amplitudes of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of the vertical structure of temperature derived by de Witt (1987). Relationships were derived for each month of the year from historical temperature and salinity profiles from the region surrounding the Gulf Stream northeast of Cape Hatteras. Sea surface heights are derived using two different geoid estimates, the feature-modeled geoid and the air-dropped expendable bathythermograph (AXBT) geoid, both described by Carnes et al. (1990). The accuracy of the synthetic profiles is assessed by comparison to 21 AXBT profile sections which were taken during three surveys along 12 Geosat ERM ground tracks nearly contemporaneously with Geosat overflights. The primary error statistic considered is the root-mean-square (rms) difference between AXBT and synthetic isotherm depths. The two sources of error are the EOF relationship and the altimeter-derived surface heights. EOF-related and surface height-related errors in synthetic temperature isotherm depth are of comparable magnitude; each translates into about a 60-m rms isotherm depth error, or a combined 80 m to 90 m error for isotherms in the permanent thermocline. EOF-related errors are responsible for the absence of the near-surface warm core of the Gulf Stream and for the reduced volume of Eighteen Degree Water in the upper few hundred meters of (apparently older) cold-core rings in the synthetic profiles. The overall rms difference between surface heights derived from the altimeter and those computed from AXBT profiles is 0.15 dyn m when the feature-modeled geoid is used and 0.19 dyn m when the AXBT geoid is used; the portion attributable to altimeter-derived surface height errors alone is 0.03 dyn m less for each. In most cases, the deeper structure of the Gulf Stream and eddies is reproduced well by vertical sections of synthetic temperature, with largest errors typically in regions of high horizontal gradient such as across rings and the Gulf Stream front.

CryoSat-2 SAR and SARin Inland Water Heights from the CRUCIAL project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benveniste, J.; Restano, M.; Ambrózio, A.; Moore, P.; Birkinshaw, S.

2017-12-01

CRUCIAL was an ESA/STSE funded project investigating innovative land and inland water applications from CryoSat-2 with a forward-look component to the Sentinel-3 and Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 missions. The high along-track sampling of CryoSat-2 in its SAR and SARin modes offers the opportunity to recover high frequency signals over inland waters. A methodology was developed to process the FBR L1A Doppler beams to form a waveform product using ground cell gridding, beam steering and beam stacking. Inland water heights from CryoSat-2 are derived by using a set of empirical retrackers formulated for inland water applications. Results of the processing strategy include a comparison of waveforms and heights from the burst echoes (80 m along-track) and from multi-look waveforms (320 m along-track). SAR and SARin FBR data are available for the Amazon, Brahmaputra and Mekong for 2011-2015. FBR SAR results are compared against stage data from the nearest gauge. Heights from Tonlé Sap are also compared against Jason-2 data from the United States Department of Agriculture. A strategy to select the number of multi-looks over rivers was designed based on the rms of heights across Tonlé Sap. Comparisons include results from the empirical retrackers and from waveforms and heights obtained via ESA's Grid Processing on Demand (G-POD/SARvatore) using the SAMOSA2 retracker. Results of FBR SARin processing for the Amazon and Brahmaputra are presented including comparison of heights from the two antennae, extraction of slope of the ground surface and validation against ground data where appropriate.

Retrieval of Atmospheric Water Vapor Profiles from the Special Sensor Microwave TEMPERATURE-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Khalaf, Abdulrahman Khal

1995-01-01

Radiometric measurements from the Special Sensor Microwave/Temperature-2 (SSM/T-2) instrument are used to retrieve atmospheric water vapor profiles over ocean, land, coast, and ice/snow backgrounds. These measurements are used to retrieve vertical distribution of integrated water vapor (IWV) and total integrated water vapor (TIWV) using a physical algorithm. The algorithm infers the presence of cloud at a given height from super-saturation of the retrieved humidity at that height then the algorithm estimate the cloud liquid water content. Retrievals of IWV over five different layers are validated against available ground truth such as global radiosondes and ECMWF analyses. Over ocean, the retrieved total integrated water vapor (TIWV) and IWV close to the surface compare quite well, with those from radiosonde observations and the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses. However, comparisons to radiosonde results are better than (ECMWF) analyses. TIWV root mean square (RMS) difference was 5.95 mm and TWV RMS difference for the lowest layer (SFC-850 mb) was 2.8 mm for radiosonde comparisons. Water vapor retrieval over land is less accurate than over ocean due to the low contrast between the surface and the atmosphere near the surface; therefore, land retrievals are more reliable at layers above 700 mb. However, TIWV and IWV at all layers compare appropriately with ground truth. Over coastal areas the agreement between retrieved water vapor profiles and ground truth is quite good for both TIWV and IWV for the five layers. The natural variability and large variations in the surface emissivity over ice and snow fields leads toward poor results. Clouds degrade retrievals over land and coast, improve the retrievals a little over ocean, and improve dramatically over snow/ice. Examples of retrieved relative humidity profiles were shown to illustrate the algorithm performance for the actual profile retrieval. The overall features of the retrieved profiles compared well with those from radiosonde data and ECMWF analyses. However, due to the limited number of channels, the retrieved profiles generally do not reproduce the fine details when a rapid change in relative humidity versus height was observed.

Dynamic Heights in the Great Lakes at Different Epochs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roman, D. R.

2016-12-01

Vertical control in the Great Lakes region is currently defined by the International Great Lakes Datum of 1985 (IGLD 85) in the form of dynamic heights. Starting in 2025, dynamic heights will be defined through GNSS-derived geometric coordinates and a geopotential model. This paper explores the behavior of an existing geopotential model at different epochs when the Great Lakes were at significantly different (meter-level) geopotential surfaces. Water surfaces were examined in 2015 and 2010 at six sites on Lakes Superior and Lake Erie (three on each Lake). These sites have collocated a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) and a Water Level Sensor (WLS). The offset between the antenna phase center for the CORS and the WLS datum are known at each site. The WLS then measures the distance from its datum to the Lake surface via an open well. Thus it is possible to determine the height above an ellipsoid datum at these sites as long as both the CORS and WLS are operational. The geometric coordinates are then used to estimate the geopotential value from the xGEOID16B model. This accomplished in two steps. To provide an improved reference model, EGM2008 was spectrally enhanced using observations from the GOCE satellite gravity mission and aerogravity from the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project. This enhanced model, xGEOID16B_Ref, is still only a five arcminute resolution model (d/o 2160), but resolves dynamic heights at about 2 cm on Lake Superior for December 2015. The reference model was primarily developed to determine a one arcminute geoid height grid, xGEOID16B, available on the NGS website. This geoid height model was used to iteratively develop improved geopotential value for each of the site locations, which then improved comparisons to the cm-level. Comparisons were then made at the 2010 epoch for these same locations to determine if the performance of the geopotential model was consistent.

Determination of copper nanoparticle size distributions with total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Singh, Andy; Luening, Katharina; Brennan, Sean; ...

2017-01-01

Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is extensively used by the semiconductor industry for measuring trace metal contamination on silicon surfaces. In addition to determining the quantity of impurities on a surface, TXRF can reveal information about the vertical distribution of contaminants by measuring the fluorescence signal as a function of the angle of incidence. In this study, two samples were intentionally contaminated with copper in non-deoxygenated and deoxygenated ultrapure water (UPW) resulting in impurity profiles that were either atomically dispersed in a thin film or particle-like, respectively. The concentration profile of the samples immersed into deoxygenated UPW was calculatedmore » using a theoretical concentration profile representative of particles, yielding a mean particle height of 16.1 nm. However, the resulting theoretical profile suggested that a distribution of particle heights exists on the surface. The fit of the angular distribution data was further refined by minimizing the residual error of a least-squares fit employing a model with a Gaussian distribution of particle heights about the mean height. The presence of a height distribution was also confirmed with atomic force microscopy measurements.« less

Determination of copper nanoparticle size distributions with total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

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

Singh, Andy; Luening, Katharina; Brennan, Sean

Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is extensively used by the semiconductor industry for measuring trace metal contamination on silicon surfaces. In addition to determining the quantity of impurities on a surface, TXRF can reveal information about the vertical distribution of contaminants by measuring the fluorescence signal as a function of the angle of incidence. In this study, two samples were intentionally contaminated with copper in non-deoxygenated and deoxygenated ultrapure water (UPW) resulting in impurity profiles that were either atomically dispersed in a thin film or particle-like, respectively. The concentration profile of the samples immersed into deoxygenated UPW was calculatedmore » using a theoretical concentration profile representative of particles, yielding a mean particle height of 16.1 nm. However, the resulting theoretical profile suggested that a distribution of particle heights exists on the surface. The fit of the angular distribution data was further refined by minimizing the residual error of a least-squares fit employing a model with a Gaussian distribution of particle heights about the mean height. The presence of a height distribution was also confirmed with atomic force microscopy measurements.« less

46 CFR 160.171-17 - Approval testing for adult size immersion suit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... height of 4.5 m (15 ft.) above the water surface. Each subject must be able to assume a face up stable... being immersed in water at 5 °C (41 °F) for a period of one hour, each subject must be able to pick up a 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) diameter wooden pencil from a flat hard surfaced table using only one hand. Still...

46 CFR 160.171-17 - Approval testing for adult size immersion suit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... height of 4.5 m (15 ft.) above the water surface. Each subject must be able to assume a face up stable... being immersed in water at 5 °C (41 °F) for a period of one hour, each subject must be able to pick up a 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) diameter wooden pencil from a flat hard surfaced table using only one hand. Still...

The differences in crown formation during the splash on the thin water layers formed on the saturated soil surface and model surface

PubMed Central

Mazur, Rafał; Polakowski, Cezary; Bieganowski, Andrzej

2017-01-01

Splash is the first stage of a negative phenomenon–soil erosion. The aim of this work was to describe the crown formation quantitatively (as part of the splash erosion) and compare the course of this phenomenon on the thin water film formed on a smooth glass surface and on the surface of saturated soil. The height of the falling water drop was 1.5 m. The observation of the crowns was carried out by high-speed cameras. The static and dynamic parameters of crown formation were analysed. It was found that the crowns formed on the water film covering the saturated soil surface were smaller and the time intervals of their existence were shorter. In addition, the shapes of the crowns were different from those created on the water layer covering the glass surface. These differences can be explained by the slightly different values of surface tension and viscosity of the soil solution, the greater roughness of the soil surface and the lower thickness of the water film on the soil surface. PMID:28750072

The differences in crown formation during the splash on the thin water layers formed on the saturated soil surface and model surface.

PubMed

Beczek, Michał; Ryżak, Magdalena; Sochan, Agata; Mazur, Rafał; Polakowski, Cezary; Bieganowski, Andrzej

2017-01-01

Splash is the first stage of a negative phenomenon-soil erosion. The aim of this work was to describe the crown formation quantitatively (as part of the splash erosion) and compare the course of this phenomenon on the thin water film formed on a smooth glass surface and on the surface of saturated soil. The height of the falling water drop was 1.5 m. The observation of the crowns was carried out by high-speed cameras. The static and dynamic parameters of crown formation were analysed. It was found that the crowns formed on the water film covering the saturated soil surface were smaller and the time intervals of their existence were shorter. In addition, the shapes of the crowns were different from those created on the water layer covering the glass surface. These differences can be explained by the slightly different values of surface tension and viscosity of the soil solution, the greater roughness of the soil surface and the lower thickness of the water film on the soil surface.

Closer look at the effect of AFM imaging conditions on the apparent dimensions of surface nanobubbles.

PubMed

Walczyk, Wiktoria; Schönherr, Holger

2013-01-15

To date, TM AFM (tapping mode or intermittent contact mode atomic force microscopy) is the most frequently applied direct imaging technique to visualize surface nanobubbles at the solid-aqueous interface. On one hand, AFM is the only profilometric technique that provides estimates of the bubbles' nanoscopic dimensions. On the other hand, the nanoscopic contact angles of surface nanobubbles estimated from their apparent dimensions that are deduced from AFM "height" images of nanobubbles differ markedly from the macrocopic water contact angles on the identical substrates. Here we show in detail how the apparent bubble height and width of surface nanobubbles on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) depend on the free amplitude of the cantilever oscillations and the amplitude setpoint ratio. (The role of these two AFM imaging parameters and their interdependence has not been studied so far for nanobubbles in a systematic way.) In all experiments, even with optimal scanning parameters, nanobubbles at the HOPG-water interface appeared to be smaller in the AFM images than their true size, which was estimated using a method presented herein. It was also observed that the severity of the underestimate increased with increasing bubble height and radius of curvature. The nanoscopic contact angle of >130° for nanobubbles on HOPG extrapolated to zero interaction force was only slightly overestimated and hence significantly higher than the macroscopic contact angle of water on HOPG (63 ± 2°). Thus, the widely reported contact angle discrepancy cannot be solely attributed to inappropriate AFM imaging conditions.

An in situ evaluation of TOPEX/Poseidon altimetric measurements versus meaurements made by moorings and inverted echo sounders for sea surface height

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The classical method of observing the sea surface height has been to make shipboard measurements of the vertical - density profile, and then calculating the surface height relative to a deeper reference surface. Two methods (a moored vertical string of instruments and an inverted echo sounder) were subsequently developed to obtain longer time in situ measurements. The first of these can be thought of as an extension of the discrete bottle hydrocast while the second integrates acoustically over the water column. One purpose of this note is to compare the result when coincidental observations are made by these two methods. This was done at two sites in the western tropical Pacific. Two inverted echo sounders were deployed alongside two enhanced TOGA-COARE moorings to be used in an in situ evaluation of TOPEX/Poseidon altimetric measurements of sea surface height. The mooring and inverted echo sounder data reproduced one another, at low frequency, with a correlation of 0.93 and 0.95 and the altimeter correlated with each of the above values ranging from 0.84 to 0.94. It is concluded that the altimetric measurements are statistically equivalent to the in situ measurements in the area of study.

Protein immobilization on epoxy-activated thin polymer films: effect of surface wettability and enzyme loading.

PubMed

Chen, Bo; Pernodet, Nadine; Rafailovich, Miriam H; Bakhtina, Asya; Gross, Richard A

2008-12-02

A series of epoxy-activated polymer films composed of poly(glycidyl methacrylate/butyl methacrylate/hydroxyethyl methacrylate) were prepared. Variation in comonomer composition allowed exploration of relationships between surface wettability and Candida antartica lipase B (CALB) binding to surfaces. By changing solvents and polymer concentrations, suitable conditions were developed for preparation by spin-coating of uniform thin films. Film roughness determined by AFM after incubation in PBS buffer for 2 days was less than 1 nm. The occurrence of single CALB molecules and CALB aggregates at surfaces was determined by AFM imaging and measurements of volume. Absolute numbers of protein monomers and multimers at surfaces were used to determine values of CALB specific activity. Increased film wettability, as the water contact angle of films increased from 420 to 550, resulted in a decreased total number of immobilized CALB molecules. With further increases in the water contact angle of films from 55 degrees to 63 degrees, there was an increased tendency of CALB molecules to form aggregates on surfaces. On all flat surfaces, two height populations, differing by more than 30%, were observed from height distribution curves. They are attributed to changes in protein conformation and/or orientation caused by protein-surface and protein-protein interactions. The fraction of molecules in these populations changed as a function of film water contact angle. The enzyme activity of immobilized films was determined by measuring CALB-catalyzed hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl butyrate. Total enzyme specific activity decreased by decreasing film hydrophobicity.

JPL Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) data availability, version 1-94

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) archive at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) includes satellite data sets for the ocean sciences and global-change research to facilitate multidisciplinary use of satellite ocean data. Parameters include sea-surface height, surface-wind vector, sea-surface temperature, atmospheric liquid water, and integrated water vapor. The JPL PO.DAAC is an element of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) and is the United States distribution site for Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON data and metadata.

Metamaterial Absorber for Electromagnetic Waves in Periodic Water Droplets

PubMed Central

Yoo, Young Joon; Ju, Sanghyun; Park, Sang Yoon; Ju Kim, Young; Bong, Jihye; Lim, Taekyung; Kim, Ki Won; Rhee, Joo Yull; Lee, YoungPak

2015-01-01

Perfect metamaterial absorber (PMA) can intercept electromagnetic wave harmful for body in Wi-Fi, cell phones and home appliances that we are daily using and provide stealth function that military fighter, tank and warship can avoid radar detection. We reported new concept of water droplet-based PMA absorbing perfectly electromagnetic wave with water, an eco-friendly material which is very plentiful on the earth. If arranging water droplets with particular height and diameter on material surface through the wettability of material surface, meta-properties absorbing electromagnetic wave perfectly in GHz wide-band were shown. It was possible to control absorption ratio and absorption wavelength band of electromagnetic wave according to the shape of water droplet–height and diameter– and apply to various flexible and/or transparent substrates such as plastic, glass and paper. In addition, this research examined how electromagnetic wave can be well absorbed in water droplets with low electrical conductivity unlike metal-based metamaterials inquiring highly electrical conductivity. Those results are judged to lead broad applications to variously civilian and military products in the future by providing perfect absorber of broadband in all products including transparent and bendable materials. PMID:26354891

Metamaterial Absorber for Electromagnetic Waves in Periodic Water Droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Young Joon; Ju, Sanghyun; Park, Sang Yoon; Ju Kim, Young; Bong, Jihye; Lim, Taekyung; Kim, Ki Won; Rhee, Joo Yull; Lee, Youngpak

2015-09-01

Perfect metamaterial absorber (PMA) can intercept electromagnetic wave harmful for body in Wi-Fi, cell phones and home appliances that we are daily using and provide stealth function that military fighter, tank and warship can avoid radar detection. We reported new concept of water droplet-based PMA absorbing perfectly electromagnetic wave with water, an eco-friendly material which is very plentiful on the earth. If arranging water droplets with particular height and diameter on material surface through the wettability of material surface, meta-properties absorbing electromagnetic wave perfectly in GHz wide-band were shown. It was possible to control absorption ratio and absorption wavelength band of electromagnetic wave according to the shape of water droplet-height and diameter- and apply to various flexible and/or transparent substrates such as plastic, glass and paper. In addition, this research examined how electromagnetic wave can be well absorbed in water droplets with low electrical conductivity unlike metal-based metamaterials inquiring highly electrical conductivity. Those results are judged to lead broad applications to variously civilian and military products in the future by providing perfect absorber of broadband in all products including transparent and bendable materials.

Metamaterial Absorber for Electromagnetic Waves in Periodic Water Droplets.

PubMed

Yoo, Young Joon; Ju, Sanghyun; Park, Sang Yoon; Ju Kim, Young; Bong, Jihye; Lim, Taekyung; Kim, Ki Won; Rhee, Joo Yull; Lee, YoungPak

2015-09-10

Perfect metamaterial absorber (PMA) can intercept electromagnetic wave harmful for body in Wi-Fi, cell phones and home appliances that we are daily using and provide stealth function that military fighter, tank and warship can avoid radar detection. We reported new concept of water droplet-based PMA absorbing perfectly electromagnetic wave with water, an eco-friendly material which is very plentiful on the earth. If arranging water droplets with particular height and diameter on material surface through the wettability of material surface, meta-properties absorbing electromagnetic wave perfectly in GHz wide-band were shown. It was possible to control absorption ratio and absorption wavelength band of electromagnetic wave according to the shape of water droplet-height and diameter- and apply to various flexible and/or transparent substrates such as plastic, glass and paper. In addition, this research examined how electromagnetic wave can be well absorbed in water droplets with low electrical conductivity unlike metal-based metamaterials inquiring highly electrical conductivity. Those results are judged to lead broad applications to variously civilian and military products in the future by providing perfect absorber of broadband in all products including transparent and bendable materials.

Data catalog for JPL Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Digby, Susan

1995-01-01

The Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) archive at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory contains satellite data sets and ancillary in-situ data for the ocean sciences and global-change research to facilitate multidisciplinary use of satellite ocean data. Geophysical parameters available from the archive include sea-surface height, surface-wind vector, surface-wind speed, surface-wind stress vector, sea-surface temperature, atmospheric liquid water, integrated water vapor, phytoplankton pigment concentration, heat flux, and in-situ data. PO.DAAC is an element of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System and is the United States distribution site for TOPEX/POSEIDON data and metadata.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - Satellite Shows Pacific Running Hot and Cold, September 12, 1998

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea-surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on September 12, 1998; these sea surface heights are an indicator of the changing amount of heat stored in the ocean. The tropical Pacific Ocean continues to exhibit the complicated characteristics of both a lingering El Nino, and a possibly waning La Nina situation. This image shows that the rapid cooling of the central tropical Pacific has slowed and this area of low sea level (shown in purple) has decreased slightly since last month. It is still uncertain, scientists say, that this cold pool will evolve into a long-lasting La Nina situation. Remnants of the El Nino warm water pool, shown here in red and white, are still lingering to the north and south of the equator. The coexistence of these two contrasting conditions indicates that the ocean and the climate system remain in transition. These strong patterns have remained in the climate system for many months and will continue to influence weather conditions around the world in the coming fall and winter. The satellite's sea-surface height measurements have provided scientists with a detailed view of the 1997-98 El Nino because the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measures the changing sea-surface height with unprecedented precision. The purple areas are about 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal, creating a deficit in the heat supply to the surface waters. The white areas show the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The green areas indicate normal conditions. The purple areas are 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal and the blue areas are 5 to 13 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) below normal. The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. A La Nina situation is essentially the opposite of an El Nino condition, but during La Nina the trade winds are stronger than normal and the cold water that normally exists along the coast of South America extends to the central equatorial Pacific. A La Nina situation also changes global weather patterns, and is associated with less moisture in the air resulting in less rain along the west coasts of North and South America.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov

Ohio River backwater flood-inundation maps for the Saline and Wabash Rivers in southern Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murphy, Elizabeth A.; Sharpe, Jennifer B.; Soong, David T.

2012-01-01

Digital flood-inundation maps for the Saline and Wabash Rivers referenced to elevations on the Ohio River in southern Illinois were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The inundation maps, accessible through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict estimates of the areal extent of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (gage heights) at the USGS streamgage at Ohio River at Old Shawneetown, Illinois-Kentucky (station number 03381700). Current gage height and flow conditions at this USGS streamgage may be obtained on the Internet at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?03381700. In addition, this streamgage is incorporated into the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) flood warning system (http://water.weather.gov/ahps/) by the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS forecasts flood hydrographs at many places that are often co-located at USGS streamgages. That NWS forecasted peak-stage information, also shown on the Ohio River at Old Shawneetown inundation Web site, may be used in conjunction with the maps developed in this study to show predicted areas of flood inundation. In this study, eight water-surface elevations were mapped at 5-foot (ft) intervals referenced to the streamgage datum ranging from just above the NWS Action Stage (31 ft) to above the maximum historical gage height (66 ft). The elevations of the water surfaces were compared to a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) by using a Geographic Information System (GIS) in order to delineate the area flooded at each water level. These maps, along with information on the Internet regarding current gage heights from USGS streamgages and forecasted stream stages from the NWS, provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for flood response activities such as evacuations and road closures, as well as for post-flood recovery efforts.

CRISM Limb Observations of Aerosols and Water Vapor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael D.; Wolff, M.J.; Clancy, R.T.; Seelos, F.; Murchie, S.L.

2009-01-01

Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Here we describe preliminary work on the retrieval of vertical profiles of aerosols and water vapor from the CRISM limb observations. The first full set of CRISM limb observations was taken in July 2009, with subsequent limb observations planned once every two months. Each set of limb observations contains about four dozen scans across the limb giving pole-to-pole coverage for two orbits at roughly 100 and 290 W longitude. Radiative transfer modeling taking account of aerosol scattering in the limb-viewing geometry is used to model the observations. The retrievals show the height to which dust and water vapor extend and the location and height of water ice clouds. Results from the First set of CRISM limb observations (July 2009, Ls=300) show dust aerosol well-mixed to about three scale heights above the surface with thin water ice clouds above the dust near the equator and at mid-northern latitudes. Water vapor is concentrated at high southern latitudes.

Measuring sea surface height with a GNSS-Wave Glider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales Maqueda, Miguel Angel; Penna, Nigel T.; Foden, Peter R.; Martin, Ian; Cipollini, Paolo; Williams, Simon D.; Pugh, Jeff P.

2017-04-01

A GNSS-Wave Glider is a novel technique to measure sea surface height autonomously using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It consists of an unmanned surface vehicle manufactured by Liquid Robotics, a Wave Glider, and a geodetic-grade GNSS antenna-receiver system, with the antenna installed on a mast on the vehicle's deck. The Wave Glider uses the differential wave motion through the water column for propulsion, thus guaranteeing an, in principle, indefinite autonomy. Solar energy is collected to power all on-board instrumentation, including the GNSS system. The GNSS-Wave Glider was first tested in Loch Ness in 2013, demonstrating that the technology is capable of mapping geoid heights within the loch with an accuracy of a few centimetres. The trial in Loch Ness did not conclusively confirm the reliability of the technique because, during the tests, the state of the water surface was much more benign than would normally be expect in the open ocean. We now report on a first deployment of a GNSS-Wave Glider in the North Sea. The deployment took place in August 2016 and lasted thirteen days, during which the vehicle covered a distance of about 350 nautical miles in the north western North Sea off Great Britain. During the experiment, the GNSS-Wave Glider experienced sea states between 1 (0-0.1 m wave heights) and 5 (2.5-4 m wave heights). The GNSS-Wave Glider data, recorded at 5 Hz frequency, were analysed using a post-processed kinematic GPS-GLONASS precise point positioning (PPP) approach, which were quality controlled using double difference GPS kinematic processing with respect to onshore reference stations. Filtered with a 900 s moving-average window, the PPP heights reveal geoid patterns in the survey area that are very similar to the EGM2008 geoid model, thus demonstrating the potential use of a GNSS-Wave Glider for marine geoid determination. The residual of subtracting the modelled or measured marine geoid from the PPP signal combines information about dynamic topography and sea state. GNSS-Wave Glider data will next be validated against concurrent and co-located satellite altimetry data from the Jason-1, Jason-2, CryoSat-2 and AltiKa missions.

Documentation of programs used to determine a wetlands hydroperiod from model-simulated water-surface elevations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sonenshein, R.S.

1996-01-01

A technique has been developed to determine a wetlands hydroperiod by comparing simulated water levels from a ground-water flow model and land- surface elevation data through a geographic information system. The simulated water levels are compared with the land-surface elevation data to determine the height of the water surface above or below land surface for the area of interest. Finally, the hydroperiod is determined for established time periods using criteria specified by the user. The program application requires the use of geographic information system software (ARC/INFO), including the TIN and GRID subsystems of the software. The application consists of an ANSI compatible C program to translate ground- water data output from the U.S. Geological Survey modular three-dimensional, finite-difference, ground-water flow model (MODFLOW) into a format that can be used as input for the geographic information system programs (AML's). The application uses ARC/INFO AML programs and ARC/INFO menu interface programs to create digital spatial data layers of the land surface and water surface and to determine the hydroperiod. The technique can be used to evaluate and manage wetlands hydrology.

Three-tier rough superhydrophobic surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Yuanzhi; Yuan, Longyan; Hu, Bin; Zhou, Jun

2015-08-01

A three-tier rough superhydrophobic surface was fabricated by growing hydrophobic modified (fluorinated silane) zinc oxide (ZnO)/copper oxide (CuO) hetero-hierarchical structures on silicon (Si) micro-pillar arrays. Compared with the other three control samples with a less rough tier, the three-tier surface exhibits the best water repellency with the largest contact angle 161° and the lowest sliding angle 0.5°. It also shows a robust Cassie state which enables the water to flow with a speed over 2 m s-1. In addition, it could prevent itself from being wetted by the droplet with low surface tension (mixed water and ethanol 1:1 in volume) which reveals a flow speed of 0.6 m s-1 (dropped from the height of 2 cm). All these features prove that adding another rough tier on a two-tier rough surface could futher improve its water-repellent properties.

Three-tier rough superhydrophobic surfaces.

PubMed

Cao, Yuanzhi; Yuan, Longyan; Hu, Bin; Zhou, Jun

2015-08-07

A three-tier rough superhydrophobic surface was fabricated by growing hydrophobic modified (fluorinated silane) zinc oxide (ZnO)/copper oxide (CuO) hetero-hierarchical structures on silicon (Si) micro-pillar arrays. Compared with the other three control samples with a less rough tier, the three-tier surface exhibits the best water repellency with the largest contact angle 161° and the lowest sliding angle 0.5°. It also shows a robust Cassie state which enables the water to flow with a speed over 2 m s(-1). In addition, it could prevent itself from being wetted by the droplet with low surface tension (mixed water and ethanol 1:1 in volume) which reveals a flow speed of 0.6 m s(-1) (dropped from the height of 2 cm). All these features prove that adding another rough tier on a two-tier rough surface could futher improve its water-repellent properties.

Wilma Trek Through Warm Caribbean/Gulf Waters

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-21

This sea surface height map of the Gulf of Mexico and the northwestern Caribbean Sea, with the Florida peninsula on the upper right, is based on altimeter data from three satellites including NASA Jason-1.

First-Principles Study of the Band Diagrams and Schottky-Type Barrier Heights of Aqueous Ta3N5 Interfaces.

PubMed

Watanabe, Eriko; Ushiyama, Hiroshi; Yamashita, Koichi

2017-03-22

The photo(electro)chemical production of hydrogen by water splitting is an efficient and sustainable method for the utilization of solar energy. To improve photo(electro)catalytic activity, a Schottky-type barrier is typically useful to separate excited charge carriers in semiconductor electrodes. Here, we focused on studying the band diagrams and the Schottky-type barrier heights of Ta 3 N 5 , which is one of the most promising materials as a photoanode for water splitting. The band alignments of the undoped and n-type Ta 3 N 5 with adsorbents in a vacuum were examined to determine how impurities and adsorbents affect the band positions and Fermi energies. The band edge positions as well as the density of surface states clearly depended on the density of O N impurities in the bulk and surface regions. Finally, the band diagrams of the n-type Ta 3 N 5 /water interfaces were calculated with an improved interfacial model to include the effect of electrode potential with explicit water molecules. We observed partial Fermi level pinning in our calculations at the Ta 3 N 5 /water interface, which affects the driving force for charge separation.

Effects of wind on the dynamics of the central jet during drop impact onto a deep-water surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xinan; Wang, An; Wang, Shuang; Dai, Dejun

2018-05-01

The cavity and central jet generated by the impact of a single water drop on a deep-water surface in a wind field are experimentally studied. Different experiments are performed by varying the impacting drop diameter and wind speed. The contour profile histories of the cavity (also called crater) and central jet (also called stalk) are measured in detail with a backlit cinematic shadowgraph technique. The results show that shortly after the drop hits the water surface an asymmetrical cavity appears along the wind direction, with a train of capillary waves on the cavity wall. This is followed by the formation of an inclined central jet at the location of the drop impact. It is found that the wind has little effect on the penetration depth of the cavity at the early stage of the cavity expansion, but markedly changes the capillary waves during the retraction of the cavity. The capillary waves in turn shift the position of the central jet formation leeward. The dynamics of the central jet are dominated by two mechanisms: (i) the oblique drop impact produced by the wind and (ii) the wind drag force directly acting on the jet. The maximum height of the central jet, called the stalk height, is drastically affected by the wind, and the nondimensional stalk height H /D decreases with increasing θ Re-1 , where D is the drop diameter, θ is the impingement angle of drop impact, and Re=ρaUwD /μa is the Reynolds number with air density ρa, wind speed Uw, and air viscosity μa.

Connecting Water Quality With Air Quality Through Microbial Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dueker, M. Elias

Aerosol production from surface waters results in the transfer of aquatic materials (including nutrients and bacteria) to air. These materials can then be transported by onshore winds to land, representing a biogeochemical connection between aquatic and terrestrial systems not normally considered. In urban waterfront environments, this transfer could result in emissions of pathogenic bacteria from contaminated waters. Despite the potential importance of this link, sources, near-shore deposition, identity and viability of microbial aerosols are largely uncharacterized. This dissertation focuses on the environmental and biological mechanisms that define this water-air connection, as a means to build our understanding of the biogeochemical, biogeographical, and public health implications of the transfer of surface water materials to the near-shore environment in both urban and non-urban environments. The effects of tidal height, wind speed and fog on coastal aerosols and microbial content were first quantified on a non-urban coast of Maine, USA. Culture-based, culture-independent, and molecular methods were used to simultaneously sample microbial aerosols while monitoring meteorological parameters. Aerosols at this site displayed clear marine influence and high concentrations of ecologically-relevant nutrients. Coarse aerosol concentrations significantly increased with tidal height, onshore wind speed, and fog presence. Tidal height and fog presence did not significantly influence total microbial aerosol concentrations, but did have a significant effect on culturable microbial aerosol fallout. Molecular analyses of the microbes settling out of near-shore aerosols provided further evidence of local ocean to terrestrial transport of microbes. Aerosol and surface ocean bacterial communities shared species and in general were dominated by organisms previously sampled in marine environments. Fog presence strengthened the microbial connection between water and land through air by increasing microbial aerosol settling rates and enhancing viability of aerosolized marine microbes. Using methods developed for the non-urban site, the role of local environment and winds in mediating water-air connections was further investigated in the urban environment. The local environment, including water surfaces, was an important source of microbial aerosols at urban sites. Large portions of the urban waterfront microbial aerosol communities were aquatic and, at a highly polluted Superfund waterfront, were closely related to bacteria previously described in environments contaminated with hydrocarbons, heavy metals, sewage and other industrial waste. Culturable urban aerosols and surface waters contained bacterial genera known to include human pathogens and asthma agents. High onshore winds strengthened this water-air connection by playing both a transport and production role. The microbial connection between water and air quality outlined by this dissertation highlights the need for information on the mechanisms that deliver surface water materials to terrestrial systems on a much larger scale. Moving from point measurements to landscape-level analyses will allow for the quantitative assessment of implications for this microbial water-air-land transfer in both urban and non-urban arenas.

Inventory of File nam.t00z.hawaiinest.hiresf06.tm00.gr

Science.gov Websites

Water Equivalent [kg/m^2/s] 628 surface NCPCP 3-6 hour acc Large-Scale Precipitation (non-convective [non-dim] 010 1 hybrid level HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 011 1 hybrid level TMP 6 hour [non-dim] 056 50 mb HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 057 50 mb TMP 6 hour fcst Temperature [K

Inventory of File nam.t00z.firewxnest.hiresf06.tm00.gr

Science.gov Websites

Water Equivalent [kg/m^2/s] 628 surface NCPCP 5-6 hour acc Large-Scale Precipitation (non-convective [non-dim] 010 1 hybrid level HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 011 1 hybrid level TMP 6 hour [non-dim] 056 50 mb HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 057 50 mb TMP 6 hour fcst Temperature [K

Inventory of File nam.t00z.alaskanest.hiresf06.tm00.gr

Science.gov Websites

Water Equivalent [kg/m^2/s] 628 surface NCPCP 3-6 hour acc Large-Scale Precipitation (non-convective [non-dim] 010 1 hybrid level HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 011 1 hybrid level TMP 6 hour [non-dim] 056 50 mb HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 057 50 mb TMP 6 hour fcst Temperature [K

Inventory of File nam.t00z.conusnest.hiresf06.tm00.gri

Science.gov Websites

Water Equivalent [kg/m^2/s] 628 surface NCPCP 3-6 hour acc Large-Scale Precipitation (non-convective [non-dim] 010 1 hybrid level HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 011 1 hybrid level TMP 6 hour [non-dim] 056 50 mb HGT 6 hour fcst Geopotential Height [gpm] 057 50 mb TMP 6 hour fcst Temperature [K

Controlling Heterogeneous Catalysis of Water Dissociation Using Cu-Ni Bimetallic Alloy Surfaces: A Quantum Dynamics Study.

PubMed

Ray, Dhiman; Ghosh, Smita; Tiwari, Ashwani Kumar

2018-06-07

Copper-Nickel bimetallic alloys are emerging heterogeneous catalysts for water dissociation which is the rate determining step of industrially important Water Gas Shift (WGS) reaction. Yet, the detailed quantum dynamics studies of water-surface scattering in literature are limited to pure metal surfaces. We present here, a three dimensional wave-packet dynamics study of water dissociation on Cu-Ni alloy surfaces, using a pseudo diatomic model of water on a London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato (LEPS) potential energy surface in order to study the effect of initial vibration, rotation and orientation of water molecule on reactivity. For all the chosen surfaces reactivity increases significantly with vibrational excitation. In general, for lower vibrational states the reactivity increases with increasing rotational excitation but it decreases in higher vibrational states. Molecular orientation strongly affects reactivity by helping the molecule to align along the reaction path at higher vibrational states. For different alloys, the reaction probability follows the trend of barrier heights and the surfaces having all Ni atoms in the uppermost layer are much more reactive than the ones with Cu atoms. Hence the nature of the alloy surface and initial quantum state of the incoming molecule significantly influence the reactivity in surface catalyzed water dissociation.

Estimating River Bathymetry, Roughness, and Discharge from Remote Sensing Measurements of River Height on the River Severn, U.K.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durand, Michael; Neal, Jeff; Rodriguez, Ernesto

2013-09-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite is a swath-mapping radar interferometer that will provide water elevations over inland water bodies and over the ocean. Here we present a Bayesian algorithm that calculates a best estimate of river bathymetry, roughness coefficient, and discharge based on measurements of river height and slope. On the River Severn, UK, we use gage estimates of height and slope during an in-bank flow event to illustrate algorithm functionality. We validate our estimates of river bathymetry and discharge using in situ measurements. We first assumed that the lateral inflows from smaller tributaries were known. In this case, an accurate inverse to bathymetry and roughness was obtained giving a discharge RMSE of 10 %. We then allowed the lateral inflows to be unknown; accuracy in the bathymetry estimates dropped in this case, giving a discharge RMSE of 36 %. Finally, we explored the case where bathymetry in one reach was known; in this case, discharge RMSE was 15.6 %.

(abstract) Satellite Physical Oceanography Data Available From an EOSDIS Archive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Digby, Susan A.; Collins, Donald J.

1996-01-01

The Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory archives and distributes data as part of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Products available from JPL are largely satellite derived and include sea-surface height, surface-wind speed and vectors, integrated water vapor, atmospheric liquid water, sea-surface temperature, heat flux, and in-situ data as it pertains to satellite data. Much of the data is global and spans fourteen years.There is email access, a WWW site, product catalogs, and FTP capabilities. Data is free of charge.

30 CFR 7.67 - Construction test.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... § 7.66. (a) Test procedures. (1) The blasting unit shall be dropped 20 times from a height of 3 feet... each time in an attempt to have a different surface, corner, or edge strike the floor first for each... shall be submerged in 1 foot of water for 1 hour in each of 3 tests. The water temperature shall be...

Deep Ocean Warming Assessed from Altimeters, GRACE, 3 In-situ Measurements, and a Non-Boussinesq OGCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. Tony; Colberg, Frank

2011-01-01

Observational surveys have shown significant oceanic bottom water warming, but they are too spatially and temporally sporadic to quantify the deep ocean contribution to the present-day sea level rise (SLR). In this study, altimetry sea surface height (SSH), Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) ocean mass, and in situ upper ocean (0-700 m) steric height have been assessed for their seasonal variability and trend maps. It is shown that neither the global mean nor the regional trends of altimetry SLR can be explained by the upper ocean steric height plus the GRACE ocean mass. A non-Boussinesq ocean general circulation model (OGCM), allowing the sea level to rise as a direct response to the heat added into the ocean, is then used to diagnose the deep ocean steric height. Constrained by sea surface temperature data and the top of atmosphere (TOA) radiation measurements, the model reproduces the observed upper ocean heat content well. Combining the modeled deep ocean steric height with observational upper ocean data gives the full depth steric height. Adding a GRACE-estimated mass trend, the data-model combination explains not only the altimetry global mean SLR but also its regional trends fairly well. The deep ocean warming is mostly prevalent in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and along the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, suggesting a strong relation to the oceanic circulation and dynamics. Its comparison with available bottom water measurements shows reasonably good agreement, indicating that deep ocean warming below 700 m might have contributed 1.1 mm/yr to the global mean SLR or one-third of the altimeter-observed rate of 3.11 +/- 0.6 mm/yr over 1993-2008.

Flood-Inundation Maps for a 1.6-Mile Reach of Salt Creek, Wood Dale, Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soong, David T.; Murphy, Elizabeth A.; Sharpe, Jennifer B.

2012-01-01

Digital flood-inundation maps for a 1.6-mile reach of Salt Creek from upstream of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad to Elizabeth Drive, Wood Dale, Illinois, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the DuPage County Stormwater Management Division. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/ depict estimates of the areal extent of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (gage heights) at the USGS streamgage on Salt Creek at Wood Dale, Illinois (station number 05531175). Current conditions at the USGS streamgage may be obtained on the Internet at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?05531175. In this study, flood profiles were computed for the stream reach by means of a one-dimensional unsteady flow Full EQuations (FEQ) model. The unsteady flow model was verified by comparing the rating curve output for a September 2008 flood event to discharge measurements collected at the Salt Creek at Wood Dale gage. The hydraulic model was then used to determine 14 water-surface profiles for gage heights at 0.5-ft intervals referenced to the streamgage datum and ranging from less than bankfull to approximately the highest recorded water level at the streamgage. The simulated water-surface profiles were then combined with a Geographic Information System (GIS) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data) in order to delineate the area flooded at each water level. The areal extent of the inundation was verified with high-water marks from a flood in July 2010 with a peak gage height of 14.08 ft recorded at the Salt Creek at Wood Dale gage. The availability of these maps along with Internet information regarding current gage height from USGS streamgages provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for flood response activities such as evacuations and road closures as well as for post-flood recovery efforts.

Transforming Surface Water Hydrology Through SWOT Altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsdorf, Douglas; Mognard, Nelly; Rodriguez, Ernesto

2013-09-01

SWOT will measure water surface elevations across rivers, lakes, wetlands, and reservoirs with a 120km wide swath using decimeter-scale pixels having centimetric-scale height accuracies. Nothing like this "water surface topography" has been collected on a consistent basis from any method. Thus, SWOT will provide a transformative measurement for global hydrology. Storage change measurements from SWOT are expected to have an error of 10% or better for 250m2 and larger water bodies. Discharge estimation is complicated by the lack of channel bathymetric knowledge. Nevertheless, two model-based studies of the Ohio River suggest SWOT discharge errors will be 10%. Important questions will be addressed via SWOT measurements, e.g., (1) What is the water balance of the Congo Basin and indeed of any basin? (2) Where does a wetland receive its water: from upland runoff or from an adjacent river? (3) What are the implications for transboundary rivers?

Characterization of the surface wave variability in the California Current region from satellite altimetry.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villas Boas, A. B.; Gille, S. T.; Mazloff, M. R.

2016-02-01

Surface gravity waves play a crucial role in upper-ocean dynamics, and they are an important mechanism by which the ocean exchanges energy with the overlying atmosphere. Surface waves are largely wind forced and can also be modulated by ocean currents via nonlinear wave-current interactions, leading to either an amplification or attenuation of the wave amplitude. Even though individual waves cannot be detected by present satellite altimeters, surface waves have the potential to produce a sea-state bias in altimeter measurements and can impact the sea-surface-height spectrum at high wavenumbers or frequencies. Knowing the wave climatology is relevant for the success of future altimeter missions, such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT). We analyse the seasonal, intra-annual and interannual variability of significant wave heights retrieved from over two decades of satellite altimeter data and assess the extent to which the variability of the surface wave field in the California Current region is modulated by the local wind and current fields.

BAM: Bayesian AMHG-Manning Inference of Discharge Using Remotely Sensed Stream Width, Slope, and Height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagemann, M. W.; Gleason, C. J.; Durand, M. T.

2017-11-01

The forthcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) NASA satellite mission will measure water surface width, height, and slope of major rivers worldwide. The resulting data could provide an unprecedented account of river discharge at continental scales, but reliable methods need to be identified prior to launch. Here we present a novel algorithm for discharge estimation from only remotely sensed stream width, slope, and height at multiple locations along a mass-conserved river segment. The algorithm, termed the Bayesian AMHG-Manning (BAM) algorithm, implements a Bayesian formulation of streamflow uncertainty using a combination of Manning's equation and at-many-stations hydraulic geometry (AMHG). Bayesian methods provide a statistically defensible approach to generating discharge estimates in a physically underconstrained system but rely on prior distributions that quantify the a priori uncertainty of unknown quantities including discharge and hydraulic equation parameters. These were obtained from literature-reported values and from a USGS data set of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements at USGS stream gauges. A data set of simulated widths, slopes, and heights from 19 rivers was used to evaluate the algorithms using a set of performance metrics. Results across the 19 rivers indicate an improvement in performance of BAM over previously tested methods and highlight a path forward in solving discharge estimation using solely satellite remote sensing.

Hydrologic considerations in defining isolated wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winter, T.C.; LaBaugh, J.W.

2003-01-01

Wetlands that are not connected by streams to other surface-water bodies are considered to be isolated. Although the definition is based on surface-water connections to other water bodies, isolated wetlands commonly are integral parts of extensive ground-water flow systems, and isolated wetlands can spill over their surface divides into adjacent surface-water bodies during periods of abundant precipitation and high water levels. Thus, characteristics of ground-water flow and atmospheric-water flow affect the isolation of wetlands. In general, the degree that isolated wetlands are connected through the ground-water system to other surface-water bodies depends to a large extent on the rate that ground water moves and the rate that hydrologic stresses can be transmitted through the ground-water system. Water that seeps from an isolated wetland into a gravel aquifer can travel many kilometers through the ground-water system in one year. In contrast, water that seeps from an isolated wetland into a clayey or silty substrate may travel less than one meter in one year. For wetlands that can spill over their surface watersheds during periods of wet climate conditions, their isolation is related to the height to a spill elevation above normal wetland water level and the recurrence interval of various magnitudes of precipitation. The concepts presented in this paper indicate that the entire hydrologic system needs to be considered in establishing a definition of hydrologic isolation.

Investigation of the height dependency of optical turbulence in the surface layer over False Bay (South Africa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprung, Detlev; van Eijk, Alexander M. J.; Günter, Willie; Griffith, Derek; Eisele, Christian; Sucher, Erik; Seiffer, Dirk; Stein, Karin

2017-09-01

Atmospheric turbulence impacts on the propagation of electro-optical radiation. Typical manifestations of optical turbulence are scintillation (intensity fluctuations), beam wander and (for laser systems) reduction of beam quality. For longer propagation channels, it is important to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution (inhomogeneity) of the optical turbulence. In the framework of the First European South African Transmission ExpeRiment (FESTER) optical turbulence was measured between June 2015 and February 2016 over a 1.8 km over-water link over False Bay. The link ran from the Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT) at Simons Town to the lighthouse at Roman Rock Island. Three Boundary layer scintillometers (BLS900) allowed assessing the vertical distribution of optical turbulence at three different heights between 5 and 12 m above the water surface. The expected decrease with Cn2 with height is not always found. These results are analyzed in terms of the meteorological scenario, and a comparison is made with a fourth optical link providing optical turbulence data over a 8.69 km path from IMT to St. James, roughly perpendicular to the three 1.8 km paths.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - Warm Water Pool is Thinning, Feb, 5, 1998

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Feb. 5, 1998 and sea surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the ocean. The area and volume of the El Nino warm water pool that is affecting global weather patterns remains extremely large, but the pool has thinned along the equator and near the coast of South America. This 'thinning' means that the warm water is not as deep as it was a few months ago. Oceanographers indicate this is a classic pattern, typical of a mature El Nino condition that they would expect to see during the ocean's gradual transition back to normal sea level. In this image, the white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level. The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using satellite imagery, buoy and ship data, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), has continued to issue an advisory indicating the so-called El Nino weather conditions that have impacted much of the United States and the world are expected to remain through the spring.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov

SWOT Hydrology in the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, M. M.; Destaerke, D.; Butler, D. M.; Pavelsky, T.

2014-12-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission Education Program will participate in the multinational, multiagency program, Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education community of over 24,000 schools in more than 100 countries. Over 1.5 million students have contributed more than 23 million measurements to the GLOBE database for use in inquiry-based science projects. The objectives of the program are to promote the teaching and learning of science; enhance environmental awareness, literacy and stewardship; and contribute to science research and environmental monitoring.SWOT will measure sea surface height and the heights, slopes, and inundated areas of rivers, lakes, and wetlands. This new SWOT-GLOBE partnership will focus on the limnology aspects of SWOT. These measurements will be useful in monitoring the hydrologic cycle, flooding, and climate impacts of a changing environment.GLOBE's cadre of teachers are trained in five core areas of Earth system science, including hydrology. The SWOT Education teams at NASA and CNES are working with the GLOBE Program implementers to develop and promote a new protocol under the Hydrology topic area for students to measure attributes of surface water bodies that will support mission science objectives. This protocol will outline and describe a methodology to measure width and height of rivers and lakes.This new GLOBE protocol will be included in training to provide teachers with expertise and confidence in engaging students in this new scientific investigation. Performing this additional measurement will enhance GLOBE students experience in scientific investigation, and will provide useful measurements to SWOT researchers that can support the SWOT mission research goals.SWOT public engagement will involve communicating the value of its river and lake height measurements, lake water storage, and river discharge. This is also important to the GLOBE Program as curriculum integration of its hydrology measurements can be enhanced by strengthened ties to the concepts of watersheds and the hydrologic cycle. Understanding can also be increased of the relation of lake and river levels to drought and water supply.

Evaluating coastal sea surface heights based on a novel sub-waveform approach using sparse representation and conditional random fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uebbing, Bernd; Roscher, Ribana; Kusche, Jürgen

2016-04-01

Satellite radar altimeters allow global monitoring of mean sea level changes over the last two decades. However, coastal regions are less well observed due to influences on the returned signal energy by land located inside the altimeter footprint. The altimeter emits a radar pulse, which is reflected at the nadir-surface and measures the two-way travel time, as well as the returned energy as a function of time, resulting in a return waveform. Over the open ocean the waveform shape corresponds to a theoretical model which can be used to infer information on range corrections, significant wave height or wind speed. However, in coastal areas the shape of the waveform is significantly influenced by return signals from land, located in the altimeter footprint, leading to peaks which tend to bias the estimated parameters. Recently, several approaches dealing with this problem have been published, including utilizing only parts of the waveform (sub-waveforms), estimating the parameters in two steps or estimating additional peak parameters. We present a new approach in estimating sub-waveforms using conditional random fields (CRF) based on spatio-temporal waveform information. The CRF piece-wise approximates the measured waveforms based on a pre-derived dictionary of theoretical waveforms for various combinations of the geophysical parameters; neighboring range gates are likely to be assigned to the same underlying sub-waveform model. Depending on the choice of hyperparameters in the CRF estimation, the classification into sub-waveforms can either be more fine or coarse resulting in multiple sub-waveform hypotheses. After the sub-waveforms have been detected, existing retracking algorithms can be applied to derive water heights or other desired geophysical parameters from particular sub-waveforms. To identify the optimal heights from the multiple hypotheses, instead of utilizing a known reference height, we apply a Dijkstra-algorithm to find the "shortest path" of all possible heights. We apply our approach to Jason-2 data in different coastal areas, such as the Bangladesh coast or in the North Sea and compare our sea surface heights to various existing retrackers. Using the sub-waveform approach, we are able to derive meaningful water heights up to a few kilometers off the coast, where conventional retrackers, such as the standard ocean retracker, no longer provide useful data.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - La Nina Conditions Likely to Prevail, October 10, 1999

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A repeat of last year's mild La Nina conditions -- with a stormy winter in the Pacific Northwest and a dry winter in the southwestern United States -- will be the likely outcome of sea-surface heights observed by NASA's TOPEX/Poseidon satellite, scientists say.

TOPEX/Poseidon has detected lower than normal sea-surface heights in the eastern North Pacific and unusually high sea-surface heights in the western and mid-latitude Pacific. The height of the sea surface over a given area is an indicator of ocean temperature and other factors that influence climate.

The latest measurements, taken during a 10-day data cycle October 5-15, are available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino . Sea-surface height is shown relative to normal (green) and reveals cooler water (blue and purple) measuring about 14 centimeters (6 inches) lower in the eastern North Pacific, from the Gulf of Alaska to central Alaska, and along the equator. The cooling trend sets the stage for another La Nina this winter.

'A mirror image of that oceanic profile prevails in the western and mid-latitude Pacific Ocean, where higher than normal sea-surface heights (red and white) are currently about 20 centimeters or 8 inches. Unusually warm temperatures (shown in red and white) have persisted and topped last year's temperatures,' said Dr. William Patzert, an oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.

'These unbalanced conditions will undoubtedly exert a very strong influence on climate over North America this fall and winter,' Patzert said. 'Our profile of high sea-surface heights and warm temperatures in the western Pacific Ocean contrasts with low sea-surface heights and cool conditions in the eastern and equatorial Pacific. Those conditions will have a powerful impact on the weather system delivering jet streams out of the North Pacific.'

Conditions are ripe for a stormy, wet winter in the Pacific Northwest and a dry, relatively rainless winter in Southern California and the Southwest, the data show. 'Clearly, these unusual conditions, which have persisted for 2 1/2 years, will not be returning to normal any time soon,' Patzert said. 'This climate imbalance is big and we're definitely going through a decade of wild climatic behavior. But when we look back at the climate record over the past century, we've seen behavior like this before.'

The TOPEX/Poseidon satellite's measurements have provided scientists with a detailed view of the 1997-1999 El Nino/La Nina climate pattern by measuring the changing sea-surface height with unprecedented precision.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Portrait of a Warming Ocean and Rising Sea Levels: Trend of Sea Level Change 1993-2008

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

Warming water and melting land ice have raised global mean sea level 4.5 centimeters (1.7 inches) from 1993 to 2008. But the rise is by no means uniform. This image, created with sea surface height data from the Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1 satellites, shows exactly where sea level has changed during this time and how quickly these changes have occurred.

It's also a road map showing where the ocean currently stores the growing amount of heat it is absorbing from Earth's atmosphere and the heat it receives directly from the Sun. The warmer the water, the higher the sea surface rises. The location of heat in the ocean and its movement around the globe play a pivotal role in Earth's climate.

Light blue indicates areas in which sea level has remained relatively constant since 1993. White, red, and yellow are regions where sea levels have risen the most rapidly up to 10 millimeters per year and which contain the most heat. Green areas have also risen, but more moderately. Purple and dark blue show where sea levels have dropped, due to cooler water.

The dramatic variation in sea surface heights and heat content across the ocean are due to winds, currents and long-term changes in patterns of circulation. From 1993 to 2008, the largest area of rapidly rising sea levels and the greatest concentration of heat has been in the Pacific, which now shows the characteristics of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), a feature that can last 10 to 20 years or even longer.

In this 'cool' phase, the PDO appears as a horseshoe-shaped pattern of warm water in the Western Pacific reaching from the far north to the Southern Ocean enclosing a large wedge of cool water with low sea surface heights in the eastern Pacific. This ocean/climate phenomenon may be caused by wind-driven Rossby waves. Thousands of kilometers long, these waves move from east to west on either side of the equator changing the distribution of water mass and heat.

This image of sea level trend also reveals a significant area of rising sea levels in the North Atlantic where sea levels are usually low. This large pool of rapidly rising warm water is evidence of a major change in ocean circulation. It signals a slow down in the sub-polar gyre, a counter-clockwise system of currents that loop between Ireland, Greenland and Newfoundland.

Such a change could have an impact on climate since the sub-polar gyre may be connected in some way to the nearby global thermohaline circulation, commonly known as the global conveyor belt. This is the slow-moving circulation in which water sinks in the North Atlantic at different locations around the sub-polar gyre, spreads south, travels around the globe, and slowly up-wells to the surface before returning around the southern tip of Africa. Then it winds its way through the surface currents in the Atlantic and eventually comes back to the North Atlantic.

It is unclear if the weakening of the North Atlantic sub-polar gyre is part of a natural cycle or related to global warming.

This image was made possible by the detailed record of sea surface height measurements begun by Topex/Poseidon and continued by Jason-1. The recently launched Ocean Surface Topography Mission on the Jason-2 satellite (OSTM/Jason-2) will soon take over this responsibility from Jason-1. The older satellite will move alongside OSTM/Jason-2 and continue to measure sea surface height on an adjacent ground track for as long as it is in good health.

Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1 are joint missions of NASA and the French space agency, CNES. OSTM/Jason-2 is collaboration between NASA; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; CNES; and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. JPL manages the U.S. portion of the missions for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

Evaporation from bare ground with different water-table depths based on an in-situ experiment in Ordos Plateau, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zaiyong; Wang, Wenke; Wang, Zhoufeng; Chen, Li; Gong, Chengcheng

2018-03-01

The dynamic processes of ground evaporation are complex and are related to a multitude of factors such as meteorological influences, water-table depth, and materials in the unsaturated zone. To investigate ground evaporation from a homogeneous unsaturated zone, an in-situ experiment was conducted in Ordos Plateau of China. Two water-table depths were chosen to explore the water movement in the unsaturated zone and ground evaporation. Based on the experimental and calculated results, it was revealed that (1) bare ground evaporation is an atmospheric-limited stage for the case of water-table depth being close to the capillary height; (2) the bare ground evaporation is a water-storage-limited stage for the case of water-table depth being beyond the capillary height; (3) groundwater has little effect on ground-surface evaporation when the water depth is larger than the capillary height; and (4) ground evaporation is greater at nighttime than that during the daytime; and (5) a liquid-vapor interaction zone at nearly 20 cm depth is found, in which there exists a downward vapor flux on sunny days, leading to an increasing trend of soil moisture between 09:00 to 17:00; the maximum value is reached at midday. The results of this investigation are useful to further understand the dynamic processes of ground evaporation in arid areas.

Recovery of atmospheric refractivity profiles from simulated satellite-to-satellite tracking data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, C. W., Jr.; Rangaswamy, S.

1975-01-01

Techniques for recovering atmospheric refractivity profiles from simulated satellite-to-satellite tracking data are documented. Examples are given using the geometric configuration of the ATS-6/NIMBUS-6 Tracking Experiment. The underlying refractivity model for the lower atmosphere has the spherically symmetric form N = exp P(s) where P(s) is a polynomial in the normalized height s. For the simulation used, the Herglotz-Wiechert technique recovered values which were 0.4% and 40% different from the input values at the surface and at a height of 33 kilometers, respectively. Using the same input data, the model fitting technique recovered refractivity values 0.05% and 1% different from the input values at the surface and at a height of 50 kilometers, respectively. It is also shown that if ionospheric and water vapor effects can be properly modelled or effectively removed from the data, pressure and temperature distributions can be obtained.

Proton Transfer Dynamics at the Membrane/Water Interface: Dependence on the Fixed and Mobile pH Buffers, on the Size and Form of Membrane Particles, and on the Interfacial Potential Barrier

PubMed Central

Cherepanov, Dmitry A.; Junge, Wolfgang; Mulkidjanian, Armen Y.

2004-01-01

Crossing the membrane/water interface is an indispensable step in the transmembrane proton transfer. Elsewhere we have shown that the low dielectric permittivity of the surface water gives rise to a potential barrier for ions, so that the surface pH can deviate from that in the bulk water at steady operation of proton pumps. Here we addressed the retardation in the pulsed proton transfer across the interface as observed when light-triggered membrane proton pumps ejected or captured protons. By solving the system of diffusion equations we analyzed how the proton relaxation depends on the concentration of mobile pH buffers, on the surface buffer capacity, on the form and size of membrane particles, and on the height of the potential barrier. The fit of experimental data on proton relaxation in chromatophore vesicles from phototropic bacteria and in bacteriorhodopsin-containing membranes yielded estimates for the interfacial potential barrier for H+/OH− ions of ∼120 meV. We analyzed published data on the acceleration of proton equilibration by anionic pH buffers and found that the height of the interfacial barrier correlated with their electric charge ranging from 90 to 120 meV for the singly charged species to >360 meV for the tetra-charged pyranine. PMID:14747306

System for collecting products dumped on the surface of a mass of water

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

Carro, F.J.

1982-06-01

A system for collecting products dumped on the surface of a mass of water includes cages to be arranged at the sides of a tanker. Each cage is preferably prismatic in shape. The height of the cages is such that when the tanker is at ballast, the lower parts of the cages will be submerged while the upper parts will be above the maximum loading line of the tanker. The cages are fastened to the sides of the tanker by freely rotating connection points. In the interiors of the cages is housed a series of floating suction pump inlet membersmore » or housings, likewise prismatic in shape, having appropriate dimensions to permit a great sensitivity to the least fluctuating movements of the liquid surface. The complete face of each suction pump inlet member, which is oriented in the direction of travel of the tanker, is provided with an opening which has a height such that the lower edge thereof will be positioned below the floating line of the suction pumps at an approximate depth of 0.01 meter.« less

Synthesis, Surface Parameters, and Biodegradability of Water-soluble Surfactants for Various Applications.

PubMed

El-Sayed, Refat; Alotaibi, Hawazin H; Elhady, Heba A

2018-01-01

The synthesis of water-soluble heterocyclic compounds was verified on the basis of nonionic surfactants for use as surface-active agents. Surface characteristics such as surface and interfacial tensions, cloud point, wetting time, emulsion stability, foaming height and foaming stability were measured for these surface factors in aqueous solutions. In addition, the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surface pressure at CMC (π cmc ), the effectiveness of surface tension reduction (pC 20 ), the maximum surface concentration (Γ ma. ) and the minimum area/molecule at the aqueous solution/air interface (A min ) were calculated. Moreover, the biodegradability for these nonionic surfactants has been investigated. Furthermore, the antimicrobial evaluation has been evaluated with some surfactants that have demonstrated a potent cytotoxicity as antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer. These surfactants have a good water solubility, low toxicity, environmentally friendly environment, high foam, good emulsifier and easy production that will be used them in various fields such as medical drugs, insecticides, detergents, emulsifiers, cosmetics, inks clothing, leather industry and oil recovery.

Biological attenuation of arsenic and iron in a continuous flow bioreactor treating acid mine drainage (AMD).

PubMed

Fernandez-Rojo, L; Héry, M; Le Pape, P; Braungardt, C; Desoeuvre, A; Torres, E; Tardy, V; Resongles, E; Laroche, E; Delpoux, S; Joulian, C; Battaglia-Brunet, F; Boisson, J; Grapin, G; Morin, G; Casiot, C

2017-10-15

Passive water treatments based on biological attenuation can be effective for arsenic-rich acid mine drainage (AMD). However, the key factors driving the biological processes involved in this attenuation are not well-known. Here, the efficiency of arsenic (As) removal was investigated in a bench-scale continuous flow channel bioreactor treating As-rich AMD (∼30-40 mg L -1 ). In this bioreactor, As removal proceeds via the formation of biogenic precipitates consisting of iron- and arsenic-rich mineral phases encrusting a microbial biofilm. Ferrous iron (Fe(II)) oxidation and iron (Fe) and arsenic removal rates were monitored at two different water heights (4 and 25 mm) and with/without forced aeration. A maximum of 80% As removal was achieved within 500 min at the lowest water height. This operating condition promoted intense Fe(II) microbial oxidation and subsequent precipitation of As-bearing schwertmannite and amorphous ferric arsenate. Higher water height slowed down Fe(II) oxidation, Fe precipitation and As removal, in relation with limited oxygen transfer through the water column. The lower oxygen transfer at higher water height could be partly counteracted by aeration. The presence of an iridescent floating film that developed at the water surface was found to limit oxygen transfer to the water column and delayed Fe(II) oxidation, but did not affect As removal. The bacterial community structure in the biogenic precipitates in the bottom of the bioreactor differed from that of the inlet water and was influenced to some extent by water height and aeration. Although potential for microbial mediated As oxidation was revealed by the detection of aioA genes, removal of Fe and As was mainly attributable to microbial Fe oxidation activity. Increasing the proportion of dissolved As(V) in the inlet water improved As removal and favoured the formation of amorphous ferric arsenate over As-sorbed schwertmannite. This study proved the ability of this bioreactor-system to treat extreme As concentrations and may serve in the design of future in-situ bioremediation system able to treat As-rich AMD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of artificial rain on backscattered acoustic signal: first measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titchenko, Yuriy; Karaev, Vladimir; Meshkov, Evgeny; Goldblat, Vladimir

The problem of rain influencing on a characteristics of backscattered ultrasonic and microwave signal by water surface is considered. The rain influence on backscattering process of electromagnetic waves was investigated in laboratory and field experiments, for example [1-3]. Raindrops have a significant impact on backscattering of microwave and influence on wave spectrum measurement accuracy by string wave gauge. This occurs due to presence of raindrops in atmosphere and modification of the water surface. For measurements of water surface characteristics during precipitation we propose to use an acoustic system. This allows us obtaining of the water surface parameters independently on precipitation in atmosphere. The measurements of significant wave height of water surface using underwater acoustical systems are well known [4, 5]. Moreover, the variance of orbital velocity can be measure using these systems. However, these methods cannot be used for measurements of slope variance and the other second statistical moments of water surface that required for analyzing the radar backscatter signal. An original design Doppler underwater acoustic wave gauge allows directly measuring the surface roughness characteristics that affect on electromagnetic waves backscattering of the same wavelength [6]. Acoustic wave gauge is Doppler ultrasonic sonar which is fixed near the bottom on the floating disk. Measurements are carried out at vertically orientation of sonar antennas towards water surface. The first experiments were conducted with the first model of an acoustic wave gauge. The acoustic wave gauge (8 mm wavelength) is equipped with a transceiving antenna with a wide symmetrical antenna pattern. The gauge allows us to measure Doppler spectrum and cross section of backscattered signal. Variance of orbital velocity vertical component can be retrieved from Doppler spectrum with high accuracy. The result of laboratory and field experiments during artificial rain is presented. The estimates of roughness parameters variability during precipitation are obtained. The first measurements of rain influencing on cross section and Doppler spectrum of backscattered acoustic signal was carried out. The obtained results were compared with calculations based on the theoretical model. Acknowledgments. The reported study was supported by RFBR, research project No. 14-05-31517 mol_a. References 1. Bliven Larry, Branger Hubert, Sobieski Piotr, Giovanangeli Jean-Paul, An analysis of scatterometer returns from a water surface agitated by artificial rain : evidence that ring-waves are the mean feature, Intl. Jl. of Remote Sensing, Vol. 14, n 12, 1993, pp. 2315-2329, 1993 2. Sobieski Piotr, Craeye Christophe, Bliven Larry, A Relationship Between Rain Radar Reflectivity and Height Elevation Variance of Ringwaves due to the Impact of Rain on the Sea Surface, Radio Science, AGU, 44, RS3005, 1-20, 2009 3. Weissman, D. E., and M. A. Bourassa, Measurements of the Effect of Rain-induced Sea Surface Roughness on the Satellite Scatterometer Radar Cross Section, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 46, 2882-2894, 2008 4. B. Brumley, La Jolla, E.Terray, B.String, «System and method for measuring wave directional spectrum and wave height», USA Patent N US 2004/0184350 A1,23 September 2004 5. James H. Churchill, Albert J. Plueddemann, Stephen M. Faluotico, «Extracting Wind Sea and Swell from Directional Wave Spectra derived from a bottom-mounted ADCP», Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Technical Report WHOI-2006-13 6. V. Yu. Karaev, M. B. Kanevsky, E. M. Meshkov, Measuring the parameters of sea-surface roughness by underwater acoustic systems: discussion of the device concept, Radiophysics and Quantum Electronics, V. 53, I. 9-10. pp. 569-579, 2011

Visible and Thermal Imaging of Sea Ice and Open Water from Coast Guard Arctic Domain Awareness Flights

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

dropsondes, micro- aircraft), cloud top/base heights Arctic Ocean Surface Temperature project Steele Buoy drops for SLP , SST, SSS, & surface velocity...Colón & Vancas (NIC) Drop buoys for SLP , temperature and surface velocity Waves & Fetch in the MIZ Thompson SWIFTS buoys measuring wave energy...Expendable CTD, AXCP= Air Expendable Current Profiler, SLP = Sea Level atmospheric Pressure, SST= Seas Surface Temperature, A/C= aircraft, FSD= Floe Size Distribution, SIC=Sea Ice Concentration

Airborne electromagnetic detection of shallow seafloor topographic features, including resolution of multiple sub-parallel seafloor ridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrbancich, Julian; Boyd, Graham

2014-05-01

The HoistEM helicopter time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) system was flown over waters in Backstairs Passage, South Australia, in 2003 to test the bathymetric accuracy and hence the ability to resolve seafloor structure in shallow and deeper waters (extending to ~40 m depth) that contain interesting seafloor topography. The topography that forms a rock peak (South Page) in the form of a mini-seamount that barely rises above the water surface was accurately delineated along its ridge from the start of its base (where the seafloor is relatively flat) in ~30 m water depth to its peak at the water surface, after an empirical correction was applied to the data to account for imperfect system calibration, consistent with earlier studies using the same HoistEM system. A much smaller submerged feature (Threshold Bank) of ~9 m peak height located in waters of 35 to 40 m depth was also accurately delineated. These observations when checked against known water depths in these two regions showed that the airborne TEM system, following empirical data correction, was effectively operating correctly. The third and most important component of the survey was flown over the Yatala Shoals region that includes a series of sub-parallel seafloor ridges (resembling large sandwaves rising up to ~20 m from the seafloor) that branch out and gradually decrease in height as the ridges spread out across the seafloor. These sub-parallel ridges provide an interesting topography because the interpreted water depths obtained from 1D inversion of TEM data highlight the limitations of the EM footprint size in resolving both the separation between the ridges (which vary up to ~300 m) and the height of individual ridges (which vary up to ~20 m), and possibly also the limitations of assuming a 1D model in areas where the topography is quasi-2D/3D.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - La Nina Still a 'cool' Problem Child, March 23, 2000

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

These TOPEX/Poseidon data, collected over the latest 10-day sampling cycle, March 1 to 11, 2000, show the La Nina condition still exists. The image of sea surface heights reflects unusual patterns of heat storage in the ocean. Sea-surface height is shown relative to normal height (green). The cooler water (blue and purple) measures between 8 and 24 centimeters (3 and 9 inches) lower than normal. The giant horseshoe of warmer water (red and white) continues to dominate the western Pacific with higher than normal sea-surface heights between 8 and 24 centimeters (3 and 9 inches).

This view of the oceans from TOPEX/Poseidon is an input to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) seasonal forecasts. The impacts of current ocean conditions in the Pacific for spring in the U.S., according to Dr. Ants Leetmaa, director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, imply drier than normal conditions for much of the southern half of the U.S. Leetmaa says the conditions also indicate above-normal rainfall in the Pacific northwest, and a warmer than normal U.S., except for the west coast where spring conditions will be near normal.

Scientists continue to debate whether this image hints at the presence of a large, longer lasting climate pattern, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. This long-term pattern that covers most of the Pacific Ocean has significant implications for global climate, especially over North America.

The U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission is managed JPL for the NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Foliar water supply of tall trees: evidence for mucilage-facilitated moisture uptake from the atmosphere and the impact on pressure bomb measurements.

PubMed

Zimmermann, D; Westhoff, M; Zimmermann, G; Gessner, P; Gessner, A; Wegner, L H; Rokitta, M; Ache, P; Schneider, H; Vásquez, J A; Kruck, W; Shirley, S; Jakob, P; Hedrich, R; Bentrup, F-W; Bamberg, E; Zimmermann, U

2007-01-01

The water supply to leaves of 25 to 60 m tall trees (including high-salinity-tolerant ones) was studied. The filling status of the xylem vessels was determined by xylem sap extraction (using jet-discharge, gravity-discharge, and centrifugation) and by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of wood pieces. Simultaneously, pressure bomb experiments were performed along the entire trunk of the trees up to a height of 57 m. Clear-cut evidence was found that the balancing pressure (P(b)) values of leafy twigs were dictated by the ambient relative humidity rather than by height. Refilling of xylem vessels of apical leaves (branches) obviously mainly occurred via moisture uptake from the atmosphere. These findings could be traced back to the hydration and rehydration of mucilage layers on the leaf surfaces and/or of epistomatal mucilage plugs. Xylem vessels also contained mucilage. Mucilage formation was apparently enforced by water stress. The observed mucilage-based foliar water uptake and humidity dependency of the P(b) values are at variance with the cohesion-tension theory and with the hypothesis that P(b) measurements yield information about the relationships between xylem pressure gradients and height.

A Powerful Method of Measuring Sea Wave Spectra and their Direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blasi, Christoph; Mai, Stephan; Wilhelmi, Jens; Zenz, Theodor; Barjenbruch, Ulrich

2014-05-01

Besides the need of precise measurements of water levels of the sea, there is an increasing demand for assessing waves in height and direction for different purposes like sea-wave modelling and coastal engineering. The design of coastal structures such as piles, breakwaters, and offshore structures like wind farms must take account of the direction of the impacting waves. To date, records of wave directions are scarce. The reason for this might be the high costs of purchasing and operating such measuring devices. These are usually buoys, which require regular maintenance. Against this background, the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) developed a low-cost directional sea-wave monitoring system that is based on commercially available liquid-level radar sensors. These sensors have the advantage that they have no contact to the fluid, i.e. the corrosive sea water. The newly developed device was tested on two sites. One is the tide gauge 'Borkum Südstrand' that is located in the southern North Sea off the island of Borkum. The other one is the 'Research Platform FINO1' approximately 45 km north of the island of Borkum. The main focus of these tests is the comparison of the data measured by the radar-based system with those of a conventional Directional Wave Rider Buoy. The general conditions at the testing sites are good for the tests. At the tide gauge 'Borkum Südstrand' waves propagate in different directions, strongly influenced by the morphological conditions like shallow waters of the Wadden Seas and the coast of the island of Borkum. Whereas on the open sea, at the site FINO1, the full physical conditions of the sea state, like heavy storms etc. play an important role. To determine and measure the direction of waves, the device has to be able to assess the wave movements in two dimensions. Therefore, an array of several radar sensors is required. Radar sensors are widely used and well established in measuring water levels, e.g. in tanks and basins. They operate by emitting a chain of electromagnetic pulses at a frequency of 26 GHz twice per second and, in turn, detect the backscatter information from the water surface. As the travelling time of each pulse is proportional to the distance between water surface and sensor, the height of the water surface can be easily calculated. To obtain the directional information of the sea state, all four radar sensors in the array have to collect simultaneously the wave profiles at fixed points. The Wave Rider Buoy works in a completely different way. Here, the wave height is calculated by the double integration of the measured vertical acceleration. By correlating the three-dimensional motion data, which are gained from gravity-stabilized vertical and horizontal accelerometers, the directional wave spectrum can be derived. Data of both devices were collected and analysed. During the hurricane Xaver, extreme water levels and heavy sea hit the North Sea coast on 5 and 6 December 2013. The radar array at the testing site FINO1 measured wave heights in the order of 15.5 meters. Furthermore, it was possible to detect significant wave heights, the mean wave direction, and the spread of the sea state. For the first time the accuracy of the wave height distribution could be determined as well.

How books are wet by water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jungchul; Kim, Ho-Young

2013-11-01

It is well known that a sheet of paper, a hydrophilic porous medium, imbibes water via capillary action. The wicking on two-dimensional sheets has no preferred direction, in general. However, when water is spilled on a book, a number of pieces of paper fastened together on one side, we notice that corners are wet first compared to the rest of the area. This is because the wicking along the sharp corner experiences weaker resistance than that into pores within paper. We study a simple model of this wicking dynamics in the context of the surface-tension-driven vertical rise of a liquid along a corner of folded paper. We find that the liquid height at the corner follows a power law different from that at the corner formed by impermeable walls (A. Ponomarenko, D. Quere, and C. Clanet, J. Fluid Mech. 666, 146-154, 2011). The difference is caused by the fact that the Laplace pressure that drives the vertical rise is independent of the liquid height on permeable walls (paper) while it increases with height at the corner of impermeable walls. The experiments are shown to be consistent with our theory.

Climate and infectious disease: use of remote sensing for detection of Vibrio cholerae by indirect measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lobitz, B.; Beck, L.; Huq, A.; Wood, B.; Fuchs, G.; Faruque, A. S.; Colwell, R.

2000-01-01

It has long been known that cholera outbreaks can be initiated when Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, is present in drinking water in sufficient numbers to constitute an infective dose, if ingested by humans. Outbreaks associated with drinking or bathing in unpurified river or brackish water may directly or indirectly depend on such conditions as water temperature, nutrient concentration, and plankton production that may be favorable for growth and reproduction of the bacterium. Although these environmental parameters have routinely been measured by using water samples collected aboard research ships, the available data sets are sparse and infrequent. Furthermore, shipboard data acquisition is both expensive and time-consuming. Interpolation to regional scales can also be problematic. Although the bacterium, V. cholerae, cannot be sensed directly, remotely sensed data can be used to infer its presence. In the study reported here, satellite data were used to monitor the timing and spread of cholera. Public domain remote sensing data for the Bay of Bengal were compared directly with cholera case data collected in Bangladesh from 1992-1995. The remote sensing data included sea surface temperature and sea surface height. It was discovered that sea surface temperature shows an annual cycle similar to the cholera case data. Sea surface height may be an indicator of incursion of plankton-laden water inland, e.g., tidal rivers, because it was also found to be correlated with cholera outbreaks. The extensive studies accomplished during the past 25 years, confirming the hypothesis that V. cholerae is autochthonous to the aquatic environment and is a commensal of zooplankton, i.e., copepods, when combined with the findings of the satellite data analyses, provide strong evidence that cholera epidemics are climate-linked.

Rb + adsorption at the quartz(101)-aqueous interface: comparison of resonant anomalous x-ray reflectivity with ab initio calculations

DOE PAGES

Bellucci, Francesco; Lee, Sang Soo; Kubicki, James D.; ...

2015-01-29

We study adsorption of Rb + to the quartz(101)–aqueous interface at room temperature with specular X-ray reflectivity, resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity, and density functional theory. The interfacial water structures observed in deionized water and 10 mM RbCl solution at pH 9.8 were similar, having a first water layer at height of 1.7 ± 0.1 Å above the quartz surface and a second layer at 4.8 ± 0.1 Å and 3.9 ± 0.8 Å for the water and RbCl solutions, respectively. The adsorbed Rb + distribution is broad and consists of presumed inner-sphere (IS) and outer-sphere (OS) complexes at heights ofmore » 1.8 ± 0.1 and 6.4 ± 1.0 Å, respectively. Projector-augmented planewave density functional theory (DFT) calculations of potential configurations for neutral and negatively charged quartz(101) surfaces at pH 7 and 12, respectively, reveal a water structure in agreement with experimental results. These DFT calculations also show differences in adsorbed speciation of Rb + between these two conditions. At pH 7, the lowest energy structure shows that Rb + adsorbs dominantly as an IS complex, whereas at pH 12 IS and OS complexes have equivalent energies. The DFT results at pH 12 are generally consistent with the two site Rb distribution observed from the X-ray data at pH 9.8, albeit with some differences that are discussed. In conclusion, surface charge estimated on the basis of the measured total Rb + coverage was -0.11 C/m 2, in good agreement with the range of the surface charge magnitudes reported in the literature.« less

Numerical analysis of two and three dimensional buoyancy driven water-exit of a circular cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshari, Shahab; Nikseresht, Amir Hossein; Mehryar, Reza

2014-06-01

With the development of the technology of underwater moving bodies, the need for developing the knowledge of surface effect interaction of free surface and underwater moving bodies is increased. Hence, the two-phase flow is a subject which is interesting for many researchers all around the world. In this paper, the non-linear free surface deformations which occur during the water-exit of a circular cylinder due to its buoyancy are solved using finite volume discretization based code, and using Volume of Fluid (VOF) scheme for solving two phase flow. Dynamic mesh model is used to simulate dynamic motion of the cylinder. In addition, the effect of cylinder mass in presence of an external force is studied. Moreover, the oblique exit and entry of a circular cylinder with two exit angles is simulated. At last, water-exit of a circular cylinder in six degrees of freedom is simulated in 3D using parallel processing. The simulation errors of present work (using VOF method) for maximum velocity and height of a circular cylinder are less than the corresponding errors of level set method reported by previous researchers. Oblique exit shows interesting results; formation of waves caused by exit of the cylinder, wave motion in horizontal direction and the air trapped between the waves are observable. In 3D simulation the visualization of water motion on the top surface of the cylinder and the free surface breaking on the front and back faces of the 3D cylinder at the exit phase are observed which cannot be seen in 2D simulation. Comparing the results, 3D simulation shows better agreement with experimental data, specially in the maximum height position of the cylinder.

Spectra of Baroclinic Inertia-Gravity Wave Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazman, Roman E.

1996-01-01

Baroclinic inertia-gravity (IG) waves form a persistent background of thermocline depth and sea surface height oscillations. They also contribute to the kinetic energy of horizontal motions in the subsurface layer. Measured by the ratio of water particle velocity to wave phase speed, the wave nonlinearity may be rather high. Given a continuous supply of energy from external sources, nonlinear wave-wave interactions among IG waves would result in inertial cascades of energy, momentum, and wave action. Based on a recently developed theory of wave turbulence in scale-dependent systems, these cascades are investigated and IG wave spectra are derived for an arbitrary degree of wave nonlinearity. Comparisons with satellite-altimetry-based spectra of surface height variations and with energy spectra of horizontal velocity fluctuations show good agreement. The well-known spectral peak at the inertial frequency is thus explained as a result of the inverse cascade. Finally, we discuss a possibility of inferring the internal Rossby radius of deformation and other dynamical properties of the upper thermocline from the spectra of SSH (sea surface height) variations based on altimeter measurements.

Single-molecule height measurements on microsomal cytochrome P450 in nanometer-scale phospholipid bilayer disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayburt, Timothy H.; Sligar, Stephen G.

2002-05-01

The architecture of membrane proteins in their native environment of the phospholipid bilayer is critical for understanding physiological function, but has been difficult to realize experimentally. In this communication we describe the incorporation of a membrane-anchored protein into a supported phospholipid bilayer. Cytochrome P450 2B4 solubilized and purified from the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum was incorporated into phospholipid bilayer nanostructures and oriented on a surface for visualization by atomic force microscopy. Individual P450 molecules were observed protruding from the bilayer surface. Problems associated with deformation of the protein by the atomic force microscopy probe were avoided by analyzing force-dependent height measurements to quantitate the height of the protein above the bilayer surface. Measurements of the atomic force microscopy cantilever deflection as a function of probe-sample separation reveal that the top of the P450 opposite the N-terminal membrane anchor region sits 3.5 nanometers above the phospholipid-water boundary. Models of the orientation of the enzyme are presented and discussed in relation to membrane interactions and interaction with cytochrome P450 reductase.

75 FR 19632 - San Diego County Water Authority; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-15

... about each of these alternatives are described below. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if... being raised to a dam height of 337 feet, and a length of 1,442 feet; and (2) an existing impoundment... 247,000 acre-feet with a normal maximum water surface elevation of 767 feet above mean sea level (msl...

Estimation of bare soil evaporation for different depths of water table in the wind-blown sand area of the Ordos Basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Li; Wang, Wenke; Zhang, Zaiyong; Wang, Zhoufeng; Wang, Qiangmin; Zhao, Ming; Gong, Chengcheng

2018-04-01

Soil surface evaporation is a significant component of the hydrological cycle, occurring at the interface between the atmosphere and vadose zone, but it is affected by factors such as groundwater level, soil properties, solar radiation and others. In order to understand the soil evaporation characteristics in arid regions, a field experiment was conducted in the Ordos Basin, central China, and high accuracy sensors of soil moisture, moisture potential and temperature were installed in three field soil profiles with water-table depths (WTDs) of about 0.4, 1.4 and 2.2 m. Soil-surface-evaporation values were estimated by observed data combined with Darcy's law. Results showed that: (1) soil-surface-evaporation rate is linked to moisture content and it is also affected by air temperature. When there is sufficient moisture in the soil profile, soil evaporation increases with rising air temperature. For a WTD larger than the height of capillary rise, the soil evaporation is related to soil moisture content, and when air temperature is above 25 °C, the soil moisture content reduces quickly and the evaporation rate lowers; (2) phreatic water contributes to soil surface evaporation under conditions in which the WTD is within the capillary fringe. This indicates that phreatic water would not participate in soil evaporation for a WTD larger than the height of capillary rise. This finding developed further the understanding of phreatic evaporation, and this study provides valuable information on recognized soil evaporation processes in the arid environment.

Canopy-wake dynamics: the failure of the constant flux layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefan, H. G.; Markfort, C. D.; Porte-Agel, F.

2013-12-01

The atmospheric boundary layer adjustment at the abrupt transition from a canopy (forest) to a flat surface (land or water) was investigated in a wind tunnel experiment. Detailed measurements examining the effect of canopy turbulence on flow separation, reduced surface shear stress and wake recovery are compared to data for the classical case of a solid backward-facing step. Results provide new insights into the data interpretation for flux estimation by eddy-covariance and flux gradient methods and for the assessment of surface boundary conditions in turbulence models of the atmospheric boundary layer in complex landscapes and over water bodies affected by canopy wakes. The wind tunnel results indicate that the wake of a forest canopy strongly affects surface momentum flux within a distance of 35 - 100 times the step or canopy height, and mean turbulence quantities require distances of at least 100 times the canopy height to adjust to the new surface. The near-surface mixing length in the wake exhibits characteristic length scales of canopy flows at the canopy edge, of the flow separation in the near wake and adjusts to surface layer scaling in the far wake. Components of the momentum budget are examined individually to determine the impact of the wake. The results demonstrate why a constant flux layer does not form until far downwind in the wake. An empirical model for surface shear stress distribution from a forest to a clearing or lake is proposed.

Detecting changes in the spatial distribution of nitrate contamination in ground water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liu, Z.-J.; Hallberg, G.R.; Zimmerman, D.L.; Libra, R.D.

1997-01-01

Many studies of ground water pollution in general and nitrate contamination in particular have often relied on a one-time investigation, tracking of individual wells, or aggregate summaries. Studies of changes in spatial distribution of contaminants over time are lacking. This paper presents a method to compare spatial distributions for possible changes over time. The large-scale spatial distribution at a given time can be considered as a surface over the area (a trend surface). The changes in spatial distribution from period to period can be revealed by the differences in the shape and/or height of surfaces. If such a surface is described by a polynomial function, changes in surfaces can be detected by testing statistically for differences in their corresponding polynomial functions. This method was applied to nitrate concentration in a population of wells in an agricultural drainage basin in Iowa, sampled in three different years. For the period of 1981-1992, the large-scale spatial distribution of nitrate concentration did not show significant change in the shape of spatial surfaces; while the magnitude of nitrate concentration in the basin, or height of the computed surfaces showed significant fluctuations. The change in magnitude of nitrate concentration is closely related to climatic variations, especially in precipitation. The lack of change in the shape of spatial surfaces means that either the influence of land use/nitrogen management was overshadowed by climatic influence, or the changes in land use/management occurred in a random fashion.

Assessing genetic structure, diversity of bacterial aerosol from aeration system in an oxidation ditch wastewater treatment plant by culture methods and bio-molecular tools.

PubMed

Li, Lin; Han, Yunping; Liu, Junxin

2013-01-01

Airborne bacteria emissions from oxidation ditch with rotating aeration brushes were investigated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China. Microbial samples were collected at different distances from the rotating brushes, different heights above the water surface, and different operation state over a 3-month period (April, May, and June) in order to estimate the seasonal variation and site-related distribution characteristics of the microorganisms present. The concentration of bacterial aerosol was analyzed by culture methods, while their dominant species, genetic structure and diversity were assayed using bio-molecular tools. Results showed that total microbial concentrations were highest in June and lowest in April. The mechanical rotation caused remarkable variation in concentration and diversity of culturable airborne bacteria before and after the rotating brushes. The highest concentration was observed near the rotating brushes (931 ± 129-3,952 ± 730 CFU/m(3)), with concentration decreasing as distance and height increased. Bacterial community polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis indicated that diversity decreased gradually with increasing height above the water surface but remained relatively constant at the same height. All dominant bacteria identified by DNA sequence analysis belonged to Firmicutes. Pathogenic species such as Moraxella nonliquefaciens and Flavobacterium odoratum were isolated from the bioaerosols. Due to the serious health risks involved, exposure of sewage workers to airborne microorganisms caused by brush aerators should be monitored and controlled.

Airborne detection of oceanic turbidity cell structure using depth-resolved laser-induced water Raman backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1983-01-01

Airborne laser-induced, depth-resolved water Raman backscatter is useful in the detection and mapping of water optical transmission variations. This test, together with other field experiments, has identified the need for additional field experiments to resolve the degree of the contribution to the depth-resolved, Raman-backscattered signal waveform that is due to (1) sea surface height or elevation probability density; (2) off-nadir laser beam angle relative to the mean sea surface; and (3) the Gelbstoff fluorescence background, and the analytical techniques required to remove it. When converted to along-track profiles, the waveforms obtained reveal cells of a decreased Raman backscatter superimposed on an overall trend of monotonically decreasing water column optical transmission.

Earth's Constant Mean Elevation: Implication for Long-Term Sea Level and Controlled by Ocean Lithosphere Dynamics in a Pitman World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowley, David

2017-04-01

On a spherical Earth, the mean elevation ( -2440m) would be everywhere at a mean Earth radius from the center. This directly links an elevation at the surface to physical dimensions of the Earth, including surface area and volume that are at most very slowly evolving components of the Earth system. Earth's mean elevation thus provides a framework within which to consider changes in heights of Earth's solid surface as a function of time. In this paper the focus will be on long-term, non-glacially controlled sea level. Long-term sea level has long been argued to be largely controlled by changes in ocean basin volume related to changes in area-age distribution of oceanic lithosphere. As generally modeled by Pitman (1978) and subsequent workers, the age-depth relationship of oceanic lithosphere, including both the ridge depth and coefficients describing the age-depth relationship are assumed constant. This paper examines the consequences of adhering to these assumptions when placed within the larger framework of maintaining a constant mean radius of the Earth. Self-consistent estimates of long-term sea level height and changes in mean depth of the oceanic crust are derived from the assumption that the mean elevation and corresponding mean radius are unchanging aspects of Earth's shorter-term evolution. Within this context, changes in mean depth of the oceanic crust, corresponding with changes in mean age of the oceanic lithosphere, acting over the area of the oceanic crust represent a volume change that is required to be balanced by a compensating equal but opposite volume change under the area of the continental crust. Models of paleo-cumulative hypsometry derived from a starting glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA)-corrected ice-free hypsometry that conserve mean elevation provide a basis for understanding how these compensating changes impact global hypsometry and particularly estimates of global mean shoreline height. Paleo-shoreline height and areal extent of flooding can be defined as the height and corresponding cumulative area of the solid surface of the Earth at which the integral of area as a function of elevation, from the maximum depth upwards, equals the volume of ocean water filling it with respect to cumulative paleo-hypsometry. Present height of the paleo-shoreline is the height on the GIA-corrected cumulative hypsometry at an area equal to the areal extent of flooding. Paleogeographic estimates of global extent of ocean flooding from the Middle Jurassic to end Eocene, when combined with conservation of mean elevation and ocean water volume allow an explicit estimate of the paleo-height and present height of the paleo-shoreline. The best-fitting estimate of present height of the paleo-shoreline, equivalent to a long-term "eustatic" sea level curve, implies very modest (25±22m) changes in long-term sea level above the ice-free sea level height of +40m. These, in turn, imply quite limited changes in mean depth of the oceanic crust (15±11m), and mean age of the oceanic lithosphere ( 62.1±2.4 my) since the Middle Jurassic.

El Ni?o Pumping Up, Warm Kelvin Wave Surges Toward South America

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-11-12

ElNi?o is experiencing a late-fall resurgence. Sea-level height data from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite show the equatorial Pacific has triggered a wave of warm water, known as a Kelvin wave.

El Niño Surges; Warm Kelvin Wave Headed for South America

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-17

The most recent sea-level height data from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite show the continued eastward progression of a strong wave of warm water, known as a Kelvin wave, now approaching South America.

The response of the SSM/I to the marine environment. I - An analytic model for the atmospheric component of observed brightness temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petty, Grant W.; Katsaros, Kristina B.

1992-01-01

A detailed parameterization is developed for the contribution of the nonprecipitating atmosphere to the microwave brightness temperatures observed by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). The atmospheric variables considered include the viewing angle, the integrated water vapor amount and scale height, the effective tropospheric lapse rate and near-surface temperature, the total cloud liquid water, the effective cloud height, and the surface pressure. The dependence of the radiative variables on meteorological variables is determined for each of the SSM/I frequencies 19.35, 22.235, 37.0, and 85.5 GHz, based on the values computed from 16,893 maritime temperature and humidity profiles representing all latitude belts and all seasons. A comparison of the predicted brightness temperatures with brightness temperatures obtained by direct numerical integration of the radiative transfer equation for the radiosonde-profile dataset yielded rms differences well below 1 K for all four SSM/I frequencies.

Replication of cicada wing's nano-patterns by hot embossing and UV nanoimprinting.

PubMed

Hong, Sung-Hoon; Hwang, Jaeyeon; Lee, Heon

2009-09-23

The hydrophobicity of the cicada wing originates from its naturally occurring, surface nano-structure. The nano-structure of the cicada wing consists of an array of nano-sized pillars, 100 nm in diameter and 300 nm in height. In this study, the nano-structure of the cicada wing was successfully duplicated by using hot embossing lithography and UV nanoimprint lithography (NIL). The diameter and pitch of replication were the same as those of the original cicada wing and the height was a little smaller than that of the original master. The transmittance of the hot embossed PVC film was increased by 2-6% compared with that of the bare PVC film. The hydrophobicity was measured by water contact angle measurements. The water contact angle of the replica, made of UV cured polymer, was 132 degrees +/- 2 degrees , which was slightly lower than that of the original cicada wing (138 degrees +/- 2 degrees ), but much higher than that of the UV cured polymer surface without any nano-sized pillars (86 degrees ).

Defining the Habitat of Pacific Tuna of the Eastern Tropical Pacific from Satellite Imagery, Climatologies, and a Global Circulation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiefer, D. A.; Hinton, M. G.; Armstrong, E. M.; Harrison, D. P.; Menemenlis, D.; Hu, C.

2016-02-01

With support from NASA's Ecological Forecasting program, we have developed a Tuna Stock Assessment Support System, which merges time series of satellite imagery, a global ocean circulation model, climatology from field surveys, and fisheries data on catch and effort. The purpose of this software is to extract information on the habitat of skipjack, bigeye, and yellowfin tuna in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The support system is based upon a 50-year record of catch and effort from long-line and purse seine vessels provide by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. This database, which covers thousands of kilometers of ocean surface, provides monthly information at a 1 degree spatial resolution for the purse seine fleet and 5 degree resolution for the long line fishery. This data is then merged in time and space with satellite imagery of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, and height, as well as NODC climatologies of oxygen concentration and temperature, and output from NASA's ECCO-2 global circulation model, which provides 3-dimensional simulations of water density, current velocity, mixed layer depth, and sea surface height. Our analyses have yielded a broad range of understanding of the habitat and dynamics both the fish and the fisherman. The purse seine ground, which targets younger tuna, is constrained to waters where the hypoxic layer is shallow. The longline fishery, which targets older tuna, is not constrained by the hypoxic layer and has a much larger distribution. We have characterized the preferences of each species to environmental variables including the depth of the hypoxic layer, the depth of the water column, as well as sea surface height, temperature, and chlorophyll concentration. Finally, the analyses have revealed information on local depletion by fishing, the size distribution of the schools of younger fish, and the impact of ENSO on fishing activities.

Hydrology, secondary growth, and elevation accuracy in two preliminary Amazon Basin SRTM DEMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsdorf, D.; Hess, L.; Sheng, Y.; Souza, C.; Pavelsky, T.; Melack, J.; Dunne, T.; Hendricks, G.; Ballantine, A.; Holmes, K.

2003-04-01

Two preliminary Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation models (SRTM DEMs) of Manaus (1S to 5S and 59W to 63W) and Rondonia (9S to 12S and 61W to 64W) were received from the "PI Processor" at NASA JPL. We compared the Manaus DEM (C-band) with a previously constructed Cabaliana floodplain classification based on Global RainForest Mapping (GRFM) JERS-1 SAR data (L-band) and determined that habitats of open water, bare ground, and flooded shrub contained the lowest elevations; macrophyte and non-flooded shrub habitats are marked by intermediate elevations; and the highest elevations are found within flooded and non-flooded forest. Although the water surface typically produces specular reflections, double-bounce travel paths result from dead, leafless trees found across the Balbina reservoir near Manaus. There (i.e., in Balbina) the water surface is marked by pixel-to-pixel height changes of generally 0 to 1 m and changes across a ˜100 km transect rarely exceed 3 m. Reported SRTM errors throughout the transect range from 1 to 2 m with some errors up to 5 m. The smooth Balbina surface contrasts with the wind-roughened Amazon River surface where SRTM height variations easily range from 1 to 10 m (reported errors often exceed 5 m). Deforestation and subsequent regrowth in the Rondonia DEM is remarkably clear. Our colleagues used a 20 year sequence of Landsat TM/MSS classified imagery to delineate areas in various stages of secondary growth and we find a general trend of increasing vegetation height with increasing age. Flow path networks derived from the Cabaliana floodplain DEM are in general agreement with networks previously extracted from the GRFM mosaics; however, watershed boundaries differ. We have also developed an algorithm for extracting channel widths, which is presently being applied to the DEM and classified imagery to determine morphological variations between reaches.

Seasonal and intraseasonal variations in evaporation and surface energy budget from eddy covariance measurements over an open water surface in Mississippi, U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H.; Zhang, Y.; Williams, Q. L.; Jiang, H.; Sheng, L.

2008-12-01

Understanding seasonal and intraseasonal variations in evaporation over lake/reservoir is important for water resource management as well as predicting variations in hydrology as a result of climate change. Since August of 2007, we have conducted a long-term eddy covariance measurement of evaporation and the surface energy budget over Ross Barnett Reservoir (32o26'N, 90o02'W) in Mississippi, USA. The fetch for eddy covariance system exceeds 2 km in all directions and the water depth is about 4 m around the flux tower. The tower with its height of 4 m stands over a stationary wood platform with its size of 3 m × 3 m and height of about 1 m above the water surface. Along with sensible and latent heat fluxes, microclimate data are also measured, including wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, solar radiation, net radiation, air temperature at four levels, water surface temperature, and water temperature at eight depths down to about 4 m. Mississippi is subject to frequent influences of different synoptic weather systems in a year around. Incursions of these different systems bring in air masses with different properties in temperature and moisture. Cold fronts, for example, carry them with cold and dry air from north while warm fronts with warm and moist air. Our results indicate that synoptic weather variations play an important role in controlling evaporations and the surface energy budget. For example, daily H and LE (i.e., evaporation) during the passages of cold fronts are around 2-4 times those of normal days and these cold front events lead to an increase in the seasonal H by approximately 420 and LE by 160%. However, the warm weather systems suppress largely the turbulent exchanges of sensible and latent heat, leading to very small evaporation and sensible heat fluxes (even negative). These results imply that future potential changes in cold front activities (intensity, frequency, and duration) as a result of climate change may lead to substantial shifts in regional energy budget and hydrological balance in the southern regions with an abundance of open water bodies (e.g., lakes, reservoirs, swamps etc). Using these datasets, the daytime and nighttime evaporation rates are also analyzed and nighttime evaporative water losses are substantial, contributing a significant portion to the total evaporative water loss.

Airborne Sea-Surface Topography in an Absolute Reference Frame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozena, J. M.; Childers, V. A.; Jacobs, G.; Blaha, J.

2003-12-01

Highly dynamic coastal ocean processes occur at temporal and spatial scales that cannot be captured by the present generation of satellite altimeters. Space-borne gravity missions such as GRACE also provide time-varying gravity and a geoidal msl reference surface at resolution that is too coarse for many coastal applications. The Naval Research Laboratory and the Naval Oceanographic Office have been testing the application of airborne measurement techniques, gravity and altimetry, to determine sea-surface height and height anomaly at the short scales required for littoral regions. We have developed a precise local gravimetric geoid over a test region in the northern Gulf of Mexico from historical gravity data and recent airborne gravity surveys. The local geoid provides a msl reference surface with a resolution of about 10-15 km and provides a means to connect airborne, satellite and tide-gage observations in an absolute (WGS-84) framework. A series of altimetry reflights over the region with time scales of 1 day to 1 year reveal a highly dynamic environment with coherent and rapidly varying sea-surface height anomalies. AXBT data collected at the same time show apparent correlation with wave-like temperature anomalies propagating up the continental slope of the Desoto Canyon. We present animations of the temporal evolution of the surface topography and water column temperature structure down to the 800 m depth of the AXBT sensors.

The effects of cloud inhomogeneities upon radiative fluxes, and the supply of a cloud truth validation dataset

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welch, Ronald M.

1993-01-01

A series of cloud and sea ice retrieval algorithms are being developed in support of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Science Team objectives. These retrievals include the following: cloud fractional area, cloud optical thickness, cloud phase (water or ice), cloud particle effective radius, cloud top heights, cloud base height, cloud top temperature, cloud emissivity, cloud 3-D structure, cloud field scales of organization, sea ice fractional area, sea ice temperature, sea ice albedo, and sea surface temperature. Due to the problems of accurately retrieving cloud properties over bright surfaces, an advanced cloud classification method was developed which is based upon spectral and textural features and artificial intelligence classifiers.

Spatial Structure of a Braided River: Metric Resolution Hydrodynamic Modeling Reveals What SWOT Might See

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, J.; Sanders, B. F.; Andreadis, K.

2013-12-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, currently under study by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), is designed to provide global spatial measurements of surface water properties at resolutions better than 10 m and with centimetric accuracy. The data produced by SWOT will include irregularly spaced point clouds of the water surface height, with point spacings from roughly 2-50 m depending on a point's location within SWOT's swath. This could offer unprecedented insight into the spatial structure of rivers. Features that may be resolved include backwater profiles behind dams, drawdown profiles, uniform flow sections, critical flow sections, and even riffle-pool flow structures. In the event that SWOT scans a river during a major flood, it becomes possible to delineate the limits of the flood as well as the spatial structure of the water surface elevation, yielding insight into the dynamic interaction of channels and flood plains. The Platte River in Nebraska, USA, is a braided river with a width and slope of approximately 100 m and 100 cm/km, respectively. A 1 m resolution Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the river basin, based on airborne lidar collected during low-flow conditions, was used to parameterize a two-dimensional, variable resolution, unstructured grid, hydrodynamic model that uses 3 m resolution triangles in low flow channels and 10 m resolution triangles in the floodplain. Use of a fine resolution mesh guarantees that local variability in topography is resolved, and after applying the hydrodynamic model, the effects of topographic variability are expressed as variability in the water surface height, depth-averaged velocity and flow depth. Flow is modeled over a reach length of 10 km for multi-day durations to capture both frequent (diurnal variations associated with regulated flow) and infrequent (extreme flooding) flow phenomena. Model outputs reveal a number of interesting features, including a high degree of variability in the water depth and velocity and lesser variability in the free-surface profile and river discharge. Hydraulic control sections are also revealed, and shown to depend on flow stage. Reach-averaging of model output is applied to study the macro-scale balance of forces in this system, and the scales at which such a force balance is appropriate. We find that the reach-average slope exhibits a declining reach-length dependence with increasing reach length, up to reach lengths of 1 km. Hence, 1 km appears to be the minimum appropriate length for reach-averaging, and at this scale, a diffusive-wave momentum balance is a reasonable approximation suitable for emerging models of discharge estimation that rely only on SWOT-observable river properties (width, height, slope, etc.).

A system for calibrating seepage meters used to measure flow between ground water and surface water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenberry, Donald O.; Menheer, Michael A.

2006-01-01

The in-line flowmeter used with this system is incapable of measuring seepage rates below about 7 centimeters per day. Smaller seepage rates can be measured manually. The seepage- control system also can be modified for measuring slower seepage rates with the use of two flowmeters and a slightly different water-routing system, or a fluid-metering pump can be used to control flow through the flux tank instead of an adjustable-height reservoir.

Monitoring Lakes in Africa with Altimetry and GRACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carabajal, C. C.; Boy, J. P.

2017-12-01

Thanks to more than two decades of radar altimetry measurements from TOPEX/POSEIDON, Jason 1, 2 and 3, ENVISAT and others, 18 Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) laser altimeter measurement campaigns over 6 years, and 15 years of Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations, water levels changes of major lakes and reservoirs can be remotely measured regularly with unprecedented precision, facilitating monitoring of continental water storage variations. Smaller footprint laser altimeters like ICESat are more suitable for the retrieval of water level variations of small inland water bodies, better discriminating water returns when water height measurements have the potential to be contaminated by land or vegetation. Using imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) contemporaneous with the altimetry data collections, in combination with careful examination of the laser waveforms, one can better isolate returns form the water surface. Combining these altimetry observations, we derive and compare water height estimates for several lakes and reservoirs in Africa from radar and laser altimetry measurements, we estimate the surface extent of each individual water body from available MODIS imagery, and derive corresponding estimates of volume variations for each water body. Mass variations from time-variable gravity measurements from the GRACE mission, using the latest one-degree global iterated mascons solution from GSFC are then transformed into volume changes, assuming a constant density, and compared to altimetry plus imagery estimates. These methods demonstrate the power of combined observations to monitor water resources and facilitate their management. Upcoming laser altimetry missions like ICESat-2, with vastly improved coverage and temporal sampling, continuous observations, better measurements techniques, including inland water products specifically formulated for these applications, when combined with SWOT, and GRACE-follow on mission data, will help address the need for continuous monitoring of continental water storage variations from space measurements.

Contents of the JPL Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) archive, version 2-91

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Elizabeth A. (Editor); Lassanyi, Ruby A. (Editor)

1991-01-01

The Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) archive at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) includes satellite data sets for the ocean sciences and global change research to facilitate multidisciplinary use of satellite ocean data. Parameters include sea surface height, surface wind vector, sea surface temperature, atmospheric liquid water, and surface pigment concentration. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory DAAC is an element of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) and will be the United States distribution site for the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON data and metadata.

A theoretical approach to the relationship between wettability and surface microstructures of epidermal cells and structured cuticles of flower petals

PubMed Central

Taneda, Haruhiko; Watanabe-Taneda, Ayako; Chhetry, Rita; Ikeda, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

Background and Aims The epidermal surface of a flower petal is composed of convex cells covered with a structured cuticle, and the roughness of the surface is related to the wettability of the petal. If the surface remains wet for an excessive amount of time the attractiveness of the petal to floral visitors may be impaired, and adhesion of pathogens may be promoted. However, it remains unclear how the epidermal cells and structured cuticle contribute to surface wettability of a petal. Methods By considering the additive effects of the epidermal cells and structured cuticle on petal wettability, a thermodynamic model was developed to predict the wetting mode and contact angle of a water droplet at a minimum free energy. Quantitative relationships between petal wettability and the geometries of the epidermal cells and the structured cuticle were then estimated. Measurements of contact angles and anatomical traits of petals were made on seven herbaceous species commonly found in alpine habitats in eastern Nepal, and the measured wettability values were compared with those predicted by the model using the measured geometries of the epidermal cells and structured cuticles. Key Results The model indicated that surface wettability depends on the height and interval between cuticular steps, and on a height-to-width ratio for epidermal cells if a thick hydrophobic cuticle layer covers the surface. For a petal epidermis consisting of lenticular cells, a repellent surface results when the cuticular step height is greater than 0·85 µm and the height-to-width ratio of the epidermal cells is greater than 0·3. For an epidermis consisting of papillate cells, a height-to-width ratio of greater than 1·1 produces a repellent surface. In contrast, if the surface is covered with a thin cuticle layer, the petal is highly wettable (hydrophilic) irrespective of the roughness of the surface. These predictions were supported by the measurements of petal wettability made on flowers of alpine species. Conclusions The results indicate that surface roughness caused by epidermal cells and a structured cuticle produces a wide range of petal wettability, and that this can be successfully modelled using a thermodynamic approach. PMID:25851137

Hurricane Directional Wave Spectrum Spatial Variation in the Open Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, C. W.; Walsh, E. J.; Vandemark, D.; Krabill, W. B.; Garcia, A. W.

1999-01-01

The sea surface directional wave spectrum was measured for the first time in all quadrants of a hurricane in open water using the NASA airborne scanning radar altimeter (SRA) carried aboard one of the NOAA WP-3D hurricane hunter aircraft at 1.5 km height. The SRA measures the energetic portion of the directional wave spectrum by generating a topographic map of the sea surface. At 8 Hz, the SRA sweeps a radar beam of 1 deg half-power width (two-way) across the aircraft ground track over a swath equal to 0. 8 of the aircraft height, simultaneously measuring the backscattered power at its 36 GHz (8.3 mm) operating frequency and the range to the sea surface at 64 positions. These slant ranges are multiplied by the cosine of the incidence angles to determine the vertical distances from the aircraft to the sea surface. Subtracting these distances from the aircraft height produces the sea surface elevation map. The sea surface topography is interpolated to a uniform grid, transformed by a two-dimensional FFT, and Doppler corrected. The data presented were acquired on 24 August 1998 when hurricane Bonnie was east of the Bahamas and moving slowly to the north. Wave heights up to 18 m were observed and the spatial variation of the wave field was dramatic. The dominant waves generally propagated at significant angles to the downwind direction and at times there were wave fields traveling at right angles to each other. The NOAA aircraft spent over five hours within 180 km of the hurricane Bonnie eye, and made five eye penetrations. A 2-minute animation of the directional wave spectrum spatial variation over this period will be shown.

Mechanics of jumping on water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ho-Young; Amauger, Juliette; Jeong, Han-Bi; Lee, Duck-Gyu; Yang, Eunjin; Jablonski, Piotr G.

2017-10-01

Some species of semiaquatic arthropods including water striders and springtails can jump from the water surface to avoid sudden dangers like predator attacks. It was reported recently that the jump of medium-sized water striders is a result of surface-tension-dominated interaction of thin cylindrical legs and water, with the leg movement speed nearly optimized to achieve the maximum takeoff velocity. Here we describe the mathematical theories to analyze this exquisite feat of nature by combining the review of existing models for floating and jumping and the introduction of the hitherto neglected capillary forces at the cylinder tips. The theoretically predicted dependence of body height on time is shown to match the observations of the jumps of the water striders and springtails regardless of the length of locomotory appendages. The theoretical framework can be used to understand the design principle of small jumping animals living on water and to develop biomimetic locomotion technology in semiaquatic environments.

High-Throughput Phenotyping of Plant Height: Comparing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Ground LiDAR Estimates.

PubMed

Madec, Simon; Baret, Fred; de Solan, Benoît; Thomas, Samuel; Dutartre, Dan; Jezequel, Stéphane; Hemmerlé, Matthieu; Colombeau, Gallian; Comar, Alexis

2017-01-01

The capacity of LiDAR and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to provide plant height estimates as a high-throughput plant phenotyping trait was explored. An experiment over wheat genotypes conducted under well watered and water stress modalities was conducted. Frequent LiDAR measurements were performed along the growth cycle using a phénomobile unmanned ground vehicle. UAV equipped with a high resolution RGB camera was flying the experiment several times to retrieve the digital surface model from structure from motion techniques. Both techniques provide a 3D dense point cloud from which the plant height can be estimated. Plant height first defined as the z -value for which 99.5% of the points of the dense cloud are below. This provides good consistency with manual measurements of plant height (RMSE = 3.5 cm) while minimizing the variability along each microplot. Results show that LiDAR and structure from motion plant height values are always consistent. However, a slight under-estimation is observed for structure from motion techniques, in relation with the coarser spatial resolution of UAV imagery and the limited penetration capacity of structure from motion as compared to LiDAR. Very high heritability values ( H 2 > 0.90) were found for both techniques when lodging was not present. The dynamics of plant height shows that it carries pertinent information regarding the period and magnitude of the plant stress. Further, the date when the maximum plant height is reached was found to be very heritable ( H 2 > 0.88) and a good proxy of the flowering stage. Finally, the capacity of plant height as a proxy for total above ground biomass and yield is discussed.

High-Throughput Phenotyping of Plant Height: Comparing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Ground LiDAR Estimates

PubMed Central

Madec, Simon; Baret, Fred; de Solan, Benoît; Thomas, Samuel; Dutartre, Dan; Jezequel, Stéphane; Hemmerlé, Matthieu; Colombeau, Gallian; Comar, Alexis

2017-01-01

The capacity of LiDAR and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to provide plant height estimates as a high-throughput plant phenotyping trait was explored. An experiment over wheat genotypes conducted under well watered and water stress modalities was conducted. Frequent LiDAR measurements were performed along the growth cycle using a phénomobile unmanned ground vehicle. UAV equipped with a high resolution RGB camera was flying the experiment several times to retrieve the digital surface model from structure from motion techniques. Both techniques provide a 3D dense point cloud from which the plant height can be estimated. Plant height first defined as the z-value for which 99.5% of the points of the dense cloud are below. This provides good consistency with manual measurements of plant height (RMSE = 3.5 cm) while minimizing the variability along each microplot. Results show that LiDAR and structure from motion plant height values are always consistent. However, a slight under-estimation is observed for structure from motion techniques, in relation with the coarser spatial resolution of UAV imagery and the limited penetration capacity of structure from motion as compared to LiDAR. Very high heritability values (H2> 0.90) were found for both techniques when lodging was not present. The dynamics of plant height shows that it carries pertinent information regarding the period and magnitude of the plant stress. Further, the date when the maximum plant height is reached was found to be very heritable (H2> 0.88) and a good proxy of the flowering stage. Finally, the capacity of plant height as a proxy for total above ground biomass and yield is discussed. PMID:29230229

Using a hybrid model to predict solute transfer from initially saturated soil into surface runoff with controlled drainage water.

PubMed

Tong, Juxiu; Hu, Bill X; Yang, Jinzhong; Zhu, Yan

2016-06-01

The mixing layer theory is not suitable for predicting solute transfer from initially saturated soil to surface runoff water under controlled drainage conditions. By coupling the mixing layer theory model with the numerical model Hydrus-1D, a hybrid solute transfer model has been proposed to predict soil solute transfer from an initially saturated soil into surface water, under controlled drainage water conditions. The model can also consider the increasing ponding water conditions on soil surface before surface runoff. The data of solute concentration in surface runoff and drainage water from a sand experiment is used as the reference experiment. The parameters for the water flow and solute transfer model and mixing layer depth under controlled drainage water condition are identified. Based on these identified parameters, the model is applied to another initially saturated sand experiment with constant and time-increasing mixing layer depth after surface runoff, under the controlled drainage water condition with lower drainage height at the bottom. The simulation results agree well with the observed data. Study results suggest that the hybrid model can accurately simulate the solute transfer from initially saturated soil into surface runoff under controlled drainage water condition. And it has been found that the prediction with increasing mixing layer depth is better than that with the constant one in the experiment with lower drainage condition. Since lower drainage condition and deeper ponded water depth result in later runoff start time, more solute sources in the mixing layer are needed for the surface water, and larger change rate results in the increasing mixing layer depth.

A comparative analysis of rawinsonde and NIMBUS 6 and TIROS N satellite profile data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scoggins, J. R.; Carle, W. E.; Knight, K.; Moyer, V.; Cheng, N. M.

1981-01-01

Comparisons are made between rawinsonde and satellite profiles in seven areas for a wide range of surface and weather conditions. Variables considered include temperature, dewpoint temperature, thickness, precipitable water, lapse rate of temperature, stability, geopotential height, mixing ratio, wind direction, wind speed, and kinematic parameters, including vorticity and the advection of vorticity and temperature. In addition, comparisons are made in the form of cross sections and synoptic fields for selected variables. Sounding data from the NIMBUS 6 and TIROS N satellites were used. Geostrophic wind computed from smoothed geopotential heights provided large scale flow patterns that agreed well with the rawinsonde wind fields. Surface wind patterns as well as magnitudes computed by use of the log law to extrapolate wind to a height of 10 m agreed with observations. Results of this study demonstrate rather conclusively that satellite profile data can be used to determine characteristics of large scale systems but that small scale features, such as frontal zones, cannot yet be resolved.

Cloud and boundary layer structure over San Nicolas Island during FIRE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, Bruce A.; Fairall, Christopher W.; Syrett, William J.; Schubert, Wayne H.; Snider, Jack B.

1990-01-01

The temporal evolution of the structure of the marine boundary layer and of the associated low-level clouds observed in the vicinity of the San Nicolas Island (SNI) is defined from data collected during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Marine Stratocumulus Intense Field Observations (IFO) (July 1 to 19). Surface, radiosonde, and remote-sensing measurements are used for this analysis. Sounding from the Island and from the ship Point Sur, which was located approximately 100 km northwest of SNI, are used to define variations in the thermodynamic structure of the lower-troposphere on time scales of 12 hours and longer. Time-height sections of potential temperature and equivalent potential temperature clearly define large-scale variations in the height and the strength of the inversion and periods where the conditions for cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) are met. Well defined variations in the height and the strength of the inversion were associated with a Cataline Eddy that was present at various times during the experiment and with the passage of the remnants of a tropical cyclone on July 18. The large-scale variations in the mean thermodynamic structure at SNI correlate well with those observed from the Point Sur. Cloud characteristics are defined for 19 days of the experiment using data from a microwave radiometer, a cloud ceilometer, a sodar, and longwave and shortwave radiometers. The depth of the cloud layer is estimated by defining inversion heights from the sodar reflectivity and cloud-base heights from a laser ceilometer. The integrated liquid water obtained from NOAA's microwave radiometer is compared with the adiabatic liquid water content that is calculated by lifting a parcel adiabatically from cloud base. In addition, the cloud structure is characterized by the variability in cloud-base height and in the integrated liquid water.

Complex Contact Angles Calculated from Capillary Rise Measurements on Rock Fracture Faces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perfect, E.; Gates, C. H.; Brabazon, J. W.; Santodonato, L. J.; Dhiman, I.; Bilheux, H.; Bilheux, J. C.; Lokitz, B. S.

2017-12-01

Contact angles for fluids in unconventional reservoir rocks are needed for modeling hydraulic fracturing leakoff and subsequent oil and gas extraction. Contact angle measurements for wetting fluids on rocks are normally performed using polished flat surfaces. However, such prepared surfaces are not representative of natural rock fracture faces, which have been shown to be rough over multiple scales. We applied a variant of the Wilhelmy plate method for determining contact angle from the height of capillary rise on a vertical surface to the wetting of rock fracture faces by water in the presence of air. Cylindrical core samples (5.05 cm long x 2.54 cm diameter) of Mancos shale and 6 other rock types were investigated. Mode I fractures were created within the cores using the Brazilian method. Each fractured core was then separated into halves exposing the fracture faces. One fracture face from each rock type was oriented parallel to a collimated neutron beam in the CG-1D imaging instrument at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor. Neutron radiography was performed using the multi-channel plate detector with a spatial resolution of 50 μm. Images were acquired every 60 s after a water reservoir contacted the base of the fracture face. The images were normalized to the initial dry condition so that the upward movement of water on the fracture face was clearly visible. The height of wetting at equilibrium was measured on the normalized images using ImageJ. Contact angles were also measured on polished flat surfaces using the conventional sessile drop method. Equilibrium capillary rise on the exposed fracture faces was up to 8.5 times greater than that predicted for polished flat surfaces from the sessile drop measurements. These results indicate that rock fracture faces are hyperhydrophilic (i.e., the height of capillary rise is greater than that predicted for a contact angle of zero degrees). The use of complex numbers permitted calculation of imaginary contact angles for such surfaces. This analysis yielded a continuum of contact angles (real above, and imaginary below, zero degrees) that can be used to investigate relationships with properties such surface roughness and porosity. It should be noted these are preliminary, unreplicated results and further research will be needed to verify them and refine the approach.

Temperature/pressure and water vapor sounding with microwave spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muhleman, D. O.; Janssen, M. A.; Clancy, R. T.; Gulkis, S.; Mccleese, D. J.; Zurek, R.; Haberle, R. M.; Frerking, M.

1992-01-01

Two intense microwave spectra lines exist in the martian atmosphere that allow unique sounding capabilities: water vapor at 183 GHz and the (2-1) rotational line of CO at 230 GHz. Microwave spectra line sounding is a well-developed technique for the Earth's atmosphere for sounding from above from spacecraft and airplanes, and from below from fixed surface sites. Two simple instruments for temperature sounding on Mars (the CO line) and water vapor measurements are described. The surface sounder proposed for the MESUR sites is designed to study the boundary layer water vapor distribution and the temperature/pressure profiles with vertical resolution of 0.25 km up to 1 km with reduced resolution above approaching a scale height. The water channel will be sensitive to a few tenths of a micrometer of water and the temperature profile will be retrieved to an accuracy between 1 and 2 K. The latter is routinely done on the Earth using oxygen lines near 60 GHz. The measurements are done with a single-channel heterodyne receiver looking into a 10-cm mirror that is canned through a range of elevation angles plus a target load. The frequency of the receiver is sweep across the water and CO lines generating the two spectra at about 1-hr intervals throughout the mission. The mass and power for the proposed instrument are 2 kg and 5-8 W continuously. The measurements are completely immune to the atmospheric dust and ice particle loads. It was felt that these measurements are the ultimate ones to properly study the martian boundary layer from the surface to a few kilometers. Sounding from above requires an orbiting spacecraft with multichannel microwave spectrometers such as the instrument proposed for MO by a subset of the authors, a putative MESUR orbiter, and a proposed Discovery mission called MOES. Such an instrument can be built with less than 10 kg and use less than 15 W. The obvious advantage of this approach is that the entire atmosphere can be sounded for temperature and water vapor in a few hours with somewhat better than a scale height resolution. If a bigger mirror is used (greater than 30 cm) limb sounding geometry can be employed and half scale height resolution achieved to altitudes up to at least 60 km. Again, the measurements are immune to dust and ice loads. Water vapor sensitivity of 0.1 micrometer can be achieved (even with a nadir instrument) and temperature profiles retrieved to an accuracy of better than 2 K from the surface to about 60 km. Winds can be measured from the doppler shifts of CO lines in the limb sounding mode.

Laboratory-based geoelectric monitoring of water infiltration in consolidated ground

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lining; Sun, Qiang; Yang, Haiping

2018-04-01

Infiltration usually plays a significant role in construction failures and transfer of contaminants. Therefore, it is very important to monitor underground water migration. In this study, a soil infiltration experiment was carried out using an indoor model test. The water infiltration characteristics were recorded and analyzed based on the response of the geoelectric field, including the primary field potential, self-potential, excitation current and apparent resistivity. The phreatic water surface and the infiltration velocity were determined. The inversion results were compared with direct observations. The results showed that the changes in the geoelectric field parameters explain the principles of groundwater flow. The infiltration velocity and the phreatic surface can be determined based on the primary field potential response and the excitation current. When the phreatic surface reached the location of the electrodes, the primary field potential and self-potential decreased rapidly whereas the excitation current increased rapidly. The height of the phreatic surface and the infiltration time exhibited a linear relationship for both the observation data and the calculations of the excitation current. The apparent resistivity described the infiltration status in the soil and tracked the phreatic surface accurately.

Partitioning of sublimation and evaporation from Lake Bonney using water vapor isotope and latent heat fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellagamba, A. W.; Berkelhammer, M. B.; Winslow, L.; Peter, D.; Myers, K. F.

2017-12-01

The landscapes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica are characterized by a series of frozen lakes. Although the conditions in this region are severe, the lakes share common characteristics with lakes at glacial termini elsewhere. Geochemical and geomorphological evidence suggest these lakes have experienced large historical changes indicative of changes water balances. While part of these shifts in lake volume arise from changes in glacial inflow, they likely also reflect changes in the latent heat flux from the lake surfaces. Here we present a joint analysis of the stable isotopic ratio of surface ice/water and the water vapor flux over Dry Valley frozen lakes to ascertain the processes controlling water losses from the lake surfaces. We compare the isotopic ratio of the latent heat flux with the surface water isotopes to derive a fractionation factor associated with latent flux. This data is then used to provide insight into how much of the water vapor flux is sublimated versus evaporated, as well as how the sublimation and evaporative components of the flux change with synoptic weather. We used a Picarro L2130-I isotopic water analyzer to measure humidity and the isotopic ratio of water vapor at three heights over Lake Bonney in Taylor Valley, Antarctica and used the flux-gradient approach to convert the isotopic ratio of the vapor to an "isoflux". An on-site meteorological station recorded temperature, relative humidity and wind direction/intensity at two different heights above the lake and an infrared radiometer recorded lake skin temperature. These data were used to calculate the sensible and latent heat fluxes. The fractionation factor was close to 0, which indicates that sublimation was the primary component of the flux although evaporation became increasingly prominent following a katabatic wind event. The results suggest this technique could be an effective tool to study the sensitivity of latent heat fluxes to weather here and in other similar environments. The trial run performed at Lake Bonney in November-December 2016 was performed as part of the ongoing LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) project at the McMurdo Dry Valleys and a second experiment will be performed in January 2018.

Observational constraints on Arctic boundary-layer clouds, surface moisture and sensible heat fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, D. L.; Boisvert, L.; Klaus, D.; Dethloff, K.; Ganeshan, M.

2016-12-01

The dry, cold environment and dynamic surface variations make the Arctic a unique but difficult region for observations, especially in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Spaceborne platforms have been the key vantage point to capture basin-scale changes during the recent Arctic warming. Using the AIRS temperature, moisture and surface data, we found that the Arctic surface moisture flux (SMF) had increased by 7% during 2003-2013 (18 W/m2 equivalent in latent heat), mostly in spring and fall near the Arctic coastal seas where large sea ice reduction and sea surface temperature (SST) increase were observed. The increase in Arctic SMF correlated well with the increases in total atmospheric column water vapor and low-level clouds, when compared to CALIPSO cloud observations. It has been challenging for climate models to reliably determine Arctic cloud radiative forcing (CRF). Using the regional climate model HIRHAM5 and assuming a more efficient Bergeron-Findeisen process with generalized subgrid-scale variability for total water content, we were able to produce a cloud distribution that is more consistent with the CloudSat/CALIPSO observations. More importantly, the modified schemes decrease (increase) the cloud water (ice) content in mixed-phase clouds, which help to improve the modeled CRF and energy budget at the surface, because of the dominant role of the liquid water in CRF. Yet, the coupling between Arctic low clouds and the surface is complex and has strong impacts on ABL. Studying GPS/COSMIC radio occultation (RO) refractivity profiles in the Arctic coldest and driest months, we successfully derived ABL inversion height and surface-based inversion (SBI) frequency, and they were anti-correlated over the Arctic Ocean. For the late summer and early fall season, we further analyzed Japanese R/V Mirai ship measurements and found that the open-ocean surface sensible heat flux (SSHF) can explain 10 % of the ABL height variability, whereas mechanisms such as cloud-driven turbulence appear to be dominant. Contrary to previous speculation, the efficiency of turbulent heat exchange is low. The SSHF contribution to ABL mixing is significant during the uplift (low-pressure) followed by the highly stable (stratus cloud) regime.

14 CFR 29.519 - Hull type rotorcraft: Water-based and amphibian.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... section considering the most severe wave heights and profiles for which approval is desired. The loads for... a rotor lift not exceeding two-thirds of the rotorcraft weight to act throughout the landing impact. (b) Vertical landing conditions. The rotorcraft must initially contact the most critical wave surface...

14 CFR 29.519 - Hull type rotorcraft: Water-based and amphibian.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... section considering the most severe wave heights and profiles for which approval is desired. The loads for... a rotor lift not exceeding two-thirds of the rotorcraft weight to act throughout the landing impact. (b) Vertical landing conditions. The rotorcraft must initially contact the most critical wave surface...

14 CFR 29.519 - Hull type rotorcraft: Water-based and amphibian.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... section considering the most severe wave heights and profiles for which approval is desired. The loads for... a rotor lift not exceeding two-thirds of the rotorcraft weight to act throughout the landing impact. (b) Vertical landing conditions. The rotorcraft must initially contact the most critical wave surface...

14 CFR 29.519 - Hull type rotorcraft: Water-based and amphibian.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... section considering the most severe wave heights and profiles for which approval is desired. The loads for... a rotor lift not exceeding two-thirds of the rotorcraft weight to act throughout the landing impact. (b) Vertical landing conditions. The rotorcraft must initially contact the most critical wave surface...

TOPEX/El Niño Watch - Mild La Niña Conditions Developing, November 12, 1999

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-01

Unusually warm ocean temperatures off Asia and cool waters in the eastern and equatorial Pacific are signaling La Niña mild return, according to the latest sea-surface heights observed by the joint NASA-French space agency TOPEX/Poseidon satellite.

Nimbus 7 SMMR Derived Seasonal Variations in the Water Vapor, Liquid Water and Surface Winds over the Global Oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prabhakara, C.; Short, D. A.

1984-01-01

Monthly mean distributions of water vapor and liquid water contained in a vertical column of the atmosphere and the surface wind speed were derived from Nimbus Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) observations over the global oceans for the period November 1978 to November 1979. The remote sensing techniques used to estimate these parameters from SMMR are presented to reveal the limitations, accuracies, and applicability of the satellite-derived information for climate studies. On a time scale of the order of a month, the distribution of atmospheric water vapor over the oceans is controlled by the sea surface temperature and the large scale atmospheric circulation. The monthly mean distribution of liquid water content in the atmosphere over the oceans closely reflects the precipitation patterns associated with the convectively and baroclinically active regions. Together with the remotely sensed surface wind speed that is causing the sea surface stress, the data collected reveal the manner in which the ocean-atmosphere system is operating. Prominent differences in the water vapor patterns from one year to the next, or from month to month, are associated with anomalies in the wind and geopotential height fields. In association with such circulation anomalies the precipitation patterns deduced from the meteorological network over adjacent continents also reveal anomalous distributions.

Polarized reflectance and transmittance properties of windblown sea surfaces.

PubMed

Mobley, Curtis D

2015-05-20

Generation of random sea surfaces using wave variance spectra and Fourier transforms is formulated in a way that guarantees conservation of wave energy and fully resolves wave height and slope variances. Monte Carlo polarized ray tracing, which accounts for multiple scattering between light rays and wave facets, is used to compute effective Mueller matrices for reflection and transmission of air- or water-incident polarized radiance. Irradiance reflectances computed using a Rayleigh sky radiance distribution, sea surfaces generated with Cox-Munk statistics, and unpolarized ray tracing differ by 10%-18% compared with values computed using elevation- and slope-resolving surfaces and polarized ray tracing. Radiance reflectance factors, as used to estimate water-leaving radiance from measured upwelling and sky radiances, are shown to depend on sky polarization, and improved values are given.

Transport of the Norwegian Atlantic current as determined from satellite altimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pistek, Pavel; Johnson, Donald R.

1992-01-01

Relatively warm and salty North Atlantic surface waters flow through the Faeroe-Shetland Channel into the higher latitudes of the Nordic Seas, preserving an ice-free winter environment for much of the exterior coast of northern Europe. This flow was monitored along the Norwegian coast using Geosat altimetry on two ascending arcs during the Exact Repeat Mission in 1987-1989. Concurrent undertrack CTD surveys were used to fix a reference surface for the altimeter-derived SSH anomalies, in effect creating time series of alongtrack surface dynamic height topographies. Climatologic CTD casts were then used, with empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, to derive relationships between historical surface dynamic heights and vertical temperature and salinity profiles. Applying these EOF relationships to the altimeter signals, mean transports of volume, heat, and salt were calculated at approximately 2.9 Sverdrups, 8.1 x 10 exp 11 KCal/s and 1.0 x 10 exp 8 Kg/s, respectively. Maximum transports occurred in February/March and minimum in July/August.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-10-01

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

Carrier phase altimetry using Zeppelin based GNSS-R observations and water gauge reference data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semmling, Maximilian; Schön, Steffen; Beckheinrich, Jamila; Beyerle, Georg; Ge, Maorong; Wickert, Jens

2014-05-01

The increasing number of transmitters in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), like GPS, Galileo, Glonass or Compass, provide observations with an increasing coverage for positioning but also for remote sensing. A space based GNSS remote sensing application is radio occultation, a limb sounding method. Globally distributed vertical profiles of temperature, water vapour and electron density are provided operationally for weather forecast and ionospheric monitoring. Another application is GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) that is currently developed especially for ocean remote sensing. The high reflection coefficient of water is crucial for GNSS-R. This study presents a method that uses GNSS phase observations for lake altimetry with the potential for ocean application. Phase observations are deduced from a GORS (GNSS Occultaction Reflectometry Scatterometry) receiver in Master-Slave-Configuration. The Master sampling dedicated for direct signal acquisition is connected to an up-looking antenna with right hand circular polarization (RHCP). Two Slave samplings dedicated for acquisition of the reflected signals are connected to down-looking antennas with right- and left-hand circular polarization (RHCP and LHCP). Based on in-phase and quad-phase (I, Q) sample components, an altimetric phase residual is retrieved. This residual can be related to the height of the reflecting surface. An altimetric challenge arises from the unknown ambiguity of phase residuals that introduces a height bias. The presented study uses ancillary data deduced from water gauges to mitigate the ambiguity bias. Reference tracks are formed by linear surface height interpolation between the water gauge stations. At crossover points of reflection tracks with reference tracks a phase ambiguity estimate is determined for bias mitigation. For this study airborne GNSS measurements were conducted aboard a Zeppelin NT (New Technology) airship with a geodetic receiver for navigation and a GORS receiver for reflectometry. The corresponding Zeppelin campaign was conducted in Sep 2012. It comprised three days with in total 13 flight hours over lake Constance (9.0°-9.8°E; 47.5°-47.8°N). Compared to a similar Zeppelin campaign in Oct 2010, Slave tracking problems could be solved providing reflection events with continuous tracks of up to 30min. The airship's trajectory is determined from navigation data with a precision better than 10cm in Precise Point Positioning mode supported by additional GNSS ground station data. Water gauge reference data around the lake is provided by stations at Friedrichshafen, Konstanz, Lindau and Romanshorn. Situated in vicinity of the Upper Rhine Plain the lake surface is affected by gravity anomalies in this region. As a consequence geoid undulations with up to 1m amplitude occur along the lake. Predictions of surface height undulation (including GCG-05 model) agree with phase altimetric retrievals. An example event shows a standard deviation of only 2cm (4cm) for RHCP (LHCP) data. The corresponding mean difference with 53cm (51cm) for RHCP (LHCP), respectively, is related to the residual ambiguity bias persisting after mitigation with reference data.

Influence of bioassay volume, water column height, and octanol-water partition coefficient on the toxicity of pesticides to rainbow trout.

PubMed

Altinok, Ilhan; Capkin, Erol; Boran, Halis

2011-06-01

Effects of water volume and water column height on toxicity of cypermethrin, carbaryl, dichlorvos, tetradifon, maneb, captan, carbosulfan endosulfan and HgCl₂ to juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, 3.2 ± 0.7 g) were evaluated in different glass aquaria under static conditions. When fish were exposed to the chemical compounds in 23 cm water column height (25 L), their mortality ranged between 0% and 58%. At the same water volume, but lower water column height (9 cm), mortality of fish increased significantly and was in a range from 60% to 95%. At the same water column height, toxic effects of chemicals were significantly higher in 25 L water volume than that of 8.5 L, water except maneb which has lowest (-0.45) octanol-water partition coefficient value. Mortality rates ratio of 9 and 23 cm water column height ranged between 1.12 and 90 while mortality rates ratio of 9 and 25 L water volume ranged between 1.20 and 4.0. Because actual exposure concentrations were not affected by either water volume or water column height, we propose that increased pesticides' toxicity was related to an increase in bioassay volume, since more pesticide molecules were able to interact with or accumulate the fish. However, there seem to be no relationship between the effects of water volume, water column height and Kow value of chemicals with regard to toxicity in juvenile rainbow trout.

Observational Evidence for Desert Amplification Using Multiple Satellite Datasets.

PubMed

Wei, Nan; Zhou, Liming; Dai, Yongjiu; Xia, Geng; Hua, Wenjian

2017-05-17

Desert amplification identified in recent studies has large uncertainties due to data paucity over remote deserts. Here we present observational evidence using multiple satellite-derived datasets that desert amplification is a real large-scale pattern of warming mode in near surface and low-tropospheric temperatures. Trend analyses of three long-term temperature products consistently confirm that near-surface warming is generally strongest over the driest climate regions and this spatial pattern of warming maximizes near the surface, gradually decays with height, and disappears in the upper troposphere. Short-term anomaly analyses show a strong spatial and temporal coupling of changes in temperatures, water vapor and downward longwave radiation (DLR), indicating that the large increase in DLR drives primarily near surface warming and is tightly associated with increasing water vapor over deserts. Atmospheric soundings of temperature and water vapor anomalies support the results of the long-term temperature trend analysis and suggest that desert amplification is due to comparable warming and moistening effects of the troposphere. Likely, desert amplification results from the strongest water vapor feedbacks near the surface over the driest deserts, where the air is very sensitive to changes in water vapor and thus efficient in enhancing the longwave greenhouse effect in a warming climate.

Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in the WRF model using measurements during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S.-H.; Kim, S.-W.; Angevine, W. M.; Bianco, L.; McKeen, S. A.; Senff, C. J.; Trainer, M.; Tucker, S. C.; Zamora, R. J.

2010-10-01

The impact of urban surface parameterizations in the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model on the simulation of local meteorological fields is investigated. The Noah land surface model (LSM), a modified LSM, and a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM) have been compared, focusing on urban patches. The model simulations were performed for 6 days from 12 August to 17 August during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign. Analysis was focused on the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area. The model simulated temperature, wind, and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height were compared with observations from surface meteorological stations (Continuous Ambient Monitoring Stations, CAMS), wind profilers, the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft, and the NOAA Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown. The UCM simulation showed better results in the comparison of ABL height and surface temperature than the LSM simulations, whereas the original LSM overestimated both the surface temperature and ABL height significantly in urban areas. The modified LSM, which activates hydrological processes associated with urban vegetation mainly through transpiration, slightly reduced warm and high biases in surface temperature and ABL height. A comparison of surface energy balance fluxes in an urban area indicated the UCM reproduces a realistic partitioning of sensible heat and latent heat fluxes, consequently improving the simulation of urban boundary layer. However, the LSMs have a higher Bowen ratio than the observation due to significant suppression of latent heat flux. The comparison results suggest that the subgrid heterogeneity by urban vegetation and urban morphological characteristics should be taken into account along with the associated physical parameterizations for accurate simulation of urban boundary layer if the region of interest has a large fraction of vegetation within the urban patch. Model showed significant discrepancies in the specific meteorological conditions when nocturnal low-level jets exist and a thermal internal boundary layer over water forms.

Numerical simulation of solitary waves on deep water with constant vorticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dosaev, A. S.; Shishina, M. I.; Troitskaya, Yu I.

2018-01-01

Characteristics of solitary deep water waves on a flow with constant vorticity are investigated by numerical simulation within the framework of fully nonlinear equations of motion (Euler equations) using the method of surface-tracking conformal coordinates. To ensure that solutions observed are stable, soliton formation as a result of disintegration of an initial pulse-like disturbance is modeled. Evidence is obtained that solitary waves with height above a certain threshold are unstable.

Aircraft Wing Fuel Tank Environmental Simulator Tests for Evaluation of Antimisting Fuels.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

C.*: % _ _ _.__ _ o During boost pump operation, strands of a gel-like, semi-transparent material were observed on the free surface of the fuel and...Boeing Materials Technology (BMT) laboratory to measure the water content of the fuel samples is described in appendix C. 2.5.3 Water Ingestion Results...Jet A pump at 8 gpm 32 .. . . ... . . . . . . . -%tr. go*7 .*.**.*.*..* -*.... * . . recuroed for each fueling increment. From these data a height

Retention capacity of correlated surfaces.

PubMed

Schrenk, K J; Araújo, N A M; Ziff, R M; Herrmann, H J

2014-06-01

We extend the water retention model [C. L. Knecht et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 045703 (2012)] to correlated random surfaces. We find that the retention capacity of discrete random landscapes is strongly affected by spatial correlations among the heights. This phenomenon is related to the emergence of power-law scaling in the lake volume distribution. We also solve the uncorrelated case exactly for a small lattice and present bounds on the retention of uncorrelated landscapes.

Combining low-cost GPS receivers with upGPR to derive continuously liquid water content, snow height and snow water equivalent in Alpine snow covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Franziska; Schmid, Lino; Prasch, Monika; Heilig, Achim; Eisen, Olaf; Schweizer, Jürg; Mauser, Wolfram

2015-04-01

The temporal evolution of Alpine snowpacks is important for assessing water supply, hydropower generation, flood predictions and avalanche forecasts. Especially in high mountain regions with an extremely varying topography, it is until now often difficult to derive continuous and non-destructive information on snow parameters. Since autumn 2012, we are running a new low-cost GPS (Global Positioning System) snow measurement experiment at the high alpine study site Weissfluhjoch (2450 m a.s.l.) in Switzerland. The globally and freely broadcasted GPS L1-band (1.57542 GHz) was continuously recorded with GPS antennas, which are installed at the ground surface underneath the snowpack. GPS raw data, containing carrier-to-noise power density ratio (C/N0) as well as elevation and azimuth angle information for each time step of 1 s, was stored and analyzed for all 32 GPS satellites. Since the dielectric permittivity of an overlying wet snowpack influences microwave radiation, the bulk volumetric liquid water content as well as daily melt-freeze cycles can be derived non-destructively from GPS signal strength losses and external snow height information. This liquid water content information is qualitatively in good accordance with meteorological and snow-hydrological data and quantitatively highly agrees with continuous data derived from an upward-looking ground-penetrating radar (upGPR) working in a similar frequency range. As a promising novelty, we combined the GPS signal strength data with upGPR travel-time information of active impulse radar rays to the snow surface and back from underneath the snow cover. This combination allows determining liquid water content, snow height and snow water equivalent from beneath the snow cover without using any other external information. The snow parameters derived by combining upGPR and GPS data are in good agreement with conventional sensors as e.g. laser distance gauges or snow pillows. As the GPS sensors are cheap, they can easily be installed in parallel with further upGPR systems or as sensor networks to monitor the snowpack evolution in avalanche paths or at a larger scale in an entire hydrological basin to derive distributed melt-water runoff information.

Low-grazing angle laser scans of foreshore topography, swash and inner surf-zone wave heights, and mean water level: validation and storm response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodie, K. L.; McNinch, J. E.; Forte, M.; Slocum, R.

2010-12-01

Accurately predicting beach evolution during storms requires models that correctly parameterize wave runup and inner surf-zone processes, the principle drivers of sediment exchange between the beach and surf-zone. Previous studies that aimed at measuring wave runup and swash zone water levels have been restricted to analyzing water-elevation time series of (1) the shoreward-most swash excursion using video imaging or near-bed resistance wires, or (2) the free water surface at a particular location on the foreshore using pressure sensors. These data are often compared with wave forcing parameters in deeper water as well as with beach topography observed at finite intervals throughout the time series to identify links between foreshore evolution, wave spectra, and water level variations. These approaches have lead to numerous parameterizations and empirical equations for wave runup but have difficulty providing adequate data to quantify and understand short-term spatial and temporal variations in foreshore evolution. As a result, modeling shoreline response and changes in sub-aerial beach volume during storms remains a substantial challenge. Here, we demonstrate a novel technique in which a terrestrial laser scanner is used to continuously measure beach and foreshore topography as well as water elevation (and wave height) in the swash and inner surf-zone during storms. The terrestrial laser scanner is mounted 2-m above the dune crest at the Field Research Facility in Duck, NC in line with cross-shore wave gauges located at 2-m, 3-m, 5-m, 6-m, and 8-m of water depth. The laser is automated to collect hourly, two-dimensional, 20-minute time series of data along a narrow swath in addition to an hourly three-dimensional laser scan of beach and dune topography +/- 250m alongshore from the laser. Low grazing-angle laser scans are found to reflect off of the surface of the water, providing spatially (e.g. dx <= 0.1 m) and temporally (e.g. dt = 3Hz) dense elevation data of the foreshore, swash, and inner-surf zone bore heights. Foreshore elevation precision is observed to be < 0.01m. Sea surface elevation data is confined to the breaking region and is more extensive in rough, fully-dissipative surf zones, with the fronts of breaking waves and dissipated bores resolved most clearly. Time series of swash front (runup) data will be compared with simultaneously collected video-imaged swash timestacks, and wave height data of the inner surf zone will be compared with wave data from an aquadopp in 2m of water depth. In addition, analysis of the water level time series data at 10 cm intervals across the profile enables reconstruction of the shoreline setup profile as well as cross-shore variations in 1D wave spectra. Foreshore beach morphology evolution is analyzed using both the 2D cross-shore profile data, as well as the 3D topographic data during multiple storm events. Potential sources of error in the measurements, such as shadowing of the wave troughs or reflectance off of wave spray is identified and quantified.

Design and Fabrication of a Hybrid Superhydrophobic-Hydrophilic Surface That Exhibits Stable Dropwise Condensation.

PubMed

Mondal, Bikash; Mac Giolla Eain, Marc; Xu, QianFeng; Egan, Vanessa M; Punch, Jeff; Lyons, Alan M

2015-10-28

Condensation of water vapor is an essential process in power generation, water collection, and thermal management. Dropwise condensation, where condensed droplets are removed from the surface before coalescing into a film, has been shown to increase the heat transfer efficiency and water collection ability of many surfaces. Numerous efforts have been made to create surfaces which can promote dropwise condensation, including superhydrophobic surfaces on which water droplets are highly mobile. However, the challenge with using such surfaces in condensing environments is that hydrophobic coatings can degrade and/or water droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces transition from the mobile Cassie to the wetted Wenzel state over time and condensation shifts to a less-effective filmwise mechanism. To meet the need for a heat-transfer surface that can maintain stable dropwise condensation, we designed and fabricated a hybrid superhydrophobic-hydrophilic surface. An array of hydrophilic needles, thermally connected to a heat sink, was forced through a robust superhydrophobic polymer film. Condensation occurs preferentially on the needle surface due to differences in wettability and temperature. As the droplet grows, the liquid drop on the needle remains in the Cassie state and does not wet the underlying superhydrophobic surface. The water collection rate on this surface was studied using different surface tilt angles, needle array pitch values, and needle heights. Water condensation rates on the hybrid surface were shown to be 4 times greater than for a planar copper surface and twice as large for silanized silicon or superhydrophobic surfaces without hydrophilic features. A convection-conduction heat transfer model was developed; predicted water condensation rates were in good agreement with experimental observations. This type of hybrid superhydrophobic-hydrophilic surface with a larger array of needles is low-cost, robust, and scalable and so could be used for heat transfer and water collection applications.

Constraining the 0-20 km Vertical Profile of Water Vapor in the Martian Atmosphere with MGS-TES Limb Sounding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConnochie, T. H.; Smith, M. D.; McDonald, G. D.

2016-12-01

The vertical profile of water vapor in the lower atmosphere of Mars is a crucial but poorly-measured detail of the water cycle. Most of our existing water vapor data sets (e.g. Smith, 2002, JGR 107; Smith et al., 2009, JGR 114; Maltagliati et al., 2011, Icarus 213) rely on the traditional assumption of uniform mass mixing from the surface up to a saturation level, but GCM models (Richardson et al., 2002, JGR 107; Navarro et al., 2014, JGR 119) imply that this is not the case in at least some important seasons and locations. For example at the equator during northern summer the water vapor mixing ratio in aforementioned GCMs increases upwards by a factor of two to three in the bottom scale height. This might influence the accuracy of existing precipitable water column (PWC) data sets. Even if not, the correct vertical distribution is critical for determining the extent to which high-altitude cold trapping interferes with inter-hemispheric transport, and its details in the lowest scale heights will be a critical test of the accuracy of modeled water vapor transport. Meanwhile attempts to understand apparent interactions of water vapor with surface soils (e.g. Ojha et al. 2015, Nature Geoscience 8; Savijärvi et al., 2016, Icarus 265) need an estimate for the amount of water vapor in the boundary layer, and existing PWC data sets can't provide this unless the lower atmospheric vertical distribution is known or constrained. Maltagliati et al. (2013, Icarus 223) have obtained vertical profiles of water vapor at higher altitudes with SPICAM on Mars Express, but these are commonly limited to altitudes greater 20 km and they never extend below 10 km. We have previously used Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) limb-sounding to measure the vertical profile of water vapor (e.g. McConnochie and Smith, 2009, Fall AGU #P54B-06), but these preliminary results were clearly not quantitatively accurate in the lower atmosphere. We will present improved TES water vapor profile results that we obtain by: 1) investigating simplified parameterizations of the profile; 2) addressing Nyquist-frequency correlated-noise in the TES spectra; 3) combining nadir and limb sounding to better resolve the bottom scale height.

Urbanization Causes Increased Cloud Base Height and Decreased Fog in Coastal Southern California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, A. Park; Schwartz, Rachel E.; Iacobellis, Sam; Seager, Richard; Cook, Benjamin I.; Still, Christopher J.; Husak, Gregory; Michaelsen, Joel

2015-01-01

Subtropical marine stratus clouds regulate coastal and global climate, but future trends in these clouds are uncertain. In coastal Southern California (CSCA), interannual variations in summer stratus cloud occurrence are spatially coherent across 24 airfields and dictated by positive relationships with stability above the marine boundary layer (MBL) and MBL height. Trends, however, have been spatially variable since records began in the mid-1900s due to differences in nighttime warming. Among CSCA airfields, differences in nighttime warming, but not daytime warming, are strongly and positively related to fraction of nearby urban cover, consistent with an urban heat island effect. Nighttime warming raises the near-surface dew point depression, which lifts the altitude of condensation and cloud base height, thereby reducing fog frequency. Continued urban warming, rising cloud base heights, and associated effects on energy and water balance would profoundly impact ecological and human systems in highly populated and ecologically diverse CSCA.

Validation of SMAP Radar Vegetation Data Cubes from Agricultural Field Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsang, L.; Xu, X.; Liao, T.; Kim, S.; Njoku, E. G.

2012-12-01

The NASA Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) Mission will be launched in October 2014. The objective of the SMAP mission is to provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. In the active algorithm, the retrieval is performed based on the backscattering data cube, which are characterized by two surface parameters, which are soil moisture and soil surface rms height, and one vegetation parameter, the vegetation water content. We have developed a physical-based forward scattering model to generate the data cube for agricultural fields. To represent the agricultural crops, we include a layer of cylinders and disks on top of the rough surface. The scattering cross section of the vegetation layer and its interaction with the underground soil surface were calculated by the distorted Born approximation, which give explicitly three scattering mechanisms. A) The direct volume scattering B) The double bounce effect as, and C) The double bouncing effects. The direct volume scattering is calculated by using the Body of Revolution code. The double bounce effects, exhibited by the interaction of rough surface with the vegetation layer is considered by modifying the rough surface reflectivity using the coherent wave as computed by Numerical solution of Maxwell equations of 3 Dimensional simulations (NMM3D) of bare soil scattering. The rough surface scattering of the soil was calculated by NMM3D. We have compared the physical scattering models with field measurements. In the field campaign, the measurements were made on soil moisture, rough surface rms heights and vegetation water content as well as geometric parameters of vegetation. The three main crops lands are grassland, cornfield and soybean fields. The corresponding data cubes are validated using SGP99, SMEX02 and SMEX 08 field experiments.

Measuring Waves and Erosion in Underwater Oil Blobs and Monitoring Other Arbitrary Surfaces with a Kinect v2 Time-of-Flight Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butkiewicz, T.

2014-12-01

We developed free software that enables researchers to utilize Microsoft's new Kinect for Windows v2 sensor for a range of coastal and ocean mapping applications, as well as monitoring and measuring experimental scenes. While the original Kinect device used structured light and had very poor resolution, many geophysical researchers found uses for it in their experiments. The new next generation of this sensor uses time-of-flight technology, and can produce higher resolution depth measurements with an order of magnitude more accuracy. It also is capable of measurement through and under water. An analysis tool in our application lets users quickly select any arbitrary surface in the sensor's view. The tools automatically scans the surface, then calibrates and aligns a measurement volume to it. Depth readings from the sensor are converted into 3D point clouds, and points falling within this volume are projected into surface coordinates. Raster images can be output which consist of height fields aligned to the surface, generated from these projected measurements and interpolations between them. Images have a simple 1 pixel = 1 mm resolution and intensity values representing mm in height from the base-plane, which enables easy measurement and calculations to be conducted on the images in other analysis packages. Single snapshots can be taken manually on demand, or the software can monitor the surface automatically, capturing frames at preset intervals. This produces time lapse animations of dynamically changing surfaces. We apply this analysis tool to an experiment studying the behavior of underwater oil in response to flowing water of different speeds and temperatures. Blobs of viscous oils are placed in a flume apparatus, which circulates water past them. Over the course of a couple hours, the oil blobs spread out, waves slowly ripple across their surfaces, and erosions occur as smaller blobs break off from the main blob. All of this can be captured in 3D, with mm accuracy, through the water using the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and our K2MapKit software.

A Model Evaluation Data Set for the Tropical ARM Sites

DOE Data Explorer

Jakob, Christian

2008-01-15

This data set has been derived from various ARM and external data sources with the main aim of providing modelers easy access to quality controlled data for model evaluation. The data set contains highly aggregated (in time) data from a number of sources at the tropical ARM sites at Manus and Nauru. It spans the years of 1999 and 2000. The data set contains information on downward surface radiation; surface meteorology, including precipitation; atmospheric water vapor and cloud liquid water content; hydrometeor cover as a function of height; and cloud cover, cloud optical thickness and cloud top pressure information provided by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP).

A comprehensive surface-groundwater flow model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnold, Jeffrey G.; Allen, Peter M.; Bernhardt, Gilbert

1993-02-01

In this study, a simple groundwater flow and height model was added to an existing basin-scale surface water model. The linked model is: (1) watershed scale, allowing the basin to be subdivided; (2) designed to accept readily available inputs to allow general use over large regions; (3) continuous in time to allow simulation of land management, including such factors as climate and vegetation changes, pond and reservoir management, groundwater withdrawals, and stream and reservoir withdrawals. The model is described, and is validated on a 471 km 2 watershed near Waco, Texas. This linked model should provide a comprehensive tool for water resource managers in development and planning.

Water-quality, water-level, and discharge data associated with the Mississippi embayment agricultural chemical-transport study, 2006-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalton, Melinda S.; Rose, Claire E.; Coupe, Richard H.

2010-01-01

In 2006, the Agricultural Chemicals: Sources, Transport and Fate study team (Agricultural Chemicals Team, ACT) of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program began a study in northwestern Mississippi to evaluate the influence of surface-water recharge on the occurrence of agriculturally related nutrients and pesticides in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. The ACT study was composed in the Bogue Phalia Basin, an indicator watershed within the National Water-Quality Assessment Program Mississippi Embayment Study Unit and utilized several small, subbasins within the Bogue Phalia to evaluate surface and groundwater interaction and chemical transport in the Basin. Data collected as part of this ACT study include water-quality data from routine and incident-driven water samples evaluated for major ions, nutrients, organic carbon, physical properties, and commonly used pesticides in the area; discharge, gage height and water-level data for surface-water sites, the shallow alluvial aquifer, and hyporheic zone; additionally, agricultural data and detailed management activities were reported by land managers for farms within two subbasins of the Bogue Phalia Basin—Tommie Bayou at Pace, MS, and an unnamed tributary to Clear Creek near Napanee, MS.

Development of large Area Covering Height Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsen, K.

2014-04-01

Height information is a basic part of topographic mapping. Only in special areas frequent update of height models is required, usually the update cycle is quite lower as for horizontal map information. Some height models are available free of charge in the internet; for commercial height models a fee has to be paid. Mostly digital surface models (DSM) with the height of the visible surface are given and not the bare ground height, as required for standard mapping. Nevertheless by filtering of DSM, digital terrain models (DTM) with the height of the bare ground can be generated with the exception of dense forest areas where no height of the bare ground is available. These height models may be better as the DTM of some survey administrations. In addition several DTM from national survey administrations are classified, so as alternative the commercial or free of charge available information from internet can be used. The widely used SRTM DSM is available also as ACE-2 GDEM corrected by altimeter data for systematic height errors caused by vegetation and orientation errors. But the ACE-2 GDEM did not respect neighbourhood information. With the worldwide covering TanDEM-X height model, distributed starting 2014 by Airbus Defence and Space (former ASTRIUM) as WorldDEM, higher level of details and accuracy is reached as with other large area covering height models. At first the raw-version of WorldDEM will be available, followed by an edited version and finally as WorldDEM-DTM a height model of the bare ground. With 12 m spacing and a relative standard deviation of 1.2 m within an area of 1° x 1° an accuracy and resolution level is reached, satisfying also for larger map scales. For limited areas with the HDEM also a height model with 6 m spacing and a relative vertical accuracy of 0.5 m can be generated on demand. By bathymetric LiDAR and stereo images also the height of the sea floor can be determined if the water has satisfying transparency. Another method of getting bathymetric height information is an analysis of the wave structure in optical and SAR-images. An overview about the absolute and relative accuracy, the consistency, error distribution and other characteristics as influence of terrain inclination and aspects is given. Partially by post processing the height models can or have to be improved.

Drag penalty due to the asperities in the substrate of super-hydrophobic and liquid infused surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia Cartagena, Edgardo J.; Arenas, Isnardo; Leonardi, Stefano

2017-11-01

Direct numerical simulations of two superposed fluids in a turbulent channel with a textured surface made of pinnacles of random height have been performed. The viscosity ratio between the two fluids are N =μo /μi = 50 (μo and μi are the viscosities of outer and inner fluid respectively) mimicking a super-hydrophobic surface (water over air) and N=2.5 (water over heptane) resembling a liquid infused surface. Two set of simulations have been performed varying the Reynolds number, Reτ = 180 and Reτ = 390 . The interface between the two fluids is flat simulating infinite surface tension. The position of the interface between the two fluids has been varied in the vertical direction from the base of the substrate (what would be a rough wall) to the highest point of the roughness. Drag reduction is very sensitive to the position of the interface between the two fluids. Asperities above the interface induce a large form drag and diminish considerably the drag reduction. When the mean height of the surface measured from the interface in the outer fluid is greater than one wall unit, k+ > 1 , the drag increases with respect to a smooth wall. Present results provide a guideline to the accuracy required in manufacturing super-hydrophobic and liquid infused surfaces. This work was supported under ONR MURI Grants N00014-12-0875 and N00014-12- 1-0962, Program Manager Dr. Ki-Han Kim. Numerical simulations were performed on the Texas Advanced Computer Center.

Contents of the NASA ocean data system archive, version 11-90

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Elizabeth A. (Editor); Lassanyi, Ruby A. (Editor)

1990-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ocean Data System (NODS) archive at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) includes satellite data sets for the ocean sciences and global-change research to facilitate multidisciplinary use of satellite ocean data. Parameters include sea-surface height, surface-wind vector, sea-surface temperature, atmospheric liquid water, and surface pigment concentration. NODS will become the Data Archive and Distribution Service of the JPL Distributed Active Archive Center for the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) and will be the United States distribution site for Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON data and metadata.

Geomorphologic Analysis of Drainage Basins in Damavand Volcano Cone, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zareinejad, M.

2011-12-01

Damavand volcanic cone is located in the center of the Alborz chain, in the southern Caspian Sea in Iran. Damavand is a dormant volcano in Iran. It is not only the country's highest peak but also the highest mountain on the Middle East; its elevation is 5619 m. The main purpose of this paper is recognition and appraisement of drainage basins in Damavand cone from geomorphic point of view. Water causes erosion in nature in different forms and creates diverse forms on the earth surface depending on the manner of its appearance in nature. Although water is itself a former factor, it flows under morphological effect of earth surface. The difference of earth surface topography and as a result water movement on it, cause the formation of sub-basins. Identification of region drainage basins is considered as one of the requirements for Damavand cone morphometric. Thereupon, five drainage basins were identified in this research by relying on main criteria including topographic contours with 10 m intervals, drainage system, DEM map, slope map, aspect map and satellite images. (Fig 1) Area, perimeter, height classification for classifying morphological landforms in different levels, hypsometric calculations, drainage density, etc. were then calculated by using ArcGIS software. (Table 1) Damavand cone, with a height more than 5,000 meters from the sea surface, has very hard pass slopes and our purpose in this paper is to identify the effect of drainage basins conditions in the region on erosion and the formation of morphological landforms by using SPOT, ASTER, satellite images as well as papering of data in GIS environment.

A Study on the Relationships among Surface Variables to Adjust the Height of Surface Temperature for Data Assimilation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, J. H.; Song, H. J.; Han, H. J.; Ha, J. H.

2016-12-01

The observation processing system, KPOP (KIAPS - Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems - Package for Observation Processing) have developed to provide optimal observations to the data assimilation system for the KIAPS Integrated Model (KIM). Currently, the KPOP has capable of processing almost all of observations for the KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration) operational global data assimilation system. The height adjustment of SURFACE observations are essential for the quality control due to the difference in height between observation station and model topography. For the SURFACE observation, it is usual to adjust the height using lapse rate or hypsometric equation, which decides values mainly depending on the difference of height. We have a question of whether the height can be properly adjusted following to the linear or exponential relationship solely with regard to the difference of height, with disregard the atmospheric conditions. In this study, firstly we analyse the change of surface variables such as temperature (T2m), pressure (Psfc), humidity (RH2m and Q2m), and wind components (U and V) according to the height difference. Additionally, we look further into the relationships among surface variables . The difference of pressure shows a strong linear relationship with difference of height. But the difference of temperature according to the height shows a significant correlation with difference of relative humidity than with the height difference. A development of reliable model for the height-adjustment of surface temperature is being undertaken based on the preliminary results.

An overview of the NSCAT/N-ROSS program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, B. D.; Freilich, Michael H.; Li, F. K.; Callahan, Phillip S.

1986-01-01

The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) to fly on the U.S. Navy Remote Ocean Sensing System (N-ROSS) mission is presented. The overall N-ROSS mission, the NSCAT flight instrument and groundbased data processing/distribution system, and NASA-supported science and verification activities are described. The N-ROSS system is designed to provide measurements of near-surface wind, ocean topography, wave height, sea-surface temperature, and atmospheric water content over the global oceans. The NSCAT is an improved version of the Seasat scatterometer. It will measure near surface vector winds.

Reversible uptake of water on NaCl nanoparticles at relative humidity below deliquescence point observed by noncontact environmental atomic force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruzewicz, Derek A.; Checco, Antonio; Ocko, Benjamin M.; Lewis, Ernie R.; McGraw, Robert L.; Schwartz, Stephen E.

2011-01-01

The behavior of NaCl nanoparticles as a function of relative humidity (RH) has been characterized using non-contact environmental atomic force microscopy (e-AFM) to measure the heights of particles deposited on a prepared hydrophobic surface. Cubic NaCl nanoparticles with sides of 35 and 80 nm were found to take up water reversibly with increasing RH well below the bulk deliquescence relative humidity (DRH) of 75% at 23° C, and to form a liquid-like surface layer of thickness 2 to 5 nm, with measurable uptake ( >2 nm increase in particle height) beginning at 70% RH. The maximum thickness of the layer increased with increasing RH and increasing particle size over the range studied. The liquid-like behavior of the layer was indicated by a reversible rounding at the upper surface of the particles, fit to a parabolic cross-section, where the ratio of particle height to maximum radius of curvature increases from zero (flat top) at 68% RH to 0.7 ± 0.3 at 74% RH. These observations, which are consistent with a reorganization of mass on the solid NaCl nanocrystal at RH below the DRH, suggest that the deliquescence of NaCl nanoparticles is more complex than an abrupt first-order phase transition. The height measurements are consistent with a phenomenological model that assumes favorable contributions to the free energy of formation of a liquid layer on solid NaCl due both to van der Waals interactions, which depend partly upon the Hamaker constant, A_{{film}}, of the interaction between the thin liquid film and the solid NaCl, and to a longer-range electrostatic interaction over a characteristic length of persistence, ξ; the best fit to the data corresponded to A_{{film}} = 1 kT and ξ = 2.33 nm.

33 CFR 177.07 - Other unsafe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... discretion, the continued operation of the vessel would create an unsafe condition. (c) Has a fuel leakage... applies to boats built after July 31, 1980); (e) Does not meet the requirements for backfire flame control... from the lowest point along the upper strake edge to the surface of the water. W=Maximum wave height in...

Replication of cicada wing's nano-patterns by hot embossing and UV nanoimprinting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Sung-Hoon; Hwang, Jaeyeon; Lee, Heon

2009-09-01

The hydrophobicity of the cicada wing originates from its naturally occurring, surface nano-structure. The nano-structure of the cicada wing consists of an array of nano-sized pillars, 100 nm in diameter and 300 nm in height. In this study, the nano-structure of the cicada wing was successfully duplicated by using hot embossing lithography and UV nanoimprint lithography (NIL). The diameter and pitch of replication were the same as those of the original cicada wing and the height was a little smaller than that of the original master. The transmittance of the hot embossed PVC film was increased by 2-6% compared with that of the bare PVC film. The hydrophobicity was measured by water contact angle measurements. The water contact angle of the replica, made of UV cured polymer, was 132° ± 2°, which was slightly lower than that of the original cicada wing (138° ± 2°), but much higher than that of the UV cured polymer surface without any nano-sized pillars (86°).

Estimation of liquid water cloud height and fraction using simulated AMSU-A and MHS data. [Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit and Microwave Humidity Sounder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Hung-Lung; Diak, George R.

1992-01-01

The rms retrieval errors in cloud top pressure for fully overcast conditions over both land and water surfaces are shown for AMSU-A oxygen channel pair 3 and 5 and MHS water vapor channel pair 4 and 5. For both pairs, the decrease of retrieval skill from high cloud is evident for almost all liquid water contents. For high cloud and medium cloud, the water vapor pair outperforms the oxygen pair. Retrieval accuracy is the best for high and middle clouds and degrades as the cloud top is lower in the atmosphere.

Atmospheric transmission loss in mirror-to-tower slant ranges due to water vapor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gueymard, Christian A.; López, Gabriel; Rapp-Arrarás, Igor

2017-06-01

Considering CSP systems of the central tower-receiver type, this study investigates the specific effect of water vapor absorption on the total atmospheric transmission losses that impact direct irradiance along the slant path between a distant mirror and the receiver on the tower. Spectral and broadband calculations of total atmospheric attenuation are made for various water vapor conditions (from dry to humid) with both the rigorous MODTRAN code and the simpler and faster SMARTS code. The use of the latter is made indirectly possible through the "fictitious sun" concept. The MODTRAN and SMARTS results compare reasonably well under the present conditions, which closely echo the conditions used in previous studies, thus allowing instructive comparisons that will be reported later. To study the vertical profile of water vapor between surface and a height of 300 m, the columnar precipitable water at ≈5 m resolution has been derived from special high-resolution radiosonde soundings carried out twice daily at two arid sites. This analysis shows that the desired precipitable water at the receiver level can be simply extrapolated from that at the mirror level if the water vapor scale height is known. The latter is shown to significantly vary on a daily basis at the two sounding sites, with a median of 2.74 km. The exact value of this scale height conditions the transmission loss due to water vapor, but in any case this loss is found relatively small in comparison with other sources of attenuation, even when considering long slant paths under humid conditions. This unexpected finding is explained by the saturation effect that characterizes water vapor absorption.

Influence of land-surface evapotranspiration on the earth's climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shukla, J.; Mintz, Y.

1982-01-01

Land-surface evapotranspiration is shown to strongly influence global fields of rainfall, temperature and motion by calculations using a numerical model of the atmosphere, confirming the general belief in the importance of evapotranspiration-producing surface vegetation for the earth's climate. The current version of the Goddard Laboratory atmospheric general circulation model is used in the present experiment, in which conservation equations for mass, momentum, moisture and energy are expressed in finite-difference form for a spherical grid to calculate (1) surface pressure field evolution, and (2) the wind, temperature, and water vapor fields at nine levels between the surface and a 20 km height.

Shallow-Water Reverberation

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-30

119, 33346 (2006). 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 R M S W av e he ig ht σ ( m ) Surface data, APL-UW Date in June...2001, 0=00:00 31 May ( AWST -China) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 W in d Sp ee d W ( m /s ) Figure 1 A 7-day history of the RMS surface wave height σ

Maximum height in a conifer is associated with conflicting requirements for xylem design.

PubMed

Domec, Jean-Christophe; Lachenbruch, Barbara; Meinzer, Frederick C; Woodruff, David R; Warren, Jeffrey M; McCulloh, Katherine A

2008-08-19

Despite renewed interest in the nature of limitations on maximum tree height, the mechanisms governing ultimate and species-specific height limits are not yet understood, but they likely involve water transport dynamics. Tall trees experience increased risk of xylem embolism from air-seeding because tension in their water column increases with height because of path-length resistance and gravity. We used morphological measurements to estimate the hydraulic properties of the bordered pits between tracheids in Douglas-fir trees along a height gradient of 85 m. With increasing height, the xylem structural modifications that satisfied hydraulic requirements for avoidance of runaway embolism imposed increasing constraints on water transport efficiency. In the branches and trunks, the pit aperture diameter of tracheids decreases steadily with height, whereas torus diameter remains relatively constant. The resulting increase in the ratio of torus to pit aperture diameter allows the pits to withstand higher tensions before air-seeding but at the cost of reduced pit aperture conductance. Extrapolations of vertical trends for trunks and branches show that water transport across pits will approach zero at a heights of 109 m and 138 m, respectively, which is consistent with historic height records of 100-127 m for this species. Likewise, the twig water potential corresponding to the threshold for runaway embolism would be attained at a height of approximately 107 m. Our results suggest that the maximum height of Douglas-fir trees may be limited in part by the conflicting requirements for water transport and water column safety.

Hurricane Directional Wave Spectrum Spatial Variation in the Open Ocean and at Landfall

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, Edward J.; Wright, C. Wayne; Vandemark, Douglas C.; Krabill, William B.; Garcia, Andrew W.; Houston, Samuel H.; Powell, Mark D.; Black, Peter G.; Marks, Frank D.

2000-01-01

The sea surface directional wave spectrum was measured for the first time in all quadrants of a hurricane in open water using the NASA airborne scanning radar altimeter (SRA) carried aboard one of the NOAA WP-3D hurricane hunter aircraft at 1.5 km height. The SRA measures the energetic portion of the directional wave spectrum by generating a topographic map of the sea surface. At 8 Hz, the SRA sweeps a radar beam of 1' half-power width (two-way) across the aircraft ground track over a swath equal to 0.8 of the aircraft height, simultaneously measuring the backscattered power at its 36 GHz (8.3 mm) operating frequency and the range to the sea surface at 64 positions. These slant ranges are multiplied by the cosine of the off-nadir angles to determine the vertical distances from the aircraft to the sea surface. Subtracting these distances from the aircraft height produces the sea surface elevation map. The sea surface topography is interpolated to a uniform grid, transformed by a two dimensional FFT, and Doppler corrected. The open-ocean data were acquired on 24 August 1998 when hurricane Bonnie was east of the Bahamas and moving toward 330 deg at about 5 m/s. Individual waves up to 18 m height were observed and the spatial variation of the wave field was dramatic. The dominant waves generally propagated at significant angles to the downwind direction. At some positions there were three different wave fields of comparable energy crossing each other. The NOAA aircraft spent over five hours within 180 km of the eye, and made five eye penetrations. On 26 August 1998, the NOAA aircraft flew at 2.2 km height when hurricane Bonnie was making landfall near Wilmington, NC, documenting the directional wave spectrum in the region between Charleston, SC and Cape Hatteras, NC. The aircraft flight lines included segments near and along the shoreline as well as far offshore. Animations of the directional wave spectrum spatial variation along the aircraft tracks on the two flights will be presented using a 100: 1 time compression.

HTO and OBT concentrations in a wetland ecosystem

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

Kim, S. B.; Workman, W. J. G.; Davis, P. A.

2008-07-15

Tritiated water (HTO) and organically bound tritium (OBT) concentrations in the non-human biota inhabiting Duke Swamp were measured during the 2005 growing season. Samples of surface water, soil, plants, precipitation, wild animals and air moisture were collected from 2005 May to October at five locations in the swamp and analyzed for their tritium content. HTO concentrations in air moisture decreased with height since the tritium source is in the ground. Soil HTO concentrations were not closely related to the concentrations in nearby surface water and the HTO concentration in balsam fir needles showed no clear pattern with height. HTO concentrationsmore » in moss, grass and alder leaves decreased in September, which is the time when metabolic activity is reduced. OBT concentrations in a given compartment showed less variation than the HTO concentrations in that compartment. The OBT/HTO ratio was approximately one for soil and less than one for plants, with the exception of lichen. The OBT/HTO ratio in most wild animals was also less than one, but increased to more than 2.0 for mice. Although the tritium concentrations varied substantially in space and time in Duke Swamp, the fact that OBT/HTO <1 for most compartments suggests that equilibrium conditions hold locally. (authors)« less

A model for the estimation of the surface fluxes of momentum, heat and moisture of the cloud topped marine atmospheric boundary layer from satellite measurable parameters. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, D. E.

1984-01-01

A model is developed for the estimation of the surface fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture of the cloud topped marine atmospheric boundary layer by use of satellite remotely sensed parameters. The parameters chosen for the problem are the integrated liquid water content, q sub li, the integrated water vapor content, q sub vi, the cloud top temperature, and either a measure of the 10 meter neutral wind speed or the friction velocity at the surface. Under the assumption of a horizontally homogeneous, well-mixed boundary layer, the model calculates the equivalent potential temperature and total water profiles of the boundary layer along with the boundary layer height from inputs of q sub li, q sub vi, and cloud top temperature. These values, along with the 10m neutral wind speed or friction velocity and the sea surface temperature are then used to estimate the surface fluxes. The development of a scheme to parameterize the integrated water vapor outside of the boundary layer for the cases of cold air outbreak and California coastal stratus is presented.

Waveform identification and retracking analyses of Jason-2 altimeter satellite data for improving sea surface height estimation in Southern Java Island Waters and Java Sea, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nababan, Bisman; Hakim, Muhammad R.; Panjaitan, James P.

2018-05-01

Indonesian waters containing many small islands and shallow waters leads to a less accurate of sea surface height (SSH) estimation from satellite altimetry. Little efforts are also given for the validation of SSH estimation from the satellite in Indonesian waters. The purpose of this research was to identify and retrack waveforms of Jason-2 altimeter satellite data in southern Java island waters and Java Sea using several retrackers and performed improvement percentage analyses for new SSH estimation. The study used data of the Sensor Geophysical Data Record type D (SGDR-D) of Jason-2 satellite altimeter of the year 2010 in the southern Java island waters and 2012-2014 in Java Sea. Waveform retracking analyses were conducted using several retrackers (Offset Center of Gravity, Ice, Threshold, and Improved Threshold) and examined using a world reference undulation geoid of EGM08 and Oceanic retracker. Result showed that shape and pattern of waveforms were varied in all passes, seasons, and locations specifically along the coastal regions. In general, non-Brownish and complex waveforms were identified along coastal region specifically within the distance of 0-10 km from the shoreline. In contrary, generally Brownish waveforms were found in offshore. However, Brownish waveform can also be found within coastal region and non-Brownish waveforms within offshore region. The results were also showed that the four retrackers produced a better SSH estimation in coastal region. However, there was no dominant retracker to improve the accuracy of the SSH estimate.

Geology and Thermal History of Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bargar, Keith E.

1978-01-01

Mammoth Hot Springs, located about 8 km inside the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park, consists of nearly 100 hot springs scattered over a score of steplike travertine terraces. The travertine deposits range in age from late Pleistocene to the present. Sporadic records of hot-spring activity suggest that most of the current major springs have been intermittently active since at least 1871. Water moving along the Norris-Mammoth fault zone is heated by partly molten magma and enriched in calcium and bicarbonate. Upon reaching Mammoth this thermal water (temperature about 73?C) moves up through the old terrace deposits along preexisting vertical linear planes of weakness. As the water reaches the surface, pressure is released, carbon dioxide escapes as a gas, and bicarbonate in the water is partitioned into more carbon dioxide and carbonate; the carbonate then combines with calcium to precipitate calcium carbonate, forming travertine. The travertine usually precipitates rapidly from solution and is lightweight and porous; however, dense travertine, such as is found in core from the 113-m research drill hole Y-10 located on one of the upper terraces, forms beneath the surface by deposition in the pore spaces of older deposits. The terraces abound with unusual hot-spring deposits such as terracettes, cones, and fissure ridges. Semicircular ledges (ranging in width from about 0.3 m to as much as 2.5 m), called terracettes, formed by deposition of travertine around slowly rising pools. Complex steplike arrangements of terracettes have developed along runoff channels of some hot springs. A few hot springs have deposited cone-shaped mounds, most of which reach heights of 1-2 m before becoming dormant. However, one long-inactive cone named Liberty Cap attained a height of about 14 m. Fissure ridges are linear mounds of travertine deposited from numerous hot-spring vents along a medial fracture zone. The ridges range in height from about 1 to 6 m and in length from a few meters to nearly 300 m; width at the base of a ridge is equal to or greater than its height. In some places, such as along the northern border of Main Terrace, water from new hot-spring activity becomes ponded behind fissure-ridge barriers or dams and deposits travertine that eventually forms large flat terraces.

Atomistic study of the graphene nanobubbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iakovlev, Evgeny; Zhilyaev, Petr; Akhatov, Iskander

2017-11-01

A two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures can be created using 2D crystals stacking method. Substance can be trapped between the layers which leads to formation of the surface nanobubbles. We study nanobubbles trapped between graphene layers with argon atoms inside using molecular dynamics approach. For bubbles with radius in range 7-34 nm the solid close-packed state of argon is found, although according to bulk argon phase diagram the fluid phase must be observed. The universal shape scaling (constant ratio of height to radius), which is found experimentally and proved by the theory of elasticity of membranes, is also observed in our atomistic simulations. An unusual pancake shape (extremely small height to radius ratio) is found for smallest nanobubble with radius 7 nm. The nanobubbles with similar shape were experimentally observed at the interface between water and hydrophobic surface.

An observation of sea-spray microphysics by airborne Doppler radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fairall, C. W.; Pezoa, S.; Moran, K.; Wolfe, D.

2014-05-01

This paper describes observations and analysis of Doppler radar data from a down-looking 94 GHz (W-Band) system operated from a NOAA WP-3 Orion research aircraft in Tropical Storm (TS) Karen. The flight took place on 5 October 2013; Karen had weakened with maximum winds around 20 m s-1. Doppler spectral moments from the radar were processed to retrieve sea-spray microphysical properties (drop size and liquid water mass concentration) profiles in the height range 75-300 m above the sea surface. In the high wind speed regions of TS Karen (U10 > 15 m s-1), sea spray was observed with a nominal mass-mode radius of about 40 µm, a radar-weighted gravitational fall velocity of about 1 m s-1, and a mass concentration of about 10-3 gm-3 at 75 m. Spray-drop mass concentration declined with height to values of about 10-4 gm-3 at 300 m. Drop mass decreased slightly more slowly with increasing height than predicted by surface-layer similarity theory for a balance of turbulent diffusion vs fall velocity.

Application and Limitations of GPS Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) Data for Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height Detection over the Arctic.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganeshan, M.; Wu, D. L.

2014-12-01

Due to recent changes in the Arctic environment, it is important to monitor the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) properties over the Arctic Ocean, especially to explore the variability in ABL clouds (such as sensitivity and feedback to sea ice loss). For example, radiosonde and satellite observations of the Arctic ABL height (and low-cloud cover) have recently suggested a positive response to sea ice loss during October that may not occur during the melt season (June-September). Owing to its high vertical and spatiotemporal resolution, an independent ABL height detection algorithm using GPS Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) refractivity in the Arctic is explored. Similar GPS-RO algorithms developed previously typically define the level of the most negative moisture gradient as the ABL height. This definition is favorable for subtropical oceans where a stratocumulus-topped ABL is often capped by a layer of sharp moisture lapse rate (coincident with the temperature inversion). The Arctic Ocean is also characterized by stratocumulus cloud cover, however, the specific humidity does not frequently decrease in the ABL capping inversion. The use of GPS-RO refractivity for ABL height retrieval therefore becomes more complex. During winter months (December-February), when the total precipitable water in the troposphere is a minimum, a fairly straightforward algorithm for ABL height retrieval is developed. The applicability and limitations of this method for other seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall) is determined. The seasonal, interannual and spatial variability in the GPS-derived ABL height over the Arctic Ocean, as well as its relation to the underlying surface (ice vs. water), is investigated. The GPS-RO profiles are also explored for the evidence of low-level moisture transport in the cold Arctic environment.

Biphilic Surfaces for Enhanced Water Collection from Humid Air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benkoski, Jason; Gerasopoulos, Konstantinos; Luedeman, William

Surface wettability plays an important role in water recovery, distillation, dehumidification, and heat transfer. The efficiency of each process depends on the rate of droplet nucleation, droplet growth, and mass transfer. Unfortunately, hydrophilic surfaces are good at nucleation but poor at shedding. Hydrophobic surfaces are the reverse. Many plants and animals overcome this tradeoff through biphilic surfaces with patterned wettability. For example, the Stenocara beetle uses hydrophilic patches on a superhydrophobic background to collect fog from air. Cribellate spiders similarly collect fog on their webs through periodic spindle-knot structures. In this study, we investigate the effects of wettability patterns on the rate of water collection from humid air. The steady state rate of water collection per unit area is measured as a function of undercooling, angle of inclination, water contact angle, hydrophilic patch size, patch spacing, area fraction, and patch height relative to the hydrophobic background. We then model each pattern by comparing the potential and kinetic energy of a droplet as it rolls downwards at a fixed angle. The results indicate that the design rules for collecting fog differ from those for condensation from humid air. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Office of Naval Research for financial support through Grant Number N00014-15-1-2107.

In situ observations of Arctic cloud properties across the Beaufort Sea marginal ice zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corr, C.; Moore, R.; Winstead, E.; Thornhill, K. L., II; Crosbie, E.; Ziemba, L. D.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Chen, G.; Martin, R.; Shook, M.; Corbett, J.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Anderson, B. E.

2016-12-01

Clouds play an important role in Arctic climate. This is particularly true over the Arctic Ocean where feedbacks between clouds and sea-ice impact the surface radiation budget through modifications of sea-ice extent, ice thickness, cloud base height, and cloud cover. This work summarizes measurements of Arctic cloud properties made aboard the NASA C-130 aircraft over the Beaufort Sea during ARISE (Arctic Radiation - IceBridge Sea&Ice Experiment) in September 2014. The influence of surface-type on cloud properties is also investigated. Specifically, liquid water content (LWC), droplet concentrations, and droplet size distributions are compared for clouds sampled over three distinct regimes in the Beaufort Sea: 1) open water, 2) the marginal ice zone, and 3) sea-ice. Regardless of surface type, nearly all clouds intercepted during ARISE were liquid-phase clouds. However, differences in droplet size distributions and concentrations were evident for the surface types; clouds over the MIZ and sea-ice generally had fewer and larger droplets compared to those over open water. The potential implication these results have for understanding cloud-surface albedo climate feedbacks in Arctic are discussed.

A comparison of annual vertical crustal displacements from GPS and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) over Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dam, T.; Wahr, J.; LavalléE, David

2007-03-01

We compare approximately 3 years of GPS height residuals (with respect to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame) with predictions of vertical surface displacements derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity fields for stations in Europe. An annual signal fit to the residual monthly heights, corrected for atmospheric pressure and barotropic ocean loading effects, should primarily represent surface displacements due to long-wavelength variations in water storage. A comparison of the annual height signal from GPS and GRACE over Europe indicates that at most sites, the annual signals do not agree in amplitude or phase. We find that unlike the annual signal predicted from GRACE, the annual signal in the GPS heights is not coherent over the region, displaying significant variability from site to site. Confidence in the GRACE data and the unlikely possibility of large-amplitude small-scale features in the load field not captured by the GRACE data leads us to conclude that some of the discrepancy between the GPS and GRACE observations is due to technique errors in the GPS data processing. This is evidenced by the fact that the disagreement between GPS and GRACE is largest at coastal sites, where mismodeling of the semidiurnal ocean tidal loading signal can result in spurious annual signals.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - Warm Water Pool is Increasing, Nov. 10, 1997

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Nov. 10, 1997. The volume of extra warm surface water (shown in white) in the core of the El Nino continues to increase, especially in the area between 15 degrees south latitude and 15 degrees north latitude in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The area of low sea level (shown in purple) has decreased somewhat from late October. The white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 centimeters and 32 cm (6 inches to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The surface area covered by the warm water mass is about one-and-one-half times the size of the continental United States. The added amount of oceanic warm water near the Americas, with a temperature between 21 to 30 degrees Celsius (70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit), is about 30 times the volume of water in all the U.S. Great Lakes combined. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level.

The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white areas) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using these global data, limited regional measurements from buoys and ships, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmospheric system, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an advisory indicating the presence of a strong El Nino condition throughout the winter.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/

WatER: The proposed Water Elevation Recovery satellite mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsdorf, D.; Mognard, N.; Rodriguez, E.; Participants, W.

2005-12-01

Surface fresh water is essential for life, yet we have surprisingly poor knowledge of the spatial and temporal dynamics of surface water storage and discharge globally. The core mission objective is to describe and understand the continental water cycle and the hydrological processes (e.g., floodplain hydraulics) at work in a river basin. The key question that will be answered by WatER is: "Where is water stored on Earth's land surfaces, and how does this storage vary in space and time?" WatER will facilitate societal needs by (1) improving our understanding of flood hazards; (2) freely providing water volume information to countries who critically rely on rivers that cross political borders; and (3) mapping the variations in water bodies that contribute to disease vectors (e.g., malaria). Conventional altimeter profiles are, without question, incapable of supplying the measurements needed to address scientific and societal questions. WatER will repeatedly measure the spatially distributed water surface elevations (h) of wetlands, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. Successive h measurements yield dh/dt, (t is time), hence a volumetric change in water stored or lost. Individual images of h yield dh/dx (x is distance), hence surface water slope, which is necessary for estimating streamflow. WatER's main instrument is a Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIN) which is the only technology capable of supplying the required imaging capability of h. KaRIN has a rich heritage based on (1) the many highly successful ocean observing radar altimeters, (2) the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and (3) the development effort of the Wide Swath Ocean Altimeter (WSOA). The interferometric altimeter is a near-nadir viewing, 120 km wideswath based instrument that uses interferometric SAR processing of the returned pulses to yield single-look 5m azimuth and 10m to 70m range resolution, with an elevation accuracy of approximately 50 cm. Polynomial based averaging of heights along the water body increases the height accuracy to about 3 cm. The entire globe is covered twice every 16 days and orbit subcycles allow the average visit to be about half this time at low to mid-latitudes, and almost daily at high latitudes. The WatER mission is an international effort with a large, supporting scientific community. It is already proposed as an ESA Earth Explorer Core mission and will also be jointly submitted to NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program. WatER is designed to meet high priority targets for all nations and will provide essential data for the EU Water Framework Directive and the European Flood Alert System. WatER will meet the United Nations call for a "greater focus on water related issues", responds to the hydroclimatological needs of the International Working Group on Earth Observations, and answers the U.S. federal government call to focus on our "ability to measure, monitor, and forecast U.S. and global supplies of fresh water".

Advanced Signal Processing for High Temperatures Health Monitoring of Condensed Water Height in Steam Pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lih, Shyh-Shiuh; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Lee, Hyeong Jae; Takano, Nobuyuki; Bao, Xiaoqi

2013-01-01

An advanced signal processing methodology is being developed to monitor the height of condensed water thru the wall of a steel pipe while operating at temperatures as high as 250deg. Using existing techniques, previous study indicated that, when the water height is low or there is disturbance in the environment, the predicted water height may not be accurate. In recent years, the use of the autocorrelation and envelope techniques in the signal processing has been demonstrated to be a very useful tool for practical applications. In this paper, various signal processing techniques including the auto correlation, Hilbert transform, and the Shannon Energy Envelope methods were studied and implemented to determine the water height in the steam pipe. The results have shown that the developed method provides a good capability for monitoring the height in the regular conditions. An alternative solution for shallow water or no water conditions based on a developed hybrid method based on Hilbert transform (HT) with a high pass filter and using the optimized windowing technique is suggested. Further development of the reported methods would provide a powerful tool for the identification of the disturbances of water height inside the pipe.

Bidirectional solitons on water.

PubMed

Zhang, Jin E; Li, Yishen

2003-01-01

A theory of bidirectional solitons on water is developed by using an integrable Boussinesq surface-variable equation. We present an explicit transformation between the system and a member of the Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur system, and derive an exact multisoliton solution by using a Darboux transformation. The phase shifts and the maximum wave heights during the interaction are studied for two-soliton overtaking and head-on collisions. They agree with the Korteweg-de Vries solution for overtaking collision and the perturbation solution for head-on collision.

Unravelling the limits to tree height: a major role for water and nutrient trade-offs.

PubMed

Cramer, Michael D

2012-05-01

Competition for light has driven forest trees to grow exceedingly tall, but the lack of a single universal limit to tree height indicates multiple interacting environmental limitations. Because soil nutrient availability is determined by both nutrient concentrations and soil water, water and nutrient availabilities may interact in determining realised nutrient availability and consequently tree height. In SW Australia, which is characterised by nutrient impoverished soils that support some of the world's tallest forests, total [P] and water availability were independently correlated with tree height (r = 0.42 and 0.39, respectively). However, interactions between water availability and each of total [P], pH and [Mg] contributed to a multiple linear regression model of tree height (r = 0.72). A boosted regression tree model showed that maximum tree height was correlated with water availability (24%), followed by soil properties including total P (11%), Mg (10%) and total N (9%), amongst others, and that there was an interaction between water availability and total [P] in determining maximum tree height. These interactions indicated a trade-off between water and P availability in determining maximum tree height in SW Australia. This is enabled by a species assemblage capable of growing tall and surviving (some) disturbances. The mechanism for this trade-off is suggested to be through water enabling mass-flow and diffusive mobility of P, particularly of relatively mobile organic P, although water interactions with microbial activity could also play a role.

High-precision measurements of wetland sediment elevation. II The rod surface elevation table

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cahoon, D.R.; Lynch, J.C.; Perez, B.C.; Segura, B.; Holland, R.D.; Stelly, C.; Stephenson, G.; Hensel, P.

2002-01-01

A new high-precision device for measuring sediment elevation in emergent and shallow water wetland systems is described. The rod surface-elevation table (RSET) is a balanced, lightweight mechanical leveling device that attaches to both shallow ( 1 m in order to be stable. The pipe is driven to refusal but typically to a depth shallower than the rod bench mark because of greater surface resistance of the pipe. Thus, the RSET makes it possible to partition change in sediment elevation over shallower (e.g., the root zone) and deeper depths of the sediment profile than is possible with the SET. The confidence intervals for the height of an individual pin measured by two different operators with the RSET under laboratory conditions were A? 1.0 and A? 1.5 mm. Under field conditions, confidence intervals for the measured height of an individual pin ranged from A? 1.3 mm in a mangrove forest up to A? 4.3 mm in a salt marsh.

Ship wakes and spectrograms: mathematical modelling and experimental data for finite-depth flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCue, Scott; Pethiyagoda, Ravindra; Moroney, Timothy; Macfarlane, Gregor; Binns, Jonathan

2017-11-01

We are concerned with how properties of a ship wake can be extracted from surface height data collected at a single point as the ship travels past. The tool we use is a spectrogram, which is a heat map that visualises the time-dependent frequency spectrum of the surface height signal. In this talk, the focus will be on presenting the theoretical framework which involves an idealised mathematical model with a pressure distribution applied to the surface. A geometric argument based on linear water wave theory provides encouraging results for both subcritical and supercritical flow regimes. We then summarise some recent findings obtained by comparing our analysis to experimental data collected at the Australian Maritime College for various sailing speeds and hull shapes*. Our work has the potential to inform ship design, the detection of irregular vessels, and how coastal damage is attributed to specific vessels in shipping channels. We acknowledge support of the Australian Research Council via the Discovery Project DP140100933.

Characteristics of inertial currents observed in offshore wave records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gemmrich, J.; Garrett, C.

2012-04-01

It is well known that ambient currents can change the amplitude, direction and frequency of ocean surface waves. Regions with persistent strong currents, such as the Agulhas current off the east coast of South Africa, are known as areas of extreme waves, and wave height modulations of up to 50% observed in the shallow North Sea have been linked to tidal currents. In the open ocean, inertial currents, while intermittent, are typically the most energetic currents with speeds up to 0.5 m/s, and can interact with the surface wave field to create wave modulation, though this has not previously been reported. We use long records of significant wave heights from buoy observations in the northeast Pacific and show evidence of significant modulation at frequencies that are slightly higher than the local inertial frequency. Quite apart from the relevance to surface waves, this result can provide a consistent and independent measurement, over a wide range of latitudes, of the frequency blue-shift, the strength and intermittency of ocean surface inertial currents. Near-inertial waves constitute the most energetic portion of the internal wave band and play a significant role in deep ocean mixing. So far, observational data on near-surface inertial currents has tended to come from short records that do not permit the reliable determination of the frequency blue-shift, though this is an important factor affecting the energy flux from the surface into deeper waters. Long records from routine wave height observations are widely available and could help to shed new light globally on the blue-shift and on the characteristics of inertial currents.

Internal gravity wave contributions to global sea surface variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, A.; Arbic, B. K.; Richman, J. G.; Shriver, J. F.; Buijsman, M. C.; Zamudio, L.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Sharma, H.

2016-02-01

High-resolution (1/12th and 1/25th degree) 41-layer simulations of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), forced by both atmospheric fields and the astronomical tidal potential, are used to construct global maps of sea-surface height (SSH). The HYCOM output has been separated into steric, non-steric, and total sea-surface height and the maps display variance in subtidal, tidal, and supertidal bands. Two of the global maps are of particular interest in planning for the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wide-swath satellite altimeter mission; (1) a map of the nonstationary tidal signal (estimated after removing the stationary tidal signal via harmonic analysis), and (2) a map of the steric supertidal contributions, which are dominated by the internal gravity wave continuum. Both of these maps display signals of order 1 cm2, the target accuracy for the SWOT mission. Therefore, both non-stationary internal tides and non-tidal internal gravity waves are likely to be important sources of "noise" that must be accurately removed before examination of lower-frequency phenomena can take place.

Ringin' the water bell: dynamic modes of curved fluid sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolinski, John; Aharoni, Hillel; Fineberg, Jay; Sharon, Eran

2015-11-01

A water bell is formed by fluid flowing in a thin, coherent sheet in the shape of a bell. Experimentally, a water bell is created via the impact of a cylindrical jet on a flat surface. Its shape is set by the splash angle (the separation angle) of the resulting cylindrically symmetric water sheet. The separation angle is altered by adjusting the height of a lip surrounding the impact point, as in a water sprinkler. We drive the lip's height sinusoidally, altering the separation angle, and ringin' the water bell. This forcing generates disturbances on the steady-state water bell that propagate forward and backward in the fluid's reference frame at well-defined velocities, and interact, resulting in the emergence of an interference pattern unique to each steady-state geometry. We analytically model these dynamics by linearizing the amplitude of the bell's response about the underlying curved geometry. This simple model predicts the nodal structure over a wide range of steady-state water bell configurations and driving frequencies. Due to the curved water bell geometry, the nodal structure is quite complex; nevertheless, the predicted nodal structure agrees extremely well with the experimental data. When we drive the bell beyond perturbative separation angles, the nodal locations surprisingly persist, despite the strikingly altered underlying water bell shape. At extreme driving amplitudes the water sheet assumes a rich variety of tortuous, non-convex shapes; nevertheless, the fluid sheet remains intact.

Slide-induced waves, seiching and ground fracturing caused by the earthquake of March 27, 1964 at Kenai Lake, Alaska: Chapter A in The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: regional effects

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCulloch, David S.

1966-01-01

The March 27, 1964, earthquake dislodged slides from nine deltas in Kenai Lake, south-central Alaska. Sliding removed protruding parts of deltas-often the youngest parts-and steepened delta fronts, increasing the chances of further sliding. Fathograms show that debris from large slides spread widely over the lake floor, some reaching the toe of the opposite shore; at one place debris traveled 5,000 feet over the horizontal lake floor. Slides generated two kinds of local waves: a backfill and far-shore wave. Backfill waves were formed by water that rushed toward the delta to fill the void left by the sinking slide mass, overtopped the slide scrap, and came ashore over the delta. Some backfill waves had runup heights of 30 feet and ran inland more than 300 feet, uprooting and breaking off large trees. Far-shore waves hit the shore opposite the slides. They were formed by slide debris that crossed the lake floor and forced water ahead of it, which then ran up the opposite slope, burst above the lake surface, and struck the shore. One far-shore wave had a runup height of 72 feet. Kenai Lake was tilted and seiched; a power spectrum analysis of a limnogram shows a wave having the period of the calculated uninodal seiche (36 minutes) and several shorter period waves. In constricted and shallow reaches, waves caused by seiching had 20- and 30-foot runup heights. Deep lateral spreading of sediments toward delta margins displaced deeply driven railroad-bridge piles, and set up stress fields in the surface sediments which resulted in the formation of many shear and some tension fractures on the surface of two deltas.

Workload of horses on a water treadmill: effect of speed and water height on oxygen consumption and cardiorespiratory parameters.

PubMed

Greco-Otto, Persephone; Bond, Stephanie; Sides, Raymond; Kwong, Grace P S; Bayly, Warwick; Léguillette, Renaud

2017-11-28

Despite the use of water treadmills (WT) in conditioning horses, the intensity of WT exercise has not been well documented. The workload on a WT is a function of water height and treadmill speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of these factors on workload during WT exercise. Fifteen client-owned Quarter Horses were used in a randomized, controlled study. Three belt speeds and three water heights (mid cannon, carpus and stifle), along with the control condition (dry treadmill, all three speeds), were tested. Measured outcomes were oxygen consumption (V̇O 2 ), ventilation (respiratory frequency, tidal volume (V T )), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate. An ergospirometry system was used to measure V̇O 2 and ventilation. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of presence or absence of water, water height and speed (as fixed effects) on measured outcomes. Water height and its interaction with speed had a significant effect on V̇O 2 , V T and HR, all peaking at the highest water level and speed (stifle at 1.39 m/s, median V̇O 2  = 16.70 ml/(kg.min), V T  = 6 L, HR = 69 bpm). Respiratory frequency peaked with water at the carpus at 1.39 m/s (median 49 breaths/min). For a given water height, the small increments in speed did not affect the measured outcomes. Post-exercise blood lactate concentration did not change. Varying water height and speed affects the workload associated with WT exercise. The conditions utilized in this study were associated with low intensity exercise. Water height had a greater impact on exercise intensity than speed.

Environmental factors controlling fluxes of dimethyl sulfide in a New Hampshire fen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demello, William Zamboni; Hines, Mark E.

1992-01-01

The major environmental factors controlling fluxes of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in a Sphagnum-dominated peatland were investigated in a poor fen in New Hampshire. DMS emissions from the surface of the peatland varied greatly over 24 hours and seasonally. Maximum DMS emissions occurred in summer with minima in the late fall. Temperature was the major environmental factor controlling these variabilities. There was also some evidence that the changes in water table height might have contributed to the seasonable variability in DMS emission. The influence of the water table was greater during periods of elevated temperature. DMS and MSH were the most abundant dissolved volatile sulfur compound (VSC) in the surface of the water table. Concentrations of dissolved VSC's varied with time and space throughout the fen. Dissolved MDS, MSH, and OCS in the surface of the water table were supersaturated with respect to their concentrations in the atmosphere suggesting that the peat surface was a source of VSC's in the peatland. VCS in peatlands seemed to be produced primarily by microbial processes in the anoxic surface layers of the peat rich in organic matter and inorganic sulfide. Sphagnum mosses were not a direct source of VSC's. However, they increased transport of DMS from the peat surface to the atmosphere.

Terrestrial Water Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodell, M.; Chambers, D. P.; Famiglietti, J. S.

2015-01-01

During 2014 dryness continued in the Northern Hemisphere and relative wetness continued in the Southern Hemisphere (Fig. 2.21; Plate 2.1g). These largely canceled out such that the global land surface began and ended the year with a terrestrial water storage (TWS) anomaly slightly below 0 cm (equivalent height of water; Fig. 2.22). TWS is the sum of groundwater, soil moisture, surface water, snow, and ice. Groundwater responds more slowly to meteorological phenomena than the other components because the overlying soil acts as a low pass filter, but often it has a larger range of variability on multiannual timescales (Rodell and Famiglietti 2001; Alley et al. 2002).In situ groundwater data are only archived and made and Tanzania. The rest of the continent experienced mixed to dry conditions. Significant reductions in TWS in Greenland, Antarctica, and southern coastal Alaska reflect ongoing ice sheet and glacier ablation, not groundwater depletion.

A summary of measured hydraulic data for the series of steady and unsteady flow experiments over patterned roughness

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collins, Dannie L.; Flynn, Kathleen M.

1979-01-01

This report summarizes and makes available to other investigators the measured hydraulic data collected during a series of experiments designed to study the effect of patterned bed roughness on steady and unsteady open-channel flow. The patterned effect of the roughness was obtained by clear-cut mowing of designated areas of an otherwise fairly dense coverage of coastal Bermuda grass approximately 250 mm high. All experiments were conducted in the Flood Plain Simulation Facility during the period of October 7 through December 12, 1974. Data from 18 steady flow experiments and 10 unsteady flow experiments are summarized. Measured data included are ground-surface elevations, grass heights and densities, water-surface elevations and point velocities for all experiments. Additional tables of water-surface elevations and measured point velocities are included for the clear-cut areas for most experiments. One complete set of average water-surface elevations and one complete set of measured point velocities are tabulated for each steady flow experiment. Time series data, on a 2-minute time interval, are tabulated for both water-surface elevations and point velocities for each unsteady flow experiment. All data collected, including individual records of water-surface elevations for the steady flow experiments, have been stored on computer disk storage and can be retrieved using the computer programs listed in the attachment to this report. (Kosco-USGS)

Surface Nanobubbles Studied by Time-Resolved Fluorescence Microscopy Methods Combined with AFM: The Impact of Surface Treatment on Nanobubble Nucleation.

PubMed

Hain, Nicole; Wesner, Daniel; Druzhinin, Sergey I; Schönherr, Holger

2016-11-01

The impact of surface treatment and modification on surface nanobubble nucleation in water has been addressed by a new combination of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In this study, rhodamine 6G (Rh6G)-labeled surface nanobubbles nucleated by the ethanol-water exchange were studied on differently cleaned borosilicate glass, silanized glass as well as self-assembled monolayers on transparent gold by combined AFM-FLIM. While the AFM data confirmed earlier reports on surface nanobubble nucleation, size, and apparent contact angles in dependence of the underlying substrate, the colocalization of these elevated features with highly fluorescent features observed in confocal intensity images added new information. By analyzing the characteristic contributions to the excited state lifetime of Rh6G in decay curves obtained from time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) experiments, the characteristic short-lived (<600 ps) component of could be associated with an emission at the gas-water interface. Its colocalization with nanobubble-like features in the AFM height images provides evidence for the observation of gas-filled surface nanobubbles. While piranha-cleaned glass supported nanobubbles, milder UV-ozone or oxygen plasma treatment afforded glass-water interfaces, where no nanobubbles were observed by combined AFM-FLIM. Finally, the number density of nanobubbles scaled inversely with increasing surface hydrophobicity.

Integrated Modeling Approach for Verifying Water Storage Services for a Payment for Environmental Service Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendricks, G.; Shukla, S.; Guzha, A. C.

2013-12-01

Hydrologic models have been used for improved understanding of how an ecosystem's hydrologic response to human intervention and may provide substantial insight into the viability of payment for environmental services (PES) programs. Little is currently known about how hydrologic models can contribute to the design and evaluation of PES programs. Increased water storage is a desired environmental service (ES) for the Florida Everglades' watershed to reduce nutrient loads and excessive flows to lakes and estuaries in the region. We present monitoring and modeling results to verify the water storage PES for two ranch sites (wetland and watershed scales) located in the Northern Everglades region located north of the Lake Okeechobee (LO). Verification of the water storage PES using at least 3 years of hydrologic data was inconclusive due to variable rainfall during pre- and post-PES periods. An integrated surface and groundwater model, MIKE-SHE/MIKE11, was used to help verify the water storage service as well as predict ecological responses for different water storage scenarios (different levels of storage). The hydrological model was calibrated and validated using field measurements and was able to effectively simulate the surface and groundwater levels for the watershed (Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency, NSE = 0.54 to 0.82) and for surface water levels within wetlands (NSE = 0.54 to 0.84). Scenario analyses for storage levels showed an inverse relationship between board heights for water control structures and flows at the watershed outlet. Changes in flow were marginal when board heights approached a maximum indicating movement of water into subsurface storage. Combining simulation results with field measurements showed reduced flows and increased subsurface storage (2 cm/yr.), a desired outcome for protecting LO and estuarine systems from excessive flows. Simulated wetland water levels were combined with LIDAR-based topography to predict inundation for wetlands at the two PES sites for exploring the addition of biodiversity related ES. Simulations showed that effects of increased storage on enhanced hydro-periods and biodiversity was limited to the wetlands close to the drainage ditches. Results for a variety of water management scenarios showed that modeling can be used as an effective tool for optimizing the ES for a desired PES scheme. Measured and predicted surface flows from watershed and wetland water levels for different scenarios are currently being combined with ecological measurements to develop hydro-ecological models that predict the effects of enhanced water storage on ecological diversity.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - October 3, 1997

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Oct. 3, 1997 as the warm water associated with El Nino (in white) spreads northward along the entire coast of North America from the equator all the way to Alaska. The warm water pool in tropical Pacific resulting from El Nino seems to have stabilized. The white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The surface area covered by the warm water mass is about one and one-half times the size of the continental United States. The added amount of oceanic warm water near the Americas, with a temperature between 21 and 30 C (70 to 85 F), carries the amount of heat equal to 100 times the amount of fossil fuel energy consumed by the entire U.S. population during one year. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level.

The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using these global data, limited regional measurements from buoys and ships, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an advisory indicating the presence of a strong El Nino condition throughout the coming winter.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Measurements of the vertical profile of water vapor abundance in the Martian atmosphere from Mars Observer

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.

Mineral Surface Rearrangement at High Temperatures: Implications for Extraterrestrial Mineral Grain Reactivity.

PubMed

King, Helen E; Plümper, Oliver; Putnis, Christine V; O'Neill, Hugh St C; Klemme, Stephan; Putnis, Andrew

2017-04-20

Mineral surfaces play a critical role in the solar nebula as a catalytic surface for chemical reactions and potentially acted as a source of water during Earth's accretion by the adsorption of water molecules to the surface of interplanetary dust particles. However, nothing is known about how mineral surfaces respond to short-lived thermal fluctuations that are below the melting temperature of the mineral. Here we show that mineral surfaces react and rearrange within minutes to changes in their local environment despite being far below their melting temperature. Polished surfaces of the rock and planetary dust-forming silicate mineral olivine ((Mg,Fe) 2 SiO 4 ) show significant surface reorganization textures upon rapid heating resulting in surface features up to 40 nm in height observed after annealing at 1200 °C. Thus, high-temperature fluctuations should provide new and highly reactive sites for chemical reactions on nebula mineral particles. Our results also may help to explain discrepancies between short and long diffusion profiles in experiments where diffusion length scales are of the order of 100 nm or less.

Seasonality of submesoscale dynamics in the Kuroshio Extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocha, Cesar B.; Gille, Sarah T.; Chereskin, Teresa K.; Menemenlis, Dimitris

2016-11-01

Recent studies show that the vigorous seasonal cycle of the mixed layer modulates upper ocean submesoscale turbulence. Here we provide model-based evidence that the seasonally changing upper ocean stratification in the Kuroshio Extension also modulates submesoscale (here 10-100 km) inertia-gravity waves. Summertime restratification weakens submesoscale turbulence but enhances inertia-gravity waves near the surface. Thus, submesoscale turbulence and inertia-gravity waves undergo vigorous out-of-phase seasonal cycles. These results imply a strong seasonal modulation of the accuracy of geostrophic velocity diagnosed from submesoscale sea surface height delivered by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission.

Faulting arrested by control of ground-water withdrawal in Houston, Texas.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holzer, T.; Gabrysch, R.K.; Verbeek, E.R.

1983-01-01

More than 86 historically active faults with an aggregate length of 150 miles have been identified within and adjacent to the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area. Although scarps of these faults grow gradually and without causing damaging earthquakes, historical fault offset has cost millions of dollars in damage to houses and other buildings, utilities, and highways that were built on or across the faults. The historical fault activity results from renewed movement along preexisting faults and appears to be caused principally by withdrawal of ground water for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses in the Houston area. Approximately one-half of the area's water supply is obtained from local ground water. Monitoring by the US Geological Survey of heights of fault scarps indicates that many of the scarps have recently stopped increasing in height. The area where faulting has ceased coincides with the area where ground-water pumping was cut back in the mid-1970s to slow the damage caused by land subsidence along Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel. Thus, it appears that efforts to halt land subsidence in the coastal area have provided the additional benefit of arresting damaging surface faulting. -from Authors

Vertical Distribution of Aersols and Water Vapor Using CRISM Limb Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael D.; Wolff, Michael J.; Clancy, R. Todd

2011-01-01

Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Specifically, the observed radiance as a function of wavelength and height above the limb allows the vertical distribution of both dust and ice aerosols to be retrieved. These data serve as an important supplement to the aerosol profiling provided by the MRO/MCS instrument allowing independent validation and giving additional information on particle physical and scattering properties through multi-wavelength studies. A total of at least ten CRISM limb observations have been taken so far covering a full Martian year. Each set of limb observations nominally contains about four dozen scans across the limb giving pole-to-pole coverage for two orbits at roughly 100 and 290 W longitude over the Tharsis and Syrtis/Hellas regions, respectively. At each longitude, limb scans are spaced roughly 10 degrees apart in latitude, with a vertical spatial resolution on the limb of roughly 800 m. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the observations. We compute synthetic CRISM limb spectra using a discrete-ordinates radiative transfer code that accounts for multiple scattering from aerosols and accounts for spherical geometry of the limb observations by integrating the source functions along curved paths in that coordinate system. Retrieved are 14-point vertical profiles for dust and water ice aerosols with resolution of 0.4 scale heights between one and six scale heights above the surface. After the aerosol retrieval is completed, the abundances of C02 (or surface pressure) and H20 gas are retrieved by matching the depth of absorption bands at 2000 nm for carbon dioxide and at 2600 run for water vapor. In addition to the column abundance of water vapor, limited information on its vertical structure can also be retrieved depending on the signal available from aerosol scattering.

Development of Local Amplification Factors in the NEAM Region for Production of Regional Tsunami Hazard Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harbitz, C. B.; Glimsdal, S.; Løvholt, F.; Orefice, S.; Romano, F.; Brizuela, B.; Lorito, S.; Hoechner, A.; Babeyko, A. Y.

2016-12-01

The standard way of estimating tsunami inundation is by applying numerical depth-averaged shallow-water run-up models. However, for a regional Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA), applying such inundation models may be too time-consuming. A faster, yet less accurate procedure, is to relate the near-shore surface elevations at offshore points to maximum shoreline water levels by using a set of amplification factors based on the characteristics of the incident wave and the bathymetric slope. The surface elevation at the shoreline then acts as a rough approximation for the maximum inundation height or run-up height along the shoreline. An amplification-factor procedure based on a limited set of idealized broken shoreline segments has previously been applied to estimate the maximum inundation heights globally. Here, we present a study where this technique is developed further, by taking into account the local bathymetric profiles. We extract a large number of local bathymetric transects over a significant part of the North East Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAM) region. For each bathymetric transect, we compute the wave amplification from an offshore control point to points close to the shoreline using a linear shallow-water model for waves of different period and polarity with a sinusoidal pulse wave as input. The amplification factors are then tabulated. We present maximum water levels from the amplification factor method, and compare these with results from conventional inundation models. Finally, we demonstrate how the amplification factor method can be convolved with PTHA results to provide regional tsunami hazard maps. This work has been supported by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 603839 (Project ASTARTE), and the TSUMAPS-NEAM Project (http://www.tsumapsneam.eu/), co-financed by the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, Agreement Number: ECHO/SUB/2015/718568/PREV26.

Development of Local Amplification Factors in the NEAM Region for Production of Regional Tsunami Hazard Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glimsdal, Sylfest; Løvholt, Finn; Bonnevie Harbitz, Carl; Orefice, Simone; Romano, Fabrizio; Brizuela, Beatriz; Lorito, Stefano; Hoechner, Andreas; Babeyko, Andrey

2017-04-01

The standard way of estimating tsunami inundation is by applying numerical depth-averaged shallow-water run-up models. However, for a regional Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA), applying such inundation models may be too time-consuming. A faster, yet less accurate procedure, is to relate the near-shore surface elevations at offshore points to maximum shoreline water levels by using a set of amplification factors based on the characteristics of the incident wave and the bathymetric slope. The surface elevation at the shoreline then acts as a rough approximation for the maximum inundation height or run-up height along the shoreline. An amplification-factor procedure based on a limited set of idealized broken shoreline segments has previously been applied to estimate the maximum inundation heights globally. Here, we present a study where this technique is developed further, by taking into account the local bathymetric profiles. We extract a large number of local bathymetric transects over a significant part of the North East Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAM region). For each bathymetric transect, we compute the wave amplification from an offshore control point to points close to the shoreline using a linear shallow-water model for waves of different period and polarity with a sinusoidal pulse wave as input. The amplification factors are then tabulated. We present maximum water levels from the amplification factor method, and compare these with results from conventional inundation models. Finally, we demonstrate how the amplification factor method can be convolved with PTHA results to provide regional tsunami hazard maps. This work has been supported by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 603839 (Project ASTARTE), and the TSUMAPS-NEAM Project (http://www.tsumapsneam.eu/), co-financed by the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, Agreement Number: ECHO/SUB/2015/718568/PREV26.

A next generation altimeter for mapping the sea surface height variability: opportunities and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Lee-Lueng; Morrow, Rosemary

2016-07-01

The global observations of the sea surface height (SSH) have revolutionized oceanography since the beginning of precision radar altimetry in the early 1990s. For the first time we have continuous records of SSH with spatial and temporal sampling for detecting the global mean sea level rise, the waxing and waning of El Niño, and the ocean circulation from gyres to ocean eddies. The limit of spatial resolution of the present constellation of radar altimeters in mapping SSH variability is approaching 100 km (in wavelength) with 3 or more simultaneous altimetric satellites in orbit. At scales shorter than 100 km, the circulation contains substantial amount of kinetic energy in currents, eddies and fronts that are responsible for the stirring and mixing of the ocean, especially from the vertical exchange of the upper ocean with the deep. A mission currently in development will use the technique of radar interferometry for making high-resolution measurement of the height of water over the ocean as well as on land. It is called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), which is a joint mission of US NASA and French CNES, with contributions from Canada and UK. SWOT promises the detection of SSH at scales approaching 15 km, depending on the sea state. SWOT will make SSH measurement over a swath of 120 km with a nadir gap of 20 km in a 21-day repeat orbit. A conventional radar altimeter will provide measurement along the nadir. This is an exploratory mission with applications in oceanography and hydrology. The increased spatial resolution offers an opportunity to study ocean surface processes to address important questions about the ocean circulation. However, the limited temporal sampling poses challenges to map the evolution of the ocean variability that changes rapidly at the small scales. The measurement technique and the development of the mission will be presented with emphasis on its science program with outlook on the opportunities and challenges.

Sensitivity analysis of upwelling thermal radiance in presence of clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramanian, S. V.; Tiwari, S. N.; Suttles, J. T.

1981-01-01

Total upwelling radiance at the top of the atmosphere is evaluated theoretically in the presence of clouds. The influence of cloud heights, thicknesses and different cloud covers on the upwelling radiance is also investigated. The characteristics of the two cloud types considered in this study closely correspond to altocumulus and cirrus with the cloud emissivity as a function of its liquid water (or ice) content. For calculation of the integrated transmittance of atmospheric gases such as, H2O, CO2, O3, and N2O, the Quasi Random Band (QRB) model approach is adopted. Results are obtained in three different spectral ranges and are compared with the clearsky radiance results. It is found that the difference between the clearsky and cloudy radiance increases with increasing cloud height and liquid water content. This difference also decreases as the surface temperature approaches the value of the cloud top temperature.

Effect of water layer at the SiO2/graphene interface on pentacene morphology.

PubMed

Chhikara, Manisha; Pavlica, Egon; Matković, Aleksandar; Gajić, Radoš; Bratina, Gvido

2014-10-07

Atomic force microscopy has been used to examine early stages of pentacene growth on exfoliated single-layer graphene transferred to SiO2 substrates. We have observed 2D growth with mean height of 1.5 ± 0.2 nm on as-transferred graphene. Three-dimensional islands of pentacene with an average height of 11 ± 2 nm were observed on graphene that was annealed at 350 °C prior to pentacene growth. Compellingly similar 3D morphology has been observed on graphene transferred onto SiO2 that was treated with hexamethyldisilazane prior to the transfer of graphene. On multilayer graphene we have observed 2D growth, regardless of the treatment of SiO2. We interpret this behavior of pentacene molecules in terms of the influence of the dipolar field that emerges from the water monolayer at the graphene/SiO2 interface on the surface energy of graphene.

Mean Dynamic Topography of the Arctic Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, Sinead Louise; Mcadoo, David C.; Laxon, Seymour W.; Zwally, H. Jay; Yi, Donghui; Ridout, Andy; Giles, Katherine

2012-01-01

ICESat and Envisat altimetry data provide measurements of the instantaneous sea surface height (SSH) across the Arctic Ocean, using lead and open water elevation within the sea ice pack. First, these data were used to derive two independent mean sea surface (MSS) models by stacking and averaging along-track SSH profiles gathered between 2003 and 2009. The ICESat and Envisat MSS data were combined to construct the high-resolution ICEn MSS. Second, we estimate the 5.5-year mean dynamic topography (MDT) of the Arctic Ocean by differencing the ICEn MSS with the new GOCO02S geoid model, derived from GRACE and GOCE gravity. Using these satellite-only data we map the major features of Arctic Ocean dynamical height that are consistent with in situ observations, including the topographical highs and lows of the Beaufort and Greenland Gyres, respectively. Smaller-scale MDT structures remain largely unresolved due to uncertainties in the geoid at short wavelengths.

Sedimentary structures formed under water surface waves: examples from a sediment-laden flash flood observed by remote camer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froude, Melanie; Alexander, Jan; Cole, Paul; Barclay, Jenni

2014-05-01

On 13-14 October 2012, Tropical Storm Rafael triggered sediment-laden flash floods in the Belham Valley on Montserrat, West Indies. Rainfall was continuous for ~38 hours and intensity peaked at 48 mm/hr. Flow was strongly unsteady, turbulent with sediment concentrations varying up to hyperconcentrated. Time-lapse images captured at >1 frame per second by remote camera overlooking a surveyed valley section show the development of trains of water surface waves at multiple channel locations during different flow stages. Waves grew and diminished in height and remained stationary or migrated upstream. Trains of waves persisted for <5 minutes, until a single wave broke, sometimes initiating the breaking of adjacent waves within the train. Channel-wide surges (bores) propagating downstream with distinct turbulent flow fronts, were observed at irregular intervals during and up to 7 hours after peak stage. These bores are mechanically similar to breaking front tidal bores and arid flood bores, and resulted in a sudden increase in flow depth and velocity. When a bore front came into close proximity (within ~10 m) upstream of a train of water surface waves, the waves appeared to break simultaneously generating a localised surge of water upstream, that was covered by the bore travelling downstream. Those trains in which waves did not break during the passage of a bore temporarily reduced in height. In both cases, water surface waves reformed immediately after the surge in the same location. Deposits from the event, were examined in <4 m deep trenches ~0.5 km downstream of the remote camera. These contained laterally extensive lenticular and sheet-like units comprised of varying admixtures of sand and gravel that are attributed to antidunes, and associated transitions from upper-stage-plane-beds. Some of the structures are organised within concave upward sequences which contain downflow shifts between foreset and backset laminae; interpreted as trough fills from chute-and-pools or water surface wave breaking. At least 90% of the deposit is interpreted upper flow regime origin. The sequence, geometry and lamina-scale texture of the sedimentary structures will be discussed with reference to remote camera images of rapidly varying, unsteady and pulsatory flow behaviour.

Index of stations: surface-water data-collection network of Texas, September 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gandara, Susan C.; Barbie, Dana L.

1999-01-01

As of September 30, 1998, the surface-water data-collection network of Texas (table 1) included 313 continuous-recording streamflow stations (D), 22 gage-height record only stations (G), 23 crest-stage partial-record stations (C), 39 flood-hydrograph partial-record stations (H), 25 low-flow partial-record stations (L), 1 continuous-recording temperature station (M1), 25 continuous-recording temperature and conductivity stations (M2), 3 continuous-recording temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen stations (M3), 13 continuous-recording temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH stations (M4), 5 daily chemical-quality stations (Qd), 133 periodic chemical-quality stations (Qp), 16 reservoir/lake surveys for water quality (Qs), and 70 continuous or daily reservoir-content stations (R). Plate 1 identifies the major river basins in Texas and shows the location of the stations listed in table 1.

Development and Calibration of Two and Four Wire Water Surface Wave Height Measurement Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

ON 0; "I$ -’ AGE S/N 0102-LF-01 -6603 Unclassified i Unclassified SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE 19 ABSTRACT (Continued) Hertz and decayed at 50...to 70 dB per decade, or ascu -5 to W-7 for both systems. Gravity wave phase speed and wavelength measurements were performed with capaci- tance system

Seasonal variability of chlorophyll-a and oceanographic conditions in Sabah waters in relation to Asian monsoon--a remote sensing study.

PubMed

Abdul-Hadi, Alaa; Mansor, Shattri; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Tan, C K

2013-05-01

A study was conducted to investigate the influence of Asian monsoon on chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) content in Sabah waters and to identify the related oceanographic conditions that caused phytoplankton blooms at the eastern and western coasts of Sabah, Malaysia. A series of remote sensing measurements including surface Chl-a, sea surface temperature, sea surface height anomaly, wind speed, wind stress curl, and Ekman pumping were analyzed to study the oceanographic conditions that lead to large-scale nutrients enrichment in the surface layer. The results showed that the Chl-a content increased at the northwest coast from December to April due to strong northeasterly wind and coastal upwelling in Kota Kinabalu water. The southwest coast (Labuan water) maintained high concentrations throughout the year due to the effect of Padas River discharge during the rainy season and the changing direction of Baram River plume during the northeast monsoon (NEM). However, with the continuous supply of nutrients from the upwelling area, the high Chl-a batches were maintained at the offshore water off Labuan for a longer time during NEM. On the other side, the northeast coast illustrated a high Chl-a in Sandakan water during NEM, whereas the northern tip off Kudat did not show a pronounced change throughout the year. The southeast coast (Tawau water) was highly influenced by the direction of the surface water transport between the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas and the prevailing surface currents. The study demonstrates the presence of seasonal phytoplankton blooms in Sabah waters which will aid in forecasting the possible biological response and could further assist in marine resource managements.

On the use of airborne LiDAR for braided river monitoring and water surface delineation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vetter, M.; Höfle, B.; Pfeifer, N.; Rutzinger, M.; Stötter, J.

2009-04-01

Airborne LiDAR is an established technology for Earth surface surveying. With LiDAR data sets it is possible to derive maps with different land use classes, which are important for hydraulic simulations. We present a 3D point cloud based method for automatic water surface delineation using single as well as multitemporal LiDAR data sets. With the developed method it is possible to detect the location of the water surface with high planimetric accuracy. The multitemporal analysis of different LiDAR data sets makes it possible to visualize, monitor and quantify the changes of the flow path of braided rivers as well as derived water surface land use classes. The reflection properties from laser beams (1064 nm wavelength) on water surfaces are characterized by strong absorption or specular reflection resulting in a dominance of low signal amplitude values and a high number of laser shot dropouts (i.e. non-recorded laser echoes). The occurrence of dropouts is driven by (i) the incidence angle, (ii) the surface reflectance and (iii) the roughness of the water body. The input data of the presented delineation method are the modeled dropouts and the point cloud attributes of geometry and signal amplitude. A terrestrial orthophoto is used to explore the point cloud in order to find proper information about the geometry and amplitude attributes that are characteristic for water surfaces. The delineation method is divided into five major steps. (a) We compute calibrated amplitude values by reducing the atmospheric, topographic influences and the scan geometry for each laser echo. (b) Then, the dropouts are modeled by using the information from the time stamps, the pulse repetition frequency, the inertial measurement unit and the GPS information of the laser shots and the airplane. The next step is to calculate the standard deviation of the heights for all reflections and all modeled dropouts (c) in a specific radius around the points. (d) We compute the amplitude ratio density for all shots. The amplitude density ratio is the relation between the number of laser echoes having an amplitude within a specific interval (i.e. very low amplitudes) plus the dropouts (i.e. with amplitude of zero) divided by the number of all laser shots in a fixed search distance of a point. (e) We classify each point in water or a non-water by using the attributes of (i) the standard deviation of the height and (ii) the amplitude density ratio. For validation, a terrestrial orthophoto is used, which was taken at the same time as the laser campaign. A major advantage of this new approach is the ability of a point cloud based delineation of water and non-water areas. We demonstrate the results at the glacier forefield of the Hintereisferner (Ötztal, Tyrol, Austria) with multitemporal data sets. The multitemporal analysis demonstrates the strength of the delineation method for mapping the watercourse and monitoring the changes in the flow path of the braided river between the different epochs.

Recent Hydrologic Developments in the SWOT Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsdorf, D. E.; Mognard, N. M.; Cretaux, J.; Calmant, S.; Lettenmaier, D. P.; Rodriguez, E.

2012-12-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission (SWOT) is designed to measure the elevations of the world's water surfaces including both terrestrial surface waters and the oceans. CNES, NASA, and the CSA are partners in the mission as are hydrologists, oceanographers, and an international engineering team. Recent hydrologic and mission related advances include the following. (1) An airborne version of SWOT called AirSWOT has been developed to provide calibration and validation for the mission when on orbit as well as to support science and technology during mission development. AirSWOT flights are in the planning stage. (2) In early 2012, NASA and CNES issued calls for proposals to participate in the forthcoming SWOT Science Definition Team. Results are expected in time for a Fall 2012 start of the SDT. (3) A workshop held in June 2012 addressed the problem of estimating river discharge from SWOT measurements. SWOT discharge estimates will be developed for river reaches rather than individual cross-sections. Errors will result from algorithm unknowns of bathymetry and roughness, from errors in SWOT measurements of water surface height and inundation, from the incomplete temporal record dictated by the SWOT orbit, and from fluvial features such as unmeasured inflows and outflows within the reach used to estimate discharge. To overcome these issues, in-situ and airborne field data are required in order to validate and refine algorithms. (4) Two modeling methods are using the Amazon Basin as a test case for demonstrating the utility of SWOT observables for constraining water balances. In one case, parameters used to minimize differences between SWOT and model water surface elevations should be adjusted locally in space and time. In the other case, using actual altimetry data as a proxy for SWOT's water surface elevations, it was determined that model water surface elevations were less than 1.6m different from the altimetry measurements: a considerable match given the lack of channel bathymetric knowledge. (5) The influence of the world's managed reservoirs on the water cycle is difficult to assess given the abundance of dams and the relative lack of water level or storage change information. The downstream impacts, particularly for transboundary rivers, are similarly difficult to determine. The challenges for SWOT to overcome this lack hinge on the temporal sampling dictated by the mission's orbital repeat cycle, on the accuracy of the height measurements, on the surface area, and on topography causing radar layover. (6) While SWOT's orbit is designed to minimize errors from tidal aliasing, orbital sub-cycles can be adjusted to minimize hydrological errors. The impact of theses sub-cycles has been assessed using a hydrodynamic modeling of the last 1000 km reach of the Ob River, a West Siberian river draining a total area of around 3 million km2. Using a local ensemble Kalman smoother to assimilate virtual SWOT observations, similar results have been obtained for either a 1-day or 3-day sub-cycle when decreasing the differences between "true" and modeled water elevations. A key result is the necessity of using the smoother in the assimilation, at least for large rivers like the Ob.

Imaging surface nanobubbles at graphite-water interfaces with different atomic force microscopy modes.

PubMed

Yang, Chih-Wen; Lu, Yi-Hsien; Hwang, Ing-Shouh

2013-05-08

We have imaged nanobubbles on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces in pure water with different atomic force microscopy (AFM) modes, including the frequency-modulation, the tapping, and the PeakForce techniques. We have compared the performance of these modes in obtaining the surface profiles of nanobubbles. The frequency-modulation mode yields a larger height value than the other two modes and can provide more accurate measurement of the surface profiles of nanobubbles. Imaging with PeakForce mode shows that a nanobubble appears smaller and shorter with increasing peak force and disappears above a certain peak force, but the size returns to the original value when the peak force is reduced. This indicates that imaging with high peak forces does not cause gas removal from the nanobubbles. Based on the presented findings and previous AFM observations, the existing models for nanobubbles are reviewed and discussed. The model of gas aggregate inside nanobubbles provides a better explanation for the puzzles of the high stability and the contact angle of surface nanobubbles.

The influence of subsurface hydrodynamics on convective precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, A. S. M. M.; Sulis, M.; Kollet, S. J.

2014-12-01

The terrestrial hydrological cycle comprises complex processes in the subsurface, land surface, and atmosphere, which are connected via complex non-linear feedback mechanisms. The influence of subsurface hydrodynamics on land surface mass and energy fluxes has been the subject of previous studies. Several studies have also investigated the soil moisture-precipitation feedback, neglecting however the connection with groundwater dynamics. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of subsurface hydrodynamics on convective precipitation events via shallow soil moisture and land surface processes. A scale-consistent Terrestrial System Modeling Platform (TerrSysMP) that consists of an atmospheric model (COSMO), a land surface model (CLM), and a three-dimensional variably saturated groundwater-surface water flow model (ParFlow), is used to simulate hourly mass and energy fluxes over days with convective rainfall events over the Rur catchment, Germany. In order to isolate the effect of groundwater dynamics on convective precipitation, two different model configurations with identical initial conditions are considered. The first configuration allows the groundwater table to evolve through time, while a spatially distributed, temporally constant groundwater table is prescribed as a lower boundary condition in the second configuration. The simulation results suggest that groundwater dynamics influence land surface soil moisture, which in turn affects the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height by modifying atmospheric thermals. It is demonstrated that because of this sensitivity of ABL height to soil moisture-temperature feedback, the onset and magnitude of convective precipitation is influenced by subsurface hydrodynamics. Thus, the results provide insight into the soil moisture-precipitation feedback including groundwater dynamics in a physically consistent manner by closing the water cycle from aquifers to the atmosphere.

Development of a GNSS Buoy for Monitoring Water Surface Elevations in Estuaries and Coastal Areas.

PubMed

Lin, Yen-Pin; Huang, Ching-Jer; Chen, Sheng-Hsueh; Doong, Dong-Jiing; Kao, Chia Chuen

2017-01-18

In this work, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) buoy that utilizes a Virtual Base Station (VBS) combined with the Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning technology was developed to monitor water surface elevations in estuaries and coastal areas. The GNSS buoy includes a buoy hull, a RTK GNSS receiver, data-transmission devices, a data logger, and General Purpose Radio Service (GPRS) modems for transmitting data to the desired land locations. Laboratory and field tests were conducted to test the capability of the buoy and verify the accuracy of the monitored water surface elevations. For the field tests, the GNSS buoy was deployed in the waters of Suao (northeastern part of Taiwan). Tide data obtained from the GNSS buoy were consistent with those obtained from the neighboring tide station. Significant wave heights, zero-crossing periods, and peak wave directions obtained from the GNSS buoy were generally consistent with those obtained from an accelerometer-tilt-compass (ATC) sensor. The field tests demonstrate that the developed GNSS buoy can be used to obtain accurate real-time tide and wave data in estuaries and coastal areas.

Development of a GNSS Buoy for Monitoring Water Surface Elevations in Estuaries and Coastal Areas

PubMed Central

Lin, Yen-Pin; Huang, Ching-Jer; Chen, Sheng-Hsueh; Doong, Dong-Jiing; Kao, Chia Chuen

2017-01-01

In this work, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) buoy that utilizes a Virtual Base Station (VBS) combined with the Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning technology was developed to monitor water surface elevations in estuaries and coastal areas. The GNSS buoy includes a buoy hull, a RTK GNSS receiver, data-transmission devices, a data logger, and General Purpose Radio Service (GPRS) modems for transmitting data to the desired land locations. Laboratory and field tests were conducted to test the capability of the buoy and verify the accuracy of the monitored water surface elevations. For the field tests, the GNSS buoy was deployed in the waters of Suao (northeastern part of Taiwan). Tide data obtained from the GNSS buoy were consistent with those obtained from the neighboring tide station. Significant wave heights, zero-crossing periods, and peak wave directions obtained from the GNSS buoy were generally consistent with those obtained from an accelerometer-tilt-compass (ATC) sensor. The field tests demonstrate that the developed GNSS buoy can be used to obtain accurate real-time tide and wave data in estuaries and coastal areas. PMID:28106763

Three-level cobblestone-like TiO2 micro/nanocones for dual-responsive water/oil reversible wetting without fluorination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chen; Li, Guoqiang; Li, Chuanzong; Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Yachao; Wu, Sizhu; Hu, Yanlei; Zhu, Wulin; Li, Jiawen; Chu, Jiaru; Hu, Zhijia; Wu, Dong; Yu, Liandong

2017-10-01

In this work, a kind of three-level cobblestone-like anatase TiO2 microcone array was fabricated on titanium sheets by femtosecond laser-induced self-assembly. This three level structure consisted of cobblestone-like features (15-25 μm in height and 20-35 μm in diameter), ˜460 nm ripple-like features, and smaller particles (10-500 nm). The formation of microcone arrays can be ascribed to the interaction of alternant laser beam ablation. TiO2 surfaces display dual-responsive water/oil reversible wetting via heat treatment and selective UV irradiation without fluorination. It is indicated that three-level scale surface roughness can amplify the wetting character of the Ti surface, and the mechanism for reversible switching between extreme wettabilities is caused by the conversion between Ti-OH and Ti-O. Moreover, the double-faced superhydrophobic and double-faced superhydrophilic Ti samples were constructed, which exhibited stable superhydrophobicity and underwater superoleophobicity in water-oil solution, respectively, even when strongly shaken. Finally, we present the hybrid-patterned TiO2 surface and realized reversible switching pattern wettability.

An Evaluation of Total Solar Reflectance and Spectral Band Ratioing Techniques for Estimating Soil Water Content

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reginato, R. J.; Vedder, J. F.; Idso, S. B.; Jackson, R. D.; Blanchard, M. B.; Goettelman, R.

1977-01-01

For several days in March of 1975, reflected solar radiation measurements were obtained from smooth and rough surfaces of wet, drying, and continually dry Avondale loam at Phoenix, Arizona, with pyranometers located 50 cm above the ground surface and a multispectral scanner flown at a 300-m height. The simple summation of the different band radiances measured by the multispectral scanner proved equally as good as the pyranometer data for estimating surface soil water content if the multispectral scanner data were standardized with respect to the intensity of incoming solar radiation or the reflected radiance from a reference surface, such as the continually dry soil. Without this means of standardization, multispectral scanner data are most useful in a spectral band ratioing context. Our results indicated that, for the bands used, no significant information on soil water content could be obtained by band ratioing. Thus the variability in soil water content should insignificantly affect soil-type discrimination based on identification of type-specific spectral signatures. Therefore remote sensing, conducted in the 0.4- to 1.0-micron wavelength region of the solar spectrum, would seem to be much More suited to identifying crop and soil types than to estimating of soil water content.

Superhydrophilic nanopillar-structured quartz surfaces for the prevention of biofilm formation in optical devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Soo; Ji, Seungmuk; Abdullah, Abdullah; Kim, Duckil; Lim, Hyuneui; Lee, Donghyun

2018-01-01

Bacterial biofilm formation on optical devices such as contact lenses, optical glasses, endoscopic devices, and microscopic slides and lenses are major concerns in the field of medicine and biomedical engineering. To solve these problems, here we present the first report of superhydrophilic transparent nanopillar-structured surfaces with bactericidal properties. To construct bactericidal surfaces, we imitated a topological mechanism found in nature in which nanopillar-structured surfaces cause a mechanical disruption of the outer cell membranes of bacteria, resulting in bacterial cell death. We used nanosphere lithography to fabricate nanopillars with various sharpnesses and heights on a quartz substrate. Water contact angle and light reflectance measurements revealed superhydrophilic, antifogging and antireflective properties, which are important for use in optical devices. To determine bactericidal efficiency, the fabricated surfaces were incubated and tested against two Gram-negative bacteria associated with biofilm formation and various diseases in humans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. The highest bactericidal activity was achieved with nanopillars that measured 300 nm in height and 10 nm in apex diameter. Quartz substrates patterned with such nanopillars killed ∼38,000 P. aeruginosa and ∼27,000 E. coli cells cm-2 min-1, respectively. Thus, the newly designed nanopillar-structured bactericidal surfaces are suitable for use in the development of superhydrophilic and transparent optical devices.

Groundwater Depletion in the Middle East from GRACE with Implications for Transboundary Water Management in the Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voss, Katalyn A.; Famiglietti, James S.; Lo, MinHui; De Linage, Caroline; Rodell, Matthew; Swenson, Sean C.

2013-01-01

In this study, we use observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to evaluate freshwater storage trends in the north-central Middle East, including portions of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basins and western Iran, from January 2003 to December 2009. GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage of approximately -27.2 plus or minus 0.6 millimeters per year equivalent water height, equal to a volume of 143.6 cubic kimometers during the course of the study period. Additional remote-sensing information and output from land surface models were used to identify that groundwater losses are the major source of this trend. The approach used in this study provides an example of ''best current capabilities'' in regions like the Middle East, where data access can be severely limited. Results indicate that the region lost 17.3 plus or minus 2.1 millimeters per year equivalent water height of groundwater during the study period, or 91.3 plus or minus 10.9 cubic kilometers in volume. Furthermore, results raise important issues regarding water use in transboundary river basins and aquifers, including the necessity of international water use treaties and resolving discrepancies in international water law, while amplifying the need for increased monitoring for core components of the water budget.

Groundwater Depletion in the Middle East from GRACE with Implications for Transboundary Water Management in the Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voss, Katalyn; Famiglietti, James S.; Lo, MinHui; de Linage, Caroline; Rodell, Matthew; Swenson, Sean C.

2013-01-01

In this study, we use observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to evaluate freshwater storage trends in the north-central Middle East, including portions of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basins and western Iran, from January 2003 to December 2009. GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage of approximately -27.2 plus or minus 0.6 mm per yr equivalent water height, equal to a volume of 143.6 cubic kilometers during the course of the study period. Additional remote-sensing information and output from land surface models were used to identify that groundwater losses are the major source of this trend. The approach used in this study provides an example of ''best current capabilities'' in regions like the Middle East, where data access can be severely limited. Results indicate that the region lost 17.3 plus or minus 2.1 mm per yr equivalent water height of groundwater during the study period, or 91.3 plus or minus 10.9 cubic kilometers in volume. Furthermore, results raise important issues regarding water use in transboundary river basins and aquifers, including the necessity of international water use treaties and resolving discrepancies in international water law, while amplifying the need for increased monitoring for core components of the water budget

Groundwater depletion in the Middle East from GRACE with implications for transboundary water management in the Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, Katalyn A.; Famiglietti, James S.; Lo, MinHui; de Linage, Caroline; Rodell, Matthew; Swenson, Sean C.

2013-02-01

In this study, we use observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to evaluate freshwater storage trends in the north-central Middle East, including portions of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basins and western Iran, from January 2003 to December 2009. GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage of approximately -27.2±0.6 mm yr-1 equivalent water height, equal to a volume of 143.6 km3 during the course of the study period. Additional remote-sensing information and output from land surface models were used to identify that groundwater losses are the major source of this trend. The approach used in this study provides an example of "best current capabilities" in regions like the Middle East, where data access can be severely limited. Results indicate that the region lost 17.3±2.1 mm yr-1 equivalent water height of groundwater during the study period, or 91.3±10.9 km3 in volume. Furthermore, results raise important issues regarding water use in transboundary river basins and aquifers, including the necessity of international water use treaties and resolving discrepancies in international water law, while amplifying the need for increased monitoring for core components of the water budget.

A prototype data assimilation framework for generating spatiotemporally continuous SWOT data products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreadis, K.; Margulis, S. A.; Li, D.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2017-12-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will provide critical surface water observations for the hydrologic community. However, production of key SWOT variables, such as river discharge and surface inundation, as well as lake, reservoir, and wetland storage change will be complicated by the discontinuity of the observations in space and time. A methodology that generates products with spatially and temporally continuous fields based on SWOT observables would be highly desirable. Data assimilation provides a mechanism for merging observations from SWOT with model predictions in order to produce estimates of quantities such as river discharge, storage change, and water heights for locations and times when there is no satellite overpass or other constraints (such as layover) render the measurement unusable. We describe here a prototype assimilation system with application to the Upper Mississippi basin, implemented using synthetic SWOT observations. We use a hydrologic model (VIC) coupled with a hydrodynamic model (LISFLOOD-FP) which generates "true" fields of surface water variables. The true fields are then used to generate synthetic SWOT observations using the SWOT Instrument Simulator. We also perform a "first-guess" (or open-loop) simulation with the coupled model using a configuration that contains errors representative of the imperfect knowledge of parameters and input data, including channel topography, bankfull widths and depths, and inflows, to create an ensemble of 20 model trajectories. Subsequently we assimilate the synthetic SWOT observations into the open-loop model results to estimate water surface elevation, discharge, and storage change. Our preliminary results using three data assimilation strategies show that all improve the water surface elevation estimate accuracy by 25% - 35% for a river reach of the upper Mississippi River. Ongoing work is examining whether the improved water surface elevation estimates propagate to improvements in river discharge.

New figuring model based on surface slope profile for grazing-incidence reflective optics

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Lin; Huang, Lei; Bouet, Nathalie; ...

2016-08-09

Surface slope profile is widely used in the metrology of grazing-incidence reflective optics instead of surface height profile. Nevertheless, the theoretical and experimental model currently used in deterministic optical figuring processes is based on surface height, not on surface slope. This means that the raw slope profile data from metrology need to be converted to height profile to perform the current height-based figuring processes. The inevitable measurement noise in the raw slope data will introduce significant cumulative error in the resultant height profiles. As a consequence, this conversion will degrade the determinism of the figuring processes, and will have anmore » impact on the ultimate surface figuring results. To overcome this problem, an innovative figuring model is proposed, which directly uses the raw slope profile data instead of the usual height data as input for the deterministic process. In this article, first the influence of the measurement noise on the resultant height profile is analyzed, and then a new model is presented; finally a demonstration experiment is carried out using a one-dimensional ion beam figuring process to demonstrate the validity of our approach.« less

Hurricane Directional Wave Spectrum Spatial Variation in the Open Ocean and at Landfall

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, E. J.; Wright, C. W.; Vandemark, D.; Krabill, W. B.; Garcia, A. W.; Houston, S. H.; Powell, M. D.; Black, P. G.; Marks, F. D.; Busalacchi, Antonio J. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The sea surface directional wave spectrum was measured for the first time in all quadrants of a hurricane in open water using the NASA airborne scanning radar altimeter (SRA) carried aboard one of the NOAA WP-3D hurricane hunter aircraft at 1.5 km height. The SRA measures the energetic portion of the directional wave spectrum by generating a topographic map of the sea surface. At 8 Hz, the SRA sweeps a radar beam of 1 E half-power width (two-way) across the aircraft ground track over a swath equal to 0.8 of the aircraft height, simultaneously measuring the backscattered power at its 36 GHz (8.3 mm) operating frequency and the range to the sea surface at 64 positions. These slant ranges are multiplied by the cosine of the incidence angles to determine the vertical distances from the aircraft to the sea surface. Subtracting these distances from the aircraft height produces the sea surface elevation map. The sea surface topography is interpolated to a uniform grid, transformed by a two-dimensional FFT, and Doppler corrected. The open-ocean data were acquired on 24 August 1998 when hurricane Bonnie was east of the Bahamas and moving slowly to the north. Individual waves with heights up to 18 m were observed and the spatial variation of the wave field was dramatic. The dominant waves generally propagated at significant angles to the downwind direction. At some positions there were three different wave fields of comparable energy crossing each other. The NOAA aircraft spent over five hours within 180 km of the hurricane Bonnie eye, and made five eye penetrations. A 3-minute animation of the directional wave spectrum spatial variation over this period will be shown as well as summary plots of the wave field spatial variation. On 26 August 1998, the NOAA aircraft flew at 2.2 km height when hurricane Bonnie was making landfall near Wilmington, NC, documenting the directional wave spectrum in the region between Charleston, SC and Cape Hatteras, NC. The aircraft ground track included both segments along the shoreline and Pamlico Sound as well as far offshore. An animation of the directional wave spectrum spatial variation at landfall will be presented and contrasted with the spatial variation when Bonnie was in the open ocean on 24 August 1998.

GPS Multipath Fade Measurements to Determine L-Band Ground Reflectivity Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavak, Adnan; Xu, Guanghan; Vogel, W. J.

1996-01-01

In personal satellite communications, especially when the line-of-sight is clear, ground specular reflected signals along with direct signals are received by low gain, almost omni-directional subscriber antennas. A six-channel, C/A code processing, global positioning system (GPS) receiver with an almost omni-directional patch antenna was used to take measurements over three types of ground to characterize 1.575 GHz specular ground reflections and ground dielectric properties. Fade measurements were taken over grass, asphalt, and lake water surfaces by placing the antenna in a vertical position at a fixed height from the ground. Electrical characteristics (conductivity and dielectric constant) of these surfaces (grass, asphalt, lake water) were obtained by matching computer simulations to the experimental results.

GPS Multipath Fade Measurements to Determine L-Band Ground Reflectivity Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavak, Adnan; Xu, Guang-Han; Vogel, Wolfhard J.

1996-01-01

In personal satellite communications, especially when the line-of-sight is clear, ground specular reflected signals along with direct signals are received by low gain, almost omni-directional subscriber antennas. A six-channel, C/A code processing, GPS receiver with an almost omni-directional patch antenna was used to take measurements over three types of ground to characterize 1.575 GHz specular ground reflections and ground dielectric properties. Fade measurements were taken over grass, asphalt, and lake water surfaces by placing the antenna in a vertical position at a fixed height from the ground. Electrical characteristics (conductivity and dielectric constant) of these surfaces (grass, asphalt, lake water) were obtained by matching computer simulations to the experimental results.

Tidal Flooding and Vegetation Patterns in a Salt Marsh Tidal Creek Imaged by Low-altitude Balloon Aerial Photography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, S. M.; Madsen, E.

2013-12-01

Inundation of marsh surfaces by tidal creek flooding has implications for the headward erosion of salt marsh creeks, effect of rising sea levels, biological zonation, and marsh ecosystem services. The hydroperiod; as the frequency, duration, depth and flux of water across the marsh surface; is a key factor in salt marsh ecology, but remains poorly understood due to lack of data at spatial scales relevant to tracking the spatial movement of water across the marsh. This study examines how hydroperiod, drainage networks, and tidal creek geomorphology on the vegetation at Crab Haul Creek. Crab Haul Creek is the farthest landward tidal basin in North Inlet, a bar-built estuary in South Carolina. This study measures the hydroperiod in the headwaters Crab Haul Creek with normal and near-IR photos from a helium balloon Helikite at 75-100 m altitude. Photos provide detail necessary to resolve the waterline and delineate the hydroperiod during half tidal cycles by capturing the waterline hourly from the headwaters to a piezometer transect 260 meters north. The Helikite is an ideal instrument for local investigations of surface hydrology due to its maneuverability, low cost, ability to remain aloft for extended time over a fixed point, and ability to capture high-resolution images. Photographs taken from aircraft do not provide the detail necessary to determine the waterline on the marsh surface. The near-IR images make the waterline more distinct by increasing the difference between wet and dry ground. In the headwaters of Crab Haul Creek, individual crab burrows are detected by automated image classification and the number of crab burrows and their spatial density is tracked from January-August. Crab burrows are associated with the unvegetated region at the creek head, and we relate their change over time to the propagation of the creek farther into the tidal basin. Plant zonation is influenced by the hydroperiod, but also may be affected by salinity, water table depth, and soil water content. These other factors are all directly affected by the hydroperiod, creating a complex system of feedbacks. Inundation frequencies show a pronounced relationship to zonation. Creek bank height and the hydroperiod have a curvilinear relationship at low bank heights such that small decreases in creek bank height can result in large increases in inundation frequency. Biological zonation is not simply a result of bank height and inundation frequency, other contributing factors include species competition, adaptability, and groundwater flow. Vegetation patterns delineated by a ground-based GPS survey and image classification from the aerial photos show that not all changes in eco-zonation are a direct function of elevation. Some asymmetry across the creek is observed in plant habitat, and eliminating topography (and thereby tidal inundation) as a factor, we attribute the remaining variability to groundwater flow.

Experimental Investigation of Subsonic Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow Over a Wall-Mounted Axisymmetric Hill

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, James H.; Heineck, James T.; Zilliac, Gregory; Mehta, Rabindra D.; Long, Kurtis R.

2016-01-01

An important goal for modern fluid mechanics experiments is to provide datasets which present a challenge for Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations to reproduce. Such "CFD validation experiments" should be well-characterized and well-documented, and should investigate flows which are difficult for CFD to calculate. It is also often convenient for the experiment to be challenging for CFD in some aspects while simple in others. This report is part of the continuing documentation of a series of experiments conducted to characterize the flow around an axisymmetric, modified-cosine-shaped, wall-mounted hill named "FAITH" (Fundamental Aero Investigates The Hill). Computation of this flow is easy in some ways - subsonic flow over a simple shape - while being complex in others - separated flow and boundary layer interactions. The primary set of experiments were performed on a 15.2 cm high, 45.7 cm base diameter machined aluminum model that was tested at mean speeds of 50 m/s (Reynolds Number based on height = 500,000). The ratio of model height to boundary later height was approximately 3. The flow was characterized using surface oil flow visualization, Cobra probe to determine point-wise steady and unsteady 3D velocities, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to determine 3D velocities and turbulence statistics along specified planes, Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) to determine mean surface pressures, and Fringe Imaging Skin Friction (FISF) to determine surface skin friction magnitude and direction. A set of pathfinder experiments were also performed in a water channel on a smaller scale (5.1 cm high, 15.2 cm base diameter) sintered nylon model. The water channel test was conducted at a mean test section speed of 3 cm/s (Reynolds Number of 1500), but at the same ratio of model height to boundary layer thickness. Dye injection from both the model and an upstream rake was used to visualize the flow. This report summarizes the experimental set-up, techniques used, and data acquired. It also describes some details of the dataset that is being constructed for use by other researchers, especially the CFD community.

The mean sea surface height and geoid along the Geosat subtrack from Bermuda to Cape Cod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Kathryn A.; Joyce, Terrence M.; Schubert, David M.; Caruso, Michael J.

1991-07-01

Measurements of near-surface velocity and concurrent sea level along an ascending Geosat subtrack were used to estimate the mean sea surface height and the Earth's gravitational geoid. Velocity measurements were made on three traverses of a Geosat subtrack within 10 days, using an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). A small bias in the ADCP velocity was removed by considering a mass balance for two pairs of triangles for which expendable bathythermograph measurements were also made. Because of the large curvature of the Gulf Stream, the gradient wind balance was used to estimate the cross-track component of geostrophic velocity from the ADCP vectors; this component was then integrated to obtain the sea surface height profile. The mean sea surface height was estimated as the difference between the instantaneous sea surface height from ADCP and the Geosat residual sea level, with mesoscale errors reduced by low-pass filtering. The error estimates were divided into a bias, tilt, and mesoscale residual; the bias was ignored because profiles were only determined within a constant of integration. The calculated mean sea surface height estimate agreed with an independent estimate of the mean sea surface height from Geosat, obtained by modeling the Gulf Stream as a Gaussian jet, within the expected errors in the estimates: the tilt error was 0.10 m, and the mesoscale error was 0.044 m. To minimize mesoscale errors in the estimate, the alongtrack geoid estimate was computed as the difference between the mean sea level from the Geosat Exact Repeat Mission and an estimate of the mean sea surface height, rather than as the difference between instantaneous profiles of sea level and sea surface height. In the critical region near the Gulf Stream the estimated error reduction using this method was about 0.07 m. Differences between the geoid estimate and a gravimetric geoid were not within the expected errors: the rms mesoscale difference was 0.24 m rms.

Reynolds Number Effect on Spatial Development of Viscous Flow Induced by Wave Propagation Over Bed Ripples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimas, Athanassios A.; Kolokythas, Gerasimos A.

Numerical simulations of the free-surface flow, developing by the propagation of nonlinear water waves over a rippled bottom, are performed assuming that the corresponding flow is two-dimensional, incompressible and viscous. The simulations are based on the numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations subject to the fully-nonlinear free-surface boundary conditions and appropriate bottom, inflow and outflow boundary conditions. The equations are properly transformed so that the computational domain becomes time-independent. For the spatial discretization, a hybrid scheme is used where central finite-differences, in the horizontal direction, and a pseudo-spectral approximation method with Chebyshev polynomials, in the vertical direction, are applied. A fractional time-step scheme is used for the temporal discretization. Over the rippled bed, the wave boundary layer thickness increases significantly, in comparison to the one over flat bed, due to flow separation at the ripple crests, which generates alternating circulation regions. The amplitude of the wall shear stress over the ripples increases with increasing ripple height or decreasing Reynolds number, while the corresponding friction force is insensitive to the ripple height change. The amplitude of the form drag forces due to dynamic and hydrostatic pressures increase with increasing ripple height but is insensitive to the Reynolds number change, therefore, the percentage of friction in the total drag force decreases with increasing ripple height or increasing Reynolds number.

Acoustic mirror effect increases prey detection distance in trawling bats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siemers, Björn M.; Baur, Eric; Schnitzler, Hans-Ulrich

2005-06-01

Many different and phylogenetically distant species of bats forage for insects above water bodies and take insects from and close to the surface; the so-called ‘trawling behaviour’. Detection of surface-based prey by echolocation is facilitated by acoustically smooth backgrounds such as water surfaces that reflect sound impinging at an acute angle away from the bat and thereby render a prey object acoustically conspicuous. Previous measurements had shown that the echo amplitude of a target on a smooth surface is higher than that of the same target in mid-air, due to an acoustic mirror effect. In behavioural experiments with three pond bats (Myotis dasycneme), we tested the hypothesis that the maximum distances at which bats can detect prey are larger for prey on smooth surfaces than for the same prey in an airborne situation. We determined the moment of prey detection from a change in echolocation behaviour and measured the detection distance in 3D space from IR-video recordings using stereo-photogrammetry. The bats showed the predicted increase in detection distance for prey on smooth surfaces. The acoustic mirror effect therefore increases search efficiency and contributes to the acoustic advantages encountered by echolocating bats when foraging at low heights above smooth water surfaces. These acoustic advantages may have favoured the repeated evolution of trawling behaviour.

Acoustic mirror effect increases prey detection distance in trawling bats.

PubMed

Siemers, Björn M; Baur, Eric; Schnitzler, Hans-Ulrich

2005-06-01

Many different and phylogenetically distant species of bats forage for insects above water bodies and take insects from and close to the surface; the so-called 'trawling behaviour'. Detection of surface-based prey by echolocation is facilitated by acoustically smooth backgrounds such as water surfaces that reflect sound impinging at an acute angle away from the bat and thereby render a prey object acoustically conspicuous. Previous measurements had shown that the echo amplitude of a target on a smooth surface is higher than that of the same target in mid-air, due to an acoustic mirror effect. In behavioural experiments with three pond bats (Myotis dasycneme), we tested the hypothesis that the maximum distances at which bats can detect prey are larger for prey on smooth surfaces than for the same prey in an airborne situation. We determined the moment of prey detection from a change in echolocation behaviour and measured the detection distance in 3D space from IR-video recordings using stereo-photogrammetry. The bats showed the predicted increase in detection distance for prey on smooth surfaces. The acoustic mirror effect therefore increases search efficiency and contributes to the acoustic advantages encountered by echolocating bats when foraging at low heights above smooth water surfaces. These acoustic advantages may have favoured the repeated evolution of trawling behaviour.

Water-level variations and their effects on tree growth and mortality and on the biogeochemical system at the phytoremediation demonstration site in Fort Worth, Texas, 1996-2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Braun, Christopher L.; Eberts, Sandra M.; Jones, Sonya A.; Harvey, Gregory J.

2004-01-01

In 1996, a field-scale phytoremediation demonstration project was initiated and managed by the U.S. Air Force at a site in western Fort Worth, Texas, using a plantation of 1-year-old stems harvested from branches of eastern cottonwoods during the dormant season (whips) and a plantation of 1-year-old eastern cottonwood seedlings (calipers). The primary objective of the demonstration project was to determine the effectiveness of eastern cottonwoods at reducing the mass of dissolved trichloroethene transported within an alluvial aquifer. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, to determine water-level variations and their effects on tree growth and mortality and on the biogeochemical system at the phytoremediation site. As part of the study, water-level and water-quality data were collected throughout the duration of the project. This report presents water-level variations at periodic sampling events; data from August 1996 to January 2003 are presented in this report. Water levels are affected by aquifer properties, precipitation, drawdown attributable to the trees in the study area, and irrigation. This report also evaluates the effects of ground-water depth on tree growth and mortality rates and on the biogeochemical system including subsurface oxidation-reduction processes. Overall, both whips and calipers showed a substantial increase in height, canopy diameter, and trunk diameter over the first 3 years of the study. By the fifth growing season (September 2000), the height of the calipers varied predictably with height decreasing with increasing depth to ground water. Percent mortality was relatively constant at about 25 percent in the whip plantation in January 2003 where ground-water levels were less than 10 feet below land surface during the drought in September 2000. The mortality rate increased where the ground-water levels were greater than 10 feet below land surface and approached 90 percent where ground-water levels were between 12 and 13 feet. A decrease in molar ratio of trichloroethene to cis-dichloroethene was measured in ground water within and downgradient from the planted area over time. Decreases in these ratios appeared to be related to ground-water depth. The molar ratios of trichloroethene to cis-dichloroethene during the third growing season were relatively constant, between 3.0 and 4.0, in samples collected from wells across the site. By the end of the fifth growing season the lowest ratio was measured in areas where ground-water depth was less than 10 feet below land surface; these same areas had the lowest dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.93 to 1.7 milligrams per liter) and the highest dissolved organic carbon concentrations (1.6 to 1.8 milligrams per liter). This indicates that between the third and fifth growing seasons, a labile fraction of dissolved organic carbon had been introduced into the aquifer by the planted trees that was capable of stimulating reductive dechlorination of trichloroethene.

NIMBUS-5 sounder data processing system. Part 2: Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, W. L.; Woolf, H. M.; Hayden, C. M.; Shen, W. C.

1975-01-01

The Nimbus-5 spacecraft carries infrared and microwave radiometers for sensing the temperature distribution of the atmosphere. Methods developed for obtaining temperature profiles from the combined set of infrared and microwave radiation measurements are described. Algorithms used to determine (a) vertical temperature and water vapor profiles, (b) cloud height, fractional coverage, and liquid water content, (c) surface temperature, and (d) total outgoing longwave radiation flux are described. Various meteorological results obtained from the application of the Nimbus-5 sounding data processing system during 1973 and 1974 are presented.

Impacts of river segmentation strategies on reach-averaged product uncertainties for the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frasson, R. P. M.; Wei, R.; Minear, J. T.; Tuozzolo, S.; Domeneghetti, A.; Durand, M. T.

2016-12-01

Averaging is a powerful method to reduce measurement noise associated with remote sensing observation of water surfaces. However, when dealing with river measurements, the choice of which points are averaged may affect the quality of the products. We examine the effectiveness of three fully automated reach definition strategies: In the first, we break up reaches at regular intervals measured along the rivers' centerlines. The second strategy consists of identifying hydraulic controls by searching for inflection points on water surface profiles. The third strategy takes into consideration river planform features, breaking up reaches according to channel sinuosity. We employed the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) SWOT hydrology simulator to generate 9 synthetic SWOT observations of the Sacramento River in California, USA and 14 overpasses of the Po River in northern Italy. In order to create the synthetic SWOT data, the simulator requires the true water digital elevation model (DEM), which we constructed from hydraulic models of both rivers, and the terrain DEM, which we built from LiDAR data of both basins. We processed the simulated pixel clouds using the JPL's RiverObs package, which traces the river centerline and estimates water surface height and river width on equally spaced nodes located along the centerline. Subsequently, we applied the three reach definition methodologies to the nodes and to the hydraulic models' outputs to generate simulated reach-averaged observations and the reach-averaged truth respectively. Our results generally indicate that height, width, slope, and discharge errors decrease with increasing reach length, with most of the accuracy gains occurring when reach length increases to up to 15 km for both the narrow (Sacramento) and the wide (Po) rivers. The "smart" methods led to smaller slope, width, and discharge errors for the Sacramento River when compared to arbitrary reaches of similar length whereas, for the for the Po River all methods had comparable performance. Our results suggest that river segmentation strategies that take into consideration the hydraulic characteristics of rivers may lead to more meaningful reach boundaries and to better products especially for narrower and more complex rivers.

Determination of contact angle from the maximum height of enlarged drops on solid surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behroozi, F.

2012-04-01

Measurement of the liquid/solid contact angle provides useful information on the wetting properties of fluids. In 1870, the German physicist Georg Hermann Quincke (1834-1924) published the functional relation between the maximum height of an enlarged drop and its contact angle. Quincke's relation offered an alternative to the direct measurement of contact angle, which in practice suffers from several experimental uncertainties. In this paper, we review Quincke's original derivation and show that it is based on a hidden assumption. We then present a new derivation that exposes this assumption and clarifies the conditions under which Quincke's relation is valid. To explore Quincke's relation experimentally, we measure the maximum height of enlarged water drops on several substrates and calculate the contact angle in each case. Our results are in good agreement with contact angles measured directly from droplet images.

Experimental test of theory for the stability of partially saturated vertical cut slopes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morse, Michael M.; Lu, N.; Wayllace, Alexandra; Godt, Jonathan W.; Take, W.A.

2014-01-01

This paper extends Culmann's vertical-cut analysis to unsaturated soils. To test the extended theory, unsaturated sand was compacted to a uniform porosity and moisture content in a laboratory apparatus. A sliding door that extended the height of the free face of the slope was lowered until the vertical cut failed. Digital images of the slope cross section and upper surface were acquired concurrently. A recently developed particle image velocimetry (PIV) tool was used to quantify soil displacement. The PIV analysis showed strain localization at varying distances from the sliding door prior to failure. The areas of localized strain were coincident with the location of the slope crest after failure. Shear-strength and soil-water-characteristic parameters of the sand were independently tested for use in extended analyses of the vertical-cut stability and of the failure plane angle. Experimental failure heights were within 22.3% of the heights predicted using the extended theory.

Quick and Easy Measurements of the Inherent Optical Property of Water by Laser

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

Izadi, Dina; Hajiesmaeilbaigi, Fereshteh

2009-04-19

To generate realistic images of natural waters, one must consider in some detail the interaction of light with the water body. The reflectance and attenuation coefficient of the second harmonic of Nd:YAG laser light through distilled water and a sample of water from the Oman Sea were measured in a solid-state laser laboratory to estimate inherent optical properties of natural waters. These measurements determined the bottom conditions and the impurities of the water. The water's reflectivity varied depending on the angle of incidence, height of the laser from water surface, wavelength of laser light, radiant intensities, and depth of water.more » In these experiments laser light propagated through the water nonlinearly, and different reflectance showed different bottom slopes. The differences among various water samples were obtained taking into account the exponential equation in attenuation coefficient versus depth graphs.« less

An atlas of monthly mean distributions of SSMI surface wind speed, AVHRR/2 sea surface temperature, AMI surface wind velocity, TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height, and ECMWF surface wind velocity during 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, D.; Fu, L.; Knauss, W.; Pihos, G.; Brown, O.; Freilich, M.; Wentz, F.

1995-01-01

The following monthly mean global distributions for 1993 are presented with a common color scale and geographical map: 10-m height wind speed estimated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on a United States (U.S.) Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft; sea surface temperature estimated from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/2) on a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite; 10-m height wind speed and direction estimated from the Active Microwave Instrument (AMI) on the European Space Agency (ESA) European Remote Sensing (ERS-1) satellite; sea surface height estimated from the joint U.S.-France Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON spacecraft; and 10-m height wind speed and direction produced by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). Charts of annual mean, monthly mean, and sampling distributions are displayed.

Effect of Surface Roughness on Characteristics of Spherical Shock Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huber, Paul W.; McFarland, Donald R.

1959-01-01

Measurements of peak overpressure and Mach stem height were made at four burst heights. Data were obtained with instrumentation capable of directly observing the variation of shock wave movement with time. Good similarity of free air shock peak overpressure with larger scale data was found to exist. The net effect of surface roughness on shock peak overpressures slightly. Surface roughness delayed the Mach stem formation at the greatest charge height and lowered the growth at all burst heights. A similarity parameter was found which approximately correlates the triple point path at different burst heights.

Reflections on a Bouncing Ball

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rohr, Jim; Lopez, Veronica; Rohr, Tyler

2014-01-01

While observing the bounce heights of various kinds of sports balls dropped from different heights onto a variety of surfaces, we thought of the following question: Could measurements of drop and bounce heights of balls of different diameters, but of the same material, falling from different heights, but on the same surface, be expressed by a…

Brain structure mediates the association between height and cognitive ability.

PubMed

Vuoksimaa, Eero; Panizzon, Matthew S; Franz, Carol E; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Hagler, Donald J; Lyons, Michael J; Dale, Anders M; Kremen, William S

2018-05-11

Height and general cognitive ability are positively associated, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are not well understood. Both height and general cognitive ability are positively associated with brain size. Still, the neural substrate of the height-cognitive ability association is unclear. We used a sample of 515 middle-aged male twins with structural magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate whether the association between height and cognitive ability is mediated by cortical size. In addition to cortical volume, we used genetically, ontogenetically and phylogenetically distinct cortical metrics of total cortical surface area and mean cortical thickness. Height was positively associated with general cognitive ability and total cortical volume and cortical surface area, but not with mean cortical thickness. Mediation models indicated that the well-replicated height-general cognitive ability association is accounted for by individual differences in total cortical volume and cortical surface area (highly heritable metrics related to global brain size), and that the genetic association between cortical surface area and general cognitive ability underlies the phenotypic height-general cognitive ability relationship.

West Europe Report No. 2040.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-05

separating it from the sea water , and ignites near the surface. M-20 Missile Characteristics Two-stage solid-fuel rocket Height: 10.75 meters Diameter...translated; those from English-language sources are transcribed or reprinted, with the original phrasing and other characteristics retained. Headlines...and 1.5 percent for national production as a whole), because the light weight and weak perfor- mance of agriculture and fishing will neutralize its

Project Fog Drops. Part 1: Investigations of warm fog properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilie, R. J.; Eadie, W.; Mack, E. J.; Rogers, C.; Kocmond, W. C.

1972-01-01

A detailed study was made of the micrometeorological and microphysical characteristics of eleven valley fogs occurring near Elmira, New York. Observations were made of temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction, dew deposition, vertical wind velocity, and net radiative flux. In fog, visibility was continuously recorded and periodic measurements were made of liquid water content and drop-size distribution. The observations were initiated in late evening and continued until the time of fog dissipation. The vertical distribution of temperature in the lowest 300 meters and cloud nucleus concentration at several heights were measured from an aircraft before fog nucleus concentrations at several heights were measured from an aircraft before fog formation. A numerical model was developed to investigate the life cycle of radiation fogs. The model predicts the temporal evolution of the vertical distributions of temperature, water vapor, and liquid water as determined by the turbulent transfer of heat and moisture. The model includes the nocturnal cooling of the earth's surface, dew formation, fog drop sedimentation, and the absorption of infrared radiation by fog.

Atmospheric results from the Phoenix Mars Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Peter

The Phoenix Mission operated in the northern plains of Mars for 5 months starting May 25, 2008 spanning solar longitudes from 78 to 143 (summer). Throughout this period a diverse set of atmospheric measurements were taken and analyzed. The data sets provide information on the diurnal temperatures at 2 m above the surface, diurnal pressure, wind vectors, cloud properties, dust devils, the boundary layer, and humidity. In addition, coordinated observations were obtained with orbital instruments from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Odyssey, and Mars Express. The measurements have been compared with predictions from Global Climate Models and found to agree in most regards. Taken as a whole this represents a unique description of the summer weather in a heretofore unexplored region of Mars. The Canadian LIDAR experiment gives us the first direct measurement of the boundary layer height. The first 90 sols of the mission were conducted under dusty conditions and the height of the dust layer was determined as 4-5 km above the surface. After 90 sols, the dust dispersed and water ice clouds were seen at ever lower altitudes and the boundary layer dropped to as low as 3 km. Snowfall was observed and frost imaged on the surface. Winds swirled around the lander completing a full circle each sol; typical wind speeds were 5-10 m/s. From near surface humidity measurements, a diurnal cycle sublimates ice and adsorbed water from the surface soil as the Sun heats it forming water ice clouds at the boundary layer. As temperatures cool in the night the water is returned as snow and frost to the soil. Temperatures ranged from -30 C to -90 C, but never exceed the melting point; even though atmospheric pressures are always above the triple point, liquid water is not allowed at this time. The lack of dune forms and the presence of dust devils suggest that wind erosion is a strong force despite the constant dust fall observed on the spacecraft deck. Local dust storms are often seen by the MARCI instrument on Odyssey and the dust optical depth above Phoenix testifies to rapid variations. The microscopic examination of the soil by the MECA instrument reveals two size modes: larger particles rounded by saltation and a clay-sized mode likely transported by atmospheric winds. Even so, the crusted surface and cobbles perched on the surface make it likely that the soil particles have been emplaced for long periods. Atmospheric data sets are still being analyzed and the latest results will be presented at the conference.

On the vertical distribution of water vapor in the Martian tropics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, Robert M.

1988-01-01

Although measurements of the column abundance of atmospheric water vapor on Mars have been made, measurements of its vertical distribution have not. How water is distributed in the vertical is fundamental to atmosphere-surface exchange processes, and especially to transport within the atmosphere. Several lines of evidence suggest that in the lowest several scale heights of the atmosphere, water vapor is nearly uniformly distributed. However, most of these arguments are suggestive rather than conclusive since they only demonstrate that the altitude to saturation is very high if the observed amount of water vapor is distributed uniformly. A simple argument is presented, independent of the saturation constraint, which suggests that in tropical regions, water vapor on Mars should be very nearly uniformly mixed on an annual and zonally averaged basis.

Effect of top soil wettability on water evaporation and plant growth.

PubMed

Gupta, Bharat; Shah, D O; Mishra, Brijesh; Joshi, P A; Gandhi, Vimal G; Fougat, R S

2015-07-01

In general, agricultural soil surfaces being hydrophilic in nature get easily wetted by water. The water beneath the soil moves through capillary effect and comes to the surface of the soil and thereafter evaporates into the surrounding air due to atmospheric conditions such as sunlight, wind current, temperature and relative humidity. To lower the water loss from soil, an experiment was designed in which a layer of hydrophobic soil was laid on the surface of ordinary hydrophilic soil. This technique strikingly decreased loss of water from the soil. The results indicated that the evaporation rate significantly decreased and 90% of water was retained in the soil in 83 h by the hydrophobic layer of 2 cm thickness. A theoretical calculation based on diffusion of water vapour (gas phase) through hydrophobic capillaries provide a meaningful explanation of experimental results. A greater retention of water in the soil by this approach can promote the growth of plants, which was confirmed by growing chick pea (Cicer arietinum) plants and it was found that the length of roots, height of shoot, number of branches, number of leaves, number of secondary roots, biomass etc. were significantly increased upon covering the surface with hydrophobic soil in comparison to uncovered ordinary hydrophilic soil of identical depth. Such approach can also decrease the water consumption by the plants particularly grown indoors in residential premises, green houses and poly-houses etc. and also can be very useful to prevent water loss and enhance growth of vegetation in semi-arid regions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A sensitivity analysis of a surface energy balance model to LAI (Leaf Area Index)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maltese, A.; Cannarozzo, M.; Capodici, F.; La Loggia, G.; Santangelo, T.

2008-10-01

The LAI is a key parameter in hydrological processes, especially in the physically based distribution models. It is a critical ecosystem attribute since physiological processes such as photosynthesis, transpiration and evaporation depend on it. The diffusion of water vapor, momentum, heat and light through the canopy is regulated by the distribution and density of the leaves, branches, twigs and stems. The LAI influences the sensible heat flux H in the surface energy balance single source models through the calculation of the roughness length and of the displacement height. The aerodynamic resistance between the soil and within-canopy source height is a function of the LAI through the roughness length. This research carried out a sensitivity analysis of some of the most important parameters of surface energy balance models to the LAI time variation, in order to take into account the effects of the LAI variation with the phenological period. Finally empirical retrieved relationships between field spectroradiometric data and the field LAI measured via a light-sensitive instrument are presented for a cereal field.

Height Control and Deposition Measurement for the Electron Beam Free Form Fabrication (EBF3) Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hafley, Robert A. (Inventor); Seufzer, William J. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A method of controlling a height of an electron beam gun and wire feeder during an electron freeform fabrication process includes utilizing a camera to generate an image of the molten pool of material. The image generated by the camera is utilized to determine a measured height of the electron beam gun relative to the surface of the molten pool. The method further includes ensuring that the measured height is within the range of acceptable heights of the electron beam gun relative to the surface of the molten pool. The present invention also provides for measuring a height of a solid metal deposit formed upon cooling of a molten pool. The height of a single point can be measured, or a plurality of points can be measured to provide 2D or 3D surface height measurements.

Laser probe for measuring 2-D wave slope spectra of ocean capillary waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palm, C. S.; Anderson, R. C.; Reece, A. M.

1977-01-01

A laser-optical instrument for use in determining the two-dimensional wave-slope spectrum of ocean capillary waves is described. The instrument measures up to a 35-deg tip angle of the surface normal by measuring the position of a refracted laser beam directed vertically upward through a water surface. A telescope, a continuous two-dimensional Schottky barrier photodiode, and a pair of analog dividers render the signals independent of water height and insensitive to laser-beam intensity fluctuations. Calibration is performed entirely in the laboratory before field use. Sample records and wave-slope spectra are shown for one-dimensional wave-tank tests and for two-dimensional ocean tests. These are presented along with comparison spectra for calm and choppy water conditions. A mechanical wave follower was used to adjust the instrument position in the presence of large ocean swell and tides.

Surface Properties and Permeability to Calcium Chloride of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea Leaves of Different Canopy Heights

PubMed Central

Bahamonde, Héctor A.; Gil, Luis; Fernández, Victoria

2018-01-01

Plant surfaces have a considerable degree of chemical and physical variability also in relation to different environmental conditions, organs and state of development. The potential changes on plant surface properties in association with environmental variations have been little explored so far. Using two model tree species (i.e., Quercus petraea, sessile oak and Fagus sylvatica, beech) growing in ‘Montejo de la Sierra Forest,’ we examined various traits of the abaxial and adaxial surface of leaves of both species collected at a height of approximately 15 m (top canopy), versus 3.5–5.5 m for beech and sessile oak, lower canopy leaves. Leaf surface ultra-structure was analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and the surface free energy and related parameter were estimated after measuring drops of 3 liquids with different degrees of polarity and apolarity. The permeability of the adaxial and abaxial surface of top and bottom canopy leaves to CaCl2 was estimated by depositing 2 drops of 3–4 μl per cm2 and comparing the concentration of Ca in leaf tissues 24 h after treatment, and also Ca and Cl concentrations in the washing liquid. Higher Ca concentrations were recorded after the application of CaCl2 drops onto the veins and adaxial blade of top canopy beech leaves, while no significant evidence for foliar Ca absorption was gained with sessile oak leaves. Surprisingly, high amounts of Cl were recovered after washing untreated, top canopy beach and sessile oak leaves with deionised water, a phenomenon which was not traced to occur on lower canopy leaves of both species. It is concluded that the surface of the two species analyzed is heterogeneous in nature and may have areas favoring the absorption of water and solutes as observed for the veins of beech leaves. PMID:29720987

Ram-air sample collection device for a chemical warfare agent sensor

DOEpatents

Megerle, Clifford A.; Adkins, Douglas R.; Frye-Mason, Gregory C.

2002-01-01

In a surface acoustic wave sensor mounted within a body, the sensor having a surface acoustic wave array detector and a micro-fabricated sample preconcentrator exposed on a surface of the body, an apparatus for collecting air for the sensor, comprising a housing operatively arranged to mount atop the body, the housing including a multi-stage channel having an inlet and an outlet, the channel having a first stage having a first height and width proximate the inlet, a second stage having a second lower height and width proximate the micro-fabricated sample preconcentrator, a third stage having a still lower third height and width proximate the surface acoustic wave array detector, and a fourth stage having a fourth height and width proximate the outlet, where the fourth height and width are substantially the same as the first height and width.

Microphysical modeling of cirrus. 2: Sensitivity studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eric J.; Toon, Owen B.; Westphal, Douglas L.; Kinne, Stefan; Heymsfield, Andrew J.

1994-01-01

The one-dimensional cirrus model described in part 1 of this issue has been used to study the sensitivity of simulated cirrus microphysical and radiative properties to poorly known model parameters, poorly understood physical processes, and environmental conditions. Model parameters and physical processes investigated include nucleation rate, mode of nucleation (e.g., homogeneous freezing of aerosols and liquid droplets or heterogeneous deposition), ice crystal shape, and coagulation. These studies suggest that the leading sources of uncertainty in the model are the phase change (liquid-solid) energy barrier and the ice-water surface energy which dominate the homogeneous freezing nucleation rate and the coagulation sticking efficiency at low temperatures which controls the production of large ice crystals (radii greater than 100 mcirons). Environmental conditions considered in sensitivity tests were CN size distribution, vertical wind speed, and cloud height. We found that (unlike stratus clouds) variations in the total number of condensation nuclei (NC) have little effect on cirrus microphysical and radiative properties, since nucleation occurs only on the largest CN at the tail of the size distribution. The total number of ice crystals which nucleate has little or no relationship to the number of CN present and depends primarily on the temperature and the cooling rate. Stronger updrafts (more rapid cooling) generate higher ice number densities, ice water content, cloud optical depth, and net radiative forcing. Increasing the height of the clouds in the model leads to an increase in ice number density, a decrease in effective radius, and a decrease in ice water content. The most prominent effect of increasing cloud height was a rapid increase in the net cloud radiative forcing which can be attributed to the change in cloud temperature as well as change in cloud ice size distributions. It has long been recognized that changes in cloud height or cloud area have the greatest potential for causing feedbacks on climate change. Our results suggest that variations in vertical velocity or cloud microphysical changes associatd with cloud height changes may also be important.

Pool boiling on surfaces with mini-fins and micro-cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastuszko, Robert; Piasecka, Magdalena

2012-11-01

The experimental studies presented here focused on pool boiling heat transfer on mini-fin arrays, mini-fins with perforated covering and surfaces with micro-cavities. The experiments were carried out for water and fluorinert FC-72 at atmospheric pressure. Mini-fins of 0.5 and 1 mm in height were uniformly spaced on the base surface. The copper foil with holes of 0.1 mm in diameter (pitch 0.2/0.4 mm), sintered with the fin tips, formed a system of connected perpendicular and horizontal tunnels. The micro-cavities were obtained through spark erosion. The maximal depth of the craters of these cavities was 15 - 30 μm and depended on the parameters of the branding-pen settings. At medium and small heat fluxes, structures with mini-fins showed the best boiling heat transfer performance both for water and FC-72. At medium and high heat fluxes (above 70 kW/m2 for water and 25 kW/m2 for FC-72), surfaces with mini-fins without porous covering and micro-cavities produced the highest heat transfer coefficients. The surfaces obtained with spark erosion require a proper selection of geometrical parameters for particular liquids - smaller diameters of cavities are suitable for liquids with lower surface tension (FC-72).

Seismic moulin tremor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roeoesli, Claudia; Walter, Fabian; Ampuero, Jean-Paul; Kissling, Edi

2016-08-01

Through glacial moulins, meltwater is routed from the glacier surface to its base. Moulins are a main feature feeding subglacial drainage systems and thus influencing basal motion and ice dynamics, but their geometry remains poorly known. Here we show that analysis of the seismic wavefield generated by water falling into a moulin can help constrain its geometry. We present modeling results of hour-long seimic tremors emitted from a vertical moulin shaft, observed with a seismometer array installed at the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The tremor was triggered when the moulin water level exceeded a certain height, which we associate with the threshold for the waterfall to hit directly the surface of the moulin water column. The amplitude of the tremor signal changed over each tremor episode, in close relation to the amount of inflowing water. The tremor spectrum features multiple prominent peaks, whose characteristic frequencies are distributed like the resonant modes of a semiopen organ pipe and were found to depend on the moulin water level, consistent with a source composed of resonant tube waves (water pressure waves coupled to elastic deformation of the moulin walls) along the water-filled moulin pipe. Analysis of surface particle motions lends further support to this interpretation. The seismic wavefield was modeled as a superposition of sustained wave radiation by pressure sources on the side walls and at the bottom of the moulin. The former was found to dominate the wave field at close distance and the latter at large distance to the moulin.

Verification, Validation and Accreditation using AADL

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-03

component h component, c r2 socsr hhh  max. height (surface relative), hsr r1 pwbsra thh  max. height (absolute), ha pwb pwb t c0. Context-Specific...5512 digital oscillatorABC_9230 Warning Module PWB component component, c r2 hhh max. height (surface relative), hsr r1 pwbsra thh  max. height

Blood drop size in passive dripping from weapons.

PubMed

Kabaliuk, N; Jermy, M C; Morison, K; Stotesbury, T; Taylor, M C; Williams, E

2013-05-10

Passive dripping, the slow dripping of blood under gravity, is responsible for some bloodstains found at crime scenes, particularly drip trails left by a person moving through the scene. Previous work by other authors has established relationships, under ideal conditions, between the size of the stain, the number of spines and satellite stains, the roughness of the surface, the size of the blood droplet and the height from which it falls. To apply these relationships to infer the height of fall requires independent knowledge of the size of the droplet. This work aims to measure the size of droplets falling from objects representative of hand-held weapons. Pig blood was used, with density, surface tension and viscosity controlled to fall within the normal range for human blood. Distilled water was also tested as a reference. Drips were formed from stainless steel objects with different roughnesses including cylinders of diameter between 10 and 100 mm, and flat plates. Small radius objects including a knife and a wrench were also tested. High speed images of the falling drops were captured. The primary blood drop size ranged from 4.15±0.11 mm up to 6.15±0.15 mm (depending on the object), with the smaller values from sharper objects. The primary drop size correlated only weakly with surface roughness, over the roughness range studied. The number of accompanying droplets increased with the object size, but no significant correlation with surface texture was observed. Dripping of blood produced slightly smaller drops, with more accompanying droplets, than dripping water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A balanced Kalman filter ocean data assimilation system with application to the South Australian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Toumi, Ralf

2017-08-01

In this paper, an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) based regional ocean data assimilation system has been developed and applied to the South Australian Sea. This system consists of the data assimilation algorithm provided by the NCAR Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) and the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS). We describe the first implementation of the physical balance operator (temperature-salinity, hydrostatic and geostrophic balance) to DART, to reduce the spurious waves which may be introduced during the data assimilation process. The effect of the balance operator is validated in both an idealised shallow water model and the ROMS model real case study. In the shallow water model, the geostrophic balance operator eliminates spurious ageostrophic waves and produces a better sea surface height (SSH) and velocity analysis and forecast. Its impact increases as the sea surface height and wind stress increase. In the real case, satellite-observed sea surface temperature (SST) and SSH are assimilated in the South Australian Sea with 50 ensembles using the Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter (EAKF). Assimilating SSH and SST enhances the estimation of SSH and SST in the entire domain, respectively. Assimilation with the balance operator produces a more realistic simulation of surface currents and subsurface temperature profile. The best improvement is obtained when only SSH is assimilated with the balance operator. A case study with a storm suggests that the benefit of the balance operator is of particular importance under high wind stress conditions. Implementing the balance operator could be a general benefit to ocean data assimilation systems.

An Eight-Month Sample of Marine Stratocumulus Cloud Fraction, Albedo, and Integrated Liquid Water.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fairall, C. W.; Hare, J. E.; Snider, J. B.

1990-08-01

As part of the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Regional Experiment (FIRE), a surface meteorology and shortwave/longwave irradiance station was operated in a marine stratocumulus regime on the northwest tip of San Nicolas island off the coast of Southern California. Measurements were taken from March through October 1987, including a FIRE Intensive Field Operation (IFO) held in July. Algorithms were developed to use the longwave irradiance data to estimate fractional cloudiness and to use the shortwave irradiance to estimate cloud albedo and integrated cloud liquid water content. Cloud base height is estimated from computations of the lifting condensation level. The algorithms are tested against direct measurements made during the IFO; a 30% adjustment was made to the liquid water parameterization. The algorithms are then applied to the entire database. The stratocumulus clouds over the island are found to have a cloud base height of about 400 m, an integrated liquid water content of 75 gm2, a fractional cloudiness of 0.95, and an albedo of 0.55. Integrated liquid water content rarely exceeds 350 g m2 and albedo rarely exceeds 0.90 for stratocumulus clouds. Over the summer months, the average cloud fraction shows a maximum at sunrise of 0.74 and a minimum at sunset of 0.41. Over the same period, the average cloud albedo shows a maximum of 0.61 at sunrise and a minimum of 0.31 a few hours after local noon (although the estimate is more uncertain because of the extreme solar zenith angle). The use of joint frequency distributions of fractional cloudiness with solar transmittance or cloud base height to classify cloud types appears to be useful.

Water vapor variance measurements using a Raman lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, K.; Melfi, S. H.; Ferrare, R.; Whiteman, D.

1992-01-01

Because of the importance of atmospheric water vapor variance, we have analyzed data from the NASA/Goddard Raman lidar to obtain temporal scales of water vapor mixing ratio as a function of altitude over observation periods extending to 12 hours. The ground-based lidar measures water vapor mixing ration from near the earth's surface to an altitude of 9-10 km. Moisture profiles are acquired once every minute with 75 m vertical resolution. Data at each 75 meter altitude level can be displayed as a function of time from the beginning to the end of an observation period. These time sequences have been spectrally analyzed using a fast Fourier transform technique. An example of such a temporal spectrum obtained between 00:22 and 10:29 UT on December 6, 1991 is shown in the figure. The curve shown on the figure represents the spectral average of data from 11 height levels centered on an altitude of 1 km (1 plus or minus .375 km). The spectra shows a decrease in energy density with frequency which generally follows a -5/3 power law over the spectral interval 3x10 (exp -5) to 4x10 (exp -3) Hz. The flattening of the spectrum for frequencies greater than 6x10 (exp -3) Hz is most likely a measure of instrumental noise. Spectra like that shown in the figure are calculated for other altitudes and show changes in spectral features with height. Spectral analysis versus height have been performed for several observation periods which demonstrate changes in water vapor mixing ratio spectral character from one observation period to the next. The combination of these temporal spectra with independent measurements of winds aloft provide an opportunity to infer spatial scales of moisture variance.

The Role of Windbreaks in Reducing Water Resources Use in Irrigated Agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochrane, T. A.; de Vries, T. T.

2014-12-01

Windbreaks are common features in flat agricultural landscapes around the world. The reduction in wind speed afforded by windbreaks is dictated by their porosity, location, height, and distance from the windbreak. The reduction in wind speeds not only reduces potential wind erosion; it also reduces crop evapotranspiration (ET) and provides shelter for livestock and crops. In the Canterbury plains of New Zealand there are over 300,000 km of windbreaks which were first implemented as a soil conservation strategy to reduce wind erosion of prime agricultural land. Agriculture in the region has since changed to irrigated pasture cultivation for dairy production and windbreaks are being cut down or reduced to heights of 2 m to allow for large scale centre-pivot irrigation schemes. Although soil erosion is no longer a major concern due to permanent pasture cover, irrigation water is sourced from limited supplies of ground and surface water and thus the effects of wind on irrigation losses due to spray drift and increased ET are of significant concern. The impact of reducing windbreaks needs to be understood in terms of water resources use. Experimental and theoretical work was conducted to quantify the reduction in wind speeds by windbreaks and in spray evaporation losses. A temporal and spatial model was also developed and validated to quantify the impact of single and multiple windbreaks on irrigation water losses. Initial modelling results show that for hot windy dry conditions in Canterbury, ET can increase by up to 1.4 mm/day when windbreaks are reduced to 2 m in height and on average wind days ET can increase by up to 0.5 mm/day. ET can be reduced by up to 30% in the windbreak leeward zone relative to ET in areas not protected by windbreaks. Wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity all had a considerable impact on spray evaporation losses, but the extent is determined by the droplet size. Estimated losses range from only 0.07% to 67% for 5 and 0.2 mm droplet sizes respectively. Preliminary measurements of typical irrigation spray nozzles with a range of drop sizes show losses of up to 30% under high wind conditions. Potential reduction in ground and surface water resources use for irrigation can be significant if windbreaks are maintained by using irrigation systems that can be adapted to work within windbreaks.

Biogeochemical processes controlling density stratification in an iron-meromictic lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nixdorf, E.; Boehrer, B.

2015-06-01

Biogeochemical processes and mixing regime of a lake can control each other mutually. The prominent case of iron meromixis is investigated in Waldsee near Doebern, a small lake that originated from surface mining of lignite. From a four years data set of monthly measured electrical conductivity profiles, we calculated summed conductivity as a quantitative variable reflecting the amount of electro-active substances in the entire lake. Seasonal variations followed changing chemocline height. Coinciding changes of electrical conductivities in the monimolimnion indicated that a considerable share of substances, precipitated by the advancing oxygenated epilimnion, re-dissolved in the remaining anoxic deep waters and contributed considerably to the density stratification. In addition, we constructed a lab experiment, in which aeration of monimolimnetic waters removed iron compounds and organic material. Precipitates could be identified by visual inspection. Introduced air bubbles ascended through the water column and formed a water mass similar to the mixolimnetic Waldsee water. The remaining less dense water remained floating on the nearly unchanged monimolimnetic water. In conclusion, iron meromixis as seen in Waldsee did not require two different sources of incoming waters, but the inflow of iron rich deep groundwater and the aeration through the lake surface were fully sufficient.

Lake Storage Measurements For Water Resources Management: Combining Remotely Sensed Water Levels and Surface Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brakenridge, G. R.; Birkett, C. M.

2013-12-01

Presently operating satellite-based radar altimeters have the ability to monitor variations in surface water height for large lakes and reservoirs, and future sensors will expand observational capabilities to many smaller water bodies. Such remote sensing provides objective, independent information where in situ data are lacking or access is restricted. A USDA/NASA (http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/global_reservoir/) program is performing operational altimetric monitoring of the largest lakes and reservoirs around the world using data from the NASA/CNES, NRL, and ESA missions. Public lake-level products from the Global Reservoir and Lake Monitor (GRLM) are a combination of archived and near real time information. The USDA/FAS utilizes the products for assessing international irrigation potential and for crop production estimates; other end-users study climate trends, observe anthropogenic effects, and/or are are involved in other water resources management and regional water security issues. At the same time, the Dartmouth Flood Observatory (http://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/), its NASA GSFC partners (http://oas.gsfc.nasa.gov/floodmap/home.html), and associated MODIS data and automated processing algorithms are providing public access to a growing GIS record of the Earth's changing surface water extent, including changes related to floods and droughts. The Observatory's web site also provide both archival and near real time information, and is based mainly on the highest spatial resolution (250 m) MODIS bands. Therefore, it is now possible to provide on an international basis reservoir and lake storage change measurements entirely from remote sensing, on a frequently updating basis. The volume change values are based on standard numerical procedures used for many decades for analysis of coeval lake area and height data. We provide first results of this combination, including prototype displays for public access and data retrieval of water storage volume changes. Ground-based data can, in some cases, test the remote sensing accuracy and precision. Data accuracy requirements vary for different applications: reservoir management for flood control, agriculture, or power generation may need more accurate and timely information than (for example) regional assessments of water and food security issues. Thus, the long-term goal for the hydrological sciences community should be to efficiently mesh both types of information and with as extensive geographic coverage as possible.

Estimates of fetch-induced errors in Bowen-ratio energy-budget measurements of evapotranspiration from a prairie wetland, Cottonwood Lake Area, North Dakota, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stannard, David L.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Winter, Thomas C.; Parkhurst, Renee S.

2004-01-01

Micrometeorological measurements of evapotranspiration (ET) often are affected to some degree by errors arising from limited fetch. A recently developed model was used to estimate fetch-induced errors in Bowen-ratio energy-budget measurements of ET made at a small wetland with fetch-to-height ratios ranging from 34 to 49. Estimated errors were small, averaging −1.90%±0.59%. The small errors are attributed primarily to the near-zero lower sensor height, and the negative bias reflects the greater Bowen ratios of the drier surrounding upland. Some of the variables and parameters affecting the error were not measured, but instead are estimated. A sensitivity analysis indicates that the uncertainty arising from these estimates is small. In general, fetch-induced error in measured wetland ET increases with decreasing fetch-to-height ratio, with increasing aridity and with increasing atmospheric stability over the wetland. Occurrence of standing water at a site is likely to increase the appropriate time step of data integration, for a given level of accuracy. Occurrence of extensive open water can increase accuracy or decrease the required fetch by allowing the lower sensor to be placed at the water surface. If fetch is highly variable and fetch-induced errors are significant, the variables affecting fetch (e.g., wind direction, water level) need to be measured. Fetch-induced error during the non-growing season may be greater or smaller than during the growing season, depending on how seasonal changes affect both the wetland and upland at a site.

Developing a Global Network of River Reaches in Preparation of SWOT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lion, C.; Pavelsky, T.; Allen, G. H.; Beighley, E.; Schumann, G.; Durand, M. T.

2016-12-01

In 2020, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite (SWOT), a joint mission of NASA/CNES/CSA/UK will be launched. One of its major products will be the measurements of continental water surfaces, including the width, height, and slope of rivers and the surface area and elevations of lakes. The mission will improve the monitoring of continental water and also our understanding of the interactions between different hydrologic reservoirs. For rivers, SWOT measurements of slope will be carried out over predefined river reaches. As such, an a priori dataset for rivers is needed in order to facilitate analysis of the raw SWOT data. The information required to produce this dataset includes measurements of river width, elevation, slope, planform, river network topology, and flow accumulation. To produce this product, we have linked two existing global datasets: the Global River Widths from Landsat (GRWL) database, which contains river centerline locations, widths, and a braiding index derived from Landsat imagery, and a modified version of the HydroSHEDS hydrologically corrected digital elevation product, which contains heights and flow accumulation measurements for streams at 3 arcseconds spatial resolution. Merging these two datasets requires considerable care. The difficulties, among others, lie in the difference of resolution: 30m versus 3 arseconds, and the age of the datasets: 2000 versus 2010 (some rivers have moved, the braided sections are different). As such, we have developed custom software to merge the two datasets, taking into account the spatial proximity of river channels in the two datasets and ensuring that flow accumulation in the final dataset always increases downstream. Here, we present our results for the globe.

The Heritage of the Operational Usda/nasa Global Reservoir and Lake Monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birkett, C. M.; Beckley, B. D.; Reynolds, C. A.

2012-12-01

Satellite radar altimetry has the ability to monitor variations in surface water height for large lakes and reservoirs. A clear advantage is the provision of data where in situ data are lacking or where there is restricted access to ground-based measurements. A USDA/NASA funded program is performing altimetric monitoring of the largest lakes and reservoirs around the world. The near-real time height measurements are currently derived from NASA/CNES Jason-2/OSTM mission data. Archived data are also utilized from the NASA/CNES Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1 missions, the NRL GFO mission, and the ESA ENVISAT mission. Lake level products are output within 1-2 weeks after satellite overpass, a time delay which will improve to a few days as the project moves into its next phase. The USDA/FAS utilize the products for assessing irrigation potential (and thus crop production estimates), and for general observation of high-water status and short-term drought. Other end-users explore the products to study climate trends, observe anthropogenic effects, and to consider water management and regional security issues. This presentation explores the heritage of the Global Reservoir and Lake Monitor (GRLM) which has its origins in the field of ocean surface topography and the exploration of radar altimetry techniques over non-ocean surfaces. The current system closely follows the software design of the historical NASA Ocean Pathfinder Project and utilizes a global lakes catalogue that was created for climate change/aridity studies. The output of lake level products, imagery and information also echoes an earlier trial (UNDP-funded) lakes database which first offered altimetric products via the world wide web and which enabled world-wide interest to be both assessed and highlighted.;

Maximum height in a conifer is associated with conflicting requirements for xylem design

Treesearch

Jean-Chrisophe Domec; Barbara Lachenbruch; Frederick Meinzer; David R. Woodruff; Jeffrey M. Warren; Katherine A. McCulloh

2008-01-01

Despite renewed interest in the nature of limitations on maximum tree height, the mechanisms governing ultimate and species-specific height limits are not yet understood, but they likely involve water transport dynamics. Tall trees experience increased risk of xylem embolism from air-seeding because tension in their water column increases with height owing to path-...

Ecohydrology of permafrost-affected boreal forest ecosystems: sources of water utilized by plants and fluxed by ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cable, J. M.; Ogle, K.; Cable, B.; Welker, J. M.

2010-12-01

The interior Alaskan boreal forest ecosystem is underlain by permafrost and thus has complex soil moisture and soil thermal properties, and this complexity is further amplified by its dry climate with low snow in winter and minimal summer rain. This combination of climate, cryosphere, and hydrology characteristics impact vegetation ecophysiological and ecohydrological processes, such as the distribution of plant-available water sources and the temporal dynamics of evapotranspiration (ET). As a major component of ET, plant transpiration is typically sustained throughout a variety of climatic conditions. The water sources (rain, thawing ground ice, etc) supporting plant transpiration are relatively unquantified, particularly on a seasonal time scale. In this study, we ask: what are the seasonal dynamics of plant water use in the boreal forest, and how are the trends at the plant scale translated into ecosystem-level water fluxes? Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the spatial and temporal dynamics of boreal plant water use and water flux throughout the growing season. To do this, we measured the stable isotope (δ18O and δD) composition of water from precipitation, ground ice, soils, plants, and vapor from 5 heights in the ecosystem during the growing season in a boreal system near Fairbanks, Alaska underlain by permafrost. We analyzed the plant water, soil water, and vapor isotope data in a Bayesian framework to quantify the plant water uptake profiles and to explore the implications of shifting water sources for ecosystem ET. The vapor isotope data (across all heights) ranged from -216 to -190 ‰ (δD) and -27 to -21 ‰ (δ18O) in late July to slightly more depleted in late August, with values ranging from -232 to -203 ‰ (δD) and -29 to -20 ‰ (δ18O). Diurnal trends are such that the isotope composition of vapor became more enriched over the day as ET rates increased, and vapor at the 0.25 m height was generally more enriched relative to the 6 m height. Plant and soil isotope sampling from prior years shows that dwarf birch (B. nana, the dominant shrub in the ecosystem sampled by the vapor analyzer) gets about 50% of its water from surface, rain-fed soil layers and 50% of its water from deeper soil layers (fed by thawing ground ice). This is one of the first studies to show the patterns of boreal ecosystem water isotopes at diurnal (vapor) and seasonal (plant) scales. Understanding the isotopic composition of water vapor from northern ecosystems is paramount to advancing estimates of biosphere-atmosphere interactions and the nature of ecohydrologic feedbacks to the changing state of the North.

VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topo-graphy And Spectroscopy): A Proposed Discovery Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smrekar, Suzanne; Dyar, Melinda; Hensley, Scott; Helbert, Joern; VERITAS Science Team

2016-10-01

VERITAS addresses one of the most fundamental questions in planetary evolution: How Earth-like is Venus? These twin planets diverged down different evolutionary paths, yet Venus may hold lessons for past and future Earth, as well as for Earth-sized exoplanets. VERITAS will search for the mineralogical fingerprints of past water, follow up on the discoveries of recent volcanism and the possible young surface age, and reveal the conditions that have prevented plate tectonics from developing. Collectively these questions address how Venus ended up a sulfurous inferno while Earth became habitable.VERITAS carries the Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (VISAR) and the Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM), plus a gravity science investigation.The VISAR X-band radar produces: 1) a global digital elevation model (DEM) with 250 m postings, 5 m height accuracy, 2) Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) global imaging with 30 m pixels, 3) SAR imaging at 15 m for targeted areas, and 4) surface deformation from repeat pass interferometry (RPI) at 2 mm height precision for targeted, potentially active areas. VEM [see Helbert abstract] will measure surface emissivity, look for active volcanic flows and outgassing of water over ~78% of the surface using 6 NIR surface bands within 5 atmospheric windows and 8 bands for calibration of clouds, stray light, and water vapor.VERITAS uses Ka-band uplink and downlink to create a global gravity field with 3 mgal accuracy and 145 km resolution (130 spherical harmonic degree and order or d&o) and providing a significantly higher resolution field with much more uniform resolution than that available from Magellan.VERITAS will create a rich data set of high resolution topography, imaging, spectroscopy, and gravity. These co-registered data sets will be on par with those acquired for Mercury, Mars and the Moon that have revolutionized our understanding of these bodies. VERITAS would be a valuable asset for future lander or probe missions, collecting the data needed to select landing or entry sites. VERITAS also provides a baseline for future missions to detect surface change, and contributes to our ability to predict the nature of Earth-sized exoplanets.

Comparison of heat transfer coefficients of open micro-channels and plain micro-fins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaniowski, Robert; Pastuszko, Robert

2018-06-01

The paper describes results of analysis of pool boiling heat transfer on enhanced surfaces. Two types of structural surfaces were used: open microchannel surfaces consisting of a system of parallel micro-channels 0.3 mm wide, from 0.2 to 0.5 mm deep and with a pitch of 0.6 mm, and plain micro-fins 0.5 mm in height, uniformly spaced on the base surface with a spacing from 0.6 to1.5 mm. Pool boiling data at atmospheric pressure were obtained for saturated water, ethanol and FC-72. The effects of micro-channel/micro-fin dimensions on heat transfer coefficient in nucleate pool boiling were examined. Substantial enhancement of heat transfer coefficient was observed.

Impact of wave mixing on the sea ice cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rynders, Stefanie; Aksenov, Yevgeny; Madec, Gurvan; Nurser, George; Feltham, Daniel

2017-04-01

As information on surface waves in ice-covered regions becomes available in ice-ocean models, there is an opportunity to model wave-related processes more accurate. Breaking waves cause mixing of the upper water column and present mixing schemes in ocean models take this into account through surface roughness. A commonly used approach is to calculate surface roughness from significant wave height, parameterised from wind speed. We present results from simulations using modelled significant wave height instead, which accounts for the presence of sea ice and the effect of swell. The simulations use the NEMO ocean model coupled to the CICE sea ice model, with wave information from the ECWAM model of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The new waves-in-ice module allows waves to propagate in sea ice and attenuates waves according to multiple scattering and non-elastic losses. It is found that in the simulations with wave mixing the mixed layer depth (MLD) under ice cover is reduced, since the parameterisation from wind speed overestimates wave height in the ice-covered regions. The MLD change, in turn, affects sea ice concentration and ice thickness. In the Arctic, reduced MLD in winter translates into increased ice thicknesses overall, with higher increases in the Western Arctic and decreases along the Siberian coast. In summer, shallowing of the mixed layer results in more heat accumulating in the surface ocean, increasing ice melting. In the Southern Ocean the meridional gradient in ice thickness and concentration is increased. We argue that coupling waves with sea ice - ocean models can reduce negative biases in sea ice cover, affecting the distribution of nutrients and, thus, biological productivity and ecosystems. This coupling will become more important in the future, when wave heights in a large part of the Arctic are expected to increase due to sea ice retreat and a larger wave fetch. Therefore, wave mixing constitutes a possible positive feedback mechanism.

Effect of metal oxide nanoparticles on Godavari river water treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goud, Ravi Kumar; Ajay Kumar, V.; Reddy, T. Rakesh; Vinod, B.; Shravani, S.

2018-05-01

Nowadays there is a continuously increasing worldwide concern for the development of water treatment technologies. In the area of water purification, nanotechnology offers the possibility of an efficient removal of pollutants and germs. Nanomaterials reveal good results than other techniques used in water treatment because of its high surface area to volume ratio. In the present work, iron oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by simple heating method. The synthesized nanoparticles were used to purify Godavari river water. The effect of nanoparticles at 70°C temperature, 12 centimeter of sand bed height and pH of 8 shows good results as compared to simple sand bed filter. The attained values of BOD5, COD and Turbidity were in permissible limit of world health organization.

Temporal Data Fusion Approaches to Remote Sensing-Based Wetland Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montgomery, Joshua S. M.

This thesis investigates the ecology of wetlands and associated classification in prairie and boreal environments of Alberta, Canada, using remote sensing technology to enhance classification of wetlands in the province. Objectives of the thesis are divided into two case studies, 1) examining how satellite borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), optical (RapidEye & SPOT) can be used to evaluate surface water trends in a prairie pothole environment (Shepard Slough); and 2) investigating a data fusion methodology combining SAR, optical and Lidar data to characterize wetland vegetation and surface water attributes in a boreal environment (Utikuma Regional Study Area (URSA)). Surface water extent and hydroperiod products were derived from SAR data, and validated using optical imagery with high accuracies (76-97% overall) for both case studies. High resolution Lidar Digital Elevation Models (DEM), Digital Surface Models (DSM), and Canopy Height Model (CHM) products provided the means for data fusion to extract riparian vegetation communities and surface water; producing model accuracies of (R2 0.90) for URSA, and RMSE of 0.2m to 0.7m at Shepard Slough when compared to field and optical validation data. Integration of Alberta and Canadian wetland classifications systems used to classify and determine economic value of wetlands into the methodology produced thematic maps relevant for policy and decision makers for potential wetland monitoring and policy development.

Water level observations in mangrove swamps during two hurricanes in Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krauss, K.W.; Doyle, T.W.; Doyle, T.J.; Swarzenski, C.M.; From, A.S.; Day, Richard H.; Conner, W.H.

2009-01-01

Little is known about the effectiveness of mangroves in suppressing water level heights during landfall of tropical storms and hurricanes. Recent hurricane strikes along the Gulf Coast of the United States have impacted wetland integrity in some areas and hastened the need to understand how and to what degree coastal forested wetlands confer protection by reducing the height of peak water level. In recent years, U.S. Geological Survey Gulf Coast research projects in Florida have instrumented mangrove sites with continuous water level recorders. Our ad hoc network of water level recorders documented the rise, peak, and fall of water levels (?? 0.5 hr) from two hurricane events in 2004 and 2005. Reduction of peak water level heights from relatively in-line gages associated with one storm surge event indicated that mangrove wetlands can reduce water level height by as much as 9.4 cm/km inland over intact, relatively unchannelized expanses. During the other event, reductions were slightly less for mangroves along a river corridor. Estimates of water level attenuation were within the range reported in the literature but erred on the conservative side. These synoptic data from single storm events indicate that intact mangroves may support a protective role in reducing maximum water level height associated with surge.

Some Experiments on Evaporation of High-TDS Phreatic Water in an Arid Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Jin, M.; Zhou, J.; Liu, Y.; Zhao, Y.

2012-12-01

Most experiments that had been done on evaporation of phreatic water were limited to waters with fresh or low total dissolved solids (TDS, no more than 10g/L). The TDS of phreatic water is always dozens or even hundreds of grams per liter in extremely arid areas. Thus, experiments on phreatic water evaporation of different TDS (3g/L, 30g/L, 100g/L, 250g/L) were carried out in an arid plain of south Xinjiang, China. The results showed that there was significant linear positive correlation between TDS of phreatic water and cumulative salinity in soil profile. The variation of phreatic water evaporation was lag behind the change of surface water measured by E20 equipment, but both of them were more drastic at nighttime than the daytime. The research shows that the daytime evaporation capacity has significant effect on nighttime evaporation, and the soil water vapor condense at profile also is an important driving factor for the nighttime evaporation. Capillary rise is a significant contributor of soil salinity in extremely arid areas. Experiments about effects of different grains of sand soil and TDS of phreatic water (1, 30, 100, 250 g/L) on capillary rise showed that TDS had significant effects on capillary rise in later stage of experiments. For coarse sand, the higher TDS made the lower height of capillary rise. But for fine sand, the height of capillary rise of 1g/L was obviously larger than others. The sequence of height from larger to lower of capillary rise in silt was 30, 100, 250 and 1g/L. At the beginning of experiments on coarse sand, the higher TDS made the lower velocity of capillary rise, but other soil groups were not. Compared to high-TDS, the grain of sand soil was a more primary controlling factor of capillary rise. The research indicates that high-TDS not only changes the gravity of capillary water but also the pore size of soil during the processes of capillary rise in fine sand.

Towards physiologically meaningful water-use efficiency estimates from eddy covariance data.

PubMed

Knauer, Jürgen; Zaehle, Sönke; Medlyn, Belinda E; Reichstein, Markus; Williams, Christopher A; Migliavacca, Mirco; De Kauwe, Martin G; Werner, Christiane; Keitel, Claudia; Kolari, Pasi; Limousin, Jean-Marc; Linderson, Maj-Lena

2018-02-01

Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) characterizes the physiological control on the simultaneous exchange of water and carbon dioxide in terrestrial ecosystems. Knowledge of iWUE is commonly gained from leaf-level gas exchange measurements, which are inevitably restricted in their spatial and temporal coverage. Flux measurements based on the eddy covariance (EC) technique can overcome these limitations, as they provide continuous and long-term records of carbon and water fluxes at the ecosystem scale. However, vegetation gas exchange parameters derived from EC data are subject to scale-dependent and method-specific uncertainties that compromise their ecophysiological interpretation as well as their comparability among ecosystems and across spatial scales. Here, we use estimates of canopy conductance and gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from EC data to calculate a measure of iWUE (G 1 , "stomatal slope") at the ecosystem level at six sites comprising tropical, Mediterranean, temperate, and boreal forests. We assess the following six mechanisms potentially causing discrepancies between leaf and ecosystem-level estimates of G 1 : (i) non-transpirational water fluxes; (ii) aerodynamic conductance; (iii) meteorological deviations between measurement height and canopy surface; (iv) energy balance non-closure; (v) uncertainties in net ecosystem exchange partitioning; and (vi) physiological within-canopy gradients. Our results demonstrate that an unclosed energy balance caused the largest uncertainties, in particular if it was associated with erroneous latent heat flux estimates. The effect of aerodynamic conductance on G 1 was sufficiently captured with a simple representation. G 1 was found to be less sensitive to meteorological deviations between canopy surface and measurement height and, given that data are appropriately filtered, to non-transpirational water fluxes. Uncertainties in the derived GPP and physiological within-canopy gradients and their implications for parameter estimates at leaf and ecosystem level are discussed. Our results highlight the importance of adequately considering the sources of uncertainty outlined here when EC-derived water-use efficiency is interpreted in an ecophysiological context. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Boundary Layer Height and Buoyancy Determine the Horizontal Scale of Convective Self-Aggregation

DOE PAGES

Yang, Da

2018-01-24

Organized rainstorms and their associated overturning circulations can self-emerge over an ocean surface with uniform temperature in cloud-resolving simulations. This phenomenon is referred to as convective self-aggregation. Convective self-aggregation is argued to be an important building block for tropical weather systems and may help regulate tropical atmospheric humidity and thereby tropical climate stability. Here the author presents a boundary layer theory for the horizontal scale λ of 2D (x, z) convective self-aggregation by considering both the momentum and energy constraints for steady circulations. This theory suggests that λ scales with the product of the boundary layer height h and themore » square root of the amplitude of density variation between aggregated moist and dry regions in the boundary layer, and that this density variation mainly arises from the moisture variation due to the virtual effect of water vapor. Furthermore, this theory predicts the following: 1) the order of magnitude of λ is ~2000 km, 2) the aspect ratio of the boundary layer λ/h increases with surface warming, and 3) λ decreases when the virtual effect of water vapor is disabled. These predictions are confirmed using a sui te of cloud-resolving simulations spanning a wide range of climates.« less

Boundary Layer Height and Buoyancy Determine the Horizontal Scale of Convective Self-Aggregation

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

Yang, Da

Organized rainstorms and their associated overturning circulations can self-emerge over an ocean surface with uniform temperature in cloud-resolving simulations. This phenomenon is referred to as convective self-aggregation. Convective self-aggregation is argued to be an important building block for tropical weather systems and may help regulate tropical atmospheric humidity and thereby tropical climate stability. Here the author presents a boundary layer theory for the horizontal scale λ of 2D (x, z) convective self-aggregation by considering both the momentum and energy constraints for steady circulations. This theory suggests that λ scales with the product of the boundary layer height h and themore » square root of the amplitude of density variation between aggregated moist and dry regions in the boundary layer, and that this density variation mainly arises from the moisture variation due to the virtual effect of water vapor. Furthermore, this theory predicts the following: 1) the order of magnitude of λ is ~2000 km, 2) the aspect ratio of the boundary layer λ/h increases with surface warming, and 3) λ decreases when the virtual effect of water vapor is disabled. These predictions are confirmed using a sui te of cloud-resolving simulations spanning a wide range of climates.« less

Polarimetric thermal emission from periodic water surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yueh, S. H.; Nghiem, S. V.; Kwok, R.; Wilson, W. J.; Li, F. K.; Johnson, J. T.; Kong, J. A.

1993-01-01

Experimental results and theoretical calculations are presented to study the polarimetric emission from water surfaces with directional features. For our ground-based Ku-band radiometer measurements, a water pool was constructed on the roof of a building in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a fiberglass surface with periodic corrugations in one direction was impressed on the top of the water surface to create a stationary water surface underneath it. It is observed that the measured Stokes parameters of corrugated fiberglass-covered water surfaces are functions of azimuth angles and agree very well with the theoretical calculations. The theory, after being verified by the experimental data, was then used to calculate the Stokes parameters of periodic surfaces without fiberglass surface layer and with rms height of the order of wind-generated water ripples. The magnitudes of the azimuthal variation of the calculated emissivities at horizontal and vertical polarizations corresponding to the first two Stokes parameters are found to be comparable to the values measured by airborne radiometers and SSM/I. In addition, the third Stokes parameter not shown in the literature is seen to have approximately twice the magnitude of the azimuth variation of either T(sub h) or T(sub v), which may make it more sensitive to the row direction, while less susceptive to noises because the atmospheric and system noises tend to be unpolarized and are expected to be cancelled out when the third Stokes parameter is derived as the difference of two or three power measurements, as indicated by another experiment carried out at a swimming pool with complicated surroundings. The results indicate that passive polarimetry is a potential technology in the remote sensing of ocean wind vector which is a crucial component in the understanding of global climate change. Issues related to the application of microwave passive polarimetry to ocean wind are also discussed.

The U.S. Geological Survey and City of Atlanta water-quality and water-quantity monitoring network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horowitz, Arthur J.; Hughes, W. Brian

2006-01-01

Population growth and urbanization affect the landscape, and the quality and quantity of water in nearby rivers and streams, as well as downstream receiving waters (Ellis, 1999). Typical impacts include: (1) disruption of the hydrologic cycle through increases in the extent of impervious surfaces (e.g., roads, roofs, sidewalks) that increase the velocity and volume of surface-water runoff; (2) increased chemical loads to local and downstream receiving waters from industrial sources, nonpoint-source runoff, leaking sewer systems, and sewer overflows; (3) direct or indirect soil contamination from industrial sources, power-generating facilities, and landfills; and (4) reduction in the quantity and quality of aquatic habitats. The City of Atlanta's monitoring network consists of 21 long-term sites. Eleven of these are 'fully instrumented' to provide real-time data on water temperature, pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, turbidity (intended as a surrogate for suspended sediment concentration), water level (gage height, intended as a surrogate for discharge), and precipitation. Data are transmitted hourly and are available on a public Web site (http://ga.water.usgs.gov/). Two sites only measure water level and rainfall as an aid to stormwater monitoring. The eight remaining sites are used to assess water quality.

The influence of a land-lake surface discontinuity on the convective boundary layer flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Daniel; Bange, Jens; Lang, Andreas

2013-04-01

The current work addresses the effects of surface discontinuities into the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) with free convection using data collected during the STINHO 2002 and LITFASS 2003 experimental campaigns. These field experiments were performed during two consecutive summers in the area of Branderburg, Germany, over a heterogeneous area located around the Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg (MOL) of the German Weather Service (DWD). The terrain can be considered flat with areas of pine forests and agricultural fields, where lakes and villages are irregularly distributed to form a heterogeneous landscape representative of central Europe. Specific measurements collected by the helicopter-borne turbulence probe Helipod were selected to focus on the water-land surface transition over lake Scharnuetzel, a small-scale lake of 10 km x 2 km length scale. Four flights with a similar pattern were performed, with heights that range from 70 to 900 m above ground level (a.g.l.), in order to characterise the vertical extent of the surface discontinuity influence to the turbulent flow. The concepts of blending height and internal boundary layer (IBL) have been applied to the experimental data as a theoretical background. In general, the presence of the lake is reflected in the statistical second-order moments of the time series collected below 100 m a.g.l., specially for those time series related with the potential temperature. However, none of the parametrizations found in the literature related with the blending height or IBL seem to be appropriate for this special case, where a small-scale lake is the responsible of the surface heterogeneity. An analysis of the downstream propagation of the IBL depth shows that it depends on (i) the air stability downwind of the surface discontinuity and (ii) the wind speed in the surface layer. These preliminary results should be confirmed with the performance of new experiments.

Water surface elevation from the upcoming SWOT mission under different flows conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domeneghetti, Alessio; Schumann, Guy J. P.; Wei, Rui; Frasson, Renato P. M.; Durand, Michael; Pavelsky, Tamlin; Castellarin, Attilio; Brath, Armando

2017-04-01

The upcoming SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite mission will provide unprecedented bi-dimensional observations of terrestrial water surface heights along rivers wider than 100m. Despite the literature reports several activities showing possible uses of SWOT products, potential and limitations of satellite observations still remain poorly understood and investigated. We present one of the first analyses regarding the spatial observation of water surface elevation expected from SWOT for a 140 km reach of the middle-lower portion of the Po River, in Northern Italy. The river stretch is characterized by a main channel varying from 100-500 m in width and a floodplain delimited by a system of major embankments that can be as wide as 5 km. The reconstruction of the hydraulic behavior of the Po River is performed by means of a quasi-2D model built with detailed topographic and bathymetric information (LiDAR, 2m resolution), while the simulation of remotely sensed hydrometric data is performed with a SWOT simulator that mimics the satellite sensor characteristics. Referring to water surface elevations associated with different flow conditions (maximum, minimum and average flow) this work characterizes the spatial observations provided by SWOT and highlights the strengths and limitations of the expected products. The analysis provides a robust reference for spatial water observations that will be available from SWOT and assesses possible effects of river embankments, river width and river topography under different hydraulic conditions. Results of the study characterize the expected accuracy of the upcoming SWOT mission and provide additional insights towards the appropriate exploitation of future hydrological observations.

Effect of temperature on compact layer of Pt electrode in PEMFCs by first-principles molecular dynamics calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yang; Chen, Changfeng; Yu, Haobo; Lu, Guiwu

2017-01-01

Formation of the double-layer electric field and capacitance of the water-metal interface is of significant interest in physicochemical processes. In this study, we perform first- principles molecular dynamics simulations on the water/Pt(111) interface to investigate the temperature dependence of the compact layer electric field and capacitance based on the calculated charge densities. On the Pt (111) surface, water molecules form ice-like structures that exhibit more disorder along the height direction with increasing temperature. The Osbnd H bonds of more water molecules point toward the Pt surface to form Ptsbnd H covalent bonds with increasing temperature, which weaken the corresponding Osbnd H bonds. In addition, our calculated capacitance at 300 K is 15.2 mF/cm2, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. As the temperature increases from 10 to 450 K, the field strength and capacitance of the compact layer on Pt (111) first increase and then decrease slightly, which is significant for understanding the water/Pt interface from atomic level.

Current Status of Aerosol Retrievals from TOMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres, O.; Herman, J. R.; Bhartia, P. K.; Ginoux, P.

1999-01-01

Properties of atmospheric aerosols over all land and water surfaces are retrieved from TOMS measurements of backscattered radiances. The TOMS technique, uses observations at two wavelengths. In the near ultraviolet (330-380 nm) range, where the effects of gaseous absorption are negligible. The retrieved properties are optical depth and a measure of aerosol absorptivity, generally expressed as single scattering albedo. The main sources of error of the TOMS aerosol products are sub-pixel cloud contamination and uncertainty on the height above the surface of UV-absorbing aerosol layers. The first error source is related to the large footprint (50 x 50 km at nadir) of the sensor, and the lack of detection capability of sub-pixel size clouds. The uncertainty associated with the height of the absorbing aerosol layers, on the other hand, is related to the pressure dependence of the molecular scattering process, which is the basis of the near-UV method of absorbing aerosol detection. The detection of non-absorbing aerosols is not sensitive to aerosol layer height. We will report on the ongoing work to overcome both of these difficulties. Coincident measurements of high spatial resolution thermal infrared radiances are used to address the cloud contamination issue. Mostly clear scenes for aerosol retrieval are selected by examining the spatial homogeneity of the IR radiance measurements within a TOMS pixel. The approach to reduce the uncertainty associated with the height of the aerosol layer by making use of a chemical transport model will also be discussed.

Fourier Image Synthesis and Slope Spectrum Analysis of Deepwater, Windwave Scenes Viewed at Brewster’s Angle

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

reflection is simulated by a one- level ray trace with selective filtering of the RGB color ’spectrum’ Fractal and sequential Markov-chain synthesis tech...above water level [cm/sec], and vfric = the wind friction velocity at the water surface (i.e. z = 0 cm). vfric and the wind velocity v [cm/sec] at height...12 cm/sec 1000 0 -4.5 -4.0 -3.5 -3.0 -2.5 -2.0 -1.5 -1.0 -. 5 0 .5 1.0 LOGI0(k (k: 1/cm) ------------------------------------------------------ FIGUE

Vertical Distribution of Aerosols and Water Vapor Using CRISM Limb Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. D.; Wolff, M. J.; Clancy, R. T.; CRISM Science; Operations Teams

2011-12-01

Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Specifically, the observed radiance as a function of wavelength and height above the limb allows the vertical distribution of both dust and ice aerosols to be retrieved. These data serve as an important supplement to the aerosol profiling provided by the MRO/MCS instrument allowing independent validation and giving additional information on particle physical and scattering properties through multi-wavelength studies. A total of at least ten CRISM limb observations have been taken so far covering a full Martian year. Each set of limb observations nominally contains about four dozen scans across the limb giving pole-to-pole coverage for two orbits at roughly 100 and 290 W longitude over the Tharsis and Syrtis/Hellas regions, respectively. At each longitude, limb scans are spaced roughly 10 degrees apart in latitude, with a vertical spatial resolution on the limb of roughly 800 m. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the observations. We compute synthetic CRISM limb spectra using a discrete-ordinates radiative transfer code that accounts for multiple scattering from aerosols and accounts for spherical geometry of the limb observations by integrating the source functions along curved paths in that coordinate system. Retrieved are 14-point vertical profiles for dust and water ice aerosols with resolution of 0.4 scale heights between one and six scale heights above the surface. After the aerosol retrieval is completed, the abundances of CO2 (or surface pressure) and H2O gas are retrieved by matching the depth of absorption bands at 2000 nm for carbon dioxide and at 2600 nm for water vapor. In addition to the column abundance of water vapor, limited information on its vertical structure can also be retrieved depending on the signal available from aerosol scattering. Significant differences are seen in the retrieved vertical profiles of dust and water ice as a function of season. Dust typically extends to higher altitudes during the perihelion season. Ice aerosols are often observed to cap the dust layer during all seasons. Water vapor is observed to be deeply mixed in the perihelion season and confined near the surface in the aphelion season. The CRISM limb-geometry observations support the quantitative retrieval of aerosol and gas vertical profiles. These quantities cannot be retrieved using nadir observations, and they enable the study of important new science questions. The CRISM limbs also serve as a valuable supplement to the MRO/MCS limb profiles, enabling validation and multi-wavelength comparisons. Additional CRISM limb-geometry sets will continue to be taken approximately every two months (~30 degrees of Ls) as operations allow.

Velocity profiles and plug zones in a free surface viscoplastic flow : experimental study and comparison to shallow flow models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freydier, Perrine; Chambon, Guillaume; Naaim, Mohamed

2016-04-01

Rheological studies concerning natural muddy debris flows have shown that these materials can be modelled as non-Newtonian viscoplastic fluids. These complex flows are generally represented using models based on a depth-integrated approach (Shallow Water) that take into account closure terms depending on the shape of the velocity profile. But to date, there is poor knowledge about the shape of velocity profiles and the position of the interface between sheared and unsheared regions (plug) in these flows, especially in the vicinity of the front. In this research, the internal dynamics of a free-surface viscoplastic flow down an inclined channel is investigated and compared to the predictions of a Shallow Water model based on the lubrication approximation. Experiments are conducted in an inclined channel whose bottom is constituted by an upward-moving conveyor belt with controlled velocity, which allows generating and observing gravity-driven stationary surges in the laboratory frame. Carbopol microgel has been used as a homogeneous and transparent viscoplastic fluid. High-resolution measurements of velocity field is performed through optical velocimetry techniques both in the uniform zone and within the front zone where flow thickness is variable and where recirculation takes place. Specific analyses have been developed to determine the position of the plug within the surge. Flow height is accessible through image processing and ultrasonic sensors. Sufficiently far from the front, experimental results are shown to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions regarding the velocity profiles and the flow height evolution. In the vicinity of the front, however, analysis of measured velocity profiles shows an evolution of the plug different from that predicted by lubrication approximation. Accordingly, the free surface shape also deviates from the predictions of the classical Shallow Water model. These results highlight the necessity to take into account higher-order corrective terms in Shallow Water models in order to better account for the internal dynamics of the fluid layer.

Biological Evaluations of an Off-Stream Channel, Horizontal Flat-Plate Fish Screen-The Farmers Screen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mesa, Matthew G.; Rose, Brien P.; Copeland, Elizabeth S.

2010-01-01

Screens are commonly installed at water diversion sites to reduce entrainment of fish. Recently, the Farmers Irrigation District in Hood River, Oregon, developed a new flat-plate screen design that offers passive operation and may result in reduced operation and installation costs to irrigators. To evaluate the performance (its biological effect on fish) of this type of screen, two size classes of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kistuch) were released over a small version of this screen in the field-the Herman Creek screen. The performance of the screen was evaluated over a range of inflow [0.02 to 0.42 m3/s (cubic meters per second)] and diversion flows (0.02 to 0.34 m3/s) at different weir wall heights. The mean approach velocities for the screen ranged from 0 to 5 cm/s (centimeters per second) and mean sweeping velocities ranged from 36 to 178 cm/s. Water depths over the screen surface ranged from 1 to 25 centimeters and were directly related to weir wall height and inflow. Passage of juvenile coho salmon over the screen under a variety of hydraulic conditions did not severely injure them or cause delayed mortality. For all fish, the mean percentage of body surface area that was injured after passage over the screen ranged from about 0.4 to 3.0%. This occurred even though many fish contacted the screen surface during passage. No fish were observed becoming impinged on the screen surface (greater than 1 second contact with the screen). When operated within its design criteria (diversion flows of about 0.28 m3/s), the screen provided safe and effective downstream passage of juvenile salmonids under a variety of hydraulic conditions. However, we do not recommend operating the screen at inflows less than 0.14 m3/s (5 ft3/s) because water depth can get quite shallow and the screen can completely dewater, particularly at very low flows.

Flash flood warning based on fully dynamic hydrology modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pejanovic, Goran; Petkovic, Slavko; Cvetkovic, Bojan; Nickovic, Slobodan

2016-04-01

Numerical hydrologic modeling has achieved limited success in the past due to, inter alia, lack of adequate input data. Over the last decade, data availability has improved substantially. For modelling purposes, high-resolution data on topography, river routing, and land cover and soil features have meanwhile become available, as well as the observations such as radar precipitation information. In our study, we have implemented the HYPROM model (Hydrology Prognostic Model) to predict a flash flood event at a smaller-scale basin in Southern Serbia. HYPROM is based on the full set of governing equations for surface hydrological dynamics, in which momentum components, along with the equation of mass continuity, are used as full prognostic equations. HYPROM also includes a river routing module serving as a collector for the extra surface water. Such approach permits appropriate representation of different hydrology scales ranging from flash floods to flows of large and slow river basins. The use of full governing equations, if not appropriately parameterized, may lead to numerical instability systems when the surface water in a model is vanishing. To resolve these modelling problems, an unconditionally stable numerical scheme and a method for height redistribution avoiding shortwave height noise have been developed in HYPROM, which achieve numerical convergence of u, v and h when surface water disappears. We have applied HYPROM, driven by radar-estimated precipitation, to predict flash flooding occurred over smaller and medium-size river basins. Two torrential rainfall cases have been simulated to check the accuracy of the model: the exceptional flooding of May 2014 in Western Serbia, and the convective flash flood of January 2015 in Southern Serbia. The second episode has been successfully predicted by HYPROM in terms of timing and intensity six hours before the event occurred. Such flash flood warning system is in preparation to be operationally implemented in the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia.

Comparison of CERES-MODIS stratus cloud properties with ground-based measurements at the DOE ARM Southern Great Plains site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Xiquan; Minnis, Patrick; Xi, Baike; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan

2008-02-01

Overcast stratus cloud properties derived for the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project using Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are compared with observations taken at the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site from March 2000 through December 2004. Retrievals from ARM surface-based data were averaged over a 1-h interval centered at the time of each satellite overpass, and the CERES-MODIS cloud properties were averaged within a 30 km × 30 km box centered on the ARM SGP site. Two data sets were analyzed: all of the data (ALL), which include multilayered, single-layered, and slightly broken stratus decks and a subset, single-layered unbroken decks (SL). The CERES-MODIS effective cloud heights were determined from effective cloud temperature using a lapse rate method with the surface temperature specified as the 24-h mean surface air temperature. For SL stratus, they are, on average, within the ARM radar-lidar estimated cloud boundaries and are 0.534 ± 0.542 km and 0.108 ± 0.480 km lower than the cloud physical tops and centers, respectively, and are comparable for day and night observations. The mean differences and standard deviations are slightly larger for ALL data, but not statistically different to those of SL data. The MODIS-derived effective cloud temperatures are 2.7 ± 2.4 K less than the surface-observed SL cloud center temperatures with very high correlations (0.86-0.97). Variations in the height differences are mainly caused by uncertainties in the surface air temperatures, lapse rates, and cloud top height variability. The biases are mainly the result of the differences between effective and physical cloud top, which are governed by cloud liquid water content and viewing zenith angle, and the selected lapse rate, -7.1 K km-1. On the basis of a total of 43 samples, the means and standard deviations of the differences between the daytime Terra and surface retrievals of effective radius re, optical depth, and liquid water path for SL stratus are 0.1 ± 1.9 μm (1.2 ± 23.5%), -1.3 ± 9.5 (-3.6 ± 26.2%), and 0.6 ± 49.9 gm-2 (0.3 ± 27%), respectively, while the corresponding correlation coefficients are 0.44, 0.87, and 0.89. For Aqua, they are 0.2 ± 1.9 μm (2.5 ± 23.4%), 2.5 ± 7.8 (7.8 ± 24.3%), and 28.1 ± 52.7 gm-2 (17.2 ± 32.2%), as well as 0.35, 0.96, and 0.93 from a total of 21 cases. The results for ALL cases are comparable. Although a bias in re was expected because the satellite retrieval of effective radius only represents the top of the cloud, the surface-based radar retrievals revealed that the vertical profile of re is highly variable with smaller droplets occurring at cloud top in some cases. The larger bias in optical depth and liquid water path for Aqua is due, at least partially, to differences in the Terra and Aqua MODIS visible channel calibrations. Methods for improving the cloud top height and microphysical property retrievals are suggested.

Comparison of CERES-MODIS Stratus Cloud Properties with Ground-Based Measurements at the DOE ARM Southern Great Plains Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dong, Xiquan; Minnis Patrick; Xi, Baike; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan

2008-01-01

Overcast stratus cloud properties derived for the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy system (CERES) Project using Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are compared with observations taken at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site from March 2000 through December 2004. Retrievals from ARM surface-based data were averaged over a 1-hour interval centered at the time of each satellite overpass, and the CERES-MODIS cloud properties were averaged within a 30-km x 30 km box centered on the ARM SGP site. Two datasets were analyzed: all of the data (ALL) which include multilayered, single-layered, and slightly broken stratus decks and a subset, single-layered unbroken decks (SL). The CERES-MODIS effective cloud heights were determined from effective cloud temperature using a lapse rate method with the surface temperature specified as the 24-h mean surface air temperature. For SL stratus, they are, on average, within the ARM radar-lidar estimated cloud boundaries and are 0.534 +/- 0.542 km and 0.108 +/- 0.480 km lower than the cloud physical tops and centers, respectively, and are comparable for day and night observations. The mean differences and standard deviations are slightly larger for ALL data, but not statistically different to those of SL data. The MODIS-derived effective cloud temperatures are 2.7 +/- 2.4 K less than the surface-observed SL cloud center temperatures with very high correlations (0.86-0.97). Variations in the height differences are mainly caused by uncertainties in the surface air temperatures, lapse rates, and cloud-top height variability. The biases are mainly the result of the differences between effective and physical cloud top, which are governed by cloud liquid water content and viewing zenith angle, and the selected lapse rate, -7.1 K km(exp -1). Based on a total of 43 samples, the means and standard deviations of the differences between the daytime Terra and surface retrievals of effective radius r(sub e), optical depth, and liquid water path for SL stratu are 0.1 +/- 1.9 micrometers (1.2 +/- 23.5%), -1.3 +/- 9.5 (-3.6 +/-26.2%), and 0.6 +/- 49.9 gm (exp -2) (0.3 +/- 27%), respectively, while the corresponding correlation coefficients are 0.44, 0.87, and 0.89. For Aqua, they are 0.2 +/- 1.9 micrometers (2.5 +/- 23.4%), 2.5 +/- 7.8 (7.8 +/- 24.3%), and 28.1 +/- 52.7 gm (exp -2) (17.2 +/- 32.2%), as well as 0.35, 0.96, and 0.93 from a total of 21 cases. The results for ALL cases are comparable. Although a bias in R(sub e) was expected because the satellite retrieval of effective radius only represents the top of the cloud, the surface-based radar retrievals revealed that the vertical profile of r(sub e) is highly variable with smaller droplets occurring at cloud top in some cases. The larger bias in optical depth and liquid water path for Aqua is due, at least partially, to differences in the Terra and Aqua MODIS visible channel calibrations. methods for improving the cloud-top height and microphysical property retrievals are suggested.

UV-driven microvalve based on a micro-nano TiO₂/SiO₂ composite surface for microscale flow control.

PubMed

Guo, Ting; Meng, Tao; Li, Wei; Qin, Jilong; Tong, Zhiping; Zhang, Qing; Li, Xueru

2014-03-28

This paper presents a novel ultraviolet (UV)-driven microvalve based on the concept of inserting a trimethyl chlorosilane (CTMS) modified TiO₂/SiO₂ composite patch of switchable wettability in a microfluidic system. A unique micro-nano hierarchical structure was designed and used to enhance the overall wetting contrast with the aim of improving the wetting-based valve performances. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the morphology and chemical composition of the surface. UV-driven wettability conversion on the patched microchannel was investigated using water column relative height tests, and the results confirmed the significant improvement of the hierarchical structure with the surface hydrophobic/hydrophilic conversion, which produced enhancements of 276% and 95% of the water-repellent and water-sucking pressures, respectively, compared with those of the single-scale TiO₂ nanopatterned structure. Accordingly, a good reversible and repeated on-off performance was identified by the valve tests, highlighting the potential application of the novel microvalve in the efficient control of microscale flow.

UV-driven microvalve based on a micro-nano TiO2/SiO2 composite surface for microscale flow control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Ting; Meng, Tao; Li, Wei; Qin, Jilong; Tong, Zhiping; Zhang, Qing; Li, Xueru

2014-03-01

This paper presents a novel ultraviolet (UV)-driven microvalve based on the concept of inserting a trimethyl chlorosilane (CTMS) modified TiO2/SiO2 composite patch of switchable wettability in a microfluidic system. A unique micro-nano hierarchical structure was designed and used to enhance the overall wetting contrast with the aim of improving the wetting-based valve performances. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the morphology and chemical composition of the surface. UV-driven wettability conversion on the patched microchannel was investigated using water column relative height tests, and the results confirmed the significant improvement of the hierarchical structure with the surface hydrophobic/hydrophilic conversion, which produced enhancements of 276% and 95% of the water-repellent and water-sucking pressures, respectively, compared with those of the single-scale TiO2 nanopatterned structure. Accordingly, a good reversible and repeated on-off performance was identified by the valve tests, highlighting the potential application of the novel microvalve in the efficient control of microscale flow.

TOPEX/El Niño Watch - Satellite shows Pacific Stabilizing, July 11, 1998

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-07-21

Height measurements taken by NASA U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on July 11, 1998; sea surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the ocean.

Adhesive behavior of micro/nano-textured surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuyan; Wang, Xiaoli; Li, Hanqing; Wang, Ben

2015-02-01

A numerical model of the adhesive contact between a rigid smooth sphere and an elastic textured surface based on the Lennard-Jones interatomic potential law and the Hamaker summation method is established. Textures are considered by introducing the texture height distribution into the gap equation. Simulation results show that the pull-off force on textured surfaces decreases compared to that on smooth surfaces. Furthermore, effects of sphere-shaped textures on reducing adhesion are more obvious than cylinder-shaped or cube-shaped textures when the coverage area ratio, maximum height and interval of textures are fixed. For surfaces with sphere-shaped textures, variation trends of the mean pull-off force with texture density are not monotonous, and there exists a certain range of texture densities in which the mean pull-off force is small and its variation is insignificant. In addition, the pull-off force depends also on the maximum height and radius of textures. On one hand, if the texture radius is fixed, larger maximum height results in smaller pull-off force, and if the maximum height is fixed, the pull-off force tends to increase almost linearly with increases in texture radius. On the other hand, if the height-diameter ratio of textures is fixed, the pull-off force reaches a minimum at an optimum texture radius or maximum height.

An Investigation of Instantaneous Plume Rise from Rocket Exhaust

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-12-01

METERS) TOP = 2973.48 BASE= 210.62 SIGMAR (AZ) AT THE SURFACE (DEGREES) 13.5054 SIGMER(EL) AT THE SURFACE (DEGREES) 2.9738 MET. WIND WIND LAYER WIND SPEED...SELECTED LAYER HEIGHT- (METERS) TOP = 2973.48 BASE= 210.62 SIGMAR (AZ) AT THE SURFACE (DEGREES) 13.6911 SIGMER(EL) AT THE SURFACE (DEGREES) 2.9738 MET...TIME (SECS) 368.08 FIRST MIXING LAYER HEIGHT- (METERS) TOP = 210.62 BASE= 0.00 SECOND SELECTED LAYER HEIGHT- (METERS) TOP = 2973.48 BASE= 210.62 SIGMAR

Statistical Analysis of Hubble /WFC3 Transit Spectroscopy of Extrasolar Planets

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

Fu, Guangwei; Deming, Drake; Knutson, Heather

2017-10-01

Transmission spectroscopy provides a window to study exoplanetary atmospheres, but that window is fogged by clouds and hazes. Clouds and haze introduce a degeneracy between the strength of gaseous absorption features and planetary physical parameters such as abundances. One way to break that degeneracy is via statistical studies. We collect all published HST /WFC3 transit spectra for 1.1–1.65 μ m water vapor absorption and perform a statistical study on potential correlations between the water absorption feature and planetary parameters. We fit the observed spectra with a template calculated for each planet using the Exo-transmit code. We express the magnitude ofmore » the water absorption in scale heights, thereby removing the known dependence on temperature, surface gravity, and mean molecular weight. We find that the absorption in scale heights has a positive baseline correlation with planetary equilibrium temperature; our hypothesis is that decreasing cloud condensation with increasing temperature is responsible for this baseline slope. However, the observed sample is also intrinsically degenerate in the sense that equilibrium temperature correlates with planetary mass. We compile the distribution of absorption in scale heights, and we find that this distribution is closer to log-normal than Gaussian. However, we also find that the distribution of equilibrium temperatures for the observed planets is similarly log-normal. This indicates that the absorption values are affected by observational bias, whereby observers have not yet targeted a sufficient sample of the hottest planets.« less

Statistical Analysis of Hubble/WFC3 Transit Spectroscopy of Extrasolar Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Guangwei; Deming, Drake; Knutson, Heather; Madhusudhan, Nikku; Mandell, Avi; Fraine, Jonathan

2018-01-01

Transmission spectroscopy provides a window to study exoplanetary atmospheres, but that window is fogged by clouds and hazes. Clouds and haze introduce a degeneracy between the strength of gaseous absorption features and planetary physical parameters such as abundances. One way to break that degeneracy is via statistical studies. We collect all published HST/WFC3 transit spectra for 1.1-1.65 micron water vapor absorption, and perform a statistical study on potential correlations between the water absorption feature and planetary parameters. We fit the observed spectra with a template calculated for each planet using the Exo-Transmit code. We express the magnitude of the water absorption in scale heights, thereby removing the known dependence on temperature, surface gravity, and mean molecular weight. We find that the absorption in scale heights has a positive baseline correlation with planetary equilibrium temperature; our hypothesis is that decreasing cloud condensation with increasing temperature is responsible for this baseline slope. However, the observed sample is also intrinsically degenerate in the sense that equilibrium temperature correlates with planetary mass. We compile the distribution of absorption in scale heights, and we find that this distribution is closer to log-normal than Gaussian. However, we also find that the distribution of equilibrium temperatures for the observed planets is similarly log-normal. This indicates that the absorption values are affected by observational bias, whereby observers have not yet targeted a sufficient sample of the hottest planets.

Statistical Analysis of Hubble/WFC3 Transit Spectroscopy of Extrasolar Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Guangwei; Deming, Drake; Knutson, Heather; Madhusudhan, Nikku; Mandell, Avi; Fraine, Jonathan

2017-10-01

Transmission spectroscopy provides a window to study exoplanetary atmospheres, but that window is fogged by clouds and hazes. Clouds and haze introduce a degeneracy between the strength of gaseous absorption features and planetary physical parameters such as abundances. One way to break that degeneracy is via statistical studies. We collect all published HST/WFC3 transit spectra for 1.1-1.65 μm water vapor absorption and perform a statistical study on potential correlations between the water absorption feature and planetary parameters. We fit the observed spectra with a template calculated for each planet using the Exo-transmit code. We express the magnitude of the water absorption in scale heights, thereby removing the known dependence on temperature, surface gravity, and mean molecular weight. We find that the absorption in scale heights has a positive baseline correlation with planetary equilibrium temperature; our hypothesis is that decreasing cloud condensation with increasing temperature is responsible for this baseline slope. However, the observed sample is also intrinsically degenerate in the sense that equilibrium temperature correlates with planetary mass. We compile the distribution of absorption in scale heights, and we find that this distribution is closer to log-normal than Gaussian. However, we also find that the distribution of equilibrium temperatures for the observed planets is similarly log-normal. This indicates that the absorption values are affected by observational bias, whereby observers have not yet targeted a sufficient sample of the hottest planets.

Variability of High-Resolution Sea Surface Heights on a Broad, Shallow Continental Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crout, R. L.; Rice, A. E.

2017-12-01

Recent satellite altimeter technologies and processing methodologies are allowing investigation of the dynamics of the continental shelf as never before. The region seaward of 20 km from the coast is a region where winds, tides, currents, river discharge, and bathymetry interact. All of these are important parameters to understand when applying coastal altimetry to coastal sea level monitoring. Processing of 8 years (July 2008 to July 2016) of Jason-2 altimeter 20 Hz data from the L2 AVISO-PISTACH experimental products yields nearly 300 crossings of the broad continental shelf to the southeast of Delaware Bay from Cape May, NJ. Removal of a mean surface yields individual crossings that, plotted together, form an envelope that shows high water level variability near the coast. Water level changes near the coast begin at a hinge point that occurs approximately 50 km from shore in less than 30 meters of water. Comparison of individual Jason-2 passes with regional weather patterns, cold front passages, local winds, tides, surface currents, river discharge, and regional oceanography provides information regarding the forcing factors for these regional water levels. The water levels farther than 20 km from shore show similar patterns to the low pass filtered tide data at Cape May, NJ and respond primarily to regional forcing.

Water softening by induced crystallization in fluidized bed.

PubMed

Chen, Yuefang; Fan, Rong; An, Danfeng; Cheng, Yujie; Tan, Hazel

2016-12-01

Fluidized bed and induced crystallization technology were combined to design a new type of induced crystallization fluidized bed reactor. The added particulate matter served as crystal nucleus to induce crystallization so that the insoluble material, which was in a saturated state, could precipitate on its surface. In this study, by filling the fluidized bed with quartz sand and by adjusting water pH, precipitation of calcium carbonate was induced on the surface of quartz sand, and the removal of water hardness was achieved. With a reactor influent flow of 60L/hr, a fixed-bed height of 0.5m, pH value of 9.5, quartz sand nuclear diameter of 0.2-0.4mm, and a reflux ratio of 60%, the effluent concentration of calcium hardness was reduced to 60mg/L and 86.6% removal efficiency was achieved. The resulting effluent reached the quality standard set for circulating cooling water. Majority of the material on the surface of quartz sand was calculated to be calcium carbonate based on energy spectrum analysis and moisture content was around 15.994%. With the low moisture content, dewatering treatment is no longer required and this results to cost savings on total water treatment process. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cloud-property retrieval using merged HIRS and AVHRR data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baum, Bryan A.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Minnis, Patrick; Parker, Lindsay

1992-01-01

A technique is developed that uses a multispectral, multiresolution method to improve the overall retrieval of mid- to high-level cloud properties by combining HIRS sounding channel data with higher spatial resolution AVHRR radiometric data collocated with the HIRS footprint. Cirrus cloud radiative and physical properties are determined using satellite data, surface-based measurements provided by rawinsondes and lidar, and aircraft-based lidar data collected during the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program Regional Experiment in Wisconsin during the months of October and November 1986. HIRS cloud-height retrievals are compared to ground-based lidar and aircraft lidar when possible. Retrieved cloud heights are found to have close agreement with lidar for thin cloud, but are higher than lidar for optically thick cloud. The results of the reflectance-emittance relationships derived are compared to theoretical scattering model results for both water-droplet spheres and randomly oriented hexagonal ice crystals. It is found that the assumption of 10-micron water droplets is inadequate to describe the reflectance-emittance relationship for the ice clouds seen here. Use of this assumption would lead to lower cloud heights using the ISCCP approach. The theoretical results show that use of hexagonal ice crystal phase functions could lead to much improved results for cloud retrieval algorithms using a bispectral approach.

Impacts of Water Stress on Forest Recovery and Its Interaction with Canopy Height.

PubMed

Xu, Peipei; Zhou, Tao; Yi, Chuixiang; Luo, Hui; Zhao, Xiang; Fang, Wei; Gao, Shan; Liu, Xia

2018-06-13

Global climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency, intensity, and duration of drought events, which can affect the functioning of forest ecosystems. Because human activities such as afforestation and forest attributes such as canopy height may exhibit considerable spatial differences, such differences may alter the recovery paths of drought-impacted forests. To accurately assess how climate affects forest recovery, a quantitative evaluation on the effects of forest attributes and their possible interaction with the intensity of water stress is required. Here, forest recovery following extreme drought events was analyzed for Yunnan Province, southwest China. The variation in the recovery of forests with different water availability and canopy heights was quantitatively assessed at the regional scale by using canopy height data based on light detection and ranging (LiDAR) measurements, enhanced vegetation index data, and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) data. Our results indicated that forest recovery was affected by water availability and canopy height. Based on the enhanced vegetation index measures, shorter trees were more likely to recover than taller ones after drought. Further analyses demonstrated that the effect of canopy height on recovery rates after drought also depends on water availability—the effect of canopy height on recovery diminished as water availability increased after drought. Additional analyses revealed that when the water availability exceeded a threshold (SPEI > 0.85), no significant difference in the recovery was found between short and tall trees ( p > 0.05). In the context of global climate change, future climate scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 showed more frequent water stress in Yunnan by the end of the 21st century. In summary, our results indicated that canopy height casts an important influence on forest recovery and tall trees have greater vulnerability and risk to dieback and mortality from drought. These results may have broad implications for policies and practices of forest management.

Unmanned aerial vehicle observations of water surface elevation and bathymetry in the cenotes and lagoons of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandini, Filippo; Lopez-Tamayo, Alejandro; Merediz-Alonso, Gonzalo; Olesen, Daniel; Jakobsen, Jakob; Wang, Sheng; Garcia, Monica; Bauer-Gottwein, Peter

2018-04-01

Observations of water surface elevation (WSE) and bathymetry of the lagoons and cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula (YP) in southeast Mexico are of hydrogeological interest. Observations of WSE (orthometric water height above mean sea level, amsl) are required to inform hydrological models, to estimate hydraulic gradients and groundwater flow directions. Measurements of bathymetry and water depth (elevation of the water surface above the bed of the water body) improve current knowledge on how lagoons and cenotes connect through the complicated submerged cave systems and the diffuse flow in the rock matrix. A novel approach is described that uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor WSE and bathymetry of the inland water bodies on the YP. UAV-borne WSE observations were retrieved using a radar and a global navigation satellite system on-board a multi-copter platform. Water depth was measured using a tethered floating sonar controlled by the UAV. This sonar provides depth measurements also in deep and turbid water. Bathymetry (wet-bed elevation amsl) can be computed by subtracting water depth from WSE. Accuracy of the WSE measurements is better than 5-7 cm and accuracy of the water depth measurements is estimated to be 3.8% of the actual water depth. The technology provided accurate measurements of WSE and bathymetry in both wetlands (lagoons) and cenotes. UAV-borne technology is shown to be a more flexible and lower cost alternative to manned aircrafts. UAVs allow monitoring of remote areas located in the jungle of the YP, which are difficult to access by human operators.

Estimation of Land Surface Energy Balance Using Satellite Data of Spatial Reduced Resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vintila, Ruxandra; Radnea, Cristina; Savin, Elena; Poenaru, Violeta

2010-12-01

The paper presents preliminary results concerning the monitoring at national level of several geo-biophysical variables retrieved by remote sensing, in particular those related to drought or aridisation. The study, which is in progress, represents also an exercise for to the implementation of a Land Monitoring Core Service for Romania, according to the Kopernikus Program and in compliance with the INSPIRE Directive. The SEBS model has been used to retrieve land surface energy balance variables, such as turbulent heat fluxes, evaporative fraction and daily evaporation, based on three information types: (1) surface albedo, emissivity, temperature, fraction of vegetation cover (fCover), leaf area index (LAI) and vegetation height; (2) air pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed at the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height; (3) downward solar radiation and downward longwave radiation. AATSR and MERIS archived reprocessed images have provided several types of information. Thus, surface albedo, emissivity, and land surface temperature have been retrieved from AATSR, while LAI and fCover have been estimated from MERIS. The vegetation height has been derived from CORINE Land Cover and PELCOM Land Use databases, while the meteorological information at the height of PBL have been estimated from the measurements provided by the national weather station network. Other sources of data used during this study have been the GETASSE30 digital elevation model with 30" spatial resolution, used for satellite image orthorectification, and the SIGSTAR-200 geographical information system of soil resources of Romania, used for water deficit characterisation. The study will continue by processing other AATSR and MERIS archived images, complemented by the validation of SEBS results with ground data collected on the most important biomes for Romania at various phenological stages, and the transformation of evaporation / evapotranspiration into a drought index using the soil texture data. It is also foreseen to develop procedures for processing near-real time AATSR and MERIS images from the rolling archives, as well as procedures for dealing with SENTINEL 3 images in the future, for timely delivery of reliable information to authorities and planning for drought to reduce its effects on citizens.

Fashion versus perception: the impact of surface lightness on the perceived dimensions of interior space.

PubMed

Oberfeld, Daniel; Hecht, Heiko

2011-06-01

We compare expert opinion with perceptual judgment regarding the influence of color on the perceived height and width of interior rooms. We hypothesize that contrary to popular belief, ceiling and wall lightness have additive effects on perceived height, whereas the lightness contrast between these surfaces is less important. We assessed the intuitions of architectural experts as to which surface colors maximize apparent height and compared these intuitions with psychophysical height and width estimates for rooms differing in ceiling, floor, and wall lightness. Experiment 1 was a survey of architectural experts and nonexperts. Experiments 2 and 3 presented virtual rooms varying in physical height, physical width, and surface lightness. In Experiment 1, both experts and nonexperts erroneously assumed that the lightness contrast between ceiling and walls influences perceived height Experiment 2 showed that the lightness contrast does not determine apparent height but that ceiling and wall lightness have additive effects. Experiment 3 demonstrated a decrease in perceived width with physical height, whereas the perceived height was not related to physical width. Apparent width was unaffected by ceiling lightness. Light ceiling and light walls make a room appear higher, whereas floor color has a weaker effect. We also found evidence for an asymmetric interaction between height and width. The question of how to color walls and ceiling to maximize the apparent size of a room can be answered empirically. Aesthetic considerations may interfere with the correct assessment of the effects of color in experts.

Water tables constrain height recovery of willow on Yellowstone's northern range.

PubMed

Bilyeu, Danielle M; Cooper, David J; Hobbs, N Thompson

2008-01-01

Excessive levels of herbivory may disturb ecosystems in ways that persist even when herbivory is moderated. These persistent changes may complicate efforts to restore ecosystems affected by herbivores. Willow (Salix spp.) communities within the northern range in Yellowstone National Park have been eliminated or degraded in many riparian areas by excessive elk (Cervus elaphus L.) browsing. Elk browsing of riparian willows appears to have diminished following the reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupis L.), but it remains uncertain whether reduced herbivory will restore willow communities. The direct effects of elk browsing on willows have been accompanied by indirect effects from the loss of beaver (Castor canadensis Kuhl) activity, including incision of stream channels, erosion of fine sediments, and lower water tables near streams historically dammed by beaver. In areas where these changes have occurred, lowered water tables may suppress willow height even in the absence of elk browsing. We conducted a factorial field experiment to understand willow responses to browsing and to height of water tables. After four years of protection from elk browsing, willows with ambient water tables averaged only 106 cm in height, with negligible height gain in two of three study species during the last year of the experiment. Willows that were protected from browsing and had artificially elevated water tables averaged 147 cm in height and gained 19 cm in the last year of the experiment. In browsed plots, elevated water tables doubled height gain during a period of slightly reduced browsing pressure. We conclude that water availability mediates the rate of willow height gain and may determine whether willows grow tall enough to escape the browse zone of elk and gain resistance to future elk browsing. Consequently, in areas where long-term beaver absence has resulted in incised stream channels and low water tables, a reduction in elk browsing alone may not be sufficient for recovery of tall willow stands. Because tall willow stems are important elements of habitat for beaver, mitigating water table decline may be necessary in these areas to promote recovery of historical willow-beaver mutualisms.

Numerical modelling of wind effects on breaking waves in the surf zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Zhihua

2017-10-01

Wind effects on periodic breaking waves in the surf zone have been investigated in this study using a two-phase flow model. The model solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the k - 𝜖 turbulence model simultaneously for the flows both in the air and water. Both spilling and plunging breakers over a 1:35 sloping beach have been studied under the influence of wind, with a focus during wave breaking. Detailed information of the distribution of wave amplitudes and mean water level, wave-height-to-water-depth ratio, the water surface profiles, velocity, vorticity, and turbulence fields have been presented and discussed. The inclusion of wind alters the air flow structure above water waves, increases the generation of vorticity, and affects the wave shoaling, breaking, overturning, and splash-up processes. Wind increases the water particle velocities and causes water waves to break earlier and seaward, which agrees with the previous experiment.

Isotopic composition of water vapor near the air-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zannoni, Daniele; Bergamasco, Andrea; Peschiutta, Mirco; Rampazzo, Giancarlo; Stenni, Barbara

2017-04-01

Evaporation is a key process in water cycle that links liquid water to the atmosphere. In the last fifty years stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen have been intensively used to describe climate processes related to evaporation and precipitation, ranging in different spatial and temporal scales. Evaporation introduces large isotopic effects in the phases involved. The well known Craig-Gordon model (Craig & Gordon, 1965) describes those isotopic effects involving several steps and different processes, moving from the air-water interface to the free atmosphere. However, very few works in literature have tested the vertical behavior of the Craig-Gordon model in natural conditions on both fresh and marine waters. In this work we present the results from four field experiments aimed to describe the vertical variability of δ18O and δD in the first few meters over a large water body (the coastal lagoon of Venice, northern Italy) and to test the Craig-Gordon model in such conditions. Each experiment involved cryotrapping of water vapor at different height over the water surface (0.1m, 2m and 4m) and the sampling of the liquid water at two depth (surface and 0.5m). During the experiments, water vapor was also sampled in the nearest mainland (˜2.5 km from gradient measurements) to determine the isotopic composition of background water vapor. Liquid samples were then analyzed with a Picarro L1102-i and Thermo-Fisher Delta Plus Advantage for water vapor and lagoon water, respectively. The last two experiments have also involved simultaneous measurements of relative humidity using commercially-available humidity probes at each height. This approach was used to determine a reference scale in order to compare observations to modeled estimates. Despite the coarse time resolution due to cryotrapping method (measurements are averaged over 1.5 hours), preliminary results show measurable differences in the isotopic composition of water vapor along the vertical gradient and good agreement between observations and predicted values from the model. Even if this work is an exploratory phase it shows an interesting potential to grow our understanding of the processes involved as well as a useful implementation for future studies focused on fractionation of water isotopes due to evaporation in natural conditions. References Craig, H., & Gordon, L. I. (1965). Deuterium and oxygen 18 variations in the ocean and the marine atmosphere.

The effect of channel height on bubble nucleation in superhydrophobic microchannels due to subcritical heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowley, Adam; Maynes, Daniel; Crockett, Julie; Iverson, Brian

2017-11-01

This work experimentally investigates the effects of heating on laminar flow in high aspect ratio superhydrophobic (SH) microchannels. When water that is saturated with dissolved air is used, the unwetted cavities of the SH surfaces act as nucleation sites and air effervesces out of solution onto the surfaces. The microchannels consist of a rib/cavity structured SH surface, that is heated, and a glass surface that is utilized for flow visualization. Two channel heights of nominally 183 and 366 μm are considered. The friction factor-Reynolds product (fRe) is obtained via pressure drop and volumetric flow rate measurements and the temperature profile along the channel is obtained via thermocouples embedded in an aluminum block below the SH surface. Five surface types/configurations are investigated: smooth hydrophilic, smooth hydrophobic, SH with ribs perpendicular to the flow, SH with ribs parallel to the flow, and SH with both ribs parallel to the flow and sparse ribs perpendicular to the flow. Depending on the surface type/configuration, large bubbles can form and adversely affect fRe and lead to higher temperatures along the channel. Once bubbles grow large enough, they are expelled from the channel. The channel size greatly effects the residence time of the bubbles and consequently fRe and the channel temperature. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Grant No. CBET-1235881) and the Utah NASA Space Grant Consortium (NASA Grant NNX15A124H).

The Modelling Analysis of the Response of Convective Transport of Energy and Water to Multiscale Surface Heterogeneity over Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

SUN, G.; Hu, Z.; Ma, Y.; Ma, W.

2017-12-01

The land-atmospheric interactions over a heterogeneous surface is a tricky issue for accurately understanding the energy-water exchanges between land surface and atmosphere. We investigate the vertical transport of energy and water over a heterogeneous land surface in Tibetan Plateau during the evolution of the convective boundary layer using large eddy simulation (WRF_LES). The surface heterogeneity is created according to remote sensing images from high spatial resolution LandSat ETM+ images. The PBL characteristics over a heterogeneous surface are analyzed in terms of secondary circulations under different background wind conditions based on the horizontal and vertical distribution and evolution of wind. The characteristics of vertical transport of energy and heat over a heterogeneous surface are analyzed in terms of the horizontal distribution as well as temporal evolution of sensible and latent heat fluxes at different heights under different wind conditions on basis of the simulated results from WRF_LES. The characteristics of the heat and water transported into the free atmosphere from surface are also analyzed and quantified according to the simulated results from WRF_LES. The convective transport of energy and water are analyzed according to horizontal and vertical distributions of potential temperature and vapor under different background wind conditions. With the analysis based on the WRF_LES simulation, the performance of PBL schemes of mesoscale simulation (WRF_meso) is evaluated. The comparison between horizontal distribution of vertical fluxes and domain-averaged vertical fluxes of the energy and water in the free atmosphere is used to evaluate the performance of PBL schemes of WRF_meso in the simulation of vertical exchange of energy and water. This is an important variable because only the energy and water transported into free atmosphere is able to influence the regional and even global climate. This work would will be of great significance not only for understanding the land atmosphere interactions over a heterogeneous surface by evaluating and improving the performance PBL schemes in WRF-meso, but also for the understanding the profound effect of Tibetan Plateau on the regional and global climate.

Characterization of the Boundary Layer Wind and Turbulence in the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pichugina, Y. L.; Banta, R. M.; Choukulkar, A.; Brewer, A.; Hardesty, R. M.; McCarty, B.; Marchbanks, R.

2014-12-01

A dataset of ship-borne Doppler lidar measurements taken in the Gulf of Mexico was analyzed to provide insight into marine boundary-layer (BL) features and wind-flow characteristics, as needed for offshore wind energy development. This dataset was obtained as part of the intensive Texas Air Quality Study in summer of 2006 (TexAQS06). During the project, the ship, the R/V Ronald H. Brown, cruised in tracks in the Gulf of Mexico along the Texas coast, in Galveston Bay, and in the Houston Ship Channel obtaining air chemistry and meteorological data, including vertical profile measurements of wind and temperature. The primary observing system used in this paper is NOAA/ESRL's High Resolution Doppler Lidar (HRDL), which features high-precision and high-resolution wind measurements and a motion compensation system to provide accurate wind data despite ship and wave motions. The boundary layer in this warm-water region was found to be weakly unstable typically to a depth of 300 m above the sea surface. HRDL data were analyzed to provide 15-min averaged profiles of wind flow properties (wind speed, direction, and turbulence) from the water surface up to 2.5 km at a vertical resolution of 15 m. The paper will present statistics and distributions of these parameters over a wide range of heights and under various atmospheric conditions. Detailed analysis of the BL features including LLJs, wind and directional ramps, and wind shear through the rotor level heights, along with examples of hub-height and equivalent wind will be presented. The paper will discuss the diurnal fluctuations of all quantities critical to wind energy and their variability along the Texas coast.

Definition of Physical Height Systems for Telluric Planets and Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tenzer, Robert; Foroughi, Ismael; Sjöberg, Lars E.; Bagherbandi, Mohammad; Hirt, Christian; Pitoňák, Martin

2018-01-01

In planetary sciences, the geodetic (geometric) heights defined with respect to the reference surface (the sphere or the ellipsoid) or with respect to the center of the planet/moon are typically used for mapping topographic surface, compilation of global topographic models, detailed mapping of potential landing sites, and other space science and engineering purposes. Nevertheless, certain applications, such as studies of gravity-driven mass movements, require the physical heights to be defined with respect to the equipotential surface. Taking the analogy with terrestrial height systems, the realization of height systems for telluric planets and moons could be done by means of defining the orthometric and geoidal heights. In this case, however, the definition of the orthometric heights in principle differs. Whereas the terrestrial geoid is described as an equipotential surface that best approximates the mean sea level, such a definition for planets/moons is irrelevant in the absence of (liquid) global oceans. A more natural choice for planets and moons is to adopt the geoidal equipotential surface that closely approximates the geometric reference surface (the sphere or the ellipsoid). In this study, we address these aspects by proposing a more accurate approach for defining the orthometric heights for telluric planets and moons from available topographic and gravity models, while adopting the average crustal density in the absence of reliable crustal density models. In particular, we discuss a proper treatment of topographic masses in the context of gravimetric geoid determination. In numerical studies, we investigate differences between the geodetic and orthometric heights, represented by the geoidal heights, on Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Moon. Our results reveal that these differences are significant. The geoidal heights on Mercury vary from - 132 to 166 m. On Venus, the geoidal heights are between - 51 and 137 m with maxima on this planet at Atla Regio and Beta Regio. The largest geoid undulations between - 747 and 1685 m were found on Mars, with the extreme positive geoidal heights under Olympus Mons in Tharsis region. Large variations in the geoidal geometry are also confirmed on the Moon, with the geoidal heights ranging from - 298 to 461 m. For comparison, the terrestrial geoid undulations are mostly within ± 100 m. We also demonstrate that a commonly used method for computing the geoidal heights that disregards the differences between the gravity field outside and inside topographic masses yields relatively large errors. According to our estimates, these errors are - 0.3/+ 3.4 m for Mercury, 0.0/+ 13.3 m for Venus, - 1.4/+ 125.6 m for Mars, and - 5.6/+ 45.2 m for the Moon.

A simple strategy to realize biomimetic surfaces with controlled anisotropic wetting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Dong; Chen, Qi-Dai; Yao, Jia; Guan, Yong-Chao; Wang, Jian-Nan; Niu, Li-Gang; Fang, Hong-Hua; Sun, Hong-Bo

2010-02-01

The study of anisotropic wetting has become one of the most important research areas in biomimicry. However, realization of controlled anisotropic surfaces remains challenging. Here we investigated anisotropic wetting on grooves with different linewidth, period, and height fabricated by laser interference lithography and found that the anisotropy strongly depended on the height. The anisotropy significantly increased from 9° to 48° when the height was changed from 100 nm to 1.3 μm. This was interpreted by a thermodynamic model as a consequence of the increase of free energy barriers versus the height increase. According to the relationship, controlled anisotropic surfaces were rapidly realized by adjusting the grooves' height that was simply accomplished by changing the resin thickness. Finally, the perpendicular contact angle was further enhanced to 131°±2° by surface modification, which was very close to 135°±3° of a common grass leaf.

Large-eddy simulations of surface roughness parameter sensitivity to canopy-structure characteristics

DOE PAGES

Maurer, K. D.; Bohrer, G.; Kenny, W. T.; ...

2015-04-30

Surface roughness parameters, namely the roughness length and displacement height, are an integral input used to model surface fluxes. However, most models assume these parameters to be a fixed property of plant functional type and disregard the governing structural heterogeneity and dynamics. In this study, we use large-eddy simulations to explore, in silico, the effects of canopy-structure characteristics on surface roughness parameters. We performed a virtual experiment to test the sensitivity of resolved surface roughness to four axes of canopy structure: (1) leaf area index, (2) the vertical profile of leaf density, (3) canopy height, and (4) canopy gap fraction.more » We found roughness parameters to be highly variable, but uncovered positive relationships between displacement height and maximum canopy height, aerodynamic canopy height and maximum canopy height and leaf area index, and eddy-penetration depth and gap fraction. We also found negative relationships between aerodynamic canopy height and gap fraction, as well as between eddy-penetration depth and maximum canopy height and leaf area index. We generalized our model results into a virtual "biometric" parameterization that relates roughness length and displacement height to canopy height, leaf area index, and gap fraction. Using a decade of wind and canopy-structure observations in a site in Michigan, we tested the effectiveness of our model-driven biometric parameterization approach in predicting the friction velocity over heterogeneous and disturbed canopies. We compared the accuracy of these predictions with the friction-velocity predictions obtained from the common simple approximation related to canopy height, the values calculated with large-eddy simulations of the explicit canopy structure as measured by airborne and ground-based lidar, two other parameterization approaches that utilize varying canopy-structure inputs, and the annual and decadal means of the surface roughness parameters at the site from meteorological observations. We found that the classical representation of constant roughness parameters (in space and time) as a fraction of canopy height performed relatively well. Nonetheless, of the approaches we tested, most of the empirical approaches that incorporate seasonal and interannual variation of roughness length and displacement height as a function of the dynamics of canopy structure produced more precise and less biased estimates for friction velocity than models with temporally invariable parameters.« less

Large-eddy simulations of surface roughness parameter sensitivity to canopy-structure characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, K. D.; Bohrer, G.; Kenny, W. T.; Ivanov, V. Y.

2015-04-01

Surface roughness parameters, namely the roughness length and displacement height, are an integral input used to model surface fluxes. However, most models assume these parameters to be a fixed property of plant functional type and disregard the governing structural heterogeneity and dynamics. In this study, we use large-eddy simulations to explore, in silico, the effects of canopy-structure characteristics on surface roughness parameters. We performed a virtual experiment to test the sensitivity of resolved surface roughness to four axes of canopy structure: (1) leaf area index, (2) the vertical profile of leaf density, (3) canopy height, and (4) canopy gap fraction. We found roughness parameters to be highly variable, but uncovered positive relationships between displacement height and maximum canopy height, aerodynamic canopy height and maximum canopy height and leaf area index, and eddy-penetration depth and gap fraction. We also found negative relationships between aerodynamic canopy height and gap fraction, as well as between eddy-penetration depth and maximum canopy height and leaf area index. We generalized our model results into a virtual "biometric" parameterization that relates roughness length and displacement height to canopy height, leaf area index, and gap fraction. Using a decade of wind and canopy-structure observations in a site in Michigan, we tested the effectiveness of our model-driven biometric parameterization approach in predicting the friction velocity over heterogeneous and disturbed canopies. We compared the accuracy of these predictions with the friction-velocity predictions obtained from the common simple approximation related to canopy height, the values calculated with large-eddy simulations of the explicit canopy structure as measured by airborne and ground-based lidar, two other parameterization approaches that utilize varying canopy-structure inputs, and the annual and decadal means of the surface roughness parameters at the site from meteorological observations. We found that the classical representation of constant roughness parameters (in space and time) as a fraction of canopy height performed relatively well. Nonetheless, of the approaches we tested, most of the empirical approaches that incorporate seasonal and interannual variation of roughness length and displacement height as a function of the dynamics of canopy structure produced more precise and less biased estimates for friction velocity than models with temporally invariable parameters.

Orientation-Induced Effects of Water Harvesting on Humps-on-Strings of Bioinspired Fibers

PubMed Central

Chen, Yuan; Li, Dan; Wang, Ting; Zheng, Yongmei

2016-01-01

Smart water-collecting functions are naturally endowed on biological surfaces with unique wettable microstructures, e.g., beetle back with “alternate hydrophobic, hydrophilic micro-regions”, and spider silk with wet-rebuilt “spindle-knot, joint” structures. Enlightened by the creature features, design of bio-inspired surfaces becomes the active issue in need of human beings for fresh water resource. Recently, as observed from spider web in nature, the net of spider silk is usually set in different situations and slopes in air, thus spider silks can be placed in all kinds of orientations as capturing water. Here, we show the styles and orientations of hump-on-string to control the ability of water collection as bioinspired silks are fabricated successfully. As different strings, sizes (height, length, pitch) of humps can become the controlling on volumes of extreme water drops. It is related to the different solid/liquid contact regions resulting in the as-modulated wet adhesion due to orientations of humps-on-strings. The conversion of high-low adhesion can be achieved to rely on orientations for the effect of capturing water drops. These studies offer an insight into enhancement of water collection efficiency and are helpful to design smart materials for controlled water drop capture and release via conversions of high-low adhesion. PMID:26812942

Deriving surface soil moisture from reflected GNSS signal observations from a grassland site in southwestern France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Sibo; Calvet, Jean-Christophe; Darrozes, José; Roussel, Nicolas; Frappart, Frédéric; Bouhours, Gilles

2018-03-01

This work assesses the estimation of surface volumetric soil moisture (VSM) using the global navigation satellite system interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR) technique. Year-round observations were acquired from a grassland site in southwestern France using an antenna consecutively placed at two contrasting heights above the ground surface (3.3 and 29.4 m). The VSM retrievals are compared with two independent reference datasets: in situ observations of soil moisture, and numerical simulations of soil moisture and vegetation biomass from the ISBA (Interactions between Soil, Biosphere and Atmosphere) land surface model. Scaled VSM estimates can be retrieved throughout the year removing vegetation effects by the separation of growth and senescence periods and by the filtering of the GNSS-IR observations that are most affected by vegetation. Antenna height has no significant impact on the quality of VSM estimates. Comparisons between the VSM GNSS-IR retrievals and the in situ VSM observations at a depth of 5 cm show good agreement (R2 = 0.86 and RMSE = 0.04 m3 m-3). It is shown that the signal is sensitive to the grass litter water content and that this effect triggers differences between VSM retrievals and in situ VSM observations at depths of 1 and 5 cm, especially during light rainfall events.

An atlas of monthly mean distributions of GEOSAT sea surface height, SSMI surface wind speed, AVHRR/2 sea surface temperature, and ECMWF surface wind components during 1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, D.; Zlotnicki, V.; Newman, J.; Brown, O.; Wentz, F.

1991-01-01

Monthly mean global distributions for 1988 are presented with a common color scale and geographical map. Distributions are included for sea surface height variation estimated from GEOSAT; surface wind speed estimated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft; sea surface temperature estimated from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer on NOAA spacecrafts; and the Cartesian components of the 10m height wind vector computed by the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting. Charts of monthly mean value, sampling distribution, and standard deviation value are displayed. Annual mean distributions are displayed.

Rainwater harvesting in catchments for agro-forestry uses: A study focused on the balance between sustainability values and storage capacity.

PubMed

Terêncio, D P S; Sanches Fernandes, L F; Cortes, R M V; Moura, J P; Pacheco, F A L

2018-02-01

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is used to support small-scale agriculture and handle seasonal water availability, especially in regions where populations are scattered or the costs to develop surface or groundwater resources are high. However, questions may arise as whether this technique can support larger-scale irrigation projects and in complement help the struggle against wildfires in agro-forested watersheds. The issue is relevant because harvested rainwater in catchments is usually accumulated in small-capacity reservoirs created by small-height dams. In this study, a RWH site allocation method was improved from a previous model, by introducing the dam wall height as evaluation parameter. The studied watershed (Sabor River basin) is mostly located in the Northeast of Portugal. This is a rural watershed where agriculture and forestry uses are dominant and where ecologically relevant regions (e.g., Montezinho natural park) need to be protected from wildfires. The study aimed at ranking 384 rainfall collection sub-catchments as regards installation of RWH sites for crop irrigation and forest fire combat. The height parameter was set to 3m because this value is a reference to detention basins that hold sustainability values (e.g., landscape integration, environmental protection), but the irrigation capacity under these settings was smaller than 10ha in 50% of cases, while continuous arable lands in the Sabor basin cover on average 222ha. Besides, the number of sub-catchments capable to irrigate the average arable land was solely 7. When the dam wall height increased to 6 and 12m, the irrigation capacity increased to 46 and 124 sub-catchments, respectively, meaning that more engineered dams may not always ensure all sustainability values but warrant much better storage. The limiting parameter was the dam wall height because 217 sub-catchments were found to drain enough water for irrigation and capable to store it if proper dam wall heights were used. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Longshore Sediment Transport Rate Calculated Incorporating Wave Orbital Velocity Fluctuations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

distribution of longshore sediment transport in the surf zone is necessary in the design and planning of groins, jetties, weirs and pipeline landfalls...transported by any current. Breaker height is defined as the vertical distance between the wave crest and the preceding wave trough at incipient...terminology; spilling breakers occur if the wave crest becomes unstable and flows down the front face of the wave producing a foamy water surface; plunging

Predicting Boat-Generated Wave Heights: A Quantitative Analysis through Video Observations of Vessel Wakes

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-18

by the AWAC. It is a surface- penetrating device that measures continuous changes in the water elevations over time at much higher sampling rates of...background subtraction, a technique based on detecting change from a background scene. Their study highlights the difficulty in object detection and tracking...movements (Zhang et al. 2009) Alternatively, another common object detection method , known as Optical Flow Analysis , may be utilized for vessel

Free energy barriers for escape of water molecules from protein hydration layer.

PubMed

Roy, Susmita; Bagchi, Biman

2012-03-08

Free energy barriers separating interfacial water molecules from the hydration layer at the surface of a protein to the bulk are obtained by using the umbrella sampling method of free energy calculation. We consider hydration layer of chicken villin head piece (HP-36) which has been studied extensively by molecular dynamics simulations. The free energy calculations reveal a strong sensitivity to the secondary structure. In particular, we find a region near the junction of first and second helix that contains a cluster of water molecules which are slow in motion, characterized by long residence times (of the order of 100 ps or more) and separated by a large free energy barrier from the bulk water. However, these "slow" water molecules constitute only about 5-10% of the total number of hydration layer water molecules. Nevertheless, they play an important role in stabilizing the protein conformation. Water molecules near the third helix (which is the important helix for biological function) are enthalpically least stable and exhibit the fastest dynamics. Interestingly, barrier height distributions of interfacial water are quite broad for water surrounding all the three helices (and the three coils), with the smallest barriers found for those near the helix-3. For the quasi-bound water molecules near the first and second helices, we use well-known Kramers' theory to estimate the residence time from the free energy surface, by estimating the friction along the reaction coordinate from the diffusion coefficient by using Einstein relation. The agreement found is satisfactory. We discuss the possible biological function of these slow, quasi-bound (but transient) water molecules on the surface.

Technological advances in cosmogenic neutron detectors for measuring soil water content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zreda, M. G.; Schrön, M.; Köhli, M.

2017-12-01

The cosmic-ray neutron probe is used for measuring area-average soil water content at the hectometer scale. Early work showed a simple exponential decrease with distance of the instrument's sensitivity and a footprint 300 m in radius. Recent research suggested a much higher sensitivity to local neutrons and reduced footprint. We show results confirming the high sensitivity to local neutrons, describe two ways to reduce local and increase far-field effects, and propose ways of measuring neutrons at different spatial scales. Measurements with moderated detectors across a 10-m-wide creek and a 2-m-wide water tank show a decrease by 30% and 20%, respectively, of neutron intensity over water compared to that over land nearby. These results mean that the detector is sensitive to meter-scale heterogeneities of water content. This sensitivity can be reduced by rising the detector or by shielding it from local neutrons. The effect of local water distributions on the measured neutron intensity decreases with height. In the water tank experiment it disappeared almost completely at the height of 2 m, leading to the conjecture that the height roughly equal to the horizontal scale of heterogeneity would eliminate the sensitivity. This may or may not be practical. Shielding the detector below by a hydrogenous material removes a substantial fraction of the local neutrons. The shielded detector has a reduced count rate, reduced sensitivity to local neutrons and increased sensitivity to neutrons farther afield, and a larger footprint. Such a detector could be preferable to the current cosmogenic-neutron probe under heterogeneous soil water conditions. The shielding experiments also inspired the development of a local-area neutron detector. It has hydrogenous neutron shields on all sides except the bottom, substantially blocking the neutrons coming from afar, while allowing the neutrons coming directly from below. Its footprint is equal to its physical dimension when the detector is placed on the surface. Once this detector is calibrated, it can be useful in calibrating the wide-area detector, for example over stony soils that are difficult to sample physically for water content determination, and in high-resolution mapping of neutron intensity and soil moisture.

Observations of Surfzone Albedo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinnett, G.; Feddersen, F.

2014-12-01

The surfzone environment (where waves break) contains several unique and previously unconsidered processes that affect the heat budget. Entering short-wave radiation is a dominant term in both shelf and surfzone heat budgets. In contrast to the shelf, however, depth limited wave breaking in the surfzone generates spray, whitewater and suspended sediments, elevating the surface albedo (ratio of reflected to incident short-wave radiation). Elevated albedo reduces the level of solar short-wave radiation entering the water, potentially resulting in less heating. Additionally, surfzone water quality is often impacted by fecal bacteria contamination. As bacteria mortality is related to short-wave solar radiation, elevated surfzone albedo could reduce pathogen mortality, impacting human health. Albedo in the open ocean has been frequently studied and parameterizations often consider solar zenith angle, wind speed and ocean chlorophyll concentration, producing albedo values typically near 0.06. However, surfzone albedo observations have been extremely sparse, yet show depth limited wave breaking may increase the albedo by nearly a factor of 10 up to 0.5. Here, we present findings from a field study at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier to observe the affect of waves on surfzone albedo. Concurrent measurements were taken with a four-way radiometer (to measure both downwelling and upwelling short-wave and long wave radiation) mounted above the surfzone. A co-located GoPro camera was used to relate visual aspects of the surfzone to measured reflectance, and wave height and period were observed with a bottom mounted pressure sensor in 5 m water depth just outside the surfzone. Wind speed and direction were observed on the pier 10 m above the water surface. Here, we will examine the surfzone albedo dependence on surfzone parameters, such as wave height.

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.

An Optimal Estimation Method to Obtain Surface Layer Turbulent Fluxes from Profile Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, D.

2015-12-01

In the absence of direct turbulence measurements, the turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric surface layer are often derived from measurements of the surface layer mean properties based on Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST). This approach requires two levels of the ensemble mean wind, temperature, and water vapor, from which the fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, and water vapor can be obtained. When only one measurement level is available, the roughness heights and the assumed properties of the corresponding variables at the respective roughness heights are used. In practice, the temporal mean with large number of samples are used in place of the ensemble mean. However, in many situations the samples of data are taken from multiple levels. It is thus desirable to derive the boundary layer flux properties using all measurements. In this study, we used an optimal estimation approach to derive surface layer properties based on all available measurements. This approach assumes that the samples are taken from a population whose ensemble mean profile follows the MOST. An optimized estimate is obtained when the results yield a minimum cost function defined as a weighted summation of all error variance at each sample altitude. The weights are based one sample data variance and the altitude of the measurements. This method was applied to measurements in the marine atmospheric surface layer from a small boat using radiosonde on a tethered balloon where temperature and relative humidity profiles in the lowest 50 m were made repeatedly in about 30 minutes. We will present the resultant fluxes and the derived MOST mean profiles using different sets of measurements. The advantage of this method over the 'traditional' methods will be illustrated. Some limitations of this optimization method will also be discussed. Its application to quantify the effects of marine surface layer environment on radar and communication signal propagation will be shown as well.

Regional atmospheric cooling and wetting effect of permafrost thaw-induced boreal forest loss.

PubMed

Helbig, Manuel; Wischnewski, Karoline; Kljun, Natascha; Chasmer, Laura E; Quinton, William L; Detto, Matteo; Sonnentag, Oliver

2016-12-01

In the sporadic permafrost zone of North America, thaw-induced boreal forest loss is leading to permafrost-free wetland expansion. These land cover changes alter landscape-scale surface properties with potentially large, however, still unknown impacts on regional climates. In this study, we combine nested eddy covariance flux tower measurements with satellite remote sensing to characterize the impacts of boreal forest loss on albedo, eco-physiological and aerodynamic surface properties, and turbulent energy fluxes of a lowland boreal forest region in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Planetary boundary layer modelling is used to estimate the potential forest loss impact on regional air temperature and atmospheric moisture. We show that thaw-induced conversion of forests to wetlands increases albedo: and bulk surface conductance for water vapour and decreases aerodynamic surface temperature. At the same time, heat transfer efficiency is reduced. These shifts in land surface properties increase latent at the expense of sensible heat fluxes, thus, drastically reducing Bowen ratios. Due to the lower albedo of forests and their masking effect of highly reflective snow, available energy is lower in wetlands, especially in late winter. Modelling results demonstrate that a conversion of a present-day boreal forest-wetland to a hypothetical homogeneous wetland landscape could induce a near-surface cooling effect on regional air temperatures of up to 3-4 °C in late winter and 1-2 °C in summer. An atmospheric wetting effect in summer is indicated by a maximum increase in water vapour mixing ratios of 2 mmol mol -1 . At the same time, maximum boundary layer heights are reduced by about a third of the original height. In fall, simulated air temperature and atmospheric moisture between the two scenarios do not differ. Therefore, permafrost thaw-induced boreal forest loss may modify regional precipitation patterns and slow down regional warming trends. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using airborne laser scanning profiles to validate marine geoid models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julge, Kalev; Gruno, Anti; Ellmann, Artu; Liibusk, Aive; Oja, Tõnis

2014-05-01

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a remote sensing method which utilizes LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) technology. The datasets collected are important sources for large range of scientific and engineering applications. Mostly the ALS is used to measure terrain surfaces for compilation of Digital Elevation Models but it can also be used in other applications. This contribution focuses on usage of ALS system for measuring sea surface heights and validating gravimetric geoid models over marine areas. This is based on the ALS ability to register echoes of LiDAR pulse from the water surface. A case study was carried out to analyse the possibilities for validating marine geoid models by using ALS profiles. A test area at the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland was selected for regional geoid validation. ALS measurements were carried out by the Estonian Land Board in spring 2013 at different altitudes and using different scan rates. The one wavelength Leica ALS50-II laser scanner on board of a small aircraft was used to determine the sea level (with respect to the GRS80 reference ellipsoid), which follows roughly the equipotential surface of the Earth's gravity field. For the validation a high-resolution (1'x2') regional gravimetric GRAV-GEOID2011 model was used. This geoid model covers the entire area of Estonia and surrounding waters of the Baltic Sea. The fit between the geoid model and GNSS/levelling data within the Estonian dry land revealed RMS of residuals ±1… ±2 cm. Note that such fitting validation cannot proceed over marine areas. Therefore, an ALS observation-based methodology was developed to evaluate the GRAV-GEOID2011 quality over marine areas. The accuracy of acquired ALS dataset were analyzed, also an optimal width of nadir-corridor containing good quality ALS data was determined. Impact of ALS scan angle range and flight altitude to obtainable vertical accuracy were investigated as well. The quality of point cloud is analysed by cross validation between overlapped flight lines and the comparison with tide gauge stations readings. The comparisons revealed that the ALS based profiles of sea level heights agree reasonably with the regional geoid model (within accuracy of the ALS data and after applying corrections due to sea level variations). Thus ALS measurements are suitable for measuring sea surface heights and validating marine geoid models.

Aircraft- and tower-based fluxes of carbon dioxide, latent, and sensible heat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desjardins, R. L.; Hart, R. L.; Macpherson, J. I.; Schuepp, P. H.; Verma, S. B.

1992-01-01

Fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sensible heat obtained over a grassland ecosystem, during the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE), using an aircraft- and two tower-based systems are compared for several days in 1987 and in 1989. The tower-based cospectral estimates of CO2, sensible heat, water vapor, and momentum, expressed as a function of wavenumber K times sampling height z, are relatively similar to the aircraft-based estimates for K x z greater than 0.1. A measurable contribution to the fluxes is observed by tower-based systems at K x z less than 0.01 but not by the aircraft-based system operating at an altitude of approximately 100 m over a 15 x 15 km area. Using all available simultaneous aircraft and tower data, flux estimates by both systems were shown to be highly correlated. As expected from the spatial variations of the greenness index, surface extrapolation of airborne flux estimates tended to lie between those of the two tower sites. The average fluxes obtained, on July 11, 1987, and August 4, 1989, by flying a grid pattern over the FIFE site agreed with the two tower data sets for CO2, but sensible and latent heat were smaller than those obtained by the tower-based systems. However, in general, except for a small underestimation due to the long wavelength contributions and due to flux divergence with height, the differences between the aircraft- and tower-based surface estimates of fluxes appear to be mainly attributable to differences in footprint, that is, differences in the area contributing to the surface flux estimates.

Post-fledging dispersal of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) from two breeding sites in the South Atlantic.

PubMed

Pütz, Klemens; Trathan, Phil N; Pedrana, Julieta; Collins, Martin A; Poncet, Sally; Lüthi, Benno

2014-01-01

Most studies concerning the foraging ecology of marine vertebrates are limited to breeding adults, although other life history stages might comprise half the total population. For penguins, little is known about juvenile dispersal, a period when individuals may be susceptible to increased mortality given their naïve foraging behaviour. Therefore, we used satellite telemetry to study king penguin fledglings (n = 18) from two sites in the Southwest Atlantic in December 2007. The two sites differed with respect to climate and proximity to the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), a key oceanographic feature generally thought to be important for king penguin foraging success. Accordingly, birds from both sites foraged predominantly in the vicinity of the APF. Eight king penguins were tracked for periods greater than 120 days; seven of these (three from the Falkland Islands and four from South Georgia) migrated into the Pacific. Only one bird from the Falkland Islands moved into the Indian Ocean, visiting the northern limit of the winter pack-ice. Three others from the Falkland Islands migrated to the eastern coast of Tierra del Fuego before travelling south. Derived tracking parameters describing their migratory behaviour showed no significant differences between sites. Nevertheless, generalized linear habitat modelling revealed that juveniles from the Falkland Islands spent more time in comparatively shallow waters with low sea surface temperature, sea surface height and chlorophyll variability. Birds from South Georgia spent more time in deeper waters with low sea surface temperature and sea surface height, but high concentrations of chlorophyll. Our results indicate that inexperienced king penguins, irrespective of the location of their natal site in relation to the position of the APF, develop their foraging skills progressively over time, including specific adaptations to the environment around their prospective breeding site.

Post-Fledging Dispersal of King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) from Two Breeding Sites in the South Atlantic

PubMed Central

Pütz, Klemens; Trathan, Phil N.; Pedrana, Julieta; Collins, Martin A.; Poncet, Sally; Lüthi, Benno

2014-01-01

Most studies concerning the foraging ecology of marine vertebrates are limited to breeding adults, although other life history stages might comprise half the total population. For penguins, little is known about juvenile dispersal, a period when individuals may be susceptible to increased mortality given their naïve foraging behaviour. Therefore, we used satellite telemetry to study king penguin fledglings (n = 18) from two sites in the Southwest Atlantic in December 2007. The two sites differed with respect to climate and proximity to the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), a key oceanographic feature generally thought to be important for king penguin foraging success. Accordingly, birds from both sites foraged predominantly in the vicinity of the APF. Eight king penguins were tracked for periods greater than 120 days; seven of these (three from the Falkland Islands and four from South Georgia) migrated into the Pacific. Only one bird from the Falkland Islands moved into the Indian Ocean, visiting the northern limit of the winter pack-ice. Three others from the Falkland Islands migrated to the eastern coast of Tierra del Fuego before travelling south. Derived tracking parameters describing their migratory behaviour showed no significant differences between sites. Nevertheless, generalized linear habitat modelling revealed that juveniles from the Falkland Islands spent more time in comparatively shallow waters with low sea surface temperature, sea surface height and chlorophyll variability. Birds from South Georgia spent more time in deeper waters with low sea surface temperature and sea surface height, but high concentrations of chlorophyll. Our results indicate that inexperienced king penguins, irrespective of the location of their natal site in relation to the position of the APF, develop their foraging skills progressively over time, including specific adaptations to the environment around their prospective breeding site. PMID:24828545

Worksheets for computing recommended notebook computer and workstation adjustments.

PubMed

Nanthavanij, Suebsak; Udomratana, Chatkate; Hansawad, Saowalak; Thepkanjana, Jayaporn; Tantasuwan, Wanchalerm

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the design and development of worksheets for helping notebook computer (NBC) users to compute NBC and workstation adjustments so as to assume an appropriate seated posture. The worksheets (one for male users, the other for female ones) require the following information: body height, NBC screen size, work surface height, and seat height. The worksheets contain tables for estimating recommended NBC base angle, NBC screen angle, body-NBC distance, work surface height, and seat height. Additionally, they include flow charts to help NBC users to determine necessary adjustment accessories and their settings.

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

Maurer, K. D.; Bohrer, G.; Kenny, W. T.

Surface roughness parameters, namely the roughness length and displacement height, are an integral input used to model surface fluxes. However, most models assume these parameters to be a fixed property of plant functional type and disregard the governing structural heterogeneity and dynamics. In this study, we use large-eddy simulations to explore, in silico, the effects of canopy-structure characteristics on surface roughness parameters. We performed a virtual experiment to test the sensitivity of resolved surface roughness to four axes of canopy structure: (1) leaf area index, (2) the vertical profile of leaf density, (3) canopy height, and (4) canopy gap fraction.more » We found roughness parameters to be highly variable, but uncovered positive relationships between displacement height and maximum canopy height, aerodynamic canopy height and maximum canopy height and leaf area index, and eddy-penetration depth and gap fraction. We also found negative relationships between aerodynamic canopy height and gap fraction, as well as between eddy-penetration depth and maximum canopy height and leaf area index. We generalized our model results into a virtual "biometric" parameterization that relates roughness length and displacement height to canopy height, leaf area index, and gap fraction. Using a decade of wind and canopy-structure observations in a site in Michigan, we tested the effectiveness of our model-driven biometric parameterization approach in predicting the friction velocity over heterogeneous and disturbed canopies. We compared the accuracy of these predictions with the friction-velocity predictions obtained from the common simple approximation related to canopy height, the values calculated with large-eddy simulations of the explicit canopy structure as measured by airborne and ground-based lidar, two other parameterization approaches that utilize varying canopy-structure inputs, and the annual and decadal means of the surface roughness parameters at the site from meteorological observations. We found that the classical representation of constant roughness parameters (in space and time) as a fraction of canopy height performed relatively well. Nonetheless, of the approaches we tested, most of the empirical approaches that incorporate seasonal and interannual variation of roughness length and displacement height as a function of the dynamics of canopy structure produced more precise and less biased estimates for friction velocity than models with temporally invariable parameters.« less

Automated Passive Capillary Lysimeters for Estimating Water Drainage in the Vadose Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabro, J.; Evans, R.

2009-04-01

In this study, we demonstrated and evaluated the performance and accuracy of an automated PCAP lysimeters that we designed for in-situ continuous measuring and estimating of drainage water below the rootzone of a sugarbeet-potato-barley rotation under two irrigation frequencies. Twelve automated PCAPs with sampling surface dimensions of 31 cm width * 91 cm long and 87 cm in height were placed 90 cm below the soil surface in a Lihen sandy loam. Our state-of-the-art design incorporated Bluetooth wireless technology to enable an automated datalogger to transmit drainage water data simultaneously every 15 minutes to a remote host and had a greater efficiency than other types of lysimeters. It also offered a significantly larger coverage area (2700 cm2) than similarly designed vadose zone lysimeters. The cumulative manually extracted drainage water was compared with the cumulative volume of drainage water recorded by the datalogger from the tipping bucket using several statistical methods. Our results indicated that our automated PCAPs are accurate and provided convenient means for estimating water drainage in the vadose zone without the need for costly and manually time-consuming supportive systems.

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - October 23, 1997

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S./French TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Oct. 23, 1997 as the warm water associated with El Nino (in white) spreads northward along the entire coast of North America from the equator all the way to Alaska. The warm water pool associated with the El Nino has returned to the volume it was in mid-September after dropping to a temporary low at the beginning of October. The sea surface elevation just north of the El Nino warm pool continues to drop (purple area), enhancing the eastward flowing North Equatorial Counter Current. The intensification of this current is another tell-tale sign of the El Nino phenomenon. This flow contributes to the rise in sea level along the western coasts of the Americas that will progress towards both the north and south poles over the next several months. The white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The surface area covered by the warm water mass is about one and one-half times the size of the continental United States. The added amount of oceanic warm water near the Americas, with a temperature between 21-30 degrees Celsius (70- 85 degrees Fahrenheit), is about 30 times the volume of water in all the U.S. Great Lakes combined. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level.

The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using these global data, limited regional measurements from buoys and ships, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), has issued an advisory indicating the presence of a strong El Nino condition throughout the winter.

For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/

77 FR 60708 - Additional Waiver Granted to and Alternative Requirement for the Town of Union, New York's CDBG...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-04

.... Village of Endicott Water Plant ($150,000 budgeted) and Western Heights Blvd. Water Tank Access ($6,000... improvements so that water can be provided to the village of Endicott. Union, NY also carefully considered... Plant, Village of Endicott Water Plant, Western Heights Blvd. Water Tank Access, Westover Levee Repair...

High-frequency fluctuations in Denmark Strait transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haine, T. W. N.

2010-07-01

Denmark Strait ocean current transport exhibits quasi-regular fluctuations immediately south of the sill with periods of 2-4 days. The transport variability is similar to the mean transport itself. Using a circulation model we explore prospects to monitor the fluctuations. The model has realistic transport and shows water leaving Denmark Strait in equivalent-barotropic cyclones that are nearly geostrophic and correlate with sea-surface height (SSH). Existing satellite altimeter observations of SSH have adequate space/time sampling to reconstruct the transport fluctuations using a regression developed from the model results, but measurement error overwhelms the signal. From the model results, the pending Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wide-swath altimeter appears accurate enough, and with good-enough coverage, to allow the transport fluctuations to be reconstructed. Bottom pressure recorders at the exit of the Denmark Strait can also reproduce the transport variability.

Monthly Maps of Sea Surface Height in the North Atlantic and Zonal Indices for the Gulf Stream Using TOPEX/Poseidon Altimeter Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Sandipa; Kelly, Kathryn A.

1997-01-01

Monthly Maps of sea surface height are constructed for the North Atlantic Ocean using TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data. Mean sea surface height is reconstructed using a weighted combination of historical, hydrographic data and a synthetic mean obtained by fitting a Gaussian model of the Gulf Stream jet to altimeter data. The resultant mean shows increased resolution over the hydrographic mean, and incorporates recirculation information that is absent in the synthetic mean. Monthly maps, obtained by adding the mean field to altimeter sea surface height residuals, are used to derive a set of zonal indices that describe the annual cycle of meandering as well as position and strength of the Gulf Stream.

Use of reflected GNSS SNR data to retrieve either soil moisture or vegetation height from a wheat crop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Sibo; Roussel, Nicolas; Boniface, Karen; Ha, Minh Cuong; Frappart, Frédéric; Darrozes, José; Baup, Frédéric; Calvet, Jean-Christophe

2017-09-01

This work aims to estimate soil moisture and vegetation height from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) data using direct and reflected signals by the land surface surrounding a ground-based antenna. Observations are collected from a rainfed wheat field in southwestern France. Surface soil moisture is retrieved based on SNR phases estimated by the Least Square Estimation method, assuming the relative antenna height is constant. It is found that vegetation growth breaks up the constant relative antenna height assumption. A vegetation-height retrieval algorithm is proposed using the SNR-dominant period (the peak period in the average power spectrum derived from a wavelet analysis of SNR). Soil moisture and vegetation height are retrieved at different time periods (before and after vegetation's significant growth in March). The retrievals are compared with two independent reference data sets: in situ observations of soil moisture and vegetation height, and numerical simulations of soil moisture, vegetation height and above-ground dry biomass from the ISBA (interactions between soil, biosphere and atmosphere) land surface model. Results show that changes in soil moisture mainly affect the multipath phase of the SNR data (assuming the relative antenna height is constant) with little change in the dominant period of the SNR data, whereas changes in vegetation height are more likely to modulate the SNR-dominant period. Surface volumetric soil moisture can be estimated (R2 = 0.74, RMSE = 0.009 m3 m-3) when the wheat is smaller than one wavelength (˜ 19 cm). The quality of the estimates markedly decreases when the vegetation height increases. This is because the reflected GNSS signal is less affected by the soil. When vegetation replaces soil as the dominant reflecting surface, a wavelet analysis provides an accurate estimation of the wheat crop height (R2 = 0.98, RMSE = 6.2 cm). The latter correlates with modeled above-ground dry biomass of the wheat from stem elongation to ripening. It is found that the vegetation height retrievals are sensitive to changes in plant height of at least one wavelength. A simple smoothing of the retrieved plant height allows an excellent matching to in situ observations, and to modeled above-ground dry biomass.

Biomechanical evaluation of injury severity associated with patient falls from bed.

PubMed

Bowers, Bonnie; Lloyd, John; Lee, W; Powell-Cope, G; Baptiste, A

2008-01-01

This study investigated the severity of injuries associated with falling from bed and the effectiveness of injury-prevention strategies. Injury criteria were calculated for head- and feet-first falls from six bed heights onto a tiled surface and floor mat. These values indicated a 25% chance of experiencing a serious head injury as a result of falling feet-first from a bed height of 97.5 cm onto a tiled surface. Risk of injury increased to 40% when extrapolated for the height added by bedrails. Using a floor mat decreased this risk to less than 1% for bedrail height for feet-first falls. Calculated impact forces indicated a risk of skull fracture when hitting the tiled surface. Floor mats and height-adjustable beds positioned to the lowest height should be used to decrease the risk of injury associated with falling from bed.

Global off-line evaluation of the ISBA-TRIP continental hydrological system used in the CNRM-CM6 climate model for the next CMIP6 exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decharme, Bertrand; Vergnes, Jean-Pierre; Minvielle, Marie; Colin, Jeanne; Delire, Christine

2016-04-01

The land surface hydrology represents an active component of the climate system. It is likely to influence the water and energy exchanges at the land surface, the ocean salinity and temperature at the mouth of the largest rivers, and the climate at least at the regional scale. In climate models, the continental hydrology is simulated via Land Surface Models (LSM), which compute water and energy budgets at the surface, coupled to River Routing Model (RRM), which convert the runoff simulated by the LSMs into river discharge in order to transfer the continental fresh water into the oceans and then to close the global hydrological cycle. Validating these Continental Hydrological Systems (CHS) at the global scale is therefore a crucial task, which requires off-line simulations driven by realistic atmospheric fluxes to avoid the systematic biases commonly found in the atmospheric models. In the CNRM-CM6 climate model of Météo-France, that will be used for the next Coupled Climate Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) exercise, the land surface hydrology is simulated using the ISBA-TRIP CHS coupled via the OASIS-MCT coupler. The ISBA LSM solves explicitly the one dimensional Fourier law for soil temperature and the mixed form of the Richards equation for soil moisture using a 14-layers discretization over 12m depths. For the snowpack, a discretization using 12 layers allows the explicit representation of some snow key processes as its viscosity, its compaction due to wind, its age and its albedo on the visible and near infrared spectra. The TRIP RRM uses a global river channel network at 0.5° resolution. It is based on a three prognostic equations for the surface stream water, the seasonal floodplains, and the groundwater. The streamflow velocity is computed using the Maning's formula. The floodplain reservoir fills when the river height exceeds the river bankfull height and vice-versa. The flood interacts with the ISBA soil hydrology through infiltration and with the overlying atmosphere through precipitation interception and free water surface evaporation. Finally, the groundwater scheme is based on the two-dimensional groundwater flow equation for the piezometric head. Its coupling with ISBA permits to account for the presence of a water table under the soil moisture column allowing upward capillarity fluxes into the soil. In this study, we will present the off-line evaluation at the global scale of the ISBA-TRIP CHS over a recent period (1979-2010). The system will be compared to observations such as GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) terrestrial water storage data, snow and permafrost extents from NSIDC (National Snow and Ice Data Center), or in-situ river discharge measurements from several sources. In addition we will also explore the impacts on the simulated water budget to account for some processes such as upward capillarity fluxes from groundwaters or seasonal floodplains. At last, it is envisaged to discuss some results about land/atmosphere interactions induced by these processes in the CNRM-CM6 climate model.

Wave Transformation over a Fringing Coral Reef and the Importance of Low-Frequency Waves and Offshore Water Levels to Runup and Island Overtopping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheriton, O. M.; Storlazzi, C. D.; Rosenberger, K. J.

2016-02-01

Low-lying, reef-fringed islands are susceptible to sea-level rise and often subjected to overwash and flooding during large wave events. To quantify wave dynamics and wave-driven water levels on fringing coral reefs, wave gauges and a current meter were deployed for 5 months across two shore-normal transects on Roi-Namur, an atoll island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These observations captured two large wave events that had maximum wave heights greater than 6 m and peak periods of 16 s over the fore reef. The larger event coincided with a peak spring tide, leading to energetic, highly-skewed infragravity (0.04-0.004 Hz) and very low frequency (0.004-0.001 Hz) waves at the shoreline, which reached heights of 1.0 and 0.7 m, respectively. Water surface elevations, combined with wave runup, exceeded 3.7 m at the innermost reef flat adjacent to the toe of the beach, resulting in flooding of inland areas. This overwash occurred during a 3-hr time window that coincided with high tide and maximum low-frequency reef flat wave heights. The relatively low-relief characteristics of this narrow reef flat may further drive shoreline amplification of low-frequency waves due to resonance modes. These results demonstrate how the coupling of high offshore water levels with low-frequency reef flat wave energetics can lead to large impacts along atoll and fringing reef-lined shorelines, such as island overwash. These observations lend support to the hypothesis that predicted higher sea levels will lead to more frequent occurrences of both extreme shoreline runup and island overwash, threatening the sustainability of these islands.

Correlated environmental corrections in TOPEX/POSEIDON, with a note on ionospheric accuracy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zlotnicki, V.

1994-01-01

Estimates of the effectiveness of an altimetric correction, and interpretation of sea level variability as a response to atmospheric forcing, both depend upon assuming that residual errors in altimetric corrections are uncorrelated among themselves and with residual sea level, or knowing the correlations. Not surprisingly, many corrections are highly correlated since they involve atmospheric properties and the ocean surface's response to them. The full corrections (including their geographically varying time mean values), show correlations between electromagnetic bias (mostly the height of wind waves) and either atmospheric pressure or water vapor of -40%, and between atmospheric pressure and water vapor of 28%. In the more commonly used collinear differences (after removal of the geographically varying time mean), atmospheric pressure and wave height show a -30% correlation, atmospheric pressure and water vapor a -10% correlation, both pressure and water vapor a 7% correlation with residual sea level, and a bit surprisingly, ionospheric electron content and wave height a 15% correlation. Only the ocean tide is totally uncorrelated with other corrections or residual sea level. The effectiveness of three ionospheric corrections (TOPEX dual-frequency, a smoothed version of the TOPEX dual-frequency, and Doppler orbitography and radiopositioning integrated by satellite (DORIS) is also evaluated in terms of their reduction in variance of residual sea level. Smooth (90-200 km along-track) versions of the dual-frequency altimeter ionosphere perform best both globally and within 20 deg in latitude from the equator. The noise variance in the 1/s TOPEX inospheric samples is approximately (11 mm) squared, about the same as noise in the DORIS-based correction; however, the latter has its error over scales of order 10(exp 3) km. Within 20 deg of the equator, the DORIS-based correction adds (14 mm) squared to the residual sea level variance.

Observations of wave transformation over a fringing coral reef and the importance of low-frequency waves and offshore water levels to runup, overwash, and coastal flooding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheriton, Olivia M.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Rosenberger, Kurt J.

2016-05-01

Many low-lying tropical islands are susceptible to sea level rise and often subjected to overwash and flooding during large wave events. To quantify wave dynamics and wave-driven water levels on fringing coral reefs, a 5 month deployment of wave gauges and a current meter was conducted across two shore-normal transects on Roi-Namur Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These observations captured two large wave events that had waves with maximum heights greater than 6 m with peak periods of 16 s over the fore reef. The larger event coincided with a peak spring tide, leading to energetic, highly skewed infragravity (0.04-0.004 Hz) and very low frequency (0.004-0.001 Hz) waves at the shoreline, which reached heights of 1.0 and 0.7 m, respectively. Water surface elevations, combined with wave runup, reached 3.7 m above the reef bed at the innermost reef flat adjacent to the toe of the beach, resulting in flooding of inland areas. This overwash occurred during a 3 h time window that coincided with high tide and maximum low-frequency reef flat wave heights. The relatively low-relief characteristics of this narrow reef flat may further drive shoreline amplification of low-frequency waves due to resonance modes. These results (1) demonstrate how the coupling of high offshore water levels with low-frequency reef flat wave energetics can lead to large impacts along fringing reef-lined shorelines, such as island overwash, and (2) lend support to the hypothesis that predicted higher sea levels will lead to more frequent occurrences of these extreme events, negatively impacting coastal resources and infrastructure.

Observations of wave transformation over a fringing coral reef and the importance of low-frequency waves and offshore water levels to runup, overwash, and coastal flooding

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cheriton, Olivia; Storlazzi, Curt; Rosenberger, Kurt

2016-01-01

Many low-lying tropical islands are susceptible to sea level rise and often subjected to overwash and flooding during large wave events. To quantify wave dynamics and wave-driven water levels on fringing coral reefs, a 5 month deployment of wave gauges and a current meter was conducted across two shore-normal transects on Roi-Namur Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These observations captured two large wave events that had waves with maximum heights greater than 6 m with peak periods of 16 s over the fore reef. The larger event coincided with a peak spring tide, leading to energetic, highly skewed infragravity (0.04–0.004 Hz) and very low frequency (0.004–0.001 Hz) waves at the shoreline, which reached heights of 1.0 and 0.7 m, respectively. Water surface elevations, combined with wave runup, reached 3.7 m above the reef bed at the innermost reef flat adjacent to the toe of the beach, resulting in flooding of inland areas. This overwash occurred during a 3 h time window that coincided with high tide and maximum low-frequency reef flat wave heights. The relatively low-relief characteristics of this narrow reef flat may further drive shoreline amplification of low-frequency waves due to resonance modes. These results (1) demonstrate how the coupling of high offshore water levels with low-frequency reef flat wave energetics can lead to large impacts along fringing reef-lined shorelines, such as island overwash, and (2) lend support to the hypothesis that predicted higher sea levels will lead to more frequent occurrences of these extreme events, negatively impacting coastal resources and infrastructure.

Observed Cloud Properties Above the Northern Indian Ocean During CARDEX 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, L.; Wilcox, E. M.

2016-12-01

An analysis of cloud microphysical, macrophysical and radiative properties during the dry winter monsoon season above the northern Indian Ocean is presented. The Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing Experiment (CARDEX), conducted from 16 February to 30 March 2012 at the Maldives Climate Observatory on Hanimaadhoo (MCOH), used autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to measure the aerosol profiles, water vapor flux and cloud properties concurrent with continuous ground measurements of surface aerosol and meteorological variables as well as the total-column precipitable water vapor (PWV) and the cloud liquid water path (LWP). Here we present the cloud properties only for the cases with lower atmospheric water vapor using the criterion that the PWV less than 40 kg/m2. This criterion acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region according to previous studies. The high polluted case is found to correlate with warmer temperature, higher relative humidity in boundary layer and lower lifted condensation level (LCL). Micro Pulse Lidar (MPL) retrieved cloud base height coincides with calculated LCL height which is lower for high polluted case. Meanwhile satellite retrieved cloud top height didn't show obvious variation indicating cloud deepening which is consistent with the observed greater cloud LWP in high polluted case. Those high polluted clouds are associated with more cloud droplets and smaller effective radius and are generally becoming narrower due to the stronger cloud side evaporation-entrainment effect and becoming deeper due to more moist static energy. Clouds in high polluted condition become brighter with higher albedo which can cause a net shortwave forcing over -40 W/m2 in this region.

Engineering a nanostructured "super surface" with superhydrophobic and superkilling properties.

PubMed

Hasan, Jafar; Raj, Shammy; Yadav, Lavendra; Chatterjee, Kaushik

2015-05-12

We present a nanostructured "super surface" fabricated using a simple recipe based on deep reactive ion etching of a silicon wafer. The topography of the surface is inspired by the surface topographical features of dragonfly wings. The super surface is comprised of nanopillars 4 μm in height and 220 nm in diameter with random inter-pillar spacing. The surface exhibited superhydrophobicity with a static water contact angle of 154.0° and contact angle hysteresis of 8.3°. Bacterial studies revealed the bactericidal property of the surface against both gram negative ( Escherichia coli ) and gram positive ( Staphylococcus aureus ) strains through mechanical rupture of the cells by the sharp nanopillars. The cell viability on these nanostructured surfaces was nearly six-fold lower than on the unmodified silicon wafer. The nanostructured surface also killed mammalian cells (mouse osteoblasts) through mechanical rupture of the cell membrane. Thus, such nanostructured super surfaces could find applications for designing self-cleaning and anti-bacterial surfaces in diverse applications such as microfluidics, surgical instruments, pipelines and food packaging.

Modelling of Singapore's topographic transformation based on DEMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tao; Belle, Iris; Hassler, Uta

2015-02-01

Singapore's topography has been heavily transformed by industrialization and urbanization processes. To investigate topographic changes and evaluate soil mass flows, historical topographic maps of 1924 and 2012 were employed, and basic topographic features were vectorized. Digital elevation models (DEMs) for the two years were reconstructed based on vector features. Corresponding slope maps, a surface difference map and a scatter plot of elevation changes were generated and used to quantify and categorize the nature of the topographic transformation. The surface difference map is aggregated into five main categories of changes: (1) areas without significant height changes, (2) lowered-down areas where hill ranges were cut down, (3) raised-up areas where valleys and swamps were filled in, (4) reclaimed areas from the sea, and (5) new water-covered areas. Considering spatial proximity and configurations of different types of changes, topographic transformation can be differentiated as either creating inland flat areas or reclaiming new land from the sea. Typical topographic changes are discussed in the context of Singapore's urbanization processes. The two slope maps and elevation histograms show that generally, the topographic surface of Singapore has become flatter and lower since 1924. More than 89% of height changes have happened within a range of 20 m and 95% have been below 40 m. Because of differences in land surveying and map drawing methods, uncertainties and inaccuracies inherent in the 1924 topographic maps are discussed in detail. In this work, a modified version of a traditional scatter plot is used to present height transformation patterns intuitively. This method of deriving categorical maps of topographical changes from a surface difference map can be used in similar studies to qualitatively interpret transformation. Slope maps and histograms were also used jointly to reveal additional patterns of topographic change.

Tropical continental downdraft characteristics: mesoscale systems versus unorganized convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiro, Kathleen A.; Neelin, J. David

2018-02-01

Downdrafts and cold pool characteristics for strong mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and isolated, unorganized deep precipitating convection are analyzed using multi-instrument data from the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) GoAmazon2014/5 campaign. Increases in column water vapor (CWV) are observed leading convection, with higher CWV preceding MCSs than for isolated cells. For both MCSs and isolated cells, increases in wind speed, decreases in surface moisture and temperature, and increases in relative humidity occur coincidentally with system passages. Composites of vertical velocity data and radar reflectivity from a radar wind profiler show that the downdrafts associated with the sharpest decreases in surface equivalent potential temperature (θe) have a probability of occurrence that increases with decreasing height below the freezing level. Both MCSs and unorganized convection show similar mean downdraft magnitudes and probabilities with height. Mixing computations suggest that, on average, air originating at heights greater than 3 km must undergo substantial mixing, particularly in the case of isolated cells, to match the observed cold pool θe, implying a low typical origin level. Precipitation conditionally averaged on decreases in surface equivalent potential temperature (Δθe) exhibits a strong relationship because the most negative Δθe values are associated with a high probability of precipitation. The more physically motivated conditional average of Δθe on precipitation shows that decreases in θe level off with increasing precipitation rate, bounded by the maximum difference between surface θe and its minimum in the profile aloft. Robustness of these statistics observed across scales and regions suggests their potential use as model diagnostic tools for the improvement of downdraft parameterizations in climate models.

Personal Equipment and Clothing Correction Factors for the Australian Army: A Pilot Survey

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

Sitting M24 Fit Thigh Clearance M12 Clearance and Fit, DHM Knee Height, Sitting M13 Fit, DHM Popliteal Height M14 Fit, DHM Buttock-Knee Length...Measure Semi-Nude Definition Encumbered Definition EM28 Knee Height, Sitting Footrest surface to Suprapatella ( M13 ). Footrest surface to

[Genetic characteristics associated with drought tolerance of plant height and thousand-grain mass of recombinant inbred lines of wheat].

PubMed

Yang, De-Long; Zhang, Guo-Hong; Li, Xing-Mao; Xing, Hua; Cheng, Hong-Bo; Ni, Sheng-Li; Chen, Xiao-Ping

2012-06-01

A total of 120 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from Chinese winter wheat cultivars Longjian 19xQ9086 and the two parents were taken as test materials to study the quantitative genetics characteristics of their plant height at different development stages, thousand-grain mass, as well as the correlations between the two traits under rainfed (drought stress) and well-watered conditions, and evaluate the genetic variation of the RIL. Under the two water conditions, the target traits of the RIL showed substantial transgressive segregation and great sensitivity to water condition. The drought stress coefficient of the plant height was higher at jointing stage, being up to 0.851. There was a significant positive correlation between the plant height at different development stages and the thousand-grain mass, and comparing with that at other growth stages, the plant height at jointing stage had a higher correlation coefficient with the thousand-grain mass (R2DS = 0.32, R2WW = 0.28). The plant height at both jointing and flowering stages had significant positive and direct effect but negative and indirect gross effect on the thousand-grain mass, while the plant height at heading and maturing stages was in adverse. The target traits showed a lower heritability ranged from 0.27 to 0.60. The numbers of the gene pairs controlling the thousand-grain mass were 10 under rainfed and 13 under well-watered conditions, while those of the gene pairs controlling the plant height at different development stages were 3-7 under rainfed and 4-14 under well-watered conditions, respectively. According to the clustering of the drought stress coefficient of plant height, the RIL could be classified into five subgroups, showing the abundant variation of the RIL in their phe- notypes and in the sensitivity to water condition. It was considered that the test RIL were appropriate for the study of the quantitative genetics of wheat drought resistance.

Application of airborne laser scanner measurements of ocean roughness to the calibration and validation of a satellite bistatic radar experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parrin, J.; Garrison, J. L.

2006-12-01

A high-resolution airborne laser scanner, from the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) was used to profile the ocean surface in an attempt to experimentally measure the ocean height spectrum down to wavelengths as small as a few centimetres. In October of 2005, three data collections were scheduled, during overpasses of the UK-DMC satellite, off the coast of Virginia. UK-DMC carries an experimental bistatic radar receiver, which uses Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals as illumination sources. Most models for reflected GNSS signals relate the shape of the signal correlation waveforms to the ocean roughness, parameterized as a probability distribution (PDF) of surface slopes. This statistical description of the ocean surface must first be filtered to wavelengths greater than some fraction of the GNSS wavelength of 19 cm. Past experimental campaigns have used more common in-situ measurements, such as wind speed, for comparison with GNSS waveforms. These types of measurements will require the assumption of some empirical model for the ocean height spectrum, allowing the computation of the filtered slope statistics. Proposed applications of reflected GNSS signals include the correction of ocean roughness effects in passive microwave radiometry. To evaluate the feasibility of GNSS reflections for this measurement, it is important to make a more direct measurement of the ocean surface slope statistics, without the assumption of a spectrum model. In these experiments, a direct measurement of this spectrum was attempted, using the NCALM system. The laser scanner was operated on a low altitude (500 m) aircraft, at the highest sample rate (33KHz), generating ocean height measurements with an along-track separation of a few millimetres. The laser illuminates a spot on the ocean surface that is smaller than 10 cm, however, limiting the smallest resolvable wavelength to something on that order. Laser data were collected along multiple flight lines, intersecting near the location of a research buoy. These flight lines were separated by 15 deg. increments in heading. It is intended to use the results of this experiment to evaluate empirical and model-derived values of the wave number cut-off, for the filter assumed in the interpretation of the slope PDF sensed by the bistatic GNSS waveform. Long wavelength ocean height spectra were also computed from the frequency spectra recorded by accelerometers on the buoy. These were compared to the long wavelength portion of the height spectra measured with the laser (for wavenumbers less than 0.6 rad/m). The noise in the laser height measurements is strongly correlated at high wavenumbers, a result of a spot size much larger than the separation between samples. The power in this noise makes a substantial contribution to the measured spectrum, and flat-surface measurements made over land and water were collected, in an attempt to separate the contribution of the laser range statistics from the ocean height statistics. Preliminary spectra, obtained on one day with calm seas, and another day with moderately rough seas, will be presented. The effect of the correlated noise in the laser range measurement will also be discussed.

Polydimethylsiloxane as dielectric and hydrophobic material in electro-wetting liquid lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Liang; Duan, Junping; Zhang, Binzhen; Wang, Wanjun

2016-10-01

An electro-wetting-based variable-focus liquid lens with a spin coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer is presented. The PDMS layer acts as both insulation and hydrophobic material of the liquid lens. By changing the applied voltage between the two electrodes, the radius of the water-oil contact curved surface is adjusted to realize the zoom function. In preparation process, at first, the liquid lens is divided into two parts, the PDMS substrate and the cavity, and then two parts of liquid lens are bonding together after surface treatment. After liquid injection and sealing cavity, the whole process was accomplished. The zooming performance of lens is tested, and COMSOL is used to analyze the shape of the water-oil contact curved surface at different voltages, the results shows that with the applied voltage changing from 0V to 120V, the height of meniscus vertex reduced from 2.41mm to 1.67mm, and the focal length changes from -14.3mm to infinity first, and then to 27.1mm.

Two-year water degradation of self-etching adhesives bonded to bur ground enamel.

PubMed

Abdalla, Ali I; Feilzer, Albert J

2009-01-01

To evaluate the effect of water storage on the microshear bond strength to ground enamel of three "all-in-one" self-etch adhesives: Futurabond DC, Clearfil S Tri Bond and Hybrid bond; a self-etching primer; Clearfil SE Bond and an etch-and-rinse adhesive system, Admira Bond. Sixty human molars were used. The root of each tooth was removed and the crown was sectioned into two halves. The convex enamel surfaces were reduced by polishing on silicon paper to prepare a flat surface that was roughened with a parallel-sided diamond bur with abundant water for five seconds. The bonding systems were applied on this surface. Prior to adhesive curing, a hollow cylinder (2.0 mm in height/0.75 mm in internal diameter) was placed on the treated surfaces and cured. A resin composite was then inserted into the tube and cured. For each adhesive, two procedures were carried out: A--the specimens were kept in water for 24 hours, then the tube was removed and the microshear bond strength was determined in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute; B--the specimens were stored in water for two-years before microshear testing. The fractured surface of the bonded specimens after each test procedure was examined by SEM. For the 24-hour control, there was no significant difference in bond strength between the tested adhesives. After two years of water storage, the bond strength of Admira Bond, Clearfil SE Bond and Futurabond DC decreased, but the reduction was not significantly different from that of 24 hours. For Clearfil S Tri Bond and Hybrid Bond, the bond strengths were significantly reduced compared to their 24-hour results.

Investigation of the Martian environment by infrared spectroscopy on Mariner 9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conrath, H. R.; Conrath, B. J.; Novis, W.; Kunde, V. G.; Lowman, P.; Maguire, W.; Pearl, J. C.; Pirraglia, J.; Prabhakara, C.; Schlachman, B.

1972-01-01

Measurements obtained during and after the planet-wide dust storm indicate that large diurnal variations in atmospheric temperature existed up to at least 30 km; winds inferred from the temperature fields show a strong tidal component and significant ageostrophic behavior. With the dissipation of the dust, the daily maximum in the atmospheric temperature field moved from approximately latitude -60 and late afternoon local time to near the subsolar point in latitude and time. Analysis of spectral features due to the atmospheric dust indicates as SIO2 content of 60 ? 10%, implying that substantial geochemical differentiation has occurred. Water vapor estimates indicate abundances of 10 to 20 precipitable micrometers. Between November 1971 and April 1972 no gross latitudinal or temporal dependence in the water vapor distribution was detected from the south polar region to the equator. Water vapor was not detected over the north polar regions. Surface pressure mapping was carried out from which topographic relief of nearly two pressure scale heights is inferred. Extensive regions were found where the surface pressure exceeds the triple point pressure of water.

Climate Variability, Melt-Flow Acceleration, and Ice Quakes at the Western Slope of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, K.; Zwally, J. H.; Rial, J. A.; Behar, A.; Huff, R.

2006-12-01

The Greenland ice sheet experienced surface melt increase over the past 15 years with record melt years in 1987, 1991, 1998, 2002 and 2005. For the western part of the ice sheet the melt area increased by 30 percent (1979-2005). Monthly mean air temperatures increased in spring and fall by 0.23 deg. C per year since 1990, extending the length of melt and total ablation. Winter air temperatures increased by as much as 0.5 deg. C per year during the past 15 years. The equilibrium line altitude ranged between 400 and 1530 m above sea level at 70 deg. north along the western slope of the ice sheet for the past 15 years, equaling a horizontal distance of 100 km. The ELA has been below the Swiss Camp (1100 m elevation) in the nineties, and since 1997 moved above the Swiss Camp height. An increase in ELA leads to an increase in melt water run-off which has been verified by regional model studies (high-resolution re-analysis). Interannual variability of snow accumulation varies from 0.3 to 2.0 m, whereas snow and ice ablation ranges from 0 to 1.5 m water equivalent at Swiss Camp during 1990-2005. A GPS network (10 stations) monitors ice velocity, acceleration, and surface height change at high temporal resolution throughout the year. The network covers a range of 500 and 1500 m above sea level, close to the Ilulissat Icefjord World Heritage region. The ice sheet continued to accelerate during the height of the melt season with short-term velocity increases up to 100 percent, and vertical uplift rates of 0.5 m. There seems to be a good correlation between the change in ice velocity and total surface melt, suggesting that melt water penetrates to great depth through moulins and cracks, lubricating the bottom of the ice sheet. A new bore-hole video movie will be shown from a 110 m deep moulin close to Swiss Camp. A PASSCAL array of 10 portable, 3-component seismic stations deployed around Swiss Camp from May to August 2006 detected numerous microearthquakes within the ice sheet and possibly at its contact with the underlying bedrock some 60 km to the south of Swiss Camp. The seismic data collected will be discussed.

El Niño rides again

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friebele, Elaine

Another weather-disrupting El Niño may be brewing in the Pacific Ocean, according to ocean measurements taken by NASA instruments on two orbiting satellites. Sea-surface height measurements taken by the radar altimeter on board the joint U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and wind data collected by the NASA scatterometer on Japan's Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) have been used together for the first time to predict changing weather conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean.El Niño occurs when steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and reverse direction, moving the mass of warm water near Australia eastward to the coast of South America. The displacement of the warm water mass alters the atmospheric jet stream and weather patterns around the world. The TOPEX/Poseidon satellite uses an altimeter to bounce radar signals off the ocean's surface to make precise measurements of the distance between the satellite and sea surface. Researchers then map the barely perceptible hills and valleys of the sea surface by combining these data with measurements pinpointing the satellite's exact location in space.

Adsorption heights and bonding strength of organic molecules on a Pb-Ag surface alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stadtmüller, Benjamin; Haag, Norman; Seidel, Johannes; van Straaten, Gerben; Franke, Markus; Kumpf, Christian; Cinchetti, Mirko; Aeschlimann, Martin

2016-12-01

The understanding of the fundamental geometric and electronic properties of metal-organic hybrid interfaces is a key issue on the way to improving the performance of organic electronic and spintronic devices. Here, we studied the adsorption heights of copper-II-phthalocyanine (CuPc) and 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) on a Pb1Ag2 surface alloy on Ag(111) using the normal-incidence x-ray standing waves technique. We find a significantly larger adsorption height of both molecules on the Pb-Ag surface alloy compared to the bare Ag(111) surface which is caused by the larger size of Pb. This increased adsorption height suppresses the partial chemical interaction of both molecules with Ag surface atoms. Instead, CuPc and PTCDA molecules bond only to the Pb atoms with different interaction strength ranging from a van der Waals-like interaction for CuPc to a weak chemical interaction with additional local bonds for PTCDA. The different adsorption heights for CuPc and PTCDA on Pb1Ag2 are the result of local site-specific molecule-surface bonds mediated by functional molecular groups and the different charge donating and accepting character of CuPc and PTCDA.

Inference of cirrus cloud properties using satellite-observed visible and infrared radiances. I - Parameterization of radiance fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Liou, Kuo-Nan; Takano, Yoshihide

1993-01-01

The impact of using phase functions for spherical droplets and hexagonal ice crystals to analyze radiances from cirrus is examined. Adding-doubling radiative transfer calculations are employed to compute radiances for different cloud thicknesses and heights over various backgrounds. These radiances are used to develop parameterizations of top-of-the-atmosphere visible reflectance and IR emittance using tables of reflectances as a function of cloud optical depth, viewing and illumination angles, and microphysics. This parameterization, which includes Rayleigh scattering, ozone absorption, variable cloud height, and an anisotropic surface reflectance, reproduces the computed top-of-the-atmosphere reflectances with an accruacy of +/- 6 percent for four microphysical models: 10-micron water droplet, small symmetric crystal, cirrostratus, and cirrus uncinus. The accuracy is twice that of previous models.

Distribution and decline of human pathogenic bacteria in soil after application in irrigation water and the potential for soil-splash-mediated dispersal onto fresh produce.

PubMed

Monaghan, J M; Hutchison, M L

2012-05-01

To improve our understanding of the survival and splash-mediated transfer of zoonotic agents and faecal indicator bacteria introduced into soils used for crop cultivation via contaminated irrigation waters. Zoonotic agents and an Escherichia coli marker bacterium were inoculated into borehole water, which was applied to two different soil types in early-, mid- and late summer. Decline of the zoonotic agents was influenced by soil type. Marker bacteria applied to columns of two soil types in irrigation water did not concentrate at the surface of the soils. Decline of zoonotic agents at the surface was influenced by soil type and environmental conditions. Typically, declines were rapid and bacteria were not detectable after 5 weeks. Selective agar strips were used to determine that the impact of water drops 24-87 μl could splash marker bacteria from soil surfaces horizontal distances of at least 25 cm and heights of 20 cm. Soil splash created by rain-sized water droplets can transfer enteric bacteria from soil to ready-to-eat crops. Persistence of zoonotic agents was reduced at the hottest part of the growing season when irrigation is most likely. Soil splash can cause crop contamination. We report the penetration depths and seasonally influenced declines of bacteria applied in irrigation water into two soil types. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Satellite-based estimates of surface water dynamics in the Congo River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, M.; Papa, F.; Frappart, F.; Alsdorf, D.; Calmant, S.; da Silva, J. Santos; Prigent, C.; Seyler, F.

2018-04-01

In the Congo River Basin (CRB), due to the lack of contemporary in situ observations, there is a limited understanding of the large-scale variability of its present-day hydrologic components and their link with climate. In this context, remote sensing observations provide a unique opportunity to better characterize those dynamics. Analyzing the Global Inundation Extent Multi-Satellite (GIEMS) time series, we first show that surface water extent (SWE) exhibits marked seasonal patterns, well distributed along the major rivers and their tributaries, and with two annual maxima located: i) in the lakes region of the Lwalaba sub-basin and ii) in the "Cuvette Centrale", including Tumba and Mai-Ndombe Lakes. At an interannual time scale, we show that SWE variability is influenced by ENSO and the Indian Ocean dipole events. We then estimate water level maps and surface water storage (SWS) in floodplains, lakes, rivers and wetlands of the CRB, over the period 2003-2007, using a multi-satellite approach, which combines the GIEMS dataset with the water level measurements derived from the ENVISAT altimeter heights. The mean annual variation in SWS in the CRB is 81 ± 24 km3 and contributes to 19 ± 5% of the annual variations of GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (33 ± 7% in the Middle Congo). It represents also ∼6 ± 2% of the annual water volume that flows from the Congo River into the Atlantic Ocean.

Estimation of surface soil moisture and roughness from multi-angular ASAR imagery in the Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (WATER)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S. G.; Li, X.; Han, X. J.; Jin, R.

2010-06-01

Radar remote sensing has demonstrated its applicability to the retrieval of basin-scale soil moisture. The mechanism of radar backscattering from soils is complicated and strongly influenced by surface roughness. Furthermore, retrieval of soil moisture using AIEM-like models is a classic example of the underdetermined problem due to a lack of credible known soil roughness distributions at a regional scale. Characterization of this roughness is therefore crucial for an accurate derivation of soil moisture based on backscattering models. This study aims to directly obtain surface roughness information along with soil moisture from multi-angular ASAR images. The method first used a semi-empirical relationship that connects the roughness slope (Zs) and the difference in backscattering coefficient (Δσ) from ASAR data in different incidence angles, in combination with an optimal calibration form consisting of two roughness parameters (the standard deviation of surface height and the correlation length), to estimate the roughness parameters. The deduced surface roughness was then used in the AIEM model for the retrieval of soil moisture. An evaluation of the proposed method was performed in a grassland site in the middle stream of the Heihe River Basin, where the Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (WATER) was taken place. It has demonstrated that the method is feasible to achieve reliable estimation of soil water content. The key challenge to surface soil moisture retrieval is the presence of vegetation cover, which significantly impacts the estimates of surface roughness and soil moisture.

Fully reprocessed ERS-1 altimeter data from 1992 to 1995: Feasibility of the detection of long term sea level change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anzenhofer, M.; Gruber, T.

1998-04-01

Global mean sea level observations are necessary to answer the urgent questions about climate changes and their impact on socio-economy. At GeoForschungsZentrum/Geman Processing and Archiving Facility ERS altimeter data is used to systematically generate geophysical products such as sea surface topography, high-resolution geoid and short- and long-period sea surface height models. On the basis of this experience, fully reprocessed ERS-1 altimeter data is used to generated a time series of monthly sea surface height models from April 1992 to April 1995. The reprocessing consists of improved satellite ephemerides, merging of Grenoble tidal model, and application of range corrections due to timing errors. With the new data set the TOPEX/POSEIDON prelaunch accuracy requirements are fulfilled. The 3-year time series is taken to estimate the rate of change of global mean sea level. A careful treatment of seasonal effects is considered. A masking of continents, sea ice, and suspect sea surface heights is chosen that is common for all sea surface height models. The obtained rate of change is compared to external results from tide gauge records and TOPEX/POSEIDON data. The relation of sea level changes and sea surface temperature variations is examined by means of global monthly sea surface temperature maps. Both global wind speed and wave height maps are investigated and correlated with sea surface heights and sea surface temperatures in order to find other indicators of climate variations. The obtained rate of changes of the various global maps is compared to an atmospheric CO2 anomaly record, which is highly correlated to El Niño events. The relatively short period of 3 years, however, does not allow definite conclusions with respect to possible long-term climate changes.

A new look at deep-sea video

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chezar, H.; Lee, J.

1985-01-01

A deep-towed photographic system with completely self-contained recording instrumentation and power can obtain color-video and still-photographic transects along rough terrane without need for a long electrically conducting cable. Both the video- and still-camera systems utilize relatively inexpensive and proven off-the-shelf hardware adapted for deep-water environments. The small instrument frame makes the towed sled an ideal photographic tool for use on ship or small-boat operations. The system includes a temperature probe and altimeter that relay data acoustically from the sled to the surface ship. This relay enables the operator to monitor simultaneously water temperature and the precise height off the bottom. ?? 1985.

Diagnosing Warm Season Precipitation Over the GCIP Region from a GCM and Reanalysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oglesby, Robert; Marshall, Susan; Roads, John; Robertson, Franklin R.

2000-01-01

A 45 year simulation using a global general circulation model (GCM), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model v.3 (CCM3), forced with observed sea surface temperatures (SST), and 39 years of global National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalyses were analyzed to determine Mississippi River basin warm season (May, June, July or MJJ) wet and dry year composites in the water and energy budgets. Years that have increased MJJ soil moisture over the GEWEX (Global Water and Energy Experiment) Continental Interior Project (GCIP) region also have high precipitation, lower surface temperature, decreased Bowen ratio, and reduced 500 hPa geopotential height (essentially reduced MJJ ridging). The reverse is true for years that have reduced MJJ soil moisture. Wet years are also accompanied by a general increase in moisture transport from the Gulf of Mexico into the central U.S. There is some indication (though weaker) that soil moisture may then affect precipitation and other quantities and be affected in turn by 500 hPa geopotential heights. The correlations are somewhat low, however, demonstrating the difficulty in providing definitive physical links between the remote and local effects. Analysis of two individual years with an extreme wet event (1993) and an extreme dry event (1988) yields the same general relationships as with the wet and dry composites. The composites from this study are currently serving as the basis for a series of experiments aimed at determining the predictability of the land surface and remote SST on the Mississippi River basin and other large-scale river basins.

Exploring microphysical, radiative, dynamic and thermodynamic processes driving fog and low stratus clouds using ground-based Lidar and Radar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haeffelin, Martial

2016-04-01

Radiation fog formation is largely influenced by the chemical composition, size and number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei and by heating/cooling and drying/moistening processes in a shallow mixing layer near the surface. Once a fog water layer is formed, its development and dissipation become predominantly controlled by radiative cooling/heating, turbulent mixing, sedimentation and deposition. Key processes occur in the atmospheric surface layer, directly in contact with the soil and vegetation, and throughout the atmospheric column. Recent publications provide detailed descriptions of these processes for idealized cases using very high-resolution models and proper representation of microphysical processes. Studying these processes in real fog situations require atmospheric profiling capabilities to monitor the temporal evolution of key parameters at several heights (surface, inside the fog, fog top, free troposphere). This could be done with in-situ sensors flown on tethered balloons or drones, during dedicated intensive field campaigns. In addition Backscatter Lidars, Doppler Lidars, Microwave Radiometers and Cloud Doppler Radars can provide more continuous, yet precise monitoring of key parameters throughout the fog life cycle. The presentation will describe how Backscatter Lidars can be used to study the height and kinetics of aerosol activation into fog droplets. Next we will show the potential of Cloud Doppler Radar measurements to characterize the temporal evolution of droplet size, liquid water content, sedimentation and deposition. Contributions from Doppler Lidars and Microwave Radiometers will be discussed. This presentation will conclude on the potential to use Lidar and Radar remote sensing measurements to support operational fog nowcasting.

Using Profiles of Water Vapor Flux to Characterize Turbulence in the Convective Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Kristy Jane

The 2015 Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) field campaign sought to increase understanding of mechanisms for nocturnal severe weather in the Great Plains of the United States. A collection of instruments from this field campaign, including a water vapor Differential LiDAR (Light Detection Imaging And Ranging) (DIAL) and 449 MHz radar wind profiler were used to measure water vapor flux in regions between 300 m and the convective boundary layer. Methods to properly sample eddies using eddy-covariance were established, where analysis showed that a 90-minute Reynold's averaging period was optimal to sample most eddies. Additionally, a case study was used to demonstrate the additional atmospheric parameters which can be calculated from profiles of water vapor flux, such as the water vapor flux convergence/divergence. Flux footprints calculated at multiple heights within the convective boundary layer also show how a surface based instrument is sampling a completely different source than one taking measurements above 300 m. This result is important, as it shows how measurements above the surface layer will not be expected to match with those taken within a few meters of the surface, especially if average surface features such as land use type and roughness length are significantly different. These calculated water vapor flux profile measurements provide a new tool to analyze boundary layer dynamics during the PECAN field campaign, and their relationships to PECAN's study areas such as mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), nocturnal low-level jets (NLLJs), elevated convective initiation, and the propagation of bores or wavelike features from nocturnal convective systems.

Influence of hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces on reducing aerodynamic insect residues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, K. Ghokulla; Milionis, Athanasios; Loth, Eric; Farrell, Thomas E.; Crouch, Jeffrey D.; Berry, Douglas H.

2017-01-01

Insect fouling during takeoff, climb and landing can result in increased drag and fuel consumption for aircrafts with laminar-flow surfaces. This study investigates the effectiveness of various hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces in reducing residue of insects on an aerodynamic surface at relatively high impact speeds (about 45 m/s). An experimental setup consisting of a wind tunnel and a method to inject live flightless fruit flies was used to test the effectiveness of various surfaces against insect fouling. Insect fouling was analyzed based on residue area and height from multiple impacts. In general most of the residue area was due to the hemolymph spreading while most of the residue height was due to adhesion of exoskeleton parts. Hydrophobic and especially superhydrophobic surfaces performed better than a hydrophilic aluminum surface in terms of minimizing the residue area of various insect components (exoskeleton, hemolymph, and red fluid). Surfaces with reduced wettability and short lateral length scales tended to have the smallest residue area. Residue height was not as strongly influenced by surface wettability since even a single exoskeleton adhered to the surface upon impact was enough to produce a residue height of the order of one mm. In general, the results indicate that hemolymph spread needs to be avoided (e.g. by having reduced wettability and short lateral correlation lengths) in order to minimize the residue area, while exoskeleton adherence needs to be avoided (e.g. by having oleophobic properties and micro/nano roughness) in order to minimize the residue height. In particular, two of the superhydrophobic coatings produced substantial reduction in residue height and area, relative to the baseline surface of aluminum. However, the surfaces also showed poor mechanical durability on the high-speed insect impact location. This suggests that although low wettability materials show great insect anti-fouling behavior, their durability needs to be substantially improved in order to withstand harsh aerospace conditions.

Detection of subsurface-intensified eddies from observations of the sea-surface: a case study for Mediterranean Water Eddies in a long-term high-resolution simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciani, Daniele; Carton, Xavier; Barbosa Aguiar, Ana Claudia; Peliz, Alvaro; Bashmachnikov, Igor; Ienna, Federico; Chapron, Bertrand

2017-04-01

Subsurface-intensified eddies are ubiquitous in the world ocean. They can be generated by exchanges of water masses between semi-enclosed evaporation basins and the open ocean or by deep convection. Past and recent studies have shown that these eddies are carriers of large amounts of heat and salt, that they are coherent over inter-annual timescales and that they can migrate for several thousands of miles from their origination areas towards the open ocean. Hence, subsurface-intensified eddies can influence the three-dimensional distribution of oceanic tracers at global scale. The synoptic knowledge of the eddies positions and mean pathways is then crucial for evaluating temperature and salinity budgets in the world ocean. At present day, satellite sensors constitute the ideal tool for the synoptic and global scale observations of the ocean. Since they only provide informations on the oceanic surface, we characterized the signatures that subsurface eddies generate at the sea-surface, to determine the extent to which they can be isolated from the surrounding surface turbulence and be considered as a trace of an underlying eddy. We studied the surface signature of subsurface-intensified anticyclones (Mediterranean Water Eddies - Meddies) in a realistic, long-term (20 years) and high resolution simulation (dx = 3 km) based on the ROMS model. The novelty and advantage of this approach is given by the simultaneous availability of the full 3D eddies characteristics, the ones of the background ocean and of the sea-surface (in terms of sea-surface height, temperature and salinity). This also allowed us to speculate on a synergy between different satellite observations for the automatic detection of subsurface eddies from space. The along trajectory properties and surface signatures of more than 90 long-lived Meddies were analyzed. We showed that the Meddies constantly generate positive anomalies in sea-surface height and that these anomalies are principally related to the Meddy potential vorticity structure at depth (around 1000 m below the sea-surface). Such anomalies were long-lived, mostly migrated exhibiting southwestward trajectories, their intensities were O(10 cm) and extended horizontally up to more than 300 km (around 1.5 times the Meddy diameter). On the other hand, the Meddies thermohaline surface signatures proved to be mostly dominated by the local surface conditions and their structure poorly correlated to the Meddy structure at depth (e.g. the Meddy volume-integrated salt and temperature content). These results point out that satellite altimetry is the most suitable approach to track subsurface-intensified eddies from observations of the sea-surface, also encouraging the use of future high-resolution altimetric observations (e.g. SWOT) to detect subsurface oceanic motions from satellite sensors.

Effect of barrier height on friction behavior of the semiconductors silicon and gallium arsenide in contact with pure metals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishina, H.; Buckley, D. H.

1984-01-01

Friction experiments were conducted for the semiconductors silicon and gallium arsenide in contact with pure metals. Polycrystalline titanium, tantalum, nickel, palladium, and platinum were made to contact a single crystal silicon (111) surface. Indium, nickel, copper, and silver were made to contact a single crystal gallium arsenide (100) surface. Sliding was conducted both in room air and in a vacuum of 10 to the minus 9th power torr. The friction of semiconductors in contact with metals depended on a Schottky barrier height formed at the metal semiconductor interface. Metals with a higher barrier height on semiconductors gave lower friction. The effect of the barrier height on friction behavior for argon sputtered cleaned surfaces in vacuum was more specific than that for the surfaces containing films in room air. With a silicon surface sliding on titanium, many silicon particles back transferred. In contrast, a large quantity of indium transferred to the gallium arsenide surface.

Significant Wave Height under Hurricane Irma derived from SAR Sentinel-1 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehner, S.; Pleskachevsky, A.; Soloviev, A.; Fujimura, A.

2017-12-01

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was with three major hurricanes a particular active one. The Category 4 hurricane Irma made landfall on the Florida Keys on September 10th 2017 and was imaged several times by ESAs Sentinel-1 satellites in C-band and the TerraSAR-X satellite in X-band. The high resolution TerraSAR-X imagery showed the footprint of individual tornadoes on the sea surface together with their turbulent wake imaged as a dark line due to increased turbulence. The water-cloud structures of the tornadoes are analyzed and their sea surface structure is compared to optical and IR cloud imagery. An estimate of the wind field using standard XMOD algorithms is provided, although saturating under the strong rain and high wind speed conditions. Imaging the hurricanes by space radar gives the opportunity to observe the sea surface and thus measure the wind field and the sea state under hurricane conditions through the clouds even in this severe weather, although rain features, which are usually not observed in SAR become visible due to damping effects. The Copernicus Sentinel-1 A and B satellites, which are operating in C-band provided several images of the sea surface under hurricane Irma, Jose and Maria. The data were acquired daily and converted into measurements of sea surface wind field u10 and significant wave height Hs over a swath width of 280km about 1000 km along the orbit. The wind field of the hurricanes as derived by CMOD is provided by NOAA operationally on their web server. In the hurricane cases though the wind speed saturates at 20 m/sec and is thus too low in the area of hurricane wind speed. The technique to derive significant wave height is new though and does not show any calibration issues. This technique provides for the first time measurements of the areal coverage and distribution of the ocean wave height as caused by a hurricane on SAR wide swath images. Wave heights up to 10 m were measured under the forward quadrant of the hurricane while making landfall on Cuba and the Florida Keys, where IRMA still hit as a category 3 to 4 hurricane. Results are compared to the WW3 model, which could not be validated over an area under strong and variable wind conditions before. A new theory on hurricane intensification based on Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is discussed and a first comparison to the SAR data is given.

Analyses of Sea Surface Height, Bottom Pressure and Acoustic Travel Time in the Japan/East Sea

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

ANALYSES OF SEA SURFACE HEIGHT, BOTTOM PRESSURE AND ACOUSTIC TRAVEL TIME IN THE JAPAN/EAST SEA BY YONGSHENG XU A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL...COVERED 00-00-2006 to 00-00-2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Analyses of Sea Surface Height, Bottom Pressure and Acoustic Travel Time in the Japan/East Sea...1999 to July 2001. The PIESs recorded hourly vertical acoustic travel time and pressure, which are respectively good proxies of baroclinic and

Time dependent genetic analysis links field and controlled environment phenotypes in the model C 4 grass Setaria

DOE PAGES

Feldman, Max J.; Paul, Rachel E.; Banan, Darshi; ...

2017-06-23

Vertical growth of plants is a dynamic process that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and has a pronounced effect on overall plant architecture and biomass composition. For this research, we have performed six controlled growth trials of an interspecific Setaria italica x Setaria viridis recombinant inbred line population to assess how the genetic architecture of plant height is influenced by developmental queues, water availability and planting density. The non-destructive nature of plant height measurements has enabled us to monitor height throughout the plant life cycle in both field and controlled environments. We find that plant height is reducedmore » under water limitation and high density planting and affected by growth environment (field vs. growth chamber). The results support a model where plant height is a heritable, polygenic trait and that the major genetic loci that influence plant height function independent of growth environment. The identity and contribution of loci that influence height changes dynamically throughout development and the reduction of growth observed in water limited environments is a consequence of delayed progression through the genetic program which establishes plant height in Setaria. In this population, alleles inherited from the weedy S. viridis parent act to increase plant height early, whereas a larger number of small effect alleles inherited from the domesticated S. italica parent collectively act to increase plant height later in development.« less

Time dependent genetic analysis links field and controlled environment phenotypes in the model C 4 grass Setaria

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

Feldman, Max J.; Paul, Rachel E.; Banan, Darshi

Vertical growth of plants is a dynamic process that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and has a pronounced effect on overall plant architecture and biomass composition. For this research, we have performed six controlled growth trials of an interspecific Setaria italica x Setaria viridis recombinant inbred line population to assess how the genetic architecture of plant height is influenced by developmental queues, water availability and planting density. The non-destructive nature of plant height measurements has enabled us to monitor height throughout the plant life cycle in both field and controlled environments. We find that plant height is reducedmore » under water limitation and high density planting and affected by growth environment (field vs. growth chamber). The results support a model where plant height is a heritable, polygenic trait and that the major genetic loci that influence plant height function independent of growth environment. The identity and contribution of loci that influence height changes dynamically throughout development and the reduction of growth observed in water limited environments is a consequence of delayed progression through the genetic program which establishes plant height in Setaria. In this population, alleles inherited from the weedy S. viridis parent act to increase plant height early, whereas a larger number of small effect alleles inherited from the domesticated S. italica parent collectively act to increase plant height later in development.« less

Time dependent genetic analysis links field and controlled environment phenotypes in the model C4 grass Setaria

PubMed Central

Paul, Rachel E.; Sebastian, Jose; Yee, Muh-Ching; Jiang, Hui; Lipka, Alexander E.; Brutnell, Thomas P.; Dinneny, José R.; Leakey, Andrew D. B.

2017-01-01

Vertical growth of plants is a dynamic process that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and has a pronounced effect on overall plant architecture and biomass composition. We have performed six controlled growth trials of an interspecific Setaria italica x Setaria viridis recombinant inbred line population to assess how the genetic architecture of plant height is influenced by developmental queues, water availability and planting density. The non-destructive nature of plant height measurements has enabled us to monitor height throughout the plant life cycle in both field and controlled environments. We find that plant height is reduced under water limitation and high density planting and affected by growth environment (field vs. growth chamber). The results support a model where plant height is a heritable, polygenic trait and that the major genetic loci that influence plant height function independent of growth environment. The identity and contribution of loci that influence height changes dynamically throughout development and the reduction of growth observed in water limited environments is a consequence of delayed progression through the genetic program which establishes plant height in Setaria. In this population, alleles inherited from the weedy S. viridis parent act to increase plant height early, whereas a larger number of small effect alleles inherited from the domesticated S. italica parent collectively act to increase plant height later in development. PMID:28644860

Time dependent genetic analysis links field and controlled environment phenotypes in the model C4 grass Setaria.

PubMed

Feldman, Max J; Paul, Rachel E; Banan, Darshi; Barrett, Jennifer F; Sebastian, Jose; Yee, Muh-Ching; Jiang, Hui; Lipka, Alexander E; Brutnell, Thomas P; Dinneny, José R; Leakey, Andrew D B; Baxter, Ivan

2017-06-01

Vertical growth of plants is a dynamic process that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and has a pronounced effect on overall plant architecture and biomass composition. We have performed six controlled growth trials of an interspecific Setaria italica x Setaria viridis recombinant inbred line population to assess how the genetic architecture of plant height is influenced by developmental queues, water availability and planting density. The non-destructive nature of plant height measurements has enabled us to monitor height throughout the plant life cycle in both field and controlled environments. We find that plant height is reduced under water limitation and high density planting and affected by growth environment (field vs. growth chamber). The results support a model where plant height is a heritable, polygenic trait and that the major genetic loci that influence plant height function independent of growth environment. The identity and contribution of loci that influence height changes dynamically throughout development and the reduction of growth observed in water limited environments is a consequence of delayed progression through the genetic program which establishes plant height in Setaria. In this population, alleles inherited from the weedy S. viridis parent act to increase plant height early, whereas a larger number of small effect alleles inherited from the domesticated S. italica parent collectively act to increase plant height later in development.

Evaluation of the Sentinel-3 Hydrologic Altimetry Processor prototypE (SHAPE) methods.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benveniste, J.; Garcia-Mondéjar, A.; Bercher, N.; Fabry, P. L.; Roca, M.; Varona, E.; Fernandes, J.; Lazaro, C.; Vieira, T.; David, G.; Restano, M.; Ambrózio, A.

2017-12-01

Inland water scenes are highly variable, both in space and time, which leads to a much broader range of radar signatures than ocean surfaces. This applies to both LRM and "SAR" mode (SARM) altimetry. Nevertheless the enhanced along-track resolution of SARM altimeters should help improve the accuracy and precision of inland water height measurements from satellite. The SHAPE project - Sentinel-3 Hydrologic Altimetry Processor prototypE - which is funded by ESA through the Scientific Exploitation of Operational Missions Programme Element (contract number 4000115205/15/I-BG) aims at preparing for the exploitation of Sentinel-3 data over the inland water domain. The SHAPE Processor implements all of the steps necessary to derive rivers and lakes water levels and discharge from Delay-Doppler Altimetry and perform their validation against in situ data. The processor uses FBR CryoSat-2 and L1A Sentinel-3A data as input and also various ancillary data (proc. param., water masks, L2 corrections, etc.), to produce surface water levels. At a later stage, water level data are assimilated into hydrological models to derive river discharge. This poster presents the improvements obtained with the new methods and algorithms over the regions of interest (Amazon and Danube rivers, Vanern and Titicaca lakes).

79. VIEW OF SPILLWAY THAT AUTOMATICALLY REGULATES HEIGHT OF WATER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

79. VIEW OF SPILLWAY THAT AUTOMATICALLY REGULATES HEIGHT OF WATER IN RESERVOIR, 'BACKWATER OVERFLOW,' Print No. 233, April 1904 - Electron Hydroelectric Project, Along Puyallup River, Electron, Pierce County, WA

An investigation of current and future satellite and in-situ data for the remote sensing of the land surface energy balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diak, George R.

1994-01-01

This final report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) summarizes a research program designed to improve our knowledge of the water and energy balance of the land surface through the application of remote sensing and in-situ data sources. The remote sensing data source investigations to be detailed involve surface radiometric ('skin') temperatures and also high-spectral-resolution infrared radiance data from atmospheric sounding instruments projected to be available at the end of the decade, which have shown promising results for evaluating the land-surface water and energy budget. The in-situ data types to be discussed are measurements of the temporal changes of the height of the planetary boundary layer and measurements of air temperature within the planetary boundary layer. Physical models of the land surface, planetary boundary layer and free atmosphere have been used as important tools to interpret the in-situ and remote sensing signals of the surface energy balance. A prototype 'optimal' system for combining multiple data sources into a three-dimensional estimate of the surface energy balance was developed and first results from this system will be detailed. Potential new sources of data for this system and suggested continuation research will also be discussed.

Surface signature of Mediterranean water eddies in a long-term high-resolution simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciani, D.; Carton, X.; Barbosa Aguiar, A. C.; Peliz, A.; Bashmachnikov, I.; Ienna, F.; Chapron, B.; Santoleri, R.

2017-12-01

We study the surface signatures of Mediterranean water eddies (Meddies) in the context of a regional, primitive equations model simulation (using the Regional Oceanic Modeling System, ROMS). This model simulation was previously performed to study the mean characteristics and pathways of Meddies during their evolution in the Atlantic Ocean. The advantage of our approach is to take into account different physical mechanisms acting on the evolution of Meddies and their surface signature, having full information on the 3D distribution of all physical variables of interest. The evolution of around 90 long-lived Meddies (whose lifetimes exceeded one year) was investigated. In particular, their surface signature was determined in sea-surface height, temperature and salinity. The Meddy-induced anomalies were studied as a function of the Meddy structure and of the oceanic background. We show that the Meddies can generate positive anomalies in the elevation of the oceanic free-surface and that these anomalies are principally related to the Meddies potential vorticity structure at depth (around 1000 m below the sea-surface). On the contrary, the Meddies thermohaline surface signatures proved to be mostly dominated by local surface conditions and little correlated to the Meddy structure at depth. This work essentially points out that satellite altimetry is the most suitable approach to track subsurface vortices from observations of the sea-surface.

The reflectivity, wettability and scratch durability of microsurface features molded in the injection molding process using a dynamic tool tempering system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, Sascha; Burr, August; Kübler, Michael; Deckert, Matthias; Bleesen, Christoph

2011-02-01

In this paper the replication qualities of periodically and randomly arranged micro-features molded in the injection molding process and their effects on surface properties are studied. The features are molded in PC, PMMA and PP at different mold wall temperatures in order to point out the necessity and profitability of a variotherm mold wall temperature control system. A one-dimensional heat conduction model is proposed to predict the cycle times of the variotherm injection molding processes. With regard to these processes, the molding results are compared to the molded surface feature heights using an atomic force microscope. In addition, the effects of the molded surface features on macroscopic surfaces are characterized in terms of light reflection using a spectrometer and in terms of water wettability by measuring the static contact angle. Furthermore, due to the sensitivity of the surface features on the molded parts, their durability is compared in a scratch test with a diamond tip. This leads to successful implementation in applications in which the optical appearance, in terms of gloss and reflection, and the water repellence, in terms of drag flow and adhesion, are of importance.

Non-Genomic Estrogen Regulation of Ion Transport and Airway Surface Liquid Dynamics in Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelium

PubMed Central

Saint-Criq, Vinciane; Kim, Sung Hoon; Katzenellenbogen, John A.; Harvey, Brian J.

2013-01-01

Male cystic fibrosis (CF) patients survive longer than females and lung exacerbations in CF females vary during the estrous cycle. Estrogen has been reported to reduce the height of the airway surface liquid (ASL) in female CF bronchial epithelium. Here we investigated the effect of 17β-estradiol on the airway surface liquid height and ion transport in normal (NuLi-1) and CF (CuFi-1) bronchial epithelial monolayers. Live cell imaging using confocal microscopy revealed that airway surface liquid height was significantly higher in the non-CF cells compared to the CF cells. 17β-estradiol (0.1–10 nM) reduced the airway surface liquid height in non-CF and CF cells after 30 min treatment. Treatment with the nuclear-impeded Estrogen Dendrimer Conjugate mimicked the effect of free estrogen by reducing significantly the airway surface liquid height in CF and non-CF cells. Inhibition of chloride transport or basolateral potassium recycling decreased the airway surface liquid height and 17β-estradiol had no additive effect in the presence of these ion transporter inhibitors. 17β-estradiol decreased bumetanide-sensitive transepithelial short-circuit current in non-CF cells and prevented the forskolin-induced increase in ASL height. 17β-estradiol stimulated an amiloride-sensitive transepithelial current and increased ouabain-sensitive basolateral short-circuit current in CF cells. 17β-estradiol increased PKCδ activity in CF and non-CF cells. These results demonstrate that estrogen dehydrates CF and non-CF ASL, and these responses to 17β-estradiol are non-genomic rather than involving the classical nuclear estrogen receptor pathway. 17β-estradiol acts on the airway surface liquid by inhibiting cAMP-mediated chloride secretion in non-CF cells and increasing sodium absorption via the stimulation of PKCδ, ENaC and the Na+/K+ATPase in CF cells. PMID:24223826

Measuring the greenhouse effect and radiative forcing through the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philipona, Rolf; Kräuchi, Andreas; Brocard, Emmanuel

2013-04-01

In spite of a large body of existing measurements of incoming shortwave solar radiation and outgoing longwave terrestrial radiation at the Earth's surface and at the top of the atmosphere, there are few observations documenting how radiation profiles change through the atmosphere - information that is necessary to fully quantify the greenhouse effect of the Earth's atmosphere. Using weather balloons and specific radiometer equipped radiosondes, we continuously measured shortwave and longwave radiation fluxes from the surface of the Earth up to altitudes of 35 kilometers in the upper stratosphere. Comparing radiation profiles from night measurements with different amounts of water vapor, we show evidence of large greenhouse forcing. We show, that under cloud free conditions, water vapor increases with Clausius-Clapeyron ( 7% / K), and longwave downward radiation at the surface increases by 8 Watts per square meter per Kelvin. The longwave net radiation however, shows a positive increase (downward) of 2.4 Watts per square meter and Kelvin at the surface, which decreases with height and shows a similar but negative increase (upward) at the tropopause. Hence, increased tropospheric water vapor increases longwave net radiation towards the ground and towards space, and produces a heating of 0.42 Kelvin per Watt per square meter at the surface. References: Philipona et al., 2012: Solar and thermal radiation profiles and radiative forcing measured through the atmosphere. Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L13806, doi: 10.1029/2012GL052087.

Golan Heights Groundwater Systems: Separation By REE+Y And Stable Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siebert, C.; Geyer, S.; Knoeller, K.; Roediger, T.; Weise, S.; Dulski, P.; Moeller, P.; Guttman, J.

2008-12-01

In a semi-arid to arid country like Israel, all freshwater resources are under (over-) utilization. Particularly, the Golan Heights rank as one of the most important extraction areas of groundwater of good quality and quantity. Additionally the mountain range feed to a high degree the most important freshwater reservoir of Israel, the Sea of Galilee. Hence, knowing the sources and characters of the Golan Heights groundwater systems is an instantaneous demand regarding sustainable management and protection. Within the "German-Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian Joint Research Program for the Sustainable Utilisation of Aquifer Systems", hundreds of water samples were taken from all over the Jordan-Dead Sea rift-system to understand groundwater flow-systems and salinisation. For that purpose, each sample was analysed for major and minor ions, rare earth elements including yttrium (REY) and stable isotopes of water (d18O, d2H). The REY distribution in groundwater is established during infiltration by the first water-rock interaction and consequently reflects the leachable components of sediments and rocks of the recharge area. In well- developed flow-systems, REY are adsorbed onto pore surfaces are in equilibrium with the percolating groundwater, even if the lithology changes (e.g. inter-aquifer flow). Thus, groundwater sampled from wells and springs still show the REY distribution pattern established in the recharge area. Since high temperatures do not occur in Golan Heights, d2H and d18O are less controlled by water-rock interaction than by climatic and geomorphological factors at the time of replenishment. Applying the REY signature as a grouping criterion of groundwaters, d18O vs. d2H plots yield a new dimension in interpreting isotope data. The combined use of hydrochemical and isotopic methods enabled us to contain the areas of replenishment and the flow-paths of all investigated groundwater in the Golan Heights. Despite location, salinity or temperature of spring or well waters, stable isotopes showed, that the main area of recharge is the elevated Hermon-Massif, with high annually precipitation amounts. The major element composition of fresh water well Alonei HaBashan 3, situated in the basaltic Upper Golan Heights, is defined by a pre-Neogenic limy aquifer and the contact to basalts. However, REY pattern refer to a calcareous infiltration area. Stable isotope signatures are lighter than in the recharge of comparable elevated Upper Galilee. Further to the south, in the Yarmouk gorge hot Mezar springs occur, which show stable isotope signatures even lighter than in water of Alonei Habshan 3. Both, REY pattern and hydrochemistry show infiltration into and contact to the Sr-rich limestone aquifer of the Mt. Scopus group. That adds up to an infiltration area some 50 km to the north, the nearest elevated area where carbonates crop out. Nearby Mezar, hot Hammat Gader springs occur, which show comparable isotopic signatures and hydrochemical composition. However, the REY-patterns indicate infiltration in basalts. By means of those three examples we could show, that the use of a combined hydrochemical and isotopic approach reveals complex and large-scale groundwater infiltration- and flow-systems much better than a focused view on a specific band of elements.

Wireless Monitoring of the Height of Condensed Water in Steam Pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Hyeong Jae; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Lih, Shyh-Shiuh; Badescu, Mircea; Dingizian, Arsham; Takano, Nobuyuki; Blosiu, Julian O.

2014-01-01

A wireless health monitoring system has been developed for determining the height of water condensation in the steam pipes and the data acquisition is done remotely using a wireless network system. The developed system is designed to operate in the harsh environment encountered at manholes and the pipe high temperature of over 200 °C. The test method is an ultrasonic pulse-echo and the hardware includes a pulser, receiver and wireless modem for communication. Data acquisition and signal processing software were developed to determine the water height using adaptive signal processing and data communication that can be controlled while the hardware is installed in a manhole. A statistical decision-making tool is being developed based on the field test data to determine the height of in the condensed water under high noise conditions and other environmental factors.

Tracking the Effect of Adatom Electronegativity on Systematically Modified AlGaN/GaN Schottky Interfaces.

PubMed

Reiner, Maria; Pietschnig, Rudolf; Ostermaier, Clemens

2015-10-21

The influence of surface modifications on the Schottky barrier height for gallium nitride semiconductor devices is frequently underestimated or neglected in investigations thereof. We show that a strong dependency of Schottky barrier heights for nickel/aluminum-gallium nitride (0001) contacts on the surface terminations exists: a linear correlation of increasing barrier height with increasing electronegativity of superficial adatoms is observed. The negatively charged adatoms compete with the present nitrogen over the available gallium (or aluminum) orbital to form an electrically improved surface termination. The resulting modification of the surface dipoles and hence polarization of the surface termination causes observed band bending. Our findings suggest that the greatest Schottky barrier heights are achieved by increasing the concentration of the most polarized fluorine-gallium (-aluminum) bonds at the surface. An increase in barrier height from 0.7 to 1.1 eV after a 15% fluorine termination is obtained with ideality factors of 1.10 ± 0.05. The presence of surface dipoles that are changing the surface energy is proven by the sessile drop method as the electronegativity difference and polarization influences the contact angle. The extracted decrease in the Lifshitz-van-der-Waals component from 48.8 to 40.4 mJ/m(2) with increasing electronegativity and concentration of surface adatoms confirms the presence of increasing surface dipoles: as the polarizability of equally charged anions decreases with increasing electronegativity, the diiodomethane contact angles increase significantly from 14° up to 39° after the 15% fluorine termination. Therefore, a linear correlation between increasing anion electronegativity of the (Al)GaN termination and total surface energy within a 95% confidence interval is obtained. Furthermore, our results reveal a generally strong Lewis basicity of (Al)GaN surfaces explaining the high chemical inertness of the surfaces.

[Acumen function in leaves and its vertical distribution in a tropical rain forest of Costa Rica].

PubMed

Farji-Brener, Alejandro G; Valverde, Oscar; Paolini, Leonardo; de los Angeles La Torre, María; Quintero, Estela; Bonaccorso, Elisa; Arnedo, Luisa; Villalobos, Richard

2002-06-01

Water retention on the leaf surface can be maladaptive to the plant because it increases the colonization of epiphylls and interferes with the physiologic processes of the leaf, diminishing the photosynthetic capacity. To test if leaf driptips facilitate leaf drying after rainfall in a tropical rain forest of Costa Rica, we (1) experimentally measured the capacity to retain water on leaf surfaces of 30 plant species before and after driptip removal, and (2) analyzed the development of driptips along forest strata. We expected leaf driptips to be less developed in the upper strata due to the environmental conditions of the canopy (i.e., high solar radiation, strong winds and low relative humidity), which favor the natural drying of leaves. The presence of driptips increased 100% the water run off capacity of leaves in all the analyzed species. Also, the development of leaf driptips was smaller in canopy species than in understory species. Additionally, they became less developed in canopy species as trees increased in height. These results support the hypothesis that the adaptive role of driptips is to facilitate the drying of leaf surfaces.

A note on the effect of wind waves on vertical mixing in Franks Tract, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, Janet K.; Jones, Nicole L.; Stephen G. Monismith,

2008-01-01

A one-dimensional numerical model that simulates the effects of whitecapping waves was used to investigate the importance of whitecapping waves to vertical mixing at a 3-meter-deep site in Franks Tract in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta over an 11-day period. Locally-generated waves of mean period approximately 2 s were generated under strong wind conditions; significant wave heights ranged from 0 to 0.3 m. A surface turbulent kinetic energy flux was used to model whitecapping waves during periods when wind speeds > 5 m s-1 (62% of observations). The surface was modeled as a wind stress log-layer for the remaining 38% of the observations. The model results demonstrated that under moderate wind conditions (5–8 m s-1 at 10 m above water level), and hence moderate wave heights, whitecapping waves provided the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy to only the top 10% of the water column. Under stronger wind (> 8 m s-1), and hence larger wave conditions, whitecapping waves provided the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy over a larger portion of the water column; however, this region extended to the bottom half of the water column for only 7% of the observation period. The model results indicated that phytoplankton concentrations close to the bed were unlikely to be affected by the whitecapping of waves, and that the formation of concentration boundary layers due to benthic grazing was unlikely to be disrupted by whitecapping waves. Furthermore, vertical mixing of suspended sediment was unlikely to be affected by whitecapping waves under the conditions experienced during the 11-day experiment. Instead, the bed stress provided by tidal currents was the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy over the bottom half of the water column for the majority of the 11-day period.

Influence of material surface on the scanning error of a powder-free 3D measuring system.

PubMed

Kurz, Michael; Attin, Thomas; Mehl, Albert

2015-11-01

This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of a powder-free three-dimensional (3D) measuring system (CEREC Omnicam, Sirona), when scanning the surface of a material at different angles. Additionally, the influence of water was investigated. Nine different materials were combined with human tooth surface (enamel) to create n = 27 specimens. These materials were: Controls (InCoris TZI and Cerec Guide Bloc), ceramics (Vitablocs® Mark II and IPS Empress CAD), metals (gold and amalgam) and composites (Tetric Ceram, Filtek Supreme A2B and A2E). The highly polished samples were scanned at different angles with and without water. The 216 scans were then analyzed and descriptive statistics were obtained. The height difference between the tooth and material surfaces, as measured with the 3D scans, ranged from 0.83 μm (±2.58 μm) to -14.79 μm (±3.45 μm), while the scan noise on the materials was between 3.23 μm (±0.79 μm) and 14.24 μm (±6.79 μm) without considering the control groups. Depending on the thickness of the water film, measurement errors in the order of 300-1,600 μm could be observed. The inaccuracies between the tooth and material surfaces, as well as the scan noise for the materials, were within the range of error for measurements used for conventional impressions and are therefore negligible. The presence of water, however, greatly affects the scan. The tested powder-free 3D measuring system can safely be used to scan different material surfaces without the prior application of a powder, although drying of the surface prior to scanning is highly advisable.

Study of role of meniscus and viscous forces during liquid-mediated contacts separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhital, Prabin

Menisci may form between two solid surfaces with the presence of an ultra-thin liquid film. When the separation operation is needed, meniscus and viscous forces contribute to an adhesion leading stiction, high friction, possibly high wear and potential failure of the contact systems, for instance microdevices, magnetic head disks and diesel fuel injectors. The situation may become more pronounced when the contacting surfaces are ultra-smooth and the normal load is small. Various design parameters, such as contact angle, initial separation height, surface tension and liquid viscosity, have been investigated during liquid-mediated contact separation. However, how the involved forces will change roles for various liquid is of interest and is necessary to be studied. In this study, meniscus and viscous forces due to water and liquid lubricants during separation of two flat surfaces are studied. Previously established mathematical model for meniscus and viscous forces during flat on flat contact separation is simulated. The effect of meniscus and viscous force on critical meniscus area at which those forces change role is studied with different liquid properties for flat on flat contact surfaces. The roles of the involved forces at various meniscus areas are analyzed. Experiments are done in concerns to studying the effect of surface roughness on contact angle. The impact of liquid properties, initial separation heights and contact angle on critical meniscus area for different liquid properties are analyzed. The study provides a fundamental understanding of the forces of the separation process and its value for the design of interfaces. The effect of surface roughness and liquid properties on contact angle are studied.

Development of a New Model for Accurate Prediction of Cloud Water Deposition on Vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katata, G.; Nagai, H.; Wrzesinsky, T.; Klemm, O.; Eugster, W.; Burkard, R.

2006-12-01

Scarcity of water resources in arid and semi-arid areas is of great concern in the light of population growth and food shortages. Several experiments focusing on cloud (fog) water deposition on the land surface suggest that cloud water plays an important role in water resource in such regions. A one-dimensional vegetation model including the process of cloud water deposition on vegetation has been developed to better predict cloud water deposition on the vegetation. New schemes to calculate capture efficiency of leaf, cloud droplet size distribution, and gravitational flux of cloud water were incorporated in the model. Model calculations were compared with the data acquired at the Norway spruce forest at the Waldstein site, Germany. High performance of the model was confirmed by comparisons of calculated net radiation, sensible and latent heat, and cloud water fluxes over the forest with measurements. The present model provided a better prediction of measured turbulent and gravitational fluxes of cloud water over the canopy than the Lovett model, which is a commonly used cloud water deposition model. Detailed calculations of evapotranspiration and of turbulent exchange of heat and water vapor within the canopy and the modifications are necessary for accurate prediction of cloud water deposition. Numerical experiments to examine the dependence of cloud water deposition on the vegetation species (coniferous and broad-leaved trees, flat and cylindrical grasses) and structures (Leaf Area Index (LAI) and canopy height) are performed using the presented model. The results indicate that the differences of leaf shape and size have a large impact on cloud water deposition. Cloud water deposition also varies with the growth of vegetation and seasonal change of LAI. We found that the coniferous trees whose height and LAI are 24 m and 2.0 m2m-2, respectively, produce the largest amount of cloud water deposition in all combinations of vegetation species and structures in the experiments.

Hemolymph drop impact outcomes on surfaces with varying wettability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milionis, Athanasios; Ghokulla Krishnan, K.; Loth, Eric

2015-08-01

Insect fouling from coagulated hemolymph and exoskeleton parts is a major challenge in the aerospace industry for the next generation of aerodynamic surfaces, which will employ laminar flow that requires extremely smooth surfaces. However, the wetting physics and dynamics of hemolymph (insect blood) on surfaces are not well understood. The present study seeks to gain a fundamental insight on the effect of surface wetting characteristics and dynamics resulting from a hemolymph drop impact, the first such study. In particular, hemolymph drops extracted from Acheta domesticus were dispensed from a range of heights to vary the kinetic impact on surfaces, which had widely varying water wetting behavior (from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic). The impact dynamics were investigated with high-speed imaging while the dried residues were studied with optical microscopy. It was found that a superhydrophobic surface (based on thermoplastic with silica nano-particles) was able to significantly reduce hemolymph drop spreading, and even provide complete rebound when impacting on inclined surfaces.

Wakes from submerged obstacles in an open channel flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Geoffrey B.; Marmorino, George; Dong, Charles; Miller, W. D.; Mied, Richard

2015-11-01

Wakes from several submerged obstacles are examined via airborne remote sensing. The primary focus will be bathymetric features in the tidal Potomac river south of Washington, DC, but others may be included as well. In the Potomac the water depth is nominally 10 m with an obstacle height of 8 m, or 80% of the depth. Infrared imagery of the water surface reveals thermal structure suitable both for interpretation of the coherent structures and for estimating surface currents. A novel image processing technique is used to generate two independent scenes with a known time offset from a single overpass from the infrared imagery, suitable for velocity estimation. Color imagery of the suspended sediment also shows suitable texture. Both the `mountain wave' regime and a traditional turbulent wake are observed, depending on flow conditions. Results are validated with in-situ ADCP transects. A computational model is used to further interpret the results.

Heterogeneous porous structures for the fastest liquid absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shou, Dahua; Ye, Lin; Fan, Jintu

2013-08-01

Engineered porous materials, which have fast absorption of liquids under global constraints (e.g. volume, surface area, or cost of the materials), are useful in many applications including moisture management fabrics, medical wound dressings, paper-based analytical devices, liquid molding composites, etc.. The absorption in capillary tubes and porous media is driven by the surface tension of liquid, which is inversely proportional to the pore size. On the contrary, the ability of conduction (or permeability) of liquid in porous materials is linear with the square of pore size. Both mechanisms superimpose with each other leading to a possibility of the fastest absorption for a porous structure. In this work, we explore the flow behaviors for the fastest absorption using heterogeneous porous architectures, from two-portion tubes to two-layer porous media. The absorption time for filling up the voids in these porous materials is expressed in terms of pore size, height and porosity. It is shown that under the given height and void volume, these two-component porous structures with a negative gradient of pore size/porosity against the imbibition direction, have a faster absorption rate than controlled samples with uniform pore size/porosity. Particularly, optimal structural parameters including pore size, height and porosity are found for the minimum absorption time. The obtained results will be used as a priori for the design of porous structures with excellent water absorption and moisture management property in various fields.

Large-Area Fabrication of Droplet Pancake Bouncing Surface and Control of Bouncing State.

PubMed

Song, Jinlong; Gao, Mingqian; Zhao, Changlin; Lu, Yao; Huang, Liu; Liu, Xin; Carmalt, Claire J; Deng, Xu; Parkin, Ivan P

2017-09-26

Superhydrophobic pillar arrays, which can generate the droplet pancake bouncing phenomenon with reduced liquid-solid contact time, have huge application prospects in anti-icing of aircraft wings from freezing rain. However, the previously reported pillar arrays, suitable for obtaining pancake bouncing, have a diameter ≤100 μm and height-diameter ratio >10, which are difficult to fabricate over a large area. Here, we have systematically studied the influence of the dimension of the superhydrophobic pillar arrays on the bouncing dynamics of water droplets. We show that the typical pancake bouncing with 57.8% reduction in contact time with the surface was observed on the superhydrophobic pillar arrays with 1.05 mm diameter, 0.8 mm height, and 0.25 mm space. Such pillar arrays with millimeter diameter and <1 height-diameter ratio can be easily fabricated over large areas. Further, a simple replication-spraying method was developed for the large-area fabrication of the superhydrophobic pillar arrays to induce pancake bouncing. No sacrificial layer was needed to reduce the adhesion in the replication processes. Since the bouncing dynamics were rather sensitive to the space between the pillars, a method to control the contact time, bouncing shape, horizontal bouncing direction, and reversible switch between pancake bouncing and conventional bouncing was realized by adjusting the inclination angle of the shape memory polymer pillars.

Unprecedented covalently attached ATRP initiator onto OH-functionalized mica surfaces.

PubMed

Lego, Béatrice; Skene, W G; Giasson, Suzanne

2008-01-15

Mica substrates were activated by a plasma method leading to OH-functionalized surfaces to which an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) radical initiator was covalently bound using standard siloxane protocols. The unprecedented covalently immobilized initiator underwent radical polymerization with tert-butyl acrylate, yielding for the first time end-grafted polymer brushes that are covalently linked to mica. The initiator grafting on the mica substrate was confirmed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), while the change in the water contact angle of the OH-activated mica surface was used to follow the change in surface coverage of the initiator on the surface. The polymer brush and initiator film thicknesses relative to the virgin mica were confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This was done by comparing the atomic step-height difference between a protected area of freshly cleaved mica and a zone exposed to plasma activation, initiator immobilization, and then ATRP.

Correction of localized shape errors on optical surfaces by altering the localized density of surface or near-surface layers

DOEpatents

Taylor, John S.; Folta, James A.; Montcalm, Claude

2005-01-18

Figure errors are corrected on optical or other precision surfaces by changing the local density of material in a zone at or near the surface. Optical surface height is correlated with the localized density of the material within the same region. A change in the height of the optical surface can then be caused by a change in the localized density of the material at or near the surface.

From density to interface fluctuations: The origin of wavelength dependence in surface tension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiester, Thorsten

2008-12-01

The height-height correlation function for a fluctuating interface between two coexisting bulk phases is derived by means of general equilibrium properties of the corresponding density-density correlation function. A wavelength-dependent surface tension γ(q) can be defined and expressed in terms of the direct correlation function c(r,r') , the equilibrium density profile ρ0(r) , and an operator which relates density to surface configurations. Neither the concept of an effective interface Hamiltonian nor the difference in pressure is needed to determine the general structure of the height-height correlations or γ(q) , respectively. This result generalizes the Mecke-Dietrich surface tension γMD(q) [Phys. Rev. E 59, 6766 (1999)] and modifies recently published criticism concerning γMD(q) [Tarazona, Checa, and Chacón, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 196101 (2007)].

Estimation of the optical errors on the luminescence imaging of water for proton beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yabe, Takuya; Komori, Masataka; Horita, Ryo; Toshito, Toshiyuki; Yamamoto, Seiichi

2018-04-01

Although luminescence imaging of water during proton-beam irradiation can be applied to range estimation, the height of the Bragg peak of the luminescence image was smaller than that measured with an ionization chamber. We hypothesized that the reasons of the difference were attributed to the optical phenomena; parallax errors of the optical system and the reflection of the luminescence from the water phantom. We estimated the errors cause by these optical phenomena affecting the luminescence image of water. To estimate the parallax error on the luminescence images, we measured the luminescence images during proton-beam irradiation using a cooled charge-coupled camera by changing the heights of the optical axis of the camera from those of the Bragg peak. When the heights of the optical axis matched to the depths of the Bragg peak, the Bragg peak heights in the depth profiles were the highest. The reflection of the luminescence of water with a black wall phantom was slightly smaller than that with a transparent phantom and changed the shapes of the depth profiles. We conclude that the parallax error significantly affects the heights of the Bragg peak and the reflection of the phantom affects the shapes of depth profiles of the luminescence images of water.

Magnitude and frequency of flooding on the Myakka River, Southwest Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hammett, K.M.; Turner, J.F.; Murphy, W.R.

1978-01-01

Increasing numbers of urban and agricultural developments are being located on waterfront property in the Myakka River flood plain in southwest Florida. Under natural conditions, a large depression, Tatum Sawgrass, was available as a flood storage area in the upper Myakka River basin. Construction of dikes across the lower part of Tatum Sawgrass has restricted use of the depression for temporary storage of Myakka River flood water overflow, and has resulted in increased flood-peak discharges and flood heights in downstream reaches of the Myakka River. The difference between natural and diked condition flood-peak discharges and flood heights is presented to illustrate the effects of the dikes. Flood-peak discharges, water-surface elevations and flood profiles also are provided for diked conditions. Analytical procedures used to evaluate diking effects are described in detail. The study reach includes Myakka River main stem upstream from U.S. Highway 41, near Myakka Shores in Sarasota County, to State Road 70 near Myakka City in Manatee County (including Tatum Sawgrass and Clay Gully), and Blackburn Canal from Venice By-Way to Myakka River. (Woodard-USGS)

Direct numerical simulation of flow over dissimilar, randomly distributed roughness elements: A systematic study on the effect of surface morphology on turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forooghi, Pourya; Stroh, Alexander; Schlatter, Philipp; Frohnapfel, Bettina

2018-04-01

Direct numerical simulations are used to investigate turbulent flow in rough channels, in which topographical parameters of the rough wall are systematically varied at a fixed friction Reynolds number of 500, based on a mean channel half-height h and friction velocity. The utilized roughness generation approach allows independent variation of moments of the surface height probability distribution function [thus root-mean-square (rms) surface height, skewness, and kurtosis], surface mean slope, and standard deviation of the roughness peak sizes. Particular attention is paid to the effect of the parameter Δ defined as the normalized height difference between the highest and lowest roughness peaks. This parameter is used to understand the trends of the investigated flow variables with departure from the idealized case where all roughness elements have the same height (Δ =0 ). All calculations are done in the fully rough regime and for surfaces with high slope (effective slope equal to 0.6-0.9). The rms roughness height is fixed for all cases at 0.045 h and the skewness and kurtosis of the surface height probability density function vary in the ranges -0.33 to 0.67 and 1.9 to 2.6, respectively. The goal of the paper is twofold: first, to investigate the possible effect of topographical parameters on the mean turbulent flow, Reynolds, and dispersive stresses particularly in the vicinity of the roughness crest, and second, to investigate the possibility of using the wall-normal turbulence intensity as a physical parameter for parametrization of the flow. Such a possibility, already suggested for regular roughness in the literature, is here extended to irregular roughness.

Sea surface height evidence for long-term warming effects of tropical cyclones on the ocean

PubMed Central

Mei, Wei; Primeau, François; McWilliams, James C.; Pasquero, Claudia

2013-01-01

Tropical cyclones have been hypothesized to influence climate by pumping heat into the ocean, but a direct measure of this warming effect is still lacking. We quantified cyclone-induced ocean warming by directly monitoring the thermal expansion of water in the wake of cyclones, using satellite-based sea surface height data that provide a unique way of tracking the changes in ocean heat content on seasonal and longer timescales. We find that the long-term effect of cyclones is to warm the ocean at a rate of 0.32 ± 0.15 PW between 1993 and 2009, i.e., ∼23 times more efficiently per unit area than the background equatorial warming, making cyclones potentially important modulators of the climate by affecting heat transport in the ocean–atmosphere system. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the rate of warming increases with cyclone intensity. This, together with a predicted shift in the distribution of cyclones toward higher intensities as climate warms, suggests the ocean will get even warmer, possibly leading to a positive feedback. PMID:23922393

Sea surface height evidence for long-term warming effects of tropical cyclones on the ocean.

PubMed

Mei, Wei; Primeau, François; McWilliams, James C; Pasquero, Claudia

2013-09-17

Tropical cyclones have been hypothesized to influence climate by pumping heat into the ocean, but a direct measure of this warming effect is still lacking. We quantified cyclone-induced ocean warming by directly monitoring the thermal expansion of water in the wake of cyclones, using satellite-based sea surface height data that provide a unique way of tracking the changes in ocean heat content on seasonal and longer timescales. We find that the long-term effect of cyclones is to warm the ocean at a rate of 0.32 ± 0.15 PW between 1993 and 2009, i.e., ∼23 times more efficiently per unit area than the background equatorial warming, making cyclones potentially important modulators of the climate by affecting heat transport in the ocean-atmosphere system. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the rate of warming increases with cyclone intensity. This, together with a predicted shift in the distribution of cyclones toward higher intensities as climate warms, suggests the ocean will get even warmer, possibly leading to a positive feedback.

Modeling Green Infrastructure Land Use Changes on Future Air Quality—Case Study in Kansas City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Bash, J. O.; Roselle, S. J.; Gilliland, A. B.; Shatas, A.; DeYoung, R.; Piziali, J.

2016-12-01

Green infrastructure can be a cost-effective approach for reducing stormwater runoff and improving water quality as a result, but it could also bring co-benefits for air quality: less impervious surfaces and more vegetation can decrease the urban heat island effect, and also result in more removal of air pollutants via dry deposition with increased vegetative surfaces. Cooler surface temperatures can also decrease ozone formation through the increases of NOx titration; however, cooler surface temperatures also lower the height of the boundary layer resulting in more concentrated pollutants within the same volume of air, especially for primary emitted pollutants (e.g. NOx, CO, primary particulate matter). To better understand how green infrastructure impacts air quality, the interactions between all of these processes must be considered collectively. In this study, we use a comprehensive coupled meteorology-air quality model (WRF-CMAQ) to simulate the influence of planned land use changes that include green infrastructure in Kansas City (KC) on regional meteorology and air quality. Current and future land use data was provided by the Mid-America Regional Council for 2012 and 2040 (projected land use due to population growth, city planning and green infrastructure implementation). We found that the average 2-meter temperatures (T2) during summer (June, July and August) are projected to slightly decrease over the downtown of KC and slightly increase over the newly developed regions surrounding the urban core. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) height changes are consistent with the T2 changes: the PBL height is somewhat lowered over the downtown and raised over the newly developed areas. We also saw relatively small decreases in O3 in the downtown area for the mean of all hours as well as for the maximum 8 hour average (MDA8), corresponding with the changes in T2 and PBL height. However, we also found relatively small PM2.5 concentration increases over KC, especially over the downtown areas, with the largest contribution from components of organic carbon, elementary carbon, non-anion dust, and unspeciated PM. More diagnostic analysis is needed to further investigate how these land use changes affect different processes (such as the dry deposition).

The limits to tree height.

PubMed

Koch, George W; Sillett, Stephen C; Jennings, Gregory M; Davis, Stephen D

2004-04-22

Trees grow tall where resources are abundant, stresses are minor, and competition for light places a premium on height growth. The height to which trees can grow and the biophysical determinants of maximum height are poorly understood. Some models predict heights of up to 120 m in the absence of mechanical damage, but there are historical accounts of taller trees. Current hypotheses of height limitation focus on increasing water transport constraints in taller trees and the resulting reductions in leaf photosynthesis. We studied redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), including the tallest known tree on Earth (112.7 m), in wet temperate forests of northern California. Our regression analyses of height gradients in leaf functional characteristics estimate a maximum tree height of 122-130 m barring mechanical damage, similar to the tallest recorded trees of the past. As trees grow taller, increasing leaf water stress due to gravity and path length resistance may ultimately limit leaf expansion and photosynthesis for further height growth, even with ample soil moisture.

Using ship-borne GNSS data for geoid model validation at the Baltic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordman, Maaria; Kuokkanen, Jaakko; Bilker-Koivula, Mirjam; Koivula, Hannu; Häkli, Pasi; Lahtinen, Sonja

2017-04-01

We present a study of geoid model validation using ship-borne GNSS data on the Bothnian Bay of the Baltic Sea. In autumn 2015 a dedicated gravity survey took place in the Bothnian Bay on board of the surveying vessel Airisto as a part of the FAMOS (Finalising surveys for the Baltic motorways of the sea) Freja project, which is supported by the European Commission with the Connecting Europe Facility. The gravity data was collected to test older existing gravity data in the area and to contribute to a new improved geoid model for the Baltic Sea. The raw GNSS and IMU data of the vessel were recorded in order to study the possibilities for validating geoid models at sea. In order to derive geoid heights from GNSS-measurements at sea, the GNSS measurements must first be reduced to sea level. The instant sea level, also called sea surface height, must then be modelled and removed in order to get the GNSS positions at the zero height. In theory, the resulting GNSS heights are the geoid heights, giving the distance between the ellipsoid and the geoid surface. There were altogether 46 lines measured during the campaign on the area. The 1 Hz GNSS-IMU observations were post-processed using the Applanix POSPac MMS 7.1 software. Different processing options were tested and the Single Base -solution was found to be the best strategy. There were some issues with the quality of the data and cycle slips and thus, 37 of the lines were of adequate quality for the geoid validation. The final coordinates were transferred to the coordinate systems related to the geoid models used. Translation of the processed heights to sea level was performed taking the pitch and roll effects of the vessel into account. Also the effects of static and dynamic draft (squat) were applied. For the reduction from sea surface to geoid surface, the sea surface heights were derived from tide gauge data and also from a physical model for the Baltic Sea. The residual errors between the GNSS-derived geoid heights and geoid heights from geoid models were as low as 2 mm on some lines. When the overall mean is taken from the mean of all lines, the lowest value of 2.1 cm, was achieved using a physical model for the sea surface and comparing with the NKG2015 geoid model. The NKG2015 model together with the tide gauge sea surface yield 3.1 cm. Comparing with Finnish geoid model gave 3.7 and 4.7 cm for the physical model and tide gauge surfaces, respectively. The mean standard deviations were below 5 cm, when the data was filtered with a 10 min. moving average. Thus, it can be said that with high quality GNSS solution and enough information on the coordinate systems, vessel movements and the sea surface heights, geoid heights can be recovered from GNSS observations at sea.

Seasonal variability of the Red Sea, from satellite gravity, radar altimetry, and in situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahr, John; Smeed, David A.; Leuliette, Eric; Swenson, Sean

2014-08-01

Seasonal variations of sea surface height (SSH) and mass within the Red Sea are caused mostly by exchange of heat with the atmosphere and by flow through the strait opening into the Gulf of Aden to the south. That flow involves a net mass transfer into the Red Sea during fall and out during spring, though in summer there is an influx of cool water at intermediate depths. Thus, summer water in the south is warmer near the surface due to higher air temperatures, but cooler at intermediate depths. Summer water in the north experiences warming by air-sea exchange only. The temperature affects water density, which impacts SSH but has no effect on mass. We study this seasonal cycle by combining GRACE mass estimates, altimeter SSH measurements, and steric contributions derived from the World Ocean Atlas temperature climatology. Among our conclusions are: mass contributions are much larger than steric contributions; the mass is largest in winter, consistent with winds pushing water into the Red Sea in fall and out during spring; the steric signal is largest in summer, consistent with surface warming; and the cool, intermediate-depth water flowing into the Red Sea in spring has little impact on the steric signal, because contributions from the lowered temperature are offset by effects of decreased salinity. The results suggest that the combined use of altimeter and GRACE measurements can provide a useful alternative to in situ data for monitoring the steric signal.

Eddy-Covariance Observations and Large-Eddy-Simulations of Near-Shore Fluxes from Water Bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohrer, G.; Rey Sanchez, C.; Kenny, W.; Morin, T. H.

2017-12-01

Eddy covariance (EC) measurement techniques are increasingly used in the study of lakes and coastal ecosystems. The sharp water-shore transitions in energy forcing and surface roughness are challenging the validity of the EC approach at these sites. We discuss the results of two seasonal campaigns to measure CO2 and water-vapor fluxes in coastal environments - a small lake in Michigan, and the water over a coral reef in the Red, Sea, Israel. We show that in both environments, horizontal advection of CO2 and water vapor is responsible to a non-negligible component of the total flux to/from the water. We used a two-tower approach to measure fluxes from the water and from the shore and calculate the advection and flux divergence between the two. An empirical footprint model was used to filter the observations and keep only the times when interference from the shore-line transition is minimal. Observations of both vertical turbulent fluxes and advection were gapfilled with a neural-network model, based on their observed relationships with environmental forcing. Gap-filled observations were used to determine the seasonal net fluxes for the tow ecosystems. We used Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) to conduct a case study of airflow patterns associated with a small inland lake surrounded by forest (i.e. radius of lake only ten times the height of the forest). We combined LES outputs with scalar dispersion simulations to model potential biases in EC flux measurements due to the heterogeneity of surface fluxes and vertical advection. Our simulations show that the lake-to-forest transition can induce a non-zero vertical wind component, which will strongly affect the interpretation of wind and flux measurements. Furthermore, significant horizontal gradients of CO2 are generated by the forest carbon sink and lake carbon source, which are further transported by local roughness-induced circulation. We simulated six hypothetical flux tower locations along a downwind gradient at various heights and calculated the effects of both average vertical advection and average turbulent flux divergence of CO2 at each.

Implementation of Combined Feather and Surface-Normal Ice Growth Models in LEWICE/X

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Velazquez, M. T.; Hansman, R. J., Jr.

1995-01-01

Experimental observations have shown that discrete rime ice growths called feathers, which grow in approximately the direction of water droplet impingement, play an important role in the growth of ice on accreting surfaces for some thermodynamic conditions. An improved physical model of ice accretion has been implemented in the LEWICE 2D panel-based ice accretion code maintained by the NASA Lewis Research Center. The LEWICE/X model of ice accretion explicitly simulates regions of feather growth within the framework of the LEWICE model. Water droplets impinging on an accreting surface are withheld from the normal LEWICE mass/energy balance and handled in a separate routine; ice growth resulting from these droplets is performed with enhanced convective heat transfer approximately along droplet impingement directions. An independent underlying ice shape is grown along surface normals using the unmodified LEWICE method. The resulting dual-surface ice shape models roughness-induced feather growth observed in icing wind tunnel tests. Experiments indicate that the exact direction of feather growth is dependent on external conditions. Data is presented to support a linear variation of growth direction with temperature and cloud water content. Test runs of LEWICE/X indicate that the sizes of surface regions containing feathers are influenced by initial roughness element height. This suggests that a previous argument that feather region size is determined by boundary layer transition may be incorrect. Simulation results for two typical test cases give improved shape agreement over unmodified LEWICE.

Stand density, tree social status and water stress influence allocation in height and diameter growth of Quercus petraea (Liebl.).

PubMed

Trouvé, Raphaël; Bontemps, Jean-Daniel; Seynave, Ingrid; Collet, Catherine; Lebourgeois, François

2015-10-01

Even-aged forest stands are competitive communities where competition for light gives advantages to tall individuals, thereby inducing a race for height. These same individuals must however balance this competitive advantage with height-related mechanical and hydraulic risks. These phenomena may induce variations in height-diameter growth relationships, with primary dependences on stand density and tree social status as proxies for competition pressure and access to light, and on availability of local environmental resources, including water. We aimed to investigate the effects of stand density, tree social status and water stress on the individual height-circumference growth allocation (Δh-Δc), in even-aged stands of Quercus petraea Liebl. (sessile oak). Within-stand Δc was used as surrogate for tree social status. We used an original long-term experimental plot network, set up in the species production area in France, and designed to explore stand dynamics on a maximum density gradient. Growth allocation was modelled statistically by relating the shape of the Δh-Δc relationship to stand density, stand age and water deficit. The shape of the Δh-Δc relationship shifted from linear with a moderate slope in open-grown stands to concave saturating with an initial steep slope in closed stands. Maximum height growth was found to follow a typical mono-modal response to stand age. In open-grown stands, increasing summer soil water deficit was found to decrease height growth relative to radial growth, suggesting hydraulic constraints on height growth. A similar pattern was found in closed stands, the magnitude of the effect however lowering from suppressed to dominant trees. We highlight the high phenotypic plasticity of growth in sessile oak trees that further adapt their allocation scheme to their environment. Stand density and tree social status were major drivers of growth allocation variations, while water stress had a detrimental effect on height in the Δh-Δc allocation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

EPIC Radiance Simulator for Deep Space Climate ObserVatoRy (DSCOVR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyapustin, Alexei; Marshak, Alexander; Wang, Yujie; Korkin, Sergey; Herman, Jay

2011-01-01

The Deep Space Climate ObserVatoRy (DSCOVR) is a planned space weather mission for the Sun and Earth observations from the Lagrangian L1 point. Onboard of DSCOVR is a multispectral imager EPIC designed for unique observations of the full illuminated disk of the Earth with high temporal and 10 km spatial resolution. Depending on latitude, EPIC will observe the same Earth surface area during the course of the day in a wide range of solar and view zenith angles in the backscattering view geometry with the scattering angle of 164-172 . To understand the information content of EPIC data for analysis of the Earth clouds, aerosols and surface properties, an EPIC radiance Simulator was developed covering the UV -VIS-NIR range including the oxygen A and B-bands (A=340, 388, 443, 555, 680, 779.5, 687.7, 763.3 nm). The Simulator uses ancillary data (surface pressure/height, NCEP wind speed) as well as MODIS-based geophysical fields such as spectral surface bidirectional reflectance, column water vapor, and properties of aerosols and clouds including optical depth, effective radius, phase and cloud top height. The original simulations are conducted at 1 km resolution using the look-up table approach and then are averaged to 10 km EPIC radiances. This talk will give an overview of the EPIC Simulator with analysis of results over the continental USA and northern Atlantic.

Remote sensing of Gulf Stream using GEOS-3 radar altimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leitao, C. D.; Huang, N. E.; Parra, C. G.

1978-01-01

Radar altimeter measurements from the GEOS-3 satellite to the ocean surface indicated the presence of expected geostrophic height differences across the the Gulf Stream. Dynamic sea surface heights were found by both editing and filtering the raw sea surface heights and then referencing these processed data to a 5 minute x 5 minute geoid. Any trend between the processed data and the geoid was removed by subtracting out a linear fit to the residuals in the open ocean. The mean current velocity of 107 + or - 29 cm/sec calculated from the dynamic heights for all orbits corresponded with velocities obtained from hydrographic methods. Also, dynamic topographic maps were produced for August, September, and October 1975. Results pointed out limitations in the accuracy of the geoid, height anomaly deteriorations due to filtering, and lack of dense time and space distribution of measurements.

Maritime Infrared Propagation: Particle Size Distribution Measurements Using a Helicopter-Borne Aerosol Counter.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

COUNTER by R. R. Allan S. Craig SUMMARY -Particle size distribution measurements were made on nine successive days in late August 1980 using a PMS FSSP-100...aerosol counter flown on a Wessex Mk 5 helicopter. In all, 14 flights were made giving data at two heights, 30 and 100 ft above the sea surface...aerosol content over deep water. It was a specific recommendation of TTCP-JAG9 that airborne aerosol measurements should be made in conjunction with al

Passive wick fluxmeters: Design considerations and field applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gee, G. W.; Newman, B. D.; Green, S. R.; Meissner, R.; Rupp, H.; Zhang, Z. F.; Keller, J. M.; Waugh, W. J.; van der Velde, M.; Salazar, J.

2009-04-01

Optimization of water use in agriculture and quantification of percolation from landfills and watersheds require reliable estimates of vadose zone water fluxes. Current technology is limited primarily to lysimeters, which directly measure water flux but are expensive and may in some way disrupt flow, causing errors in the measured drainage. We report on design considerations and field tests of an alternative approach, passive wick fluxmeters, which use a control tube to minimize convergent or divergent flow. Design calculations with a quasi-three-dimensional model illustrate how convergence and divergence can be minimized for a range of soil and climatic conditions under steady state and transient fluxes using control tubes of varying heights. There exists a critical recharge rate for a given wick length, where the fluxmeter collection efficiency is 100% regardless of the height of the control tube. Otherwise, convergent or divergent flow will occur, especially when the control tube height is small. While divergence is eliminated in coarse soils using control tubes, it is reduced but not eliminated in finer soils, particularly for fluxes <100 mm/a. Passive wick fluxmeters were tested in soils ranging from nonvegetated semiarid settings in the United States to grasslands in Germany and rain-fed crops in New Zealand and the South Pacific. Where side-by-side comparisons of drainage were made between passive wick fluxmeters and conventional lysimeters in the United States and Germany, agreement was very good. In semiarid settings, drainage was found to depend upon precipitation distribution, surface soil, topographic relief, and the type and amount of vegetation. In Washington State, United States, soil texture dominated all factors controlling drainage from test landfill covers. As expected, drainage was greatest (>60% annual precipitation) from gravel surfaces and least (no drainage) from silt loam soils. In Oregon and New Mexico, United States, and in New Zealand, drainage showed substantial spatial variability. The New Mexico tests were located in semiarid canyon bottom terraces, with flash flood prone locations having extremely high drainage/precipitation ratios. In the wettest environments, drainage was found to be closely linked to the rate and duration of precipitation events.

Understanding Recent Trends in Freezing Level Height over the Tropical Andes Mountains of South America: An Investigation of Reanalysis Products and GEOSCCM Integrations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2015-12-01

As the global climate warms, the height of the 0°C isotherm - aka the freezing level height (FLH) - rises, especially over mountainous regions. Over the past few decades, FLH in the tropical Andes Mountains of South America has been rising at a rate that is 2 to 3 times faster than would be expected considering the zonally-averaged upper troposphere temperature trends and the recent cooling of Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures. Rising FLH could have devastating impacts in this region where most of the dry season runoff comes from seasonal snow melt and glacial melt. Yet, is unclear why FLH is rising so rapidly in this particular area and what the quantitative implications will be for tropical Andean water resources. Reanalysis products tend to disagree on the spatial pattern and strength of FLH changes which confounds the issue by making it difficult to uncover the driving mechanisms of these local changes in FLH. Indeed, there are several possible factors that may be contributing to the unprecedented rise in FLH over the Andes (above and beyond the normally expected effects of greenhouse gases) of which the most likely actors are: changes in the state of the tropical Pacific Ocean, changes in sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, shifts in the Hadley cell, indirect effects of stratospheric ozone depletion and recent recovery, and local thermodynamic land-atmosphere feedbacks. To better understand the changes in FLH, which will ultimately contribute to the effort to predict effects on Andean water resources, we analyze FLH in several forcing-separated integrations of the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM). By separating out the various forcings (greenhouse gases, sea surface temperatures, ozone depleting substances, volcanic eruptions, and solar fluctuations), we are able to develop hypotheses for mechanistic drivers of FLH changes which can be rigorously tested. These efforts will contribute to the understanding of climate change over the tropical Andes Mountains, and over South America more generally, while developing techniques and hypotheses that can be applied to the study of cryosphere environments in other mountainous regions.

Surface-potential decay of biased-probe contact-charged amorphous polymer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knorr, Nikolaus; Rosselli, Silvia; Nelles, Gabriele

2010-03-01

We have investigated the decay of scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and electric force microscopy (EFM) signals from biased-probe contact-charged films of three different amorphous polymers representing wide-ranging water absorption capabilities. The surface-potential decay (SPD) has been measured by repeatedly scanning the charge pattern as a function of dissipation time t while varying the relative humidity (RH), the film thickness d, the temperature, the charging voltage, and the load on the scanning probe. Whereas increases in KPFM and EFM peak widths are appreciable only in the long run, the decay in the peak heights is rapid at the beginning and then strongly slowing down with time. Peak heights can be approximated for t <1 hour by power laws of negative exponents (-β), with 0<β<0.5 in dry conditions. β increases for thinner films and when scanning with higher probe loads. Raising the humidity or heating to temperatures well below the glass transition temperature of the polymer considerably increases β, with much stronger impacts for polymers with a higher water uptake capability. From the findings, we conclude that ionic charge carriers are trapped by the charge injection process in the volume of the polymers at low depths. A main contribution to SPD is by drift of the ions in their own space-charge field, mutually repelling each other and being attracted by their mirror charge in the grounded back electrode. Lateral drifts for small t are not resolved, increases in peak widths for t ≫1 h are predominantly due to increased probe—charge carrier distances. We interpret the power law approximation in terms of dispersive transport theory. We approximate trap-controlled apparent mobilities μ from isothermal KPFM peak height data, taken within a few minutes after charging, by a linear and a hyperbolic SPD model. Both models yield μ ≈10-14 cm2/(V s) for thin films (d ≈50 nm) in dry conditions. For mobilities derived similarly from isohumid measurements series, we find an exponential increase as a function of RH%. We furthermore suggest that two more mechanisms contributing to SPD are: first, by potential shielding of charge carriers by water dipoles, and second, in an indirect manner, by diffusion of injected water.

Height-related trends in leaf xylem anatomy and shoot hydraulic characteristics in a tall conifer: safety versus efficiency in water transport.

PubMed

Woodruff, D R; Meinzer, F C; Lachenbruch, B

2008-01-01

Hydraulic vulnerability of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) branchlets decreases with height, allowing shoots at greater height to maintain hydraulic conductance (K shoot) at more negative leaf water potentials (Psi l). To determine the basis for this trend shoot hydraulic and tracheid anatomical properties of foliage from the tops of Douglas-fir trees were analysed along a height gradient from 5 to 55 m. Values of Psi l at which K shoot was substantially reduced, declined with height by 0.012 Mpa m(-1). Maximum K shoot was reduced by 0.082 mmol m(-2) MPa(-1) s(-1) for every 1 m increase in height. Total tracheid lumen area per needle cross-section, hydraulic mean diameter of leaf tracheid lumens, total number of tracheids per needle cross-section and leaf tracheid length decreased with height by 18.4 microm(2) m(-1), 0.029 microm m(-1), 0.42 m(-1) and 5.3 microm m(-1), respectively. Tracheid thickness-to-span ratio (tw/b)2 increased with height by 1.04 x 10(-3) m(-1) and pit number per tracheid decreased with height by 0.07 m(-1). Leaf anatomical adjustments that enhanced the ability to cope with vertical gradients of increasing xylem tension were attained at the expense of reduced water transport capacity and efficiency, possibly contributing to height-related decline in growth of Douglas fir.

Comparison between reflectivity statistics at heights of 3 and 6 km and rain rate statistics at ground level

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crane, R. K.

1975-01-01

An experiment was conducted to study the relations between the empirical distribution functions of reflectivity at specified locations above the surface and the corresponding functions at the surface. A bistatic radar system was used to measure continuously the scattering cross section per unit volume at heights of 3 and 6 km. A frequency of 3.7 GHz was used in the tests. It was found that the distribution functions for reflectivity may significantly change with height at heights below the level of the melting layer.

42 CFR 84.91 - Breathing resistance test; exhalation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 25 mm. (1 inch) water-column height. (c) The exhalation resistance of pressure-demand apparatus shall not exceed the static pressure in the facepiece by more than 51 mm. (2 inches) water-column height. (d) The static pressure (at zero flow) in the facepiece shall not exceed 38 mm. (1.5 inches) water-column...

42 CFR 84.91 - Breathing resistance test; exhalation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 25 mm. (1 inch) water-column height. (c) The exhalation resistance of pressure-demand apparatus shall not exceed the static pressure in the facepiece by more than 51 mm. (2 inches) water-column height. (d) The static pressure (at zero flow) in the facepiece shall not exceed 38 mm. (1.5 inches) water-column...

42 CFR 84.91 - Breathing resistance test; exhalation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 25 mm. (1 inch) water-column height. (c) The exhalation resistance of pressure-demand apparatus shall not exceed the static pressure in the facepiece by more than 51 mm. (2 inches) water-column height. (d) The static pressure (at zero flow) in the facepiece shall not exceed 38 mm. (1.5 inches) water-column...

42 CFR 84.91 - Breathing resistance test; exhalation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 25 mm. (1 inch) water-column height. (c) The exhalation resistance of pressure-demand apparatus shall not exceed the static pressure in the facepiece by more than 51 mm. (2 inches) water-column height. (d) The static pressure (at zero flow) in the facepiece shall not exceed 38 mm. (1.5 inches) water-column...

42 CFR 84.91 - Breathing resistance test; exhalation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 25 mm. (1 inch) water-column height. (c) The exhalation resistance of pressure-demand apparatus shall not exceed the static pressure in the facepiece by more than 51 mm. (2 inches) water-column height. (d) The static pressure (at zero flow) in the facepiece shall not exceed 38 mm. (1.5 inches) water-column...

Water availability predicts forest canopy height at the global scale.

PubMed

Klein, Tamir; Randin, Christophe; Körner, Christian

2015-12-01

The tendency of trees to grow taller with increasing water availability is common knowledge. Yet a robust, universal relationship between the spatial distribution of water availability and forest canopy height (H) is lacking. Here, we created a global water availability map by calculating an annual budget as the difference between precipitation (P) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) at a 1-km spatial resolution, and in turn correlated it with a global H map of the same resolution. Across forested areas over the globe, Hmean increased with P-PET, roughly: Hmean (m) = 19.3 + 0.077*(P-PET). Maximum forest canopy height also increased gradually from ~ 5 to ~ 50 m, saturating at ~ 45 m for P-PET > 500 mm. Forests were far from their maximum height potential in cold, boreal regions and in disturbed areas. The strong association between forest height and P-PET provides a useful tool when studying future forest dynamics under climate change, and in quantifying anthropogenic forest disturbance. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Quantifying changes in land-surface height in bioenergy palm oil plantations (Sumatra) using InSAR time series.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Zhiwei; Waldron, Susan; Li, Zhenhong

2013-04-01

Tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia cover ~ 439,238 km sq. and represent ~77 % of global tropical peatland carbon stores and ~11 % of global peatland area. These landscapes are substantial C stores accounting for ~17-19 % of the global peat C pool (Page et al., 2010). Within southeast Asia, Indonesian peatlands hold most C (57.4 Pg, 65 %), followed by Malaysia (9.1 Pg, 10 %). In recent decades the drive to use these soils for agriculture and often the palm oil biogenergy crop, has driven fire-clearing, deforestation and drainage of these carbon landscapes. The drainage can lead to respiration of the soil carbon store and subsidence of the peatland (Hooijer et al., 2012), reducing their strength as a current C store and their capacity for future soil C storage. Using field-based surveying to monitor changes in the past peatland surface height, and over the large areas typical of commercial agricultural palm oil plantations, is challenging such that measurements are more likely to describe a small area and be only a snapshot in time. Upscaling and understanding the rate of change in surface height through time may be overcome using remote sensing approaches. Here we present data on the change in peatland surface height in Indonesia palm oil plantations, detected using the Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Small BAseline Set (SBAS) approach (Berardino et al., 2002). Using data from July 2007 to January 2011, we have generated a map of the rate of change of mean height, and time series of change in surface height for several plantation areas. To do this we used two independent ALOS L-band tracks SAR images, as there is a lack of ground data for validation, coherence in output provides confidence the results are representative. Our analysis to date shows that in drained and planted palm oil areas: 1) the rate of change in surface height (decrease) can vary; 2) the decrease in surface height can be up to 5 cm/year; 3) the largest decrease in surface height observed was 15 cm. Here we will explain further our approach to estimating change in surface height and consider these results in the context of the loss of regional and global C storage. Berardino, P., Fornaro, G., Lanari, R. & Sansosti, E. 2002. A new algorithm for surface deformation monitoring based on small baseline differential SAR interferograms. Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on, 40, 2375-2383. Hooijer, A., Page, S., Jauhiainen, J., Lee, W. A., Lu, X. X., Idris, A. & Anshari, G. 2012. Subsidence and carbon loss in drained tropical peatlands. Biogeosciences, 9, 1053-1071. Page, S., Wüst R.& Banks C. 2010. Past and present carbon accumulation and loss in Southeast Asian peatlands. PAGES news, 18, 25-27.

Experimental investigation of biomimetic self-pumping and self-adaptive transpiration cooling.

PubMed

Jiang, Pei-Xue; Huang, Gan; Zhu, Yinhai; Xu, Ruina; Liao, Zhiyuan; Lu, Taojie

2017-09-01

Transpiration cooling is an effective way to protect high heat flux walls. However, the pumps for the transpiration cooling system make the system more complex and increase the load, which is a huge challenge for practical applications. A biomimetic self-pumping transpiration cooling system was developed inspired by the process of trees transpiration that has no pumps. An experimental investigation showed that the water coolant automatically flowed from the water tank to the hot surface with a height difference of 80 mm without any pumps. A self-adaptive transpiration cooling system was then developed based on this mechanism. The system effectively cooled the hot surface with the surface temperature kept to about 373 K when the heating flame temperature was 1639 K and the heat flux was about 0.42 MW m -2 . The cooling efficiency reached 94.5%. The coolant mass flow rate adaptively increased with increasing flame heat flux from 0.24 MW m -2 to 0.42 MW m -2 while the cooled surface temperature stayed around 373 K. Schlieren pictures showed a protective steam layer on the hot surface which blocked the flame heat flux to the hot surface. The protective steam layer thickness also increased with increasing heat flux.

Selective generation of laser-induced periodic surface structures on Al2O3-ZrO2-Nb composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, Clemens; Bartolomé, José F.; Gnecco, Enrico; Müller, Frank A.; Gräf, Stephan

2018-03-01

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) were selectively fabricated on the metal phase of Al2O3-nZrO2-Nb (78.3-1.7-20 vol.%) ceramic matrix composites. For this purpose, sample surfaces were irradiated with fs-laser pulses (τ = 300 fs, λ = 1025 nm) of different laser peak fluences ranging from 0.23 to 0.40 J/cm2. The structured surfaces were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and by measuring the water contact angle. Well-pronounced LIPSS with a period of Λ ≈ 750 nm and a height of h ≈ 263 nm were found solely on the metal phase of the composite when applying the highest fluence whereas no structural and chemical modifications were found on the surface of the ceramic matrix. This can be explained by the different light absorption behaviour of both phases, which results in different ablation thresholds. The water contact angle of composite surfaces was successfully reduced from 68.4° for untreated samples to 40.9° for structured samples. Selectively structured composites with adjustable wettability are of particular interest for biomedical and tribological applications.

Mathematical model reveals role of nucleotide signaling in airway surface liquid homeostasis and its dysregulation in cystic fibrosis

PubMed Central

Sandefur, Conner I.; Boucher, Richard C.; Elston, Timothy C.

2017-01-01

Mucociliary clearance is composed of three components (i.e., mucin secretion, airway surface hydration, and ciliary-activity) which function coordinately to clear inhaled microbes and other foreign particles from airway surfaces. Airway surface hydration is maintained by water fluxes driven predominantly by active chloride and sodium ion transport. The ion channels that mediate electrogenic ion transport are regulated by extracellular purinergic signals that signal through G protein-coupled receptors. These purinoreceptors and the signaling pathways they activate have been identified as possible therapeutic targets for treating lung disease. A systems-level description of airway surface liquid (ASL) homeostasis could accelerate development of such therapies. Accordingly, we developed a mathematical model to describe the dynamic coupling of ion and water transport to extracellular purinergic signaling. We trained our model from steady-state and time-dependent experimental measurements made using normal and cystic fibrosis (CF) cultured human airway epithelium. To reproduce CF conditions, reduced chloride secretion, increased potassium secretion, and increased sodium absorption were required. The model accurately predicted ASL height under basal normal and CF conditions and the collapse of surface hydration due to the accelerated nucleotide metabolism associated with CF exacerbations. Finally, the model predicted a therapeutic strategy to deliver nucleotide receptor agonists to effectively rehydrate the ASL of CF airways. PMID:28808008

14 CFR 77.17 - Obstruction standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... feet vertical distance. (2) 15 feet for any other public roadway. (3) 10 feet or the height of the... greater height than any of the following heights or surfaces: (1) A height of 499 feet AGL at the site of the object. (2) A height that is 200 feet AGL, or above the established airport elevation, whichever...

14 CFR 77.17 - Obstruction standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... feet vertical distance. (2) 15 feet for any other public roadway. (3) 10 feet or the height of the... greater height than any of the following heights or surfaces: (1) A height of 499 feet AGL at the site of the object. (2) A height that is 200 feet AGL, or above the established airport elevation, whichever...

Integration of altimetric lake levels and GRACE gravimetry over Africa: Inferences for terrestrial water storage change 2003-2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, P.; Williams, S. D. P.

2014-12-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) change for 2003-2011 is estimated over Africa from GRACE gravimetric data. The signatures from change in water of the major lakes are removed by utilizing kernel functions with lake heights recovered from retracked ENVISAT satellite altimetry. In addition, the contribution of gravimetric change due to soil moisture and biomass is removed from the total GRACE signal by utilizing the GLDAS land surface model. The residual TWS time series, namely groundwater and the surface waters in rivers, wetlands, and small lakes, are investigated for trends and the seasonal cycle using linear regression. Typically, such analyses assume that the data are temporally uncorrelated but this has been shown to lead to erroneous inferences in related studies concerning the linear rate and acceleration. In this study, we utilize autocorrelation and investigate the appropriate stochastic model. The results show the proper distribution of TWS change and identify the spatial distribution of significant rates and accelerations. The effect of surface water in the major lakes is shown to contribute significantly to the trend and seasonal variation in TWS in the lake basin. Lake Volta, a managed reservoir in Ghana, is seen to have a contribution to the linear trend that is a factor of three greater than that of Lake Victoria despite having a surface area one-eighth of that of Lake Victoria. Analysis also shows the confidence levels of the deterministic trend and acceleration identifying areas where the signatures are most likely due to a physical deterministic cause and not simply stochastic variations.

Heat transfer characteristics of a surface type direct contact boiler

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

Deeds, R.S.; Jacobs, H.R.; Boehm, R.F.

1976-03-01

Two direct contact heat exchangers were constructed and test results were obtained using water and refrigerant 113 as the working fluids. The heat exchangers were operated in a three-phase mode; the water remained liquid throughout the vessel and the liquid refrigerant 113 underwent vaporization following direct injection into the water. The effect of important operational parameters--operating heights, refrigerant 113 injection techniques, mass flow ratios, and temperatures--was studied to determine generalized trends important in the design and operation of a prototype three-phase direct contact heat exchanger. The primary system used in this study performed well overall. The initial favorable results ofmore » this study warrant further investigation of direct contact heat exchange as a means of utilizing geothermal energy.« less

Mapping coastal sea level at high resolution with radar interferometry: the SWOT Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, L. L.; Chao, Y.; Laignel, B.; Turki, I., Sr.

2017-12-01

The spatial resolution of the present constellation of radar altimeters in mapping two-dimensional sea surface height (SSH) variability is approaching 100 km (in wavelength). At scales shorter than 100 km, the eddies and fronts are responsible for the stirring and mixing of the ocean, especially important in the various coastal processes. A mission currently in development will make high-resolution measurement of the height of water over the ocean as well as on land. It is called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), which is a joint mission of US NASA and French CNES, with contributions from Canada and UK. SWOT will carry a pair of interferometry radars and make 2-dimensional SSH measurements over a swath of 120 km with a nadir gap of 20 km in a 21-day repeat orbit. The synthetic aperture radar of SWOT will make SSH measurement at extremely high resolution of 10-70 m. SWOT will also carry a nadir looking conventional altimeter and make 1-dimensional SSH measurements along the nadir gap. The temporal sampling varies from 2 repeats per 21 days at the equator to more than 4 repeats at mid latitudes and more than 6 at high latitudes. This new mission will allow a continuum of fine-scale observations from the open ocean to the coasts, estuaries and rivers, allowing us to investigate a number of scientific and technical questions in the coastal and estuarine domain to assess the coastal impacts of regional sea level change, such as the interaction of sea level with river flow, estuary inundation, storm surge, coastal wetlands, salt water intrusion, etc. As examples, we will illustrate the potential impact of SWOT to the studies of the San Francisco Bay Delta, and the Seine River estuary, etc. Preliminary results suggest that the SWOT Mission will provide fundamental data to map the spatial variability of water surface elevations under different hydrodynamic conditions and at different scales (local, regional and global) to improve our knowledge of the complex physical processes in the coastal and estuarine systems in response to global sea level changes.

TOPEX/El Niño Watch - Double

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-12-08

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by NASA U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Dec. 1, 1997.

Catastrophically buried middle Pennsylvanian sigillaria and calamitean sphenopsids from Indiana, USA: What kind of vegetation was this?

USGS Publications Warehouse

DiMichele, W.A.; Nelson, W.J.; Elrick, S.; Ames, P.R.

2009-01-01

A catastrophically buried stand of calamitean sphenopsids and sigillarian lycopsids is reported from the Middle Pennsylvanian of southwestern Indiana, in the Illinois Basin. The plants were exposed in the highwall of a small surface mine and were rooted in a thin bed of coal (peat), thus representing a flooded and buried swamp surface. Coarse, floodborne silts and sands buried the forest to a depth of 250 linear meters of exposed highwall surface, the vegetation appears to have been a patchwork of calamitean thickets, with stems perhaps as tall as 3-5 m, within which scattered, but much larger, emergent Sigillaria trees grew, possibly reaching heights of 10-15 m. No ground cover was observed, nor were foliage or reproductive organs attributable to the dominant plants found. The growth of this vegetation in a peat-forming swamp indicates conditions of high water availability, likely in a humid, high-rainfall climate. This kind of plant assemblage, however, cannot be characterized as a rain forest, given that it consisted of medium-height thickets of horsetails with scattered, emergent, and polelike, giant lycopsids, thus lacking a closed upper canopy and possibly only partially shading the ground. Copyright ?? 2009, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology).

NASA's Space Lidar Measurements of Earth and Planetary Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abshire, James B.

2010-01-01

A lidar instrument on a spacecraft was first used to measure planetary surface height and topography on the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon in 1971, The lidar was based around a flashlamp-pumped ruby laser, and the Apollo 15-17 missions used them to make a few thousand measurements of lunar surface height from orbit. With the advent of diode pumped lasers in the late 1980s, the lifetime, efficiency, resolution and mass of lasers and space lidar all improved dramatically. These advances were utilized in NASA space missions to map the shape and surface topography of Mars with > 600 million measurements, demonstrate initial space measurements of the Earth's topography, and measured the detailed shape of asteroid. NASA's ICESat mission in Earth orbit just completed its polar ice measurement mission with almost 2 billion measurements of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, and demonstrated measurements to Antarctica and Greenland with a height resolution of a few em. Space missions presently in cruise phase and in operation include those to Mercury and a topographic mapping mission of the Moon. Orbital lidar also have been used in experiments to demonstrate laser ranging over planetary distances, including laser pulse transmission from Earth to Mars orbit. Based on the demonstrated value of the measurements, lidar is now the preferred measurement approach for many new scientific space missions. Some missions planned by NASA include a planetary mission to measure the shape and dynamics of Europa, and several Earth orbiting missions to continue monitoring ice sheet heights, measure vegetation heights, assess atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and to map the Earth surface topographic heights with 5 m spatial resolution. This presentation will give an overview of history, ongoing work, and plans for using space lidar for measurements of the surfaces of the Earth and planets.

Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog

DOE PAGES

Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Norby, Richard J.; Hanson, Paul J.; ...

2017-04-18

Sphagnum mosses are the keystone species of peatland ecosystems. With rapid rates of climate change occurring in high latitudes, vast reservoirs of carbon accumulated over millennia in peatland ecosystems are potentially vulnerable to rising temperature and changing precipitation. We investigate the seasonal drivers of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP)—the entry point of carbon into wetland ecosystems. Continuous flux measurements and flux partitioning show a seasonal cycle of Sphagnum GPP that peaked in the late summer, well after the peak in photosynthetically active radiation. Wavelet analysis showed that water table height was the key driver of weekly variation in Sphagnum GPPmore » in the early summer and that temperature was the primary driver of GPP in the late summer and autumn. Flux partitioning and a process-based model of Sphagnum photosynthesis demonstrated the likelihood of seasonally dynamic maximum rates of photosynthesis and a logistic relationship between the water table and photosynthesizing tissue area when the water table was at the Sphagnum surface. Here, the model also suggested that variability in internal resistance to CO 2 transport, a function of Sphagnum water content, had minimal effect on GPP. To accurately model Sphagnum GPP, we recommend the following: (1) understanding seasonal photosynthetic trait variation and its triggers in Sphagnum; (2) characterizing the interaction of Sphagnum photosynthesizing tissue area with water table height; (3) modeling Sphagnum as a “soil” layer for consistent simulation of water dynamics; and (4) measurement of Sphagnum “canopy” properties: extinction coefficient (k), clumping (Ω), and maximum stem area index (SAI).« less

Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog

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

Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Norby, Richard J.; Hanson, Paul J.

Sphagnum mosses are the keystone species of peatland ecosystems. With rapid rates of climate change occurring in high latitudes, vast reservoirs of carbon accumulated over millennia in peatland ecosystems are potentially vulnerable to rising temperature and changing precipitation. We investigate the seasonal drivers of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP)—the entry point of carbon into wetland ecosystems. Continuous flux measurements and flux partitioning show a seasonal cycle of Sphagnum GPP that peaked in the late summer, well after the peak in photosynthetically active radiation. Wavelet analysis showed that water table height was the key driver of weekly variation in Sphagnum GPPmore » in the early summer and that temperature was the primary driver of GPP in the late summer and autumn. Flux partitioning and a process-based model of Sphagnum photosynthesis demonstrated the likelihood of seasonally dynamic maximum rates of photosynthesis and a logistic relationship between the water table and photosynthesizing tissue area when the water table was at the Sphagnum surface. Here, the model also suggested that variability in internal resistance to CO 2 transport, a function of Sphagnum water content, had minimal effect on GPP. To accurately model Sphagnum GPP, we recommend the following: (1) understanding seasonal photosynthetic trait variation and its triggers in Sphagnum; (2) characterizing the interaction of Sphagnum photosynthesizing tissue area with water table height; (3) modeling Sphagnum as a “soil” layer for consistent simulation of water dynamics; and (4) measurement of Sphagnum “canopy” properties: extinction coefficient (k), clumping (Ω), and maximum stem area index (SAI).« less

Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Anthony P.; Carter, Kelsey R.; Gu, Lianhong; Hanson, Paul J.; Malhotra, Avni; Norby, Richard J.; Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Wullschleger, Stan D.; Weston, David J.

2017-05-01

Sphagnum mosses are the keystone species of peatland ecosystems. With rapid rates of climate change occurring in high latitudes, vast reservoirs of carbon accumulated over millennia in peatland ecosystems are potentially vulnerable to rising temperature and changing precipitation. We investigate the seasonal drivers of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP)—the entry point of carbon into wetland ecosystems. Continuous flux measurements and flux partitioning show a seasonal cycle of Sphagnum GPP that peaked in the late summer, well after the peak in photosynthetically active radiation. Wavelet analysis showed that water table height was the key driver of weekly variation in Sphagnum GPP in the early summer and that temperature was the primary driver of GPP in the late summer and autumn. Flux partitioning and a process-based model of Sphagnum photosynthesis demonstrated the likelihood of seasonally dynamic maximum rates of photosynthesis and a logistic relationship between the water table and photosynthesizing tissue area when the water table was at the Sphagnum surface. The model also suggested that variability in internal resistance to CO2 transport, a function of Sphagnum water content, had minimal effect on GPP. To accurately model Sphagnum GPP, we recommend the following: (1) understanding seasonal photosynthetic trait variation and its triggers in Sphagnum; (2) characterizing the interaction of Sphagnum photosynthesizing tissue area with water table height; (3) modeling Sphagnum as a "soil" layer for consistent simulation of water dynamics; and (4) measurement of Sphagnum "canopy" properties: extinction coefficient (k), clumping (Ω), and maximum stem area index (SAI).

Coping with gravity: the foliar water relations of giant sequoia.

PubMed

Williams, Cameron B; Reese Næsborg, Rikke; Dawson, Todd E

2017-10-01

In tall trees, the mechanisms by which foliage maintains sufficient turgor pressure and water content against height-related constraints remain poorly understood. Pressure-volume curves generated from leafy shoots collected crown-wide from 12 large Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindley) J. Buchholz (giant sequoia) trees provided mechanistic insights into how the components of water potential vary with height in tree and over time. The turgor loss point (TLP) decreased with height at a rate indistinguishable from the gravitational potential gradient and was controlled by changes in tissue osmotica. For all measured shoots, total relative water content at the TLP remained above 75%. This high value has been suggested to help leaves avoid precipitous declines in leaf-level physiological function, and in giant sequoia was controlled by both tissue elasticity and the balance of water between apoplasm and symplasm. Hydraulic capacitance decreased only slightly with height, but importantly this parameter was nearly double in value to that reported for other tree species. Total water storage capacity also decreased with height, but this trend essentially disappeared when considering only water available within the typical range of water potentials experienced by giant sequoia. From summer to fall measurement periods we did not observe osmotic adjustment that would depress the TLP. Instead we observed a proportional shift of water into less mobile apoplastic compartments leading to a reduction in hydraulic capacitance. This collection of foliar traits allows giant sequoia to routinely, but safely, operate close to its TLP, and suggests that gravity plays a major role in the water relations of Earth's largest tree species. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effect of sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid on the surface roughness of acrylic resin polymerized by heated water for short and long cycles.

PubMed

Sczepanski, Felipe; Sczepanski, Claudia Roberta Brunnquell; Berger, Sandrine Bittencourt; Consani, Rafael Leonardo Xediek; Gonini-Júnior, Alcides; Guiraldo, Ricardo Danil

2014-10-01

To evaluate the surface roughness of acrylic resin submitted to chemical disinfection via 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) or 1% peracetic acid (C2H4O3). The disc-shaped resin specimens (30 mm diameter ×4 mm height) were polymerized by heated water using two cycles (short cycle: 1 h at 74°C and 30 min at 100°C; conventional long cycle: 9 h at 74°C). The release of substances by these specimens in water solution was also quantified. Specimens were fabricated, divided into four groups (n = 10) depending on the polymerization time and disinfectant. After polishing, the specimens were stored in distilled deionized water. Specimens were immersed in 1% NaClO or 1% C2H4O3 for 30 min, and then were immersed in distilled deionized water for 20 min. The release of C2H4O3 and NaClO was measured via visual colorimetric analysis. Roughness was measured before and after disinfection. Roughness data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. There was no interaction between polymerization time and disinfectant in influencing the average surface roughness (Ra, P = 0.957). Considering these factors independently, there were significant differences between short and conventional long cycles (P = 0.012), but no significant difference between the disinfectants hypochlorite and C2H4O3 (P = 0.366). Visual colorimetric analysis did not detect release of substances. It was concluded that there was the difference in surface roughness between short and conventional long cycles, and disinfection at acrylic resins polymerized by heated water using a short cycle modified the properties of roughness.

Effect of sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid on the surface roughness of acrylic resin polymerized by heated water for short and long cycles

PubMed Central

Sczepanski, Felipe; Sczepanski, Claudia Roberta Brunnquell; Berger, Sandrine Bittencourt; Consani, Rafael Leonardo Xediek; Gonini-Júnior, Alcides; Guiraldo, Ricardo Danil

2014-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the surface roughness of acrylic resin submitted to chemical disinfection via 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) or 1% peracetic acid (C2H4O3). Materials and Methods: The disc-shaped resin specimens (30 mm diameter ×4 mm height) were polymerized by heated water using two cycles (short cycle: 1 h at 74°C and 30 min at 100°C; conventional long cycle: 9 h at 74°C). The release of substances by these specimens in water solution was also quantified. Specimens were fabricated, divided into four groups (n = 10) depending on the polymerization time and disinfectant. After polishing, the specimens were stored in distilled deionized water. Specimens were immersed in 1% NaClO or 1% C2H4O3 for 30 min, and then were immersed in distilled deionized water for 20 min. The release of C2H4O3 and NaClO was measured via visual colorimetric analysis. Roughness was measured before and after disinfection. Roughness data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. Results: There was no interaction between polymerization time and disinfectant in influencing the average surface roughness (Ra, P = 0.957). Considering these factors independently, there were significant differences between short and conventional long cycles (P = 0.012), but no significant difference between the disinfectants hypochlorite and C2H4O3 (P = 0.366). Visual colorimetric analysis did not detect release of substances. Conclusion: It was concluded that there was the difference in surface roughness between short and conventional long cycles, and disinfection at acrylic resins polymerized by heated water using a short cycle modified the properties of roughness. PMID:25512737

Measuring water level in rivers and lakes from lightweight Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandini, Filippo; Jakobsen, Jakob; Olesen, Daniel; Reyna-Gutierrez, Jose Antonio; Bauer-Gottwein, Peter

2017-05-01

The assessment of hydrologic dynamics in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands requires measurements of water level, its temporal and spatial derivatives, and the extent and dynamics of open water surfaces. Motivated by the declining number of ground-based measurement stations, research efforts have been devoted to the retrieval of these hydraulic properties from spaceborne platforms in the past few decades. However, due to coarse spatial and temporal resolutions, spaceborne missions have several limitations when assessing the water level of terrestrial surface water bodies and determining complex water dynamics. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can fill the gap between spaceborne and ground-based observations, and provide high spatial resolution and dense temporal coverage data, in quick turn-around time, using flexible payload design. This study focused on categorizing and testing sensors, which comply with the weight constraint of small UAVs (around 1.5 kg), capable of measuring the range to water surface. Subtracting the measured range from the vertical position retrieved by the onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, we can determine the water level (orthometric height). Three different ranging payloads, which consisted of a radar, a sonar and an in-house developed camera-based laser distance sensor (CLDS), have been evaluated in terms of accuracy, precision, maximum ranging distance and beam divergence. After numerous flights, the relative accuracy of the overall system was estimated. A ranging accuracy better than 0.5% of the range and a maximum ranging distance of 60 m were achieved with the radar. The CLDS showed the lowest beam divergence, which is required to avoid contamination of the signal from interfering surroundings for narrow fields of view. With the GNSS system delivering a relative vertical accuracy better than 3-5 cm, water level can be retrieved with an overall accuracy better than 5-7 cm.

Comparative Analysis of InSAR Digital Surface Models for Test Area Bucharest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dana, Iulia; Poncos, Valentin; Teleaga, Delia

2010-03-01

This paper presents the results of the interferometric processing of ERS Tandem, ENVISAT and TerraSAR- X for digital surface model (DSM) generation. The selected test site is Bucharest (Romania), a built-up area characterized by the usual urban complex pattern: mixture of buildings with different height levels, paved roads, vegetation, and water bodies. First, the DSMs were generated following the standard interferometric processing chain. Then, the accuracy of the DSMs was analyzed against the SPOT HRS model (30 m resolution at the equator). A DSM derived by optical stereoscopic processing of SPOT 5 HRG data and also the SRTM (3 arc seconds resolution at the equator) DSM have been included in the comparative analysis.

Thermodynamic Conditions Favorable to Superlative Thunderstorm Updraft, Mixed Phase Microphysics and Lightning Flash Rate. Revised

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, E.; Mushtak, V.; Rosenfeld, D.; Goodman, S.; Boccippio, D.

2004-01-01

Satellite observations of lightning flash rate have been merged with proximal surface station thermodynamic observations toward improving the understanding of the response of the updraft and lightning activity in the tropical atmosphere to temperature. The tropical results have led in turn to an examination of thermodynamic climatology over the continental United States in summertime and its comparison with exceptional electrical conditions documented in earlier studies. The tropical and mid-latitude results taken together support an important role for cloud base height in regulating the transfer of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) to updraft kinetic energy in thunderstorms. In the tropics, cloud base height is dominated by the dry bulb temperature over the wet bulb temperature as the lightning-regulating temperature in regions characterized by moist convection. In the extratropics, an elevated cloud base height may enable larger cloud water concentrations in the mixed phase region, a favorable condition for the positive charging of large ice particles that may result in thunderclouds with a reversed polarity of the main cloud dipole. The combined requirements of instability and cloud base height serve to confine the region of superlative electrification to the vicinity of the ridge in moist entropy in the western Great Plains.