Statistical retrieval of thin liquid cloud microphysical properties using ground-based infrared and microwave observations

Science.gov (United States)

Marke, Tobias; Ebell, Kerstin; Löhnert, Ulrich; Turner, David D.

2016-12-01

In this article, liquid water cloud microphysical properties are retrieved by a combination of microwave and infrared ground-based observations. Clouds containing liquid water are frequently occurring in most climate regimes and play a significant role in terms of interaction with radiation. Small perturbations in the amount of liquid water contained in the cloud can cause large variations in the radiative fluxes. This effect is enhanced for thin clouds (liquid water path, LWP cloud properties crucial. Due to large relative errors in retrieving low LWP values from observations in the microwave domain and a high sensitivity for infrared methods when the LWP is low, a synergistic retrieval based on a neural network approach is built to estimate both LWP and cloud effective radius (reff). These statistical retrievals can be applied without high computational demand but imply constraints like prior information on cloud phase and cloud layering. The neural network retrievals are able to retrieve LWP and reff for thin clouds with a mean relative error of 9% and 17%, respectively. This is demonstrated using synthetic observations of a microwave radiometer (MWR) and a spectrally highly resolved infrared interferometer. The accuracy and robustness of the synergistic retrievals is confirmed by a low bias in a radiative closure study for the downwelling shortwave flux, even for marginally invalid scenes. Also, broadband infrared radiance observations, in combination with the MWR, have the potential to retrieve LWP with a higher accuracy than a MWR-only retrieval.

Analysis of cirrus cloud spectral signatures in the far infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maestri, T.; Rizzi, R.; Tosi, E.; Veglio, P.; Palchetti, L.; Bianchini, G.; Di Girolamo, P.; Masiello, G.; Serio, C.; Summa, D.

2014-01-01

This paper analyses high spectral resolution downwelling radiance measurements in the far infrared in the presence of cirrus clouds taken by the REFIR-PAD interferometer, deployed at 3500 m above the sea level at the Testa Grigia station (Italy), during the Earth COoling by WAter vapouR emission (ECOWAR) campaign. Atmospheric state and cloud geometry are characterised by the co-located millimeter-wave spectrometer GBMS and by radiosonde profile data, an interferometer (I-BEST) and a Raman lidar system deployed at a nearby location (Cervinia). Cloud optical depth and effective diameter are retrieved from REFIR-PAD data using a limited number of channels in the 820–960 cm −1 interval. The retrieved cloud parameters are the input data for simulations covering the 250–1100 cm −1 band in order to test our ability to reproduce the REFIR-PAD spectra in the presence of ice clouds. Inverse and forward simulations are based on the same radiative transfer code. A priori information concerning cloud ice vertical distribution is used to better constrain the simulation scheme and an analysis of the degree of approximation of the phase function within the radiative transfer codes is performed to define the accuracy of computations. Simulation-data residuals over the REFIR-PAD spectral interval show an excellent agreement in the window region, but values are larger than total measurement uncertainties in the far infrared. Possible causes are investigated. It is shown that the uncertainties related to the water vapour and temperature profiles are of the same order as the sensitivity to the a priori assumption on particle habits for an up-looking configuration. In case of a down-looking configuration, errors due to possible incorrect description of the water vapour profile would be drastically reduced. - Highlights: • We analyze down-welling spectral radiances in the far infrared (FIR) spectrum. • Discuss the scattering in the fir and the ice crystals phase function

Infrared studies of the S235 molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, N.J. II; Beichman, C.; Gatley, I.; Harvey, P.; Nadeau, D.; Sellgren, K.

1981-01-01

Infrared observations from 7.8 to 200 μm have been obtained for the S235 molecular cloud. Far-infrared maps were obtained for a region of active star formation, as marked by the presence of compact H II regions, water masers, and compact near-infrared sources. The primary heating source for the far-infrared emission appears to be the compact H II region, S235A. Detailed examination of the gas energetics in the region supports the plausibility of the picture in which the gas is heated by collisions with warm dust grains. The ratio of far-infrared optical depth to 13 CO column density is somewhat lower in this source than is commonly found. This effect may be caused by the presence of substantial 13 CO in regions where the dust is not warm enough to emit substantial 50--100 μm radiation

Radiation transport in dense interstellar dust clouds. II. Infrared emission from molecular clouds associated with H II regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, C.M.

1976-01-01

Theoretical models are constructed to study the distribution of grain temperature (T/sub d/) and infrared emission from molecular clouds associated with H II regions (with embedded O: B stars). The effects of the following parameters on the temperature structure and the emergent spectrum are studied: grain type (graphite, silicate, and core-mantle grains), optical depth, density inhomogeneity, cloud size, anisotropic scattering, radiation field anisotropy, and characteristics of central heat source. T/sub d/ varies from approximately-greater-than100 K to approximately-less-than20 K throughout the major portion of a cloud, and dielectric grains attain lower temperatures. Due to an inward increase in T/sub d/, the radiation field is strongly forward-peaking, thereby producing a pronounced limb-darkening in the surface brightness. Important features of the computed emission spectra from typical models are compared with available observations, and the importance of beam dilution is emphasized. Theoretical surface brightnesses at selected infrared wavelengths are also presented. The outward radiation pressure on the dust grains is found to exceed the self-gravitational force of the gas over a large portion of a cloud, thus possibly causing the gas in the inner region to expand. Assumptions commonly used in the analysis of infrared observations are examined. Finally, observational methods of deriving the temperature structure (from color and brightness temperatures in the far-infrared), density distribution (from surface brightness at lambdaapproximately-greater-than1 mm), and optical depth (from multiaperture photometry) for the dust component in simple sources are discussed

Automated cloud classification using a ground based infra-red camera and texture analysis techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Rumi, Emal; Kerr, David; Coupland, Jeremy M.; Sandford, Andrew P.; Brettle, Mike J.

2013-10-01

Clouds play an important role in influencing the dynamics of local and global weather and climate conditions. Continuous monitoring of clouds is vital for weather forecasting and for air-traffic control. Convective clouds such as Towering Cumulus (TCU) and Cumulonimbus clouds (CB) are associated with thunderstorms, turbulence and atmospheric instability. Human observers periodically report the presence of CB and TCU clouds during operational hours at airports and observatories; however such observations are expensive and time limited. Robust, automatic classification of cloud type using infrared ground-based instrumentation offers the advantage of continuous, real-time (24/7) data capture and the representation of cloud structure in the form of a thermal map, which can greatly help to characterise certain cloud formations. The work presented here utilised a ground based infrared (8-14 μm) imaging device mounted on a pan/tilt unit for capturing high spatial resolution sky images. These images were processed to extract 45 separate textural features using statistical and spatial frequency based analytical techniques. These features were used to train a weighted k-nearest neighbour (KNN) classifier in order to determine cloud type. Ground truth data were obtained by inspection of images captured simultaneously from a visible wavelength colour camera at the same installation, with approximately the same field of view as the infrared device. These images were classified by a trained cloud observer. Results from the KNN classifier gave an encouraging success rate. A Probability of Detection (POD) of up to 90% with a Probability of False Alarm (POFA) as low as 16% was achieved.

Opto-mechanical design of small infrared cloud measuring device

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiao; Yu, Xun; Tao, Yu; Jiang, Xu

2018-01-01

In order to make small infrared cloud measuring device can be well in a wide temperature range and day-night environment, a design idea using catadioptric infrared panoramic imaging optical system and simple mechanical structure for realizing observation clode under all-weather conditions was proposed. Firstly, the optical system of cloud measuring device was designed. An easy-to-use numerical method was proposed to acquire the profile of a catadioptric mirror, which brought the property of equidistance projection and played the most important role in a catadioptric panoramic lens. Secondly, the mechanical structure was studied in detail. Overcoming the limitations of traditional primary mirror support structure, integrative design was used for refractor and mirror support structure. Lastly, temperature adaptability and modes of the mirror support structure were analyzed. Results show that the observation range of the cloud measuring device is wide and the structure is simple, the fundamental frequency of the structure is greater than 100 Hz, the surface precision of the system reflector reaches PV of λ/10 and RMS of λ/40under the load of temperature range - 40 60°C, it can meet the needs of existing meteorological observation.

Identifying clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared satellite data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abreu, Pedro; et al.,

2013-12-01

We describe a new method of identifying night-time clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared data from the Imager instruments on the GOES-12 and GOES-13 satellites. We compare cloud identifications resulting from our method to those obtained by the Central Laser Facility of the Auger Observatory. Using our new method we can now develop cloud probability maps for the 3000 km^2 of the Pierre Auger Observatory twice per hour with a spatial resolution of ~2.4 km by ~5.5 km. Our method could also be applied to monitor cloud cover for other ground-based observatories and for space-based observatories.

SPITZER'S MID-INFRARED VIEW ON AN OUTER-GALAXY INFRARED DARK CLOUD CANDIDATE TOWARD NGC 7538

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frieswijk, W. F.; Spaans, M.; Shipman, R. F.; Teyssier, D.; Carey, S. J.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2008-01-01

Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest observed stages of clustered star formation, characterized by large column densities of cold and dense molecular material observed in silhouette against a bright background of mid-IR emission. Up to now, IRDCs were predominantly known toward the

Estimating the top altitude of optically thick ice clouds from thermal infrared satellite observations using CALIPSO data

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, Patrick; Yost, Chris R.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan

2008-06-01

The difference between cloud-top altitude Z top and infrared effective radiating height Z eff for optically thick ice clouds is examined using April 2007 data taken by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). For even days, the difference ΔZ between CALIPSO Z top and MODIS Z eff is 1.58 +/- 1.26 km. The linear fit between Z top and Z eff , applied to odd-day data, yields a difference of 0.03 +/- 1.21 km and can be used to estimate Z top from any infrared-based Z eff for thick ice clouds. Random errors appear to be due primarily to variations in cloud ice-water content (IWC). Radiative transfer calculations show that ΔZ corresponds to an optical depth of ~1, which based on observed ice-particle sizes yields an average cloud-top IWC of ~0.015 gm-3, a value consistent with in situ measurements. The analysis indicates potential for deriving cloud-top IWC using dual-satellite data.

Far-infrared observations of M17: The interaction of an H II region with a molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatley, I.; Becklin, E.E.; Sellgren, K.; Werner, M.W.

1979-01-01

The central 15' of the M17 H II region--molecular cloud complex has been mapped with 1' resolution simultaneously at 30, 50, and 100 μm. The data suggest that the bulk of the luminosity radiated in the far-infrared is supplied by the exciting stars of the H II region; the far-infrared radiation is thermal emission from dust grains located chiefly outside the ionized gas. Large-scale systematic gradients in both the temperature and the column density of the dust are seen across the source. The appearance of the source in the far-infrared reflects the markedly nonuniform distribution of matter around the exciting stars; the H II region is bounded by the molecular cloud to the southwest. The core of the molecular cloud is heated primarily by infrared radiation from dust within and adjacent to the H II region; no evidence is seen for substantial luminosity sources embedded within the molecular cloud

RESEARCH OF REGISTRATION APPROACHES OF THERMAL INFRARED IMAGES AND INTENSITY IMAGES OF POINT CLOUD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Liu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In order to realize the analysis of thermal energy of the objects in 3D vision, the registration approach of thermal infrared images and TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanner point cloud was studied. The original data was pre-processed. For the sake of making the scale and brightness contrast of the two kinds of data meet the needs of basic matching, the intensity image of point cloud was produced and projected to spherical coordinate system, histogram equalization processing was done for thermal infrared image.This paper focused on the research of registration approaches of thermal infrared images and intensity images of point cloud based on SIFT，EOH-SIFT and PIIFD operators. The latter of which is usually used for medical image matching with different spectral character. The comparison results of the experiments showed that PIIFD operator got much more accurate feature point correspondences compared to SIFT and EOH-SIFT operators. The thermal infrared image and intensity image also have ideal overlap results by quadratic polynomial transformation. Therefore, PIIFD can be used as the basic operator for the registration of thermal infrared images and intensity images, and the operator can also be further improved by incorporating the iteration method.

Molecular line observations of infrared dark clouds in the galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Finn, Susanna C.

Although massive stars play many important roles in the universe, their formation is poorly understood. Recently, a class of interstellar clouds known as Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) has been identified as likely progenitors of massive stars and clusters. These clouds are dense (nH 2 > 105 cm--3), cold (T Nessie Nebula," an extreme case of a filamentary IRDC, with predictions from the theory of the fluid instability and then expand the sample to other filamentary IRDCs. The observations are consistent with theoretical predictions of clump spacing, clump masses, and linear mass density. Fragmentation of filaments due to the sausage instability might be the dominant mode of star formation in the Universe.

Observation of near-infrared surface brightness of the large Magellanic cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayakawa, Satio; Koizumi, Yutaka; Matsumoto, Toshio; Murakami, Hiroshi; Uyama, Kiichiro.

1981-01-01

The near-infrared surface brightness of the large Magellanic cloud was observed by an infrared telescope carried by a balloon. The balloon flight was made at Australian Balloon Launching Station. The brightness distribution of 2.4 Mu m radiation was obtained. A part of Bar was bright, and the expansion of the contour at the east end of Bar corresponded to the 30 Dor region. Many near-infrared sources distribute in this region. Discussions on the color and brightness of the center of Bar and the 30 Dor region are presented. (Kato, T.)

Herbig-haro objects and mid-infrared outflows in the VELA C molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Miaomiao; Wang, Hongchi; Henning, Thomas

2014-01-01

We have performed a deep [S II] λλ6717/6731 wide field Herbig-Haro (HH) object survey toward the Vela C molecular cloud with a sky coverage of about 2 deg 2 . In total, 18 new HH objects, HH 1090-1107, are discovered and the two previously known HH objects, HH 73-74, are also detected in our [S II] images. We also present an investigation of mid-infrared outflows in the Vela C molecular cloud using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer images taken from AllWISE data release. Using the method suggested by Zhang and Wang, 11 extended green objects (EGOs) are identified to be the mid-infrared outflows, including 6 new mid-infrared outflows that have not been detected previously at other wavelengths and 5 mid-infrared counterparts of the HH objects detected in this work. Using the AllWISE Source Catalog and the source classification scheme suggested by Koenig et al., we have identified 56 young stellar object (YSO) candidates in the Vela C molecular cloud. The possible driving sources of the HH objects and EGOs are discussed based on the morphology of HH objects and EGOs and the locations of HH objects, EGOs and YSO candidates. Finally we associate 12 HH objects and 5 EGOs with 10 YSOs and YSO candidates. The median length of the outflows in Vela C is 0.35 pc and the outflows seem to be oriented randomly.

Clouds across the Arctic: A spatial perspective uniting surface observations of downwelling infrared radiation, reanalyses and education

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Christopher J.

The polar regions serve an important role in the Earth's energy balance by acting as a heat sink for the global climate system. In the Arctic, a complex distribution of continental and oceanic features support large spatial variability in environmental parameters important for climate. Additionally, feedbacks that are unique to the cryosphere cause the region to be very sensitive to climate perturbations. Environmental changes are being observed, including increasing temperatures, reductions in sea ice extent and thickness, melting permafrost, changing atmospheric circulation patterns and changing cloud properties, which may be signaling a shift in climate. Despite these changes, the Arctic remains an understudied region, including with respect to the atmosphere and clouds. A better understanding of cloud properties and their geographical variability is needed to better understand observed changes and to forecast the future state of the system, to support adaptation and mitigation strategies, and understand how Arctic change impacts other regions of the globe. Surface-based observations of the atmosphere are critical measurements in this effort because they are high quality and have high temporal resolution, but there are few atmospheric observatories in the Arctic and the period of record is short. Reanalyses combine assimilated observations with models to fill in spatial and temporal data gaps, and also provide additional model-derived parameters. Reanalyses are spatially comprehensive, but are limited by large uncertainties and biases, in particular with respect to derived parameters. Infrared radiation is a large component of the surface energy budget. Infrared emission from clouds is closely tied to cloud properties, so measurements of the infrared spectrum can be used to retrieve information about clouds and can also be used to investigate the influence clouds have on the surface radiation balance. In this dissertation, spectral infrared radiances and other

AKARI INFRARED CAMERA SURVEY OF THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD. II. THE NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC CATALOG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimonishi, Takashi; Onaka, Takashi; Kato, Daisuke; Sakon, Itsuki; Ita, Yoshifusa; Kawamura, Akiko; Kaneda, Hidehiro

2013-01-01

We performed a near-infrared spectroscopic survey toward an area of ∼10 deg 2 of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with the infrared satellite AKARI. Observations were carried out as part of the AKARI Large-area Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LSLMC). The slitless multi-object spectroscopic capability of the AKARI/IRC enabled us to obtain low-resolution (R ∼ 20) spectra in 2-5 μm for a large number of point sources in the LMC. As a result of the survey, we extracted about 2000 infrared spectra of point sources. The data are organized as a near-infrared spectroscopic catalog. The catalog includes various infrared objects such as young stellar objects (YSOs), asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, supergiants, and so on. It is shown that 97% of the catalog sources have corresponding photometric data in the wavelength range from 1.2 to 11 μm, and 67% of the sources also have photometric data up to 24 μm. The catalog allows us to investigate near-infrared spectral features of sources by comparison with their infrared spectral energy distributions. In addition, it is estimated that about 10% of the catalog sources are observed at more than two different epochs. This enables us to study a spectroscopic variability of sources by using the present catalog. Initial results of source classifications for the LSLMC samples are presented. We classified 659 LSLMC spectra based on their near-infrared spectral features by visual inspection. As a result, it is shown that the present catalog includes 7 YSOs, 160 C-rich AGBs, 8 C-rich AGB candidates, 85 O-rich AGBs, 122 blue and yellow supergiants, 150 red super giants, and 128 unclassified sources. Distributions of the classified sources on the color-color and color-magnitude diagrams are discussed in the text. Continuous wavelength coverage and high spectroscopic sensitivity in 2-5 μm can only be achieved by space observations. This is an unprecedented large-scale spectroscopic survey toward the LMC in the near-infrared

Obscured asymptotic giant branch stars in the Magellanic Clouds .2. Near-infrared and mid-infrared counterparts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zijlstra, AA; Loup, C; Waters, LBFM; Whitelock, PA; vanLoon, JT; Guglielmo, F

1996-01-01

We have carried out an infrared search for obscured asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Magellanic Clouds. Fields were observed in the vicinity of IRAS sources with colours and flux densities consistent with such a classification. The survey uncovered a number of obscured AGE stars as well as

Infrared polarimetry of dark clouds: Pt. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamura, Motohide; Yamashita, Takuya; Sato, Shuji; Nagata, Tetsuya

1988-01-01

The K-band polarization of 15 infrared sources toward the NGC 1333 region has been measured. The distribution of the position angles of polarization vectors is bimodal: one component, composed of the majority (80 per cent) of the observed infrared sources, has a centre at a position angle of 125 0 ± 30 0 , while the other component, composed of three sources (HH7-11 IRS, SGS 1 and LkHα 271), shows position angles of 40 0 ± 20 0 , nearly perpendicular to the first. We assign the origin of the former component to the magnetic field threading the NGC 1333 region, and that of the latter to the anisotropic reflection nebulosity associated with those young stellar objects. The perpendicularity of the position angles between field stars and young stellar objects suggests that star formation and cloud evolution in the NGC 1333 region might have occurred under the influence of the magnetic field. (author)

Similar complex kinematics within two massive, filamentary infrared dark clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, A. T.; Henshaw, J. D.; Caselli, P.; Jiménez-Serra, I.; Tan, J. C.; Fontani, F.; Pon, A.; Ragan, S.

2018-04-01

Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) are thought to be potential hosts of the elusive early phases of high-mass star formation. Here, we conduct an in-depth kinematic analysis of one such IRDC, G034.43+00.24 (Cloud F), using high sensitivity and high spectral resolution IRAM-30m N2H+ (1-0) and C18O (1-0) observations. To disentangle the complex velocity structure within this cloud, we use Gaussian decomposition and hierarchical clustering algorithms. We find that four distinct coherent velocity components are present within Cloud F. The properties of these components are compared to those found in a similar IRDC, G035.39-00.33 (Cloud H). We find that the components in both clouds have high densities (inferred by their identification in N2H+), trans-to-supersonic non-thermal velocity dispersions with Mach numbers of ˜1.5-4, a separation in velocity of ˜3 km s-1, and a mean red-shift of ˜0.3 km s-1 between the N2H+ (dense gas) and C18O emission (envelope gas). The latter of these could suggest that these clouds share a common formation scenario. We investigate the kinematics of the larger-scale Cloud F structures, using lower-density-tracing 13CO(1-0) observations. A good correspondence is found between the components identified in the IRAM-30m observations and the most prominent component in the 13CO data. We find that the IRDC Cloud F is only a small part of a much larger structure, which appears to be an inter-arm filament of the Milky Way.

Cloud and Thermodynamic Parameters Retrieved from Satellite Ultraspectral Infrared Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Smith, William L.; Larar, Allen M.; Liu, Xu; Taylor, Jonathan P.; Schluessel, Peter; Strow, L. Larrabee; Mango, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

Atmospheric-thermodynamic parameters and surface properties are basic meteorological parameters for weather forecasting. A physical geophysical parameter retrieval scheme dealing with cloudy and cloud-free radiance observed with satellite ultraspectral infrared sounders has been developed and applied to the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS). The retrieved parameters presented herein are from radiance data gathered during the Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx). JAIVEx provided intensive aircraft observations obtained from airborne Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) systems, in-situ measurements, and dedicated dropsonde and radiosonde measurements for the validation of the IASI products. Here, IASI atmospheric profile retrievals are compared with those obtained from dedicated dropsondes, radiosondes, and the airborne FTS system. The IASI examples presented here demonstrate the ability to retrieve fine-scale horizontal features with high vertical resolution from satellite ultraspectral sounder radiance spectra.

Search for near-infrared counterparts of IRAS embedded sources in the M17 SW giant molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elmegreen, D.M.; Phillips, J.; Beck, K.; Thomas, H.; Howard, J.

1988-01-01

Wide-field near-infrared and blue band plates of the region containing the M17 giant molecular cloud complex have been blinked to locate bright near-infrared stars that may be embedded in the M17 SW giant molecular cloud. Twenty such stars coincided with the positions of IRAS point sources that appeared embedded based on color-color diagrams. Some of these stars may be the sources of the infrared luminosities. Of the 20 stars, seven were too faint to appear on the B band plate. The optical magnitudes and colors determined from the plate image diameters were measured for the other 13 coincident stars; they are most likely upper main-sequence or pre-main-sequence stars with extinctions of 7 mag. The IRAS luminosity-temperature diagram indicates that the embedded sources in M17 are more massive than those in the Orion cloud. 35 references

Added value of far-infrared radiometry for remote sensing of ice clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Libois, Quentin; Blanchet, Jean-Pierre

2017-06-01

Several cloud retrieval algorithms based on satellite observations in the infrared have been developed in the last decades. However, these observations only cover the midinfrared (MIR, λ transparent in the FIR, using FIR channels would reduce by more than 50% the uncertainties on retrieved values of optical thickness, effective particle diameter, and cloud top altitude. Notably, this would extend the range of applicability of current retrieval methods to the polar regions and to clouds with large optical thickness, where MIR algorithms perform poorly. The high performance of solar reflection-based algorithms would thus be reached in nighttime conditions. Since the sensitivity of ice cloud thermal emission to effective particle diameter is approximately 5 times larger in the FIR than in the MIR, using FIR observations is a promising venue for studying ice cloud microphysics and precipitation processes. This is highly relevant for cirrus clouds and convective towers. This is also essential to study precipitation in the driest regions of the atmosphere, where strong feedbacks are at play between clouds and water vapor. The deployment in the near future of a FIR spaceborne radiometer is technologically feasible and should be strongly supported.

Relationship between ice water path and downward longwave radiation for clouds optically thin in the infrared: Observations and model calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Uttal, Taneil; Matrosov, Sergey Y.; Snider, Jack B.; Kropfli, Robert A.

1994-01-01

A vertically pointing 3.2-cm radar is used to observe altostratus and cirrus clouds as they pass overhead. Radar reflectivities are used in combination with an empirical Z(sub i)-IWC (ice water content) relationship developed by Sassen (1987) to parameterize IWC, which is then integrated to obtain estimates of ice water path (IWP). The observed dataset is segregated into all-ice and mixed-phase periods using measurements of integrated liquid water paths (LWP) detected by a collocated, dual-channel microwave radiometer. The IWP values for the all ice periods are compared to measurements of infrared (IR) downward fluxes measured by a collocated narrowband (9.95-11.43 microns) IR radiometer, which results in scattergrams representing the observed dependence of IR fluxes on IWP. A two-stream model is used to calculate the infrared fluxes expected from ice clouds with boundary conditions specified by the actual clouds, and similar curves relating IWP and infrared fluxes are obtained. The model and observational results suggest that IWP is one of the primary controls on infrared thermal fluxes for ice clouds.

Large Magellanic Cloud Near-infrared Synoptic Survey. V. Period–Luminosity Relations of Miras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Wenlong; Macri, Lucas M.; He, Shiyuan; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Kanbur, Shashi M.; Ngeow, Chow-Choong

2017-01-01

We study the near-infrared properties of 690 Mira candidates in the central region of the Large Magellanic Cloud, based on time-series observations at JHK s . We use densely sampled I -band observations from the OGLE project to generate template light curves in the near-infrared and derive robust mean magnitudes at those wavelengths. We obtain near-infrared Period–Luminosity relations for oxygen-rich Miras with a scatter as low as 0.12 mag at K s . We study the Period–Luminosity–Color relations and the color excesses of carbon-rich Miras, which show evidence for a substantially different reddening law.

Deep convective cloud characterizations from both broadband imager and hyperspectral infrared sounder measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Ai, Yufei; Li, Jun; Shi, Wenjing; Schmit, Timothy J.; Cao, Changyong; Li, Wanbiao

2017-02-01

Deep convective storms have contributed to airplane accidents, making them a threat to aviation safety. The most common method to identify deep convective clouds (DCCs) is using the brightness temperature difference (BTD) between the atmospheric infrared (IR) window band and the water vapor (WV) absorption band. The effectiveness of the BTD method for DCC detection is highly related to the spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the WV band. In order to understand the sensitivity of BTD to spectral resolution and SNR for DCC detection, a BTD to noise ratio method using the difference between the WV and IR window radiances is developed to assess the uncertainty of DCC identification for different instruments. We examined the case of AirAsia Flight QZ8501. The brightness temperatures (Tbs) over DCCs from this case are simulated for BTD sensitivity studies by a fast forward radiative transfer model with an opaque cloud assumption for both broadband imager (e.g., Multifunction Transport Satellite imager, MTSAT-2 imager) and hyperspectral IR sounder (e.g., Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) instruments; we also examined the relationship between the simulated Tb and the cloud top height. Results show that despite the coarser spatial resolution, BTDs measured by a hyperspectral IR sounder are much more sensitive to high cloud tops than broadband BTDs. As demonstrated in this study, a hyperspectral IR sounder can identify DCCs with better accuracy.

Single-footprint retrievals for AIRS using a fast TwoSlab cloud-representation model and the SARTA all-sky infrared radiative transfer algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

DeSouza-Machado, Sergio; Larrabee Strow, L.; Tangborn, Andrew; Huang, Xianglei; Chen, Xiuhong; Liu, Xu; Wu, Wan; Yang, Qiguang

2018-01-01

One-dimensional variational retrievals of temperature and moisture fields from hyperspectral infrared (IR) satellite sounders use cloud-cleared radiances (CCRs) as their observation. These derived observations allow the use of clear-sky-only radiative transfer in the inversion for geophysical variables but at reduced spatial resolution compared to the native sounder observations. Cloud clearing can introduce various errors, although scenes with large errors can be identified and ignored. Information content studies show that, when using multilayer cloud liquid and ice profiles in infrared hyperspectral radiative transfer codes, there are typically only 2-4 degrees of freedom (DOFs) of cloud signal. This implies a simplified cloud representation is sufficient for some applications which need accurate radiative transfer. Here we describe a single-footprint retrieval approach for clear and cloudy conditions, which uses the thermodynamic and cloud fields from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models as a first guess, together with a simple cloud-representation model coupled to a fast scattering radiative transfer algorithm (RTA). The NWP model thermodynamic and cloud profiles are first co-located to the observations, after which the N-level cloud profiles are converted to two slab clouds (TwoSlab; typically one for ice and one for water clouds). From these, one run of our fast cloud-representation model allows an improvement of the a priori cloud state by comparing the observed and model-simulated radiances in the thermal window channels. The retrieval yield is over 90 %, while the degrees of freedom correlate with the observed window channel brightness temperature (BT) which itself depends on the cloud optical depth. The cloud-representation and scattering package is benchmarked against radiances computed using a maximum random overlap (RMO) cloud scheme. All-sky infrared radiances measured by NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and NWP thermodynamic and cloud

Single-footprint retrievals for AIRS using a fast TwoSlab cloud-representation model and the SARTA all-sky infrared radiative transfer algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. DeSouza-Machado

2018-01-01

Full Text Available One-dimensional variational retrievals of temperature and moisture fields from hyperspectral infrared (IR satellite sounders use cloud-cleared radiances (CCRs as their observation. These derived observations allow the use of clear-sky-only radiative transfer in the inversion for geophysical variables but at reduced spatial resolution compared to the native sounder observations. Cloud clearing can introduce various errors, although scenes with large errors can be identified and ignored. Information content studies show that, when using multilayer cloud liquid and ice profiles in infrared hyperspectral radiative transfer codes, there are typically only 2–4 degrees of freedom (DOFs of cloud signal. This implies a simplified cloud representation is sufficient for some applications which need accurate radiative transfer. Here we describe a single-footprint retrieval approach for clear and cloudy conditions, which uses the thermodynamic and cloud fields from numerical weather prediction (NWP models as a first guess, together with a simple cloud-representation model coupled to a fast scattering radiative transfer algorithm (RTA. The NWP model thermodynamic and cloud profiles are first co-located to the observations, after which the N-level cloud profiles are converted to two slab clouds (TwoSlab; typically one for ice and one for water clouds. From these, one run of our fast cloud-representation model allows an improvement of the a priori cloud state by comparing the observed and model-simulated radiances in the thermal window channels. The retrieval yield is over 90 %, while the degrees of freedom correlate with the observed window channel brightness temperature (BT which itself depends on the cloud optical depth. The cloud-representation and scattering package is benchmarked against radiances computed using a maximum random overlap (RMO cloud scheme. All-sky infrared radiances measured by NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS and NWP

OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED SHOCKS IN THE L988 CLOUD COMPLEX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walawender, J.; Reipurth, B.; Bally, J.

2013-01-01

We have searched the Lynds 988 dark cloud complex for optical (Hα and [S II]) and near-IR (H 2 2.12 μm) shocks from protostellar outflows. We find 20 new Herbig-Haro objects and 6 new H 2 shocks (MHO objects), 3 of which are cross detections. Using the morphology in the optical and near-IR, we connect several of these shocks into at least five distinct outflow systems and identify their source protostars from catalogs of infrared sources. Two outflows in the cloud, from IRAS 21014+5001 and IRAS 21007+4951, are in excess of 1 pc in length. The IRAS 21007+4951 outflow has carved a large cavity in the cloud through which background stars can be seen. Also, we have found an optical shock which is the counterflow to the previously discovered ''northwest outflow'' from LkHα 324SE

Large Magellanic Cloud Near-infrared Synoptic Survey. V. Period–Luminosity Relations of Miras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Wenlong; Macri, Lucas M. [George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); He, Shiyuan; Huang, Jianhua Z. [Department of Statistics, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Kanbur, Shashi M. [Department of Physics, The State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126 (United States); Ngeow, Chow-Choong, E-mail: lmacri@tamu.edu [Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan (China)

2017-10-01

We study the near-infrared properties of 690 Mira candidates in the central region of the Large Magellanic Cloud, based on time-series observations at JHK{sub s}. We use densely sampled I -band observations from the OGLE project to generate template light curves in the near-infrared and derive robust mean magnitudes at those wavelengths. We obtain near-infrared Period–Luminosity relations for oxygen-rich Miras with a scatter as low as 0.12 mag at K{sub s}. We study the Period–Luminosity–Color relations and the color excesses of carbon-rich Miras, which show evidence for a substantially different reddening law.

OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED SHOCKS IN THE L988 CLOUD COMPLEX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walawender, J. [Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Reipurth, B. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Bally, J., E-mail: joshw@naoj.org [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)

2013-09-15

We have searched the Lynds 988 dark cloud complex for optical (H{alpha} and [S II]) and near-IR (H{sub 2} 2.12 {mu}m) shocks from protostellar outflows. We find 20 new Herbig-Haro objects and 6 new H{sub 2} shocks (MHO objects), 3 of which are cross detections. Using the morphology in the optical and near-IR, we connect several of these shocks into at least five distinct outflow systems and identify their source protostars from catalogs of infrared sources. Two outflows in the cloud, from IRAS 21014+5001 and IRAS 21007+4951, are in excess of 1 pc in length. The IRAS 21007+4951 outflow has carved a large cavity in the cloud through which background stars can be seen. Also, we have found an optical shock which is the counterflow to the previously discovered ''northwest outflow'' from LkH{alpha} 324SE.

Cloud type comparisons of AIRS, CloudSat, and CALIPSO cloud height and amount

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. H. Kahn

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The precision of the two-layer cloud height fields derived from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS is explored and quantified for a five-day set of observations. Coincident profiles of vertical cloud structure by CloudSat, a 94 GHz profiling radar, and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO, are compared to AIRS for a wide range of cloud types. Bias and variability in cloud height differences are shown to have dependence on cloud type, height, and amount, as well as whether CloudSat or CALIPSO is used as the comparison standard. The CloudSat-AIRS biases and variability range from −4.3 to 0.5±1.2–3.6 km for all cloud types. Likewise, the CALIPSO-AIRS biases range from 0.6–3.0±1.2–3.6 km (−5.8 to −0.2±0.5–2.7 km for clouds ≥7 km (<7 km. The upper layer of AIRS has the greatest sensitivity to Altocumulus, Altostratus, Cirrus, Cumulonimbus, and Nimbostratus, whereas the lower layer has the greatest sensitivity to Cumulus and Stratocumulus. Although the bias and variability generally decrease with increasing cloud amount, the ability of AIRS to constrain cloud occurrence, height, and amount is demonstrated across all cloud types for many geophysical conditions. In particular, skill is demonstrated for thin Cirrus, as well as some Cumulus and Stratocumulus, cloud types infrared sounders typically struggle to quantify. Furthermore, some improvements in the AIRS Version 5 operational retrieval algorithm are demonstrated. However, limitations in AIRS cloud retrievals are also revealed, including the existence of spurious Cirrus near the tropopause and low cloud layers within Cumulonimbus and Nimbostratus clouds. Likely causes of spurious clouds are identified and the potential for further improvement is discussed.

The benefit of limb cloud imaging for infrared limb sounding of tropospheric trace gases

OpenAIRE

G. Heinemann; P. Preusse; R. Spang; S. Adams

2009-01-01

Advances in detector technology enable a new generation of infrared limb sounders to measure 2-D images of the atmosphere. A proposed limb cloud imager (LCI) mode will detect clouds with a spatial resolution unprecedented for limb sounding. For the inference of temperature and trace gas distributions, detector pixels of the LCI have to be combined into super-pixels which provide the required signal-to-noise and information content for the retrievals. This study examines the extent to which tr...

The Relationship Between Infrared Dark Cloud and Stellar Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Calahan, Jenny; Hora, Joseph L.

2018-01-01

Massive stars are known to form within infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), but many details about how molecular clouds collapse and form stars remain poorly understood.We determine the relationship between the dark cloud mass and the population of young stellar objects (YSOs) associated with the cloud to shed light on the physical processes occurring within these star forming regions. We chose to use a sample of IRDCs and YSOs within the Cygnus-X region, a close-by giant star formation complex that has every stage of star formation represented. Using observations from IRAC, MIPS, PACS, and SPIRE on Spitzer and Herschel we identified a sample of 30,903 YSOs and 167 IRDCs. We derived the class of each YSO as well as the mass of YSO and IRDCs from the flux information. Using these parameters, as well as their locations in the cloud, we were sorted IRDC fragments into larger filaments and associate a set of YSOs with each IRDC. By measuring and comparing parameters such as YSO total mass, number of YSOs, Class 0, Class I, and Class II populations, distance from host filament, and filament mass we tested for correlations between the YSO and IRDC parameters. Using this treasure trove of information, we find that Class 0 and I objects are located more closely to their host IRDC than their Class II counterparts. We also find that high-density IRDCs are better environments for star formation than low-density IRDCs. However, we find no correlation between the total mass of the IRDC and the largest YSO mass in the IRDC, suggesting that IRDCs of any mass can have massive YSOs associated with them.The SAO REU program is funded by the National Science Foundation REU and Department of Defense ASSURE programs under NSF Grant AST-1659473, and by the Smithsonian Institution.

The cloud monitor by an infrared camera at the Telescope Array experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, F.

2011-01-01

The mesurement of the extensive air shower using the fluorescence detectors (FDs) is affected by the condition of the atmosphere. In particular, FD aperture is limited by cloudiness. If cloud exists on the light path from extensive air shower to FDs, fluorescence photons will be absorbed drastically. Therefore cloudiness of FD's field of view (FOV) is one of important quality cut condition in FD analysis. In the Telescope Array (TA), an infrared (IR) camera with 320x236 pixels and a filed of view of 25.8 deg. x19.5 deg. has been installed at an observation site for cloud monitoring during FD observations. This IR camera measures temperature of the sky every 30 min during FD observation. IR camera is mounted on steering table, which can be changed in elevation and azimuthal direction. Clouds can be seen at a higher temperature than areas of cloudless sky from these temperature maps. In this paper, we discuss the quality of the cloud monitoring data, the analysis method, and current quality cut condition of cloudiness in FD analysis.

Radiative properties of clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twomey, S.

1993-01-01

The climatic effects of condensation nuclei in the formation of cloud droplets and the subsequent role of the cloud droplets as contributors to the planetary short-wave albedo is emphasized. Microphysical properties of clouds, which can be greatly modified by the degree of mixing with cloud-free air from outside, are discussed. The effect of clouds on visible radiation is assessed through multiple scattering of the radiation. Cloudwater or ice absorbs more with increasing wavelength in the near-infrared region, with water vapor providing the stronger absorption over narrower wavelength bands. Cloud thermal infrared absorption can be solely related to liquid water content at least for shallow clouds and clouds in the early development state. Three-dimensional general circulation models have been used to study the climatic effect of clouds. It was found for such studies (which did not consider variations in cloud albedo) that the cooling effects due to the increase in planetary short-wave albedo from clouds were offset by heating effects due to thermal infrared absorption by the cloud. Two permanent direct effects of increased pollution are discussed in this chapter: (a) an increase of absorption in the visible and near infrared because of increased amounts of elemental carbon, which gives rise to a warming effect climatically, and (b) an increased optical thickness of clouds due to increasing cloud droplet number concentration caused by increasing cloud condensation nuclei number concentration, which gives rise to a cooling effect climatically. An increase in cloud albedo from 0.7 to 0.87 produces an appreciable climatic perturbation of cooling up to 2.5 K at the ground, using a hemispheric general circulation model. Effects of pollution on cloud thermal infrared absorption are negligible

Observations of far-infrared molecular emission lines from the Orion molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viscuso, P.J.

1986-01-01

The Orion Nebula has been the subject of intensive study for over one hundred years. Far-infrared (FIR) molecular line observations of CO in the shock region surrounding the infrared source IRc2 have suggested that the molecular hydrogen density in the shocked and post-shock gas is roughly 3 x 10 6 cm -3 . The temperature of this gas is on the order of 750-2000K. IRc2, like other nearby infrared sources within the Nebula, is thought to be a site of recent star formation. This object is apparently at the center of a massive bipolar molecular outflow of gas, which is producing a shock front where it meets the ambient molecular cloud surrounding IRc2. Study of such regions is important for the understanding of the chemical and physical processes that are involved in the formation of stars from molecular clouds. Recently, several far-infrared transitions among the low-lying levels of OH have been observed toward IRc2. OH is thought to be abundant, and it plays an important role in the chemical evolution of the shock and post-shock regions. The OH emission serves as a sensitive probe of the temperature and density for the shock-processed gas. A rigorous treatment of the radiative transfer of these measured transitions is performed using the escape probability formalism. From this analysis, the author determines the temperature of the OH-emitting region to be on the order of 40K. This suggests that the gas is part of the post-shock gas that has cooled sufficiently, most likely by way of radiative cooling by CO

Characterizing star formation activity in infrared dark cloud MSXDC G048.65-00.29

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Wiel, M. H. D.; Shipman, R. F.

2008-01-01

Context. Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), condensed regions of the ISM with high column densities, low temperatures and high masses, are suspected sites of star formation. Thousands of IRDCs have already been identified. To date, it has not been resolved whether IRDCs always show star formation

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Mask Environmental Data Record (EDR) from NDE

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains a high quality Environmental Data Record (EDR) of cloud masks from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument onboard...

An image quality comparison study between XVI and OBI CBCT systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamath, Srijit; Song, William; Chvetsov, Alexei; Ozawa, Shuichi; Lu, Haibin; Samant, Sanjiv; Liu, Chihray; Li, Jonathan G; Palta, Jatinder R

2011-02-04

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare image quality characteristics for two commonly used and commercially available CBCT systems: the X-ray Volumetric Imager and the On-Board Imager. A commonly used CATPHAN image quality phantom was used to measure various image quality parameters, namely, pixel value stability and accuracy, noise, contrast to noise ratio (CNR), high-contrast resolution, low contrast resolution and image uniformity. For the XVI unit, we evaluated the image quality for four manufacturer-supplied protocols as a function of mAs. For the OBI unit, we did the same for the full-fan and half-fan scanning modes, which were respectively used with the full bow-tie and half bow-tie filters. For XVI, the mean pixel values of regions of interest were found to generally decrease with increasing mAs for all protocols, while they were relatively stable with mAs for OBI. Noise was slightly lower on XVI and was seen to decrease with increasing mAs, while CNR increased with mAs for both systems. For XVI and OBI, the high-contrast resolution was approximately limited by the pixel resolution of the reconstructed image. On OBI images, up to 6 and 5 discs of 1% and 0.5% contrast, respectively, were visible for a high mAs setting using the full-fan mode, while none of the discs were clearly visible on the XVI images for various mAs settings when the medium resolution reconstruction was used. In conclusion, image quality parameters for XVI and OBI have been quantified and compared for clinical protocols under various mAs settings. These results need to be viewed in the context of a recent study that reported the dose-mAs relationship for the two systems and found that OBI generally delivered higher imaging doses than XVI.

Physical characteristics of a dark cloud in an early stage of star formation toward NGC 7538 - An outer Galaxy infrared dark cloud?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frieswijk, W. W. F.; Spaans, M.; Shipman, R. F.; Teyssier, D.; Hily-Blant, P.

2007-01-01

Context. In the inner parts of the Galaxy the Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are presently believed to be the progenitors of massive stars and star clusters. Many of them are predominantly devoid of active star formation and for now they represent the earliest observed stages of massive star

NEAR-INFRARED POLARIZATION SOURCE CATALOG OF THE NORTHEASTERN REGIONS OF THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jaeyeong; Pak, Soojong [School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Woong-Seob; Park, Won-Kee [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeok-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Tamura, Motohide, E-mail: jaeyeong@khu.ac.kr, E-mail: jeongws@kasi.re.kr [The University of Tokyo/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan/Astrobiology Center, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)

2016-01-15

We present a near-infrared band-merged photometric and polarimetric catalog for the 39′ × 69′ fields in the northeastern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which were observed using SIRPOL, an imaging polarimeter of the InfraRed Survey Facility. This catalog lists 1858 sources brighter than 14 mag in the H band with a polarization signal-to-noise ratio greater than three in the J, H, or K{sub s} bands. Based on the relationship between the extinction and the polarization degree, we argue that the polarization mostly arises from dichroic extinctions caused by local interstellar dust in the LMC. This catalog allows us to map polarization structures to examine the global geometry of the local magnetic field, and to show a statistical analysis of the polarization of each field to understand its polarization properties. In the selected fields with coherent polarization position angles, we estimate magnetic field strengths in the range of 3−25 μG using the Chandrasekhar–Fermi method. This implies the presence of large-scale magnetic fields on a scale of around 100 parsecs. When comparing mid- and far-infrared dust emission maps, we confirmed that the polarization patterns are well aligned with molecular clouds around the star-forming regions.

Infrared rotational light curves on Jupiter induced by wave activities and cloud patterns andimplications on brown dwarfs

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Huazhi; Zhang, Xi; Fletcher, Leigh; Orton, Glenn S.; Sinclair, James Andrew; Fernandes,, Joshua; Momary, Thomas W.; Warren, Ari; Kasaba, Yasumasa; Sato, Takao M.; Fujiyoshi, Takuya

2017-10-01

Many brown dwarfs exhibit infrared rotational light curves with amplitude varying from a fewpercent to twenty percent (Artigau et al. 2009, ApJ, 701, 1534; Radigan et al. 2012, ApJ, 750,105). Recently, it was claimed that weather patterns, especially planetary-scale waves in thebelts and cloud spots, are responsible for the light curves and their evolutions on brown dwarfs(Apai et al. 2017, Science, 357, 683). Here we present a clear relationship between the direct IRemission maps and light curves of Jupiter at multiple wavelengths, which might be similar withthat on cold brown dwarfs. Based on infrared disk maps from Subaru/COMICS and VLT/VISIR,we constructed full maps of Jupiter and rotational light curves at different wavelengths in thethermal infrared. We discovered a strong relationship between the light curves and weatherpatterns on Jupiter. The light curves also exhibit strong multi-bands phase shifts and temporalvariations, similar to that detected on brown dwarfs. Together with the spectra fromTEXES/IRTF, our observations further provide detailed information of the spatial variations oftemperature, ammonia clouds and aerosols in the troposphere of Jupiter (Fletcher et al. 2016,Icarus, 2016 128) and their influences on the shapes of the light curves. We conclude that waveactivities in Jupiter’s belts (Fletcher et al. 2017, GRL, 44, 7140), cloud holes, and long-livedvortices such as the Great Red Spot and ovals control the shapes of IR light curves and multi-wavelength phase shifts on Jupiter. Our finding supports the hypothesis that observed lightcurves on brown dwarfs are induced by planetary-scale waves and cloud spots.

Characterization of optical and micro-physical properties of cirrus clouds using a wideband thermal infrared spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Palchetti, Luca; Di Natale, Gianluca; Bianchini, Giovanni

2014-05-01

High-altitude ice clouds such as cirrus clouds play a key role in the Earth's radiation budget since they cover permanently about 20-30% of the surface of the planet, reaching even to 60-70% in the tropics. The modulation of the incoming solar radiation and the outgoing Earth's thermal emission due to cirrus can contribute to heat or to cool the atmosphere, according to their optical properties, which must be characterised with great accuracy and over the whole spectral range involved in the scattering and emission processes. Here we present the infrared measurements over the wide spectral range from 9 to 50 micron performed by the Fourier transform spectrometer REFIR-PAD (Radiation Explorer in Far InfraRed - Prototype for Application and Development) during many field campaigns that have taken place since 2007 from different high-altitude ground-based stations: Testa Grigia Station, Cervinia-Italy, (3480 m asl), Cerro Toco, Atacama-Chile, (5380 m asl), Concordia Base, Dome C-Antarctica (3230 m asl). These measurements show for the first time the spectral effect of cirrus clouds in the long-wave part of the emission spectrum above 15 micron of wavelength. To characterise these measurements over the wide spectral range as a function of the optical properties of ice particles, a model of the radiative transfer, that integrates the well known numerical code LBLRTM, which simulates the radiative transfer in the atmosphere, with a specific code which simulates the propagation of the radiation through the cloud, was developed. The optical properties of clouds have been modelled using the δ-scaled Eddington approximation for a single layer and the Ping Yang's database for the single-scattering properties of ice crystals. The preliminary results of the fit procedure used for the determination of the micro-physical parameters of ice crystals, such as the effective diameter, ice water path, effective temperature and optical thickness will be shown in the presentation. The

Orion infrared nebula/molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuckerman, B.; Palmer, P.

1975-01-01

Observational and theoretical studies of the Orion Nebula and the associated molecular clouds have greatly increased our understanding of this and other regions in which star formation is taking place. Fundamental questions remain unanswered; and in this Letter we address three of them: (1) the chemical composition of the molecular cloud, (2) its internal motions, and (3) the role of magnetic fields in its evolution. We show that the gas phase chemistry and internal motions in one part of the cloud are distinctly different from those in the rest of the cloud, and two recent estimates of the magnetic field strengths are very uncertain. (auth)

First Near-infrared Imaging Polarimetry of Young Stellar Objects in the Circinus Molecular Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Jungmi; Nakagawa, Takao; Tamura, Motohide; Hough, James H.; Choi, Minho; Kandori, Ryo; Nagata, Tetsuya; Kang, Miju

2018-02-01

We present the results of near-infrared (NIR) linear imaging polarimetry in the J, H, and K s bands of the low-mass star cluster-forming region in the Circinus Molecular Cloud Complex. Using aperture polarimetry of point-like sources, positive detection of 314, 421, and 164 sources in the J, H, and K s bands, respectively, was determined from among 749 sources whose photometric magnitudes were measured. For the source classification of the 133 point-like sources whose polarization could be measured in all 3 bands, a color–color diagram was used. While most of the NIR polarizations of point-like sources are well-aligned and can be explained by dichroic polarization produced by aligned interstellar dust grains in the cloud, 123 highly polarized sources have also been identified with some criteria. The projected direction on the sky of the magnetic field in the Cir-MMS region is indicated by the mean polarization position angles (70°) of the point-like sources in the observed region, corresponding to approximately 1.6× 1.6 pc2. In addition, the magnetic field direction is compared with the outflow orientations associated with Infrared Astronomy Satellite sources, in which two sources were found to be aligned with each other and one source was not. We also show prominent polarization nebulosities over the Cir-MMS region for the first time. Our polarization data have revealed one clear infrared reflection nebula (IRN) and several candidate IRNe in the Cir-MMS field. In addition, the illuminating sources of the IRNe are identified with near- and mid-infrared sources.

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Daytime Cloud Optical and Microphysical Properties (DCOMP) from NDE

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains a high quality Environmental Data Record (EDR) of daytime cloud optical and microphysical properties (DCOMP) from the Visible Infrared Imaging...

Creating cloud-free Landsat ETM+ data sets in tropical landscapes: cloud and cloud-shadow removal

Science.gov (United States)

Sebastián Martinuzzi; William A. Gould; Olga M. Ramos Gonzalez

2007-01-01

Clouds and cloud shadows are common features of visible and infrared remotelysensed images collected from many parts of the world, particularly in humid and tropical regions. We have developed a simple and semiautomated method to mask clouds and shadows in Landsat ETM+ imagery, and have developed a recent cloud-free composite of multitemporal images for Puerto Rico and...

SPITZER SAGE-SMC INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF MASSIVE STARS IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonanos, A. Z.; Lennon, D. J.; Massa, D. L.

2010-01-01

We present a catalog of 5324 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), with accurate spectral types compiled from the literature, and a photometric catalog for a subset of 3654 of these stars, with the goal of exploring their infrared properties. The photometric catalog consists of stars with infrared counterparts in the Spitzer SAGE-SMC survey database, for which we present uniform photometry from 0.3to24 μm in the UBVIJHK s +IRAC+MIPS24 bands. We compare the color-magnitude diagrams and color-color diagrams to those of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), finding that the brightest infrared sources in the SMC are also the red supergiants, supergiant B[e] (sgB[e]) stars, luminous blue variables, and Wolf-Rayet stars, with the latter exhibiting less infrared excess, the red supergiants being less dusty and the sgB[e] stars being on average less luminous. Among the objects detected at 24 μm in the SMC are a few very luminous hypergiants, four B-type stars with peculiar, flat spectral energy distributions, and all three known luminous blue variables. We detect a distinct Be star sequence, displaced to the red, and suggest a novel method of confirming Be star candidates photometrically. We find a higher fraction of Oe and Be stars among O and early-B stars in our SMC catalog, respectively, when compared to the LMC catalog, and that the SMC Be stars occur at higher luminosities. We estimate mass-loss rates for the red supergiants, confirming the correlation with luminosity even at the metallicity of the SMC. Finally, we confirm the new class of stars displaying composite A and F type spectra, the sgB[e] nature of 2dFS1804 and find the F0 supergiant 2dFS3528 to be a candidate luminous blue variable with cold dust.

Cloud2IR: Infrared thermography and environmental sensors integrated in an autonomoussystem for long term monitoring of structures

Science.gov (United States)

Crinière, Antoine; Dumoulin, Jean; Mevel, Laurent; Andrade-Barroso, Guillermo

2016-04-01

Since late 2014, the project Cloud2SM aims to develop a robust information system able to assess the long term monitoring of civil engineering structures as well as interfacing various sensors and data. Cloud2SM address three main goals, the management of distributed data and sensors network, the asynchronous processing of the data through network and the local management of the sensors themselves [1]. Integrated to this project Cloud2IR is an autonomous sensor system dedicated to the long term monitoring of infrastructures. Past experimentations have shown the need as well as usefulness of such system [2]. Before Cloud2IR an initially laboratory oriented system was used, which implied heavy operating system to be used [3]. Based on such system Cloud2IR has benefited of the experimental knowledge acquired to redefine a lighter architecture based on generics standards, more appropriated to autonomous operations on field and which can be later included in a wide distributed architecture such as Cloud2SM. The sensor system can be divided in two parts. The sensor side, this part is mainly composed by the various sensors drivers themselves as the infrared camera, the weather station or the pyranometers and their different fixed configurations. In our case, as infrared camera are slightly different than other kind of sensors, the system implement in addition an RTSP server which can be used to set up the FOV as well as other measurement parameter considerations. The second part can be seen as the data side, which is common to all sensors. It instantiate through a generic interface all the sensors and control the data access loop (not the requesting). This side of the system is weakly coupled (see data coupling) with the sensor side. It can be seen as a general framework able to aggregate any sensor data, type or size and automatically encapsulate them in various generic data format as HDF5 or cloud data as OGC SWE standard. This whole part is also responsible of the

LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD DISTANCE AND STRUCTURE FROM NEAR-INFRARED RED CLUMP OBSERVATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koerwer, Joel F.

2009-01-01

We have applied the Infrared Survey Facility Magellanic Clouds Point-Source Catalog to the mapping of the red clump (RC) distance modulus across the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Using the J- (1.25 μm) and H- (1.63 μm) band data to derive a reddening free luminosity function and a theoretical RC absolute magnitude from stellar evolution libraries, we estimate a distance modulus to the LMC of μ = 18.54 ± 0.06. The best fitting plane inclination, i, and the position angle of the line of nodes, φ, have little dependence on the assumed RC absolute magnitude; we find i = 23. 0 5 ± 0. 0 4 and φ = 154. 0 6 ± 1. 0 2. It was also noted that many fields included a significant asymptotic giant branch bump population that must be accounted for.

Large Magellanic Cloud Distance and Structure from Near-Infrared Red Clump Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Koerwer, Joel F.

2009-07-01

We have applied the Infrared Survey Facility Magellanic Clouds Point-Source Catalog to the mapping of the red clump (RC) distance modulus across the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Using the J- (1.25 μm) and H- (1.63 μm) band data to derive a reddening free luminosity function and a theoretical RC absolute magnitude from stellar evolution libraries, we estimate a distance modulus to the LMC of μ = 18.54 ± 0.06. The best fitting plane inclination, i, and the position angle of the line of nodes, phi, have little dependence on the assumed RC absolute magnitude; we find i = 23fdg5 ± 0fdg4 and phi = 154fdg6 ± 1fdg2. It was also noted that many fields included a significant asymptotic giant branch bump population that must be accounted for.

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Base Height (CBH) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from IDPS

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a high quality operational Environmental Data Record (EDR) of Cloud Base Heights (CBH) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite...

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Cover Layer (CCL) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from IDPS

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a high quality Environmental Data Record (EDR) of Cloud Cover Layers (CCL) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)...

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Optical Thickness (COT) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from IDPS

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a high quality operational Environmental Data Record (EDR) of Cloud Optical Thickness (COT) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite...

The benefit of limb cloud imaging for infrared limb sounding of tropospheric trace gases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Heinemann

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Advances in detector technology enable a new generation of infrared limb sounders to measure 2-D images of the atmosphere. A proposed limb cloud imager (LCI mode will detect clouds with a spatial resolution unprecedented for limb sounding. For the inference of temperature and trace gas distributions, detector pixels of the LCI have to be combined into super-pixels which provide the required signal-to-noise and information content for the retrievals. This study examines the extent to which tropospheric coverage can be improved in comparison to limb sounding using a fixed field of view with the size of the super-pixels, as in conventional limb sounders. The study is based on cloud topographies derived from (a IR brightness temperatures (BT of geostationary weather satellites in conjunction with ECMWF temperature profiles and (b ice and liquid water content data of the Consortium for Small-scale Modeling-Europe (COSMO-EU of the German Weather Service. Limb cloud images are simulated by matching the cloud topography with the limb sounding line of sight (LOS. The analysis of the BT data shows that the reduction of the spatial sampling along the track has hardly any effect on the gain in information. The comparison between BT and COSMO-EU data identifies the strength of both data sets, which are the representation of the horizontal cloud extent for the BT data and the reproduction of the cloud amount for the COSMO-EU data. The results of the analysis of both data sets show the great advantage of the cloud imager. However, because both cloud data sets do not present the complete fine structure of the real cloud fields in the atmosphere it is assumed that the results tend to underestimate the increase in information. In conclusion, real measurements by such an instrument may result in an even higher benefit for tropospheric limb retrievals.

Evaluating the impact of above-cloud aerosols on cloud optical depth retrievals from MODIS

Science.gov (United States)

Alfaro, Ricardo

Using two different operational Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud optical depth (COD) retrievals (visible and shortwave infrared), the impacts of above-cloud absorbing aerosols on the standard COD retrievals are evaluated. For fine-mode aerosol particles, aerosol optical depth (AOD) values diminish sharply from the visible to the shortwave infrared channels. Thus, a suppressed above-cloud particle radiance aliasing effect occurs for COD retrievals using shortwave infrared channels. Aerosol Index (AI) from the spatially and temporally collocated Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to identify above-cloud aerosol particle loading over the southern Atlantic Ocean, including both smoke and dust from the African sub-continent. MODIS and OMI Collocated Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data are used to constrain cloud phase and provide contextual above-cloud AOD values. The frequency of occurrence of above-cloud aerosols is depicted on a global scale for the spring and summer seasons from OMI and CALIOP, thus indicating the significance of the problem. Seasonal frequencies for smoke-over-cloud off the southwestern Africa coastline reach 20--50% in boreal summer. We find a corresponding low COD bias of 10--20% for standard MODIS COD retrievals when averaged OMI AI are larger than 1.0. No such bias is found over the Saharan dust outflow region off northern Africa, since both MODIS visible and shortwave in channels are vulnerable to dust particle aliasing, and thus a COD impact cannot be isolated with this method. A similar result is found for a smaller domain, in the Gulf of Tonkin region, from smoke advection over marine stratocumulus clouds and outflow into the northern South China Sea in spring. This study shows the necessity of accounting for the above-cloud aerosol events for future studies using standard MODIS cloud products in biomass burning outflow regions, through the use of

AIRS/Aqua L2 Near Real Time (NRT) Cloud-Cleared Infrared Radiances (AIRS-only) V006 (AIRS2CCF_NRT) at GES DISC

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Level 2 Near Real Time (NRT) Cloud-Cleared Infrared Radiances (AIRS-only) product (AIRS2CCF_NRT_006) differs from the routine...

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Type and Phase Environmental Data Record (EDR) from NDE

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a high quality operational Environmental Data Record (EDR) of cloud type and phase from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)...

SPITZER SAGE INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF MASSIVE STARS IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonanos, A. Z.; Massa, D. L.; Sewilo, M.

2009-01-01

We present a catalog of 1750 massive stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), with accurate spectral types compiled from the literature, and a photometric catalog for a subset of 1268 of these stars, with the goal of exploring their infrared properties. The photometric catalog consists of stars with infrared counterparts in the Spitzer SAGE survey database, for which we present uniform photometry from 0.3 to 24 μm in the UBVIJHK s +IRAC+MIPS24 bands. The resulting infrared color-magnitude diagrams illustrate that the supergiant B[e], red supergiant, and luminous blue variable (LBV) stars are among the brightest infrared point sources in the LMC, due to their intrinsic brightness, and at longer wavelengths, due to dust. We detect infrared excesses due to free-free emission among ∼900 OB stars, which correlate with luminosity class. We confirm the presence of dust around 10 supergiant B[e] stars, finding the shape of their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) to be very similar, in contrast to the variety of SED shapes among the spectrally variable LBVs. The similar luminosities of B[e] supergiants (log L/L sun ≥ 4) and the rare, dusty progenitors of the new class of optical transients (e.g., SN 2008S and NGC 300 OT), plus the fact that dust is present in both types of objects, suggests a common origin for them. We find the infrared colors for Wolf-Rayet stars to be independent of spectral type and their SEDs to be flatter than what models predict. The results of this study provide the first comprehensive roadmap for interpreting luminous, massive, resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies at infrared wavelengths.

THE 'NESSIE' NEBULA: CLUSTER FORMATION IN A FILAMENTARY INFRARED DARK CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, James M.; Finn, Susanna C.; Chambers, Edward T.; Rathborne, Jill M.; Simon, Robert

2010-01-01

The 'Nessie' Nebula is a filamentary infrared dark cloud (IRDC) with a large aspect ratio of over 150:1 (1. 0 5 x 0. 0 01 or 80 pc x 0.5 pc at a kinematic distance of 3.1 kpc). Maps of HNC (1-0) emission, a tracer of dense molecular gas, made with the Australia Telescope National Facility Mopra telescope, show an excellent morphological match to the mid-IR extinction. Moreover, because the molecular line emission from the entire nebula has the same radial velocity to within ±3.4 km s -1 , the nebula is a single, coherent cloud and not the chance alignment of multiple unrelated clouds along the line of sight. The Nessie Nebula contains a number of compact, dense molecular cores which have a characteristic projected spacing of ∼4.5 pc along the filament. The theory of gravitationally bound gaseous cylinders predicts the existence of such cores, which, due to the 'sausage' or 'varicose' fluid instability, fragment from the cylinder at a characteristic length scale. If turbulent pressure dominates over thermal pressure in Nessie, then the observed core spacing matches theoretical predictions. We speculate that the formation of high-mass stars and massive star clusters arises from the fragmentation of filamentary IRDCs caused by the 'sausage' fluid instability that leads to the formation of massive, dense molecular cores. The filamentary molecular gas clouds often found near high-mass star-forming regions (e.g., Orion, NGC 6334, etc.) may represent a later stage of IRDC evolution.

The "Nessie" Nebula: Cluster Formation in a Filamentary Infrared Dark Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, James M.; Finn, Susanna C.; Chambers, Edward T.; Rathborne, Jill M.; Simon, Robert

2010-08-01

The "Nessie" Nebula is a filamentary infrared dark cloud (IRDC) with a large aspect ratio of over 150:1 (1fdg5 × 0fdg01 or 80 pc × 0.5 pc at a kinematic distance of 3.1 kpc). Maps of HNC (1-0) emission, a tracer of dense molecular gas, made with the Australia Telescope National Facility Mopra telescope, show an excellent morphological match to the mid-IR extinction. Moreover, because the molecular line emission from the entire nebula has the same radial velocity to within ±3.4 km s-1, the nebula is a single, coherent cloud and not the chance alignment of multiple unrelated clouds along the line of sight. The Nessie Nebula contains a number of compact, dense molecular cores which have a characteristic projected spacing of ~4.5 pc along the filament. The theory of gravitationally bound gaseous cylinders predicts the existence of such cores, which, due to the "sausage" or "varicose" fluid instability, fragment from the cylinder at a characteristic length scale. If turbulent pressure dominates over thermal pressure in Nessie, then the observed core spacing matches theoretical predictions. We speculate that the formation of high-mass stars and massive star clusters arises from the fragmentation of filamentary IRDCs caused by the "sausage" fluid instability that leads to the formation of massive, dense molecular cores. The filamentary molecular gas clouds often found near high-mass star-forming regions (e.g., Orion, NGC 6334, etc.) may represent a later stage of IRDC evolution.

Cloud top structure of Venus revealed by Subaru/COMICS mid-infrared images

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, T. M.; Sagawa, H.; Kouyama, T.; Mitsuyama, K.; Satoh, T.; Ohtsuki, S.; Ueno, M.; Kasaba, Y.; Nakamura, M.; Imamura, T.

2014-11-01

We have investigated the cloud top structure of Venus by analyzing ground-based images taken at the mid-infrared wavelengths of 8.66 μm and 11.34 μm. Venus at a solar phase angle of ∼90°, with the morning terminator in view, was observed by the Cooled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrometer (COMICS), mounted on the 8.2-m Subaru Telescope, during the period October 25-29, 2007. The disk-averaged brightness temperatures for the observation period are ∼230 K and ∼238 K at 8.66 μm and 11.34 μm, respectively. The obtained images with good signal-to-noise ratio and with high spatial resolution (∼200 km at the sub-observer point) provide several important findings. First, we present observational evidence, for the first time, of the possibility that the westward rotation of the polar features (the hot polar spots and the surrounding cold collars) is synchronized between the northern and southern hemispheres. Second, after high-pass filtering, the images reveal that streaks and mottled and patchy patterns are distributed over the entire disk, with typical amplitudes of ∼0.5 K, and vary from day to day. The detected features, some of which are similar to those seen in past UV images, result from inhomogeneities of both the temperature and the cloud top altitude. Third, the equatorial center-to-limb variations of brightness temperatures have a systematic day-night asymmetry, except those on October 25, that the dayside brightness temperatures are higher than the nightside brightness temperatures by 0-4 K under the same viewing geometry. Such asymmetry would be caused by the propagation of the migrating semidiurnal tide. Finally, by applying the lapse rates deduced from previous studies, we demonstrate that the equatorial center-to-limb curves in the two spectral channels give access to two parameters: the cloud scale height H and the cloud top altitude zc. The acceptable models for data on October 25 are obtained at H = 2.4-4.3 km and zc = 66-69 km; this supports

Near-infrared sources in the molecular cloud G35.2-0.74

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tapia, M.; Roth, M.; Persi, P.; Ferrari-Toniolo, M.

1985-01-01

Near-infrared (1-4 μm) observations of the molecular cloud G35.2-0.74 reveal the presence of four infrared sources in the vicinity of two previously reported centres of recent star formation. The northern part of G35.2-0.74 contains three point sources which are interpreted as highly obscured stars. Irs 1 coincides with H 2 O and OH maser sources and seems to be a very young early-type star. The southern part of G35.2-0.74 shows a diffuse 2.2-μm source with a flux distribution in the short-wavelength region compatible with free-free emission and a large excess at lambda > or approx. 3 μm attributed to warm dust mixed with the gas. These data are consistent with a fully developed HII region. (author)

MAGNETICALLY DOMINATED PARALLEL INTERSTELLAR FILAMENTS IN THE INFRARED DARK CLOUD G14.225-0.506

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Fábio P.; Busquet, Gemma; Girart, Josep Miquel; Franco, Gabriel A. P.; Zhang, Qizhou

2016-01-01

The infrared dark cloud G14.225-0.506 (IRDC G14.2) displays a remarkable complex of parallel dense molecular filaments projected on the plane of the sky. Previous studies of dust emission and molecular lines have speculated whether magnetic fields could have played an important role in the formation of such elongated structures, which are hosts to numerous young stellar sources. In this work we have conducted a vast polarimetric survey at optical and near-infrared wavelengths in order to study the morphology of magnetic field lines in IRDC G14.2 through the observation of background stars. The orientation of interstellar polarization, which traces magnetic field lines, is perpendicular to most of the filamentary features within the cloud. Additionally, the larger-scale molecular cloud as a whole exhibits an elongated shape also perpendicular to magnetic fields. Estimates of magnetic field strengths indicate values in the range 320–550 μ G, which allow sub-alfvénic conditions, but do not prevent the gravitational collapse of hub–filament structures, which in general are close to the critical state. These characteristics suggest that magnetic fields played the main role in regulating the collapse from large to small scales, leading to the formation of series of parallel elongated structures. The morphology is also consistent with numerical simulations that show how gravitational instabilities develop when subjected to strong magnetic fields. Finally, the results corroborate the hypothesis that strong support from internal magnetic fields might explain why the cloud seems to be contracting on a timescale 2–3 times longer than what is expected from a free-fall collapse.

MAGNETICALLY DOMINATED PARALLEL INTERSTELLAR FILAMENTS IN THE INFRARED DARK CLOUD G14.225-0.506

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Fábio P. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Busquet, Gemma; Girart, Josep Miquel [Institut de Ciències de l’Espai (CSIC-IEEC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, S/N E-08193 Bellaterra, Catalunya (Spain); Franco, Gabriel A. P. [Departamento de Física—ICEx—UFMG, Caixa Postal 702, 30.123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Zhang, Qizhou, E-mail: fabiops@northwestern.edu, E-mail: busquet@ice.cat, E-mail: girart@ice.cat, E-mail: franco@fisica.ufmg.br, E-mail: qzhang@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60, Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2016-12-01

The infrared dark cloud G14.225-0.506 (IRDC G14.2) displays a remarkable complex of parallel dense molecular filaments projected on the plane of the sky. Previous studies of dust emission and molecular lines have speculated whether magnetic fields could have played an important role in the formation of such elongated structures, which are hosts to numerous young stellar sources. In this work we have conducted a vast polarimetric survey at optical and near-infrared wavelengths in order to study the morphology of magnetic field lines in IRDC G14.2 through the observation of background stars. The orientation of interstellar polarization, which traces magnetic field lines, is perpendicular to most of the filamentary features within the cloud. Additionally, the larger-scale molecular cloud as a whole exhibits an elongated shape also perpendicular to magnetic fields. Estimates of magnetic field strengths indicate values in the range 320–550 μ G, which allow sub-alfvénic conditions, but do not prevent the gravitational collapse of hub–filament structures, which in general are close to the critical state. These characteristics suggest that magnetic fields played the main role in regulating the collapse from large to small scales, leading to the formation of series of parallel elongated structures. The morphology is also consistent with numerical simulations that show how gravitational instabilities develop when subjected to strong magnetic fields. Finally, the results corroborate the hypothesis that strong support from internal magnetic fields might explain why the cloud seems to be contracting on a timescale 2–3 times longer than what is expected from a free-fall collapse.

Simultaneous retrieval of water vapour, temperature and cirrus clouds properties from measurements of far infrared spectral radiance over the Antarctic Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Di Natale, Gianluca; Palchetti, Luca; Bianchini, Giovanni; Del Guasta, Massimo

2017-03-01

The possibility separating the contributions of the atmospheric state and ice clouds by using spectral infrared measurements is a fundamental step to quantifying the cloud effect in climate models. A simultaneous retrieval of cloud and atmospheric parameters from infrared wideband spectra will allow the disentanglement of the spectral interference between these variables. In this paper, we describe the development of a code for the simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric state and ice cloud parameters, and its application to the analysis of the spectral measurements acquired by the Radiation Explorer in the Far Infrared - Prototype for Applications and Development (REFIR-PAD) spectroradiometer, which has been in operation at Concordia Station on the Antarctic Plateau since 2012. The code performs the retrieval with a computational time that is comparable with the instrument acquisition time. Water vapour and temperature profiles and the cloud optical and microphysical properties, such as the generalised effective diameter and the ice water path, are retrieved by exploiting the 230-980 cm-1 spectral band. To simulate atmospheric radiative transfer, the Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) has been integrated with a specifically developed subroutine based on the δ-Eddington two-stream approximation, whereas the single-scattering properties of cirrus clouds have been derived from a database for hexagonal column habits. In order to detect ice clouds, a backscattering and depolarisation lidar, co-located with REFIR-PAD has been used, allowing us to infer the position and the cloud thickness to be used in the retrieval. A climatology of the vertical profiles of water vapour and temperature has been performed by using the daily radiosounding available at the station at 12:00 UTC. The climatology has been used to build an a priori profile correlation to constrain the fitting procedure. An optimal estimation method with the Levenberg-Marquardt approach has been

Combining Passive Microwave Rain Rate Retrieval with Visible and Infrared Cloud Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Shawn William

The relation between cloud type and rain rate has been investigated here from different approaches. Previous studies and intercomparisons have indicated that no single passive microwave rain rate algorithm is an optimal choice for all types of precipitating systems. Motivated by the upcoming Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), an algorithm which combines visible and infrared cloud classification with passive microwave rain rate estimation was developed and analyzed in a preliminary manner using data from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere-Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA-COARE). Overall correlation with radar rain rate measurements across five case studies showed substantial improvement in the combined algorithm approach when compared to the use of any single microwave algorithm. An automated neural network cloud classifier for use over both land and ocean was independently developed and tested on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The global classifier achieved strict accuracy for 82% of the test samples, while a more localized version achieved strict accuracy for 89% of its own test set. These numbers provide hope for the eventual development of a global automated cloud classifier for use throughout the tropics and the temperate zones. The localized classifier was used in conjunction with gridded 15-minute averaged radar rain rates at 8km resolution produced from the current operational network of National Weather Service (NWS) radars, to investigate the relation between cloud type and rain rate over three regions of the continental United States and adjacent waters. The results indicate a substantially lower amount of available moisture in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains than in the Midwest or in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Spitzer sage survey of the large magellanic cloud. II. Evolved stars and infrared color-magnitude diagrams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blum, R. D.; Mould, J. R.; Olsen, K. A.; Frogel, J. A.; Meixner, M.; Markwick-Kemper, F.; Indebetouw, R.; Whitney, B.; Meade, M.; Babler, B.; Churchwell, E. B.; Gordon, K.; Engelbracht, C.; For, B. -Q.; Misselt, K.; Vijh, U.; Leitherer, C.; Volk, K.; Points, S.; Reach, W.; Hora, J. L.; Bernard, J. -P.; Boulanger, F.; Bracker, S.; Cohen, M.; Fukui, Y.; Gallagher, J.; Gorjian, V.; Harris, J.; Kelly, D.; Kawamura, A.; Latter, W. B.; Madden, S.; Mizuno, A.; Mizuno, N.; Oey, M. S.; Onishi, T.; Paladini, R.; Panagia, N.; Perez-Gonzalez, P.; Shibai, H.; Sato, S.; Smith, L.; Staveley-Smith, L.; Tielens, A.G.G.M; Ueta, T.; Van Dyk, S.; Zaritsky, D.; Werner, M.J.

Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are presented for the Spitzer SAGE (Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution) survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). IRAC and MIPS 24 mu m epoch 1 data are presented. These data represent the deepest, widest mid-infrared CMDs of their kind ever produced in

Star Formation In Nearby Clouds (SFiNCs): X-Ray and Infrared Source Catalogs and Membership

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Getman, Konstantin V.; Broos, Patrick S.; Feigelson, Eric D.; Richert, Alexander J. W.; Ota, Yosuke [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Kuhn, Michael A. [Instituto de Fisica y Astronomia, Universidad de Valparaiso, Gran Bretana 1111, Playa Ancha, Valparaiso (Chile); Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, MAS (Chile); Bate, Matthew R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 4SB (United Kingdom); Garmire, Gordon P. [Huntingdon Institute for X-Ray Astronomy, LLC, 10677 Franks Road, Huntingdon, PA 16652 (United States)

2017-04-01

The Star Formation in Nearby Clouds (SFiNCs) project is aimed at providing a detailed study of the young stellar populations and of star cluster formation in the nearby 22 star-forming regions (SFRs) for comparison with our earlier MYStIX survey of richer, more distant clusters. As a foundation for the SFiNCs science studies, here, homogeneous data analyses of the Chandra X-ray and Spitzer mid-infrared archival SFiNCs data are described, and the resulting catalogs of over 15,300 X-ray and over 1,630,000 mid-infrared point sources are presented. On the basis of their X-ray/infrared properties and spatial distributions, nearly 8500 point sources have been identified as probable young stellar members of the SFiNCs regions. Compared to the existing X-ray/mid-infrared publications, the SFiNCs member list increases the census of YSO members by 6%–200% for individual SFRs and by 40% for the merged sample of all 22 SFiNCs SFRs.

Application of an automatic cloud tracking technique to Meteosat water vapor and infrared observations

Science.gov (United States)

Endlich, R. M.; Wolf, D. E.

1980-01-01

The automatic cloud tracking system was applied to METEOSAT 6.7 micrometers water vapor measurements to learn whether the system can track the motions of water vapor patterns. Data for the midlatitudes, subtropics, and tropics were selected from a sequence of METEOSAT pictures for 25 April 1978. Trackable features in the water vapor patterns were identified using a clustering technique and the features were tracked by two different methods. In flat (low contrast) water vapor fields, the automatic motion computations were not reliable, but in areas where the water vapor fields contained small scale structure (such as in the vicinity of active weather phenomena) the computations were successful. Cloud motions were computed using METEOSAT infrared observations (including tropical convective systems and midlatitude jet stream cirrus).

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Effective Particle Size (CEPS) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from IDPS

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a high quality operational Environmental Data Record (EDR) of Cloud Effective Particle Size (CEPS) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer...

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Height (Top and Base) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from NDE

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a high quality operational Environmental Data Record (EDR) of cloud height (top and base) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite...

An X-ray and infrared survey of the Lynds 1228 cloud core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skinner, Stephen L. [CASA, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0389 (United States); Rebull, Luisa [Spitzer Science Center/Caltech, M/S 220-6, 1200 East California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Güdel, Manuel, E-mail: stephen.skinner@colorado.edu, E-mail: rebull@ipac.caltech.edu, E-mail: manuel.guedel@univie.ac.at [Department of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstr. 17, A-1180 Vienna (Austria)

2014-04-01

The nearby Lynds 1228 (L1228) dark cloud at a distance of ∼200 pc is known to harbor several young stars including the driving sources of the giant HH 199 and HH 200 Herbig-Haro (HH) outflows. L1228 has previously been studied at optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths but not in X-rays. We present results of a sensitive 37 ks Chandra ACIS-I X-ray observation of the L1228 core region. Chandra detected 60 X-ray sources, most of which are faint (<40 counts) and non-variable. Infrared counterparts were identified for 53 of the 60 X-ray sources using archival data from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Object classes were assigned using mid-IR colors for those objects with complete photometry, most of which were found to have colors consistent with extragalactic background sources. Seven young stellar object candidates were identified including the class I protostar HH 200-IRS which was detected as a faint hard X-ray source. No X-ray emission was detected from the luminous protostar HH 199-IRS. We summarize the X-ray and infrared properties of the detected sources and provide IR spectral energy distribution modeling of high-interest objects including the protostars driving the HH outflows.

The Impact of Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) Cloud-Cleared Radiances on Hurricane Joaquin (2015) and Matthew (2016) Forecasts

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Pei; Li, Jun; Li, Zhenglong; Lim, Agnes H. N.; Li, Jinlong; Schmit, Timothy J.; Goldberg, Mitchell D.

2017-12-01

Hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounders provide high vertical resolution atmospheric sounding information that can improve the forecast skill in numerical weather prediction. Commonly, only clear radiances are assimilated, because IR sounder observations are highly affected by clouds. A cloud-clearing (CC) technique, which removes the cloud effects from an IR cloudy field of view (FOV) and derives the cloud-cleared radiances (CCRs) or clear-sky equivalent radiances, can be an alternative yet effective way to take advantage of the thermodynamic information from cloudy skies in data assimilation. This study develops a Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)-based CC method for deriving Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) CCRs under partially cloudy conditions. Due to the lack of absorption bands on VIIRS, two important quality control steps are implemented in the CC process. Validation using VIIRS clear radiances indicates that the CC method can effectively obtain the CrIS CCRs for FOVs with partial cloud cover. To compare the impacts from assimilation of CrIS original radiances and CCRs, three experiments are carried out on two storm cases, Hurricane Joaquin (2015) and Hurricane Matthew (2016), using Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation assimilation system and Weather Research and Forecasting-Advanced Research Version models. At the analysis time, more CrIS observations are assimilated when using CrIS CCRs than with CrIS original radiances. Comparing temperature, specific humidity, and U/V winds with radiosondes indicates that the data impacts are growing larger with longer time forecasts (beyond 72 h forecast). Hurricane track forecasts also show improvements from the assimilation of CrIS CCRs due to better weather system forecasts. The impacts of CCRs on intensity are basically neutral with mixed positive and negative results.

NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Nighttime Cloud Optical Microphysical Properties (NCOMP) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from NDE

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains a high quality Environmental Data Record (EDR) of nighttime cloud optical and microphysical properties (NCOMP) from the Visible Infrared...

A study of the stellar population in the Lynds 1641 dark cloud - deep near-infrared imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strom, K.M.; Margulis, M.; Strom, S.E.

1989-01-01

Deep H and K photometry of a selection of IRAS point sources in the L1641 cloud is presented. Using these data in combination with IRAS data and previously published near-infrared photometry for sources in this region, it is found that the L1641 cloud contains newly born stars embedded within cores of unusually large visual extinction. A comparison of the properties of cores in L1641 with those in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming complex reveals that L1641 contains cores with higher visual extinctions, larger ammonia (J, K) = (1, 1) line widths, greater kinetic temperatures, and probably higher optical depths at 100 microns than any cores in Taurus-Auriga. These results are qualitatively consistent with recent suggestions that the process of protostellar collapse in cores in the L1641 cloud is dominated by gravity while this process is dominated by magnetic fields in Taurus-Auriga. 20 refs

H2 spectroscopy as an agent for extinction determinations The near-infrared curve for the Orion molecular cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, D.S.; Larson, H.P.; Hofmann, R.; Arizona Univ., Tucson; Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik und Astrophysik, Garching, West Germany)

1986-01-01

A near-infrared (1.8 to 3.5) microns extinction curve for the Orion molecular cloud is presented. The curve is derived from high-resolution spectra of the Orion H2 source recorded from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The data reveal that the Orion extinction law is indistinguishable from a 1/lambda form in the near-infrared, except for strongly enhanced extinction near a wavelength of about 3 microns. The implications of these results, in the context of current interstellar grain models, are discussed. 53 references

Esclavitud y ética comercial en el siglo XVI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jörg Alejandro Tellkamp

2004-01-01

Full Text Available En varios tratados españoles del siglo XVI, la esclavitud como fenómeno social y comercial adquirió una importancia teórica cada vez mayor con respecto al estatus legal y moral de los seres humanos. El presente trabajo trata de esbozar algunos de los argumentos con respecto al comercio de esclavos y sus implicaciones morales y legales de acuerdo los autores Tomás de Mercado (1530-1576 y Bartolomé Frías de Albornoz (s. XVI, mostrando cómo la discusión se encaminó hacia la expresión de derechos individuales, sin, no obstante, superar el tradicional apego al concepto de esclavitud legal.

Submillimeter and far infrared line observations of M17 SW: A clumpy molecular cloud penetrated by UV radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Stutzki, J.; Stacey, G. J.; Genzel, R.; Harris, A. I.; Jaffe, d. T.; Lugten, J. B.

1987-01-01

Millimeter, submillimeter, and far infrared spectroscopic observations of the M17 SW star formation region are discussed. The results require the molecular cloud near the interface to be clumpy or filamentary. As a consequence, far ultraviolet radiation from the central OB stellar cluster can penetrate into the dense molecular cloud to a depth of several pc, thus creating bright and extended (CII) emission from the photodissociated surfaces of dense atomic and molecular clumps or sheets. The extended (CII) emission throughout the molecular cloud SW of the M17 complex has a level 20 times higher than expected from a single molecular cloud interface exposed to an ultraviolet radiation field typical of the solar neighborhood. This suggests that the molecular cloud as a whole is penetrated by ultraviolet radiation and has a clumpy or filamentary structure. The number of B stars expected to be embedded in the M17 molecular cloud probably can provide the UV radiation necessary for the extended (CII) emission. Alternatively, the UV radiation could be external, if the interstellar radiation in the vicinity of M17 is higher than in the solar neighborhood.

Infrared Spectroscopic Survey of the Quiescent Medium of Nearby Clouds. I. Ice Formation and Grain Growth in Lupus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boogert, A.; Chiar, J.; Knez, C.; Öberg, K.; Mundy, L.; Pendleton, Y.; Tielens, A.G.G.M.; Dishoeck, van E.F.

2013-01-01

Infrared photometry and spectroscopy (1-25 {$μ$}m) of background stars reddened by the Lupus molecular cloud complex are used to determine the properties of grains and the composition of ices before they are incorporated into circumstellar envelopes and disks. H$_{2}$O ices form at extinctions of A

Comparison of cloud optical depth and cloud mask applying BRDF model-based background surface reflectance

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, H. W.; Yeom, J. M.; Woo, S. H.

2017-12-01

Over the thin cloud region, satellite can simultaneously detect the reflectance from thin clouds and land surface. Since the mixed reflectance is not the exact cloud information, the background surface reflectance should be eliminated to accurately distinguish thin cloud such as cirrus. In the previous research, Kim et al (2017) was developed the cloud masking algorithm using the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), which is one of significant instruments for Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite (COMS). Although GOCI has 8 spectral channels including visible and near infra-red spectral ranges, the cloud masking has quantitatively reasonable result when comparing with MODIS cloud mask (Collection 6 MYD35). Especially, we noticed that this cloud masking algorithm is more specialized in thin cloud detections through the validation with Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) data. Because this cloud masking method was concentrated on eliminating background surface effects from the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. Applying the difference between TOA reflectance and the bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model-based background surface reflectance, cloud areas both thick cloud and thin cloud can be discriminated without infra-red channels which were mostly used for detecting clouds. Moreover, when the cloud mask result was utilized as the input data when simulating BRDF model and the optimized BRDF model-based surface reflectance was used for the optimized cloud masking, the probability of detection (POD) has higher value than POD of the original cloud mask. In this study, we examine the correlation between cloud optical depth (COD) and its cloud mask result. Cloud optical depths mostly depend on the cloud thickness, the characteristic of contents, and the size of cloud contents. COD ranges from less than 0.1 for thin clouds to over 1000 for the huge cumulus due to scattering by droplets. With

Estimating nocturnal opaque ice cloud optical depth from MODIS multispectral infrared radiances using a neural network method

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, Patrick; Hong, Gang; Sun-Mack, Szedung; Smith, William L.; Chen, Yan; Miller, Steven D.

2016-05-01

Retrieval of ice cloud properties using IR measurements has a distinct advantage over the visible and near-IR techniques by providing consistent monitoring regardless of solar illumination conditions. Historically, the IR bands at 3.7, 6.7, 11.0, and 12.0 µm have been used to infer ice cloud parameters by various methods, but the reliable retrieval of ice cloud optical depth τ is limited to nonopaque cirrus with τ < 8. The Ice Cloud Optical Depth from Infrared using a Neural network (ICODIN) method is developed in this paper by training Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) radiances at 3.7, 6.7, 11.0, and 12.0 µm against CloudSat-estimated τ during the nighttime using 2 months of matched global data from 2007. An independent data set comprising observations from the same 2 months of 2008 was used to validate the ICODIN. One 4-channel and three 3-channel versions of the ICODIN were tested. The training and validation results show that IR channels can be used to estimate ice cloud τ up to 150 with correlations above 78% and 69% for all clouds and only opaque ice clouds, respectively. However, τ for the deepest clouds is still underestimated in many instances. The corresponding RMS differences relative to CloudSat are ~100 and ~72%. If the opaque clouds are properly identified with the IR methods, the RMS differences in the retrieved optical depths are ~62%. The 3.7 µm channel appears to be most sensitive to optical depth changes but is constrained by poor precision at low temperatures. A method for estimating total optical depth is explored for estimation of cloud water path in the future. Factors affecting the uncertainties and potential improvements are discussed. With improved techniques for discriminating between opaque and semitransparent ice clouds, the method can ultimately improve cloud property monitoring over the entire diurnal cycle.

Infrared radiation from dark globules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, R.G.; Leung, C.M.

1978-01-01

Theoretical models are constructed by which to study the infrared emission from dark globules heated by the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). The effects of cloud parameters (grain type, optical depth, and density inhomogeneity) on the emergent spectrum and infrared surface brightnesses are studied. Compared with clouds which have internal heat sources, the emergent flux for globules is found to be at least a factor of 10 smaller and to peak at wavelengths 100 μm< or =lambda< or =130 μm for graphite clouds and 310 μm< or =lambda< or =550 μm for silicate clouds. Either limb brightening or limb darkening in the infrared can occur, which depends sensitively on the optical depth. For globules of moderate extinction (greater than approx.10 in the visible), significant infrared limb brightening occurs at wavelengths of grain emission (20 μm< or =lambda< or =600 μm). A physical interpretation of these results is presented. To help remove ambiguities from interpretations of future observations, the observable effects of a grain mixture, variation of the ISRF, as well as beam dilution are examined in detail. The presence of a second grain component alters the emergent spectrum significantly. For a variation of the ISRF within wide limits, the ratio of surface to central temperature (T/sub s//T/sub c/) of an optically thick cloud remains fairly constant (3< or approx. =T/sub s//T/sub c/< or approx. =4). Infrared limb brightening may be smoothed out by beam dilution as well as by density inhomogeneities. Finally, the expected flux densities in the infrared of a typical globule are presented for different beam sizes. The predicted fluxes are within the detection threshold of currently available infrared detectors, using either ground-based or balloon-borne telescopes

Infrared polarimetry of dark clouds. Pt. 1. Magnetic field structure in Heiles Cloud 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamura, Motohide; Nagata, Tetsuya; Sato, Shuji; Tanaka, Masuo

1987-01-15

The K-band polarization of 18 stars toward Heiles Cloud 2 in the Taurus dark cloud complex has been measured to investigate the structure of the magnetic field in this cloud. The observed polarization vectors are well aligned, with a mean position angle of approx. 50/sup 0/, which is perpendicular to the direction of the elongation of the cloud. This indicates that Heiles Cloud 2 has formed by contraction along the magnetic field, resulting in the flattened shape.

NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF Y DWARFS: LOW AMMONIA ABUNDANCE AND THE ONSET OF WATER CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leggett, S. K.; Morley, Caroline V.; Marley, M. S.; Saumon, D.

2015-01-01

We present new near-infrared photometry for seven late-type T dwarfs and nine Y-type dwarfs, and lower limit magnitudes for a tenth Y dwarf, obtained at Gemini Observatory. We also present a reanalysis of H-band imaging data from the Keck Observatory Archive, for an 11th Y dwarf. These data are combined with earlier MKO-system photometry, Spitzer and WISE mid-infrared photometry, and available trigonometric parallaxes, to create a sample of late-type brown dwarfs that includes 10 T9-T9.5 dwarfs or dwarf systems, and 16 Y dwarfs. We compare the data to our models, which include updated H 2 and NH 3 opacity, as well as low-temperature condensate clouds. The models qualitatively reproduce the trends seen in the observed colors; however, there are discrepancies of around a factor of two in flux for the Y0-Y1 dwarfs, with T eff ≈ 350-400 K. At T eff ∼ 400 K, the problems could be addressed by significantly reducing the NH 3 absorption, for example by halving the abundance of NH 3 possibly by vertical mixing. At T eff ∼ 350 K, the discrepancy may be resolved by incorporating thick water clouds. The onset of these clouds might occur over a narrow range in T eff , as indicated by the observed small change in 5 μm flux over a large change in J – W2 color. Of the known Y dwarfs, the reddest in J –W2 are WISEP J182831.08+265037.8 and WISE J085510.83–071442.5. We interpret the former as a pair of identical 300-350 K dwarfs, and the latter as a 250 K dwarf. If these objects are ∼3 Gyr old, their masses are ∼10 and ∼5 Jupiter-masses, respectively

[Could phimosis have been the cause of sexual difficulties and delayed fertility of Louis XVI (1754-1793)?].

Science.gov (United States)

Androutsos, Georges

2002-02-01

The great majority of historians agree that the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette was only consumated seven years after the official ceremony. This delay could have been due to a genital malformation (phimosis) of Louis XVI, a strict religious education, a traumatic childhood and the young age of the two spouses, factors that may have inhibited their sexuality. In this article, the authors try to determine whether Louis XVI was able to overcome his sexual difficulties following an operation (circumcision) or as a result of spontaneous cure.

MID-INFRARED SPECTRA OF TRANSITIONAL DISKS IN THE CHAMAELEON I CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, K. H.; Watson, Dan M.; Manoj, P.; Forrest, W. J.; Sargent, B.; McClure, M. K.; Green, J. D.; Harrold, Samuel T.; Furlan, E.; Najita, J.; Espaillat, C.; Calvet, N.; Luhman, K. L.

2009-01-01

We present 5-40 μm Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra of a collection of transitional disks, objects for which the spectral energy distribution (SED) indicates central clearings (holes) or gaps in the dust distribution, in the Chamaeleon I star-forming region. Like their counterparts in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region that we have previously observed, the spectra of these young objects (1-3 Myr old) reveal that the central clearings or gaps are very sharp-edged, and are surrounded by optically thick dusty disks similar to those around other classical T Tauri stars in the Chamaeleon I association. Also like the Taurus transitional disks, the Chamaeleon I transitional disks have extremely large depletion factors for small dust grains in their gaps, compared to the full accretion disks whose SEDs are represented by the median SED of Class II objects in the region. We find that the fraction of transitional disks in the Chamaeleon I cloud is somewhat higher than that in the Taurus-Auriga cloud, possibly indicating that the frequency of transitional disks, on average, increases with cluster age. We also find a significant correlation between the stellar mass and the radius of the outer edge of the gap. We discuss the disk structures implied by the spectra and the constraints they place on gap-formation mechanisms in protoplanetary disks.

Hierarchical fragmentation and differential star formation in the Galactic `Snake': infrared dark cloud G11.11-0.12

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Ke; Zhang, Qizhou; Testi, Leonardo; van der Tak, Floris; Wu, Yuefang; Zhang, Huawei; Pillai, Thushara; Wyrowski, Friedrich; Carey, Sean; Ragan, Sarah E.; Henning, Thomas

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) λ = 0.88 and 1.3 mm broad-band observations, and Very Large Array (VLA) observations in NH3 (J, K) = (1,1) up to (5,5), H2O and CH3OH maser lines towards the two most massive molecular clumps in infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G11.11-0.12. Sensitive high-resolution

THE ISLANDS PROJECT. I. ANDROMEDA XVI, AN EXTREMELY LOW MASS GALAXY NOT QUENCHED BY REIONIZATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monelli, Matteo; Martínez-Vázquez, Clara E.; Gallart, Carme; Hidalgo, Sebastian L.; Aparicio, Antonio [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Bernard, Edouard J. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Skillman, Evan D.; McQuinn, Kristen B. W. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street, SE Minneapolis, MN, 55455 (United States); Weisz, Daniel R. [Astronomy Department, Box 351580, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195 (United States); Dolphin, Andrew E. [Raytheon, 1151 E. Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85706 (United States); Cole, Andrew A. [School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart 7005, TAS (Australia); Martin, Nicolas F. [Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg, Universite de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l’Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Cassisi, Santi [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Collurania, Teramo (Italy); Boylan-Kolchin, Michael [INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Teramo, via M. Maggini, 64100 Teramo (Italy); Mayer, Lucio [Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); McConnachie, Alan [Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, National Research Council Canada, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Navarro, Julio F., E-mail: monelli@iac.es [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 1700, STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6 (Canada)

2016-03-10

Based on data aquired in 13 orbits of Hubble Space Telescope time, we present a detailed evolutionary history of the M31 dSph satellite Andromeda XVI, including its lifetime star formation history (SFH), the spatial distribution of its stellar populations, and the properties of its variable stars. And XVI is characterized by prolonged star formation activity from the oldest epochs until star formation was quenched ∼6 Gyr ago, and, notably, only half of the mass in stars of And XVI was in place 10 Gyr ago. And XVI appears to be a low-mass galaxy for which the early quenching by either reionization or starburst feedback seems highly unlikely, and thus it is most likely due to an environmental effect (e.g., an interaction), possibly connected to a late infall in the densest regions of the Local Group. Studying the SFH as a function of galactocentric radius, we detect a mild gradient in the SFH: the star formation activity between 6 and 8 Gyr ago is significantly stronger in the central regions than in the external regions, although the quenching age appears to be the same, within 1 Gyr. We also report the discovery of nine RR Lyrae (RRL) stars, eight of which belong to And XVI. The RRL stars allow a new estimate of the distance, (m − M){sub 0} = 23.72 ± 0.09 mag, which is marginally larger than previous estimates based on the tip of the red giant branch.

Sahara Dust Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Dust Particles Click on the image for Quicktime movie from 7/15-7/24 A continent-sized cloud of hot air and dust originating from the Sahara Desert crossed the Atlantic Ocean and headed towards Florida and the Caribbean. A Saharan Air Layer, or SAL, forms when dry air and dust rise from Africa's west coast and ride the trade winds above the Atlantic Ocean. These dust clouds are not uncommon, especially during the months of July and August. They start when weather patterns called tropical waves pick up dust from the desert in North Africa, carry it a couple of miles into the atmosphere and drift westward. In a sequence of images created by data acquired by the Earth-orbiting Atmospheric Infrared Sounder ranging from July 15 through July 24, we see the distribution of the cloud in the atmosphere as it swirls off of Africa and heads across the ocean to the west. Using the unique silicate spectral signatures of dust in the thermal infrared, AIRS can detect the presence of dust in the atmosphere day or night. This detection works best if there are no clouds present on top of the dust; when clouds are present, they can interfere with the signal, making it much harder to detect dust as in the case of July 24, 2005. In the Quicktime movie, the scale at the bottom of the images shows +1 for dust definitely detected, and ranges down to -1 for no dust detected. The plots are averaged over a number of AIRS observations falling within grid boxes, and so it is possible to obtain fractional numbers. [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Total Water Vapor in the Atmosphere Around the Dust Cloud Click on the image for Quicktime movie The dust cloud is contained within a dry adiabatic layer which originates over the Sahara Desert. This Saharan Air Layer (SAL) advances Westward over the Atlantic Ocean, overriding the cool, moist air nearer the surface. This burst of very dry air is visible in the AIRS retrieved total water

Cloud occurrences and cloud radiative effects (CREs) from CERES-CALIPSO-CloudSat-MODIS (CCCM) and CloudSat radar-lidar (RL) products

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Seung-Hee; Kato, Seiji; Rose, Fred G.; Winker, David; L'Ecuyer, Tristan; Mace, Gerald G.; Painemal, David; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan; Miller, Walter F.

2017-08-01

Two kinds of cloud products obtained from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), CloudSat, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are compared and analyzed in this study: Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)-CALIPSO-CloudSat-MODIS (CCCM) product and CloudSat radar-lidar products such as GEOPROF-LIDAR and FLXHR-LIDAR. Compared to GEOPROF-LIDAR, low-level (40°). The difference occurs when hydrometeors are detected by CALIPSO lidar but are undetected by CloudSat radar. In the comparison of cloud radiative effects (CREs), global mean differences between CCCM and FLXHR-LIDAR are mostly smaller than 5 W m-2, while noticeable regional differences are found. For example, CCCM shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) CREs are larger than FXLHR-LIDAR along the west coasts of Africa and America because the GEOPROF-LIDAR algorithm misses shallow marine boundary layer clouds. In addition, FLXHR-LIDAR SW CREs are larger than the CCCM counterpart over tropical oceans away from the west coasts of America. Over midlatitude storm-track regions, CCCM SW and LW CREs are larger than the FLXHR-LIDAR counterpart.

THE MID-INFRARED EXTINCTION LAW IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Jian; Jiang, B. W.; Xue, M. Y.; Li, Aigen

2013-01-01

Based on photometric data from the Spitzer/SAGE survey, using red giants as extinction tracers, the mid-infrared (MIR) extinction laws in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are derived for the first time in the form of A λ /A K S . This quantity refers to the extinction in the four Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands (i.e., [3.6], [4.5], [5.8], and [8.0] μm) relative to the Two Micron All Sky Survey K S band at 2.16 μm. We obtain the near-infrared extinction coefficient to be E(J – H)/E(H – K S ) ≈ 1.29 ± 0.04 and E(J – K S )/E(H – K S ) ≈ 1.94 ± 0.04. The wavelength dependence of the MIR extinction A λ /A K S in the LMC varies from one sightline to another. The overall mean MIR extinction is A [3.6] /A K S ∼0.72±0.03, A [4.5] /A K S ∼0.94±0.03, A [5.8] /A K S ∼0.58±0.04, and A [8.0] /A K S ∼0.62±0.05. Except for the extinction in the IRAC [4.5] μm band, which may be contaminated by the 4.6 μm CO gas absorption of red giants used to trace LMC extinction, the extinction in the other three IRAC bands show a flat curve, close to the Milky Way R V = 5.5 model extinction curve, where R V is the optical total-to-selective extinction ratio. The possible systematic bias caused by the correlated uncertainties of K S – λ and J – K S is explored in terms of Monte Carlo simulations. We find that this bias could lead to an overestimation of A λ /A K S in the MIR

Longwave indirect effect of mineral dusts on ice clouds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. Min

2010-08-01

Full Text Available In addition to microphysical changes in clouds, changes in nucleation processes of ice cloud due to aerosols would result in substantial changes in cloud top temperature as mildly supercooled clouds are glaciated through heterogenous nucleation processes. Measurements from multiple sensors on multiple observing platforms over the Atlantic Ocean show that the cloud effective temperature increases with mineral dust loading with a slope of +3.06 °C per unit aerosol optical depth. The macrophysical changes in ice cloud top distributions as a consequence of mineral dust-cloud interaction exert a strong cooling effect (up to 16 Wm⁻² of thermal infrared radiation on cloud systems. Induced changes of ice particle size by mineral dusts influence cloud emissivity and play a minor role in modulating the outgoing longwave radiation for optically thin ice clouds. Such a strong cooling forcing of thermal infrared radiation would have significant impacts on cloud systems and subsequently on climate.

Diffuse interstellar clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, J.H.

1987-01-01

The author defines and discusses the nature of diffuse interstellar clouds. He discusses how they contribute to the general extinction of starlight. The atomic and molecular species that have been identified in the ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared regions of the spectrum of a diffuse cloud are presented. The author illustrates some of the practical considerations that affect absorption line observations of interstellar atoms and molecules. Various aspects of the theoretical description of diffuse clouds required for a full interpretation of the observations are discussed

Discovery of a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatley, I.; Becklin, E.E.; Hyland, A.R.; Jones, T.J.

1981-01-01

A near infrared search of the H II region/molecular cloud complex N 159 in the Large Magellanic Cloud has revealed a very red (H-K = 2.1, K-L' = 2.7) compact object. The location, brightness, colour and 2.1 to 2.4 μm spectrum of this source suggest that it is very young, and similar to the galactic infrared 'protostars'. This is the first identification of an infrared protostar in an external galaxy. Its discovery provides direct evidence of current star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and suggests that regions of star formation in external galaxies will appear similar to those in the Milky Way. (author)

Physically-Retrieving Cloud and Thermodynamic Parameters from Ultraspectral IR Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Smith, William L., Sr.; Liu, Xu; Larar, Allen M.; Mango, Stephen A.; Huang, Hung-Lung

2007-01-01

A physical inversion scheme has been developed, dealing with cloudy as well as cloud-free radiance observed with ultraspectral infrared sounders, to simultaneously retrieve surface, atmospheric thermodynamic, and cloud microphysical parameters. A fast radiative transfer model, which applies to the clouded atmosphere, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. A one-dimensional (1-d) variational multi-variable inversion solution is used to improve an iterative background state defined by an eigenvector-regression-retrieval. The solution is iterated in order to account for non-linearity in the 1-d variational solution. It is shown that relatively accurate temperature and moisture retrievals can be achieved below optically thin clouds. For optically thick clouds, accurate temperature and moisture profiles down to cloud top level are obtained. For both optically thin and thick cloud situations, the cloud top height can be retrieved with relatively high accuracy (i.e., error < 1 km). NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed Interferometer (NAST-I) retrievals from the Atlantic-THORPEX Regional Campaign are compared with coincident observations obtained from dropsondes and the nadir-pointing Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). This work was motivated by the need to obtain solutions for atmospheric soundings from infrared radiances observed for every individual field of view, regardless of cloud cover, from future ultraspectral geostationary satellite sounding instruments, such as the Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) and the Hyperspectral Environmental Suite (HES). However, this retrieval approach can also be applied to the ultraspectral sounding instruments to fly on Polar satellites, such as the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the European MetOp satellite, the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on the NPOESS Preparatory Project and the following NPOESS series of satellites.

Organic Species in Infrared Dark Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Vasyunina, T.; Vasyunin, A. I.; Herbst, Eric; Linz, Hendrik; Voronkov, Maxim; Britton, Tui; Zinchenko, Igor; Schuller, Frederic

2014-01-01

It is currently assumed that infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest evolutionary stages of high-mass stars (>8 M ⊙). Submillimeter and millimeter-wave studies performed over the past 15 yr show that IRDCs possess a broad variety of properties, and hence a wide range of problems and questions that can be tackled. In this paper, we report an investigation of the molecular composition and chemical processes in two groups of IRDCs. Using the Mopra, APEX, and IRAM radio telescopes over the last four years, we have collected molecular line data for CO, H2CO, HNCO, CH3CCH, CH3OH, CH3CHO, CH3OCHO, and CH3OCH3. For all of these species we estimated molecular abundances. We then undertook chemical modeling studies, concentrating on the source IRDC028.34+0.06, and compared observed and modeled abundances. This comparison showed that to reproduce observed abundances of complex organic molecules, a zero-dimensional gas-grain model with constant physical conditions is not sufficient. We achieved greater success with the use of a warm-up model, in which warm-up from 10 K to 30 K occurs following a cold phase. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m Telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). This publication is based on data acquired with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX). APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, the European Southern Observatory, and the Onsala Space Observatory. The 22 m Mopra antenna is part of the Australia Telescope, which is funded by the Commonwealth of Australia for operations as a National Facility managed by CSIRO. The University of New South Wales Digital Filter Bank used for the observations with the Mopra Telescope was provided with support from the Australian Research Council.

The Sequential Growth of Star Formation Seeds in the Galactic Snake : Infrared Dark Cloud G11.11-0.12

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Ke; Zhang, Qizhou; Testi, Leonardo; Wu, Yuefang; Zhang, Huawei; van der Tak, Floris; Pillai, Thushara; Wyrowski, Friedrich; Carey, Sean; Ragan, Sarah; Henning, Thomas

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) 1.3 and 0.88 mm broad band observations, and Very Large Array (VLA) observations in NH3 (J,K) = (1,1) up to (5,5), as well as H2O and CH3OH maser lines toward the two most massive molecular clumps in Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC) G11.11-0.12, also known as the Snake

Globules, dark clouds, and low mass pre-main sequence stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyland, A.R.

1981-01-01

The current observational and theoretical literature on Bok globules and their relationship to star formation is reviewed. Recent observations of globules at optical, infrared, and far infrared wavelengths are shown to provide important constraints on their structure and evolutionary status, and the suggestion that many globules are gravitationally unstable is seriously questioned. Dark clouds associated with T associations are well-known sites of recent and continuing star formation. In recent years molecular observations and far infrared surveys have provided maps of such regions from which possible sites of star formation may be identified. Optical (Hα) and near infrared surveys have enabled a clear identification of pre-main sequence (PMS) objects within the clouds. Methods of distinguishing these from background objects and the nature of their infrared excesses are examined in the light of recent observations in the near and far infrared. The perennial question as to the existence of anomalous reddening within dark clouds is also investigated. (Auth.)

Comparing M31 and Milky Way satellites: The extended star formation histories of Andromeda II and Andromeda XVI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weisz, Daniel R. [Department of Astronomy, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Skillman, Evan D.; McQuinn, Kristen B. W. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States); Hidalgo, Sebastian L.; Monelli, Matteo; Gallart, Carme; Aparicio, Antonio [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Vía Láctea s/n., E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain); Dolphin, Andrew E. [Raytheon, 1151 E. Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85706 (United States); McConnachie, Alan; Stetson, Peter B. [Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Bernard, Edouard J. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Boylan-Kolchin, Michael [Astronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Cassisi, Santi [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Collurania, Teramo (Italy); Cole, Andrew A. [School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania (Australia); Ferguson, Henry C. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Irwin, Mike [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Martin, Nicolas F. [Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg, Universit de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l' Universit, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Mayer, Lucio [Institut für Theoretische Physik, University of Zurich, Zürich (Switzerland); Navarro, Julio F., E-mail: drw@ucsc.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, BC V8P 5C2 (Canada)

2014-07-01

We present the first comparison between the lifetime star formation histories (SFHs) of M31 and Milky Way (MW) satellites. Using the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we obtained deep optical imaging of Andromeda II (And II; M{sub V} = –12.0; log(M {sub *}/M {sub ☉}) ∼ 6.7) and Andromeda XVI (And XVI; M{sub V} = –7.5; log(M {sub *}/M {sub ☉}) ∼ 4.9) yielding color-magnitude diagrams that extend at least 1 mag below the oldest main-sequence turnoff, and are similar in quality to those available for the MW companions. And II and And XVI show strikingly similar SFHs: both formed 50%-70% of their total stellar mass between 12.5 and 5 Gyr ago (z ∼ 5-0.5) and both were abruptly quenched ∼5 Gyr ago (z ∼ 0.5). The predominance of intermediate age populations in And XVI makes it qualitatively different from faint companions of the MW and clearly not a pre-reionization fossil. Neither And II nor And XVI appears to have a clear analog among MW companions, and the degree of similarity in the SFHs of And II and And XVI is not seen among comparably faint-luminous pairs of MW satellites. These findings provide hints that satellite galaxy evolution may vary substantially among hosts of similar stellar mass. Although comparably deep observations of more M31 satellites are needed to further explore this hypothesis, our results underline the need for caution when interpreting satellite galaxies of an individual system in a broader cosmological context.

NEAR-INFRARED POLARIMETRY OF A NORMAL SPIRAL GALAXY VIEWED THROUGH THE TAURUS MOLECULAR CLOUD COMPLEX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemens, Dan P.; Cashman, L. R.; Pavel, M. D.

2013-01-01

Few normal galaxies have been probed using near-infrared polarimetry, even though it reveals magnetic fields in the cool interstellar medium better than either optical or radio polarimetry. Deep H-band (1.6 μm) linear imaging polarimetry toward Taurus serendipitously included the galaxy 2MASX J04412715+2433110 with adequate sensitivity and resolution to map polarization across nearly its full extent. The observations revealed the galaxy to be a steeply inclined (∼75°) disk type with a diameter, encompassing 90% of the Petrosian flux, of 4.2 kpc at a distance of 53 Mpc. Because the sight line passes through the Taurus Molecular Cloud complex, the foreground polarization needed to be measured and removed. The foreground extinction A V of 2.00 ± 0.10 mag and reddening E(H – K) of 0.125 ± 0.009 mag were also assessed and removed, based on analysis of Two Micron All Sky Survey, UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey, Spitzer, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry using the Near-Infrared Color Excess, NICE-Revisited, and Rayleigh-Jeans Color Excess methods. Corrected for the polarized foreground, the galaxy polarization values range from 0% to 3%. The polarizations are dominated by a disk-parallel magnetic field geometry, especially to the northeast, while either a vertical field or single scattering of bulge light produces disk-normal polarizations to the southwest. The multi-kiloparsec coherence of the magnetic field revealed by the infrared polarimetry is in close agreement with short-wavelength radio synchrotron observations of edge-on galaxies, indicating that both cool and warm interstellar media of disk galaxies may be threaded by common magnetic fields.

A SEARCH FOR DUST EMISSION IN THE LEO INTERGALACTIC CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bot, Caroline; Helou, George; Puget, Jeremie; Latter, William B.; Schneider, Stephen; Terzian, Yervant

2009-01-01

We present a search for infrared dust emission associated with the Leo cloud, a large intergalactic cloud in the M96 group. Mid-infrared and far-infrared images were obtained with the InfraRed Array Camera and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our analysis of these maps is done at each wavelength relative to the H I spatial distribution. We observe a probable detection at 8 μm and a marginal detection at 24 μm associated with the highest H I column densities in the cloud. At 70 and 160 μm, upper limits on the dust emission are deduced. The level of the detection is low so that the possibility of a fortuitous cirrus clump or of an overdensity of extragalactic sources along the line of sight cannot be excluded. If this detection is confirmed, the quantities of dust inferred imply a dust-to-gas ratio in the intergalactic cloud up to a few times solar but no less than 1/20 solar. A confirmed detection would therefore exclude the possibility that the intergalactic cloud has a primordial origin. Instead, this large intergalactic cloud could therefore have been formed through interactions between galaxies in the group.

Influences of cloud heterogeneity on cirrus optical properties retrieved from the visible and near-infrared channels of MODIS/SEVIRI for flat and optically thick cirrus clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Yongbo; Sun, Xuejin; Zhang, Riwei; Zhang, Chuanliang; Li, Haoran; Zhou, Junhao; Li, Shaohui

2017-01-01

The influences of three-dimensional radiative effects and horizontal heterogeneity effects on the retrieval of cloud optical thickness (COT) and effective diameter (De) for cirrus clouds are explored by the SHDOM radiative transfer model. The stochastic cirrus clouds are generated by the Cloudgen model based on the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program data. Incorporating a new ice cloud spectral model, we evaluate the retrieval errors for two solar zenith angles (SZAs) (30° and 60°), four solar azimuth angles (0°, 45°, 90°, and 180°), and two sensor settings (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) onboard Aqua and Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) onboard METEOSAT-8). The domain-averaged relative error of COT (μ) ranges from −24.1 % to -1.0 % (SZA = 30°) and from −11.6 % to 3.3 % (SZA = 60°), with the uncertainty within 7.5 % to –12.5 % (SZA = 30°) and 20.0 % - 27.5 % (SZA = 60°). For the SZA of 60° only, the relative error and uncertainty are parameterized by the retrieved COT by linear functions, providing bases to correct the retrieved COT and estimate their uncertainties. Besides, De is overestimated by 0.7–15.0 μm on the domain average, with the corresponding uncertainty within 6.7–26.5 μm. The retrieval errors show no discernible dependence on solar azimuth angle due to the flat tops and full coverage of the cirrus samples. The results are valid only for the two samples and for the specific spatial resolution of the radiative transfer simulations. - Highlights: • The retrieved cloud optical properties for 3-D cirrus clouds are evaluated. • The cloud optical thickness and uncertainty could be corrected and estimated. • On the domain average, the effective diameter of ice crystal is overestimated. • The optical properties show non-obvious dependence on the solar azimuth angle.

EVALUATION OF METHODS FOR COREGISTRATION AND FUSION OF RPAS-BASED 3D POINT CLOUDS AND THERMAL INFRARED IMAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Hoegner

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the automatic coregistration and fusion of 3d point clouds generated from aerial image sequences and corresponding thermal infrared (TIR images. Both RGB and TIR images have been taken from a RPAS platform with a predefined flight path where every RGB image has a corresponding TIR image taken from the same position and with the same orientation with respect to the accuracy of the RPAS system and the inertial measurement unit. To remove remaining differences in the exterior orientation, different strategies for coregistering RGB and TIR images are discussed: (i coregistration based on 2D line segments for every single TIR image and the corresponding RGB image. This method implies a mainly planar scene to avoid mismatches; (ii coregistration of both the dense 3D point clouds from RGB images and from TIR images by coregistering 2D image projections of both point clouds; (iii coregistration based on 2D line segments in every single TIR image and 3D line segments extracted from intersections of planes fitted in the segmented dense 3D point cloud; (iv coregistration of both the dense 3D point clouds from RGB images and from TIR images using both ICP and an adapted version based on corresponding segmented planes; (v coregistration of both image sets based on point features. The quality is measured by comparing the differences of the back projection of homologous points in both corrected RGB and TIR images.

A TEMPORAL MAP IN GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT: THE COVER ETCHING ON THE EchoStar XVI ARTIFACT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weisberg, Joel M., E-mail: jweisber@carleton.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057 (United States); Paglen, Trevor, E-mail: trevor@paglen.com

2012-10-01

Geostationary satellites are unique among orbital spacecraft in that they experience no appreciable atmospheric drag. After concluding their respective missions, geostationary spacecraft remain in orbit virtually in perpetuity. As such, they represent some of human civilization's longest lasting artifacts. With this in mind, the EchoStar XVI satellite, to be launched in fall 2012, will play host to a time capsule intended as a message for the deep future. Inspired in part by the Pioneer Plaque and Voyager Golden Records, the EchoStar XVI Artifact is a pair of gold-plated aluminum jackets housing a small silicon disk containing 100 photographs. The Cover Etching, the subject of this paper, is etched onto one of the two jackets. It is a temporal map consisting of a star chart, pulsar timings, and other information describing the epoch from which EchoStar XVI came. The pulsar sample consists of 13 rapidly rotating objects, 5 of which are especially stable, having spin periods <10 ms and extremely small spin-down rates. In this paper, we discuss our approach to the time map etched onto the cover and the scientific data shown on it, and we speculate on the uses that future scientists may have for its data. The other portions of the EchoStar XVI Artifact will be discussed elsewhere.

A TEMPORAL MAP IN GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT: THE COVER ETCHING ON THE EchoStar XVI ARTIFACT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weisberg, Joel M.; Paglen, Trevor

2012-01-01

Geostationary satellites are unique among orbital spacecraft in that they experience no appreciable atmospheric drag. After concluding their respective missions, geostationary spacecraft remain in orbit virtually in perpetuity. As such, they represent some of human civilization's longest lasting artifacts. With this in mind, the EchoStar XVI satellite, to be launched in fall 2012, will play host to a time capsule intended as a message for the deep future. Inspired in part by the Pioneer Plaque and Voyager Golden Records, the EchoStar XVI Artifact is a pair of gold-plated aluminum jackets housing a small silicon disk containing 100 photographs. The Cover Etching, the subject of this paper, is etched onto one of the two jackets. It is a temporal map consisting of a star chart, pulsar timings, and other information describing the epoch from which EchoStar XVI came. The pulsar sample consists of 13 rapidly rotating objects, 5 of which are especially stable, having spin periods <10 ms and extremely small spin-down rates. In this paper, we discuss our approach to the time map etched onto the cover and the scientific data shown on it, and we speculate on the uses that future scientists may have for its data. The other portions of the EchoStar XVI Artifact will be discussed elsewhere.

Relationships among cloud occurrence frequency, overlap, and effective thickness derived from CALIPSO and CloudSat merged cloud vertical profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Seiji; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Miller, Walter F.; Rose, Fred G.; Chen, Yan; Minnis, Patrick; Wielicki, Bruce A.

2010-01-01

A cloud frequency of occurrence matrix is generated using merged cloud vertical profiles derived from the satellite-borne Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and cloud profiling radar. The matrix contains vertical profiles of cloud occurrence frequency as a function of the uppermost cloud top. It is shown that the cloud fraction and uppermost cloud top vertical profiles can be related by a cloud overlap matrix when the correlation length of cloud occurrence, which is interpreted as an effective cloud thickness, is introduced. The underlying assumption in establishing the above relation is that cloud overlap approaches random overlap with increasing distance separating cloud layers and that the probability of deviating from random overlap decreases exponentially with distance. One month of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and CloudSat data (July 2006) support these assumptions, although the correlation length sometimes increases with separation distance when the cloud top height is large. The data also show that the correlation length depends on cloud top hight and the maximum occurs when the cloud top height is 8 to 10 km. The cloud correlation length is equivalent to the decorrelation distance introduced by Hogan and Illingworth (2000) when cloud fractions of both layers in a two-cloud layer system are the same. The simple relationships derived in this study can be used to estimate the top-of-atmosphere irradiance difference caused by cloud fraction, uppermost cloud top, and cloud thickness vertical profile differences.

Retrieval of Ice Cloud Properties Using Variable Phase Functions

Science.gov (United States)

Heck, Patrick W.; Minnis, Patrick; Yang, Ping; Chang, Fu-Lung; Palikonda, Rabindra; Arduini, Robert F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny

2009-03-01

An enhancement to NASA Langley's Visible Infrared Solar-infrared Split-window Technique (VISST) is developed to identify and account for situations when errors are induced by using smooth ice crystals. The retrieval scheme incorporates new ice cloud phase functions that utilize hexagonal crystals with roughened surfaces. In some situations, cloud optical depths are reduced, hence, cloud height is increased. Cloud effective particle size also changes with the roughened ice crystal models which results in varied effects on the calculation of ice water path. Once validated and expanded, the new approach will be integrated in the CERES MODIS algorithm and real-time retrievals at Langley.

Recent advances in infrared astronomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robson, E.I.

1980-01-01

A background survey is given of developments in infrared astronomy during the last decade. Advantages obtained in using infrared wavelengths to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and the detectors used for this work are considered. Infrared studies of, among other subjects, the stars, dust clouds, the centre of our galaxy and the 3k cosmic background radiation, are discussed. (UK)

THE MID-INFRARED EXTINCTION LAW IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Jian; Jiang, B. W.; Xue, M. Y. [Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Li, Aigen, E-mail: jiangao@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: bjiang@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: lia@missouri.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States)

2013-10-10

Based on photometric data from the Spitzer/SAGE survey, using red giants as extinction tracers, the mid-infrared (MIR) extinction laws in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are derived for the first time in the form of A{sub λ}/A{sub K{sub S}}. This quantity refers to the extinction in the four Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands (i.e., [3.6], [4.5], [5.8], and [8.0] μm) relative to the Two Micron All Sky Survey K{sub S} band at 2.16 μm. We obtain the near-infrared extinction coefficient to be E(J – H)/E(H – K{sub S} ) ≈ 1.29 ± 0.04 and E(J – K{sub S} )/E(H – K{sub S} ) ≈ 1.94 ± 0.04. The wavelength dependence of the MIR extinction A{sub λ}/A{sub K{sub S}} in the LMC varies from one sightline to another. The overall mean MIR extinction is A{sub [3.6]}/A{sub K{sub S}}∼0.72±0.03, A{sub [4.5]}/A{sub K{sub S}}∼0.94±0.03, A{sub [5.8]}/A{sub K{sub S}}∼0.58±0.04, and A{sub [8.0]}/A{sub K{sub S}}∼0.62±0.05. Except for the extinction in the IRAC [4.5] μm band, which may be contaminated by the 4.6 μm CO gas absorption of red giants used to trace LMC extinction, the extinction in the other three IRAC bands show a flat curve, close to the Milky Way R{sub V} = 5.5 model extinction curve, where R{sub V} is the optical total-to-selective extinction ratio. The possible systematic bias caused by the correlated uncertainties of K{sub S} – λ and J – K{sub S} is explored in terms of Monte Carlo simulations. We find that this bias could lead to an overestimation of A{sub λ}/A{sub K{sub S}} in the MIR.

CHARACTERIZING THE POPULATION OF BRIGHT INFRARED SOURCES IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraemer, K. E. [Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (United States); Sloan, G. C. [Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-6801 (United States); Wood, P. R. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston Creek ACT 2611 (Australia); Jones, O. C. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Egan, M. P., E-mail: kathleen.kraemer@bc.edu, E-mail: sloan@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: wood@mso.anu.edu.au, E-mail: michael.p.egan@nga.mil [National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, 7500 GEOINT Drive, Springfield, VA 22150 (United States)

2017-01-10

We have used the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope to observe stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) selected from the Point Source Catalog of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX). We concentrate on the dust properties of the oxygen-rich evolved stars. The dust composition has smaller contributions from alumina compared to the Galaxy. This difference may arise from the lower metallicity in the SMC, but it could be a selection effect, as the SMC sample includes more stars that are brighter and thus more massive. The distribution of the SMC stars along the silicate sequence looks more like the Galactic sample of red supergiants than asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs). While many of the SMC stars are definitively on the AGB, several also show evidence of hot bottom burning. Three of the supergiants show PAH emission at 11.3 μ m. Two other sources show mixed chemistry, with both carbon-rich and oxygen-rich spectral features. One, MSX SMC 134, may be the first confirmed silicate/carbon star in the SMC. The other, MSX SMC 049, is a candidate post-AGB star. MSX SMC 145, previously considered a candidate OH/IR star, is actually an AGB star with a background galaxy at z  = 0.16 along the same line of sight. We consider the overall characteristics of all the MSX sources, the most infrared-bright objects in the SMC, in light of the higher sensitivity and resolution of Spitzer , and compare them with the object types expected from the original selection criteria. This population represents what will be seen in more distant galaxies by the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ). Color–color diagrams generated from the IRS spectra and the mid-infrared filters on JWST show how one can separate evolved stars from young stellar objects (YSOs) and distinguish among different classes of YSOs.

CHARACTERIZING THE POPULATION OF BRIGHT INFRARED SOURCES IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraemer, K. E.; Sloan, G. C.; Wood, P. R.; Jones, O. C.; Egan, M. P.

2017-01-01

We have used the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope to observe stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) selected from the Point Source Catalog of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX). We concentrate on the dust properties of the oxygen-rich evolved stars. The dust composition has smaller contributions from alumina compared to the Galaxy. This difference may arise from the lower metallicity in the SMC, but it could be a selection effect, as the SMC sample includes more stars that are brighter and thus more massive. The distribution of the SMC stars along the silicate sequence looks more like the Galactic sample of red supergiants than asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs). While many of the SMC stars are definitively on the AGB, several also show evidence of hot bottom burning. Three of the supergiants show PAH emission at 11.3 μ m. Two other sources show mixed chemistry, with both carbon-rich and oxygen-rich spectral features. One, MSX SMC 134, may be the first confirmed silicate/carbon star in the SMC. The other, MSX SMC 049, is a candidate post-AGB star. MSX SMC 145, previously considered a candidate OH/IR star, is actually an AGB star with a background galaxy at z  = 0.16 along the same line of sight. We consider the overall characteristics of all the MSX sources, the most infrared-bright objects in the SMC, in light of the higher sensitivity and resolution of Spitzer , and compare them with the object types expected from the original selection criteria. This population represents what will be seen in more distant galaxies by the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ). Color–color diagrams generated from the IRS spectra and the mid-infrared filters on JWST show how one can separate evolved stars from young stellar objects (YSOs) and distinguish among different classes of YSOs.

A STATISTICAL STUDY OF THE MASS AND DENSITY STRUCTURE OF INFRARED DARK CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peretto, N.; Fuller, G. A.

2010-01-01

How and when the mass distribution of stars in the Galaxy is set is one of the main issues of modern astronomy. Here, we present a statistical study of mass and density distributions of infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and fragments within them. These regions are pristine molecular gas structures and progenitors of stars and so provide insights into the initial conditions of star formation. This study makes use of an IRDC catalog, the largest sample of IRDC column density maps to date, containing a total of ∼11,000 IRDCs with column densities exceeding N H 2 = 1x10 22 cm -2 and over 50,000 single-peaked IRDC fragments. The large number of objects constitutes an important strength of this study, allowing a detailed analysis of the completeness of the sample and so statistically robust conclusions. Using a statistical approach to assigning distances to clouds, the mass and density distributions of the clouds and the fragments within them are constructed. The mass distributions show a steepening of the slope when switching from IRDCs to fragments, in agreement with previous results of similar structures. IRDCs and fragments are divided into unbound/bound objects by assuming Larson's relation and calculating their virial parameter. IRDCs are mostly gravitationally bound, while a significant fraction of the fragments are not. The density distribution of gravitationally unbound fragments shows a steep characteristic slope such as ΔN/Δlog(n) ∝ n -4.0±0.5 , rather independent of the range of fragment mass. However, the incompleteness limit at a number density of ∼10 3 cm -3 does not allow us to exclude a potential lognormal density distribution. In contrast, gravitationally bound fragments show a characteristic density peak at n ≅ 10 4 cm -3 but the shape of the density distributions changes with the range of fragment masses. An explanation for this could be the differential dynamical evolution of the fragment density with respect to their mass as more massive

15N fractionation in infrared-dark cloud cores

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, S.; Jiménez-Serra, I.; Cosentino, G.; Viti, S.; Barnes, A. T.; Henshaw, J. D.; Caselli, P.; Fontani, F.; Hily-Blant, P.

2017-07-01

Context. Nitrogen is one of the most abundant elements in the Universe and its 14N/15N isotopic ratio has the potential to provide information about the initial environment in which our Sun formed. Recent findings suggest that the solar system may have formed in a massive cluster since the presence of short-lived radioisotopes in meteorites can only be explained by the influence of a supernova. Aims: We seek to determine the 14N/15N ratio towards a sample of cold and dense cores at the initial stages in their evolution. Methods: We observed the J = 1 → 0 transitions of HCN, H13CN, HC15N, HN13C, and H15NC towards a sample of 22 cores in four infrared-dark clouds (IRDCs) which are believed to be the precursors of high-mass stars and star clusters. Assuming LTE and a temperature of 15 K, the column densities of HCN, H13CN, HC15N, HN13C, and H15NC are calculated and their 14N/15N ratio is determined for each core. Results: The 14N/15N ratios measured in our sample of IRDC cores range between 70 and ≥763 in HCN and between 161 and 541 in HNC. These ratios are consistent with the terrestrial atmosphere (TA) and protosolar nebula (PSN) values, and with the ratios measured in low-mass prestellar cores. However, the 14N/15N ratios measured in cores C1, C3, F1, F2, and G2 do not agree with the results from similar studies towards the same cores using nitrogen bearing molecules with nitrile functional group (-CN) and nitrogen hydrides (-NH) although the ratio spread covers a similar range. Conclusions: Relatively low 14N/15N ratios amongst the four-IRDCs were measured in IRDC G which are comparable to those measured in small cosmomaterials and protoplanetary disks. The low average gas density of this cloud suggests that the gas density, rather than the gas temperature, may be the dominant parameter influencing the initial nitrogen isotopic composition in young PSN. The reduced spectra (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http

Development of methods for inferring cloud thickness and cloud-base height from satellite radiance data

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, William L., Jr.; Minnis, Patrick; Alvarez, Joseph M.; Uttal, Taneil; Intrieri, Janet M.; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Clothiaux, Eugene

1993-01-01

Cloud-top height is a major factor determining the outgoing longwave flux at the top of the atmosphere. The downwelling radiation from the cloud strongly affects the cooling rate within the atmosphere and the longwave radiation incident at the surface. Thus, determination of cloud-base temperature is important for proper calculation of fluxes below the cloud. Cloud-base altitude is also an important factor in aircraft operations. Cloud-top height or temperature can be derived in a straightforward manner using satellite-based infrared data. Cloud-base temperature, however, is not observable from the satellite, but is related to the height, phase, and optical depth of the cloud in addition to other variables. This study uses surface and satellite data taken during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase-2 Intensive Field Observation (IFO) period (13 Nov. - 7 Dec. 1991, to improve techniques for deriving cloud-base height from conventional satellite data.

Wide-field infrared survey explorer observations of young stellar objects in the Lynds 1509 dark cloud in Auriga

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Wilson M.; McCollum, Bruce; Fajardo-Acosta, Sergio [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 100-22, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Padgett, Deborah L. [National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Terebey, Susan; Angione, John [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032 (United States); Rebull, Luisa M. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Leisawitz, David, E-mail: wliu@ipac.caltech.edu [National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 605, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2014-06-01

The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has uncovered a striking cluster of young stellar object (YSO) candidates associated with the L1509 dark cloud in Auriga. The WISE observations, at 3.4 μm, 4.6 μm, 12 μm, and 22 μm, show a number of objects with colors consistent with YSOs, and their spectral energy distributions suggest the presence of circumstellar dust emission, including numerous Class I, flat spectrum, and Class II objects. In general, the YSOs in L1509 are much more tightly clustered than YSOs in other dark clouds in the Taurus-Auriga star forming region, with Class I and flat spectrum objects confined to the densest aggregates, and Class II objects more sparsely distributed. We estimate a most probable distance of 485-700 pc, and possibly as far as the previously estimated distance of 2 kpc.

Single-footprint retrievals of temperature, water vapor and cloud properties from AIRS

Science.gov (United States)

Irion, Fredrick W.; Kahn, Brian H.; Schreier, Mathias M.; Fetzer, Eric J.; Fishbein, Evan; Fu, Dejian; Kalmus, Peter; Wilson, R. Chris; Wong, Sun; Yue, Qing

2018-02-01

Single-footprint Atmospheric Infrared Sounder spectra are used in an optimal estimation-based algorithm (AIRS-OE) for simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric temperature, water vapor, surface temperature, cloud-top temperature, effective cloud optical depth and effective cloud particle radius. In a departure from currently operational AIRS retrievals (AIRS V6), cloud scattering and absorption are in the radiative transfer forward model and AIRS single-footprint thermal infrared data are used directly rather than cloud-cleared spectra (which are calculated using nine adjacent AIRS infrared footprints). Coincident MODIS cloud data are used for cloud a priori data. Using single-footprint spectra improves the horizontal resolution of the AIRS retrieval from ˜ 45 to ˜ 13.5 km at nadir, but as microwave data are not used, the retrieval is not made at altitudes below thick clouds. An outline of the AIRS-OE retrieval procedure and information content analysis is presented. Initial comparisons of AIRS-OE to AIRS V6 results show increased horizontal detail in the water vapor and relative humidity fields in the free troposphere above the clouds. Initial comparisons of temperature, water vapor and relative humidity profiles with coincident radiosondes show good agreement. Future improvements to the retrieval algorithm, and to the forward model in particular, are discussed.

Microscopic dust in the infrared sky

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leene, A.; Wesselius, P.

1985-01-01

After ten months of observation IRAS (InfraRed Astronomical Satellite) revealed for the first time an infrared sky map. One of its major discovery has been the display of new constituents in Universe: the infrared cirrus which are interstellar clouds constituted of microparticles abounding in carbon. Results and first hypothesis are presented in this article [fr

Modeling the Infrared Reverberation Response of the Circumnuclear Dusty Torus in AGNs: The Effects of Cloud Orientation and Anisotropic Illumination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeyda, Triana; Robinson, Andrew; Richmond, Michael; Vazquez, Billy; Nikutta, Robert

2017-01-01

The obscuring circumnuclear torus of dusty molecular gas is one of the major components of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The torus can be studied by analyzing the time response of its infrared (IR) dust emission to variations in the AGN continuum luminosity, a technique known as reverberation mapping. The IR response is the convolution of the AGN ultraviolet/optical light curve with a transfer function that contains information about the size, geometry, and structure of the torus. Here, we describe a new computer model that simulates the reverberation response of a clumpy torus. Given an input optical light curve, the code computes the emission of a 3D ensemble of dust clouds as a function of time at selected IR wavelengths, taking into account light travel delays. We present simulated dust emission responses at 3.6, 4.5, and 30 μ m that explore the effects of various geometrical and structural properties, dust cloud orientation, and anisotropy of the illuminating radiation field. We also briefly explore the effects of cloud shadowing (clouds are shielded from the AGN continuum source). Example synthetic light curves have also been generated, using the observed optical light curve of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6418 as input. The torus response is strongly wavelength-dependent, due to the gradient in cloud surface temperature within the torus, and because the cloud emission is strongly anisotropic at shorter wavelengths. Anisotropic illumination of the torus also significantly modifies the torus response, reducing the lag between the IR and optical variations.

Modeling the Infrared Reverberation Response of the Circumnuclear Dusty Torus in AGNs: The Effects of Cloud Orientation and Anisotropic Illumination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeyda, Triana; Robinson, Andrew; Richmond, Michael; Vazquez, Billy [School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States); Nikutta, Robert, E-mail: tra3595@rit.edu [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States)

2017-07-01

The obscuring circumnuclear torus of dusty molecular gas is one of the major components of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The torus can be studied by analyzing the time response of its infrared (IR) dust emission to variations in the AGN continuum luminosity, a technique known as reverberation mapping. The IR response is the convolution of the AGN ultraviolet/optical light curve with a transfer function that contains information about the size, geometry, and structure of the torus. Here, we describe a new computer model that simulates the reverberation response of a clumpy torus. Given an input optical light curve, the code computes the emission of a 3D ensemble of dust clouds as a function of time at selected IR wavelengths, taking into account light travel delays. We present simulated dust emission responses at 3.6, 4.5, and 30 μ m that explore the effects of various geometrical and structural properties, dust cloud orientation, and anisotropy of the illuminating radiation field. We also briefly explore the effects of cloud shadowing (clouds are shielded from the AGN continuum source). Example synthetic light curves have also been generated, using the observed optical light curve of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6418 as input. The torus response is strongly wavelength-dependent, due to the gradient in cloud surface temperature within the torus, and because the cloud emission is strongly anisotropic at shorter wavelengths. Anisotropic illumination of the torus also significantly modifies the torus response, reducing the lag between the IR and optical variations.

Retrieval of Ice Cloud Properties Using an Optimal Estimation Algorithm and MODIS Infrared Observations. Part I: Forward Model, Error Analysis, and Information Content

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2016-01-01

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness (tau), effective radius (r(sub eff)), and cloud top height (h). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary data sets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available.

Retrieval of ice cloud properties using an optimal estimation algorithm and MODIS infrared observations. Part I: Forward model, error analysis, and information content

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2018-01-01

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness (τ), effective radius (reff), and cloud-top height (h). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary datasets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that, for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available. PMID:29707470

Multilayer Cloud Detection with the MODIS Near-Infrared Water Vapor Absorption Band

Science.gov (United States)

Wind, Galina; Platnick, Steven; King, Michael D.; Hubanks, Paul A,; Pavolonis, Michael J.; Heidinger, Andrew K.; Yang, Ping; Baum, Bryan A.

2009-01-01

Data Collection 5 processing for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the NASA Earth Observing System EOS Terra and Aqua spacecraft includes an algorithm for detecting multilayered clouds in daytime. The main objective of this algorithm is to detect multilayered cloud scenes, specifically optically thin ice cloud overlying a lower-level water cloud, that presents difficulties for retrieving cloud effective radius using single layer plane-parallel cloud models. The algorithm uses the MODIS 0.94 micron water vapor band along with CO2 bands to obtain two above-cloud precipitable water retrievals, the difference of which, in conjunction with additional tests, provides a map of where multilayered clouds might potentially exist. The presence of a multilayered cloud results in a large difference in retrievals of above-cloud properties between the CO2 and the 0.94 micron methods. In this paper the MODIS multilayered cloud algorithm is described, results of using the algorithm over example scenes are shown, and global statistics for multilayered clouds as observed by MODIS are discussed. A theoretical study of the algorithm behavior for simulated multilayered clouds is also given. Results are compared to two other comparable passive imager methods. A set of standard cloudy atmospheric profiles developed during the course of this investigation is also presented. The results lead to the conclusion that the MODIS multilayer cloud detection algorithm has some skill in identifying multilayered clouds with different thermodynamic phases

The Role of Emissivity in the Detection of Arctic Night Clouds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filomena Romano

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Detection of clouds over polar areas from satellite radiometric measurements in the visible and IR atmospheric window region is rather difficult because of the high albedo of snow, possible ice covered surfaces, very low humidity, and the usual presence of atmospheric temperature inversion. Cold and highly reflective polar surfaces provide little thermal and visible contrast between clouds and the background surface. Moreover, due to the presence of temperature inversion, clouds are not always identifiable as being colder than the background. In addition, low humidity often causes polar clouds to be optically thin. Finally, polar clouds are usually composed of a mixture of ice and water, which leads to an unclear spectral signature. Single and bi-spectral threshold methods are sometimes inappropriate due to a large variability of surface emissivity and cloud conditions. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the crucial role played by surface emissivity in the detection of polar winter clouds and the potential improvement offered by infrared hyperspectral observations, such as from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI. In this paper a new approach for cloud detection is proposed and validated exploiting active measurements from satellite sensors, i.e., the CloudSat cloud profiling radar (CPR and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP on board the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO. For a homogenous IASI field of view (FOVs, the proposed cloud detection scheme tallies with the combined CPR and CALIOP product in classifying 98.11% of the FOVs as cloudy and also classifies 97.54% of the FOVs as clear. The Hansen Kuipers discriminant reaches 0.95.

Integrated cloud-aerosol-radiation product using CERES, MODIS, CALIPSO, and CloudSat data

Science.gov (United States)

Sun-Mack, Sunny; Minnis, Patrick; Chen, Yan; Gibson, Sharon; Yi, Yuhong; Trepte, Qing; Wielicki, Bruce; Kato, Seiji; Winker, Dave; Stephens, Graeme; Partain, Philip

2007-10-01

This paper documents the development of the first integrated data set of global vertical profiles of clouds, aerosols, and radiation using the combined NASA A-Train data from the Aqua Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO), and CloudSat. As part of this effort, cloud data from the CALIPSO lidar and the CloudSat radar are merged with the integrated column cloud properties from the CERES-MODIS analyses. The active and passive datasets are compared to determine commonalities and differences in order to facilitate the development of a 3-dimensional cloud and aerosol dataset that will then be integrated into the CERES broadband radiance footprint. Preliminary results from the comparisons for April 2007 reveal that the CERES-MODIS global cloud amounts are, on average, 0.14 less and 0.15 greater than those from CALIPSO and CloudSat, respectively. These new data will provide unprecedented ability to test and improve global cloud and aerosol models, to investigate aerosol direct and indirect radiative forcing, and to validate the accuracy of global aerosol, cloud, and radiation data sets especially in polar regions and for multi-layered cloud conditions.

Spitzer SAGE-Spec: Near infrared spectroscopy, dust shells, and cool envelopes in extreme Large Magellanic Cloud asymptotic giant branch stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blum, R. D. [NOAO, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Srinivasan, S.; Kemper, F.; Ling, B. [Academia Sinica, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building, NTU/AS, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Volk, K. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2014-11-01

K-band spectra are presented for a sample of 39 Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) SAGE-Spec sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The spectra exhibit characteristics in very good agreement with their positions in the near-infrared—Spitzer color-magnitude diagrams and their properties as deduced from the Spitzer IRS spectra. Specifically, the near-infrared spectra show strong atomic and molecular features representative of oxygen-rich and carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars, respectively. A small subset of stars was chosen from the luminous and red extreme ''tip'' of the color-magnitude diagram. These objects have properties consistent with dusty envelopes but also cool, carbon-rich ''stellar'' cores. Modest amounts of dust mass loss combine with the stellar spectral energy distribution to make these objects appear extreme in their near-infrared and mid-infrared colors. One object in our sample, HV 915, a known post-asymptotic giant branch star of the RV Tau type, exhibits CO 2.3 μm band head emission consistent with previous work that demonstrates that the object has a circumstellar disk.

Spitzer SAGE-Spec: Near infrared spectroscopy, dust shells, and cool envelopes in extreme Large Magellanic Cloud asymptotic giant branch stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, R. D.; Srinivasan, S.; Kemper, F.; Ling, B.; Volk, K.

2014-01-01

K-band spectra are presented for a sample of 39 Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) SAGE-Spec sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The spectra exhibit characteristics in very good agreement with their positions in the near-infrared—Spitzer color-magnitude diagrams and their properties as deduced from the Spitzer IRS spectra. Specifically, the near-infrared spectra show strong atomic and molecular features representative of oxygen-rich and carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars, respectively. A small subset of stars was chosen from the luminous and red extreme ''tip'' of the color-magnitude diagram. These objects have properties consistent with dusty envelopes but also cool, carbon-rich ''stellar'' cores. Modest amounts of dust mass loss combine with the stellar spectral energy distribution to make these objects appear extreme in their near-infrared and mid-infrared colors. One object in our sample, HV 915, a known post-asymptotic giant branch star of the RV Tau type, exhibits CO 2.3 μm band head emission consistent with previous work that demonstrates that the object has a circumstellar disk.

Spectral Irradiance Calibration in the Infrared. XVI. Improved Accuracy in the Infrared Spectra of the Secondary and Tertiary Standard Calibration Stars

Science.gov (United States)

2006-10-01

resolution ( AlA ). -, 400) spectroscopy obtained on infrared standard stars by the Short Wavelength Spectrometer on the Infrared Space Observatory with high...1995): 2.1-2.4 pm Strecker et al. (1979): 1.22-2.4 pm 6 See http://vizier.hia.nrc.ca/viz-bin/VizieR. REFERENCES Alonso, A., Salaris, M., Arribas , S...Haddock, D. J., Arribas , S., Leggett, S. K., & Mountain, C. M. 1988, A&AS, 74, 127

Investigation of the accuracy of MV radiation isocentre calculations in the Elekta cone-beam CT software XVI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zimmermann, S. J.; Rowshanfarzad, P.; Ebert, M. A.

2015-01-01

) and the radiation field centre (RFC) is calculated. A software package was developed for accurate calculation of the linac isocentre position. This requires precise determination of the position of the ball bearing and the RFC. Results: Data were acquired for 6 MV, 18 MV and flattening filter free (FFF) 6 MV FFF...... radiation isocentre prior to routine use of the cone-beam CT system. The isocentre determination method used in the XVI software is not available to users. The aim of this work is to perform an independent evaluation of the Elekta XVI 4.5 software for isocentre verification with focus on the robustness...... iView GT software. Two images were acquired at each cardinal gantry angle (-180o, -90o , 0o, 90o) at two opposing collimator angles. The images were exported to the conebeam CT software XVI 4.5 where the difference between the ball bearing position in the XYZ-room coordinates (IEC61217...

Far-infrared spectroscopy of neutral interstellar clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, D.M.

1984-01-01

A summary is presented of airborne observations of the far-infrared fine structure lines of neutral atomic oxygen and singly-ionized carbon, and of the far-infrared rotational lines of CO, OH, NH 3 and HD, together with a brief description of the analysis and interpretation of the spectra. The 'state of the art' in instrument performance and the prospects for improved sensitivity and resolution are also surveyed. (Auth.)

Evaluation of Satellite-Based Upper Troposphere Cloud Top Height Retrievals in Multilayer Cloud Conditions During TC4

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Fu-Lung; Minnis, Patrick; Ayers, J. Kirk; McGill, Matthew J.; Palikonda, Rabindra; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Smith, William L., Jr.; Yost, Christopher R.

2010-01-01

Upper troposphere cloud top heights (CTHs), restricted to cloud top pressures (CTPs) less than 500 hPa, inferred using four satellite retrieval methods applied to Twelfth Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) data are evaluated using measurements during the July August 2007 Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC4). The four methods are the single-layer CO2-absorption technique (SCO2AT), a modified CO2-absorption technique (MCO2AT) developed for improving both single-layered and multilayered cloud retrievals, a standard version of the Visible Infrared Solar-infrared Split-window Technique (old VISST), and a new version of VISST (new VISST) recently developed to improve cloud property retrievals. They are evaluated by comparing with ER-2 aircraft-based Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) data taken during 9 days having extensive upper troposphere cirrus, anvil, and convective clouds. Compared to the 89% coverage by upper tropospheric clouds detected by the CPL, the SCO2AT, MCO2AT, old VISST, and new VISST retrieved CTPs less than 500 hPa in 76, 76, 69, and 74% of the matched pixels, respectively. Most of the differences are due to subvisible and optically thin cirrus clouds occurring near the tropopause that were detected only by the CPL. The mean upper tropospheric CTHs for the 9 days are 14.2 (+/- 2.1) km from the CPL and 10.7 (+/- 2.1), 12.1 (+/- 1.6), 9.7 (+/- 2.9), and 11.4 (+/- 2.8) km from the SCO2AT, MCO2AT, old VISST, and new VISST, respectively. Compared to the CPL, the MCO2AT CTHs had the smallest mean biases for semitransparent high clouds in both single-layered and multilayered situations whereas the new VISST CTHs had the smallest mean biases when upper clouds were opaque and optically thick. The biases for all techniques increased with increasing numbers of cloud layers. The transparency of the upper layer clouds tends to increase with the numbers of cloud layers.

Star formation in the Monoceros OB1 dark cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Margulis, M.S.

1987-01-01

A survey of the Monoceros OB1 dark cloud was made for molecular outflows and young stellar objects. In all, nine molecular outflows and thirty far-infrared sources were identified in a portion of the cloud composed of about 3 x 10 4 M of material. Statistical arguments suggest that 90% of the far-infrared sources actually are young stellar objects embedded in the cloud. If the star formation rate in the Mon OB1 cloud is roughly constant with time, then molecular outflows in the cloud should be able to support it against collapse due to gravity. This suggests that the birthrate of outflows in the solar neighborhood is very high. In fact, regardless of considerations of cloud support, the large number of outflows identified in the Mon OB1 cloud and the propensity of the youngest stellar objects in the cloud to be associated with outflows suggest that outflows have a high birthrate in the solar neighborhood and are part of a common stage in early stellar evolution. The young stellar objects identified in the cloud can be fit into a spectral classification system. Also, the outflow phase in early stellar evolution tends to occur at about the time that young stellar objects lose a large fraction of their circumstellar envelopes

ICES IN THE QUIESCENT IC 5146 DENSE CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiar, J. E.; Pendleton, Y. J.; Allamandola, L. J.; Ennico, K.; Greene, T. P.; Roellig, T. L.; Sandford, S. A.; Boogert, A. C. A.; Geballe, T. R.; Mason, R. E.; Keane, J. V.; Lada, C. J.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Werner, M. W.; Whittet, D. C. B.; Decin, L.; Eriksson, K.

2011-01-01

This paper presents spectra in the 2 to 20 μm range of quiescent cloud material located in the IC 5146 cloud complex. The spectra were obtained with NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX instrument and the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Spectrometer. We use these spectra to investigate dust and ice absorption features in pristine regions of the cloud that are unaltered by embedded stars. We find that the H 2 O-ice threshold extinction is 4.03 ± 0.05 mag. Once foreground extinction is taken into account, however, the threshold drops to 3.2 mag, equivalent to that found for the Taurus dark cloud, generally assumed to be the touchstone quiescent cloud against which all other dense cloud and embedded young stellar object observations are compared. Substructure in the trough of the silicate band for two sources is attributed to CH 3 OH and NH 3 in the ices, present at the ∼2% and ∼5% levels, respectively, relative to H 2 O-ice. The correlation of the silicate feature with the E(J - K) color excess is found to follow a much shallower slope relative to lines of sight that probe diffuse clouds, supporting the previous results by Chiar et al.

Tissue distribution and developmental expression of type XVI collagen in the mouse.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, C H; Chu, M L

1996-04-01

The expression of a recently identified collagen, alpha 1 (XVI), in adult mouse tissue and developing mouse embryo was examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. A polyclonal antiserum was raised against a recombinant fusion protein, which contained a segment of 161 amino acids in the N-terminal noncollagenous domain of the human alpha 1 (XVI) collagen. Immunoprecipitation of metabolically labelled human or mouse fibroblast cell lysates with this antibody revealed a major, bacterial collagenase sensitive polypeptide of approximately 210 kDa. The size agrees with the prediction from the full-length cDNA. Immunofluorescence examination of adult mouse tissues using the affinity purified antibody revealed a rather broad distribution of the protein. The heart, kidney, intestine, ovary, testis, eye, arterial walls and smooth muscles all exhibited significant levels of expression, while the skeletal muscle, lung and brain showed very restricted and low signals. During development, no significant expression of the mRNA or protein was observed in embryo of day 8 of gestation, but strong signals was detected in placental trophoblasts. Expression in embryos was detectable first after day 11 of gestation with weak positive signals appearing in the heart. In later stages of development, stronger RNA hybridizations were observed in a variety of tissues, particularly in atrial and ventricular walls of the developing heart, spinal root neural fibers and skin. These data demonstrate that type XVI collagen represents another collagenous component widely distributed in the extracellular matrix and may contribute to the structural integrity of various tissues.

INFRARED PERIOD-LUMINOSITY RELATIONS OF EVOLVED VARIABLE STARS IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riebel, David; Meixner, Margaret; Fraser, Oliver; Srinivasan, Sundar; Cook, Kem; Vijh, Uma

2010-01-01

We combine variability information from the MAssive Compact Halo Objects survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud with infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution survey to create a data set of ∼30,000 variable red sources. We photometrically classify these sources as being on the first ascent of the red giant branch, or as being in one of three stages along the asymptotic giant branch (AGB): oxygen-rich, carbon-rich, or highly reddened with indeterminate chemistry ('extreme' AGB candidates). We present linear period-luminosity (P-L) relationships for these sources using eight separate infrared bands (J, H, K s , 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0, and 24 μm) as proxies for the luminosity. We find that the wavelength dependence of the slope of the P-L relationship is different for different photometrically determined classes of AGB stars. Stars photometrically classified as O-rich show the least variation of slope with wavelength, while dust enshrouded extreme AGB stars show a pronounced trend toward steeper slopes with increasing wavelength. We find that O-rich AGB stars pulsating in the fundamental mode obey a period-magnitude relation with a slope of -3.41 ± 0.04 when magnitude is measured in the 3.6 μm band, in contrast to C-rich AGB stars, which obey a relation of slope -3.77 ± 0.05.

The Near-infrared Tip of the Red Giant Branch. II. An Absolute Calibration in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyt, Taylor J.; Freedman, Wendy L.; Madore, Barry F.; Seibert, Mark; Beaton, Rachael L.; Hatt, Dylan; Jang, In Sung; Lee, Myung Gyoon; Monson, Andrew J.; Rich, Jeffrey A.

2018-05-01

We present a new empirical JHK absolute calibration of the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We use published data from the extensive Near-Infrared Synoptic Survey containing 3.5 million stars, 65,000 of which are red giants that fall within one magnitude of the TRGB. Adopting the TRGB slopes from a companion study of the isolated dwarf galaxy IC 1613, as well as an LMC distance modulus of μ 0 = 18.49 mag from (geometric) detached eclipsing binaries, we derive absolute JHK zero points for the near-infrared TRGB. For a comparison with measurements in the bar alone, we apply the calibrated JHK TRGB to a 500 deg2 area of the 2MASS survey. The TRGB reveals the 3D structure of the LMC with a tilt in the direction perpendicular to the major axis of the bar, which is in agreement with previous studies.

Investigation of Cloud Properties and Atmospheric Profiles with MODIS

Science.gov (United States)

Menzel, Paul; Ackerman, Steve; Moeller, Chris; Gumley, Liam; Strabala, Kathy; Frey, Richard; Prins, Elaine; LaPorte, Dan; Wolf, Walter

1997-01-01

The WINter Cloud Experiment (WINCE) was directed and supported by personnel from the University of Wisconsin in January and February. Data sets of good quality were collected by the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) and other instruments on the NASA ER2; they will be used to develop and validate cloud detection and cloud property retrievals over winter scenes (especially over snow). Software development focused on utilities needed for all of the UW product executables; preparations for Version 2 software deliveries were almost completed. A significant effort was made, in cooperation with SBRS and MCST, in characterizing and understanding MODIS PFM thermal infrared performance; crosstalk in the longwave infrared channels continues to get considerable attention.

Thermal infrared properties of the Martian atmosphere 4. Predictions of the presence of dust and ice clouds from Viking IRTM spectral measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunt, G.E.

1979-01-01

In this paper we investigate the response of the Martian atmosphere at the wavelengths measured by the Viking infrared thermal mapper instrument (IRTM) to the presence of varying amounts of dust and water ice clouds. A detailed radiative transfer study is represented to show that these IRTM measurements at channels centered at 7, 9, 11, and 20 μm may be used to differentiate between the presence of dust and water ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere. They show further that these measurements may also be used to provide some information on the structure of the lower atmosphere. The use of the IRTM measurements in the manner we describe can provide information associated with the thermal characteristics of Martian dust storms

Far-infrared observations of Sagittarius B2 - reconsideration of source structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thronson, H.A. Jr.; Harper, D.A.; Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, WI)

1986-01-01

New moderate-angular-resolution far-infrared observations of the Sagittarius B2 star-forming region are presented, discussed, and compared with recent radio molecular and continuum observations of this source. In contrast to previous analyses, its far-infrared spectrum is interpreted as the result of a massive frigid cloud overlying a more-or-less normal infrared source, a natural explanation for the object's previously-noted peculiarities. The characteristics derived for the obscuring cloud are similar to those found for the W51 MAIN object. Both sources have high sub-millimeter surface brightness, a high ratio of sub-millimeter to far-infrared flux, and numerous regions of molecular maser emission. 28 references

EDITORIAL: XVI Brazilian Colloquium on Orbital Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

de Melo, Cristiano F.; Macau, Elbert E. N.; Prado, Antonio B. A.; Hetem Jnr, Annibal

2013-10-01

The XVI Brazilian Colloquium on Orbital Dynamics was held from 26-30 November 2012, at the Biazi Grand Hotel, Serra Negra, São Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian Colloquia on Orbital Dynamics are scientific events that occur bi-annually and are designed to develop those areas of research in celestial mechanics, orbital dynamics, planetary science, fundamental astronomy, aerospace engineering, and nonlinear systems and chaos. The meeting has been held for 30 years and it brings together researchers, professors and students from South American and also from other continents. Acknowledgements National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level - CAPES São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP

Molecular clouds near supernova remnants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wootten, H.A.

1978-01-01

The physical properties of molecular clouds near supernova remnants were investigated. Various properties of the structure and kinematics of these clouds are used to establish their physical association with well-known remmnants. An infrared survey of the most massive clouds revealed embedded objects, probably stars whose formation was induced by the supernova blast wave. In order to understand the relationship between these and other molecular clouds, a control group of clouds was also observed. Excitation models for dense regions of all the clouds are constructed to evaluate molecular abundances in these regions. Those clouds that have embedded stars have lower molecular abundances than the clouds that do not. A cloud near the W28 supernova remnant also has low abundances. Molecular abundances are used to measure an important parameter, the electron density, which is not directly observable. In some clouds extensive deuterium fractionation is observed which confirms electron density measurements in those clouds. Where large deuterium fractionation is observed, the ionization rate in the cloud interior can also be measured. The electron density and ionization rate in the cloud near W28 are higher than in most clouds. The molecular abundances and electron densities are functions of the chemical and dynamical state of evolution of the cloud. Those clouds with lowest abundances are probably the youngest clouds. As low-abundance clouds, some clouds near supernova remnants may have been recently swept from the local interstellar material. Supernova remnants provide sites for star formation in ambient clouds by compressing them, and they sweep new clouds from more diffuse local matter

STAR FORMATION ACTIVITY OF CORES WITHIN INFRARED DARK CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambers, E. T.; Jackson, J. M.; Rathborne, J. M.; Simon, R.

2009-01-01

Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) contain compact cores which probably host the early stages of high-mass star formation. Many of these cores contain regions of extended, enhanced 4.5 μm emission, the so-called 'green fuzzies', which indicate shocked gas. Many cores also contain 24 μm emission, presumably from heated dust which indicates embedded protostars. Because 'green fuzzies' and 24 μm point sources both indicate star formation, we have developed an algorithm to identify star-forming cores within IRDCs by searching for the simultaneous presence of these two distinct indicators. We employ this algorithm on a sample of 190 cores found toward IRDCs, and classify the cores as 'active' if they contain a green fuzzy coincident with an embedded 24 μm source, and as 'quiescent' if they contain neither IR signature. We hypothesize that the 'quiescent' cores represent the earliest 'preprotostellar' (starless) core phase, before the development of a warm protostar, and that the 'active' cores represent a later phase, after the development of a protostar. We test this idea by comparing the sizes, densities, and maser activity of the 'active' and 'quiescent' cores. We find that, on average, 'active' cores have smaller sizes, higher densities, and more pronounced water and methanol maser activity than the 'quiescent' cores. This is expected if the 'quiescent' cores are in an earlier evolutionary state than the 'active' cores. The masses of 'active' cores suggest that they may be forming high-mass stars. The highest mass 'quiescent' cores are excellent candidates for the elusive high-mass starless cores.

Jupiter's Multi-level Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

Clouds and hazes at various altitudes within the dynamic Jovian atmosphere are revealed by multi-color imaging taken by the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) onboard the Galileo spacecraft. These images were taken during the second orbit (G2) on September 5, 1996 from an early-morning vantage point 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) above Jupiter. They show the planet's appearance as viewed at various near-infrared wavelengths, with distinct differences due primarily to variations in the altitudes and opacities of the cloud systems. The top left and right images, taken at 1.61 microns and 2.73 microns respectively, show relatively clear views of the deep atmosphere, with clouds down to a level about three times the atmospheric pressure at the Earth's surface.By contrast, the middle image in top row, taken at 2.17 microns, shows only the highest altitude clouds and hazes. This wavelength is severely affected by the absorption of light by hydrogen gas, the main constituent of Jupiter's atmosphere. Therefore, only the Great Red Spot, the highest equatorial clouds, a small feature at mid-northern latitudes, and thin, high photochemical polar hazes can be seen. In the lower left image, at 3.01 microns, deeper clouds can be seen dimly against gaseous ammonia and methane absorption. In the lower middle image, at 4.99 microns, the light observed is the planet's own indigenous heat from the deep, warm atmosphere.The false color image (lower right) succinctly shows various cloud and haze levels seen in the Jovian atmosphere. This image indicates the temperature and altitude at which the light being observed is produced. Thermally-rich red areas denote high temperatures from photons in the deep atmosphere leaking through minimal cloud cover; green denotes cool temperatures of the tropospheric clouds; blue denotes cold of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The polar regions appear purplish, because small-particle hazes allow leakage and reflectivity

Structure of the Large Magellanic Cloud from near infrared magnitudes of red clump stars

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, S.; Subramaniam, A.

2013-04-01

Context. The structural parameters of the disk of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are estimated. Aims: We used the JH photometric data of red clump (RC) stars from the Magellanic Cloud Point Source Catalog (MCPSC) obtained from the InfraRed Survey Facility (IRSF) to estimate the structural parameters of the LMC disk, such as the inclination, i, and the position angle of the line of nodes (PAlon), φ. Methods: The observed LMC region is divided into several sub-regions, and stars in each region are cross-identified with the optically identified RC stars to obtain the near infrared magnitudes. The peak values of H magnitude and (J - H) colour of the observed RC distribution are obtained by fitting a profile to the distributions and by taking the average value of magnitude and colour of the RC stars in the bin with largest number. Then the dereddened peak H0 magnitude of the RC stars in each sub-region is obtained from the peak values of H magnitude and (J - H) colour of the observed RC distribution. The right ascension (RA), declination (Dec), and relative distance from the centre of each sub-region are converted into x,y, and z Cartesian coordinates. A weighted least square plane fitting method is applied to this x,y,z data to estimate the structural parameters of the LMC disk. Results: An intrinsic (J - H)0 colour of 0.40 ± 0.03 mag in the Simultaneous three-colour InfraRed Imager for Unbiased Survey (SIRIUS) IRSF filter system is estimated for the RC stars in the LMC and a reddening map based on (J - H) colour of the RC stars is presented. When the peaks of the RC distribution were identified by averaging, an inclination of 25°.7 ± 1°.6 and a PAlon = 141°.5 ± 4°.5 were obtained. We estimate a distance modulus, μ = 18.47 ± 0.1 mag to the LMC. Extra-planar features which are both in front and behind the fitted plane are identified. They match with the optically identified extra-planar features. The bar of the LMC is found to be part of the disk within 500

Taki onqoy: epidemia de intoxicación por exposición al mercurio en Huamanga del siglo XVI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Alberto Santa María

Full Text Available Taki Onqoy es un síndrome que corresponde a la intoxicación por exposición al mercurio. Apareció como consecuencia de la explotación de las minas de mercurio de Paras y Huancavelica en el Perú durante el siglo XVI. La caquexia mercurial, última etapa de la enfermedad, estaría asociada a la idea del pishtaco. El Taki Onqoy en el Perú del siglo XVI, representa la mayor epidemia por intoxicación por mercurio conocida por la humanidad.

Deep convective clouds at the tropopause

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. H. Aumann

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS on the EOS Aqua spacecraft each day show tens of thousands of Cold Clouds (CC in the tropical oceans with 10 μm window channel brightness temperatures colder than 225 K. These clouds represent a mix of cold anvil clouds and Deep Convective Clouds (DCC. This mix can be separated by computing the difference between two channels, a window channel and a channel with strong CO₂ absorption: for some cold clouds this difference is negative, i.e. the spectra for some cold clouds are inverted. We refer to cold clouds with spectra which are more than 2 K inverted as DCCi2. Associated with DCCi2 is a very high rain rate and a local upward displacement of the tropopause, a cold "bulge", which can be seen directly in the brightness temperatures of AIRS and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU temperature sounding channels in the lower stratosphere. The very high rain rate and the local distortion of the tropopause indicate that DCCi2 objects are associated with severe storms. Significant long-term trends in the statistical properties of DCCi2 could be interesting indicators of climate change. While the analysis of the nature and physical conditions related to DCCi2 requires hyperspectral infrared and microwave data, the identification of DCCi2 requires only one good window channel and one strong CO₂ sounding channel. This suggests that improved identification of severe storms with future advanced geostationary satellites could be accomplished with the addition of one or two narrow band channels.

Plantas medicinais consumidas em Cochim, no século XVI e na atualidade

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Isabel Maria Madaleno

Full Text Available O objetivo primacial desta pesquisa é investigar como solucionam os habitantes de Cochim, na Índia, seus problemas de saúde, quando não podem aceder aos sistemas convencionais ou quando optam por aceder a sistemas alternativos, na modernidade. O objetivo específico da pesquisa é compilar as espécies vegetais de uso terapêutico no século XVI e compará-las com as atuais. A flora indiana, em particular as especiarias, tem fascinado a humanidade desde o início dos tempos. Em 1498, os portugueses descobriram o caminho marítimo para a Índia e, durante os dois séculos seguintes, o pequeno país europeu dominou o comércio mundial com o oriente. Seguindo a rota das especiarias, o Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical (IICT organizou, recentemente, uma missão científica a Kerala, a fim de investigar os frutos, os legumes, os condimentos, os tubérculos e as plantas medicinais cultivadas em jardins e pátios traseiros, vendidos em mercados e feiras, e recomendados pela medicina Ayurvédica, na cidade de Cochim. O ponto de partida foi a leitura de quatro manuscritos do século XVI que enumeravam as plantas aromáticas, condimentares e medicinais da Índia renascentista. Os resultados demonstram que um número substancial de plantas colhidas durante a missão do IICT, em 2013, já era usado na Índia, no século XVI.

THE XVI. CENTURY POET SHERÎFÎ’S WORK CALLED SHEVÂHİDÜ’SH-SHÜHEDÂ / XVI. ASIR SAİRLERİNDEN EĞİRDİRLİ SERÎFÎ’NİN SEVÂHİDÜ’S-SÜHEDÂ’SI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Sadık YAZAR

2009-04-01

Full Text Available In this article, which XVI. century poet Sherîfî’swork called Shevâhidü’sh-shühedâ, that can be a newexample of the maktel (elegy genre, was presented; firstlyI gave brief information about Serîfî and his works. I alsolooked at the maktel (elegy genre’s development and itsexamples in the classical Turkish literature –formbegining to end of the XVI. century- briefly. In the last part of the artcile I compared Sherîfî’s Shevâhidü’shshühedâwith the Fuzûlî’s –the famous XVI. centuryTurkish poet- Hadîqatü’s-sü’edâ and after this compare itwas understood that Sherîfî has benefited from Fuzûlî’swork at the degree of plagiarism. After all these, it wasunderstood that Sherîfî’s Shevâhidü’sh-shühedâ has nomuch value of the originalty.

An improved algorithm for calculating cloud radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Guibin; Sun Xiaogang; Dai Jingmin

2005-01-01

Clouds radiation characteristic is very important in cloud scene simulation, weather forecasting, pattern recognition, and other fields. In order to detect missiles against cloud backgrounds, to enhance the fidelity of simulation, it is critical to understand a cloud's thermal radiation model. Firstly, the definition of cloud layer infrared emittance is given. Secondly, the discrimination conditions of judging a pixel of focal plane on a satellite in daytime or night time are shown and equations are given. Radiance such as reflected solar radiance, solar scattering, diffuse solar radiance, solar and thermal sky shine, solar and thermal path radiance, cloud blackbody and background radiance are taken into account. Thirdly, the computing methods of background radiance for daytime and night time are given. Through simulations and comparison, this algorithm is proved to be an effective calculating algorithm for cloud radiation

Effects of high altitude clouds on the earth's infrared radiation flux

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, W.-C.; Kaplan, L. D.

1983-01-01

Attention is given to the results of a study of cirrus cloud properties which employed the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences' general circulation model and concentrated on the effects of the nonblackness of high clouds on the IR radiation flux. Although the thermal radiation flux is very sensitive to the treatment of cirrus optical properties in the IR, a more realistic assessment will depend on better parameterizations for cirrus cloud formation, persistence, and dissipation.

Temporal co-registration for TROPOMI cloud clearing

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I. Genkova

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI is anticipated to provide high-quality and timely global atmospheric composition information through observations of atmospheric constituents such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde and aerosol properties. The methane and the aerosol retrievals require very precise cloud clearing, which is difficult to achieve at the TROPOMI spatial resolution (7 by 7 km and without thermal IR measurements. The TROPOMI carrier – the Sentinel 5 Precursor (S5P, does not include a cloud imager, thus it is planned to fly the S5P mission in a constellation with an instrument yielding an accurate cloud mask. The cloud imagery data will be provided by the US NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP mission, which will have the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS on board (Scalione, 2004. This paper investigates the temporal co-registration requirements for suitable time differences between the VIIRS measurements of clouds and the TROPOMI methane and aerosol measurements, so that the former could be used for cloud clearing. The temporal co-registration is studied using Meteosat Second Generation (MSG Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI data with 15 min temporal resolution (Veefkind, 2008b, and with data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – 10 (GOES-10 having 1 min temporal resolution. The aim is to understand and assess the relation between the amount of allowed cloud contamination and the required time difference between the two satellites' overflights. Quantitative analysis shows that a time difference of approximately 5 min is sufficient (in most conditions to use the cloud information from the first instrument for cloud clearing in the retrievals using data from the second instrument. In recent years the A-train constellation demonstrated the benefit of flying satellites in formation. Therefore this study's findings will be

On the Nature of Bright Infrared Sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Interpreting MSX through the Lens of Spitzer

Science.gov (United States)

Kraemer, Kathleen E.; Sloan, G. C.

2015-01-01

We compare infrared observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) and the Spitzer Space Telescope to better understand what components of a metal-poor galaxy dominate radiative processes in the infrared. The SMC, at a distance of ~60 kpc and with a metallicity of ~0.1-0.2 solar, can serve as a nearby proxy for metal-poor galaxies at high redshift. The MSX Point Source Catalog contains 243 objects in the SMC that were detected at 8.3 microns, the most sensitive MSX band. Multi-epoch, multi-band mapping with Spitzer, supplemented with observations from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), provides variability information, and, together with spectra from Spitzer for ~15% of the sample, enables us to determine what these luminous sources are. How many remain simple point sources? What fraction break up into multiple stars? Which are star forming regions, with both bright diffuse emission and point sources? How do evolved stars and stellar remnants contribute at these wavelengths? What role do young stellar objects and HII regions play? Answering these questions sets the stage for understanding what we will see with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The infrared spectrum of Jupiter

Science.gov (United States)

Ridgway, S. T.; Larson, H. P.; Fink, U.

1976-01-01

The principal characteristics of Jupiter's infrared spectrum are reviewed with emphasis on their significance for our understanding of the composition and temperature structure of the Jovian upper atmosphere. The spectral region from 1 to 40 microns divides naturally into three regimes: the reflecting region, thermal emission from below the cloud deck (5-micron hot spots), and thermal emission from above the clouds. Opaque parts of the Jovian atmosphere further subdivide these regions into windows, and each is discussed in the context of its past or potential contributions to our knowledge of the planet. Recent results are incorporated into a table of atmospheric composition and abundance which includes positively identified constituents as well as several which require verification. The limited available information about spatial variations of the infrared spectrum is presented

Young star clusters in nearby molecular clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Getman, K. V.; Kuhn, M. A.; Feigelson, E. D.; Broos, P. S.; Bate, M. R.; Garmire, G. P.

2018-06-01

The SFiNCs (Star Formation in Nearby Clouds) project is an X-ray/infrared study of the young stellar populations in 22 star-forming regions with distances ≲ 1 kpc designed to extend our earlier MYStIX (Massive Young Star-Forming Complex Study in Infrared and X-ray) survey of more distant clusters. Our central goal is to give empirical constraints on cluster formation mechanisms. Using parametric mixture models applied homogeneously to the catalogue of SFiNCs young stars, we identify 52 SFiNCs clusters and 19 unclustered stellar structures. The procedure gives cluster properties including location, population, morphology, association with molecular clouds, absorption, age (AgeJX), and infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) slope. Absorption, SED slope, and AgeJX are age indicators. SFiNCs clusters are examined individually, and collectively with MYStIX clusters, to give the following results. (1) SFiNCs is dominated by smaller, younger, and more heavily obscured clusters than MYStIX. (2) SFiNCs cloud-associated clusters have the high ellipticities aligned with their host molecular filaments indicating morphology inherited from their parental clouds. (3) The effect of cluster expansion is evident from the radius-age, radius-absorption, and radius-SED correlations. Core radii increase dramatically from ˜0.08 to ˜0.9 pc over the age range 1-3.5 Myr. Inferred gas removal time-scales are longer than 1 Myr. (4) Rich, spatially distributed stellar populations are present in SFiNCs clouds representing early generations of star formation. An appendix compares the performance of the mixture models and non-parametric minimum spanning tree to identify clusters. This work is a foundation for future SFiNCs/MYStIX studies including disc longevity, age gradients, and dynamical modelling.

Cirrus cloud-temperature interactions in the tropical tropopause layer: a case study

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J. R. Taylor

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Thin cirrus clouds in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL have important ramifications for radiative transfer, stratospheric humidity, and vertical transport. A horizontally extensive and vertically thin cirrus cloud in the TTL was detected by the Cloud Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO on 27–29 January 2009 in the Tropical Eastern Pacific region, distant from any regions of deep convection. These observations indicate that the cloud is close to 3000 km in length along the CALIPSO orbit track. Measurements over this three day period indicate that the cloud event extended over a region from approximately 15° S to 10° N and 90° W to 150° W and may be one of the most extensive cirrus events ever observed. Coincident temperature observations from the Constellation of Observing Satellites for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC suggest that the cloud formed in-situ as a result of a cold anomaly arising from a midlatitude intrusion. The event appears to last for up to 2 days and the temperature observations do not show any indication of the expected infrared heating. It is hypothesized that the cloud could be maintained by either nucleation of numerous small ice crystals that don't sediment or by multiple localized ice nucleation events driven by temperature variability at scales smaller than the overall cloud field, producing small ice-crystal sizes which have sufficiently long residence times (≈53 h to maintain the cloud. It is possible that the residence times are augmented by vertical motion which could also act to offset the expected infrared heating. Further observations of similar events will be required in order to conclusively explain this curious cloud.

Spatiotemporal High-Resolution Cloud Mapping with a Ground-Based IR Scanner

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brede, Benjamin; Thies, Boris; Bendix, Jörg; Feister, Uwe

2017-01-01

The high spatiotemporal variability of clouds requires automated monitoring systems. This study presents a retrieval algorithm that evaluates observations of a hemispherically scanning thermal infrared radiometer, the NubiScope, to produce georeferenced, spatially explicit cloud maps. The algorithm

La industria textil y su regulación en el siglo XVI: caso particular de Toledo = The textile industry and its regulation in the XVI century: Toledo, a particular case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Ángela Jiménez Montañés

2012-01-01

Full Text Available ResumenEl sector al que correspondió el mayor protagonismo dentro de la industria europea moderna fue, sin lugar a dudas, el textil. Ello no representaba, en realidad, novedad alguna, pues la industria medieval se desarrolló precisamente en función primordialmente de la fabricación de tejidos. El vestido, al tiempo que una necesidad inmediata, resulta expresión visual de distinción social, aún más que la decoración de la vivienda. Por ello la industria textil creció a expensas tanto de la necesidad como del lujo. Uno de los grandes cambios que se producen en este tipo de industria durante todo el siglo XV y se consolida en el XVI se centra en las relaciones de producción, en la utilización de mano de obra campesina y la consolidación del ciclo de producción artesano rural. La mano de obra rural comienza a trabajar por su cuenta o en dependencia del empresario-productor de la ciudad. Si bien, la profunda transformación de la industria textil tendrá lugar en el siglo XVIII, con la revolución industrial.La transformación de la industria textil del siglo XVI propició la expansión de una nueva figura en el ámbito mercantil, que se denomina mercader-empresario, y por tanto, del sistema doméstico de producción conocido como Verlagssystem. Este nuevo sistema implicará modificaciones de factores claves para el desarrollo de las futuras sociedades mercantiles como pueden ser: el capital, la utilización de la materia prima y su proceso de transformación, la formación de los costes de producción y comercialización, la obtención de beneficios y su distribución, la concentración del capital y la generación de rentes. En definitiva, la creación de una nueva clase social, la burguesía. Este trabajo se centra en la industria sedera de la ciudad de Toledo en el siglo XVI.AbstractThe textile sector, was the greater protagonist, without doubt, within the modern European industry. It did not represent, in fact, newness some

Un caso d’amor fou nella società aristocratica genovese del secolo XVI

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Gianfranco Bettin Lattes

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Perché nel cuore del centro storico di Genova esiste una “piazza dell’amor perfetto”? Sullo sfondo delle tumultuose vicende politiche del secolo XVI la passione, altrettanto tumultuosa, di Tommasina Spinola, nobile genovese, per Luigi XII, Re di Francia, trasforma l’amore in tragedia.

Nimbus-3/HRIR Level 2 Earth's Cloud Cover and Temperature of Cloud Tops and Terrain Features V001

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Nimbus High Resolution Infrared Radiometer (HRIR) was originally designed to perform two major functions: First, to map the Earth's cloud cover at night to...

CALIPSO Imaging Infrared Radiometer L2 Data Track V3-02

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) was launched on April 28, 2006 to study the impact of clouds and aerosols on the Earth’s...

Cloud Detection by Fusing Multi-Scale Convolutional Features

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhiwei; Shen, Huanfeng; Wei, Yancong; Cheng, Qing; Yuan, Qiangqiang

2018-04-01

Clouds detection is an important pre-processing step for accurate application of optical satellite imagery. Recent studies indicate that deep learning achieves best performance in image segmentation tasks. Aiming at boosting the accuracy of cloud detection for multispectral imagery, especially for those that contain only visible and near infrared bands, in this paper, we proposed a deep learning based cloud detection method termed MSCN (multi-scale cloud net), which segments cloud by fusing multi-scale convolutional features. MSCN was trained on a global cloud cover validation collection, and was tested in more than ten types of optical images with different resolution. Experiment results show that MSCN has obvious advantages over the traditional multi-feature combined cloud detection method in accuracy, especially when in snow and other areas covered by bright non-cloud objects. Besides, MSCN produced more detailed cloud masks than the compared deep cloud detection convolution network. The effectiveness of MSCN make it promising for practical application in multiple kinds of optical imagery.

Infrared observations of planetary atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orton, G.S.; Baines, K.H.; Bergstralh, J.T.

1988-01-01

The goal of this research in to obtain infrared data on planetary atmospheres which provide information on several aspects of structure and composition. Observations include direct mission real-time support as well as baseline monitoring preceding mission encounters. Besides providing a broader information context for spacecraft experiment data analysis, observations will provide the quantitative data base required for designing optimum remote sensing sequences and evaluating competing science priorities. In the past year, thermal images of Jupiter and Saturn were made near their oppositions in order to monitor long-term changes in their atmospheres. Infrared images of the Jovian polar stratospheric hot spots were made with IUE observations of auroral emissions. An exploratory 5-micrometer spectrum of Uranus was reduced and accepted for publication. An analysis of time-variability of temperature and cloud properties of the Jovian atomsphere was made. Development of geometric reduction programs for imaging data was initiated for the sun workstation. Near-infrared imaging observations of Jupiter were reduced and a preliminary analysis of cloud properties made. The first images of the full disk of Jupiter with a near-infrared array camera were acquired. Narrow-band (10/cm) images of Jupiter and Saturn were obtained with acousto-optical filters

Crosstalk XVI, basic data communication and RS-232C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Hui Yung

1988-10-01

This book is divided into three parts, which deals with compatible software of data communication with IBM PC XT/AT. The first part consists of an introduction to crosstalk XVI, getting start for user, crosstalk practice, call with crosstalk, terminal feature, switch of communication parameter, terminal emulation, capturing data, transmission of text file answer mode, file transfer, command file and script file, command summary and examples. The second part deals with basic personal computer communication, RS-232C and explanation of communication control : RS-232C interface, transmission device and interrupt controller 8259.

Infrared dust emission from globular clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angeletti, L.; Capuzzo-Dolcetta, R.; Giannone, P.; Blanco, A.; Bussoletti, E.

1982-01-01

The implications of the presence of a central cloud in the cores of globular clusters were investigated recently. A possible mechanism of confinement of dust in the central region of our cluster models was also explored. The grain temperature and infrared emission have now been computed for rather realistic grain compositions. The grain components were assumed to be graphite and/or silicates. The central clouds turned out to be roughly isothermal. The wavelengths of maximum emission came out to be larger than 20 μm in all studied cases. An application of the theoretical results to five globular clusters showed that the predictable infrared emission for 47 Tuc, M4 and M22 should be detectable by means of present instrumentation aboard flying platforms. (author)

Infrared dust emission from globular clusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Angeletti, L; Capuzzo-Dolcetta, R; Giannone, P. (Rome Univ. (Italy). Osservatorio Astronomico); Blanco, A; Bussoletti, E [Lecce Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica

1982-05-01

The implications of the presence of a central cloud in the cores of globular clusters were investigated recently. A possible mechanism of confinement of dust in the central region of our cluster models was also explored. The grain temperature and infrared emission have now been computed for rather realistic grain compositions. The grain components were assumed to be graphite and/or silicates. The central clouds turned out to be roughly isothermal. The wavelengths of maximum emission came out to be larger than 20 ..mu..m in all studied cases. An application of the theoretical results to five globular clusters showed that the predictable infrared emission for 47 Tuc, M4 and M22 should be detectable by means of present instrumentation aboard flying platforms.

Cloud retrievals from satellite data using optimal estimation: evaluation and application to ATSR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. A. Poulsen

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Clouds play an important role in balancing the Earth's radiation budget. Hence, it is vital that cloud climatologies are produced that quantify cloud macro and micro physical parameters and the associated uncertainty. In this paper, we present an algorithm ORAC (Oxford-RAL retrieval of Aerosol and Cloud which is based on fitting a physically consistent cloud model to satellite observations simultaneously from the visible to the mid-infrared, thereby ensuring that the resulting cloud properties provide both a good representation of the short-wave and long-wave radiative effects of the observed cloud. The advantages of the optimal estimation method are that it enables rigorous error propagation and the inclusion of all measurements and any a priori information and associated errors in a rigorous mathematical framework. The algorithm provides a measure of the consistency between retrieval representation of cloud and satellite radiances. The cloud parameters retrieved are the cloud top pressure, cloud optical depth, cloud effective radius, cloud fraction and cloud phase.

The algorithm can be applied to most visible/infrared satellite instruments. In this paper, we demonstrate the applicability to the Along-Track Scanning Radiometers ATSR-2 and AATSR. Examples of applying the algorithm to ATSR-2 flight data are presented and the sensitivity of the retrievals assessed, in particular the algorithm is evaluated for a number of simulated single-layer and multi-layer conditions. The algorithm was found to perform well for single-layer cloud except when the cloud was very thin; i.e., less than 1 optical depths. For the multi-layer cloud, the algorithm was robust except when the upper ice cloud layer is less than five optical depths. In these cases the retrieved cloud top pressure and cloud effective radius become a weighted average of the 2 layers. The sum of optical depth of multi-layer cloud is retrieved well until the cloud becomes thick

Detection and retrieval of multi-layered cloud properties using satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, Patrick; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan; Yi, Helen; Huang, Jianping; Nguyen, Louis; Khaiyer, Mandana M.

2005-10-01

Four techniques for detecting multilayered clouds and retrieving the cloud properties using satellite data are explored to help address the need for better quantification of cloud vertical structure. A new technique was developed using multispectral imager data with secondary imager products (infrared brightness temperature differences, BTD). The other methods examined here use atmospheric sounding data (CO2-slicing, CO2), BTD, or microwave data. The CO2 and BTD methods are limited to optically thin cirrus over low clouds, while the MWR methods are limited to ocean areas only. This paper explores the use of the BTD and CO2 methods as applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer EOS (AMSR-E) data taken from the Aqua satellite over ocean surfaces. Cloud properties derived from MODIS data for the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Project are used to classify cloud phase and optical properties. The preliminary results focus on a MODIS image taken off the Uruguayan coast. The combined MW visible infrared (MVI) method is assumed to be the reference for detecting multilayered ice-over-water clouds. The BTD and CO2 techniques accurately match the MVI classifications in only 51 and 41% of the cases, respectively. Much additional study is need to determine the uncertainties in the MVI method and to analyze many more overlapped cloud scenes.

Multilayered Clouds Identification and Retrieval for CERES Using MODIS

Science.gov (United States)

Sun-Mack, Sunny; Minnis, Patrick; Chen, Yan; Yi, Yuhong; Huang, Jainping; Lin, Bin; Fan, Alice; Gibson, Sharon; Chang, Fu-Lung

2006-01-01

Traditionally, analyses of satellite data have been limited to interpreting the radiances in terms of single layer clouds. Generally, this results in significant errors in the retrieved properties for multilayered cloud systems. Two techniques for detecting overlapped clouds and retrieving the cloud properties using satellite data are explored to help address the need for better quantification of cloud vertical structure. The first technique was developed using multispectral imager data with secondary imager products (infrared brightness temperature differences, BTD). The other method uses microwave (MWR) data. The use of BTD, the 11-12 micrometer brightness temperature difference, in conjunction with tau, the retrieved visible optical depth, was suggested by Kawamoto et al. (2001) and used by Pavlonis et al. (2004) as a means to detect multilayered clouds. Combining visible (VIS; 0.65 micrometer) and infrared (IR) retrievals of cloud properties with microwave (MW) retrievals of cloud water temperature Tw and liquid water path LWP retrieved from satellite microwave imagers appears to be a fruitful approach for detecting and retrieving overlapped clouds (Lin et al., 1998, Ho et al., 2003, Huang et al., 2005). The BTD method is limited to optically thin cirrus over low clouds, while the MWR method is limited to ocean areas only. With the availability of VIS and IR data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and MW data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer EOS (AMSR-E), both on Aqua, it is now possible to examine both approaches simultaneously. This paper explores the use of the BTD method as applied to MODIS and AMSR-E data taken from the Aqua satellite over non-polar ocean surfaces.

THE DUST CLOUD AROUND THE WHITE DWARF G 29-38. II. SPECTRUM FROM 5 TO 40 μm AND MID-INFRARED PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reach, William T.; Lisse, Carey; Von Hippel, Ted; Mullally, Fergal

2009-01-01

We model the mineralogy and distribution of dust around the white dwarf G29-39 using the infrared spectrum from 1 to 35 μm. The spectral model for G29-38 dust combines a wide range of materials based on spectral studies of comets and debris disks. In order of their contribution to the mid-infrared emission, the most abundant minerals around G29-38 are amorphous carbon (λ || = 5, and the radial density profile ∝r -2.7 ; the total mass of this model disk is 2 x 10 19 g. A physically thin (less than the white dwarf radius) and optically thick disk can contribute to the near-infrared continuum only; such a disk cannot explain the longer-wavelength continuum or strong emission features. The combination of a physically thin, optically thick inner disk and an outer, physically thick and moderately optically thin cloud or disk produces a reasonably good fit to the spectrum and requires only silicates in the outer cloud. We discuss the mineralogical results in comparison to planetary materials. The silicate composition contains minerals found from cometary spectra and meteorites, but Fe-rich pyroxene is more abundant than enstatite (Mg-rich pyroxene) or forsterite (Mg-rich olivine) in G29-38 dust, in contrast to what is found in most comet or meteorite mineralogies. Enstatite meteorites may be the most similar solar system materials to G29-38 dust. Finally, we suggest the surviving core of a h ot Jupiteras an alternative (neither cometary nor asteroidal) origin for the debris, though further theoretical work is needed to determine if this hypothesis is viable.

Cloud detection method for Chinese moderate high resolution satellite imagery (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Bo; Chen, Wuhan; Wu, Shanlong; Liu, Qinhuo

2016-10-01

Cloud detection of satellite imagery is very important for quantitative remote sensing research and remote sensing applications. However, many satellite sensors don't have enough bands for a quick, accurate, and simple detection of clouds. Particularly, the newly launched moderate to high spatial resolution satellite sensors of China, such as the charge-coupled device on-board the Chinese Huan Jing 1 (HJ-1/CCD) and the wide field of view (WFV) sensor on-board the Gao Fen 1 (GF-1), only have four available bands including blue, green, red, and near infrared bands, which are far from the requirements of most could detection methods. In order to solve this problem, an improved and automated cloud detection method for Chinese satellite sensors called OCM (Object oriented Cloud and cloud-shadow Matching method) is presented in this paper. It firstly modified the Automatic Cloud Cover Assessment (ACCA) method, which was developed for Landsat-7 data, to get an initial cloud map. The modified ACCA method is mainly based on threshold and different threshold setting produces different cloud map. Subsequently, a strict threshold is used to produce a cloud map with high confidence and large amount of cloud omission and a loose threshold is used to produce a cloud map with low confidence and large amount of commission. Secondly, a corresponding cloud-shadow map is also produced using the threshold of near-infrared band. Thirdly, the cloud maps and cloud-shadow map are transferred to cloud objects and cloud-shadow objects. Cloud and cloud-shadow are usually in pairs; consequently, the final cloud and cloud-shadow maps are made based on the relationship between cloud and cloud-shadow objects. OCM method was tested using almost 200 HJ-1/CCD images across China and the overall accuracy of cloud detection is close to 90%.

Cloud detection for MIPAS using singular vector decomposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Hurley

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Satellite-borne high-spectral-resolution limb sounders, such as the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS onboard ENVISAT, provide information on clouds, especially optically thin clouds, which have been difficult to observe in the past. The aim of this work is to develop, implement and test a reliable cloud detection method for infrared spectra measured by MIPAS.

Current MIPAS cloud detection methods used operationally have been developed to detect cloud effective filling more than 30% of the measurement field-of-view (FOV, under geometric and optical considerations – and hence are limited to detecting fairly thick cloud, or large physical extents of thin cloud. In order to resolve thin clouds, a new detection method using Singular Vector Decomposition (SVD is formulated and tested. This new SVD detection method has been applied to a year's worth of MIPAS data, and qualitatively appears to be more sensitive to thin cloud than the current operational method.

SAGE-VAR: AN INFRARED SURVEY OF VARIABILITY IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riebel, D. [Department of Physics, United States Naval Academy, 572 C Holloway Road, Annapolis, MD 21402 (United States); Boyer, M. L. [Observational Cosmology Laboratory, Code 665, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Srinivasan, S. [Academia Sinica, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Whitelock, P.; Feast, M. [Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre, Astronomy Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa); Meixner, M.; Shiao, B. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Babler, B.; Meade, M.; Whitney, B. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Groenewegen, M. A. T. [Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan 3, B-1180 Brussels (Belgium); Ita, Y., E-mail: riebel.d@gmail.com [Astronomical Institute, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aramaki Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578 (Japan)

2015-07-01

We present the first results from the Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution (SAGE)-Var program, a follow up to the Spitzer legacy program SAGE (Meixner et al.). We obtained four epochs of photometry at 3.6 and 4.5 μm covering the bar of the LMC and the central region of the SMC in order to probe the variability of extremely red sources missed by variability surveys conducted at shorter wavelengths, and to provide additional epochs of observation for known variables. Our six total epochs of observations allow us to probe infrared (IR) variability on 15 different timescales ranging from ∼20 days to ∼5 yr. Out of a full catalog of 1 717 554 (LMC) and 457 760 (SMC) objects, we find 10 (LMC) and 6 (SMC) large amplitude Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) variables without optically measured variability owing to circumstellar dust obscuration. The catalog also contains multiple observations of known AGB variables, type I and II Cepheids, eclipsing variables, R CrB stars, and young stellar objects, which will be discussed in following papers. Here we present IR Period–Luminosity (PL) relations for classical Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds, as well as improved PL relationships for AGB stars pulsating in the fundamental mode using mean magnitudes constructed from six epochs of observations.

SAGE-VAR: AN INFRARED SURVEY OF VARIABILITY IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riebel, D.; Boyer, M. L.; Srinivasan, S.; Whitelock, P.; Feast, M.; Meixner, M.; Shiao, B.; Babler, B.; Meade, M.; Whitney, B.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Ita, Y.

2015-01-01

We present the first results from the Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution (SAGE)-Var program, a follow up to the Spitzer legacy program SAGE (Meixner et al.). We obtained four epochs of photometry at 3.6 and 4.5 μm covering the bar of the LMC and the central region of the SMC in order to probe the variability of extremely red sources missed by variability surveys conducted at shorter wavelengths, and to provide additional epochs of observation for known variables. Our six total epochs of observations allow us to probe infrared (IR) variability on 15 different timescales ranging from ∼20 days to ∼5 yr. Out of a full catalog of 1 717 554 (LMC) and 457 760 (SMC) objects, we find 10 (LMC) and 6 (SMC) large amplitude Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) variables without optically measured variability owing to circumstellar dust obscuration. The catalog also contains multiple observations of known AGB variables, type I and II Cepheids, eclipsing variables, R CrB stars, and young stellar objects, which will be discussed in following papers. Here we present IR Period–Luminosity (PL) relations for classical Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds, as well as improved PL relationships for AGB stars pulsating in the fundamental mode using mean magnitudes constructed from six epochs of observations

PREFACE: Symmetries in Science XVI

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-01

This volume of the proceedings ''Symmetries in Science XVI'' is dedicated to the memory of Miguel Lorente and Allan Solomon who both participated several times in these Symposia. We lost not only two great scientists and colleagues, but also two wonderful persons of high esteem whom we will always remember. Dieter Schuch, Michael Ramek There is a German saying ''all good things come in threes'' and ''Symmetries in Science XVI'', convened July 20-26, 2013 at the Mehrerau Monastery, was our third in the sequel of these symposia since taking it over from founder Bruno Gruber who instigated it in 1988 (then in Lochau). Not only the time seemed to have been perfect (one week of beautiful sunshine), but also the medley of participants could hardly have been better. This time, 34 scientists from 16 countries (more than half outside the European Union) came together to report and discuss their latest results in various fields of science, all related to symmetries. The now customary grouping of renowned experts and talented newcomers was very rewarding and stimulating for all. The informal, yet intense, discussions at ''Gasthof Lamm'' occurred (progressively later) each evening till well after midnight and finally till almost daybreak! However, prior to the opening ceremony and during the conference, respectively, we were informed that Miguel Lorente and Allan Solomon had recently passed away. Both attended the SIS Symposia several times and had many friends among present and former participants. Professor Peter Kramer, himself a long-standing participant and whose 80th birthday commemoration prevented him from attending SIS XVI, kindly agreed to write the obituary for Miguel Lorente. Professors Richard Kerner and Carol Penson (both also former attendees) penned, at very short notice, the tribute to Allan Solomon. The obituaries are included in these Proceedings and further tributes have been posted to our conference website. In 28 lectures and an evening poster

THE CALIFORNIA MOLECULAR CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lada, Charles J.; Lombardi, Marco; Alves, Joao F.

2009-01-01

We present an analysis of wide-field infrared extinction maps of a region in Perseus just north of the Taurus-Auriga dark cloud complex. From this analysis we have identified a massive, nearby, but previously unrecognized, giant molecular cloud (GMC). Both a uniform foreground star density and measurements of the cloud's velocity field from CO observations indicate that this cloud is likely a coherent structure at a single distance. From comparison of foreground star counts with Galactic models, we derive a distance of 450 ± 23 pc to the cloud. At this distance the cloud extends over roughly 80 pc and has a mass of ∼ 10 5 M sun , rivaling the Orion (A) molecular cloud as the largest and most massive GMC in the solar neighborhood. Although surprisingly similar in mass and size to the more famous Orion molecular cloud (OMC) the newly recognized cloud displays significantly less star formation activity with more than an order of magnitude fewer young stellar objects than found in the OMC, suggesting that both the level of star formation and perhaps the star formation rate in this cloud are an order of magnitude or more lower than in the OMC. Analysis of extinction maps of both clouds shows that the new cloud contains only 10% the amount of high extinction (A K > 1.0 mag) material as is found in the OMC. This, in turn, suggests that the level of star formation activity and perhaps the star formation rate in these two clouds may be directly proportional to the total amount of high extinction material and presumably high density gas within them and that there might be a density threshold for star formation on the order of n(H 2 ) ∼ a few x 10 4 cm -3 .

Emerging Use of Dual Channel Infrared for Remote Sensing of Sea Ice

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, N. S.; Serreze, M. C.; Gallaher, D. W.; Koenig, L.; Schaefer, K. M.; Campbell, G. G.; Thompson, J. A.; Grant, G.; Fetterer, F. M.

2017-12-01

Using GOES-16 data as a proxy for overhead persistent infrared, we examine the feasibility of using a dual channel shortwave / midwave infrared (SWIR/MWIR) approach to detect and chart sea ice in Hudson Bay through a series of images with a temporal scale of less than fifteen minutes. While not traditionally exploited for sea ice remote sensing, the availability of near continuous shortwave and midwave infrared data streams over the Arctic from overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) satellites could provide an invaluable source of information regarding the changing Arctic climate. Traditionally used for the purpose of missile warning and strategic defense, characteristics of OPIR make it an attractive source for Arctic remote sensing as the temporal resolution can provide insight into ice edge melt and motion processes. Fundamentally, the time series based algorithm will discern water/ice/clouds using a SWIR/MWIR normalized difference index. Cloud filtering is accomplished through removing pixels categorized as clouds while retaining a cache of previous ice/water pixels to replace any cloud obscured (and therefore omitted) pixels. Demonstration of the sensitivity of GOES-16 SWIR/MWIR to detect and discern water/ice/clouds provides a justification for exploring the utility of military OPIR sensors for civil and commercial applications. Potential users include the scientific community as well as emergency responders, the fishing industry, oil and gas industries, and transportation industries that are seeking to exploit changing conditions in the Arctic but require more accurate and timely ice charting products.

Infra-red data of extended sources as a measure of the star formation rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puget, J.-L.

1985-01-01

Molecular cloud complexes are gravitationally bound systems which contain molecular clouds, HII regions and possibly OB associations after they evaporated their parent cloud. A large fraction of the energy (50%) radiated by the O and B stars is converted into infra-red. Less massive stars still embedded in molecular clouds or still in their vicinity will also see most of their radiation absorbed by dust and reemitted in the infra-red. The two quantities the author deduces directly from the data are: the ratio of the far-infra-red luminosity due to recently formed stars to the mass of gas, as a measure of the star formation rate; and the infra-red excess (IRE): the ratio of the far-infra-red luminosity to the luminosity of HII regions in the Lyman α line, which gives information on the initial mass function. Finally he discusses the possible links between star formation and some of the relevant physical conditions in the molecular clouds: amount and temperature distribution of dust. (Auth.)

Spatiotemporal High-Resolution Cloud Mapping with a Ground-Based IR Scanner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Brede

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The high spatiotemporal variability of clouds requires automated monitoring systems. This study presents a retrieval algorithm that evaluates observations of a hemispherically scanning thermal infrared radiometer, the NubiScope, to produce georeferenced, spatially explicit cloud maps. The algorithm uses atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles and an atmospheric radiative transfer code to differentiate between cloudy and cloudless measurements. In case of a cloud, it estimates its position by using the temperature profile and viewing geometry. The proposed algorithm was tested with 25 cloud maps generated by the Fmask algorithm from Landsat 7 images. The overall cloud detection rate was ranging from 0.607 for zenith angles of 0 to 10° to 0.298 for 50–60° on a pixel basis. The overall detection of cloudless pixels was 0.987 for zenith angles of 30–40° and much more stable over the whole range of zenith angles compared to cloud detection. This proves the algorithm’s capability in detecting clouds, but even better cloudless areas. Cloud-base height was best estimated up to a height of 4000 m compared to ceilometer base heights but showed large deviation above that level. This study shows the potential of the NubiScope system to produce high spatial and temporal resolution cloud maps. Future development is needed for a more accurate determination of cloud height with thermal infrared measurements.

Clouds vertical properties over the Northern Hemisphere monsoon regions from CloudSat-CALIPSO measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Subrata Kumar; Golhait, R. B.; Uma, K. N.

2017-01-01

The CloudSat spaceborne radar and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) space-borne lidar measurements, provide opportunities to understand the intriguing behavior of the vertical structure of monsoon clouds. The combined CloudSat-CALIPSO data products have been used for the summer season (June-August) of 2006-2010 to present the statistics of cloud macrophysical (such as cloud occurrence frequency, distribution of cloud top and base heights, geometrical thickness and cloud types base on occurrence height), and microphysical (such as ice water content, ice water path, and ice effective radius) properties of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) monsoon region. The monsoon regions considered in this work are the North American (NAM), North African (NAF), Indian (IND), East Asian (EAS), and Western North Pacific (WNP). The total cloud fraction over the IND (mostly multiple-layered cloud) appeared to be more frequent as compared to the other monsoon regions. Three distinctive modes of cloud top height distribution are observed over all the monsoon regions. The high-level cloud fraction is comparatively high over the WNP and IND. The ice water content and ice water path over the IND are maximum compared to the other monsoon regions. We found that the ice water content has little variations over the NAM, NAF, IND, and WNP as compared to their macrophysical properties and thus give an impression that the regional differences in dynamics and thermodynamics properties primarily cause changes in the cloud frequency or coverage and only secondary in the cloud ice properties. The background atmospheric dynamics using wind and relative humidity from the ERA-Interim reanalysis data have also been investigated which helps in understanding the variability of the cloud properties over the different monsoon regions.

Impact of cloud microphysics on cloud-radiation interactions in the CSU general circulation model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fowler, L.D.; Randall, D.A.

1995-04-01

Our ability to study and quantify the impact of cloud-radiation interactions in studying global scale climate variations strongly relies upon the ability of general circulation models (GCMs) to simulate the coupling between the spatial and temporal variations of the model-generated cloudiness and atmospheric moisture budget components. In particular, the ability of GCMs to reproduce the geographical distribution of the sources and sinks of the planetary radiation balance depends upon their representation of the formation and dissipation of cloudiness in conjunction with cloud microphysics processes, and the fractional amount and optical characteristics of cloudiness in conjunction with the mass of condensate stored in the atmosphere. A cloud microphysics package which encompasses five prognostic variables for the mass of water vapor, cloud water, cloud ice, rain, and snow has been implemented in the Colorado State University General Circulation Model (CSU GCM) to simulate large-scale condensation processes. Convection interacts with the large-scale environment through the detrainment of cloud water and cloud ice at the top of cumulus towers. The cloud infrared emissivity and cloud optical depth of the model-generated cloudiness are interactive and depend upon the mass of cloud water and cloud ice suspended in the atmosphere. The global atmospheric moisture budget and planetary radiation budget of the CSU GCM obtained from a perpetual January simulation are discussed. Geographical distributions of the atmospheric moisture species are presented. Global maps of the top-of-atmosphere outgoing longwave radiation and planetary albedo are compared against Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) satellite data.

Infrared Astronomy and Star Formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, N.J.

1985-01-01

Infrared astronomy is a natural tool to use in studying star formation because infrared light penetrates the surrounding dust and because protostars are expected to emit infrared light. Infrared mapping and photometry have revealed many compact sources, often embedded in more extensive warm dust associated with a molecular cloud core. More detailed study of these objects is now beginning, and traditional interpretations are being questioned. Some compact sources are now thought to be density enhancements which are not self-luminous. Infrared excesses around young stars may not always be caused by circumstellar dust; speckle measurements have shown that at least some of the excess toward T Tauri is caused by an infrared companion. Spectroscopic studies of the dense, star-forming cores and of the compact objects themselves have uncovered a wealth of new phenomena, including the widespread occurence of energetic outflows. New discoveries with IRAS and with other planned infrared telescopes will continue to advance this field. (author)

Cloud vertical structure, precipitation, and cloud radiative effects over Tibetan Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Y.; Yan, Y.; Lu, J.

2017-12-01

The vertical structure of clouds and its connection with precipitation and cloud radiative effects (CRE) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are analyzed and compared with its neighboring land and tropical oceans based on CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) products and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation data. Unique characteristics of cloud vertical structure and CRE over the TP are found. The cloud amount shows seasonal variation over the TP, which presents a single peak (located in 7-11 km) during January to April and two peaks (located in 5-8 km and 11-17 km separately) after mid-June, and then resumes to one peak (located in 5-10 km) after mid-August. Topography-induced restriction on moisture supply leads to a compression effect on clouds, i.e., the reduction in both cloud thickness and number of cloud layers, over the TP. The topography-induced compression effect is also shown in the range in the variation of cloud thickness and cloud-top height corresponding to different precipitation intensity, which is much smaller over the TP than its neighboring regions. In summer, cloud ice particles over the TP are mostly located at lower altitude (5-10 km) with richer variety of sizes and aggregation in no rain conditions compared to other regions. Ice water content becomes abundant and the number concentration tends to be dense at higher levels when precipitation is enhanced. The longwave CRE in the atmosphere over the TP is a net cooling effect. The vertical structure of CRE over the TP is unique compared to other regions: there exists a strong cooling layer of net CRE at the altitude of 8 km, from June to the beginning of October; the net radiative heating layer above the surface is shallower but stronger underneath 7 km and with a stronger seasonal variation over the TP.

Incorporation of Three-dimensional Radiative Transfer into a Very High Resolution Simulation of Horizontally Inhomogeneous Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Ishida, H.; Ota, Y.; Sekiguchi, M.; Sato, Y.

2016-12-01

A three-dimensional (3D) radiative transfer calculation scheme is developed to estimate horizontal transport of radiation energy in a very high resolution (with the order of 10 m in spatial grid) simulation of cloud evolution, especially for horizontally inhomogeneous clouds such as shallow cumulus and stratocumulus. Horizontal radiative transfer due to inhomogeneous clouds seems to cause local heating/cooling in an atmosphere with a fine spatial scale. It is, however, usually difficult to estimate the 3D effects, because the 3D radiative transfer often needs a large resource for computation compared to a plane-parallel approximation. This study attempts to incorporate a solution scheme that explicitly solves the 3D radiative transfer equation into a numerical simulation, because this scheme has an advantage in calculation for a sequence of time evolution (i.e., the scene at a time is little different from that at the previous time step). This scheme is also appropriate to calculation of radiation with strong absorption, such as the infrared regions. For efficient computation, this scheme utilizes several techniques, e.g., the multigrid method for iteration solution, and a correlated-k distribution method refined for efficient approximation of the wavelength integration. For a case study, the scheme is applied to an infrared broadband radiation calculation in a broken cloud field generated with a large eddy simulation model. The horizontal transport of infrared radiation, which cannot be estimated by the plane-parallel approximation, and its variation in time can be retrieved. The calculation result elucidates that the horizontal divergences and convergences of infrared radiation flux are not negligible, especially at the boundaries of clouds and within optically thin clouds, and the radiative cooling at lateral boundaries of clouds may reduce infrared radiative heating in clouds. In a future work, the 3D effects on radiative heating/cooling will be able to be

Core Emergence in a Massive Infrared Dark Cloud: A Comparison between Mid-IR Extinction and 1.3 mm Emission

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Shuo; Tan, Jonathan C.; Arce, Héctor G.; Caselli, Paola; Fontani, Francesco; Butler, Michael J.

2018-03-01

Stars are born from dense cores in molecular clouds. Observationally, it is crucial to capture the formation of cores in order to understand the necessary conditions and rate of the star formation process. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is extremely powerful for identifying dense gas structures, including cores, at millimeter wavelengths via their dust continuum emission. Here, we use ALMA to carry out a survey of dense gas and cores in the central region of the massive (∼105 M ⊙) infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G28.37+0.07. The observation consists of a mosaic of 86 pointings of the 12 m array and produces an unprecedented view of the densest structures of this IRDC. In this first Letter about this data set, we focus on a comparison between the 1.3 mm continuum emission and a mid-infrared (MIR) extinction map of the IRDC. This allows estimation of the “dense gas” detection probability function (DPF), i.e., as a function of the local mass surface density, Σ, for various choices of thresholds of millimeter continuum emission to define “dense gas.” We then estimate the dense gas mass fraction, f dg, in the central region of the IRDC and, via extrapolation with the DPF and the known Σ probability distribution function, to the larger-scale surrounding regions, finding values of about 5% to 15% for the fiducial choice of threshold. We argue that this observed dense gas is a good tracer of the protostellar core population and, in this context, estimate a star formation efficiency per free-fall time in the central IRDC region of ɛ ff ∼ 10%, with approximately a factor of two systematic uncertainties.

O mundo americano na produção escrita inglesa: séculos XVI, XVII e XVIII

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lílian Martins de Lima

2012-06-01

Full Text Available A apreciação do Novo Mundo por letrados ingleses, irlandeses e escoceses pode ser pontuada a partir da segunda metade do século XVI. A compreensão acerca dessa temática é um dos eixos deste artigo, que pretende avaliar as nuances da produção escrita em língua inglesa entre os séculos XVI, XVII e XVIII, com destaque para a formulação de histórias filosóficas da América. Buscamos, em linhas gerais, avaliar de que forma o cenário americano foi descrito por autores que, em diferentes momentos, se indagaram sobre o lugar da América na historiografia inglesa.

Studies of IR-screening smoke clouds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cudzilo, S. [Military Univ. of Technology, Warsaw (Poland)

2001-02-01

This paper contains some results of research on the IR-screening capability of smoke clouds generated during the combustion process of varied pyrotechnic formulations. The smoke compositions were made from some oxygen or oxygen-free mixtures containing metal and chloroorganic compounds or mixtures based on red phosphorus. The camouflage effectiveness of clouds generated by these formulations was investigated under laboratory conditions with an infrared camera. The technique employed enables determination of radiant temperature distributions in a smoke cloud treated as an energy equivalent of a grey body emission. The results of the analysis of thermographs from the camera were the basis on which the mixtures producing screens of the highest countermeasure for thermal imaging systems have been chosen. (orig.)

Cloud tolerance of remote sensing technologies to measure land surface temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Conventional means to estimate land surface temperature (LST) from space relies on the thermal infrared (TIR) spectral window and is limited to cloud-free scenes. To also provide LST estimates during periods with clouds, a new method was developed to estimate LST based on passive microwave (MW) obse...

A New Algorithm for Detecting Cloud Height using OMPS/LP Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhong; DeLand, Matthew; Bhartia, Pawan K.

2016-01-01

The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS/LP) ozone product requires the determination of cloud height for each event to establish the lower boundary of the profile for the retrieval algorithm. We have created a revised cloud detection algorithm for LP measurements that uses the spectral dependence of the vertical gradient in radiance between two wavelengths in the visible and near-IR spectral regions. This approach provides better discrimination between clouds and aerosols than results obtained using a single wavelength. Observed LP cloud height values show good agreement with coincident Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) measurements.

Inaptos de oro: figuraciones del otro en el teatro portugués del siglo XVI

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José Camões

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Las figuraciones de etnias minoritarias marginalizadas han sido una presencia constante en el teatro portugués del siglo XVI. Se analizan casos concretos que muestran como el teatro estrecha las márgenes, integrando en el universo ficcional la realidad cotidiana.

Subsonic islands within a high-mass star-forming infrared dark cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolov, Vlas; Wang, Ke; Pineda, Jaime E.; Caselli, Paola; Henshaw, Jonathan D.; Barnes, Ashley T.; Tan, Jonathan C.; Fontani, Francesco; Jiménez-Serra, Izaskun; Zhang, Qizhou

2018-03-01

High-mass star forming regions are typically thought to be dominated by supersonic motions. We present combined Very Large Array and Green Bank Telescope (VLA+GBT) observations of NH3 (1,1) and (2,2) in the infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G035.39-00.33, tracing cold and dense gas down to scales of 0.07 pc. We find that, in contrast to previous, similar studies of IRDCs, more than a third of the fitted ammonia spectra show subsonic non-thermal motions (mean line width of 0.71 km s-1), and sonic Mach number distribution peaks around ℳ = 1. As possible observational and instrumental biases would only broaden the line profiles, our results provide strong upper limits to the actual value of ℳ, further strengthening our findings of narrow line widths. This finding calls for a re-evaluation of the role of turbulent dissipation and subsonic regions in massive-star and cluster formation. Based on our findings in G035.39, we further speculate that the coarser spectral resolution used in the previous VLA NH3 studies may have inhibited the detection of subsonic turbulence in IRDCs. The reduced turbulent support suggests that dynamically important magnetic fields of the 1 mG order would be required to support against possible gravitational collapse. Our results offer valuable input into the theories and simulations that aim to recreate the initial conditions of high-mass star and cluster formation.

Infrared radiative transfer in dense disks around young stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dent, W.R.F.

1988-01-01

A two-dimensional radiative transfer program has been used to determine the temperature distribution within cylindrically symmetric, centrally heated dust clouds. In particular, the disk-shaped structures observed around young luminous stars have been modeled. Changing the dust distribution in these disks primarily affected the observed morphology in the near-infrared and far-infrared, and at millimeter wavelengths. The overall cloud spectrum, however, was mainly determined by the characteristics of the grains themselves. Comparison with published far-infrared and molecular line data has indicated that the dust density can generally be modeled by a power-law distribution in r with index of -2 and an exponential in z with disk thickness proportional to 1/r. When observed nearly edge-on, scattered direct stellar radiation is observed in the polar regions in the form of comet-shaped lobes of emission. 26 references

THE BOLOCAM GALACTIC PLANE SURVEY. VIII. A MID-INFRARED KINEMATIC DISTANCE DISCRIMINATION METHOD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellsworth-Bowers, Timothy P.; Glenn, Jason; Battersby, Cara; Ginsburg, Adam; Bally, John [CASA, University of Colorado, UCB 389, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Rosolowsky, Erik [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia Okanagan, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7 (Canada); Mairs, Steven [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 1A1 (Canada); Evans, Neal J. II [Department of Astronomy, University of Texas, 1 University Station C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Shirley, Yancy L., E-mail: timothy.ellsworthbowers@colorado.edu [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2013-06-10

We present a new distance estimation method for dust-continuum-identified molecular cloud clumps. Recent (sub-)millimeter Galactic plane surveys have cataloged tens of thousands of these objects, plausible precursors to stellar clusters, but detailed study of their physical properties requires robust distance determinations. We derive Bayesian distance probability density functions (DPDFs) for 770 objects from the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey in the Galactic longitude range 7. Degree-Sign 5 {<=} l {<=} 65 Degree-Sign . The DPDF formalism is based on kinematic distances, and uses any number of external data sets to place prior distance probabilities to resolve the kinematic distance ambiguity (KDA) for objects in the inner Galaxy. We present here priors related to the mid-infrared absorption of dust in dense molecular regions and the distribution of molecular gas in the Galactic disk. By assuming a numerical model of Galactic mid-infrared emission and simple radiative transfer, we match the morphology of (sub-)millimeter thermal dust emission with mid-infrared absorption to compute a prior DPDF for distance discrimination. Selecting objects first from (sub-)millimeter source catalogs avoids a bias towards the darkest infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and extends the range of heliocentric distance probed by mid-infrared extinction and includes lower-contrast sources. We derive well-constrained KDA resolutions for 618 molecular cloud clumps, with approximately 15% placed at or beyond the tangent distance. Objects with mid-infrared contrast sufficient to be cataloged as IRDCs are generally placed at the near kinematic distance. Distance comparisons with Galactic Ring Survey KDA resolutions yield a 92% agreement. A face-on view of the Milky Way using resolved distances reveals sections of the Sagittarius and Scutum-Centaurus Arms. This KDA-resolution method for large catalogs of sources through the combination of (sub-)millimeter and mid-infrared observations of molecular

Os excessos da identidade: Bento XVI e a questão da tolerância Excesses of identity: Benedict XVI and the issue of tolerance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Homero Santiago

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Partindo de algumas das polêmicas opiniões de Bento XVI, o artigo busca compreender a base doutrinária delas e discutir os seus efeitos para a questão da tolerância religiosa. Depois de uma apresentação do que entende por tolerância, propõe um percurso através da encíclica Deus caritas est, que embasa a nova doutrina papal numa interpretação particular da noção de "amor de Deus". Por fim, tenta-se mostrar como esse "amor", mediante uma ênfase exagerada da idéia de identidade, torna-se nos documentos papais um instrumento de combate a todas as diferenças, pondo a perder a possibilidade de convivência entre as religiões e, por conseqüência, semeando o fundamentalismo.This article tries to comprehend the doctrinal base of some polemical assessments of Benedict XVI; discussing its effects on the issue of religious tolerance. After presenting what is understood to mean tolerance, it proposes a way through the encyclical letter Deus caritas est; in this letter, the new papal doctrine is founded on a particular interpretation of the notion of "God's love". Lastly, it intends to show how this "love", by an exaggerated emphasis on the idea of identity, becomes an instrument of fight against every difference, spoiling the possibility of a pacific relationship among the religions and, consequently, sowing the seeds of fundamentalism.

3D Cloud Radiative Effects on Polarized Reflectances

Science.gov (United States)

Cornet, C.; Matar, C.; C-Labonnote, L.; Szczap, F.; Waquet, F.; Parol, F.; Riedi, J.

2017-12-01

As recognized in the last IPCC report, clouds have a major importance in the climate budget and need to be better characterized. Remote sensing observations are a way to obtain either global observations of cloud from satellites or a very fine description of clouds from airborne measurements. An increasing numbers of radiometers plan to measure polarized reflectances in addition to total reflectances, since this information is very helpful to obtain aerosol or cloud properties. In a near future, for example, the Multi-viewing, Multi-channel, Multi-polarization Imager (3MI) will be part the EPS-SG Eumetsat-ESA mission. It will achieve multi-angular polarimetric measurements from visible to shortwave infrared wavelengths. An airborne prototype, OSIRIS (Observing System Including Polarization in the Solar Infrared Spectrum), is also presently developed at the Laboratoire d'Optique Atmospherique and had already participated to several measurements campaigns. In order to analyze suitably the measured signal, it it necessary to have realistic and accurate models able to simulate polarized reflectances. The 3DCLOUD model (Szczap et al., 2014) was used to generate three-dimensional synthetic cloud and the 3D radiative transfer model, 3DMCPOL (Cornet et al., 2010) to compute realistic polarized reflectances. From these simulations, we investigate the effects of 3D cloud structures and heterogeneity on the polarized angular signature often used to retrieve cloud or aerosol properties. We show that 3D effects are weak for flat clouds but become quite significant for fractional clouds above ocean. The 3D effects are quite different according to the observation scale. For the airborne scale (few tens of meter), solar illumination effects can lead to polarized cloud reflectance values higher than the saturation limit predicted by the homogeneous cloud assumption. In the cloud gaps, corresponding to shadowed areas of the total reflectances, polarized signal can also be enhanced

Examining the infrared variable star population discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud using the SAGE-SMC survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polsdofer, Elizabeth; Marengo, M.; Seale, J.; Sewiło, M.; Vijh, U. P.; Terrazas, M.; Meixner, M.

2015-01-01

We present our study on the infrared variability of point sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We use the data from the Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy Program “Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud” (SAGE-SMC) and the “Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud” (S 3 MC) survey, over three different epochs, separated by several months to 3 years. Variability in the thermal infrared is identified using a combination of Spitzer’s InfraRed Array Camera 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm bands, and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer 24 μm band. An error-weighted flux difference between each pair of three epochs (“variability index”) is used to assess the variability of each source. A visual source inspection is used to validate the photometry and image quality. Out of ∼2 million sources in the SAGE-SMC catalog, 814 meet our variability criteria. We matched the list of variable star candidates to the catalogs of SMC sources classified with other methods, available in the literature. Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars make up the majority (61%) of our variable sources, with about a third of all of our sources being classified as extreme AGB stars. We find a small, but significant population of oxygen-rich (O-rich) AGB (8.6%), Red Supergiant (2.8%), and Red Giant Branch (<1%) stars. Other matches to the literature include Cepheid variable stars (8.6%), early type stars (2.8%), Young-stellar objects (5.8%), and background galaxies (1.2%). We found a candidate OH maser star, SSTISAGE1C J005212.88-730852.8, which is a variable O-rich AGB star, and would be the first OH/IR star in the SMC, if confirmed. We measured the infrared variability of a rare RV Tau variable (a post-AGB star) that has recently left the AGB phase. 59 variable stars from our list remain unclassified.

Examining the infrared variable star population discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud using the SAGE-SMC survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polsdofer, Elizabeth; Marengo, M. [Iowa State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 12 Physics Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States); Seale, J.; Sewiło, M. [The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 366 Bloomberg Center, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Vijh, U. P.; Terrazas, M. [Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States); Meixner, M., E-mail: empolsdofer@gmail.com [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2015-02-01

We present our study on the infrared variability of point sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We use the data from the Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy Program “Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution in the Tidally Stripped, Low Metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud” (SAGE-SMC) and the “Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud” (S{sup 3}MC) survey, over three different epochs, separated by several months to 3 years. Variability in the thermal infrared is identified using a combination of Spitzer’s InfraRed Array Camera 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm bands, and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer 24 μm band. An error-weighted flux difference between each pair of three epochs (“variability index”) is used to assess the variability of each source. A visual source inspection is used to validate the photometry and image quality. Out of ∼2 million sources in the SAGE-SMC catalog, 814 meet our variability criteria. We matched the list of variable star candidates to the catalogs of SMC sources classified with other methods, available in the literature. Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars make up the majority (61%) of our variable sources, with about a third of all of our sources being classified as extreme AGB stars. We find a small, but significant population of oxygen-rich (O-rich) AGB (8.6%), Red Supergiant (2.8%), and Red Giant Branch (<1%) stars. Other matches to the literature include Cepheid variable stars (8.6%), early type stars (2.8%), Young-stellar objects (5.8%), and background galaxies (1.2%). We found a candidate OH maser star, SSTISAGE1C J005212.88-730852.8, which is a variable O-rich AGB star, and would be the first OH/IR star in the SMC, if confirmed. We measured the infrared variability of a rare RV Tau variable (a post-AGB star) that has recently left the AGB phase. 59 variable stars from our list remain unclassified.

Characterization of injected aluminum oxide nanoparticle clouds in an rf discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Krüger, Harald; Killer, Carsten; Schütt, Stefan; Melzer, André

2018-02-01

An experimental setup to deagglomerate and insert nanoparticles into a radio frequency discharge has been developed to confine defined aluminum oxide nanoparticles in a dusty plasma. For the confined particle clouds we have measured the spatially resolved in situ size and density distributions. Implementing the whole plasma chamber into the sample volume of an FTIR spectrometer the infrared spectrum of the confined aluminum oxide nanoparticles has been obtained. We have investigated the dependency of the absorbance of the nanoparticles in terms of plasma power, pressure and cloud shape. The particles’ infrared phonon resonance has been identified.

Evaluating the impact of aerosol particles above cloud on cloud optical depth retrievals from MODIS

Science.gov (United States)

Alfaro-Contreras, Ricardo; Zhang, Jianglong; Campbell, James R.; Holz, Robert E.; Reid, Jeffrey S.

2014-05-01

Using two different operational Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud optical depth (COD) retrievals (0.86 versus 1.6 µm), we evaluate the impact of above-cloud smoke aerosol particles on near-IR (0.86 µm) COD retrievals. Aerosol Index (AI) from the collocated Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to identify above-cloud aerosol particle loading over the southern Atlantic Ocean, including both smoke and dust from the African subcontinent. Collocated Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation data constrain cloud phase and provide contextual above-cloud aerosol optical depth. The frequency of occurrence of above-cloud aerosol events is depicted on a global scale for the spring and summer seasons from OMI and Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization. Seasonal frequencies for smoke-over-cloud off the southwestern Africa coastline reach 20-50% in boreal summer. We find a corresponding low COD bias of 10-20% for standard MODIS COD retrievals when averaged OMI AI are larger than 1. No such bias is found over the Saharan dust outflow region off northern Africa, since both MODIS 0.86 and 1.6 µm channels are vulnerable to radiance attenuation due to dust particles. A similar result is found for a smaller domain, in the Gulf of Tonkin region, from smoke advection over marine stratocumulus clouds and outflow into the northern South China Sea in spring. This study shows the necessity of accounting for the above-cloud aerosol events for future studies using standard MODIS cloud products in biomass burning outflow regions, through the use of collocated OMI AI and supplementary MODIS 1.6 µm COD products.

Galileo infrared imaging spectroscopy measurements at venus

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, R.W.; Baines, K.H.; Encrenaz, Th.; Taylor, F.W.; Drossart, P.; Kamp, L.W.; Pollack, James B.; Lellouch, E.; Collard, A.D.; Calcutt, S.B.; Grinspoon, D.; Weissman, P.R.; Smythe, W.D.; Ocampo, A.C.; Danielson, G.E.; Fanale, F.P.; Johnson, T.V.; Kieffer, H.H.; Matson, D.L.; McCord, T.B.; Soderblom, L.A.

1991-01-01

During the 1990 Galileo Venus flyby, the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer investigated the night-side atmosphere of Venus in the spectral range 0.7 to 5.2 micrometers. Multispectral images at high spatial resolution indicate substantial cloud opacity variations in the lower cloud levels, centered at 50 kilometers altitude. Zonal and meridional winds were derived for this level and are consistent with motion of the upper branch of a Hadley cell. Northern and southern hemisphere clouds appear to be markedly different. Spectral profiles were used to derive lower atmosphere abundances of water vapor and other species.

Remote observations of eruptive clouds and surface thermal activity during the 2009 eruption of Redoubt volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Webley, P. W.; Lopez, T. M.; Ekstrand, A. L.; Dean, K. G.; Rinkleff, P.; Dehn, J.; Cahill, C. F.; Wessels, R. L.; Bailey, J. E.; Izbekov, P.; Worden, A.

2013-06-01

Volcanoes often erupt explosively and generate a variety of hazards including volcanic ash clouds and gaseous plumes. These clouds and plumes are a significant hazard to the aviation industry and the ground features can be a major hazard to local communities. Here, we provide a chronology of the 2009 Redoubt Volcano eruption using frequent, low spatial resolution thermal infrared (TIR), mid-infrared (MIR) and ultraviolet (UV) satellite remote sensing data. The first explosion of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano occurred on March 15, 2009 (UTC) and was followed by a series of magmatic explosive events starting on March 23 (UTC). From March 23-April 4 2009, satellites imaged at least 19 separate explosive events that sent ash clouds up to 18 km above sea level (ASL) that dispersed ash across the Cook Inlet region. In this manuscript, we provide an overview of the ash clouds and plumes from the 19 explosive events, detailing their cloud-top heights and discussing the variations in infrared absorption signals. We show that the timing of the TIR data relative to the event end time was critical for inferring the TIR derived height and true cloud top height. The ash clouds were high in water content, likely in the form of ice, which masked the negative TIR brightness temperature difference (BTD) signal typically used for volcanic ash detection. The analysis shown here illustrates the utility of remote sensing data during volcanic crises to measure critical real-time parameters, such as cloud-top heights, changes in ground-based thermal activity, and plume/cloud location.

Properties of CIRRUS Overlapping Clouds as Deduced from the GOES-12 Imagery Data

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Fu-Lung; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Khaiyer, Mandana

2006-01-01

Understanding the impact of cirrus clouds on modifying both the solar reflected and terrestrial emitted radiations is crucial for climate studies. Unlike most boundary layer stratus and stratocumulus clouds that have a net cooling effect on the climate, high-level thin cirrus clouds can have a warming effect on our climate. Many research efforts have been devoted to retrieving cirrus cloud properties due to their ubiquitous presence. However, using satellite observations to detect and/or retrieve cirrus cloud properties faces two major challenges. First, they are often semitransparent at visible to infrared wavelengths; and secondly, they often occur over a lower cloud system. The overlapping of high-level cirrus and low-level stratus cloud poses a difficulty in determining the individual cloud top altitudes and optical properties, especially when the signals from cirrus clouds are overwhelmed by the signals of stratus clouds. Moreover, the operational satellite retrieval algorithms, which often assume only single layer cloud in the development of cloud retrieval techniques, cannot resolve the cloud overlapping situation properly. The new geostationary satellites, starting with the Twelfth Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12), are providing a new suite of imager bands that have replaced the conventional 12-micron channel with a 13.3-micron CO2 absorption channel. The replacement of the 13.3-micron channel allows for the application of a CO2-slicing retrieval technique (Chahine et al. 1974; Smith and Platt 1978), which is one of the important passive satellite methods for remote sensing the altitudes of mid to high-level clouds. Using the CO2- slicing technique is more effective in detecting semitransparent cirrus clouds than using the conventional infrared-window method.

INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY OF THE QUIESCENT MEDIUM OF NEARBY CLOUDS. I. ICE FORMATION AND GRAIN GROWTH IN LUPUS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boogert, A. C. A.; Chiar, J. E.; Knez, C.; Mundy, L. G.; Öberg, K. I.; Pendleton, Y. J.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Van Dishoeck, E. F.

2013-01-01

Infrared photometry and spectroscopy (1-25 μm) of background stars reddened by the Lupus molecular cloud complex are used to determine the properties of grains and the composition of ices before they are incorporated into circumstellar envelopes and disks. H 2 O ices form at extinctions of A K = 0.25 ± 0.07 mag (A V = 2.1 ± 0.6). Such a low ice formation threshold is consistent with the absence of nearby hot stars. Overall, the Lupus clouds are in an early chemical phase. The abundance of H 2 O ice (2.3 ± 0.1 × 10 –5 relative to N H ) is typical for quiescent regions, but lower by a factor of three to four compared to dense envelopes of young stellar objects. The low solid CH 3 OH abundance ( 2 O) indicates a low gas phase H/CO ratio, which is consistent with the observed incomplete CO freeze out. Furthermore it is found that the grains in Lupus experienced growth by coagulation. The mid-infrared (>5 μm) continuum extinction relative to A K increases as a function of A K . Most Lupus lines of sight are well fitted with empirically derived extinction curves corresponding to R V ∼ 3.5 (A K = 0.71) and R V ∼ 5.0 (A K = 1.47). For lines of sight with A K > 1.0 mag, the τ 9.7 /A K ratio is a factor of two lower compared to the diffuse medium. Below 1.0 mag, values scatter between the dense and diffuse medium ratios. The absence of a gradual transition between diffuse and dense medium-type dust indicates that local conditions matter in the process that sets the τ 9.7 /A K ratio. This process is likely related to grain growth by coagulation, as traced by the A 7.4 /A K continuum extinction ratio, but not to ice mantle formation. Conversely, grains acquire ice mantles before the process of coagulation starts

O Papa precisa do marxismo? Bento XVI e a incompatibilidade entre a fé cristã e a fé marxista (Does Pope need of Marxism? Benedict XVI and the incompatibility between the Christian faith and the Marxist faith

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudy Albino Assunção

2012-10-01

Full Text Available O marxismo aparece insistentemente na teologia e no magistério de Joseph Ratzinger-Bento XVI como um inimigo permanente ao qual o cristianismo deve se contrapor, sem possibilidades de conciliação entre ambos. Mas qual concepção subjaz essa rejeição tão peremptória, tão decidida? Para alcançarmos a resposta a tal questão, aprofundamos a visão de Joseph Ratzinger a partir de alguns de seus escritos teológicos (anteriores ao pontificado e, em seguida, nas suas três encíclicas, o ponto alto de seu magistério papal (Deus caritas est, Spe salvi e Caritas in veritate. Defendemos que a crítica de Bento XVI, antes de ser exclusivamente teológica (ou doutrinária, é filosófica, baseada na racionalidade e não na fé professada pela Igreja, que lhe permite tratar o marxismo não simplesmente como um programa político que vai contra alguns valores cristãos, mas como uma escatologia judaico-cristã secularizada, um messianismo político, portanto, como uma religião, como uma fé, que nega e esvazia o núcleo essencial da fé cristã. E aqui está a raiz da sua oposição. Palavras-chave: Marxismo. Bento XVI. Messianismo. Escatologia política.   Abstract: Marxism appears repeatedly in Pope Benedict’s theology and teaching as a permanent enemy that Christianity must oppose without any possibilities of conciliation between them. However, what underlies this decisive rejection? To answer this question we look further into Joseph Ratzinger’s perspective starting with some of his theological writings (before the pontificate followed by three of his encyclicals, the high point of his papal teaching (Deus caritas est, Spe salvi e Caritas in veritate. We argue that Benedict XVI's criticism, prior to being purely theological (or doctrinal, is philosophical, based on rationality and not in the faith professed by the Church, allowing him to treat marxism not simply as a political program that goes against some Christian values

El poblamiento en el siglo XVI. Contrastes entre el Caribe y el interior andino

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Herrera Ángel

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Hablar de poblamiento en el Caribe o en el interior andino y, en general, en América en el siglo XVI, desde la perspectiva de la población que lo habitaba, resulta en buena medida un contrasentido, ya que lo que tuvo lugar en la mayor parte de este continente a lo largo del siglo XVI y buena parte del XVII , como consecuencia de la invasión europea. fue un intenso y continuado proceso de despoblamiento. Ese proceso, en todo caso, no significó la desaparición de la población nativa que, por lo menos hasta finales del siglo XVII y comienzos del siglo XVIII, continuó siendo la población mayoritaria en buena parte del territorio. Pero además, es de resaltar que en las llanuras del Caribe colombiano, así como en el interior andino, al igual que en muchas otras partes del territorio americano, el proceso de despoblamiento que tuvo lugar desde finales del siglo XV no fue compensado por el arribo de pobladores de otros continentes.

A Fast Visible-Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Simulator for Cloudy Atmopheres

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chao; Yang, Ping; Nasiri, Shaima L.; Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; Wang, Chen Xi; Ding, Shouguo

2015-01-01

A fast instrument simulator is developed to simulate the observations made in cloudy atmospheres by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The correlated k-distribution (CKD) technique is used to compute the transmissivity of absorbing atmospheric gases. The bulk scattering properties of ice clouds used in this study are based on the ice model used for the MODIS Collection 6 ice cloud products. Two fast radiative transfer models based on pre-computed ice cloud look-up-tables are used for the VIIRS solar and infrared channels. The accuracy and efficiency of the fast simulator are quantify in comparison with a combination of the rigorous line-by-line (LBLRTM) and discrete ordinate radiative transfer (DISORT) models. Relative errors are less than 2 for simulated TOA reflectances for the solar channels and the brightness temperature differences for the infrared channels are less than 0.2 K. The simulator is over three orders of magnitude faster than the benchmark LBLRTM+DISORT model. Furthermore, the cloudy atmosphere reflectances and brightness temperatures from the fast VIIRS simulator compare favorably with those from VIIRS observations.

[Application of single-band brightness variance ratio to the interference dissociation of cloud for satellite data].

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Wei-ping; Liu, Wen-qing; Liu, Jian-guo; Lu, Yi-huai; Zhu, Jun; Qin, Min; Liu, Cheng

2006-11-01

In satellite remote-sensing detection, cloud as an interference plays a negative role in data retrieval. How to discern the cloud fields with high fidelity thus comes as a need to the following research. A new method rooting in atmospheric radiation characteristics of cloud layer, in the present paper, presents a sort of solution where single-band brightness variance ratio is used to detect the relative intensity of cloud clutter so as to delineate cloud field rapidly and exactly, and the formulae of brightness variance ratio of satellite image, image reflectance variance ratio, and brightness temperature variance ratio of thermal infrared image are also given to enable cloud elimination to produce data free from cloud interference. According to the variance of the penetrating capability for different spectra bands, an objective evaluation is done on cloud penetration of them with the factors that influence penetration effect. Finally, a multi-band data fusion task is completed using the image data of infrared penetration from cirrus nothus. Image data reconstruction is of good quality and exactitude to show the real data of visible band covered by cloud fields. Statistics indicates the consistency of waveband relativity with image data after the data fusion.

Global Distribution and Vertical Structure of Clouds Revealed by CALIPSO

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Y.; Minnis, P.; Winker, D.; Huang, J.; Sun-Mack, S.; Ayers, K.

2007-12-01

Understanding the effects of clouds on Earth's radiation balance, especially on longwave fluxes within the atmosphere, depends on having accurate knowledge of cloud vertical location within the atmosphere. The Cloud- Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite mission provides the opportunity to measure the vertical distribution of clouds at a greater detail than ever before possible. The CALIPSO cloud layer products from June 2006 to June 2007 are analyzed to determine the occurrence frequency and thickness of clouds as functions of time, latitude, and altitude. In particular, the latitude-longitude and vertical distributions of single- and multi-layer clouds and the latitudinal movement of cloud cover with the changing seasons are examined. The seasonal variablities of cloud frequency and geometric thickness are also analyzed and compared with similar quantities derived from the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) using the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) cloud retrieval algorithms. The comparisons provide an estimate of the errors in cloud fraction, top height, and thickness incurred by passive algorithms.

Detection of Multi-Layer and Vertically-Extended Clouds Using A-Train Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Joiner, J.; Vasilkov, A. P.; Bhartia, P. K.; Wind, G.; Platnick, S.; Menzel, W. P.

2010-01-01

The detection of mUltiple cloud layers using satellite observations is important for retrieval algorithms as well as climate applications. In this paper, we describe a relatively simple algorithm to detect multiple cloud layers and distinguish them from vertically-extended clouds. The algorithm can be applied to coincident passive sensors that derive both cloud-top pressure from the thermal infrared observations and an estimate of solar photon pathlength from UV, visible, or near-IR measurements. Here, we use data from the A-train afternoon constellation of satellites: cloud-top pressure, cloud optical thickness, the multi-layer flag from the Aqua MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the optical centroid cloud pressure from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). For the first time, we use data from the CloudSat radar to evaluate the results of a multi-layer cloud detection scheme. The cloud classification algorithms applied with different passive sensor configurations compare well with each other as well as with data from CloudSat. We compute monthly mean fractions of pixels containing multi-layer and vertically-extended clouds for January and July 2007 at the OMI spatial resolution (l2kmx24km at nadir) and at the 5kmx5km MODIS resolution used for infrared cloud retrievals. There are seasonal variations in the spatial distribution of the different cloud types. The fraction of cloudy pixels containing distinct multi-layer cloud is a strong function of the pixel size. Globally averaged, these fractions are approximately 20% and 10% for OMI and MODIS, respectively. These fractions may be significantly higher or lower depending upon location. There is a much smaller resolution dependence for fractions of pixels containing vertically-extended clouds (approx.20% for OMI and slightly less for MODIS globally), suggesting larger spatial scales for these clouds. We also find higher fractions of vertically-extended clouds over land as compared with

Long-term Behaviour Of Venus Winds At Cloud Level From Virtis/vex Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Hueso, Ricardo; Peralta, J.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Piccioni, G.; Drossart, P.

2009-09-01

The Venus Express (VEX) mission has been in orbit to Venus for more than three years now. The VIRTIS instrument onboard VEX observes Venus in two channels (visible and infrared) obtaining spectra and multi-wavelength images of the planet. Images in the ultraviolet range are used to study the upper cloud at 66 km while images in the infrared (1.74 μm) map the opacity of the lower cloud deck at 48 km. Here we present an analysis of the overall dynamics of Venus’ atmosphere at both levels using observations that cover a large fraction of the VIRTIS dataset. We will present our latest results concerning the zonal winds, the overall stability in the lower cloud deck motions and the variability in the upper cloud. Meridional winds are also observed in the upper and lower cloud in the UV and IR images obtained with VIRTIS. While the upper clouds present a net meridional motion consistent with the upper branch of a Hadley cell the lower cloud present more irregular, variable and less intense motions in the meridional direction. Acknowledgements This work has been funded by Spanish MEC AYA2006-07735 with FEDER support and Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-464-07. RH acknowledges a "Ramón y Cajal” contract from MEC.

Radiative effect differences between multi-layered and single-layer clouds derived from CERES, CALIPSO, and CloudSat data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jiming; Yi Yuhong; Minnis, Patrick; Huang Jianping; Yan Hongru; Ma Yuejie; Wang Wencai; Kirk Ayers, J.

2011-01-01

Clouds alter general circulation through modification of the radiative heating profile within the atmosphere. Their effects are complex and depend on height, vertical structure, and phase. The instantaneous cloud radiative effect (CRE) induced by multi-layered (ML) and single-layer (SL) clouds is estimated by analyzing data collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), CloudSat, and Clouds and Earth's Radiation Energy Budget System (CERES) missions from March 2007 through February 2008. The CRE differences between ML and SL clouds at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface were also examined. The zonal mean shortwave (SW) CRE differences between the ML and SL clouds at the TOA and surface were positive at most latitudes, peaking at 120 W m -2 in the tropics and dropping to -30 W m -2 at higher latitudes. This indicated that the ML clouds usually reflected less sunlight at the TOA and transmitted more to the surface than the SL clouds, due to their higher cloud top heights. The zonal mean longwave (LW) CRE differences between ML and SL clouds at the TOA and surface were relatively small, ranging from -30 to 30 W m -2 . This showed that the ML clouds only increased the amount of thermal radiation at the TOA relative to the SL clouds in the tropics, decreasing it elsewhere. In other words, ML clouds tended to cool the atmosphere in the tropics and warm it elsewhere when compared to SL clouds. The zonal mean net CRE differences were positive at most latitudes and dominated by the SW CRE differences.

DISTANCES TO DARK CLOUDS: COMPARING EXTINCTION DISTANCES TO MASER PARALLAX DISTANCES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, Jonathan B.; Jackson, James M.; Stead, Joseph J.; Hoare, Melvin G.; Benjamin, Robert A.

2012-01-01

We test two different methods of using near-infrared extinction to estimate distances to dark clouds in the first quadrant of the Galaxy using large near-infrared (Two Micron All Sky Survey and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey) surveys. Very long baseline interferometry parallax measurements of masers around massive young stars provide the most direct and bias-free measurement of the distance to these dark clouds. We compare the extinction distance estimates to these maser parallax distances. We also compare these distances to kinematic distances, including recent re-calibrations of the Galactic rotation curve. The extinction distance methods agree with the maser parallax distances (within the errors) between 66% and 100% of the time (depending on method and input survey) and between 85% and 100% of the time outside of the crowded Galactic center. Although the sample size is small, extinction distance methods reproduce maser parallax distances better than kinematic distances; furthermore, extinction distance methods do not suffer from the kinematic distance ambiguity. This validation gives us confidence that these extinction methods may be extended to additional dark clouds where maser parallaxes are not available.

UNVEILING A NETWORK OF PARALLEL FILAMENTS IN THE INFRARED DARK CLOUD G14.225-0.506

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Busquet, Gemma [INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Zhang, Qizhou; Ho, Paul T. P. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Palau, Aina; Girart, Josep M. [Institut de Ciencies de l' Espai (CSIC-IEEC), Campus UAB, Facultat de Ciencies, Torre C-5 parell, E-08193 Bellaterra, Catalunya (Spain); Liu, Hauyu Baobab [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Sanchez-Monge, Alvaro [INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-05125 Firenze (Italy); Estalella, Robert [Departament d' Astronomia i Meteorologia, Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos (ICC), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Marti i Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona, Catalunya (Spain); De Gregorio-Monsalvo, Itziar [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Pillai, Thushara [Caltech Astronomy Department, MC 249-17, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Wyrowski, Friedrich [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Santos, Fabio P.; Franco, Gabriel A. P., E-mail: gemma.busquet@iaps.inaf.it [Departamento de Fisica-ICEx-UFMG, Caixa Postal 702, 30.123-970 Belo Horizonte-MG (Brazil)

2013-02-20

We present the results of combined NH{sub 3} (1,1) and (2,2) line emission observed with the Very Large Array and the Effelsberg 100 m telescope of the infrared dark cloud G14.225-0.506. The NH{sub 3} emission reveals a network of filaments constituting two hub-filament systems. Hubs are associated with gas of rotational temperature T{sub rot} {approx} 15 K, non-thermal velocity dispersion {sigma}{sub NT} {approx} 1 km s{sup -1}, and exhibit signs of star formation, while filaments appear to be more quiescent (T{sub rot} {approx} 11 K and {sigma}{sub NT} {approx} 0.6 km s{sup -1}). Filaments are parallel in projection and distributed mainly along two directions, at P.A. {approx} 10 Degree-Sign and 60 Degree-Sign , and appear to be coherent in velocity. The averaged projected separation between adjacent filaments is between 0.5 pc and 1 pc, and the mean width of filaments is 0.12 pc. Cores within filaments are separated by {approx}0.33 {+-} 0.09 pc, which is consistent with the predicted fragmentation of an isothermal gas cylinder due to the {sup s}ausage{sup -}type instability. The network of parallel filaments observed in G14.225-0.506 is consistent with the gravitational instability of a thin gas layer threaded by magnetic fields. Overall, our data suggest that magnetic fields might play an important role in the alignment of filaments, and polarization measurements in the entire cloud would lend further support to this scenario.

THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AROUND IRAS 17599–2148: INFRARED DARK CLOUD AND BIPOLAR NEBULA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dewangan, L. K.; Janardhan, P. [Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009 (India); Ojha, D. K. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400 005 (India); Zinchenko, I. [Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 46 Ulyanov st., Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Ghosh, S. K. [National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007 (India); Luna, A., E-mail: lokeshd@prl.res.in [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Luis Enrique Erro # 1, Tonantzintla, Puebla, C.P. 72840 (Mexico)

2016-12-20

We present a multiscale and multiwavelength study to investigate the star formation process around IRAS 17599–2148, which is part of an elongated filamentary structure (EFS) (extension ∼21 pc) seen in the Herschel maps. Using the Herschel data analysis, at least six massive clumps (M {sub clump} ∼ 777–7024 M {sub ⊙}) are found in the EFS with a range of temperature and column density of ∼16–39 K and ∼(0.6–11) × 10{sup 22} cm{sup −2} (A {sub V}  ∼ 7–117 mag), respectively. The EFS hosts cold gas regions (i.e., infrared dark cloud) without any radio detection and a bipolar nebula (BN) linked with the H ii region IRAS 17599–2148, tracing two distinct environments inferred through the temperature distribution and ionized emission. Based on virial analysis and higher values of self-gravitating pressure, the clumps are found unstable against gravitational collapse. We find 474 young stellar objects (YSOs) in the selected region, and ∼72% of these YSOs are found in the clusters distributed mainly toward the clumps in the EFS. These YSOs might have spontaneously formed due to processes not related to the expanding H ii region. At the edges of BN, four additional clumps are also associated with YSO clusters, which appear to be influenced by the expanding H ii region. The most massive clump in the EFS contains two compact radio sources traced in the Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope 1.28 GHz map and a massive protostar candidate, IRS 1, prior to an ultracompact H ii phase. Using the Very Large Telescope/NACO near-infrared images, IRS 1 is resolved with a jet-like feature within a 4200 au scale.

Infrared Sky Imager (IRSI) Instrument Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morris, Victor R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-04-01

The Infrared Sky Imager (IRSI) deployed at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility is a Solmirus Corp. All Sky Infrared Visible Analyzer. The IRSI is an automatic, continuously operating, digital imaging and software system designed to capture hemispheric sky images and provide time series retrievals of fractional sky cover during both the day and night. The instrument provides diurnal, radiometrically calibrated sky imagery in the mid-infrared atmospheric window and imagery in the visible wavelengths for cloud retrievals during daylight hours. The software automatically identifies cloudy and clear regions at user-defined intervals and calculates fractional sky cover, providing a real-time display of sky conditions.

Absorption of solar radiation in broken clouds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuev, V.E.; Titov, G.A.; Zhuravleva, T.B. [Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Tomsk (Russian Federation)

1996-04-01

It is recognized now that the plane-parallel model unsatisfactorily describes the transfer of radiation through broken clouds and that, consequently, the radiation codes of general circulation models (GCMs) must be refined. However, before any refinement in a GCM code is made, it is necessary to investigate the dependence of radiative characteristics on the effects caused by the random geometry of cloud fields. Such studies for mean fluxes of downwelling and upwelling solar radiation in the visible and near-infrared (IR) spectral range were performed by Zuev et al. In this work, we investigate the mean spectral and integrated absorption of solar radiation by broken clouds (in what follows, the term {open_quotes}mean{close_quotes} will be implied but not used, for convenience). To evaluate the potential effect of stochastic geometry, we will compare the absorption by cumulus (0.5 {le} {gamma} {le} 2) to that by equivalent stratus ({gamma} <<1) clouds; here {gamma} = H/D, H is the cloud layer thickness and D the characteristic horizontal cloud size. The equivalent stratus clouds differ from cumulus only in the aspect ratio {gamma}, all the other parameters coinciding.

The evolution of comets and the detectability of Extra-Solar Oort Clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, S.A.

1989-01-01

According the standard theory, comets are natural products of solar system formation, ejected to the Oort Cloud by gravitational scattering events during the epoch of giant planet formation. Stored far from the Sun for billions of years, comets almost certainly contain a record of the events which occurred during (and perhaps even before) the epoch of planetary formation. Two themes are examined of the evolutionary processes that affect comets in the Oort Cloud, and a search for evidence of Extra-Solar Oort Clouds (ESOCs). With regard to cometary evolution in the Oort Cloud, it was found that luminous O stars and supernovae have heated the surface layers of all comets on numerous occasions to 20 to 30 K and perhaps once to 50 K. Interstellar medium (ISM) interactions blow small grains out of the Oort Clouds, and erode the upper few hundred g/cu cm of material from cometary surfaces. The findings presented contradict the standard view that comets do not undergo physical change in the Oort Cloud. A logical consequence of the intimate connection between the Oort Cloud and our planetary system is that the detection of comet clouds around other stars would strongly indicate the sites of extant extra-solar planetary systems. A search was conducted for infrared IR emission from debris in ESOCs. After examining 17 stars using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite data base, only upper limits on ESOC emission could be set

Venus winds at cloud level from VIRTIS during the Venus Express mission

Science.gov (United States)

Hueso, Ricardo; Peralta, Javier; Sánchez-Lavega, Agustín.; Pérez-Hoyos, Santiago; Piccioni, Giuseppe; Drossart, Pierre

2010-05-01

The Venus Express (VEX) mission has been in orbit to Venus for almost four years now. The VIRTIS instrument onboard VEX observes Venus in two channels (visible and infrared) obtaining spectra and multi-wavelength images of the planet. Images in the ultraviolet range are used to study the upper cloud at 66 km while images in the infrared (1.74 μm) map the opacity of the lower cloud deck at 48 km. Here we present our latest results on the analysis of the global atmospheric dynamics at these cloud levels using a large selection over the full VIRTIS dataset. We will show the atmospheric zonal superrotation at these levels and the mean meridional motions. The zonal winds are very stable in the lower cloud at mid-latitudes to the tropics while it shows different signatures of variability in the upper cloud where solar tide effects are manifest in the data. While the upper clouds present a net meridional motion consistent with the upper branch of a Hadley cell the lower cloud present almost null global meridional motions at all latitudes but with particular features traveling both northwards and southwards in a turbulent manner depending on the cloud morphology on the observations. A particular important atmospheric feature is the South Polar vortex which might be influencing the structure of the zonal winds in the lower cloud at latitudes from the vortex location up to 55°S. Acknowledgements This work has been funded by the Spanish MICIIN AYA2009-10701 with FEDER support and Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-464-07.

Esclavitud en la Extremadura del siglo XVI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Antonio Ballesteros Díez

2005-01-01

Full Text Available La presencia de esclavos durante el siglo XVI era un hecho tan generalizado en Extremadura como en el resto de Castilla. El conocimiento de este grupo social está diluido entre los marginados o los de ilegítimos, por lo que se hace una aproximación para establecer en distintos lugares de la región algunos datos cuantitativos que permitan medir su participación en el conjunto de la sociedad.The presence of slaves during the Sixteenth Century was a general fact both in Extremadura and in the rest of Castilla. The knowledge of this social group was diluted between the dropouts or the descendents of the illegitimate, therefore we are going to make an approach to establish in different places of the region some quantitative data which allow to measure their participation in the whole of the society.

El Papa Benedicto XVI y el ámbito internacional

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santiago Petschen

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Benedicto XVI, en el conjunto de los papas de los dos últimos siglos, es un papa eminentemente pastoral, poco diplomático. En algunas ocasiones le faltó tacto para manejar sus relaciones con los musulmanes y con los judíos. No le gustaba la política. Como gran pensador de carácter teórico la preocupaba más bien la profundidad de la filosofía que imperaba en Europa, 'la dictadura del relativismo'. Y también los problemas económicos (el egoísmo del capitalismo financiero y el medio ambiente que no son política internacional aunque sean contenidos que interesen por sí mismos.

OH radiation from the interstellar cloud medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen-Q-Rieu,; Winnberg, A [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Bonn (F.R. Germany); Guibert, J [Observatoire de Paris, Section de Meudon, 92 (France); Lepine, J R.D. [Universidade Mackenzie, Sao Paulo (Brazil). Centro de Radio-Astronomia et Astrofisica; Johansson, L E.B. [Rymdobservatoriet, Onsala (Sweden); Goss, W M [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Epping (Australia). Div. of Radiophysics

1976-02-01

We have detected OH in the direction of about 50% of the continuum sources investigated. The OH abundance is one order of magnitude less than usually found in dust clouds. Most of the OH features have HI counterparts. This suggests that the OH radiation arises from the HI interstellar cold clouds. Our observations allowed in some cases the determination of the excitation temperatures in all four lines. A pumping model involving far-infrared radiation and collisions with neutral and charged particles has been proposed. It explains the observed excitation temperatures.

Properties in the middle and far infrared radiation of spiral and irregular galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Contursi, Alessandra

1998-01-01

In the first part of this research thesis, the author reports the study in the middle infrared of H II regions belonging to Magellanic clouds. For this purpose, he presents different aspects of infrared emission by the interstellar medium: origin and evolution of interstellar grains, dust studied by astrophysical observations, dust models, infrared observations made by COBE and IRAS satellites, exploitation of the ISO satellite. He also presents the Small and Large Magellanic clouds, and reports the study of the H II N4 region of the large one, imagery and spectroscopy of the H II N66 region of the small one, and the study of silicate emission in the central region of N66. The second part reports the study of cluster normal spiral galaxies in the middle and far infrared. For this purpose, the author discusses the colours in the middle infrared of Virgo's and Coma's galaxies, discusses the properties in the infrared of spiral galaxies (Coma and A1367), based on observations made by ISO [fr

PRODUCEREA ŞI COMERCIALIZAREA BĂUTURILOR ALCOOLICE ÎN ORAŞELE DIN RZECZPOSPOLITA ŞI ŢARA MOLDOVEI (SEC.XVI-XVII

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolae DUDNICENCO

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Articolul vizează producerea, comercializarea şi consumul băuturilor alcoolice în oraşele din Rzeczpospolita (a berii, a votcii, a miedului şi din Ţara Moldovei (a vinului, a rachiului, a berii, a brăgii în sec. XVI-XVII. Se investighează mo­dul de producere, comercializare, precum şi taxele care se percepeau pentru băuturile alcoolice în oraşele din teri­toriul dat. Producerea băuturilor alcoolice aducea venituri mari economiei oraşelor din spaţiul indicat supra.PRODUCTION AND COMMERCIALISATION OF ALCOHOLIC DRINKS IN RZECZPOSPOLITA AND MOLDOVA PRINCIPALITY CITIES (XVI-XVII C.The article targeting the production, marketing and consumption of alcoholic drinks in the cities from Rzeczpospolita (beer, vodka, mead and from Moldova (wine, spirits, beer, braga in the XVI-XVII c. It have been investigated the mode of production, sell and taxes at which were subjected the alcoholic drinks in the cities on that territory. Production of alcoholic drinks brought substantial revenues to the economy of the cities from the indicated area.

Los mareantes pontevedreses y la pesca de altura en el siglo XVI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pereira Fernández, Xosé Manuel

2005-12-01

Full Text Available During most of the 16th century, the town of Pontevedra was recorder as the most dynamic urban centre of the Galician kingdom for its economy based on fishing and sea trade. In contrast with the traditional view which has always regarded the seamen from Rias Baixas as coastal fishermen, Pontevedra's historical legal documents from the Sisteenth Century provide evidence of their presence in Newfoundland and the Canary Island fishing grounds. In the light of this evidence, those seamen appear as faithful continuers of a tradition of seafaring relationships with foreign countries dating back to the late Middle Ages.

Durante buena parte del siglo XVI la villa de Pontevedra aparece como el mayor y más dinámico núcleo urbano del Reino de Galicia, con una economía asentada en la pesca y el comercio marítimo. Frente a la visión tradicional, que considera a los hombres del mar de las Rías Baixas gallegas como pescadores de bajura, la documentación notarial pontevedresa del siglo XVI informa de su presencia tanto en Terranova como en el banco de pesca canario. De esta forma se muestran fíeles continuadores de una vocación de relación con el exterior por vía marítima presente desde la Baja Edad Media.

Analysis of Co-Located MODIS and CALIPSO Observations Near Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Varnai, Tamas; Marshak, Alexander

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to help researchers combine data from different satellites and thus gain new insights into two critical yet poorly understood aspects of anthropogenic climate change, aerosol-cloud interactions and aerosol radiative effects, For this, the paper explores whether cloud information from the Aqua satellite's MODIS instrument can help characterize systematic aerosol changes near clouds by refining earlier perceptions of these changes that were based on the CALIPSO satellite's CALIOP instrument. Similar to a radar but using visible and ncar-infrared light, CALIOP sends out laser pulses and provides aerosol and cloud information along a single line that tracks the satellite orbit by measuring the reflection of its pulses. In contrast, MODIS takes images of reflected sunlight and emitted infrared radiation at several wavelengths, and covers wide areas around the satellite track. This paper analyzes a year-long global dataset covering all ice-free oceans, and finds that MODIS can greatly help the interpretation of CALIOP observations, especially by detecting clouds that lie outside the line observed by CALlPSO. The paper also finds that complications such as differences in view direction or clouds drifting in the 72 seconds that elapse between MODIS and CALIOP observations have only a minor impact. The study also finds that MODIS data helps refine but does not qualitatively alter perceptions of the systematic aerosol changes that were detected in earlier studies using only CALIOP data. It then proposes a statistical approach to account for clouds lying outside the CALIOP track even when MODIS cannot as reliably detect low clouds, for example at night or over ice. Finally, the paper finds that, because of variations in cloud amount and type, the typical distance to clouds in maritime clear areas varies with season and location. The overall median distance to clouds in maritime clear areas around 4-5 km. The fact that half of all clear areas is

A new perspective on the infrared brightness temperature ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

CEAWMT), ... temperatures clearly discriminates the cloud pixels of deep convective and ... utilized in the modelling of the histogram of infrared brightness temperature of deep convective and ..... Henderson-Sellers A 1978 Surface type and its effect.

L'influenza del Giappone sulla moda italiana dal XVI al XX secolo

OpenAIRE

Dimitrio, Laura

2016-01-01

Questa ricerca ha per oggetto lo studio dell’influenza del Giappone sulla moda italiana, dalla metà del XVI alla fine del XX secolo. Le prime notizie sugli abiti giapponesi giunsero in Italia intorno al 1550, dopo che il Giappone era stato ‘scoperto’ nel 1543 da alcuni mercanti portoghesi naufragati sulle sue coste. Tuttavia i primi timidi influssi giapponesi nella moda italiana si manifestarono solo dopo la seconda metà del XVII secolo, quando i nobiluomini italiani cominciarono a indoss...

FAME-C: cloud property retrieval using synergistic AATSR and MERIS observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. K. Carbajal Henken

2014-11-01

Full Text Available A newly developed daytime cloud property retrieval algorithm, FAME-C (Freie Universität Berlin AATSR MERIS Cloud, is presented. Synergistic observations from the Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR and the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS, both mounted on the polar-orbiting Environmental Satellite (Envisat, are used for cloud screening. For cloudy pixels two main steps are carried out in a sequential form. First, a cloud optical and microphysical property retrieval is performed using an AATSR near-infrared and visible channel. Cloud phase, cloud optical thickness, and effective radius are retrieved, and subsequently cloud water path is computed. Second, two cloud top height products are retrieved based on independent techniques. For cloud top temperature, measurements in the AATSR infrared channels are used, while for cloud top pressure, measurements in the MERIS oxygen-A absorption channel are used. Results from the cloud optical and microphysical property retrieval serve as input for the two cloud top height retrievals. Introduced here are the AATSR and MERIS forward models and auxiliary data needed in FAME-C. Also, the optimal estimation method, which provides uncertainty estimates of the retrieved property on a pixel basis, is presented. Within the frame of the European Space Agency (ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI project, the first global cloud property retrievals have been conducted for the years 2007–2009. For this time period, verification efforts are presented, comparing, for four selected regions around the globe, FAME-C cloud optical and microphysical properties to cloud optical and microphysical properties derived from measurements of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS on the Terra satellite. The results show a reasonable agreement between the cloud optical and microphysical property retrievals. Biases are generally smallest for marine stratocumulus clouds: −0.28, 0.41 μm and �

Neural network cloud top pressure and height for MODIS

Science.gov (United States)

Håkansson, Nina; Adok, Claudia; Thoss, Anke; Scheirer, Ronald; Hörnquist, Sara

2018-06-01

Cloud top height retrieval from imager instruments is important for nowcasting and for satellite climate data records. A neural network approach for cloud top height retrieval from the imager instrument MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is presented. The neural networks are trained using cloud top layer pressure data from the CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) dataset. Results are compared with two operational reference algorithms for cloud top height: the MODIS Collection 6 Level 2 height product and the cloud top temperature and height algorithm in the 2014 version of the NWC SAF (EUMETSAT (European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) Satellite Application Facility on Support to Nowcasting and Very Short Range Forecasting) PPS (Polar Platform System). All three techniques are evaluated using both CALIOP and CPR (Cloud Profiling Radar for CloudSat (CLOUD SATellite)) height. Instruments like AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) contain fewer channels useful for cloud top height retrievals than MODIS, therefore several different neural networks are investigated to test how infrared channel selection influences retrieval performance. Also a network with only channels available for the AVHRR1 instrument is trained and evaluated. To examine the contribution of different variables, networks with fewer variables are trained. It is shown that variables containing imager information for neighboring pixels are very important. The error distributions of the involved cloud top height algorithms are found to be non-Gaussian. Different descriptive statistic measures are presented and it is exemplified that bias and SD (standard deviation) can be misleading for non-Gaussian distributions. The median and mode are found to better describe the tendency of the error distributions and IQR (interquartile range) and MAE (mean absolute error) are found

Global distributions of cloud properties for CERES

Science.gov (United States)

Sun-Mack, S.; Minnis, P.; Heck, P.; Young, D.

2003-04-01

The microphysical and macrophysical properties of clouds play a crucial role in the earth's radiation budget. Simultaneous measurement of the radiation and cloud fields on a global basis has long been recognized as a key component in understanding and modeling the interaction between clouds and radiation at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere. With the implementation of the NASA Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) in 1998, this need is being met. Broadband shortwave and longwave radiance measurements taken by the CERES scanners at resolutions between 10 and 20 km on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Terra, and Aqua satellites are matched to simultaneous retrievals of cloud height, phase, particle size, water path, and optical depth from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua. The combined cloud-radiation product has already been used for developing new, highly accurate anisotropic directional models for converting broadband radiances to flux. They also provide a consistent measure of cloud properties at different times of day over the globe since January 1998. These data will be valuable for determining the indirect effects of aerosols and for linking cloud water to cloud radiation. This paper provides an overview of the CERES cloud products from the three satellites including the retrieval methodology, validation, and global distributions. Availability and access to the datasets will also be discussed.

Comparison of global cloud liquid water path derived from microwave measurements with CERES-MODIS

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Y.; Minnis, P.; Huang, J.; Lin, B.; Ayers, K.; Sun-Mack, S.; Fan, A.

Cloud liquid water path LWP is a crucial parameter for climate studies due to the link that it provides between the atmospheric hydrological and radiative budgets Satellite-based visible infrared techniques such as the Visible Infrared Solar Split-Window Technique VISST can retrieve LWP for water clouds assumes single-layer over a variety of surfaces If the water clouds are overlapped by ice clouds the LWP of the underlying clouds can not be retrieved by such techniques However microwave techniques may be used to retrieve the LWP underneath ice clouds due to the microwave s insensitivity to cloud ice particles LWP is typically retrieved from satellite-observed microwave radiances only over ocean due to variations of land surface temperature and emissivity Recently Deeter and Vivekanandan 2006 developed a new technique for retrieving LWP over land In order to overcome the sensitivity to land surface temperature and emissivity their technique is based on a parameterization of microwave polarization-difference signals In this study a similar regression-based technique for retrieving LWP over land and ocean using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - EOS AMSR-E measurements is developed Furthermore the microwave surface emissivities are also derived using clear-sky fields of view based on the Clouds and Earth s Radiant Energy System Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer CERES-MODIS cloud mask These emissivities are used in an alternate form of the technique The results are evaluated using independent measurements such

VERY LARGE ARRAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE INFRARED DARK CLOUD G19.30+0.07

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devine, K. E.; Churchwell, E.; Chandler, C. J.; Borg, K. J.; Brogan, C.; Indebetouw, R.; Shirley, Y.

2011-01-01

We present Very Large Array observations of ammonia (NH 3 ) (1,1), (2,2), and dicarbon sulfide (CCS) (2 1 -1 0 ) emission toward the infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G19.30+0.07 at ∼22 GHz. The NH 3 emission closely follows the 8 μm extinction. The NH 3 (1,1) and (2,2) lines provide diagnostics of the temperature and density structure within the IRDC, with typical rotation temperatures of ∼10-20 K and NH 3 column densities of ∼10 15 cm -2 . The estimated total mass of G19.30+0.07 is ∼1130 M sun . The cloud comprises four compact NH 3 clumps of mass ∼30-160 M sun . Two coincide with 24 μm emission, indicating heating by protostars, and show evidence of outflow in the NH 3 emission. We report a water maser associated with a third clump; the fourth clump is apparently starless. A non-detection of 8.4 GHz emission suggests that the IRDC contains no bright H II regions and places a limit on the spectral type of an embedded zero-age main-sequence star to early-B or later. From the NH 3 emission, we find that G19.30+0.07 is composed of three distinct velocity components or 'subclouds'. One velocity component contains the two 24 μm sources and the starless clump, another contains the clump with the water maser, while the third velocity component is diffuse, with no significant high-density peaks. The spatial distribution of NH 3 and CCS emission from G19.30+0.07 is highly anti-correlated, with the NH 3 predominantly in the high-density clumps and the CCS tracing lower-density envelopes around those clumps. This spatial distribution is consistent with theories of evolution for chemically young low-mass cores, in which CCS has not yet been processed to other species and/or depleted in high-density regions.

Planck early results. XVII. Origin of the submillimetre excess dust emission in the Magellanic Clouds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lähteenmäki, A.; Poutanen, T.; Natoli, P.

2011-01-01

The integrated spectral energy distributions (SED) of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) appear significantly flatter than expected from dust models based on their far-infrared and radio emission. The still unexplained origin of this millimetre excess is investigate...

Interstellar ice grains in the Taurus molecular clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittet, D.C.B.; Bode, M.F.; Baines, D.W.T.; Evans, A.

1983-01-01

Observations made in November 1981 using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) at Mauna Kea of the 3 μm ice absorption feature in the spectra of several obscured stars in the Taurus interstellar clouds are reported. The feature correlated in strength with extinction at visual wavelengths (Asub(v)), and is present in stars with Asub(v) as low as 4-6 mag. Ice may be widespread in the Taurus clouds, vindicating ideas on grain composition and growth first reported nearly 50 yr ago. (author)

THE YOUNG STELLAR POPULATION OF LYNDS 1340. AN INFRARED VIEW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kun, M.; Moór, A.; Wolf-Chase, G.; Apai, D.; Balog, Z.; O’Linger-Luscusk, J.; Moriarty-Schieven, G. H.

2016-01-01

We present results of an infrared study of the molecular cloud Lynds 1340, forming three groups of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Our goals are to identify and characterize the young stellar population of the cloud, study the relationships between the properties of the cloud and the emergent stellar groups, and integrate L1340 into the picture of the star-forming activity of our Galactic environment. We selected candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) from the Spitzer and WISE databases using various published color criteria and classified them based on the slope of the spectral energy distribution (SED). We identified 170 Class II, 27 flat SED, and 45 Class 0/I sources. High angular resolution near-infrared observations of the RNO 7 cluster, embedded in L1340, revealed eight new young stars of near-infrared excess. The surface density distribution of YSOs shows three groups, associated with the three major molecular clumps of L1340, each consisting of ≲100 members, including both pre-main-sequence stars and embedded protostars. New Herbig–Haro objects were identified in the Spitzer images. Our results demonstrate that L1340 is a prolific star-forming region of our Galactic environment in which several specific properties of the intermediate-mass mode of star formation can be studied in detail.

THE YOUNG STELLAR POPULATION OF LYNDS 1340. AN INFRARED VIEW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kun, M.; Moór, A. [Konkoly Observatory, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1121 Budapest, Konkoly Thege út 15-17 (Hungary); Wolf-Chase, G. [Astronomy Department, Adler Planetarium, 1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 (United States); Apai, D. [Steward Observatory, 933 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Balog, Z. [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); O’Linger-Luscusk, J. [On leave from California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Moriarty-Schieven, G. H., E-mail: kun@konkoly.hu [National Research Council—Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada)

2016-06-01

We present results of an infrared study of the molecular cloud Lynds 1340, forming three groups of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Our goals are to identify and characterize the young stellar population of the cloud, study the relationships between the properties of the cloud and the emergent stellar groups, and integrate L1340 into the picture of the star-forming activity of our Galactic environment. We selected candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) from the Spitzer and WISE databases using various published color criteria and classified them based on the slope of the spectral energy distribution (SED). We identified 170 Class II, 27 flat SED, and 45 Class 0/I sources. High angular resolution near-infrared observations of the RNO 7 cluster, embedded in L1340, revealed eight new young stars of near-infrared excess. The surface density distribution of YSOs shows three groups, associated with the three major molecular clumps of L1340, each consisting of ≲100 members, including both pre-main-sequence stars and embedded protostars. New Herbig–Haro objects were identified in the Spitzer images. Our results demonstrate that L1340 is a prolific star-forming region of our Galactic environment in which several specific properties of the intermediate-mass mode of star formation can be studied in detail.

Comparison of Cloud and Aerosol Detection between CERES Edition 3 Cloud Mask and CALIPSO Version 2 Data Products

Science.gov (United States)

Trepte, Qing; Minnis, Patrick; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Trepte, Charles

Clouds and aerosol play important roles in the global climate system. Accurately detecting their presence, altitude, and properties using satellite radiance measurements is a crucial first step in determining their influence on surface and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes. This paper presents a comparison analysis of a new version of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Edition 3 cloud detection algorithms using Aqua MODIS data with the recently released Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Version 2 Vertical Feature Mask (VFM). Improvements in CERES Edition 3 cloud mask include dust detection, thin cirrus tests, enhanced low cloud detection at night, and a smoother transition from mid-latitude to polar regions. For the CALIPSO Version 2 data set, changes to the lidar calibration can result in significant improvements to its identification of optically thick aerosol layers. The Aqua and CALIPSO satellites, part of the A-train satellite constellation, provide a unique opportunity for validating passive sensor cloud and aerosol detection using an active sensor. In this paper, individual comparison cases will be discussed for different types of clouds and aerosols over various surfaces, for daytime and nighttime conditions, and for regions ranging from the tropics to the poles. Examples will include an assessment of the CERES detection algorithm for optically thin cirrus, marine stratus, and polar night clouds as well as its ability to characterize Saharan dust plumes off the African coast. With the CALIPSO lidar's unique ability to probe the vertical structure of clouds and aerosol layers, it provides an excellent validation data set for cloud detection algorithms, especially for polar nighttime clouds.

UNVEILING A NETWORK OF PARALLEL FILAMENTS IN THE INFRARED DARK CLOUD G14.225–0.506

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busquet, Gemma; Zhang, Qizhou; Ho, Paul T. P.; Palau, Aina; Girart, Josep M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab; Sánchez-Monge, Álvaro; Estalella, Robert; De Gregorio-Monsalvo, Itziar; Pillai, Thushara; Wyrowski, Friedrich; Santos, Fábio P.; Franco, Gabriel A. P.

2013-01-01

We present the results of combined NH 3 (1,1) and (2,2) line emission observed with the Very Large Array and the Effelsberg 100 m telescope of the infrared dark cloud G14.225–0.506. The NH 3 emission reveals a network of filaments constituting two hub-filament systems. Hubs are associated with gas of rotational temperature T rot ∼ 15 K, non-thermal velocity dispersion σ NT ∼ 1 km s –1 , and exhibit signs of star formation, while filaments appear to be more quiescent (T rot ∼ 11 K and σ NT ∼ 0.6 km s –1 ). Filaments are parallel in projection and distributed mainly along two directions, at P.A. ∼ 10° and 60°, and appear to be coherent in velocity. The averaged projected separation between adjacent filaments is between 0.5 pc and 1 pc, and the mean width of filaments is 0.12 pc. Cores within filaments are separated by ∼0.33 ± 0.09 pc, which is consistent with the predicted fragmentation of an isothermal gas cylinder due to the s ausage - type instability. The network of parallel filaments observed in G14.225–0.506 is consistent with the gravitational instability of a thin gas layer threaded by magnetic fields. Overall, our data suggest that magnetic fields might play an important role in the alignment of filaments, and polarization measurements in the entire cloud would lend further support to this scenario.

INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY OF THE QUIESCENT MEDIUM OF NEARBY CLOUDS. I. ICE FORMATION AND GRAIN GROWTH IN LUPUS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boogert, A. C. A. [IPAC, NASA Herschel Science Center, Mail Code 100-22, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Chiar, J. E. [SETI Institute, Carl Sagan Center, 189 Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043 (United States); Knez, C.; Mundy, L. G. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Öberg, K. I. [Departments of Chemistry and Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Pendleton, Y. J. [Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Van Dishoeck, E. F., E-mail: aboogert@ipac.caltech.edu [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)

2013-11-01

Infrared photometry and spectroscopy (1-25 μm) of background stars reddened by the Lupus molecular cloud complex are used to determine the properties of grains and the composition of ices before they are incorporated into circumstellar envelopes and disks. H{sub 2}O ices form at extinctions of A{sub K} = 0.25 ± 0.07 mag (A{sub V} = 2.1 ± 0.6). Such a low ice formation threshold is consistent with the absence of nearby hot stars. Overall, the Lupus clouds are in an early chemical phase. The abundance of H{sub 2}O ice (2.3 ± 0.1 × 10{sup –5} relative to N{sub H}) is typical for quiescent regions, but lower by a factor of three to four compared to dense envelopes of young stellar objects. The low solid CH{sub 3}OH abundance (<3%-8% relative to H{sub 2}O) indicates a low gas phase H/CO ratio, which is consistent with the observed incomplete CO freeze out. Furthermore it is found that the grains in Lupus experienced growth by coagulation. The mid-infrared (>5 μm) continuum extinction relative to A{sub K} increases as a function of A{sub K}. Most Lupus lines of sight are well fitted with empirically derived extinction curves corresponding to R{sub V} ∼ 3.5 (A{sub K} = 0.71) and R{sub V} ∼ 5.0 (A{sub K} = 1.47). For lines of sight with A{sub K} > 1.0 mag, the τ{sub 9.7}/A{sub K} ratio is a factor of two lower compared to the diffuse medium. Below 1.0 mag, values scatter between the dense and diffuse medium ratios. The absence of a gradual transition between diffuse and dense medium-type dust indicates that local conditions matter in the process that sets the τ{sub 9.7}/A{sub K} ratio. This process is likely related to grain growth by coagulation, as traced by the A{sub 7.4}/A{sub K} continuum extinction ratio, but not to ice mantle formation. Conversely, grains acquire ice mantles before the process of coagulation starts.

Theories of cometary origin and the brightness of the infrared sky

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, M.E.

1983-01-01

The far-infrared flux produced by a power-law density distribution of comets surrounding the planetary system is calculated. If the comet cloud is as massive and as dense as some recent ideas suggest, the total contribution by comets to the far-infrared background radiation may be significant and could be detected using current observational techniques. In this way observations of the infrared background could constrain theories of Solar System and cometary origins. (author)

Gitting of infrared data to the interstellar polarization law

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clarke, D

1984-02-15

The ability of Serkowski's law describing the wavelength dependence of interstellar polarization to encompass new infrared measurements in combination with optical data has been examined. Fitting by least-squares procedures reveals departures from the law in various wavelength zones or at specific wavelength points across the optical and infrared spectrum. These structures may be caused by a combination of effects such as normal experimental noise, complex interstellar clouds or systematic errors in the polarimetry but the possibility remains that some, particularly in the infrared, reflect the scattering properties of interstellar grains. 8 references.

Fitting of infrared data to the interstellar polarization law

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clarke, D [Glasgow Univ., Great Britain

1984-02-15

The ability of Serkowski's law describing the wavelength dependence of interstellar polarization to encompass new infrared measurements in combination with optical data has been examined. Fitting by least-squares procedures reveals departures from the law in various wavelength zones or at specific wavelength points across the optical and infrared spectrum. These structures may be caused by a combination of effects such as normal experimental noise, complex interstellar clouds or systematic errors in the polarimetry but the possibility remains that some, particularly in the infrared, reflect the scattering properties of interstellar grains.

A cloud shadow detection method combined with cloud height iteration and spectral analysis for Landsat 8 OLI data

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Lin; Liu, Xinyan; Yang, Yikun; Chen, TingTing; Wang, Quan; Zhou, Xueying

2018-04-01

Although enhanced over prior Landsat instruments, Landsat 8 OLI can obtain very high cloud detection precisions, but for the detection of cloud shadows, it still faces great challenges. Geometry-based cloud shadow detection methods are considered the most effective and are being improved constantly. The Function of Mask (Fmask) cloud shadow detection method is one of the most representative geometry-based methods that has been used for cloud shadow detection with Landsat 8 OLI. However, the Fmask method estimates cloud height employing fixed temperature rates, which are highly uncertain, and errors of large area cloud shadow detection can be caused by errors in estimations of cloud height. This article improves the geometry-based cloud shadow detection method for Landsat OLI from the following two aspects. (1) Cloud height no longer depends on the brightness temperature of the thermal infrared band but uses a possible dynamic range from 200 m to 12,000 m. In this case, cloud shadow is not a specific location but a possible range. Further analysis was carried out in the possible range based on the spectrum to determine cloud shadow location. This effectively avoids the cloud shadow leakage caused by the error in the height determination of a cloud. (2) Object-based and pixel spectral analyses are combined to detect cloud shadows, which can realize cloud shadow detection from two aspects of target scale and pixel scale. Based on the analysis of the spectral differences between the cloud shadow and typical ground objects, the best cloud shadow detection bands of Landsat 8 OLI were determined. The combined use of spectrum and shape can effectively improve the detection precision of cloud shadows produced by thin clouds. Several cloud shadow detection experiments were carried out, and the results were verified by the results of artificial recognition. The results of these experiments indicated that this method can identify cloud shadows in different regions with correct

METHANE GAS STABILIZES SUPERCOOLED ETHANE DROPLETS IN TITAN'S CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Chia C.; Lang, E. Kathrin; Signorell, Ruth

2010-01-01

Strong evidence for ethane clouds in various regions of Titan's atmosphere has recently been found. Ethane is usually assumed to exist as ice particles in these clouds, although the possible role of liquid and supercooled liquid ethane droplets has been recognized. Here, we report on infrared spectroscopic measurements of ethane aerosols performed in the laboratory under conditions mimicking Titan's lower atmosphere. The results clearly show that liquid ethane droplets are significantly stabilized by methane gas which is ubiquitous in Titan's nitrogen atmosphere-a phenomenon that does not have a counterpart for water droplets in Earth's atmosphere. Our data imply that supercooled ethane droplets are much more abundant in Titan's clouds than previously anticipated. Possibly, these liquid droplets are even more important for cloud processes and the formation of lakes than ethane ice particles.

Determining Cloud Thermodynamic Phase from Micropulse Lidar Network Data

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Jasper R.; Campbell, James; Lolli, Simone; Tan, Ivy; Welton, Ellsworth J.

2017-01-01

Determining cloud thermodynamic phase is a critical factor in studies of Earth's radiation budget. Here we use observations from the NASA Micro Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET) and thermodynamic profiles from the Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5) to distinguish liquid water, mixed-phase, and ice water clouds. The MPLNET provides sparse global, autonomous, and continuous measurements of clouds and aerosols which have been used in a number of scientific investigations to date. The use of a standardized instrument and a common suite of data processing algorithms with thorough uncertainty characterization allows for straightforward comparisons between sites. Lidars with polarization capabilities have recently been incorporated into the MPLNET project which allows, for the first time, the ability to infer a cloud thermodynamic phase. This presentation will look specifically at the occurrence of ice and mixed phase clouds in the temperature region of -10 C to -40 C for different climatological regions and seasons. We compare MPLNET occurrences of mixed-phase clouds to an historical climatology based on observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument aboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) spacecraft.

La forma litánica en el teatro. Siglos XVI-XVIII

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Fradejas

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Al igual que en el teatro griego, como afirma Rodríguez Adrados, existen en el teatro español desde su origen en el s. XV villancicos y canciones, monódicas y corales. Pero tras la discusión de si la Cántica Eya velar es lírica o teatro, no había aparecido ningún texto hasta la segunda mitad del s. XVI, en que en el Códice de autos viejos se incluye la Farsa de los lenguajes, un poema de tipo religioso que incide en la forma litánica:…

Remote Determination of Cloud Temperature and Transmittance from Spectral Radiance Measurements: Method and Results

Science.gov (United States)

1996-10-01

atmospherics temperatura and humidity profiles. Validation tests performed on experimental spectra demonstrate the occuracy of the method with typical...indicated as with the title.) Passive Remota Sensing Infrared Spectra Cloud Temperatura Cloud Transmittance FTIR Spectrometer Icing Hazard Detection (DCD03E.IFO - 95.02.22) UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF FORM

High-mass star formation possibly triggered by cloud-cloud collision in the H II region RCW 34

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Sano, Hidetoshi; Enokiya, Rei; Torii, Kazufumi; Hattori, Yusuke; Kohno, Mikito; Fujita, Shinji; Nishimura, Atsushi; Ohama, Akio; Yamamoto, Hiroaki; Tachihara, Kengo; Hasegawa, Yutaka; Kimura, Kimihiro; Ogawa, Hideo; Fukui, Yasuo

2018-05-01

We report on the possibility that the high-mass star located in the H II region RCW 34 was formed by a triggering induced by a collision of molecular clouds. Molecular gas distributions of the 12CO and 13CO J = 2-1 and 12CO J = 3-2 lines in the direction of RCW 34 were measured using the NANTEN2 and ASTE telescopes. We found two clouds with velocity ranges of 0-10 km s-1 and 10-14 km s-1. Whereas the former cloud is as massive as ˜1.4 × 104 M⊙ and has a morphology similar to the ring-like structure observed in the infrared wavelengths, the latter cloud, with a mass of ˜600 M⊙, which has not been recognized by previous observations, is distributed to just cover the bubble enclosed by the other cloud. The high-mass star with a spectral type of O8.5V is located near the boundary of the two clouds. The line intensity ratio of 12CO J = 3-2/J = 2-1 yields high values (≳1.0), suggesting that these clouds are associated with the massive star. We also confirm that the obtained position-velocity diagram shows a similar distribution to that derived by a numerical simulation of the supersonic collision of two clouds. Using the relative velocity between the two clouds (˜5 km s-1), the collisional time scale is estimated to be ˜0.2 Myr with the assumption of a distance of 2.5 kpc. These results suggest that the high-mass star in RCW 34 was formed rapidly within a time scale of ˜0.2 Myr via a triggering of a cloud-cloud collision.

Sobre los libros de oro del siglo XVI : notas críticas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodoro Martín Martín

1990-01-01

Full Text Available De sobra es conocido que los Libros de Oro, que aparecen en el siglo XVI en el marco de la renovación pedagógica que introdujo el Humanismo y el Renacimiento, son colecciones de pensamientos, sentencias, máximas y proverbios morales entresacados de las obras de los mejores filósofos estoicos de la Antigüedad Clásica. Sin embargo, poco más es lo que se conoce de ellos fuera del marco de la Historia de la Literatura. Incidentalmente, al ocuparse de la preceptiva de príncipes, algo se ha dicho sobre los textos áureos de la vida, si bien de forma tangencial. Consciente de esta laguna historiográfica voy a redactar las siguientes notas críticas, que no tienen otro objeto más que colaborar en el debate que historiadores, filósofos, pedagogos y literatos han de sostener sobre el tema. Nuestro país aportó al pensamiento educativo del siglo xvi dos figuras señeras: Luis Vives y Pedro Simón Abril. Pero su obra quedó en el plano teórico por cuanto carecieron de capacidad u oportunidad política para implantar sus doctrinas en la sociedad española. Alguna posibilidad tuvo el segundo de los autores citados, pero las mismas se quedaron en forma de memoriales o apuntamientos dirigidos al Rey Felipe II.

Exploring the Effects of Clouds on Hot Jupiter Atmospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Jenna; Line, Michael

2018-01-01

Secondary eclipse spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets allows us to probe the atmospheric properties on the daysides of tidally locked planets. Specifically, eclipse spectra combined with atmospheric retrieval models permit constraints on the molecular abundances and vertical thermal profiles of the planetary dayside. Eclipse spectra from HST WFC3 are typically interpreted assuming that all of the near infrared light is due solely to the thermal emission of the planet. However, recent evidence suggests that reflected stellar light from clouds on the planetary daysides might contaminate the near-IR spectrum. Here, we aim to explore how reflected light from clouds within in a simplified cloud framework will alter the shape of the near infrared spectra and how they will influence our determinations of dayside temperatures and abundances. Specifically, we will use atmospheric retrieval tools to determine the biases in abundances and temperature profiles if reflected light is not taken into account. We will explore the influence of reflected light on interpretation of WFC3 spectra of the well-observed exoplanets, HD209458b and WASP-43b. We will then investigate how reflected light in the near-IR will influence our interpretation of JWST spectra.

CLOUD–CLOUD COLLISION AS A TRIGGER OF THE HIGH-MASS STAR FORMATION: A MOLECULAR LINE STUDY IN RCW 120

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torii, K.; Hasegawa, K.; Hattori, Y.; Sano, H.; Ohama, A.; Yamamoto, H.; Tachihara, K.; Soga, S.; Shimizu, S.; Fukui, Y. [Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601 (Japan); Okuda, T.; Mizuno, N. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Onishi, T. [Department of Astrophysics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Mizuno, A., E-mail: torii@a.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan)

2015-06-10

RCW 120 is a Galactic H ii region that has a beautiful ring shape that is bright in the infrared. Our new CO J = 1–0 and J = 3–2 observations performed with the NANTEN2, Mopra, and ASTE telescopes have revealed that two molecular clouds with a velocity separation of 20 km s{sup −1} are both physically associated with RCW 120. The cloud at −8 km s{sup −1} apparently traces the infrared ring, while the other cloud at −28 km s{sup −1} is distributed just outside the opening of the infrared ring, interacting with the H ii region as suggested by the high kinetic temperature of the molecular gas and by the complementary distribution with the ionized gas. A spherically expanding shell driven by the H ii region is usually considered to be the origin of the observed ring structure in RCW 120. Our observations, however, indicate no evidence of the expanding motion in the velocity space, which is inconsistent with the expanding shell model. We postulate an alternative that, by applying the model introduced by Habe and Ohta, the exciting O star in RCW 120 was formed by a collision between the present two clouds at a collision velocity of ∼30 km s{sup −1}. In the model, the observed infrared ring can be interpreted as the cavity created in the larger cloud by the collision, whose inner surface is illuminated by the strong ultraviolet radiation after the birth of the O star. We discuss that the present cloud–cloud collision scenario explains the observed signatures of RCW 120, i.e., its ring morphology, coexistence of the two clouds and their large velocity separation, and absence of the expanding motion.

Complejidad Organizativa y Desarrollo Contable de los Pósitos en España, Siglos XVI-XIX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donato Gómez Díaz

1998-12-01

Full Text Available El objetivo del presente trabajo estriba en la caracterización como organización empresarial de uno de los instrumentos financieros más importantes en España desde el siglo XVI: los Pósitos. Éstas instituciones locales funcionaron como Bancos de préstamo en simiente durante más de cuatro siglos. La identificación de las diferentes prácticas contables en dichas instituciones nos llevan a analizar el rol de la legislación contable, tanto por la influencia en su supervivencia como por su posterior declive y final desaparición. The aim of this paper is to characterize one o/ the most important financial institutions in the Spanish economy since XVI century. These were the Positos. These local institution functions as banks that gave their loans in seeds. The identification o/ the different accounting practices affords us an opportunity to analyse the role o/ the accounting regulation during its existence, later decline and final disappearance.

Aqueous greenhouse species in clouds, fogs, and aerosols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marley, N.A.; Gaffney, J.S.; Cunningham, M.M.

1993-01-01

Greenhouse effects from fossil fuel combustion leading to increased concentrations of primary and secondary greenhouse gases (e.g., CO-2, ozone, etc.) have received considerable attention. More recently, it has been suggested that clouds, aerosols, and fogs can play opposing roles in climate forcing by scattering or absorbing incoming solar radiation as well as by absorbing long-wave radiation as it escapes into space. The total effect on the radiation balance depends on the relative magnitude of these opposing forces, which in turn will depend on the composition of the aqueous phase. This work describes the measurement of water-soluble infrared absorbers which can contribute to the long-wave radiative forcing of clouds, fogs, and aerosols. Aqueous species which have been characterized include sulfate, nitrate, formate, acetate, oxalate, phenol, p-nitrophenol, ammonium, bicarbonate, formaldehyde, methanol, and ethanol. Infrared absorption band positions and band strengths have been determined, and their relative effects on radiative forcing are discussed

LOS arrendadores de la Hacienda de Castilla a comienzos del siglo XVI (1517-1525

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Manuel CARRETERO ZAMORA

2009-12-01

Full Text Available RESUMEN: El trabajo pretende profundizar en un aspecto esencial de la Hacienda de Castilla a comienzos del siglo XVI: el arrendamiento de las rentas regias. En este sentido, se insiste en la existencia de un gigantesco negocio financiero en torno a dichas rentas, donde se entremezclan intereses económicos y políticos, dando lugar a la existencia de redes clientelares económicas y grupos de presión políticos. El trabajo, por último, hace hincapié en las primeras decisiones hacendísticas de Carlos I. Decisiones que por lo demás pusieron a su servicio todo un sistema de financiación heredado de los Reyes Católicos.ABSTRACT: The present study examines in detail a vital aspect of Castile's economy at the start of the XVI century: the leasing of royal revenues. It emphasises the existence of a vast financial business based on the leasing of said revenues, within which economic and political interests co-existed, leading to the creation of networks of economic patronage and political pressure groups. Finally, the study highlights Charles I early economic decisions, which served to bring into operation the fiscal system that he had inherited from the Catholic Kings.

Multi-wavelength study of two possible cloud-cloud collision regions: IRAS 02459+6029 and IRAS 22528+5936

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Nan; Wang Junjie

2012-01-01

Based on observations of 12 CO (J=2–1), we select targets from archived Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) data of IRAS 02459+6029 and IRAS 22528+5936 as samples of cloud-cloud collision, according to the criteria given by Vallee. Then we use the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) A band (8.28 μm) images and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) (1.4 GHz) continuum images to investigate the association between molecular clouds traced by the CO contour maps. The distribution of dust and ionized hydrogen shows an obvious association with the CO contour maps toward IRAS 02459+6029. However, in the possible collision region of IRAS 22528+5936, NVSS continuum radiation is not detected and the MSX sources are merely associated with the central star. The velocity fields of the two regions indicate the direction of the pressure and interaction. In addition, we have identified candidates of young stellar objects (YSOs) by using data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) in JHK bands expressed in a color-color diagram. The distribution of YSOs shows that the possible collision region is denser than other regions. All the evidence suggests that IRAS 02459+6029 could be an example of cloud-cloud collision, and that IRAS 22528+5936 could be two separate non-colliding clouds. (research papers)

Numerical simulations of altocumulus with a cloud resolving model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, S.; Krueger, S.K. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

1996-04-01

Altocumulus and altostratus clouds together cover approximately 22% of the earth`s surface. They play an important role in the earth`s energy budget through their effect on solar and infrared radiation. However, there has been little altocumulus cloud investigation by either modelers or observational programs. Starr and Cox (SC) (1985a,b) simulated an altostratus case as part of the same study in which they modeled a thin layer of cirrus. Although this calculation was originally described as representing altostratus, it probably better represents altocumulus stratiformis. In this paper, we simulate altocumulus cloud with a cloud resolving model (CRM). We simply describe the CRM first. We calculate the same middle-level cloud case as SC to compare our results with theirs. We will look at the role of cloud-scale processes in response to large-scale forcing. We will also discuss radiative effects by simulating diurnal and nocturnal cases. Finally, we discuss the utility of a 1D model by comparing 1D simulations and 2D simulations.

The dynamical state of the Serpens South filamentary infrared dark cloud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Tomohiro; Awazu, Yuya; Onishi, Toshikazu [Department of Physical Science, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen 1-1, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Nakamura, Fumitaka; Kawabe, Ryohei [National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Shimajiri, Yoshito [Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Minamimaki, Minamisaku, Nagano 384-1805 (Japan); Sugitani, Koji [Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8501 (Japan); Yoshida, Hiroshige [Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, 111 Nowelo Street, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Higuchi, Aya E., E-mail: fumitaka.nakamura@nao.ac.jp [Joint ALMA Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107 OFC 129, Vitacura (Chile)

2013-11-20

We present the results of N{sub 2}H{sup +} (J = 1-0) observations toward Serpens South, the nearest cluster-forming, infrared dark cloud. The physical quantities are derived by fitting the hyperfine structure of N{sub 2}H{sup +}. The Herschel and 1.1 mm continuum maps show that a parsec-scale filament fragments into three clumps with radii of 0.1-0.2 pc and masses of 40-230 M {sub ☉}. We find that the clumps contain smaller-scale (∼0.04 pc) structures, i.e., dense cores. We identify 70 cores by applying CLUMPFIND to the N{sub 2}H{sup +} data cube. In the central cluster-forming clump, the excitation temperature and line-width tend to be large, presumably due to protostellar outflow feedback and stellar radiation. However, for all the clumps, the virial ratios are evaluated to be 0.1-0.3, indicating that the internal motions play only a minor role in the clump support. The clumps exhibit no free fall but exhibit low-velocity infall, and thus the clumps should be supported by additional forces. The most promising force is the globally ordered magnetic field observed toward this region. We propose that the Serpens South filament was close to magnetically critical and ambipolar diffusion triggered the cluster formation. We find that the northern clump, which shows no active star formation, has a mass and radius comparable to the central cluster-forming clump and is therefore a likely candidate of a pre-protocluster clump. The initial condition for cluster formation is likely to be a magnetically supported clump of cold, quiescent gas. This appears to contradict the accretion-driven turbulence scenario, for which the turbulence in the clumps is maintained by the accretion flow.

Analyzing cloud base at local and regional scales to understand tropical montane cloud forest vulnerability to climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Van Beusekom, Ashley E.; González, Grizelle; Scholl, Martha A.

2017-01-01

The degree to which cloud immersion provides water in addition to rainfall, suppresses transpiration, and sustains tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) during rainless periods is not well understood. Climate and land use changes represent a threat to these forests if cloud base altitude rises as a result of regional warming or deforestation. To establish a baseline for quantifying future changes in cloud base, we installed a ceilometer at 100 m altitude in the forest upwind of the TMCF that occupies an altitude range from ∼ 600 m to the peaks at 1100 m in the Luquillo Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. Airport Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) ceilometer data, radiosonde data, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite data were obtained to investigate seasonal cloud base dynamics, altitude of the trade-wind inversion (TWI), and typical cloud thickness for the surrounding Caribbean region. Cloud base is rarely quantified near mountains, so these results represent a first look at seasonal and diurnal cloud base dynamics for the TMCF. From May 2013 to August 2016, cloud base was lowest during the midsummer dry season, and cloud bases were lower than the mountaintops as often in the winter dry season as in the wet seasons. The lowest cloud bases most frequently occurred at higher elevation than 600 m, from 740 to 964 m. The Luquillo forest low cloud base altitudes were higher than six other sites in the Caribbean by ∼ 200–600 m, highlighting the importance of site selection to measure topographic influence on cloud height. Proximity to the oceanic cloud system where shallow cumulus clouds are seasonally invariant in altitude and cover, along with local trade-wind orographic lifting and cloud formation, may explain the dry season low clouds. The results indicate that climate change threats to low-elevation TMCFs are not limited to the dry season; changes in synoptic-scale weather patterns

To think modernity/coloniality in Guaraní (XVI-XVIII

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Capucine Boidin

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Amerindian general languages were modern/colonial languages through which modern/colonial guaraní subjects were forged and expressed. Early transcriptions of political speeches in tupí-guaraní made by missionaries (XVI-XVII centuries, as well as letters written by indigenous mission authorities (XVIII-XIX centuries, allow for analysing their vocabularies, plots, and styles. Although the words are the same, their significance effects and their translation equivalences varied regarding texts and contexts. Even if arguments (ratio changed, several traditional verbal arts (oratio were reinvented in colonial contexts. Within missions, indigenous political authorities, familiarized with catholic and royal arguments and vocabularies, developed their oral and written eloquence in Cabildos (spaces dedicated to politics, while Jesuits incorporated some of the formal tupí-guaraní verbal arts features in their sermons.

Featured Image: A Molecular Cloud Outside Our Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2018-06-01

What do molecular clouds look like outside of our own galaxy? See for yourself in the images above and below of N55, a molecular cloud located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). In a recent study led by Naslim Neelamkodan (Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taiwan), a team of scientists explore N55 to determine how its cloud properties differ from clouds within the Milky Way. The image above reveals the distribution of infrared-emitting gas and dust observed in three bands by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Overplotted in cyan are observations from the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment tracing the clumpy, warm molecular gas. Below, new observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) reveal the sub-parsec-scale molecular clumps in greater detail, showing the correlation of massive clumps with Spitzer-identified young stellar objects (crosses). The study presented here indicates that this cloud in the LMC is the site of massive star formation, with properties similar to equivalent clouds in the Milky Way. To learn more about the authors findings, check out the article linked below.CitationNaslim N. et al 2018 ApJ 853 175. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaa5b0

78 FR 9987 - Social Security Ruling, SSR 13-1p; Titles II and XVI: Agency Processes for Addressing Allegations...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-12

... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SSA-2012-0071] Social Security Ruling, SSR 13-1p; Titles II and XVI: Agency Processes for Addressing Allegations of Unfairness, Prejudice, Partiality, Bias, Misconduct, or Discrimination by Administrative Law Judges (ALJs); Correction AGENCY: Social Security...

78 FR 22361 - Social Security Ruling, SSR 13-1p; Titles II and XVI: Agency Processes for Addressing Allegations...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-15

... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SSA-2012-0071] Social Security Ruling, SSR 13-1p; Titles II and XVI: Agency Processes for Addressing Allegations of Unfairness, Prejudice, Partiality, Bias, Misconduct, or Discrimination by Administrative Law Judges (ALJs); Correction AGENCY: Social Security...

Colliding clouds and star formation in NGC 1333

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loren, R.B.

1976-01-01

Ongoing star formation in the NGC 1333 molecular cloud is found to be the result of a cloud-cloud collision. Two velocity components at 6.3 and 8.3 km s -1 are observable in the CO and 13 CO spectra, with strong self-abosorption occurring only in the 8.3 km s -1 component. The cloud-cloud collision provides compression and heating of the back side of the 8.3 km s -1 cloud, while cool, unshocked gas on the front side of this cloud results in the observed self-absorption. With the 6.3 km s -1 cloud on the far side of the collision interface, no self-absorption occurs at this velocity. One result of the collision is the coalescence of the two velocity components into a single, intermediate velocity component observed at 7.5 km s -1 . Associated with this postcollision gas is a chain of newly formed stars which illuminates and heats the nebulosity of NGC 1333.At one end of this chain of stars is a region of enhanced CO line broadening, indicating a nonhomologous gravitational collapse of this portion of the cloud. The infrared stars closest to the part of the cloud which is collapsing are completely obscured at visual wavelengths, and several are associated with Herbig-Haro (HH) objects. With increasing displacement from the region of collapse, the stars become more visible, are probably older, and the CO self-absorption decreases at these positions in the cloud.The observed region in which the cloud-cloud collision is occurring is located at the intersection of an expanding neutral hydrogen shell and lower-velocity background H I

Natalidad, nupcialidad y fecundidad en Mérida durante el siglo XVI

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José Antonio Ballesteros Díez

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Este artículo es un estudio demográfico de Mérida durante el siglo XVI, que ha sido realizado a partir de las actas de bautismo, confirmación y matrimonio, por el procedimiento de la agrupación de familias, o método francés, analizando la natalidad con detalle de partos simples y dobles, las concepciones, las distribuciones temporales y sus tendencias, se fia determinado en número de familias y sus composiciones, obteniendo el coeficiente para la transformación de vecinos cabezas de familia en fiabitantes, tanto el general de la ciudad como los correspondientes a las comunidades cristiana y morisca; se tian determinado las edades de acceso al matrimonio, los intervalos genésicos en las mujeres, los estados prenupciales, la distribución temporal de la nupcialidad y los grupos de ilegítimos, expósitos, esclavos y moriscos.This is a demographic study of Mérida (a town of Castilla, Spain during the XVI century, from fhe baptism, confirmation and marriages registers, according to the process of the association of families by analysing the natality in detall of simple and double childbirths, and the concepcions, the temporal distributions and their tendencies; with the determination of the number of families and their composition, by obtaining the coeffcient in order to transform the neighbours into inhabitants. Both the general one of the town and the one wich belongs to the christian and moorish communities; the age of acces to marriage, genesis inervals in women, prenuptial states, temporal distribution of nupcitiality, ilegitimate groves, abandoned people, slaves and moorishes have been determined.

INFERENCE OF INHOMOGENEOUS CLOUDS IN AN EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demory, Brice-Olivier; De Wit, Julien; Lewis, Nikole; Zsom, Andras; Seager, Sara [Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Fortney, Jonathan [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Knutson, Heather; Desert, Jean-Michel [Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Heng, Kevin [Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012, Bern (Switzerland); Madhusudhan, Nikku [Department of Physics and Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Gillon, Michael [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Allée du 6 Août, 17, Bat. B5C, B-4000 Liège 1 (Belgium); Barclay, Thomas [NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 244-30, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Parmentier, Vivien [Laboratoire J.-L. Lagrange, UMR 7293, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d' Azur B.P. 4229, F-06304 Nice Cedex 4 (France); Cowan, Nicolas B., E-mail: demory@mit.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, F165, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States)

2013-10-20

We present new visible and infrared observations of the hot Jupiter Kepler-7b to determine its atmospheric properties. Our analysis allows us to (1) refine Kepler-7b's relatively large geometric albedo of Ag = 0.35 ± 0.02, (2) place upper limits on Kepler-7b thermal emission that remains undetected in both Spitzer bandpasses and (3) report a westward shift in the Kepler optical phase curve. We argue that Kepler-7b's visible flux cannot be due to thermal emission or Rayleigh scattering from H{sub 2} molecules. We therefore conclude that high altitude, optically reflective clouds located west from the substellar point are present in its atmosphere. We find that a silicate-based cloud composition is a possible candidate. Kepler-7b exhibits several properties that may make it particularly amenable to cloud formation in its upper atmosphere. These include a hot deep atmosphere that avoids a cloud cold trap, very low surface gravity to suppress cloud sedimentation, and a planetary equilibrium temperature in a range that allows for silicate clouds to potentially form in the visible atmosphere probed by Kepler. Our analysis does not only present evidence of optically thick clouds on Kepler-7b but also yields the first map of clouds in an exoplanet atmosphere.

Prediction of the diffuse far-infrared flux from the galactic plane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fazio, G.G.; Stecker, F.W.

1976-01-01

A basic model and simple numerical relations useful for future far-infrared studies of the Galaxy are presented. Making use of recent CO and other galactic surveys, we then predict the diffuse far-infrared flux distribution from the galactic plane as a function of galactic longitude l for 4degree< or =l< or =90degree and the far-infrared emissivity as a function of galactocentric distance. Future measurements of the galactic far-infrared flux would yield valuable information on the physical properties and distribution of dust and molecular clouds in the Galaxy, particulary the inner region

The magnetic field of cloud 3 in L204

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cashman, Lauren R.; Clemens, D. P., E-mail: lcashman@bu.edu, E-mail: clemens@bu.edu [Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States)

2014-10-01

The L204 dark cloud complex is a nearby filamentary structure in Ophiuchus North that has no signs of active star formation. Past studies show that L204 is interacting with the nearby runaway O star, ζ Oph, and hosts a magnetic field that is coherent across parsec-length scales. Near-infrared H-band (1.6 μm) linear polarization measurements were obtained for 3896 background stars across a 1° × 1.°5 region centered on the dense Cloud 3 in L204, using the Mimir near-infrared instrument on the 1.8 m Perkins Telescope. Analysis of these observations reveals both large-scale properties and small-scale changes in the magnetic field direction in Cloud 3. In the northern and western ζ Oph facing regions of the cloud, the magnetic field appears to be pushed up against the face of the cloud. This may indicate that the UV flux from ζ Oph has compressed the magnetic field on the western edge of L204. The plane-of-sky magnetic field strength is estimated to be ∼11-26 μG using the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. The polarimetry data also reveal that the polarization efficiency (PE ≡ P {sub H}/A {sub V}) steadily decreases with distance from ζ Oph (–0.09% ± 0.03% mag{sup –1} pc{sup –1}). Additionally, power-law fits of PE versus A {sub V} for localized samples of probe stars show steeper negative indices with distance from ζ Oph. Both findings highlight the importance of external illumination, here from ζ Oph, in aligning dust grains to embedded magnetic fields.

A climate index derived from satellite measured spectral infrared radiation. Ph.D. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Abel, M. D.; Fox, S. K.

1982-01-01

The vertical infrared radiative emitting structure (VIRES) climate index, based on radiative transfer theory and derived from the spectral radiances typically used to retrieve temperature profiles, is introduced. It is assumed that clouds and climate are closely related and a change in one will result in a change in the other. The index is a function of the cloud, temperature, and moisture distributions. It is more accurately retrieved from satellite data than is cloudiness per se. The VIRES index is based upon the shape and relative magnitude of the broadband weighting function of the infrared radiative transfer equation. The broadband weighting curves are retrieved from simulated satellite infrared sounder data (spectral radiances). The retrieval procedure is described and the error error sensitivities of the method investigated. Index measuring options and possible applications of the VIRES index are proposed.

Cloud phase identification of Arctic boundary-layer clouds from airborne spectral reflection measurements: test of three approaches

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A. Ehrlich

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Arctic boundary-layer clouds were investigated with remote sensing and in situ instruments during the Arctic Study of Tropospheric Aerosol, Clouds and Radiation (ASTAR campaign in March and April 2007. The clouds formed in a cold air outbreak over the open Greenland Sea. Beside the predominant mixed-phase clouds pure liquid water and ice clouds were observed. Utilizing measurements of solar radiation reflected by the clouds three methods to retrieve the thermodynamic phase of the cloud are introduced and compared. Two ice indices I_S and I_P were obtained by analyzing the spectral pattern of the cloud top reflectance in the near infrared (1500–1800 nm wavelength spectral range which is characterized by ice and water absorption. While I_S analyzes the spectral slope of the reflectance in this wavelength range, I_S utilizes a principle component analysis (PCA of the spectral reflectance. A third ice index I_A is based on the different side scattering of spherical liquid water particles and nonspherical ice crystals which was recorded in simultaneous measurements of spectral cloud albedo and reflectance.

Radiative transfer simulations show that I_S, I_P and I_A range between 5 to 80, 0 to 8 and 1 to 1.25 respectively with lowest values indicating pure liquid water clouds and highest values pure ice clouds. The spectral slope ice index I_S and the PCA ice index I_P are found to be strongly sensitive to the effective diameter of the ice crystals present in the cloud. Therefore, the identification of mixed-phase clouds requires a priori knowledge of the ice crystal dimension. The reflectance-albedo ice index I_A is mainly dominated by the uppermost cloud layer (τ<1.5. Therefore, typical boundary-layer mixed-phase clouds with a liquid cloud top layer will

La Freccia Rossa: An IR-dark cloud hosting the Milky Way intermediate-mass black hole candidate

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi, Vikram; Vedantham, Harish; Phinney, E. Sterl

2018-05-01

The dynamics of the high-velocity compact molecular cloud CO-0.40-0.22 have been interpreted as evidence for a ˜105M⊙ black hole within 60 pc of Sgr A*. Recently, Oka et al. have identified a compact millimetre-continuum source, CO-0.40-0.22*, with this candidate black hole. Here we present a collation of radio and infrared data at this location. ATCA constraints on the radio spectrum, and the detection of a mid-infrared counterpart, are in tension with an Sgr A*-like model for CO-0.40-0.22* despite the comparable bolometric to Eddington luminosity ratios under the IMBH interpretation. A protostellar-disk scenario is, however, tenable. CO-0.40-0.22(*) is positionally coincident with an arrowhead-shaped infrared-dark cloud (which we call the Freccia Rossa). If the VLSR ≈ 70 km s-1 systemic velocity of CO-0.40-0.22 is common to the entire Freccia Rossa system, we hypothesise that it is the remnant of a high-velocity cloud that has plunged into the Milky Way from the Galactic halo.

Far-infrared and CO observations of Cep F: Implications for star formation in Cepheus OB3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sargent, A.I.; van Duinen, R.J.; Nordh, H.L.; Fridlund, C.V.M.; Aalders, J.W.G.; Beintema, D.

1983-01-01

Observations at 80-μm and 130-μm have revealed a source of far-infrared emission in the Cep F portion of the Cepheus OB3 molecular cloud. Molecular line measurements of this region, at the CO J = 1-0 line frequency, have led to the discovery of two CO maxima. One of these coincides with the new far-infrared source. The other is at least as intense as Cep B, until now considered to be the hottest part of the cloud. There is some evidence to suggest that a second far-infrared source is associated with this hotspot. If the far-infrared emission results from the presence of embedded protostars, their location, relative to the OB association stars and to the other active region, Cep A, requires a reexamination of how stars form in the Cepheus OB3 association

The Seahorse Nebula: New views of the filamentary infrared dark cloud G304.74+01.32 from SABOCA, Herschel, and WISE

Science.gov (United States)

Miettinen, O.

2018-02-01

Context. Filamentary molecular clouds, such as many of the infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), can undergo hierarchical fragmentation into substructures (clumps and cores) that can eventually collapse to form stars. Aims: We aim to determine the occurrence of fragmentation into cores in the clumps of the filamentary IRDC G304.74+01.32 (hereafter, G304.74). We also aim to determine the basic physical characteristics (e.g. mass, density, and young stellar object (YSO) content) of the clumps and cores in G304.74. Methods: We mapped the G304.74 filament at 350 μm using the Submillimetre APEX Bolometer Camera (SABOCA) bolometer. The new SABOCA data have a factor of 2.2 times higher resolution than our previous Large APEX BOlometer CAmera (LABOCA) 870 μm map of the cloud (9″ vs. 19\\farcs86). We also employed the Herschel far-infrared (IR) and submillimetre, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) IR imaging data available for G304.74. The WISE data allowed us to trace the IR emission of the YSOs associated with the cloud. Results: The SABOCA 350 μm data show that G304.74 is composed of a dense filamentary structure with a mean width of only 0.18 ± 0.05 pc. The percentage of LABOCA clumps that are found to be fragmented into SABOCA cores is 36% ± 16%, but the irregular morphology of some of the cores suggests that this multiplicity fraction could be higher. The WISE data suggest that 65% ± 18% of the SABOCA cores host YSOs. The mean dust temperature of the clumps, derived by comparing the Herschel 250, 350, and 500 μm flux densities, was found to be 15.0 ± 0.8 K. The mean mass, beam-averaged H2 column density, and H2 number density of the LABOCA clumps are estimated to be 55 ± 10M⊙, (2.0 ± 0.2) × 1022 cm-2, and (3.1 ± 0.2) × 104 cm-3. The corresponding values for the SABOCA cores are 29 ± 3M⊙, (2.9 ± 0.3) × 1022 cm-2, and (7.9 ± 1.2) × 104 cm-3. The G304.74 filament is estimated to be thermally supercritical by a factor of ≳ 3.5 on the scale

Images from Galileo of the Venus cloud deck

Science.gov (United States)

Belton, M.J.S.; Gierasch, P.J.; Smith, M.D.; Helfenstein, P.; Schinder, P.J.; Pollack, James B.; Rages, K.A.; Ingersoll, A.P.; Klaasen, K.P.; Veverka, J.; Anger, C.D.; Carr, M.H.; Chapman, C.R.; Davies, M.E.; Fanale, F.P.; Greeley, R.; Greenberg, R.; Head, J. W.; Morrison, D.; Neukum, G.; Pilcher, C.B.

1991-01-01

Images of Venus taken at 418 (violet) and 986 [near-infrared (NIR)] nanometers show that the morphology and motions of large-scale features change with depth in the cloud deck. Poleward meridional velocities, seen in both spectral regions, are much reduced in the NIR. In the south polar region the markings in the two wavelength bands are strongly anticorrelated. The images follow the changing state of the upper cloud layer downwind of the subsolar point, and the zonal flow field shows a longitudinal periodicity that may be coupled to the formation of large-scale planetary waves. No optical lightning was detected.

FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN): Molecular clouds toward W 33; possible evidence for a cloud-cloud collision triggering O star formation

Science.gov (United States)

Kohno, Mikito; Torii, Kazufumi; Tachihara, Kengo; Umemoto, Tomofumi; Minamidani, Tetsuhiro; Nishimura, Atsushi; Fujita, Shinji; Matsuo, Mitsuhiro; Yamagishi, Mitsuyoshi; Tsuda, Yuya; Kuriki, Mika; Kuno, Nario; Ohama, Akio; Hattori, Yusuke; Sano, Hidetoshi; Yamamoto, Hiroaki; Fukui, Yasuo

2018-05-01

We observed molecular clouds in the W 33 high-mass star-forming region associated with compact and extended H II regions using the NANTEN2 telescope as well as the Nobeyama 45 m telescope in the J = 1-0 transitions of 12CO, 13CO, and C18O as part of the FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN) legacy survey. We detected three velocity components at 35 km s-1, 45 km s-1, and 58 km s-1. The 35 km s-1 and 58 km s-1 clouds are likely to be physically associated with W 33 because of the enhanced 12CO J = 3-2 to J = 1-0 intensity ratio as R_3-2/1-0} > 1.0 due to the ultraviolet irradiation by OB stars, and morphological correspondence between the distributions of molecular gas and the infrared and radio continuum emissions excited by high-mass stars. The two clouds show complementary distributions around W 33. The velocity separation is too large to be gravitationally bound, and yet not explained by expanding motion by stellar feedback. Therefore, we discuss whether a cloud-cloud collision scenario likely explains the high-mass star formation in W 33.

Infrared spectroscopy of dust in the Taurus dark clouds: ice and silicates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittet, D.C.B.; Adamson, A.J.; McFadzean, A.D.; Aitken, D.K.

1988-01-01

Low-resolution spectra are presented of the 3 μm water-ice and 10 μm silicate dust features for stars in the direction of the extensive dark cloud complex in Taurus. A total of 22 stars were observed at 3 μm, and 16 at 10 μm. Our sample includes both dust-embedded objects and background field stars seen through the cloud. New and previously published results are combined to investigate the correlation of the strengths of both features with visual extinction A v , and we demonstrate the existence of a very close linear correlation between the peak optical depth in the 3 μm feature and A v for field stars. Ice is detected in all cases where A v exceeds a threshold value of 3.3 ± 0.1 mag, a result which provides a firm observational basis for models of volatile mantle growth on grains in the dark cloud environment. In contrast, the silicate feature is rather poorly correlated with A v . (author)

THIR/Nimbus-7 Level 1 Cloud Data for SBUV/TOMS V001 (THIRN7L1BCLT) at GES DISC

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — THIRN7L1BCLT is the Nimbus-7 Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) Level 1 Cloud Data for SBUV/TOMS (BCLT) product and contains total cloud amounts;...

Monstrous Ice Cloud System in Titan's Present South Polar Stratosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Carrie; Samuelson, Robert; McLain, Jason; Achterberg, Richard; Flasar, F. Michael; Milam, Stefanie

2015-11-01

During southern autumn when sunlight was still available, Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem discovered a cloud around 300 km near Titan's south pole (West, R. A. et al., AAS/DPS Abstracts, 45, #305.03, 2013); the cloud was later determined by Cassini's Visible and InfraRed Mapping Spectrometer to contain HCN ice (de Kok et al., Nature, 514, pp 65-67, 2014). This cloud has proven to be only the tip of an extensive ice cloud system contained in Titan's south polar stratosphere, as seen through the night-vision goggles of Cassini's Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). As the sun sets and the gloom of southern winter approaches, evidence is beginning to accumulate from CIRS far-IR spectra that a massive system of nitrile ice clouds is developing in Titan's south polar stratosphere. Even during the depths of northern winter, nothing like the strength of this southern system was evident in corresponding north polar regions.From the long slant paths that are available from limb-viewing CIRS far-IR spectra, we have the first definitive detection of the ν6 band of cyanoacetylene (HC3N) ice in Titan’s south polar stratosphere. In addition, we also see a strong blend of nitrile ice lattice vibration features around 160 cm-1. From these data we are able to derive ice abundances. The most prominent (and still chemically unidentified) ice emission feature, the Haystack, (at 220 cm-1) is also observed. We establish the vertical distributions of the ice cloud systems associated with both the 160 cm-1 feature and the Haystack. The ultimate aim is to refine the physical and possibly the chemical relationships between the two. Transmittance thin film spectra of nitrile ice mixtures obtained in our Spectroscopy for Planetary ICes Environments (SPICE) laboratory are used to support these analyses.

A near-infrared survey for pre-main sequence stars in Taurus

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Mercedes; Kenyon, Scott J.; Hartmann, Lee

1994-01-01

We present a near-infrared survey of approximately 2 sq deg covering parts of L1537, L1538, and Heiles cloud 2 in the Taurus-Auriga molecular cloud. Although this study is more sensitive than previous attempts to identify pre-main sequence stars in Taurus-Auriga, our survey regions contain only one new optically visible, young star. We did find several candidate embedded protostars; additional 10 micrometer photometry is necessary to verify the pre-main sequence nature of these sources. Our results--combined with those of previous surveys--show that the L1537/L1538 clouds contain no pre-main sequence stars. These two clouds are less dense than the active star formation sites in Taurus-Auriga, which suggests a cloud must achieve a threshold density to form stars.

Histoire d’un non-objet historiographique : le cas Louis xvi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurore Chery

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Bien que la Révolution française ait suscité l’intérêt des chercheurs du monde entier, Louis xvi fait figure de parent pauvre des études universitaires. Même si c’est à son corps défendant, il en est tout de même l’un des principaux protagonistes et la Révolution s’est aussi construite en interrogeant le rôle et la place du roi. Cette situation a eu pour conséquence de conserver vivace la légende dorée que le roi s’est construite en exerçant un contrôle sur son image dès le début de son règne. Elle l’assimile à un nouvel Henri iv, profondément concerné par les maux de ses sujets. Malgré les attaques de la Révolution, cette image continue à exercer une influence considérable sur les biographes de Louis xvi et les historiens de la Révolution.Si la Restauration en a fait un usage sans surprise, elle a, de manière plus étonnante, séduit jusqu’à Jaurès avant de souffrir du discrédit dans lequel sombre le royalisme en choisissant l’antisémitisme au xxe siècle. Néanmoins, c’est aujourd’hui par le détour de l’historiographie anglo-saxonne qu’elle fait sa réapparition et commence seulement à être questionnée.Although the French Revolution has aroused interest of international researchers, Louis xvi is widely neglected by the academic studies. Even if reluctantly, he is yet one of the main protagonists and it is also by questioning the role and the place of the king that the Revolution took its shape.This led to the consequence that the golden legend the king constructed by controlling his image from the beginning of his reign is still very lively today. In it, he is presented as a new Henri iv, deeply concerned by the misfortunes of his subjects. In spite of the attacks of the Revolution, this image still considerably influences Louis xvi’s biographers and the historians of the Revolution.If the Restoration made a not surprising good use of it, it more astonishingly seduced Jaur

Empirical analysis of aerosol and thin cloud optical depth effects on CO2 retrievals from GOSAT

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, A.; O'Neill, N. T.; Strong, K.; Nakajima, T.; Uchino, O.; Shiobara, M.

2014-12-01

Ground-based sunphotometer observations of aerosol and cloud optical properties at AEROCAN / AERONET sites co-located with TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network) high resolution Fourier Transform Spectrometers (FTS) were used to investigate the aerosol and cloud influence on column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of carbon dioxide (XCO2) retrieved from the TANSO-FTS (Thermal And Near-infrared Sensor for carbon Observation - FTS) of GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite). This instrument employs high resolution spectra measured in the Short-Wavelength InfraRed (SWIR) band to retrieve XCO2estimates. GOSAT XCO2 retrievals are nominally corrected for the contaminating backscatter influence of aerosols and thin clouds. However if the satellite-retrieved aerosol and thin cloud optical depths applied to the CO2 correction is biased then the correction and the retrieved CO2 values will be biased. We employed independent ground based estimates of both cloud screened and non cloud screened AOD (aerosol optical depth) in the CO2 SWIR channel and compared this with the GOSAT SWIR-channel OD retrievals to see if that bias was related to variations in the (generally negative) CO2 bias (ΔXCO2= XCO2(GOSAT) - XCO2(TCCON)). Results are presented for a number of TCCON validation sites.

Formation of Silicate and Titanium Clouds on Hot Jupiters

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Diana; Zhang, Xi; Gao, Peter; Parmentier, Vivien

2018-06-01

We present the first application of a bin-scheme microphysical and vertical transport model to determine the size distribution of titanium and silicate cloud particles in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. We predict particle size distributions from first principles for a grid of planets at four representative equatorial longitudes, and investigate how observed cloud properties depend on the atmospheric thermal structure and vertical mixing. The predicted size distributions are frequently bimodal and irregular in shape. There is a negative correlation between the total cloud mass and equilibrium temperature as well as a positive correlation between the total cloud mass and atmospheric mixing. The cloud properties on the east and west limbs show distinct differences that increase with increasing equilibrium temperature. Cloud opacities are roughly constant across a broad wavelength range, with the exception of features in the mid-infrared. Forward-scattering is found to be important across the same wavelength range. Using the fully resolved size distribution of cloud particles as opposed to a mean particle size has a distinct impact on the resultant cloud opacities. The particle size that contributes the most to the cloud opacity depends strongly on the cloud particle size distribution. We predict that it is unlikely that silicate or titanium clouds are responsible for the optical Rayleigh scattering slope seen in many hot Jupiters. We suggest that cloud opacities in emission may serve as sensitive tracers of the thermal state of a planet’s deep interior through the existence or lack of a cold trap in the deep atmosphere.

Detection of hydrogen sulfide above the clouds in Uranus's atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Toledo, Daniel; Garland, Ryan; Teanby, Nicholas A.; Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, Glenn A.; Bézard, Bruno

2018-04-01

Visible-to-near-infrared observations indicate that the cloud top of the main cloud deck on Uranus lies at a pressure level of between 1.2 bar and 3 bar. However, its composition has never been unambiguously identified, although it is widely assumed to be composed primarily of either ammonia or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ice. Here, we present evidence of a clear detection of gaseous H2S above this cloud deck in the wavelength region 1.57-1.59 μm with a mole fraction of 0.4-0.8 ppm at the cloud top. Its detection constrains the deep bulk sulfur/nitrogen abundance to exceed unity (>4.4-5.0 times the solar value) in Uranus's bulk atmosphere, and places a lower limit on the mole fraction of H2S below the observed cloud of (1.0 -2.5 ) ×1 0-5. The detection of gaseous H2S at these pressure levels adds to the weight of evidence that the principal constituent of 1.2-3-bar cloud is likely to be H2S ice.

Detection of hydrogen sulfide above the clouds in Uranus's atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Toledo, Daniel; Garland, Ryan; Teanby, Nicholas A.; Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, Glenn A.; Bézard, Bruno

2018-05-01

Visible-to-near-infrared observations indicate that the cloud top of the main cloud deck on Uranus lies at a pressure level of between 1.2 bar and 3 bar. However, its composition has never been unambiguously identified, although it is widely assumed to be composed primarily of either ammonia or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ice. Here, we present evidence of a clear detection of gaseous H2S above this cloud deck in the wavelength region 1.57-1.59 μm with a mole fraction of 0.4-0.8 ppm at the cloud top. Its detection constrains the deep bulk sulfur/nitrogen abundance to exceed unity (>4.4-5.0 times the solar value) in Uranus's bulk atmosphere, and places a lower limit on the mole fraction of H2S below the observed cloud of (1.0 -2.5 ) ×1 0-5. The detection of gaseous H2S at these pressure levels adds to the weight of evidence that the principal constituent of 1.2-3-bar cloud is likely to be H2S ice.

Infrared polarimetry of the reflection nebula near L 1551 IRS 5

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagata, Tetsuya; Yamashita, Takuya; Sato, Shuji; Suzuki, Hiro; Hough, J H; Garden, R; Gatley, I

1986-11-01

The K-band polarization has been measured in the region extending 30 arcsec to the SW of L 1551 IRS5. The degree of polarization is exceptionally high, reaching approx. 67 per cent. The large polarizations and the azimuthal pattern of the position angles are attributed to scattering of infrared radiation from IRS5 by dust grains. The infrared brightness distribution resembles that of the optical nebulosity. It is proposed that infrared scattering occurs at the 'walls' of a cavity formed by the interaction of stellar winds with the ambient cloud.

A SPITZER SURVEY OF PROTOPLANETARY DISK DUST IN THE YOUNG SERPENS CLOUD : HOW DO DUST CHARACTERISTICS EVOLVE WITH TIME?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oliveira, Isa; Pontoppidan, Klaus M.; Merin, Bruno; van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Lahuis, Fred; Geers, Vincent C.; Jorgensen, Jes K.; Olofsson, Johan; Augereau, Jean-Charles; Brown, Joanna M.

2010-01-01

We present Spitzer InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) mid-infrared (5-35 mu m) spectra of a complete flux-limited sample (>= 3 mJy at 8 mu m) of young stellar object (YSO) candidates selected on the basis of their infrared colors in the Serpens Molecular Cloud. Spectra of 147 sources are presented and

CLASSIFICATION BY USING MULTISPECTRAL POINT CLOUD DATA

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C. T. Liao

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Remote sensing images are generally recorded in two-dimensional format containing multispectral information. Also, the semantic information is clearly visualized, which ground features can be better recognized and classified via supervised or unsupervised classification methods easily. Nevertheless, the shortcomings of multispectral images are highly depending on light conditions, and classification results lack of three-dimensional semantic information. On the other hand, LiDAR has become a main technology for acquiring high accuracy point cloud data. The advantages of LiDAR are high data acquisition rate, independent of light conditions and can directly produce three-dimensional coordinates. However, comparing with multispectral images, the disadvantage is multispectral information shortage, which remains a challenge in ground feature classification through massive point cloud data. Consequently, by combining the advantages of both LiDAR and multispectral images, point cloud data with three-dimensional coordinates and multispectral information can produce a integrate solution for point cloud classification. Therefore, this research acquires visible light and near infrared images, via close range photogrammetry, by matching images automatically through free online service for multispectral point cloud generation. Then, one can use three-dimensional affine coordinate transformation to compare the data increment. At last, the given threshold of height and color information is set as threshold in classification.

Classification by Using Multispectral Point Cloud Data

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, C. T.; Huang, H. H.

2012-07-01

Remote sensing images are generally recorded in two-dimensional format containing multispectral information. Also, the semantic information is clearly visualized, which ground features can be better recognized and classified via supervised or unsupervised classification methods easily. Nevertheless, the shortcomings of multispectral images are highly depending on light conditions, and classification results lack of three-dimensional semantic information. On the other hand, LiDAR has become a main technology for acquiring high accuracy point cloud data. The advantages of LiDAR are high data acquisition rate, independent of light conditions and can directly produce three-dimensional coordinates. However, comparing with multispectral images, the disadvantage is multispectral information shortage, which remains a challenge in ground feature classification through massive point cloud data. Consequently, by combining the advantages of both LiDAR and multispectral images, point cloud data with three-dimensional coordinates and multispectral information can produce a integrate solution for point cloud classification. Therefore, this research acquires visible light and near infrared images, via close range photogrammetry, by matching images automatically through free online service for multispectral point cloud generation. Then, one can use three-dimensional affine coordinate transformation to compare the data increment. At last, the given threshold of height and color information is set as threshold in classification.

Analysis of co-located MODIS and CALIPSO observations near clouds

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T. Várnai

2012-02-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at helping synergistic studies in combining data from different satellites for gaining new insights into two critical yet poorly understood aspects of anthropogenic climate change, aerosol-cloud interactions and aerosol radiative effects. In particular, the paper examines the way cloud information from the MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer imager can refine our perceptions based on CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization lidar measurements about the systematic aerosol changes that occur near clouds.

The statistical analysis of a yearlong dataset of co-located global maritime observations from the Aqua and CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation satellites reveals that MODIS's multispectral imaging ability can greatly help the interpretation of CALIOP observations. The results show that imagers on Aqua and CALIPSO yield very similar pictures, and that the discrepancies – due mainly to wind drift and differences in view angle – do not significantly hinder aerosol measurements near clouds. By detecting clouds outside the CALIOP track, MODIS reveals that clouds are usually closer to clear areas than CALIOP data alone would suggest. The paper finds statistical relationships between the distances to clouds in MODIS and CALIOP data, and proposes a rescaling approach to statistically account for the impact of clouds outside the CALIOP track even when MODIS cannot reliably detect low clouds, for example at night or over sea ice. Finally, the results show that the typical distance to clouds depends on both cloud coverage and cloud type, and accordingly varies with location and season. In maritime areas perceived cloud free, the global median distance to clouds below 3 km altitude is in the 4–5 km range.

Patient identification using a near-infrared laser scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Manit, Jirapong; Bremer, Christina; Schweikard, Achim; Ernst, Floris

2017-03-01

We propose a new biometric approach where the tissue thickness of a person's forehead is used as a biometric feature. Given that the spatial registration of two 3D laser scans of the same human face usually produces a low error value, the principle of point cloud registration and its error metric can be applied to human classification techniques. However, by only considering the spatial error, it is not possible to reliably verify a person's identity. We propose to use a novel near-infrared laser-based head tracking system to determine an additional feature, the tissue thickness, and include this in the error metric. Using MRI as a ground truth, data from the foreheads of 30 subjects was collected from which a 4D reference point cloud was created for each subject. The measurements from the near-infrared system were registered with all reference point clouds using the ICP algorithm. Afterwards, the spatial and tissue thickness errors were extracted, forming a 2D feature space. For all subjects, the lowest feature distance resulted from the registration of a measurement and the reference point cloud of the same person. The combined registration error features yielded two clusters in the feature space, one from the same subject and another from the other subjects. When only the tissue thickness error was considered, these clusters were less distinct but still present. These findings could help to raise safety standards for head and neck cancer patients and lays the foundation for a future human identification technique.

Infrared astronomy and the galactic dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pecker, J.C.

1977-01-01

The existence, in the Galaxy, of small absorbing dust grains has been known for a long time, as they redden the light of stars located behind them, and obscure by amounts which can often even be several magnitudes... In the infrared, where absorption is smaller, one can see through the dust, while at the same time, one can observe the emission of cold dust clouds. After a brief review of technical developments, the reasons for studying the infrared, and the principles of diagnostics, are given. The analysis of the spectral features leads to identification of ice, graphite, and various silicates, as main constituents of the dust. In the fifth section, examples are given of the various sources that one meets when travelling in the Galaxy: protostars, cold and dilute, dense envelopes of young stars (cold or hot), dilute envelopes of not so young stars, and ejected clouds surrounding evolved objects... The simultaneous observation of dust, molecules and atoms, in the same regions, shows that the knowledge of the circumstellar dense regions might be of a great interest, in the study of the origin of life, and of the evolution of the Universe. (Auth.)

A Report of Clouds on Titan

Science.gov (United States)

Corlies, Paul; Hayes, Alexander; Adamkovics, Mate; Rodriguez, Sebastien; Kelland, John; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Mitchell, Jonathan; Lora, Juan M.; Rojo, Patricio; Lunine, Jonathan I.

2017-10-01

We present in this work a detailed analysis of many of the clouds in the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) dataset in order to understand their global and seasonal properties. Clouds are one of the few direct observables in Titan’s atmosphere (Griffith et al 2009, Rodriguez et al 2009, Adamkovics et al 2010), and so determining their characteristics allows for a better understanding of surface atmosphere interactions, winds, transport of volatile material, and general circulation. We find the clouds on Titan generally reside in at 5-15km altitude, which agrees with previous modelling efforts (Rafkin et al. 2015), as well as a power law distribution for cloud optical depth. We assume an average cloud droplet size of 100um. No seasonal dependence is observed with either cloud altitude or optical depth, suggesting there is no preferred seasonal formation mechanisms. Combining these characteristics with cloud size (Kelland et al 2017) can trace the transport of volatiles in Titan’s atmosphere, which can be compared against general circulation models (GCMs) (Lora et al 2015). We also present some specific analysis of interesting cloud systems including hypothesized surface fogs (Brown et al 2009) and orographic cloud formation (Barth et al 2010, Corlies et al 2017). In this analysis we use a correlation between Cassini VIMS and RADAR observations as well as an updated topographic map of Titan’s southern hemisphere to better understand the role that topography plays in influencing and driving atmospheric phenomena.Finally, with the end of the Cassini mission, ground based observing now acts as the only means with which to observe clouds on Titan. We present an update of an ongoing cloud campaign to search for clouds on Titan and to understand their seasonal evolution.References:Adamkovics et al. 2010, Icarus 208:868Barth et al. 2010, Planet. Space Sci. 58:1740Corlies et al. 2017, 48th LPSC, 2870CGriffith et al. 2009, ApJ 702:L105Kelland et al

The Vortex Formerly Known as White Oval BA: Temperature Structure, CloudProperties and Dynamical Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Orton, Glenn S.; Yanamandra-Fisher, P. A.; Parrish, P. D.; Mousis, O.; Pantin, E.; Fuse, T.; Fujiyoshi, T.; Simon-Miller, A.; Morales-Juberias, R.; Tollestrup, E.; Connelley, M.; Trujillo, C.; Hora, J.; Irwin, P.; Fletcher, L.; Hill, D.; Kollmansberger, S.

2006-09-01

White Oval BA, constituted from 3 predecessor vortices (known as Jupiter's "classical" White Ovals) after successive mergers in 1998 and 2000, became second-largest vortex in the atmosphere of Jupiter (and possibly the solar system) at the time of its formation. While it continues in this distinction,it required a name change after a 2005 December through 2006 February transformation which made it appear visually the same color as the Great Red Spot. Our campaign to understand the changes involved examination of the detailed color and wind field using Hubble Space Telescope instrumentation on several orbits in April. The field of temperatures, ammonia distribution and clouds were also examined using the mid-infrared VISIR camera/spectrometer on ESO's 8.2-m Very Large Telescope, the NASA Infrared telescope with the mid-infrared MIRSI instrument and the refurbished near-infrared facility camera NSFCam2. High-resolution images of the Oval were made before the color change with the COMICS mid-infrared facility on the 8.2-m Subaru telescope.We are using these images, togther with images acquired at the IRTF and with the Gemini/North NIRI near-infrared camera between January, 2005, and August, 2006, to characterize the extent to which changes in storm strength (vorticity, postive vertical motion) influenced (i) the depth from which colored cloud particles may have been "dredged up" from depth or (ii) the altitude to which particles may have been lofted and subject to high-energy UV radiation which caused a color change, as alternative explanations for the phenomenon. Clues to this will provide clues to the chemistry of Jupiter's cloud system and its well-known colors in general. The behavior of Oval BA, its interaction with the Great Red Spot in particular,are also being compared with dynamical models run with the EPIC code.

78 FR 8217 - Social Security Ruling, SSR 13-1p; Titles II and XVI: Agency Processes for Addressing Allegations...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-05

... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SSA-2012-0071] Social Security Ruling, SSR 13-1p; Titles II and XVI: Agency Processes for Addressing Allegations of Unfairness, Prejudice, Partiality, Bias... the third column, the fourth line under the ``Summary'' heading, change ``SSR-13-Xp'' to ``SSR-13-1p...

Multilayer Perceptron Neural Networks Model for Meteosat Second Generation SEVIRI Daytime Cloud Masking

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Alireza Taravat

2015-02-01

Full Text Available A multilayer perceptron neural network cloud mask for Meteosat Second Generation SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager images is introduced and evaluated. The model is trained for cloud detection on MSG SEVIRI daytime data. It consists of a multi-layer perceptron with one hidden sigmoid layer, trained with the error back-propagation algorithm. The model is fed by six bands of MSG data (0.6, 0.8, 1.6, 3.9, 6.2 and 10.8 μm with 10 hidden nodes. The multiple-layer perceptrons lead to a cloud detection accuracy of 88.96%, when trained to map two predefined values that classify cloud and clear sky. The network was further evaluated using sixty MSG images taken at different dates. The network detected not only bright thick clouds but also thin or less bright clouds. The analysis demonstrated the feasibility of using machine learning models of cloud detection in MSG SEVIRI imagery.

RCW 36 in the Vela Molecular Ridge: Evidence for high-mass star-cluster formation triggered by cloud-cloud collision

Science.gov (United States)

Sano, Hidetoshi; Enokiya, Rei; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Yamagishi, Mitsuyoshi; Saeki, Shun; Okawa, Kazuki; Tsuge, Kisetsu; Tsutsumi, Daichi; Kohno, Mikito; Hattori, Yusuke; Yoshiike, Satoshi; Fujita, Shinji; Nishimura, Atsushi; Ohama, Akio; Tachihara, Kengo; Torii, Kazufumi; Hasegawa, Yutaka; Kimura, Kimihiro; Ogawa, Hideo; Wong, Graeme F.; Braiding, Catherine; Rowell, Gavin; Burton, Michael G.; Fukui, Yasuo

2018-05-01

A collision between two molecular clouds is one possible candidate for high-mass star formation. The H II region RCW 36, located in the Vela molecular ridge, contains a young star cluster (˜ 1 Myr old) and two O-type stars. We present new CO observations of RCW 36 made with NANTEN2, Mopra, and ASTE using 12CO(J = 1-0, 2-1, 3-2) and 13CO(J = 2-1) emission lines. We have discovered two molecular clouds lying at the velocities VLSR ˜ 5.5 and 9 km s-1. Both clouds are likely to be physically associated with the star cluster, as verified by the good spatial correspondence among the two clouds, infrared filaments, and the star cluster. We also found a high intensity ratio of ˜ 0.6-1.2 for CO J = 3-2/1-0 toward both clouds, indicating that the gas temperature has been increased due to heating by the O-type stars. We propose that the O-type stars in RCW 36 were formed by a collision between the two clouds, with a relative velocity separation of 5 km s-1. The complementary spatial distributions and the velocity separation of the two clouds are in good agreement with observational signatures expected for O-type star formation triggered by a cloud-cloud collision. We also found a displacement between the complementary spatial distributions of the two clouds, which we estimate to be 0.3 pc assuming the collision angle to be 45° relative to the line-of-sight. We estimate the collision timescale to be ˜ 105 yr. It is probable that the cluster age found by Ellerbroek et al. (2013b, A&A, 558, A102) is dominated by the low-mass members which were not formed under the triggering by cloud-cloud collision, and that the O-type stars in the center of the cluster are explained by the collisional triggering independently from the low-mass star formation.

Retrieval of subvisual cirrus cloud optical thickness from limb-scatter measurements

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J. T. Wiensz

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We present a technique for estimating the optical thickness of subvisual cirrus clouds detected by OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imaging System, a limb-viewing satellite instrument that measures scattered radiances from the UV to the near-IR. The measurement set is composed of a ratio of limb radiance profiles at two wavelengths that indicates the presence of cloud-scattering regions. Cross-sections and phase functions from an in situ database are used to simulate scattering by cloud-particles. With appropriate configurations discussed in this paper, the SASKTRAN successive-orders of scatter radiative transfer model is able to simulate accurately the in-cloud radiances from OSIRIS. Configured in this way, the model is used with a multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART to retrieve the cloud extinction profile for an assumed effective cloud particle size. The sensitivity of these retrievals to key auxiliary model parameters is shown, and it is shown that the retrieved extinction profile, for an assumed effective cloud particle size, models well the measured in-cloud radiances from OSIRIS. The greatest sensitivity of the retrieved optical thickness is to the effective cloud particle size. Since OSIRIS has an 11-yr record of subvisual cirrus cloud detections, the work described in this manuscript provides a very useful method for providing a long-term global record of the properties of these clouds.

Cloud Properties of CERES-MODIS Edition 4 and CERES-VIIRS Edition 1

Science.gov (United States)

Sun-Mack, Sunny; Minnis, Patrick; Chang, Fu-Lung; Hong, Gang; Arduini, Robert; Chen, Yan; Trepte, Qing; Yost, Chris; Smith, Rita; Brown, Ricky;

Retrieval of macrophysical cloud parameters from MIPAS: algorithm description

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J. Hurley

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS onboard ENVISAT has the potential to be particularly useful for studying high, thin clouds, which have been difficult to observe in the past. This paper details the development, implementation and testing of an optimal-estimation-type retrieval for three macrophysical cloud parameters (cloud top height, cloud top temperature and cloud extinction coefficient from infrared spectra measured by MIPAS. A preliminary estimation of a parameterisation of the optical and geometrical filling of the measurement field-of-view by cloud is employed as the first step of the retrieval process to improve the choice of a priori for the macrophysical parameters themselves.

Preliminary application to single-scattering simulations indicates that the retrieval error stemming from uncertainties introduced by noise and by a priori variances in the retrieval process itself is small – although it should be noted that these retrieval errors do not include the significant errors stemming from the assumption of homogeneity and the non-scattering nature of the forward model. Such errors are preliminarily and qualitatively assessed here, and are likely to be the dominant error sources. The retrieval converges for 99% of input cases, although sometimes fails to converge for vetically-thin (<1 km clouds. The retrieval algorithm is applied to MIPAS data; the results of which are qualitatively compared with CALIPSO cloud top heights and PARASOL cloud opacities. From comparison with CALIPSO cloud products, it must be noted that the cloud detection method used in this algorithm appears to potentially misdetect stratospheric aerosol layers as cloud.

This algorithm has been adopted by the European Space Agency's "MIPclouds" project.

Municipio y mercado en el Aragón Moderno : el abasto de pescado en Zaragoza (siglos XVI-XVII

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José Antonio Mateos Royo

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Estudio relativo a la política desarrollada por el Concejo de Zaragoza sobre el comercio de pescado durante los siglos XVI y XVII. La prosperidad económica de la ciudad y del municipio permitieron crear durante el siglo xvi condiciones favorables para asegurar a los habitantes de Zaragoza un suministro suficiente a un precio asequible. Sin embargo, el declive económico y el creciente endeudamiento municipal forzarán durante el siglo xvii a aumentar los impuestos sobre las transacciones y reducir la protección al consumidor.This paper studies municipal politics carried out by the Zaragoza city council concerning the first trade during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Economic prosperity in the city and council allowed to create during the sixteenth century favourable conditions in order to get a sufficient supply and a reasonable price for the population. However, economic decline and raising municipal indebtedness during the seventeenth century led to an increase of market taxation and a reduction of consumers' protection.

Properties of molecular clouds containing Herbig-Haro objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loren, R.B.; Evans, N.J. II; Knapp, G.R.

1979-01-01

We have studied the physical conditions in the molecular clouds associated with a large number of Herbig-Haro and related objects. Formaldehyde emission at 2 mm was detected in the direction of approx.15 out of 30 objects observed. Using the 2 mm H 2 CO emission and observations of 2 cm H 2 CO absorption, along the the 2.6 mm CO line, we calculate core densities of these molecular clouds. Dense cores are found near but not necessarily coincident with the HH objects. Known embedded infrared sources are more likely to be at the position of greatest density than are the HH objects themselves. The densities determined for the cloud cores are intermediate between the densities of cold, dark clouds such as L134 N and the hot clouds associated with H II regions. Thus, a continuous spectrum of densities is observed in molecular clouds. The temperature and density of the clouds in this study are not well correlated. The cores associated with HH 29 IR and T Tau are very dense (6 x 10 4 and 9 x 10 4 cm -3 ), yet have temperatures typical of cold dark clouds.The strong inverse correlation between X (H 2 CO) and density found by Wootten et al. is also found in the clouds associated with HH objects. This correlation also holds within a single cloud, indicating that the correlation is not due to differences in cloud age and evolution toward gas-phase chemical equilibrium. The decrease of X (H 2 CO) with density is more rapid than predicted by steady state ion-molecule chemistry and may be the result of increased depletion of molecules onto grain surfaces at higher density

ON THE STAR FORMATION RATES IN MOLECULAR CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lada, Charles J.; Lombardi, Marco; Alves, Joao F.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the level of star formation activity within nearby molecular clouds. We employ a uniform set of infrared extinction maps to provide accurate assessments of cloud mass and structure and compare these with inventories of young stellar objects within the clouds. We present evidence indicating that both the yield and rate of star formation can vary considerably in local clouds, independent of their mass and size. We find that the surface density structure of such clouds appears to be important in controlling both these factors. In particular, we find that the star formation rate (SFR) in molecular clouds is linearly proportional to the cloud mass (M 0.8 ) above an extinction threshold of A K ∼ 0.8 mag, corresponding to a gas surface density threshold of Σ gas ∼ 116 M sun pc 2 . We argue that this surface density threshold corresponds to a gas volume density threshold which we estimate to be n(H 2 ) ∼ 10 4 cm -3 . Specifically, we find SFR (M sun yr -1 ) = 4.6 ± 2.6 x 10 -8 M 0.8 (M sun ) for the clouds in our sample. This relation between the rate of star formation and the amount of dense gas in molecular clouds appears to be in excellent agreement with previous observations of both galactic and extragalactic star-forming activity. It is likely the underlying physical relationship or empirical law that most directly connects star formation activity with interstellar gas over many spatial scales within and between individual galaxies. These results suggest that the key to obtaining a predictive understanding of the SFRs in molecular clouds and galaxies is to understand those physical factors which give rise to the dense components of these clouds.

Estudiantes y profesores españoles en universidades extranjeras. Siglos XII-XVI

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Bernabé BARTOLOMÉ MARTÍNEZ

2010-03-01

Full Text Available RESUMEN: Dentro de la línea histórico-comparada de este número de la revista, este trabajo pretende ser una elaboración de síntesis. Es un intento de encontrar unidad a algunas investigaciones dispersas que se van publicando sobre el tema. Los cartularios que existen de algunas universidades extranjeras son insuficientes y los libros de registros de estudiantes o de grados no nos han llegado apenas desde las alturas de aquellos siglos xn-xvi. Sin embargo una intensa indagación en los archivos municipales y catedralicios podría arrojar, para este caso, los datos suficientes.

New infrared observations of IRS 1, IRS 3, and the adjacent nebula in the OMC-2 cluster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pendelton, Y.; Werner, M.; Dinerstein, H.

1984-01-01

Recent reports show that near infrared reflection nebulae are often observed around embedded protostellar objects. New observations are here reported of the infrared cluster of low luminosity protostars in Orion Molecular Cloud 2 (OMC2). It has been determined that the asymmetric distribution of the extended emission seen about IRS1 is in fact another infrared reflection nebula. Observations of near infrared polarimetry, photometry, and spectrophotometry were carried out at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility October 1982 and January 1983. (author)

Synergistic multi-sensor and multi-frequency retrieval of cloud ice water path constrained by CloudSat collocations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Islam, Tanvir; Srivastava, Prashant K.

2015-01-01

The cloud ice water path (IWP) is one of the major parameters that have a strong influence on earth's radiation budget. Onboard satellite sensors are recognized as valuable tools to measure the IWP in a global scale. Albeit, active sensors such as the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) onboard the CloudSat satellite has better capability to measure the ice water content profile, thus, its vertical integral, IWP, than any passive microwave (MW) or infrared (IR) sensors. In this study, we investigate the retrieval of IWP from MW and IR sensors, including AMSU-A, MHS, and HIRS instruments on-board the N19 satellite, such that the retrieval is consistent with the CloudSat IWP estimates. This is achieved through the collocations between the passive satellite measurements and CloudSat scenes. Potential benefit of synergistic multi-sensor multi-frequency retrieval is investigated. Two modeling approaches are explored for the IWP retrieval – generalized linear model (GLM) and neural network (NN). The investigation has been carried out over both ocean and land surface types. The MW/IR synergy is found to be retrieved more accurate IWP than the individual AMSU-A, MHS, or HIRS measurements. Both GLM and NN approaches have been able to exploit the synergistic retrievals. - Highlights: • MW/IR synergy is investigated for IWP retrieval. • The IWP retrieval is modeled using CloudSat collocations. • Two modeling approaches are explored – GLM and ANN. • MW/IR synergy performs better than the MW or IR only retrieval

Measurements of size and composition of particles in polar stratospheric clouds from infrared solar absorption spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinne, S.; Toon, O.B.; Toon, G.C.; Farmer, C.B.; Browell, E.V.; McCormick, M.P.

1989-01-01

The attenuation of solar radiation between 1.8- and 15-μm wavelength was measured with the airborne Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mark IV interferometer during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Expedition in 1987. The measurements not only provide information about the abundance of stratospheric gases, but also about the optical depths of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) at wavelengths of negligible gas absorption. The spectral dependence of the PSC optical depth contains information about PSC particle size and particle composition. Thirty-three PSC cases were analyzed and categorized into two types. Type I clouds contain particles with radii of about 0.5 μm and nitric acid concentrations greater than 40%. Type II clouds contain particles composed of water ice with radii of 6 μm and larger. Cloud altitudes were determined from 1.064-μm backscattering observations of the airborne Langley DIAL lidar system. Based on the PSC geometrical thickness, both mass and particle density were estimated. Type I clouds typically had visible wavelength optical depths of about 0.008, mass densities of about 20 ppb, and about 2 particles/cm 3 . The observed type II clouds had optical depths of about 0.03, mass densities of about 400 ppb mass, and about 0.03 particles/cm 3 . The detected PSC type I clouds extended to altitudes of 21 km and were nearly in the ozone-depleted region of the polar stratosphere. The observed type II cases during September were predominantly found at altitudes below 15 km

Lidar studies of extinction in clouds in the ECLIPS project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, C.; Platt, R.; Young, S.A.; Patterson, G.P.

1992-01-01

The Experimental Cloud Lidar Pilot Study (ECLIPS) project has now had two active phases in 1989 and 1991. A number of laboratories around the world have taken part in the study. The observations have yielded new data on cloud height and structure, and have yielded some useful new information on the retrieval of cloud optical properties, together with the uncertainties involved. Clouds have a major impact on the climate of the earth. They have the effect of reducing the mean surface temperature from 30 C for a cloudless planet to a value of about 15 C for present cloud conditions. However, it is not at all certain how clouds would react to a change in the planetary temperature in the event of climate change due to a radiative forcing from greenhouse gases. Clouds both reflect out sunlight (negative feedback) and enhance the greenhouse effect (positive feedback), but the ultimate sign of cloud feedback is unknown. Because of these uncertainties, campaigns to study clouds intensely were initiated. The International Satellite Cloud Climatology (ISCPP) and the FIRE Campaigns (cirrus and stratocumulus) are examples. The ECLIPS was set up similarly to the above experiments to obtain information specifically on cloud base, but also cloud top (where possible), optical properties, and cloud structure. ECLIPS was designed to allow as many laboratories as possible globally to take part to get the largest range of clouds. It involves observations with elastic backscatter lidar, supported by infrared fluxes at the ground and radiosonde data, as basic instrumentation. More complex experiments using beam filter radiometers, solar pyranometers, and satellite data and often associated with other campaigns were also encouraged to join ECLIPS

A PHOTOMETRICALLY AND MORPHOLOGICALLY VARIABLE INFRARED NEBULA IN L483

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connelley, Michael S.; Hodapp, Klaus W.; Fuller, Gary A.

2009-01-01

We present narrow and broad K-band observations of the Class 0/I source IRAS 18148-0440 that span 17 years. The infrared nebula associated with this protostar in the L483 dark cloud is both morphologically and photometrically variable on a timescale of only a few months. This nebula appears to be an infrared analog to other well known optically visible variable nebulae associated with young stars, such as Hubble's Variable Nebula. Along with Cepheus A, this is one of the first large variable nebulae to be found that is only visible in the infrared. The variability of this nebula is most likely due to changing illumination of the cloud rather than any motion of the structure in the nebula. Both morphological and photometric changes are observed on a timescale only a few times longer than the light crossing time of the nebula, suggesting very rapid intrinsic changes in the illumination of the nebula. Our narrowband observations also found that H 2 knots are found nearly twice as far to the east of the source as to its west, and that H 2 emission extends farther east of the source than the previously known CO outflow.

Using far-infrared limb brightening to probe isolated dark globules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, C.M.; O'brien, E.V.; Dubisch, R.

1989-01-01

The problem of radiation transport in dark globules with or without internal heat source, immersed in an isotropic incident interstellar radiation field, is solved. The phenomenon of infrared limb brightening, its dependence on cloud properties, and its observational implications are addressed. Numerical results regarding the dependence of limb brightening on total cloud opacity, luminosity of internal heat source, grain type, dust density distribution, and wavelength of emitted radiation are discussed. Observational implications concerning the use of limb brightening to place an upper limit on the luminosity of an embedded protostar and to determine the grain emissivity law in the far-infrared are examined. For sufficiently large optical depth, the limb-brightening ratio (LBR) is found to be related to the optical depth by a power-law relation in the 140-300 micron wavelength range, where thermal emission from grains peaks. By observing the LBR in this range, this power-law relationship can be exploited to determine the emissivity law of the dust grain in the far-infrared. Both the LBR and the longest wavelength for which limb brightening still occurs are related linearly to the luminosity of the central source. 37 references

A correlated-k model of radiative transfer in the near-infrared windows of Venus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, C.C.C.; Irwin, P.G.J.; Taylor, F.W.; Wilson, C.F.

2008-01-01

We present a correlated-k-based model for generating synthetic spectra in the near-infrared window regions, from 1.0 to 2.5 μm, emitted from the deep atmosphere of Venus on the nightside. This approach is applicable for use with any near-infrared instrument, ground-based and space-borne, for analysis of the thermal emissions in this spectral range. We also approach this work with the view of using the model, in conjunction with a retrieval algorithm, to retrieve minor species from the Venus Express/VIRTIS instrument. An existing radiative-transfer model was adapted for Venusian conditions to deal with the prevailing high pressures and temperatures and other conditions. A comprehensive four-modal cloud structure model based on Pollack et al. [Near-infrared light from venus' nightside: a spectroscopic analysis. Icarus 1993;103:1-42], using refractive indices for a 75% H 2 SO 4 25% H 2 O mixture from Palmer and Williams [Optical constants of sulfuric acid; application to the clouds of Venus? Appl Opt 1975;14(1):208-19], was also implemented. We then utilized a Mie scattering algorithm to account for the multiple scattering effect between cloud and haze layers that occur in the Venusian atmosphere. The correlated-k model is shown to produce good agreement with ground-based spectra of Venus in the near infrared, and to match the output from a line-by-line radiative-transfer model to better than 10%

Remote Sensing and In-Situ Observations of Arctic Mixed-Phase and Cirrus Clouds Acquired During Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment: Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Uninhabited Aerospace Vehicle Participation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McFarquhar, G.M.; Freer, M.; Um, J.; McCoy, R.; Bolton, W.

2005-01-01

The Atmospheric Radiation Monitor (ARM) uninhabited aerospace vehicle (UAV) program aims to develop measurement techniques and instruments suitable for a new class of high altitude, long endurance UAVs while supporting the climate community with valuable data sets. Using the Scaled Composites Proteus aircraft, ARM UAV participated in Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE), obtaining unique data to help understand the interaction of clouds with solar and infrared radiation. Many measurements obtained using the Proteus were coincident with in-situ observations made by the UND Citation. Data from M-PACE are needed to understand interactions between clouds, the atmosphere and ocean in the Arctic, critical interactions given large-scale models suggest enhanced warming compared to lower latitudes is occurring

Algunos dibujos de la primera arquitectura de Nueva España: mapas, planos y proyectos de arquitectura del siglo XVI

OpenAIRE

Moya Olmedo, Pilar

2014-01-01

Moya Olmedo, P. (2014). Algunos dibujos de la primera arquitectura de Nueva España: mapas, planos y proyectos de arquitectura del siglo XVI. P+C: proyecto y ciudad: revista de temas de arquitectura (5), 75-88. ISSN 2172-9220 (ISOC; LATINDEX; DIALNET; RESH; DICE; MIAR)

3D MODELING OF GJ1214b's ATMOSPHERE: FORMATION OF INHOMOGENEOUS HIGH CLOUDS AND OBSERVATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Charnay, B.; Meadows, V.; Misra, A.; Arney, G. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98125 (United States); Leconte, J., E-mail: bcharnay@uw.edu [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, 60 St George Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada)

2015-11-01

The warm sub-Neptune GJ1214b has a featureless transit spectrum that may be due to the presence of high and thick clouds or haze. Here, we simulate the atmosphere of GJ1214b with a 3D General Circulation Model for cloudy hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, including cloud radiative effects. We show that the atmospheric circulation is strong enough to transport micrometric cloud particles to the upper atmosphere and generally leads to a minimum of cloud at the equator. By scattering stellar light, clouds increase the planetary albedo to 0.4–0.6 and cool the atmosphere below 1 mbar. However, the heating by ZnS clouds leads to the formation of a stratospheric thermal inversion above 10 mbar, with temperatures potentially high enough on the dayside to evaporate KCl clouds. We show that flat transit spectra consistent with Hubble Space Telescope observations are possible if cloud particle radii are around 0.5 μm, and that such clouds should be optically thin at wavelengths >3 μm. Using simulated cloudy atmospheres that fit the observed spectra we generate transit, emission, and reflection spectra and phase curves for GJ1214b. We show that a stratospheric thermal inversion would be readily accessible in near- and mid-infrared atmospheric spectral windows. We find that the amplitude of the thermal phase curves is strongly dependent on metallicity, but only slightly impacted by clouds. Our results suggest that primary and secondary eclipses and phase curves observed by the James Webb Space Telescope in the near- to mid-infrared should provide strong constraints on the nature of GJ1214b's atmosphere and clouds.

Dark clouds in the vicinity of the emission nebula Sh2-205: interstellar extinction and distances

Science.gov (United States)

Straižys, V.; Čepas, V.; Boyle, R. P.; Zdanavičius, J.; Maskoliūnas, M.; Kazlauskas, A.; Zdanavičius, K.; Černis, K.

2016-05-01

Results of CCD photometry in the seven-colour Vilnius system for 922 stars down to V = 16-17 mag and for 302 stars down to 19.5 mag are used to investigate the interstellar extinction in an area of 1.5 square degrees in the direction of the P7 and P8 clumps of the dark cloud TGU H942, which lies in the vicinity of the emission nebula Sh2-205. In addition, we used 662 red clump giants that were identified by combining the 2MASS and WISE infrared surveys. The resulting plots of extinction versus distance were compared with previous results of the distribution and radial velocities of CO clouds and with dust maps in different passbands of the IRAS and WISE orbiting observatories. A possible distance of the front edge of the nearest cloud layer at 130 ± 10 pc was found. This dust layer probably covers all the investigated area, which results in extinction of up to 1.8 mag in some directions. A second rise of the extinction seems to be present at 500-600 pc. Within this layer, the clumps P7 and P8 of the dust cloud TGU H942, the Sh2-205 emission nebula, and the infrared cluster FSR 655 are probably located. In the direction of these clouds, we identified 88 young stellar objects and a new infrared cluster. Full Tables 1 and 2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/590/A21

Retrieval of Cloud Properties from the Multi-spectral, Multi-viewing and Polarized Measurements of the Airborne Polarimeter OSIRIS

Science.gov (United States)

Matar, C.; Cornet, C.; Parol, F.; C-Labonnote, L.; Auriol, F.; Nicolas, J. M.

2017-12-01

Clouds are recognized as a major source of uncertainty in forecasting the evolution of climate change. One way to improve our knowledge is to obtain accurate cloud properties and variabilities at high spatial resolution. Airborne remote sensing measurements are very suitable to achieve these targets with a tens of meters resolution. In this context, we exploit multi-viewing measurements of the new airborne radiometer OSIRIS (Observing System Including Polarization in the Solar Infrared Spectrum), developed in the Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique (LOA). It is based on POLDER concept as a prototype of the future spacecraft 3MI (Multi-Viewing Multi-Channel Multi-Polarisation Imaging Mission) that will be part of the EPS-SG Eumetsat-ESA mission. Currently, most operational remote sensing algorithms used to retrieve cloud properties from passive measurements, are based on the construction of pre-calculated Look-Up Tables (LUT) under the hypothesis of a single plane-parallel cloud layer. This assumption leads to certain limitations and possible large errors.We developed an optimal estimation method to retrieve cloud optical thickness and effective radius of cloud droplets. This inversion method is more flexible than the LUT method and allows to take into account uncertainties on both observations and the physical model leading to a direct estimation of the retrievals uncertainties in a well-established formalism. For example, we include uncertainties on retrieved cloud parameters due to an incorrect estimation of the ocean surface winds speed, the cloud vertical profiles and the 3D radiative transfer effects.OSIRIS has two separate optical sensors, one for the visible and near infrared range and the other one for the shortwave infrared (SWIR). Consequently, the developed algorithms are based on two different types of information: (1) the total and polarized multi-viewing reflectances from the visible range and (2) the multi-viewing total reflectances from two SWIR

Community Organization of Siberian Coachmen in Late XVI – XVII Centuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg V. Semenov

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The article, basing on the wide range of archival data, mostly introduced into scientific use for the first time, studies communal (secular and church organization of Siberian coachmen in late XVI – XVII centuries. The paper touches upon the issue, concerning the time of its establishment, thoroughly characterizes the structure, functions and officials. The features of interrelation between coachmen ‘world’ and state and other corporate communities of the region are showed. The conclusion that, despite the dependence on the authorities, the processes of bureaucratization and the growth of the villeinage trends, common for the country, coachmen played significant role in the social life of Siberia is made. They intensively protected their interests and forced the government to consider them.

A Submillimetre Study of Massive Star Formation Within the W51 Complex and Infrared Dark Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Harriet Alice Louise

Despite its importance the fundamental question of how massive stars form remains unanswered, with improvements to both models and observations having crucial roles to play. To quote Bate et al. (2003) computational models of star formation are limited because "conditions in molecular clouds are not sufficiently well understood to be able to select a representative sample of cloud cores for the initial conditions". It is this notion that motivates the study of the environments within Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs) and Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs), known sites of massive star formation, at the clump and core level. By studying large populations of these objects, it is possible to make conclusions based on global properties. With this in mind I study the dense molecular clumps within one of the most massive GMCs in the Galaxy: the W51 GMC. New observations of the W51 GMC in the 12CO, 13CO and C18O (3-2) transitions using the HARP instrument on the JCMT are presented. With the help of the clump finding algorithm CLUMPFIND a total of 1575 dense clumps are identified of which 1130 are associated with the W51 GMC, yielding a dense mass reservoir of 1.5 × 10^5 M contained within these clumps. Of these clumps only 1% by number are found to be super-critical, yielding a super-critical clump formation efficiency of 0.5%, below current SFE estimates of the region. This indicates star formation within the W51 GMC will diminish over time although evidence from the first search for molecular outflows presents the W51 GMC in an active light with a lower limit of 14 outflows. The distribution of the outflows within the region searched found them concentrated towards the W51A region. Having much smaller sizes and masses, obtaining global properties of clumps and cores within IRDCs required studying a large sample of these objects. To do this pre-existing data from the SCUBA Legacy Catalogue was utilised to study IRDCs within a catalogues based on 8 μm data. This data identified

Lizardo Seiner Lizarrága. Estudios de Historia Medioambiental. Perú, siglos XVI-XX

OpenAIRE

O'Phelan Godoy, Scarlett

2014-01-01

El libro de Lizardo Seiner Lizárraga, Estudios de historia medioambiental. Perú, siglos XVI-XX explora una temática que hasta hace poco era solo marginalmente tratada dentro de la perspectiva histórica. Indagar sobre la historia del medio ambiente en la larga duración es, por lo tanto, un mérito incuestionable del trabajo realizado por Seiner. El libro en cuestión abre con un ensayo sobre el tema de los desastres naturales y su impacto sobre el medio ambiente. Así, haciendo uso de fuentes pri...

Characterizing the information content of cloud thermodynamic phase retrievals from the notional PACE OCI shortwave reflectance measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Coddington, O. M.; Vukicevic, T.; Schmidt, K. S.; Platnick, S.

2017-08-01

We rigorously quantify the probability of liquid or ice thermodynamic phase using only shortwave spectral channels specific to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, and the notional future Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem imager. The results show that two shortwave-infrared channels (2135 and 2250 nm) provide more information on cloud thermodynamic phase than either channel alone; in one case, the probability of ice phase retrieval increases from 65 to 82% by combining 2135 and 2250 nm channels. The analysis is performed with a nonlinear statistical estimation approach, the GEneralized Nonlinear Retrieval Analysis (GENRA). The GENRA technique has previously been used to quantify the retrieval of cloud optical properties from passive shortwave observations, for an assumed thermodynamic phase. Here we present the methodology needed to extend the utility of GENRA to a binary thermodynamic phase space (i.e., liquid or ice). We apply formal information content metrics to quantify our results; two of these (mutual and conditional information) have not previously been used in the field of cloud studies.

Lidar Penetration Depth Observations for Constraining Cloud Longwave Feedbacks

Science.gov (United States)

Vaillant de Guelis, T.; Chepfer, H.; Noel, V.; Guzman, R.; Winker, D. M.; Kay, J. E.; Bonazzola, M.

2017-12-01

Satellite-borne active remote sensing Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations [CALIPSO; Winker et al., 2010] and CloudSat [Stephens et al., 2002] provide direct measurements of the cloud vertical distribution, with a very high vertical resolution. The penetration depth of the laser of the lidar Z_Opaque is directly linked to the LongWave (LW) Cloud Radiative Effect (CRE) at Top Of Atmosphere (TOA) [Vaillant de Guélis et al., in review]. In addition, this measurement is extremely stable in time making it an excellent observational candidate to verify and constrain the cloud LW feedback mechanism [Chepfer et al., 2014]. In this work, we present a method to decompose the variations of the LW CRE at TOA using cloud properties observed by lidar [GOCCP v3.0; Guzman et al., 2017]. We decompose these variations into contributions due to changes in five cloud properties: opaque cloud cover, opaque cloud altitude, thin cloud cover, thin cloud altitude, and thin cloud emissivity [Vaillant de Guélis et al., in review]. We apply this method, in the real world, to the CRE variations of CALIPSO 2008-2015 record, and, in climate model, to LMDZ6 and CESM simulations of the CRE variations of 2008-2015 period and of the CRE difference between a warm climate and the current climate. In climate model simulations, the same cloud properties as those observed by CALIOP are extracted from the CFMIP Observation Simulator Package (COSP) [Bodas-Salcedo et al., 2011] lidar simulator [Chepfer et al., 2008], which mimics the observations that would be performed by the lidar on board CALIPSO satellite. This method, when applied on multi-model simulations of current and future climate, could reveal the altitude of cloud opacity level observed by lidar as a strong constrain for cloud LW feedback, since the altitude feedback mechanism is physically explainable and the altitude of cloud opacity accurately observed by lidar.

THE MID-INFRARED EXTINCTION LAW IN THE OPHIUCHUS, PERSEUS, AND SERPENS MOLECULAR CLOUDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, Nicholas L.; Mundy, Lee G.; Lai, Shih-Ping; Evans, Neal J. II

2009-01-01

We compute the mid-IR extinction law from 3.6 to 24 μm in three molecular clouds-Ophiuchus, Perseus, and Serpens-by combining data from the 'Cores to Disks' Spitzer Legacy Science program with deep JHK s imaging. Using a new technique, we are able to calculate the line-of-sight (LOS) extinction law toward each background star in our fields. With these LOS measurements, we create, for the first time, maps of the χ 2 deviation of the data from two extinction law models. Because our χ 2 maps have the same spatial resolution as our extinction maps, we can directly observe the changing extinction law as a function of the total column density. In the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands, 3.6-8 μm, we see evidence for grain growth. Below A K s = 0.5, our extinction law is well fitted by the Weingartner and Draine R V = 3.1 diffuse interstellar-medium dust model. As the extinction increases, our law gradually flattens, and for A K s ≥1, the data are more consistent with the Weingartner and Draine R V = 5.5 model that uses larger maximum dust grain sizes. At 24 μm, our extinction law is 2-4 times higher than the values predicted by theoretical dust models, but is more consistent with the observational results of Flaherty et al. Finally, from our χ 2 maps we identify a region in Perseus where the IRAC extinction law is anomalously high considering its column density. A steeper near-IR extinction law than the one we have assumed may partially explain the IRAC extinction law in this region.

Airborne observations of far-infrared upwelling radiance in the Arctic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. Libois

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The first airborne measurements of the Far-InfraRed Radiometer (FIRR were performed in April 2015 during the panarctic NETCARE campaign. Vertical profiles of spectral upwelling radiance in the range 8–50 µm were measured in clear and cloudy conditions from the surface up to 6 km. The clear sky profiles highlight the strong dependence of radiative fluxes to the temperature inversion typical of the Arctic. Measurements acquired for total column water vapour from 1.5 to 10.5 mm also underline the sensitivity of the far-infrared greenhouse effect to specific humidity. The cloudy cases show that optically thin ice clouds increase the cooling rate of the atmosphere, making them important pieces of the Arctic energy balance. One such cloud exhibited a very complex spatial structure, characterized by large horizontal heterogeneities at the kilometre scale. This emphasizes the difficulty of obtaining representative cloud observations with airborne measurements but also points out how challenging it is to model polar clouds radiative effects. These radiance measurements were successfully compared to simulations, suggesting that state-of-the-art radiative transfer models are suited to study the cold and dry Arctic atmosphere. Although FIRR in situ performances compare well to its laboratory performances, complementary simulations show that upgrading the FIRR radiometric resolution would greatly increase its sensitivity to atmospheric and cloud properties. Improved instrument temperature stability in flight and expected technological progress should help meet this objective. The campaign overall highlights the potential for airborne far-infrared radiometry and constitutes a relevant reference for future similar studies dedicated to the Arctic and for the development of spaceborne instruments.

Diffuse infrared emission from the galaxy. I. Solar neighborhood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulanger, F.; Perault, M.

1988-01-01

A large-scale study of the infrared emission originating in the solar neighborhood based on IRAS data is presented. Away from heating sources and outside molecular clouds, the infrared emission from the ISM is well-correlated with the column density of H I gas. The interstellar radiation field and the dust abundance are roughly uniform on scales of the order of 100 pc. The extinction in the polar caps is discussed, and the origin of the infrared emission from the solar neighborhood is investigated. It is shown that stars younger than a few 100 million yr are responsible for two-thirds of the infrared emission from the solar neighborhood, but that most of this emission comes from interstellar matter not associated with current star formation. The correlation between infrared and radio-continuum fluxes of galaxies breaks down on the scale of a few hundred pc around regions of star formation. 81 references

Evaluation of terrestrial photogrammetric point clouds derived from thermal imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Metcalf, Jeremy P.; Olsen, Richard C.

2016-05-01

Computer vision and photogrammetric techniques have been widely applied to digital imagery producing high density 3D point clouds. Using thermal imagery as input, the same techniques can be applied to infrared data to produce point clouds in 3D space, providing surface temperature information. The work presented here is an evaluation of the accuracy of 3D reconstruction of point clouds produced using thermal imagery. An urban scene was imaged over an area at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, viewing from above as with an airborne system. Terrestrial thermal and RGB imagery were collected from a rooftop overlooking the site using a FLIR SC8200 MWIR camera and a Canon T1i DSLR. In order to spatially align each dataset, ground control points were placed throughout the study area using Trimble R10 GNSS receivers operating in RTK mode. Each image dataset is processed to produce a dense point cloud for 3D evaluation.

A Neural Network Approach to Infer Optical Depth of Thick Ice Clouds at Night

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, P.; Hong, G.; Sun-Mack, S.; Chen, Yan; Smith, W. L., Jr.

2016-01-01

One of the roadblocks to continuously monitoring cloud properties is the tendency of clouds to become optically black at cloud optical depths (COD) of 6 or less. This constraint dramatically reduces the quantitative information content at night. A recent study found that because of their diffuse nature, ice clouds remain optically gray, to some extent, up to COD of 100 at certain wavelengths. Taking advantage of this weak dependency and the availability of COD retrievals from CloudSat, an artificial neural network algorithm was developed to estimate COD values up to 70 from common satellite imager infrared channels. The method was trained using matched 2007 CloudSat and Aqua MODIS data and is tested using similar data from 2008. The results show a significant improvement over the use of default values at night with high correlation. This paper summarizes the results and suggests paths for future improvement.

Global cloud database from VIRS and MODIS for CERES

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, Patrick; Young, David F.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Trepte, Qing Z.; Chen, Yan; Heck, Patrick W.; Dong, Xiquan

2003-04-01

The NASA CERES Project has developed a combined radiation and cloud property dataset using the CERES scanners and matched spectral data from high-resolution imagers, the Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua. The diurnal cycle can be well-characterized over most of the globe using the combinations of TRMM, Aqua, and Terra data. The cloud properties are derived from the imagers using state-of-the-art methods and include cloud fraction, height, optical depth, phase, effective particle size, emissivity, and ice or liquid water path. These cloud products are convolved into the matching CERES fields of view to provide simultaneous cloud and radiation data at an unprecedented accuracy. Results are available for at least 3 years of VIRS data and 1 year of Terra MODIS data. The various cloud products are compared with similar quantities from climatological sources and instantaneous active remote sensors. The cloud amounts are very similar to those from surface observer climatologies and are 6-7% less than those from a satellite-based climatology. Optical depths are 2-3 times smaller than those from the satellite climatology, but are within 5% of those from the surface remote sensing. Cloud droplet sizes and liquid water paths are within 10% of the surface results on average for stratus clouds. The VIRS and MODIS retrievals are very consistent with differences that usually can be explained by sampling, calibration, or resolution differences. The results should be extremely valuable for model validation and improvement and for improving our understanding of the relationship between clouds and the radiation budget.

Una cançó de refrany i cobles glossadores del segle XVI basada en la frase "Mal aja qui en dones fia"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josep Romeu i Figueras

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper the author studies the origin, spread and connotations of a misogyny proverb picked up from a xvi century refrain that circulated in Valencia and Catalonia as a symbiosis of popular tradition and Renaissance flavour.

Detection of single and multilayer clouds in an artificial neural network approach

Science.gov (United States)

Sun-Mack, Sunny; Minnis, Patrick; Smith, William L.; Hong, Gang; Chen, Yan

2017-10-01

Determining whether a scene observed with a satellite imager is composed of a thin cirrus over a water cloud or thick cirrus contiguous with underlying layers of ice and water clouds is often difficult because of similarities in the observed radiance values. In this paper an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm, employing several Aqua MODIS infrared channels and the retrieved total cloud visible optical depth, is trained to detect multilayer ice-over-water cloud systems as identified by matched April 2009 CloudSat and CALIPSO (CC) data. The CC lidar and radar profiles provide the vertical structure that serves as output truth for a multilayer ANN, or MLANN, algorithm. Applying the trained MLANN to independent July 2008 MODIS data resulted in a combined ML and single layer hit rate of 75% (72%) for nonpolar regions during the day (night). The results are comparable to or more accurate than currently available methods. Areas of improvement are identified and will be addressed in future versions of the MLANN.

A Climatology of Midlatitude Continental Clouds from the ARM SGP Central Facility. Part II; Cloud Fraction and Radiative Forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike; Minnis, Patrick

2006-01-01

Data collected at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) central facility are analyzed for determining the variability of cloud fraction and radiative forcing at several temporal scales between January 1997 and December 2002. Cloud fractions are estimated for total cloud cover and for single-layer low (0-3 km), middle (3-6 km), and high clouds (greater than 6 km) using ARM SGP ground-based paired lidar-radar measurements. Shortwave (SW), longwave (LW), and net cloud radiative forcings (CRF) are derived from up- and down-looking standard precision spectral pyranometers and precision infrared radiometer measurements. The annual averages of total, and single-layer, nonoverlapped low, middle and high cloud fractions are 0.49, 0.11, 0.03, and 0.17, respectively. Total and low cloud amounts were greatest from December through March and least during July and August. The monthly variation of high cloud amount is relatively small with a broad maximum from May to August. During winter, total cloud cover varies diurnally with a small amplitude, mid-morning maximum and early evening minimum, and during summer it changes by more than 0.14 over the daily cycle with a pronounced early evening minimum. The diurnal variations of mean single-layer cloud cover change with season and cloud height. Annual averages of all-sky, total, and single-layer high, middle, and low LW CRFs are 21.4, 40.2, 16.7, 27.2, and 55.0 Wm(sup -2), respectively; and their SW CRFs are -41.5, -77.2, -37.0, -47.0, and -90.5 Wm(sup -2). Their net CRFs range from -20 to -37 Wm(sup -2). For all-sky, total, and low clouds, the maximum negative net CRFs of -40.1, -70, and -69.5 Wm(sup -2), occur during April; while the respective minimum values of -3.9, -5.7, and -4.6 Wm(sup -2), are found during December. July is the month having maximum negative net CRF of -46.2 Wm(sup -2) for middle clouds, and May has the maximum value of -45.9 Wm(sup -2) for high clouds. An

Reflexiones en torno a una conciliación: arquitectura en el territorio peruano en el siglo XVI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martha Barriga Tello

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Ante la experiencia con el patrimonio arquitectónico peruano en el sigloXVI, la administración española enfrentó dificultades con las quedebió competir con ventaja. Algunos aspectos de nuestra arquitecturareligiosa coincidían con sus tradiciones, pero otras de manera ninguna;finalmente hubo consenso. Este artículo es una reflexión acerca de lasmotivaciones y las consecuencias de este resultado.

MID-INFRARED PROPERTIES OF DISK AVERAGED OBSERVATIONS OF EARTH WITH AIRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hearty, Thomas; Song, Inseok; Kim, Sam; Tinetti, Giovanna

2009-01-01

We have investigated mid-infrared spectra of Earth obtained by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on-board the AQUA spacecraft to explore the characteristics that may someday be observed in extrasolar terrestrial planets. We have used the AIRS infrared (R ∼ 1200; 3.75-15.4 μm) spectra to construct directly observed high-resolution spectra of the only known life bearing planet, Earth. The AIRS spectra are the first such spectra that span the seasons. We investigate the rotational and seasonal spectral variations that would arise due to varying cloud amount and viewing geometry and we explore what signatures may be observable in the mid-infrared by the next generation of telescopes capable of observing extrasolar terrestrial planets.

The infrared camera prototype characterization for the JEM-EUSO space mission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales de los Ríos, J.A.; Joven, E.; Peral, L. del; Reyes, M.; Licandro, J.; Rodríguez Frías, M.D.

2014-01-01

JEM-EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory on Japanese Experiment Module) is an advanced observatory that will be on-board the International Space Station (ISS) and use the Earth's atmosphere as a huge calorimeter detector. However, the atmospheric clouds introduce uncertainties in the signals measured by JEM-EUSO. Therefore, it is extremely important to know the atmospheric conditions and properties of the clouds in the Field of View (FoV) of the telescope. The Atmospheric Monitoring System (AMS) of JEM-EUSO includes a lidar and an infrared imaging system, IR-Camera, aimed to detect the presence of clouds and to obtain the cloud coverage and cloud top altitude during the observations of the JEM-EUSO main telescope. To define the road-map for the design of the electronics, the detector has been tested extensively with a first prototype. The actual design of the IR-Camera, the test of the prototype, and the outcome of this characterization are presented in this paper

The infrared camera prototype characterization for the JEM-EUSO space mission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales de los Ríos, J.A., E-mail: josealberto.morales@uah.es [SPace and AStroparticle (SPAS) Group, UAH, Madrid (Spain); Ebisuzaki Computational Astrophysics Laboratory, RIKEN (Japan); Joven, E. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife (Spain); Peral, L. del [SPace and AStroparticle (SPAS) Group, UAH, Madrid (Spain); Leonard E. Parker Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (United States); Reyes, M. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife (Spain); Licandro, J. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife (Spain); Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Rodríguez Frías, M.D. [SPace and AStroparticle (SPAS) Group, UAH, Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife (Spain)

2014-06-01

JEM-EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory on Japanese Experiment Module) is an advanced observatory that will be on-board the International Space Station (ISS) and use the Earth's atmosphere as a huge calorimeter detector. However, the atmospheric clouds introduce uncertainties in the signals measured by JEM-EUSO. Therefore, it is extremely important to know the atmospheric conditions and properties of the clouds in the Field of View (FoV) of the telescope. The Atmospheric Monitoring System (AMS) of JEM-EUSO includes a lidar and an infrared imaging system, IR-Camera, aimed to detect the presence of clouds and to obtain the cloud coverage and cloud top altitude during the observations of the JEM-EUSO main telescope. To define the road-map for the design of the electronics, the detector has been tested extensively with a first prototype. The actual design of the IR-Camera, the test of the prototype, and the outcome of this characterization are presented in this paper.

Polarization of seven MBM clouds at high Galactic latitude

Science.gov (United States)

Neha, S.; Maheswar, G.; Soam, A.; Lee, C. W.

2018-06-01

We made R-band polarization measurements of 234 stars towards the direction of the MBM 33-39 cloud complex. The distance of the MBM 33-39 complex was determined as 120 ± 10 pc using polarization results and near-infrared photometry from the 2MASS survey. The magnetic field geometry of the individual clouds inferred from our polarimetric results reveals that the field lines are in general consistent with the global magnetic field geometry of the region obtained from previous studies. This implies that the clouds in the complex are permeated by the interstellar magnetic field. Multi-wavelength polarization measurements of a few stars projected on to the complex suggest that the size of the dust grains in these clouds is similar to those found in the normal interstellar medium of the Milky Way. We studied a possible formation scenario of the MBM 33-39 complex by combining the polarization results from our study with those from the literature and by identifying the distribution of ionized, atomic and molecular (dust) components of material in the region.

Dusty Cloud Acceleration by Radiation Pressure in Rapidly Star-forming Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dong; Davis, Shane W.; Jiang, Yan-Fei; Stone, James M.

2018-02-01

We perform two-dimensional and three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations to study cold clouds accelerated by radiation pressure on dust in the environment of rapidly star-forming galaxies dominated by infrared flux. We utilize the reduced speed of light approximation to solve the frequency-averaged, time-dependent radiative transfer equation. We find that radiation pressure is capable of accelerating the clouds to hundreds of kilometers per second while remaining dense and cold, consistent with observations. We compare these results to simulations where acceleration is provided by entrainment in a hot wind, where the momentum injection of the hot flow is comparable to the momentum in the radiation field. We find that the survival time of the cloud accelerated by the radiation field is significantly longer than that of a cloud entrained in a hot outflow. We show that the dynamics of the irradiated cloud depends on the initial optical depth, temperature of the cloud, and intensity of the flux. Additionally, gas pressure from the background may limit cloud acceleration if the density ratio between the cloud and background is ≲ {10}2. In general, a 10 pc-scale optically thin cloud forms a pancake structure elongated perpendicular to the direction of motion, while optically thick clouds form a filamentary structure elongated parallel to the direction of motion. The details of accelerated cloud morphology and geometry can also be affected by other factors, such as the cloud lengthscale, reduced speed of light approximation, spatial resolution, initial cloud structure, and dimensionality of the run, but these have relatively little affect on the cloud velocity or survival time.

Estimates of radiation over clouds and dust aerosols: Optimized number of terms in phase function expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Shouguo; Xie Yu; Yang Ping; Weng Fuzhong; Liu Quanhua; Baum, Bryan; Hu Yongxiang

2009-01-01

The bulk-scattering properties of dust aerosols and clouds are computed for the community radiative transfer model (CRTM) that is a flagship effort of the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA). The delta-fit method is employed to truncate the forward peaks of the scattering phase functions and to compute the Legendre expansion coefficients for re-constructing the truncated phase function. Use of more terms in the expansion gives more accurate re-construction of the phase function, but the issue remains as to how many terms are necessary for different applications. To explore this issue further, the bidirectional reflectances associated with dust aerosols, water clouds, and ice clouds are simulated with various numbers of Legendre expansion terms. To have relative numerical errors smaller than 5%, the present analyses indicate that, in the visible spectrum, 16 Legendre polynomials should be used for dust aerosols, while 32 Legendre expansion terms should be used for both water and ice clouds. In the infrared spectrum, the brightness temperatures at the top of the atmosphere are computed by using the scattering properties of dust aerosols, water clouds and ice clouds. Although small differences of brightness temperatures compared with the counterparts computed with 4, 8, 128 expansion terms are observed at large viewing angles for each layer, it is shown that 4 terms of Legendre polynomials are sufficient in the radiative transfer computation at infrared wavelengths for practical applications.

Infrared technology XVI; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 11-13, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spiro, I.J.

1990-01-01

Various papers in infrared technology are presented. Individual topics addressed include: Field Observations and Measurement Experiment, GaAs/AlGAs multiquantum-well IR detectors, 256 x 256 PtSi hybrid array for astronomy applications, compact 128 InSb focal plane assembly for thermal imaging, statistical analysis of thermal images generated by line scanning, performance comparison of platinum silicide cameras, atmospheric applications of IR heterodyne laser detection, French activity in IR astronomy from stratospheric balloons, advances in IR technology at Paris Observatory, far-IR photoconductors, applications of IR bidimensional devices in astronomy, far-IR transmission spectra of YBa2Cu3O(7-d) thin films. Also considered are: far-IR multiple-path cell without internal mirrors, optical properties of solid-state laser-type materials in the near-IR, SOFRADIR IR focal plane array production, recent developments on Isocam long-wavelength channel detector, 128 x 128 3-5 micron focal plane arrays at 77-K and 200-K operation, digital test target for display evaluation, IR radiation from rocket plumes, 128 x 128 InGaAs detector array for 1.0-1.7 micron

The operational cloud retrieval algorithms from TROPOMI on board Sentinel-5 Precursor

Science.gov (United States)

Loyola, Diego G.; Gimeno García, Sebastián; Lutz, Ronny; Argyrouli, Athina; Romahn, Fabian; Spurr, Robert J. D.; Pedergnana, Mattia; Doicu, Adrian; Molina García, Víctor; Schüssler, Olena

2018-01-01

This paper presents the operational cloud retrieval algorithms for the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on board the European Space Agency Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) mission scheduled for launch in 2017. Two algorithms working in tandem are used for retrieving cloud properties: OCRA (Optical Cloud Recognition Algorithm) and ROCINN (Retrieval of Cloud Information using Neural Networks). OCRA retrieves the cloud fraction using TROPOMI measurements in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) spectral regions, and ROCINN retrieves the cloud top height (pressure) and optical thickness (albedo) using TROPOMI measurements in and around the oxygen A-band in the near infrared (NIR). Cloud parameters from TROPOMI/S5P will be used not only for enhancing the accuracy of trace gas retrievals but also for extending the satellite data record of cloud information derived from oxygen A-band measurements, a record initiated with the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on board the second European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS-2) over 20 years ago. The OCRA and ROCINN algorithms are integrated in the S5P operational processor UPAS (Universal Processor for UV/VIS/NIR Atmospheric Spectrometers), and we present here UPAS cloud results using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and GOME-2 measurements. In addition, we examine anticipated challenges for the TROPOMI/S5P cloud retrieval algorithms, and we discuss the future validation needs for OCRA and ROCINN.

The radiation budget of stratocumulus clouds measured by tethered balloon instrumentation: Variability of flux measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Duda, David P.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Cox, Stephen K.

1990-01-01

Measurements of longwave and shortwave radiation were made using an instrument package on the NASA tethered balloon during the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus experiment. Radiation data from two pairs of pyranometers were used to obtain vertical profiles of the near-infrared and total solar fluxes through the boundary layer, while a pair of pyrgeometers supplied measurements of the longwave fluxes in the cloud layer. The radiation observations were analyzed to determine heating rates and to measure the radiative energy budget inside the stratocumulus clouds during several tethered balloon flights. The radiation fields in the cloud layer were also simulated by a two-stream radiative transfer model, which used cloud optical properties derived from microphysical measurements and Mie scattering theory.

Atmospheric transport, clouds and the Arctic longwave radiation paradox

Science.gov (United States)

Sedlar, Joseph

2016-04-01

Clouds interact with radiation, causing variations in the amount of electromagnetic energy reaching the Earth's surface, or escaping the climate system to space. While globally clouds lead to an overall cooling radiative effect at the surface, over the Arctic, where annual cloud fractions are high, the surface cloud radiative effect generally results in a warming. The additional energy input from absorption and re-emission of longwave radiation by the clouds to the surface can have a profound effect on the sea ice state. Anomalous atmospheric transport of heat and moisture into the Arctic, promoting cloud formation and enhancing surface longwave radiation anomalies, has been identified as an important mechanism in preconditioning Arctic sea ice for melt. Longwave radiation is emitted equally in all directions, and changes in the atmospheric infrared emission temperature and emissivity associated with advection of heat and moisture over the Arctic should correspondingly lead to an anomalous signal in longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). To examine the role of atmospheric heat and moisture transport into the Arctic on TOA longwave radiation, infrared satellite sounder observations from AIRS during 2003-2014 are analyzed for summer (JJAS). Thermodynamic metrics are developed to identify months characterized by a high frequency of warm and moist advection into the Arctic, and segregate the 2003-14 time period into climatological and anomalously warm, moist summer months. We find that anomalously warm, moist months result in a significant TOA longwave radiative cooling, which is opposite the forcing signal that the surface experiences during these months. At the timescale of the advective events, 3-10 days, the TOA cooling can be as large as the net surface energy budget during summer. When averaged on the monthly time scale, and over the full Arctic basin (poleward of 75°N), summer months experiencing frequent warm, moist advection events are

Cloud Infrastructure & Applications - CloudIA

Science.gov (United States)

Sulistio, Anthony; Reich, Christoph; Doelitzscher, Frank

The idea behind Cloud Computing is to deliver Infrastructure-as-a-Services and Software-as-a-Service over the Internet on an easy pay-per-use business model. To harness the potentials of Cloud Computing for e-Learning and research purposes, and to small- and medium-sized enterprises, the Hochschule Furtwangen University establishes a new project, called Cloud Infrastructure & Applications (CloudIA). The CloudIA project is a market-oriented cloud infrastructure that leverages different virtualization technologies, by supporting Service-Level Agreements for various service offerings. This paper describes the CloudIA project in details and mentions our early experiences in building a private cloud using an existing infrastructure.

Long-period variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. II. Infrared photometry, spectral classification, AGB evolution, and spatial distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, S.M.G.; Wood, P.R.

1990-01-01

Infrared JHK photometry and visual spectra have been obtained for a large sample of long-period variables (LPVs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Various aspects of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) evolution of LPVs are discussed using these data. The birth/death rate of LPVs of different ages in the LMC is compared with the birth rates of appropriate samples of planetary nebulas, clump stars, Cepheids, and OH/IR stars. It appears that there are much fewer large-amplitude LPVs per unit galactic stellar mass in the LMC than in the Galaxy. It is suggested that this may be due to the fact that the evolved intermediate-age AGB stars in the LMC often turn into carbon stars, which tend to have smaller pulsation amplitudes than M stars. There is also a major discrepancy between the number of LPVs in the LMC (and in the Galaxy) and the number predicted by the theories of AGB evolution, pulsation, and mass loss. A distance modulus to the LMC of 18.66 + or - 0.05 is derived by comparing the LMC LPVs with P about 200 days with the 47 Tucanae Mira variables in the (K, log P) plane. 64 refs

Atmospheric Sounder Spectrometer for Infrared Spectral Technology (ASSIST) Instrument Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flynn, Connor J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program

2016-03-01

The Atmospheric Sounder Spectrometer for Infrared Spectral Technology (ASSIST) measures the absolute infrared (IR) spectral radiance (watts per square meter per steradian per wavenumber) of the sky directly above the instrument. More information about the instrument can be found through the manufacturer’s website. The spectral measurement range of the instrument is 3300 to 520 wavenumbers (cm^-1) or 3-19.2 microns for the normal-range instruments and 3300 to 400 cm^-1 or 3-25 microns, for the extended-range polar instruments. Spectral resolution is 1.0 cm^-1. Instrument field-of-view is 1.3 degrees. Calibrated sky radiance spectra are produced on cycle of about 141 seconds with a group of 6 radiance spectra zenith having dwell times of about 14 seconds each interspersed with 55 seconds of calibration and mirror motion. The ASSIST data is comparable to the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) data and can be used for 1) evaluating line-by-line radiative transport codes, 2) detecting/quantifying cloud effects on ground-based measurements of infrared spectral radiance (and hence is valuable for cloud property retrievals), and 3) calculating vertical atmospheric profiles of temperature and water vapor and the detection of trace gases.

Fast cloud parameter retrievals of MIPAS/Envisat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Spang

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The infrared limb spectra of the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS on board the Envisat satellite include detailed information on tropospheric clouds and polar stratospheric clouds (PSC. However, no consolidated cloud product is available for the scientific community. Here we describe a fast prototype processor for cloud parameter retrieval from MIPAS (MIPclouds. Retrieval of parameters such as cloud top height, temperature, and extinction are implemented, as well as retrieval of microphysical parameters, e.g. effective radius and the integrated quantities over the limb path (surface area density and volume density. MIPclouds classifies clouds as either liquid or ice cloud in the upper troposphere and polar stratospheric clouds types in the stratosphere based on statistical combinations of colour ratios and brightness temperature differences.

Comparison of limb measurements of clouds with model results or cloud parameters from nadir looking instruments is often difficult due to different observation geometries. We therefore introduce a new concept, the limb-integrated surface area density path (ADP. By means of validation and radiative transfer calculations of realistic 2-D cloud fields as input for a blind test retrieval (BTR, we demonstrate that ADP is an extremely valuable parameter for future comparison with model data of ice water content, when applying limb integration (ray tracing through the model fields. In addition, ADP is used for a more objective definition of detection thresholds of the applied detection methods. Based on BTR, a detection threshold of ADP = 10⁷ μm² cm⁻² and an ice water content of 10⁻⁵ g m⁻³ is estimated, depending on the horizontal and vertical extent of the cloud.

Intensive validation of the cloud detection methods shows that the limb-sounding MIPAS instrument has a sensitivity in detecting stratospheric

Making and Breaking Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-10-01

they create. But to match with observations, this wouldsuggest that molecular clouds are short-lived objects that are built (and therefore replenished) just as quickly as they are destroyed. Is this possible?Speedy Building?In a recent study, a team of scientists led by Mordecai-Mark Mac Low (American Museum of Natural History and Heidelberg University, Germany) explore whether there is a way to create molecular clouds rapidly enough to match the necessary rate of destruction.Mac Low and collaborators find that some common mechanisms used to explain the formation of molecular clouds like gas being swept up by supernovae cant quite operate quickly enough to combat the rate of cloud destruction. On the other hand, the Toomre gravitational instability,which is a large-scale gravitational instability that occurs in gas disks,can very rapidly assemble gas into clumps dense enough to form molecules.A composite of visible and near-infrared images from the VLT ANTU telescope of the Barnard 68 molecular cloud, roughly half a light-year in diameter. [ESO]A Rapid CycleBased on their findings, the authors argue that dense, star-forming molecular clouds persist only for a short time before collapsing into stars and then being blown apart by stellar feedback but these very clouds are built equally quickly via gravitational instabilities.Conveniently, this model has a very testable prediction: the Toomre instability is expected to become even stronger at higher redshift, which suggests that the fraction of gas in the form of molecules should increase at high redshifts. This appears to agree with observations, supporting the authors picture of a rapid cycle of cloud assembly and destruction.CitationMordecai-Mark Mac Low et al 2017 ApJL 847 L10. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa8a61

A model for the infrared emission from an OB star cluster environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leisawitz, D.

1990-01-01

Researchers developed an interactive radiative transfer code that predicts the infrared emission from an HII region containing diffuse ionized and atomic gas and dense molecular clouds. This model complements the investigation of the redistribution of OB star luminosity in the interstellar medium (Leisawitz and Hauser 1988, Ap. J., 332, 954). The model can be used as a diagnostic tool to probe the radiation field and matter density in an HII region, place constraints on the proximity and orientation of an illuminated molecular cloud with respect to the ionizing stars, test for the presence of small, transiently heated dust grains, and determine whether the dust-to-gas ratio is normal. Predictions of the model agree qualitatively and quantitatively with observations of blister-type HII regions ionized by well-studied OB clusters in which the distribution of dense neutral material is known. This is illustrated by a model for Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) observations of the region around NGC 7380 (S142). Researchers plan to use the model in a survey of regions of massive star formation in the outer Galaxy to study OB stars embedded to various degrees in their parental molecular clouds

TRACING THE MAGNETIC FIELD MORPHOLOGY OF THE LUPUS I MOLECULAR CLOUD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franco, G. A. P. [Departamento de Física—ICEx—UFMG, Caixa Postal 702, 30.123-970 Belo Horizonte (Brazil); Alves, F. O., E-mail: franco@fisica.ufmg.br, E-mail: falves@mpe.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstr. 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany)

2015-07-01

Deep R-band CCD linear polarimetry collected for fields with lines of sight toward the Lupus I molecular cloud is used to investigate the properties of the magnetic field within this molecular cloud. The observed sample contains about 7000 stars, almost 2000 of them with a polarization signal-to-noise ratio larger than 5. These data cover almost the entire main molecular cloud and also sample two diffuse infrared patches in the neighborhood of Lupus I. The large-scale pattern of the plane-of-sky projection of the magnetic field is perpendicular to the main axis of Lupus I, but parallel to the two diffuse infrared patches. A detailed analysis of our polarization data combined with the Herschel/SPIRE 350 μm dust emission map shows that the principal filament of Lupus I is constituted by three main clumps that are acted on by magnetic fields that have different large-scale structural properties. These differences may be the reason for the observed distribution of pre- and protostellar objects along the molecular cloud and the cloud’s apparent evolutionary stage. On the other hand, assuming that the magnetic field is composed of large-scale and turbulent components, we find that the latter is rather similar in all three clumps. The estimated plane-of-sky component of the large-scale magnetic field ranges from about 70 to 200 μG in these clumps. The intensity increases toward the Galactic plane. The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio is much smaller than unity, implying that Lupus I is magnetically supported on large scales.

TRACING THE MAGNETIC FIELD MORPHOLOGY OF THE LUPUS I MOLECULAR CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco, G. A. P.; Alves, F. O.

2015-01-01

Deep R-band CCD linear polarimetry collected for fields with lines of sight toward the Lupus I molecular cloud is used to investigate the properties of the magnetic field within this molecular cloud. The observed sample contains about 7000 stars, almost 2000 of them with a polarization signal-to-noise ratio larger than 5. These data cover almost the entire main molecular cloud and also sample two diffuse infrared patches in the neighborhood of Lupus I. The large-scale pattern of the plane-of-sky projection of the magnetic field is perpendicular to the main axis of Lupus I, but parallel to the two diffuse infrared patches. A detailed analysis of our polarization data combined with the Herschel/SPIRE 350 μm dust emission map shows that the principal filament of Lupus I is constituted by three main clumps that are acted on by magnetic fields that have different large-scale structural properties. These differences may be the reason for the observed distribution of pre- and protostellar objects along the molecular cloud and the cloud’s apparent evolutionary stage. On the other hand, assuming that the magnetic field is composed of large-scale and turbulent components, we find that the latter is rather similar in all three clumps. The estimated plane-of-sky component of the large-scale magnetic field ranges from about 70 to 200 μG in these clumps. The intensity increases toward the Galactic plane. The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio is much smaller than unity, implying that Lupus I is magnetically supported on large scales

CLAAS: the CM SAF cloud property data set using SEVIRI

Science.gov (United States)

Stengel, M. S.; Kniffka, A. K.; Meirink, J. F. M.; Lockhoff, M. L.; Tan, J. T.; Hollmann, R. H.

2014-04-01

An 8-year record of satellite-based cloud properties named CLAAS (CLoud property dAtAset using SEVIRI) is presented, which was derived within the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring. The data set is based on SEVIRI measurements of the Meteosat Second Generation satellites, of which the visible and near-infrared channels were intercalibrated with MODIS. Applying two state-of-the-art retrieval schemes ensures high accuracy in cloud detection, cloud vertical placement and microphysical cloud properties. These properties were further processed to provide daily to monthly averaged quantities, mean diurnal cycles and monthly histograms. In particular, the per-month histogram information enhances the insight in spatio-temporal variability of clouds and their properties. Due to the underlying intercalibrated measurement record, the stability of the derived cloud properties is ensured, which is exemplarily demonstrated for three selected cloud variables for the entire SEVIRI disc and a European subregion. All data products and processing levels are introduced and validation results indicated. The sampling uncertainty of the averaged products in CLAAS is minimized due to the high temporal resolution of SEVIRI. This is emphasized by studying the impact of reduced temporal sampling rates taken at typical overpass times of polar-orbiting instruments. In particular, cloud optical thickness and cloud water path are very sensitive to the sampling rate, which in our study amounted to systematic deviations of over 10% if only sampled once a day. The CLAAS data set facilitates many cloud related applications at small spatial scales of a few kilometres and short temporal scales of a~few hours. Beyond this, the spatiotemporal characteristics of clouds on diurnal to seasonal, but also on multi-annual scales, can be studied.

H2, CO, and dust absorption through cold molecular clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Lacy, John H.; Sneden, Chris; Kim, Hwihyun; Jaffe, Daniel Thomas

2017-06-01

We have made observations with IGRINS on the Harlan J. Smith telescope at McDonald Observatory of near-infrared absorption by H2, CO, and dust toward stars behind molecular clouds, primarily the TMC. Prior to these observations, the abundance of H2 in molecular clouds, relative to the commonly used tracer CO, had only been measured toward a few embedded stars, which may be surrounded by atypical gas. The new observations provide a representative sample of these molecules in cold molecular gas. We find N(H2)/Av ~ 0.9e+21, N(CO)/Av ~ 1.6e+17, and H2/CO ~ 6000. The measured H2/CO ratio is consistent with that measured toward embedded stars in various molecular clouds, but half that derived from mm-wave observations of CO emission and star counts or other determinations of Av.

Formation of Massive Molecular Cloud Cores by Cloud-cloud Collision

OpenAIRE

Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Fukui, Yasuo

2013-01-01

Recent observations of molecular clouds around rich massive star clusters including NGC3603, Westerlund 2, and M20 revealed that the formation of massive stars could be triggered by a cloud-cloud collision. By using three-dimensional, isothermal, magnetohydrodynamics simulations with the effect of self-gravity, we demonstrate that massive, gravitationally unstable, molecular cloud cores are formed behind the strong shock waves induced by the cloud-cloud collision. We find that the massive mol...

Cryogenic implications of orbit selection of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.H.; Brooke, W.F.; Maa, S.

1986-01-01

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) which completed the first all sky survey in the infrared demonstrated the tremendous advantage of space-based infrared astronomy. The ability to cool the telescope optics and focal plane to liquid helium temperatures and the absence of atmospheric disturbances which cause ''seeing'' effects resulted in the discovery of 250,000 IR sources and many interesting phenomena including dust clouds around Vega and the infrared ''cirrus'' at 100 μm. To realize the true benefit of space infrared astronomy, NASA is now studying the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, a long-life space-based observatory, to follow up on the survey results of IRAS. The choice of orbits is a critical program decision. The objective of this paper is to compare the performance of an all superfluid helium SIRTF system in the two possible orbit inclinations, polar orbit (99 0 ) and the low inclination orbit (28.5 0 )

Multi-spectral remote sensing of the vortex formerly known as White Oval BA: Temperature structure and cloud properties

Science.gov (United States)

Orton, G.; Parrish, P.; Yanamandra-Fisher, P.; Baines, K.; Mousis, O.; Pantin, E.; Fujiyoshi, T.; Fuse, T.; Simon-Miller, A.

White Oval BA: Temperature structure and cloud properties G. Orton, P. Parrish, P. Yanamandra-Fisher, K. Baines (1), O. Mousis (2), E. Pantin (3), T. Fuse, T. Fujiyoshi (4), A. Simon-Miller (5) (1) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Inst. of Technology, USA, (2) Obs. de Besancon, France, (3) C.E.A., France, (4) Subaru National Astron. Obs., Japan, (5) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA. (Glenn.Orton@jpl.nasa.gov) White Oval BA, constituted from 3 predecessor vortices (known as Jupiter's "classical" White Ovals) after successive mergers in 1998 and 2000, became second-largest vortex in the atmosphere of Jupiter (and possibly the solar system) at the time of its formation. While it continues in this distinction, it required a name change after a 2005 December through 2006 February transformation which made it appear visually the same color as the Great Red Spot. Our campaign to understand the changes involved examination of the detailed color and wind field using Hubble Space Telescope instrumentation on several orbits in April. The field of temperatures, ammonia distribution and clouds were also examined using the mid-infrared VISIR camera/spectrometer on ESO's 8.2-m Very Large Telescope (3), the NASA Infrared telescope with the mid-infrared MIRSI instrument and the refurbished near-infrared facility camera NSFCam2. High-resolution images of the Oval were made before the color change with the COMICS mid-infrared facility on the Subaru telescope. We are using these data, and possibly others to be acquired during the summer, to characterize the extent to which changes in storm strength (vorticity, positive vertical motion) influenced (i) the depth from which colored cloud particles may have been "dredged up" from depth or (ii) the altitude to which particles may have been lofted and subject to high-energy UV radiation which caused a color change, as alternative explanations for the phenomenon. Clues to this will provide clues to the chemistry of Jupiter's cloud

Low-Frequency Carbon Recombination Lines in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay, Chenoa D.; Jordan, Christopher H.; Cunningham, Maria; Jones, Paul A.; Hurley-Walker, Natasha

2018-05-01

We detail tentative detections of low-frequency carbon radio recombination lines from within the Orion molecular cloud complex observed at 99-129 MHz. These tentative detections include one alpha transition and one beta transition over three locations and are located within the diffuse regions of dust observed in the infrared at 100 μm, the Hα emission detected in the optical, and the synchrotron radiation observed in the radio. With these observations, we are able to study the radiation mechanism transition from collisionally pumped to radiatively pumped within the H ii regions within the Orion molecular cloud complex.

Improvements of top-of-atmosphere and surface irradiance computations with CALIPSO-, CloudSat-, and MODIS-derived cloud and aerosol properties

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Seiji; Rose, Fred G.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Miller, Walter F.; Chen, Yan; Rutan, David A.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Loeb, Norman G.; Minnis, Patrick; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Winker, David M.; Charlock, Thomas P.; Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.; Xu, Kuan-Man; Collins, William D.

2011-10-01

One year of instantaneous top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface shortwave and longwave irradiances are computed using cloud and aerosol properties derived from instruments on the A-Train Constellation: the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite, the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), and the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). When modeled irradiances are compared with those computed with cloud properties derived from MODIS radiances by a Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) cloud algorithm, the global and annual mean of modeled instantaneous TOA irradiances decreases by 12.5 W m-2 (5.0%) for reflected shortwave and 2.5 W m-2 (1.1%) for longwave irradiances. As a result, the global annual mean of instantaneous TOA irradiances agrees better with CERES-derived irradiances to within 0.5W m-2 (out of 237.8 W m-2) for reflected shortwave and 2.6W m-2 (out of 240.1 W m-2) for longwave irradiances. In addition, the global annual mean of instantaneous surface downward longwave irradiances increases by 3.6 W m-2 (1.0%) when CALIOP- and CPR-derived cloud properties are used. The global annual mean of instantaneous surface downward shortwave irradiances also increases by 8.6 W m-2 (1.6%), indicating that the net surface irradiance increases when CALIOP- and CPR-derived cloud properties are used. Increasing the surface downward longwave irradiance is caused by larger cloud fractions (the global annual mean by 0.11, 0.04 excluding clouds with optical thickness less than 0.3) and lower cloud base heights (the global annual mean by 1.6 km). The increase of the surface downward longwave irradiance in the Arctic exceeds 10 W m-2 (˜4%) in winter because CALIOP and CPR detect more clouds in comparison with the cloud detection by the CERES cloud algorithm during polar night. The global annual mean surface downward longwave irradiance of

Évora, Algumas Etapas Fundamentais na Evolução da Cidade até ao Século XVI

OpenAIRE

Simplício, Maria

2006-01-01

O presente artigo pretende sistematizar as etapas fundamentais da evolução urbana da cidade de Évora desde a sua fundação, em época pré-romana, até ao século XVI, durante o qual a cidade alcançou a sua época de maior riqueza e importância política, económica, cultural e artística.

A Global Survey of Cloud Thermodynamic Phase using High Spatial Resolution VSWIR Spectroscopy, 2005-2015

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, D. R.; Kahn, B. H.; Green, R. O.; Chien, S.; Middleton, E.; Tran, D. Q.

2017-12-01

Clouds' variable ice and liquid content significantly influences their optical properties, evolution, and radiative forcing potential (Tan and Storelvmo, J. Atmos. Sci, 73, 2016). However, most remote measurements of thermodynamic phase have spatial resolutions of 1 km or more and are insensitive to mixed phases. This under-constrains important processes, such as spatial partitioning within mixed phase clouds, that carry outsize radiative forcing impacts. These uncertainties could shift Global Climate Model (GCM) predictions of future warming by over 1 degree Celsius (Tan et al., Science 352:6282, 2016). Imaging spectroscopy of reflected solar energy from the 1.4 - 1.8 μm shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral range can address this observational gap. These observations can distinguish ice and water absorption, providing a robust and sensitive measurement of cloud top thermodynamic phase including mixed phases. Imaging spectrometers can resolve variations at scales of tens to hundreds of meters (Thompson et al., JGR-Atmospheres 121, 2016). We report the first such global high spatial resolution (30 m) survey, based on data from 2005-2015 acquired by the Hyperion imaging spectrometer onboard NASA's EO-1 spacecraft (Pearlman et al., Proc. SPIE 4135, 2001). Estimated seasonal and latitudinal distributions of cloud thermodynamic phase generally agree with observations made by other satellites such as the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). Variogram analyses reveal variability at different spatial scales. Our results corroborate previously observed zonal distributions, while adding insight into the spatial scales of processes governing cloud top thermodynamic phase. Figure: Thermodynamic phase retrievals. Top: Example of a cloud top thermodynamic phase map from the EO-1/Hyperion. Bottom: Latitudinal distributions of pure and mixed phase clouds, 2005-2015, showing Liquid Thickness Fraction (LTF). LTF=0 corresponds to pure ice absorption, while LTF=1 is pure liquid. The

XVI. Yüzyıl Türkiyesi’nde Ahi Adlı Zaviyelerin Dağılışı The Distrubution Of Akhi Lodges in XVI. Century Turkey

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İlker YİĞİT

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Akhism, is an organization which has political, social andeconomic aspects, has been encountered the traces since XIII. Centuryin Turkey. Akhism has quite different perspectives (in terms of itsorigin, its socio-economic and social impacts, etc. and has subjected toseveral studies. Akhism may be perceived as an artisan organization,however; it is an important organization that has undertaken crucialactive roles in such as the execution of Turkization of Anatolia, openingsettlements from the desolate places and establishment of newresidential units. Indeed, (Ahi's settlements provide evidence for thissituation in XVI. century,especially by giving their names toneighbourhoods in urban areas; and to the villages, hamlets, farmsand uplands in rural areas. Akhi lodges are the venues in which theAkhi maintain their effectiveness in rural and urban areas. The Akhidervish lodges, the social organization (association created by thetradesmen and artisans together in order to provide mystical solidaritybetween the members of that culture, are the establishment which givedirections to social and economic life in the erea. The Akhi dervishlodges are one of the cultural centers in terms of both offering a widetraining services where there is no madrasa instiutution and alsohosting shelters where people come from outsides of villages or cities.The Akhi lodges provide the formation of inhabited by having animportant role in the establishment and development of the settlementsin cities and rural areas. Therefore, this study includes Akhism lodges,which have conducted their effectiveness in both urban and rural areas,and covers the distribution of XVI. century Turkey Akhism lodges.Akhi lodges, which can be encountered in almost every part of Anatolia,are deeply affecting institutions with their activities and events, haveundertaken active roles in that period of social, political and economiclife of Anatolia since Turkization of Anatolia. It is quite crucial in

The operational cloud retrieval algorithms from TROPOMI on board Sentinel-5 Precursor

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D. G. Loyola

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the operational cloud retrieval algorithms for the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI on board the European Space Agency Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P mission scheduled for launch in 2017. Two algorithms working in tandem are used for retrieving cloud properties: OCRA (Optical Cloud Recognition Algorithm and ROCINN (Retrieval of Cloud Information using Neural Networks. OCRA retrieves the cloud fraction using TROPOMI measurements in the ultraviolet (UV and visible (VIS spectral regions, and ROCINN retrieves the cloud top height (pressure and optical thickness (albedo using TROPOMI measurements in and around the oxygen A-band in the near infrared (NIR. Cloud parameters from TROPOMI/S5P will be used not only for enhancing the accuracy of trace gas retrievals but also for extending the satellite data record of cloud information derived from oxygen A-band measurements, a record initiated with the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME on board the second European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS-2 over 20 years ago. The OCRA and ROCINN algorithms are integrated in the S5P operational processor UPAS (Universal Processor for UV/VIS/NIR Atmospheric Spectrometers, and we present here UPAS cloud results using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI and GOME-2 measurements. In addition, we examine anticipated challenges for the TROPOMI/S5P cloud retrieval algorithms, and we discuss the future validation needs for OCRA and ROCINN.

Diurnal, Seasonal, and Interannual Variations of Cloud Properties Derived for CERES From Imager Data

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, Patrick; Young, David F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Trepte, Qing Z.; Chen, Yan; Brown, Richard R.; Gibson, Sharon; Heck, Patrick W.

2004-01-01

Simultaneous measurement of the radiation and cloud fields on a global basis is a key component in the effort to understand and model the interaction between clouds and radiation at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere. The NASA Clouds and Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Project, begun in 1998, is meeting this need. Broadband shortwave (SW) and longwave radiance measurements taken by the CERES scanners at resolutions between 10 and 20 km on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Terra, and Aqua satellites are matched to simultaneous retrievals of cloud height, phase, particle size, water path, and optical depth OD from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua. Besides aiding the interpretation of the broadband radiances, the CERES cloud properties are valuable for understanding cloud variations at a variety of scales. In this paper, the resulting CERES cloud data taken to date are averaged at several temporal scales to examine the temporal and spatial variability of the cloud properties on a global scale at a 1 resolution.

THE TWO MOLECULAR CLOUDS IN RCW 38: EVIDENCE FOR THE FORMATION OF THE YOUNGEST SUPER STAR CLUSTER IN THE MILKY WAY TRIGGERED BY CLOUD–CLOUD COLLISION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fukui, Y.; Torii, K.; Ohama, A.; Hasegawa, K.; Hattori, Y.; Sano, H.; Yamamoto, H.; Tachihara, K. [Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601 (Japan); Ohashi, S.; Fujii, K.; Kuwahara, S. [Department of Astronomy, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 133-0033 (Japan); Mizuno, N.; Okuda, T. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Dawson, J. R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and MQ Research Centre in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics, Macquarie University, NSW 2109 (Australia); Onishi, T. [Department of Astrophysics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Mizuno, A., E-mail: torii@a.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan)

2016-03-20

We present distributions of two molecular clouds having velocities of 2 and 14 km s{sup −1} toward RCW 38, the youngest super star cluster in the Milky Way, in the {sup 12}CO J = 1–0 and 3–2 and {sup 13}CO J = 1–0 transitions. The two clouds are likely physically associated with the cluster as verified by the high intensity ratio of the J = 3–2 emission to the J = 1–0 emission, the bridging feature connecting the two clouds in velocity, and their morphological correspondence with the infrared dust emission. The velocity difference is too large for the clouds to be gravitationally bound. We frame a hypothesis that the two clouds are colliding with each other by chance to trigger formation of the ∼20 O stars that are localized within ∼0.5 pc of the cluster center in the 2 km s{sup −1} cloud. We suggest that the collision is currently continuing toward part of the 2 km s{sup −1} cloud where the bridging feature is localized. This is the third super star cluster alongside Westerlund 2 and NGC 3603 where cloud–cloud collision has triggered the cluster formation. RCW 38 is the youngest super star cluster in the Milky Way, holding a possible sign of on-going O star formation, and is a promising site where we may be able to witness the moment of O star formation.

Relationship between cloud radiative forcing, cloud fraction and cloud albedo, and new surface-based approach for determining cloud albedo

OpenAIRE

Y. Liu; W. Wu; M. P. Jensen; T. Toto

2011-01-01

This paper focuses on three interconnected topics: (1) quantitative relationship between surface shortwave cloud radiative forcing, cloud fraction, and cloud albedo; (2) surfaced-based approach for measuring cloud albedo; (3) multiscale (diurnal, annual and inter-annual) variations and covariations of surface shortwave cloud radiative forcing, cloud fraction, and cloud albedo. An analytical expression is first derived to quantify the relationship between cloud radiative forcing, cloud fractio...

Laboratory investigation of nitrile ices of Titan's stratospheric clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Nna Mvondo, D.; Anderson, C. M.; McLain, J. L.; Samuelson, R. E.

2017-09-01

Titan's mid to lower stratosphere contains complex cloud systems of numerous organic ice particles comprised of both hydrocarbon and nitrile compounds. Most of these stratospheric ice clouds form as a result of vapor condensation formation processes. However, there are additional ice emission features such as dicyanoacetylene (C4N2) and the 220 cm-1 ice emission feature (the "Haystack") that are difficult to explain since there are no observed vapor emission features associated with these ices. In our laboratory, using a high-vacuum chamber coupled to a FTIR spectrometer, we are engaged in a dedicated investigation of Titan's stratospheric ices to interpret and constrain Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) far-IR data. We will present laboratory transmittance spectra obtained for propionitrile (CH3CH2CN), cyanogen (C2N2) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) ices, as well as various combinations of their mixtures, to better understand the cloud chemistry occurring in Titan's stratosphere.

Il fenomeno abachistico a supporto dei cambiamenti socio-economici: Arezzo tra il XIII ed il XVI secolo = The role of the abacus tradition for the economic and social development of the society: evidence from Tuscany (Italy between XIII and XVI century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Pia Maraghini

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Este artículo indaga sobre los orígenes de la contabilidad con el objetivo de analizar el comportamiento económico. En particular, se examinan los primeros lugares específica-mente dispuestos y organizados para la enseñanza del conocimiento contable así como los medios de estudio para su transmisión: las escuelas y los libros de ábaco. Ampliamente extendidos en Italia entre los siglos XIII y XVI tenían la finalidad de transmitir, por un lado, el conocimiento generalmente difundido como matemática práctica y, por otro, las técnicas para realizar operaciones aritméticas y las reglas prácticas para la resolución de problemas comerciales y financieros.El objetivo de esta investigación es profundizar en el estudio de las escuelas y de los libros de ábaco evidenciando el papel desempeñado en el origen de la contabilidad y en el desarrollo económico y social en la época medieval y los primeros siglos del Renacimiento.Con este fin, el estudio se basa en algunas evidencias sobre la evolución de los estudios y las escuelas de ábaco en Arezzo (Toscana, Italia entre los siglos XIII y XVI. Combinando evidencias similares con el análisis teórico el estudio revela la contribución de la tradición del ábaco en el mejor desarrollo de la vida pública en época medieval y renacentista. La constatación de esta contribución ha sido la base del creciente interés mostrado hacia la cultura del ábaco por las autoridades locales de la época.This paper focuses on the “origins” of the book-keeping art which aims to record economic behaviour. In particular, this research investigates the early specific “places” arranged and organized to teach the accounting knowledge and the primitive “means” of study with which it could be handed over: the abacus schools and books. They prevalently spread in Italy between XIII and XVI century with the aim of transferring the knowledge generally defined as “practical maths”, such as the

Observation of the Spectrally Invariant Properties of Clouds in Cloudy-to-Clear Transition Zones During the MAGIC Field Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weidong; Marshak, Alexander; McBride, Patrick; Chiu, J. Christine; Knyazikhin, Yuri; Schmidt, K. Sebastian; Flynn, Connor; Lewis, Ernie R.; Eloranta, Edwin W.

2016-01-01

We use the spectrally invariant method to study the variability of cloud optical thickness tau and droplet effective radius r(sub eff) in transition zones (between the cloudy and clear sky columns) observed from Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) and Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Zenith (SASZe) during the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign. The measurements from the SSFR and the SASZe are different, however inter-instrument differences of self-normalized measurements (divided by their own spectra at a fixed time) are small. The spectrally invariant method approximates the spectra in the cloud transition zone as a linear combination of definitely clear and cloudy spectra, where the coefficients, slope and intercept, characterize the spectrally invariant properties of the transition zone. Simulation results from the SBDART (Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer) model demonstrate that (1) the slope of the visible band is positively correlated with the cloud optical thickness t while the intercept of the near-infrared band has high negative correlation with the cloud drop effective radius r(sub eff)even without the exact knowledge of tau; (2) the above relations hold for all Solar Zenith Angle (SZA) and for cloud-contaminated skies. In observations using redundant measurements from SSFR and SASZe, we find that during cloudy-to-clear transitions, (a) the slopes of the visible band decrease, and (b) the intercepts of the near-infrared band remain almost constant near cloud edges. The findings in simulations and observations suggest that, while the optical thickness decreases during the cloudy-to-clear transition, the cloud drop effective radius does not change when cloud edges are approached. These results support the hypothesis that inhomogeneous mixing dominates near cloud edges in the studied cases.

PIXE analysis of Italian ink drawings of the XVI century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zucchiatti, A.; Climent-Font, A.; Enguita, O.; Fernandez-Jimenez, M.T.; Finaldi, G.; Garrido, C.; Matillas, J.M.

2005-01-01

The composition of inks in a group of 24 drawings of ten XVI century Italian painters, has been determined by PIXE at the external micro-beam line of the Centro de Micro Analisis de Materiales of the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Ink elemental thicknesses have been determined by comparison with a set of certified thin standards. A comprehensive comparison of inks has also been performed by renormalisation of spectra and definition of an ink-to-ink distance. The elemental compositions and the ink-to-ink distances give consistent results that are generally in line with the appearance of the drawings and add relevant instrumental information to the stylistic observation, revealing for example the presence of retouches and additions in different parts of a drawing. Cluster analysis performed on a subgroup of 13 artefacts from the Genoese painter Luca Cambiaso and his school has revealed a partition that separates neatly the work of the master from that of his followers

PIXE analysis of Italian ink drawings of the XVI century

Science.gov (United States)

Zucchiatti, A.; Climent-Font, A.; Enguita, O.; Fernandez-Jimenez, M. T.; Finaldi, G.; Garrido, C.; Matillas, J. M.

2005-10-01

The composition of inks in a group of 24 drawings of ten XVI century Italian painters, has been determined by PIXE at the external micro-beam line of the Centro de Micro Análisis de Materiales of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Ink elemental thicknesses have been determined by comparison with a set of certified thin standards. A comprehensive comparison of inks has also been performed by renormalisation of spectra and definition of an ink-to-ink distance. The elemental compositions and the ink-to-ink distances give consistent results that are generally in line with the appearance of the drawings and add relevant instrumental information to the stylistic observation, revealing for example the presence of retouches and additions in different parts of a drawing. Cluster analysis performed on a subgroup of 13 artefacts from the Genoese painter Luca Cambiaso and his school has revealed a partition that separates neatly the work of the master from that of his followers.

A Climatology of Midlatitude Continental Clouds from the ARM SGP Site. Part II; Cloud Fraction and Surface Radiative Forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Xi, B.; Minnis, P.

2006-01-01

Data collected at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (SCF) are analyzed to determine the monthly and hourly variations of cloud fraction and radiative forcing between January 1997 and December 2002. Cloud fractions are estimated for total cloud cover and for single-layered low (0-3 km), middle (3-6 km), and high clouds (more than 6 km) using ARM SCG ground-based paired lidar-radar measurements. Shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) fluxes are derived from up- and down-looking standard precision spectral pyranometers and precision infrared radiometer measurements with uncertainties of approximately 10 Wm(exp -2). The annual averages of total, and single-layered low, middle and high cloud fractions are 0.49, 0.11, 0.03, and 0.17, respectively. Both total and low cloud amounts peak during January and February and reach a minimum during July and August, high clouds occur more frequently than other types of clouds with a peak in summer. The average annual downwelling surface SW fluxes for total and low clouds (151 and 138 Wm(exp-2), respectively) are less than those under middle and high clouds (188 and 201 Wm(exp -2), respectively), but the downwelling LW fluxes (349 and 356 Wm(exp -2)) underneath total and low clouds are greater than those from middle and high clouds (337 and 333 Wm(exp -2)). Low clouds produce the largest LW warming (55 Wm(exp -2) and SW cooling (-91 Wm(exp -2)) effects with maximum and minimum absolute values in spring and summer, respectively. High clouds have the smallest LW warming (17 Wm(exp -2)) and SW cooling (-37 Wm(exp -2)) effects at the surface. All-sky SW CRF decreases and LW CRF increases with increasing cloud fraction with mean slopes of -0.984 and 0.616 Wm(exp -2)%(exp -1), respectively. Over the entire diurnal cycle, clouds deplete the amount of surface insolation more than they add to the downwelling LW flux. The calculated CRFs do not appear to be significantly

Subaru/COMICS Mid-Infrared Observation of the Near-Nucleus Region of Comet 17P/Holmes at the Early Phase of an Outburst

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Jun-Ichi; Honda, Mitsuhiko; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; Sarugaku, Yuki; Kadono, Toshihiko; Sakon, Itsuki; Fuse, Tetsuharu; Takato, Naruhisa; Furusho, Reiko

2009-08-01

Mid-infrared 8--25μm imaging and spectroscopic observations of the comet 17P/Holmes in the early phase of its outburst in brightness were performed on 2007 October 25--28UT using the Cooled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrometer (COMICS) on the 8.2-m Subaru Telescope. We detected an isolated dust cloud that moved toward the south-west direction from the nucleus. The 11.2μm peak of a crystalline silicate feature onto a broad amorphous silicate feature was also detected both in the central condensation of the nucleus and an isolated dust cloud. The color temperature of the isolated dust cloud was estimated to be ˜200K, which is slightly higher than the black-body temperature. Our analysis of the motion indicates that the isolated cloud moved anti-sunward. We propose several possibilities for the motion of the cloud: fluffy dust particles in the isolated cloud started to depart from the nucleus due to radiation pressure almost as soon as the main outburst occurred, or dust particles moved by some other anti-sunward forces, such as a rocket effect and photophoresis when the surrounding dust coma became optically thin. The origin and the nature of the isolated dust cloud are discussed in this paper.

The MSG-SEVIRI-based cloud property data record CLAAS-2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Benas

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Clouds play a central role in the Earth's atmosphere, and satellite observations are crucial for monitoring clouds and understanding their impact on the energy budget and water cycle. Within the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF, a new cloud property data record was derived from geostationary Meteosat Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI measurements for the time frame 2004–2015. The resulting CLAAS-2 (CLoud property dAtAset using SEVIRI, Edition 2 data record is publicly available via the CM SAF website (https://doi.org/10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLAAS/V002. In this paper we present an extensive evaluation of the CLAAS-2 cloud products, which include cloud fractional coverage, thermodynamic phase, cloud top properties, liquid/ice cloud water path and corresponding optical thickness and particle effective radius. Data validation and comparisons were performed on both level 2 (native SEVIRI grid and repeat cycle and level 3 (daily and monthly averages and histograms with reference datasets derived from lidar, microwave and passive imager measurements. The evaluation results show very good overall agreement with matching spatial distributions and temporal variability and small biases attributed mainly to differences in sensor characteristics, retrieval approaches, spatial and temporal samplings and viewing geometries. No major discrepancies were found. Underpinned by the good evaluation results, CLAAS-2 demonstrates that it is fit for the envisaged applications, such as process studies of the diurnal cycle of clouds and the evaluation of regional climate models. The data record is planned to be extended and updated in the future.

DSCOVR/EPIC observations of SO2 reveal dynamics of young volcanic eruption clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Carn, S. A.; Krotkov, N. A.; Taylor, S.; Fisher, B. L.; Li, C.; Bhartia, P. K.; Prata, F. J.

2017-12-01

Volcanic emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ash have been measured by ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) sensors on US and European polar-orbiting satellites since the late 1970s. Although successful, the main limitation of these observations from low Earth orbit (LEO) is poor temporal resolution (once per day at low latitudes). Furthermore, most currently operational geostationary satellites cannot detect SO2, a key tracer of volcanic plumes, limiting our ability to elucidate processes in fresh, rapidly evolving volcanic eruption clouds. In 2015, the launch of the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) provided the first opportunity to observe volcanic clouds from the L1 Lagrange point. EPIC is a 10-band spectroradiometer spanning UV to near-IR wavelengths with two UV channels sensitive to SO2, and a ground resolution of 25 km. The unique L1 vantage point provides continuous observations of the sunlit Earth disk, from sunrise to sunset, offering multiple daily observations of volcanic SO2 and ash clouds in the EPIC field of view. When coupled with complementary retrievals from polar-orbiting UV and IR sensors such as the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), we demonstrate how the increased observation frequency afforded by DSCOVR/EPIC permits more timely volcanic eruption detection and novel analyses of the temporal evolution of volcanic clouds. Although EPIC has detected several mid- to high-latitude volcanic eruptions since launch, we focus on recent eruptions of Bogoslof volcano (Aleutian Islands, AK, USA). A series of EPIC exposures from May 28-29, 2017, uniquely captures the evolution of SO2 mass in a young Bogoslof eruption cloud, showing separation of SO2- and ice-rich regions of the cloud. We show how analyses of these sequences of EPIC SO2 data can elucidate poorly understood processes in transient eruption

A review of optical measurements at the aerosol and cloud chamber AIDA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Robert; Linke, Claudia; Naumann, Karl-Heinz; Schnaiter, Martin; Vragel, Marlen; Gangl, Martin; Horvath, Helmuth

2009-01-01

This paper provides a survey of recent studies on the optical properties of aerosol and cloud particles that have been conducted at the AIDA facility of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Aerosol Interactions and Dynamics in the Atmosphere). Reflecting the broad accessible temperature range of the AIDA chamber which extends from ambient temperature down to 183 K, the investigations feature a broad diversity of research topics, such as the wavelength-dependence of the specific absorption cross sections of soot and mineral dust aerosols at room temperature, depolarization and infrared extinction measurements of ice crystal clouds generated at temperatures below 235 K, and the optical properties of polar stratospheric cloud constituents whose formation was studied in chamber experiments at temperatures well below 200 K. After reviewing the AIDA research activity of the past decade and introducing the optical instrumentation of the AIDA facility, this paper presents illustrative examples of ongoing and already published work on optical measurements of soot aerosols, mineral dust particles, and ice crystal clouds.

The effect of cloud screening on MAX-DOAS aerosol retrievals.

Science.gov (United States)

Gielen, Clio; Van Roozendael, Michel; Hendrik, Francois; Fayt, Caroline; Hermans, Christian; Pinardi, Gaia; De Backer, Hugo; De Bock, Veerle; Laffineur, Quentin; Vlemmix, Tim

2014-05-01

In recent years, ground-based multi-axis differential absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) has shown to be ideally suited for the retrieval of tropospheric trace gases and deriving information on the aerosol properties. These measurements are invaluable to our understanding of the physics and chemistry of the atmospheric system, and the impact on the Earth's climate. Unfortunately, MAX-DOAS measurements are often performed under strong non-clear-sky conditions, causing strong data quality degradation and uncertainties on the retrievals. Here we present the result of our cloud-screening method, using the colour index (CI), on aerosol retrievals from MAX-DOAS measurements (AOD and vertical profiles). We focus on two large data sets, from the Brussels and Beijing area. Using the CI we define 3 different sky conditions: bad (=full thick cloud cover/extreme aerosols), mediocre (=thin clouds/aerosols) and good (=clear sky). We also flag the presence of broken/scattered clouds. We further compare our cloud-screening method with results from cloud-cover fractions derived from thermic infrared measurements. In general, our method shows good results to qualify the sky and cloud conditions of MAX-DOAS measurements, without the need for other external cloud-detection systems. Removing data under bad-sky and broken-cloud conditions results in a strongly improved agreement, in both correlation and slope, between the MAX-DOAS aerosol retrievals and data from other instruments (e.g. AERONET, Brewer). With the improved AOD retrievals, the seasonal and diurnal variations of the aerosol content and vertical distribution at both sites can be investigated in further detail. By combining with additional information derived by other instruments (Brewer, lidar, ...) operated at the stations, we will further study the observed aerosol characteristics, and their influence on and by meteorological conditions such as clouds and/or the boundary layer height.

Retrieval of water cloud characteristic from active sensor data using the analytical solution of radiative transfer equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, W.; Gayen, S.K.

2010-01-01

An analytical forward model and numerical algorithm for retrieving the parameters of water cloud of earth atmosphere from optical measurements carried out by satellite-based lidars is presented. The forward model, based on the analytical solution of the radiative transfer equation, is used to fit the temporal profile of the laser light pulses backscattered from the cloud layers. The cloud parameters extracted from the analysis at each position on earth include the transport mean free path, the average radius of water drops, the density of drops, the scattering length, the scattering cross section, the anisotropy factor, and the altitude of top level of major clouds. Also estimated is the possible thickness of cloud layers. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated by generating parameters of water cloud using the data collected by NASA's cloud-aerosol lidar and infrared pathfinder satellite observations (CALIPSO) satellite when it passed through North America on August 7, 2007.

Observations of the interstellar ice grain feature in the Taurus molecular clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittet, D.C.B.; Longmore, A.J.; Baines, D.W.T.; Evans, A.

1984-01-01

Although water ice was originally proposed as a major constituent of the interstellar grain population, the advent of infrared astronomy has shown that the expected absorption due to O-H stretching vibrations at 3 μm is illusive. Observations have in fact revealed that the carrier of this feature is apparently restricted to regions deep within dense molecular clouds. However, the exact carrier of this feature is still controversial, and many questions remain as to the conditions required for its appearance. The Taurus molecular clouds were selected for observations, in the form of a preliminary survey in the 2-4 μm window. It is concluded that the carrier of the 3μm absorption feature appears to reside in the general cloud medium and is probably amorphous water ice. (author)

The Y-type Brown Dwarfs: Estimates of Mass and Age from New Astrometry, Homogenized Photometry, and Near-infrared Spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leggett, S. K.; Tremblin, P.; Esplin, T. L.; Luhman, K. L.; Morley, Caroline V.

2017-01-01

The survey of the mid-infrared sky by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) led to the discovery of extremely cold, low-mass brown dwarfs, classified as Y dwarfs, which extend the T class to lower temperatures. Twenty-four Y dwarfs are known at the time of writing. Here we present improved parallaxes for four of these, determined using Spitzer images. We give new photometry for four late-type T and three Y dwarfs and new spectra of three Y dwarfs, obtained at Gemini Observatory. We also present previously unpublished photometry taken from HST , ESO, Spitzer , and WISE archives of 11 late-type T and 9 Y dwarfs. The near-infrared data are put onto the same photometric system, forming a homogeneous data set for the coolest brown dwarfs. We compare recent models to our photometric and spectroscopic data set. We confirm that nonequilibrium atmospheric chemistry is important for these objects. Nonequilibrium cloud-free models reproduce well the near-infrared spectra and mid-infrared photometry for the warmer Y dwarfs with 425 ≤ T eff (K) ≤ 450. A small amount of cloud cover may improve the model fits in the near-infrared for the Y dwarfs with 325 ≤ T eff (K) ≤ 375. Neither cloudy nor cloud-free models reproduce the near-infrared photometry for the T eff = 250 K Y dwarf W0855. We use the mid-infrared region, where most of the flux originates, to constrain our models of W0855. We find that W0855 likely has a mass of 1.5–8 Jupiter masses and an age of 0.3–6 Gyr. The Y dwarfs with measured parallaxes are within 20 pc of the Sun and have tangential velocities typical of the thin disk. The metallicities and ages we derive for the sample are generally solar-like. We estimate that the known Y dwarfs are 3 to 20 Jupiter-mass objects with ages of 0.6–8.5 Gyr.

The Y-type Brown Dwarfs: Estimates of Mass and Age from New Astrometry, Homogenized Photometry, and Near-infrared Spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leggett, S. K. [Gemini Observatory, Northern Operations Center, 670 N. A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Tremblin, P. [Maison de la Simulation, CEA-CNRS-INRIA-UPS-UVSQ, USR 3441, Centre d’étude de Saclay, F-91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette (France); Esplin, T. L.; Luhman, K. L. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Morley, Caroline V., E-mail: sleggett@gemini.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2017-06-20

The survey of the mid-infrared sky by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) led to the discovery of extremely cold, low-mass brown dwarfs, classified as Y dwarfs, which extend the T class to lower temperatures. Twenty-four Y dwarfs are known at the time of writing. Here we present improved parallaxes for four of these, determined using Spitzer images. We give new photometry for four late-type T and three Y dwarfs and new spectra of three Y dwarfs, obtained at Gemini Observatory. We also present previously unpublished photometry taken from HST , ESO, Spitzer , and WISE archives of 11 late-type T and 9 Y dwarfs. The near-infrared data are put onto the same photometric system, forming a homogeneous data set for the coolest brown dwarfs. We compare recent models to our photometric and spectroscopic data set. We confirm that nonequilibrium atmospheric chemistry is important for these objects. Nonequilibrium cloud-free models reproduce well the near-infrared spectra and mid-infrared photometry for the warmer Y dwarfs with 425 ≤ T {sub eff} (K) ≤ 450. A small amount of cloud cover may improve the model fits in the near-infrared for the Y dwarfs with 325 ≤ T {sub eff} (K) ≤ 375. Neither cloudy nor cloud-free models reproduce the near-infrared photometry for the T {sub eff} = 250 K Y dwarf W0855. We use the mid-infrared region, where most of the flux originates, to constrain our models of W0855. We find that W0855 likely has a mass of 1.5–8 Jupiter masses and an age of 0.3–6 Gyr. The Y dwarfs with measured parallaxes are within 20 pc of the Sun and have tangential velocities typical of the thin disk. The metallicities and ages we derive for the sample are generally solar-like. We estimate that the known Y dwarfs are 3 to 20 Jupiter-mass objects with ages of 0.6–8.5 Gyr.

La educación para la paz: Una asignatura pendiente. Las aportaciones de Benedicto XVI

OpenAIRE

Antonio Alonso; Carlos Corral

2012-01-01

El mensaje de Benedicto XVI para la XLV Jornada Mundial de la Paz, titulado "Educar a los jóvenes en la justicia y la paz", ha puesto sobre la mesa la pregunta de si es posible evitar las guerras y cuáles serían los instrumentos más eficaces para ello. Uno de los principales pilares que ayudan a sostener la estabilidad del sistema internacional es la educación, entendida, por un lado, como un proceso por el cual se van adquiriendo conocimientos y destrezas para el desempeño de las funciones p...

Antecedentes históricos del arte de nadar en España (siglo XVI-1807)

OpenAIRE

Torrebadella i Flix, Xavier

2015-01-01

A partir de las primeros tratados que durante el siglo XVI recuperan en Europa la natación como ejercicio higiénico y gimnástico, en el caso concreto de España, revisamos las diferentes aportaciones bibliográficas y las noticias aparecidas en la prensa que se ocuparon del “arte de nadar” hasta principios del siglo XIX. Con ello se pretende colaborar, a través de las fuentes documentales primarias, a (re)construir los primeros pasos y antecedentes de la natación en España. De la inspección y h...

Observation of Clouds Using the CSIR Transportable LIDAR: A Case Study over Durban, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lerato Shikwambana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR transportable Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR was used to collect data over Durban (29.9°S, 30.9°E during 20–23 November 2012. Aerosol measurements have been carried out in the past over Durban; however, no cloud measurements using LIDAR have ever been performed. Therefore, this study further motivates the continuation of LIDAR for atmospheric research over Durban. Low level clouds were observed on 20–22 November 2012 and high level clouds were observed on 23 November 2012. The low level cloud could be classified as stratocumulus clouds, whereas the high level clouds could be classified as cirrus clouds. Low level cloud layers showed high extinction coefficients values ranging between 0.0009 and 0.0044 m−1, whereas low extinction coefficients for high level clouds were observed at values ranging between 0.000001 and 0.000002 m−1. Optical depth showed a high variability for 20 and 21 November 2012. This indicates a change in the composition and/or thickness of the cloud. For 22 and 23 November 2012, almost similar values of optical depth were observed. Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO revealed high level clouds while the CSIR LIDAR could not. However, the two instruments complement each other well to describe the cloudy condition.

Unified Retrieval of Cloud Properties, Atmospheric Profiles, and Surface Parameters from Combined DMSP Imager and Sounder Data

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Isaacs, Ronald

2000-01-01

The main objective of the proposed study was to investigate the complementary information provided by microwave and infrared sensors in order to enhance both the microwave retrieval and the current cloud analysis...

Submillimeter and far-infrared line observations of M17 SW - A clumpy molecular cloud penetrated by ultraviolet radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Stutzki, J.; Genzel, R.; Harris, A. I.; Stacey, G. J.; Jaffe, D. T.

1988-01-01

Millimeter, submillimeter, and far-IR spectroscopic observations of the M17 SW star formation region are reported. Strong forbidden C II 158 micron and CO J = 7 - 6 line emission arises in an H II region/molecular cloud interface of several pc thickness. Weaker forbidden C II emission appears to be extended over 15 pc throughout the molecular cloud. CO J = 14 - 13 and forbidden O I 145 micron spectra indicate high temperatures and densities for both molecular and atomic gas in the interface. The results require the molecular cloud near the interface to be clumpy or filamentary. The extended forbidden C II emission throughout the molecular cloud has a level around 20 times higher than expected from a single molecular cloud interface exposed to an ultraviolet radiation field typical of the solar neighborhood. The high gas temperature of molecular material in the UV-illuminated interface region suggests that CO self-shielding and heating of CO by photoelectrons are important.

Polarization and infrared imaging of regions of star formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moneti, A.

1985-01-01

Observational studies of two regions of star formation, the Taurus cloud and the BN-KL region of Orion, are presented. The magnetic field structure in the Taurus cloud was studied in order to investigate its possible role in the evolution of the cloud. It was found that the magnetic field is generally perpendicular to the elongated structures that make up the cloud, and it is deduced that the observed structure could be due to the effects of the magnetic field during the early stages of collapse. In addition, it was found that the magnetic field may have prevented the formation of massive stars by inhibiting the collapse of large cores, while not affecting the collapse of the small ones. Using a new near-infrared array camera, high resolution (1'') images of several young stars embedded in the cloud were obtained. Most of these sources have extended, spatially resolved circumstellar shells. High resolution images of the BN-KL region of Orion at four wavelengths between 1.65 and 4.7 μm were also obtained. At 1.65 μm a large trough is seen in the overall nebulosity; it is suggested that the observed trough is due to the doughnut of material around IRc2 as it obscures the background nebulosity

Estimation of cloud optical thickness by processing SEVIRI images and implementing a semi analytical cloud property retrieval algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, P.; De Ridder, K.; van Lipzig, N.

2009-04-01

Clouds play a very important role in the Earth's climate system, as they form an intermediate layer between Sun and the Earth. Satellite remote sensing systems are the only means to provide information about clouds on large scales. The geostationary satellite, Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) has onboard an imaging radiometer, the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI). SEVIRI is a 12 channel imager, with 11 channels observing the earth's full disk with a temporal resolution of 15 min and spatial resolution of 3 km at nadir, and a high resolution visible (HRV) channel. The visible channels (0.6 µm and 0.81 µm) and near infrared channel (1.6µm) of SEVIRI are being used to retrieve the cloud optical thickness (COT). The study domain is over Europe covering the region between 35°N - 70°N and 10°W - 30°E. SEVIRI level 1.5 images over this domain are being acquired from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) archive. The processing of this imagery, involves a number of steps before estimating the COT. The steps involved in pre-processing are as follows. First, the digital count number is acquired from the imagery. Image geo-coding is performed in order to relate the pixel positions to the corresponding longitude and latitude. Solar zenith angle is determined as a function of latitude and time. The radiometric conversion is done using the values of offsets and slopes of each band. The values of radiance obtained are then used to calculate the reflectance for channels in the visible spectrum using the information of solar zenith angle. An attempt is made to estimate the COT from the observed radiances. A semi analytical algorithm [Kokhanovsky et al., 2003] is implemented for the estimation of cloud optical thickness from the visible spectrum of light intensity reflected from clouds. The asymptotical solution of the radiative transfer equation, for clouds with large optical thickness, is the basis of

Cartagena de indias en la historia de la lucha por la justicia en el siglo XVI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José María Arévalo

1963-04-01

Full Text Available A juzgar por los libros y opúsculos que en Colombia se publican creemos que es bastante lo que hay que hacer para llevar a nuestros historiadores al convencimiento de que mucho antes de 1810 ya habían sonado voces de libertad en nuestra patria; que la dignidad humana y los derechos de los naturales ya habían sido públicamente defendidos y no por abogados cualesquiera sino por los más calificados teólogos que tuvo la Iglesia en el siglo XVI.

Racismo/sexismo epistémico, universidades occidentalizadas y los cuatro genocidios/ epistemicidios del largo siglo XVI

OpenAIRE

RAMÓN GROSFOGUEL

2013-01-01

Este artículo analiza el racismo/sexismo epistémico fundacional a las estructuras de conocimiento de la universidad occidentalizada. El artículo plantea que el privilegio epistémico del hombre occidental en las estructuras de conocimiento de las universidades occidentalizadas es el resultado de cuatro genocidios/epistemicidios en el largo siglo XVI (contra la población de origen judío y musulmán en la conquista de Al-Andalus, contra los pueblos indígenas en la conquista del continente america...

Racismo/sexismo epistémico, universidades occidentalizadas y los cuatro genocidios/epistemicidios del largo siglo XVI

OpenAIRE

Grosfoguel, Ramón

2013-01-01

Resumen Este artículo analiza el racismo/sexismo epistémico fundacional a las estructuras de conocimiento de la universidad occidentalizada. El artículo plantea que el privilegio epistémico del hombre occidental en las estructuras de conocimiento de las universidades occidentalizadas es el resultado de cuatro genocidios/epistemicidios en el largo siglo XVI (contra la población de origen judío y musulmán en la conquista de Al-Andalus, contra los pueblos indígenas en la conquista del continente...

Un problema médico y terminológico (sífilis en el siglo XVI)

OpenAIRE

Pérez Ibáñez, María Jesús

2009-01-01

En el umbral del siglo XVI, muy poco antes de finalizar la centuria anterior, se describe una afección hasta entonces, parece, desconocida, de síntomas alarmantes y graves consecuencias. En contra de lo esperado y deseado no parece haber literatura médica sobre ella, las auctoritates no se pronunciaron a este respecto y nada dejaron apuntado sobre cómo tratarla. Como en otros casos a lo largo de este período los hombres del momento, en este caso los médicos, deben afrontar un reto importante ...

Infrared emission from isolated dust clouds in the presence of very small dust grains

Science.gov (United States)

Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun M.

1991-01-01

Models of the effects of small grain-generated temperature fluctuations on the IR spectrum and surface brightness of externally heated interstellar dust clouds are presently constructed on the basis of a continuum radiation transport computer code which encompasses the transient heating of small dust grains. The models assume a constant fractional abundance of large and small grains throughout the given cloud. A comparison of model results with IRAS observations indicates that the observed 12-25 micron band emissions are associated with about 10-A radius grains, while the 60-100 micron emission is primarily due to large grains which are heated under the equilibrium conditions.

A Comparison of Cloud Microphysical and Optical Properties during TOGA-COARE

Science.gov (United States)

Strawa, A. W.; Pueschel, R. F.; Pilewskie, P.; Valero, F. P. J.; Gore, Warren J. (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

The impact of cirrus clouds on climate is an issue of research interest currently. Whether cirrus clouds heat or cool the Earth-atmosphere system depends on the cloud shortwave albedo and infrared reflectance and absorptance. These in turn are determined by the size distribution, phase, and composition of particles in the clouds. The TOGA-COARE campaign presented an excellent opportunity to study cirrus clouds and their influence on climate. In this campaign, a microphysics instrument package was flown aboard the DC-8 aircraft at medium altitudes in cirrus clouds. This package included a 2D Greyscale Cloud Particle Probe, a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Aerosol Probe, and an ice crystal replicator. At the same time the ER-2 equipped with a radiation measurement system flew coordinated flight tracks above the DC-8 at very high altitude. The radiation measurement made were short and long wave fluxes, as well as narrowband fluxes, both upwelling and downwelling. In addition LIDAR data is available. The existence of these data sets allows for a the comparison of radiation measurement with microphysical measurements. For example, the optical depth and effective radius retrieved from the ER-2 radiation measurements can be compared to the microphysical data. Conversely, the optical properties and fluxes produced by the clouds can be calculated from the microphysical measurements and compared to those measured aboard the ER-2. The assumptions required to make these comparisons are discussed. Typical microphysical results show a prevalence of micron-sized particles, in addition to the cloud particles that exceed 100 mm. The large number of small particles or "haze" cause the effective cloud radii to shift to smaller sizes, leading to changes in optical parameters.

Upper tropospheric cloud systems determined from IR Sounders and their influence on the atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Stubenrauch, Claudia; Protopapadaki, Sofia; Feofilov, Artem; Velasco, Carola Barrientos

2017-02-01

Covering about 30% of the Earth, upper tropospheric clouds play a key role in the climate system by modulating the Earth's energy budget and heat transport. Infrared Sounders reliably identify cirrus down to an IR optical depth of 0.1. Recently LMD has built global cloud climate data records from AIRS and IASI observations, covering the periods from 2003-2015 and 2008-2015, respectively. Upper tropospheric clouds often form mesoscale systems. Their organization and properties are being studied by (1) distinguishing cloud regimes within 2° × 2° regions and (2) applying a spatial composite technique on adjacent cloud pressures, which estimates the horizontal extent of the mesoscale cloud systems. Convective core, cirrus anvil and thin cirrus of these systems are then distinguished by their emissivity. Compared to other studies of tropical mesoscale convective systems our data include also the thinner anvil parts, which make out about 30% of the area of tropical mesoscale convective systems. Once the horizontal and vertical structure of these upper tropospheric cloud systems is known, we can estimate their radiative effects in terms of top of atmosphere and surface radiative fluxes and by computing their heating rates.

Infrared

Science.gov (United States)

Vollmer, M.

2013-11-01

underlying physics. There are now at least six different disciplines that deal with infrared radiation in one form or another, and in one or several different spectral portions of the whole IR range. These are spectroscopy, astronomy, thermal imaging, detector and source development and metrology, as well the field of optical data transmission. Scientists working in these fields range from chemists and astronomers through to physicists and even photographers. This issue presents examples from some of these fields. All the papers—though some of them deal with fundamental or applied research—include interesting elements that make them directly applicable to university-level teaching at the graduate or postgraduate level. Source (e.g. quantum cascade lasers) and detector development (e.g. multispectral sensors), as well as metrology issues and optical data transmission, are omitted since they belong to fundamental research journals. Using a more-or-less arbitrary order according to wavelength range, the issue starts with a paper on the physics of near-infrared photography using consumer product cameras in the spectral range from 800 nm to 1.1 µm [1]. It is followed by a series of three papers dealing with IR imaging in spectral ranges from 3 to 14 µm [2-4]. One of them deals with laboratory courses that may help to characterize the IR camera response [2], the second discusses potential applications for nondestructive testing techniques [3] and the third gives an example of how IR thermal imaging may be used to understand cloud cover of the Earth [4], which is the prerequisite for successful climate modelling. The next two papers cover the vast field of IR spectroscopy [5, 6]. The first of these deals with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the spectral range from 2.5 to 25 µm, studying e.g. ro-vibrational excitations in gases or optical phonon interactions within solids [5]. The second deals mostly with the spectroscopy of liquids such as biofuels and special

Cloud-Top Entrainment in Stratocumulus Clouds