In-flight flow visualization results from the X-29A aircraft at high angles of attack

Flow visualization techniques were used on the X-29A aircraft at high angles of attack to study the vortical flow off the forebody and the surface flow on the wing and tail. The forebody vortex system was studied because asymmetries in the vortex system were suspected of inducing uncommanded yawing moments at zero sideslip. Smoke enabled visualization of the vortex system and correlation of its orientation with flight yawing moment data. Good agreement was found between vortex system asymmetries and the occurrence of yawing moments. Surface flow on the forward-swept wing of the X-29A was studied using tufts and flow cones. As angle of attack increased, separated flow initiated at the root and spread outboard encompassing the full wing by 30 deg angle of attack. In general, the progression of the separated flow correlated well with subscale model lift data. Surface flow on the vertical tail was also studied using tufts and flow cones. As angle of attack increased, separated flow initiated at the root and spread upward. The area of separated flow on the vertical tail at angles of attack greater than 20 deg correlated well with the marked decrease in aircraft directional stability

Observational and theoretical studies of the evolving structure of baroclinic waves

Dynamical processes involved in comma cloud formation, and passive tracer evolution in a baroclinic wave are discussed. An analytical solution was obtained demonstrating the complex nongeostrophic flow pattern involved in the redistribution of low level constituents in a finite amplitude baroclinic wave, and in the formation of the typical humidity and cloud distributions in such a wave. Observational and theoretical studies of blocking weather patterns in middle latitude flows were studied. The differences in the energy and enstrophy cascades in blocking and nonblocking situations were shown. It was established that pronounced upscale flow of both of these quantities, from intermediate to planetary scales, occurs during blocking episodes. The upscale flux of enstrophy, in particular, suggests that the persistence of blocking periods may be due to reduced dissipation of the large scale circulation and therefore entail some above normal predictability

Ding, Dong, Conley ’s Dead: Bell Atlantic Changes the Federal Pleading Standard

In EEOC v. Concentra Health Services and Airborne Beepers & Video, Inc. v. AT & T Mobility, LLC, the Seventh Circuit set out to interpret the new federal pleading standard espoused by the Supreme Court in the recent landmark case of Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly. In so doing, the Seventh Circuit sought to determine what Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires a plaintiff to plead in order to withstand a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss in the federal court system. Although it could have imparted some meaning into Bell Atlantic’s otherwise ambiguous requirement of “plausibility” in the complaint, the Seventh Circuit failed to thoroughly define the “plausibility standard.” Rather, the Court of Appeals largely left the daunting task of defining and refining “plausibility” to the district courts within the Seventh Circuit. This Note explores the Supreme Court’s Rule 12(b)(6) jurisprudence and the Seventh Circuit’s interpretation of Bell Atlantic. It also looks at the application of Concentra and Airborne by the district courts within the Seventh Circuit to Rule 12(b)(6) motions. Finally, this Note attempts to shed some light on what Seventh Circuit courts require a plaintiff to plead in the complaint

Ding, Dong, Conley ’s Dead: Bell Atlantic Changes the Federal Pleading Standard

In EEOC v. Concentra Health Services and Airborne Beepers & Video, Inc. v. AT & T Mobility, LLC, the Seventh Circuit set out to interpret the new federal pleading standard espoused by the Supreme Court in the recent landmark case of Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly. In so doing, the Seventh Circuit sought to determine what Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires a plaintiff to plead in order to withstand a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss in the federal court system. Although it could have imparted some meaning into Bell Atlantic’s otherwise ambiguous requirement of “plausibility” in the complaint, the Seventh Circuit failed to thoroughly define the “plausibility standard.” Rather, the Court of Appeals largely left the daunting task of defining and refining “plausibility” to the district courts within the Seventh Circuit. This Note explores the Supreme Court’s Rule 12(b)(6) jurisprudence and the Seventh Circuit’s interpretation of Bell Atlantic. It also looks at the application of Concentra and Airborne by the district courts within the Seventh Circuit to Rule 12(b)(6) motions. Finally, this Note attempts to shed some light on what Seventh Circuit courts require a plaintiff to plead in the complaint

Nonlinear dynamics of global atmospheric and Earth-system processes

General Circulation Model (GCM) studies of the atmospheric response to change boundary conditions are discussed. Results are reported on an extensive series of numerical studies based on the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model (CCM) general circulation model. In these studies the authors determined the response to systematic changes in atmospheric CO2 ranging from 100 to 1000 ppm; to changes in the prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) in the Gulf of Mexico, such as occurred during the deglaciation phase of the last ice age; to changes in soil moisture over North America; and to changes in sea ice extent in the Southern Hemisphere. Study results show that the response of surface temperature and other variables is nearly logarithmic, with lower levels of CO2 implying greater sensitivity of the atmospheric state to changes in CO2. It was found that the surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico exerts considerable control over the storm track and behavior of storm systems over the North Atlantic through its influence on evaporation and the source of latent heat. It was found that reductions in soil moisture can play a significant role in amplifying and maintaining North American drought, particularly when a negative soil moisture anomaly prevails late in the spring

Nonlinear dynamics of global atmospheric and Earth-system processes

Researchers are continuing their studies of the nonlinear dynamics of global weather systems. Sensitivity analyses of large-scale dynamical models of the atmosphere (i.e., general circulation models i.e., GCM's) were performed to establish the role of satellite-signatures of soil moisture, sea surface temperature, snow cover, and sea ice as crucial boundary conditions determining global weather variability. To complete their study of the bimodality of the planetary wave states, they are using the dynamical systems approach to construct a low-order theoretical explanation of this phenomenon. This work should have important implications for extended range forecasting of low-frequency oscillations, elucidating the mechanisms for the transitions between the two wave modes. Researchers are using the methods of jump analysis and attractor dimension analysis to examine the long-term satellite records of significant variables (e.g., long wave radiation, and cloud amount), to explore the nature of mode transitions in the atmosphere, and to determine the minimum number of equations needed to describe the main weather variations with a low-order dynamical system. Where feasible they will continue to explore the applicability of the methods of complex dynamical systems analysis to the study of the global earth-system from an integrative viewpoint involving the roles of geochemical cycling and the interactive behavior of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere

A chemical ionization mass spectrometer for continuous underway shipboard analysis of dimethylsulfide in near-surface seawater

A compact, low-cost atmospheric pressure, chemical ionization mass spectrometer ("mini-CIMS") has been developed for continuous underway shipboard measurements of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in seawater. The instrument was used to analyze DMS in air equilibrated with flowing seawater across a porous Teflon membrane equilibrator. The equilibrated gas stream was diluted with air containing an isotopically-labeled internal standard. DMS is ionized at atmospheric pressure via proton transfer from water vapor, then declustered, mass filtered via quadrupole mass spectrometry, and detected with an electron multiplier. The instrument described here is based on a low-cost residual gas analyzer (Stanford Research Systems), which has been modified for use as a chemical ionization mass spectrometer. The mini-CIMS has a gas phase detection limit of 220 ppt DMS for a 1 min averaging time, which is roughly equivalent to a seawater DMS concentration of 0.1 nM DMS at 20°C. The mini-CIMS has the sensitivity, selectivity, and time response required for underway measurements of surface ocean DMS over the full range of oceanographic conditions. The simple, robust design and relatively low cost of the instrument are intended to facilitate use in process studies and surveys, with potential for long-term deployment on research vessels, ships of opportunity, and large buoys

A Numerical Evaluation of the Stochastic Completeness of the Kinetic Coagulation Equation

The stochastic completeness of the kinetic coagulation equation depends on the extent of correlations between particle properties. Such correlations are induced by the coalescence process that causes spatial inhomogeneities in the number concentration of the particles, and are particularly strong in poorly mixed suspensions. A Monte Carlo simulation of the coalescence process is used to evaluate the suitability of the kinetic coagulation equation to simulate the coalescence process using Brownian diffusion, fluid shear and differential sedimentation collision kernels. It is demonstrated that the outcome of the kinetic equation matches well the true stochastic averages, unless the number concentration of particles involved is very small. In that case, the discrepancies between the two approaches are substantial in the large end of the particle size spectrum

Nonlinear problems of complex natural systems: Sun and climate dynamics

Universal role of the nonlinear one-third subharmonic resonance mechanism in generation of the strong fluctuations in such complex natural dynamical systems as global climate and global solar activity is discussed using wavelet regression detrended data. Role of the oceanic Rossby waves in the year-scale global temperature fluctuations and the nonlinear resonance contribution to the El Nino phenomenon have been discussed in detail. The large fluctuations of the reconstructed temperature on the millennial time-scales (Antarctic ice cores data for the past 400,000 years) are also shown to be dominated by the one-third subharmonic resonance, presumably related to Earth precession effect on the energy that the intertropical regions receive from the Sun. Effects of Galactic turbulence on the temperature fluctuations are discussed in this content. It is also shown that the one-third subharmonic resonance can be considered as a background for the 11-years solar cycle, and again the global (solar) rotation and chaotic propagating waves play significant role in this phenomenon. Finally, a multidecadal chaotic coherence between the detrended solar activity and global temperature has been briefly discussed.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1002.1024, arXiv:1004.4639, arXiv:1006.4591, arXiv:1003.294