The impact of greenhouse climate change on the energetics and hydrologic processes of mid-latitude transient eddies

Atmospheric transient eddies contribute significantly to mid-latitude energy and water vapor transports. Changes in the global climate, as induced by greenhouse enhancement, will likely alter transient eddy behavior. Unraveling all the feedbacks that occur in general circulation models (GCMs) can be difficult. The transient eddies are isolated from the feedbacks and are focused on the response of the eddies to zonal-mean climate changes that result from CO2-doubling. Using a primitive-equation spectral model, the impact of climate change on the life cycles of transient eddies is examined. Transient eddy behavior in experiments is compared with initial conditions that are given by the zonal-mean climates of the GCMs with current and doubled amounts of CO2. The smaller meridional temperature gradient in a doubled CO2 climate leads to a reduction in eddy kinetic energy, especially in the subtropics. The decrease in subtropical eddy energy is related to a substantial reduction in equatorward flux of eddy activity during the latter part of the life cycle. The reduction in equatorward energy flux alters the moisture cycle. Eddy meridional transport of water vapor is shifted slightly poleward and subtropical precipitation is reduced. The water vapor transport exhibits a relatively small change in magnitude, compared to changes in eddy energy, due to the compensating effect of higher specific humidity in the doubled-CO2 climate. An increase in high-latitude precipitation is related to the poleward shift in eddy water vapor flux. Surface evaporation amplifies climatic changes in water vapor transport and precipitation in the experiments

GLOBALIZATION, TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, AND OTHER THREATS TO AMERICAN AGRICULTURE: DISCUSSION

International Relations/Trade,

Pattern recognition characterizations of micromechanical and morphological materials states via analytical quantitative ultrasonics

One potential approach to the quantitative acquisition of discriminatory information that can isolate a single structural state is pattern recognition. The pattern recognition characterizations of micromechanical and morphological materials states via analytical quantiative ultrasonics are outlined. The concepts, terminology, and techniques of statistical pattern recognition are reviewed. Feature extraction and classification and states of the structure can be determined via a program of ultrasonic data generation

Comparison of wind velocity in thunderstorms determined from measurements by a ground-based Doppler radar and an F-106B airplane

As a part of the NASA Storm Hazards Program, the wind velocity in several thunderstorms was measured by an F-106B instrumented airplane and a ground-based Doppler radar. The results of five airplane penetrations of two storms in 1980 and six penetrations of one storm in 1981 are given. Comparisons were made between the radial wind velocity components measured by the radar and the airplane. The correlation coefficients for the 1980 data and part of the 1981 data were 0.88 and 0.78, respectively. It is suggested that larger values for these coefficients may be obtained by improving the experimental technique and in particular by slaving the radar to track the airplane during such tests

Input-output characterization of an ultrasonic testing system by digital signal analysis

The input/output characteristics of an ultrasonic testing system used for stress wave factor measurements were studied. The fundamentals of digital signal processing are summarized. The inputs and outputs are digitized and processed in a microcomputer using digital signal processing techniques. The entire ultrasonic test system, including transducers and all electronic components, is modeled as a discrete-time linear shift-invariant system. Then the impulse response and frequency response of the continuous time ultrasonic test system are estimated by interpolating the defining points in the unit sample response and frequency response of the discrete time system. It is found that the ultrasonic test system behaves as a linear phase bandpass filter. Good results were obtained for rectangular pulse inputs of various amplitudes and durations and for tone burst inputs whose center frequencies are within the passband of the test system and for single cycle inputs of various amplitudes. The input/output limits on the linearity of the system are determined

Application of homomorphic signal processing to stress wave factor analysis

The stress wave factor (SWF) signal, which is the output of an ultrasonic testing system where the transmitting and receiving transducers are coupled to the same face of the test structure, is analyzed in the frequency domain. The SWF signal generated in an isotropic elastic plate is modelled as the superposition of successive reflections. The reflection which is generated by the stress waves which travel p times as a longitudinal (P) wave and s times as a shear (S) wave through the plate while reflecting back and forth between the bottom and top faces of the plate is designated as the reflection with p, s. Short-time portions of the SWF signal are considered for obtaining spectral information on individual reflections. If the significant reflections are not overlapped, the short-time Fourier analysis is used. A summary of the elevant points of homomorphic signal processing, which is also called cepstrum analysis, is given. Homomorphic signal processing is applied to short-time SWF signals to obtain estimates of the log spectra of individual reflections for cases in which the reflections are overlapped. Two typical SWF signals generated in aluminum plates (overlapping and non-overlapping reflections) are analyzed

Ultrasonic attenuation of a void-containing medium for very long wavelengths

Ultrasonic longitudinal through-thickness attenuation in an isotropic medium due to scattering by randomly distributed voids is considered analytically. The attenuation is evaluated on the assumption of no interaction between voids. The scattered power is assumed to be entirely lost, thus accounting for the ultrasonic attenuation. The scattered power due to the presence of a void is described in terms of the scattering cross section of the void. An exact solution exists for the scattering cross section of a spherical void. An approximate solution for the scattering cross section of an ellipsoidal void is developed based on the so-called Born approximation commonly used in quantum mechanics. This approximate solution is valid for k sub p a sub i 1, where k sub p is the wave number of the incident longitudinal wave and a sub i is the largest dimension of the void. It is found that the shape of the void has negligible effect on the scattering cross section and that only the volume of the void is important. Thus, it is noted that in cases where k sup p a sub i 1, the exact scattering cross section of a spherical void having the same volume as an arbitrarily shaped void can be used for evaluating ultrasonic attenuation

Stress waves in an isotropic elastic plate excited by a circular transducer

Steady state harmonic stress waves in an isotropic elastic plate excited on one face by a circular transducer are analyzed theoretically. The transmitting transducer transforms an electrical voltage into a uniform normal stress at the top of the plate. To solve the boundary value problem, the radiation into a half-space is considered. The receiving transducer produces an electrical voltage proportional to the average spatially integrated normal stress over its face due to an incident wave. A numerical procedure is given to evaluate the frequency response at a receiving point due to a multiply reflected wave in the near field. Its stability and convergence are discussed. Parameterization plots which determine the particular wave whose frequency response has maximum magnitude compared with other multiple reflected waves are given for a range of values of dimensionless parameters. The effects of changes in the values of the parameters are discussed

Solar radiation force modeling for TDRS orbit determination

The relative orbit determination accuracies resulting from several TDRS models are evaluated. These models include spherical, single-plate, and restricted two-plate models. The plate models can be adjusted in both area and reflectivity through differential correction. The restricted two-plate model has an Earth-pointing plate and a solar plate; the orientation of the solar plate is restricted to rotation about an axis perpendicular to the satellite's orbital plane