Minimal modeling of the extratropical general circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Brien, Enda; Branscome, Lee E.

1989-01-01

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

The climatology of low-latitude ionospheric densities and zonal drifts from IMAGE-FUV.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Immel, T. J.; Sagawa, E.; Frey, H. U.; Mende, S. B.; Patel, J.

2004-12-01

The IMAGE satellite was the first dedicated to magnetospheric imaging, but has also provided numerous images of the nightside ionosphere with its Far-Ultraviolet (FUV) spectrographic imager. Nightside emissions of O I at 135.6-nm originating away from the aurora are due to recombination of ionospheric O+, and vary in intensity with (O+)2. IMAGE-FUV, operating in a highly elliptical orbit with apogee at middle latitudes and >7 Re altitude, measures this emission globally with 100-km resolution. During each 14.5 hour orbit, IMAGE-FUV is able to monitor nightside ionospheric densities for up to 6-7 hours. Hundreds of low-latitude ionospheric bubbles, their development and drift speed, and a variety of other dynamical variations in brightness and morphology of the equatorial anomalies have been observed during this mission. Furthermore, the average global distribution of low-latitude ionospheric plasma densities can be determined in 3 days. Imaging data collected from February through June of 2002 are used to compile a dataset containing a variety of parameters (e.g., latitude and brightness of peak plasma density, zonal bubble drift speed) which can be drawn from for climatological studies. Recent results indicate that the average ground speed of low-latitude zonal plasma drifts vary with longitude by up to 50%, and that a periodic variation in ionospheric densities with longitude suggests the influence of a lower-thermospheric non-migrating tide with wave number = 4 on ionospheric densities. An excellent correlation between zonal drift speed and the magnetic storm index Dst is also found.

North-South precipitation patterns in western North America on interannual-to-decadal timescales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dettinger, M.D.; Cayan, D.R.; Diaz, Henry F.; Meko, D.M.

1998-01-01

The overall amount of precipitation deposited along the West Coast and western cordillera of North America from 25??to 55??N varies from year to year, and superimposed on this domain-average variability are varying north-south contrasts on timescales from at least interannual to interdecadal. In order to better understand the north-south precipitation contrasts, their interannual and decadal variations are studied in terms of how much they affect overall precipitation amounts and how they are related to large-scale climatic patterns. Spatial empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and spatial moments (domain average, central latitude, and latitudinal spread) of zonally averaged precipitation anomalies along the westernmost parts of North America are analyzed, and each is correlated with global sea level pressure (SLP) and sea surface temperature series, on interannual (defined here as 3-7 yr) and decadal (>7 yr) timescales. The interannual band considered here corresponds to timescales that are particularly strong in tropical climate variations and thus is expected to contain much precipitation variability that is related to El Nino-Southern Oscillation; the decadal scale is defined so as to capture the whole range of long-term climatic variations affecting western North America. Zonal EOFs of the interannual and decadal filtered versions of the zonal-precipitation series are remarkably similar. At both timescales, two leading EOFs describe 1) a north-south seesaw of precipitation pivoting near 40??N and 2) variations in precipitation near 40??N, respectively. The amount of overall precipitation variability is only about 10% of the mean and is largely determined by precipitation variations around 40??-45??N and most consistently influenced by nearby circulation patterns; in this sense, domain-average precipitation is closely related to the second EOF. The central latitude and latitudinal spread of precipitation distributions are strongly influenced by precipitation variations in the southern parts of western North America and are closely related to the first EOF. Central latitude of precipitation moves south (north) with tropical warming (cooling) in association with midlatitude western Pacific SLP variations, on both interannual and decadal timescales. Regional patterns and zonal averages of precipitation-sensitive tree-ring series are used to corroborate these patterns and to extend them into the past and appear to share much long- and short-term information with the instrumentally based zonal precipitation EOFs and moments.The overall amount of precipitation deposited along the West Coast and western cordillera of North America from 25?? to 55 ??N varies from year to year, and superimposed on this domain-average variability are varying north-south contrasts on timescales from at least interannual to interdecadal. In order to better understand the north-south precipitation contrasts, their interannual and decadal variations are studied in terms of how much they affect overall precipitation amounts and how they are related to large-scale climatic patterns. Spatial empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and spatial moments (domain average, central latitude, and latitudinal spread) of zonally averaged precipitation anomalies along the westernmost parts of North America are analyzed, and each is correlated with global sea level pressure (SLP) and sea surface temperature series, on interannual (defined here as 3-7 yr) and decadal (>7 yr) timescales. The interannual band considered here corresponds to timescales that are particularly strong in tropical climate variations and thus is expected to contain much precipitation variability that is related to El Nino-Southern Oscillation; the decadal scale is defined so as to capture the whole range of long-term climatic variations affecting western North America. Zonal EOFs of the interannual and decadal filtered versions of the zonal-precipitation series are remarkably similar. At both tim

Zonal flow generation in inertial confinement fusion implosions

DOE PAGES

Peterson, J. L.; Humbird, K. D.; Field, J. E.; ...

2017-03-06

A supervised machine learning algorithm trained on a multi-petabyte dataset of inertial confinement fusion simulations has identified a class of implosions that robustly achieve high yield, even in the presence of drive variations and hydrodynamic perturbations. These implosions are purposefully driven with a time-varying asymmetry, such that coherent flow generation during hotspot stagnation forces the capsule to self-organize into an ovoid, a shape that appears to be more resilient to shell perturbations than spherical designs. Here this new class of implosions, whose configurations are reminiscent of zonal flows in magnetic fusion devices, may offer a path to robust inertial fusion.

Zonal flow generation in inertial confinement fusion implosions

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

Peterson, J. L.; Humbird, K. D.; Field, J. E.

A supervised machine learning algorithm trained on a multi-petabyte dataset of inertial confinement fusion simulations has identified a class of implosions that robustly achieve high yield, even in the presence of drive variations and hydrodynamic perturbations. These implosions are purposefully driven with a time-varying asymmetry, such that coherent flow generation during hotspot stagnation forces the capsule to self-organize into an ovoid, a shape that appears to be more resilient to shell perturbations than spherical designs. Here this new class of implosions, whose configurations are reminiscent of zonal flows in magnetic fusion devices, may offer a path to robust inertial fusion.

Rational-q Triggered Transport Changes With Varying Toroidal Rotation in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austin, M. E.; Burrell, K. H.; Waltz, R. E.; van Zeeland, M. A.; McKee, G. R.; Shafer, M. W.; Rhodes, T. L.

2007-11-01

Comparison of rational-q triggered ITBs in discharges with varying toroidal torque injection was carried out. Experiments were conducted in negative central shear discharges with different mixes of co/counter neutral beam injection (NBI) that altered the equilibrium ExB shear in conditions where transient improvements in transport occur near integer qmin values. The transport changes were seen in high and low rotation cases; however, the latter discharges did not transition to improved core confinement. Observations support the model that sufficient background ExB shear is required for barrier formation and zonal flow effects at integer qmin act as trigger in this case. The lack of TAE modes in the balanced injection cases indicates they are not linked to the transient confinement improvement. Fluctuation data obtained in co and balanced NBI show similar reductions in turbulence near integer qmin as well as poloidal velocity excursions that may be further evidence of zonal flow.

Dynamics of Structures in Configuration Space and Phase Space: An Introductory Tutorial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamond, P. H.; Kosuga, Y.; Lesur, M.

2015-12-01

Some basic ideas relevant to the dynamics of phase space and real space structures are presented in a pedagogical fashion. We focus on three paradigmatic examples, namely; G. I. Taylor's structure based re-formulation of Rayleigh's stability criterion and its implications for zonal flow momentum balance relations; Dupree's mechanism for nonlinear current driven ion acoustic instability and its implication for anomalous resistivity; and the dynamics of structures in drift and gyrokinetic turbulence and their relation to zonal flow physics. We briefly survey the extension of mean field theory to calculate evolution in the presence of localized structures for regimes where Kubo number K ≃ 1 rather than K ≪ 1, as is usual for quasilinear theory.

Cryptic speciation reversal in the Etheostoma zonale (Teleostei: Percidae) species group, with an examination of the effect of recombination and introgression on species tree inference.

PubMed

Halas, Dominik; Simons, Andrew M

2014-01-01

Mitochondrial and nuclear introgression among closely related taxa can greatly complicate the process of determining their phylogenetic relationships. In the Central Highlands of North America, many fish taxa have undergone introgression; in this study, we demonstrate the existence of an unusual introgression event in the Etheostoma zonale species group. We used one mitochondrial and seven nuclear loci to determine the relationships of the taxa within the E. zonale group, and their degree of differentiation. We found evidence of multiple divergent populations within each species; much of the divergence within species has taken place during the Pleistocene. We also found evidence of a previously unknown cryptic species in the Upper Tennessee River which diverged from the remainder of the group during the Pliocene, and has undergone mitochondrial and nuclear introgression with E. zonale, in an apparent process of speciation reversal. We examined the effects that using varying types of recombination tests to eliminate the signal of recombination from nuclear loci would have on the phylogenetic placement of this introgressed lineage in our species tree analyses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of equatorial plasma bubble zonal drift velocity and tilt based on Hong Kong GPS CORS network: From 2001 to 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Shengyue; Chen, Wu; Weng, Duojie; Wang, Zhenjie

2015-08-01

Hong Kong (22.3°N, 114.2°E, dip: 30.5°N; geomagnetic 15.7°N, 173.4°W, declination: 2.7°W) is a low-latitude area, and the Hong Kong Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network has been developed and maintained by Lands Department of Hong Kong government since 2001. Based on the collected GPS observations of a whole solar cycle from 2001 to 2012, a method is proposed to estimate the zonal drift velocity as well as the tilt of the observed plasma bubbles, and the estimated results are statistically analyzed. It is found that although the plasma bubbles are basically vertical within the equatorial plane, the tilt can be as big as more than 60° eastward or westward sometimes. And, the tilt and the zonal drift velocity are correlated. When the velocity is large, the tilt is also large generally. Another finding is that large velocity and tilt generally occur in spring and autumn and in solar active years.

Global atmospheric circulation statistics: Four year averages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, M. F.; Geller, M. A.; Nash, E. R.; Gelman, M. E.

1987-01-01

Four year averages of the monthly mean global structure of the general circulation of the atmosphere are presented in the form of latitude-altitude, time-altitude, and time-latitude cross sections. The numerical values are given in tables. Basic parameters utilized include daily global maps of temperature and geopotential height for 18 pressure levels between 1000 and 0.4 mb for the period December 1, 1978 through November 30, 1982 supplied by NOAA/NMC. Geopotential heights and geostrophic winds are constructed using hydrostatic and geostrophic formulae. Meridional and vertical velocities are calculated using thermodynamic and continuity equations. Fields presented in this report are zonally averaged temperature, zonal, meridional, and vertical winds, and amplitude of the planetary waves in geopotential height with zonal wave numbers 1-3. The northward fluxes of sensible heat and eastward momentum by the standing and transient eddies along with their wavenumber decomposition and Eliassen-Palm flux propagation vectors and divergences by the standing and transient eddies along with their wavenumber decomposition are also given. Large interhemispheric differences and year-to-year variations are found to originate in the changes in the planetary wave activity.

New observations of Yanai waves and equatorial inertia-gravity waves in the Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrar, J. T.; Durland, T.

2011-12-01

In the 1970's and 1980's, there was a great deal of research activity on near-equatorial variability at periods of days to weeks associated with oceanic equatorial inertia-gravity waves and Yanai waves. At that time, the measurements available for studying these waves were much more limited than today: most of the available observations were from island tide gauges and a handful of short mooring records. We use more than a decade of the extensive modern data record from the TAO/TRITON mooring array in the Pacific Ocean to re-examine the internal-wave climate in the equatorial Pacific, with a focus on interpretation of the zonal-wavenumber/frequency spectrum of surface dynamic height relative to 500-m depth. Many equatorial-wave meridional modes can be identified, for both the first and second baroclinic mode. We also estimated zonal-wavenumber/frequency spectra for the zonal and meridional wind stress components. The location and extent of spectral peaks in dynamic height is readily rationalized using basic, linear theory of forced equatorial waves and the observed wind stress spectrum.

Role of isotope mass and evidence of fluctuating zonal flows during the L–H transition in the TJ-II stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losada, U.; Estrada, T.; Liu, B.; van Milligen, B.; Cheng, J.; Silva, C.; Pastor, I.; Fontdecaba, J. M.; Hidalgo, C.; TJ-II team1, the

2018-07-01

Mean radial electric fields as well as low frequency Zonal Flow-like global oscillations in radial electric field have been identified during the low to high (L–H) transition in Hydrogen and Deuterium dominated plasmas in the stellarator TJ-II. No evidence of isotope effect on the L–H transition dynamics was observed in the investigated TJ-II plasma scenarios. These observations emphasize the critical role of both zero frequency (equilibrium) and low frequency varying large-scale flows for stabilizing turbulence during the triggering of the L–H transition in magnetically confined toroidal plasmas.

Monsoons and ITCZ in TRACMIP, the Tropical Rain belts with an Annual cycle and Continent - Model Intercomparison Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biasutti, M.; Voigt, A.; Scheff, J.

2016-12-01

TRACMIP consists of a set of five experiments performed by an ensemble of GCMs and conceived as a link in the hierarchy between the CFMIP/CMIP5 Aqua experiments and the CMIP5 comprehensive simulations. The basic configuration is an aquaplanet AGCM coupled to a slab ocean. By using interactive sea-surface temperatures and seasonally-varying insolation TRACMIP fills the gap between Aquaplanets with prescribed SSTs and fully-coupled realistic CMIP5 simulations. Adding to the basic Aquaplanet configuration a highly-idealized tropical continent allows the investigation of the role of zonal asymmetries in the dynamics of the ITCZ and of the source of the observed differences between land convection and monsoon circulations on one hand, and oceanic convection in the ITCZ and the Warm Pool on the other. Finally, by including both key forcings of the future (greenhouse gases) and of the Holocene (orbital changes in insolation), TRACMIP contributes to the "past to future (P2F)" efforts to connect the climate response to different forcings via a basic understanding of the mechanisms at play. TRACMIP includes the participation of both CMIP5 comprehensive climate models and a simplified model that neglects cloud and water-vapor radiative feedbacks, thus allowing a more direct connection between GCMs results and theoretical studies of tropical rain belt dynamics. We will present preliminary results from the ensemble, aiming to examine the mechanisms controlling tropical precipitation in the context of forced variability. First and foremost, we are interested in the largest forced variation: the annual cycle. We will draw out the similarities and the distinctions between the climatologies of the oceanic and continental rain bands, study the ways in which the two interact with each other, and investigate the extent to which established zonal-mean ITCZ frameworks contain information about regional rainfall characteristics. Second, we will investigate the response to quadrupling the CO2 concentration and to orbital changes, comparing the multi-model mean response and the inter-model scatter to responses in the CMIP5 ensemble, paying special attention to the way in which land responds differently than ocean and even, with its presence, modifies the response of the oceanic ITCZ to external forcings.

Convection without eddy viscosity: An attempt to model the interiors of giant planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingersoll, A. P.

1986-01-01

In the theory of hydrostatic quasi-geostrophic flow in the Earth's atmosphere the principal results do not depend on the eddy viscosity. This contrasts with published theories of convection in deep rotating fluid spheres, where the wavelength of the fastest growing disturbance varies as E sup 1/3, where E, the Ekman number, is proportional to the eddy viscosity. A new theory of quasi-columnar motions in stably stratified fluid spheres attempts to capture the luck of the meteorologists. The theory allows one to investigate the stability of barotropic and baroclinic zonal flows that extend into the planetary interior. It is hypothesized that the internal heat Jupiter and Saturn comes out not radially but on sloping surfaces defined by the internal entropy distribution. To test the hypothesis one searches for basic states in which the wavelength of the fastest-growing disturbance remains finite as E tends to zero, and is which the heat flux vector is radially outward and poleward.

Estimation of Venus wind velocities from high-resolution infrared spectra. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, M. A. H.

1978-01-01

Zonal velocity profiles in the Venus atmosphere above the clouds were estimated from measured asymmetries of HCl and HF infrared absorption lines in high-resolution Fourier interferometer spectra of the planet. These asymmetries are caused by both pressure-induced shifts in the positions of the hydrogen-halide lines perturbed by CO2 and Doppler shifts due to atmospheric motions. Particularly in the case of the HCl 2-0 band, the effects of the two types of line shifts can be easily isolated, making it possible to estimate a profile of average Venus equatorial zonal velocity as a function of pressure in the region roughly 60 to 70 km above the surface of the planet. The mean profiles obtained show strong vertical shear in the Venus zonal winds near the cloud-top level, and both the magnitude and direction of winds at all levels in this region appear to vary greatly with longitude relative to the sub-solar point.

Equatorial Oscillations in Jupiter's and Saturn's Atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flasar, F. Michael; Guerlet, S.; Fouchet, T.; Schinder, P. J.

2011-01-01

Equatorial oscillations in the zonal-mean temperatures and zonal winds have been well documented in Earth's middle atmosphere. A growing body of evidence from ground-based and Cassini spacecraft observations indicates that such phenomena also occur in the stratospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. Earth-based midinfrared measurements spanning several decades have established that the equatorial stratospheric temperatures on Jupiter vary with a cycle of 4-5 years and on Saturn with a cycle of approximately 15 years. Spectra obtained by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) during the Cassini swingby at the end of 2000, with much better vertical resolution than the ground-based data, indicated a series of vertically stacked warm and cold anomalics at Jupiter's equator; a similar structurc was seen at Saturn's equator in CIRS limb measurements made in 2005, in the early phase of Cassini's orbital tour. The thermal wind equation implied similar patterns of mean zonal winds increasing and decreasing with altitude. On Saturn the peak-to-pcak amplitude of this variation was nearly 200 meters per second. The alternating vertical pattern of wanner and colder cquatorial tcmperatures and easterly and westerly tendencies of the zonal winds is seen in Earth's equatorial oscillations, where the pattern descends with time, The Cassini Jupiter and early Saturn observations were snapshots within a limited time interval, and they did not show the temporal evolution of the spatial patterns. However, more recent Saturn observations by CIRS (2010) and Cassini radio-occultation soundings (2009-2010) have provided an opportunity to follow the change of the temperature-zonal wind pattern, and they suggest there is descent, at a rate of roughly one scale height over four years. On Earth, the observed descent in the zonal-mean structure is associated with the absorption of a combination of vertically propagating waves with easlerly and westerly phase velocities. The peak-to-peak zonal wind amplitude in the oscillation pattern and the rate of descent constrain the absorbed wave flux of zonal momentum. On Saturn this is approximately 0.05 square meters per square seconds, which is comparable to if not greater than that associated with the terrestrial oscillations. We discuss possible candidates for the absorbed waves on Saturn. On Earth the wave forcing of the equatorial oscillation generales secondary circulations that can affcct the temperature and wind structure at latitudes well away from the equator, and we discuss possible evidence of that on Saturn.

Role of the evening eastward electric field and the seed perturbations in the sequential occurrence of plasma bubble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadi, P.; Otsuka, Y.; Shiokawa, K.; Yamamoto, M.; M Buhari, S.; Abdullah, M.

2017-12-01

We investigate the 3-m ionospheric irregularities and the height variation of equatorial F-region observed by the Equatorial Atmosphere Radar (EAR) at Kototabang (100.3°E, 0.2°S, dip. Lat.: 10.1°S) in Indonesia and ionosondes at Chumphon (99.3°E, 10.7°N, dip. Lat.: 3°N) in Thailand and at Bac Lieu (105.7°E, 9.3°N, dip. Lat.; 1.5°N) in Vietnam, respectively, during March-April from 2011 to 2014. We aim to disclose the relation between pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) of evening eastward electric field and the sequential occurrence of the equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) in the period of 19-22 LT. In summary, (i) we found that the zonal spacing between consecutive EPBs ranges from less than 100 km up to 800 km with a maximum occurrence around 100-300 km as shown in Figure 1(a), and this result is consistent with the previous study [e.g. Makela et al., 2010]; (ii) the probability of the sequential occurrence of the EPB enhances with the increase of PRE strength (see Figure 1(b)); and (iii) Figure 1(c) shows that the zonal spacing between consecutive EPBs is less than 300 km for the weaker PRE (<30 m/s), whereas the zonal spacing is more varied for the stronger PRE (≥30 m/s). Our results remark that the PRE strength is a prominent factor of the sequential occurrence of the EPB. However, we also consider another factor, namely the zonal structure of seed perturbation modulated by gravity wave (GW), and the zonal spacing between consecutive EPBs may fit with the wavelength of the zonal structure of seed perturbation. We particularly attribute the result (iii) to the effects of PRE and seed perturbation on the sequential occurrence of the EPB, that is, we suggest that the weaker PRE could cause the sequential occurrence of the EPB when the zonal structure of seed perturbation has a shorter wavelength. We, however, need a further investigation for confirming the periodic seeding mechanism, and we will use a network of GPS receivers in the western part of Southeast Asia to analyze the zonal wavy structure in the TEC as a manifestation of the seed perturbations.

Dynamic Transitions and Baroclinic Instability for 3D Continuously Stratified Boussinesq Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Şengül, Taylan; Wang, Shouhong

2018-02-01

The main objective of this article is to study the nonlinear stability and dynamic transitions of the basic (zonal) shear flows for the three-dimensional continuously stratified rotating Boussinesq model. The model equations are fundamental equations in geophysical fluid dynamics, and dynamics associated with their basic zonal shear flows play a crucial role in understanding many important geophysical fluid dynamical processes, such as the meridional overturning oceanic circulation and the geophysical baroclinic instability. In this paper, first we derive a threshold for the energy stability of the basic shear flow, and obtain a criterion for local nonlinear stability in terms of the critical horizontal wavenumbers and the system parameters such as the Froude number, the Rossby number, the Prandtl number and the strength of the shear flow. Next, we demonstrate that the system always undergoes a dynamic transition from the basic shear flow to either a spatiotemporal oscillatory pattern or circle of steady states, as the shear strength of the basic flow crosses a critical threshold. Also, we show that the dynamic transition can be either continuous or catastrophic, and is dictated by the sign of a transition number, fully characterizing the nonlinear interactions of different modes. Both the critical shear strength and the transition number are functions of the system parameters. A systematic numerical method is carried out to explore transition in different flow parameter regimes. In particular, our numerical investigations show the existence of a hypersurface which separates the parameter space into regions where the basic shear flow is stable and unstable. Numerical investigations also yield that the selection of horizontal wave indices is determined only by the aspect ratio of the box. We find that the system admits only critical eigenmodes with roll patterns aligned with the x-axis. Furthermore, numerically we encountered continuous transitions to multiple steady states, as well as continuous and catastrophic transitions to spatiotemporal oscillations.

Phenotypic variations in chondrocyte subpopulations and their response to in vitro culture and external stimuli.

PubMed

Coates, Emily E; Fisher, John P

2010-11-01

Articular cartilage defects have limited capacity to self-repair, and cost society up to 60 billion dollars annually in both medical treatments and loss of working days. Recent developments in cartilage tissue engineering have resulted in many new products coming to market or entering clinical trials. However, there is a distinct lack of treatments which aim to recreate the complex zonal organization of articular cartilage. Cartilage tissue withstands repetitive strains throughout an individual's lifetime and provides frictionless movement between joints. The structure and composition of its intricately organized extracellular matrix varies with tissue depth to provide optimal resistance to loading, ensure ease of movement, and integrate with the subchondral bone. Each tissue zone is specially designed to resist the load it experiences, and maximize the tissue properties needed for its location. It is unlikely that a homogenous solution to tissue repair will be able to optimally restore the function of such a heterogeneous tissue. For zonal engineering of articular cartilage to become practical, maintenance of phenotypically stable zonal cell populations must be achieved. The chondrocyte phenotype varies considerably by zone, and it is the activity of these cells that help achieve the structural organization of the tissue. This review provides an examination of literature which has studied variations in cellular phenotype between cartilage zones. By doing so, we have identified critical differences between cell populations and highlighted areas of research which show potential in the field. Current research has made the morphological and metabolic variations between these cell populations clear, but an ideal way of maintaining these differences in vitro culture is yet to be established. Combinations of delivered growth factors, mechanical loading, and layered three-dimensional culture systems all show potential for achieving this goal. Furthermore, differentiation of progenitor cell populations into chondrocyte subpopulations may also hold promise for achieving large numbers of zonal chondrocytes. Success of the field lies in establishing methods of retaining phenotypically stable cell populations for in vitro culture.

The South ``West'' Pacific Convergence Zone: Large-scale feedback on atmospheric subsidence to the east

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widlansky, M. J.; Webster, P. J.; Hoyos, C.

2010-12-01

Three semi-permanent convective cloud bands exist in the Southern Hemisphere extending southeastward from the equator, through the tropics, and into the subtropics. The most prominent of these features occurs in the South Pacific during summer and is referred to as the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ). Similar cloud bands, with less intensity, exist in the South Indian and Atlantic basins. To the east of each convective zone is a large-scale region of atmospheric subsidence. We attempt to explain the physical mechanisms that promote the diagonal orientation of the SPCZ and also teleconnections that may exist with stratocumulus cloud cover in the southeastern Pacific. It is argued that slowly varying sea surface temperature patterns produce upper tropospheric wind fields that vary substantially in longitude (∂U/∂x). Regions where 200 hPa zonal winds decrease with longitude (i.e., negative zonal stretching deformation, or ∂U/∂x<0) reduce the group speed of the eastward propagating synoptic (3-6 day period) Rossby waves and locally increase the wave energy density. Such a region of wave accumulation occurs in the vicinity of the SPCZ (see Figure), thus providing a hypothesis for the diagonal orientation and a physical basis for earlier observations that the zone traps eastward propagating synoptic disturbances. Controlled numerical experiments and composites of observed life cycles of synoptic waves confirm that disturbances slow in the SPCZ. From the hypothesis comes a more general theory accounting for the SPCZ’s spatial orientation and the lack of disturbances to the east. December-February climatology of 200 hPa zonal winds (shading) and negative zonal stretching deformation (red contours). Large black box located at 20°S-35°S, 165°W-135°W encloses the diagonal region of the SPCZ. 240 W m-2 OLR contour outlined by blue lines.

Selection for production-related traits in Pelargonium zonale: improved design and analysis make all the difference

PubMed Central

Molenaar, Heike; Glawe, Martin; Boehm, Robert; Piepho, Hans-Peter

2017-01-01

Ornamental plant variety improvement is limited by current phenotyping approaches and neglected use of experimental designs. The present study was conducted to show the benefits of using an experimental design and corresponding analysis in ornamental breeding regarding simulated response to selection in Pelargonium zonale for production-related traits. This required establishment of phenotyping protocols for root formation and stem cutting counts, with which 974 genotypes were assessed in a two-phase experimental design. The present paper evaluates this protocol. The possibility of varietal improvement through indirect selection on secondary traits such as branch count and flower count was assessed by genetic correlations. Simulated response to selection varied greatly, depending on the genotypic variances of the breeding population and traits. A varietal improvement of over 20% is possible for stem cutting count, root formation, branch count and flower count. In contrast, indirect selection of stem cutting count by branch count or flower count was found to be ineffective. The established phenotypic protocols and two-phase experimental designs are valuable tools for breeding of P. zonale. PMID:28243453

Selection for production-related traits in Pelargonium zonale: improved design and analysis make all the difference.

PubMed

Molenaar, Heike; Glawe, Martin; Boehm, Robert; Piepho, Hans-Peter

2017-01-01

Ornamental plant variety improvement is limited by current phenotyping approaches and neglected use of experimental designs. The present study was conducted to show the benefits of using an experimental design and corresponding analysis in ornamental breeding regarding simulated response to selection in Pelargonium zonale for production-related traits. This required establishment of phenotyping protocols for root formation and stem cutting counts, with which 974 genotypes were assessed in a two-phase experimental design. The present paper evaluates this protocol. The possibility of varietal improvement through indirect selection on secondary traits such as branch count and flower count was assessed by genetic correlations. Simulated response to selection varied greatly, depending on the genotypic variances of the breeding population and traits. A varietal improvement of over 20% is possible for stem cutting count, root formation, branch count and flower count. In contrast, indirect selection of stem cutting count by branch count or flower count was found to be ineffective. The established phenotypic protocols and two-phase experimental designs are valuable tools for breeding of P. zonale .

Laboratory modeling of multiple zonal jets on the polar beta-plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afanasyev, Y.

2011-12-01

Zonal jets observed in the oceans and atmospheres of planets are studied in a laboratory rotating tank. The fluid layer in the rotating tank has parabolic free surface and dynamically simulates the polar beta-plane where the Coriolis parameter varies quadratically with distance from the pole. Velocity and surface elevation fields are measured with an optical altimetry method (Afanasyev et al., Exps Fluids 2009). The flows are induced by a localized buoyancy source along radial direction. The baroclinic flow consisting of a field of eddies propagates away from the source due West and forms zonal jets (Fig. 1). Barotropic jets ahead of the baroclinic flow are formed by radiation of beta plumes. Inside the baroclinic flow the jets flow between the chains of eddies. Experimental evidence of so-called noodles (baroclinic instability mode with motions in the radial, North-South direction) theoretically predicted by Berloff et al. (JFM, JPO 2009) was found in our experiments. Beta plume radiation mechanism and the mechanism associated with the instability of noodles are likely to contribute to formation of jets in the baroclinic flow.

Baseline predictability of daily east Asian summer monsoon circulation indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Shucong; Chen, Quanliang; Li, Jianping; Ding, Ruiqiang; Zhong, Quanjia

2017-05-01

The nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent (NLLE) method is adopted to quantitatively determine the predictability limit of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity indices on a synoptic timescale. The predictability limit of EASM indices varies widely according to the definitions of indices. EASM indices defined by zonal shear have a limit of around 7 days, which is higher than the predictability limit of EASM indices defined by sea level pressure (SLP) difference and meridional wind shear (about 5 days). The initial error of EASM indices defined by SLP difference and meridional wind shear shows a faster growth than indices defined by zonal wind shear. Furthermore, the indices defined by zonal wind shear appear to fluctuate at lower frequencies, whereas the indices defined by SLP difference and meridional wind shear generally fluctuate at higher frequencies. This result may explain why the daily variability of the EASM indices defined by zonal wind shear tends be more predictable than those defined by SLP difference and meridional wind shear. Analysis of the temporal correlation coefficient (TCC) skill for EASM indices obtained from observations and from NCEP's Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS) historical weather forecast dataset shows that GEFS has a higher forecast skill for the EASM indices defined by zonal wind shear than for indices defined by SLP difference and meridional wind shear. The predictability limit estimated by the NLLE method is shorter than that in GEFS. In addition, the June-September average TCC skill for different daily EASM indices shows significant interannual variations from 1985 to 2015 in GEFS. However, the TCC for different types of EASM indices does not show coherent interannual fluctuations.

Studies of velocity fluctuations in the lower atmosphere using the MU radar. I - Azimuthal anisotropy. II - Momentum fluxes and energy densities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanzandt, T. E.; Smith, S. A.; Tsuda, T.; Sato, T.; Fritts, D. C.

1990-01-01

Results are presented from a six-day campaign to observe velocity fluctuations in the lower atmosphere using the MU radar (Fukao et al., 1985) in Shigaraki, Japan in March, 1986. Consideration is given to the azimuthal anisotropy, the frequency spectra, the vertical profiles of energy density, and the momentum flux of the motion field. It is found that all of the observed azimuthal variations are probably caused by a gravity wave field whose parameters vary with time. The results show significant differences between the mean zonal and meridional frequency spectra and different profiles of mean energy density with height for different frequency bands and for zonal and meridional components.

Decomposing variations of geopotential height in the troposphere and stratosphere into stationary and travelling waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guryanov, Vladimir; Eliseev, Alexey

2016-07-01

The ERA-Interim geopotential height in the Northern Hemisphere from November to March, 1992-2015 in the layer from between pressure levels 1000 mb and 1 mb is expanded into stationary and travelling zonal waves with zonal wavenumbers, k, from 1 to 10, and with periods, T, from 2 to 156 days (the so called Hayashi spectra). Among the studied waves, the largest amplitude is attained by the stationary and travelling waves with zonal wavenumber k=1 and with periods from 3 to 4 weeks in the upper stratosphere over the latitudinal belt 60-70oN. The stationary waves with k from 1 to 3 and with T from 2 to 3 weeks are most pronounced in the stratosphere. In turn, the largest amplitudes of the travelling waves with zonal wavenumbers k ≥ 5 are found in the troposphere. The dominant periods of the latter waves are about 1 week or slightly higher, and this dominant period basically decrease with increasing wavenumber. In the upper stratosphere, the eastward travelling waves generally dominate over westward ones. The only exception is the longest zonal mode with k=1, for which the amplitude of the westward travelling wave is larger than that for the eastward one. The period of the travelling waves dominating in the upper stratosphere is close to 3 weeks. In the upper troposphere, the amplitudes of the eastward waves with k from 4 to 10 is several-fold larger than those for their westward counterparts. The latter is reflected in the larger average wavenumber of the eastward travelling wave in comparison to that of the westarward one. The period of the gravest of the dominant travelling waves in the upper troposphere is close to one week, and it decreases to 2-4 days for the dominant travelling waves with k=8-10.

Geometrical constraint on the localization of deep water formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, D.; Marshall, J.

2008-12-01

That deep water formation occurs in the North Atlantic and not North Pacific is one of the most notable features of the present climate. In an effort to build a system able to mimic such basic aspects of climate using a minimal description, we study here the influence of ocean geometry on the localization of deep water formation. Using the MIT GCM, two idealized configurations of an ocean-atmosphere-sea ice climate system are studied: Drake and Double-Drake. In Drake, one narrow barrier extends from the North Pole to 35°S while, in Double-Drake, two such barriers set 90° apart join at the North Pole to delimit a Small and a Large basin. Despite the different continental configurations, the two climates are strikingly similar in the zonal average (almost identical heat and fresh water transports, and meridional overturning circulation). However, regional circulations in the Small and Large basins exhibit distinctive Atlantic-like and Pacific-like characteristics: the Small basin is warmer and saltier than the Large one, concentrates dense water formation and deep overturning circulation and achieve the largest fraction of the northward ocean heat transport. We show that the warmer temperature and higher evaporation over the Small basin is not its distinguishing factor. Rather, it is the width of the basin in relation to the zonal fetch of the precipitation pattern. This generates a deficit/excess of precipitation over the Small/Large basin: a fraction of the moisture evaporated from the Small basin is transported zonally and rains out over the Large basin. This creates a salt contrast between the 2 basins, leading to the localization of deep convection in the salty Small basin. Finally, given on the broad similarities between the Double-Drake and real World, we suggest that many gross features that define the present climate are a consequence of 2 asymmetries: a meridional asymmetry (a zonally unblocked southern/blocked northern ocean) and a zonal one (a small and a large basin in the northern hemisphere).

Flow and Force Equations for a Body Revolving in a Fluid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zahm, A. F.

1979-01-01

A general method for finding the steady flow velocity relative to a body in plane curvilinear motion, whence the pressure is found by Bernoulli's energy principle is described. Integration of the pressure supplies basic formulas for the zonal forces and moments on the revolving body. The application of the steady flow method for calculating the velocity and pressure at all points of the flow inside and outside an ellipsoid and some of its limiting forms is presented and graphs those quantities for the latter forms. In some useful cases experimental pressures are plotted for comparison with theoretical. The pressure, and thence the zonal force and moment, on hulls in plane curvilinear flight are calculated. General equations for the resultant fluid forces and moments on trisymmetrical bodies moving through a perfect fluid are derived. Formulas for potential coefficients and inertia coefficients for an ellipsoid and its limiting forms are presented.

An economical semi-analytical orbit theory for micro-computer applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, R. A.

1988-01-01

An economical algorithm is presented for predicting the position of a satellite perturbed by drag and zonal harmonics J sub 2 through J sub 4. Simplicity being of the essence, drag is modeled as a secular decay rate in the semi-axis (retarded motion); with the zonal perturbations modeled from a modified version of the Brouwers formulas. The algorithm is developed as: an alternative on-board orbit predictor; a back up propagator requiring low energy consumption; or a ground based propagator for microcomputer applications (e.g., at the foot of an antenna). An O(J sub 2) secular retarded state partial matrix (matrizant) is also given to employ with state estimation. The theory was implemented in BASIC on an inexpensive microcomputer, the program occupying under 8K bytes of memory. Simulated trajectory data and real tracking data are employed to illustrate the theory's ability to accurately accommodate oblateness and drag effects.

An economical semi-analytical orbit theory for micro-computer applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, R. A.

1986-01-01

An economical algorithm is presented for predicting the position of a satellite perturbed by drag and zonal harmonics J2 through J4. Simplicity being of the essence, drag is modeled as a secular decay rate in the semimajor axis (retarded motion) with the zonal perturbations modeled from a modified version of Brouwers formulas. The algorithm is developed as an alternative on-board orbit predictor; a back up propagator requiring low energy consumption; or a ground based propagator for microcomputer applications (e.g., at the foot of an antenna). An O(J2) secular retarded state partial matrix (matrizant) is also given to employ with state estimation. The theory has been implemented in BASIC on an inexpensive microcomputer, the program occupying under 8K bytes of memory. Simulated trajectory data and real tracking data are employed to illustrate the theory's ability to accurately accommodate oblateness and drag effects.

Characteristics of equatorial plasma bubbles observed by TEC map based on ground-based GNSS receivers over South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barros, Diego; Takahashi, Hisao; Wrasse, Cristiano M.; Figueiredo, Cosme Alexandre O. B.

2018-01-01

A ground-based network of GNSS receivers has been used to monitor equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) by mapping the total electron content (TEC map). The large coverage of the TEC map allowed us to monitor several EPBs simultaneously and get characteristics of the dynamics, extension and longitudinal distributions of the EPBs from the onset time until their disappearance. These characteristics were obtained by using TEC map analysis and the keogram technique. TEC map databases analyzed were for the period between November 2012 and January 2016. The zonal drift velocities of the EPBs showed a clear latitudinal gradient varying from 123 m s-1 at the Equator to 65 m s-1 for 35° S latitude. Consequently, observed EPBs are inclined against the geomagnetic field lines. Both zonal drift velocity and the inclination of the EPBs were compared to the thermospheric neutral wind, which showed good agreement. Moreover, the large two-dimensional coverage of TEC maps allowed us to study periodic EPBs with a wide longitudinal distance. The averaged values observed for the inter-bubble distances also presented a clear latitudinal gradient varying from 920 km at the Equator to 640 km at 30° S. The latitudinal gradient in the inter-bubble distances seems to be related to the difference in the zonal drift velocity of the EPB from the Equator to middle latitudes and to the difference in the westward movement of the terminator. On several occasions, the distances reached more than 2000 km. Inter-bubble distances greater than 1000 km have not been reported in the literature.

Convectively driven decadal zonal accelerations in Earth's fluid core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

More, Colin; Dumberry, Mathieu

2018-04-01

Azimuthal accelerations of cylindrical surfaces co-axial with the rotation axis have been inferred to exist in Earth's fluid core on the basis of magnetic field observations and changes in the length-of-day. These accelerations have a typical timescale of decades. However, the physical mechanism causing the accelerations is not well understood. Scaling arguments suggest that the leading order torque averaged over cylindrical surfaces should arise from the Lorentz force. Decadal fluctuations in the magnetic field inside the core, driven by convective flows, could then force decadal changes in the Lorentz torque and generate zonal accelerations. We test this hypothesis by constructing a quasi-geostrophic model of magnetoconvection, with thermally driven flows perturbing a steady, imposed background magnetic field. We show that when the Alfvén number in our model is similar to that in Earth's fluid core, temporal fluctuations in the torque balance are dominated by the Lorentz torque, with the latter generating mean zonal accelerations. Our model reproduces both fast, free Alfvén waves and slow, forced accelerations, with ratios of relative strength and relative timescale similar to those inferred for the Earth's core. The temporal changes in the magnetic field which drive the time-varying Lorentz torque are produced by the underlying convective flows, shearing and advecting the magnetic field on a timescale associated with convective eddies. Our results support the hypothesis that temporal changes in the magnetic field deep inside Earth's fluid core drive the observed decadal zonal accelerations of cylindrical surfaces through the Lorentz torque.

Seasonal variation of the stratospheric circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirota, I.; Shiotani, M.

1985-01-01

An extensive analysis is made of the extratropical stratospheric circulation in terms of the seasonal variation of large-scale motion fields, with the aid of height and temperature data obtained from the TIROS satellite. Special attention is paid to a comparison of climatological aspects between the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and the Southern Hemisphere (SH). In order to see the general picture of the annual mach of the upper stratosphere, the zonal mean values of geopotential height of the 1 mb level at 70 deg N and 70 deg S were plotted on the daily basis throughout a year. It is observed that, during the winter, the zonal mean 1 mb height in the NH is much more variable than that in the SH. It is also notable that the SH height is rather oscillatory throughout the longer period from midwinter to early summer. Since the zonal mean height in the polar latitude is a rough measure of the mean zonal flow in extratropical latitudes, the difference of the seasonal variation between the two hemispheres mentioned above is considered to be due mainly to the planetary wave-mean flow interaction in the middle atmosphere. The wave activity in the middle atmosphere is represented more rigorously by the Eliassen-Palm flux associated with vertically propagating planetary waves forced from below. The day-to-day variation of the EP flux in the upper stratosphere shows that the wave activity varies intermittently with a characteristic time scale of about two weeks.

ENSO and East Asian winter monsoon relationship modulation associated with the anomalous northwest Pacific anticyclone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ji-Won; An, Soon-Il; Jun, Sang-Yoon; Park, Hey-Jin; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2017-08-01

Using observational datasets and numerical model experiments, the mechanism on the slowly varying change in the relationship between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) is investigated. The decadal-window (11-, 15-, and 21-year) moving correlations show a significant change in the boreal wintertime ENSO-EAWM relationship between two sub-periods of 1976‒1992 and 1997‒2013. Such recent change in ENSO-EAWM relationship is mainly attributed to the changes in the intensity and zonal location of the anomalous lower-tropospheric northwest Pacific anticyclone (NWP-AC). NWP-AC commonly develops near the region of the Philippine Sea during the ENSO's peak phase and plays an important role of bridging the tropical convection and mid-latitude teleconnection. On one hand, the intensity of the NWP-AC is influenced by the interdecadal variation in a linkage between ENSO and the Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) variability, referring that a strong connection between the Pacific and Indian Oceans results in the strengthening of NWP-AC response to ENSO. On the other hand, the zonal displacement of the NWP-AC is associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). That is, the tropical Pacific mean state (i.e., zonal SST gradient between climatologically warm western Pacific and cold eastern Pacific)—strengthened by either the negative PDO phase or the positive AMO phase—drives the anomalous ENSO-induced convection to be shifted to the west. With this westward shift, the zonal center of the NWP-AC also migrates westward over the Philippine Islands and exerts stronger connection between ENSO and EAWM. In contrast, the relaxed zonal SST contrast associated with either the positive PDO phase or the negative AMO phase tends to exhibit weaker ENSO-EAWM relationship via both of eastward shifted zonal centers of the anomalous ENSO-induced convection and the NWP-AC. Finally, a series of the numerical experiments conducted by an atmospheric general circulation model supports the observational findings.

Rotational Splittings of Acoustic Modes in an Experimental Model of a Planetary Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, M. M.; Stone, D.; Lathrop, D. P.

2014-12-01

Planetary zonal flows can be probed in principle using the tools of helioseismology. We explore this technique using laboratory experiments where the measurement of zonal flows is also of geophysical relevance. The experiments are carried out in a device with a geometry similar to that of Earth's core. It consists of a 60 cm diameter outer spherical shell concentric with a 20 cm diameter inner sphere. Air between the inner sphere and outer shell is used as the working fluid. A turbulent shear flow is driven in the air by independently rotating the inner sphere and outer shell. Acoustic modes are excited in the vessel with a speaker, and microphones are used to measure the rotational splittings of these modes. The radial profile of azimuthal velocities is inferred from these splittings, in an approach analogous to that used in helioseismology to determine solar velocity profiles. By varying the inner and outer rotation rates, different turbulent states can be investigated. Comparison is made to previous experimental investigations of turbulent spherical Couette flow. These experiments also serve as a test of this diagnostic, which may be used in the future in liquid sodium experiments, providing information on zonal flows in hydromagnetic experiments.

Flow and Force Equations for a Body Revolving in a Fluid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zahm, A F

1930-01-01

Part I gives a general method for finding the steady-flow velocity relative to a body in plane curvilinear motion, whence the pressure is found by Bernoulli's energy principle. Integration of the pressure supplies basic formulas for the zonal forces and moments on the revolving body. Part II, applying this steady-flow method, finds the velocity and pressure at all points of the flow inside and outside an ellipsoid and some of its limiting forms, and graphs those quantities for the latter forms. Part III finds the pressure, and thence the zonal force and moment, on hulls in plane curvilinear flight. Part IV derives general equations for the resultant fluid forces and moments on trisymmetrical bodies moving through a perfect fluid, and in some cases compares the moment values with those found for bodies moving in air. Part V furnishes ready formulas for potential coefficients and inertia coefficients for an ellipsoid and its limiting forms. Thence are derived tables giving numerical values of those coefficients for a comprehensive range of shapes.

Convection driven zonal flows and vortices in the major planets.

PubMed

Busse, F. H.

1994-06-01

The dynamical properties of convection in rotating cylindrical annuli and spherical shells are reviewed. Simple theoretical models and experimental simulations of planetary convection through the use of the centrifugal force in the laboratory are emphasized. The model of columnar convection in a cylindrical annulus not only serves as a guide to the dynamical properties of convection in rotating sphere; it also is of interest as a basic physical system that exhibits several dynamical properties in their most simple form. The generation of zonal mean flows is discussed in some detail and examples of recent numerical computations are presented. The exploration of the parameter space for the annulus model is not yet complete and the theoretical exploration of convection in rotating spheres is still in the beginning phase. Quantitative comparisons with the observations of the dynamics of planetary atmospheres will have to await the consideration in the models of the effects of magnetic fields and the deviations from the Boussinesq approximation.

Global characteristics of zonal flows due to the effect of finite bandwidth in drift wave turbulence

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

Uzawa, K.; Li Jiquan; Kishimoto, Y.

2009-04-15

The spectral effect of the zonal flow (ZF) on its generation is investigated based on the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima turbulence model. It is found that the effect of finite ZF bandwidth qualitatively changes the characteristics of ZF instability. A spatially localized (namely, global) nonlinear ZF state with an enhanced, unique growth rate for all spectral components is created under a given turbulent fluctuation. It is identified that such state originates from the successive cross couplings among Fourier components of the ZF and turbulence spectra through the sideband modulation. Furthermore, it is observed that the growth rate of the global ZF is determinedmore » not only by the spectral distribution and amplitudes of turbulent pumps as usual, but also statistically by the turbulence structure, namely, their probabilistic initial phase factors. A ten-wave coupling model of the ZF modulation instability involving the essential effect of the ZF spectrum is developed to clarify the basic features of the global nonlinear ZF state.« less

Vertical propagation of information in a middle atmosphere data assimilation system by gravity-wave drag feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Shuzhan; Polavarapu, Saroja M.; Shepherd, Theodore G.

2008-03-01

The mesospheric response to the 2002 Antarctic Stratospheric Sudden Warming (SSW) is analysed using the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model Data Assimilation System (CMAM-DAS), where it represents a vertical propagation of information from the observations into the data-free mesosphere. The CMAM-DAS simulates a cooling in the lowest part of the mesosphere which is accomplished by resolved motions, but which is extended to the mid- to upper mesosphere by the response of the model's non-orographic gravity-wave drag parameterization to the change in zonal winds. The basic mechanism is that elucidated by Holton consisting of a net eastward wave-drag anomaly in the mesosphere during the SSW, although in this case there is a net upwelling in the polar mesosphere. Since the zonal-mean mesospheric response is shown to be predictable, this demonstrates that variations in the mesospheric state can be slaved to the lower atmosphere through gravity-wave drag.

Three-dimensional baroclinic instability of a Hadley cell for small Richardson number

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antar, B. N.; Fowlis, W. W.

1985-01-01

A three-dimensional, linear stability analysis of a baroclinic flow for Richardson number, Ri, of order unity is presented. The model considered is a thin horizontal, rotating fluid layer which is subjected to horizontal and vertical temperature gradients. The basic state is a Hadley cell which is a solution of the complete set of governing, nonlinear equations and contains both Ekman and thermal boundary layers adjacent to the rigid boundaries; it is given in a closed form. The stability analysis is also based on the complete set of equations; and perturbation possessing zonal, meridional, and vertical structures were considered. Numerical methods were developed for the stability problem which results in a stiff, eighth-order, ordinary differential eigenvalue problem. The previous work on three-dimensional baroclinic instability for small Ri was extended to a more realistic model involving the Prandtl number, sigma, and the Ekman number, E, and to finite growth rates and a wider range of the zonal wavenumber.

A numerical study of the effect of geometry variation, turbulence models, and dissipation on the flow past control surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaussee, Denny S.

1993-01-01

The steady 3D viscous flow past the ONERA M6 wing and a slender delta wing-body with trailing edge control surfaces has been computed. A cell-centered finite-volume Navier-Stokes patched zonal method has been used for the numerical simulation. Both diagonalized and LUSGS schemes have been implemented. Besides the standard nonplanar zonal interfacing techniques, a new virtual zone capability has been employed. For code validation, the transonic flow past the ONERA M5 wing is calculated for angles-of-attack of 3.06 deg and 5.06 deg and compared with the available experiments. The wing-body computational results are compared with experimental data for both trailing-edge flaps deflected. The experimental flow conditions are M subinfinity = 0.4, a turbulent Reynolds number of 5.41 million based on a mean aerodynamic chord of 25.959 inches, adiabatic wall, and angles-of-attack varying from 0 deg to 23.85 deg. The computational results are presented for the 23.85 deg angle-of-attack case. The effects of the base flow due to a model sting, the varying second and fourth order numerical dissipation, and the turbulence model are all considered.

Role of atmosphere-ocean interactions in supermodeling the tropical Pacific climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Mao-Lin; Keenlyside, Noel; Bhatt, Bhuwan C.; Duane, Gregory S.

2017-12-01

The supermodel strategy interactively combines several models to outperform the individual models comprising it. A key advantage of the approach is that nonlinear improvements can be achieved, in contrast to the linear weighted combination of individual unconnected models. This property is found in a climate supermodel constructed by coupling two versions of an atmospheric model differing only in their convection scheme to a single ocean model. The ocean model receives a weighted combination of the momentum and heat fluxes. Optimal weights can produce a supermodel with a basic state similar to observations: a single Intertropical Convergence zone (ITCZ), with a western Pacific warm pool and an equatorial cold tongue. This is in stark contrast to the erroneous double ITCZ pattern simulated by both of the two stand-alone coupled models. By varying weights, we develop a conceptual scheme to explain how combining the momentum fluxes of the two different atmospheric models affects equatorial upwelling and surface wind feedback so as to give a realistic basic state in the tropical Pacific. In particular, we propose a mechanism based on the competing influences of equatorial zonal wind and off-equatorial wind stress curl in driving equatorial upwelling in the coupled models. Our results show how nonlinear ocean-atmosphere interaction is essential in combining these two effects to build different sea surface temperature structures, some of which are realistic. They also provide some insight into observed and modelled tropical Pacific climate.

Role of atmosphere-ocean interactions in supermodeling the tropical Pacific climate.

PubMed

Shen, Mao-Lin; Keenlyside, Noel; Bhatt, Bhuwan C; Duane, Gregory S

2017-12-01

The supermodel strategy interactively combines several models to outperform the individual models comprising it. A key advantage of the approach is that nonlinear improvements can be achieved, in contrast to the linear weighted combination of individual unconnected models. This property is found in a climate supermodel constructed by coupling two versions of an atmospheric model differing only in their convection scheme to a single ocean model. The ocean model receives a weighted combination of the momentum and heat fluxes. Optimal weights can produce a supermodel with a basic state similar to observations: a single Intertropical Convergence zone (ITCZ), with a western Pacific warm pool and an equatorial cold tongue. This is in stark contrast to the erroneous double ITCZ pattern simulated by both of the two stand-alone coupled models. By varying weights, we develop a conceptual scheme to explain how combining the momentum fluxes of the two different atmospheric models affects equatorial upwelling and surface wind feedback so as to give a realistic basic state in the tropical Pacific. In particular, we propose a mechanism based on the competing influences of equatorial zonal wind and off-equatorial wind stress curl in driving equatorial upwelling in the coupled models. Our results show how nonlinear ocean-atmosphere interaction is essential in combining these two effects to build different sea surface temperature structures, some of which are realistic. They also provide some insight into observed and modelled tropical Pacific climate.

The role of zonally asymmetric heating in the vertical and temporal structure of the global scale flow fields during FGGE SOP-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paegle, J.; Kalnay, E.; Baker, W. E.

1981-01-01

The global scale structure of atmospheric flow is best documented on time scales longer than a few days. Theoretical and observational studies of ultralong waves have emphasized forcing due to global scale variations of topography and surface heat flux, possibly interacting with baroclinically unstable or vertically refracting basic flows. Analyses of SOP-1 data in terms of global scale spherical harmonics is documented with emphasis upon weekly transitions.

[Power in the periphery of several aspheric eyeglasses for aphakic patients].

PubMed

Simonet, P

1984-01-01

A special device adapted to a Nikon projection vertexometer permits the power to be measured in the periphery of recent aspheric aphakic lenses. The peripheral power is measured with respect to the vertex sphere. A blended lenticular aspheric lens and three types of zonal aspheric full field lenses are studied, with various base curves on three samples. Four meridians of each lens are evaluated with ocular rotations varying by 5 degrees step up to 35 degrees at least. The results show a variable oblique astigmatism and a high under-correction of the mean oblique power for the Welsh 4 drop. The other zonal aspheric lenses give only a slight improvement of the peripheral powers compared with some conventional aspheric lenses. The Omega lens shows a reasonable correction of off-axis power errors up to 30 degrees. Beyond, the powers variation follows the general characteristics of blended lenticular aspheric lenses.

Diabatic heating rate estimates from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christy, John R.

1991-01-01

Vertically integrated diabatic heating rate estimates (H) calculated from 32 months of European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts daily analyses (May 1985-December 1987) are determined as residuals of the thermodynamic equation in pressure coordinates. Values for global, hemispheric, zonal, and grid point H are given as they vary over the time period examined. The distribution of H is compared with previous results and with outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) measurements. The most significant negative correlations between H and OLR occur for (1) tropical and Northern-Hemisphere mid-latitude oceanic areas and (2) zonal and hemispheric mean values for periods less than 90 days. Largest positive correlations are seen in periods greater than 90 days for the Northern Hemispheric mean and continental areas of North Africa, North America, northern Asia, and Antarctica. The physical basis for these relationships is discussed. An interyear comparison between 1986 and 1987 reveals the ENSO signal.

Optimisation of confinement in a fusion reactor using a nonlinear turbulence model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Highcock, E. G.; Mandell, N. R.; Barnes, M.

2018-04-01

The confinement of heat in the core of a magnetic fusion reactor is optimised using a multidimensional optimisation algorithm. For the first time in such a study, the loss of heat due to turbulence is modelled at every stage using first-principles nonlinear simulations which accurately capture the turbulent cascade and large-scale zonal flows. The simulations utilise a novel approach, with gyrofluid treatment of the small-scale drift waves and gyrokinetic treatment of the large-scale zonal flows. A simple near-circular equilibrium with standard parameters is chosen as the initial condition. The figure of merit, fusion power per unit volume, is calculated, and then two control parameters, the elongation and triangularity of the outer flux surface, are varied, with the algorithm seeking to optimise the chosen figure of merit. A twofold increase in the plasma power per unit volume is achieved by moving to higher elongation and strongly negative triangularity.

Observed ozone response to variations in solar ultraviolet radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gille, J. C.; Smythe, C. M.; Heath, D. F.

1984-01-01

During the winter of 1979, the solar ultraviolet irradiance varied with a period of 13.5 days and an amplitude of 1 percent. The zonal mean ozone values in the tropics varied with the solar irradiance, with an amplitude of 0.25 to 0.60 percent. This observation agrees with earlier calculations, although the response may be overestimated. These results imply changes in ozone at an altitude of 48 kilometers of up to 12 percent over an 11-year solar cycle. Interpretation of ozone changes in the upper stratosphere will require measurements of solar ultraviolet radiation at wavelengths near 200 nanometers.

Financial methods in competitive electricity markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Shijie

The restructuring of electric power industry has become a global trend. As reforms to the electricity supply industry spread rapidly across countries and states, many political and economical issues arise as a result of people debating over which approach to adopt in restructuring the vertically integrated electricity industry. This dissertation addresses issues of transmission pricing, electricity spot price modeling, as well as risk management and asset valuation in a competitive electricity industry. A major concern in the restructuring of the electricity industries is the design of a transmission pricing scheme that will ensure open-access to the transmission networks. I propose a priority-pricing scheme for zonal access to the electric power grid that is uniform across all buses in each zone. The Independent System Operator (ISO) charges bulk power traders a per unit ex ante transmission access fee based on the expected option value of the generated power with respect to the random zonal spot prices. The zonal access fee depends on the injection zone and a self-selected strike price determining the scheduling priority of the transaction. Inter zonal transactions are charged (or credited) with an additional ex post congestion fee that equals the zonal spot price difference. The unit access fee entitles a bulk power trader to either physical injection of one unit of energy or a compensation payment that equals to the difference between the realized zonal spot price and the selected strike price. The ISO manages congestion so as to minimize net compensation payments and thus, curtailment probabilities corresponding to a particular strike price may vary by bus. The rest of the dissertation deals with the issues of modeling electricity spot prices, pricing electricity financial instruments and the corresponding risk management applications. Modeling the spot prices of electricity is important for the market participants who need to understand the risk factors in pricing electricity financial instruments such as electricity forwards, options and cross-commodity derivatives. It is also essential for the analysis of financial risk management, asset valuation, and project financing. In the setting of diffusion processes with multiple types of jumps, I examine three mean-reversion models for modeling the electricity spot prices. I impose some structure on the coefficients of the diffusion processes, which allows me to easily compute the prices of contingent claims (or, financial instruments) on electricity by Fourier methods. I derive the pricing formulas for various electricity derivatives and examine how the prices vary with different modeling assumptions. I demonstrate a couple of risk management applications of the electricity financial instruments. I also construct a real options approach to value electric power generation and transmission assets both with and without accounting for the operating characteristics of the assets. The implications of the mean-reversion jump-diffusion models on financial risk management and real asset valuation in competitive electricity markets are illustrated. With a discrete trinomial lattice modeling the underlying commodity prices, I estimate the effects of operational characteristics on the asset valuation by means of numerical examples that incorporate these aspects using stochastic dynamic programming. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Wave Activity and Its Changes in the Troposphere and Stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere in Winters of 1979-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guryanov, V. V.; Eliseev, A. V.; Mokhov, I. I.; Perevedentsev, Yu. P.

2018-03-01

An analysis of spectra of wave disturbances with zonal wave numbers 1 ≤ k ≤ 10 is carried out using winter (November to March) ERA-Interim reanalysis geopotential data in the troposphere and stratosphere for 1979-2016. Contributions of eastward-traveling ( E), westward-traveling ( W), and stationary ( S) waves are estimated. The intensification of wave activity is observed in the tropical troposphere and stratosphere and in the upper stratosphere of the entire Northern Hemisphere. The intensification of wave activity in the tropics and subtropics is noted for waves of all types ( E, W, and S), while in the middle and higher latitudes it is related mainly to stationary and eastward waves. Near the subtropical tropopause, the energy of stationary waves has increased in recent decades. In addition, in the tropical and subtropical troposphere and in the subtropical lower stratosphere, the energy of the eastward-traveling waves in El Niño years may be one and a half times or twice the energy in La Niña years. The spectrally weighted zonal wave numbers for waves of all types ( E, W, and S) are the largest in the upper subtropical troposphere. The spectrally weighted zonal wave number for W and S waves is correlated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index and varies by 15% in 1979-2016 (on an interdecadal time scale). The spectrally weighted wave period is larger in the stratosphere than in the troposphere. It is maximal in the middle extratropical stratosphere. The spectrally weighted wave periods correlate with the activity of sudden stratospheric warmings. The sign of this correlation depends on the latitude, atmospheric layer, and zonal wave number.

Wave Forcing of Saturn's Equatorial Oscillation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flasar, F. M.; Schlinder, P. J.; Guerlet, S.; Fouchet, T.

2011-01-01

Ground-based measurements and Cassini data from CIRS thermal-infrared spectra and radio-occultation soundings have characterized the spatial structure and temporal behavior of a 15-year equatorial oscillation in Saturn's stratosphere. The equatorial region displays a vertical pattern of alternating warm and cold anomalies and, concomitantly, easterly and westerly winds relative to the cloud-top winds, with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 200 m/s. Comparison of the Cassini data over a four-year period has established that the pattern of mean zonal winds and temperatures descends at a rate of roughly I scale height over 4 years. This behavior is reminiscent of the equatorial oscillations in Earth's middle atmosphere. Here the zonal-mean spatial structure and descending pattern are driven by the absorption of vertically propagating waves. The maximum excursions in the pattern of easterly and westerly winds is determined by the limits of the zonal phase velocities of the waves. Here we report on the characterization of the waves seen in the temperature profiles retrieved from the Cassini radio-occultation soundings. The equatorial profiles exhibit a complex pattern of wavelike structure with dimensions one pressure scale height and smaller. We combine a spectral decomposition with a WKBJ analysis, where the vertical wavelength is assumed to vary slowly with the ambient static stability and doppler-shifted phase velocity of the wave. Use of the temperature and zonal wind maps from CIRS makes this approach viable. On Earth, the wave forcing associated with the equatorial oscillations generates secondary meridional circulations that affect the mean flow and planetary wave ducting well away from the equator. This may relate to the triggering of the recently reported mid-latitude storms on Saturn.

ACUTE ZONAL OCCULT OUTER RETINOPATHY: Structural and Functional Analysis Across the Transition Zone Between Healthy and Diseased Retina.

PubMed

Duncker, Tobias; Lee, Winston; Jiang, Fan; Ramachandran, Rithambara; Hood, Donald C; Tsang, Stephen H; Sparrow, Janet R; Greenstein, Vivienne C

2018-01-01

To assess structure and function across the transition zone (TZ) between relatively healthy and diseased retina in acute zonal occult outer retinopathy. Six patients (6 eyes; age 22-71 years) with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy were studied. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, near-infrared reflectance, color fundus photography, and fundus perimetry were performed and images were registered to each other. The retinal layers of the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography scans were segmented and the thicknesses of two outer retinal layers, that is, the total receptor and outer segment plus layers, and the retinal nerve fiber layer were measured. All eyes showed a TZ on multimodal imaging. On spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, the TZ was in the nasal retina at varying distances from the fovea. For all eyes, it was associated with loss of the ellipsoid zone band, significant thinning of the two outer retinal layers, and in three eyes with thickening of the retinal nerve fiber layer. On fundus autofluorescence, all eyes had a clearly demarcated peripapillary area of abnormal fundus autofluorescence delimited by a border of high autofluorescence; the latter was associated with loss of the ellipsoid zone band and with a change from relatively normal to markedly decreased or nonrecordable visual sensitivity on fundus perimetry. The results of multimodal imaging clarified the TZ in acute zonal occult outer retinopathy. The TZ was outlined by a distinct high autofluorescence border that correlated with loss of the ellipsoid zone band on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. However, in fundus areas that seemed healthy on fundus autofluorescence, thinning of the outer retinal layers and thickening of the retinal nerve fiber layer were observed near the TZ. The TZ was also characterized by a decrease in visual sensitivity.

More extreme swings of the South Pacific convergence zone due to greenhouse warming.

PubMed

Cai, Wenju; Lengaigne, Matthieu; Borlace, Simon; Collins, Matthew; Cowan, Tim; McPhaden, Michael J; Timmermann, Axel; Power, Scott; Brown, Josephine; Menkes, Christophe; Ngari, Arona; Vincent, Emmanuel M; Widlansky, Matthew J

2012-08-16

The South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) is the Southern Hemisphere's most expansive and persistent rain band, extending from the equatorial western Pacific Ocean southeastward towards French Polynesia. Owing to its strong rainfall gradient, a small displacement in the position of the SPCZ causes drastic changes to hydroclimatic conditions and the frequency of extreme weather events--such as droughts, floods and tropical cyclones--experienced by vulnerable island countries in the region. The SPCZ position varies from its climatological mean location with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), moving a few degrees northward during moderate El Niño events and southward during La Niña events. During strong El Niño events, however, the SPCZ undergoes an extreme swing--by up to ten degrees of latitude toward the Equator--and collapses to a more zonally oriented structure with commensurately severe weather impacts. Understanding changes in the characteristics of the SPCZ in a changing climate is therefore of broad scientific and socioeconomic interest. Here we present climate modelling evidence for a near doubling in the occurrences of zonal SPCZ events between the periods 1891-1990 and 1991-2090 in response to greenhouse warming, even in the absence of a consensus on how ENSO will change. We estimate the increase in zonal SPCZ events from an aggregation of the climate models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phases 3 and 5 (CMIP3 and CMIP5) multi-model database that are able to simulate such events. The change is caused by a projected enhanced equatorial warming in the Pacific and may lead to more frequent occurrences of extreme events across the Pacific island nations most affected by zonal SPCZ events.

Study of zonal large scale wave structure (LSWS) and equatorial scintillation with low-latitude GRBR network over Southeast Asia and African sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ram Sudarsanam, Tulasi; Yamamoto, Mamoru; Gurubaran, Subramanian; Tsunoda, Roland

2012-07-01

The day-to-day variability of Equatorial Spread-F, when and where the equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) may initiate, were the challenging problems that puzzling the space weather researchers for several decades. The zonal large scale wave structure (LSWS) at the base of F-layer is the earliest manifestation of seed perturbation for the evolution of EPBs by R-T instability processes, hence, found to play deterministic role on the development of ESF. Yet, only a little is known about LSWS with lack of sufficient observations, primarily because of inability to detect the LSWS with the currently existing instruments except with steerable incoherent scatter radar such as ALTAIR radar. This situation, however, was recently changed with launch of C/NOFS in a unique low-inclination (13 ^{o}) orbit. With the availability of CERTO beacon transmissions from C/NOFS in a near equatorial orbit, it is now possible to detect and resolve the roles by LSWS on a regular basis. A ground based low-latitude GNU Radio Beacon Receiver (GRBR) Network has been recently established that provide coverage of Southeast Asia, Pacific and African low-latitude regions. Recent observations suggest that these wave structures with zonal wave lengths varying between 200 and 800 km can be earliest detected even before E-region sunset and found to grow significantly after sunset, probably, aided by the polarization electric fields. Further, these zonal structures consistently found to be aligned with field lines for several hundreds of kilometers and EPBs were found to grow from the westward walls of upwellings. The characteristic differences on the strength of LSWS between the Asian and African longitudes were identified during the recent increasing solar activity and discussed in this paper.

Stationary eddies in the Mars general circulation as simulated by the NASA-Ames GCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, J. R.; Pollack, J. B.; Haberle, Robert M.

1993-01-01

Quasistationary eddies are prominent in a large set of simulations of the Mars general circulation performed with the NASA-Ames GCM. Various spacecraft observations have at least hinted at the existence of such eddies in the Mars atmosphere. The GCM stationary eddies appear to be forced primarily by the large Mars topography, and (to a much lesser degree) by spatial variations in the surface albedo and thermal inertia. The stationary eddy circulations exhibit largest amplitudes at high altitudes (above 30-40 km) in the winter extratropical regions. In these regions they are of planetary scale, characterized largely by zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2. Southern Hemisphere winter appears to be dominated by a very strong wave 1 pattern, with both waves 1 and 2 being prominent in the Northern Hemisphere winter regime. This difference seems to be basically understandable in terms of differences in the topography in the two hemispheres. The stationary eddies in the northern winter extratropics are found to increase in amplitude with dust loading. This behavior appears to be at least partly associated with changes in the structure of the zonal-mean flow that favor a greater response to wave 1 topographic forcing. There are also strong stationary eddy circulations in the tropics and in the summer hemisphere. The eddies in the summer subtropics and extratropics arc substantially stronger in southern summer than in northern summer. The summer hemisphere stationary circulations are relatively shallow and are characterized by smaller zonal scales than those in the winter extratropics.

SABER (TIMED) and MLS (UARS) Temperature Observations of Mesospheric and Stratospheric QBO and Related Tidal Variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Frank T.; Mayr, Hans G.; Reber, Carl A.; Russell, James; Mlynczak, Marty; Mengel, John

2006-01-01

More than three years of temperature observations from the SABER (TIMED) and MLS WARS) instruments are analyzed to study the annual and inter-annual variations extending from the stratosphere into the upper mesosphere. The SABER measurements provide data from a wide altitude range (15 to 95 km) for the years 2002 to 2004, while the MLS data were taken in the 16 to 55 km altitude range a decade earlier. Because of the sampling properties of SABER and MLS, the variations with local solar time must be accounted for when estimating the zonal mean variations. An algorithm is thus applied that delineates with Fourier analysis the year-long variations of the migrating tides and zonal mean component. The amplitude of the diurnal tide near the equator shows a strong semiannual periodicity with maxima near equinox, which vary from year to year to indicate the influence from the Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the zonal circulation. The zonal mean QBO temperature variations are analyzed over a range of latitudes and altitudes, and the results are presented for latitudes from 48"s to 48"N. New results are obtained for the QBO, especially in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere, and at mid-latitudes. At Equatorial latitudes, the QBO amplitudes show local peaks, albeit small, that occur at different altitudes. From about 20 to 40 km, and within about 15" of the Equator, the amplitudes can approach 3S K for the stratospheric QBO or SQBO. For the mesospheric QBO or MQBO, we find peaks near 70 km, with temperature amplitudes reaching 3.5"K, and near 85 km, the amplitudes approach 2.5OK. Morphologically, the amplitude and phase variations derived from the SABER and MLS measurements are in qualitative agreement. The QBO amplitudes tend to peak at the Equator but then increase again pole-ward of about 15" to 20'. The phase progression with altitude varies more gradually at the Equator than at mid-latitudes. A comparison of the observations with results from the Numerical Spectral Model (NSM) reveals that there is qualitative agreement. The NSM generates the QBO extending from the stratosphere into the upper mesosphere, with temperature variations extending to mid latitudes, but the predicted amplitudes are smaller than those observed.

On the Variation of Zonal Gravity Coefficients of a Giant Planet Caused by Its Deep Zonal Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Dali; Zhang, Keke; Schubert, Gerald

2012-04-01

Rapidly rotating giant planets are usually marked by the existence of strong zonal flows at the cloud level. If the zonal flow is sufficiently deep and strong, it can produce hydrostatic-related gravitational anomalies through distortion of the planet's shape. This paper determines the zonal gravity coefficients, J 2n , n = 1, 2, 3, ..., via an analytical method taking into account rotation-induced shape changes by assuming that a planet has an effective uniform density and that the zonal flows arise from deep convection and extend along cylinders parallel to the rotation axis. Two different but related hydrostatic models are considered. When a giant planet is in rigid-body rotation, the exact solution of the problem using oblate spheroidal coordinates is derived, allowing us to compute the value of its zonal gravity coefficients \\bar{J}_{2n}, n=1,2,3, \\dots, without making any approximation. When the deep zonal flow is sufficiently strong, we develop a general perturbation theory for estimating the variation of the zonal gravity coefficients, \\Delta {J}_{2n}={J}_{2n}-\\bar{J}_{2n}, n=1,2,3, \\dots, caused by the effect of the deep zonal flows for an arbitrarily rapidly rotating planet. Applying the general theory to Jupiter, we find that the deep zonal flow could contribute up to 0.3% of the J 2 coefficient and 0.7% of J 4. It is also found that the shape-driven harmonics at the 10th zonal gravity coefficient become dominant, i.e., \\Delta {J}_{2n} \\,{\\ge}\\, \\bar{J}_{2n} for n >= 5.

A pseudoenergy wave-activity relation for ageostrophic and non-hydrostatic moist atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, Ling-Kun; Ping, Fan

2015-05-01

By employing the energy-Casimir method, a three-dimensional virtual pseudoenergy wave-activity relation for a moist atmosphere is derived from a complete system of nonhydrostatic equations in Cartesian coordinates. Since this system of equations includes the effects of water substance, mass forcing, diabatic heating, and dissipations, the derived wave-activity relation generalizes the previous result for a dry atmosphere. The Casimir function used in the derivation is a monotonous function of virtual potential vorticity and virtual potential temperature. A virtual energy equation is employed (in place of the previous zonal momentum equation) in the derivation, and the basic state is stationary but can be three-dimensional or, at least, not necessarily zonally symmetric. The derived wave-activity relation is further used for the diagnosis of the evolution and propagation of meso-scale weather systems leading to heavy rainfall. Our diagnosis of two real cases of heavy precipitation shows that positive anomalies of the virtual pseudoenergy wave-activity density correspond well with the strong precipitation and are capable of indicating the movement of the precipitation region. This is largely due to the cyclonic vorticity perturbation and the vertically increasing virtual potential temperature over the precipitation region. Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB430105), the Key Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZZD-EW-05), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41175060), and the Project of CAMS, China (Grant No. 2011LASW-B15).

Tidal influences on vertical diffusion and diurnal variability of ozone in the mesosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjarnason, Gudmundur G.; Solomon, Susan; Garcia, Rolando R.

1987-01-01

Possible dynamical influences on the diurnal behavior of ozone are investigated. A time dependent one-dimensional photochemical model is developed for this purpose; all model calculations are made at 70 deg N during summer. It is shown that the vertical diffusion can vary as much as 1 order of magnitude within a day as a result of large changes in the zonal wind induced by atmospheric thermal tides. It is found that by introducing a dissipation time scale for turbulence produced by breaking gravity waves, the agreement with Poker Flat echo data is improved. Comparisons of results from photochemical model calculations, where the vertical diffusion is a function of height only, with those in which the vertical diffusion coefficient is changing in time show large differences in the diurnal behavior of ozone between 70 and 90 km. By including the dynamical effect, much better agreement with the Solar Mesosphere Explorers data is obtained. The results are, however, sensitive to the background zonally averaged wind. The influence of including time-varying vertical diffusion coefficient on the OH densities is also large, especially between 80 and 90 km. This suggests that dynamical effects are important in determining the diurnal behavior of the airglow emission from the Meinel bands.

SPARC Intercomparison of Middle Atmosphere Climatologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, William; Fleming, Eric; Geller, Marvin; Hamilton, Kevin; Karoly, David; Ortland, Dave; Pawson, Steve; Swinbank, Richard; Udelhofen, Petra

2002-01-01

This atlas presents detailed incomparisons of several climatological wind and temperature data sets which cover the middle atmosphere (over altitudes approx. 10-80 km). A number of middle atmosphere climatologies have been developed in the research community based on a variety of meteorological analyses and satellite data sets. Here we present comparisons between these climatological data sets for a number of basic circulation statistics, such as zonal mean temperature, winds and eddy flux statistics. Special attention is focused on tropical winds and temperatures, where large differences exist among separate analyses. We also include comparisons between the global climatologies and historical rocketsonde wind and temperature measurements, and also with more recent lidar temperature data. These comparisons highlight differences and uncertainties in contemporary middle atmosphere data sets, and allow biases in particular analyses to be isolated. In addition, a brief atlas of zonal mean temperature and wind statistics is provided to highlight data availability and as a quick-look reference. This technical report is intended as a companion to the climatological data sets held in archive at the SPARC Data Center (http://www.sparc.sunysb.edu).

Comparison between SAGE II and ISCCP high-level clouds. 1: Global and zonal mean cloud amounts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liao, Xiaohan; Rossow, William B.; Rind, David

1995-01-01

Global high-level clouds identified in Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) occultation measurements for January and July in the period 1985 to 1990 are compared with near-nadir-looking observations from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). Global and zonal mean high-level cloud amounts from the two data sets agree very well, if clouds with layer extinction coefficients of less than 0.008/km at 1.02 micrometers wavelength are removed from the SAGE II results and all detected clouds are interpreted to have an average horizontal size of about 75 km along the 200 km transimission path length of the SAGE II observations. The SAGE II results are much more sensitive to variations of assumed cloud size than to variations of detection threshold. The geographical distribution of cloud fractions shows good agreement, but systematic regional differences also indicate that the average cloud size varies somewhat among different climate regimes. The more sensitive SAGE II results show that about one third of all high-level clouds are missed by ISCCP but that these clouds have very low optical thicknesses (less than 0.1 at 0.6 micrometers wavelength). SAGE II sampling error in monthly zonal cloud fraction is shown to produce no bias, to be less than the intraseasonal natural variability, but to be comparable with the natural variability at longer time scales.

Effect of geomagnetic storms on the daytime low-latitude thermospheric wave dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karan, Deepak K.; Pallamraju, Duggirala

2018-05-01

The equatorial- and low-latitude thermospheric dynamics is affected by both equatorial electrodynamics and neutral wave dynamics, the relative variation of which is dependent on the prevalent background conditions, which in turn has a seasonal dependence. Depending on the ambient thermospheric conditions, varying effects of the geomagnetic disturbances on the equatorial- and low-latitude thermosphere are observed. To investigate the effect of these disturbances on the equatorial- and low-latitude neutral wave dynamics, daytime airglow emission intensities at OI 557.7 nm, OI 630.0 nm, and OI 777.4 nm are used. These emissions from over a large field-of-view (FOV∼1000) have been obtained using a high resolution slit spectrograph, MISE (Multiwavelength Imaging Spectrograph using Echelle grating), from a low-latitude location, Hyderabad (17.50N, 78.40E; 8.90N MLAT), in India. Variations of the dayglow emission intensities are investigated during three geomagnetic disturbance events that occurred in different seasons. It is seen that the neutral dayglow emission intensities at all the three wavelengths showed different type of variations with the disturbance storm time (Dst) index in different seasons. Even though the dayglow emission intensities over low-latitude regions are sensitive to the variation in the equatorial electric fields, during periods of geomagnetic disturbances, especially in solstices, these are dependent on thermospheric O/N2 values. This shows the dominance of neutral dynamics over electrodynamics in the low-latitude upper atmosphere during geomagnetic disturbances. Further, spectral analyses have been carried out to obtain the zonal scale sizes in the gravity wave regime and their diurnal distributions are compared for geomagnetic quiet and disturbed days. Broadly, the zonal scales seem to be breaking into various scale sizes on days of geomagnetic disturbances when compared to those on quiet days. This contrast in the diurnal distribution of the zonal scale sizes brings to light, for the first time, the varying nature of the neutral wave coupling in the daytime thermosphere during periods of geomagnetic disturbances.

Geographic distribution of zonal wind and UV albedo at cloud top level from VMC camera on Venus Express: Influence of Venus topography through stationary gravity waves vertical propagation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Khatunstsev, Igor; Hauchecorne, Alain; Markiewicz, Wojciech; Marcq, Emmanuel; Lebonnois, Sébastien; Patsaeva, Marina; Turin, Alexander

2015-04-01

UV images (at 365 nm) of Venus cloud top collected with VMC camera on board Venus Express allowed to derive a large number of wind measurements at altitude 67±2 km from tracking of cloud features in the period 2006-2012. Both manual (45,600) and digital (391,600) individual wind measurements over 127 orbits were analyzed showing various patterns with latitude and local time. A new longitude-latitude geographic map of the zonal wind shows a conspicuous region of strongly decreased zonal wind, a remarkable feature that was unknown up to now. While the average zonal wind near equator (from 5°S to 15°s) is -100.9 m/s in the longitude range 200-330°, it reaches -83.4 m/s in the range 60-100°, a difference of 17.5 m/s. When compared to the altimetry map of Venus, it is found that the zonal wind pattern is well correlated with the underlying relief in the region of Aphrodite Terra, with a downstream shift of about 30° (˜3,200 km). We interpret this pattern as the result of stationary gravity waves produced at ground level by the up lift of air when the horizontal wind encounters a mountain slope. These waves can propagate up to cloud top level, break there and transfer their momentum to the zonal flow. A similar phenomenon is known to operate on Earth with an influence on mesospheric winds. The LMD-GCM for Venus was run with or without topography, with and without a parameterization of gravity waves and does not display such an observed change of velocity near equator. The cloud albedo map at 365 nm varies also in longitude and latitude. We speculate that it might be the result of increased vertical mixing associated to wave breaking, and decreased abundance of the UV absorber which makes the contrast in images. The impact of these new findings on current super rotation theories remains to be assessed. This work was triggered by the presence of a conspicuous peak at 117 days in a time series of wind measurements. This is the length of the solar day as seen at the ground of Venus. Since VMC measurements are done preferably in a local time window centred on the sub-solar point, any parameter having a geographic longitude dependence will show a peak at 117 days.

Understanding multidecadal variability in ENSO amplitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, A.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2013-12-01

Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical Pacific vary as a result of the coupling between the ocean and atmosphere driven largely by the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO has a large impact on the local climate and hydrology of the tropical Pacific, as well as broad-reaching effects on global climate. ENSO amplitude is known to vary on long timescales, which makes it very difficult to quantify its response to climate change and constrain the physical processes that drive it. In order to assess the extent of unforced multidecadal changes in ENSO variability, a linear regression of local SST changes is applied to the GFDL CM2.1 model 4000-yr pre-industrial control run. The resulting regression coefficient strengths, which represent the sensitivity of SST changes to thermocline depth and zonal wind stress, vary by up to a factor of 2 on multi-decadal time scales. This long-term modulation in ocean-atmosphere coupling is highly correlated with ENSO variability, but do not explain the reasons for such variability. Variation in the relationship between SST changes and wind stress points to a role for changing stratification in the central equatorial Pacific in modulating ENSO amplitudes with stronger stratification reducing the response to winds. The main driving mechanism we have identified for higher ENSO variance are changes in the response of zonal winds to SST anomalies. The shifting convection and precipitation patterns associated with the changing state of the atmosphere also contribute to the variability of the regression coefficients. These mechanisms drive much of the variability in ENSO amplitude and hence ocean-atmosphere coupling in the tropical Pacific.

Rossby waves and two-dimensional turbulence in a large-scale zonal jet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, Theodor G.

1987-01-01

Homogeneous barotropic beta-plane turbulence is investigated, taking into account the effects of spatial inhomogeneity in the form of a zonal shear flows. Attention is given to the case of zonal flows that are barotropically stable and of larger scale than the resulting transient eddy field. Numerical simulations reveal that large-scale zonal flows alter the picture of classical beta-plane turbulence. It is found that the disturbance field penetrates to the largest scales of motion, that the larger disturbance scales show a tendency to meridional rather than zonal anisotropy, and that the initial spectral transfer rate away from an isotropic intermediate-scale source is enhanced by the shear-induced transfer associated with straining by the zonal flow.

The Correlation Between Tropical Convection and Upper Tropospheric Momentum Flux Convergence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'CStarr, David; Boehm, Matthew T.

2003-01-01

In this study, the relationship between tropical convection and the meridional convergence of zonal momentum flux in the tropical upper troposphere is investigated using NOAA interpolated outgoing longwave radiation data and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis wind data. In particular, a variety of correlation coefficients are calculated between the data sets, both of which are filtered to isolate disturbances with frequencies and wavenumbers consistent with the Madden-Julian oscillation. The results show regions of significant correlation during each season, with the magnitude and area covered by significant correlation coefficients varying with season. Furthermore, it is found that the correlation structures look very similar to theoretical calculations of the atmospheric response to a region of tropical heating. This result suggests that tropical waves, in particular mixed Rossby-gravity waves, play an important role in the meridional transport zonal momentum into the deep tropical upper troposphere. Finally, these findings have implications to the generation of rising motion near the tropical tropopause, which in turn has ramifications for vertical moisture transport and tropopause cirrus formation.

Low-degree gravity change from GPS data of COSMIC and GRACE satellite missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Tingjung; Hwang, Cheinway; Tseng, Tzu-Pang; Chao, B. F.

2012-01-01

This paper demonstrates estimation of time-varying gravity harmonic coefficients from GPS data of COSMIC and GRACE satellite missions. The kinematic orbits of COSMIC and GRACE are determined to the cm-level accuracy. The NASA Goddard's GEODYN II software is used to model the orbit dynamics of COSMIC and GRACE, including the effect of a static gravity field. The surface forces are estimated per one orbital period. Residual orbits generated from kinematic and reference orbits serve as observables to determine the harmonic coefficients in the weighted-constraint least-squares. The monthly COSMIC and GRACE GPS data from September 2006 to December 2007 (16 months) are processed to estimate harmonic coefficients to degree 5. The geoid variations from the GPS and CSR RL04 (GRACE) solutions show consistent patterns over space and time, especially in regions of active hydrological changes. The monthly GPS-derived second zonal coefficient closely resembles the SLR-derived and CSR RL04 values, and third and fourth zonal coefficients resemble the CSR RL04 values.

Transport in zonal flows in analogous geophysical and plasma systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del-Castillo-Negrete, Diego

1999-11-01

Zonal flows occur naturally in the oceans and the atmosphere of planets. Important examples include the zonal flows in Jupiter, the stratospheric polar jet in Antarctica, and oceanic jets like the Gulf Stream. These zonal flows create transport barriers that have a crucial influence on mixing and confinement (e.g. the ozone depletion in Antarctica). Zonal flows also give rise to long-lasting vortices (e.g. the Jupiter red spot) by shear instability. Because of this, the formation and stability of zonal flows and their role on transport have been problems of great interest in geophysical fluid dynamics. On the other hand, zonal flows have also been observed in fusion plasmas and their impact on the reduction of transport has been widely recognized. Based on the well-known analogy between Rossby waves in quasigeostrophic flows and drift waves in magnetically confined plasmas, I will discuss the relevance to fusion plasmas of models and experiments recently developed in geophysical fluid dynamics. Also, the potential application of plasma physics ideas to geophysical flows will be discussed. The role of shear in the suppression of transport and the effect of zonal flows on the statistics of transport will be studied using simplified models. It will be shown how zonal flows induce large particle displacements that can be characterized as Lévy flights, and that the trapping effect of vortices combined with the zonal flows gives rise to anomalous diffusion and Lévy (non-Gaussian) statistics. The models will be compared with laboratory experiments and with atmospheric and oceanographic qualitative observations.

Characterization of the low latitude plasma density irregularities observed using C/NOFS and SCINDA data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andima, Geoffrey; Amabayo, Emirant B.; Jurua, Edward; Cilliers, Pierre J.

2018-01-01

Complex electrodynamic processes over the low latitude region often result in post sunset plasma density irregularities which degrade satellite communication and navigation. In order to forecast the density irregularities, their occurrence time, duration and location need to be quantified. Data from the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite was used to characterize the low latitude ion density irregularities from 2011 to 2013. This was supported by ground based data from the SCIntillation Network Decision Aid (SCINDA) receivers at Makerere (Geographic coordinate 32.6°E, 0.3°N, and dip latitude -9.3°N) and Nairobi (Geographic coordinate 36.8°E, -1.3°N, and dip latitude -10.8°N). The results show that irregularities in ion density have a daily pattern with peaks from 20:00 to 24:00 Local Time (LT). Scintillation activity at L band and VHF over East Africa peaked in 2011 and 2012 from 20:00 to 24:00 LT, though in many cases scintillation at VHF persisted longer than that at L band. A longitudinal pattern in ion density irregularity occurrence was observed with peaks over 135-180°E and 270-300°E. The likelihood of ion density irregularity occurrence decreased with increasing altitude. Analysis of C/NOFS zonal ion drift velocities showed that the largest nighttime and daytime drifts were in 270-300°E and 300-330°E longitude regions respectively. Zonal irregularity drift velocities over East Africa were for the first time estimated from L-band scintillation indices. The results show that the velocity of plasma density irregularities in 2011 and 2012 varied daily, and hourly in the range of 50-150 m s-1. The zonal drift velocity estimates from the L-band scintillation indices had good positive correlation with the zonal drift velocities derived from VHF receivers by the spaced receiver technique.

The Sinuosity of Atmospheric Circulation over North America and its Relationship to Arctic Climate Change and Extreme Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vavrus, S. J.; Wang, F.; Martin, J. E.; Francis, J. A.

2015-12-01

Recent research has suggested a relationship between mid-latitude weather and Arctic amplification (AA) of global climate change via a slower and wavier extratropical circulation inducing more extreme events. To test this hypothesis and to quantify the waviness of the extratropical flow, we apply a novel application of the geomorphological concept of sinuosity (SIN) over greater North America. SIN is defined as the ratio of the curvilinear length of a geopotential height contour to the perimeter of its equivalent latitude, where the contour and the equivalent latitude enclose the same area. We use 500 hPa daily heights from reanalysis and model simulations to calculate past and future SIN. The circulation exhibits a distinct annual cycle of maximum SIN (waviness) in summer and a minimum in winter, inversely related to the annual cycle of zonal wind speed. Positive trends in SIN have emerged in recent decades during winter and summer at several latitude bands, generally collocated with negative trends in zonal wind speeds. High values of SIN coincide with many prominent extreme-weather events, including Superstorm Sandy. RCP8.5 simulations (2006-2100) project a dipole pattern of zonal wind changes that varies seasonally. In winter, AA causes inflated heights over the Arctic relative to mid-latitudes and an associated weakening (strengthening) of the westerlies north (south) of 40N. The AA signal in summer is strongest over upper-latitude land, promoting localized atmospheric ridging aloft with lighter westerlies to the south and stronger zonal winds to the north. The changes in wind speeds in both seasons are inversely correlated with SIN, indicating a wavier circulation where the flow weakens. In summer the lighter winds over much of the U. S. resemble circulation anomalies observed during extreme summer heat and drought. Such changes may be linked to enhanced heating of upper-latitude land surfaces caused by earlier snow melt during spring-summer.

On the tertiary instability formalism of zonal flows in magnetized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rath, F.; Peeters, A. G.; Buchholz, R.; Grosshauser, S. R.; Seiferling, F.; Weikl, A.

2018-05-01

This paper investigates the so-called tertiary instabilities driven by the zonal flow in gyro-kinetic tokamak core turbulence. The Kelvin Helmholtz instability is first considered within a 2D fluid model and a threshold in the zonal flow wave vector kZF>kZF,c for instability is found. This critical scale is related to the breaking of the rotational symmetry by flux-surfaces, which is incorporated into the modified adiabatic electron response. The stability of undamped Rosenbluth-Hinton zonal flows is then investigated in gyro-kinetic simulations. Absolute instability, in the sense that the threshold zonal flow amplitude tends towards zero, is found above a zonal flow wave vector kZF,cρi≈1.3 ( ρi is the ion thermal Larmor radius), which is comparable to the 2D fluid results. Large scale zonal flows with kZF

Saturn’s gravitational field induced by its equatorially antisymmetric zonal winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Dali; Zhang, Keke; Schubert, Gerald; Anderson, John D.

2018-05-01

The cloud-level zonal winds of Saturn are marked by a substantial equatorially antisymmetric component with a speed of about 50ms‑1 which, if they are sufficiently deep, can produce measurable odd zonal gravitational coefficients ΔJ 2k+1, k = 1, 2, 3, 4. This study, based on solutions of the thermal-gravitational wind equation, provides a theoretical basis for interpreting the odd gravitational coefficients of Saturn in terms of its equatorially antisymmetric zonal flow. We adopt a Saturnian model comprising an ice-rock core, a metallic dynamo region and an outer molecular envelope. We use an equatorially antisymmetric zonal flow that is parameterized, confined in the molecular envelope and satisfies the solvability condition required for the thermal-gravitational wind equation. The structure and amplitude of the zonal flow at the cloud level are chosen to be consistent with observations of Saturn. We calculate the odd zonal gravitational coefficients ΔJ 2k+1, k = 1, 2, 3, 4 by regarding the depth of the equatorially antisymmetric winds as a parameter. It is found that ΔJ 3 is ‑4.197 × 10‑8 if the zonal winds extend about 13 000 km downward from the cloud tops while it is ‑0.765 × 10‑8 if the depth is about 4000 km. The depth/profile of the equatorially antisymmetric zonal winds can eventually be estimated when the high-precision measurements of the Cassini Grand Finale become available.

HRDI Observations of Inertia-Gravity Waves in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lieberman, Ruth S.

1999-01-01

Vertical profiles of High-resolution Doppler imager (HRDI) mesospheric winds have small-scale structure (vertical wavelengths between 10 and 20 km) that is virtually always present. Fourier analysis of HRDI zonal and meridional wind profiles have been carried out, and the spectral characteristics are sorted by latitude, month and local time. Power spectral density (PSD) exhibits a universal exp(-km) structure in the 10-20km wavelength regime, with K lying between 2 and 3. The observed PSD for wavelengths between 10 and 20 km is a factor of 3 higher than a null spectrum constructed from HRDI reported error bars multiplied by randomly varying numbers between -1 and +1. Stokes parameters were consolidated by month into Northern and Southern hemisphere middle and high latitudes belts (40-72 degrees), tidal belts (32-16 degrees) and a tropical belt (8S-8N). Vertical waves between 10 and 15 km in wavelength are about 10-15% polarized everywhere. The inferred propagation direction in the middle and high latitude Southern hemisphere is predominantly meridional during solstice, and significantly more zonal during equinoxes. In the tropical belt, the wave orientations are nearly North-South during solstices, with a slightly higher east-west component during equinox. In the tidal belts where the background wind includes a strong meridional tidal wind, the preferred wave orientation has a significant zonal component during equinox. These findings are consistent with the interpretation of wave filtering by the background wind.

Turbulence, transport, and zonal flows in the Madison symmetric torus reversed-field pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Z. R.; Pueschel, M. J.; Terry, P. W.; Hauff, T.

2017-12-01

The robustness and the effect of zonal flows in trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence and Ion Temperature Gradient (ITG) turbulence in the reversed-field pinch (RFP) are investigated from numerical solutions of the gyrokinetic equations with and without magnetic external perturbations introduced to model tearing modes. For simulations without external magnetic field perturbations, zonal flows produce a much larger reduction of transport for the density-gradient-driven TEM turbulence than they do for the ITG turbulence. Zonal flows are studied in detail to understand the nature of their strong excitation in the RFP and to gain insight into the key differences between the TEM- and ITG-driven regimes. The zonal flow residuals are significantly larger in the RFP than in tokamak geometry due to the low safety factor. Collisionality is seen to play a significant role in the TEM zonal flow regulation through the different responses of the linear growth rate and the size of the Dimits shift to collisionality, while affecting the ITG only minimally. A secondary instability analysis reveals that the TEM turbulence drives zonal flows at a rate that is twice that of the ITG turbulence. In addition to interfering with zonal flows, the magnetic perturbations are found to obviate an energy scaling relation for fast particles.

Zonal wavefront reconstruction in quadrilateral geometry for phase measuring deflectometry

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

Huang, Lei; Xue, Junpeng; Gao, Bo

2017-06-14

There are wide applications for zonal reconstruction methods in slope-based metrology due to its good capability of reconstructing the local details on surface profile. It was noticed in the literature that large reconstruction errors occur when using zonal reconstruction methods designed for rectangular geometry to process slopes in a quadrilateral geometry, which is a more general geometry with phase measuring deflectometry. In this paper, we present a new idea for the zonal methods for quadrilateral geometry. Instead of employing the intermediate slopes to set up height-slope equations, we consider the height increment as a more general connector to establish themore » height-slope relations for least-squares regression. The classical zonal methods and interpolation-assisted zonal methods are compared with our proposal. Results of both simulation and experiment demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed idea. In implementation, the modification on the classical zonal methods is addressed. Finally, the new methods preserve many good aspects of the classical ones, such as the ability to handle a large incomplete slope dataset in an arbitrary aperture, and the low computational complexity comparable with the classical zonal method. Of course, the accuracy of the new methods is much higher when integrating the slopes in quadrilateral geometry.« less

The Aqua-planet Experiment (APE): Response to Changed Meridional SST Profile

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williamson, David L.; Blackburn, Michael; Nakajima, Kensuke; Ohfuchi, Wataru; Takahashi, Yoshiyuki O.; Hayashi, Yoshi-Yuki; Nakamura, Hisashi; Ishiwatari, Masaki; Mcgregor, John L.; Borth, Hartmut;

Dynamics of zonal flows in helical systems.

PubMed

Sugama, H; Watanabe, T-H

2005-03-25

A theory for describing collisionless long-time behavior of zonal flows in helical systems is presented and its validity is verified by gyrokinetic-Vlasov simulation. It is shown that, under the influence of particles trapped in helical ripples, the response of zonal flows to a given source becomes weaker for lower radial wave numbers and deeper helical ripples while a high-level zonal-flow response, which is not affected by helical-ripple-trapped particles, can be maintained for a longer time by reducing their bounce-averaged radial drift velocity. This implies a possibility that helical configurations optimized for reducing neoclassical ripple transport can simultaneously enhance zonal flows which lower anomalous transport.

Changes in Jupiter's Zonal Wind Profile Preceding and During the Juno Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tollefson, Joshua; Wong, Michael H.; de Pater, Imke; Simon, Amy A.; Orton, Glenn S.; Rogers, John H.; Atreya, Sushil K.; Cosentino, Richard G.; Januszewski, William; Morales-Juberias, Raul;

The zonally averaged transport characteristics of the atmosphere as determined by a general circulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plumb, R. A.

1985-01-01

Two dimensional modeling has become an established technique for the simulation of the global structure of trace constituents. Such models are simpler to formulate and cheaper to operate than three dimensional general circulation models, while avoiding some of the gross simplifications of one dimensional models. Nevertheless, the parameterization of eddy fluxes required in a 2-D model is not a trivial problem. This fact has apparently led some to interpret the shortcomings of existing 2-D models as indicating that the parameterization procedure is wrong in principle. There are grounds to believe that these shortcomings result primarily from incorrect implementations of the predictions of eddy transport theory and that a properly based parameterization may provide a good basis for atmospheric modeling. The existence of these GCM-derived coefficients affords an unprecedented opportunity to test the validity of the flux-gradient parameterization. To this end, a zonally averaged (2-D) model was developed, using these coefficients in the transport parameterization. Results from this model for a number of contrived tracer experiments were compared with the parent GCM. The generally good agreement substantially validates the flus-gradient parameterization, and thus the basic principle of 2-D modeling.

Effects of finite poloidal gyroradius, shaping, and collisions on the zonal flow residuala)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yong; Catto, Peter J.; Dorland, William

2007-05-01

Zonal flow helps reduce and regulate the turbulent transport level in tokamaks. Rosenbluth and Hinton have shown that zonal flow damps to a nonvanishing residual level in collisionless [M. Rosenbluth and F. Hinton, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 724 (1998)] and collisional [F. Hinton and M. Rosenbluth, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 41, A653 (1999)] banana regime plasmas. Recent zonal flow advances are summarized including the evaluation of the effects on the zonal flow residual by plasma cross-section shaping, shorter wavelengths including those less than an electron gyroradius, and arbitrary ion collisionality relative to the zonal low frequency. In addition to giving a brief summary of these new developments, the analytic results are compared with GS2 numerical simulations [M. Kotschenreuther, G. Rewoldt, and W. Tang, Comput. Phys. Commun. 88, 128 (1991)] to demonstrate their value as benchmarks for turbulence codes.

Impact of the basic state and MJO representation on MJO Pacific teleconnections in GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, S. A.; Maloney, E. D.; Son, S. W.

2017-12-01

Teleconnection patterns induced by the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) are known to significantly alter extratropical weather and climate patterns. However, accurate MJO representation has been difficult for many General Circulation Models (GCMs). Furthermore, many GCMs contain large basic state biases. These issues present challenges to the simulation of MJO teleconnections and, in turn, their associated extratropical impacts. This study examines the impacts of basic state quality and MJO representation on the quality of MJO teleconnection patterns in GCMs from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Results suggest that GCMs assessed to have a good MJO but with large basic state biases have similarly low skill in reproducing MJO teleconnections as GCMs with poor MJO representation. In the good MJO models examined, poor teleconnection quality is associated with large errors in the zonal extent of the Pacific subtropical jet. Whereas the horizontal structure of MJO heating in the Indo-Pacific region is found to have modest impacts on the teleconnection patterns, results suggest that MJO heating east of the dateline can alter the teleconnection pattern characteristics over North America. These findings suggest that in order to accurately simulate the MJO teleconnection patterns and associated extratropical impacts, both the MJO and the basic state must be well represented.

The Role of Reversed Equatorial Zonal Transport in Terminating an ENSO Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, H. C.; Hu, Z. Z.; Huang, B.; Sui, C. H.

2016-02-01

In this study, we demonstrate that a sudden reversal of anomalous equatorial zonal current at the peaking ENSO phase triggers the rapid termination of an ENSO event. Throughout an ENSO cycle, the anomalous equatorial zonal current is strongly controlled by the concavity of the anomalous thermocline meridional structure near the equator. During the ENSO developing phase, the anomalous zonal current in the central and eastern Pacific generally enhances the ENSO growth through its zonal SST advection. In the mature phase of ENSO, however, the equatorial thermocline depth anomalies are reflected in the eastern Pacific and slowly propagate westward off the equator in both hemispheres. As a result, the concavity of the thermocline anomalies near the equator is reversed, i.e., the off-equatorial thermocline depth anomalies become higher than that on the equator for El Niño events and lower for La Niño events. This meridional change of thermocline structure reverses zonal transport rapidly in the central-to-eastern equatorial Pacific, which weakens the ENSO SST anomalies by reversed advection. More importantly, the reversed zonal mass transport weakens the existing zonal tilting of equatorial thermocline and suppresses the thermocline feedback. Both processes are concentrated in the eastern equatorial Pacific and can be effective on subseasonal time scales. These current reversal effects are built-in to the ENSO peak phase and independent of the zonal wind effect on thermocline slope. It functions as an oceanic control on ENSO evolution during both El Niño and La Niña events.

Excitation mechanism of non-migrating tides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyoshi, Yasunobu; Pancheva, Dora; Mukhtarov, Plamen; Jin, Hidekatsu; Fujiwara, Hitoshi; Shinagawa, Hiroyuki

2017-04-01

Using an atmosphere-ionosphere coupled model, the excitation source and temporal (seasonal and interannual) variations in non-migrating tides are investigated in this study. We first focus our attention on temporal variations in eastward moving diurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 3 (DE3), which is the largest of all the non-migrating tides in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). Our simulation results indicate that upward propagation of the DE3 excited in the troposphere is sensitive to the zonal mean zonal wind in the stratosphere and mesosphere. The DE3 amplitude is enhanced in the region where the vertical shear of the zonal mean zonal wind is positive (westerly shear). Quasi-2-year variation in the DE3 amplitude in the MLT region is generated by quasi-2-year variation in the zonal mean zonal wind between 40 and 70 km, which is modulated by the stratospheric QBO. The excitation mechanisms of SW3 (westward moving semidiurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 3) and SW1 (westward moving semidiurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 1) are also investigated. During equinoxes, the SW3 and SW1 are excited by tropospheric heating (latent heat release and solar radiative heating) associated with cumulus convection in the tropics, and propagate upward into the MLT region. On the other hand, during solstices, SW3 and SW1 are generated in the winter stratosphere and mesosphere through the nonlinear interaction between the stationary planetary wave and migrating semidiurnal tide, and propagate upward to the lower thermosphere. The excitation sources of other non-migrating tides are also discussed.

Variations in synoptic-scale eddy activity during the life cycles of persistent flow anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dole, Randall M.; Neilley, Peter P.

1991-01-01

The objective of the study was to identify how synoptic-scale eddy activity varies throughout the life cycles of major scale flow anomalies. In particular, composite analyses of various measures of synoptic-scale eddy activity are constructed, with the composites obtained relative to the onset and termination times of cases typically associated with either blocking or abnormally intense zonal flows. The potential mechanisms that are likely to contribute to the observed changes in eddy behavior are discussed.

Continuous versus discontinuous albedo representations in a simple diffusive climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmons, P. A.; Griffel, D. H.

1988-07-01

A one-dimensional annually and zonally averaged energy-balance model, with diffusive meridional heat transport and including icealbedo feedback, is considered. This type of model is found to be very sensitive to the form of albedo used. The solutions for a discontinuous step-function albedo are compared to those for a more realistic smoothly varying albedo. The smooth albedo gives a closer fit to present conditions, but the discontinuous form gives a better representation of climates in earlier epochs.

Titan's stratospheric temperatures - A case for dynamical inertia?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flasar, F. M.; Conrath, B. J.

1990-01-01

Voyager IRIS spectral radiances in the nu4-band of CH4 for the Titan atmosphere exhibit a hemispheric asymmetry. While asymmetry in the meridional distribution of opacity about the equator cannot be discounted, attention is given to the need for angular momentum transport concurrent with seasonally varying temperatures in the Titan stratosphere, which would maintain the cyclostrophic thermal wind relation between zonal winds and temperatures. The adiabatic heating and cooling associated with these motions can produce the observed temperature asymmetry.

Generation of zonal magnetic fields by low-frequency dispersive electromagnetic waves in a nonuniform dusty magnetoplasma.

PubMed

Shukla, P K

2004-04-01

It is shown that zonal magnetic fields can be parametrically excited by low-frequency dispersive driftlike compressional electromagnetic (DDCEM) modes in a nonuniform dusty magnetoplasma. For this purpose, we derive a pair of coupled equations which exhibits the nonlinear coupling between DDCEM modes and zonal magnetic fields. The coupled mode equations are Fourier analyzed to derive a nonlinear dispersion relation. The latter depicts that zonal magnetic fields are nonlinearly generated at the expense of the low-frequency DDCEM wave energy. The relevance of our investigation to the transfer of energy from short scale DDCEM waves to long scale zonal magnetic field structures in dark molecular clouds is discussed.

Evolution of the eastward shift in the quasi-stationary minimum of the Antarctic total ozone column

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grytsai, Asen; Klekociuk, Andrew; Milinevsky, Gennadi; Evtushevsky, Oleksandr; Stone, Kane

2017-02-01

The quasi-stationary pattern of the Antarctic total ozone has changed during the last 4 decades, showing an eastward shift in the zonal ozone minimum. In this work, the association between the longitudinal shift of the zonal ozone minimum and changes in meteorological fields in austral spring (September-November) for 1979-2014 is analyzed using ERA-Interim and NCEP-NCAR reanalyses. Regressive, correlative and anomaly composite analyses are applied to reanalysis data. Patterns of the Southern Annular Mode and quasi-stationary zonal waves 1 and 3 in the meteorological fields show relationships with interannual variability in the longitude of the zonal ozone minimum. On decadal timescales, consistent longitudinal shifts of the zonal ozone minimum and zonal wave 3 pattern in the middle-troposphere temperature at the southern midlatitudes are shown. Attribution runs of the chemistry-climate version of the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS-CCM) model suggest that long-term shifts of the zonal ozone minimum are separately contributed by changes in ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases. As is known, Antarctic ozone depletion in spring is strongly projected on the Southern Annular Mode in summer and impacts summertime surface climate across the Southern Hemisphere. The results of this study suggest that changes in zonal ozone asymmetry accompanying ozone depletion could be associated with regional climate changes in the Southern Hemisphere in spring.

Separate and combined effects of static stability and shear variation on the baroclinic instability of a two-layer current

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyun, J. M.

1981-01-01

Quasi-geostrophic disturbance instability characteristics are studied in light of a linearized, two-layer Eady model in which both the static stability and the zonal current shear are uniform but different in each layer. It is shown that the qualitative character of the instability is determined by the sign of the basic-state potential vorticity gradient at the layer interface, and that there is a qualitative similarity between the effects of Richardson number variations due to changes in static stability and those due to changes in shear. The two-layer model is also used to construct an analog of the Williams (1974) continuous model of generalized Eady waves, the basic state in that case having zero potential vorticity gradient in the interior. The model results are in good agreement with the earlier Williams findings.

Model test of anchoring effect on zonal disintegration in deep surrounding rock masses.

PubMed

Chen, Xu-Guang; Zhang, Qiang-Yong; Wang, Yuan; Liu, De-Jun; Zhang, Ning

2013-01-01

The deep rock masses show a different mechanical behavior compared with the shallow rock masses. They are classified into alternating fractured and intact zones during the excavation, which is known as zonal disintegration. Such phenomenon is a great disaster and will induce the different excavation and anchoring methodology. In this study, a 3D geomechanics model test was conducted to research the anchoring effect of zonal disintegration. The model was constructed with anchoring in a half and nonanchoring in the other half, to compare with each other. The optical extensometer and optical sensor were adopted to measure the displacement and strain changing law in the model test. The displacement laws of the deep surrounding rocks were obtained and found to be nonmonotonic versus the distance to the periphery. Zonal disintegration occurs in the area without anchoring and did not occur in the model under anchoring condition. By contrasting the phenomenon, the anchor effect of restraining zonal disintegration was revealed. And the formation condition of zonal disintegration was decided. In the procedure of tunnel excavation, the anchor strain was found to be alternation in tension and compression. It indicates that anchor will show the nonmonotonic law during suppressing the zonal disintegration.

Model Test of Anchoring Effect on Zonal Disintegration in Deep Surrounding Rock Masses

PubMed Central

Chen, Xu-Guang; Zhang, Qiang-Yong; Wang, Yuan; Liu, De-Jun; Zhang, Ning

2013-01-01

The deep rock masses show a different mechanical behavior compared with the shallow rock masses. They are classified into alternating fractured and intact zones during the excavation, which is known as zonal disintegration. Such phenomenon is a great disaster and will induce the different excavation and anchoring methodology. In this study, a 3D geomechanics model test was conducted to research the anchoring effect of zonal disintegration. The model was constructed with anchoring in a half and nonanchoring in the other half, to compare with each other. The optical extensometer and optical sensor were adopted to measure the displacement and strain changing law in the model test. The displacement laws of the deep surrounding rocks were obtained and found to be nonmonotonic versus the distance to the periphery. Zonal disintegration occurs in the area without anchoring and did not occur in the model under anchoring condition. By contrasting the phenomenon, the anchor effect of restraining zonal disintegration was revealed. And the formation condition of zonal disintegration was decided. In the procedure of tunnel excavation, the anchor strain was found to be alternation in tension and compression. It indicates that anchor will show the nonmonotonic law during suppressing the zonal disintegration. PMID:23997683

Penetration of steady fluid motions into an outer stable layer excited by MHD thermal convection in rotating spherical shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takehiro, Shin-ichi; Sasaki, Youhei

2018-03-01

Penetration of steady magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) disturbances into an upper strongly stratified stable layer excited by MHD thermal convection in rotating spherical shells is investigated. The theoretical model proposed by Takehiro (2015) is reexamined in the case of steady fluid motion below the bottom boundary. Steady disturbances penetrate into a density stratified MHD fluid existing in the semi-infinite region in the vertical direction. The axis of rotation of the system is tilted with respect to the vertical. The basic magnetic field is uniform and may be tilted with respect to the vertical and the rotation axis. Linear dispersion relation shows that the penetration distance with zero frequency depends on the amplitude of Alfvén wave speed. When Alfvén wave speed is small, viscous diffusion becomes dominant and penetration distance is similar to the horizontal scale of the disturbance at the lower boundary. In contrast, when Alfvén wave speed becomes larger, disturbance can penetrate deeper, and penetration distance becomes proportional to the Alfvén wave speed and inversely proportional to the geometric average of viscous and magnetic diffusion coefficients and to the total horizontal wavenumber. The analytic expression of penetration distance is in good agreement with the extent of penetration of mean zonal flow induced by finite amplitude convection in a rotating spherical shell with an upper stably stratified layer embedded in an axially uniform basic magnetic field. The theory expects that the stable layer suggested in the upper part of the outer core of the earth could be penetrated completely by mean zonal flows excited by thermal/compositional convection developing below the stable layer.

Solar-QBO Interaction and Its Impact on Stratospheric Ozone in a Zonally Averaged Photochemical Transport Model of the Middle Atmosphere

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-28

Solar- QBO interaction and its impact on stratospheric ozone in a zonally averaged photochemical transport model of the middle atmosphere J. P...investigate the solar cycle modulation of the quasi-biennial oscillation ( QBO ) in stratospheric zonal winds and its impact on stratospheric ozone with an...updated version of the zonally averaged CHEM2D middle atmosphere model. We find that the duration of the westerly QBO phase at solar maximum is 3 months

The latitude dependence of the variance of zonally averaged quantities. [in polar meteorology with attention to geometrical effects of earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

North, G. R.; Bell, T. L.; Cahalan, R. F.; Moeng, F. J.

1982-01-01

Geometric characteristics of the spherical earth are shown to be responsible for the increase of variance with latitude of zonally averaged meteorological statistics. An analytic model is constructed to display the effect of a spherical geometry on zonal averages, employing a sphere labeled with radial unit vectors in a real, stochastic field expanded in complex spherical harmonics. The variance of a zonally averaged field is found to be expressible in terms of the spectrum of the vector field of the spherical harmonics. A maximum variance is then located at the poles, and the ratio of the variance to the zonally averaged grid-point variance, weighted by the cosine of the latitude, yields the zonal correlation typical of the latitude. An example is provided for the 500 mb level in the Northern Hemisphere compared to 15 years of data. Variance is determined to increase north of 60 deg latitude.

Generation of zonal flows by electrostatic drift waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas

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

Kaladze, T. D.; I. Vekua Institute of Applied Mathematics, Tbilisi State University, 2 University Str., 0186 Tbilisi; Shad, M.

2010-02-15

Generation of large-scale zonal flows by comparatively small-scale electrostatic drift waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas is considered. The generation mechanism is based on the parametric excitation of convective cells by finite amplitude drift waves having arbitrary wavelengths (as compared with the ion Larmor radius of plasma ions at the plasma electron temperature). Temperature inhomogeneity of electrons and positrons is taken into account assuming ions to be cold. To describe the generation of zonal flow generalized Hasegawa-Mima equation containing both vector and two scalar (of different nature) nonlinearities is used. A set of coupled equations describing the nonlinear interaction of drift wavesmore » and zonal flows is deduced. Explicit expressions for the maximum growth rate as well as for the optimal spatial dimensions of the zonal flows are obtained. Enriched possibilities of zonal flow generation with different growth rates are revealed. The present theory can be used for interpretations of drift wave observations in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.« less

The role of zonal flows in disc gravito-turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanon, R.

2018-07-01

The work presented here focuses on the role of zonal flows in the self-sustenance of gravito-turbulence in accretion discs. The numerical analysis is conducted using a bespoke pseudo-spectral code in fully compressible, non-linear conditions. The disc in question, which is modelled using the shearing sheet approximation, is assumed to be self-gravitating, viscous, and thermally diffusive; a constant cooling time-scale is also considered. Zonal flows are found to emerge at the onset of gravito-turbulence and they remain closely linked to the turbulent state. A cycle of zonal flow formation and destruction is established, mediated by a slow mode instability (which allows zonal flows to grow) and a non-axisymmetric instability (which disrupts the zonal flow), which is found to repeat numerous times. It is in fact the disruptive action of the non-axisymmetric instability to form new leading and trailing shearing waves, allowing energy to be extracted from the background flow and ensuring the self-sustenance of the gravito-turbulent regime.

The role of zonal flows in disc gravito-turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanon, R.

2018-04-01

The work presented here focuses on the role of zonal flows in the self-sustenance of gravito-turbulence in accretion discs. The numerical analysis is conducted using a bespoke pseudo-spectral code in fully compressible, non-linear conditions. The disc in question, which is modelled using the shearing sheet approximation, is assumed to be self-gravitating, viscous, and thermally diffusive; a constant cooling timescale is also considered. Zonal flows are found to emerge at the onset of gravito-turbulence and they remain closely linked to the turbulent state. A cycle of zonal flow formation and destruction is established, mediated by a slow mode instability (which allows zonal flows to grow) and a non-axisymmetric instability (which disrupts the zonal flow), which is found to repeat numerous times. It is in fact the disruptive action of the non-axisymmetric instability to form new leading and trailing shearing waves, allowing energy to be extracted from the background flow and ensuring the self-sustenance of the gravito-turbulent regime.

Southern Ocean eddy compensation in a forced eddy-resolving GCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruun Poulsen, Mads; Jochum, Markus; Eden, Carsten; Nuterman, Roman

2017-04-01

Contemporary eddy-resolving model studies have demonstrated that the common parameterisation of isopycnal mixing in the ocean is subject to limitations in the Southern Ocean where the mesoscale eddies are of leading order importance to the dynamics. We here present forced simulations from the Community Earth System Model on a global {1/10}° and 1° horizontal grid, the latter employing an eddy parameterisation, where the strength of the zonal wind stress south of 25°S has been varied. With a 50% zonally symmetric increase of the wind stress, we show that the two models arrive at two radically different solutions in terms of the large-scale circulation, with an increase of the deep inflow of water to the Southern Ocean at 40°S by 50% in the high resolution model against 20% at coarse resolution. Together with a weaker vertical displacement of the pycnocline in the 1° model, these results suggest that the parameterised eddies have an overly strong compensating effect on the water mass transformation compared to the explicit eddies. Implications for eddy mixing parameterisations will be discussed.

Differences and Similarities between Summer and Winter Temperatures and Winds during MaCWAVE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidlin, F. J.; Goldberg, R. A.

2008-01-01

The Mountain and Convective Waves Ascending Vertically Experiment (MaCWAVE) was carried out in two sequences: one during the summer from the Andoya Rocket Range (69N) during July 2002 to examine convective initiation of gravity waves. The second was a winter sequence from ESRANGE (68N) during January 2003 to examine mountain-initiated waves. Inflatable falling spheres released from small meteorological rockets provided significant information about the variation of temperature and wind from 50 km and higher. The small rocket launch activity was restricted to 12-hour periods that inhibited observing a full diurnal cycle, nonetheless, the time-history of the measurements have provided information about tidal motion. During summer, temperature variation was smaller than observed during winter when peak differences reached 15-20 K at 80-85 km. variation in zonal winds varied up to more than 100 mps in summer and winter. Times of wind vs. altitude showed that the peak zonal component occurred approximately two hours ahead of the peak meridional wind. Measurement details and the observed variations are discussed.

Differences and Similarities in MaCWAVE Summer and Winter Temperatures and Winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidlin, F. J.; Goldberg, R. A.

2008-01-01

Small meteorological rockets released inflatable falling spheres during the MaCWAVE Campaign. The Mountain and Convective Waves Ascending Vertically Experiment (MaCWAVE) was carried out in two parts, a summer sequence from Andoya Rocket Range (69N) during July 2002 to examine convective initiation of gravity waves and a winter sequence from ESRANGE (68N) during January 2003 to examine mountain-terrain initiated gravity waves. The sphere-tracked data provided significant information about the variation of temperature and wind from 70 km and above. The changes observed may be considered akin to tidal motion; unfortunately the launch activity was restricted to 12-hour periods, thus the observation of a full diurnal cycle was not possible. During summer, temperature variation was smaller than that observed during winter when peak to null differences reached 15-20 K at 80-85 km. Variation in the zonal winds varied up to 100+mps in summer and winter. Examination of the times of peak wind vs altitude showed that the peak zonal wind occurred approximately two hours ahead of the peak meridional wind. We provide details about the measurements and observed variations.

Unusual behavior of quiet-time zonal and vertical plasma drift velocities over Jicamarca during the recent extended solar minimum of 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Ângela M.; Abdu, Mangalathayil A.; Souza, Jonas R.; Batista, Inez S.; Sobral, José H. A.

2017-11-01

The influence of the recent deep and prolonged solar minimum on the daytime zonal and vertical plasma drift velocities during quiet time is investigated in this work. Analyzing the data obtained from incoherent scatter radar from Jicamarca (11.95° S, 76.87° W) we observe an anomalous behavior of the zonal plasma drift during June 2008 characterized by lower than usual daytime westward drift and its early afternoon reversal to eastward. As a case study the zonal drift observed on 24 June 2008 is modeled using a realistic low-latitude ionosphere simulated by the Sheffield University Plasmasphere-Ionosphere Model-INPE (SUPIM-INPE). The results show that an anomalously low zonal wind was mainly responsible for the observed anomalous behavior in the zonal drift. A comparative study of the vertical plasma drifts obtained from magnetometer data for some periods of maximum (2000-2002) and minimum solar activity (1998, 2008, 2010) phases reveal a considerable decrease on the E-region conductivity and the dynamo electric field during 2008. However, we believe that the contribution of these characteristics to the unusual behavior of the zonal plasma drift is significantly smaller than that arising from the anomalously low zonal wind. The SUPIM-INPE result of the critical frequency of the F layer (foF2) over Jicamarca suggested a lower radiation flux than that predicted by solar irradiance model (SOLAR2000) for June 2008.

Role of zonal flows in trapped electron mode turbulence through nonlinear gyrokinetic particle and continuum simulationa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, D. R.; Lang, J.; Nevins, W. M.; Hoffman, M.; Chen, Y.; Dorland, W.; Parker, S.

2009-05-01

Trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence exhibits a rich variety of collisional and zonal flow physics. This work explores the parametric variation of zonal flows and underlying mechanisms through a series of linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations, using both particle-in-cell and continuum methods. A new stability diagram for electron modes is presented, identifying a critical boundary at ηe=1, separating long and short wavelength TEMs. A novel parity test is used to separate TEMs from electron temperature gradient driven modes. A nonlinear scan of ηe reveals fine scale structure for ηe≳1, consistent with linear expectation. For ηe<1, zonal flows are the dominant saturation mechanism, and TEM transport is insensitive to ηe. For ηe>1, zonal flows are weak, and TEM transport falls inversely with a power law in ηe. The role of zonal flows appears to be connected to linear stability properties. Particle and continuum methods are compared in detail over a range of ηe=d ln Te/d ln ne values from zero to five. Linear growth rate spectra, transport fluxes, fluctuation wavelength spectra, zonal flow shearing spectra, and correlation lengths and times are in close agreement. In addition to identifying the critical parameter ηe for TEM zonal flows, this paper takes a challenging step in code verification, directly comparing very different methods of simulating simultaneous kinetic electron and ion dynamics in TEM turbulence.

Rossby and drift wave turbulence and zonal flows: The Charney-Hasegawa-Mima model and its extensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connaughton, Colm; Nazarenko, Sergey; Quinn, Brenda

2015-12-01

A detailed study of the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima model and its extensions is presented. These simple nonlinear partial differential equations suggested for both Rossby waves in the atmosphere and drift waves in a magnetically-confined plasma, exhibit some remarkable and nontrivial properties, which in their qualitative form, survive in more realistic and complicated models. As such, they form a conceptual basis for understanding the turbulence and zonal flow dynamics in real plasma and geophysical systems. Two idealised scenarios of generation of zonal flows by small-scale turbulence are explored: a modulational instability and turbulent cascades. A detailed study of the generation of zonal flows by the modulational instability reveals that the dynamics of this zonal flow generation mechanism differ widely depending on the initial degree of nonlinearity. The jets in the strongly nonlinear case further roll up into vortex streets and saturate, while for the weaker nonlinearities, the growth of the unstable mode reverses and the system oscillates between a dominant jet, which is slightly inclined to the zonal direction, and a dominant primary wave. A numerical proof is provided for the extra invariant in Rossby and drift wave turbulence-zonostrophy. While the theoretical derivations of this invariant stem from the wave kinetic equation which assumes weak wave amplitudes, it is shown to be relatively well-conserved for higher nonlinearities also. Together with the energy and enstrophy, these three invariants cascade into anisotropic sectors in the k-space as predicted by the Fjørtoft argument. The cascades are characterised by the zonostrophy pushing the energy to the zonal scales. A small scale instability forcing applied to the model has demonstrated the well-known drift wave-zonal flow feedback loop. The drift wave turbulence is generated from this primary instability. The zonal flows are then excited by either one of the generation mechanisms, extracting energy from the drift waves as they grow. Eventually the turbulence is completely suppressed and the zonal flows saturate. The turbulence spectrum is shown to diffuse in a manner which has been mathematically predicted. The insights gained from this simple model could provide a basis for equivalent studies in more sophisticated plasma and geophysical fluid dynamics models in an effort to fully understand the zonal flow generation, the turbulent transport suppression and the zonal flow saturation processes in both the plasma and geophysical contexts as well as other wave and turbulence systems where order evolves from chaos.

Trends in winter circulation over the British Isles and central Europe in twenty-first century projections by 25 CMIP5 GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stryhal, Jan; Huth, Radan

2018-03-01

Winter midlatitude atmospheric circulation has been extensively studied for its tight link to surface weather, and automated circulation classifications have often been used to this end. Here, eight such classifications are applied to daily sea level pressure patterns simulated by an ensemble of CMIP5 GCMs twenty-first century projections for the British Isles and central Europe in order to robustly estimate future changes in frequency, persistence, and strength of synoptic-scale circulation there. All methods are able to identify present-day biases of models reported before, such as an overestimated occurrence of zonal flow and underestimation of anticyclonic conditions and easterly advection, although the strength of these biases varies among the methods. In future, models show that the zonal flow will become more frequent while the strength of the mean flow is not projected to change. Over the British Isles, the models that better simulate the latitude of zonal flow over the historical period indicate a slight equatorward shift of westerlies in their projections, while the poleward expansion of circulation—expected in future at global scale—is apparent in those models that have large errors. Over central Europe, some classifications indicate an increase in persistence and especially in frequency of anticyclonic types, which is, however, shown to be rather an artifact of some methods than a real feature. On the other hand, the easterly flow is robustly projected to become markedly weaker in central Europe, which we hypothesize might be an important factor contributing to the projected decrease of cold extremes there.

Two- and three-dimensional natural and mixed convection simulation using modular zonal models

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

Wurtz, E.; Nataf, J.M.; Winkelmann, F.

We demonstrate the use of the zonal model approach, which is a simplified method for calculating natural and mixed convection in rooms. Zonal models use a coarse grid and use balance equations, state equations, hydrostatic pressure drop equations and power law equations of the form {ital m} = {ital C}{Delta}{sup {ital n}}. The advantage of the zonal approach and its modular implementation are discussed. The zonal model resolution of nonlinear equation systems is demonstrated for three cases: a 2-D room, a 3-D room and a pair of 3-D rooms separated by a partition with an opening. A sensitivity analysis withmore » respect to physical parameters and grid coarseness is presented. Results are compared to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations and experimental data.« less

Rossby Wave Propagation into the Northern Hemisphere Stratosphere: The Role of Zonal Phase Speed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domeisen, Daniela I. V.; Martius, Olivia; Jiménez-Esteve, Bernat

2018-02-01

Sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events are to a dominant part induced by upward propagating planetary waves. While theory predicts that the zonal phase speed of a tropospheric wave forcing affects wave propagation into the stratosphere, its relevance for SSW events has so far not been considered. This study shows in a linear wave diagnostic and in reanalysis data that phase speeds tend eastward as waves propagate upward, indicating that the stratosphere preselects eastward phase speeds for propagation, especially for zonal wave number 2. This also affects SSW events: Split SSW events tend to be preceded by anomalously eastward zonal phase speeds. Zonal phase speed may indeed explain part of the increased wave flux observed during the preconditioning of SSW events, as, for example, for the record 2009 SSW event.

The Response of a Spectral General Circulation Model to Refinements in Radiative Processes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramanathan, V.; Pitcher, Eric J.; Malone, Robert C.; Blackmon, Maurice L.

1983-03-01

We present here results and analyses of a series of numerical experiments performed with a spectral general circulation model (GCM). The purpose of the GCM experiments is to examine the role of radiation/cloud processes in the general circulation of the troposphere and stratosphere. The experiments were primarily motivated by the significant improvements in the GCM zonal mean simulation as refinements were made in the model treatment of clear-sky radiation and cloud-radiative interactions. The GCM with the improved cloud/radiation model is able to reproduce many observed features, such as: a clear separation between the wintertime tropospheric jet and the polar night jet; winter polar stratospheric temperatures of about 200 K; interhemispheric and seasonal asymmetries in the zonal winds.In a set of sensitivity experiments, we have stripped the cloud/radiation model of its improvements, the result being a significant degradation of the zonal mean simulations by the GCM. Through these experiments we have been able to identify the processes that are responsible for the improved GCM simulations: (i) careful treatment of the upper boundary condition for O3 solar heating; (ii) temperature dependence of longwave cooling by CO2 15 m bands., (iii) vertical distribution of H2O that minimizes the lower stratospheric H2O longwave cooling; (iv) dependence of cirrus emissivity on cloud liquid water content.Comparison of the GCM simulations, with and without the cloud/radiation improvements, reveals the nature and magnitude of the following radiative-dynamical interactions: (i) the temperature decrease (due to errors in radiative heating) within the winter polar stratosphere is much larger than can be accounted for by purely radiative adjustment; (ii) the role of dynamics in maintaining the winter polar stratosphere thermal structure is greatly diminished in the GCM with the degraded treatment of radiation; (iii) the radiative and radiative-dynamical response times of the atmosphere vary from periods of less than two weeks in the lower troposphere to roughly three months in the polar lower stratosphere; (iv) within the stratosphere, the radiative response times vary significantly with temperature, with the winter polar values larger than the summer polar values by as much as a factor of 2.5.Cirrus clouds, if their emissivities are arbitrarily prescribed to be black, unrealistically enhance the radiative cooling of the polar troposphere above 8 km. This results in a meridional temperature gradient much stronger than that which is observed. We employ a more realistic parameterization that accounts for the non-blackness of cirrus, and we describe the resulting improvements in the model simulation of zonal winds, temperatures, and radiation budget.

Disturbance zonal and vertical plasma drifts in the Peruvian sector during solar minimum phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, A. M.; Abdu, M. A.; Souza, J. R.; Sobral, J. H. A.; Batista, I. S.

2016-03-01

In the present work, we investigate the behavior of the equatorial F region zonal plasma drifts over the Peruvian region under magnetically disturbed conditions during two solar minimum epochs, one of them being the recent prolonged solar activity minimum. The study utilizes the vertical and zonal components of the plasma drifts measured by the Jicamarca (11.95°S; 76.87°W) incoherent scatter radar during two events that occurred on 10 April 1997 and 24 June 2008 and model calculation of the zonal drift in a realistic ionosphere simulated by the Sheffield University Plasmasphere-Ionosphere Model-INPE. Two main points are focused: (1) the connection between electric fields and plasma drifts under prompt penetration electric field during a disturbed periods and (2) anomalous behavior of daytime zonal drift in the absence of any magnetic storm. A perfect anticorrelation between vertical and zonal drifts was observed during the night and in the initial and growth phases of the magnetic storm. For the first time, based on a realistic low-latitude ionosphere, we will show, on a detailed quantitative basis, that this anticorrelation is driven mainly by a vertical Hall electric field induced by the primary zonal electric field in the presence of an enhanced nighttime E region ionization. It is shown that an increase in the field line-integrated Hall-to-Pedersen conductivity ratio (∑H/∑P), which can arise from precipitation of energetic particles in the region of the South American Magnetic Anomaly, is capable of explaining the observed anticorrelation between the vertical and zonal plasma drifts. Evidence for the particle ionization is provided from the occurrence of anomalous sporadic E layers over the low-latitude station, Cachoeira Paulista (22.67°S; 44.9°W)—Brazil. It will also be shown that the zonal plasma drift reversal to eastward in the afternoon two hours earlier than its reference quiet time pattern is possibly caused by weakening of the zonal wind system during the prolonged solar minimum period.

Thermophysical Fluid Dynamics: the Key to the Structures of Fluid Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houben, H.

2013-12-01

It has become customary to model the hydrodynamics of fluid planets like Jupiter and Saturn by spinning up general circulation models until they reach a statistical steady state. This approach is physically sound, based on the thermodynamic expectation that the system will eventually achieve a state of maximum entropy, but the models have not been specifically designed for this purpose. Over the course of long integrations, numerical artifacts can drive the system to a state that does not correspond to the physically realistic end state. A different formulation of the governing equations promises better results. The equations of motion are recast as scalar conservation laws in which the diabatic and irreversible terms (both entropy-changing) are clearly identified. The balance between these terms defines the steady state of the system analytically, without the need for any temporal integrations. The conservation of mass in this system is trivial. Conservation of angular momentum replaces the zonal momentum equation and determines the zonal wind from a balance between the tidal torque and frictional dissipation. The principle of wave-mean flow non-interaction is preserved. Bernoulli's Theorem replaces the energy equation. The potential temperature structure is determined by the balance between work done against friction and heat transfer by convection and radiation. An equation of state and the traditional momentum equations in the meridional plane are sufficient to complete the model. Based on the assumption that the final state vertical and meridional winds are small compared to the zonal wind (in any case they are impossible to predict ab initio as they are driven by wave flux convergences), these last equations determine the pressure and density (and hence gravity) fields of the basic state. The thermal wind relation (in its most general form with the axial derivative of the zonal wind balancing the baroclinicity) is preserved. The model is not hydrostatic (in the sense used in planetary modeling) and the zonal wind is not constant on cylinders. Rather, the zonal wind falls off more rapidly with depth --- at least as fast as r3. A similar reformulation of the equations of magnetohydrodynamics is possible. It is found that wave-mean flow non-interaction extends to Alfven waves. Bernoulli's Theorem is augmented by the Poynting Theorem. The components of the traditional dynamo equation can be written as conservation laws. Only a single element of the alpha tensor contributes to the generation of axisymmetric magnetic fields and the mean meridional circulation provides a significant feedback, quenching the omega effect and limiting the amplitudes of non-axisymmetric fields. Thus analytic models are available for all the state variables of Jupiter and Saturn. The unknown independent variables are terms in the equation of state, the eddy viscosity and heat transport coefficients, the magnetic resistivity, and the strength of the tidal torques (which are dependent on the vertical structure of the planet's troposphere). By making new measurements of the atmospheric structure and higher order gravitational moments of Jupiter, JUNO has the potential to constrain these unknowns and contribute greatly to our understanding of the interior of that planet.

Analysis of solute-protein interactions and solute-solute competition by zonal elution affinity chromatography.

PubMed

Tao, Pingyang; Poddar, Saumen; Sun, Zuchen; Hage, David S; Chen, Jianzhong

2018-02-02

Many biological processes involve solute-protein interactions and solute-solute competition for protein binding. One method that has been developed to examine these interactions is zonal elution affinity chromatography. This review discusses the theory and principles of zonal elution affinity chromatography, along with its general applications. Examples of applications that are examined include the use of this method to estimate the relative extent of solute-protein binding, to examine solute-solute competition and displacement from proteins, and to measure the strength of these interactions. It is also shown how zonal elution affinity chromatography can be used in solvent and temperature studies and to characterize the binding sites for solutes on proteins. In addition, several alternative applications of zonal elution affinity chromatography are discussed, which include the analysis of binding by a solute with a soluble binding agent and studies of allosteric effects. Other recent applications that are considered are the combined use of immunoextraction and zonal elution for drug-protein binding studies, and binding studies that are based on immobilized receptors or small targets. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of external plasma flows on the interaction between turbulence and convective cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzawa, Ken; Li, Jiquan

2005-10-01

It is widely recognized that large scale structures, such as zonal flows, streamers and also long wavelength Kelvin-Helmholtz modes are nonlinearly generated from maternal turbulence through modulational instability process and play a crucial role in regulating the transport in tokamaks. In order to control the transport, it is desirable to control such structures and/or modulational process. One of control parameters may be mean flow which intrinsically exists in tokamak plasmas. Besides the direct influence on the transport through vortex decorrelation, the mean flow may indirectly change the zonal flow generation by acting on the modulational process itself. In this work, we theoretically investigate the characteristics of zonal flow generation due to the electron temperature gradient (ETG) turbulence in the presence of long wavelength ITG driven zonal flow. This was done by extending our previous modulational analyses[1]. We have numerically analyzed the influence of mean flow on zonal flow generation. The main result is that the zonal flow generation is suppressed by the presence of the mean flow. [1]J. Li, Y. Kishimoto, Physics of Plasmas, 9, 1241 (2002)

The Role of Monsoon-Like Zonally Asymmetric Heating in Interhemispheric Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Gang; Orbe, Clara; Waugh, Darryn

2017-01-01

While the importance of the seasonal migration of the zonally averaged Hadley circulation on interhemispheric transport of trace gases has been recognized, few studies have examined the role of the zonally asymmetric monsoonal circulation. This study investigates the role of monsoon-like zonally asymmetric heating on interhemispheric transport using a dry atmospheric model that is forced by idealized Newtonian relaxation to a prescribed radiative equilibrium temperature. When only the seasonal cycle of zonally symmetric heating is considered, the mean age of air in the Southern Hemisphere since last contact with the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude boundary layer, is much larger than the observations. The introduction of monsoon-like zonally asymmetric heating not only reduces the mean age of tropospheric air to more realistic values, but also produces an upper-tropospheric cross-equatorial transport pathway in boreal summer that resembles the transport pathway simulated in the NASA Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) Chemistry Transport Model driven with MERRA meteorological fields. These results highlight the monsoon-induced eddy circulation plays an important role in the interhemispheric transport of long-lived chemical constituents.

High-fidelity simulations of unsteady civil aircraft aerodynamics: stakes and perspectives. Application of zonal detached eddy simulation

PubMed Central

Deck, Sébastien; Gand, Fabien; Brunet, Vincent; Ben Khelil, Saloua

2014-01-01

This paper provides an up-to-date survey of the use of zonal detached eddy simulations (ZDES) for unsteady civil aircraft applications as a reflection on the stakes and perspectives of the use of hybrid methods in the framework of industrial aerodynamics. The issue of zonal or non-zonal treatment of turbulent flows for engineering applications is discussed. The ZDES method used in this article and based on a fluid problem-dependent zonalization is briefly presented. Some recent landmark achievements for conditions all over the flight envelope are presented, including low-speed (aeroacoustics of high-lift devices and landing gear), cruising (engine–airframe interactions), propulsive jets and off-design (transonic buffet and dive manoeuvres) applications. The implications of such results and remaining challenges in a more global framework are further discussed. PMID:25024411

Numerical experiments with a general circulation model concerning the stratospheric distribution of ozone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurzeja, R. J.; Haggard, K. V.; Grose, W. L.

1981-01-01

Three experiments have been performed using a three-dimensional, spectral quasi-geostrophic model in order to investigate the sensitivity of ozone transport to tropospheric orographic and thermal effects and to the zonal wind distribution. In the first experiment, the ozone distribution averaged over the last 30 days of a 60 day transport simulation was determined; in the second experiment, the transport simulation was repeated, but nonzonal orographic and thermal forcing was omitted; and in the final experiment, the simulation was conducted with the intensity and position of the stratospheric jets altered by addition of a Newtonian cooling term to the zonal-mean diabatic heating rate. Results of the three experiments are summarized by comparing the zonal-mean ozone distribution, the amplitude of eddy geopotential height, the zonal winds, and zonal-mean diabatic heating.

Zonal flows and turbulence in fluids and plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Jeffrey Bok-Cheung

In geophysical and plasma contexts, zonal flows are well known to arise out of turbulence. We elucidate the transition from statistically homogeneous turbulence without zonal flows to statistically inhomogeneous turbulence with steady zonal flows. Starting from the Hasegawa--Mima equation, we employ both the quasilinear approximation and a statistical average, which retains a great deal of the qualitative behavior of the full system. Within the resulting framework known as CE2, we extend recent understanding of the symmetry-breaking 'zonostrophic instability'. Zonostrophic instability can be understood in a very general way as the instability of some turbulent background spectrum to a zonally symmetric coherent mode. As a special case, the background spectrum can consist of only a single mode. We find that in this case the dispersion relation of zonostrophic instability from the CE2 formalism reduces exactly to that of the 4-mode truncation of generalized modulational instability. We then show that zonal flows constitute pattern formation amid a turbulent bath. Zonostrophic instability is an example of a Type I s instability of pattern-forming systems. The broken symmetry is statistical homogeneity. Near the bifurcation point, the slow dynamics of CE2 are governed by a well-known amplitude equation, the real Ginzburg-Landau equation. The important features of this amplitude equation, and therefore of the CE2 system, are multiple. First, the zonal flow wavelength is not unique. In an idealized, infinite system, there is a continuous band of zonal flow wavelengths that allow a nonlinear equilibrium. Second, of these wavelengths, only those within a smaller subband are stable. Unstable wavelengths must evolve to reach a stable wavelength; this process manifests as merging jets. These behaviors are shown numerically to hold in the CE2 system, and we calculate a stability diagram. The stability diagram is in agreement with direct numerical simulations of the quasilinear system. The use of statistically-averaged equations and the pattern formation methodology provide a path forward for further systematic investigations of zonal flows and their interactions with turbulence.

Estimation of the Kelvin wave contribution to the semiannual oscillation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hitchman, Matthew H.; Leovy, Conway B.

1988-01-01

Daily temperature data acquired during the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere experiment are used to study the behavior of Kelvin waves in the equatorial middle atmosphere. It is suggested that Kelvin wave packets of different zonal wave numbers propagate separately and may be forced separately. Two Kelvin wave regimes were identified during the October 1978 to May 1979 data period. Most of the properties of the observed waves are shown to be consistent with slowly-varying theory. Results suggest that gravity waves may contribute significantly to the equatorial stratopause semiannual oscillation.

Comparison of data inversion techniques for remotely sensed wide-angle observations of Earth emitted radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, R. N.

1981-01-01

The shape factor, parameter estimation, and deconvolution data analysis techniques were applied to the same set of Earth emitted radiation measurements to determine the effects of different techniques on the estimated radiation field. All three techniques are defined and their assumptions, advantages, and disadvantages are discussed. Their results are compared globally, zonally, regionally, and on a spatial spectrum basis. The standard deviations of the regional differences in the derived radiant exitance varied from 7.4 W-m/2 to 13.5 W-m/2.

Fluid simulation of tokamak ion temperature gradient turbulence with zonal flow closure model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamagishi, Osamu; Sugama, Hideo

2016-03-01

Nonlinear fluid simulation of turbulence driven by ion temperature gradient modes in the tokamak fluxtube configuration is performed by combining two different closure models. One model is a gyrofluid model by Beer and Hammett [Phys. Plasmas 3, 4046 (1996)], and the other is a closure model to reproduce the kinetic zonal flow response [Sugama et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 022502 (2007)]. By including the zonal flow closure, generation of zonal flows, significant reduction in energy transport, reproduction of the gyrokinetic transport level, and nonlinear upshift on the critical value of gradient scale length are observed.

Fluid simulation of tokamak ion temperature gradient turbulence with zonal flow closure model

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

Yamagishi, Osamu, E-mail: yamagisi@nifs.ac.jp; Sugama, Hideo

Nonlinear fluid simulation of turbulence driven by ion temperature gradient modes in the tokamak fluxtube configuration is performed by combining two different closure models. One model is a gyrofluid model by Beer and Hammett [Phys. Plasmas 3, 4046 (1996)], and the other is a closure model to reproduce the kinetic zonal flow response [Sugama et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 022502 (2007)]. By including the zonal flow closure, generation of zonal flows, significant reduction in energy transport, reproduction of the gyrokinetic transport level, and nonlinear upshift on the critical value of gradient scale length are observed.

Zonal flow as pattern formation

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

Parker, Jeffrey B.; Krommes, John A.

2013-10-15

Zonal flows are well known to arise spontaneously out of turbulence. We show that for statistically averaged equations of the stochastically forced generalized Hasegawa-Mima model, steady-state zonal flows, and inhomogeneous turbulence fit into the framework of pattern formation. There are many implications. First, the wavelength of the zonal flows is not unique. Indeed, in an idealized, infinite system, any wavelength within a certain continuous band corresponds to a solution. Second, of these wavelengths, only those within a smaller subband are linearly stable. Unstable wavelengths must evolve to reach a stable wavelength; this process manifests as merging jets.

A comparison of the momentum budget in reanalysis datasets during sudden stratospheric warming events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martineau, Patrick; Son, Seok-Woo; Taguchi, Masakazu; Butler, Amy H.

2018-05-01

The agreement between reanalysis datasets, in terms of the zonal-mean momentum budget, is evaluated during sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events. It is revealed that there is a good agreement among datasets in the lower stratosphere and troposphere concerning zonal-mean zonal wind, but less so in the upper stratosphere. Forcing terms of the momentum equation are also relatively similar in the lower atmosphere, but their uncertainties are typically larger than uncertainties of the zonal-wind tendency. Similar to zonal-wind tendency, the agreement among forcing terms is degraded in the upper stratosphere. Discrepancies among reanalyses increase during the onset of SSW events, a period characterized by unusually large fluxes of planetary-scale waves from the troposphere to the stratosphere, and decrease substantially after the onset. While the largest uncertainties in the resolved terms of the momentum budget are found in the Coriolis torque, momentum flux convergence also presents a non-negligible spread among the reanalyses. Such a spread is reduced in the latest reanalysis products, decreasing the uncertainty of the momentum budget. It is also found that the uncertainties in the Coriolis torque depend on the strength of SSW events: the SSW events that exhibit the most intense deceleration of zonal-mean zonal wind are subject to larger discrepancies among reanalyses. These uncertainties in stratospheric circulation, however, are not communicated to the troposphere.

Eulerian velocity reconstruction in ideal atmospheric dynamics using potential vorticity and potential temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blender, R.

2009-04-01

An approach for the reconstruction of atmospheric flow is presented which uses space- and time-dependent fields of density ?, potential vorticity Q and potential temperature Î& cedil;[J. Phys. A, 38, 6419 (2005)]. The method is based on the fundamental equations without approximation. The basic idea is to consider the time-dependent continuity equation as a condition for zero divergence of momentum in four dimensions (time and space, with unit velocity in time). This continuity equation is solved by an ansatz for the four-dimensional momentum using three conserved stream functions, the potential vorticity, potential temperature and a third field, denoted as ?-potential. In zonal flows, the ?-potential identifies the initial longitude of particles, whereas potential vorticity and potential temperature identify mainly meridional and vertical positions. Since the Lagrangian tracers Q, Î&,cedil; and ? determine the Eulerian velocity field, the reconstruction combines the Eulerian and the Lagrangian view of hydrodynamics. In stationary flows, the ?-potential is related to the Bernoulli function. The approach requires that the gradients of the potential vorticity and potential temperature do not vanish when the velocity remains finite. This behavior indicates a possible interrelation with stability conditions. Examples with analytical solutions are presented for a Rossby wave and zonal and rotational shear flows.

Three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation: part II—dynamical equations of horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Shujuan; Cheng, Jianbo; Xu, Ming; Chou, Jifan

2018-04-01

The three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation (TPDGAC) partitions three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric circulation into horizontal, meridional and zonal components to study the 3D structures of global atmospheric circulation. This paper incorporates the three-pattern decomposition model (TPDM) into primitive equations of atmospheric dynamics and establishes a new set of dynamical equations of the horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations in which the operator properties are studied and energy conservation laws are preserved, as in the primitive equations. The physical significance of the newly established equations is demonstrated. Our findings reveal that the new equations are essentially the 3D vorticity equations of atmosphere and that the time evolution rules of the horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations can be described from the perspective of 3D vorticity evolution. The new set of dynamical equations includes decomposed expressions that can be used to explore the source terms of large-scale atmospheric circulation variations. A simplified model is presented to demonstrate the potential applications of the new equations for studying the dynamics of the Rossby, Hadley and Walker circulations. The model shows that the horizontal air temperature anomaly gradient (ATAG) induces changes in meridional and zonal circulations and promotes the baroclinic evolution of the horizontal circulation. The simplified model also indicates that the absolute vorticity of the horizontal circulation is not conserved, and its changes can be described by changes in the vertical vorticities of the meridional and zonal circulations. Moreover, the thermodynamic equation shows that the induced meridional and zonal circulations and advection transport by the horizontal circulation in turn cause a redistribution of the air temperature. The simplified model reveals the fundamental rules between the evolution of the air temperature and the horizontal, meridional and zonal components of global atmospheric circulation.

The 10-30-day oscillation of winter zonal wind in the entrance region of the East Asian subtropical jet and its relationship with precipitation in southern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Chenyu; Huang, Qian; Zhu, Bin; Liu, Fei

2018-06-01

Using ECMWF ERA-Interim 6-h reanalysis data, zonal wind intra-seasonal oscillations (ISOs) in the entrance region of the East Asian subtropical westerly jet (EASWJ) in winter from 1979/1980 to 2012/2013 are studied. The results first show that there is an area with large ISO strength in the northwest of the EASWJ; in the key region, zonal wind has a dominant period of 10-30 days. The composite analysis reveals that zonal wind at 200 hPa in this key region has 10-30-day oscillation characteristics. On the 10-30-day time scale, the center of zonal wind anomaly moves eastward. The propagation of zonal wind oscillation relates to temperature tendencies at different latitudes. The remarkable increase (or decrease) in zonal wind in the key region is mostly determined by temperature anomalies to the north. The 10-30-day filtered temperature advection to the north of the key region leads to either a decrease or an increase in temperature; on the other hand, temperature variations south of the key region have trends opposite of the northern trends, which changes the temperature gradient. On the 10-30-day time scale, zonal wind anomalies are associated with precipitation in southern China. When there are easterly wind anomalies over the key region, precipitation occurs over the Yangtze River basin and its south. Diabatic heating during precipitation corresponds with warming to the south of the key region, which combines with the temperature advection to weaken the easterly wind and strengths the westerly wind. Then, the intra-seasonal precipitation moves to southwest China with warm advection and the enhanced westerly wind, which brings the positive relative vorticity advection there.

Climatology of mesopause region nocturnal temperature, zonal wind, and sodium density observed by sodium lidar over Hefei, China (32°N, 117°E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, T.; Ban, C.; Fang, X.; Li, J.; Wu, Z.; Xiong, J.; Feng, W.; Plane, J. M. C.

2017-12-01

The University of Science and Technology of China narrowband sodium temperature/wind lidar, located in Hefei, China (32°N, 117°E), was installed in November 2011 and have made routine nighttime measurements since January 2012. We obtained 154 nights ( 1400 hours) of vertical profiles of temperature, sodium density, and zonal wind, and 83 nights ( 800 hours) of vertical flux of gravity wave (GW) zonal momentum in the mesopause region (80-105 km) during the period of 2012 to 2016. In temperature, it is likely that the diurnal tide dominates below 100 km in spring, while the semidiurnal tide dominates above 100 km throughout the year. A clear semiannual variation in temperature is revealed near 90 km, likely related to the tropical mesospheric semiannual oscillation (MSAO). The variability of sodium density is positively correlated with temperature, suggesting that in addition to dynamics, the chemistry may also play an important role in the formation of sodium atoms. The observed sodium peak density is 1000 cm-3 higher than that simulated by the model. In zonal wind, the diurnal tide dominates in both spring and fall, while semidiurnal tide dominates in winter. The observed semiannual variation in zonal wind near 90 km is out-of-phase with that in temperature, consistent with tropical MSAO. The GW zonal momentum flux is mostly westward in fall and winter, anti-correlated with eastward zonal wind. The annual mean flux averaged over 87-97 km is -0.3 m2/s2 (westward), anti-correlated with eastward zonal wind of 10 m/s. The comparisons of lidar results with those observed by satellite, nearby radar, and simulated by model show generally good agreements.

Observed variability in the upper layers at the Equator, 90°E in the Indian Ocean during 2001-2008, 1: zonal currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, R. R.; Horii, T.; Masumoto, Y.; Mizuno, K.

2017-08-01

The observed variability of zonal currents (ZC) at the Equator, 90°E shows a strong seasonal cycle in the near-surface 40-350 m water column with periodic east-west reversals most pronounced at semiannual frequency. Superposed on this, a strong intraseasonal variability of 30-90 day periodicity is also prominently seen in the near-surface layer (40-80 m) almost throughout the year with the only exception of February-March. An eastward flowing equatorial undercurrent (EUC) is present in the depth range of 80-160 m during March-April and October-November. The observed intraseasonal variability in the near-surface layer is primarily determined by the equatorial zonal westerly wind bursts (WWBs) through local frictional coupling between the zonal flow in the surface layer and surface zonal winds and shows large interannual variability. The eastward flowing EUC maintained by the ZPG set up by the east-west slope of the thermocline remotely controlled by the zonal wind (ZW) and zonally propagating wave fields also shows significant interannual variability. This observed variability on interannual time scales appears to be controlled by the corresponding variability in the alongshore winds off the Somalia coast during the preceding boreal winter, the ZW field along the equator, and the associated zonally propagating Kelvin and Rossby waves. The salinity induced vertical stratification observed in the near-surface layer through barrier layer thickness (BLT) effects also shows a significant influence on the ZC field on intraseasonal time scale. Interestingly, among all the 8 years (2001-2008), relatively weaker annual cycle is seen in both ZC in the 40-350 m water column and boreal spring sea surface temperature (SST) only during 2001 and 2008 along the equator caused through propagating wave dynamics.

Parameterization of eddy sensible heat transports in a zonally averaged dynamic model of the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Genthon, Christophe; Le Treut, Herve; Sadourny, Robert; Jouzel, Jean

1990-01-01

A Charney-Branscome based parameterization has been tested as a way of representing the eddy sensible heat transports missing in a zonally averaged dynamic model (ZADM) of the atmosphere. The ZADM used is a zonally averaged version of a general circulation model (GCM). The parameterized transports in the ZADM are gaged against the corresponding fluxes explicitly simulated in the GCM, using the same zonally averaged boundary conditions in both models. The Charney-Branscome approach neglects stationary eddies and transient barotropic disturbances and relies on a set of simplifying assumptions, including the linear appoximation, to describe growing transient baroclinic eddies. Nevertheless, fairly satisfactory results are obtained when the parameterization is performed interactively with the model. Compared with noninteractive tests, a very efficient restoring feedback effect between the modeled zonal-mean climate and the parameterized meridional eddy transport is identified.

Regulation of electron temperature gradient turbulence by zonal flows driven by trapped electron modes

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

Asahi, Y., E-mail: y.asahi@nr.titech.ac.jp; Tsutsui, H.; Tsuji-Iio, S.

2014-05-15

Turbulent transport caused by electron temperature gradient (ETG) modes was investigated by means of gyrokinetic simulations. It was found that the ETG turbulence can be regulated by meso-scale zonal flows driven by trapped electron modes (TEMs), which are excited with much smaller growth rates than those of ETG modes. The zonal flows of which radial wavelengths are in between the ion and the electron banana widths are not shielded by trapped ions nor electrons, and hence they are effectively driven by the TEMs. It was also shown that an E × B shearing rate of the TEM-driven zonal flows is larger thanmore » or comparable to the growth rates of long-wavelength ETG modes and TEMs, which make a main contribution to the turbulent transport before excitation of the zonal flows.« less

High-fidelity simulations of unsteady civil aircraft aerodynamics: stakes and perspectives. Application of zonal detached eddy simulation.

PubMed

Deck, Sébastien; Gand, Fabien; Brunet, Vincent; Ben Khelil, Saloua

2014-08-13

This paper provides an up-to-date survey of the use of zonal detached eddy simulations (ZDES) for unsteady civil aircraft applications as a reflection on the stakes and perspectives of the use of hybrid methods in the framework of industrial aerodynamics. The issue of zonal or non-zonal treatment of turbulent flows for engineering applications is discussed. The ZDES method used in this article and based on a fluid problem-dependent zonalization is briefly presented. Some recent landmark achievements for conditions all over the flight envelope are presented, including low-speed (aeroacoustics of high-lift devices and landing gear), cruising (engine-airframe interactions), propulsive jets and off-design (transonic buffet and dive manoeuvres) applications. The implications of such results and remaining challenges in a more global framework are further discussed. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

A PRELIMINARY JUPITER MODEL

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

Hubbard, W. B.; Militzer, B.

In anticipation of new observational results for Jupiter's axial moment of inertia and gravitational zonal harmonic coefficients from the forthcoming Juno orbiter, we present a number of preliminary Jupiter interior models. We combine results from ab initio computer simulations of hydrogen–helium mixtures, including immiscibility calculations, with a new nonperturbative calculation of Jupiter's zonal harmonic coefficients, to derive a self-consistent model for the planet's external gravity and moment of inertia. We assume helium rain modified the interior temperature and composition profiles. Our calculation predicts zonal harmonic values to which measurements can be compared. Although some models fit the observed (pre-Juno) second-more » and fourth-order zonal harmonics to within their error bars, our preferred reference model predicts a fourth-order zonal harmonic whose absolute value lies above the pre-Juno error bars. This model has a dense core of about 12 Earth masses and a hydrogen–helium-rich envelope with approximately three times solar metallicity.« less

Theory of Fine-scale Zonal Flow Generation From Trapped Electron Mode Turbulence

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

Lu Wang and T.S. Hahm

Most existing zonal flow generation theory has been developed with a usual assumption of qrρθ¡ << 1 (qr is the radial wave number of zonal flow, and ρθ¡ is the ion poloidal gyrora- dius). However, recent nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence exhibit a relatively short radial scale of the zonal flows with qrρθ¡ ~ 1 [Z. Lin et al., IAEA-CN/TH/P2-8 (2006); D. Ernst et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 055906 (2009)]. This work reports an extension of zonal flow growth calculation to this short wavelength regime via the wave kinetics approach. A generalized expression for the polarizationmore » shielding for arbitrary radial wavelength [Lu Wang and T.S. Hahm, to appear in Phys. Plasmas (2009)] which extends the Rosenbluth-Hinton formula in the long wavelength limit is applied.« less

The observed life cycle of a baroclinic instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, W. J.; Stanford, J. L.

1985-01-01

Medium-scale waves (zonal wavenumbers 4-7) frequently dominate Southern Hemisphere summer circulation patterns. Randel and Stanford have studied the dynamics of these features, demonstrating that the medium-scale waves result from baroclinic excitation and exhibit well-defined life cycles. This study details the evolution of the medium-scale waves during a particular life cycle. The specific case chosen exhibits a high degree of zonal symmetry, prompting study based upon zonally averaged diagnostics. An analysis of the medium-scale wave energetics reveals a well-defined life cycle of baroclinic growth, maturity, and barotropic decay. Eliassen-Palm flux diagrams detail the daily wave structure and its interaction with the zonally-averaged flow.

Cattaraugus Creek Harbor, New York General Design Memorandum. Phase II. (Detailed Design). Volume II. Appendix E. Littoral Processes and Sedimentation in the Cattaraugus Embayment, New York. Appendix F. Sediment Transport in Cattaraugus Creek.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-03-01

beaches than any other part of the southeastern shoreline of Lake Erie . It is the only major sand accumulation zone with the exception of Presque Isle , in...52 20. Photographs of zonal site #10. 54 21. Photograph and map of zonal site #11, Presque Isle , Pa. 57 F22. Photographs and beach profiles at zonal...site #11. 59 23. Photograph of zonal site #12, the recurved spit area on Presque Isle , Pa. 62 24. Block diagram of recurved spit area of Presque Isle

Frequency-dependent behavior of the barotropic and baroclinic modes of zonal jet variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheshadri, A.; Plumb, R. A.

2016-12-01

Stratosphere-troposphere interactions are frequently described in terms of the leading modes of variability, i.e. the annular modes. An idealized dynamical core model is used to explore the differences between the low- and high- frequency (periods greater and less than 30 days) behavior of the first two principal components of zonal mean zonal wind and eddy kinetic energy, i.e., the barotropic/baroclinic annular modes of variability of the extratropical circulation. The modes show similar spatial characteristics in the different frequency ranges considered, however the ranking of the modes switches in some cases from one range to the other. There is some cancelation in the signatures of eddy heat flux and eddy kinetic energy in the leading low-pass and high-pass filtered zonal wind mode, partly explaining their small signature in the total. At low frequencies, the first zonal wind mode describes latitudinal shifts of both the midlatitude jet and its associated storm tracks, and the persistence of zonal wind anomalies appears to be sustained primarily by a baroclinic, rather than a barotropic, feedback. On shorter time scales, the behavior is more complicated and transient.

Numerical simulation on zonal disintegration in deep surrounding rock mass.

PubMed

Chen, Xuguang; Wang, Yuan; Mei, Yu; Zhang, Xin

2014-01-01

Zonal disintegration have been discovered in many underground tunnels with the increasing of embedded depth. The formation mechanism of such phenomenon is difficult to explain under the framework of traditional rock mechanics, and the fractured shape and forming conditions are unclear. The numerical simulation was carried out to research the generating condition and forming process of zonal disintegration. Via comparing the results with the geomechanical model test, the zonal disintegration phenomenon was confirmed and its mechanism is revealed. It is found to be the result of circular fracture which develops within surrounding rock mass under the high geostress. The fractured shape of zonal disintegration was determined, and the radii of the fractured zones were found to fulfill the relationship of geometric progression. The numerical results were in accordance with the model test findings. The mechanism of the zonal disintegration was revealed by theoretical analysis based on fracture mechanics. The fractured zones are reportedly circular and concentric to the cavern. Each fracture zone ruptured at the elastic-plastic boundary of the surrounding rocks and then coalesced into the circular form. The geometric progression ratio was found to be related to the mechanical parameters and the ground stress of the surrounding rocks.

Numerical Simulation on Zonal Disintegration in Deep Surrounding Rock Mass

PubMed Central

Chen, Xuguang; Wang, Yuan; Mei, Yu; Zhang, Xin

2014-01-01

Zonal disintegration have been discovered in many underground tunnels with the increasing of embedded depth. The formation mechanism of such phenomenon is difficult to explain under the framework of traditional rock mechanics, and the fractured shape and forming conditions are unclear. The numerical simulation was carried out to research the generating condition and forming process of zonal disintegration. Via comparing the results with the geomechanical model test, the zonal disintegration phenomenon was confirmed and its mechanism is revealed. It is found to be the result of circular fracture which develops within surrounding rock mass under the high geostress. The fractured shape of zonal disintegration was determined, and the radii of the fractured zones were found to fulfill the relationship of geometric progression. The numerical results were in accordance with the model test findings. The mechanism of the zonal disintegration was revealed by theoretical analysis based on fracture mechanics. The fractured zones are reportedly circular and concentric to the cavern. Each fracture zone ruptured at the elastic-plastic boundary of the surrounding rocks and then coalesced into the circular form. The geometric progression ratio was found to be related to the mechanical parameters and the ground stress of the surrounding rocks. PMID:24592166

Secular variations in zonal harmonics of Earth's geopotential and their implications for mantle viscosity and Antarctic melting history due to the last deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakada, Masao; Okuno, Jun'ichi

2017-06-01

Secular variations in zonal harmonics of Earth's geopotential based on the satellite laser ranging observations, {\\dot{J}_n}, contain important information about the Earth's deformation due to the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and recent melting of glaciers and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Here, we examine the GIA-induced {\\dot{J}_n}, \\dot{J}_n^{GIA} (2 ≤ n ≤ 6), derived from the available geopotential zonal secular rate and recent melting taken from the IPCC 2013 Report (AR5) to explore the possibility of additional information on the depth-dependent lower-mantle viscosity and GIA ice model inferred from the analyses of the \\dot{J}_2^{GIA} and relative sea level changes. The sensitivities of the \\dot{J}_n^{GIA} to lower-mantle viscosity and GIA ice model with a global averaged eustatic sea level (ESL) of ∼130 m indicate that the secular rates for n = 3 and 4 are mainly caused by the viscous response of the lower mantle to the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet regardless of GIA ice models adopted in this study. Also, the analyses of the \\dot{J}_n^{GIA} based on the available geopotential zonal secular rates indicate that permissible lower-mantle viscosity structure satisfying even zonal secular rates of n = 2, 4 and 6 is obtained for the GIA ice model with an Antarctic ESL component of ∼20 or ∼30 m, but there is no viscosity solution satisfying \\dot{J}_3^{GIA} and \\dot{J}_5^{GIA} values. Moreover, the inference model for the lower-mantle viscosity and GIA ice model from each odd zonal secular rate is distinctly different from that satisfying GIA-induced even zonal secular rate. The discrepancy between the inference models for the even and odd zonal secular rates may partly be attributed to uncertainties of the geopotential zonal secular rates for n > 2 and particularly those for odd zonal secular rates due to weakness in the orbital geometry. If this problem is overcome at least for the secular rates of n < 5, then the analyses of the \\dot{J}_n^{GIA} would make it possible to put more convincing constraints on the lower-mantle viscosity structure and GIA ice model, particularly for the controversial Antarctic melting history in GIA community.

Varied representation of the West Pacific pattern in multiple dynamical seasonal predictions of APCC-MME

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yun-Young

2017-04-01

West Pacific (WP) teleconnection pattern is one of the well-known primary modes of boreal winter low-frequency variability (LFV) resolved in 500 hPa geopotential height and its phase and amplitude strongly influence regional weather conditions including temperature and rainfall extremes [Baxter and Nigam, 2015; Hsu and Wallace, 1985; Linkin and Nigam, 2008; Mo and Livezey, 1986; Thompson and Wallace, 1998; Wallace and Gutzler, 1981]. This study primary aims to evaluate individual 11 GCMs seasonal hindcasts employed as members of multi-model ensemble (MME) produced in APEC Climate Center (APCC) in representing WP. For the extensive and comprehensive evaluation, this study applied seven verification metrics in three scopes: (a) temporal representation of observed indices, (b) spatial mode separation in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), and (c) regional mode isolated in the preset longitudinal domain. Verification results display quite large inter-model spread. Some models mimic observed index variability while others display large bias of index variability compared to climatology. Basic north-south dipole pattern is mostly well reproduced in both rotated and unrotated loading modes. However, each individual seasonal forecast model exhibits slightly different behavior (e.g. amplification/weakening, zonal and meridional shift, downstream extension and so forth) in representing spatial structure of WP. When taking all 7 metrics into account, one Europe (CMCC) model, one Oceania (POAMA) model and two North America (NASA and NCEP) models are classified as relatively good performers while PNU is classified as a matchless poor performer out of 11. Least WP representing skill of PNU is sort of consistent with the largest bias of NH total variability. This study further tries to examine winter mean biases of individual models and figure out how mean bias is linked to WP representation in model world. Model bias of winter climatology is investigated focusing on six large scale phenomena: East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM), Atlantic dipole, Pacific/Atlantic jets and Pacific/Atlantic Hadley circulations. Changes in structure and amplitude of them are diagnosed in terms of root mean square error, pattern correlation, intensity bias, zonal displacement and/or downstream extension. There is consistent strengthening/downstream extension of Atlantic jet and absence of southern divergence cell of Atlantic Hadley in most seasonal prediction models. It is demonstrated that WP representation has something to do with bias of Atlantic winter climatology (Atlantic dipole and Atlantic jet) from scatter plot and regression analysis. This implies the importance of realistic simulation of winter climatology further upstream for better WP representation. A fundamental conclusion of this study is that the representation of primary WP features varies among individual models of APCC-MME and it is significantly dependent on the deficiencies of some winter mean climatological patterns.

Observed correlation of Venus topography with the zonal wind and albedo at cloud top level: the role of stationary gravity waves.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Khatunstsev, Igor; Hauchecorne, Alain; Markiewicz, Wojtek; Emmanuel, Marcq; Sébastien, Lebonnois; Marina, Patsaeva; Alex, Turin; Anna, Fedorova

2016-04-01

Based on the analysis of UV images (at 365 nm) of Venus cloud top (altitude 67±2 km) collected with VMC (Venus Monitoring Camera) on board Venus Express (VEX), it is found that the zonal wind speed south of the equator (from 5°S to 15°s) shows a conspicuous variation (from -101 to -83 m/s) with geographic longitude of Venus, correlated with the underlying relief of Aphrodite Terra. We interpret this pattern as the result of stationary gravity waves produced at ground level by the up lift of air when the horizontal wind encounters a mountain slope. These waves can propagate up to cloud top level, break there and transfer their momentum to the zonal flow. Such upward propagation of gravity waves and influence on the wind speed vertical profile was shown to play an important role in the middle atmosphere of the Earth by Lindzen [1981], but is not reproduced in a current GCM of Venus atmosphere. Consistent with present findings, the two VEGA mission balloons experienced a small, but significant, difference of westward velocity, at their 53 km floating altitude. The albedo at 365 nm varies also with longitude and latitude in a pattern strikingly similar in the low latitude regions to a recent map of cloud top H2O [Fedorova et al., 2015], in which a lower UV albedo is correlated with increased H2O. We argue that H2O enhancement is the sign of upwelling, suggesting that the UV absorber is also brought to cloud top by upwelling.

An assessment of satellite temperature distributions used to derive the net diabatic transport for zonally averaged models of the middle atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remsberg, Ellis E.; Bhatt, Praful P.; Miles, Thomas

1994-01-01

Determinations of the zonally averaged and diabatically derived residual mean circulation (RMC) are particularly sensitive to the assumed zonal mean temperature distribution used as input. Several different middle atmosphere satellite temperature distributions have been employed in models and are compared here: a 4-year (late 1978 to early 1982) National Meteorological Center (NMC) climatology, the Barnett and Corney (or BC) climatology, and the 7 months of Nimbus 7 limb infrared monitor of the stratosphere (LIMS) temperatures. All three climatologies are generally accurate below the 10 hPa level, but there are systematic differences between them of up to +/-5 K in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. The NMC/LIMS differences are evaluated using time series of rocketsonde and reconstructed satellite temperatures at station locations. Much of those biases can be explained by the differing vertical resolutions for the satellite-derived temperatures; the time series of reconstructed LIMS profiles have higher resolution and are more accurate. Because the LIMS temperatures are limited to just two full seasons, one cannot obtain monthly RMCs from them for an annual model calculation. Two alternate monthly climatologies are examined briefly: the 4-year Nimbus 7 stratospheric and mesospheric sounder (SAMS) temperatures and for the mesosphere the distribution from the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME), both of which are limb viewers of medium vertical resolution. There are also differences of the order of +/-5 K for those data sets. It is concluded that a major source of error in the determination of diabatic RMCs is a persistent pattern of temperature bias whose characteristics vary according to the vertical resolution of each individual climatology.

Mechanism for Surface Warming in the Equatorial Pacific during 1994-95

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rienecker, Michele M.; Borovikov, Anna; Schopf, Paul S.

1999-01-01

Mechanisms controlling the variation in sea surface temperature warm event in the equatorial Pacific were investigated through ocean model simulations. In addition, the mechanisms of the climatological SST cycle were investigated. The dominant mechanisms governing the seasonal cycle of SST vary significantly across the basin. In the western Pacific the annual cycle of SST is primarily in response to external heat flux. In the central basin the magnitude of zonal advection is comparable to that of the external heat flux. In the eastern basin the role of zonal advection is reduced and the vertical mixing is more important. In the easternmost equatorial Pacific the vertical entrainment contribution is as large as that of vertical diffusion. The model estimate of the vertical mixing contribution to the mixed layer heat budget compared well with estimates obtained by analysis of observations using the same diagnostic vertical mixing scheme. During 1994- 1995 the largest positive SST anomaly was observed in the mid-basin and was related to reduced latent heat flux due to weak surface winds. In the western basin the initial warming was related to enhanced external heating and reduced cooling effects of both vertical mixing and horizontal advection associated with weaker than usual wind stress. In the eastern Pacific where winds were not significantly anomalous throughout 1994-1995, only a moderate warm surface anomaly was detected. This is in contrast to strong El Nino events where the SST anomaly is largest in the eastern basin and, as shown by previous studies, the anomaly is due to zonal advection rather than anomalous surface heat flux. The end of the warm event was marked by cooling in July 1995 everywhere across the equatorial Pacific.

Climatology of the quasi-2-day waves observed in the MLS/Aura measurements (2005-2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pancheva, Dora; Mukhtarov, Plamen; Siskind, David E.

2018-06-01

The paper presents the climatology and interannual variability of both eastward- and westward-propagating ∼2-day waves (QTDW) observed in the MLS/Aura geopotential height data for a period of 10 full years (2005-2014). The climatology of the QTDWs has been studied in two steps: (i) by using average 2D-wavelet spectra both the dominant modes of variability and how these modes vary in time and space have been determined, and (ii) by applying a 2D decomposition procedure, where all planetary waves are simultaneously extracted from the data, the average global spatio-temporal distributions of all defined by the 2D-wavelet analysis modes have been obtained. It is found that the westward-propagating waves at mid-high latitudes have zonal wave numbers 2, 3 and 4 and are observed mainly in summer hemisphere. Two different types of eastward-propagating waves have been identified: (i) waves at mid-high latitudes with zonal wave numbers 2 and 3 observed in the winter hemisphere, and (ii) waves observed predominantly over the equator with zonal wave number 2, which do not have a well-defined seasonal variability but show some enhancement in both solstices. While the climatological features of the MLS/Aura QTDWs for the considered period are robust the interannual variations have to be adopted cautiously. The primary reason is that the length of the considered period of 10 years is not enough for finding clear variability pattern. The only long-term variability which appears to have some robustness is that of the W3 wave in the Southern Hemisphere where the influence of the solar cycle has been distinguished.

On the day-to-day variation of the equatorial electrojet during quiet periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamazaki, Y.; Richmond, A. D.; Maute, A.; Liu, H.-L.; Pedatella, N.; Sassi, F.

2014-08-01

It has been known for a long time that the equatorial electrojet varies from day to day even when solar and geomagnetic activities are very low. The quiet time day-to-day variation is considered to be due to irregular variability of the neutral wind, but little is known about how variable winds drive the electrojet variability. We employ a numerical model introduced by Liu et al. (2013), which takes into account weather changes in the lower atmosphere and thus can reproduce ionospheric variability due to forcing from below. The simulation is run for May and June 2009. Constant solar and magnetospheric energy inputs are used so that day-to-day changes will arise only from lower atmospheric forcing. The simulated electrojet current shows day-to-day variability of ±25%, which produces day-to-day variations in ground level geomagnetic perturbations near the magnetic equator. The current system associated with the day-to-day variation of the equatorial electrojet is traced based on a covariance analysis. The current pattern reveals return flow at both sides of the electrojet, in agreement with those inferred from ground-based magnetometer data in previous studies. The day-to-day variation in the electrojet current is compared with those in the neutral wind at various altitudes, latitudes, and longitudes. It is found that the electrojet variability is dominated by the zonal wind at 100-120 km altitudes near the magnetic equator. These results suggest that the response of the zonal polarization electric field to variable zonal winds is the main source of the day-to-day variation of the equatorial electrojet during quiet periods.

Atmospheric Response to Zonal Variations in Midlatitude SST: Transient and Stationary Eddies and Their Feedback(.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inatsu, Masaru; Mukougawa, Hitoshi; Xie, Shang-Ping

2003-10-01

Midwinter storm track response to zonal variations in midlatitude sea surface temperatures (SSTs) has been investigated using an atmospheric general circulation model under aquaplanet and perpetual-January conditions. Zonal wavenumber-1 SST variations with a meridionally confined structure are placed at various latitudes. Having these SST variations centered at 30°N leads to a zonally localized storm track, while the storm track becomes nearly zonally uniform when the same SST forcing is moved farther north at 40° and 50°N. Large (small) baroclinic energy conversion north of the warm (cold) SST anomaly near the axis of the storm track (near 40°N) is responsible for the large (small) storm growth. The equatorward transfer of eddy kinetic energy by the ageostrophic motion and the mechanical damping are important to diminish the storm track activity in the zonal direction.Significant stationary eddies form in the upper troposphere, with a ridge (trough) northeast of the warm (cold) SST anomaly at 30°N. Heat and vorticity budget analyses indicate that zonally localized condensational heating in the storm track is the major cause for these stationary eddies, which in turn exert a positive feedback to maintain the localized storm track by strengthening the vertical shear near the surface. These results indicate an active role of synoptic eddies in inducing deep, tropospheric-scale response to midlatitude SST variations. Finally, the application of the model results to the real atmosphere is discussed.

A ray tracing model of gravity wave propagation and breakdown in the middle atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schoeberl, M. R.

1985-01-01

Gravity wave ray tracing and wave packet theory is used to parameterize wave breaking in the mesosphere. Rays are tracked by solving the group velocity equations, and the interaction with the basic state is determined by considering the evolution of the packet wave action density. The ray tracing approach has a number of advantages over the steady state parameterization as the effects of gravity wave focussing and refraction, local dissipation, and wave response to rapid changes in the mean flow are more realistically considered; however, if steady state conditions prevail, the method gives identical results. The ray tracing algorithm is tested using both interactive and noninteractive models of the basic state. In the interactive model, gravity wave interaction with the polar night jet on a beta-plane is considered. The algorithm produces realistic polar night jet closure for weak topographic forcing of gravity waves. Planetary scale waves forced by local transfer of wave action into the basic flow in turn transfer their wave action into the zonal mean flow. Highly refracted rays are also found not to contribute greatly to the climatology of the mesosphere, as their wave action is severely reduced by dissipation during their lateral travel.

Zonal Flows and Turbulence in Fluids and Plasmas

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

Parker, Jeffrey

2014-09-01

In geophysical and plasma contexts, zonal flows are well known to arise out of turbulence. We elucidate the transition from statistically homogeneous turbulence without zonal flows to statistically inhomogeneous turbulence with steady zonal flows. Starting from the Hasegawa--Mima equation, we employ both the quasilinear approximation and a statistical average, which retains a great deal of the qualitative behavior of the full system. Within the resulting framework known as CE2, we extend recent understanding of the symmetry-breaking `zonostrophic instability'. Zonostrophic instability can be understood in a very general way as the instability of some turbulent background spectrum to a zonally symmetricmore » coherent mode. As a special case, the background spectrum can consist of only a single mode. We find that in this case the dispersion relation of zonostrophic instability from the CE2 formalism reduces exactly to that of the 4-mode truncation of generalized modulational instability. We then show that zonal flows constitute pattern formation amid a turbulent bath. Zonostrophic instability is an example of a Type Is instability of pattern-forming systems. The broken symmetry is statistical homogeneity. Near the bifurcation point, the slow dynamics of CE2 are governed by a well-known amplitude equation, the real Ginzburg-Landau equation. The important features of this amplitude equation, and therefore of the CE2 system, are multiple. First, the zonal flow wavelength is not unique. In an idealized, infinite system, there is a continuous band of zonal flow wavelengths that allow a nonlinear equilibrium. Second, of these wavelengths, only those within a smaller subband are stable. Unstable wavelengths must evolve to reach a stable wavelength; this process manifests as merging jets. These behaviors are shown numerically to hold in the CE2 system, and we calculate a stability diagram. The stability diagram is in agreement with direct numerical simulations of the quasilinear system. The use of statistically-averaged equations and the pattern formation methodology provide a path forward for further systematic investigations of zonal flows and their interactions with turbulence.« less

The SPARC Intercomparison of Middle Atmosphere Climatologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, William; Fleming, Eric; Geller, Marvin; Gelman, Mel; Hamilton, Kevin; Karoly, David; Ortland, Dave; Pawson, Steve; Swinbank, Richard; Udelhofen, Petra

2003-01-01

Our current confidence in 'observed' climatological winds and temperatures in the middle atmosphere (over altitudes approx. 10-80 km) is assessed by detailed intercomparisons of contemporary and historic data sets. These data sets include global meteorological analyses and assimilations, climatologies derived from research satellite measurements, and historical reference atmosphere circulation statistics. We also include comparisons with historical rocketsonde wind and temperature data, and with more recent lidar temperature measurements. The comparisons focus on a few basic circulation statistics, such as temperature, zonal wind, and eddy flux statistics. Special attention is focused on tropical winds and temperatures, where large differences exist among separate analyses. Assimilated data sets provide the most realistic tropical variability, but substantial differences exist among current schemes.

A parallel finite-difference method for computational aerodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swisshelm, Julie M.

1989-01-01

A finite-difference scheme for solving complex three-dimensional aerodynamic flow on parallel-processing supercomputers is presented. The method consists of a basic flow solver with multigrid convergence acceleration, embedded grid refinements, and a zonal equation scheme. Multitasking and vectorization have been incorporated into the algorithm. Results obtained include multiprocessed flow simulations from the Cray X-MP and Cray-2. Speedups as high as 3.3 for the two-dimensional case and 3.5 for segments of the three-dimensional case have been achieved on the Cray-2. The entire solver attained a factor of 2.7 improvement over its unitasked version on the Cray-2. The performance of the parallel algorithm on each machine is analyzed.

Tinkering With AGCMs To Investigate Atmospheric Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bitz, C. M.

2014-12-01

My experience teaching a course in global climate modeling has proven that students (and instructors) with wide-ranging backgrounds in earth-science learn effectively about the complexity of climate by tinker with model components. As an example, I will present a series of experiments in an AGCM with highly simplified geometries for ocean and land to test the response of the atmosphere to variations in basic parameters. The figure below shows an example of how the zonal wind changes with surface roughness and orography. The pinnacle of experiments explored in my course was the outcome of a homework assignment where students reduced the cloud droplet radius by 40% over ocean, and the results surprised students and instructor alike.

Comparative Effect of Physicomechanical and Biomolecular Cues on Zone-Specific Chondrogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Moeinzadeh, Seyedsina; Shariati, Seyed Ramin Pajoum; Jabbari, Esmaiel

2016-01-01

Current tissue engineering approaches to regeneration of articular cartilage rarely restore the tissue to its normal state because the generated tissue lacks the intricate zonal organization of the native cartilage. Zonal regeneration of articular cartilage is hampered by the lack of knowledge for the relation between physical, mechanical, and biomolecular cues and zone-specific chondrogenic differentiation of progenitor cells. This work investigated in 3D the effect of TGF-β1, zone-specific growth factors, optimum matrix stiffness, and adding nanofibers on the expression of chondrogenic markers specific to the superficial, middle, and calcified zones of articular cartilage by the differentiating human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Growth factors included BMP-7, IGF-1, and hydroxyapatite (HA) for the superficial, middle, and calcified zones, respectively; optimum matrix stiffness was 80 kPa, 2.1 MPa, and 320 MPa; and nanofibers were aligned horizontal, random, and perpendicular to the gel surface. hMSCs with zone-specific cell densities were encapsulated in engineered hydrogels and cultured with or without TGF-β1, zone-specific growth factor, optimum matrix modulus, and fiber addition and cultured in basic chondrogenic medium. The expression of encapsulated cells was measured by mRNA, protein, and biochemical analysis. Results indicated that zone-specific matrix stiffness had a dominating effect on chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs to the superficial and calcified zone phenotypes. Addition of aligned nanofibers parallel to the direction of gel surface significantly enhanced expression of Col II in the superficial zone chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Conversely, biomolecular factor IGF-1 in combination with TGF-β1 had a dominating effect on the middle zone chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Results of this work could potentially lead to the development of multilayer grafts mimicking the zonal organization of articular cartilage. PMID:27038568

Magellan radio occultation measurements of atmospheric waves on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinson, David P.; Jenkins, J. M.

1995-01-01

Radio occultation experiments were conducted at Venus on three consecutive orbits of the Magellan spacecraft in October 1991. Each occultation occurred over the same topography (67 deg N, 127 deg E) and at the same local time (22 hr 5 min), but the data are sensitive to zonal variations because the atmosphere rotates significantly during one orbit. Through comparisons between observations and predictions of standard wave theory, we have demonstrated that small-scale oscillations in retrieved temperature profiles as well as scintillations in received signal intensity are caused by a spectrum of vertically propagating internal gravity waves. There is a strong similarity between the intensity scintillations observed here and previous measurements, which pertain to a wide range of locations and experiment dates. This implies that the same basic phenomenon underlies all the observations and hence that gravity waves are a persistent, global feature of Venus' atmosphere. We obtained a fairly complete characterization of a gravity wave that appears above the middle cloud in temperature measurements on all three orbits. The amplitude and vertical wavelength are about 4 K and 2.5 km respectively, at 65 km. A model for radiative damping implies that the wave intrinsic frequency is approximately 2 x 10(exp 4) rad/sec, the corresponding ratio between horizontal and vertical wavelengths is approximately 100. The wave is nearly stationary relative to the surface or the Sun. Radiative attenuation limits the wave amplitude at altitudes above approximately 65 km, leading to wave drag on the mean zonal winds of about +0.4 m/sec per day (eastward). The sign, magnitude, and location of this forcing suggest a possible role in explaining the decrease with height in the zonal wind speed that is believed to occur above the cloud tops. Temperature oscillations with larger vertical wavelengths (5-10 km) were also observed on all three orbits, but we are able unable to interpret these unambiguously.

Jupiter: New estimates of mean zonal flow at the cloud level

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Limaye, Sanjay S.

1986-01-01

In order to reexamine the magnitude differences of the Jovian atmosphere's jets, as determined by Voyager 1 and 2 images, a novel approach is used to ascertain the zonal mean east-west component of motion. This technique is based on digital pattern matching, and is applied on pairs of mapped images to yield a profile of the mean zonal component that reproduces the exact locations of the easterly and westerly jets between + and 60 deg latitude. Results were obtained for all of the Voyager 1 and 2 cylindrical mosaics; the correlation coefficient between Voyagers 1 and 2 in mean zonal flow between + and - 60 deg latitude, determined from violet filter mosaics, is 0.998.

Numerical simulation of phenomenon on zonal disintegration in deep underground mining in case of unsupported roadway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Fengshan; Wu, Xinli; Li, Xia; Zhu, Dekang

2018-02-01

Zonal disintegration phenomenon was found in deep mining roadway surrounding rock. It seriously affects the safety of mining and underground engineering and it may lead to the occurrence of natural disasters. in deep mining roadway surrounding rock, tectonic stress in deep mining roadway rock mass, horizontal stress is much greater than the vertical stress, When the direction of maximum principal stress is parallel to the axis of the roadway in deep mining, this is the main reasons for Zonal disintegration phenomenon. Using ABAQUS software to numerical simulation of the three-dimensional model of roadway rupture formation process systematically, and the study shows that when The Direction of maximum main stress in deep underground mining is along the roadway axial direction, Zonal disintegration phenomenon in deep underground mining is successfully reproduced by our numerical simulation..numerical simulation shows that using ABAQUA simulation can reproduce Zonal disintegration phenomenon and the formation process of damage of surrounding rock can be reproduced. which have important engineering practical significance.

Effect of resonant magnetic perturbations on secondary structures in drift-wave turbulence

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

Leconte, M.; Diamond, P. H.; CMTFO and CASS, UCSD, California 92093

2011-08-15

Recent experiments showed a decrease of long range correlations during the application of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) [Y. Xu et al., Nucl. Fusion 51, 063020 (2011)]. This finding suggests that RMPs damp zonal flows. To elucidate the effect of the RMPs on zonal structures in drift wave turbulence, we construct a generalized Hasegawa-Wakatani model including RMP fields. The effect of the RMPs is to induce a linear coupling between the zonal electric field and the zonal density gradient, which drives the system to a state of electron radial force balance for large RMP amplitude. A predator-prey model coupling the primarymore » drift wave dynamics to the zonal modes evolution is derived. This model has both turbulence drive and RMP amplitude as control parameters and predicts a novel type of transport bifurcation in the presence of RMPs. The novel regime has a power threshold which increases with RMP amplitude as {gamma}{sub c}{approx}[({delta}B{sub r}/B)]{sup 2}.« less

The modulational instability in the extended Hasegawa-Mima equation with a finite Larmor radius

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

Gallagher, S.; Hnat, B.; Rowlands, G.

2012-12-15

The effects of the finite Larmor radius on the generation of zonal flows by the four-wave modulational instability are investigated using an extended form of the Hasegawa-Mima equation. Growth rates of the zonal mode are quantified using analytical predictions from a four-mode truncated model, as well as from direct numerical simulation of the nonlinear extended Hasegawa-Mima equation. We not only consider purely zonal flows but also examine the generic oblique case and show that, for small Larmor radii, off-axis modes may become dominant. We find a key parameter M{sub {rho}} which characterises the behaviour of the system due to changesmore » in the Larmor radius. We find that, similarly to previous results obtained by changing the driving wave amplitude, two separate dynamical regimes can be accessed. These correspond to oscillatory energy transfer between zonal flows and a driving wave and the fully saturated zonal flow.« less

Gravitational Anomalies Caused by Zonal Winds in Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, G.; Kong, D.; Zhang, K.

2012-12-01

We present an accurate three-dimensional non-spherical numerical calculation of the gravitational anomalies caused by zonal winds in Jupiter. The calculation is based on a three-dimensional finite element method and accounts for the full effect of significant departure from spherical geometry caused by rapid rotation. Since the speeds of Jupiter's zonal winds are much smaller than that of its rigid-body rotation, our numerical calculation is carried out in two stages. First, we compute the non-spherical distributions of density and pressure at the equilibrium within Jupiter via a hybrid inverse approach by determining an a priori unknown coefficient in the polytropic equation of state that results in a match to the observed shape of Jupiter. Second, by assuming that Jupiter's zonal winds extend throughout the interior along cylinders parallel to the rotation axis, we compute gravitational anomalies produced by the wind-related density anomalies, providing an upper bound to the gravitational anomalies caused by the Jovian zonal winds.

Zonally Asymmetric Ozone and the Morphology of the Planetary Waveguide

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-15

sections for the 271 troposphere , J. Atmos. Sci., 37, 2600-2616. 272 Eyring, V., et al. (2007), Multimodel projections of stratospheric ozone ...GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. ???, XXXX, DOI:10.1029/, JULY 15, 2011 Zonally asymmetric ozone and the morphology of the 1 planetary waveguide...that zonally asymmetric 6 ozone (ZAO) profoundly changes the morphology of the Northern Hemisphere planetary 7 waveguide (PWG). ZAO causes the PWG to

The role of zonal flows in the saturation of multi-scale gyrokinetic turbulence

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

Staebler, G. M.; Candy, J.; Howard, N. T.

2016-06-15

The 2D spectrum of the saturated electric potential from gyrokinetic turbulence simulations that include both ion and electron scales (multi-scale) in axisymmetric tokamak geometry is analyzed. The paradigm that the turbulence is saturated when the zonal (axisymmetic) ExB flow shearing rate competes with linear growth is shown to not apply to the electron scale turbulence. Instead, it is the mixing rate by the zonal ExB velocity spectrum with the turbulent distribution function that competes with linear growth. A model of this mechanism is shown to be able to capture the suppression of electron-scale turbulence by ion-scale turbulence and the thresholdmore » for the increase in electron scale turbulence when the ion-scale turbulence is reduced. The model computes the strength of the zonal flow velocity and the saturated potential spectrum from the linear growth rate spectrum. The model for the saturated electric potential spectrum is applied to a quasilinear transport model and shown to accurately reproduce the electron and ion energy fluxes of the non-linear gyrokinetic multi-scale simulations. The zonal flow mixing saturation model is also shown to reproduce the non-linear upshift in the critical temperature gradient caused by zonal flows in ion-scale gyrokinetic simulations.« less

Net Influence of an Internally Generated Guasi-biennial Oscillation on Modelled Stratospheric Climate and Chemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurwitz, Margaret M.; Oman, Luke David; Newman, Paul A.; Song, InSun

2013-01-01

A Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry- Climate Model (GEOSCCM) simulation with strong tropical non-orographic gravity wave drag (GWD) is compared to an otherwise identical simulation with near-zero tropical non-orographic GWD. The GEOSCCM generates a quasibiennial oscillation (QBO) zonal wind signal in response to a tropical peak in GWD that resembles the zonal and climatological mean precipitation field. The modelled QBO has a frequency and amplitude that closely resembles observations. As expected, the modelled QBO improves the simulation of tropical zonal winds and enhances tropical and subtropical stratospheric variability. Also, inclusion of the QBO slows the meridional overturning circulation, resulting in a generally older stratospheric mean age of air. Slowing of the overturning circulation, changes in stratospheric temperature and enhanced subtropical mixing all affect the annual mean distributions of ozone, methane and nitrous oxide. Furthermore, the modelled QBO enhances polar stratospheric variability in winter. Because tropical zonal winds are easterly in the simulation without a QBO, there is a relative increase in tropical zonal winds in the simulation with a QBO. Extratropical differences between the simulations with and without a QBO thus reflect the westerly shift in tropical zonal winds: a relative strengthening of the polar stratospheric jet, polar stratospheric cooling and a weak reduction in Arctic lower stratospheric ozone.

Multiple zonal jets and convective heat transport barriers in a quasi-geostrophic model of planetary cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guervilly, C.; Cardin, P.

2017-10-01

We study rapidly rotating Boussinesq convection driven by internal heating in a full sphere. We use a numerical model based on the quasi-geostrophic approximation for the velocity field, whereas the temperature field is 3-D. This approximation allows us to perform simulations for Ekman numbers down to 10-8, Prandtl numbers relevant for liquid metals (˜10-1) and Reynolds numbers up to 3 × 104. Persistent zonal flows composed of multiple jets form as a result of the mixing of potential vorticity. For the largest Rayleigh numbers computed, the zonal velocity is larger than the convective velocity despite the presence of boundary friction. The convective structures and the zonal jets widen when the thermal forcing increases. Prograde and retrograde zonal jets are dynamically different: in the prograde jets (which correspond to weak potential vorticity gradients) the convection transports heat efficiently and the mean temperature tends to be homogenized; by contrast, in the cores of the retrograde jets (which correspond to steep gradients of potential vorticity) the dynamics is dominated by the propagation of Rossby waves, resulting in the formation of steep mean temperature gradients and the dominance of conduction in the heat transfer process. Consequently, in quasi-geostrophic systems, the width of the retrograde zonal jets controls the efficiency of the heat transfer.

Future Effects of Southern Hemisphere Stratospheric Zonal Asymmetries on Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, K.; Solomon, S.; Kinnison, D. E.; Fyfe, J. C.

2017-12-01

Stratospheric zonal asymmetries in the Southern Hemisphere have been shown to have significant influences on both stratospheric and tropospheric dynamics and climate. Accurate representation of stratospheric ozone in particular is important for realistic simulation of the polar vortex strength and temperature trends. This is therefore also important for stratospheric ozone change's effect on the troposphere, both through modulation of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and more localized climate. Here, we characterization the impact of future changes in Southern Hemisphere zonal asymmetry on tropospheric climate, including changes to future tropospheric temperature, and precipitation. The separate impacts of increasing GHGs and ozone recovery on the zonal asymmetric influence on the surface are also investigated. For this purpose, we use a variety of models, including Chemistry Climate Model Initiative simulations from the Community Earth System Model, version 1, with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (CESM1(WACCM)) and the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator-Chemistry Climate Model (ACCESS-CCM). These models have interactive chemistry and can therefore more accurately represent the zonally asymmetric nature of the stratosphere. The CESM1(WACCM) and ACCESS-CCM models are also compared to simulations from the Canadian Can2ESM model and CESM-Large Ensemble Project (LENS) that have prescribed ozone to further investigate the importance of simulating stratospheric zonal asymmetry.

The role of zonal flows in the saturation of multi-scale gyrokinetic turbulence

DOE PAGES

Staebler, Gary M.; Candy, John; Howard, Nathan T.; ...

2016-06-29

The 2D spectrum of the saturated electric potential from gyrokinetic turbulence simulations that include both ion and electron scales (multi-scale) in axisymmetric tokamak geometry is analyzed. The paradigm that the turbulence is saturated when the zonal (axisymmetic) ExB flow shearing rate competes with linear growth is shown to not apply to the electron scale turbulence. Instead, it is the mixing rate by the zonal ExB velocity spectrum with the turbulent distribution function that competes with linear growth. A model of this mechanism is shown to be able to capture the suppression of electron-scale turbulence by ion-scale turbulence and the thresholdmore » for the increase in electron scale turbulence when the ion-scale turbulence is reduced. The model computes the strength of the zonal flow velocity and the saturated potential spectrum from the linear growth rate spectrum. The model for the saturated electric potential spectrum is applied to a quasilinear transport model and shown to accurately reproduce the electron and ion energy fluxes of the non-linear gyrokinetic multi-scale simulations. Finally, the zonal flow mixing saturation model is also shown to reproduce the non-linear upshift in the critical temperature gradient caused by zonal flows in ionscale gyrokinetic simulations.« less

Relationship between eastern tropical Pacific cooling and recent trends in the Southern Hemisphere zonal-mean circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clem, Kyle R.; Renwick, James A.; McGregor, James

2017-07-01

During 1979-2014, eastern tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures significantly cooled, which has generally been attributed to the transition of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation to its negative phase after 1999. We find the eastern tropical Pacific cooling to be associated with: (1) an intensified Walker Circulation during austral summer (December-February, DJF) and autumn (March-May, MAM); (2) a weakened South Pacific Hadley cell and subtropical jet during MAM; and (3) a strengthening of the circumpolar westerlies between 50 and 60°S during DJF and MAM. Observed cooling in the eastern tropical Pacific is linearly congruent with 60-80 % of the observed Southern Hemisphere positive zonal-mean zonal wind trend between 50 and 60°S during DJF ( 35 % of the interannual variability), and around half of the observed positive zonal-mean zonal wind trend during MAM ( 15 % of the interannual variability). Although previous studies have linked the strengthened DJF and MAM circumpolar westerlies to stratospheric ozone depletion and increasing greenhouse gases, we note that the continuation of the positive SAM trends into the twenty-first century is partially associated with eastern tropical Pacific cooling, especially during MAM when zonal wind anomalies associated with eastern tropical Pacific cooling project strongly onto the observed trends. Outside of DJF and MAM, eastern tropical Pacific cooling is associated with opposing zonal wind anomalies over the Pacific and Indian sectors, which we infer is the reason for the absence of significant positive SAM trends outside of DJF and MAM despite significant eastern tropical Pacific cooling seen during all seasons.

A zonal method for modeling powered-lift aircraft flow fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, D. W.

1989-01-01

A zonal method for modeling powered-lift aircraft flow fields is based on the coupling of a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code to a potential flow code. By minimizing the extent of the viscous Navier-Stokes zones the zonal method can be a cost effective flow analysis tool. The successful coupling of the zonal solutions provides the viscous/inviscid interations that are necessary to achieve convergent and unique overall solutions. The feasibility of coupling the two vastly different codes is demonstrated. The interzone boundaries were overlapped to facilitate the passing of boundary condition information between the codes. Routines were developed to extract the normal velocity boundary conditions for the potential flow zone from the viscous zone solution. Similarly, the velocity vector direction along with the total conditions were obtained from the potential flow solution to provide boundary conditions for the Navier-Stokes solution. Studies were conducted to determine the influence of the overlap of the interzone boundaries and the convergence of the zonal solutions on the convergence of the overall solution. The zonal method was applied to a jet impingement problem to model the suckdown effect that results from the entrainment of the inviscid zone flow by the viscous zone jet. The resultant potential flow solution created a lower pressure on the base of the vehicle which produces the suckdown load. The feasibility of the zonal method was demonstrated. By enhancing the Navier-Stokes code for powered-lift flow fields and optimizing the convergence of the coupled analysis a practical flow analysis tool will result.

Rethinking wave-kinetic theory applied to zonal flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Jeffrey

2017-10-01

Over the past two decades, a number of studies have employed a wave-kinetic theory to describe fluctuations interacting with zonal flows. Recent work has uncovered a defect in this wave-kinetic formulation: the system is dominated by the growth of (arbitrarily) small-scale zonal structures. Theoretical calculations of linear growth rates suggest, and nonlinear simulations confirm, that this system leads to the concentration of zonal flow energy in the smallest resolved scales, irrespective of the numerical resolution. This behavior results from the assumption that zonal flows are extremely long wavelength, leading to the neglect of key terms responsible for conservation of enstrophy. A corrected theory, CE2-GO, is presented; it is free of these errors yet preserves the intuitive phase-space mathematical structure. CE2-GO properly conserves enstrophy as well as energy, and yields accurate growth rates of zonal flow. Numerical simulations are shown to be well-behaved and not dependent on box size. The steady-state limit simplifies into an exact wave-kinetic form which offers the promise of deeper insight into the behavior of wavepackets. The CE2-GO theory takes its place in a hierarchy of models as the geometrical-optics reduction of the more complete cumulant-expansion statistical theory CE2. The new theory represents the minimal statistical description, enabling an intuitive phase-space formulation and an accurate description of turbulence-zonal flow dynamics. This work was supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, a US DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Fellowship, and US DOE Contract Nos. DE-AC52-07NA27344 and DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Chapter 13. Atmospheric Dynamics and Meteorology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flasar, F. M.; Baines, K. H.; Bird, M. K.; Tokano, T.

2009-01-01

Titan, after Venus, is the second example in the solar system of an atmosphere with a global cyclostrophic circulation, but in this case a circulation that has a strong seasonal modulation in the middle atmosphere. Direct measurement of Titan's winds, particularly observations tracking the Huygens probe at 10 deg S, indicate that the zonal winds are mostly in the sense of the satellite's rotation. They generally increase with altitude and become cyclostrophic near 35 km above the surface. An exception to this is a sharp minimum centered near 75 km, where the wind velocity decreases to nearly zero. Zonal winds derived from temperatures retrieved from Cassini orbiter measurements, using the thermal wind equation, indicate a strong winter circumpolar vortex, with maximum winds of 190 m/s at mid northern latitudes near 300 km. Above this level, the vortex decays. Curiously, the stratospheric zonal winds and temperatures in both hemispheres are symmetric about a pole that is offset from the surface pole by about 4 deg. The cause of this is not well understood, but it may reflect the response of a cyclostrophic circulation to the onset between the equator, where the distance to the rotation axis is greatest, and the seasonally varying subsolar latitude. The mean meridional circulation can be inferred from the temperature field and the meridional distribution of organic molecules and condensates and hazes. Both the warm temperatures near 400 km and the enhanced concentration of several organic molecules suggest subsidence in the north polar region during winter and early spring. Stratospheric condensates are localized at high northern latitudes, with a sharp cut-off near 50 deg N. Titan's winter polar vortex appears to share many of the same characteristics of isolating high and low-latitude air masses as do the winter polar vortices on Earth that envelop the ozone holes. Global mapping of temperatures, winds, and composition in the troposphere, by contrast, is incomplete. The few suitable discrete clouds that have been found for tracking indicate smaller velocities than aloft, consistent: with the Huygens measurements, Along the descent trajectory, the Huygens measurements indicate eastward zonal winds down to 7 km, where they shift westward, and then eastward again below 1 km dawn to the surface. The low-latitude dune fields seen in Cassini RADAR images have been interpreted as longitudinal dunes occurring in a mean eastward zonal wind. This is not like Earth, where the low-latitude winds are westward above the surface. Because the net zonal-mean time-averaged torque exerted by the surface on the atmosphere should vanish, there must be westward flow over part of the surface; the question is where and when. The meridional contrast in tropospheric temperatures deduced from radio occultations at low, mid, and high latitudes. is small, approximately 5 K at the tropopause and approximately 3 K at the surface. This implies efficient heat transport, probably by axisymmetric meridional circulations. The effect of the methane "hydrological" cycle on the atmospheric circulation is not well constrained by existing measurements, Understanding the mature of the surface-atmosphere coupling will be critical to elucidating the atmospheric transports of momentum, heat, and volatiles.

On Diffusive Climatological Models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffel, D. H.; Drazin, P. G.

1981-11-01

A simple, zonally and annually averaged, energy-balance climatological model with diffusive heat transport and nonlinear albedo feedback is solved numerically. Some parameters of the model are varied, one by one, to find the resultant effects on the steady solution representing the climate. In particular, the outward radiation flux, the insulation distribution and the albedo parameterization are varied. We have found an accurate yet simple analytic expression for the mean annual insolation as a function of latitude and the obliquity of the Earth's rotation axis; this has enabled us to consider the effects of the oscillation of the obliquity. We have used a continuous albedo function which fits the observed values; it considerably reduces the sensitivity of the model. Climatic cycles, calculated by solving the time-dependent equation when parameters change slowly and periodically, are compared qualitatively with paleoclimatic records.

Inventory of File sref.t03z.pgrb212_SPC.prob_1hrly.grib2

Science.gov Websites

analysis Total Precipitation [prob] prob >0.25 002 cloud base U-GWD 1 hour fcst Zonal Flux of Gravity Precipitation [prob] prob >0.25 007 cloud base U-GWD 2 hour fcst Zonal Flux of Gravity Wave Stress [prob ;0.25 012 cloud base U-GWD 4 hour fcst Zonal Flux of Gravity Wave Stress [prob] prob =1 013 entire

TGLF Recalibration for ITER Standard Case Parameters FY2015: Theory and Simulation Performance Target Final Report

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

Candy, J.

2015-12-01

This work was motivated by the observation, as early as 2008, that GYRO simulations of some ITER operating scenarios exhibited nonlinear zonal-flow generation large enough to effectively quench turbulence inside r /a ~ 0.5. This observation of flow-dominated, low-transport states persisted even as more accurate and comprehensive predictions of ITER profiles were made using the state-of-the-art TGLF transport model. This core stabilization is in stark contrast to GYRO-TGLF comparisons for modern-day tokamaks, for which GYRO and TGLF are typically in very close agreement. So, we began to suspect that TGLF needed to be generalized to include the effect of zonal-flowmore » stabilization in order to be more accurate for the conditions of reactor simulations. While the precise cause of the GYRO-TGLF discrepancy for ITER parameters was not known, it was speculated that closeness to threshold in the absence of driven rotation, as well as electromagnetic stabilization, created conditions more sensitive the self-generated zonal-flow stabilization than in modern tokamaks. Need for nonlinear zonal-flow stabilization: To explore the inclusion of a zonal-flow stabilization mechanism in TGLF, we started with a nominal ITER profile predicted by TGLF, and then performed linear and nonlinear GYRO simulations to characterize the behavior at and slightly above the nominal temperature gradients for finite levels of energy transport. Then, we ran TGLF on these cases to see where the discrepancies were largest. The predicted ITER profiles were indeed near to the TGLF threshold over most of the plasma core in the hybrid discharge studied (weak magnetic shear, q > 1). Scanning temperature gradients above the TGLF power balance values also showed that TGLF overpredicted the electron energy transport in the low-collisionality ITER plasma. At first (in Q3), a model of only the zonal-flow stabilization (Dimits shift) was attempted. Although we were able to construct an ad hoc model of the zonal flows that fit the GYRO simulations, the parameters of the model had to be tuned to each case. A physics basis for the zonal flow model was lacking. Electron energy transport at short wavelength: A secondary issue – the high-k electron energy flux – was initially assumed to be independent of the zonal flow effect. However, detailed studies of the fluctuation spectra from recent multiscale (electron and ion scale) GYRO simulations provided a critical new insight into the role of zonal flows. The multiscale simulations suggested that advection by the zonal flows strongly suppressed electron-scale turbulence. Radial shear of the zonal E×B fluctuation could not compete with the large electron-scale linear growth rate, but the k x-mixing rate of the E×B advection could. This insight led to a preliminary new model for the way zonal flows saturate both electron- and ion-scale turbulence. It was also discovered that the strength of the zonal E×B velocity could be computed from the linear growth rate spectrum. The new saturation model (SAT1), which replaces the original model (SAT0), was fit to the multiscale GYRO simulations as well as the ion-scale GYRO simulations used to calibrate the original SAT0 model. Thus, SAT1 captures the physics of both multiscale electron transport and zonal-flow stabilization. In future work, the SAT1 model will require significant further testing and (expensive) calibration with nonlinear multiscale gyrokinetic simulations over a wider variety of plasma conditions – certainly more than the small set of scans about a single C-Mod L-mode discharge. We believe the SAT1 model holds great promise as a physics-based model of the multiscale turbulent transport in fusion devices. Correction to ITER performance predictions: Finally, the impact of the SAT1model on the ITER hybrid case is mixed. Without the electron-scale contribution to the fluxes, the Dimits shift makes a significant improvement in the predicted fusion power as originally posited. Alas, including the high-k electron transport reduces the improvement, yielding a modest net increase in predicted fusion power compared to the TGLF prediction with the original SAT0 model.« less

Long term variabilities and tendencies of mesospheric lunar semidiurnal tide over Tirunelveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathishkumar, S.; Sridharan, S.; Muhammed Kutty, P. V.; Gurubaran, S.

2017-10-01

The medium frequency radar deployed at Tirunelveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E), which is located near the southmost tip of peninsular India, have been providing continuous data from the year 1993 to the year 2012 that helped to study the long term tendencies in the lunar tidal variabilities over this geographic location. In the present paper we present the results of seasonal, interannual and long-term variabilities of lunar semi-diurnal tides in the upper mesosphere over Tirunelveli. The present study also includes comparison with model values. The study shows that the tidal amplitudes are larger in the meridional components of the mesospheric winds than the zonal winds. The seasonal variations of the tides are similar in both the components. The tides show maximum amplitudes of about ∼5 m/s in February/March, secondary maximum amplitudes of about ∼3 m/s in September and minimum amplitudes during summer months (May-August). The observed seasonal variation of the lunar tides do not compare well with Vial and Forbes (1994) model values, though it is consistent with earlier observations. The lunar tidal phase in meridional winds leads that in zonal winds from January to June and from September to November, while the latter leads the former during July/August. The lunar tides show large interannual variability. There are unusual amplitude enhancements in the lunar tide in meridional winds during the winters of 2006 and 2009, when major sudden stratospheric warmings (SSW) occurred at high latitude northern hemisphere, whereas zonal lunar tide does not show any clear association with the SSW. Vertical wavelengths of lunar tides in zonal and meridional wind are in the range of 20-90 km. The vertical wavelengths of lunar tides in both zonal and meridional component are smaller in June and larger in November and December. The monthly mean zonal and meridional winds are subjected to regression analysis to study the tidal response to long-period oscillations, namely, quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), solar cycle variation and El-nino southern oscillation (ENSO). It is found the lunar tide in both zonal and meridional winds show significant QBO response, whereas zonal tide only shows significant negative response to solar cycle and positive response to ENSO. Besides, zonal tide only shows significant long-term increasing trend.

The Relationship Between the Zonal Mean ITCZ and Regional Precipitation during the mid-Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niezgoda, K.; Noone, D.; Konecky, B.

2017-12-01

Characteristics of the zonal mean Tropical Rain Belt (TRB, i.e. the ITCZ + the land-based monsoons) are often inferred from individual proxy records of precipitation or other hydroclimatic variables. However, these inferences can be misleading. Here, an isotope-enabled climate model simulation is used to evaluate metrics of the zonal mean ITCZ vs. regional hydrological characteristics during the mid-Holocene (MH, 6 kya). The MH provides a unique perspective on the relationship between the ITCZ and regional hydrology because of large, orbitally-driven shifts in tropical precipitation as well as a critical mass of proxy records. By using a climate model with simulated water isotopes, characteristics of atmospheric circulation and water transport processes can be inferred, and comparison with isotope proxies can be made more directly. We find that estimations of the zonal-mean ITCZ are insufficient for evaluating regional responses of hydrological cycles to forcing changes. For example, one approximation of a 1.5-degree northward shift in the zonal-mean ITCZ position during the MH corresponded well with northward shifts in maximum rainfall in tropical Africa, but did not match southward shifts in the tropical Pacific or longitudinal shifts in the Indian monsoon region. In many regions, the spatial distribution of water vapor isotopes suggests that changes in moisture source and atmospheric circulation were a greater influence on precipitation distribution, intensity, and isotope ratio than the average northward shift in ITCZ latitude. These findings reinforce the idea that using tropical hydrological proxy records to infer zonal-mean characteristics of the ITCZ may be misleading. Rather, tropical proxy records of precipitation, particularly those that record precipitation isotopes, serve as a guideline for regional hydrological changes while model simulations can put them in the context of zonal mean tropical convergence.

Deep Zonal Flow and Time Variation of Jupiter’s Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Hao; Stevenson, David J.

2017-10-01

All four giant planets in the Solar System feature zonal flows on the order of 100 m/s in the cloud deck, and large-scale intrinsic magnetic fields on the order of 1 Gauss near the surface. The vertical structure of the zonal flows remains obscure. The end-member scenarios are shallow flows confined in the radiative atmosphere and deep flows throughout the entire planet. The electrical conductivity increases rapidly yet smoothly as a function of depth inside Jupiter and Saturn. Deep zonal flows will advect the non-axisymmetric component of the magnetic field, at depth with even modest electrical conductivity, and create time variations in the magnetic field.The observed time variations of the geomagnetic field has been used to derive surface flows of the Earth’s outer core. The same principle applies to Jupiter, however, the connection between the time variation of the magnetic field (dB/dt) and deep zonal flow (Uphi) at Jupiter is not well understood due to strong radial variation of electrical conductivity. Here we perform a quantitative analysis of the connection between dB/dt and Uphi for Jupiter adopting realistic interior electrical conductivity profile, taking the likely presence of alkali metals into account. This provides a tool to translate expected measurement of the time variation of Jupiter’s magnetic field to deep zonal flows. We show that the current upper limit on the dipole drift rate of Jupiter (3 degrees per 20 years) is compatible with 10 m/s zonal flows with < 500 km vertical scale height below 0.972 Rj. We further demonstrate that fast drift of resolved magnetic features (e.g. magnetic spots) at Jupiter is a possibility.

Three-dimensional assembly of tissue-engineered cartilage constructs results in cartilaginous tissue formation without retainment of zonal characteristics.

PubMed

Schuurman, W; Harimulyo, E B; Gawlitta, D; Woodfield, T B F; Dhert, W J A; van Weeren, P R; Malda, J

2016-04-01

Articular cartilage has limited regenerative capabilities. Chondrocytes from different layers of cartilage have specific properties, and regenerative approaches using zonal chondrocytes may yield better replication of the architecture of native cartilage than when using a single cell population. To obtain high seeding efficiency while still mimicking zonal architecture, cell pellets of expanded deep zone and superficial zone equine chondrocytes were seeded and cultured in two layers on poly(ethylene glycol)-terephthalate-poly(butylene terephthalate) (PEGT-PBT) scaffolds. Scaffolds seeded with cell pellets consisting of a 1:1 mixture of both cell sources served as controls. Parallel to this, pellets of superficial or deep zone chondrocytes, and combinations of the two cell populations, were cultured without the scaffold. Pellet cultures of zonal chondrocytes in scaffolds resulted in a high seeding efficiency and abundant cartilaginous tissue formation, containing collagen type II and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in all groups, irrespective of the donor (n = 3), zonal population or stratified scaffold-seeding approach used. However, whereas total GAG production was similar, the constructs retained significantly more GAG compared to pellet cultures, in which a high percentage of the produced GAGs were secreted into the culture medium. Immunohistochemistry for zonal markers did not show any differences between the conditions. We conclude that spatially defined pellet culture in 3D scaffolds is associated with high seeding efficiency and supports cartilaginous tissue formation, but did not result in the maintenance or restoration of the original zonal phenotype. The use of pellet-assembled constructs leads to a better retainment of newly produced GAGs than the use of pellet cultures alone. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Detecting Global Hydrological Cycle Intensification in Sea Surface Salinity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poague, J.; Stine, A.

2016-12-01

Global warming is expected to intensify the global hydrological cycle, but significant regional differences exist in the predicted response. The proposed zonal mean thermodynamic response is enhanced horizontal moisture transport associated with increased saturation vapor pressure, which in turn drives additional net precipitation in the tropics and at high latitudes and additional net evaporation in the subtropics. Sea surface salinity (SSS) anomalies are forced from above by changes in evaporation minus precipitation (E-P) and thus will respond to changes in the global hydrological cycle, opening the possibility of using historical SSS anomalies to diagnose the response of the hydrological cycle to warming. We estimate zonal mean SSS trends in the Atlantic and Pacific ocean basins from 1955-2015 to test whether historical changes in the global hydrological cycle are consistent with a primarily thermodynamic response. Motivated by this observation, we calculate the sensitivity of basin zonal-mean SSS anomalies to sea surface temperature (SST) forcing as a function of timescale to diagnose and estimate the signal-to-noise ratio of the purely thermodynamic signal as a function of timescale. High-frequency variability in SSS anomalies is likely to be influenced by variability in atmospheric circulation, complicating the attribution of the link between basin zonal-mean SSS anomalies and global SST anomalies. We therefore estimate the basin zonal mean SSS anomaly response to the major modes of large-scale dynamic variability. We find a strong correlation between detrended zonal-mean SSS anomalies and the Pacific-North American index (R=0.71,P<0.01) in the Pacific Ocean. We interpret the relationship between zonal mean SSS anomalies and temperature in terms of the relative contribution of thermodynamic and dynamic processes.

A Convective Vorticity Vector Associated With Tropical Convection: A 2D Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Shou-Ting; Ping, Fan; Li, Xiao-Fan; Tao, Wei-Kuo

2004-01-01

Although dry/moist potential vorticity is a useful physical quantity for meteorological analysis, it cannot be applied to the analysis of 2D simulations. A convective vorticity vector (CVV) is introduced in this study to analyze 2D cloud-resolving simulation data associated with 2D tropical convection. The cloud model is forced by the vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal advection, and sea surface temperature obtained from the TOGA COARE, and is integrated for a selected 10-day period. The CVV has zonal and vertical components in the 2D x-z frame. Analysis of zonally-averaged and mass-integrated quantities shows that the correlation coefficient between the vertical component of the CVV and the sum of the cloud hydrometeor mixing ratios is 0.81, whereas the correlation coefficient between the zonal component and the sum of the mixing ratios is only 0.18. This indicates that the vertical component of the CVV is closely associated with tropical convection. The tendency equation for the vertical component of the CVV is derived and the zonally-averaged and mass-integrated tendency budgets are analyzed. The tendency of the vertical component of the CVV is determined by the interaction between the vorticity and the zonal gradient of cloud heating. The results demonstrate that the vertical component of the CVV is a cloud-linked parameter and can be used to study tropical convection.

Amplification of warming due to intensification of zonal circulation in the mid-latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, Genrikh; Ivanov, Nikolai; Kharlanenkova, Natalia; Kuzmina, Svetlana

2015-04-01

We propose a new index to evaluate the impact of atmospheric zonal transport oscillations on inter-annual variability and trends of average air temperature in mid-latitudes, Northern Hemisphere and globe. A simple model of mid-latitude channel "ocean-land-atmosphere" was used to produce the analytic relationship between the zonal circulation and the land-ocean temperature contrast which was used as a basis for index. An inverse relationship was found between indexes and average mid-latitude, hemisphere and global temperatures during the cold half of year and opposite one in summer. These relationships keep under 400 mb height. In winter relationship describes up to 70, 50 and 40 % of surface air temperature inter-annual variability of these averages, respectively. The contribution of zonal circulation to the increase in the average surface air temperature during warming period 1969-2008 reaches 75% in the mid-latitudes and 40% in the Northern Hemisphere. Proposed mid-latitude index correlates negatively with surface air temperature in the Arctic except summer. ECHAM4 projections with the A1B scenario show that increase of zonal circulation defines more than 74% of the warming in the Northern Hemisphere for 2001-2100. Our analysis confirms that the proposed index is an effective indicator of the climate change caused by variations of the zonal circulation that arise due to anthropogenic and/or natural global forcing mechanisms.

Impact of Stratospheric Ozone Zonal Asymmetries on the Tropospheric Circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tweedy, Olga; Waugh, Darryn; Li, Feng; Oman, Luke

2015-01-01

The depletion and recovery of Antarctic ozone plays a major role in changes of Southern Hemisphere (SH) tropospheric climate. Recent studies indicate that the lack of polar ozone asymmetries in chemistry climate models (CCM) leads to a weaker and warmer Antarctic vortex, and smaller trends in the tropospheric mid-latitude jet and the surface pressure. However, the tropospheric response to ozone asymmetries is not well understood. In this study we report on a series of integrations of the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOS CCM) to further examine the effect of zonal asymmetries on the state of the stratosphere and troposphere. Integrations with the full, interactive stratospheric chemistry are compared against identical simulations using the same CCM except that (1) the monthly mean zonal mean stratospheric ozone from first simulation is prescribed and (2) ozone is relaxed to the monthly mean zonal mean ozone on a three day time scale. To analyze the tropospheric response to ozone asymmetries, we examine trends and quantify the differences in temperatures, zonal wind and surface pressure among the integrations.

Eastern Tropical Pacific Precipitation Response to Zonal SPCZ events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durán-Quesada, A. M.; Lintner, B. R.

2014-12-01

Extreme El Niño events and warming conditions in the eastern tropical Pacific have been linked to pronounced spatial displacements of the South Pacific Convergence Zone known as "zonal SPCZ" events.. Using a global dataset of Lagrangian back trajectories computed with the FLEXPART model for the period 1980-2013, comprehensive analysis of the 3D circulation characteristics associated with the SPCZ is undertaken. Ten days history of along-trajectory specific humidity, potential vorticity and temperature are reconstructed for zonal SPCZ events as well as other states,, with differences related to El Niño intensity and development stage as well as the state of the Western Hemisphere Warm Pool. How zonal events influence precipitation over the Eastern Tropical Pacific is examined using back trajectories, reanalysis, TRMM precipitation, and additional satellite derived cloud information. It is found that SPCZ displacements are associated with enhanced convection over the Eastern Tropical Pacific in good agreement with prior work. The connection between intensification of precipitation over the eastern Tropical Pacific during zonal events and suppression of rainfall over the Maritime continent is also described.

A model of the saturation of coupled electron and ion scale gyrokinetic turbulence

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

Staebler, Gary M.; Howard, Nathan T.; Candy, Jeffrey M.

A new paradigm of zonal flow mixing as the mechanism by which zonal E × B fluctuations impact the saturation of gyrokinetic turbulence has recently been deduced from the nonlinear 2D spectrum of electric potential fluctuations in gyrokinetic simulations. These state of the art simulations span the physical scales of both ion and electron turbulence. It was found that the zonal flow mixing rate, rather than zonal flow shearing rate, competes with linear growth at both electron and ion scales. A model for saturation of the turbulence by the zonal flow mixing was developed and applied to the quasilinear trappedmore » gyro-Landau fluid transport model (TGLF). The first validation tests of the new saturation model are reported in this paper with data from L-mode and high-β p regime discharges from the DIII-D tokamak. Lastly, the shortfall in the predicted L-mode edge electron energy transport is improved with the new saturation model for these discharges but additional multiscale simulations are required in order to verify the safety factor and collisionality dependencies found in the modeling.« less

A model of the saturation of coupled electron and ion scale gyrokinetic turbulence

DOE PAGES

Staebler, Gary M.; Howard, Nathan T.; Candy, Jeffrey M.; ...

2017-05-09

A new paradigm of zonal flow mixing as the mechanism by which zonal E × B fluctuations impact the saturation of gyrokinetic turbulence has recently been deduced from the nonlinear 2D spectrum of electric potential fluctuations in gyrokinetic simulations. These state of the art simulations span the physical scales of both ion and electron turbulence. It was found that the zonal flow mixing rate, rather than zonal flow shearing rate, competes with linear growth at both electron and ion scales. A model for saturation of the turbulence by the zonal flow mixing was developed and applied to the quasilinear trappedmore » gyro-Landau fluid transport model (TGLF). The first validation tests of the new saturation model are reported in this paper with data from L-mode and high-β p regime discharges from the DIII-D tokamak. Lastly, the shortfall in the predicted L-mode edge electron energy transport is improved with the new saturation model for these discharges but additional multiscale simulations are required in order to verify the safety factor and collisionality dependencies found in the modeling.« less

Energy Accumulation and Emanation at Low Latitudes. Part II: Nonlinear Response to Strong Episodic Equatorial Forcing.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Hai-Ru; Webster, Peter J.

1990-11-01

A fully nonlinear model is used to reexamine the impact of a zonally varying basic state on the propagation characteristics of latitudinally equatorially trapped modes. Linear studies have shown that such modes are longitudinally trapped in regions of negative stretching deformation of the equatorial time-mean zonal flow (i.e., where Ux < 0) forming `accumulation' regions of wave action flux. Furthermore, the accumulation regions tend to act as local emanation regions to the extratropics. These physical communications between the tropics and extratropics are referred to as fast teleconnections due to their rapidity (periods of days to weeks) compared to the much slower climatological differences in the mean states such as occur between El Niño and La Niña. The latter form of communication between low and high latitudes, which is induced by very low frequency SST changes, is referred to as a slow teleconnection.It is generally found that accumulation and emanation regions are present in the nonlinear regime with much the same character as with the linear model. The similarity exists even when realistic forcing functions are used with amplitudes and temporal and spatial characteristics that correspond to impulsive convection in the western Pacific Ocean. A description of the convection is given. A diagnosis of the linear and nonlinear results shows that, in the tropics, the linear advection by the mean flow plays a dominant role and probably is the reason for the great similarity of the linear and nonlinear tropical atmosphere. However, there are some differences between the linear and nonlinear results. Nonlinear waves appear to propagate more rapidly through the maximum westerlies along the equator and with less difficulty than linear waves. The differences that do occur arise from the nonlinear changes in the tropical mass field, especially in the accumulation zone. Differences between linear and nonlinear responses in the midlatitude response to equatorial forcing appear to reflect changes in the tropics. Nonlinear maxima occur poleward of the region of tropical westerlies but only after accumulation has occurred along the equator.The results of the study are used to discuss the problem of why there is considerable similarity between simple linear models and more sophisticated nonlinear models. Such similarity would probably explain why the NMC and the NEPRF global models exhibit phase locked responses in the middle latitudes to imposed and impulsive tropical forcing. The role of fast teleconnenions in the longer term general circulation of the atmosphere is discussed, especially during El Niño and La Niña. Whereas an aggregate role for the fast teleconnections in producing very slowly evolving climate features remains obscure, it does appear that the accumulation-emanation theory may infer different routings for transient communications between the tropics and higher latitudes and vice vera depending upon the state of the basic flow.

Conservative zonal schemes for patched grids in 2 and 3 dimensions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hessenius, Kristin A.

1987-01-01

The computation of flow over complex geometries, such as realistic aircraft configurations, poses difficult grid generation problems for computational aerodynamicists. The creation of a traditional, single-module grid of acceptable quality about an entire configuration may be impossible even with the most sophisticated of grid generation techniques. A zonal approach, wherein the flow field is partitioned into several regions within which grids are independently generated, is a practical alternative for treating complicated geometries. This technique not only alleviates the problems of discretizing a complex region, but also facilitates a block processing approach to computation thereby circumventing computer memory limitations. The use of such a zonal scheme, however, requires the development of an interfacing procedure that ensures a stable, accurate, and conservative calculation for the transfer of information across the zonal borders.

Zonal flow generation and its feedback on turbulence production in drift wave turbulence

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

Pushkarev, Andrey V.; Bos, Wouter J. T.; Nazarenko, Sergey V.

2013-04-15

Plasma turbulence described by the Hasegawa-Wakatani equations is simulated numerically for different models and values of the adiabaticity parameter C. It is found that for low values of C turbulence remains isotropic, zonal flows are not generated and there is no suppression of the meridional drift waves and particle transport. For high values of C, turbulence evolves towards highly anisotropic states with a dominant contribution of the zonal sector to the kinetic energy. This anisotropic flow leads to a decrease of turbulence production in the meridional sector and limits the particle transport across the mean isopycnal surfaces. This behavior allowsmore » to consider the Hasegawa-Wakatani equations a minimal PDE model, which contains the drift-wave/zonal-flow feedback loop mechanism.« less

Jovian vortices by simulated annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, P. J.; Flierl, G. R.; Swaminathan, R. V.

2017-11-01

We explore the conditions required for isolated vortices to exist in sheared zonal flows and the stability of the underlying zonal winds. This is done using the standard 2-layer quasigeostrophic model with the lower layer depth becoming infinite; however, this model differs from the usual layer model because the lower layer is not assumed to be motionless but has a steady configuration of alternating zonal flows. Steady state vortices are obtained by a simulated annealing computational method introduced in, generalized and applied in in fluid flow, and used in the context of magnetohydrodynamics in. Various cases of vortices with a constant potential vorticity anomaly atop zonal winds and the stability of the underlying winds are considered using a mix of computational and analytical techniques. U.S. Department of Energy Contract DE-FG05-80ET-53088.

The regional forcing of Northern hemisphere drought during recent warm tropical west Pacific Ocean La Niña events

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoell, Andrew; Funk, Christopher C.; Mathew Barlow,

2014-01-01

Northern Hemisphere circulations differ considerably between individual El Niño-Southern Oscillation events due to internal atmospheric variability and variation in the zonal location of sea surface temperature forcing over the tropical Pacific Ocean. This study examines the similarities between recent Northern Hemisphere droughts associated with La Niña events and anomalously warm tropical west Pacific sea surface temperatures during 1988–1989, 1998–2000, 2007–2008 and 2010–2011 in terms of the hemispheric-scale circulations and the regional forcing of precipitation over North America and Asia during the cold season of November through April. The continental precipitation reductions associated with recent central Pacific La Niña events were most severe over North America, eastern Africa, the Middle East and southwest Asia. High pressure dominated the entire Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes and weakened and displaced storm tracks northward over North America into central Canada. Regionally over North America and Asia, the position of anomalous circulations within the zonal band of mid-latitude high pressure varied between each La Niña event. Over the northwestern and southeastern United States and southern Asia, the interactions of anomalous circulations resulted in consistent regional temperature advection, which was subsequently balanced by similar precipitation-modifying vertical motions. Over the central and northeastern United States, the spatial variation of anomalous circulations resulted in modest inter-seasonal temperature advection variations, which were balanced by varying vertical motion and precipitation patterns. Over the Middle East and eastern Africa, the divergence of moisture and the advection of dry air due to anomalous circulations enhanced each of the droughts.

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity of malaria morbidity in Ghana: Analysis of routine health facility data

PubMed Central

Malm, Keziah; Peprah, Nana Yaw; Silal, Sheetal P.

2018-01-01

Background Malaria incidence is largely influenced by vector abundance. Among the many interconnected factors relating to malaria transmission, weather conditions such as rainfall and temperature are known to create suitable environmental conditions that sustain reproduction and propagation of anopheles mosquitoes and malaria parasites. In Ghana, climatic conditions vary across the country. Understanding the heterogeneity of malaria morbidity using data sourced from a recently setup data repository for routine health facility data could support planning. Methods Monthly aggregated confirmed uncomplicated malaria cases from the District Health Information Management System and average monthly rainfall and temperature records obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency from 2008 to 2016 were analysed. Univariate time series models were fitted to the malaria, rainfall and temperature data series. After pre-whitening the morbidity data, cross correlation analyses were performed. Subsequently, transfer function models were developed for the relationship between malaria morbidity and rainfall and temperature. Results Malaria morbidity patterns vary across zones. In the Guinea savannah, morbidity peaks once in the year and twice in both the Transitional forest and Coastal savannah, following similar patterns of rainfall at the zonal level. While the effects of rainfall on malaria morbidity are delayed by a month in the Guinea savannah and Transitional Forest zones those of temperature are delayed by two months in the Transitional forest zone. In the Coastal savannah however, incidence of malaria is significantly associated with two months lead in rainfall and temperature. Conclusion Data captured on the District Health Information Management System has been used to demonstrate heterogeneity in the dynamics of malaria morbidity across the country. Timing of these variations could guide the deployment of interventions such as indoor residual spraying, Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention or vaccines to optimise effectiveness on zonal basis. PMID:29377908

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity of malaria morbidity in Ghana: Analysis of routine health facility data.

PubMed

Awine, Timothy; Malm, Keziah; Peprah, Nana Yaw; Silal, Sheetal P

2018-01-01

Malaria incidence is largely influenced by vector abundance. Among the many interconnected factors relating to malaria transmission, weather conditions such as rainfall and temperature are known to create suitable environmental conditions that sustain reproduction and propagation of anopheles mosquitoes and malaria parasites. In Ghana, climatic conditions vary across the country. Understanding the heterogeneity of malaria morbidity using data sourced from a recently setup data repository for routine health facility data could support planning. Monthly aggregated confirmed uncomplicated malaria cases from the District Health Information Management System and average monthly rainfall and temperature records obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency from 2008 to 2016 were analysed. Univariate time series models were fitted to the malaria, rainfall and temperature data series. After pre-whitening the morbidity data, cross correlation analyses were performed. Subsequently, transfer function models were developed for the relationship between malaria morbidity and rainfall and temperature. Malaria morbidity patterns vary across zones. In the Guinea savannah, morbidity peaks once in the year and twice in both the Transitional forest and Coastal savannah, following similar patterns of rainfall at the zonal level. While the effects of rainfall on malaria morbidity are delayed by a month in the Guinea savannah and Transitional Forest zones those of temperature are delayed by two months in the Transitional forest zone. In the Coastal savannah however, incidence of malaria is significantly associated with two months lead in rainfall and temperature. Data captured on the District Health Information Management System has been used to demonstrate heterogeneity in the dynamics of malaria morbidity across the country. Timing of these variations could guide the deployment of interventions such as indoor residual spraying, Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention or vaccines to optimise effectiveness on zonal basis.

Ion Layer Separation and Equilibrium Zonal Winds in Midlatitude Sporadic E

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Earle, G. D.; Kane, T. J.; Pfaff, R. F.; Bounds, S. R.

2000-01-01

In-situ observations of a moderately strong mid-latitude sporadic-E layer show a separation in altitude between distinct sublayers composed of Fe(+), Mg(+), and NO(+). From these observations it is possible to estimate the zonal wind field consistent with diffusive equilibrium near the altitude of the layer. The amplitude of the zonal wind necessary to sustain the layer against diffusive effects is less than 10 meters per second, and the vertical wavelength is less than 10 km.

On the Longitudinal Morphology of Zonal Irregularity Drift Measured using Networks of GPS Scintillation Monitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrano, C. S.; Groves, K. M.; Valladares, C. E.; Delay, S. H.

2014-12-01

A complete characterization of field-aligned ionospheric irregularities responsible for the scintillation of satellite signals includes not only their spectral properties (power spectral strength, spectral index, anisotropy ratio, and outer-scale) but also their horizontal drift velocity. From a system impacts perspective, the horizontal drift velocity is important in that it dictates the rate of signal fading and also, to an extent, the level of phase fluctuations encountered by the receiver. From a physics perspective, studying the longitudinal morphology of zonal irregularity may lead to an improved understanding of the F region dynamo and regional electrodynamics at low latitudes. The irregularity drift at low latitudes is predominantly zonal and is most commonly measured by cross-correlating observations of satellite signals made by a pair of closely-spaced antennas. The AFRL-SCINDA network operates a small number of VHF spaced-antenna systems at low latitude stations for this purpose. A far greater number of GPS scintillation monitors are operated by AFRL-SCINDA (25-30) and the Low Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (35-50), but the receivers are situated too far apart to monitor the drift using cross-correlation techniques. In this paper, we present an alternative approach that leverages the weak scatter scintillation theory (Rino, Radio Sci., 1979) to infer the zonal irregularity drift from single-station GPS measurements of S4, sigma-phi, and the propagation geometry alone. Unlike the spaced-receiver technique, this technique requires assumptions for the height of the scattering layer (which introduces a bias in the drift estimates) and the spectral index of the irregularities (which affects the spread of the drift estimates about the mean). Nevertheless, theory and experiment show that the ratio of sigma-phi to S4 is less sensitive to these parameters than it is to the zonal drift, and hence the zonal drift can be estimated with reasonable accuracy. In this talk, we first validate the technique using spaced VHF-antenna measurements of zonal irregularity drift from the AFRL-SCINDA network. Next, we discuss preliminary results from our investigation into the longitudinal morphology of zonal irregularity drift using the AFRL-SCINDA and LISN networks of GPS scintillation monitors.

Zonal structure and variability of the Western Pacific dynamic warm pool edge in CMIP5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Jaclyn N.; Langlais, Clothilde; Maes, Christophe

2014-06-01

The equatorial edge of the Western Pacific Warm Pool is operationally identified by one isotherm ranging between 28° and 29 °C, chosen to align with the interannual variability of strong zonal salinity gradients and the convergence of zonal ocean currents. The simulation of this edge is examined in 19 models from the World Climate Research Program Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), over the historical period from 1950 to 2000. The dynamic warm pool edge (DWPE), where the zonal currents converge, is difficult to determine from limited observations and biased models. A new analysis technique is introduced where a proxy for DWPE is determined by the isotherm that most closely correlates with the movements of the strong salinity gradient. It can therefore be a different isotherm in each model. The DWPE is simulated much closer to observations than if a direct temperature-only comparison is made. Aspects of the DWPE remain difficult for coupled models to simulate including the mean longitude, the interannual excursions, and the zonal convergence of ocean currents. Some models have only very weak salinity gradients trapped to the western side of the basin making it difficult to even identify a DWPE. The model's DWPE are generally 1-2 °C cooler than observed. In line with theory, the magnitude of the zonal migrations of the DWPE are strongly related to the amplitudes of the Nino3.4 SST index. Nevertheless, a better simulation of the mean location of the DWPE does not necessarily improve the amplitude of a model's ENSO. It is also found that in a few models (CSIROMk3.6, inmcm and inmcm4-esm) the warm pool displacements result from a net heating or cooling rather than a zonal advection of warm water. The simulation of the DWPE has implications for ENSO dynamics when considering ENSO paradigms such as the delayed action oscillator mechanism, the Advective-Reflective oscillator, and the zonal-advective feedback. These are also discussed in the context of the CMIP5 simulations.

Observations of planetary mixed Rossby-gravity waves in the upper stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, William J.; Boville, Byron A.; Gille, John C.

1990-01-01

Observational evidence is presented for planetary scale (zonal wave number 1-2) mixed Rossby-gravity (MRG) waves in the equatorial upper stratosphere (35-50 km). These waves are detected in LIMS measurements as coherently propagating temperature maxima of amplitude 0.1-0.3 K, which are antisymmetric (out of phase) about the equator, centered near 10-15 deg north and south latitude. These features have vertical wavelengths of order 10-15 km, periods near 2-3 days, and zonal phase velocities close to 200 m/s. Both eastward and westward propagating waves are found, and the observed vertical wavelengths and meridional structures are in good agreement with the MRG dispersion relation. Theoretical estimates of the zonal accelerations attributable to these waves suggest they do not contribute substantially to the zonal momentum balance in the middle atmosphere.

Nonlinear saturation of the slab ITG instability and zonal flow generation with fully kinetic ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miecnikowski, Matthew T.; Sturdevant, Benjamin J.; Chen, Yang; Parker, Scott E.

2018-05-01

Fully kinetic turbulence models are of interest for their potential to validate or replace gyrokinetic models in plasma regimes where the gyrokinetic expansion parameters are marginal. Here, we demonstrate fully kinetic ion capability by simulating the growth and nonlinear saturation of the ion-temperature-gradient instability in shearless slab geometry assuming adiabatic electrons and including zonal flow dynamics. The ion trajectories are integrated using the Lorentz force, and the cyclotron motion is fully resolved. Linear growth and nonlinear saturation characteristics show excellent agreement with analogous gyrokinetic simulations across a wide range of parameters. The fully kinetic simulation accurately reproduces the nonlinearly generated zonal flow. This work demonstrates nonlinear capability, resolution of weak gradient drive, and zonal flow physics, which are critical aspects of modeling plasma turbulence with full ion dynamics.

Zonally averaged model of dynamics, chemistry and radiation for the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tung, K. K.

1985-01-01

A nongeostrophic theory of zonally averaged circulation is formulated using the nonlinear primitive equations on a sphere, taking advantage of the more direct relationship between the mean meridional circulation and diabatic heating rate which is available in isentropic coordinates. Possible differences between results of nongeostrophic theory and the commonly used geostrophic formulation are discussed concerning: (1) the role of eddy forcing of the diabatic circulation, and (2) the nonlinear nearly inviscid limit vs the geostrophic limit. Problems associated with the traditional Rossby number scaling in quasi-geostrophic formulations are pointed out and an alternate, more general scaling based on the smallness of mean meridional to zonal velocities for a rotating planet is suggested. Such a scaling recovers the geostrophic balanced wind relationship for the mean zonal flow but reveals that the mean meridional velocity is in general ageostrophic.

How pattern is selected in drift wave turbulence: Role of parallel flow shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosuga, Y.

2017-12-01

The role of parallel shear flow in the pattern selection problem in drift wave turbulence is discussed. Patterns of interest here are E × B convective cells, which include poloidally symmetric zonal flows and radially elongated streamers. The competition between zonal flow formation and streamer formation is analyzed in the context of modulational instability analysis, with the parallel flow shear as a parameter. For drift wave turbulence with k⊥ρs ≲ O (1 ) and without parallel flow coupling, zonal flows are preferred structures. While increasing the magnitude of parallel flow shear, streamer growth overcomes zonal flow growth. This is because the self-focusing effect of the modulational instability becomes more effective for streamers through density and parallel velocity modulation. As a consequence, the bursty release of free energy may result as the parallel flow shear increases.

Validity of the "Laplace Swindle" in Calculation of Giant-Planet Gravity Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, William B.

2014-11-01

Jupiter and Saturn have large rotation-induced distortions, providing an opportunity to constrain interior structure via precise measurement of external gravity. Anticipated high-precision gravity measurements close to the surfaces of Jupiter (Juno spacecraft) and Saturn (Cassini spacecraft), possibly detecting zonal harmonics to J10 and beyond, will place unprecedented requirements on gravitational modeling via the theory of figures (TOF). It is not widely appreciated that the traditional TOF employs a formally nonconvergent expansion attributed to Laplace. This suspect expansion is intimately related to the standard zonal harmonic (J-coefficient) expansion of the external gravity potential. It can be shown (Hubbard, Schubert, Kong, and Zhang: Icarus, in press) that both Jupiter and Saturn are in the domain where Laplace's "swindle" works exactly, or at least as well as necessary. More highly-distorted objects such as rapidly spinning asteroids may not be in this domain, however. I present a numerical test for the validity and precision of TOF via polar "audit points". I extend the audit-point test to objects rotating differentially on cylinders, obtaining zonal harmonics to J20 and beyond. Models with only low-order differential rotation do not exhibit dramatic effects in the shape of the zonal harmonic spectrum. However, a model with Jupiter-like zonal winds exhibits a break in the zonal harmonic spectrum above about J10, and generally follows the more shallow Kaula power rule at higher orders. This confirms an earlier result obtained by a different method (Hubbard: Icarus 137, 357-359, 1999).

GRAVOTURBULENT PLANETESIMAL FORMATION: THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF LONG-LIVED ZONAL FLOWS

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

Dittrich, K.; Klahr, H.; Johansen, A., E-mail: dittrich@mpia.de

2013-02-15

Recent numerical simulations have shown long-lived axisymmetric sub- and super-Keplerian flows in protoplanetary disks. These zonal flows are found in local as well as global simulations of disks unstable to the magnetorotational instability. This paper covers our study of the strength and lifetime of zonal flows and the resulting long-lived gas over- and underdensities as functions of the azimuthal and radial size of the local shearing box. We further investigate dust particle concentrations without feedback on the gas and without self-gravity. The strength and lifetime of zonal flows increase with the radial extent of the simulation box, but decrease withmore » the azimuthal box size. Our simulations support earlier results that zonal flows have a natural radial length scale of 5-7 gas pressure scale heights. This is the first study that combines three-dimensional MHD simulations of zonal flows and dust particles feeling the gas pressure. The pressure bumps trap particles with St = 1 very efficiently. We show that St = 0.1 particles (of some centimeters in size if at 5 AU in a minimum mass solar nebula) reach a hundred-fold higher density than initially. This opens the path for particles of St = 0.1 and dust-to-gas ratio of 0.01 or for particles of St {>=} 0.5 and dust-to-gas ratio 10{sup -4} to still reach densities that potentially trigger the streaming instability and thus gravoturbulent formation of planetesimals.« less

Indian Ocean zonal mode activity in 20th century observations and simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sendelbeck, Anja; Mölg, Thomas

2016-04-01

The Indian Ocean zonal mode (IOZM) is a coupled ocean-atmosphere system with anomalous cooling in the east, warming in the west and easterly wind anomalies, resulting in a complete reversal of the climatological zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient. The IOZM has a strong influence on East African climate by causing anomalously strong October - December (OND) precipitation. Using observational data and historical CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5) model output, the September - November (SON) dipole mode index (DMI), OND East African precipitation and SON zonal wind index (ZWI) are calculated. We pay particular attention to detrending SSTs for calculating the DMI, which seems to have been neglected in some published research. The ZWI is defined as the area-averaged zonal wind component at 850 hPa over the central Indian Ocean. Regression analysis is used to evaluate the models' capability to represent the IOZM and its impact on east African climate between 1948 and 2005. Simple correlations are calculated between SST, zonal wind and precipitation to show their interdependence. High correlation in models implies a good representation of the influence of IOZM on East African climate variability and our goal is to detect the models with the highest correlation coefficients. In future research, these model data might be used to investigate the impact of IOZM on the East African climate variability in the late 20's century with regard to anthropogenic causes and internal variability.

Equinoctial asymmetry in the zonal distribution of scintillation as observed by GPS receivers in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadi, P.; Otsuka, Y.; Shiokawa, K.; Husin, A.; Liu, Huixin; Saito, S.

2017-08-01

We investigate the azimuthal distribution of amplitude scintillation observed by Global Positioning System (GPS) ground receivers at Pontianak (0.0°S, 109.3°E; magnetic latitude: 9.8°S) and Bandung (6.9°S, 107.6°E; magnetic latitude: 16.7°S) in Indonesia in March and September from 2011 to 2015. The scintillation is found to occur more to the west than to the east in March at both stations, whereas no such zonal difference is found in September. We also analyze the zonal scintillation drift as estimated using three closely spaced single-frequency GPS receivers at Kototabang (0.2°S, 100.3°E; magnetic latitude: 9.9°S) in Indonesia during 2003-2015 and the zonal thermospheric neutral wind as measured by the CHAMP satellite at longitudes of 90°-120°E during 2001-2008. We find that the velocities of both the zonal scintillation drift and the neutral wind decrease with increasing latitudes. Interestingly, the latitudinal gradients of both the zonal scintillation drift and the neutral wind are steeper in March than in September. These steeper March gradients may be responsible for the increased westward altitudinal and latitudinal tilting of plasma bubbles in March. This equinoctial asymmetry could be responsible for the observed westward bias in scintillation in March, because the scintillation is more likely to occur when radio waves pass through longer lengths of plasma irregularities in the plasma bubbles.

Stratospheric ozone variations in the equatorial region as seen in Stratiospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiotani, Masato; Hasebe, Fumio

1994-01-01

An analysis is made of equatorial ozone variations for 5 years, 1984-1989, using the ozone profile data derived from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) instrument. Attention is focused on the annual cycle and also on interannual variability, particularly the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variations in the lower stratosphere, where the largest contribution to total column ozone takes place. The annual variation in zonal mean total ozone around the equator is composed of symmetric and asymmetric modes with respect to the equator, with maximum contributions being around 19 km for the symmetric mode and around 25 km for the asymmetric mode. The persistent zonal wavenumber 1 structure observed by the total ozone mapping spectrometer over the equator is almost missing in the SAGE-derived column amounts integrated in the stratosphere, suggesting a significant contribution from tropospheric ozone. Interannual variations in the equatorial ozone are dominated by the QBO above 20 km and the ENSO-related variation below 20 km. The ozone QBO is characterized by zonally uniform phase changes in association with the zonal wind QBO in the equatorial lower stratosphere. The ENSO-related ozone variation consists of both the east-west vacillation and the zonally uniform phase variation. During the El Nino event, the east-west contrast with positive (negative) deviations in the eastern (western) hemisphere is conspicuous, while the decreasing tendency of the zonal mean values is maximum at the same time.

Estimating the k2 Tidal Gravity Love Number of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria; Torrence, Mark; Dunn, Peter

2003-01-01

Analysis of the orbits of spacecraft can be used to infer global tidal parameters. For Mars, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft has been used to estimate the second degree Love number, k2 from the tracking DSN tracking Doppler and range data by several authors. Unfortunately, neither of the spacecraft presently in orbit are ideally suited to tidal recovery because they are in sun-synchronous orbits that vary only slightly in local time; and, further, the sub-solar location only varies by about 25 degrees in latitude. Never-the less respectable estimates of the k2 tide have been made by several authors. We present an updated solution of the degree 2 zonal Love number, compare with previous dues, and analyze the sensitivity of the solution to orbital parameters, spacecraft maneuvers, and solution methodology. Estimating the k2 Tidal Gravity Love Number of Mars.

Water Ice Clouds and Dust in the Martian Atmosphere Observed by Mars Climate Sounder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, Jennifer L.; Kass, David; Heavens, Nicholas; Kleinbohl, Armin

2011-01-01

The water ice clouds are primarily controlled by the temperature structure and form at the water condensation level. Clouds in all regions presented show day/night differences. Cloud altitude varies between night and day in the SPH and tropics: (1) NPH water ice opacity is greater at night than day at some seasons (2) The diurnal thermal tide controls the daily variability. (3) Strong day/night changes indicate that the amount of gas in the atmosphere varies significantly. See significant mixtures of dust and ice at the same altitude planet-wide (1) Points to a complex radiative and thermal balance between dust heating (in the visible) and ice heating or cooling in the infrared. Aerosol layering: (1) Early seasons reveal a zonally banded spatial distribution (2) Some localized longitudinal structure of aerosol layers (3) Later seasons show no consistent large scale organization

Space-Time Variations in Water Vapor as Observed by the UARS Microwave Limb Sounder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elson, Lee S.; Read, William G.; Waters, Joe W.; Mote, Philip W.; Kinnersley, Jonathan S.; Harwood, Robert S.

1996-01-01

Water vapor in the upper troposphere has a significant impact on the climate system. Difficulties in making accurate global measurements have led to uncertainty in understanding water vapor's coupling to the hydrologic cycle in the lower troposphere and its role in radiative energy balance. The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is able to retrieve water vapor concentration in the upper troposphere with good sensitivity and nearly global coverage. An analysis of these preliminary retrievals based on 3 years of observations shows the water vapor distribution to be similar to that measured by other techniques and to model results. The primary MLS water vapor measurements were made in the stratosphere, where this species acts as a conserved tracer under certain conditions. As is the case for the upper troposphere, most of the stratospheric discussion focuses on the time evolution of the zonal mean and zonally varying water vapor. Stratospheric results span a 19-month period and tropospheric results a 36-month period, both beginning in October of 1991. Comparisons with stratospheric model calculations show general agreement, with some differences in the amplitude and phase of long-term variations. At certain times and places, the evolution of water vapor distributions in the lower stratosphere suggests the presence of meridional transport.

Self-generated zonal flows in the plasma turbulence driven by trapped-ion and trapped-electron instabilities

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

Drouot, T.; Gravier, E.; Reveille, T.

This paper presents a study of zonal flows generated by trapped-electron mode and trapped-ion mode micro turbulence as a function of two plasma parameters—banana width and electron temperature. For this purpose, a gyrokinetic code considering only trapped particles is used. First, an analytical equation giving the predicted level of zonal flows is derived from the quasi-neutrality equation of our model, as a function of the density fluctuation levels and the banana widths. Then, the influence of the banana width on the number of zonal flows occurring in the system is studied using the gyrokinetic code. Finally, the impact of themore » temperature ratio T{sub e}/T{sub i} on the reduction of zonal flows is shown and a close link is highlighted between reduction and different gyro-and-bounce-average ion and electron density fluctuation levels. This reduction is found to be due to the amplitudes of gyro-and-bounce-average density perturbations n{sub e} and n{sub i} gradually becoming closer, which is in agreement with the analytical results given by the quasi-neutrality equation.« less

On the Nocturnal Downward and Westward Equatorial Ionospheric Plasma Drifts During the 17 March 2015 Geomagnetic Storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagiya, Mala S.; Vichare, Geeta; Sinha, A. K.; Sripathi, S.

2018-02-01

During quiet period, the nocturnal equatorial ionospheric plasma drifts eastward in the zonal direction and downward in the vertical direction. This quiet time drift pattern could be understood through dynamo processes in the nighttime equatorial ionosphere. The present case study reports the nocturnal simultaneous occurrence of the vertically downward and zonally westward plasma drifts over the Indian latitudes during the geomagnetic storm of 17 March 2015. After 17:00 UT ( 22:10 local time), the vertical plasma drift became downward and coincided with the westward zonal drift, a rarely observed feature of low latitude plasma drifts. The vertical drift turned upward after 18:00 UT, while the zonal drift became eastward. We mainly emphasize here the distinct bipolar type variations of vertical and zonal plasma drifts observed around 18:00 UT. We explain the vertical plasma drift in terms of the competing effects between the storm time prompt penetration and disturbance dynamo electric fields. Whereas, the westward drift is attributed to the storm time local electrodynamical changes mainly through the disturbance dynamo field in addition to the vertical Pedersen current arising from the spatial (longitudinal) gradient of the field aligned Pedersen conductivity.

Impact of resonant magnetic perturbations on nonlinearly driven modes in drift-wave turbulence

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

Leconte, M.; Diamond, P. H.; CMTFO and CASS, UCSD, California 92093

2012-05-15

In this work, we study the effects of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on turbulence, flows, and confinement in the framework of resistive drift wave turbulence. We extend the Hasegawa-Wakatani model to include RMP fields. The effect of the RMPs is to induce a linear coupling between the zonal electric field and the zonal density gradient, which drives the system to a state of electron radial force balance for large ({delta}B{sub r}/B{sub 0}). Both the vorticity flux (Reynolds stress) and particle flux are modulated. We derive an extended predator prey model which couples zonal potential and density dynamics to the evolutionmore » of turbulence intensity. This model has both turbulence drive and RMP amplitude as control parameters and predicts a novel type of transport bifurcation in the presence of RMPs. We find states that are similar to the ZF-dominated state of the standard predator-prey model, but for which the power threshold is now a function of the RMP strength. For small RMP amplitude, the energy of zonal flows decreases and the turbulence energy increases with ({delta}B{sub r}/B{sub 0}), corresponding to a damping of zonal flows.« less

Transonic Navier-Stokes wing solutions using a zonal approach. Part 2: High angle-of-attack simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaderjian, N. M.

1986-01-01

A computer code is under development whereby the thin-layer Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are to be applied to realistic fighter-aircraft configurations. This transonic Navier-Stokes code (TNS) utilizes a zonal approach in order to treat complex geometries and satisfy in-core computer memory constraints. The zonal approach has been applied to isolated wing geometries in order to facilitate code development. Part 1 of this paper addresses the TNS finite-difference algorithm, zonal methodology, and code validation with experimental data. Part 2 of this paper addresses some numerical issues such as code robustness, efficiency, and accuracy at high angles of attack. Special free-stream-preserving metrics proved an effective way to treat H-mesh singularities over a large range of severe flow conditions, including strong leading-edge flow gradients, massive shock-induced separation, and stall. Furthermore, lift and drag coefficients have been computed for a wing up through CLmax. Numerical oil flow patterns and particle trajectories are presented both for subcritical and transonic flow. These flow simulations are rich with complex separated flow physics and demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the zonal approach.

An Assessment of Research Gaps Related to Deep Water Wellbore Integrity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tkach, M. K.; Radonjic, M.; Kutchko, B. G.

2017-12-01

In order for a deep-water wellbore to uphold its integrity under high pressure - high temperature conditions, the wellbore must possess complete zonal isolation while surrounded in an extreme environment. Highly variable temperature and pressure ranges, shallow flow zones, as well as potentially corrosive fluids and gasses all present unique challenges to the job of the cement which maintains that zonal isolation. As such, alternative options to mainstream choices often present themselves as attractive avenues of discovery. As it is of utmost importance to maintain structural integrity under HPHT conditions, cement slurries are pumped downhole to provide zonal isolation and structural support to offshore wells. The wellbore system potentially faces a variety of temperature and pressure fluctuations from the immediate onset. These fluctuations may affect the hydration properties of the cement. It is also important to consider the chemical interactions that the cement may have at the rock-cement interface where potential degradation or annulus gaps may occur further risking a decrease in zonal isolation. This presentation intends to review some of the important issues regarding zonal isolation in HPHT conditions and to highlight critical knowledge gaps in order to generate important research questions.

The influence of the equatorial QBO on sudden stratospheric warmings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holton, James R.; Austin, John

1991-01-01

A global primitive-equation model of the stratosphere and mesosphere is integrated for specified planetary-wave forcing at the 100-mb level with mean zonal flow conditions corresponding to the westerly and easterly phases of the equatorial QBO, respectively. The responses in the two QBO phases were compared for integrations with wavenumber-1 forcing-amplitude maxima at 100 mb and 60 deg N varying from 100 to 400 m. The phase of the QBO had little effect on the results in the weak-wave (100-m) cases, which did not produce warmings, and strong-wave (400-m) cases, which produced major sudden warmings.

Nongeostrophic theory of zonally averaged circulation. I - Formulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tung, Ka Kit

1986-01-01

A nongeostrophic theory of zonally averaged circulation is formulated using the nonlinear primitive equations (mass conservation, thermodynamics, and zonal momentum) on a sphere. The relationship between the mean meridional circulation and diabatic heating rate is studied. Differences between results of nongeostropic theory and the geostrophic formulation concerning the role of eddy forcing of the diabatic circulation and the nonlinear nearly inviscid limit versus the geostrophic limit are discussed. Consideration is given to the Eliassen-Palm flux divergence, the Eliassen-Palm pseudodivergence, the nonacceleration theorem, and the nonlinear nongeostrophic Taylor relationship.

Contribution of zonal harmonics to gravitational moment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roithmayr, Carlos M.

1991-01-01

It is presently demonstrated that a recursive vector-dyadic expression for the contribution of a zonal harmonic of degree n to the gravitational moment about a small body's center-of-mass is obtainable with a procedure that involves twice differentiating a celestial body's gravitational potential with respect to a vector. The recursive property proceeds from taking advantage of a recursion relation for Legendre polynomials which appear in the gravitational potential. The contribution of the zonal harmonic of degree 2 is consistent with the gravitational moment exerted by an oblate spheroid.

Contribution of zonal harmonics to gravitational moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roithmayr, Carlos M.

1991-02-01

It is presently demonstrated that a recursive vector-dyadic expression for the contribution of a zonal harmonic of degree n to the gravitational moment about a small body's center-of-mass is obtainable with a procedure that involves twice differentiating a celestial body's gravitational potential with respect to a vector. The recursive property proceeds from taking advantage of a recursion relation for Legendre polynomials which appear in the gravitational potential. The contribution of the zonal harmonic of degree 2 is consistent with the gravitational moment exerted by an oblate spheroid.

Direct evidence of stationary zonal flows and critical gradient behavior for Er during formation of the edge pedestal in JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillesheim, Jon

2015-11-01

High spatial resolution measurements with Doppler backscattering in JET have provided new insights into the development of the edge radial electric field during pedestal formation. The characteristics of Er have been studied as a function of density at 2.5 MA plasma current and 3 T toroidal magnetic field. We observe fine-scale spatial structure in the edge Er well prior to the LH transition, consistent with stationary zonal flows. Zonal flows are a fundamental mechanism for the saturation of turbulence and this is the first direct evidence of stationary zonal flows in a tokamak. The radial wavelength of the zonal flows systematically decreases with density. The zonal flows are clearest in Ohmic conditions, weaker in L-mode, and absent in H-mode. Measurements also show that after neutral beam heating is applied, the edge Er builds up at a constant gradient into the core during L-mode, at radii where Er is mainly due to toroidal velocity. The local stability of velocity shear driven turbulence, such as the parallel velocity gradient mode, will be assessed with gyrokinetic simulations. This critical Er shear persists across the LH transition into H-mode. Surprisingly, a reduction in the apparent magnitude of the Er well depth is observed directly following the LH transition at high densities. Establishing the physics basis for the LH transition is important for projecting scalings to ITER and these observations challenge existing models based on increased Er shear or strong zonal flows as the trigger for the transition. This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.

Zonal NePhRO scoring system: a superior renal tumor complexity classification model.

PubMed

Hakky, Tariq S; Baumgarten, Adam S; Allen, Bryan; Lin, Hui-Yi; Ercole, Cesar E; Sexton, Wade J; Spiess, Philippe E

2014-02-01

Since the advent of the first standardized renal tumor complexity system, many subsequent scoring systems have been introduced, many of which are complicated and can make it difficult to accurately measure data end points. In light of these limitations, we introduce the new zonal NePhRO scoring system. The zonal NePhRO score is based on 4 anatomical components that are assigned a score of 1, 2, or 3, and their sum is used to classify renal tumors. The zonal NePhRO scoring system is made up of the (Ne)arness to collecting system, (Ph)ysical location of the tumor in the kidney, (R)adius of the tumor, and (O)rganization of the tumor. In this retrospective study, we evaluated patients exhibiting clinical stage T1a or T1b who underwent open partial nephrectomy performed by 2 genitourinary surgeons. Each renal unit was assigned both a zonal NePhRO score and a RENAL (radius, exophytic/endophytic properties, nearness of tumor to the collecting system or sinus in millimeters, anterior/posterior, location relative to polar lines) score, and a blinded reviewer used the same preoperative imaging study to obtain both scores. Additional data points gathered included age, clamp time, complication rate, urine leak rate, intraoperative blood loss, and pathologic tumor size. One hundred sixty-six patients underwent open partial nephrectomy. There were 37 perioperative complications quantitated using the validated Clavien-Dindo system; their occurrence was predicted by the NePhRO score on both univariate and multivariate analyses (P = .0008). Clinical stage, intraoperative blood loss, and tumor diameter were all correlated with the zonal NePhRO score on univariate analysis only. The zonal NePhRO scoring system is a simpler tool that accurately predicts the surgical complexity of a renal lesion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shear-flow trapped-ion-mode interaction revisited. II. Intermittent transport associated with low-frequency zonal flow dynamics

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

Ghizzo, A., E-mail: alain.ghizzo@univ-lorraine.fr; Palermo, F.

We address the mechanisms underlying low-frequency zonal flow generation in turbulent system and the associated intermittent regime of ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) turbulence. This model is in connection with the recent observation of quasi periodic zonal flow oscillation at a frequency close to 2 kHz, at the low-high transition, observed in the ASDEX Upgrade [Conway et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 065001 (2011)] and EAST tokamak [Xu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett 107, 125001 (2011)]. Turbulent bursts caused by the coupling of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) driven shear flows with trapped ion modes (TIMs) were investigated by means of reduced gyrokinetic simulations. It was foundmore » that ITG turbulence can be regulated by low-frequency meso-scale zonal flows driven by resonant collisionless trapped ion modes (CTIMs), through parametric-type scattering, a process in competition with the usual KH instability.« less

Longitudinal variability in Jupiter's zonal winds derived from multi-wavelength HST observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Perianne E.; Morales-Juberías, Raúl; Simon, Amy; Gaulme, Patrick; Wong, Michael H.; Cosentino, Richard G.

2018-06-01

Multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of Jupiter from the Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) and Wide Field Coverage for Juno (WFCJ) programs in 2015, 2016, and 2017 are used to derive wind profiles as a function of latitude and longitude. Wind profiles are typically zonally averaged to reduce measurement uncertainties. However, doing this destroys any variations of the zonal-component of winds in the longitudinal direction. Here, we present the results derived from using a "sliding-window" correlation method. This method adds longitudinal specificity, and allows for the detection of spatial variations in the zonal winds. Spatial variations are identified in two jets: 1 at 17 ° N, the location of a prominent westward jet, and the other at 7 ° S, the location of the chevrons. Temporal and spatial variations at the 24°N jet and the 5-μm hot spots are also examined.

Association of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) with thermo-biological frontal systems of the eastern tropical Pacific.

PubMed

Ryan, John P; Green, Jonathan R; Espinoza, Eduardo; Hearn, Alex R

2017-01-01

Satellite tracking of 27 whale sharks in the eastern tropical Pacific, examined in relation to environmental data, indicates preferential occupancy of thermo-biological frontal systems. In these systems, thermal gradients are caused by wind-forced circulation and mixing, and biological gradients are caused by associated nutrient enrichment and enhanced primary productivity. Two of the frontal systems result from upwelling, driven by divergence in the current systems along the equator and the west coast of South America; the third results from wind jet dynamics off Central America. All whale sharks were tagged near Darwin Island, Galápagos, within the equatorial Pacific upwelling system. Occupancy of frontal habitat is pronounced in synoptic patterns of shark locations in relation to serpentine, temporally varying thermal fronts across a zonal expanse > 4000 km. 80% of shark positions in northern equatorial upwelling habitat and 100% of positions in eastern boundary upwelling habitat were located within the upwelling front. Analysis of equatorial shark locations relative to thermal gradients reveals occupancy of a transition point in environmental stability. Equatorial subsurface tag data show residence in shallow, warm (>22°C) water 94% of the time. Surface zonal current speeds for all equatorial tracking explain only 16% of the variance in shark zonal movement speeds, indicating that passive drifting is not a primary determinant of movement patterns. Movement from equatorial to eastern boundary frontal zones occurred during boreal winter, when equatorial upwelling weakens seasonally. Off Peru sharks tracked upwelling frontal positions within ~100-350 km from the coast. Off Central America, the largest tagged shark (12.8 m TL) occupied an oceanic front along the periphery of the Panama wind jet. Seasonal movement from waning equatorial upwelling to productive eastern boundary habitat is consistent with underlying trophic dynamics. Persistent shallow residence in thermo-biological frontal zones suggests the role of physical-biological interactions that concentrate food resources.

Association of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) with thermo-biological frontal systems of the eastern tropical Pacific

PubMed Central

Green, Jonathan R.; Espinoza, Eduardo; Hearn, Alex R.

2017-01-01

Satellite tracking of 27 whale sharks in the eastern tropical Pacific, examined in relation to environmental data, indicates preferential occupancy of thermo-biological frontal systems. In these systems, thermal gradients are caused by wind-forced circulation and mixing, and biological gradients are caused by associated nutrient enrichment and enhanced primary productivity. Two of the frontal systems result from upwelling, driven by divergence in the current systems along the equator and the west coast of South America; the third results from wind jet dynamics off Central America. All whale sharks were tagged near Darwin Island, Galápagos, within the equatorial Pacific upwelling system. Occupancy of frontal habitat is pronounced in synoptic patterns of shark locations in relation to serpentine, temporally varying thermal fronts across a zonal expanse > 4000 km. 80% of shark positions in northern equatorial upwelling habitat and 100% of positions in eastern boundary upwelling habitat were located within the upwelling front. Analysis of equatorial shark locations relative to thermal gradients reveals occupancy of a transition point in environmental stability. Equatorial subsurface tag data show residence in shallow, warm (>22°C) water 94% of the time. Surface zonal current speeds for all equatorial tracking explain only 16% of the variance in shark zonal movement speeds, indicating that passive drifting is not a primary determinant of movement patterns. Movement from equatorial to eastern boundary frontal zones occurred during boreal winter, when equatorial upwelling weakens seasonally. Off Peru sharks tracked upwelling frontal positions within ~100–350 km from the coast. Off Central America, the largest tagged shark (12.8 m TL) occupied an oceanic front along the periphery of the Panama wind jet. Seasonal movement from waning equatorial upwelling to productive eastern boundary habitat is consistent with underlying trophic dynamics. Persistent shallow residence in thermo-biological frontal zones suggests the role of physical-biological interactions that concentrate food resources. PMID:28854201

Experiments on tropical stratospheric mean-wind variations in a spectral general circulation model

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

Hamilton, K.; Yuan, L.

1992-12-15

A 30-level version of the rhomboidal-15 GFDL spectral climate model was constructed with roughly 2-km vertical resolution. This model fails to produce a realistic quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the tropical stratosphere. Several simulations were conducted in which the zonal-mean winds and temperatures in the equatorial lower and middle stratosphere were instantaneously perturbed and the model was integrated while the mean state relaxed toward its equilibrium. The time scale for the mean wind relaxation varied from over one month at 40 km to a few months in the lower stratosphere. The wind relaxations in the model also displayed the downward phasemore » propagation characteristic of QBO wind reversals, and mean wind anomalies of opposite sign to the imposed perturbation appear at higher levels. In the GCM the downward propagation is clear only above about 20 mb. Detailed investigations were made of the zonal-mean zonal momentum budget in the equatorial stratosphere. The mean flow relaxations above 20 mb were mostly driven by the vertical Eliassen-Palm flux convergence. The anomalies in the horizontal Eliassen-Palm fluxes from extratropical planetary waves were found to be the dominant effect forcing the mean flow to its equilibrium at altitudes below 20 mb. The vertical eddy momentum fluxes near the equator in the model were decomposed using space-time Fourier analysis. While total fluxes associated with easterly and westerly waves are comparable to those used in simple mechanistic models of the QBO, the GCM has its flux spread over a broad range of wavenumbers and phase speeds. The effects of vertical resolution were studied by repeating part of the control integration with a 69-level version of the model with greatly enhance vertical resolution in the lower and middle stratosphere. The results showed that there is almost no sensitivity of the simulation in the tropical stratosphere to the increased vertical resolution. 34 refs., 16 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Trends in the Zonal Winds over the Southern Ocean from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis and Scatterometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, J. G.

2002-12-01

The winds over the Southern Ocean for the entire 54-year (1948-2001) period of the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis have been decomposed into Principal Components (Empirical Orthogonal Functions). The first EOF describes 83 percent of the variance in the zonal wind. The loading of the EOF shows the predominately westerly surface flow with strongest winds in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. The structure of this EOF is similar to the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) identified by Thompson, et al 2000. The amplitude of this EOF reveals a large trend of 4.42 cm/s/yr in the strength of the zonal wind corresponding to a nearly 50 percent increase in the wind stress over the Southern Ocean. Such a trend, if real, would be important in the dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Recent studies by Gille, et al. (2001), Olbers and Ivchenko (2001) and Gent et al. (2001) have shown that the transport of the ACC is correlated to the variability in the zonal wind with a monotonic increase in the transport with increasing zonal wind strength. However, errors in the data assimilation scheme for surface pressure observations on the Antarctic continent appears to have caused a spurious trend in the sea level pressure south of 40S of -0.2 hPa/yr (Hines, et al. 2000 and Marshall, 2002). The sea level pressure difference between 40S and 60S has risen by 8 hPa over the same period. This sea level pressure difference is used as a proxy for the strength of the zonal winds. Thus, the trend in the zonal wind EOF amplitude may be an artifact of model errors in the NCEP Reanalysis. To check this trend, we analyzed scatterometer winds over the Southern Ocean from the SEASAT, ERS (1 and 2), NSCAT and QuikScat satellites. The scatterometer data is not used in the NCEP Reanalysis and, thus, is an independent estimate of the winds. The SEASAT Scatterometer (SASS) operated for 90 days in July-September, 1978, while the ERS, NSCAT and QuikScat scatterometers provide a continuous dataset from September 1992 through the present. The zonal winds for the combined ERS/NSCAT dataset were decomposed into Principal Components, similar to the NCEP winds. The first EOF describes 78 percent of the variance in the zonal wind. The loading of the EOF is nearly identical in structure to the loading of the NCEP EOF, and the correlation between the amplitudes is 0.93 for the coincident period. The trend in the scatterometer winds is 3.9 cm/s/yr for the eight years, which is not significantly different from the 4.4 cm /s/yr trend of the NCEP winds. The three months of SASS data were projected onto the scatterometer EOF and the amplitudes compared to the long-term NCEP amplitudes. The agreement between the scatterometer amplitudes and the NCEP is remarkable. The comparison between the scatterometer winds and NCEP Reanalysis winds suggests that the trend towards increasing zonal winds is real. The increasing zonal winds over the Southern Ocean may lead to a substantial increase in the transport of the ACC over the past 50 years.

Comparative analysis of zonal systems for macro-level crash modeling.

PubMed

Cai, Qing; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Lee, Jaeyoung; Eluru, Naveen

2017-06-01

Macro-level traffic safety analysis has been undertaken at different spatial configurations. However, clear guidelines for the appropriate zonal system selection for safety analysis are unavailable. In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted to determine the optimal zonal system for macroscopic crash modeling considering census tracts (CTs), state-wide traffic analysis zones (STAZs), and a newly developed traffic-related zone system labeled traffic analysis districts (TADs). Poisson lognormal models for three crash types (i.e., total, severe, and non-motorized mode crashes) are developed based on the three zonal systems without and with consideration of spatial autocorrelation. The study proposes a method to compare the modeling performance of the three types of geographic units at different spatial configurations through a grid based framework. Specifically, the study region is partitioned to grids of various sizes and the model prediction accuracy of the various macro models is considered within these grids of various sizes. These model comparison results for all crash types indicated that the models based on TADs consistently offer a better performance compared to the others. Besides, the models considering spatial autocorrelation outperform the ones that do not consider it. Based on the modeling results and motivation for developing the different zonal systems, it is recommended using CTs for socio-demographic data collection, employing TAZs for transportation demand forecasting, and adopting TADs for transportation safety planning. The findings from this study can help practitioners select appropriate zonal systems for traffic crash modeling, which leads to develop more efficient policies to enhance transportation safety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Theoretical and experimental zonal drift velocities of the ionospheric plasma bubbles over the Brazilian region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arruda, Daniela C. S.; Sobral, J. H. A.; Abdu, M. A.; Castilho, Vivian M.; Takahashi, H.; Medeiros, A. F.; Buriti, R. A.

2006-01-01

This work presents equatorial ionospheric plasma bubble zonal drift velocity observations and their comparison with model calculations. The bubble zonal velocities were measured using airglow OI630 nm all-sky digital images and the model calculations were performed taking into account flux-tube integrated Pedersen conductivity and conductivity weighted neutral zonal winds. The digital images were obtained from an all-sky imaging system operated over the low-latitude station Cachoeira Paulista (Geogr. 22.5S, 45W, dip angle 31.5S) during the period from October 1998 to August 2000. Out of the 138 nights of imager observation, 29 nights with the presence of plasma bubbles are used in this study. These 29 nights correspond to geomagnetically rather quiet days (∑K P < 24+) and were grouped according to season. During the early night hours, the calculated zonal drift velocities were found to be larger than the experimental values. The best matching between the calculated and observed zonal velocities were seen to be for a few hours around midnight. The model calculation showed two humps around 20 LT and 24 LT that were not present in the data. Average decelerations obtained from linear regression between 20 LT and 24 LT were found to be: (a) Spring 1998, -8.61 ms -1 h -1; (b) Summer 1999, -0.59 ms -1 h -1; (c) Spring 1999, -11.72 ms -1 h -1; and (d) Summer 2000, -8.59 ms -1 h -1. Notice that Summer and Winter here correspond to southern hemisphere Summer and Winter, not northern hemisphere.

Comparison of the visual and intraocular optical performance of a refractive multifocal IOL with rotational asymmetry and an apodized diffractive multifocal IOL.

PubMed

Alió, Jorge L; Plaza-Puche, Ana B; Javaloy, Jaime; Ayala, María José

2012-02-01

To compare the visual outcomes and intraocular optical quality observed postoperatively in patients implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) and an apodized diffractive multifocal IOL. Seventy-four consecutive eyes of 40 cataract patients (age range: 36 to 79 years) were divided into two groups: zonal refractive group, 39 eyes implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal IOL (Lentis Mplus LS-312 IOL, Oculentis GmbH); and diffractive group, 35 eyes implanted with an apodized diffractive multifocal IOL (ReSTOR SN6AD3, Alcon Laboratories Inc). Distance and near visual acuity outcomes, contrast sensitivity, intraocular optical quality, and defocus curves were evaluated during 3-month follow-up. Calculation of the intraocular aberrations was performed by subtracting corneal aberrations from total ocular aberrations. Uncorrected near visual acuity and distance-corrected near visual acuity were better in the diffractive group than in the zonal refractive group (P=.01), whereas intermediate visual acuity (defocus +1.00 and +1.50 diopters) was better in the zonal refractive group. Photopic contrast sensitivity was significantly better in the zonal refractive group (P=.04). Wavefront aberrations (total, higher order, tilt, primary coma) were significantly higher in the zonal refractive group than in the diffractive group (P=.02). Both multifocal IOLs are able to successfully restore visual function after cataract surgery. The zonal refractive multifocal IOL provides better results in contrast sensitivity and intermediate vision, whereas the diffractive multifocal IOL provides better near vision at a closer distance. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Stratospheric ozone variations in the equatorial region as seen in Stratiospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment data

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

Shiotani, M.; Hasebe, F.

1994-07-01

An analysis is made of equatorial ozone variations for 5 years, 1984-1989, using the ozone profile data derived from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) instrument. Attention is focused on the annual cycle and also on interannual variability, particularly the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variations in the lower stratosphere, where the largest contribution to total column ozone takes place. The annual variation in zonal mean total ozone around the equator is composed of symmetric and asymmetric modes with respect to the equator, with maximum contributions being around 19 km for the symmetric modemore » and around 25 km for the asymmetric mode. The persistent zonal wavenumber 1 structure observed by the total ozone mapping spectrometer over the equator is almost missing in the SAGE-derived column amounts integrated in the stratosphere, suggesting a significant contribution from tropospheric ozone. Interannual variations in the equatorial ozone are dominated by the QBO above 20 km and the ENSO-related variation below 20 km. The ozone QBO is characterized by zonally uniform phase changes in association with the zonal wind QBO in the equatorial lower stratosphere. The ENSO-related ozone variation consists of both the east-west vacillation and the zonally uniform phase variation. During the El Nino event, the east-west contrast with positive (negative) deviations in the eastern (western) hemisphere is conspicuous, while the decreasing tendency of the zonal mean values is maximum at the same time.« less

Stratospheric ozone variations in the equatorial region as seen in Stratospheric and Gas Experiment data

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

Masato Shiotani; Fumio Hasebe

1994-07-20

An analysis is made of equatorial ozone variations for 5 years, 1984-1989, using the ozone profile data derived from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) instrument. Attention is focused on the annual cycle and also on interannual variability, particularly the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variations in the lower stratosphere, where the largest contribution to total column ozone takes place. The annual variation in zonal mean total ozone around the equator is composed of symmetric and asymmetric modes with respect to the equator, with maximum contributions being around 19 km for the symmetric modemore » and around 25 km for the asymmetric mode. The persistent zonal wavenumber 1 structure observed by the total ozone mapping spectrometer over the equator is almost missing in the SAGE-derived column amounts integrated in the stratosphere, suggesting a significant contribution from tropospheric ozone. Interannual variations in the equatorial ozone are dominated by the QBO above 20 km and the ENSO-related variation below 20 km. The ozone QBO is characterized by zonally uniform phase changes in association with the zonal wind QBO in the equatorial lower stratosphere. The ENSO-related ozone variation consists of both the east-west vacillation and the zonally uniform phase variation. During the El Nino event, the east-west contrast with positive (negative) deviations in the eastern (western) hemisphere is conspicuous, while the decreasing tendency of the zonal mean values is maximum at the same time. 28 refs., 13 figs.« less

Shape, zonal winds and gravitational field of Jupiter: a fully self-consistent, multi-layered model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, Gerald; Kong, Dali; Zhang, Keke

2016-10-01

We construct a three-dimensional, finite-element, fully self-consistent, multi-layered,non-spheroidal model of Jupiter consisting of an inner core, a metallic electrically conducting dynamo region and an outer molecular electrically insulating envelope. We assume that the Jovian zonal winds are on cylinders parallel to the rotation axis but, due to the effect of magnetic braking, are confined within the outer molecular envelope. Two related calculations are carried out. The first provides an accurate description of the shape and internal density profile of Jupiter; the effect of rotational distortion is not treated as a small perturbation on a spherically symmetric state. This calculation determines the density, size and shape of the inner core, the irregular shape of the 1-bar pressure level, and the internal structure of Jupiter; the full effect of rotational distortion, without the influence of the zonal winds, is accounted for. Our multi-layered model is able to produce the known mass, the known equatorial and polar radii, and the known zonal gravitational coefficient J2 of Jupiter within their error bars; it also yields the coefficients J4 and J6 within about 5% accuracy, and the core equatorial radius 0.09RJ containing 3.73 Earth masses.The second calculation determines the variation of the gravitational field caused solely by the effect of the zonal winds on the rotationally distorted non-spheroidal Jupiter. Four different cases, ranging from a deep wind profile to a very shallow profile, are considered and implications for accurate interpretation of the zonal gravitational coefficients expected from the Juno mission are discussed.

Latitudinal and Longitudinal Basin-scale Surface Salinity Contrasts and Freshwater Transport by Ocean Thermohaline Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidov, D.; Haupt, B. J.

2003-12-01

The role of sea surface salinity (SSS) contrasts in maintaining vigorous global ocean thermohaline circulation (THC) is revisited. Relative importance of different generalizations of sea surface conditions in climate studies is explored. In numerical experiments using an ocean general circulation model, we have aggregated the observed sea surface temperature (SST) and SSS in several different ways: we used observed unchanged SST with SSS taken as constant (34.25 psu) everywhere; SST unchanged, and SSS zonally averaged globally, i.e., in the whole World Ocean; SST averaged globally, and SSS unchanged; SST zonally averaged globally and SSS zonally averaged basin-wide in individual basins, i.e., in the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans separately; and, finally, both SST and SSS zonally averaged in individual basins. Global zonal averaging removes all longitudinal differences in sea surface climatology among ocean basins. However, latitudinal profiles of zonally averaged parameters preserve the main character of large-scale equator-to-pole sea surface variability. Basin-wide zonal averaging does an even better job of preserving latitudinal distributions within each basin. The results of the experiments could hardly be anticipated a priory. Surprisingly, SST could be used as a 2-D field, or as a zonally-averaged field without much difference in the THC dynamics. Moreover, SST could be averaged either globally, or basin-wide, and it also did not change the overall character of THC. At the same time, THC responded vigorously to how the SSS has been changed. It appeared that the THC structure with the globally averaged SST and basin-wide averaged SSS was very close to the one obtained in the control run (control run operates with 2-D observed SST and SSS). Our main conclusion is that ocean-wide inter-basin sea surface salinity contrasts serve as the major controlling element in global thermohaline circulation. Thermal inter-basin contrasts, as well as longitudinal variation in SSS, are less important than latitudinal thermal gradients and inter-basin salinity contrasts. Details of SSS also decrease in importance as soon as its inter-basin contrasts are retained. This is especially important for paleoclimate and future climate simulations, as only the large-scale inter-basin contrasts of the sea surface conditions really matter.

Effect of Resonant Magnetic Perturbations on secondary structures in Drift-Wave turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leconte, Michael

2011-10-01

In this work, we study the effects of RMPs on turbulence, flows and confinement, in the framework of two paradigmatic models, resistive ballooning and resistive drift waves. For resistive ballooning turbulence, we use 3D global numerical simulations, including RMP fields and (externally-imposed) sheared rotation profile. Without RMPs, relaxation oscillations of the pressure profile occur. With RMPs, results show that long-lived convection cells are generated by the combined effects of pressure modulation and toroidal curvature coupling. These modify the global structure of the turbulence and eliminate relaxation oscillations. This effect is due mainly to a modification of the pressure profile linked to the presence of residual magnetic island chains. Hence convection-cell generation increases for increasing δBr/B0. For RMP effect on zonal flows in drift wave turbulence, we extend the Hasegawa-Wakatani model to include RMP fields. The effect of the RMPs is to induce a linear coupling between the zonal electric field and the zonal density gradient, which drives the system to a state of electron radial force balance for large δBr/B0. Both the vorticity flux (Reynolds stress), and particle flux are modulated. We derive an extended predator prey model which couples zonal potential and density dynamics to the evolution of turbulence intensity. This model has both turbulence drive and RMP amplitude as control parameters, and predicts a novel type of transport bifurcation in the presence of RMPs. We find a novel set of system states that are similar to the Hmode-like state of the standard predator-prey model, but for which the power threshold is now a function of the RMP strength. For small RMP amplitude and low collisionality, both the ambient turbulence and zonal flow energy increase with δBr/B0. For larger RMP strength, the turbulence energy increases, but the energy of zonal flows decreases with δBr/B0, corresponding to a damping of zonal flows. At high collisionnality, zonal flow damping occurs even at small RMP amplitude. Finally, for very strong values of δBr/B0, the system bifurcates back to an Lmode-like state. This work was supported by the World Class Institute (WCI) Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Korea (MEST).

Triple Cascade Behavior in Quasigeostrophic and Drift Turbulence and Generation of Zonal Jets

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

Nazarenko, Sergey; Quinn, Brenda

2009-09-11

We study quasigeostrophic (QG) and plasma drift turbulence within the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima (CHM) model. We focus on the zonostrophy, an extra invariant in the CHM model, and on its role in the formation of zonal jets. We use a generalized Fjoertoft argument for the energy, enstrophy, and zonostrophy and show that they cascade anisotropically into nonintersecting sectors in k space with the energy cascading towards large zonal scales. Using direct numerical simulations of the CHM equation, we show that zonostrophy is well conserved, and the three invariants cascade as predicted by the Fjoertoft argument.

A Model Study of Zonal Forcing in the Equatorial Stratosphere by Convectively Induced Gravity Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, M. J.; Holton, James R.

1997-01-01

A two-dimensional cloud-resolving model is used to examine the possible role of gravity waves generated by a simulated tropical squall line in forcing the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the zonal winds in the equatorial stratosphere. A simulation with constant background stratospheric winds is compared to simulations with background winds characteristic of the westerly and easterly QBO phases, respectively. In all three cases a broad spectrum of both eastward and westward propagating gravity waves is excited. In the constant background wind case the vertical momentum flux is nearly constant with height in the stratosphere, after correction for waves leaving the model domain. In the easterly and westerly shear cases, however, westward and eastward propagating waves, respectively, are strongly damped as they approach their critical levels, owing to the strongly scale-dependent vertical diffusion in the model. The profiles of zonal forcing induced by this wave damping are similar to profiles given by critical level absorption, but displaced slightly downward. The magnitude of the zonal forcing is of order 5 m/s/day. It is estimated that if 2% of the area of the Tropics were occupied by storms of similar magnitude, mesoscale gravity waves could provide nearly 1/4 of the zonal forcing required for the QBO.

Macro and micro rate zonal analytical centrifugation of polydisperse and slowly diffusing sedimenting systems in isovolumetric density gradients. Application to cartilage proteoglycans.

PubMed

Müller, F J; Pezon, C F; Pita, J C

1989-06-13

A method to study the polydispersity of zonally sedimenting and slowly diffusing macromolecules or particles in isokinetic or isovolumetric density gradients is presented. First, a brief theory is given for predicting the zonal profile after a "triangular" (or "inverse") zone is centrifuged. This type of zone is essential to preserve hydrodynamic stability of the very slowly diffusing polydisperse solutes. It is proven, both by semitheoretical considerations and by computer calculations, that the resulting concentration profile of macrosolute is almost identical with that obtainable with a rectangular zone coextensive with the triangular one and carrying the same total mass. Next, practical procedures are described for the convectionless layering of very small triangular zones (50 microL or less). The linearity and stability of the zones are experimentally tested and verified. Finally, the method is applied to cartilage proteoglycan preparations that included either the monomeric molecules only or both the monomeric and the aggregated ones. The zonal results are compared with those obtained by using conventional boundary sedimentation. The two sets of results are seen to coincide fairly well, thus proving that the present technique can add to preparative zonal centrifugation the analytical precision of boundary sedimentation. A multimodal polydisperse system is suggested to describe the aggregated proteoglycan macromolecules.

Gyroaverage effects on nontwist Hamiltonians: Separatrix reconnection and chaos suppression

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

Del-Castillo-Negrete, Diego B; Martinell, J.

2012-01-01

A study of finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects on E x B test particle chaotic transport in non-monotonic zonal flows with drift waves in magnetized plasmas is presented. Due to the non-monotonicity of the zonal flow, the Hamiltonian does not satisfy the twist condition. The electrostatic potential is modeled as a linear superposition of a zonal flow and the regular neutral modes of the Hasegawa-Mima equation. FLR effects are incorporated by gyro-averaging the E x B Hamiltonian. It is shown that there is a critical value of the Larmor radius for which the zonal flow transitions from a profile withmore » one maximum to a profile with two maxima and a minimum. This bifurcation leads to the creation of additional shearless curves and resonances. The gyroaveraged nontwist Hamiltonian exhibits complex patterns of separatrix reconnection. A change in the Larmor radius can lead to heteroclinic-homoclinic bifurcations and dipole formation. For Larmor radii for which the zonal flow has bifurcated, double heteroclinic-heteroclinic, homoclinic-homoclinic and heteroclinic-homoclinic separatrix topologies are observed. It is also shown that chaotic transport is typically reduced as the Larmor radius increases. Poincare sections show that, for large enough Larmor radius, chaos can be practically suppressed. In particular, changes of the Larmor radius can restore the shearless curve.« less

Gyroaverage effects on nontwist Hamiltonians: separatrix reconnection and chaos suppression

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

Del-Castillo-Negrete, Diego B; Martinell, J.

2012-01-01

A study of nite Larmor radius (FLR) eects on E B test particle chaotic transport in non- monotonic zonal ows with drift waves in magnetized plasmas is presented. Due to the non- monotonicity of the zonal ow, the Hamiltonian does not satisfy the twist condition. The electro- static potential is modeled as a linear superposition of a zonal ow and regular neutral modes of the Hasegawa-Mima equation. FLR eects are incorporated by gyro-averaging the EB Hamiltonian. It is shown that there is a critical value the Larmor radius for which the zonal ow transitions from a prole with one maximummore » to a prole with two maxima and a minimum. This bifurcation leads to the creation of additional shearless curves and resonances. The gyroaveraged nontwist Hamiltonian exhibits complex patterns of separatrix reconnection. A change in the Larmor ra- dius can lead to heteroclinic-homoclinic bifurcations and dipole formation. For Larmor radii for which the zonal ow has bifurcated, double heteroclinic-heteroclinic, homoclinic-homoclinic and heteroclinic-homoclinic topologies are observed. It is also shown that chaotic transport is typically reduced as the Larmor radius increases. Poincare sections shows that, for large enough Larmor radius, chaos can be practically suppressed. In particular, small changes on the Larmor radius can restore the shearless curve.« less

Simulations of Turbulence in Tokamak Edge and Effects of Self-Consistent Zonal Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Bruce; Umansky, Maxim

2013-10-01

Progress is reported on simulations of electromagnetic drift-resistive ballooning turbulence in the tokamak edge. This extends previous work to include self-consistent zonal flows and their effects. The previous work addressed simulation of L-mode tokamak edge turbulence using the turbulence code BOUT that solves Braginskii-based plasma fluid equations in tokamak edge domain. The calculations use realistic single-null geometry and plasma parameters of the DIII-D tokamak and produce fluctuation amplitudes, fluctuation spectra, and particle and thermal fluxes that compare favorably to experimental data. In the effect of sheared ExB poloidal rotation is included with an imposed static radial electric field fitted to experimental data. In the new work here we include the radial electric field self-consistently driven by the microturbulence, which contributes to the sheared ExB poloidal rotation (zonal flow generation). We present simulations with/without zonal flows for both cylindrical geometry, as in the UCLA Large Plasma Device, and for the DIII-D tokamak L-mode cases in to quantify the influence of self-consistent zonal flows on the microturbulence and the concomitant transport. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Simulations of Tokamak Edge Turbulence Including Self-Consistent Zonal Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Bruce; Umansky, Maxim

2013-10-01

Progress on simulations of electromagnetic drift-resistive ballooning turbulence in the tokamak edge is summarized in this mini-conference talk. A more detailed report on this work is presented in a poster at this conference. This work extends our previous work to include self-consistent zonal flows and their effects. The previous work addressed the simulation of L-mode tokamak edge turbulence using the turbulence code BOUT. The calculations used realistic single-null geometry and plasma parameters of the DIII-D tokamak and produced fluctuation amplitudes, fluctuation spectra, and particle and thermal fluxes that compare favorably to experimental data. In the effect of sheared ExB poloidal rotation is included with an imposed static radial electric field fitted to experimental data. In the new work here we include the radial electric field self-consistently driven by the microturbulence, which contributes to the sheared ExB poloidal rotation (zonal flow generation). We present simulations with/without zonal flows for both cylindrical geometry, as in the UCLA Large Plasma Device, and for the DIII-D tokamak L-mode cases in to quantify the influence of self-consistent zonal flows on the microturbulence and the concomitant transport. This work was performed under the auspices of the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

An atlas of objectively analyzed atmospheric cross sections, 1973-1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, J.; Gaines, S. E.; Hipskind, R. S.

1985-01-01

Atmospheric variability over time scales greater than one month is conceptually simplified and readily recognized from vertical cross-sections of zonal-monthly mean data. The reduction to two dimensions, latitude and height, explicitly eliminates all zonal waves but implicity retains their effects on the thermal-pressure fields and the dynamically related zonal wind fields. This atlas contains 96 examples, spanning all latitudes in both the northern and southern hemispheres and two decades in pressure, from 1000 to 10 mb. Four analyses, representing each month from January 1973 through December 1980, depicts the potential virtual temperature, the observed zonal wind velocity, the virtual temperature and the geostrophic zonal wind velocity. Each variable is contoured at a close interval to facilitate visual estimates of stability and vorticity via their gradients. The analyses are generated and contoured by objective computer methods from just one data source: in situ measurements from the conventional rawin-radiosonde system. Although the analyses are independently made at constant pressure levels (the mandatory levels) the cross-sections are drawn with geopotential height as the ordinate. With this ordinate one can observe the seasonal expansion and contraction of the earth's atmosphere, especially that of the polar stratosphere. Also, the quasi-biannual cycle can be identified and studied directly from successive cross-sections.

Auctionable fixed transmission rights for congestion management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alomoush, Muwaffaq Irsheid

Electric power deregulation has proposed a major change to the regulated utility monopoly. The change manifests the main part of engineers' efforts to reshape three components of today's regulated monopoly: generation, distribution and transmission. In this open access deregulated power market, transmission network plays a major role, and transmission congestion is a major problem that requires further consideration especially when inter-zonal/intra-zonal scheme is implemented. Declaring that engineering studies and experience are the criteria to define zonal boundaries or defining a zone based on the fact that a zone is a densely interconnected area (lake) and paths connecting these densely interconnected areas are inter-zonal lines will render insufficient and fuzzy definitions. Moreover, a congestion problem formulation should take into consideration interactions between intra-zonal and inter-zonal flows and their effects on power systems. In this thesis, we introduce a procedure for minimizing the number of adjustments of preferred schedules to alleviate congestion and apply control schemes to minimize interactions between zones. In addition, we give the zone definition a certain criterion based on the Locational Marginal Price (LMP). This concept will be used to define congestion zonal boundaries and to decide whether any zone should be merged with another zone or split into new zones. The thesis presents a unified scheme that combines zonal and FTR schemes to manage congestion. This combined scheme is utilized with LMPs to define zonal boundaries more appropriately. The presented scheme gains the best features of the FTR scheme, which are providing financial certainty, maximizing the efficient use of the system and making users pay for the actual use of congested paths. LMPs may give an indication of the impact of wheeling transactions, and calculations of and comparisons of LMPs with and without wheeling transactions should be adequate criteria to approve the transaction by the ISO, take a decision to expand the existing system, or retain the original structure of the system. Also, the thesis investigates the impact of wheeling transactions on congestion management, where we present a generalized mathematical model for the Fixed Transmission Right (FTR) auction. The auction guarantees FTR availability to all participants on a non-discriminatory basis, in which system users are permitted to buy, sell and trade FTRs through an auction. When FTRs are utilized with LMPs, they increase the efficient use of the transmission system and let a transmission customer gain advantageous features such as acquiring a mechanism to offset the extra cost due to congestion charges, providing financial and operational certainty and making system users pay for the actual use of the congested paths. The thesis also highlighted FTR trading in secondary markets to self-arrange access across different paths, create long-term transmission rights and provide more commercial certainty.

Middle atmosphere project. A semi-spectral numerical model for the large-scale stratospheric circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holton, J. R.; Wehrbein, W.

1979-01-01

The complete model is a semispectral model in which the longitudinal dependence is represented by expansion in zonal harmonics while the latitude and height dependencies are represented by a finite difference grid. The model is based on the primitive equations in the log pressure coordinate system. The lower boundary of the model domain is set at the 100 mb level (i.e., near the tropopause) and the effects of tropospheric forcing are included in the lower boundary condition. The upper boundary is at approximately 96 km, and the latitudinal extent is either global or hemispheric. The basic differential equations and boundary conditions are outlined. The finite difference equations are described. The initial conditions are discussed and a sample calculation is presented. The FORTRAN code is given in the appendix.

A technique for inferring zonal irregularity drift from single-station GNSS measurements of intensity (S4) and phase (σφ) scintillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrano, Charles S.; Groves, Keith M.; Rino, Charles L.; Doherty, Patricia H.

2016-08-01

The zonal drift of ionospheric irregularities at low latitudes is most commonly measured by cross-correlating observations of a scintillating satellite signal made with a pair of closely spaced antennas. The Air Force Research Laboratory-Scintillation Network Decision Aid (AFRL-SCINDA) network operates a small number of very high frequency (VHF) spaced-receiver systems at low latitudes for this purpose. A far greater number of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scintillation monitors are operated by the AFRL-SCINDA network (25-30) and the Low-Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (35-50), but the receivers are too widely separated from each other for cross-correlation techniques to be effective. In this paper, we present an alternative approach that leverages the weak scatter scintillation theory to infer the zonal irregularity drift from single-station GNSS measurements of S4, σφ, and the propagation geometry. Unlike the spaced-receiver technique, this approach requires assumptions regarding the height of the scattering layer (which introduces a bias in the drift estimates) and the spectral index of the irregularities (which affects the spread of the drift estimates about the mean). Nevertheless, theory and experiment suggest that the ratio of σφ to S4 is less sensitive to these parameters than it is to the zonal drift. We validate the technique using VHF spaced-receiver measurements of zonal irregularity drift obtained from the AFRL-SCINDA network. While the spaced-receiver technique remains the preferred way to monitor the drift when closely spaced antenna pairs are available, our technique provides a new opportunity to monitor zonal irregularity drift using regional or global networks of widely separated GNSS scintillation monitors.

Temperature Trends in the Tropical Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere: Connections with Sea Surface Temperatures and Implications for Water Vapor and Ozone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garfinkel, C. I.; Waugh, D. W.; Oman, L. D.; Wang, L.; Hurwitz, M. M.

2013-01-01

Satellite observations and chemistry-climate model experiments are used to understand the zonal structure of tropical lower stratospheric temperature, water vapor, and ozone trends. The warming in the tropical upper troposphere over the past 30 years is strongest near the Indo-Pacific warm pool, while the warming trend in the western and central Pacific is much weaker. In the lower stratosphere, these trends are reversed: the historical cooling trend is strongest over the Indo-Pacific warm pool and is weakest in the western and central Pacific. These zonal variations are stronger than the zonal-mean response in boreal winter. Targeted experiments with a chemistry-climate model are used to demonstrate that sea surface temperature (hereafter SST) trends are driving the zonal asymmetry in upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric tropical temperature trends. Warming SSTs in the Indian Ocean and in the warm pool region have led to enhanced moist heating in the upper troposphere, and in turn to a Gill-like response that extends into the lower stratosphere. The anomalous circulation has led to zonal structure in the ozone and water vapor trends near the tropopause, and subsequently to less water vapor entering the stratosphere. The radiative impact of these changes in trace gases is smaller than the direct impact of the moist heating. Projected future SSTs appear to drive a temperature and water vapor response whose zonal structure is similar to the historical response. In the lower stratosphere, the changes in water vapor and temperature due to projected future SSTs are of similar strength to, though slightly weaker than, that due directly to projected future CO2, ozone, and methane.

Global Increase in UV Irradiance during the Past 30 Years (1979-2008) Estimated from Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herman, Jay R.

2010-01-01

Zonal average ultraviolet irradiance (flux ultraviolet, F(sub uv)) reaching the Earth's surface has significantly increased since 1979 at all latitudes except the equatorial zone. Changes are estimated in zonal average F(sub uv) caused by ozone and cloud plus aerosol reflectivity using an approach based on Beer's law for monochromatic and action spectrum weighted irradiances. For four different cases, it is shown that Beer's Law leads to a power law form similar to that applied to erythemal action spectrum weighted irradiances. Zonal and annual average increases in F(sub uv) were caused by decreases in ozone amount from 1979 to 1998. After 1998, midlatitude annual average ozone amounts and UV irradiance levels have been approximately constant. In the Southern Hemisphere, zonal and annual average UV increase is partially offset by tropospheric cloud and aerosol transmission decreases (hemispherical dimming), and to a lesser extent in the Northern Hemisphere. Ozone and 340 nm reflectivity changes have been obtained from multiple joined satellite time series from 1978 to 2008. The largest zonal average increases in F(sub uv) have occurred in the Southern Hemisphere. For clear-sky conditions at 50 S, zonal average F(sub uv) changes are estimated (305 nm, 23%; erythemal, 8.5%; 310 nm, 10%; vitamin D production, 12%). These are larger than at 50 N (305 nm, 9%; erythemal, 4%; 310 nm, 4%; vitamin D production, 6%). At the latitude of Buenos Aires, Argentina (34.6 S), the clear-sky Fuv increases are comparable to the increases near Washington, D. C. (38.9 N): 305 nm, 9% and 7%; erythemal, 6% and 4%; and vitamin D production, 7% and 5%, respectively.

Cloud motions on Venus - Global structure and organization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Limaye, S. S.; Suomi, V. E.

1981-01-01

Results on cloud motions on Venus obtained over a period of 3.5 days from Mariner 10 television images are presented. The implied atmosphere flow is almost zonal everywhere on the visible disk, and is in the same retrograde sense as the solid planet. Objective analysis of motions suggests the presence of jet cores (-130 m/s) and organized atmospheric waves. The longitudinal mean meridional profile of the zonal component of motion of the ultraviolet features shows presence of a midlatitude jet stream (-110 m/s). The mean zonal component is -97 m/s at the equator. The mean meridional motion at most latitudes is directed toward the pole in either hemisphere and is at least an order of magnitude smaller so that the flow is nearly zonal. A tentative conclusion from the limited coverage available from Mariner 10 is that at the level of ultraviolet features mean meridional circulation is the dominant mode of poleward angular momentum transfer as opposed to the eddy circulation.

Some observed seasonal changes in extratropical general circulation: A study in terms of vorticity. [seasonal migrations of extra tropical frontal jet streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivatsangam, S.; Reiter, E. R.

1973-01-01

Extratropical eddy distributions in four months typical of the four seasons are treated in terms of temporal mean and temporal r.m.s. values of the geostrophic relative vorticity. The geographical distributions of these parameters at the 300 mb level show that the arithmetic mean fields are highly biased representatives of the extratropical eddy distributions. The zonal arithmetic means of these parameters are also presented. These show that the zonal-and-time mean relative vorticity is but a small fraction of the zonal mean of the temporal r.m.s. relative vorticity, K. The reasons for considering the r.m.s. values as the temporal normal values of vorticity in the extratropics are given in considerable detail. The parameter K is shown to be of considerable importance in locating the extratropical frontal jet streams (EFJ) in time-and-zonal average distributions. The study leads to an understanding of the seasonal migrations of the EFJ which have not been explored until now.

Venus' superrotation, mixing length theory and eddy diffusion - A parametric study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayr, H. G.; Harris, I.; Schatten, K. H.; Stevens-Rayburn, D. R.; Chan, K. L.

1988-01-01

The concept of the Hadley mechanism is adopted to describe the axisymmetric circulation of the Venus atmosphere. It is shown that, for the atmosphere of a slowly rotating planet such as Venus, a form of the nonliner 'closure' (self-consistent solution) of the fluid dynamics system which constrains the magnitude of the eddy diffusion coefficients can be postulated. A nonlinear one-layer spectral model of the zonally symmetric circulation was then used to establish the relationship between the heat source, the meridional circulation, and the eddy diffusion coefficients, yielding large zonal velocities. Computer experiments indicated that proportional changes in the heat source and eddy diffusion coefficients do not significantly change the zonal velocities. It was also found that, for large eddy diffusion coefficients, the meridional velocity is virtually constant; below a threshold in the diffusion rate, the meridional velocity decreases; and, for large eddy diffusion and small heating rates, the zonal velocities decrease with decreasing planetary rotation rates.

A Method for Optimal Load Dispatch of a Multi-zone Power System with Zonal Exchange Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazarika, Durlav; Das, Ranjay

2018-04-01

This paper presented a method for economic generation scheduling of a multi-zone power system having inter zonal operational constraints. For this purpose, the generator rescheduling for a multi area power system having inter zonal operational constraints has been represented as a two step optimal generation scheduling problem. At first, the optimal generation scheduling has been carried out for the zone having surplus or deficient generation with proper spinning reserve using co-ordination equation. The power exchange required for the deficit zones and zones having no generation are estimated based on load demand and generation for the zone. The incremental transmission loss formulas for the transmission lines participating in the power transfer process among the zones are formulated. Using these, incremental transmission loss expression in co-ordination equation, the optimal generation scheduling for the zonal exchange has been determined. Simulation is carried out on IEEE 118 bus test system to examine the applicability and validity of the method.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Generation of large-scale eddies and zonal winds in planetary atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onishchenko, O. G.; Pokhotelov, O. A.; Astafieva, N. M.

2008-06-01

The review deals with a theoretical description of the generation of zonal winds and vortices in a turbulent barotropic atmosphere. These large-scale structures largely determine the dynamics and transport processes in planetary atmospheres. The role of nonlinear effects on the formation of mesoscale vortical structures (cyclones and anticyclones) is examined. A new mechanism for zonal wind generation in planetary atmospheres is discussed. It is based on the parametric generation of convective cells by finite-amplitude Rossby waves. Weakly turbulent spectra of Rossby waves are considered. The theoretical results are compared to the results of satellite microwave monitoring of the Earth's atmosphere.

Observation of Oscillatory Radial Electric Field Relaxation in a Helical Plasma.

PubMed

Alonso, J A; Sánchez, E; Calvo, I; Velasco, J L; McCarthy, K J; Chmyga, A; Eliseev, L G; Estrada, T; Kleiber, R; Krupnik, L I; Melnikov, A V; Monreal, P; Parra, F I; Perfilov, S; Zhezhera, A I

2017-05-05

Measurements of the relaxation of a zonal electrostatic potential perturbation in a nonaxisymmetric magnetically confined plasma are presented. A sudden perturbation of the plasma equilibrium is induced by the injection of a cryogenic hydrogen pellet in the TJ-II stellarator, which is observed to be followed by a damped oscillation in the electrostatic potential. The waveform of the relaxation is consistent with theoretical calculations of zonal potential relaxation in a nonaxisymmetric magnetic geometry. The turbulent transport properties of a magnetic confinement configuration are expected to depend on the features of the collisionless damping of zonal flows, of which the present Letter is the first direct observation.

Three-dimensional vapor intrusion modeling approach that combines wind and stack effects on indoor, atmospheric, and subsurface domains.

PubMed

Shirazi, Elham; Pennell, Kelly G

2017-12-13

Vapor intrusion (IV) exposure risks are difficult to characterize due to the role of atmospheric, building and subsurface processes. This study presents a three-dimensional VI model that extends the common subsurface fate and transport equations to incorporate wind and stack effects on indoor air pressure, building air exchange rate (AER) and indoor contaminant concentration to improve VI exposure risk estimates. The model incorporates three modeling programs: (1) COMSOL Multiphysics to model subsurface fate and transport processes, (2) CFD0 to model atmospheric air flow around the building, and (3) CONTAM to model indoor air quality. The combined VI model predicts AER values, zonal indoor air pressures and zonal indoor air contaminant concentrations as a function of wind speed, wind direction and outdoor and indoor temperature. Steady state modeling results for a single-story building with a basement demonstrate that wind speed, wind direction and opening locations in a building play important roles in changing the AER, indoor air pressure, and indoor air contaminant concentration. Calculated indoor air pressures ranged from approximately -10 Pa to +4 Pa depending on weather conditions and building characteristics. AER values, mass entry rates and indoor air concentrations vary depending on weather conditions and building characteristics. The presented modeling approach can be used to investigate the relationship between building features, AER, building pressures, soil gas concentrations, indoor air concentrations and VI exposure risks.

Subcellular fractionation by differential and zonal centrifugation of aerobically grown glucose-de-repressed Saccharomyces carlsbergensis

PubMed Central

Cartledge, T. G.; Lloyd, D.

1972-01-01

1. Homogenates were prepared from sphaeroplasts of aerobically grown glucose-de-repressed Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and the distributions of marker enzymes were investigated after differential centrifugation. Cytochrome c oxidase and cytochrome c were sedimented almost completely at 105g-min, and this fraction also contained 37% of the catalase, 27% of the acid p-nitrophenyl phosphatase, 53 and 54% respectively of the NADH– and NADPH–cytochrome c oxidoreductases. 2. Zonal centrifugation indicated complex density distributions of the sedimentable portions of these enzymes and of adenosine triphosphatases and suggested the presence of two mitochondrial populations, as well as a bimodal distribution of peroxisomes and heterogeneity of the acid p-nitrophenyl phosphatase-containing particles. 3. Several different adenosine triphosphatases were distinguished in a post-mitochondrial supernatant that contained no mitochondrial fragments; these enzymes varied in their sensitivities to oligomycin and ouabain and their distributions were different from those of pyrophosphatase, adenosine phosphatase and adenosine pyrophosphatase. 4. The distribution of NADPH–cytochrome c oxidoreductase demonstrated that it cannot be used in S. carlsbergensis as a specific marker enzyme for the microsomal fraction. Glucose 6-phosphatase, inosine pyrophosphatase, cytochrome P-450 and five other enzymes frequently assigned to microsomal fractions of mammalian origin were not detected in yeast under these growth conditions. ImagesPLATE 2PLATE 1 (cont.)PLATE 1PLATE 2 (cont.) PMID:4400904

A Three-Wave Model of the Stratosphere with Coupled Dynamics, Radiation and Photochemistry. Appendix M

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shia, Run-Lie; Zhou, Shuntai; Ko, Malcolm K. W.; Sze, Nien-Dak; Salstein, David; Cady-Pereira, Karen

1997-01-01

A zonal mean chemistry transport model (2-D CTM) coupled with a semi-spectral dynamical model is used to simulate the distributions of trace gases in the present day atmosphere. The zonal-mean and eddy equations for the velocity and the geopotential height are solved in the semi-spectral dynamical model. The residual mean circulation is derived from these dynamical variables and used to advect the chemical species in the 2- D CTM. Based on a linearized wave transport equation, the eddy diffusion coefficients for chemical tracers are expressed in terms of the amplitude, frequency and growth rate of dynamical waves; local chemical loss rates; and a time constant parameterizing small scale mixing. The contributions to eddy flux are from the time varying wave amplitude (transient eddy), chemical reactions (chemical eddy) and small scale mixing. In spite of the high truncation in the dynamical module (only three longest waves are resolved), the model has simulated many observed characteristics of stratospheric dynamics and distribution of chemical species including ozone. Compared with the values commonly used in 2-D CTMs, the eddy diffusion coefficients for chemical species calculated in this model are smaller, especially in the subtropics. It is also found that the chemical eddy diffusion has only a small effects in determining the distribution of most slow species, including ozone in the stratosphere.

The 4-5 day mode oscillation in zonal winds of Indian middle atmosphere during MONEX-79

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, R. S.; Mukherjee, B. K.; Indira, K.; Murty, B. V. R.

1985-12-01

In the early studies based on time series of balloon observations, the existence of 4 to 5 day period waves and 10 to 20 day wind fluctuations were found in the tropical lower stratosphere, and they are identified theoretically as the mixed Rossby-gravity wave and the Kelvin wave, respectively. On the basis of these studies, it was established that the vertically propagating equatorial waves play an important role in producing the QBO (quasi-biennial oscillation) in the mean zonal wind through the mechanism of wave-zonal interaction. These studies are mainly concentrated over the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Similar prominent wave disturbances have been observed over the region east of the Indian Ocean during a quasi-biennial oscillation. Zonal winds in upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (10 to 20) km of the middle atmosphere over the Indian subcontinent may bear association with the activity of summer monsoon (June-September). Monsoon Experiment (MONEX-79) has provided upper air observations at Balasore (21 deg. 30 min.N; 85 deg. 56 min.E), during the peak of monsoon months July and August. A unique opportunity has, therefore, been provided to study the normal oscillations present in the zonal winds of lower middle atmosphere over India, which may have implication on large scale wave dynamics. This aspect is examined in the present study.

Development of a mobile Doppler lidar system for wind and temperature measurements at 30-70 km

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Zhaoai; Hu, Xiong; Guo, Wenjie; Guo, Shangyong; Cheng, Yongqiang; Gong, Jiancun; Yue, Jia

2017-02-01

A mobile Doppler lidar system has been developed to simultaneously measure zonal and meridional winds and temperature from 30 to 70 km. Each of the two zonal and meridional wind subsystems employs a 15 W power, 532 nm laser and a 1 m diameter telescope. Iodine vapor filters are used to stabilize laser frequency and to detect the Doppler shift of backscattered signal. The integration method is used for temperature measurement. Experiments were carried out using the mobile Doppler lidar in August 2014 at Qinghai, China (91°E, 38°N). The zonal wind was measured from 20 to 70 km at a 3 km spatial resolution and 2 h temporal resolution. The measurement error is about 0.5 m/s at 30 km, and 10 m/s at 70 km. In addition, the temperature was measured from 30 to 70 km at 1 km spatial resolution and 1 h temporal resolution. The temperature measurement error is about 0.4 K at 30 km, and 8.0 K at 70 km. Comparison of the lidar results with the temperature of the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER), the zonal wind of the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Re-search and Applications (MERRA), and radiosonde zonal wind shows good agreement, indicating that the Doppler lidar results are reliable.

Self-Organization of Zonal Jets in Outer Planet Atmospheres: Uranus and Neptune

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedson, A. James

1997-01-01

The statistical mechnical theory of a two-dimensional Euler fluid is appleid for the first time to explore the spontaneous self-oganization of zonal jets in outer planet atmospheres. Globally conserved integralls of motion are found to play a central role in defining jet structure.

How Choice of Depth Horizon Influences the Estimated Spatial Patterns and Global Magnitude of Ocean Carbon Export Flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palevsky, Hilary I.; Doney, Scott C.

2018-05-01

Estimated rates and efficiency of ocean carbon export flux are sensitive to differences in the depth horizons used to define export, which often vary across methodological approaches. We evaluate sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) flux rates and efficiency (e-ratios) in a global earth system model, using a range of commonly used depth horizons: the seasonal mixed layer depth, the particle compensation depth, the base of the euphotic zone, a fixed depth horizon of 100 m, and the maximum annual mixed layer depth. Within this single dynamically consistent model framework, global POC flux rates vary by 30% and global e-ratios by 21% across different depth horizon choices. Zonal variability in POC flux and e-ratio also depends on the export depth horizon due to pronounced influence of deep winter mixing in subpolar regions. Efforts to reconcile conflicting estimates of export need to account for these systematic discrepancies created by differing depth horizon choices.

Impact of contact lens zone geometry and ocular optics on bifocal retinal image quality

PubMed Central

Bradley, Arthur; Nam, Jayoung; Xu, Renfeng; Harman, Leslie; Thibos, Larry

2014-01-01

Purpose To examine the separate and combined influences of zone geometry, pupil size, diffraction, apodisation and spherical aberration on the optical performance of concentric zonal bifocals. Methods Zonal bifocal pupil functions representing eye + ophthalmic correction were defined by interleaving wavefronts from separate optical zones of the bifocal. A two-zone design (a central circular inner zone surrounded by an annular outer-zone which is bounded by the pupil) and a five-zone design (a central small circular zone surrounded by four concentric annuli) were configured with programmable zone geometry, wavefront phase and pupil transmission characteristics. Using computational methods, we examined the effects of diffraction, Stiles Crawford apodisation, pupil size and spherical aberration on optical transfer functions for different target distances. Results Apodisation alters the relative weighting of each zone, and thus the balance of near and distance optical quality. When spherical aberration is included, the effective distance correction, add power and image quality depend on zone-geometry and Stiles Crawford Effect apodisation. When the outer zone width is narrow, diffraction limits the available image contrast when focused, but as pupil dilates and outer zone width increases, aberrations will limit the best achievable image quality. With two-zone designs, balancing near and distance image quality is not achieved with equal area inner and outer zones. With significant levels of spherical aberration, multi-zone designs effectively become multifocals. Conclusion Wave optics and pupil varying ocular optics significantly affect the imaging capabilities of different optical zones of concentric bifocals. With two-zone bifocal designs, diffraction, pupil apodisation spherical aberration, and zone size influence both the effective add power and the pupil size required to balance near and distance image quality. Five-zone bifocal designs achieve a high degree of pupil size independence, and thus will provide more consistent performance as pupil size varies with light level and convergence amplitude. PMID:24588552

On the wave forcing of the semi-annual zonal wind oscillation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagpal, O. P.; Raghavarao, R.

1991-01-01

Observational evidence of rather large period waves (23-60 d) in the troposphere/stratosphere, particularly during the winter months, is presented. Wind data collected on a regular basis employing high-altitude balloons and meteorological rockets over the past few years are used. Maximum entropy methods applied to the time series of zonal wind data indicate the presence of 23-60-waves more prominently than shorter-period waves. The waves have substantial amplitudes in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere, often larger than those noted in the troposphere. The mean zonal wind in the troposphere (5-15 km altitude) during December, January, and February exhibits the presence of strong westerlies at latitudes between 8 and 21 deg N.

Calculation of surface temperature and surface fluxes in the GLAS GOM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Abeles, J. A.

1981-01-01

Because the GLAS model's surface fluxes of sensible and latent heat exhibit strong 2 delta t oscillations at the individual grid points as well as in the zonal hemispheric averages and because a basic weakness of the GLAS model lower evaporation over oceans and higher evaporation over land in a typical monthly simulation, the GLAS model PBL parameterization was changed to calculate the mixed layer temperature gradient by solution of a quadratic equation for a stable PBL and by a curve fit relation for an unstable PBL. The new fluxes without any 2 delta t oscillation. Also, the geographical distributions of the surface fluxes are improved. The parameterization presented is incorporated into the new GLAS climate model. Some results which compare the evaporation over land and ocean between old and new calculations are appended.

Theoretical analyses of Baroclinic flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antar, B.

1982-01-01

A stability analysis of a thin horizontal rotating fluid layer which is subjected to arbitrary horizontal and vertical temperature gradients is presented. The basic state is a nonlinear Hadley cell which contains both Ekman and thermal boundary layers; it is given in closed form. The stability analysis is based on the linearized Navier-Stokes equations, and zonally symmetric perturbations in the form of waves propagating in the meridional direction are considered. Numerical methods were used for the stability problem. It was found that the instability sets in when the Richardson number is close to unity and that the critical Richardson number is a non-monotonic function of the Prandtl number. Further, it was found that the critical Richardson number decreases with increasing Ekman number until a critical value of the Ekman number is reached beyond which the fluid is stable.

Review of mixing length estimates and effects of toroidicity in a fluid model for turbulent transport in tokamaks

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

Weiland, J., E-mail: elfjw@chalmers.se

2016-05-15

Basic aspects of turbulent transport in toroidal magnetized plasmas are discussed. In particular the fluid closure has strong effects on zonal flows which are needed to create an absorbing boundary for long wave lengths and also to obtain the Dimits nonlinear upshift. The fluid resonance in the energy equation is found to be instrumental for generating the L–H transition, the spin-up of poloidal rotation in internal transport barriers, as well as the nonlinear Dimits upshift. The difference between the linearly fastest growing mode number and the corresponding longer nonlinear correlation length is also addressed. It is found that the Kadomtsevmore » mixing length result is consistent with the non-Markovian diagonal limit of the transport at the nonlinearly obtained correlation length.« less

MGS Radio Science Measurements of Atmospheric Dynamics on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, D. P.

2001-12-01

The Sun-synchronous, polar orbit of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) provides frequent opportunities for radio occultation sounding of the neutral atmosphere. The basic result of each experiment is a profile of pressure and temperature versus planetocentric radius and geopotential. More than 4000 profiles were obtained during the 687-day mapping phase of the mission, and additional observations are underway. These measurements allow detailed characterization of planetary-scale dynamics, including stationary planetary (or Rossby) waves and transient waves produced by instability. For example, both types of dynamics were observed near 67° S during midwinter of the southern hemisphere (Ls=134° --160° ). Planetary waves are the most prominent dynamical feature in this subset of data. At zonal wave number s=1, both the temperature and geopotential fields tilt westward with increasing height, as expected for vertically-propagating planetary waves forced at the surface. The wave-2 structure is more nearly barotropic. The amplitude in geopotential height at Ls=150° increases from ~200 m near the surface to ~700 m at 10 Pa. The corresponding meridional wind speed increases from ~5 m s-1 near the surface to ~20 m s-1 at 10 Pa. Traveling ``baroclinic'' waves also appear intermittently during this interval. The dominant mode has a period of ~2 sols, s=3, and a peak amplitude of ~7 K at 300 Pa. Stong zonal variations in eddy amplitude signal the presence of a possible ``storm zone'' at 150° --330° E longitude. This talk will include other examples of these phenomena as well as comparisons with computer simulations by a Martian general circulation model (MGCM).

How Does The Climate Change?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, R. N.

2011-12-01

In 1997, maximum temperature in SE Australia shifted up by 0.8°C at pH0<0.01. Rainfall decreased by 13% in 1997-2010 compared to 1900-1996. Statistically significant shifts also occur in impact indicators: baumé levels in winegrapes shift >21 days earlier from 1998, streamflow records decrease by 30-70% from 1997 and annual mean forest fire danger index increased by 38% from 1997. Despite catastrophic fires killing 178 people in early 2009, the public remains unaware of this large change in their exposure. When regional temperature was separated into internally and externally forced components, the latter component was found to warm in two steps, in 1968-73 and 1997. These dates coincide with shifts in zonal mean temperature (24-44S; Figure 1). Climate model output shows similar step and trend behavior. Tests run on zonal, hemispheric and global mean temperature observations found shifts in all regions. 1997 marks a shift in global temperature of 0.3°C at pH0<0.01. Similar shifts occur in long-term tide gauge records around the globe (e.g., Figure 2) and in ocean heat content. The prevailing paradigm for how climate variables change is signal-noise construct combining a smooth signal with variations caused by internal climate variability. There seems to be no sound theoretical basis for this assumption. On the contrary, complex system behavior would suggest non-linear responses to externally forced change, especially at the regional scale. Some of our most basic assumptions about how climate changes may need to be re-examined.

A one-dimensional model of the semiannual oscillation driven by convectively forced gravity waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sassi, Fabrizio; Garcia, Rolando R.

1994-01-01

A one-dimensional model that solves the time-dependent equations for the zonal mean wind and a wave of specified zonal wavenumber has been used to illustrate the ability of gravity waves forced by time-dependent tropospheric heating to produce a semiannual oscillation (SAO) in the middle atmosphere. When the heating has a strong diurnal cycle, as observed over tropical landmasses, gravity waves with zonal wavelengths of a few thousand kilometers and phase velocities in the range +/- 40-50 m/sec are excited efficiently by the maximum vertical projection criterion (vertical wavelength approximately equals 2 x forcing depth). Calculations show that these waves can account for large zonal mean wind accelerations in the middle atmosphere, resulting in realistic stratopause and mesopause oscillations. Calculations of the temporal evolution of a quasi-conserved tracer indicate strong down-welling in the upper stratosphere near the equinoxes, which is associated with the descent of the SAO westerlies. In the upper mesosphere, there is a semiannual oscillation in tracer mixing ratio driven by seasonal variability in eddy mixing, which increases at the solstices and decreases at the equinoxes.

Cloud Effects on Meridional Atmospheric Energy Budget Estimated from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kato, Seiji; Rose, Fred G.; Rutan, David A.; Charlock, Thomas P.

2008-01-01

The zonal mean atmospheric cloud radiative effect, defined as the difference of the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface cloud radiative effects, is estimated from three years of Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data. The zonal mean shortwave effect is small, though it tends to be positive (warming). This indicates that clouds increase shortwave absorption in the atmosphere, especially in midlatitudes. The zonal mean atmospheric cloud radiative effect is, however, dominated by the longwave effect. The zonal mean longwave effect is positive in the tropics and decreases with latitude to negative values (cooling) in polar regions. The meridional gradient of cloud effect between midlatitude and polar regions exists even when uncertainties in the cloud effect on the surface enthalpy flux and in the modeled irradiances are taken into account. This indicates that clouds increase the rate of generation of mean zonal available potential energy. Because the atmospheric cooling effect in polar regions is predominately caused by low level clouds, which tend to be stationary, we postulate that the meridional and vertical gradients of cloud effect increase the rate of meridional energy transport by dynamics in the atmosphere from midlatitude to polar region, especially in fall and winter. Clouds then warm the surface in polar regions except in the Arctic in summer. Clouds, therefore, contribute in increasing the rate of meridional energy transport from midlatitude to polar regions through the atmosphere.

Role of Atmospheric Transport on the Arctic Amplification: Adjusting Role

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KUG, J.; Yim, B.; Jin, F.

2013-12-01

It is controversial whether the atmospheric transport plays a role in arctic amplification. Recently, Hwang et al. (2011) showed that the magnitude of the arctic amplification is negatively correlated with anomalous poleward atmospheric transport. That is, when the arctic amplification is strong (weak), the atmospheric transport plays a negative (positive) role in the arctic amplification. In this study, it is discussed what is a physical mechanism to determine the role of atmospheric transport and relation with the arctic amplification. Here, we suggest adjusting roles of atmospheric transport. The strength of local feedback over the Arctic determines zonal wind changes. The zonal wind changes are determined by two factors. The first one is polar cap cooling, and second is surface warming. They play opposite roles. So, there will be two different zonal wind responses in high-latitude to the greenhouse warming. Depending on the zonal wind response, the atmospheric transport can play a different role because the zonal wind changes can organize synoptic eddy feedbacks including heat flux, which largely contributes to poleward energy transport. We show here that when polar cap cooling is strong, and surface warming over Arctic is relatively weak, the Jet stream tends to be shifted poleward, so it leads to poleward atmospheric transport. On the other hand, when the surface warming is too strong, it lead to southward shift of Jet stream and equatorward atmospheric transport, which paly a negative role in the Arctic amplification.

Numerical simulation of the geometrical-optics reduction of CE2 and comparisons to quasilinear dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Jeffrey B.

2018-05-01

Zonal flows have been observed to appear spontaneously from turbulence in a number of physical settings. A complete theory for their behavior is still lacking. Recently, a number of studies have investigated the dynamics of zonal flows using quasilinear (QL) theories and the statistical framework of a second-order cumulant expansion (CE2). A geometrical-optics (GO) reduction of CE2, derived under an assumption of separation of scales between the fluctuations and the zonal flow, is studied here numerically. The reduced model, CE2-GO, has a similar phase-space mathematical structure to the traditional wave-kinetic equation, but that wave-kinetic equation has been shown to fail to preserve enstrophy conservation and to exhibit an ultraviolet catastrophe. CE2-GO, in contrast, preserves nonlinear conservation of both energy and enstrophy. We show here how to retain these conservation properties in a pseudospectral simulation of CE2-GO. We then present nonlinear simulations of CE2-GO and compare with direct simulations of quasilinear (QL) dynamics. We find that CE2-GO retains some similarities to QL. The partitioning of energy that resides in the zonal flow is in good quantitative agreement between CE2-GO and QL. On the other hand, the length scale of the zonal flow does not follow the same qualitative trend in the two models. Overall, these simulations indicate that CE2-GO provides a simpler and more tractable statistical paradigm than CE2, but CE2-GO is missing important physics.

Planetary-Scale Inertio Gravity Waves in the Numerical Spectral Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayr, H. G.; Mengel, J. R.; Talaat, E. R.; Porter, H. S.

2004-01-01

In the polar region of the upper mesosphere, horizontal wind oscillations have been observed with periods around 10 hours. Waves with such a period are generated in our Numerical Spectral Model (NSM), and they are identified as planetary-scale inertio gravity waves (IGW). These IGWs have periods between 9 and 11 hours and appear above 60 km in the zonal mean (m = 0), as well as in zonal wavenumbers m = 1 to 4. The waves can propagate eastward and westward and have vertical wavelengths around 25 km. The amplitudes in the wind field are typically between 10 and 20 m/s and can reach 30 m/s in the westward propagating component for m = 1 at the poles. In the temperature perturbations, the wave amplitudes above 100 km are typically 5 K and as large as 10 K for m = 0 at the poles. The IGWs are intermittent but reveal systematic seasonal variations, with the largest amplitudes occurring generally in late winter and spring. In the NSM, the IGW are generated like the planetary waves (PW). They are produced apparently by the instabilities that arise in the zonal mean circulation. Relative to the PWs, however, the IGWs propagate zonally with much larger velocities, such that they are not affected much by interactions with the background zonal winds. Since the IGWs can propagate through the mesosphere without much interaction, except for viscous dissipation, one should then expect that they reach the thermosphere with significant and measurable amplitudes.

The Galileo probe Doppler wind experiment: Measurement of the deep zonal winds on Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkinson, David H.; Pollack, James B.; Seiff, Alvin

1998-09-01

During its descent into the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, the Galileo probe transmitted data to the orbiter for 57.5 min. Accurate measurements of the probe radio frequency, driven by an ultrastable oscillator, allowed an accurate time history of the probe motions to be reconstructed. Removal from the probe radio frequency profile of known Doppler contributions, including the orbiter trajectory, the probe descent velocity, and the rotation of Jupiter, left a measurable frequency residual due to Jupiter's zonal winds, and microdynamical motion of the probe from spin, swing under the parachute, atmospheric turbulence, and aerodynamic buffeting. From the assumption of the dominance of the zonal horizontal winds, the frequency residuals were inverted and resulted in the first in situ measurements of the vertical profile of Jupiter's deep zonal winds. A number of error sources with the capability of corrupting the frequency measurements or the interpretation of the frequency residuals were considered using reasonable assumptions and calibrations from prelaunch and in-flight testing. It is found that beneath the cloud tops (about 700 mbar) the winds are prograde and rise rapidly to 170 m/s at 4 bars. Beyond 4 bars to the depth at which the link with the probe was lost, nearly 21 bars, the winds remain constant and strong. Corrections for the high temperatures encountered by the probe have recently been completed and provide no evidence of diminishing or strengthening of the zonal wind profile in the deeper regions explored by the Galileo probe.

Drug policing assemblages: Repressive drug policies and the zonal banning of drug users in Denmark's club land.

PubMed

Søgaard, Thomas F; Houborg, Esben; Pedersen, Michael M

2017-03-01

Zonal banning of disorderly and intoxicated young people has moved to centre stage in debates about nightlife governance. Whereas existing research has primarily focused on the use of zonal banning orders to address problems of alcohol-related harm and disorder, this article highlights how zonal banning is also used to target drug-using clubbers in Denmark. Based on ethnographic observations and interviews with nightlife control agents in two Danish cities, the article aims to provide new insights into how the enforcement of national drug policies on drug-using clubbers, is shaped by plural nightlife policing complexes. The paper demonstrates how the policing of drug-using clubbers is a growing priority for both police and private security agents. The article also demonstrates how the enforcement of zonal bans on drug-using clubbers involves complex collaborative relations between police, venue owners and private security agents. The paper argues that a third-party policing perspective combined with assemblage theory is useful for highlighting how the enforcement of national drug policies and nightlife banning systems is shaped by their embeddedness in local 'drug policing assemblages' characterized by inter-agency relation-building, the creative combination of public and private (legal) resources and internal power struggles. It also provides evidence of how drug policing assemblages give rise to many different, and often surprising, forms of jurisdiction involving divergent performances of spaces-, objects- and authorities of governance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Diagnosis and application of a convective vorticity vector associated with convective systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, S.; Zhou, Y.; Tao, W.

2005-05-01

Although dry/moist potential vorticity is a very useful and powerful physical quantity in the large scale dynamics, it is not a quite ideal dynamical tool for the study of convective systems or severe storms. A new convective vorticity vector (CVV) is introduced in this study to identify the development of convective systems or severe storms. The daily Aviation (AVN) Model Data is used to diagnose the distribution of the CVV associated with rain storms occurred in the period of Meiyu in 1998. The results have clearly demonstrated that the CVV is an effective vector for indicating the convective actions along the Meiyu front. The CVV also is used to diagnose a 2-D cloud-resolving simulation data associated with 2-D tropical convection. The cloud model is forced by the vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal advection, and sea surface temperature obtained from the Tropical cean-Global tmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) and is integrated for a selected 10-day period. The CVV has zonal and vertical components in the 2-D x-z frame. Analysis of zonally averaged and mass-integrated quantities shows that the correlation coefficient between the vertical component of the CVV and the sum of the cloud hydrometeor mixing ratios is 0.81, whereas the correlation coefficient between the zonal component and the sum of the mixing ratios is only 0.18. This indicates that the vertical component of the CVV is closely associated with tropical convection. The tendency equation for the vertical component of the CVV is derived and the zonally averaged and mass-integrated tendency budgets are analyzed. The tendency of the vertical component of the CVV is determined by the interaction between the vorticity and the zonal gradient of cloud heating. The results demonstrate that the vertical component of the CVV is a cloud-linked parameter and can be used to study tropical convection.

Grid generation about complex three-dimensional aircraft configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klopfer, Goetz H.

1991-01-01

The problem of obtaining three dimensional grids with sufficient resolution to resolve all the flow or other physical features of interest is addressed. The generation of a computational grid involves a series of compromises to resolve several conflicting requirements. On one hand, one would like the grid to be fine enough and not too skewed to reduce the numerical errors and to adequately resolve the pertinent physical features of the flow field about the aircraft. On the other hand, the capabilities of present or even future supercomputers are finite and the number of mesh points must be limited to a reasonable number: one which is usually much less than desired for numerical accuracy. One technique to overcome this limitation is the 'zonal' grid approach. In this method, the overall field is subdivided into smaller zones or blocks in each of which an independent grid is generated with enough grid density to resolve the flow features in that zone. The zonal boundaries or interfaces require special boundary conditions such that the conservation properties of the governing equations are observed. Much work was done in 3-D zonal approaches with nonconservative zonal interfaces. A 3-D zonal conservative interfacing method that is efficient and easy to implement was developed during the past year. During the course of the work, it became apparent that it would be much more feasible to do the conservative interfacing with cell-centered finite volume codes instead of the originally planned finite difference codes. Accordingly, the CNS code was converted to finite volume form. This new version of the code is named CNSFV. The original multi-zonal interfacing capability of the CNS code was enhanced by generalizing the procedure to allow for completely arbitrarily shaped zones with no mesh continuity between the zones. While this zoning capability works well for most flow situations, it is, however, still nonconservative. The conservative interface algorithm was also implemented but was not completely validated.

Negative post sunset height rise of F layer: Causes and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Lalit Mohan; Patra, Amit

Post sunset height rise (PSHR) of the F layer is a manifestation of the pre reversal enhancement (PRE) of zonal electric field in the equatorial and low latitude ionosphere. Ionosonde observations, made during the equinox period from Sriharikota (13.7 degree North, 80.1 degree East, 6.7 degree North magnetic latitude), a low latitude station in India, have been utilized to study the PSHR of the F layer. Normally, the height of the F layer increases during the early post sunset period (positive PSHR) whose magnitude has a direct bearing on the equatorial spread F (ESF). However, observations revealed that on a few nights (about 3% nights) the height of the F layer descended in the early post sunset period itself, indicating the absence of PRE of zonal field. Such events have been termed as negative PSHR events. Such events never preceded ESF. Detailed investigations revealed that the negative PSHR events were accompanied by an enhancement of low latitude sporadic E (Es) activity with increase in the Es blanketing (fbEs) and top (ftEs) frequencies, during the post sunset period. Numerical simulations have been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the westward Pedersen and Hall conductivity gradients that exists in the low latitude E region during the evening hours, in causing the PRE of zonal field and the PSHR of the F layer. Model simulation reveals that the dominant cause of PRE of zonal field is the divergence of Hall current in the low latitude E region. When the zonal conductivity gradient of the low latitude E region was assumed to be either zero or slightly eastward, owing to the intensification of Es, model computation resulted in the negative PSHR of the F layer. Thus, the observational and computational results highlight the important role of the low latitude Es in the PRE of the zonal electric field.

A Preliminary Study on the Circulation of an ocean covering a Synchronously Rotating Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuo, H.; Ishiwatari, M.; Takehiro, S.; Hayashi, Y.; Nakajima, K.

2012-12-01

Recently, nearly 800 extrasolar planets have been detected. It seems that some of them present into habitable zone, in which planets can have ocean, and such planets rotate synchronously with their central stars. Ocean is necessary for life, and the circulation makes climate mild by heat transport on the earth. The earth is the only planet that has ocean in the solar system so that it has not been understood what oceanic circulation is like in another planets. The purpose of this study is prediction of oceanic circulation on extrasolar planets by using numerical simulation. As a first step, elementary consideration is made. The planet is almost entirely covered with ocean and whose rotation period corresponds with its orbital period. On synchronously rotating planets, the thermal contrast between day-hemisphere and night-hemisphere would be extreme. However, it may be lessend if there is significant zonal heat transport. The circulation in such conditions has not been known well. We performed a numerical experiment based on the linear shallow water equation, assuming that both the evaporation and the precipitation occur only on day-hemisphere (Noda et al., 2011). With these distributions of the evaporation and the precipitation, one may anticipate the circulation occurs in only day-hemisphere. However, the resulting calculation is characterized with zonally uniform zonal flow, which also covers night hemisphere. In addition, the intensity of the flow increases with time. That behavior can be understood by constructing asymptotic solution which is first degree in time. The importance of Coriolis force, which bends meridional flow to zonal flow, is identified. It is implied that, even when only day-hemisphere has the evaporation and precipitation, there may be significant amount of heat can be transported from the day-hemisphere to the night-hemisphere by the strong zonal flow. The growth of zonal flow would be stopped when the evaporation and the precipitation are balanced with mass transport in the bottom Ekman layer.

Investigations of the role of nonlinear couplings in structure formation and transport regulation in plasma turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holland, Christopher George

Studies of nonlinear couplings and dynamics in plasma turbulence are presented. Particular areas of focus are analytic studies of coherent structure formation in electron temperature gradient turbulence, measurement of nonlinear energy transfer in simulations of plasma turbulence, and bispectral analysis of experimental and computational data. The motivation for these works has been to develop and expand the existing theories of plasma transport, and verify the nonlinear predictions of those theories in simulation and experiment. In Chapter II, we study electromagnetic secondary instabilities of electron temperature gradient turbulence. The growth rate for zonal flow generation via modulational instability of electromagnetic ETG turbulence is calculated, as well as that for zonal (magnetic) field generation. In Chapter III, the stability and saturation of streamers in ETG turbulence is considered, and shown to depend sensitively upon geometry and the damping rates of the Kelvin-Helmholtz mode. Requirements for a credible theory of streamer transport are presented. In addition, a self-consistent model for interactions between ETG and ITG (ion temperature gradient) turbulence is presented. In Chapter IV, the nonlinear transfer of kinetic and internal energy is measured in simulations of plasma turbulence. The regulation of turbulence by radial decorrelation due to zonal flows and generation of zonal flows via the Reynolds stress are explicitly demonstrated, and shown to be symmetric facets of a single nonlinear process. Novel nonlinear saturation mechanisms for zonal flows are discussed. In Chapter V, measurements of fluctuation bicoherence in the edge of the DIII-D tokamak are presented. It is shown that the bicoherence increases transiently before a L-H transition, and decays to its initial value after the barrier has formed. The increase in bicoherence is localized to the region where the transport barrier forms, and shows strong coupling between well-separated frequencies. These results are qualitatively reproduced in a simple numerical "thought experiment," described in Chapter VI, which suggests that zonal flows may trigger the L-H transition.

Modeling Study of Planetary Waves in the Mesosphere Lower Thermosphere (MLT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mengel, J. G.; Mayr, H. g.; Drob, D.; Porter, H. S.; Hines, C. O.

2003-01-01

For comparison with measurements from the TIMED satellite and coordinated ground based observations, we present results from our Numerical Spectral Model (NSM) that incorporates the Doppler Spread Parameterization (Hines, 1997) for small-scale gravity waves (GWs). We discuss the planetary waves (PWs) that are purely generated by dynamical interactions, i.e., without explicitly specifying excitation sources related for example to tropospheric convection or topography. With tropospheric heating that reproduces the observed zonal jets near the tropopause and the accompanying reversal in the latitudinal temperature variation, which is conducive to baroclinic instability, long period PWs are produced that propagate up into the stratosphere to affect the wave driven equatorial oscillations (QBO and SAO) extending into the upper mesosphere. The PWs in the model that dominate higher up in the MLT region, however, are to a large extent produced by instabilities under the influence of the zonal circulation and temperature variations in the middle atmosphere and they are amplified by GW interactions. Three classes of PWs are generated there. (1) Rossby waves that slowly propagate westward but are carried by the zonal mean (m = 0) winds to produce eastward and westward propagating PWs respectively in the winter and summer hemispheres below 80 km. Depending on the zonal wave number and magnitudes of the zonal winds under the influence of the equatorial oscillations, the PWs typically have periods between 2 and 20 days and their horizontal wind amplitudes can exceed 40 m/s in the lower mesosphere. (2) Rossby gravity waves that propagate westward at low latitudes, having periods around 2 days for zonal wave numbers m = 2 to 4. (3) Eastward propagating equatorial Kelvin waves generated in the upper mesosphere with periods between 2 and 3 days for m = 1 & 2. The seasonal variations of the PWs reveal that the largest wind amplitudes tend to occur below 80 km in the winter hemisphere, but above that altitude in the summer hemisphere to approach magnitudes as large as 50 m/s.

Unit Planning Grids for Music: Grade 9-12 Basic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware State Dept. of Education, Dover.

This unit planning grid outlines the expectations of Delaware high school students for basic music studies. The grid identifies nine standards for music: (1) students will sing, independently and with others, a varied repertoire of music; (2) students will perform on instruments, independently and with others, a varied repertoire of music; (3)…

Characteristics and Mechanisms of Zonal Oscillation of Western Pacific Subtropical High in Summer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, W.; Ren, X.; Hu, H.

2017-12-01

The zonal oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) influences the weather and climate over East Asia significantly. This study investigates the features and mechanisms of the zonal oscillation of the WPSH during summer on subseasonal time scales. The zonal oscillation index of the WPSH is defined by normalized subseasonal geopotential height anomaly at 500hPa averaged over the WPSH's western edge (110° - 140°E, 10° - 30°N). The index shows a predominant oscillation with a period of 10-40 days. Large positive index indicates a strong anticyclonic anomaly over East Asia and its coastal region south of 30°N at both 850hPa and 500hPa. The WPSH stretches more westward accompanied by warmer SST anomalies beneath the western edge of the WPSH. Meanwhile, above-normal precipitation is seen over the Yangtze-Huaihe river basin and below-normal precipitation over the south of the Yangtze River. Negative index suggests a more eastward position of WPSH. The anomalies in circulation and SST for negative index are almost the mirror image of those for the positive index. In early summer, the zonal shift of the WPSH is affected by both the East Asia/Pacific (EAP) teleconnection pattern and the Silk road pattern (SRP). The positive (negative) phase of the EAP pattern is characterized by a low-level anticyclonic (cyclonic) anomaly over the subtropical western Pacific, indicating the western extension (eastward retreat) of the WPSH. Comparing with the EAP pattern, the SRP forms an upper-level anticyclonic (cyclonic) anomaly in mid-latitudes of East Asia, and then leads to the westward (eastward) movement of the WPSH. In late summer, the zonal shift of the WPSH is mainly affected by the EAP pattern, because the EAP pattern in late summer is stronger than that in early summer. The zonal shift of the WPSH is also influenced by the subseasonal air-sea interaction locally. During the early stage of WPSH's westward stretch, the local SST anomaly in late summer is colder than that in early summer. This forms a more favorable condition for the increasing of local anticyclonic anomaly. Thus, the anticyclonic anomaly in late summer is stronger than that in early summer.

Spatio-temporal evolutions of non-orthogonal equatorial wave modes derived from observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Cory

Equatorial waves have been studied extensively due to their importance to the tropical climate and weather systems. Historically, their activity is diagnosed mainly in the wavenumber-frequency domain. Recently, many studies have projected observational data onto parabolic cylinder functions (PCFs), which represent the meridional structure of individual wave modes, to attain time-dependent spatial wave structures. The non-orthogonality of wave modes has yet posed a problem when attempting to separate data into wave fields where the waves project onto the same structure functions. We propose the development and application of a new methodology for equatorial wave expansion of instantaneous flows using the full equatorial wave spectrum. By creating a mapping from the meridional structure function amplitudes to the equatorial wave class amplitudes, we are able to diagnose instantaneous wave fields and determine their evolution. Because all meridional modes are shared by some subset of the wave classes, we require constraints on the wave class amplitudes to yield a closed system with a unique solution for all waves' spatial structures, including IG waves. A synthetic field is analyzed using this method to determine its accuracy for data of a single vertical mode. The wave class spectra diagnosed using this method successfully match the correct dispersion curves even if the incorrect depth is chosen for the spatial decomposition. In the case of more than one depth scale, waves with varying equivalent depth may be similarly identified using the dispersion curves. The primary vertical mode is the 200 m equivalent depth mode, which is that of the peak projection response. A distinct spectral power peak along the Kelvin wave dispersion curve for this value validates our choice of equivalent depth, although the possibility of depth varying with time and height is explored. The wave class spectra diagnosed assuming this depth scale mostly match their expected dispersion curves, showing that this method successfully partitions the wave spectra by calculating wave amplitudes in physical space. This is particularly striking because the time evolution, and therefore the frequency characteristics, is determined simply by a timeseries of independently-diagnosed instantaneous horizontal fields. We use the wave fields diagnosed by this method to study wave evolution in the context of the stratospheric QBO of zonal wind, confirming the continuous evolution of the selection mechanism for equatorial waves in the middle atmosphere. The amplitude cycle synchronized with the background zonal wind as predicted by QBO theory is present in the wave class fields even though the dynamics are not forced by the method itself. We have additionally identified a time-evolution of the zonal wavenumber spectrum responsible for the amplitude variability in physical space. Similar to the temporal characteristics, the vertical structures are also the result of a simple height cross-section through multiple independently-diagnosed levels.

Limitations in transmitter-receiver distances for terrestrial microwave transmissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Njau, E. C.

1990-12-01

Directional microwave repeater systems are still in significant use for radio-telephone communications as well as terrestrial TV transmissions. In these systems, the optimally maximum distance D(sub 0) between one transmitter and the next repeater-receiver partly depends on meteorological conditions since the refractive index n for microwaves is considerably influenced by these conditions. We show that, under dry atmospheric conditions, certain zonally travelling heat/temperature waves which are normally in the weather/climate system significantly vary n and hence inevitably impose specific conditions on the evaluation of D(sub 0). Finally we use some Tanzanian meteorological records to arrive at an expression for D(sub 0) that is suitable for regions whose meteorological conditions are comparable to those in Tanzania.

Tropical stratospheric water vapor measured by the microwave limb sounder (MLS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carr, E. S.; Harwood, R. S.; Mote, P. W.; Peckham, G. E.; Suttie, R. A.; Lahoz, W. A.; O'Neill, A.; Froidevaux, L.; Jarnot, R. F.; Read, W. G.

1995-01-01

The lower stratospheric variability of equatorial water vapor, measured by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), follows an annual cycle modulated by the quasi-biennial oscillation. At levels higher in the stratosphere, water vapor measurements exhibit a semi-annual oscillatory signal with the largest amplitudes at 2.2 and 1hPa. Zonal-mean cross sections of MLS water vapor are consistent with previous satellite measurements from the limb infrared monitor of the stratosphere (LIMS) and the stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment 2 (SAGE 2) instruments in that they show water vapor increasing upwards and the polewards from a well defined minimum in the tropics. The minimum values vary in height between the retrieved 46 and 22hPa pressure levels.

Isolation of Intact Chloroplasts from Euglena gracilis by Zonal Centrifugation 1

PubMed Central

Vasconcelos, Aurea; Pollack, Marilyn; Mendiola, Leticia R.; Hoffmann, H.-P.; Brown, D. H.; Price, C. A.

1971-01-01

Chloroplasts were separated from Euglena gracilis by zonal centrifugation at low speed in density gradients of Ficoll or dextran. The chloroplasts were intact by the criteria of ultrastructure and their content of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase and soluble protein. The chloroplasts also contained ribosomes and ribosomal RNA uncontaminated by the corresponding cytoplasmic particles. Images PMID:16657599

Fluidized bed selective pyrolysis of coal

DOEpatents

Shang, J.Y.; Cha, C.Y.; Merriam, N.W.

1992-12-15

The present invention discloses a process for the pyrolysis of coal which comprises the effective utilization of two zonal inclined fluidized beds, where said zones can be selectively controlled as to temperature and heating rate. The first zonal inclined fluidized bed serves as a dryer for crushed coal and additionally is controlled to selectively pyrolyze said coal producing substantially carbon dioxide for recycle use. The second zonal inclined fluidized bed further pyrolyses the coal to gaseous, liquid and char products under controlled temperature and heating rate zones designed to economically integrate the product mix. The gas and liquid products are recovered from the gaseous effluent stream while the char which remains can be further treated or utilized in a subsequent process step. 9 figs.

Fluidized bed selective pyrolysis of coal

DOEpatents

Shang, Jer Y.; Cha, Chang Y.; Merriam, Norman W.

1992-01-01

The present invention discloses a process for the pyrolysis of coal which comprises the effective utilization of two zonal inclined fluidized beds, where said zones can be selectively controlled as to temperature and heating rate. The first zonal inclined fluidized bed serves as a dryer for crushed coal and additionally is controlled to selectively pyrolyze said coal producing substantially carbon dioxide for recycle use. The second zonal inclined fluidized bed further pyrolyzes the coal to gaseous, liquid and char products under controlled temperature and heating rate zones designed to economically integrate the product mix. The gas and liquid products are recovered from the gaseous effluent stream while the char which remains can be further treated or utilized in a subsequent process step.

A comparison of the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II tropospheric water vapor to radiosonde measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, J. C.; Chiou, E. W.; Chu, W. P.; Mccormick, M. P.; Mcmaster, L. R.; Oltmans, S.; Rind, D.

1993-01-01

Results are presented of a comparison beteen observations of the upper-tropospheric water vapor data obtained from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) instrument and radiosonde observations for 1987 and radiosonde-based climatologies. Colocated SAGE II-radiosonde measurement pairs are compared individually and in a zonal mean sense. A straight comparison of monthly zonal means between SAGE II and radiosondes for 1987 and Global Atmospheric Statistics (1963-1973) indicates that the clear-sky SAGE II climatology is approximately half the level of clear/cloudy sky of both radiosonde climatologies. Annual zonal means calculated from the set of profile pairs again showed SAGE II to be significantly drier in many altitude bands.

Direct phase measurement in zonal wavefront reconstruction using multidither coherent optical adaptive technique.

PubMed

Liu, Rui; Milkie, Daniel E; Kerlin, Aaron; MacLennan, Bryan; Ji, Na

2014-01-27

In traditional zonal wavefront sensing for adaptive optics, after local wavefront gradients are obtained, the entire wavefront can be calculated by assuming that the wavefront is a continuous surface. Such an approach will lead to sub-optimal performance in reconstructing wavefronts which are either discontinuous or undersampled by the zonal wavefront sensor. Here, we report a new method to reconstruct the wavefront by directly measuring local wavefront phases in parallel using multidither coherent optical adaptive technique. This method determines the relative phases of each pupil segment independently, and thus produces an accurate wavefront for even discontinuous wavefronts. We implemented this method in an adaptive optical two-photon fluorescence microscopy and demonstrated its superior performance in correcting large or discontinuous aberrations.

Zonal drift velocities of the ionospheric plasma bubbles over brazilian region using oi630nm airglow digital images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arruda, D. C. S.; Sobral, J. H. A.; Abdu, M. A.; Castilho, V. M.; Takahashi, H.

The zonal drift velocities of the ionospheric plasma bubbles over the Brazilian region are analyzed in this study that is based on OI630nm airglow digital images. These digital images were obtained by an all-sky imager system between October 1998 and August 2000, at Cachoeira Paulista (22.5°S, 45°W), a low latitude region. In this period, 138 nights of OI 630 nm airglow experiments were carried out of which 30 nights detected the ionospheric plasma bubbles. These 30 nights correspond to magnetically quiet days (ΣK_P<24+) and were grouped according approximately to their season. KEY WORDS: Imager System, Ionospheric Plasma Bubbles, Zonal drift velocities, OI630nm.

Zonal wavefront sensing using a grating array printed on a polyester film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Biswajit; Kumar, Suraj; Boruah, Bosanta R.

2015-12-01

In this paper, we describe the development of a zonal wavefront sensor that comprises an array of binary diffraction gratings realized on a transparent sheet (i.e., polyester film) followed by a focusing lens and a camera. The sensor works in a manner similar to that of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The fabrication of the array of gratings is immune to certain issues associated with the fabrication of the lenslet array which is commonly used in zonal wavefront sensing. Besides the sensing method offers several important advantages such as flexible dynamic range, easy configurability, and option to enhance the sensing frame rate. Here, we have demonstrated the working of the proposed sensor using a proof-of-principle experimental arrangement.

Modeling the zonal disintegration of rocks near deep level tunnels by gradient internal variable continuous phase transition theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haoxiang, Chen; Qi, Chengzhi; Peng, Liu; Kairui, Li; Aifantis, Elias C.

2015-12-01

The occurrence of alternating damage zones surrounding underground openings (commonly known as zonal disintegration) is treated as a "far from thermodynamic equilibrium" dynamical process or a nonlinear continuous phase transition phenomenon. The approach of internal variable gradient theory with diffusive transport, which may be viewed as a subclass of Landau's phase transition theory, is adopted. The order parameter is identified with an irreversible strain quantity, the gradient of which enters into the expression for the free energy of the rock system. The gradient term stabilizes the material behavior in the post-softening regime, where zonal disintegration occurs. The results of a simplified linearized analysis are confirmed by the numerical solution of the nonlinear problem.

Linear simulation of the stationary eddies in a GCM. II - The 'Mountain' model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nigam, Sumant; Held, Isaac M.; Lyons, Steven W.

1988-01-01

Linear stationary wave theory is used to account for zonal asymmetries of the winter-averaged tropospheric circulation obtained in a GCM. The eddy zonal velocity field in the upper troposphere indicates that the orographic and thermal plus transient contributions are nearly equal in amplitude, while the eddy meridional velocity field (which is dominated by shorter zonal scales) shows the orographic contribution to be dominant. The two contributions are found to be roughly in phase over the east Asian coast, and they contribute roughly equal amounts to the low level Siberian high. Results indicate that the 300 mb extratropical response to tropical forcing reaches 50 gpm over Alaska, and that the responses to sensible heating and lower tropospheric transients are strongly anticorrelated.

Influence of Venus topography on the zonal wind and UV albedo at cloud top level: The role of stationary gravity waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Khatuntsev, I. V.; Hauchecorne, A.; Markiewicz, W. J.; Marcq, E.; Lebonnois, S.; Patsaeva, M.; Turin, A.; Fedorova, A.

2016-06-01

Based on the analysis of UV images (at 365 nm) of Venus cloud top (altitude 67 ± 2 km) collected with Venus Monitoring Camera on board Venus Express (VEX), it is found that the zonal wind speed south of the equator (from 5°S to 15°S) shows a conspicuous variation (from -101 to -83 m/s) with geographic longitude of Venus, correlated with the underlying relief of Aphrodite Terra. We interpret this pattern as the result of stationary gravity waves produced at ground level by the uplift of air when the horizontal wind encounters a mountain slope. These waves can propagate up to the cloud top level, break there, and transfer their momentum to the zonal flow. Such upward propagation of gravity waves and influence on the wind speed vertical profile was shown to play an important role in the middle atmosphere of the Earth by Lindzen (1981) but is not reproduced in the current GCM of Venus atmosphere from LMD. (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique) In the equatorial regions, the UV albedo at 365 nm varies also with longitude. We argue that this variation may be simply explained by the divergence of the horizontal wind field. In the longitude region (from 60° to -10°) where the horizontal wind speed is increasing in magnitude (stretch), it triggers air upwelling which brings the UV absorber at cloud top level and decreases the albedo and vice versa when the wind is decreasing in magnitude (compression). This picture is fully consistent with the classical view of Venus meridional circulation, with upwelling at equator revealed by horizontal air motions away from equator: the longitude effect is only an additional but important modulation of this effect. This interpretation is comforted by a recent map of cloud top H2O, showing that near the equator the lower UV albedo longitude region is correlated with increased H2O. We argue that H2O enhancement is the sign of upwelling, suggesting that the UV absorber is also brought to cloud top by upwelling.

Observed longitude variations of zonal wind, UV albedo and H2O at Venus cloud top level: the role of stationary gravity waves generated by Venus topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Hauchecorne, Alain; khatuntsev, Igor; Markiewicz, Wojciech; Marcq, emmanuel; Lebonnois, Sebastien; Patsaeva, Marina; Turin, Alexander; Fedorova, Anna

2016-10-01

Based on the analysis of UV images (at 365 nm) of Venus cloud top (altitude 67±2 km) collected with VMC (Venus Monitoring Camera) on board Venus Express (VEX), it is found that the zonal wind speed south of the equator (from 5°S to 15°S) shows a conspicuous variation (from -101 to -83 m/s) with geographic longitude of Venus, correlated with the underlying relief of Aphrodite Terra. We interpret this pattern as the result of stationary gravity waves produced at ground level by the up lift of air when the horizontal wind encounters a mountain slope. These waves can propagate up to the cloud top level, break there and transfer their momentum to the zonal flow. Such upward propagation of gravity waves and influence on the wind speed vertical profile was shown to play an important role in the middle atmosphere of the Earth but is not reproduced in the current GCM of Venus atmosphere from LMD.In the equatorial regions, the UV albedo of clouds at 365 nm and the H2O mixing ratio at cloud top varies also with longitude, with an anti-correlation: the more H2O, the darker are the clouds. We argue that these variations may be simply explained by the divergence of the horizontal wind field. In the longitude region (from 60° to -10°) where the horizontal wind speed is increasing in magnitude (stretch), it triggers air upwelling which brings both the UV absorber and H2O at cloud top level and decreases the albedo, and vice-versa when the wind is decreasing in magnitude (compression). This picture is fully consistent with the classical view of Venus meridional circulation, with upwelling at equator revealed by horizontal air motions away from equator: the longitude effect is only an additional but important modulation of this effect. We argue that H2O enhancement is the sign of upwelling because the H2O mixing ratio decreases with altitude, comforting the view that the UV absorber is also brought to cloud top by upwelling.

Applications of non-standard maximum likelihood techniques in energy and resource economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moeltner, Klaus

Two important types of non-standard maximum likelihood techniques, Simulated Maximum Likelihood (SML) and Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PML), have only recently found consideration in the applied economic literature. The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate how these methods can be successfully employed in the analysis of energy and resource models. Chapter I focuses on SML. It constitutes the first application of this technique in the field of energy economics. The framework is as follows: Surveys on the cost of power outages to commercial and industrial customers usually capture multiple observations on the dependent variable for a given firm. The resulting pooled data set is censored and exhibits cross-sectional heterogeneity. We propose a model that addresses these issues by allowing regression coefficients to vary randomly across respondents and by using the Geweke-Hajivassiliou-Keane simulator and Halton sequences to estimate high-order cumulative distribution terms. This adjustment requires the use of SML in the estimation process. Our framework allows for a more comprehensive analysis of outage costs than existing models, which rely on the assumptions of parameter constancy and cross-sectional homogeneity. Our results strongly reject both of these restrictions. The central topic of the second Chapter is the use of PML, a robust estimation technique, in count data analysis of visitor demand for a system of recreation sites. PML has been popular with researchers in this context, since it guards against many types of mis-specification errors. We demonstrate, however, that estimation results will generally be biased even if derived through PML if the recreation model is based on aggregate, or zonal data. To countervail this problem, we propose a zonal model of recreation that captures some of the underlying heterogeneity of individual visitors by incorporating distributional information on per-capita income into the aggregate demand function. This adjustment eliminates the unrealistic constraint of constant income across zonal residents, and thus reduces the risk of aggregation bias in estimated macro-parameters. The corrected aggregate specification reinstates the applicability of PML. It also increases model efficiency, and allows-for the generation of welfare estimates for population subgroups.

Seasonally-varying mechanical impact of the Tibetan Plateau on the South Asian Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordoni, S.; Park, H.

2011-12-01

Land-sea thermal contrast and heating of the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau have long been considered the main driving of the large-scale South-Asian monsoon circulation. Recent works (e.g., Bordoni and Schneider 2008, Boos and Kuang 2010) have challenged this prevailing view, by suggesting that monsoons can occur even in the absence of zonal inhomogeneities and that the Tibetan Plateau might be acting more as a mechanical obstacle to the circulation than as its main heat source. Elucidating the role of land-sea contrast and of the Tibetan Plateau on the current South Asian climate is the first step to understand how this might have evolved on geological time-scales and how it might respond to changing radiative forcing and land surface conditions in future decades. In this work, we examine the mechanical impact of the Tibetan Plateau on the South Asian monsoon in a hierarchy of atmospheric general circulations models. During the pre-monsoon season and monsoon onset (April-May-June), when westerlies over the southern Tibetan Plateau are still strong, the Tibetan Plateau triggers early monsoon rainfall downstream. The downstream moist convection is accompanied by strong monsoonal low-level winds and subsidence upstream of the Tibetan Plateau. In experiments where the Tibetan Plateau is removed, monsoon onset occurs about one month later, but the circulation becomes progressively stronger and reaches comparable strength during the mature phase. During the mature and decaying phase of the monsoon (July-August-September), when westerlies over the southern Tibetan Plateau almost disappear, the strength of the monsoon circulation is largely unaffected by the presence of the Plateau. A dry dynamical core with east-west oriented narrow mountains in the subtropics consistently simulates downstream convergence with background zonal westerlies over the mountain range. In a moist atmosphere, the mechanically-driven downstream convergence is expected to be associated with significant moisture convergence. We argue that the mechanically-driven downstream convergence in the presence of the Tibetan Plateau is responsible for the zonally asymmetric monsoon onset, particularly over the Bay of Bengal and South China.

Modeling the effects of UV variability and the QBO on the troposphere-stratosphere system. Part I: The middle atmosphere

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

Balachandran, N.K.; Rind, D.

1995-08-01

Results of experiments with a GCM involving changes in UV input ({plus_minus}25%, {plus_minus}10%, {plus_minus}5% at wavelengths below 0.3 {mu}m) and simulated equatorial QBO are presented, with emphasis on the middle atmosphere response. The UV forcing employed is larger than observed during the last solar cycle and does not vary with wavelength, hence the relationship of these results to those from actual solar UV forcing should be treated with caution. The QBO alters the location of the zero wind line and the horizontal shear of the zonal wind in the low to middle stratosphere, while the UV change alters the magnitudemore » of the polar jet and the vertical shear of the zonal wind. Both mechanisms thus affect planetary wave propagation. The east phase of the QBO leads to tropical cooling and high-latitude warming in the lower stratosphere, with opposite effects in the upper stratosphere. This quadrupole pattern is also seen in the observations. The high-latitude responses are due to altered planetary wave effects, while the model`s tropical response in the upper stratosphere is due to gravity wave drag. Increased UV forcing warms tropical latitudes in the middle atmosphere, resulting in stronger extratropical west winds, an effect which peaks in the upper stratosphere/lower mesosphere with the more extreme UV forcing but at lower altitudes and smaller wind variations with the more realistic forcing. The increased vertical gradient of the zonal wind leads to increased vertical propagation of planetary waves, altering energy convergences and temperatures. The exact altitudes affected depend upon the UV forcing applied. Results with combined QBO and UV forcing show that in the Northern Hemisphere, polar warming for the east QBO is stronger when the UV input is reduced by 25% and 5% as increased wave propagation to high latitudes (east QBO effect) is prevented from then propagating vertically (reduced UV effect). 30 refs., 14 figs., 6 tabs.« less

Climatology and interannual variability of dynamic variables in multiple reanalyses evaluated by the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Craig S.; Fujiwara, Masatomo; Davis, Sean; Mitchell, Daniel M.; Wright, Corwin J.

2017-12-01

Two of the most basic parameters generated from a reanalysis are temperature and winds. Temperatures in the reanalyses are derived from conventional (surface and balloon), aircraft, and satellite observations. Winds are observed by conventional systems, cloud tracked, and derived from height fields, which are in turn derived from the vertical temperature structure. In this paper we evaluate as part of the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) the temperature and wind structure of all the recent and past reanalyses. This evaluation is mainly among the reanalyses themselves, but comparisons against independent observations, such as HIRDLS and COSMIC temperatures, are also presented. This evaluation uses monthly mean and 2.5° zonal mean data sets and spans the satellite era from 1979-2014. There is very good agreement in temperature seasonally and latitudinally among the more recent reanalyses (CFSR, MERRA, ERA-Interim, JRA-55, and MERRA-2) between the surface and 10 hPa. At lower pressures there is increased variance among these reanalyses that changes with season and latitude. This variance also changes during the time span of these reanalyses with greater variance during the TOVS period (1979-1998) and less variance afterward in the ATOVS period (1999-2014). There is a distinct change in the temperature structure in the middle and upper stratosphere during this transition from TOVS to ATOVS systems. Zonal winds are in greater agreement than temperatures and this agreement extends to lower pressures than the temperatures. Older reanalyses (NCEP/NCAR, NCEP/DOE, ERA-40, JRA-25) have larger temperature and zonal wind disagreement from the more recent reanalyses. All reanalyses to date have issues analysing the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) winds. Comparisons with Singapore QBO winds show disagreement in the amplitude of the westerly and easterly anomalies. The disagreement with Singapore winds improves with the transition from TOVS to ATOVS observations. Temperature bias characteristics determined via comparisons with a reanalysis ensemble mean (MERRA, ERA-Interim, JRA-55) are similarly observed when compared with Aura HIRDLS and Aura MLS observations. There is good agreement among the NOAA TLS, SSU1, and SSU2 Climate Data Records and layer mean temperatures from the more recent reanalyses. Caution is advised for using reanalysis temperatures for trend detection and anomalies from a long climatology period as the quality and character of reanalyses may have changed over time.

Neptune Long-Lived Atmospheric Features in 2013 - 2015 from Small (28-cm) to Large (10-m) Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hueso, R.; de Pater, I.; Simon, A.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Delcroix, M.; Wong, M. H.; Tollefson, J. W.; Baranec, C.; de Kleer, K.; Luszcz-Cook, S. H.;

Climate model diversity in the Northern Hemisphere Polar vortex response to climate change.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, I.; Seager, R.; Hitchcock, P.; Cohen, N.

2017-12-01

Global climate models vary widely in their predictions of the future of the Northern Hemisphere stratospheric polar vortex, with some showing a significant strengthening of the vortex, some showing a significant weakening and others displaying a response that is not outside of the range expected from internal variability alone. This inter-model spread in stratospheric predictions may account for some inter-model spread in tropospheric predictions with important implications for the storm tracks and regional climate change, particularly for the North Atlantic sector. Here, our current state of understanding of this model spread and its tropospheric impacts will be reviewed. Previous studies have proposed relationships between a models polar vortex response to climate change and its present day vortex climatology while others have demonstrated links between a models polar vortex response and changing wave activity coming up from the troposphere below under a warming climate. The extent to which these mechanisms can account for the spread in polar vortex changes exhibited by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5 models will be assessed. In addition, preliminary results from a series of idealized experiments with the Community Atmosphere Model will be presented. In these experiments, nudging of the stratospheric zonal mean state has been imposed to mimic the inter-model spread in the polar vortex response to climate change so that the downward influence of the spread in zonal mean stratospheric responses on the tropospheric circulation can be assessed within one model.

Inter-model Diversity of ENSO simulation and its relation to basic states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kug, J. S.; Ham, Y. G.

2016-12-01

In this study, a new methodology is developed to improve the climate simulation of state-of-the-art coupledglobal climate models (GCMs), by a postprocessing based on the intermodel diversity. Based on the closeconnection between the interannual variability and climatological states, the distinctive relation between theintermodel diversity of the interannual variability and that of the basic state is found. Based on this relation,the simulated interannual variabilities can be improved, by correcting their climatological bias. To test thismethodology, the dominant intermodel difference in precipitation responses during El Niño-SouthernOscillation (ENSO) is investigated, and its relationship with climatological state. It is found that the dominantintermodel diversity of the ENSO precipitation in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP5) is associated with the zonal shift of the positive precipitation center during El Niño. This dominantintermodel difference is significantly correlated with the basic states. The models with wetter (dryer) climatologythan the climatology of the multimodel ensemble (MME) over the central Pacific tend to shift positiveENSO precipitation anomalies to the east (west). Based on the model's systematic errors in atmosphericENSO response and bias, the models with better climatological state tend to simulate more realistic atmosphericENSO responses.Therefore, the statistical method to correct the ENSO response mostly improves the ENSO response. Afterthe statistical correction, simulating quality of theMMEENSO precipitation is distinctively improved. Theseresults provide a possibility that the present methodology can be also applied to improving climate projectionand seasonal climate prediction.

The Variability of the Horizontal Circulation in the Troposphere and Stratosphere: A Comparison

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perlwitz, Judith; Graf, Hans-F.; Hansem, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The variability of the horizontal circulation in the stratosphere and troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) is compared by using various approaches. Spatial degrees of freedom (dof) on different time scales were derived. Modes of variability were computed in geopotential height fields at the tropospheric and stratospheric pressure levels by applying multivariate statistical approaches. Features of the spatial and temporal variability of the winterly zonal wind were studied with the help of recurrence and persistence analyses. The geopotential height and zonally-averaged zonal wind at the 50-, 500- and 1000-hPa level are used to investigate the behavior of the horizontal circulation in the lower stratosphere, mid-troposphere and at the near surface level, respectively. It is illustrated that the features of the variability of the horizontal circulation are very similar in the mid-troposphere and at the near surface level. Due to the filtering of tropospheric disturbances by the stratospheric and upper tropospheric zonal mean flow, the variability of the stratospheric circulation exhibits less spatial complexity than the circulation at tropospheric pressure levels. There exist enormous differences in the number of degrees of freedom (or free variability modes) between both atmospheric layers. Results of the analyses clearly show that the concept of a zonally symmetric AO with a simple structure in the troposphere similar to the one in the stratosphere is not valid. It is concluded that the spatially filtered climate change signal can be detected earlier in the stratosphere than in the mid-troposphere or at the near surface level.

The role of the winter residual circulation in the summer mesopause regions in WACCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanne Kuilman, Maartje; Karlsson, Bodil

2018-03-01

High winter planetary wave activity warms the summer polar mesopause via a link between the two hemispheres. Complex wave-mean-flow interactions take place on a global scale, involving sharpening and weakening of the summer zonal flow. Changes in the wind shear occasionally generate flow instabilities. Additionally, an altering zonal wind modifies the breaking of vertically propagating gravity waves. A crucial component for changes in the summer zonal flow is the equatorial temperature, as it modifies latitudinal gradients. Since several mechanisms drive variability in the summer zonal flow, it can be hard to distinguish which one is dominant. In the mechanism coined interhemispheric coupling, the mesospheric zonal flow is suggested to be a key player for how the summer polar mesosphere responds to planetary wave activity in the winter hemisphere. We here use the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) to investigate the role of the summer stratosphere in shaping the conditions of the summer polar mesosphere. Using composite analyses, we show that in the absence of an anomalous summer mesospheric temperature gradient between the equator and the polar region, weak planetary wave forcing in the winter would lead to a warming of the summer mesosphere region instead of a cooling, and vice versa. This is opposing the temperature signal of the interhemispheric coupling that takes place in the mesosphere, in which a cold and calm winter stratosphere goes together with a cold summer mesopause. We hereby strengthen the evidence that the variability in the summer mesopause region is mainly driven by changes in the summer mesosphere rather than in the summer stratosphere.

Spatial-temporal dynamics of NDVI and Chl-a concentration from 1998 to 2009 in the East coastal zone of China: integrating terrestrial and oceanic components.

PubMed

Hou, Xiyong; Li, Mingjie; Gao, Meng; Yu, Liangju; Bi, Xiaoli

2013-01-01

Annual normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration are the most important large-scale indicators of terrestrial and oceanic ecosystem net primary productivity. In this paper, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor level 3 standard mapped image annual products from 1998 to 2009 are used to study the spatial-temporal characters of terrestrial NDVI and oceanic Chl-a concentration on two sides of the coastline of China by using the methods of mean value (M), coefficient of variation (CV), the slope of unary linear regression model (Slope), and the Hurst index (H). In detail, we researched and analyzed the spatial-temporal dynamics, the longitudinal zonality and latitudinal zonality, the direction, intensity, and persistency of historical changes. The results showed that: (1) spatial patterns of M and CV between NDVI and Chl-a concentration from 1998 to 2009 were very different. The dynamic variation of terrestrial NDVI was much mild, while the variation of oceanic Chl-a concentration was relatively much larger; (2) distinct longitudinal zonality was found for Chl-a concentration and NDVI due to their hypersensitivity to the distance to shoreline, and strong latitudinal zonality existed for Chl-a concentration while terrestrial NDVI had a very weak latitudinal zonality; (3) overall, the NDVI showed a slight decreasing trend while the Chl-a concentration showed a significant increasing trend in the past 12 years, and both of them exhibit strong self-similarity and long-range dependence which indicates opposite future trends between land and ocean.

3D shape reconstruction of specular surfaces by using phase measuring deflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Tian; Chen, Kun; Wei, Haoyun; Li, Yan

2016-10-01

The existing estimation methods for recovering height information from surface gradient are mainly divided into Modal and Zonal techniques. Since specular surfaces used in the industry always have complex and large areas, considerations must be given to both the improvement of measurement accuracy and the acceleration of on-line processing speed, which beyond the capacity of existing estimations. Incorporating the Modal and Zonal approaches into a unifying scheme, we introduce an improved 3D shape reconstruction version of specular surfaces based on Phase Measuring Deflectometry in this paper. The Modal estimation is firstly implemented to derive the coarse height information of the measured surface as initial iteration values. Then the real shape can be recovered utilizing a modified Zonal wave-front reconstruction algorithm. By combining the advantages of Modal and Zonal estimations, the proposed method simultaneously achieves consistently high accuracy and dramatically rapid convergence. Moreover, the iterative process based on an advanced successive overrelaxation technique shows a consistent rejection of measurement errors, guaranteeing the stability and robustness in practical applications. Both simulation and experimentally measurement demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed improved method. According to the experimental result, the computation time decreases approximately 74.92% in contrast to the Zonal estimation and the surface error is about 6.68 μm with reconstruction points of 391×529 pixels of an experimentally measured sphere mirror. In general, this method can be conducted with fast convergence speed and high accuracy, providing an efficient, stable and real-time approach for the shape reconstruction of specular surfaces in practical situations.

Latitudinal variation in summer monsoon rainfall over Western Ghat of India and its association with global sea surface temperatures.

PubMed

Revadekar, J V; Varikoden, Hamza; Murumkar, P K; Ahmed, S A

2018-02-01

The Western Ghats (WG) of India are basically north-south oriented mountains having narrow zonal width with a steep rising western face. The summer monsoon winds during June to September passing over the Arabian Sea are obstructed by the WG and thus orographically uplift to produce moderate-to-heavy precipitation over the region. However, it is seen that characteristic features of rainfall distribution during the season vary from north to south. Also its correlation with all-India summer monsoon rainfall increases from south to north. In the present study, an attempt is also made to examine long-term as well as short-term trends and variability in summer monsoon rainfall over different subdivisions of WG using monthly rainfall data for the period 1871-2014. Konkan & Goa and Coastal Karnataka show increase in rainfall from 1871 to 2014 in all individual summer monsoon months. Short-term trend analysis based on 31-year sliding window indicates that the trends are not monotonous, but has epochal behavior. In recent epoch, magnitudes of negative trends are consistently decreasing and have changed its sign to positive during 1985-2014. It has been observed that Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) plays a dominant positive role in rainfall over entire WG in all summer monsoon months, whereas role of Nino regions are asymmetric over WG rainfall. Indian summer monsoon is known for its negative relationship with Nino SST. Negative correlations are also seen for WG rainfall with Nino regions but only during onset and withdrawal phase. During peak monsoon months July and August subdivisions of WG mostly show positive correlation with Nino SST. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy from biomass — Some basic physical and related considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gloyne, R. W.

1983-09-01

The production of vegetable matter (biomass) by photosynthesis is determined by species and by meteorological factors (especially, but not exclusively, solar radiation). Annual net primary production of land-based biomass corresponds to only about 1/1000 of the intercepted irradiation at ground level, but even so, is 10 times the world's estimated energy needs. The exploitation of this energy potential at any one place is critically influenced by the economic, political and social factors, amongst which are the competition from agriculture (especially food crops), forestry, industrial and urban (including leisure) needs for land and resources. Social factors (e.g. population and population density) also constitute prime influences. Strategies for utilisation range from the cultivation of special energy crops (readily conceivable on the American/ Australasian continents); to the more efficient manipulation of current land-use patterns (including “opportunity” cropping); to the more effective exploitation of biologi cal wastes (e.g. methane from sewage), probably the only immediately practical possibility in any densely populated and highly industrialised country. The spatial pattern of solar irradiation at ground level is complex. In the summer, total daily irradiation in continental high latitudes can exceed that in maritime temperate regions; and this combined with species differences and the almost infinite variety of shape and orientation of plant parts, result in a photosynthetic production of biomass which does not conform completely to a zonal pattern, but in broad terms annual dry matter production varies from a few kg/ha in Arctic Tundra to tens of tonnes in temperate latitudes rising to nearly 100 t/ha for perennial tropical crops. If a species could be developed to grow throughout the year at the current seasonal rate, a yield of 150 t/yr, ha) seems possible.

Educational Change Leadership through a New Zonal Theory Lens: Using Mathematics Curriculum Change as the Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Janeen; Branson, Christopher M.

2015-01-01

This paper outlines actions that educational change leaders can take to better meet their curriculum change obligations and responsibilities. In order to do this we extend Vygotsky's (1978) zonal theory and its many extensions and elaborations by positioning educational change leadership within this theory. We rename the zones to Zone of Principal…

Nonmigrating tidal modulation of the equatorial thermosphere and ionosphere anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Jiuhou; Thayer, Jeffrey P.; Wang, Wenbin; Yue, Jia; Dou, Xiankang

2014-04-01

The modulation of nonmigrating tides on both the ionospheric equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) and the equatorial thermosphere anomaly (ETA) is investigated on the basis of simulations from the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM). Our simulations demonstrate the distinct features of the EIA and ETA seen in observations after the inclusion of field-aligned ion drag in the model. Both the EIA and the ETA in the constant local time frame display an obvious zonal wave-4 structure associated with the modulation of nonmigrating tides. However, the modeled EIA and ETA show a primary zonal wave-1 structure when only the migrating tides are specified at the model lower boundary. Our simulations reveal that the zonal wave-4 structure of the ETA under both low and high solar activity conditions is mainly caused by the direct response of the upper thermosphere to the diurnal eastward wave number 3 and semidiurnal eastward wave number 2 nonmigrating tides from the lower atmosphere. There is a minor contribution from the ion-neutral coupling. The zonal wave-4 structure of the EIA is also caused by these nonmigrating tides but through the modulation of the neutral wind dynamo.

A Simulation Model for Drift Resistive Ballooning Turbulence Examining the Influence of Self-consistent Zonal Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Bruce; Umansky, Maxim; Joseph, Ilon

2015-11-01

Progress is reported on including self-consistent zonal flows in simulations of drift-resistive ballooning turbulence using the BOUT + + framework. Previous published work addressed the simulation of L-mode edge turbulence in realistic single-null tokamak geometry using the BOUT three-dimensional fluid code that solves Braginskii-based fluid equations. The effects of imposed sheared ExB poloidal rotation were included, with a static radial electric field fitted to experimental data. In new work our goal is to include the self-consistent effects on the radial electric field driven by the microturbulence, which contributes to the sheared ExB poloidal rotation (zonal flow generation). We describe a model for including self-consistent zonal flows and an algorithm for maintaining underlying plasma profiles to enable the simulation of steady-state turbulence. We examine the role of Braginskii viscous forces in providing necessary dissipation when including axisymmetric perturbations. We also report on some of the numerical difficulties associated with including the axisymmetric component of the fluctuating fields. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL-ABS-674950).

Computation of transonic separated wing flows using an Euler/Navier-Stokes zonal approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaynak, Uenver; Holst, Terry L.; Cantwell, Brian J.

1986-01-01

A computer program called Transonic Navier Stokes (TNS) has been developed which solves the Euler/Navier-Stokes equations around wings using a zonal grid approach. In the present zonal scheme, the physical domain of interest is divided into several subdomains called zones and the governing equations are solved interactively. The advantages of the Zonal Grid approach are as follows: (1) the grid for any subdomain can be generated easily; (2) grids can be, in a sense, adapted to the solution; (3) different equation sets can be used in different zones; and, (4) this approach allows for a convenient data base organization scheme. Using this code, separated flows on a NACA 0012 section wing and on the NASA Ames WING C have been computed. First, the effects of turbulence and artificial dissipation models incorporated into the code are assessed by comparing the TNS results with other CFD codes and experiments. Then a series of flow cases is described where data are available. The computed results, including cases with shock-induced separation, are in good agreement with experimental data. Finally, some futuristic cases are presented to demonstrate the abilities of the code for massively separated cases which do not have experimental data.

Stratum Electricity Markets: Toward Multi-temporal Distributed Risk Management for Sustainable Electricity Provision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhiyong (Richard)

Motivated by the overall challenge of ensuring long-term sustainable electricity service, we view this challenge as a long-term decision making problem under uncertainties. We start by recognizing that, independent of the industry organization, the uncertainties are enormous and often exogenous to the energy service providers. They are multi-dimensional and are result of fundamental drivers, ranging from the supply side, through the demand side, to the regulatory and policy sides. The basic contribution of this thesis comes from the recognition that long-term investments for ensuring reliable and stable electricity service critically depend on how these uncertainties are perceived, valued and managed by the different stakeholders within the complex industry organization such as the electric power industry. We explain several reasons why price signals obtained from current short-term electricity markets alone are not sufficient enough for long-term sustainable provision. Some enhancements are presented in the thesis to improve the short-term electricity market price signals to reflect the true cost of operation. New market mechanisms and instruments are needed to facilitate the stakeholders to better deal with long-term risks. The problems of ensuring long-term stable reliable service in the sense of the traditional resource adequacy requirements are revisited in both the restructuring industry and regulated industry. We introduce a so-called Stratum Electricity Market (SEM) design as the basic market mechanism for solving the problem of long-term reliable electricity service through a series of interactive multi-lateral market exchange platforms for risks communication, management and evaluations over various time horizons and by the different groups of stakeholders. In other words, our proposed SEM is a basic IT-enabled framework for the decision making processes by various parties over different time. Because of the uniqueness of electricity as a commodity, the values for the same amount of energy during different time and at different location can vary dramatically. Moreover, for the same hour, the values for the same amount of power at base load level or at peak load level are different due to the different generation technologies and other non-convex constraints like unit commitment. The multiple market products at zonal/nodal levels with different time horizon and time of use categories are designed to reflect more realistic demand and supply conditions at various temporal and spatial granularities. Detailed market rules, rights and regulations (3Rs) concerning the sub-markets interactions, product hierarchy and financial settlements are also examined.

Identifying external influences on global precipitation

PubMed Central

Marvel, Kate; Bonfils, Céline

2013-01-01

Changes in global (ocean and land) precipitation are among the most important and least well-understood consequences of climate change. Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are thought to affect the zonal-mean distribution of precipitation through two basic mechanisms. First, increasing temperatures will lead to an intensification of the hydrological cycle (“thermodynamic” changes). Second, changes in atmospheric circulation patterns will lead to poleward displacement of the storm tracks and subtropical dry zones and to a widening of the tropical belt (“dynamic” changes). We demonstrate that both these changes are occurring simultaneously in global precipitation, that this behavior cannot be explained by internal variability alone, and that external influences are responsible for the observed precipitation changes. Whereas existing model experiments are not of sufficient length to differentiate between natural and anthropogenic forcing terms at the 95% confidence level, we present evidence that the observed trends result from human activities. PMID:24218561

Identifying external influences on global precipitation.

PubMed

Marvel, Kate; Bonfils, Céline

2013-11-26

Changes in global (ocean and land) precipitation are among the most important and least well-understood consequences of climate change. Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are thought to affect the zonal-mean distribution of precipitation through two basic mechanisms. First, increasing temperatures will lead to an intensification of the hydrological cycle ("thermodynamic" changes). Second, changes in atmospheric circulation patterns will lead to poleward displacement of the storm tracks and subtropical dry zones and to a widening of the tropical belt ("dynamic" changes). We demonstrate that both these changes are occurring simultaneously in global precipitation, that this behavior cannot be explained by internal variability alone, and that external influences are responsible for the observed precipitation changes. Whereas existing model experiments are not of sufficient length to differentiate between natural and anthropogenic forcing terms at the 95% confidence level, we present evidence that the observed trends result from human activities.

Zonal wavefront sensing with enhanced spatial resolution.

PubMed

Pathak, Biswajit; Boruah, Bosanta R

2016-12-01

In this Letter, we introduce a scheme to enhance the spatial resolution of a zonal wavefront sensor. The zonal wavefront sensor comprises an array of binary gratings implemented by a ferroelectric spatial light modulator (FLCSLM) followed by a lens, in lieu of the array of lenses in the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. We show that the fast response of the FLCSLM device facilitates quick display of several laterally shifted binary grating patterns, and the programmability of the device enables simultaneous capturing of each focal spot array. This eventually leads to a wavefront estimation with an enhanced spatial resolution without much sacrifice on the sensor frame rate, thus making the scheme suitable for high spatial resolution measurement of transient wavefronts. We present experimental and numerical simulation results to demonstrate the importance of the proposed wavefront sensing scheme.

Venus: Atmospheric motion and structure from Mariner 10 pictures

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murray, B.C.; Belton, M.J.S.; Danielson, G. Edward; Davies, M.E.; Gault, D.; Hapke, B.; O'Leary, B.; Strom, R.G.; Suomi, V.; Trask, N.

1974-01-01

The Mariner 10 television cameras imaged the planet Venus in the visible and near ultraviolet for a period of 8 days at resolutions ranging from 100 meters to 130 kilometers. The general pattern of the atmospheric circulation in the upper tropospheric/lower stratospheric region is displayed in the pictures. Atmospheric flow is symmetrical between north and south hemispheres. The equatorial motions are zonal (east-west) at approximately 100 meters per second, consistent with the previously inferred 4-day retrograde rotation. Angular velocity increases with latitude. The subsolar region, and the region downwind from it, show evidence of large-scale convection that persists in spite of the main zonal motion. Dynamical interaction between the zonal motion and the relatively stationary region of convection is evidenced by bowlike waves.

Statistical properties of Charney-Hasegawa-Mima zonal flows

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

Anderson, Johan, E-mail: anderson.johan@gmail.com; Botha, G. J. J.

2015-05-15

A theoretical interpretation of numerically generated probability density functions (PDFs) of intermittent plasma transport events in unforced zonal flows is provided within the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima (CHM) model. The governing equation is solved numerically with various prescribed density gradients that are designed to produce different configurations of parallel and anti-parallel streams. Long-lasting vortices form whose flow is governed by the zonal streams. It is found that the numerically generated PDFs can be matched with analytical predictions of PDFs based on the instanton method by removing the autocorrelations from the time series. In many instances, the statistics generated by the CHM dynamics relaxesmore » to Gaussian distributions for both the electrostatic and vorticity perturbations, whereas in areas with strong nonlinear interactions it is found that the PDFs are exponentially distributed.« less

Zonal wavefront sensing using a grating array printed on a polyester film

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

Pathak, Biswajit; Boruah, Bosanta R., E-mail: brboruah@iitg.ernet.in; Kumar, Suraj

2015-12-15

In this paper, we describe the development of a zonal wavefront sensor that comprises an array of binary diffraction gratings realized on a transparent sheet (i.e., polyester film) followed by a focusing lens and a camera. The sensor works in a manner similar to that of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The fabrication of the array of gratings is immune to certain issues associated with the fabrication of the lenslet array which is commonly used in zonal wavefront sensing. Besides the sensing method offers several important advantages such as flexible dynamic range, easy configurability, and option to enhance the sensing framemore » rate. Here, we have demonstrated the working of the proposed sensor using a proof-of-principle experimental arrangement.« less

Cloud level winds from UV and IR images obtained by VMC onboard Venus Express

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khatuntsev, Igor; Patsaeva, Marina; Titov, Dmitri; Ignatiev, Nikolay; Turin, Alexander; Bertaux, Jean-Loup

2017-04-01

During eight years Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) [1] onboard the Venus Express orbiter has observed the upper cloud layer of Venus. The largest set of images was obtained in the UV (365 nm), visible (513 nm) and two infrared channels - 965 nm and 1010 nm. The UV dayside images were used to study the atmospheric circulation at the Venus cloud tops [2], [3]. Mean zonal and meridional profiles of winds and their variability were derived from cloud tracking of UV images. In low latitudes the mean retrograde zonal wind at the cloud top (67±2 km) is about 95 m/s with a maximum of about 102 m/s at 40-50°S. Poleward from 50°S the zonal wind quickly fades out with latitude. The mean poleward meridional wind slowly increases from zero value at the equator to about 10 m/s at 50°S. Poleward from this latitude, the absolute value of the meridional component monotonically decreases to zero at the pole. The VMC observations suggest clear diurnal signature in the wind field. They also indicate a long term trend for the zonal wind speed at low latitudes to increase from 85 m/s in the beginning of the mission to 110 m/s by the middle of 2012. The trend was explained by influence of the surface topography on the zonal flow [4]. Cloud features tracking in the IR images provided information about winds in the middle cloud deck (55±4 km). In the low and middle latitudes (5-65°S) the IR mean retrograde zonal velocity is about 68-70 m/s. In contrast to poleward flow at the cloud tops, equatorward motions dominate in the middle cloud with maximum speed of 5.8±1.2 m/s at latitude 15°S. The meridional speed slowly decreases to 0 at 65-70°S. At low latitudes the zonal and meridional speed demonstrate long term variations. Following [4] we explain the observed long term trend of zonal and meridional components by the influence of surface topography of highland region Aphrodite Terra on dynamic processes in the middle cloud deck through gravity waves. Acknowledgements: I.V. Khatuntsev, M.V. Patsaeva, N.I. Ignatiev, J.-L. Bertaux were supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation grant 14.W03.31.0017. References: [1] Markiewicz W. J. et al.: Venus Monitoring Camera for Venus Express // Planet. Space Sci., 55(12), 1701-1711. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2007.01.004, 2007. [2] Khatuntsev I.V. et al.: Cloud level winds from the Venus Express Monitoring Camera imaging // Icarus, 226, 140-158. 2013. [3] Patsaeva M.V. et al.: The relationship between mesoscale circulation and cloud morphology at the upper cloud level of Venus from VMC/Venus Express // Planet. Space Sci., 113(08), 100-108, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2015.01.013, 2015. [4] Bertaux J.-L. et al.: Influence of Venus topography on the zonal wind and UV albedo at cloud top level: The role of stationary gravity waves // J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 121, 1087-1101, doi:10.1002/2015JE004958, 2016.

Basic Color Terms in Estonian Sign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollman, Liivi; Sutrop, Urmas

2011-01-01

The article is written in the tradition of Brent Berlin and Paul Kay's theory of basic color terms. According to this theory there is a universal inventory of eleven basic color categories from which the basic color terms of any given language are always drawn. The number of basic color terms varies from 2 to 11 and in a language having a fully…

Shallow water simulations of Saturn's giant storms at different latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Melendo, E.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.

2017-04-01

Shallow water simulations are used to present a unified study of three major storms on Saturn (nicknamed as Great White Spots, GWS) at different latitudes, polar (1960), equatorial (1990), and mid-latitude (2010) (Sánchez-Lavega, 2004; Sánchez-Lavega et al., 2011). In our model, the three GWS are initiated by introducing a Gaussian function pulse at the latitude of the observed phenomena with controlled horizontal size and amplitude. This function represents the convective source that has been observed to trigger the storm. A growing disturbance forms when the pulse reacts to ambient winds, expanding zonally along the latitude band of the considered domain. We then compare the modeled potential vorticity with the cloud field, adjusting the model parameters to visually get the closest aspect between simulations and observations. Simulations of the 2010 GWS (planetographic latitude ∼+40º, zonal velocity of the source ∼-30 m s-1) indicate that the Coriolis forces and the wind profile structure shape the disturbance generating, as observed, a long region to the east of the convective source with a high speed peripheral anticyclonic circulation, and a long-lived anticyclonic compact vortex accompanied by strong zonal advection on the southern part of the storm forming a turbulent region. Simulations of the equatorial 1990 GWS (planetographic latitude +12º-+5º, zonal velocity of the source 365-400 m s-1) show a different behavior because of the intense eastward jet, meridional shear at the equatorial region, and low latitude dynamics. A round shaped source forms as observed, with the rapid growth of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the north side of the source due to advection and to the strong meridional wind shear, whereas at the storm latitude the disturbance grows and propagates eastward. The storm nucleus is the manifestation of a Rossby wave, while the eastward propagating planetary-scale disturbance is a gravity-Rossby wave trapped around the equator. The simulated 1960 GWS disturbance (planetographic latitude +56º, zonal velocity 4 m s-1) formed a chain of periodic oval spots that mimic the few available observations of the phenomenon. For the mid and high latitude storms, simulations predict a strong injection of negative relative vorticity due to divergence of the upwelling storm material, which may produce large anticyclones on the anticyclonic side of the zonal profile, and a quick turbulent expansion on the background cyclonic regions. In general, simulations indicate that negative relative vorticity injected by storms determines the natural reaction to zonal winds at latitudes where Coriolis forces are dominant.

FPI observations of nighttime mesospheric and thermospheric winds in China and their comparisons with HWM07

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Wei

2015-04-01

We analyzed the nighttime horizontal neutral winds in the middle atmosphere (˜87 and ˜98 km) and thermosphere (˜250 km) derived from a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI), which was installed at Xinglong station (40.2◦ N, 117.4◦ E) in central China. The wind data covered the period from April 2010 to July 2012. We studied the annual, semiannual and terannual variations of the midnight winds at ˜87 km, ˜98 km and ˜250 km for the first time and compared them with Horizontal Wind Model 2007 (HWM07). Our results show the following: (1) at ˜ 87 km, both the observed and model zonal winds have similar phases in the annual and semiannual variations. However, the HWM07 amplitudes are much larger. (2) At ˜98 km, the model shows strong eastward wind in the summer solstice, resulting in a large annual variation, while the observed strongest component is semiannual. The observation and model midnight meridional winds agree well. Both are equatorward throughout the year and have small amplitudes in the annual and semiannual variations. (3) There are large discrepancies between the observed and HWM07 winds at ˜250 km. This discrepancy is largely due to the strong semiannual zonal wind in the model and the phase difference in the annual variation of the meridional wind. The FPI annual variation coincides with the results from Arecibo, which has similar geomagnetic latitude as Xinglong station. In General, the consistency of FPI winds with model winds is better at ˜87 and ˜98 km than that at ˜250 km. We also studied the seasonally and monthly averaged nighttime winds. The most salient features include the following: (1) the seasonally averaged zonal winds at ˜87 and ˜98 km typically have small variations throughout the night. (2) The model zonal and meridional nighttime wind variations are typically much larger than those of observations at ˜87 km and ˜98 km. (3) At ˜250 km, model zonal wind compares well with the observation in the winter. For spring and autumn, the model wind is more eastward before ˜ 03:00 LT but more westward after. The observed nighttime zonal and meridional winds on average are close to zero in the summer and autumn, which indicates a lack of strong stable tides. The consistency of FPI zonal wind with model wind at ˜250 km is better than the meridional wind.

Results of a zonally truncated three-dimensional model of the Venus middle atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, M.

1992-01-01

Although the equatorial rotational speed of the solid surface of Venus is only 4 m s(exp-1), the atmospheric rotational speed reaches a maximum of approximately 100 m s(exp-1) near the equatorial cloud top level (65 to 70 km). This phenomenon, known as superrotation, is the central dynamical problem of the Venus atmosphere. We report here the results of numerical simulations aimed at clarifying the mechanism for maintaining the equatorial cloud top rotation. Maintenance of an equatorial rotational speed maximum above the surface requires waves or eddies that systematically transport angular momentum against its zonal mean gradient. The zonally symmetric Hadley circulation is driven thermally and acts to reduce the rotational speed at the equatorial cloud top level; thus wave or eddy transport must counter this tendency as well as friction. Planetary waves arising from horizontal shear instability of the zonal flow (barotropic instability) could maintain the equatorial rotation by transporting angular momentum horizontally from midlatitudes toward the equator. Alternatively, vertically propagating waves could provide the required momentum source. The relative motion between the rotating atmosphere and the pattern of solar heating, which as a maximum where solar radiation is absorbed near the cloud tops, drives diurnal and semidiurnal thermal tides that propagate vertically away from the cloud top level. The effect of this wave propagation is to transport momentum toward the cloud top level at low latitudes and accelerate the mean zonal flow there. We employ a semispectral primitive equation model with a zonal mean flow and zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2. These waves correspond to the diurnal and semidiurnal tides, but they can also be excited by barotropic or baroclinic instability. Waves of higher wavenumbers and interactions between the waves are neglected. Symmetry about the equator is assumed, so the model applies to one hemisphere and covers the altitude range 30 to 110 km. Horizontal resolution is 1.5 deg latitude, and vertical resolution is 1.5 km. Solar and thermal infrared heating, based on Venus observations and calculations drive the model flow. Dissipation is accomplished mainly by Rayleigh friction, chosen to produce strong dissipation above 85 km in order to absorb upward propagating waves and limit extreme flow velocities there, yet to give very weak Rayleigh friction below 70 km; results in the cloud layer do not appear to be sensitive to the Rayleigh friction. The model also has weak vertical diffusion, and very weak horizontal diffusion, which has a smoothing effect on the flow only at the two grid points nearest the pole.

The role of horizontal thermal advection in regulating wintertime mean and extreme temperatures over the central United States during the past and future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, F.; Vavrus, S. J.

2017-12-01

Horizontal temperature advection plays an especially prominent role in affecting winter climate over continental interiors, where both climatological conditions and extreme weather are strongly regulated by transport of remote air masses. Central North America is one such region, and it experienced a major cold-air outbreak (CAO) a few years ago that some have related to amplified Arctic warming. Despite the known importance of dynamics in shaping the winter climate of this sector and the potential for climate change to modify heat transport, limited attention has been paid to the regional impact of thermal advection. Here, we use a reanalysis product and output from the Community Earth System Model's Large Ensemble to quantify the roles of zonal and meridional temperature advection over the central U. S. during winter, both in the late 20th and 21st centuries. We frame our findings as a "tug of war" between opposing influences of the two advection components and between these dynamical forcings vs. thermodynamic changes under greenhouse warming. For example, Arctic amplification leads to much warmer polar air masses, causing a moderation of cold-air advection into the central U. S., yet the model also simulates a wavier mean circulation and stronger northerly flow during CAOs, favoring lower regional temperatures. We also compare the predominant warming effect of zonal advection and overall cooling effect of meridional temperature advection as an additional tug of war. During both historical and future periods, zonal temperature advection is stronger than meridional advection over the Central U. S. The model simulates a future weakening of both zonal and meridional temperature advection, such that westerly flow provides less warming and northerly flow less cooling. On the most extreme warm days in the past and future, both zonal and meridional temperature advection have positive (warming) contributions. On the most extreme cold days, meridional cold air advection is more important than zonal warm air advection. CAOs in the future feature stronger northerly flow but less extreme temperatures (even relative to the warmer climate), exemplifying the complex competition between thermodynamic and dynamic influences.

Non-isomorphic radial wavenumber dependencies of residual zonal flows in ion and electron Larmor radius scales, and effects of initial parallel flow and electromagnetic potentials in a circular tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamagishi, Osamu

2018-04-01

Radial wavenumber dependencies of the residual zonal potential for E × B flow in a circular, large aspect ratio tokamak is investigated by means of the collisionless gyrokinetic simulations of Rosenbluth-Hinton (RH) test and the semi-analytic approach using an analytic solution of the gyrokinetic equation Rosenbluth and Hinton (1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 724). By increasing the radial wavenumber from an ion Larmor radius scale {k}r{ρ }i≲ 1 to an electron Larmor radius scale {k}r{ρ }e≲ 1, the well-known level ˜ O[1/(1+1.6{q}2/\\sqrt{r/{R}0})] is retained, while the level remains O(1) when the wavenumber is decreased from the electron to the ion Larmor radius scale, if physically same adiabatic assumption is presumed for species other than the main species that is treated kinetically. The conclusion is not modified by treating both species kinetically, so that in the intermediate scale between the ion and electron Larmor radius scale it seems difficult to determine the level uniquely. The toroidal momentum conservation property in the RH test is also investigated by including an initial parallel flow in addition to the perpendicular flow. It is shown that by taking a balance between the initial parallel flow and perpendicular flows which include both E × B flow and diamagnetic flow in the initial condition, the mechanical toroidal angular momentum is approximately conserved despite the toroidal symmetry breaking due to the finite radial wavenumber zonal modes. Effect of electromagnetic potentials is also investigated. When the electromagnetic potentials are applied initially, fast oscillations which are faster than the geodesic acoustic modes are introduced in the decay phase of the zonal modes. Although the residual level in the long time limit is not modified, this can make the time required to reach the stationary zonal flows longer and may weaken the effectiveness of the turbulent transport suppression by the zonal flows.

The dynamical core of the Aeolus 1.0 statistical-dynamical atmosphere model: validation and parameter optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Totz, Sonja; Eliseev, Alexey V.; Petri, Stefan; Flechsig, Michael; Caesar, Levke; Petoukhov, Vladimir; Coumou, Dim

2018-02-01

We present and validate a set of equations for representing the atmosphere's large-scale general circulation in an Earth system model of intermediate complexity (EMIC). These dynamical equations have been implemented in Aeolus 1.0, which is a statistical-dynamical atmosphere model (SDAM) and includes radiative transfer and cloud modules (Coumou et al., 2011; Eliseev et al., 2013). The statistical dynamical approach is computationally efficient and thus enables us to perform climate simulations at multimillennia timescales, which is a prime aim of our model development. Further, this computational efficiency enables us to scan large and high-dimensional parameter space to tune the model parameters, e.g., for sensitivity studies.Here, we present novel equations for the large-scale zonal-mean wind as well as those for planetary waves. Together with synoptic parameterization (as presented by Coumou et al., 2011), these form the mathematical description of the dynamical core of Aeolus 1.0.We optimize the dynamical core parameter values by tuning all relevant dynamical fields to ERA-Interim reanalysis data (1983-2009) forcing the dynamical core with prescribed surface temperature, surface humidity and cumulus cloud fraction. We test the model's performance in reproducing the seasonal cycle and the influence of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We use a simulated annealing optimization algorithm, which approximates the global minimum of a high-dimensional function.With non-tuned parameter values, the model performs reasonably in terms of its representation of zonal-mean circulation, planetary waves and storm tracks. The simulated annealing optimization improves in particular the model's representation of the Northern Hemisphere jet stream and storm tracks as well as the Hadley circulation.The regions of high azonal wind velocities (planetary waves) are accurately captured for all validation experiments. The zonal-mean zonal wind and the integrated lower troposphere mass flux show good results in particular in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the model tends to produce too-weak zonal-mean zonal winds and a too-narrow Hadley circulation. We discuss possible reasons for these model biases as well as planned future model improvements and applications.

Can tree-ring isotopes (δ18O and δ13C) improve our understanding of hydroclimate variability in the Columbia River Basin?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csank, A. Z.; Wise, E.; McAfee, S. A.

2015-12-01

The trajectory of incoming storms from the Pacific Ocean has a strong impact on hydroclimate in the Pacific Northwest. Shifts between zonal and meridional flow are a key influence on drought and pluvial regimes in both the PNW and the western United States as a whole. Circulation-dependent variability in the isotopic composition of precipitation can be recorded and potentially reconstructed using δ18O records derived from tree-rings. Here we present isotopic records of δ18O and δ13C from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) for the period 1950-2013 from six sites located in the lee of the Cascades in eastern Washington. Because of the orientation of the Cascades, zonal flow will result in an intensified rain shadow whereas meridional flow allows moisture to penetrate at a lower elevation leading to a lower rainout effect. This means zonal flow results in drier conditions in eastern Washington and the converse for meridional flow. We hypothesized that more depleted precipitation δ18O values will occur with periods of more zonal flow across the PNW and will be recorded by trees at our sites. Results show a strong relationship between our δ18O chronologies and winter precipitation (R = -0.50; p<0.001). δ13C chronologies from the same trees showed a relationship to prior fall/winter (pOct-pDec) precipitation (R = -0.46; p<0.005) suggesting a possible link to antecedent moisture conditions. With a focus on years with clear zonal and meridional flow regimes, we regressed the tree-ring δ18O anomaly against the instrumental record of total precipitation and compared the residual series to records of storm track for the period 1978-2008, and we found a detectable signal where the most depleted δ18O was generally associated with zonal flow and the most enriched δ18O with meridional flow. However, there are still some years where the relationship is unclear. Further work is aimed at understanding these anomalous years and extending our record beyond the instrumental period.

Baroclinic stationary waves in aquaplanet models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucarini, V.; Zappa, G.

2012-04-01

An aquaplanet model is used to study the nature of the highly persistent low frequency waves that have been observed in models forced by zonally symmetric boundary conditions. Using the Hayashi spectral analysis of the extratropical waves, we find that a quasi-stationary (QS) wave five belongs to a wave packet obeying a well defined dispersion relation with eastward group velocity. The components of the dispersion relation with k>5 baroclinically convert eddy available potential energy into eddy kinetic energy, while those with k<5 are baroclinically neutral. In agreement with the Green's model of baroclinic instability, the wave five is weakly unstable, and the inverse energy cascade, which had been previously proposed as a main forcing for this type of waves, only acts as a positive feedback on its predominantly baroclinic energetics. The QS wave is reinforced by a phase lock to an analogous pattern in the tropical convection, which provides further amplification to the wave. We also find that the Pedlosky bounds on the phase speed of unstable waves provide guidance in explaining the latitudinal structure of the energy conversion, which is shown to be more enhanced where the zonal westerly surface wind is weaker. The wave energy is then trapped in the wave guide created by the upper tropospheric jet stream. In agreement with Green's theory, as the equator to pole SST difference is reduced the stationary marginally stable component shifts toward higher wavenumbers, while the wave five becomes neutral and westward propagating. Some properties of the aquaplanet QS waves are found in interesting agreement with a low frequency wave observed by Salby (1982) in the southern hemisphere DJF, so that this perspective on low frequency variability might be, apart from its value in terms of basic geophysical fluid dynamics, of specific interest for studying the Earth's atmosphere.

The multidimensional Self-Adaptive Grid code, SAGE, version 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, Carol B.; Venkatapathy, Ethiraj

1995-01-01

This new report on Version 2 of the SAGE code includes all the information in the original publication plus all upgrades and changes to the SAGE code since that time. The two most significant upgrades are the inclusion of a finite-volume option and the ability to adapt and manipulate zonal-matching multiple-grid files. In addition, the original SAGE code has been upgraded to Version 1.1 and includes all options mentioned in this report, with the exception of the multiple grid option and its associated features. Since Version 2 is a larger and more complex code, it is suggested (but not required) that Version 1.1 be used for single-grid applications. This document contains all the information required to run both versions of SAGE. The formulation of the adaption method is described in the first section of this document. The second section is presented in the form of a user guide that explains the input and execution of the code. The third section provides many examples. Successful application of the SAGE code in both two and three dimensions for the solution of various flow problems has proven the code to be robust, portable, and simple to use. Although the basic formulation follows the method of Nakahashi and Deiwert, many modifications have been made to facilitate the use of the self-adaptive grid method for complex grid structures. Modifications to the method and the simple but extensive input options make this a flexible and user-friendly code. The SAGE code can accommodate two-dimensional and three-dimensional, finite-difference and finite-volume, single grid, and zonal-matching multiple grid flow problems.

[Climatic suitability of citrus in subtropical China].

PubMed

Duan, Hai-Lai; Qian, Huai-Sui; Li, Ming-Xia; Du, Yao-Dong

2010-08-01

By applying the theories of ecological suitability and the methods of fuzzy mathematics, this paper established a climatic suitability model for citrus, calculated and evaluated the climatic suitability and its spatiotemporal differences for citrus production in subtropical China, and analyzed the climatic suitability of citrus at its different growth stages and the mean climatic suitability of citrus in different regions of subtropical China. The results showed that the citrus in subtropical China had a lower climatic suitability and a higher risk at its flower bud differentiation stage, budding stage, and fruit maturity stage, but a higher climatic suitability and a lower risk at other growth stages. Cold damage and summer drought were the key issues affecting the citrus production in subtropical China. The citrus temperature suitability represented a latitudinal zonal pattern, i. e., decreased with increasing latitude; its precipitation suitability was high in the line of "Sheyang-Napo", medium in the southeast of the line, low in the northwest of the line, and non in high mountainous area; while the sunlight suitability was in line with the actual duration of sunshine, namely, higher in high-latitude areas than in low-latitude areas, and higher in high-altitude areas than in plain areas. Limited by temperature factor, the climatic suitability was in accordance with temperature suitability, i. e., south parts had a higher suitability than north parts, basically representing latitudinal zonal pattern. From the analysis of the inter-annual changes of citrus climatic suitability, it could be seen that the citrus climatic suitability in subtropical China was decreasing, and had obvious regional differences, suggesting that climate change could bring about the changes in the regions suitable for citrus production and in the key stages of citrus growth.

Observed and modeled mesoscale variability near the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, William J.; Holland, William R.

1986-08-01

Our earliest intercomparisons between western North Atlantic data and eddy-resolving two-layer quasi-geostrophic symmetric-double-gyre steady wind-forced numerical model results focused on the amplitudes and largest horizontal scales in patterns of eddy kinetic energy, primarily abyssal. Here, intercomparisons are extended to recent eight-layer model runs and new data which allow expansion of the investigation to the Kuroshio Extension and throughout much of the water column. Two numerical experiments are shown to have realistic zonal, vertical, and temporal eddy scales in the vicinity of the Kuroshio Extension in one case and the Gulf Stream in the other. Model zonal mean speeds are larger than observed, but vertical shears are in general agreement with the data. A longitudinal displacement between the maximum intensity in surface and abyssal eddy fields as observed for the North Atlantic is not found in the model results. The numerical simulations examined are highly idealized, notably with respect to basin shape, topography, wind-forcing, and of course dissipation. Therefore the zero-order agreement between modeled and observed basic characteristics of mid-latitude jets and their associated eddy fields suggests that such properties are predominantly determined by the physical mechanisms which dominate the models, where the fluctuations are the result of instability processes. The comparatively high vertical resolution of the model is needed to compare with new higher-resolution data as well as for dynamical reasons, although the precise number of layers required either kinematically or dynamically (or numerically) has not been determined; we estimate four to six when no attempt is made to account for bottom- or near-surface-intensified phenomena.

A thickness-weighted average perspective of force balance in an idealized circumpolar current

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

Ringler, Todd Darwin; Saenz, Juan Antonio; Wolfram, Jr., Phillip Justin

The exact, three-dimensional thickness-weighted averaged (TWA) Boussinesq equations are used to diagnose eddy-mean flow interaction in an idealized circumpolar current (ICC). The force exerted by mesoscale eddies on the TWA velocity is expressed as the divergence of the Eliassen-Palm flux tensor. Consistent with previous findings, the analysis indicates that the dynamically relevant definition of the ocean surface layer is comprised of the set of buoyancy coordinates that ever reside at the ocean surface at a given horizontal position. The surface layer is found to be a physically distinct object with a diabatic- and force-balance that is largely isolated from themore » underlying adiabatic region in the interior. Within the ICC surface layer, the TWA meridional velocity is southward/northward in the top/bottom half, and has a value near zero at the bottom. In the top half of the surface layer, the zonal forces due to wind stress and meridional advection of potential vorticity act to accelerate the TWA zonal velocity; equilibrium is obtained by eddies decelerating the zonal flow via a downward flux of eastward momentum that increases with depth. In the bottom half of the surface layer, the accelerating force of the wind stress is balanced by the eddy force and meridional advection of potential vorticity. The bottom of the surface layer coincides with the location where the zonal eddy force, meridional advection of potential vorticity and zonal wind stress force are all zero. The net meridional transport, S f, within the surface layer is a small residual of its southward and northward TWA meridional flows. Furthermore, the mean meridional gradient of surface-layer buoyancy is advected by S f to balance the surface buoyancy fluxs.« less

The Relationship of High-Latitude Thermospheric Wind With Ionospheric Horizontal Current, as Observed by CHAMP Satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Tao; Lühr, Hermann; Wang, Hui; Xiong, Chao

2017-12-01

The relationship between high-latitude ionospheric currents (Hall current and field-aligned current) and thermospheric wind is investigated. The 2-D patterns of horizontal wind and equivalent current in the Northern Hemisphere derived from the CHAMP satellite are considered for the first time simultaneously. The equivalent currents show strong dependences on both interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) By and Bz components. However, IMF By orientation is more important in controlling the wind velocity patterns. The duskside wind vortex as well as the antisunward wind in the morning polar cap is more evident for positive By. To better understand their spatial relation in different sectors, a systematic superposed epoch analysis is applied. Our results show that in the dusk sector, the vectors of the zonal wind and equivalent current are anticorrelated, and both of them form a vortical flow pattern for different activity levels. The currents and zonal wind are intensified with the increase of merging electric field. However, on the dawnside, where the relation is less clear, antisunward zonal winds dominate. Plasma drift seems to play a less important role for the wind than neutral forces in this sector. In the noon sector, the best anticorrelation between equivalent current and wind is observed for a positive IMF By component and it is less obvious for negative By. A clear seasonal effect with current intensities increasing from winter to summer is observed in the noon sector. Different from the currents, the zonal wind intensity shows little dependence on seasons. Our results indicate that the plasma drift and the neutral forces are of comparable influence on the zonal wind at CHAMP altitude in the noon sector.

A thickness-weighted average perspective of force balance in an idealized circumpolar current

DOE PAGES

Ringler, Todd Darwin; Saenz, Juan Antonio; Wolfram, Jr., Phillip Justin; ...

2016-11-22

The exact, three-dimensional thickness-weighted averaged (TWA) Boussinesq equations are used to diagnose eddy-mean flow interaction in an idealized circumpolar current (ICC). The force exerted by mesoscale eddies on the TWA velocity is expressed as the divergence of the Eliassen-Palm flux tensor. Consistent with previous findings, the analysis indicates that the dynamically relevant definition of the ocean surface layer is comprised of the set of buoyancy coordinates that ever reside at the ocean surface at a given horizontal position. The surface layer is found to be a physically distinct object with a diabatic- and force-balance that is largely isolated from themore » underlying adiabatic region in the interior. Within the ICC surface layer, the TWA meridional velocity is southward/northward in the top/bottom half, and has a value near zero at the bottom. In the top half of the surface layer, the zonal forces due to wind stress and meridional advection of potential vorticity act to accelerate the TWA zonal velocity; equilibrium is obtained by eddies decelerating the zonal flow via a downward flux of eastward momentum that increases with depth. In the bottom half of the surface layer, the accelerating force of the wind stress is balanced by the eddy force and meridional advection of potential vorticity. The bottom of the surface layer coincides with the location where the zonal eddy force, meridional advection of potential vorticity and zonal wind stress force are all zero. The net meridional transport, S f, within the surface layer is a small residual of its southward and northward TWA meridional flows. Furthermore, the mean meridional gradient of surface-layer buoyancy is advected by S f to balance the surface buoyancy fluxs.« less

Impacts of the IOD-associated temperature and salinity anomalies on the intermittent equatorial undercurrent anomalies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Junde; Liang, Chujin; Tang, Youmin; Liu, Xiaohui; Lian, Tao; Shen, Zheqi; Li, Xiaojing

2017-11-01

The study of Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) has attracted a broad attention in recent years due to its strong response and feedback to the Indian Ocean Dipole. In this paper, we first produce a high-quality simulation of three-dimensional temperature, salinity and zonal current simulation from 1982 to 2014, using a high-resolution ocean general circulation model. On this basis, with two sensitivity experiments, we investigate the role of temperature and salinity anomalies in driving and enhancing the EUC during the positive IOD events by examining the variation of the EUC seasonal cycle and diagnosing the zonal momentum budget along the equatorial Indian Ocean. Our results show that during January-March, the EUC can appear along the entire equatorial Indian Ocean in all years, but during August-November, the EUC can appear and reach the eastern Indian Ocean only during the positive IOD events. The zonal momentum budget analysis indicates that the pressure gradient force contributes most to the variation of the eastward acceleration of zonal currents in the subsurface. During the positive IOD events, strong negative subsurface temperature anomalies exist in the eastern Indian Ocean, with negative surface salinity anomalies in the central and eastern Indian Ocean, resulting in a large pressure gradient force to drive EUC during the August-November. Further, the results of two sensitivity experiments indicate that the temperature anomalies significantly impact the pressure gradient force, playing a leading role in driving the EUC, while the surface salinity anomalies can secondarily help to intensify the eastward EUC through increasing the zonal density gradient in the eastern Indian Ocean and impacting the vertical momentum advection in the subsurface.

An ocean dynamical thermostat—dominant in observations, absent in climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coats, S.; Karnauskas, K. B.

2016-12-01

The pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific Ocean is coupled to the Walker circulation, necessitating an understanding of how this pattern will change in response to anthropogenic radiative forcing. State-of-the-art climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) overwhelmingly project a decrease in the tropical Pacific zonal SST gradient over the coming century. This decrease in the zonal SST gradient is a response of the ocean to a weakening Walker circulation in the CMIP5 models, a consequence of the mass and energy balances of the hydrologic cycle identified by Held and Soden (2006). CMIP5 models, however, are not able to reproduce the observed increase in the zonal SST gradient between 1900-2013 C.E., which we argue to be robust using advanced statistical techniques and new observational datasets. While the observed increase in the zonal SST gradient is suggestive of the ocean dynamical thermostat mechanism of Clement et al. (1996), a strengthening Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) also contributes to eastern equatorial Pacific cooling. Importantly, the strengthening EUC is a response of the ocean to a seasonal weakening of the Walker circulation and thus can reconcile disparate observations of changes to the atmosphere and ocean in the equatorial Pacific. CMIP5 models do not capture the magnitude of this response of the EUC to anthropogenic radiative forcing potentially because of biases in the sensitivity of the EUC to changes in zonal wind stress, like the weakening Walker circulation. Consequently, they project a continuation of the opposite to what has been observed in the real world, with potentially serious consequences for projected climate impacts that are influenced by the tropical Pacific.

An ensemble Kalman filter for statistical estimation of physics constrained nonlinear regression models

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

Harlim, John, E-mail: jharlim@psu.edu; Mahdi, Adam, E-mail: amahdi@ncsu.edu; Majda, Andrew J., E-mail: jonjon@cims.nyu.edu

2014-01-15

A central issue in contemporary science is the development of nonlinear data driven statistical–dynamical models for time series of noisy partial observations from nature or a complex model. It has been established recently that ad-hoc quadratic multi-level regression models can have finite-time blow-up of statistical solutions and/or pathological behavior of their invariant measure. Recently, a new class of physics constrained nonlinear regression models were developed to ameliorate this pathological behavior. Here a new finite ensemble Kalman filtering algorithm is developed for estimating the state, the linear and nonlinear model coefficients, the model and the observation noise covariances from available partialmore » noisy observations of the state. Several stringent tests and applications of the method are developed here. In the most complex application, the perfect model has 57 degrees of freedom involving a zonal (east–west) jet, two topographic Rossby waves, and 54 nonlinearly interacting Rossby waves; the perfect model has significant non-Gaussian statistics in the zonal jet with blocked and unblocked regimes and a non-Gaussian skewed distribution due to interaction with the other 56 modes. We only observe the zonal jet contaminated by noise and apply the ensemble filter algorithm for estimation. Numerically, we find that a three dimensional nonlinear stochastic model with one level of memory mimics the statistical effect of the other 56 modes on the zonal jet in an accurate fashion, including the skew non-Gaussian distribution and autocorrelation decay. On the other hand, a similar stochastic model with zero memory levels fails to capture the crucial non-Gaussian behavior of the zonal jet from the perfect 57-mode model.« less

Simulation of an Ice Giant-style Dynamo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soderlund, K. M.; Aurnou, J. M.

2010-12-01

The Ice Giants, Uranus and Neptune, are unique in the solar system. These planets are the only known bodies to have multipolar magnetic fields where the quadrupole and octopole components have strengths comparable to or greater than that of the dipole. Cloud layer observations show that the planets also have zonal (east-west) flows that are fundamentally different from the banded winds of Jupiter and Saturn. The surface winds are characterized by strong retrograde equatorial jets that are flanked on either side by prograde jets at high latitudes. Thermal emission measurements of Neptune show that the surface energy flux pattern peaks in the equatorial and polar regions with minima at mid-latitudes. (The measurements for Uranus cannot adequately resolve the emission pattern.) The winds and magnetic fields are thought to be the result of convection in the planetary interior, which will also affect the heat flux pattern. Typically, it is implicitly assumed that the zonal winds are generated in a shallow layer, separate from the dynamo generation region. However, if the magnetic fields are driven near the surface, a single region can simultaneously generate both the zonal flows and the magnetic fields. Here, we present a novel numerical model of an Ice Giant-style dynamo to investigate this possibility. An order unity convective Rossby number (ratio of buoyancy to Coriolis forces) has been chosen because retrograde equatorial jets tend to occur in spherical shells when the effects of rotation are relatively weak. Our modeling results qualitatively reproduce all of the structural features of the global dynamical observations. Thus, a self-consistent model can generate magnetic field, zonal flow, and thermal emission patterns that agree with those of Uranus and Neptune. This model, then, leads us to hypothesize that the Ice Giants' zonal flows and magnetic fields are generated via dynamically coupled deep convection processes.

The effect of the equatorially symmetric zonal winds of Saturn on its gravitational field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Dali; Zhang, Keke; Schubert, Gerald; Anderson, John D.

2018-04-01

The penetration depth of Saturn’s cloud-level winds into its interior is unknown. A possible way of estimating the depth is through measurement of the effect of the winds on the planet’s gravitational field. We use a self-consistent perturbation approach to study how the equatorially symmetric zonal winds of Saturn contribute to its gravitational field. An important advantage of this approach is that the variation of its gravitational field solely caused by the winds can be isolated and identified because the leading-order problem accounts exactly for rotational distortion, thereby determining the irregular shape and internal structure of the hydrostatic Saturn. We assume that (i) the zonal winds are maintained by thermal convection in the form of non-axisymmetric columnar rolls and (ii) the internal structure of the winds, because of the Taylor-Proundman theorem, can be uniquely determined by the observed cloud-level winds. We calculate both the variation ΔJn , n = 2, 4, 6 … of the axisymmetric gravitational coefficients Jn caused by the zonal winds and the non-axisymmetric gravitational coefficients ΔJnm produced by the columnar rolls, where m is the azimuthal wavenumber of the rolls. We consider three different cases characterized by the penetration depth 0.36, R S, 0.2, R S and 0.1, R S, where R S is the equatorial radius of Saturn at the 1-bar pressure level. We find that the high-degree gravitational coefficient (J 12 + ΔJ 12) is dominated, in all the three cases, by the effect of the zonal flow with |ΔJ 12/J 12| > 100% and that the size of the non-axisymmetric coefficients ΔJ mn directly reflects the depth and scale of the flow taking place in the Saturnian interior.

Initial results from SKiYMET meteor radar at Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E): 1. Comparison of wind measurements with MF spaced antenna radar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Karanam Kishore; Ramkumar, Geetha; Shelbi, S. T.

2007-12-01

In the present communication, initial results from the allSKy interferometric METeor (SKiYMET) radar installed at Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E) are presented. The meteor radar system provides hourly zonal and meridional winds in the mesosphere lower thermosphere (MLT) region. The meteor radar measured zonal and meridional winds are compared with nearby MF radar at Tirunalveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E). The present study provided an opportunity to compare the winds measured by the two different techniques, namely, interferometry and spaced antenna drift methods. Simultaneous wind measurements for a total number of 273 days during September 2004 to May 2005 are compared. The comparison showed a very good agreement between these two techniques in the height region 82-90 km and poor agreement above this height region. In general, the zonal winds compare very well as compared to the meridional winds. The observed discrepancies in the wind comparison above 90 km are discussed in the light of existing limitations of both the radars. The detailed analysis revealed the consistency of the measured winds by both the techniques. However, the discrepancies are observed at higher altitudes and are attributed to the contamination of MF radar neutral wind measurements with Equatorial Electro Jet (EEJ) induced inospheric drifts rather than the limitations of the spaced antenna technique. The comparison of diurnal variation of zonal winds above 90 km measured by both the radars is in reasonably good agreement in the absence of EEJ (during local nighttime). It is also been noted that the difference in the zonal wind measurements by both the radars is directly related to the strength of EEJ, which is a noteworthy result from the present study.

A numerical model of gravity wave breaking and stress in the mesosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schoeberl, M. R.; Strobel, D. F.; Apruzese, J. P.

1983-01-01

The goal of the study is to calculate numerically the deceleration and heating caused by breaking gravity waves. The effect of the radiative dissipation of the wave is included as vertical-wavelength-dependent Newtonian cooling. The parameterization for zonal deceleration is extended by breaking gravity waves (Lindzen, 1981) to include the turbulent diffusion of heat and momentum. After describing the numerical model, the numerical results are presented and compared with the parameterizations in a noninteractive model of the mean zonal wind. Attention is then given to the transport of constituents by gravity waves and the attendant turbulent zone. It is noted that if gravity wave breaking were not an intermittent process, gravity wave stresses would produce an adiabatic mesosphere with a zonal mean velocity close to the phase speed of the breaking wave.

Low- and mid-latitude ionospheric electric fields during the January 1984 GISMOS campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fejer, B. G.; Kelley, M. C.; Senior, C.; De La Beaujardiere, O.; Lepping, R.

1990-01-01

The electrical coupling between the high-, middle-, and low-latitude ionospheres during January 17-19, 1984 is examined, using interplanetary and high-latitude magnetic field data together with F region plasma drift measurements from the EISCAT, Sondre Stromfjord, Millstone Hill, Saint-Santin, Arecibo, and Jicamarca incoherent scatter radars. The penetration both the zonal and meridional electric field components of high-latitude origin into the low-latitude and the equatorial ionospheres are studied. The observations in the postmidnight sector are used to compare the longitudinal variations of the zonal perturbation electric field with predictions made from global convection models. The results show that the meridional electric field perturbations are considerably more attenuated with decreasing latitude than the zonal fluctuations. It is concluded that variations in the meridional electric field at low latitudes are largely due to dynamo effects.

Remote sensing of mesospheric winds with the High-Resolution Doppler Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hays, Paul B.; Abreu, V. J.; Burrage, M. D.; Gell, D. A.; Grassi, H. J.; Marshall, A. R.; Morton, Y. T.; Ortland, D. A.; Skinner, W. R.; Wu, D. L.

1992-01-01

Observations of the winds in the upper atmosphere obtained with the High-Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) are discussed. This instrument is a very stable high-resolution triple-etalon Fabry-Perot interferometer, which is used to observe the slight Doppler shifts of absorption and emission lines in the O2 Atmospheric bands induced by atmospheric motions. Preliminary observations indicate that the winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are a mixture of migrating and non-migrating tides, and planetary-scale waves. The mean meridional winds are dominated by the 1,1 diurnal tide which is easily extracted from the daily zonal means of the satellite observations. The daily mean zonal winds are a mixture of the diurnal tide and a zonal flow which is consistent with theoretical expectations.

Characteristics of Southern Hemisphere 200 mb flow as determined from satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adler, R. F.

1976-01-01

Characteristics of Southern Hemisphere 200 mb flow are examined using geopotential height fields constructed with the aid of satellite based thermal structure. Similar Northern Hemisphere, satellite based fields are developed in order to make interhemispheric comparisons. Results indicate that both the zonal and meridional components of the S.H. eddy kinetic energy are as large as their N.H. counterparts. In winter the principal interhemispheric difference with respect to eddy kinetic energy is that the S.H. standing eddies are much less important only to the meridional component. Zonal component standing energy is about equal in the two hemispheres. In summer the S.H. has larger zonal eddy kinetic energy than the N.H. and smaller standing eddy contributions in both components. The meridional spectra show a preference for intermediate size transient waves.

Evidence for wavelike anomalies with short meridional and large zonal scales in the lower stratospheric temperature field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanford, J. L.; Short, D. A.

1981-01-01

Global microwave brightness temperature measurements are analyzed to investigate the range of meridional wavelengths 2000-3000 km where spectral studies reveal larger than expected variance. The data, from the TIROS-N Microwave Sounding Unit, are sensitive to lower stratospheric temperatures (30-150 mb). The results reveal striking temperature anomalies with short meridional wavelengths (2000-3000 km) and long zonal wavelengths (zonal wavenumbers 1-4). The anomalies, with amplitudes approximately 1-2 K, extend from the equatorial region to at least as high as 70 deg N and 70 deg S during January 1979. The features exhibit slow eastward movement or else are nearly stationary for several days. In the Northern Hemisphere, comparison with NMC data reveals that the strongest features tend to be associated with major jet streams.

A model of stratospheric chemistry and transport on an isentropic surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, John; Holton, James R.

1990-01-01

This paper presents a new photochemical transport model designed to simulate the behavior of stratospheric trace species in the middle stratosphere. The model has an Eulerian grid with the latitude and longitude coordinates on a single isentropic surface (hemispheric or global), in which both the dynamical and the photochemical processes can be accurately represented. The model is intgegrated for 12 days with winds and temperatures supplied by three-dimensional integration of an idealized wavenumber-one disturbance. The results for the long-lived tracers such as N2O showed excellent correlation with the potential vorticity distribution, validating the transport scheme. Calculations with zonally averaged wind and temperature fields showed that discrepancies in the calculation of the zonal mean were less than 10 percent for O3 and HNO3, compared with the zonal mean of the previous results.

Implicit time-marching solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for thrust reversing and thrust vectoring nozzle flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imlay, S. T.

1986-01-01

An implicit finite volume method is investigated for the solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations for flows within thrust reversing and thrust vectoring nozzles. Thrust reversing nozzles typically have sharp corners, and the rapid expansion and large turning angles near these corners are shown to cause unacceptable time step restrictions when conventional approximate factorization methods are used. In this investigation these limitations are overcome by using second-order upwind differencing and line Gauss-Siedel relaxation. This method is implemented with a zonal mesh so that flows through complex nozzle geometries may be efficiently calculated. Results are presented for five nozzle configurations including two with time varying geometries. Three cases are compared with available experimental data and the results are generally acceptable.

Experimental evidence of turbulence regulation by time-varying E  ×  B flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, C.; Henriques, R.; Hidalgo, C.; Fernandes, H.

2018-02-01

The interaction between zonal flows and turbulence is a self-regulating mechanism. Understanding this interaction is crucial to control plasma confinement. Results presented in this paper aim at understanding the conditions under which geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) influence turbulent transport. This is achieved by performing perturbative experiments where GAMs are stimulated and externally controlled. Experiments on ISTTOK revealed that increasing the GAM shear rate over its natural value leads to a reduction of the turbulent transport and to an enhancement in particle confinement. Taking advantage of our unique experimental tools, it is shown that GAMs play an important role in the regulation of the fluctuations, constituting further evidence that the GAM shear rate is enough to regulate the ambient fluctuations without totally suppressing the turbulence.

Water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids in automorphic loamy soils of the tundra and taiga zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamrikova, E. V.; Gruzdev, I. V.; Punegov, V. V.; Khabibullina, F. M.; Kubik, O. S.

2013-06-01

The formation features of water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) in a zonal series of automorphic soils on loose silicate rocks from the middle taiga to the southern tundra (typical podzolic, gley-podzolic, and surface-gley tundra soils) were first revealed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gas-liquid chromatography. The content of LMWOAs varies within the range of 1-14 mg/dm3, which corresponds to 1-5% of the total carbon of the water-soluble soil organic matter. It has been shown that a subzonal feature of gley-podzolic soils in the northern taiga is the high content of LMWOAs, including primarily the strongest aliphatic hydroxyl acids. Possible mechanisms of their formation and accumulation in soils have been considered.

Inclusion of inhomogeneous deformation and strength characteristics in the problem on zonal disintegration of rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanyshev, AI; Belousova, OE

2018-03-01

The authors determine stress and deformation in a heterogeneous rock mass at the preset displacement and Cauchy stress vector at the boundary of an underground excavation. The influence of coordinates on Young’s modulus, shear modulus and ultimate strength is shown. It is found that regions of tension and compression alternate at the excavation boundary—i.e. zonal rock disintegration phenomenon is observed.

Nonlinear growth of zonal flows by secondary instability in general magnetic geometry

DOE PAGES

Plunk, G. G.; Navarro, A. Banon

2017-02-23

Here we present a theory of the nonlinear growth of zonal flows in magnetized plasma turbulence, by the mechanism of secondary instability. The theory is derived for general magnetic geometry, and is thus applicable to both tokamaks and stellarators. The predicted growth rate is shown to compare favorably with nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations, with the error scaling as expected with the small parameter of the theory.

Magnetic activity and radial electric field during I-phase in ASDEX Upgrade plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birkenmeier, Gregor; Cavedon, Marco; Conway, Garrard; Manz, Peter; Puetterich, Thomas; Stroth, Ulrich; ASDEX Upgrade Team Team

2016-10-01

At the transition from the low (L-mode) to the high (H-mode) confinement regime, so called limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs) can occur at the edge of a fusion plasma. During the LCO evolution, which is also called I-phase, the relative importance of background flows and turbulence-generated zonal flows can change, and it is still unclear whether a large contribution of zonal flows is a necessary condition for triggering the H-mode. At ASDEX Upgrade, I-phases have been studied in a wide range of parameters. The modulation of flows and gradients during I-phase is accompanied by a strong magnetic activity with a specific poloidal and toroidal structure. The magnetic activity increases during the development of an edge pedestal during I-phase, and is preceded by type-III ELM-like precursors. During all phases of the I-phase, the radial electric field Er is found to be close to the neoclassical prediction of the electric field Er , neo. These results suggest that zonal flows do not contribute significantly to the LCO dynamics, and the burst like behavior is reminiscent of a critical-gradient driven instability like edge localized modes. These observations on ASDEX Upgrade seem to be inconsistent with LCO models based on an interaction between zonal flows and turbulence.

Zonal Flows and Long-lived Axisymmetric Pressure Bumps in Magnetorotational Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johansen, A.; Youdin, A.; Klahr, H.

2009-06-01

We study the behavior of magnetorotational turbulence in shearing box simulations with a radial and azimuthal extent up to 10 scale heights. Maxwell and Reynolds stresses are found to increase by more than a factor of 2 when increasing the box size beyond two scale heights in the radial direction. Further increase of the box size has little or no effect on the statistical properties of the turbulence. An inverse cascade excites magnetic field structures at the largest scales of the box. The corresponding 10% variation in the Maxwell stress launches a zonal flow of alternating sub- and super-Keplerian velocity. This, in turn, generates a banded density structure in geostrophic balance between pressure and Coriolis forces. We present a simplified model for the appearance of zonal flows, in which stochastic forcing by the magnetic tension on short timescales creates zonal flow structures with lifetimes of several tens of orbits. We experiment with various improved shearing box algorithms to reduce the numerical diffusivity introduced by the supersonic shear flow. While a standard finite difference advection scheme shows signs of a suppression of turbulent activity near the edges of the box, this problem is eliminated by a new method where the Keplerian shear advection is advanced in time by interpolation in Fourier space.

Global structure and seasonal variability of the migrating terdiurnal tide in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Jia; Xu, Jiyao; Chang, Loren C.; Wu, Qian; Liu, Han-Li; Lu, Xian; Russell, James

2013-12-01

The morphology of the migrating terdiurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 3 (TW3) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) is revealed using the TIMED satellite datasets from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) and the TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI) instruments from 2002 to 2009, as well as the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM). The annual mean structures of the TW3 from the TIME-GCM clearly resemble the first real symmetric (3,3) Hough mode. The TW3 temperature and zonal wind components have three peaks at midlatitudes and near the equator, while the TW3 meridional wind components show four peaks at mid and low latitudes. These features are consistent with those resolved in SABER temperature and TIDI zonal wind above ~95 km. TW3 components in the TIME-GCM are stronger during winter and spring months at midlatitudes, which is in agreement with previous ground-based radar measurements. On the other hand, TW3 components of temperature, zonal and meridional winds from SABER and TIDI display different seasonal variations at different altitudes and latitudes. The results presented in this paper will provide an observational basis for further modeling study of terdiurnal tide impacts on the thermosphere and ionosphere.

TEM heat transport and fluctuations in the HSX stellarator: experiments and comparison with gyrokinetic simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smoniewski, J.; Faber, B. J.; Sánchez, E.; Calvo, I.; Pueschel, M. J.; Likin, K. M.; Deng, C. B.; Talmadge, J. N.

2017-10-01

The Helically Symmetric eXperiment (HSX) has demonstrated reduced neoclassical transport in the plasma core with quasi-symmetry [Lore Thesis 2010], while outside this region the electron thermal diffusivity is well above the neoclassical level, likely due to the Trapped Electron Mode (TEM) [Weir PoP 2015, Faber PoP 2015]. We compare gyrokinetic simulations of the TEM to experimental heat flux and density fluctuation measurements for two configurations: Quasi-Helical Symmetry (QHS) and broken symmetry (Mirror). Both experiment and simulation show that the heat flux for Mirror is larger than for QHS by about a factor of two. Initial interferometer measurements provide evidence that density-gradient-driven TEMs are driving turbulence. Calculations of the collisionless damping of zonal flows provide another perspective into the difference between geometries. Similar to other stellarators [Monreal PPCF 2016], the zonal flow residual goes to zero at long wavelengths in both configurations. Additionally, the very short time decay of the zonal flow due to neoclassical polarization is constant between configurations. However, the collisionless damping time is longer and the zonal flow oscillation frequency is smaller in QHS than Mirror, consistent with reduced radial particle drifts. Work supported by the US DOE under Grant DE-FG02-93ER54222.

The transformation of vegetation vertical zonality affected by anthropogenic impact in East Fennoscandia (Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorik, Vadim; Miulgauzen, Daria

2017-04-01

Ecosystems of East Fennoscandia have been affected by intensive anthropogenic influence that resulted in their significant transformation. Study of ecosystems in the framework of vegetation vertical zonality disturbance as well as its recovery allows to understand the trends of anthropogenically induced changes. The aim of the present research is the comparative analysis of vegetation vertical zonality of the two uplands in East Fennoscandia which may be considered as unaffected and affected by anthropogenic impact. The objects of key studies carried out in the north-west of Kola Peninsula in the vicinity of the Pechenganikel Mining and Metallurgical Plant are represented by ecosystems of Kalkupya (h 357 m) and Hangaslachdenvara (h 284 m) uplands. They are characterized by the similarity in sequence of altitudinal belts due to the position on the northern taiga - forest-tundra boundary. Plant communities of Kalkupya upland have no visible signs of anthropogenic influence, therefore, they can be considered as model ecosystems of the area. The sequence of altitudinal belts is the following: - up to 200 m - pine subshrub and green moss ("zonal") forest replaced by mixed pine and birch forest near the upper boundary; - 200-300 m - birch crooked subshrub wood; - above 300 m - tundra subshrub and lichen communities. Ecosystems of Hangaslachdenvara upland have been damaged by air pollution (SO2, Ni, Cu emissions) of the Pechenganikel Plant. This impact has led to plant community suppression and formation of barren lands. Besides the soil cover was significantly disturbed, especially upper horizons. Burying of soil profiles, represented by Podzols (WRB, 2015), also manifested itself in the exploited part of the area. The vegetation cover of Hangaslachdenvara upland is the following: - up to 130 m - birch and aspen subshrub and grass forest instead of pine forest ("zonal"); - 130-200 m - barren lands instead of pine forest ("zonal"); - above 200 m - barren lands instead of birch crooked subshrub wood, which stretched to the north-east, proving the leading role of prevailing southwestern winds in pollution spreading in the area. As the anthropogenic impact decreases due to the Plant's emissions decline, there have been identified signs of ecosystem restoration. The beginning restoration helps parvifoliate forests to grow in barren lands, including the above-mentioned birch and aspen forest on Hangaslachdenvara upland. Reductive processes of soil formation are responsible for the development of soddy or raw humus horizons in the substrate overlaying the well-developed Podzols. Nevertheless, there is no restoration above 130 m on Hangaslachdenvara upland owing to the barrier effect, in other words, intensive deposition and accumulation of air pollutants on the upland's top. Thus, there has been defined that the anthropogenic impact led to total vegetation vertical zonality modification and physical disturbance of soil cover in East Fennoscandia. The typical taiga scheme of "coniferous forest - birch crooked wood - tundra subshrub and lichen communities" altitudinal belts was replaced by that of "parvifoliate forest - barren land" altitudinal belts. However, after the reduction of anthropogenic influence "zonal" plant communities begin to restore gradually and weak developed soils are forming.

Jupiter cloud morphology and zonal winds from ground-based observations during Juno's first year around Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Gómez-Forrellad, J. M.; Rojas, J. F.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Sanz-Requena, J. F.; Peralta, J.; Ordonez-Etxeberria, I.; Chen-Chen, H.; Mendikoa, I.; Peach, D.; Go, C.; Wesley, A.; Miles, P.; Olivetti, T.

2017-09-01

We present an analysis of Jupiter's atmospheric activity over Juno's first year around the planet based on ground-based observations. We present variability of the zonal winds associated to large outbreaks of convective activity at different belts in the planet, a study of short-scale atmospheric waves at low latitudes and examine polar views of the planet that can be compared with JunoCam observations.

Hubble Space Telescope observations of the 1990 equatorial disturbance on Saturn - Zonal winds and central meridian albedos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnet, C. D.; Westphal, J. A.; Beebe, R. F.; Huber, L. F.

1992-12-01

The present comparison of two sets of HST data from August and November 1990 with Voyager 1 and 2 data acquired in 1980 and 1981 gives attention to Saturn's equatorial-region disturbance of September 1990. Longitudinal variations in the equatorial zonal winds are interpreted as evidence for interaction between the storm nucleus that was generated during the disturbance and the local wind field.

Modulation of Bjerknes feedback on the decadal variations in ENSO predictability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Fei; Fang, Xiang-Hui; Zhu, Jiang; Yu, Jin-Yi; Li, Xi-Chen

2016-12-01

Clear decadal variations exist in the predictability of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with the most recent decade having the lowest ENSO predictability in the past six decades. The Bjerknes Feedback (BF) intensity, which dominates the development of ENSO, has been proposed to determine ENSO predictability. Here we demonstrate that decadal variations in BF intensity are largely a result of the sensitivity of the zonal winds to the zonal sea level pressure (SLP) gradient in the equatorial Pacific. Furthermore, the results show that during low-ENSO predictability decades, zonal wind anomalies over the equatorial Pacific are more linked to SLP variations in the off-equatorial Pacific, which can then transfer this information into surface temperature and precipitation fields through the BF, suggesting a weakening in the ocean-atmosphere coupling in the tropical Pacific. This result indicates that more attention should be paid to off-equatorial processes in the prediction of ENSO.

High-Frequency Orographically Forced Variability in a Single-Layer Model of the Martian Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keppenne, C. L.; Ingersoll, A. P.

1993-01-01

A shallow water model with realistic topography and idealized zonal wind forcing is used toinvestigate orographically forced modes in the Martian atmosphere. Locally, the model reproduceswell the climatology at the sites of Viking Lander I and II (VL1 and VL2) as inferred from theViking Lander fall and spring observations. Its variability at those sites is dominated by a 3-sol(Martian solar day) oscillation in the region of VL1 and by a 6-sol oscillation in that of VL2. Theseoscillations are forced by the zonal asymmetries of the Martian mountain field. It is suggested thatthey contribute to the observed variability by reinforcing the baroclinic oscillations with nearbyperiods identified in observational studies. The spatial variability associated with the orographicallyforced oscillations is studied by means of extended empirical orthogonal function analysis. The 3-solVL1 oscillation corresponds to a tropical, eastward-traveling, zonal-wavenumber one pattern...

Rare excitatory amino acid from flowers of zonal geranium responsible for paralyzing the Japanese beetle.

PubMed

Ranger, Christopher M; Winter, Rudolph E; Singh, Ajay P; Reding, Michael E; Frantz, Jonathan M; Locke, James C; Krause, Charles R

2011-01-25

The Japanese beetle (JB), Popillia japonica, exhibits rapid paralysis after consuming flower petals of zonal geranium, Pelargonium x hortorum. Activity-guided fractionations were conducted with polar flower petal extracts from P. x hortorum cv. Nittany Lion Red, which led to the isolation of a paralysis-inducing compound. High-resolution-MS and NMR ((1)H, (13)C, COSY, heteronuclear sequential quantum correlation, heteronuclear multiple bond correlation) analysis identified the paralytic compound as quisqualic acid (C(5)H(7)N(3)O(5)), a known but rare agonist of excitatory amino acid receptors. Optical rotation measurements and chiral HPLC analysis determined an L-configuration. Geranium-derived and synthetic L-quisqualic acid demonstrated the same positive paralytic dose-response. Isolation of a neurotoxic, excitatory amino acid from zonal geranium establishes the phytochemical basis for induced paralysis of the JB, which had remained uncharacterized since the phenomenon was first described in 1920.

Elevated Tropospheric Ozone over the Atlantic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Tie, X.

2003-01-01

Tropospheric column ozone (TCO) is derived from differential measurements of TOMS total column ozone and Microwave Limb Sounder stratospheric column ozone. It is shown that TCO during summer months over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in northern midlatitudes is about the same (50 to 60 Dobson Units) as over the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia, where surface emissions of nitrogen oxides from industrial sources, biomass and biofuel burning and biogenic emissions are significantly larger. This nearly uniform zonal variation in TCO is modulated by surface topography of the Rocky and Himalayan mountains, and Tibetan plateau where TCO is reduced by 20 to 30 Dobson Units. The zonal variation in TCO is well simulated by a global chemical transport model called MOZART-2 (Model of Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2). The model results are analyzed to delineate the relative importance of various processes contributing to observed zonal characteristics of TCO.

Diffusion of Zonal Variables Using Node-Centered Diffusion Solver

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

Yang, T B

2007-08-06

Tom Kaiser [1] has done some preliminary work to use the node-centered diffusion solver (originally developed by T. Palmer [2]) in Kull for diffusion of zonal variables such as electron temperature. To avoid numerical diffusion, Tom used a scheme developed by Shestakov et al. [3] and found their scheme could, in the vicinity of steep gradients, decouple nearest-neighbor zonal sub-meshes leading to 'alternating-zone' (red-black mode) errors. Tom extended their scheme to couple the sub-meshes with appropriate chosen artificial diffusion and thereby solved the 'alternating-zone' problem. Because the choice of the artificial diffusion coefficient could be very delicate, it is desirablemore » to use a scheme that does not require the artificial diffusion but still able to avoid both numerical diffusion and the 'alternating-zone' problem. In this document we present such a scheme.« less

Numerical solution of the full potential equation using a chimera grid approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holst, Terry L.

1995-01-01

A numerical scheme utilizing a chimera zonal grid approach for solving the full potential equation in two spatial dimensions is described. Within each grid zone a fully-implicit approximate factorization scheme is used to advance the solution one interaction. This is followed by the explicit advance of all common zonal grid boundaries using a bilinear interpolation of the velocity potential. The presentation is highlighted with numerical results simulating the flow about a two-dimensional, nonlifting, circular cylinder. For this problem, the flow domain is divided into two parts: an inner portion covered by a polar grid and an outer portion covered by a Cartesian grid. Both incompressible and compressible (transonic) flow solutions are included. Comparisons made with an analytic solution as well as single grid results indicate that the chimera zonal grid approach is a viable technique for solving the full potential equation.

Global variations of zonal mean ozone during stratospheric warming events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, William J.

1993-01-01

Eight years of Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) ozone data are examined to study zonal mean variations associated with stratospheric planetary wave (warming) events. These fluctuations are found to be nearly global in extent, with relatively large variations in the tropics, and coherent signatures reaching up to 50 deg in the opposite (summer) hemisphere. These ozone variations are a manifestation of the global circulation cells associated with stratospheric warming events; the ozone responds dynamically in the lower stratosphere to transport, and photochemically in the upper stratosphere to the circulation-induced temperature changes. The observed ozone variations in the tropics are of particular interest because transport is dominated by zonal-mean vertical motions (eddy flux divergences and mean meridional transports are negligible), and hence, substantial simplifications to the governing equations occur. The response of the atmosphere to these impulsive circulation changes provides a situation for robust estimates of the ozone-temperature sensitivity in the upper stratosphere.

On the association between the recent episode of the quasi-biennial oscillation and the strong El Niño event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varotsos, Costas A.; Sarlis, Nikos V.; Efstathiou, Maria

2017-07-01

Since February 2016, the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in zonal wind of the lower stratosphere exhibited anomalous behavior. In more detail, it broke down from its typical pattern and the eastward stratospheric winds unexpectedly reversed to a westward direction. We herewith attempt to detect whether this unprecedented event could be considered as a result of plausible long-range correlations in the QBO temporal evolution. The analyses performed using all the available QBO data sets showed that such an interpretation could not be inferred, because the temporal evolution of the equatorial zonal wind in the lower stratosphere does not exhibit power-law behavior. Further, the natural time analysis of the QBO data indicates precursory behavior before the maximization of the zonal wind velocity and that the recent strong El Niño event might be related with the aforementioned unprecedented behavior.

Trapped waves on the mid-latitude β-plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paldor, Nathan; Sigalov, Andrey

2008-08-01

A new type of approximate solutions of the Linearized Shallow Water Equations (LSWE) on the mid-latitude β-plane, zonally propagating trapped waves with Airy-like latitude-dependent amplitude, is constructed in this work, for sufficiently small radius of deformation. In contrast to harmonic Poincare and Rossby waves, these newly found trapped waves vanish fast in the positive half-axis, and their zonal phase speed is larger than that of the corresponding harmonic waves for sufficiently large meridional domains. Our analysis implies that due to the smaller radius of deformation in the ocean compared with that in the atmosphere, the trapped waves are relevant to observations in the ocean whereas harmonic waves typify atmospheric observations. The increase in the zonal phase speed of trapped Rossby waves compared with that of harmonic ones is consistent with recent observations that showed that Sea Surface Height features propagated westwards faster than the phase speed of harmonic Rossby waves.

Design for and efficient dynamic climate model with realistic geography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suarez, M. J.; Abeles, J.

1984-01-01

The long term climate sensitivity which include realistic atmospheric dynamics are severely restricted by the expense of integrating atmospheric general circulation models are discussed. Taking as an example models used at GSFC for this dynamic model is an alternative which is of much lower horizontal or vertical resolution. The model of Heid and Suarez uses only two levels in the vertical and, although it has conventional grid resolution in the meridional direction, horizontal resolution is reduced by keeping only a few degrees of freedom in the zonal wavenumber spectrum. Without zonally asymmetric forcing this model simulates a day in roughly 1/2 second on a CRAY. The model under discussion is a fully finite differenced, zonally asymmetric version of the Heid-Suarez model. It is anticipated that speeds can be obtained a few seconds a day roughly 50 times faster than moderate resolution, multilayer GCM's.

Equatorial scintillation and systems support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groves, K. M.; Basu, S.; Weber, E. J.; Smitham, M.; Kuenzler, H.; Valladares, C. E.; Sheehan, R.; MacKenzie, E.; Secan, J. A.; Ning, P.; McNeill, W. J.; Moonan, D. W.; Kendra, M. J.

1997-09-01

The need to nowcast and forecast scintillation for the support of operational systems has been recently identified by the interagency National Space Weather Program. This issue is addressed in the present paper in the context of nighttime irregularities in the equatorial ionosphere that cause intense amplitude and phase scintillations of satellite signals in the VHF/UHF range of frequencies and impact satellite communication, Global Positioning System navigation, and radar systems. Multistation and multifrequency satellite scintillation observations have been used to show that even though equatorial scintillations vary in accordance with the solar cycle, the extreme day-to-day variability of unknown origin modulates the scintillation occurrence during all phases of the solar cycle. It is shown that although equatorial scintillation events often show correlation with magnetic activity, the major component of scintillation is observed during magnetically quiet periods. In view of the day-to-day variability of the occurrence and intensity of scintillating regions, their latitude extent, and their zonal motion, a regional specification and short-term forecast system based on real-time measurements has been developed. This system, named the Scintillation Network Decision Aid, consists of two latitudinally dispersed stations, each of which uses spaced antenna scintillation receiving systems to monitor 250-MHz transmissions from two longitudinally separated geostationary satellites. The scintillation index and zonal irregularity drift are processed on-line and are retrieved by a remote operator on the Internet. At the operator terminal the data are combined with an empirical plasma bubble model to generate three-dimensional maps of irregularity structures and two-dimensional outage maps for the region.

Southern Argentina Agile Meteor Radar: Initial assessment of gravity wave momentum fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritts, D. C.; Janches, D.; Hocking, W. K.

2010-10-01

The Southern Argentina Agile Meteor Radar (SAAMER) was installed on Tierra del Fuego (53.8°S) in May 2008 and has been operational since that time. This paper describes tests of the SAAMER ability to measure gravity wave momentum fluxes and applications of this capability during different seasons. Test results for specified mean, tidal, and gravity wavefields, including tidal amplitudes and gravity wave momentum fluxes varying strongly with altitude and/or time, suggest that the distribution of meteors throughout the diurnal cycle and averaged over a month allows characterization of both monthly mean profiles and diurnal variations of the gravity wave momentum fluxes. Applications of the same methods for real data suggest confidence in the monthly mean profiles and the composite day diurnal variations of gravity wave momentum fluxes at altitudes where meteor counts are sufficient to yield good statistical fits to the data. Monthly mean zonal winds and gravity wave momentum fluxes exhibit anticorrelations consistent with those seen at other midlatitude and high-latitude radars during austral spring and summer, when no strong local gravity wave sources are apparent. When stratospheric variances are significantly enhanced over the Drake Passage “hot spot” during austral winter, however, MLT winds and momentum fluxes over SAAMER exhibit very different correlations that suggest that MLT dynamics are strongly influenced by strong local gravity wave sources within this “hot spot.” SAAMER measurements of mean zonal and meridional winds at these times and their differences from measurements at a conjugate site provide further support for the unusual momentum flux measurements.

Clusters of cyclones encircling Jupiter's poles.

PubMed

Adriani, A; Mura, A; Orton, G; Hansen, C; Altieri, F; Moriconi, M L; Rogers, J; Eichstädt, G; Momary, T; Ingersoll, A P; Filacchione, G; Sindoni, G; Tabataba-Vakili, F; Dinelli, B M; Fabiano, F; Bolton, S J; Connerney, J E P; Atreya, S K; Lunine, J I; Tosi, F; Migliorini, A; Grassi, D; Piccioni, G; Noschese, R; Cicchetti, A; Plainaki, C; Olivieri, A; O'Neill, M E; Turrini, D; Stefani, S; Sordini, R; Amoroso, M

2018-03-07

The familiar axisymmetric zones and belts that characterize Jupiter's weather system at lower latitudes give way to pervasive cyclonic activity at higher latitudes. Two-dimensional turbulence in combination with the Coriolis β-effect (that is, the large meridionally varying Coriolis force on the giant planets of the Solar System) produces alternating zonal flows. The zonal flows weaken with rising latitude so that a transition between equatorial jets and polar turbulence on Jupiter can occur. Simulations with shallow-water models of giant planets support this transition by producing both alternating flows near the equator and circumpolar cyclones near the poles. Jovian polar regions are not visible from Earth owing to Jupiter's low axial tilt, and were poorly characterized by previous missions because the trajectories of these missions did not venture far from Jupiter's equatorial plane. Here we report that visible and infrared images obtained from above each pole by the Juno spacecraft during its first five orbits reveal persistent polygonal patterns of large cyclones. In the north, eight circumpolar cyclones are observed about a single polar cyclone; in the south, one polar cyclone is encircled by five circumpolar cyclones. Cyclonic circulation is established via time-lapse imagery obtained over intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 4 hours. Although migration of cyclones towards the pole might be expected as a consequence of the Coriolis β-effect, by which cyclonic vortices naturally drift towards the rotational pole, the configuration of the cyclones is without precedent on other planets (including Saturn's polar hexagonal features). The manner in which the cyclones persist without merging and the process by which they evolve to their current configuration are unknown.

Soilscapes in the dynamic tropical environments: The case of Sierra Madre del Sur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasilnikov, P. V.; García-Calderón, N. E.; Ibáñez-Huerta, A.; Bazán-Mateos, M.; Hernández-Santana, J. R.

2011-12-01

The paper gives an analysis of the pattern of soil cover of the Sierra Madre del Sur, one of the most complex physiographic regions of Mexico. It presents the results of the study of four latitudinal traverses across the region. We show that the distribution of soils in the Sierra Madre del Sur is associated with major climatic gradients, namely by vertical bioclimatic zonality in the mountains and by the effect of mountain shadow. Altitudinal distribution of soil-bioclimatic belts is complex due to non-uniform gradients of temperature and rainfall, and varies with the configuration of the mountain range. The distribution of soils is associated with the erosion and accumulation rates both on mountain slopes and in river valleys. The abundance of poorly developed soils in (semi)arid areas was ascribed to high erosion rate rather than to low pedogenetic potential. The formation of soil mosaic at a larger scale might be ascribed to the complex net of gully erosion and to the system of seismically triggered landslides of various ages. In the valleys, the distribution of soils depends upon the dynamics of sedimentation and erosion, which eventually exposes paleosols. Red-colored clayey sediments are remains of ancient weathering and pedogenesis. Their distribution is associated mainly with the intensity of recent slope processes. The soil cover pattern of the Sierra Madre del Sur cannot be explained by simplified schemes of bioclimatic zonality. The soil ranges can be explained by the distribution of climates, lithology, complex geological history of the region, and recent geomorphological processes.

Dynamical Regimes and the Dynamo Bifurcation in Geodynamo Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petitdemange, L.

2017-12-01

We investigate the nature of the dynamo bifurcation in a configuration applicable to the Earth's liquid outer core : in a rotating spherical shell with thermally driven motions with no-slip boundaries. Unlike previous studies on dynamo bifurcations, the control parameters have been varied significantly in order to deduce general tendencies. Numerical studies on the stability domain of dipolar magnetic fields found a dichotomy between non-reversing dipole-dominated dynamos and the reversing non-dipole-dominated multipolar solutions. We show that, by considering weak initial fields, the above transition is replaced by a region of bistability for which dipolar and multipolar dynamos coexist. Such a result was also observed in models with free-slip boundaries in which the strong shear of geostrophic zonal flows can develop and gives rise to non-dipolar fields. We show that a similar process develops in no-slip models when viscous effects are reduced sufficiently.Close to the onset of convection (Rac), the axial dipole grows exponentially in the kinematic phase and saturation occurs by marginally changing the flow structure close to the dynamo threshold Rmc. The resulting bifurcation is then supercritical.In the range 3RacIf (Ra/Ra_c>10), important zonal flows develop in non-magnetic models with low viscosity. The field topology depends on the initial magnetic field. The dipolar branch has a subcritical behaviour whereas the multipolar branch is supercritical. By approaching more realistic parameters, the extension of this bistable regime increases (lower Rossby numbers). An hysteretic behaviour questions the common interpretation for geomagnetic reversals. Far above Rm_c$, the Lorentz force becomes dominant, as it is expected in planetary cores.

Anelastic spherical dynamos with radially variable electrical conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, W.; Jones, C. A.

2018-05-01

A series of numerical simulations of the dynamo process operating inside gas giant planets has been performed. We use an anelastic, fully nonlinear, three-dimensional, benchmarked MHD code to evolve the flow, entropy and magnetic field. Our models take into account the varying electrical conductivity, high in the ionised metallic hydrogen region, low in the molecular outer region. Our suite of electrical conductivity profiles ranges from Jupiter-like, where the outer hydrodynamic region is quite thin, to Saturn-like, where there is a thick non-conducting shell. The rapid rotation leads to the formation of two distinct dynamical regimes which are separated by a magnetic tangent cylinder - mTC. Outside the mTC there are strong zonal flows, where Reynolds stress balances turbulent viscosity, but inside the mTC Lorentz force reduces the zonal flow. The dynamic interaction between both regions induces meridional circulation. We find a rich diversity of magnetic field morphologies. There are Jupiter-like steady dipolar fields, and a belt of quadrupolar dominated dynamos spanning the range of models between Jupiter-like and Saturn-like conductivity profiles. This diversity may be linked to the appearance of reversed sign helicity in the metallic regions of our dynamos. With Saturn-like conductivity profiles we find models with dipolar magnetic fields, whose axisymmetric components resemble those of Saturn, and which oscillate on a very long time-scale. However, the non-axisymmetric field components of our models are at least ten times larger than those of Saturn, possibly due to the absence of any stably stratified layer.

Effects of the seasonal cycle on superrotation in planetary atmospheres

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

Mitchell, Jonathan L.; Vallis, Geoffrey K.; Potter, Samuel F.

2014-05-20

The dynamics of dry atmospheric general circulation model simulations forced by seasonally varying Newtonian relaxation are explored over a wide range of two control parameters and are compared with the large-scale circulation of Earth, Mars, and Titan in their relevant parameter regimes. Of the parameters that govern the behavior of the system, the thermal Rossby number (Ro) has previously been found to be important in governing the spontaneous transition from an Earth-like climatology of winds to a superrotating one with prograde equatorial winds, in the absence of a seasonal cycle. This case is somewhat unrealistic as it applies only ifmore » the planet has zero obliquity or if surface thermal inertia is very large. While Venus has nearly vanishing obliquity, Earth, Mars, and Titan (Saturn) all have obliquities of ∼25° and varying degrees of seasonality due to their differing thermal inertias and orbital periods. Motivated by this, we introduce a time-dependent Newtonian cooling to drive a seasonal cycle using idealized model forcing, and we define a second control parameter that mimics non-dimensional thermal inertia of planetary surfaces. We then perform and analyze simulations across the parameter range bracketed by Earth-like and Titan-like regimes, assess the impact on the spontaneous transition to superrotation, and compare Earth, Mars, and Titan to the model simulations in the relevant parameter regime. We find that a large seasonal cycle (small thermal inertia) prevents model atmospheres with large thermal Rossby numbers from developing superrotation by the influences of (1) cross-equatorial momentum advection by the Hadley circulation and (2) hemispherically asymmetric zonal-mean zonal winds that suppress instabilities leading to equatorial momentum convergence. We also demonstrate that baroclinic instabilities must be sufficiently weak to allow superrotation to develop. In the relevant parameter regimes, our seasonal model simulations compare favorably to large-scale, seasonal phenomena observed on Earth and Mars. In the Titan-like regime the seasonal cycle in our model acts to prevent superrotation from developing, and it is necessary to increase the value of a third parameter—the atmospheric Newtonian cooling time—to achieve a superrotating climatology.« less

Center for the Study of Plasma Microturbulence

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

Parker, Scott E.

We have discovered a possible "natural fueling" mechanism in tokamak fusion reactors using large scale gyrokinetic turbulence simulation. In the presence of a heat flux dominated tokamak plasma, cold ions naturally pinch radially inward. If cold DT fuel is introduced near the edge using shallow pellet injection, the cold fuel will pinch inward, at the expense of hot helium ash going radially outward. By adjusting the cold DT fuel concentration, the core DT density profiles can be maintained. We have also shown that cold source ions from edge recycling of cold neutrals are pinched radially inward. This mechanism may bemore » important for fully understanding the edge pedestal buildup after an ELM crash. Work includes benchmarking the gyrokinetic turbulence codes in the electromagnetic regime. This includes cyclone base case parameters with an increasing plasma beta. The code comparisons include GEM, GYRO and GENE. There is good linear agreement between the codes using the Cyclone base case, but including electromagnetics and scanning the plasma beta. All the codes have difficulty achieving nonlinear saturation as the kinetic ballooning limit is approached. GEM does not saturate well when beta gets above about 1/2 of the ideal ballooning limit. We find that the lack of saturation is due to the long wavelength k{sub y} modes being nonlinearly pumped to high levels. If the fundamental k{sub y} mode is zeroed out, higher values of beta nonlinearly saturate well. Additionally, there have been studies to better understand CTEM nonlinear saturation and the importance of zonal flows. We have continued our investigation of trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence. More recently, we have focused on the nonlinear saturation of TEM turbulence. An important feature of TEM is that in many parameter regimes, the zonal flow is unimportant. We find that when zonal flows are unimportant, zonal density is the dominant saturation mechanism. We developed a simple theory that agrees with the simulation and predicts zonal density generation and feedback stabilization of the most unstable mode even in the absence of zonal flow. We are using GEM to simulate NSTX discharges. We have also done verification and validation on DIII-D. Good agreement with GYRO and DIII-D flux levels were reported in the core region.« less

Mean winds at the cloud top of Venus obtained from two-wavelength UV imaging by Akatsuki

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horinouchi, Takeshi; Kouyama, Toru; Lee, Yeon Joo; Murakami, Shin-ya; Ogohara, Kazunori; Takagi, Masahiro; Imamura, Takeshi; Nakajima, Kensuke; Peralta, Javier; Yamazaki, Atsushi; Yamada, Manabu; Watanabe, Shigeto

2018-01-01

Venus is covered with thick clouds. Ultraviolet (UV) images at 0.3-0.4 microns show detailed cloud features at the cloud-top level at about 70 km, which are created by an unknown UV-absorbing substance. Images acquired in this wavelength range have traditionally been used to measure winds at the cloud top. In this study, we report low-latitude winds obtained from the images taken by the UV imager, UVI, onboard the Akatsuki orbiter from December 2015 to March 2017. UVI provides images with two filters centered at 365 and 283 nm. While the 365-nm images enable continuation of traditional Venus observations, the 283-nm images visualize cloud features at an SO2 absorption band, which is novel. We used a sophisticated automated cloud-tracking method and thorough quality control to estimate winds with high precision. Horizontal winds obtained from the 283-nm images are generally similar to those from the 365-nm images, but in many cases, westward winds from the former are faster than the latter by a few m/s. From previous studies, one can argue that the 283-nm images likely reflect cloud features at higher altitude than the 365-nm images. If this is the case, the superrotation of the Venusian atmosphere generally increases with height at the cloud-top level, where it has been thought to roughly peak. The mean winds obtained from the 365-nm images exhibit local time dependence consistent with known tidal features. Mean zonal winds exhibit asymmetry with respect to the equator in the latter half of the analysis period, significantly at 365 nm and weakly at 283 nm. This contrast indicates that the relative altitude may vary with time and latitude, and so are the observed altitudes. In contrast, mean meridional winds do not exhibit much long-term variability. A previous study suggested that the geographic distribution of temporal mean zonal winds obtained from UV images from the Venus Express orbiter during 2006-2012 can be interpreted as forced by topographically induced stationary gravity waves. However, the geographic distribution of temporal mean zonal winds we obtained is not consistent with that distribution, which suggests that the distribution may not be persistent. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

The Glacier National Park GLORIA Project: A new US Target Region for Alpine Plant Monitoring Installed in the Northern Rocky Mountains, Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzer, K.; Fagre, D.

2004-12-01

The Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) is an international research network whose purpose is to assess climate change impacts on vegetation in alpine environments worldwide. A standard protocol was developed by the international office in Vienna, Austria, and has specific site requirements and techniques that allow sites to be compared worldwide. This protocol requires four summits to be selected within a target region, covering zonal differences of subalpine to nival, and on each of these summits intensive vegetation plots are set up and monitored on a five year interval. Only three target regions in North America have been completed to date, one in Glacier National Park, Montana, and the other two in the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains, California. The four GLORIA summit plots in Glacier National Park were completed over the summers of 2003 and 2004. Because the Continental Divide bisects Glacier National Park (north to south), we chose summits only East of the divide to stay within a similar climatic pattern. Establishing sites was difficult due to the steep and rocky glaciated terrain and the remoteness of suitable sites that required multi-day approaches. Our highest summit (Seward Mtn. 2717 m) is the northernmost and our lowest summit (Dancing Lady Mtn. 2245 m) is southernmost. Treeline is strongly influenced by terrain and is significantly more variable than in the central Rocky Mountains. This also was true of zonal differences of alpine vegetation. Subalpine and even grassland species were found on the same summits as upper alpine species and areas considered subnival. While different zonal areas often occurred on one summit, they were highly influenced by the aspect and slope of that summit area. Between 51 and 82 vascular plants were documented on each summit. There was a high degree of variability in species diversity and percent cover on each summit that was correlated to directional exposure. The summit morphology caused loose vegetative associations, or micro-communities, that varied with exposure, slope angle, and substrate character. Species that exhibited dominance within the target region were Smelowskia calycina var. americana, Polemonium viscosum, Achillea millefolium, Erigeron compositus var. glabratus, and Potentilla fruticosa L. These species reflected the same variability in percent cover on the four sides of the summit areas as did the vegetation as a whole, but were present on all sides.

Toward a Global 1/25deg HYCOM Ocean Prediction System with Tides

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

global, regional, and coastal applications. Figure 1 shows the cross-vertical section of the zonal baroclinic velocity after 5 days for two of the...Lorenzo et al., 2003). Figure 1: Snapshots (~4.7 days) of cross-vertical section of zonal baroclinic velocity for HYCOM (left panels) and ROMS...MITgcm, we used two idealized configurations: 1) the well known lock exchange problem (Haidvogel and Beckman, 1999) as a reference and 2) the pure

A study of quasi-biennial oscillation in the tropical stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasi, M. N.; Krishna Murthy, B. V.

1991-12-01

The characteristics of the quasi-biennial oscillation in zonal wind and temperature at Trivandrum (8.5°N, 77°E) have been studied using data covering 16 years. Similar study has been carried out for zonal wind at Balasore (21.5°N, 87°E) using data covering 9 years. The cycle to cycle variation of amplitudes, their altitude variation, periods and descent rates of the westerly and easterly regimes have been studied.

Algorithms for Zonal Methods and Development of Three Dimensional Mesh Generation Procedures.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

a r-re complete set of equations is used, but their effect is imposed by means of a right hand side forcing function, not by means of a zonal boundary...modifications of flow-simulation algorithms The explicit finite-difference code of Magnus and are discussed. Computational tests in two dimensions...used to simplify the task of grid generation without an adverse achieve computational efficiency. More recently, effect on flow-field algorithms and

Gunshot wounds to the thigh. Evaluation of vascular and subclinical vascular injuries.

PubMed

Payne, W K; Gabriel, R A; Massoud, R P

1995-01-01

A retrospective review of 173 patient charts, angiograms, surgical reports, and plain radiographs were performed for all patients admitted with gunshot wounds to the thigh from May 1988 to January 1991 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital. A zonal classification of gunshot wounds to the thigh was created and defined to determine if a zonal classification was predictive of a positive angiogram. Associations and relationships of patients with vascular injury are presented.

Geographical analysis of equatorial plasma bubbles by GPS and nightglow measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nade, D. P.; Shetti, D. J.; Sharma, A. K.; Taori, A.; Chavan, G. A.; Patil, P. T.; Ghodpage, R. N.; Gurav, O. B.; Nikte, S. S.

2015-11-01

This work about the zonal drift velocity and signature of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) by measurements of global positioning system (GPS) receiver and all sky imager (ASI) operating in India, at the low latitude region. The optical and radio observations have been made from Kolhapur (16.8° N, 74.2° E) and Hyderabad (17.37°N, 78.48°E), respectively. The zonal drift velocity of EPBs has estimated using images of nightglow OI 630.0 nm emission recorded by ASI at Kolhapur. The measurements of total electron content (TEC) using the GPS have carried from the nearby station, Hyderabad. When depletions occurred about 00:37 h (IST) in TEC, the EPBs were found to occur about 5:30 h in optical data of OI 630.0 nm emission. This work focuses on simultaneous measurements of TEC and intensity of OI 630.0 nm emissions for EPBs during nighttime. The occurrence period of EPBs in TEC and OI 630.0 nm has found to be different. To study this difference, the zonal drift velocity of EPBs has established. The averaged eastward velocity of EPBs was found to be 138 m/s. The calculated values of zonal drift velocities are well correlated with that of the empirical model values. This work may be helpful in finding the growth of EPBs over low latitude.

MPIRUN: A Portable Loader for Multidisciplinary and Multi-Zonal Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fineberg, Samuel A.; Woodrow, Thomas S. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Multidisciplinary and multi-zonal applications are an important class of applications in the area of Computational Aerosciences. In these codes, two or more distinct parallel programs or copies of a single program are utilized to model a single problem. To support such applications, it is common to use a programming model where a program is divided into several single program multiple data stream (SPMD) applications, each of which solves the equations for a single physical discipline or grid zone. These SPMD applications are then bound together to form a single multidisciplinary or multi-zonal program in which the constituent parts communicate via point-to-point message passing routines. One method for implementing the message passing portion of these codes is with the new Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard. Unfortunately, this standard only specifies the message passing portion of an application, but does not specify any portable mechanisms for loading an application. MPIRUN was developed to provide a portable means for loading MPI programs, and was specifically targeted at multidisciplinary and multi-zonal applications. Programs using MPIRUN for loading and MPI for message passing are then portable between all machines supported by MPIRUN. MPIRUN is currently implemented for the Intel iPSC/860, TMC CM5, IBM SP-1 and SP-2, Intel Paragon, and workstation clusters. Further, MPIRUN is designed to be simple enough to port easily to any system supporting MPI.

Zero potential vorticity envelopes for the zonal-mean velocity of the Venus/Titan atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, Michael; Del Genio, Anthony D.; Zhou, Wei

1994-01-01

The diagnostic analysis of numerical simulations of the Venus/Titan wind regime reveals an overlooked constraint upon the latitudinal structure of their zonal-mean angular momentum. The numerical experiments, as well as the limited planetary observations, are approximately consistent with the hypothesis that within the latitudes bounded by the wind maxima the total Ertel potential vorticity associated with the zonal-mean motion is approximately well mixed with respect to the neutral equatorial value for a stable circulation. The implied latitudinal profile of angular momentum is of the form M equal to or less than M(sub e)(cos lambda)(exp 2/Ri), where lambda is the latitude and Ri the local Richardson number, generally intermediate between the two extremes of uniform angular momentum (Ri approaches infinity) and uniform angular velocity (Ri = 1). The full range of angular momentum profile variation appears to be realized within the observed meridional - vertical structure of the Venus atmosphere, at least crudely approaching the implied relationship between stratification and zonal velocity there. While not itself indicative of a particular eddy mechanism or specific to atmospheric superrotation, the zero potential vorticity (ZPV) constraint represents a limiting bound for the eddy - mean flow adjustment of a neutrally stable baroclinic circulation and may be usefully applied to the diagnostic analysis of future remote sounding and in situ measurements from planetary spacecraft.

Influence of the parallel nonlinearity on zonal flows and heat transport in global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolliet, S.; McMillan, B. F.; Vernay, T.; Villard, L.; Hatzky, R.; Bottino, A.; Angelino, P.

2009-07-01

In this paper, the influence of the parallel nonlinearity on zonal flows and heat transport in global particle-in-cell ion-temperature-gradient simulations is studied. Although this term is in theory orders of magnitude smaller than the others, several authors [L. Villard, P. Angelino, A. Bottino et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 46, B51 (2004); L. Villard, S. J. Allfrey, A. Bottino et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, 172 (2004); J. C. Kniep, J. N. G. Leboeuf, and V. C. Decyck, Comput. Phys. Commun. 164, 98 (2004); J. Candy, R. E. Waltz, S. E. Parker et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 074501 (2006)] found different results on its role. The study is performed using the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell codes TORB (theta-pinch) [R. Hatzky, T. M. Tran, A. Könies et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 898 (2002)] and ORB5 (tokamak geometry) [S. Jolliet, A. Bottino, P. Angelino et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 177, 409 (2007)]. In particular, it is demonstrated that the parallel nonlinearity, while important for energy conservation, affects the zonal electric field only if the simulation is noise dominated. When a proper convergence is reached, the influence of parallel nonlinearity on the zonal electric field, if any, is shown to be small for both the cases of decaying and driven turbulence.

Effect of velocity boundary conditions on the heat transfer and flow topology in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection.

PubMed

van der Poel, Erwin P; Ostilla-Mónico, Rodolfo; Verzicco, Roberto; Lohse, Detlef

2014-07-01

The effect of various velocity boundary condition is studied in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection. Combinations of no-slip, stress-free, and periodic boundary conditions are used on both the sidewalls and the horizontal plates. For the studied Rayleigh numbers Ra between 10(8) and 10(11) the heat transport is lower for Γ=0.33 than for Γ=1 in case of no-slip sidewalls. This is, surprisingly, the opposite for stress-free sidewalls, where the heat transport increases for a lower aspect ratio. In wider cells the aspect-ratio dependence is observed to disappear for Ra ≥ 10(10). Two distinct flow types with very different dynamics can be seen, mostly dependent on the plate velocity boundary condition, namely roll-like flow and zonal flow, which have a substantial effect on the dynamics and heat transport in the system. The predominantly horizontal zonal flow suppresses heat flux and is observed for stress-free and asymmetric plates. Low aspect-ratio periodic sidewall simulations with a no-slip boundary condition on the plates also exhibit zonal flow. In all the other cases, the flow is roll like. In two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection, the velocity boundary conditions thus have large implications on both roll-like and zonal flow that have to be taken into consideration before the boundary conditions are imposed.

Wave kinetics of drift-wave turbulence and zonal flows beyond the ray approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Hongxuan; Zhou, Yao; Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

2018-05-01

Inhomogeneous drift-wave turbulence can be modeled as an effective plasma where drift waves act as quantumlike particles and the zonal-flow velocity serves as a collective field through which they interact. This effective plasma can be described by a Wigner-Moyal equation (WME), which generalizes the quasilinear wave-kinetic equation (WKE) to the full-wave regime, i.e., resolves the wavelength scale. Unlike waves governed by manifestly quantumlike equations, whose WMEs can be borrowed from quantum mechanics and are commonly known, drift waves have Hamiltonians very different from those of conventional quantum particles. This causes unusual phase-space dynamics that is typically not captured by the WKE. We demonstrate how to correctly model this dynamics with the WME instead. Specifically, we report full-wave phase-space simulations of the zonal-flow formation (zonostrophic instability), deterioration (tertiary instability), and the so-called predator-prey oscillations. We also show how the WME facilitates analysis of these phenomena, namely, (i) we show that full-wave effects critically affect the zonostrophic instability, particularly its nonlinear stage and saturation; (ii) we derive the tertiary-instability growth rate; and (iii) we demonstrate that, with full-wave effects retained, the predator-prey oscillations do not require zonal-flow collisional damping, contrary to previous studies. We also show how the famous Rayleigh-Kuo criterion, which has been missing in wave-kinetic theories of drift-wave turbulence, emerges from the WME.

Jovian Vortices and Barges: HST observations 1994-1998

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, R.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Lecacheux, J.; Colas, F.; Miyazaki, I.

2000-10-01

We have used the HST-WFPC2 archived images of Jupiter in the period 1994-1998 to study the zonal and meridional distributions, long-term motions, lifetimes, interactions and other properties of the vortices larger than 2 degrees. The latitude range covered spans from +75 to -75 degrees. High-resolution images obtained with the 890nm, 410nm and 953nm wavelength filters allowed us to make a morphological classification based on their appearance in each filter. The vortices are anticyclones, and their long-term motions have been completed with ground-based images and are compared to the mean Jovian zonal wind profile. Significant differences are found between the vortex velocities and the mean zonal winds. Some vortices exhibited important drift changes in short period times. We analyze a possible correlation between their size and zonal wind velocity. On the other hand, the "barges" lie in the cyclone domains of the wind-profile and have been identified in several latitudes. Their latitudinal size is similar in all of them (typically 1.6 degrees) but their longitudinal size ranges from 1 to 32 degrees. We discuss the temporal evolution of some of these cyclonic regions. The Spanish team was supported by Gobierno Vasco PI 034/97. The French team was supported by the "Programme National de Planetologie." RM acknowledges a fellowship from Universidad Pais Vasco.

Hybrid LES RANS technique based on a one-equation near-wall model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breuer, M.; Jaffrézic, B.; Arora, K.

2008-05-01

In order to reduce the high computational effort of wall-resolved large-eddy simulations (LES), the present paper suggests a hybrid LES RANS approach which splits up the simulation into a near-wall RANS part and an outer LES part. Generally, RANS is adequate for attached boundary layers requiring reasonable CPU-time and memory, where LES can also be applied but demands extremely large resources. Contrarily, RANS often fails in flows with massive separation or large-scale vortical structures. Here, LES is without a doubt the best choice. The basic concept of hybrid methods is to combine the advantages of both approaches yielding a prediction method, which, on the one hand, assures reliable results for complex turbulent flows, including large-scale flow phenomena and massive separation, but, on the other hand, consumes much fewer resources than LES, especially for high Reynolds number flows encountered in technical applications. In the present study, a non-zonal hybrid technique is considered (according to the signification retained by the authors concerning the terms zonal and non-zonal), which leads to an approach where the suitable simulation technique is chosen more or less automatically. For this purpose the hybrid approach proposed relies on a unique modeling concept. In the LES mode a subgrid-scale model based on a one-equation model for the subgrid-scale turbulent kinetic energy is applied, where the length scale is defined by the filter width. For the viscosity-affected near-wall RANS mode the one-equation model proposed by Rodi et al. (J Fluids Eng 115:196 205, 1993) is used, which is based on the wall-normal velocity fluctuations as the velocity scale and algebraic relations for the length scales. Although the idea of combined LES RANS methods is not new, a variety of open questions still has to be answered. This includes, in particular, the demand for appropriate coupling techniques between LES and RANS, adaptive control mechanisms, and proper subgrid-scale and RANS models. Here, in addition to the study on the behavior of the suggested hybrid LES RANS approach, special emphasis is put on the investigation of suitable interface criteria and the adjustment of the RANS model. To investigate these issues, two different test cases are considered. Besides the standard plane channel flow test case, the flow over a periodic arrangement of hills is studied in detail. This test case includes a pressure-induced flow separation and subsequent reattachment. In comparison with a wall-resolved LES prediction encouraging results are achieved.

Atmospheric Circulation and Composition of GJ1214b

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menou, Kristen

2012-01-01

The exoplanet GJ1214b presents an interesting example of compositional degeneracy for low-mass planets. Its atmosphere may be composed of water, super-solar or solar metallicity material. We present atmospheric circulation models of GJ1214b for these three compositions, with explicit gray radiative transfer and an optional treatment of MHD bottom drag. All models develop strong, superrotating zonal winds (~1-2 km s-1). The degree of eastward heat advection, which can be inferred from secondary eclipse and thermal phase curve measurements, varies greatly between the models. These differences are understood as resulting from variations in the radiative times at the thermal photosphere, caused by separate molecular weight and opacity effects. Our GJ1214b models illustrate how atmospheric circulation can be used as a probe of composition for similar tidally locked exoplanets in the mini-Neptune/waterworld class.

The reinvigoration of the Southern Ocean carbon sink.

PubMed

Landschützer, Peter; Gruber, Nicolas; Haumann, F Alexander; Rödenbeck, Christian; Bakker, Dorothee C E; van Heuven, Steven; Hoppema, Mario; Metzl, Nicolas; Sweeney, Colm; Takahashi, Taro; Tilbrook, Bronte; Wanninkhof, Rik

2015-09-11

Several studies have suggested that the carbon sink in the Southern Ocean-the ocean's strongest region for the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 -has weakened in recent decades. We demonstrated, on the basis of multidecadal analyses of surface ocean CO2 observations, that this weakening trend stopped around 2002, and by 2012, the Southern Ocean had regained its expected strength based on the growth of atmospheric CO2. All three Southern Ocean sectors have contributed to this reinvigoration of the carbon sink, yet differences in the processes between sectors exist, related to a tendency toward a zonally more asymmetric atmospheric circulation. The large decadal variations in the Southern Ocean carbon sink suggest a rather dynamic ocean carbon cycle that varies more in time than previously recognized. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

On the use of thick-airfoil theory to design airfoil families in which thickness and lift are varied independently

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barger, R. L.

1974-01-01

A method has been developed for designing families of airfoils in which the members of a family have the same basic type of pressure distribution but vary in thickness ratio or lift, or both. Thickness ratio and lift may be prescribed independently. The method which is based on the Theodorsen thick-airfoil theory permits moderate variations from the basic shape on which the family is based.

A theory of self-organized zonal flow with fine radial structure in tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. Z.; Liu, Z. Y.; Xie, T.; Mahajan, S. M.; Liu, J.

2017-12-01

The (low frequency) zonal flow-ion temperature gradient (ITG) wave system, constructed on Braginskii's fluid model in tokamak, is shown to be a reaction-diffusion-advection system; it is derived by making use of a multiple spatiotemporal scale technique and two-dimensional (2D) ballooning theory. For real regular group velocities of ITG waves, two distinct temporal processes, sharing a very similar meso-scale radial structure, are identified in the nonlinear self-organized stage. The stationary and quasi-stationary structures reflect a particular feature of the poloidal group velocity. The equation set posed to be an initial value problem is numerically solved for JET low mode parameters; the results are presented in several figures and two movies that show the spatiotemporal evolutions as well as the spectrum analysis—frequency-wave number spectrum, auto power spectrum, and Lissajous diagram. This approach reveals that the zonal flow in tokamak is a local traveling wave. For the quasi-stationary process, the cycle of ITG wave energy is composed of two consecutive phases in distinct spatiotemporal structures: a pair of Cavitons growing and breathing slowly without long range propagation, followed by a sudden decay into many Instantons that carry negative wave energy rapidly into infinity. A spotlight onto the motion of Instantons for a given radial position reproduces a Blob-Hole temporal structure; the occurrence as well as the rapid decay of Caviton into Instantons is triggered by zero-crossing of radial group velocity. A sample of the radial profile of zonal flow contributed from 31 nonlinearly coupled rational surfaces near plasma edge is found to be very similar to that observed in the JET Ohmic phase [J. C. Hillesheim et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 165002 (2016)]. The theory predicts an interior asymmetric dipole structure associated with the zonal flow that is driven by the gradients of ITG turbulence intensity.

Use of large-scale atmospheric energetics for understanding the dynamics of contrasting Indian summer monsoon rainfall in different years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Somenath; Narkhedkar, Sanjay G.; Mukhopadhyay, Parthasarathi; Yadav, Mamta; Sunitha Devi

2018-06-01

An attempt has been made to understand the dynamics of contrasting Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) in different years during 1979-2017, from large-scale atmospheric energetics aspects. Daily values of eddy and zonal available potential energy (APE), their generation, eddy and zonal kinetic energy (KE), conversions of zonal KE and eddy APE to eddy KE, and conversions of zonal APE to zonal KE and eddy APE were computed over the region bounded by 65°E-95°E and 5°N-35°N during the period 1 May to 30 September for 39 years (1979-2017), using daily ECMWF reanalyzed atmospheric data at 0.125° × 0.125° resolution (3 components of wind and temperature). ISMR was classified into three categories, viz., deficient and below normal, normal and above normal and excess. The daily anomaly of these energetics parameters in each of these years was computed using jackknife method and then the composite of the daily anomalies of these parameters constructed for the years with the above-mentioned three categories of ISMR. The following salient features emerge from this study: Analysis of composite anomaly shows that in case of excess and above normal (below normal and deficient) ISMR, C(A Z , K Z) was less (more) than normal. In case of excess and above normal (below normal and deficient) ISMR, C(A E , K E) was more (less) than normal. Broadly, C(A Z , A E) was more than normal in the years with deficient and below normal ISMR, whereas it was less than normal for years with excess and above normal ISMR. Broadly, G(A Z) was below normal for the years with above normal and excess ISMR, whereas it was above normal for the years with below normal and deficient ISMR. Total kinetic energy and total conversion to eddy kinetic energy was above normal for the years with above normal and excess ISMR.

The effects of ground hydrology on climate sensitivity to solar constant variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, S. H.; Curran, R. J.; Ohring, G.

1979-01-01

The effects of two different evaporation parameterizations on the climate sensitivity to solar constant variations are investigated by using a zonally averaged climate model. The model is based on a two-level quasi-geostrophic zonally averaged annual mean model. One of the evaporation parameterizations tested is a nonlinear formulation with the Bowen ratio determined by the predicted vertical temperature and humidity gradients near the earth's surface. The other is the linear formulation with the Bowen ratio essentially determined by the prescribed linear coefficient.

Dynamic Stall Computations Using a Zonal Navier-Stokes Model

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL lotMonterey ,California CD Lj STATF ,-S THESIS DYNAMIC STALL CALCULATIONS USING A ZONAL.-,_ % 0 NVETESISDE by Jack H...Conroyd, Jr. June 1988 Thesis Co-advisors: M.F. Platzer Lawrence W. Carr Approved for public release; distribution is unlimitedDOTIC , ~~~~~~~~ELECT...OINT %, Master s Thesis OM To June 212 6 SLP;’LEENTARY NOTATION ri The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the

Zonal flow dynamics and control of turbulent transport in stellarators.

PubMed

Xanthopoulos, P; Mischchenko, A; Helander, P; Sugama, H; Watanabe, T-H

2011-12-09

The relation between magnetic geometry and the level of ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) driven turbulence in stellarators is explored through gyrokinetic theory and direct linear and nonlinear simulations. It is found that the ITG radial heat flux is sensitive to details of the magnetic configuration that can be understood in terms of the linear behavior of zonal flows. The results throw light on the question of how the optimization of neoclassical confinement is related to the reduction of turbulence.

Zonal average earth radiation budget measurements from satellites for climate studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, J. S.; Haar, T. H. V.

1976-01-01

Data from 29 months of satellite radiation budget measurements, taken intermittently over the period 1964 through 1971, are composited into mean month, season and annual zonally averaged meridional profiles. Individual months, which comprise the 29 month set, were selected as representing the best available total flux data for compositing into large scale statistics for climate studies. A discussion of spatial resolution of the measurements along with an error analysis, including both the uncertainty and standard error of the mean, are presented.

Relating Nimbus-7 37 GHz data to global land-surface evaporation, primary productivity and the atmospheric CO2 concentration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhury, B. J.

1988-01-01

Global observations at 37 GHz by the Nimbus-7 SMMR are related to zonal variations of land surface evaporation and primary productivity, as well as to temporal variations of atmospheric CO2 concentration. The temporal variation of CO2 concentration and the zonal variations of evaporation and primary productivity are shown to be highly correlated with the satellite sensor data. The potential usefulness of the 37-GHz data for global biospheric and climate studies is noted.

Observations and Modeling of Thermal Structure in the Lower Atmosphere and the Upward Propagation of Tides into the Thermosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. J.; Kahre, M.

2017-01-01

Thermal tides are the atmospheric response to diurnally varying thermal forcing resulting from radiative and convective heat transfer from the surface and from aerosol and gaseous heating within the atmosphere. Tides include sun-synchronous (migrating) waves driven in response to solar heating and additional non-migrating waves resulting from longitudinal variations in the distributions of topography, dust aerosol and water ice clouds. The systematic spatial mapping of temperature over 5 Mars years by the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) has yielded a well-defined climatology of seasonally-varying temperature structures in the lower atmosphere, from 5 to 80 km. Tide theory and Mars global circulation model (MGCM) simulations are a fruitful framework for relating temperature observations to thermal forcing by aerosol fields [1]. The analysis of density and temperature fields derived from MAVEN IUVS and NGIMS observations have revealed the presence of predominantly zonal wave 2 and 3 features at altitudes of 100-170 km that are almost certainly non-migrating tides propagating upward from the lower atmosphere [2,3]. In this presentation we will use the MCS climatology and MGCM simulations to relate the density variations seen by MAVEN with the seasonally varying tide activity in the lower atmosphere. Large amplitude perturbations in density are most sensitive to the tide components with the longest vertical wavelengths in temperature, which are well resolved in MCS observations.

The implementation and validation of improved landsurface hydrology in an atmospheric general circulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Kevin D.; Entekhabi, Dara; Eagleson, Peter S.

1991-01-01

Landsurface hydrological parameterizations are implemented in the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) General Circulation Model (GCM). These parameterizations are: (1) runoff and evapotranspiration functions that include the effects of subgrid scale spatial variability and use physically based equations of hydrologic flux at the soil surface, and (2) a realistic soil moisture diffusion scheme for the movement of water in the soil column. A one dimensional climate model with a complete hydrologic cycle is used to screen the basic sensitivities of the hydrological parameterizations before implementation into the full three dimensional GCM. Results of the final simulation with the GISS GCM and the new landsurface hydrology indicate that the runoff rate, especially in the tropics is significantly improved. As a result, the remaining components of the heat and moisture balance show comparable improvements when compared to observations. The validation of model results is carried from the large global (ocean and landsurface) scale, to the zonal, continental, and finally the finer river basin scales.

Spectral transfers and zonal flow dynamics in the generalized Charney-Hasegawa-Mima model

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

Lashmore-Davies, C.N.; Thyagaraja, A.; McCarthy, D.R.

2005-12-15

The mechanism of four nonlinearly interacting drift or Rossby waves is used as the basic process underlying the turbulent evolution of both the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima-equation (CHME) and its generalized modification (GCHME). Hasegawa and Kodama's concept of equivalent action (or quanta) is applied to the four-wave system and shown to control the distribution of energy and enstrophy between the modes. A numerical study of the GCHME is described in which the initial state contains a single finite-amplitude drift wave (the pump wave), and all the modulationally unstable modes are present at the same low level (10{sup -6} times the pump amplitude). Themore » simulation shows that at first the fastest-growing modulationally unstable modes dominate but reveals that at a later time, before pump depletion occurs, long- and short-wavelength modes, driven by pairs of fast-growing modes, grow at 2{gamma}{sub max}. The numerical simulation illustrates the development of a spectrum of turbulent modes from a finite-amplitude pump wave.« less

Atlas of Seasonal Means Simulated by the NSIPP 1 Atmospheric GCM. Volume 17

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suarez, Max J. (Editor); Bacmeister, Julio; Pegion, Philip J.; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Busalacchi, Antonio J. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

This atlas documents the climate characteristics of version 1 of the NASA Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Project (NSIPP) Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM). The AGCM includes an interactive land model (the Mosaic scheme), and is part of the NSIPP coupled atmosphere-land-ocean model. The results presented here are based on a 20-year (December 1979-November 1999) "ANIIP-style" integration of the AGCM in which the monthly-mean sea-surface temperature and sea ice are specified from observations. The climate characteristics of the AGCM are compared with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) reanalyses. Other verification data include Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSNM) total precipitable water, the Xie-Arkin estimates of precipitation, and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) measurements of short and long wave radiation. The atlas is organized by season. The basic quantities include seasonal mean global maps and zonal and vertical averages of circulation, variance/covariance statistics, and selected physics quantities.

Changes in the Structure and Propagation of the MJO with Increasing CO2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adames, Angel F.; Kim, Daehyun; Sobel, Adam H.; Del Genio, Anthony; Wu, Jingbo

2017-01-01

Changes in the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) with increasing CO2 concentrations are examined using the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Global Climate Model (GCM). Four simulations performed with fixed CO2 concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 times pre-industrial levels using the GCM coupled with a mixed layer ocean model are analyzed in terms of the basic state, rainfall and moisture variability, and the structure and propagation of the MJO.The GCM simulates basic state changes associated with increasing CO2 that are consistent with results from earlier studies: column water vapor increases at approximately 7.1% K(exp -1), precipitation also increases but at a lower rate (approximately 3% K(exp -1)), and column relative humidity shows little change. Moisture and rainfall variability intensify with warming. Total moisture and rainfall variability increases at a rate that is similar to that of the mean state change. The intensification is faster in the MJO-related anomalies than in the total anomalies, though the ratio of the MJO band variability to its westward counterpart increases at a much slower rate. On the basis of linear regression analysis and space-time spectral analysis, it is found that the MJO exhibits faster eastward propagation, faster westward energy dispersion, a larger zonal scale and deeper vertical structure in warmer climates.

Coherency Between Volume Transport in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Southern Hemisphere Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makowski, Jessica; Chambers, Don; Bonin, Jennifer

2013-04-01

Previous studies have suggested that ocean bottom pressure (OBP) can be used to measure the transport variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The OBP observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) will be used to calculate transport along the 150°E longitude choke point, between Antarctica and Australia. We will examine whether zonally averaged wind stress, wind stress curl, or local zonal winds are more coherent with zonal mass transport variability. Preliminary studies suggest that seasonal variation in transport across 150°E is more correlated with winds along and north of the northern front of the ACC: the Sub Tropical front (STF). It also appears that interannual variations in transport along 150°E are related to wind variations south of the STF and centered south of the Sub Antarctic Front (SAF). We have observed a strong anti-correlation across the SAF, in the Indian Ocean, which suggests wind stress curl may also be responsible for transport variations. Preliminary results will be presented.

Measuring Zonal Transport Variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current Using GRACE Ocean Bottom Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makowski, J.; Chambers, D. P.; Bonin, J. A.

2012-12-01

Previous studies have suggested that ocean bottom pressure (OBP) can be used to measure the transport variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Using OBP data from the JPL ECCO model and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), we examine the zonal transport variability of the ACC integrated between the major fronts between 2003-2010. The JPL ECCO data are used to determine average front positions for the time period studies, as well as where transport is mainly zonal. Statistical analysis will be conducted to determine the uncertainty of the GRACE observations using a simulated data set. We will also begin looking at low frequency changes and how coherent transport variability is from region to region of the ACC. Correlations with bottom pressure south of the ACC and the average basin transports will also be calculated to determine the probability of using bottom pressure south of the ACC as a means for describing the ACC dynamics and transport.

Large-Scale Flows and Magnetic Fields Produced by Rotating Convection in a Quasi-Geostrophic Model of Planetary Cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guervilly, C.; Cardin, P.

2017-12-01

Convection is the main heat transport process in the liquid cores of planets. The convective flows are thought to be turbulent and constrained by rotation (corresponding to high Reynolds numbers Re and low Rossby numbers Ro). Under these conditions, and in the absence of magnetic fields, the convective flows can produce coherent Reynolds stresses that drive persistent large-scale zonal flows. The formation of large-scale flows has crucial implications for the thermal evolution of planets and the generation of large-scale magnetic fields. In this work, we explore this problem with numerical simulations using a quasi-geostrophic approximation to model convective and zonal flows at Re 104 and Ro 10-4 for Prandtl numbers relevant for liquid metals (Pr 0.1). The formation of intense multiple zonal jets strongly affects the convective heat transport, leading to the formation of a mean temperature staircase. We also study the generation of magnetic fields by the quasi-geostrophic flows at low magnetic Prandtl numbers.

Temperature and circulation in the stratospheres of the outer planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conrath, Barney J.; Gierasch, Peter J.; Leroy, Stephen S.

1989-01-01

A zonally symmetric, linear radiative-dynamical model is compared with observations of the upper tropospheres and stratospheres of the outer planets. Seasonal variation is included in the model. Friction is parameterized by linear drag (Rayleigh friction). Gas opacities are accounted for but aerosols are omitted. Horizontal temperature gradients are small on all the planets. Seasonal effects are strongest on Saturn and Neptune but are weak even in these cases, because the latitudinal gradient of radiative heating is weak. Seasonal effects on Uranus are extremely weak because the radiative time constant is longer that the orbital period. One free parameter in the model is the frictional time constant. Comparison with observed temperature perturbations over zonal currents in the troposphere shows that the frictional time constant is on the same order as the radiative time constant for all these objects. Vertical motions predicted by the model are extremely weak. They are much smaller than one scale height per orbital period, except in the immediate neighborhood of tropospheric and zonal currents.

GTC Turbulence Simulations near H-mode Pedestal with Resonant Magnetic Perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Lei; Ferraro, Nathaniel; Taimourzadeh, Sam; Fu, Jingyuan; Lin, Zhihong; Nazikian, Raffi

2017-10-01

Full plasma responses to Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs) as provided by the resistive MHD code M3D-C1 are implemented into Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) to study the effect of magnetic islands and stochastic field regions on microturbulence in realistic DIII-D geometry. Electrostatic turbulence simulations with adiabatic electrons show no significant increase of the saturated ion heat conductivity in the presence of RMP-induced islands. However, electron response to zonal flow in the presence of magnetic islands and stochastic fields can drastically increase zonal flow dielectric constant for long wavelength fluctuations. Zonal flow generation can then be reduced and the microturbulence can be enhanced greatly. Furthermore, because the RMP magnetic island size is comparable to the ion banana width, electron and ion responses to these islands may be fundamentally different, which could drive non-ambipolar particles fluxes leading to changes of the radial electric field shear. This work is supported by General Atomics subcontract.

Jupiter cloud morphology and zonal winds from ground-based observations before and during Juno's first perijove

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Iñurrigarro, P.; Rojas, J. F.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Mendikoa, I.; Gómez-Forrellad, J. M.; Go, C.; Peach, D.; Colas, F.; Vedovato, M.

2017-05-01

We analyze Jupiter observations between December 2015 and August 2016 in the 0.38-1.7 μm wavelength range from the PlanetCam instrument at the 2.2 m telescope at Calar Alto Observatory and in the optical range by amateur observers contributing to the Planetary Virtual Observatory Laboratory. Over this time Jupiter was in a quiescent state without notable disturbances. Analysis of ground-based images and Hubble Space Telescope observations in February 2016 allowed the retrieval of mean zonal winds from -74.5° to +73.2°. These winds did not change over 2016 or when compared with winds from previous years with the sole exception of intense zonal winds at the North Temperate Belt. We also present results concerning the major wave systems in the North Equatorial Belt and in the upper polar hazes visible in methane absorption bands, a description of the planet's overall cloud morphology and observations of Jupiter hours before Juno's orbit insertion.

Application of zonal model on indoor air sensor network design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y. Lisa; Wen, Jin

2007-04-01

Growing concerns over the safety of the indoor environment have made the use of sensors ubiquitous. Sensors that detect chemical and biological warfare agents can offer early warning of dangerous contaminants. However, current sensor system design is more informed by intuition and experience rather by systematic design. To develop a sensor system design methodology, a proper indoor airflow modeling approach is needed. Various indoor airflow modeling techniques, from complicated computational fluid dynamics approaches to simplified multi-zone approaches, exist in the literature. In this study, the effects of two airflow modeling techniques, multi-zone modeling technique and zonal modeling technique, on indoor air protection sensor system design are discussed. Common building attack scenarios, using a typical CBW agent, are simulated. Both multi-zone and zonal models are used to predict airflows and contaminant dispersion. Genetic Algorithm is then applied to optimize the sensor location and quantity. Differences in the sensor system design resulting from the two airflow models are discussed for a typical office environment and a large hall environment.

Feedback process responsible for intermodel diversity of ENSO variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Soon-Il; Heo, Eun Sook; Kim, Seon Tae

2017-05-01

The origin of the intermodel diversity of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability is investigated by applying a singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis between the intermodel tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) variance and the intermodel ENSO stability index (BJ index). The first SVD mode features an ENSO-like pattern for the intermodel SSTA variance (74% of total variance) and the dominant thermocline feedback (TH) for the BJ index (51%). Intermodel TH is mainly modified by the intermodel sensitivity of the zonal thermocline gradient response to zonal winds over the equatorial Pacific (βh), and the intermodel βh is correlated higher with the intermodel off-equatorial wind stress curl anomalies than the equatorial zonal wind stress anomalies. Finally, the intermodel off-equatorial wind stress curl is associated with the meridional shape and intensity of ENSO-related wind patterns, which may cause a model-to-model difference in ENSO variability by influencing the off-equatorial oceanic Rossby wave response.

Comparisons of observed seasonal climate features with a winter and summer numerical simulation produced with the GLAS general circulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halem, M.; Shukla, J.; Mintz, Y.; Wu, M. L.; Godbole, R.; Herman, G.; Sud, Y.

1979-01-01

Results are presented from numerical simulations performed with the general circulation model (GCM) for winter and summer. The monthly mean simulated fields for each integration are compared with observed geographical distributions and zonal averages. In general, the simulated sea level pressure and upper level geopotential height field agree well with the observations. Well simulated features are the winter Aleutian and Icelandic lows, the summer southwestern U.S. low, the summer and winter oceanic subtropical highs in both hemispheres, and the summer upper level Tibetan high and Atlantic ridge. The surface and upper air wind fields in the low latitudes are in good agreement with the observations. The geographical distirbutions of the Earth-atmosphere radiation balance and of the precipitation rates over the oceans are well simulated, but not all of the intensities of these features are correct. Other comparisons are shown for precipitation along the ITCZ, rediation balance, zonally averaged temperatures and zonal winds, and poleward transports of momentum and sensible heat.

SPCZ zonal events and downstream influence on surface ocean conditions in the Indonesian Throughflow region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linsley, Braddock K.; Wu, Henry C.; Rixen, Tim; Charles, Christopher D.; Gordon, Arnold L.; Moore, Michael D.

2017-01-01

Seasonal surface freshening of the Makassar Strait, the main conduit of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), is a key factor controlling the ITF. Here we present a 262 year reconstruction of seasonal sea-surface-salinity variability from 1742 to 2004 Common Era by using coral δ18O records from the central Makassar Strait. Our record reveals persistent seasonal freshening and also years with significant truncations of seasonal freshening that correlate exactly with South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) zonal events >4000 km to the east. During these events, the SPCZ dramatically rotates 15° north to near the equator and stronger westward flowing South Pacific boundary currents force higher-salinity water through the Makassar Strait in February-May halting the normal seasonal freshening in the strait. By these teleconnections, our Makassar coral δ18O series provides the first record of the recurrence interval of these zonal SPCZ events and demonstrates that they have occurred on a semiregular basis since the mid-1700s.

Troposphere-stratosphere (surface-55 km) monthly general circulation statistics for the Northern Hemisphere-four year averages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, M. F.; Geller, M. A.; Olson, J. G.; Gelman, M. E.

1984-01-01

This report presents four year averages of monthly mean Northern Hemisphere general circulation statistics for the period from 1 December 1978 through 30 November 1982. Computations start with daily maps of temperature for 18 pressure levels between 1000 and 0.4 mb that were supplied by NOAA/NMC. Geopotential height and geostrophic wind are constructed using the hydrostatic and geostrophic formulae. Fields presented in this report are zonally averaged temperature, mean zonal wind, and amplitude and phase of the planetary waves in geopotential height with zonal wavenumbers 1-3. The northward fluxes of heat and eastward momentum by the standing and transient eddies along with their wavenumber decomposition and Eliassen-Palm flux propagation vectors and divergences by the standing and transient eddies along with their wavenumber decomposition are also given. Large annual and interannual variations are found in each quantity especially in the stratosphere in accordance with the changes in the planetary wave activity. The results are shown both in graphic and tabular form.

Zonal and tesseral harmonic coefficients for the geopotential function, from zero to 18th order

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirkpatrick, J. C.

1976-01-01

Zonal and tesseral harmonic coefficients for the geopotential function are usually tabulated in normalized form to provide immediate information as to the relative significance of the coefficients in the gravity model. The normalized form of the geopotential coefficients cannot be used for computational purposes unless the gravity model has been modified to receive them. This modification is usually not done because the absolute or unnormalized form of the coefficients can be obtained from the simple mathematical relationship that relates the two forms. This computation can be quite tedious for hand calculation, especially for the higher order terms, and can be costly in terms of storage and execution time for machine computation. In this report, zonal and tesseral harmonic coefficients for the geopotential function are tabulated in absolute or unnormalized form. The report is designed to be used as a ready reference for both hand and machine calculation to save the user time and effort.

Wind structure and small-scale wind variability in the stratosphere and mesosphere during the November 1980 Energy Budget Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidlin, F. J.; Carlson, M.; Rees, D.; Offermann, D.; Philbrick, C. R.; Widdel, H. U.

1982-01-01

Rocket observations made from two sites in northern Scandinavia between November 6 and December 1, 1980, as part of the Energy Budget Campaign are discussed. It was found that significant vertical and temporal changes in the wind structure were present and that they coincided with different geomagnetic conditions, that is, quiet and enhanced. Before November 16, the meridional wind component above 60 km was found to be positive (southerly), whereas the magnitude of the zonal wind component increased with altitude. After November 16 the meridional component became negative (northerly), and the magnitude of the zonal wind component was observed to decrease with altitude. Time sections of the perturbations of the zonal wind reveal the presence of vertically propagating waves, suggesting gravity wave activity. The waves are found to increase in wavelength from 3-4 km near 40 km to more than 12 km near 80 km. The observational techniques made use of chaff foil, chemical trails, inflatable spheres, and parachutes.

Differences in community composition of bacteria in four glaciers in western China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, L. Z.; Chen, Y.; Xiang, S.-R.; Shang, T.-C.; Tian, L.-D.

2010-06-01

Microbial community patterns vary in glaciers worldwide, presenting unique responses to global climatic and environmental changes. Four bacterial clone libraries were established by 16S rRNA gene amplification from four ice layers along the 42-m-long ice core MuztB drilled from the Muztag Ata Glacier. A total of 151 bacterial sequences obtained from the ice core MuztB were phylogenetically compared with the 71 previously reported sequences from three ice cores extracted from ice caps Malan, Dunde, and Puruogangri. Six phylogenetic clusters Flavisolibacter, Flexibacter (Bacteroidetes), Acinetobacter, Enterobacter (Gammaproteobacteria), Planococcus/Anoxybacillus (Firmicutes), and Propionibacter/Luteococcus (Actinobacteria) frequently occurred along the Muztag Ata Glacier profile, and their proportion varied by seasons. Sequence analysis showed that most of the sequences from the ice core clustered with those from cold environments, and the sequence clusters from the same glacier more closely grouped together than those from the geographically isolated glaciers. Moreover, bacterial communities from the same location or similarly aged ice formed a cluster, and were clearly separate from those from other geographically isolated glaciers. In summary, the findings provide preliminary evidence of zonal distribution of microbial community, and suggest biogeography of microorganisms in glacier ice.

Evolution of the Equatorial Oscillation in Saturn's Stratosphere Between 2005 and 2010 from Cassini/CIRS Limb Data Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guerlet, S.; Fouchet, T.; Bezard, B.; Flasar, F. M.; Simon-Miller, A. A.

2011-01-01

We present an analysis of thermal infrared spectra acquired in limb viewing geometry by Cassini/CIRS in February 2010. We retrieve vertical profiles of Saturn's stratospheric temperature from 20 hPa to 10 (exp -2) hPa, at 9 latitudes between 20 deg N and 20 deg S. Using the gradient thermal wind equation, we derive a map of the zonal wind field. Both the temperature and the zonal wind vertical profiles exhibit an oscillation in the equatorial region. These results are compared to the temperature and zonal wind maps obtained from 2005-2006 CIRS limb data, when this oscillation was first reported. In both epochs, strong temperature anomalies at the equator (up to 20K) are consistent with adiabatic heating (cooling) due to a sinking (rising) motion at a speed of 0.1 - 0.2 mm/s. Finally, we show that the altitude of the maximum eastward wind has moved downwards by 1.3 scale heights in 4.2 years, hence with a 'phase' speed of approximately 0.5 mm/s. This rate is consistent with the estimated period of 14.7 years for the equatorial oscillation, and requires a local zonal acceleration of 1.1 x 10(exp -6) m.s(exp -2) at the 2.5 hPa pressure level. This downward propagation of the oscillation is consistent with it being driven by absorption of upwardly propagating waves.

Variability in daily, zonal mean lower-stratospheric temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christy, John R.; Drouilhet, S. James, Jr.

1994-01-01

Satellite data from the microwave sounding unit (MSU) channel 4, when carefully merged, provide daily zonal anomalies of lower-stratosphere temperature with a level of precision between 0.01 and 0.08 C per 2.5 deg latitude band. Global averages of these daily zonal anomalies reveal the prominent warming events due to volcanic aerosol in 1982 (El Chichon) and 1991 (Mt. Pinatubo), which are on the order of 1 C. The quasibiennial oscillation (QBO) may be extracted from these zonal data by applying a spatial filter between 15 deg N and 15 deg S latitude, which resembles the meridional curvature. Previously published relationships between the QBO and the north polar stratospheric temperatures during northern winter are examined but were not found to be reproduced in the MSU4 data. Sudden stratospheric warmings in the north polar region are represented in the MSU4 data for latitudes poleward of 70 deg N. In the Southern Hemisphere, there appears to be a moderate relationship between total ozone concentration and MSU4 temperatures, though it has been less apparent in 1991 and 1992. In terms of empirical modes of variability, the authors find a strong tendency in EOF 1 (39.2% of the variance) for anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere polar regions to be counterbalanced by anomalies equatorward of 40 deg N and 40 deg S latitudes. In addition, most of the modes revealed significant power in the 15-20 day period band.

Why do modelled and observed surface wind stress climatologies differ in the trade wind regions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, I.; Bacmeister, J. T.; Sandu, I.; Rodwell, M. J.

2017-12-01

Global climate models (GCMs) exhibit stronger easterly zonal surface wind stress and near surface winds in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) trade winds than observationally constrained reanalyses or other observational products. A comparison, between models and reanalyses, of the processes that contribute to the zonal mean, vertically integrated balance of momentum, reveals that this wind stress discrepancy cannot be explained by either the resolved dynamics or parameterized tendencies that are common to each. Rather, a substantial residual exists in the momentum balance of the reanalyses, pointing toward a role for the analysis increments. Indeed, they are found to systematically weaken the NH near surface easterlies in winter, thereby reducing the surface wind stress. Similar effects are found in the Southern Hemisphere and further analysis of the spatial structure and seasonality of these increments, demonstrates that they act to weaken the near surface flow over much of the low latitude oceans in both summer and winter. This suggests an erroneous /missing process in GCMs that constitutes a missing drag on the low level zonal flow over oceans. Either this indicates a mis-representation of the drag between the surface and the atmosphere, or a missing internal atmospheric process that amounts to an additional drag on the low level zonal flow. If the former is true, then observation based surface stress products, which rely on similar drag formulations to GCMs, may be underestimating the strength of the easterly surface wind stress.

Nonstationary Gravity Wave Forcing of the Stratospheric Zonal Mean Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, M. J.; Rosenlof, K. H.

1996-01-01

The role of gravity wave forcing in the zonal mean circulation of the stratosphere is discussed. Starting from some very simple assumptions about the momentum flux spectrum of nonstationary (non-zero phase speed) waves at forcing levels in the troposphere, a linear model is used to calculate wave propagation through climatological zonal mean winds at solstice seasons. As the wave amplitudes exceed their stable limits, a saturation criterion is imposed to account for nonlinear wave breakdown effects, and the resulting vertical gradient in the wave momentum flux is then used to estimate the mean flow forcing per unit mass. Evidence from global, assimilated data sets are used to constrain these forcing estimates. The results suggest the gravity-wave-driven force is accelerative (has the same sign as the mean wind) throughout most of the stratosphere above 20 km. The sense of the gravity wave forcing in the stratosphere is thus opposite to that in the mesosphere, where gravity wave drag is widely believed to play a principal role in decelerating the mesospheric jets. The forcing estimates are further compared to existing gravity wave parameterizations for the same climatological zonal mean conditions. Substantial disagreement is evident in the stratosphere, and we discuss the reasons for the disagreement. The results suggest limits on typical gravity wave amplitudes near source levels in the troposphere at solstice seasons. The gravity wave forcing in the stratosphere appears to have a substantial effect on lower stratospheric temperatures during southern hemisphere summer and thus may be relevant to climate.

Wave kinetics of drift-wave turbulence and zonal flows beyond the ray approximation

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

Zhu, Hongxuan; Zhou, Yao; Ruiz, D. E.

Inhomogeneous drift-wave turbulence can be modeled as an effective plasma where drift waves act as quantumlike particles and the zonal-flow velocity serves as a collective field through which they interact. This effective plasma can be described by a Wigner-Moyal equation (WME), which generalizes the quasilinear wave-kinetic equation (WKE) to the full-wave regime, i.e., resolves the wavelength scale. Unlike waves governed by manifestly quantumlike equations, whose WMEs can be borrowed from quantum mechanics and are commonly known, drift waves have Hamiltonians very different from those of conventional quantum particles. This causes unusual phase-space dynamics that is typically not captured by themore » WKE. We demonstrate how to correctly model this dynamics with the WME instead. Specifically, we report full-wave phase-space simulations of the zonal-flow formation (zonostrophic instability), deterioration (tertiary instability), and the so-called predator-prey oscillations. We also show how the WME facilitates analysis of these phenomena, namely, (i) we show that full-wave effects critically affect the zonostrophic instability, particularly its nonlinear stage and saturation; (ii) we derive the tertiary-instability growth rate; and (iii) we demonstrate that, with full-wave effects retained, the predator-prey oscillations do not require zonal-flow collisional damping, contrary to previous studies. In conclusion, we also show how the famous Rayleigh-Kuo criterion, which has been missing in wave-kinetic theories of drift-wave turbulence, emerges from the WME.« less

Mapping potential vorticity dynamics on saturn: Zonal mean circulation from Cassini and Voyager data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Read, P. L.; Conrath, B. J.; Fletcher, L. N.; Gierasch, P. J.; Simon-Miller, A. A.; Zuchowski, L. C.

2009-12-01

Maps of Ertel potential vorticity on isentropic surfaces (IPV) and quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity (QGPV) are well established in dynamical meteorology as powerful sources of insight into dynamical processes involving 'balanced' flow (i.e. geostrophic or similar). Here we derive maps of zonal mean IPV and QGPV in Saturn's upper troposphere and lower stratosphere by making use of a combination of velocity measurements, derived from the combined tracking of cloud features in images from the Voyager and Cassini missions, and thermal measurements from the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument. IPV and QGPV are mapped and compared for the entire globe between latitudes 89∘S-82∘N. As on Jupiter, profiles of zonally averaged PV show evidence for a step-like "stair-case" pattern suggestive of local PV homogenisation, separated by strong PV gradients in association with eastward jets. The northward gradient of PV (IPV or QGPV) is found to change sign in several places in each hemisphere, however, even when baroclinic contributions are taken into account. The stability criterion with respect to Arnol'd's second stability theorem may be violated near the peaks of westward jets. Visible, near-IR and thermal-IR Cassini observations have shown that these regions exhibit many prominent, large-scale eddies and waves, e.g. including 'storm alley'. This suggests the possibility that at least some of these features originate from instabilities of the background zonal flow.

Seasonal Correlations of SST, Water Vapor, and Convective Activity in Tropical Oceans: A New Hyperspectral Data Set for Climate Model Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aumann, Hartmut H.; Gregorich, David T.; Broberg, Steven E.; Elliott, Denis A.

2007-01-01

The analysis of the response of the Earth Climate System to the seasonal changes of solar forcing in the tropical oceans using four years of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) data between 2002 and 2006 gives new insight into amplitude and phase relationships between surface and tropospheric temperatures, humidity, and convective activity. The intensity of the convective activity is measured by counting deep convective clouds. The peaks of convective activity, temperature in the mid-troposphere, and water vapor in the 0 - 30 N and 0 - 30 S tropical ocean zonal means occur about two months after solstice, all leading the peak of the sea surface temperature by several weeks. Phase is key to the evaluation of feedback. The evaluation of climate models in terms of zonal and annual means and annual mean deviations from zonal means can now be supplemented by evaluating the phase of key atmospheric and surface parameters relative to solstice. The ability of climate models to reproduce the statistical flavor of the observed amplitudes and relative phases for broad zonal means should lead to increased confidence in the realism of their water vapor and cloud feedback algorithms. AIRS and AMSU were launched into a 705 km altitude polar sun-synchronous orbit on the EOS Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002, and have been in routine data gathering mode since September 2002.

Seasonal Correlations of SST, Water Vapor, and Convective Activity in Tropical Oceans: A New Hyperspectral Data Set for Climate Model Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aumann, Hartmut H.; Gregorich, David T.; Broberg, Steven E.; Elliott, Denis A.

2007-01-01

The analysis of the response of the Earth Climate System to the seasonal changes of solar forcing in the tropical oceans using four years of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) data between 2002 and 2006 gives new insight into amplitude and phase relationships between surface and tropospheric temperatures, humidity, and convective activity. The intensity of the convective activity is measured by counting deep convective clouds. The peaks of convective activity, temperature in the mid-troposphere, and water vapor in the 0-30 N and 0-30 S tropical ocean zonal means occur about two months after solstice, all leading the peak of the sea surface temperature by several weeks. Phase is key to the evaluation of feedback. The evaluation of climate models in terms of zonal and annual means and annual mean deviations from zonal means can now be supplemented by evaluating the phase of key atmospheric and surface parameters relative to solstice. The ability of climate models to reproduce the statistical flavor of the observed amplitudes and relative phases for broad zonal means should lead to increased confidence in the realism of their water vapor and cloud feedback algorithms. AIRS and AMSU were launched into a 705 km altitude polar sun-synchronous orbit on the EOS Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002, and have been in routine data gathering mode since September 2002.

Modeling Study of Mesospheric Planetary Waves: Genesis and Characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayr, H. G.; Mengel, J. G.; Talaat, E. L.; Porter, H. S.; Chan, K. L.

2003-01-01

In preparation for the measurements from the TIMED mission and coordinated ground based observations, we discuss results for the planetary waves (PWs) that appear in our Numerical Spectral Model (NSM). The present model accounts for a tropospheric heat source in the zonal mean (m = 0), which reproduces qualitatively the observed zonal jets near the tropopause and the accompanying reversal in the latitudinal temperature variations. We discuss the PWs that are solely generated internally, i.e., without the explicit excitation sources related to tropospheric convection or topography. Our analysis shows that PWs are not produced when the zonally averaged heat source into the atmosphere is artificially suppressed, and that the PWs generally are significantly weaker when the tropospheric source is not applied. Instabilities associated with the zonal mean temperature, pressure and wind fields, which still need to be explored, are exciting PWs that have amplitudes in the mesosphere comparable to those observed. Three classes of PWs are generated in the NSM. (1) Rossby waves, (2) Rossby gravity waves propagating westward at low latitudes, and (3) Eastward propagating equatorial Kelvin waves. A survey of the PWs reveals that the largest wind amplitudes tend to occur below 80 km in the winter hemisphere, but above that altitude they occur in the summer hemisphere where the amplitudes can approach 50 meters per second. It is shown that the non-migrating tides in the mesosphere, generated by non-linear coupling between migrating tides and PWs, are significantly larger for the model with the tropospheric heat source.

An alternative to the TEM (Transformed Eulerian Mean) equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaßmann, Almut

2013-04-01

The TEM equations constitute a powerful means to get access to the residual circulation. However, due to their foundation on the wave perspective, they deliver only a zonally averaged picture without access to the three-dimensional structure or the local origins of the residual circulation. Therefore it is worth to investigate whether there are alternatives. The pathway followed here is to perform a transformation of the momentum and the potential temperature equation before taking the zonal mean. This is done by removing the steady state ideal wind solution vid = ?×?B-(?±P) from the equations (? - potential temperature, B - Bernoulli function, P - Ertel's potential vorticity EPV, ?± - density). The advantage of that approach is that the total EPV-flux does no longer contain an explicitly visible 'do-nothing-flux'. This flux, ?? ×?B, does only vanish when averaging on isentropic surfaces, but not on other isosurfaces. Here we find the reason why the conventional zonal mean on isentropes delivers a direct overturning cell on each hemisphere, whereas on other isosurfaces we obtain the typical three-cell structure with Headley, Ferrel, and polar cells. It will be demonstrated and made visible through idealized climate experiments with the ICON-IAP model that the zonal averages of the nonideal wind components vnid = v - vid and wnid = w - wid constitute similar direct overturning cells on non-isentropic surfaces as obtained with the TEM-generated v* and w*. It is also interesting to inspect fields of local nonideal wind components, the very origin of the residual circulation.

Laboratory study of forced rotating shallow water turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espa, Stefania; Di Nitto, Gabriella; Cenedese, Antonio

2011-12-01

During the last three decades several authors have studied the appearance of multiple zonal jets in planetary atmospheres and in the Earths oceans. The appearance of zonal jets has been recovered in numerical simulations (Yoden & Yamada, 1993), laboratory experiments (Afanasyev & Wells, 2005; Espa et al., 2008, 2010) and in field measurements of the atmosphere of giant planets (Galperin et al., 2001). Recent studies have revealed the presence of zonation also in the Earths oceans, in fact zonal jets have been found in the outputs of Oceanic General Circulation Models-GCMs (Nakano & Hasumi, 2005) and from the analysis of satellite altimetry observations (Maximenko et al., 2005). In previous works (Espa et al., 2008, 2010) we have investigated the impact of the variation of the rotation rate and of the fluid depth on jets organization in decaying and forced regimes. In this work we show results from experiments performed in a bigger domain in which the fluid is forced continuously. The experimental set-up consists of a rotating tank (1m in diameter) where the initial distribution of vorticity has been generated via the Lorentz force in an electromagnetic cell. The latitudinal variation of the Coriolis parameter has been simulated by the parabolic profile assumed by the free surface of the rotating fluid. Flow measurements have been performed using an image analysis technique. Experiments have been performed changing the tank rotation rate and the fluid thickness. We have investigated the flow in terms of zonal and radial flow pattern, flow variability and jet scales.

Understanding the double peaked El Niño in coupled GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Felicity S.; Wittenberg, Andrew T.; Brown, Jaclyn N.; Marsland, Simon J.; Holbrook, Neil J.

2017-03-01

Coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) simulate a diverse range of El Niño-Southern Oscillation behaviors. "Double peaked" El Niño events—where two separate centers of positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies evolve concurrently in the eastern and western equatorial Pacific—have been evidenced in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 5 CGCMs and are without precedent in observations. The characteristic CGCM double peaked El Niño may be mistaken for a central Pacific warming event in El Niño composites, shifted westwards due to the cold tongue bias. In results from the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator coupled model, we find that the western Pacific warm peak of the double peaked El Niño event emerges due to an excessive westward extension of the climatological cold tongue, displacing the region of strong zonal SST gradients towards the west Pacific. A coincident westward shift in the zonal current anomalies reinforces the western peak in SST anomalies, leading to a zonal separation between the warming effect of zonal advection (in the west Pacific) and that of vertical advection (in the east Pacific). Meridional advection and net surface heat fluxes further drive growth of the western Pacific warm peak. Our results demonstrate that understanding historical CGCM El Niño behaviors is a necessary precursor to interpreting projections of future CGCM El Niño behaviors, such as changes in the frequency of eastern Pacific El Niño events, under global warming scenarios.

Wave kinetics of drift-wave turbulence and zonal flows beyond the ray approximation

DOE PAGES

Zhu, Hongxuan; Zhou, Yao; Ruiz, D. E.; ...

2018-05-29

Inhomogeneous drift-wave turbulence can be modeled as an effective plasma where drift waves act as quantumlike particles and the zonal-flow velocity serves as a collective field through which they interact. This effective plasma can be described by a Wigner-Moyal equation (WME), which generalizes the quasilinear wave-kinetic equation (WKE) to the full-wave regime, i.e., resolves the wavelength scale. Unlike waves governed by manifestly quantumlike equations, whose WMEs can be borrowed from quantum mechanics and are commonly known, drift waves have Hamiltonians very different from those of conventional quantum particles. This causes unusual phase-space dynamics that is typically not captured by themore » WKE. We demonstrate how to correctly model this dynamics with the WME instead. Specifically, we report full-wave phase-space simulations of the zonal-flow formation (zonostrophic instability), deterioration (tertiary instability), and the so-called predator-prey oscillations. We also show how the WME facilitates analysis of these phenomena, namely, (i) we show that full-wave effects critically affect the zonostrophic instability, particularly its nonlinear stage and saturation; (ii) we derive the tertiary-instability growth rate; and (iii) we demonstrate that, with full-wave effects retained, the predator-prey oscillations do not require zonal-flow collisional damping, contrary to previous studies. In conclusion, we also show how the famous Rayleigh-Kuo criterion, which has been missing in wave-kinetic theories of drift-wave turbulence, emerges from the WME.« less

Effect of Basicity on Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) Slag Solidification Microstructure and Mineralogy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chunwei; Guo, Muxing; Pandelaers, Lieven; Blanpain, Bart; Huang, Shuigen

Slag valorization in added value construction applications can contribute substantially to the sustainability of steel industry. The present work aims to investigate the crystallization behavior of a typical industrial Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) slag (CaO-FeOx-SiO2-based slag) by varying the basicity through hot stage engineering. A sample of industry Basic Oxygen Slag (BOF) was mixed with different quantities of silica (SiO2) to modify basicity. The effect of basicity on solidification microstructure and mineralogy was studied. The results suggest that the mineralogy of the solidified slag can be manipulated to enhance its suitability as raw material for construction applications.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Special cluster issue on `Experimental studies of zonal flow and turbulence'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itoh, S.-I.

2005-07-01

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) invites submissions on the topic of `Experimental studies of zonal flow and turbulence', for consideration for a special topical cluster of articles to be published early in 2006. The topical cluster will be published in an issue of PPCF, combined with regular articles. The Guest Editor for the special cluster will be S-I Itoh, Kyushu University, Japan. There has been remarkable progress in the area of structure formation by turbulence. One of the highlights has been the physics of zonal flow and drift wave turbulence in toroidal plasmas. Extensive theoretical as well as computational studies have revealed the various mechanisms in turbulence and zonal flows. At the same time, experimental research on the zonal flow, geodesic acoustic modes and generation of global electric field by turbulence has evolved rapidly. Fast growth in reports of experimental results has stimulated further efforts to develop increased knowledge and systematic understanding. Each paper considered for the special cluster should describe the present research status and new scientific knowledge/results from the authors on experimental studies of zonal flow, geodesic acoustic modes and generation of electric field by turbulence (including studies of Reynolds-Maxwell stresses, etc). Manuscripts submitted to this special cluster in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion will be refereed according to the normal criteria and procedures of the journal. The Guest Editor guides the progress of the cluster from the initial open call, through the standard refereeing process, to publication. To be considered for inclusion in the special cluster, articles must be submitted by 2 September 2005 and must clearly state `for inclusion in the Turbulent Plasma Cluster'. Articles submitted after this deadline may not be included in the cluster issue but may be published in a later issue of the journal. Please submit your manuscript electronically via our web site at www.iop.org/journals/ppcf or by e-mail to mailto:ppcf@iop.org. Electronic submissions are encouraged but if you wish to submit a hard copy of your article then please send your typescript, a set of original figures and a covering letter to: The Publishing Administrator Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Institute of Physics Publishing Dirac House Temple Back Bristol BS1 6BE UK Further information on how to submit may be obtained on request by e-mailing the journal at the above address. Alternatively, visit the homepage of the journal (www.iop.org/journals/ppcf).

Interactions between Antarctic sea ice and large-scale atmospheric modes in CMIP5 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeter, Serena; Hobbs, Will; Bindoff, Nathaniel L.

2017-03-01

The response of Antarctic sea ice to large-scale patterns of atmospheric variability varies according to sea ice sector and season. In this study, interannual atmosphere-sea ice interactions were explored using observations and reanalysis data, and compared with simulated interactions by models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Simulated relationships between atmospheric variability and sea ice variability generally reproduced the observed relationships, though more closely during the season of sea ice advance than the season of sea ice retreat. Atmospheric influence on sea ice is known to be strongest during advance, and it appears that models are able to capture the dominance of the atmosphere during advance. Simulations of ocean-atmosphere-sea ice interactions during retreat, however, require further investigation. A large proportion of model ensemble members overestimated the relative importance of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) compared with other modes of high southern latitude climate, while the influence of tropical forcing was underestimated. This result emerged particularly strongly during the season of sea ice retreat. The zonal patterns of the SAM in many models and its exaggerated influence on sea ice overwhelm the comparatively underestimated meridional influence, suggesting that simulated sea ice variability would become more zonally symmetric as a result. Across the seasons of sea ice advance and retreat, three of the five sectors did not reveal a strong relationship with a pattern of large-scale atmospheric variability in one or both seasons, indicating that sea ice in these sectors may be influenced more strongly by atmospheric variability unexplained by the major atmospheric modes, or by heat exchange in the ocean.

Structure and Dynamics of Fluid Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houben, H.

2014-12-01

Attention to conservation laws gives a comprehensive picture of the structure and dynamics of gas giants: Atmospheric differential rotation is generated by tidal torques (dependent on tropospheric static stability) and is dragged into the interior by turbulent viscosity. The consequent heat dissipation generates baroclinicity and approximate thermal wind balance, not Taylor-Proudman conditions. Magnetic Lorentz forces have no effect on the zonal wind, but generate a meridional wind approximately parallel to field lines. Thus, magnetic field generation in the interior is dominated by the ω-effect (zonal field wound up by differential rotation), with the α-effect (meridional field generated by turbulence) severely limited by the β-effect (turbulence-enhanced resistivity). The meridional circulation quenches the ω-effect so that a steady state is reached and also limits the magnitude of the non-axisymmetric field under certain circumstances. The stability of the steady state requires further study. The magnetic field travels with the E X B drift, rather than the fluid velocity. Work by the fluid on the magnetic field balances work by the magnetic field on the fluid, so the global heat flux is little changed. In conducting regions the meridional density distribution (and gravity field) is most sensitive to the total pressure (gas + magnetic) and the ω-effect. In nonconducting regions, the gas pressure, centrifugal force, and differential rotation dominate. The differential rotation varies at least as fast as r³, so the gravitational signal is small compared to that for differential rotation on cylinders. The entropy minimum near the tropopause allows meteorology to be dominated by (relatively) long-lived, closed potential temperature surfaces, usually called spots, which conserve potential vorticity. All of the above must be taken into account to properly assimilate any available observational data to further specify the interior properties of fluid planets.

Clusters of cyclones encircling Jupiter’s poles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adriani, A.; Mura, A.; Orton, G.; Hansen, C.; Altieri, F.; Moriconi, M. L.; Rogers, J.; Eichstädt, G.; Momary, T.; Ingersoll, A. P.; Filacchione, G.; Sindoni, G.; Tabataba-Vakili, F.; Dinelli, B. M.; Fabiano, F.; Bolton, S. J.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Atreya, S. K.; Lunine, J. I.; Tosi, F.; Migliorini, A.; Grassi, D.; Piccioni, G.; Noschese, R.; Cicchetti, A.; Plainaki, C.; Olivieri, A.; O’Neill, M. E.; Turrini, D.; Stefani, S.; Sordini, R.; Amoroso, M.

2018-03-01

The familiar axisymmetric zones and belts that characterize Jupiter’s weather system at lower latitudes give way to pervasive cyclonic activity at higher latitudes. Two-dimensional turbulence in combination with the Coriolis β-effect (that is, the large meridionally varying Coriolis force on the giant planets of the Solar System) produces alternating zonal flows. The zonal flows weaken with rising latitude so that a transition between equatorial jets and polar turbulence on Jupiter can occur. Simulations with shallow-water models of giant planets support this transition by producing both alternating flows near the equator and circumpolar cyclones near the poles. Jovian polar regions are not visible from Earth owing to Jupiter’s low axial tilt, and were poorly characterized by previous missions because the trajectories of these missions did not venture far from Jupiter’s equatorial plane. Here we report that visible and infrared images obtained from above each pole by the Juno spacecraft during its first five orbits reveal persistent polygonal patterns of large cyclones. In the north, eight circumpolar cyclones are observed about a single polar cyclone; in the south, one polar cyclone is encircled by five circumpolar cyclones. Cyclonic circulation is established via time-lapse imagery obtained over intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 4 hours. Although migration of cyclones towards the pole might be expected as a consequence of the Coriolis β-effect, by which cyclonic vortices naturally drift towards the rotational pole, the configuration of the cyclones is without precedent on other planets (including Saturn’s polar hexagonal features). The manner in which the cyclones persist without merging and the process by which they evolve to their current configuration are unknown.

Southern Hemisphere Carbon Monoxide Inferannual Variability Observed by Terra/Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, D. P.; Petron, G.; Novelli, P. C.; Emmons, L. K.; Gille, J. C.; Drummond, J. R.

2010-01-01

Biomass burning is an annual occurrence in the tropical southern hemisphere (SH) and represents a major source of regional pollution. Vegetation fires emit carbon monoxide (CO), which due to its medium lifetime is an excellent tracer of tropospheric transport. CO is also one of the few tropospheric trace gases currently observed from satellite and this provides long-term global measurements. In this paper, we use the 5 year CO data record from the Measurement Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument to examine the inter-annual variability of the SH CO loading and show how this relates to climate conditions which determine the intensity of fire sources. The MOPITT observations show an annual austral springtime peak in the SH zonal CO loading each year with dry-season biomass burning emissions in S. America, southern Africa, the Maritime Continent, and northwestern Australia. Although fires in southern Africa and S. America typically produce the greatest amount of CO, the most significant inter-annual variation is due to varying fire activity and emissions from the Maritime Continent and northern Australia. We find that this variation in turn correlates well with the El Nino Southern Oscillation precipitation index. Between 2000 and 2005, emissions were greatest in late 2002 and an inverse modeling of the MOPITT data using the MOZART chemical transport model estimates the southeast Asia regional fire source for the year August 2002 to September 2003 to be 52 Tg CO. Comparison of the MOPITT retrievals and NOAA surface network measurements indicate that the latter do not fully capture the inter-annual variability or the seasonal range of the CO zonal average concentration due to biases associated with atmospheric and geographic sampling.

Geoengineering as an optimization problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ban-Weiss, George A.; Caldeira, Ken

2010-07-01

There is increasing evidence that Earth's climate is currently warming, primarily due to emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, and Earth has been projected to continue warming throughout this century. Scientists have begun to investigate the potential for geoengineering options for reducing surface temperatures and whether such options could possibly contribute to environmental risk reduction. One proposed method involves deliberately increasing aerosol loading in the stratosphere to scatter additional sunlight to space. Previous modeling studies have attempted to predict the climate consequences of hypothetical aerosol additions to the stratosphere. These studies have shown that this method could potentially reduce surface temperatures, but could not recreate a low-CO2 climate in a high-CO2 world. In this study, we attempt to determine the latitudinal distribution of stratospheric aerosols that would most closely achieve a low-CO2 climate despite high CO2 levels. Using the NCAR CAM3.1 general circulation model, we find that having a stratospheric aerosol loading in polar regions higher than that in tropical regions leads to a temperature distribution that is more similar to the low-CO2 climate than that yielded by a globally uniform loading. However, such polar weighting of stratospheric sulfate tends to degrade the degree to which the hydrological cycle is restored, and thus does not markedly contribute to improved recovery of a low-CO2 climate. In the model, the optimal latitudinally varying aerosol distributions diminished the rms zonal mean land temperature change from a doubling of CO2 by 94% and the rms zonal mean land precipitation minus evaporation change by 74%. It is important to note that this idealized study represents a first attempt at optimizing the engineering of climate using a general circulation model; uncertainties are high and not all processes that are important in reality are modeled.

Large-Scale Traveling Weather Systems in Mars’ Southern Extratropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.; Kahre, Melinda A.

2017-10-01

Between late fall and early spring, Mars’ middle- and high-latitude atmosphere supports strong mean equator-to-pole temperature contrasts and an accompanying mean westerly polar vortex. Observations from both the MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the MRO Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) indicate that a mean baroclinicity-barotropicity supports intense, large-scale eastward traveling weather systems (i.e., transient synoptic-period waves). Such extratropical weather disturbances are critical components of the global circulation as they serve as agents in the transport of heat and momentum, and generalized scalar/tracer quantities (e.g., atmospheric dust, water-vapor and ice clouds). The character of such traveling extratropical synoptic disturbances in Mars' southern hemisphere during late winter through early spring is investigated using a moderately high-resolution Mars global climate model (Mars GCM). This Mars GCM imposes interactively-lifted and radiatively-active dust based on a threshold value of the surface stress. The model exhibits a reasonable "dust cycle" (i.e., globally averaged, a dustier atmosphere during southern spring and summer occurs). Compared to the northern-hemisphere counterparts, the southern synoptic-period weather disturbances and accompanying frontal waves have smaller meridional and zonal scales, and are far less intense. Influences of the zonally asymmetric (i.e., east-west varying) topography on southern large-scale weather are investigated, in addition to large-scale up-slope/down-slope flows and the diurnal cycle. A southern storm zone in late winter and early spring presents in the western hemisphere via orographic influences from the Tharsis highlands, and the Argyre and Hellas impact basins. Geographically localized transient-wave activity diagnostics are constructed that illuminate dynamical differences amongst the simulations and these are presented.

Large-Scale Traveling Weather Systems in Mars Southern Extratropics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.; Kahre, Melinda A.

2017-01-01

Between late fall and early spring, Mars' middle- and high-latitude atmosphere supports strong mean equator-to-pole temperature contrasts and an accompanying mean westerly polar vortex. Observations from both the MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the MRO Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) indicate that a mean baroclinicity-barotropicity supports intense, large-scale eastward traveling weather systems (i.e., transient synoptic-period waves). Such extratropical weather disturbances are critical components of the global circulation as they serve as agents in the transport of heat and momentum, and generalized scalar/tracer quantities (e.g., atmospheric dust, water-vapor and ice clouds). The character of such traveling extratropical synoptic disturbances in Mars' southern hemisphere during late winter through early spring is investigated using a moderately high-resolution Mars global climate model (Mars GCM). This Mars GCM imposes interactively-lifted and radiatively-active dust based on a threshold value of the surface stress. The model exhibits a reasonable "dust cycle" (i.e., globally averaged, a dustier atmosphere during southern spring and summer occurs). Compared to the northern-hemisphere counterparts, the southern synoptic-period weather disturbances and accompanying frontal waves have smaller meridional and zonal scales, and are far less intense. Influences of the zonally asymmetric (i.e., east-west varying) topography on southern large-scale weather are investigated, in addition to large-scale up-slope/down-slope flows and the diurnal cycle. A southern storm zone in late winter and early spring presents in the western hemisphere via orographic influences from the Tharsis highlands, and the Argyre and Hellas impact basins. Geographically localized transient-wave activity diagnostics are constructed that illuminate dynamical differences amongst the simulations and these are presented.

First Reprocessing of Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) Ozone Profiles (1998-2016): 2. Comparisons With Satellites and Ground-Based Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Anne M.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Sterling, Chance; Jordan, Allen; Johnson, Bryan J.; Oltmans, Samuel J.; Fujiwara, Masatomo; Vömel, Holger; Allaart, Marc; Piters, Ankie; Coetzee, Gert J. R.; Posny, Françoise; Corrales, Ernesto; Diaz, Jorge Andres; Félix, Christian; Komala, Ninong; Lai, Nga; Ahn Nguyen, H. T.; Maata, Matakite; Mani, Francis; Zainal, Zamuna; Ogino, Shin-ya; Paredes, Francisco; Penha, Tercio Luiz Bezerra; da Silva, Francisco Raimundo; Sallons-Mitro, Sukarni; Selkirk, Henry B.; Schmidlin, F. J.; Stübi, Rene; Thiongo, Kennedy

2017-12-01

The Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesonde (SHADOZ) network was assembled to validate a new generation of ozone-monitoring satellites and to better characterize the vertical structure of tropical ozone in the troposphere and stratosphere. Beginning with nine stations in 1998, more than 7,000 ozone and P-T-U profiles are available from 14 SHADOZ sites that have operated continuously for at least a decade. We analyze ozone profiles from the recently reprocessed SHADOZ data set that is based on adjustments for inconsistencies caused by varying ozonesonde instruments and operating techniques. First, sonde-derived total ozone column amounts are compared to the overpasses from the Earth Probe/Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, Ozone Monitoring Instrument, and Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite satellites that cover 1998-2016. Second, characteristics of the stratospheric and tropospheric columns are examined along with ozone structure in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). We find that (1) relative to our earlier evaluations of SHADOZ data, in 2003, 2007, and 2012, sonde-satellite total ozone column offsets at 12 stations are 2% or less, a significant improvement; (2) as in prior studies, the 10 tropical SHADOZ stations, defined as within ±19° latitude, display statistically uniform stratospheric column ozone, 229 ± 3.9 DU (Dobson units), and a tropospheric zonal wave-one pattern with a 14 DU mean amplitude; (3) the TTL ozone column, which is also zonally uniform, masks complex vertical structure, and this argues against using satellites for lower stratospheric ozone trends; and (4) reprocessing has led to more uniform stratospheric column amounts across sites and reduced bias in stratospheric profiles. As a consequence, the uncertainty in total column ozone now averages 5%.

Determining hydroclimatic extreme events over the south-central Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

RamezaniZiarani, Maryam; Bookhagen, Bodo; Schmidt, Torsten; Wickert, Jens; de la Torre, Alejandro; Volkholz, Jan

2017-04-01

The south-central Andes in NW Argentina are characterized by a strong rainfall asymmetry. In the east-west direction exists one of the steepest rainfall gradients on Earth, resulting from the large topographic differences in this region. In addition, in the north-south direction the rainfall intensity varies as the climatic regime shifts from the tropical central Andes to the subtropical south-central Andes. In this study, we investigate hydroclimatic extreme events over the south-central Andes using ERA-Interim reanalysis data of the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), the high resolution regional climate model (COSMO-CLM) data and TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) data. We divide the area in three different study regions based on elevation: The high-elevation Altiplano-Puna plateau, an intermediate area characterized by intramontane basins, and the foreland area. We analyze the correlations between climatic variables, such as specific humidity, zonal wind component, meridional wind component and extreme rainfall events in all three domains. The results show that there is a high positive temporal correlation between extreme rainfall events (90th and 99th percentile rainfall) and extreme specific humidity events (90th and 99th percentile specific humidity). In addition, the temporal variations analysis represents a trend of increasing specific humidity with time during time period (1994-2013) over the Altiplano-Puna plateau which is in agreement with rainfall trend. Regarding zonal winds, our results indicate that 99th percentile rainfall events over the Altiplano-Puna plateau coincide temporally with strong easterly winds from intermountain and foreland regions in the east. In addition, the results regarding the meridional wind component represent strong northerly winds in the foreland region coincide temporally with 99th percentile rainfall over the Altiplano-Puna plateau.

Role of load history in intervertebral disc mechanics and intradiscal pressure generation.

PubMed

Hwang, David; Gabai, Adam S; Yu, Miao; Yew, Alvin G; Hsieh, Adam H

2012-01-01

Solid-fluid interactions play an important role in mediating viscoelastic behaviour of biological tissues. In the intervertebral disc, water content is governed by a number of factors, including age, disease and mechanical loads, leading to changes in stiffness characteristics. We hypothesized that zonal stress distributions depend on load history, or the prior stresses experienced by the disc. To investigate these effects, rat caudal motion segments were subjected to compressive creep biomechanical testing in vitro using a protocol that consisted of two phases: a Prestress Phase (varied to represent different histories of load) followed immediately by an Exertion Phase, identical across all Prestress groups. Three analytical models were used to fit the experimental data in order to evaluate load history effects on gross and zonal disc mechanics. Model results indicated that while gross transient response was insensitive to load history, there may be changes in the internal mechanics of the disc. In particular, a fluid transport model suggested that the role of the nucleus pulposus in resisting creep during Exertion depended on Prestress conditions. Separate experiments using similarly defined load history regimens were performed to verify these predictions by measuring intradiscal pressure with a fibre optic sensor. We found that the ability for intradiscal pressure generation was load history-dependent and exhibited even greater sensitivity than predicted by analytical models. A 0.5 MPa Exertion load resulted in 537.2 kPa IDP for low magnitude Prestress compared with 373.7 kPa for high magnitude Prestress. Based on these measurements, we developed a simple model that may describe the pressure-shear environment in the nucleus pulposus. These findings may have important implications on our understanding of how mechanical stress contributes to disc health and disease etiology.

Soil salinization in different natural zones of intermontane depressions in Tuva

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernousenko, G. I.; Kurbatskaya, S. S.

2017-11-01

Soil salinization features in semidesert, dry steppe, and chernozemic steppe zones within intermontane depressions in the central part of the Tuva Republic are discussed. Chernozems, chestnut soils, and brown desert-steppe soils of these zones are usually nonsaline. However, salinization of these zonal soils is possible in the case of the presence of salt-bearing parent materials (usually, the derivatives of Devonian deposits). In different natural zones of the intermontane depressions, salt-affected soils are mainly allocated to endorheic lake basins, where they are formed in places of discharge of mineral groundwater, and to river valleys. The composition and content of salts in the natural waters are dictated by the local hydrogeological conditions. The total content of dissolved solids in lake water varies from 1 to 370 g/L; the water is usually of the sulfate-chloride or chloride-sulfate salinity type; in some cases, soda-sulfate water is present. Soil salinity around the lakes is usually of the chloride-sulfate-sodium type; gypsum is often present in the profiles. Chloride salinization rarely predominates in this part of Tuva, because chlorides are easily leached off from the mainly coarse-textured soils. In some cases, the predominance of magnesium over sodium is observed in the composition of dissolved salts, which may be indicative of the cryogenic transformation of soil salts. Soda-saline soils are present in all the considered natural zones on minor areas. It is hardly possible to make unambiguous statements about the dominance of the particular type of salinity in the given natural zones. Zonal salinity patterns are weakly expressed in salinization of hydromorphic soils. However, a tendency for more frequent occurrence of soda-saline soils in steppe landscapes and chloride-sulfate salinization (often, with participation of gypsum) in the dry steppe and semidesert landscapes is observed.

A simple inertial model for Neptune's zonal circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, Michael; Lumetta, James T.

1990-01-01

Voyager imaging observations of zonal cloud-tracked winds on Neptune revealed a strongly subrotational equatorial jet with a speed approaching 500 m/s and generally decreasing retrograde motion toward the poles. The wind data are interpreted with a speculative but revealingly simple model based on steady gradient flow balance and an assumed global homogenization of potential vorticity for shallow layer motion. The prescribed model flow profile relates the equatorial velocity to the mid-latitude shear, in reasonable agreement with the available data, and implies a global horizontal deformation scale L(D) of about 3000 km.

Variability of quasi-stationary planetary waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krivolutsky, A. A.; Petushkov, N. D.; Tarasenko, D. A.

1989-01-01

The results of the analysis of nonzonal perturbations (m = 1, 2, 3) of the geopotential field at a 30 mb level are presented. A long period modulation of the harmonics' amplitude is discovered. Calculations of eigenfunctions and eigennumbers of the Laplace tidal equation are carried out for a real latitudinal wind profile. The observed first zonal harmonic in different years is caused by the same mode. Thus, the difference in the wave amplitudes could not be accounted for by the difference in stratospheric zonal circulation in different years and should be related to tropospheric processes.

Large Scale Winter Time Disturbances in Meteor Winds over Central and Eastern Europe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greisiger, K. M.; Portnyagin, Y. I.; Lysenko, I. A.

1984-01-01

Daily zonal wind data of the four pre-MAP-winters 1978/79 to 1981/82 obtained over Central Europe and Eastern Europe by the radar meteor method were studied. Available temperature and satellite radiance data of the middle and upper stratosphere were used for comparison, as well as wind data from Canada. The existence or nonexistence of coupling between the observed large scale zonal wind disturbances in the upper mesopause region (90 to 100 km) and corresponding events in the stratosphere are discussed.

Seasonal air and water mass redistribution effects on LAGEOS and Starlette

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gutierrez, Roberto; Wilson, Clark R.

1987-01-01

Zonal geopotential coefficients have been computed from average seasonal variations in global air and water mass distribution. These coefficients are used to predict the seasonal variations of LAGEOS' and Starlette's orbital node, the node residual, and the seasonal variation in the 3rd degree zonal coefficient for Starlette. A comparison of these predictions with the observed values indicates that air pressure and, to a lesser extent, water storage may be responsible for a large portion of the currently unmodeled variation in the earth's gravity field.

Expansion of the gravitational potential with computerized Poisson series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broucke, R.

1976-01-01

The paper describes a recursive formulation for the expansion of the gravitational potential valid for both the tesseral and zonal harmonics. The expansion is primarily in rectangular coordinates, but the classical orbit elements or equinoctial orbit elements can be easily substituted. The equations of motion for the zonal harmonics in both classical and equinoctial orbital elements are described in a form which will result in closed-form expressions for the first-order perturbations. In order to achieve this result, the true longitude or true anomaly have to be used as independent variables.

Turbulent Convection in an Anelastic Rotating Sphere: A Model for the Circulation on the Giant Planets

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

exterior weather layer, using a quasigeostrophic two layer channel model on a beta plane , where the colum- nar interior is therefore represented by a...116 5.4 The evolution of the ’it’ field in the weakly nonlinear run ........ .. 117 5.5 The zonal mean zonal velocity on the equatorial plane in...turbulence on a 8 plane . These two approaches have been in debate ever since. 1.3.1 Shallow Models The first to apply the "shallow" approach to

AUDIO VISUAL MATERIALS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ROBINAULT, ISABEL P.

THIS PUBLICATION LISTS 127 FILMS AND FILMSTRIPS RELATED TO THE DIAGNOSIS AND HABILITATION OF CEREBRAL PALSIED PERSONS WITH VARYING AGES, NEEDS, AND CIRCUMSTANCES. THE TITLES ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY IN SECTIONS--BASIC SCIENCES AND BASIC INFORMATION, ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING, MEDICAL ASPECTS AND THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT, EVALUATION AND…

Galileo Probe Doppler Residuals as the Wave-Dynamical Signature of Weakly Stable, Downward-Increasing Stratification in Jupiter's Deep Wind Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, Michael; Atkinson, David H.; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Doppler radio tracking of the Galileo probe-to-orbiter relay, previously analyzed for its in situ measure of Jupiter's zonal wind at the equatorial entry site, also shows a record of significant residual fluctuations apparently indicative of varying vertical motions. Regular oscillations over pressure depth in the residual Doppler measurements of roughly 1-8 Hz (increasing upward), as filtered over a 134 sec window, are most plausibly interpreted as gravity waves, and imply a weak, but downward increasing static stability within the 5 - 20 bar region of Jupiter's atmosphere. A matched extension to deeper levels of an independent inertial stability constraint from the measured vertical wind shear at 1 - 4 bars is roughly consistent with a static stability of approximately 0.5 K/km near the 20 bar level, as independently detected by the probe Atmospheric Structure Instrument.

Intra-Seasonal Monthly Oscillations in Stratospheric NCEP Data and Model Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayr, H. G.; Mengel, J. G.; Huang, F. T.; Nash, E. R.

2009-01-01

Intra-seasonal oscillations (ISO) are observed in the zonal-mean of mesospheric wind and temperature measurements-and the numerical spectral model (NSM) generates such oscillations. Relatively large temperature ISO are evident also in stratospheric CPC (NCEP) data at high latitudes, where the NSM produces amplitudes around 3 K at 30 km. Analyzing the NCEP data for the years 1996-2006, we find in Fourier spectra signatures of oscillations with periods between 1.7 and 3 months. With statistical confidence levels exceeding 70%, the spectral features are induced by nonlinear interactions involving the annual and semi-annual variations. The synthesized data show for the 10-year average that the temperature ISO peak in winter, having amplitudes close to 4 K. The synthesized complete spectrum for periods around 2 months produces oscillations, varying from year to year, which can reach peak amplitudes of 15 and 5 K respectively at northern and southern polar latitudes.

Solar cycle signatures in the NCEP equatorial annual oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayr, H. G.; Mengel, J. G.; Huang, F. T.; Nash, E. R.

2009-08-01

Our analysis of temperature and zonal wind data (1958 to 2006) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis (Re-1), supplied by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), shows that the hemispherically symmetric 12-month equatorial annual oscillation (EAO) contains spectral signatures with periods around 11 years. Moving windows of 44 years show that, below 20 km, the 11-year modulation of the EAO is phase locked to the solar cycle (SC). The spectral features from the 48-year data record reveal modulation signatures of 9.6 and 12 years, which produce EAO variations that mimic in limited altitude regimes the varying maxima and minima of the 10.7 cm flux solar index. Above 20 km, the spectra also contain modulation signatures with periods around 11 years, but the filtered variations are too irregular to suggest that systematic SC forcing is the principal agent.

Newton vs. Munchhausen in upper-troposphere dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergmann, Juan Carlos

2010-05-01

Atmospheric angular momentum (AM) balance depends crucially on the existence and magnitude of the planetary-scale AM transport by 'eddies' in the upper troposphere. Its divergence has to provide the torque, which is necessary to realise the upper-troposphere branch of meridional circulation. (In the boundary layer, the torque is provided by surface-friction.) The torques in neighbouring circulation cells are opposed, so that the AM transport mediates a torque-interaction between the circulation cells. This interaction corresponds to a clear requirement of Newton's Third Law: torques (forces) exist only in interaction with other bodies, and their sum is equal to zero. In Münchhausen's physics, force (and torque) exists without interaction: In a famous tale, Münchhausen saves himself (and his horse!) from drowning in a swamp-hole by pulling himself up at his hair. Münchhausen-physics situations arise in the dynamical analysis of the torque exerted by a single eddy and in analysis of the cause for the AM transport of the single eddy. The local AM transport of the single eddy is defined by the difference in zonal velocity between the pole-ward and equator-ward branches (Δu) multiplied with meridional velocity-magnitude (¦v¦). For the average over many eddies, it transforms to the average product of the deviations of zonal and meridional velocities from their local averages (, eddy-correlation; the complete formulations include the local radius of rotation but it is omitted here for simplicity reasons). This definition is phenomenological but not dynamical. In dynamical analysis it turns out that the torque-related zonal equation of motion of an AM-transporting single eddy can be formulated without torque-interaction with other bodies (torque-free eddy). Newton III implies also the phenomenological torque (transport divergence -δ(¦v¦Δu)/δy) to be zero for this case because there is no partner of torque-interaction. However, the dynamically torque-free single eddy has an unavoidable 'transport' divergence - especially in the turning-region of the meridional motion. Thus, there is a phenomenological 'torque' (non-zero 'transport' divergence) without torque-interaction - a classical Münchhausen situation! The dynamical cause of phenomenological 'AM transport' and associated phenomenological 'torques' of the dynamically torque-free single eddy is 'hidden' in the non-torque-related meridional equation of motion for steady-state: δv-δ t = - u δv-δx - vδv-δ y - f u(x) + Fy(x) = 0 . Strong variation of the meridional pressure-gradient force Fy(x) (no torque!) over the eddy-path (longitude x) produces varying zonal velocities u(x) that are falsely interpreted as 'AM transport' on the phenomenological level (the 'advective' terms are negligible outside the eddy's turning regions). Thus, creation and destruction of phenomenological 'AM transport' (Δu) in a single eddy do not originate from torque-interaction with other bodies - another classical Münchhausen situation! Should the previous analysis be ignored in favour of maintaining the 'established' ideas of upper-troposphere dynamics or should there be an effort to formulate new ideas that are in accordance with Newtonian physics?

Approximate Co-Location of Precipitation and Low-Level Westerlies in Tropical Monthly Means

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choa, Winston C.; Chen, Baode

1999-01-01

In summer monsoon regions the monthly mean precipitation regions coincide approximately well with regions of westerlies at low-levels. An included chart shows a 15-year (1979-1993) mean August 850 hPa zonal wind from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset and Xie-Arkin precipitation. It shows a region of westerlies covering most of Northern Indian Ocean and extending to northwestern Pacific. This region coincides well with the region with precipitation greater than 6 mm/day. Obviously the coincidence is not exact; the region of larges; zonal wind in the Arabian Sea is in a region of relatively low precipitation and is far from the region of maximum precipitation in Bay of Bengal. Also, in a zonally averaged sense between 40E and 140E, the latitude of maximum precipitation is slightly higher than that of the maximum zonal wind. Low-level westerlies are also found in regions west of Central America and in western Africa north of the equator. These regions are also closely associated with precipitation centers. Across equator from these westerlies regions there are regions of strong easterlies. Also, on their poleward side the westerly regions are flanked by weaker easterly regions. In February, similar observation can be found in the Australian monsoon area and in South America monsoon region; again the regions of westerlies coincide well with regions of maximum precipitation. As in the northern hemisphere, the maximum precipitation is found to the cast of the maximum zonal wind. The two maxima lie almost at the same latitude with that of the westerlies slightly closer to the equator. In the non-monsoon seasons the low- level westerlies can also be found in the tropical precipitation regions, the longitudinal range of the westerlies is undiminished and the speed of the westerlies is not much weaker than that found in February. The interpretation of these observational facts is the goal of this investigation. The approach taken is numerical simulation with the Goddard Earth Observation Systems atmospheric general circulation model, and its aqua-planet version, combined with theoretical arguments.

Constraints on Saturn's Tropospheric General Circulation from Cassini ISS Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony D.; Barbara, John M.

2013-01-01

An automated cloud tracking algorithm is applied to Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem high-resolution apoapsis images of Saturn from 2005 and 2007 and moderate resolution images from 2011 and 2012 to define the near-global distribution of zonal winds and eddy momentum fluxes at the middle troposphere cloud level and in the upper troposphere haze. Improvements in the tracking algorithm combined with the greater feature contrast in the northern hemisphere during the approach to spring equinox allow for better rejection of erroneous wind vectors, a more objective assessment at any latitude of the quality of the mean zonal wind, and a population of winds comparable in size to that available for the much higher contrast atmosphere of Jupiter. Zonal winds at cloud level changed little between 2005 and 2007 at all latitudes sampled. Upper troposphere zonal winds derived from methane band images are approx. 10 m/s weaker than cloud level winds in the cores of eastward jets and approx. 5 m/s stronger on either side of the jet core, i.e., eastward jets appear to broaden with increasing altitude. In westward jet regions winds are approximately the same at both altitudes. Lateral eddy momentum fluxes are directed into eastward jet cores, including the strong equatorial jet, and away from westward jet cores and weaken with increasing altitude on the flanks of the eastward jets, consistent with the upward broadening of these jets. The conversion rate of eddy to mean zonal kinetic energy at the visible cloud level is larger in eastward jet regions (5.2x10(exp -5) sq m/s) and smaller in westward jet regions (1.6x10(exp -5) sqm/s) than the global mean value (4.1x10(ep -5) sq m/s). Overall the results are consistent with theories that suggest that the jets and the overturning meridional circulation at cloud level on Saturn are maintained at least in part by eddies due to instabilities of the large-scale flow near and/or below the cloud level.

Mesospheric circulation at the cloud top level of Venus according to Venus Monitoring Camera images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khatuntsev, Igor; Patsaeva, Marina; Ignatiev, Nikolay; Titov, Dmitri; Markiewicz, Wojciech; Turin, Alexander

We present results of wind speed measurements at the cloud top level of Venus derived from manual cloud tracking in the UV (365 nm) and IR (965 nm) channels of the Venus Monitoring Camera Experiment (VMC) [1] on board the Venus Express mission. Cloud details have a maximal contrast in the UV range. More then 90 orbits have been processed. 30000 manual vectors were obtained. The period of the observations covers more than 4 venusian year. Zonal wind speed demonstrates the local solar time dependence. Possible diurnal and semidiurnal components are observed [2]. According to averaged latitude profile of winds at level of the upper clouds: -The zonal speed is slightly increasing by absolute values from 90 on the equator to 105 m/s at latitudes —47 degrees; -The period of zonal rotation has the maximum at the equator (5 earth days). It has the minimum (3 days) at altitudes —50 degrees. After minimum periods are slightly increasing toward the South pole; -The meridional speed has a value 0 on the equator, and then it is linear increasing up to 10 m/s (by absolute value) at 50 degrees latitude. "-" denotes movement from the equator to the pole. -From 50 to 80 degrees the meridional speed is again decreasing by absolute value up to 0. IR (965+10 nm) day side images can be used for wind tracking. The obtained speed of the zonal wind in the low and middle latitudes are systematically less than the wind speed derived from the UV images. The average zonal speed obtained from IR day side images in the low and average latitudes is about 65-70 m/s. The given fact can be interpreted as observation of deeper layers of mesosphere in the IR range in comparison with UV. References [1] Markiewicz W. J. et al. (2007) Planet. Space Set V55(12). P.1701-1711. [2] Moissl R., et al. (2008) J. Geophys. Res. 2008. doi:10.1029/2008JE003117. V.113.

The roles of vertical mixing, solar radiation, and wind stress in a model simulation of the sea surface temperature seasonal cycle in the tropical Pacfic Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Dake; Busalacchi, Antonio J.; Rothstein, Lewis M.

1994-01-01

The climatological seasonal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific is simulated using a newly developed upper ocean model. The roles of vertical mixing, solar radiation, and wind stress are investigated in a hierarchy of numerical experiments with various combinations of vertical mixing algorithms and surface-forcing products. It is found that the large SST annual cycle in the eastern equatorial Pacific is, to a large extent, controlled by the annually varying mixed layer depth which, in turn, is mainly determined by the competing effects of solar radiation and wind forcing. With the application of our hybrid vertical mixing scheme the model-simulated SST annual cycle is much improved in both amplitude and phase as compared to the case of a constant mixed layer depth. Beside the strong effects on vertical mixing, solar radiation is the primary heating term in the surface layer heat budget, and wind forcing influences SST by driving oceanic advective processes that redistribute heat in the upper ocean. For example, the SST seasonal cycle in the western Pacific basically follows the semiannual variation of solar heating, and the cycle in the central equatorial region is significantly affected by the zonal advective heat flux associated with the seasonally reversing South Equatorial Current. It has been shown in our experiments that the amount of heat flux modification needed to eliminate the annual mean SST errors in the model is, on average, no larger than the annual mean uncertainties among the various surface flux products used in this study. Whereas a bias correction is needed to account for remaining uncertainties in the annual mean heat flux, this study demonstrates that with proper treatment of mixed layer physics and realistic forcing functions the seasonal variability of SST is capable of being simulated successfully in response to external forcing without relying on a relaxation or damping formulation for the dominant surface heat flux contributions.

The stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation in the NCEP reanalyses: Climatological structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huesmann, Amihan S.; Hitchman, Matthew H.

2001-06-01

Global quasi-biennial variation in the lower stratosphere and tropopause region is studied using 41 years (1958-1998) of reanalyses from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Horizontal wind, temperature, geopotential height, tropopause temperature and pressure fields are used. A new quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) indexing method is presented, which is based on the zonal mean zonal wind shear anomaly at the equator and is compared to the Singapore index. A phase difference composting technique provides ``snapshots'' of the QBO meridional-vertical structure as it descends, and ``composite phases'' provide a look at its time progression. Via binning large amounts of data, the first observation-based estimate of the QBO meridional circulation is obtained. High-latitude QBO variability supports previous studies that invoke planetary wave-mean flow interaction as an explanation. The meridional distribution of the range in QBO zonal wind is compared with the stratospheric annual cycle, with the annual cycle dominating poleward of ~12° latitude but still being significant in the deep tropics. The issues of temporal shear zone asymmetries and phase locking with the annual cycle are critically examined. Subtracting the time mean and annual cycle removes ~2/3 of the asymmetry in wind (and wind shear) zone descent rate. The NCEP data validate previous findings that both the easterly and westerly QBO anomalous wind regimes in the lower stratosphere change sign preferentially during northern summer. It is noteworthy that the NCEP QBO amplitude and the relationships among the reanalysed zonal wind, temperature, and meridional circulation undergo a substantial change around 1978.

Effects of Bulk Composition on the Atmospheric Dynamics on Close-in Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xi; Showman, Adam P.

2017-02-01

Super Earths and mini Neptunes likely have a wide range of atmospheric compositions, ranging from low molecular mass atmospheres of H2 to higher molecular atmospheres of water, CO2, N2, or other species. Here we systematically investigate the effects of atmospheric bulk compositions on temperature and wind distributions for tidally locked sub-Jupiter-sized planets, using an idealized 3D general circulation model (GCM). The bulk composition effects are characterized in the framework of two independent variables: molecular weight and molar heat capacity. The effect of molecular weight dominates. As the molecular weight increases, the atmosphere tends to have a larger day-night temperature contrast, a smaller eastward phase shift in the thermal phase curve, and a smaller zonal wind speed. The width of the equatorial super-rotating jet also becomes narrower, and the “jet core” region, where the zonal-mean jet speed maximizes, moves to a greater pressure level. The zonal-mean zonal wind is more prone to exhibit a latitudinally alternating pattern in a higher molecular weight atmosphere. We also present analytical theories that quantitatively explain the above trends and shed light on the underlying dynamical mechanisms. Those trends might be used to indirectly determine the atmospheric compositions on tidally locked sub-Jupiter-sized planets. The effects of the molar heat capacity are generally small. But if the vertical temperature profile is close to adiabatic, molar heat capacity will play a significant role in controlling the transition from a divergent flow in the upper atmosphere to a jet-dominated flow in the lower atmosphere.

On the fast zonal transport of the STS-121 space shuttle exhaust plume in the lower thermosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Jia; Liu, Han-Li; Meier, R. R.; Chang, Loren; Gu, Sheng-Yang; Russell, James, III

2013-03-01

Meier et al. (2011) reported rapid eastward transport of the STS-121 space shuttle (launch: July 4, 2006) main engine plume in the lower thermosphere, observed in hydrogen Lyman α images by the GUVI instrument onboard the TIMED satellite. In order to study the mechanism of the rapid zonal transport, diagnostic tracer calculations are performed using winds from the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM) simulation of July, 2006. It is found that the strong eastward jet at heights of 100-110 km, where the exhaust plume was deposited, results in a persistent eastward tracer motion with an average velocity of 45 m/s. This is generally consistent with, though faster than, the prevailing eastward shuttle plume movement with daily mean velocity of 30 m/s deduced from the STS-121 GUVI observation. The quasi-two-day wave (QTDW) was not included in the numerical simulation because it was found not to be large. Its absence, however, might be partially responsible for insufficient meridional transport to move the tracers away from the fast jet in the simulation. The current study and our model results from Yue and Liu (2010) explain two very different shuttle plume transport scenarios (STS-121 and STS-107 (launch: January 16, 2003), respectively): we conclude that lower thermospheric dynamics is sufficient to account for both very fast zonal motion (zonal jet in the case of STS-121) and very fast meridional motion to polar regions (large QTDW in the case of STS-107).

Coupled nature of evening-time ionospheric electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, L. M.; Tsai, L. C.

2018-04-01

The F region evening electrodynamics in the equatorial region is characterized by a pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) in the zonal eastward electric field. Although the theoretical mechanisms for PRE are known, its variability, particularly day-to-day variability is not fully resolved. PRE is a large scale phenomenon driven by the F region dynamo after the sunset hours. This paper investigates whether the variability of the E region conductivity (particularly the one associated with the sporadic E, Es) has any influence on the F region dynamo and hence on the PRE of zonal electric field. Interestingly, ionosonde observations have indicated a higher occurrence of the blanketing type Es (Esb) over the low latitude on days with highly suppressed PRE of zonal electric field in comparison with the days with significantly larger PRE. Observational evidences presented in this paper suggests that the formation of the Esb in the evening hours is a sovereign process, not always controlled by the sheared F region vertical electric field of equatorial origin, mapping along the magnetic field line on to the low latitude E region. Model computations of the PRE suppression based on the measured Es densities have further substantiated the observational findings presented in this paper. These results clearly indicate that the low latitude Es has the potential to suppress the PRE of zonal electric field and possibly can play a vital role in explaining the PRE variability, particularly the day-to-day variability. Results have been discussed in light of earlier reports on PRE mechanisms and E-F region coupling processes.

A new paradigm for predicting zonal-mean climate and climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armour, K.; Roe, G.; Donohoe, A.; Siler, N.; Markle, B. R.; Liu, X.; Feldl, N.; Battisti, D. S.; Frierson, D. M.

2016-12-01

How will the pole-to-equator temperature gradient, or large-scale patterns of precipitation, change under global warming? Answering such questions typically involves numerical simulations with comprehensive general circulation models (GCMs) that represent the complexities of climate forcing, radiative feedbacks, and atmosphere and ocean dynamics. Yet, our understanding of these predictions hinges on our ability to explain them through the lens of simple models and physical theories. Here we present evidence that zonal-mean climate, and its changes, can be understood in terms of a moist energy balance model that represents atmospheric heat transport as a simple diffusion of latent and sensible heat (as a down-gradient transport of moist static energy, with a diffusivity coefficient that is nearly constant with latitude). We show that the theoretical underpinnings of this model derive from the principle of maximum entropy production; that its predictions are empirically supported by atmospheric reanalyses; and that it successfully predicts the behavior of a hierarchy of climate models - from a gray radiation aquaplanet moist GCM, to comprehensive GCMs participating in CMIP5. As an example of the power of this paradigm, we show that, given only patterns of local radiative feedbacks and climate forcing, the moist energy balance model accurately predicts the evolution of zonal-mean temperature and atmospheric heat transport as simulated by the CMIP5 ensemble. These results suggest that, despite all of its dynamical complexity, the atmosphere essentially responds to energy imbalances by simply diffusing latent and sensible heat down-gradient; this principle appears to explain zonal-mean climate and its changes under global warming.

Synthetic thermosphere winds based on CHAMP neutral and plasma density measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, F.; Forbes, J. M.; Doornbos, E. N.; Bruinsma, S. L.

2016-04-01

Meridional winds in the thermosphere are key to understanding latitudinal coupling and thermosphere-ionosphere coupling, and yet global measurements of this wind component are scarce. In this work, neutral and electron densities measured by the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) satellite at solar low and geomagnetically quiet conditions are converted to pressure gradient and ion drag forces, which are then used to solve the horizontal momentum equation to estimate low latitude to midlatitude zonal and meridional "synthetic" winds. We validate the method by showing that neutral and electron densities output from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics-General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM) can be used to derive solutions to the momentum equations that replicate reasonably well (over 85% of the variance) the winds self-consistently calculated within the TIME-GCM. CHAMP cross-track winds are found to share over 65% of the variance with the synthetic zonal winds, providing further reassurance that this wind product should provide credible results. Comparisons with the Horizontal Wind Model 14 (HWM14) show that the empirical model largely underestimates wind speeds and does not reproduce much of the observed variability. Additionally, in this work we reveal the longitude, latitude, local time, and seasonal variability in the winds; show evidence of ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) coupling, with enhanced postsunset eastward winds due to depleted ion drag; demonstrate superrotation speeds of ˜27 m/s at the equator; discuss vertical wave coupling due the diurnal eastward propagating tide with zonal wave number 3 and the semidiurnal eastward propagating tide with zonal wave number 2.

The link between eddy-driven jet variability and weather regimes in the North Atlantic-European sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madonna, E.; Li, C.; Grams, C. M.; Woollings, T.

2017-12-01

Understanding the variability of the North Atlantic eddy-driven jet is key to unravelling the dynamics, predictability and climate change response of extratropical weather in the region. This study aims to 1) reconcile two perspectives on wintertime variability in the North Atlantic-European sector and 2) clarify their link to atmospheric blocking. Two common views of wintertime variability in the North Atlantic are the zonal-mean framework comprising three preferred locations of the eddy-driven jet (southern, central, northern), and the weather regime framework comprising four classical North Atlantic-European regimes (Atlantic ridge AR, zonal ZO, European/Scandinavian blocking BL, Greenland anticyclone GA). We use a k-means clustering algorithm to characterize the two-dimensional variability of the eddy-driven jet stream, defined by the lower tropospheric zonal wind in the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The first three clusters capture the central jet and northern jet, along with a new mixed jet configuration; a fourth cluster is needed to recover the southern jet. The mixed cluster represents a split or strongly tilted jet, neither of which is well described in the zonal-mean framework, and has a persistence of about one week, similar to the other clusters. Connections between the preferred jet locations and weather regimes are corroborated - southern to GA, central to ZO, and northern to AR. In addition, the new mixed cluster is found to be linked to European/Scandinavian blocking, whose relation to the eddy-driven jet was previously unclear. The results highlight the necessity of bridging from weather to climate scales for a deeper understanding of atmospheric circulation variability.

Wind regime peculiarities in the lower thermosphere in the winter of 1983/84

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lysenko, I. A.; Makarov, N. A.; Portnyagin, Yu. I.; Petrov, B. I.; Greisiger, K. M.; Schminder, R.; Kurschner, D.

1987-01-01

Temporal variations of prevailing winds at 90 to 100 km obtained from measurements carried out in winter 1983 to 1984 at three sites in the USSR and two sites in East Germany are reported. These variations are compared with those of the thermal stratospheric regime. Measurements were carried out using the drifts D2 method (meteor wind radar) and the D1 method (ionospheric drifts). Temporal variations of zonal and meridional prevailing wind components for all the sites are given. Also presented are zonal wind data obtained using the partial reflection wind radar. Wind velocity values were obtained by averaging data recorded at between 105 and 91 km altitude. Wind velocity data averaged in such a way can be related to about the same height interval to which the data obtained by the meteor radar and ionospheric methods at other sites, i.e., the mean height of the meteor zone (about 95 km). The results presented show that there are significant fluctuations about the seasonal course of both zonal and meridional prevailing winds.

Zonal Drift Variations and Suppression of Ionospheric Scintillation During St. Patrick's Day Storm Observed by Pingtung SCINDA Station in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, S. Y.; Nayak, C.; Tsai, L. C.; Caton, R. G.; Groves, K. M.

2016-12-01

Variations of zonal drift and ionospheric VHF scintillations observed by a SCINDA station in Southern Taiwan during the St. Patrick's day geomagnetic storm are studied. Although scintillations were observed for 6 consecutive days before the storm, they were absence during the storm period. Data from VHF receivers, ionosonde and in situ plasma density observations from ESA's SWARM constellation are used to study the ionospheric irregularity/scintillation events in the Taiwanese sector to compare with what happened in the Indian sectors. The absence of scintillation in the Taiwanese sector during the storm period seems to be caused by a reduced pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) electric field from a westward prompt-penetration electric field (PPEF) during the storm. A low post-sunset ionosphere thus becomes unfavorable for the Rayleigh-Taylor instability to occur. On the contrary, the PPEFs were found to strongly enhance the PRE electric field in the Indian sector to cause the ionospheric irregularities/scintillations in the post-sunset sector. Zonal drift variations during the storm time are also discussed in conjunction with the irregularity/scintillation occurrences.

Numerical aspects and implementation of a two-layer zonal wall model for LES of compressible turbulent flows on unstructured meshes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, George Ilhwan; Moin, Parviz

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on numerical and practical aspects associated with a parallel implementation of a two-layer zonal wall model for large-eddy simulation (LES) of compressible wall-bounded turbulent flows on unstructured meshes. A zonal wall model based on the solution of unsteady three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations on a separate near-wall grid is implemented in an unstructured, cell-centered finite-volume LES solver. The main challenge in its implementation is to couple two parallel, unstructured flow solvers for efficient boundary data communication and simultaneous time integrations. A coupling strategy with good load balancing and low processors underutilization is identified. Face mapping and interpolation procedures at the coupling interface are explained in detail. The method of manufactured solution is used for verifying the correct implementation of solver coupling, and parallel performance of the combined wall-modeled LES (WMLES) solver is investigated. The method has successfully been applied to several attached and separated flows, including a transitional flow over a flat plate and a separated flow over an airfoil at an angle of attack.

Deep-Water Benthic Foraminifers from the Paleocene and Eocene of the North Pacific Region: Paleontology, Biostratigraphy, and Paleoceanological Reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olshanetskiy, D. M.

2015-12-01

A zonal scheme for the Lower Paleogene of the northern Pacific Ocean is proposed on the basis of the stratigraphic distribution of benthic foraminifers in the lower bathyal-abyssal beds studied in boreholes in the North and South Pacific regions. This scheme includes eight subdivisions (six zones and two subzones). The boundaries of the benthic zonal subdivisions are defined by bioevents (appearance or disappearance of stratigraphically important taxa) and are linked to the zonal scales based on planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton. It is established that most of these bioevents are recognized subglobally. Apart from the evolutionary events, changes in the deep-water benthic foraminiferal assemblages were caused by changes in the paleooceanological environment. This allowed detailed characterization of a global mass extinction of assemblages of deep-water benthic foraminifers in the region studied. It is also established that changes in the assemblages of deep-water benthic foraminifers, observed in either change in their taxonomic composition or changes in abundance and diversity, resulted from the presence of different deep-water masses in the region.

A zonal wavefront sensor with multiple detector planes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Biswajit; Boruah, Bosanta R.

2018-03-01

A conventional zonal wavefront sensor estimates the wavefront from the data captured in a single detector plane using a single camera. In this paper, we introduce a zonal wavefront sensor which comprises multiple detector planes instead of a single detector plane. The proposed sensor is based on an array of custom designed plane diffraction gratings followed by a single focusing lens. The laser beam whose wavefront is to be estimated is incident on the grating array and one of the diffracted orders from each grating is focused on the detector plane. The setup, by employing a beam splitter arrangement, facilitates focusing of the diffracted beams on multiple detector planes where multiple cameras can be placed. The use of multiple cameras in the sensor can offer several advantages in the wavefront estimation. For instance, the proposed sensor can provide superior inherent centroid detection accuracy that can not be achieved by the conventional system. It can also provide enhanced dynamic range and reduced crosstalk performance. We present here the results from a proof of principle experimental arrangement that demonstrate the advantages of the proposed wavefront sensing scheme.

Gyrokinetic Simulations of Transport Scaling and Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahm, Taik Soo

2001-10-01

There is accumulating evidence from global gyrokinetic particle simulations with profile variations and experimental fluctuation measurements that microturbulence, with its time-averaged eddy size which scales with the ion gyroradius, can cause ion thermal transport which deviates from the gyro-Bohm scaling. The physics here can be best addressed by large scale (rho* = rho_i/a = 0.001) full torus gyrokinetic particle-in-cell turbulence simulations using our massively parallel, general geometry gyrokinetic toroidal code with field-aligned mesh. Simulation results from device-size scans for realistic parameters show that ``wave transport'' mechanism is not the dominant contribution for this Bohm-like transport and that transport is mostly diffusive driven by microscopic scale fluctuations in the presence of self-generated zonal flows. In this work, we analyze the turbulence and zonal flow statistics from simulations and compare to nonlinear theoretical predictions including the radial decorrelation of the transport events by zonal flows and the resulting probability distribution function (PDF). In particular, possible deviation of the characteristic radial size of transport processes from the time-averaged radial size of the density fluctuation eddys will be critically examined.

A possible explanation for the divergent projection of ENSO amplitude change under global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lin; Li, Tim; Yu, Yongqiang; Behera, Swadhin K.

2017-12-01

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the greatest climate variability on interannual time scale, yet what controls ENSO amplitude changes under global warming (GW) is uncertain. Here we show that the fundamental factor that controls the divergent projections of ENSO amplitude change within 20 coupled general circulation models that participated in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase-5 is the change of climatologic mean Pacific subtropical cell (STC), whose strength determines the meridional structure of ENSO perturbations and thus the anomalous thermocline response to the wind forcing. The change of the thermocline response is a key factor regulating the strength of Bjerknes thermocline and zonal advective feedbacks, which ultimately lead to the divergent changes in ENSO amplitude. Furthermore, by forcing an ocean general circulation mode with the change of zonal mean zonal wind stress estimated by a simple theoretical model, a weakening of the STC in future is obtained. Such a change implies that ENSO variability might strengthen under GW, which could have a profound socio-economic consequence.

Detection of the secondary meridional circulation associated with the quasi-biennial oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribera, P.; PeñA-Ortiz, C.; Garcia-Herrera, R.; Gallego, D.; Gimeno, L.; HernáNdez, E.

2004-09-01

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) signal in stratospheric zonal and meridional wind, temperature, and geopotential height fields is analyzed based on the use of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis (1958-2001). The multitaper method-singular value decomposition (MTM-SVD), a multivariate frequency domain analysis method, is used to detect significant and spatially coherent narrowband oscillations. The QBO is found as the most intense signal in the stratospheric zonal wind. Then, the MTM-SVD method is used to determine the patterns induced by the QBO at every stratospheric level and data field. The secondary meridional circulation associated with the QBO is identified in the obtained patterns. This circulation can be characterized by negative (positive) temperature anomalies associated with adiabatic rising (sinking) motions over zones of easterly (westerly) wind shear and over the subtropics and midlatitudes, while meridional convergence and divergence levels are found separated by a level of maximum zonal wind shear. These vertical and meridional motions form quasi-symmetric circulation cells over both hemispheres, though less intense in the Southern Hemisphere.

On the long-term variability of Jupiter and Saturn zonal winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Garcia-Melendo, E.; Hueso, R.; Barrado-Izagirre, N.; Legarreta, J.; Rojas, J. F.

2012-12-01

We present an analysis of the long-term variability of Jupiter and Saturn zonal wind profiles at their upper cloud level as retrieved from cloud motion tracking on images obtained at ground-based observatories and with different spacecraft missions since 1979, encompassing about three Jovian and one Saturn years. We study the sensitivity and variability of the zonal wind profile in both planets to major planetary-scale disturbances and to seasonal forcing. We finally discuss the implications that these results have for current model efforts to explain the global tropospheric circulation in these planets. Acknowledgements: This work has been funded by Spanish MICIIN AYA2009-10701 with FEDER support, Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-464-07 and UPV/EHU UFI11/55. [1] Sánchez-Lavega A., et al., Icarus, 147, 405-420 (2000). [2] García-Melendo E., Sánchez LavegaA., Icarus, 152, 316-330 (2001) [3] Sánchez-Lavega A., et al., Nature, 423, 623-625 (2003). [4] García-Melendo E., et al., Geophysical Research Letters, 37, L22204 (2010).

Transonic Navier-Stokes wing solution using a zonal approach. Part 1: Solution methodology and code validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flores, J.; Gundy, K.; Gundy, K.; Gundy, K.; Gundy, K.; Gundy, K.

1986-01-01

A fast diagonalized Beam-Warming algorithm is coupled with a zonal approach to solve the three-dimensional Euler/Navier-Stokes equations. The computer code, called Transonic Navier-Stokes (TNS), uses a total of four zones for wing configurations (or can be extended to complete aircraft configurations by adding zones). In the inner blocks near the wing surface, the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved, while in the outer two blocks the Euler equations are solved. The diagonal algorithm yields a speedup of as much as a factor of 40 over the original algorithm/zonal method code. The TNS code, in addition, has the capability to model wind tunnel walls. Transonic viscous solutions are obtained on a 150,000-point mesh for a NACA 0012 wing. A three-order-of-magnitude drop in the L2-norm of the residual requires approximately 500 iterations, which takes about 45 min of CPU time on a Cray-XMP processor. Simulations are also conducted for a different geometrical wing called WING C. All cases show good agreement with experimental data.

The quasi 2 day wave response in TIME-GCM nudged with NOGAPS-ALPHA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jack C.; Chang, Loren C.; Yue, Jia; Wang, Wenbin; Siskind, D. E.

2017-05-01

The quasi 2 day wave (QTDW) is a traveling planetary wave that can be enhanced rapidly to large amplitudes in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region during the northern winter postsolstice period. In this study, we present five case studies of QTDW events during January and February 2005, 2006 and 2008-2010 by using the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Electrodynamics-General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM) nudged with the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System-Advanced Level Physics High Altitude (NOGAPS-ALPHA) Weather Forecast Model. With NOGAPS-ALPHA introducing more realistic lower atmospheric forcing in TIME-GCM, the QTDW events have successfully been reproduced in the TIME-GCM. The nudged TIME-GCM simulations show good agreement in zonal mean state with the NOGAPS-ALPHA 6 h reanalysis data and the horizontal wind model below the mesopause; however, it has large discrepancies in the tropics above the mesopause. The zonal mean zonal wind in the mesosphere has sharp vertical gradients in the nudged TIME-GCM. The results suggest that the parameterized gravity wave forcing may need to be retuned in the assimilative TIME-GCM.

Zonal subdivision of marine sequences: achievements and discrepancies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladenkov, Yuri

2010-05-01

It was 150 years ago when a notion of zone was introduced into stratigraphy. By the present time zonal units with a duration of 0.3-3.0 M.y. in average have been established virtually for all systems and stages of the Phanerozoic. Their quantity reached 300. It is not a chance that zonal stratigraphy is considered to be one of the most significant achievement of the modern geology. There are different interpretations of essence and goals of zonal stratigraphy, techniques of separation of zones, and evaluation of zones as stratigraphic units. Particularly it is reflected in International Stratigraphic Guide (Murphy, Salvador, 1999), Russian Stratigraphic Code (Zhamoida, 2006), and a number of stratigraphic reports of the last years. It concerns different approaches to: (a) establishment of different types of zones (biostratigraphic zones and chronozones, oppel-zones and biohorizons, etc.); (b) assessment of spatial distribution of zones (global or provincial) and a role of sedimentological factor; (c) definition of zones as stratigraphic units (relationships with geostratigraphic units of the standard and regional scales). The latest publications show that because of the different interpretations of zones, authors should explain usage of certain type of zone (for example, when they use the terms "interval-zone" or "assemblage-zone", what limitations stem from application of datum-levels, and others). It is common opinion, that biostratigraphic zones used widely by paleontologists and stratigraphers cannot be a final goal of stratigraphy although they provide a base for solution of many important problems (definition of certain stratigraphic levels, correlation of different biofacies, and others). At the same time, the most important stratigraphic units are chronozones, which correspond to stages or phases of geological evolutio of basins and are marked by distinct fossil assemblages and other properties (magnetic and other characteristics) in the type sections. Therefore, in Russian Stratigraphic Code biostratigraphic zones are regarded as special units and chronozones as general units of integrated substantiation. Now it becomes clear that unlike chronozones, biostratigraphic zones often have diachronous boundaries and provincial but not global distribution. This is not frequently taken into account at practical correlations. A special attention should be paid to a scale of these occurrences when refining stratigraphic scales. It should not be forgotten that magneto-, litho-, and cyclostratigraphic markers should be used to assess isochronism of zonal boundaries. Many zonal reconstructions do not look faultless without such a control. If we consider zonal stratigraphy not only in applied aspect but in a wide scientific one, it fits in with the geohistorical concept of stratigraphy, which is now reflected in "dynamic", or "ecosystem", or biosphere stratigraphy (Gladenkov, 2004). Establishment of stages of geological development of the Earth and its separate parts, reconstructions of changes in the organic world at the biogeocoenotic and biospheric levels, complex study of paleobiotic assemblages are thought to be one of principal lines of stratigraphic investigations. At present discussions are being organized and experience of zonal stratigraphy is being summarized in Russia. In particular, a large book titled "Biozonal stratigraphy of the Phanerozoic in Russia" and devoted to this problem has been published recently (Koren, 2006). References 1. Gladenkov, Yu.B., 2004. Biosphere Stratigraphy (Stratigraphic Problems in the Early XXI Century). Moscow: GEOS, 120 pp. (in Russian). 2. Koren, T.N., ed., 2006. Biozonal stratigraphy of the Phanerozoic in Russia. Saint-Petersburg: VSEGEI Press, 256 рp. (in Russian). 3. Murphy, M.A., and Salvador, A., eds., 1999. International Stratigraphic Guide: An abridged version. Episodes, 22 (4): 255-271. 4. Zhamoida. A.I., ed., 2006. Russian Stratigraphic Guide (3rd Edition). Saint-Petersburg: VSEGEI Press, 95 pp. (in Russian).

Application of multiple grids topology to supersonic internal/external flow interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kathong, M.; Tiwari, S. N.; Smith, R. E.

1988-01-01

For many aerodynamic applications, it is very difficult to construct a smooth body-fitted grid around complex configurations. An approach, called 'multiple grids' or 'zonal grids', which subdivides the entire physical domain into several subdomains, is used to overcome such difficulties. The approach is applied to obtain the solutions to the Euler equations for the supersonic internal/external flow around a fighter-aircraft configuration. Steady-state solutions are presented for Mach 2 at 0, 3.79, 7, and 10 deg angles-of-attack. The problem of conservative treatment at the zonal interfaces is also addressed.

An overview of wave-mean flow interactions during the winter of 1978-79 derived from LIMS observations. [Limb Infrared Monitor of Stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gille, J. C.; Lyjak, L. V.

1984-01-01

Gradient winds, Eliassen-Palm (EP) fluxes and flux divergences, and the squared refractive index for planetary waves have been calculated from mapped data from the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) experiment on Nimbus 7. The changes in the zonal mean atmospheric state, from early winter through 3 disturbances, is described. Convergence or divergence of the EP fluxes clearly produces changes in the zonal mean wind. The steering of the waves by the refractive index structure is not as clear on a daily basis.

Cell wall glycoproteins at interaction sites between parasitic giant dodder (Cuscuta reflexa) and its host Pelargonium zonale

PubMed Central

Striberny, Bernd; Krause, Kirsten

2015-01-01

The process of host plant penetration by parasitic dodder (genus Cuscuta) is accompanied by molecular and structural changes at the host/parasite interface. Recently, changes in pectin methyl esterification levels in the host cell walls abutting parasitic cells in established infection sites were reported. In addition to that, we show here that the composition of cell wall glycoproteins in Cuscuta-infected Pelargonium zonale undergoes substantial changes. While several arabinogalactan protein epitopes exhibit decreased abundances in the vicinity of the Cuscuta reflexa haustorium, extensins tend to increase in the infected areas. PMID:26367804

Role of zonal flow predator-prey oscillations in triggering the transition to H-mode confinement.

PubMed

Schmitz, L; Zeng, L; Rhodes, T L; Hillesheim, J C; Doyle, E J; Groebner, R J; Peebles, W A; Burrell, K H; Wang, G

2012-04-13

Direct evidence of zonal flow (ZF) predator-prey oscillations and the synergistic roles of ZF- and equilibrium E×B flow shear in triggering the low- to high-confinement (L- to H-mode) transition in the DIII-D tokamak is presented. Periodic turbulence suppression is first observed in a narrow layer at and just inside the separatrix when the shearing rate transiently exceeds the turbulence decorrelation rate. The final transition to H mode with sustained turbulence and transport reduction is controlled by equilibrium E×B shear due to the increasing ion pressure gradient.

Observations of the Mf ocean tide from Geosat altimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cartwright, David E.; Ray, Richard D.

1990-01-01

Zonal averages of the 13.66-day Mf tide are derived from one year of Geosat altimetry records. The orbit errors are reduced by 1/revolution corrections taken over long (several day) arcs. The short-period tides are removed using a model previously derived from the same data. The Mf zonal averages indicate definite nonequilibrium character at nearly all latitudes. The imaginary admittances indicate a Q of at least 8; such a value is consistent with a simplified theory of coupled gravitational and vorticity modes and suggests a value for Proudman's 'friction period' about 123 days.

Cell wall glycoproteins at interaction sites between parasitic giant dodder (Cuscuta reflexa) and its host Pelargonium zonale.

PubMed

Striberny, Bernd; Krause, Kirsten

2015-01-01

The process of host plant penetration by parasitic dodder (genus Cuscuta) is accompanied by molecular and structural changes at the host/parasite interface. Recently, changes in pectin methyl esterification levels in the host cell walls abutting parasitic cells in established infection sites were reported. In addition to that, we show here that the composition of cell wall glycoproteins in Cuscuta-infected Pelargonium zonale undergoes substantial changes. While several arabinogalactan protein epitopes exhibit decreased abundances in the vicinity of the Cuscuta reflexa haustorium, extensins tend to increase in the infected areas.