12,424 research outputs found
Three-Dimensional Motion Estimation of Atmospheric Layers From Image Sequences
International audienceIn this paper, we address the problem of estimating three-dimensional motions of a stratified atmosphere from satellite image sequences. The analysis of three-dimensional atmospheric fluid flows associated with incomplete observation of atmospheric layers due to the sparsity of cloud systems is very difficult. This makes the estimation of dense atmospheric motion field from satellite images sequences very difficult. The recovery of the vertical component of fluid motion from a monocular sequence of image observations is a very challenging problem for which no solution exists in the literature. Based on a physically sound vertical decomposition of the atmosphere into cloud layers of different altitudes, we propose here a dense motion estimator dedicated to the extraction of three-dimensional wind fields characterizing the dynamics of a layered atmosphere. Wind estimation is performed over the complete three-dimensional space using a multi-layer model describing a stack of dynamic horizontal layers of evolving thickness, interacting at their boundaries via vertical winds. The efficiency of our approach is demonstrated on synthetic and real sequences
Leaf area index and topographical effects on turburlent diffusion in a deciduous forest
In order to investigate turbulent diffusion in a deciduous forest canopy, wind velocity
measurements were conducted from late autumn of 2009 to early spring of 2010, using an observation tower
20 m in height located in the campus of Kanazawa University. Four sonic anemometers mounted on the
tower recorded the average wind velocities and temperatures, as well as their fluctuations, at four different
heights simultaneously. Two different types of data sets were selected, in which the wind velocities, wind
bearings and atmospheric stabilities were all similar, but the Leaf Area Indexes (LAI's) were different.
Vertical profiles of average wind velocities were found to have an approximately exponential profile in each
case. The characteristic length scales of turbulence were evaluated by both von Karman's method and the
integral time scale deduced from the autocorrelation from time-series analyses. Both methods produced
comparable values of eddy diffusivity for the cases with some foliage during late autumn, but some
discrepancy in the upper canopy layer was observed when the trees did not have their leaves in early spring.
It was also found that the eddy diffusivities generally take greater values at higher positions, where the wind
speeds are large. Anisotropy of eddy diffusivities between the vertical and horizontal components was also
observed, particularly in the cases when the canopy does not have leaves, when the horizontal eddy
diffusivities are generally larger than the vertical ones. On the other hand, the anisotropy is less visible when
the trees have some foliage during autumn. The effects of topography on the turbulent diffusion were also
investigated, including evaluation of the non-zero time-averaged vertical wind velocities. The results show
that the effects are marginal for both cases, and can be neglected as far as diffusion in the canopy is
concerned
Interactions between downslope flows and a developing cold-air pool
A numerical model has been used to characterize the development of a region of enhanced cooling in an alpine valley with a width of order (Formula presented.) km, under decoupled stable conditions. The region of enhanced cooling develops largely as a region of relatively dry air which partitions the valley atmosphere dynamics into two volumes, with airflow partially trapped within the valley by a developing elevated inversion. Complex interactions between the region of enhanced cooling and the downslope flows are quantified. The cooling within the region of enhanced cooling and the elevated inversion is almost equally partitioned between radiative and dynamic effects. By the end of the simulation, the different valley atmospheric regions approach a state of thermal equilibrium with one another, though this cannot be said of the valley atmosphere and its external environment.Peer reviewe
Heating of the magnetized solar chromosphere by partial ionization effects
In this paper, we study the heating of the magnetized solar chromosphere
induced by the large fraction of neutral atoms present in this layer. The
presence of neutrals, together with the decrease with height of the collisional
coupling, leads to deviations from the classical MHD behavior of the
chromospheric plasma. A relative net motion appears between the neutral and
ionized components, usually referred to as ambipolar diffusion. The dissipation
of currents in the chromosphere is enhanced orders of magnitude due to the
action of ambipolar diffusion, as compared to the standard ohmic diffusion. We
propose that a significant amount of magnetic energy can be released to the
chromosphere just by existing force-free 10--40 G magnetic fields there. As a
consequence, we conclude that ambipolar diffusion is an important process that
should be included in chromospheric heating models, as it has the potential to
rapidly heat the chromosphere. We perform analytical estimations and numerical
simulations to prove this idea.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journa
A model for straight and helical solar jets: II. Parametric study of the plasma beta
Jets are dynamic, impulsive, well-collimated plasma events that develop at
many different scales and in different layers of the solar atmosphere.
Jets are believed to be induced by magnetic reconnection, a process central
to many astrophysical phenomena. Within the solar atmosphere, jet-like events
develop in many different environments, e.g., in the vicinity of active regions
as well as in coronal holes, and at various scales, from small photospheric
spicules to large coronal jets. In all these events, signatures of helical
structure and/or twisting/rotating motions are regularly observed. The present
study aims to establish that a single model can generally reproduce the
observed properties of these jet-like events.
In this study, using our state-of-the-art numerical solver ARMS, we present a
parametric study of a numerical tridimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model
of solar jet-like events. Within the MHD paradigm, we study the impact of
varying the atmospheric plasma on the generation and properties of
solar-like jets.
The parametric study validates our model of jets for plasma ranging
from to , typical of the different layers and magnetic
environments of the solar atmosphere. Our model of jets can robustly explain
the generation of helical solar jet-like events at various . This
study introduces the new result that the plasma modifies the morphology
of the helical jet, explaining the different observed shapes of jets at
different scales and in different layers of the solar atmosphere.
Our results allow us to understand the energisation, triggering, and driving
processes of jet-like events. Our model allows us to make predictions of the
impulsiveness and energetics of jets as determined by the surrounding
environment, as well as the morphological properties of the resulting jets.Comment: Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Imaging the dynamical atmosphere of the red supergiant Betelgeuse in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER
We present the first 1-D aperture synthesis imaging of the red supergiant
Betelgeuse in the individual CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER. The
reconstructed 1-D projection images reveal that the star appears differently in
the blue wing, line center, and red wing of the individual CO lines. The 1-D
projection images in the blue wing and line center show a pronounced,
asymmetrically extended component up to ~1.3 stellar radii, while those in the
red wing do not show such a component. The observed 1-D projection images in
the lines can be reasonably explained by a model in which the CO gas within a
region more than half as large as the stellar size is moving slightly outward
with 0--5 km s^-1, while the gas in the remaining region is infalling fast with
20--30 km s^-1. A comparison between the CO line AMBER data taken in 2008 and
2009 shows a significant time variation in the dynamics of the CO line-forming
region in the photosphere and the outer atmosphere. In contrast to the line
data, the reconstructed 1-D projection images in the continuum show only a
slight deviation from a uniform disk or limb-darkened disk. We derive a
uniform-disk diameter of 42.05 +/- 0.05 mas and a power-law-type limb-darkened
disk diameter of 42.49 +/- 0.06 mas and a limb-darkening parameter of (9.7 +/-
0.5) x 10^{-2}. This latter angular diameter leads to an effective temperature
of 3690 +/- 54 K for the continuum-forming layer. These diameters confirm that
the near-IR size of Betelgeuse was nearly constant over the last 18 years, in
marked contrast to the recently reported noticeable decrease in the mid-IR
size. The continuum data taken in 2008 and 2009 reveal no or only marginal time
variations, much smaller than the maximum variation predicted by the current
3-D convection simulations.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
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