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Sample records for thermospheric wind measurements

  1. Determination of the thermospheric neutral wind from incoherent scatter radar measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haeggstroem, I.; Murdin, J.; Rees, D.

    1984-11-01

    Measurements made by the EISCAT UHF incoherent scatter radar are used to derive thermospheric winds. The derived wind is compared to Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of the neutral wind made simultaneously. The uncertainties in the radar derived wind are discussed. (author)

  2. Southern Hemisphere Upper Thermospheric Wind Climatology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhadly, M. S.; Emmert, J. T.; Drob, D. P.

    2017-12-01

    This study is focused on the poorly understood large-scale upper thermospheric wind dynamics in the southern polar cap, auroral, and mid latitudes. The gaps in our understanding of the dynamic high-latitude thermosphere are largely due to the sparseness of thermospheric wind measurements. Using data from current observational facilities, it is unfeasible to construct a synoptic picture of the Southern Hemisphere upper thermospheric winds. However, enough data with wide spatial and temporal coverage have accumulated to construct a meaningful statistical analysis of winds as function of season, magnetic latitude, and magnetic local time. We use long-term data from nine ground-based stations located at different southern high latitudes and three space-based instruments. These diverse data sets possess different geometries and different spatial and solar coverage. The major challenge of the effort is to combine these disparate sources of data into a coherent picture while overcoming the sampling limitations and biases among the datasets. Our preliminary analyses show mutual biases present among some of them. We first address the biases among various data sets and then combine them in a coherent way to construct maps of neutral winds for various seasons. We then validate the fitted climatology against the observational data and compare with corresponding fits of 25 years of simulated winds from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. This study provides critical insight into magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling and sets a necessary benchmark for validating new observations and tuning first-principles models.

  3. Optical measurements of winds in the lower thermosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiens, R.H.; Shepherd, G.G.; Gault, W.A.; Kosteniuk, P.R.

    1988-01-01

    WAMDII, the wide-angle Michelson Doppler imaging interferometer, was used to measure the neutral wind in the lower thermosphere by the Doppler shift of the O I 557-nm line. Observations were made at Saskatoon (60.5 degree N invariant) around the spring equinox of 1985 with WAMDII coupled to an all-sky lens. With dopplergrams averaged over 3 to 30 min, no evidence was found for persistent highly localized winds on either of the two nights studied, one viewing only aurora and one viewing only airglow. The nocturnal variation was determined for both nights using average horizontal wind for the whole all-sky image. The pattern for the auroral case shows winds parallel to the aurora orientation in the evening but substantial crosswinds near midnight. High latitude general circulation models seem to represent this case better than local auroral generation models. The airglow case showed eastward winds in the morning sector

  4. A search for thermospheric composition perturbations due to vertical winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krynicki, Matthew P.

    The thermosphere is generally in hydrostatic equilibrium, with winds blowing horizontally along stratified constant-pressure surfaces, driven by the dayside-to-nightside pressure gradient. A marked change in this paradigm resulted after Spencer et al. [1976] reported vertical wind measurements of 80 m·s-1 from analyses of AE-C satellite data. It is now established that the thermosphere routinely supports large-magnitude (˜30-150 m·s-1) vertical winds at auroral latitudes. These vertical winds represent significant departure from hydrostatic and diffusive equilibrium, altering locally---and potentially globally---the thermosphere's and ionosphere's composition, chemistry, thermodynamics and energy budget. Because of their localized nature, large-magnitude vertical wind effects are not entirely known. This thesis presents ground-based Fabry-Perot Spectrometer OI(630.0)-nm observations of upper-thermospheric vertical winds obtained at Inuvik, NT, Canada and Poker Flat, AK. The wind measurements are compared with vertical displacement estimates at ˜104 km2 horizontal spatial scales determined from a new modification to the electron transport code of Lummerzheim and Lilensten [1994] as applied to FUV-wavelength observations by POLAR spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imager [Torr et al. , 1995]. The modification, referred to as the column shift, simulates vertical wind effects such as neutral transport and disruption of diffusive equilibrium by vertically displacing the Hedin [1991] MSIS-90 [O2]/[N2] and [O]/([N2]+[O2]) mixing ratios and subsequently redistributing the O, O2, and N 2 densities used in the transport code. Column shift estimates are inferred from comparisons of UVI OI(135.6)-nm auroral observations to their corresponding modeled emission. The modeled OI(135.6)-nm brightness is determined from the modeled thermospheric response to electron precipitation and estimations of the energy flux and characteristic energy of the precipitation, which are inferred from UVI

  5. Horizontal and vertical winds and temperatures in the equatorial thermosphere: measurements from Natal, Brazil during August-September 1982

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biondi, M.A.

    1985-01-01

    Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts and widths of the 630.0 nm nightglow line have been used to determine the neutral winds and temperatures in the equatorial thermosphere over Natal, Brazil during August-September 1982. During this period, in the early night (2130 U.T.) the average value of the horizontal wind vector was 95 m s -1 at 100 0 azimuth, and the temperature varied from a low of 950 K during geomagnetically quiet conditions to a high of approx. 1400 K during a storm (6 September). The meridional winds were small, -1 , and the eastward zonal winds reached a maximum value 1-3 h after sunset, in qualitative agreement with TGCM predictions. On 26 August, an observed persistent convergence in the horizontal meridional flow was accompanied by a downward vertical velocity and an increase in the thermospheric temperature measured overhead. Oscillations with periods of 40-45 min in both the zonal and vertical wind velocities were observed during the geomagnetic storm of 6 September, suggesting gravity wave modulation of the equatorial thermospheric flow. (author)

  6. A comparison of quiet time thermospheric winds between FPIs and models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, G.; Xu, J.; Wang, W.; Yuan, W.; Zhang, S.; Yu, T.; Zhang, X.; Huang, C.; Liu, W.; Li, Q.

    2017-12-01

    Abstract:The Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) instruments installed at Xinglong, (geog.: 40.2oN, 117.4oE; geom.: 35oN), Kelan (geog.: 38.7oN, 111.6oE; geom.: 34oN) and Millstone Hill (geog.: 42.6oN, 71.5oW; geom.: 52oN) started to measure the thermosphere neutral winds near 250 km since April 2010, March 2010 and November 2011, respectively. In this work, the joined comparison of FPI observed winds and two models during geomagnetic quiet time are processed for the study of mid-latitudinal thermosphere. The years of FPI wind data we use are from 2010 to 2014. The two models we use are NCAR TIE-GCM (Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model of National Center for Atmospheric Research) and HWM07 (Horizontal Wind Model, version 2007). The real solar and geomagnetic conditions were applied to the models.

  7. Equatorial thermospheric wind changes during the solar cycle: Measurements at Arequipa, Peru, from 1983 to 1990

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biondi, M.A.; Meriwether, J.W. Jr.; Fejer, B.G.; Gonzalez, S.A.; Hallenbeck, D.C.

    1991-01-01

    Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts in the nightglow 630-nm emission line have been used to determine near-equatorial thermospheric wind velocities at Arequipa, Peru, over ∼ 2/3 of a solar cycle. Monthly-average nocturnal variations in the meridional and zonal wind components were calculated from the nightly data to remove short term (day-to-day) variability, facilitating display of seasonal changes in the wind patterns, as well as any additional changes introduced by the progression of the solar cycle. The measured seasonal variations in the wind patterns are more pronounced than the solar cycle variations and are more readily understandable in terms of the expected, underlying forcing and damping processes. For most of the years, at the winter solstice, there is a weak (≤ 100 m/s) transequatorial flow from the summer to the winter hemisphere in the early and the late night, with essentially zero velocities in between. At the equinoxes, an early-night poleward (southward) flow at solar minimum (1986) is replaced by an equatorward (northward) flow at solar maximum (1989-1990). The zonal flows are predominantly eastward throughout the night, except for the solar minimum equinoxes, where brief westward flows appear in the early and the late night. The peak eastward velocities increase toward solar maximum; at the winter solstice, they are ∼ 100-130 m/s in 1983, 1984 and 1986, reaching ∼ 200 m/s in 1988, 1989 and 1990. The present equatorial thermospheric wind determinations agree in some respects with the satellite-data-based horizontal wind model IIWM-87 and the vector spherical harmonic form of the thermospheric general circulation model

  8. Initial daytime and nighttime SOFDI observations of thermospheric winds from Fabry-Perot Doppler shift measurements of the 630-nm OI line-shape profile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. J. Gerrard

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present both night and day thermospheric wind observations made with the Second-generation, Optimized, Fabry-Perot Doppler Imager (SOFDI, a novel triple-etalon Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI designed to make 24-h measurements of thermospheric winds from OI 630-nm emission. These results were obtained from the northeastern United States and from under the magnetic equator at Huancayo, Peru and demonstrate the current instrument capability for measurements of Doppler shifts for either night or day. We found the uncertainties in the measurements agree with expected values based upon forward modeling calculations; nighttime wind components having an uncertainty of ~20-m s−1 at 30-min resolution and daytime wind components having an uncertainty of ~70-m s−1 at 20-min resolution. The nighttime uncertainties are typically larger than those seen with traditional single-etalon FPIs, which occur at the cost of being able to achieve daytime measurements. The thermospheric wind measurements from Huancayo replicate recently reported CHAMP zonal winds and are in disagreement with current empirical wind climatologies. In addition, we discuss the incorporation of how multiple point heads in the SOFDI instrument will allow for unique studies of gravity wave activity in future measurements.

  9. Global empirical wind model for the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere. I. Prevailing wind

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    Y. I. Portnyagin

    Full Text Available An updated empirical climatic zonally averaged prevailing wind model for the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere (70-110 km, extending from 80°N to 80°S is presented. The model is constructed from the fitting of monthly mean winds from meteor radar and MF radar measurements at more than 40 stations, well distributed over the globe. The height-latitude contour plots of monthly mean zonal and meridional winds for all months of the year, and of annual mean wind, amplitudes and phases of annual and semiannual harmonics of wind variations are analyzed to reveal the main features of the seasonal variation of the global wind structures in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Some results of comparison between the ground-based wind models and the space-based models are presented. It is shown that, with the exception of annual mean systematic bias between the zonal winds provided by the ground-based and space-based models, a good agreement between the models is observed. The possible origin of this bias is discussed.

    Key words: Meteorology and Atmospheric dynamics (general circulation; middle atmosphere dynamics; thermospheric dynamics

  10. Substorm-related thermospheric density and wind disturbances derived from CHAMP observations

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    P. Ritter

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The input of energy and momentum from the magnetosphere is most efficiently coupled into the high latitude ionosphere-thermosphere. The phenomenon we are focusing on here is the magnetospheric substorm. This paper presents substorm related observations of the thermosphere derived from the CHAMP satellite. With its sensitive accelerometer the satellite can measure the air density and zonal winds. Based on a large number of substorm events the average high and low latitude thermospheric response to substorm onsets was deduced. During magnetic substorms the thermospheric density is enhanced first at high latitudes. Then the disturbance travels at an average speed of 650 m/s to lower latitudes, and 3–4 h later the bulge reaches the equator on the night side. Under the influence of the Coriolis force the travelling atmospheric disturbance (TAD is deflected westward. In accordance with present-day atmospheric models the disturbance zonal wind velocities during substorms are close to zero near the equator before midnight and attain moderate westward velocities after midnight. In general, the wind system is only weakly perturbed (Δvy<20 m/s by substorms.

  11. Seasonal Dependence of Geomagnetic Active-Time Northern High-Latitude Upper Thermospheric Winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhadly, Manbharat S.; Emmert, John T.; Drob, Douglas P.; Conde, Mark G.; Doornbos, Eelco; Shepherd, Gordon G.; Makela, Jonathan J.; Wu, Qian; Nieciejewski, Richard J.; Ridley, Aaron J.

    2018-01-01

    This study is focused on improving the poorly understood seasonal dependence of northern high-latitude F region thermospheric winds under active geomagnetic conditions. The gaps in our understanding of the dynamic high-latitude thermosphere are largely due to the sparseness of thermospheric wind measurements. With current observational facilities, it is infeasible to construct a synoptic picture of thermospheric winds, but enough data with wide spatial and temporal coverage have accumulated to construct a meaningful statistical analysis. We use long-term data from eight ground-based and two space-based instruments to derive climatological wind patterns as a function of magnetic local time, magnetic latitude, and season. These diverse data sets possess different geometries and different spatial and solar activity coverage. The major challenge is to combine these disparate data sets into a coherent picture while overcoming the sampling limitations and biases among them. In our previous study (focused on quiet time winds), we found bias in the Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) cross-track winds. Here we empirically quantify the GOCE bias and use it as a correction profile for removing apparent bias before empirical wind formulation. The assimilated wind patterns exhibit all major characteristics of high-latitude neutral circulation. The latitudinal extent of duskside circulation expands almost 10∘ from winter to summer. The dawnside circulation subsides from winter to summer. Disturbance winds derived from geomagnetic active and quiet winds show strong seasonal and latitudinal variability. Comparisons between wind patterns derived here and Disturbance Wind Model (DWM07) (which have no seasonal dependence) suggest that DWM07 is skewed toward summertime conditions.

  12. Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridional winds I: optical and radar experimental comparisons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Griffin, E.M.; Mueller-Wodarg, I.C.F.; Aruliah, A.; Aylward, A. [Atmospheric Physics Lab., Univ. Coll. London, London (United Kingdom)

    2004-07-01

    Thermospheric neutral winds at Kiruna, Sweden (67.4 N, 20.4 E) are compared using both direct optical fabry-perot interferometer (FPI) measurements and those derived from European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT) measurements. This combination of experimental data sets, both covering well over a solar cycle of data, allows for a unique comparison of the thermospheric meridional component of the neutral wind as observed by different experimental techniques. Uniquely in this study the EISCAT measurements are used to provide winds for comparison using two separate techniques: the most popular method based on the work of Salah and Holt (1974) and the meridional wind model (MWM) (Miller et al., 1997) application of servo theory. The balance of forces at this location that produces the observed diurnal pattern are investigated using output from the coupled thermosphere and ionosphere (CTIM) numerical model. Along with detailed comparisons from short periods the climatological behaviour of the winds have been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using the experimental techniques. While there are features which are consistent between the 3 techniques, such as the evidence of the equinoctial asymmetry, there are also significant differences between the techniques both in terms of trends and absolute values. It is clear from this and previous studies that the high-latitude representation of the thermospheric neutral winds from the empirical horizontal wind model (HWM), though improved from earlier versions, lacks accuracy in many conditions. The relative merits of each technique are discussed and while none of the techniques provides the perfect data set to address model performance at high-latitude, one or more needs to be included in future HWM reformulations. (orig.)

  13. SAPS effects on thermospheric winds during the 17 March 2013 storm

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    Sheng, C.; Lu, G.; Wang, W.; Doornbos, E.; Talaat, E. R.

    2017-12-01

    Strong subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) were observed by DMSP satellites during the main phase of the 17 March 2013 geomagnetic storm. Both DMSP F18 and GOCE satellites sampled at 19 MLT during this period, providing near-simultaneous measurements of ion drifts and neutral winds near dusk. The fortuitous satellite conjunction allows us to directly examine the SAPS effects on thermospheric winds. In addition, two sets of model runs were carried out for this event: (1) the standard TIEGCM run with high-latitude forcing; (2) the SAPS-TIEGCM run by incoporating an empirical model of SAPS in the subauroral zone. The difference between these two runs represents the influence of SAPS forcing. In particular, we examine ion-neutral coupling at subauroral latitudes through detailed forcing term analysis to determine how the SAPS-related strong westward ion drifts alter thermospheric winds.

  14. Optical sensors for mapping temperature and winds in the thermosphere from a CubeSat platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Stephanie Whalen

    The thermosphere is the region between approximately 80 km and 320 or more km above the earth's surface. While many people consider this elevation to be space rather than atmosphere, there is a small quantity of gasses in this region. The behavior of these gasses influences the orbits of satellites, including the International Space Station, causes space weather events, and influences the weather closer to the surface of the earth. Due to the location and characteristics of the thermosphere, even basic properties such as temperature are very difficult to measure. High spatial and temporal resolution data on temperatures and winds in the thermosphere are needed by both the space weather and earth climate modeling communities. To address this need, Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) started the Profiling Oxygen Emissions of the Thermosphere (POET) program. POET consists of a series of sensors designed to fly on sounding rockets, CubeSats, or larger platforms, such as IridiumNEXT SensorPODS. While each sensor design is different, they all use characteristics of oxygen optical emissions to measure space weather properties. The POET program builds upon the work of the RAIDS, Odin, and UARS programs. Our intention is to dramatically reduce the costs of building, launching, and operating spectrometers in space, thus allowing for more sensors to be in operation. Continuous long-term data from multiple sensors is necessary to understand the underlying physics required to accurately model and predict weather in the thermosphere. While previous spectrometers have been built to measure winds and temperatures in the thermosphere, they have all been large and expensive. The POET sensors use new focal plane technology and optical designs to overcome these obstacles. This thesis focuses on the testing and calibration of the two POET sensors: the Oxygen Profiling of the Atmospheric Limb (OPAL) temperature sensor and the Split-field Etalon Doppler Imager (SEDI) wind sensor.

  15. Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridional winds II: combined FPI, radar and model climatologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Griffin, E.M.; Aruliah, A.; Mueller-Wodarg, I.C.F.; Aylward, A. [Atmospheric Physics Lab., Univ. Coll. London, London (United Kingdom)

    2004-07-01

    The climatological behaviour of the thermospheric meridional wind above Kiruna, Sweden (67.4 N, 20.4 E) has been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using six different techniques, comprising both model and experimental sources. Model output from both the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) (Hedin et al., 1988) and the numerical coupled thermosphere and ionosphere model (CTIM) are compared to the measured behaviour at kiruna, as a single site example. The empirical International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model is used as input to an implementation of servo theory, to provide another climatology combining empirical input with a theoretical framework. The experimental techniques have been introduced in a companion paper in this issue and provide climatologies from direct measurements, using fabry-perot interferometers (FPI), together with 2 separate techniques applied to the European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT) database to derive neutral winds. One of these techniques uses the same implementation of servo theory as has been used with the IRI model. Detailed comparisons for each season and solar activity category allow for conclusions to be drawn as to the major influences on the climatological behaviour of the wind at this latitude. Comparison of the incoherent scatter radar (ISR) derived neutral winds with FPI, empirical model and numerical model winds is important to our understanding and judgement of the validity of the techniques used to derive thermospheric wind databases. The comparisons also test model performance and indicate possible reasons for differences found between the models. In turn, the conclusions point to possible improvements in their formulation. In particular it is found that the empirical models are over-reliant on mid-latitude data in their formulation, and fail to provide accurate estimates of the winds at high-latitudes. (orig.)

  16. Thermospheric winds in the auroral oval: observations of small scale structures and rapid fluctuations by a Doppler imaging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batten, S.; Rees, D.

    1990-01-01

    At high geomagnetic latitudes, thermospheric wind flows are dramatically affected by the combined effects of magnetospheric ion convection and Joule and particle heating. Thermospheric winds have been observed by ground based and space-borne Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs). Short period, localized wind fluctuations have always been difficult to resolve with a conventional FPI, due to the limited time and spatial resolution. However, the highest quality wind data obtained by these instruments from the middle and upper thermosphere have implied that thermospheric winds may respond to the combination of strong local ion drag forcing and heating within the auroral oval and polar cap, with spatial scale sizes of 50-500 km, and with time scales as short as 10-30 min. Since the 1982/1983 winter, a prototype Doppler Imaging System (DIS) has been operated at Kiruna (67.84 0 N, 20.42 0 E). This instrument maps thermospheric wind flows over a region some 500 km in diameter centred on Kiruna and has observed many interesting features in the thermospheric wind fields. In particular, strong local wind gradients, rapid wind reversals and small scale structures are regularly observed, particularly during geomagnetically disturbed nights. (author)

  17. Tidal signatures of the thermospheric mass density and zonal wind at midlatitude: CHAMP and GRACE observations

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    C. Xiong

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available By using the accelerometer measurements from CHAMP and GRACE satellites, the tidal signatures of the thermospheric mass density and zonal wind at midlatitudes have been analyzed in this study. The results show that the mass density and zonal wind at southern midlatitudes are dominated by a longitudinal wave-1 pattern. The most prominent tidal components in mass density and zonal wind are the diurnal tides D0 and DW2 and the semidiurnal tides SW1 and SW3. This is consistent with the tidal signatures in the F region electron density at midlatitudes as reported by Xiong and Lühr (2014. These same tidal components are observed both in the thermospheric and ionospheric quantities, supporting a mechanism that the non-migrating tides in the upper atmosphere are excited in situ by ion–neutral interactions at midlatitudes, consistent with the modeling results of Jones Jr. et al. (2013. We regard the thermospheric dynamics as the main driver for the electron density tidal structures. An example is the in-phase variation of D0 between electron density and mass density in both hemispheres. Further research including coupled atmospheric models is probably needed for explaining the similarities and differences between thermospheric and ionospheric tidal signals at midlatitudes.

  18. Equatorial thermospheric winds: New results using data from a network of three Fabry-Perot interferometers located in central Peru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meriwether, J. W.; Dominquez, L. N.; Milla, M. A.; Chau, J. L.; Makela, J. J.; Fisher, D.

    2013-12-01

    A new observing strategy aimed at improving our understanding of the properties of the equatorial thermosphere wind field, such as the vorticity and divergence, has been developed to generate maps of the thermospheric wind field. Estimates of the neutral wind are obtained from measurements of the Doppler shift of the thermospheric 630.0-nm emission obtained from a sequence of eight evenly spaced azimuthal directions for each of the three Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) observatories located in central Peru (Jicamarca, Nazca, and Arequipa). Measurements towards the zenith and a frequency-stabilized laser reference are also included in each sequence, which takes ~25 minutes to complete. Six of the off-zenith observing directions from the Nazca FPI observatory are used to make common volume (CV) measurements, where two of the FPIs observe the same thermospheric volume with a centroid height of ~250 km at orthogonal angles. These CV positions are located ~225 km north and south of the Nazca FPI observatory. The data obtained during a coordinated observation of the two FPIs observing the same CV location are used to compute estimates of the zonal (u) and meridional (v) wind components. The set of Doppler shifts measured by the three FPIs during a single sequence is used to produce a map of the neutral wind field for that period of time. The construction of this map is based upon the use of a first-order polynomial expansion of the neutral wind field relative to the site coordinates of each FPI location. This expansion includes the first-order gradients of u and v with respect to the zonal (x) and meridional (y) directions. Computation of the best fit in a linear least squares sense of the model expansion parameters to the Doppler shift data for all three sites determines the values of these gradient parameters. Results obtained for mid-winter 2013 show the anti-cyclonic circulation expected near the terminator generated by the day-to-night pressure gradient. Sequences

  19. MENTAT: A New Magnetic Meridional Neutral Wind Model for Earth's Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dandenault, P. B.

    2017-12-01

    We present a new model of thermosphere winds in the F region obtained from variations in the altitude of the peak density of the ionosphere (hmF2). The new Magnetic mEridional NeuTrAl Thermospheric (MENTAT) wind model produces magnetic-meridional neutral winds as a function of year, day of year, solar local time, solar flux, geographic latitude, and geographic longitude. The winds compare well with Fabry-Pérot Interferometer (FPI) wind observations and are shown to provide accurate specifications in regions outside of the observational database such as the midnight collapse of hmF2 at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The model winds are shown to exhibit the expected seasonal, diurnal, and hourly behavior based on geophysical conditions. The magnetic meridional winds are similar to those from the well-known HWM14 model but there are important differences. For example, Townsville, Australia has a strong midnight collapse similar to that at Arecibo, but winds from HWM14 do not reproduce it. Also, the winds from hmF2 exhibit a moderate solar cycle dependence under certain conditions, whereas, HWM14 has no solar activity dependence. For more information, please visit http://www.mentatwinds.net/.

  20. High time resolution measurements of the thermosphere from Fabry-Perot Interferometer measurements of atomic oxygen

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    E. A. K. Ford

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Recent advances in the performance of CCD detectors have enabled a high time resolution study of the high latitude upper thermosphere with Fabry-Perot Interferometers (FPIs to be performed. 10-s integration times were used during a campaign in April 2004 on an FPI located in northern Sweden in the auroral oval. The FPI is used to study the thermosphere by measuring the oxygen red line emission at 630.0 nm, which emits at an altitude of approximately 240 km. Previous time resolutions have been 4 min at best, due to the cycle of look directions normally observed. By using 10 s rather than 40 s integration times, and by limiting the number of full cycles in a night, high resolution measurements down to 15 s were achievable. This has allowed the maximum variability of the thermospheric winds and temperatures, and 630.0 nm emission intensities, at approximately 240 km, to be determined as a few minutes. This is a significantly greater variability than the often assumed value of 1 h or more. A Lomb-Scargle analysis of this data has shown evidence of gravity wave activity with waves with short periods. Gravity waves are an important feature of mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT dynamics, observed using many techniques and providing an important mechanism for energy transfer between atmospheric regions. At high latitudes gravity waves may be generated in-situ by localised auroral activity. Short period waves were detected in all four clear nights when this experiment was performed, in 630.0 nm intensities and thermospheric winds and temperatures. Waves with many periodicities were observed, from periods of several hours, down to 14 min. These waves were seen in all parameters over several nights, implying that this variability is a typical property of the thermosphere.

  1. Ionosonde and optical determinations of thermospheric neutral winds over the Antarctic Peninsula

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    Foppiano, A. J.; Won, Y.-I.; Torres, X. A.; Flores, P. A.; Veloso, A. Daniel; Arriagada, M. A.

    2016-11-01

    Ionosonde observations have been made at Great Wall station (62.22°S; 58.97°W), King George Island, and at further south Vernadsky station (65.25°S; 64.27°W), Argentine Islands, for many years. For several days at the two locations the magnetic meridional component of the thermospheric neutral wind has also been derived using three different algorithms with ionosonde data input. At King Sejong station (62.22°S; 58.78°W), close to Great Wall, almost simultaneous thermospheric winds were measured with a Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) during a few days in 1997. All days correspond to intervals of low solar and geomagnetic activity levels and for different seasons. Here, the geographic meridional FPI winds measured at the geographic south pointing location are compared with the magnetic meridional component of the wind derived from ionosonde observations at Vernadsky. Also, the magnetic meridian FPI winds measured using all four cardinal pointing locations are compared with the magnetic meridional component of the wind derived from ionosonde observations at Great Wall. The patterns of the diurnal variations of the magnetic meridional component of ionosonde derived winds using the three different techniques are similar in most cases. However, the amplitudes of these variations and some individual values can differ by more than 150 m/s depending on season, particularly during daytime. Comparison of the autumn FPI with the ionosonde winds for Vernadsky and Great Wall shows that they coincide within observation uncertainties. Results for other seasons are not so good. Some of the discrepancies are discussed in relation to the hour-to-hour variability of ionosonde based winds and the latitudinal gradients of ionospheric characteristics. Other discrepancies need to be further explained. Recently reported FPI mean winds for tens of days in different seasons for Palmer (64.77°S; 64.05°W), Anvers Island, are found to be particularly close to ionosonde derived mean

  2. Temperature and Wind Measurements in Venus Lower Thermosphere between 2007 and 2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, Pia; Sornig, Manuela; Wischnewski, Carolin; Sonnabend, Guido; Stangier, Tobias; Herrmann, Maren; Kostiuk, Theodor; Livengood, Timothy A.; Pätzold, Martin

    2016-10-01

    The structure of Venus atmosphere and its thermal and dynamical behavior was intensely studied during the past decade by groundbased and the space mission Venus Express. A comprehensive understanding of the atmosphere, however, is still missing. Direct measurements of atmospheric parameters on various time scales and at different locations across the planet are essential for better understanding and to validate global circulation models. Line-resolved spectroscopy of infrared CO2 transitions provides a powerful tool to accomplish measurements of temperature and wind speed within the neutral atmosphere, using Doppler line-broadening and Doppler shift. Temperature is the motor to drive circulation, and wind speed is the result. Measuring both provides both the basis and an empirical test for circulation models. Non-LTE emission lines at 10 µm that originate from a pressure level of 1μbar, ~110 km altitude, probe the lower thermosphere and are measurable at high spectral resolution using the infrared heterodyne spectrometers THIS (University of Cologne), HIPWAC (NASA GSFC) and MILAHI (Tohoku University).Thermal and dynamical structures on the Venus day side are retrieved using a newly developed method that considers the influence of the spectrometer field-of-view (FoV) and the dispersion of spectral properties across the FoV. New conclusions from the ground-based observing campaigns between 2007 and 2015 will be presented based on this retrieval methodology. The spatial resolution on the planetary disk is different for each campaign, depending on the apparent diameter of the planet and the diffraction-limited FoV of the telescope. Previously, a comparison of the observing campaigns was limited due to the difference in spatial resolution. The new retrieval method enables comparing observations with different observing geometry. The observations yield a large quantity of temperature and wind measurements at different positions on the planetary disk, which supports

  3. Analysis of Wind Vorticity and Divergence in the High-latitude Lower Thermosphere: Dependence on the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Sil Kwak

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available To better understand the physical processes that control the high-latitude lower thermospheric dynamics, we analyze the divergence and vorticity of the high-latitude neutral wind field in the lower thermosphere during the southern summertime for different IMF conditions. For this study the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (NCAR-TIEG CM is used. The analysis of the large-scale vorticity and divergence provides basic understanding flow configurations to help elucidate the momentum sources that ultimately determine the total wind field in the lower polar thermosphere and provides insight into the relative strengths of the different sources of momentum responsible for driving winds. The mean neutral wind pattern in the high-latitude lower thermosphere is dominated by rotational flow, imparted primarily through the ion drag force, rather than by divergent flow, imparted primarily through Joule and solar heating. The difference vorticity, obtained by subtracting values with zero IMF from those with non-zero IMF, in the high-latitude lower thermosphere is much larger than the difference divergence for all IMF conditions, indicating that a larger response of the thermospheric wind system to enhancement in the momentum input generating the rotational motion with elevated IMF than the corresponding energy input generating the divergent motion. the difference vorticity in the high-latitude lower thermosphere depends on the direction of the IMF. The difference vorticity for negative and positive B_y shows positive and negative, respectively, at higher magnetic latitudes than -70°. For negative B_z, the difference vorticities have positive in the dusk sector and negative in the dawn sector. The difference vorticities for positive B_z have opposite sign. Negative IMF B_z has a stronger effect on the vorticity than does positive B_z.

  4. New results on equatorial thermospheric winds and the midnight temperature maximum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Meriwether

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Optical observations of thermospheric winds and temperatures determined with high resolution measurements of Doppler shifts and Doppler widths of the OI 630-nm equatorial nightglow emission have been made with improved accuracy at Arequipa, Peru (16.4° S, 71.4° W with an imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer. An observing procedure previously used at Arecibo Observatory was applied to achieve increased spatial and temporal sampling of the thermospheric wind and temperature with the selection of eight azimuthal directions, equally spaced from 0 to 360°, at a zenith angle of 60°. By assuming the equivalence of longitude and local time, the data obtained using this technique is analyzed to determine the mean neutral wind speeds and mean horizontal gradients of the wind field in the zonal and meridional directions. The new temperature measurements obtained with the improved instrumental accuracy clearly show the midnight temperature maximum (MTM peak with amplitudes of 25 to 200 K in all directions observed for most nights. The horizontal wind field maps calculated from the mean winds and gradients show the MTM peak is always preceded by an equatorward wind surge lasting 1–2 h. The results also show for winter events a meridional wind abatement seen after the MTM peak. On one occasion, near the September equinox, a reversal was observed during the poleward transit of the MTM over Arequipa. Analysis inferring vertical winds from the observed convergence yielded inconsistent results, calling into question the validity of this calculation for the MTM structure at equatorial latitudes during solar minimum. Comparison of the observations with the predictions of the NCAR general circulation model indicates that the model fails to reproduce the observed amplitude by a factor of 5 or more. This is attributed in part to the lack of adequate spatial resolution in the model as the MTM phenomenon takes place within a scale of 300–500 km and ~45 min in

  5. Multi-event study of high-latitude thermospheric wind variations at substorm onset with a Fabry-Perot interferometer at Tromsoe, Norway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, H.; Shiokawa, K.; Oyama, S. I.; Otsuka, Y.

    2017-12-01

    We studied the high-latitude thermospheric wind variations near the onset time of isolated substorms. Substorm-related energy input from the magnetosphere to the polar ionosphere modifies the high-latitude ionosphere and thermosphere. For the first time, this study showed the characteristics of high-latitude thermospheric wind variations at the substorm onset. We also investigated the possibility of these wind variations as a potential trigger of substorm onset by modifying the ionospheric current system (Kan, 1993). A Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) at Tromsoe, Norway provided wind measurements estimated from Doppler shift of both red-line (630.0 nm for the F region) and green-line (557.7 nm for the E region) emissions of aurora and airglow. We used seven-year data sets obtained from 2009 to 2015 with a time resolution of 13 min. We first identified the onset times of local isolated substorms using ground-based magnetometer data obtained at the Tromsoe and Bear Island stations, which belongs to the IMAGE magnetometer chain. We obtained 4 red-line events and 5 green-line events taken place at different local times. For all these events, the peak locations of westward ionospheric currents identified by the ground-based magnetometer chain were located at the poleward side of Tromsoe. Then, we calculated two weighted averages of wind velocities for 30 min around the onset time and 30 min after the onset time of substorms. We evaluated differences between these two weighted averages to estimate the strength of wind changes. The observed wind changes at these substorm onsets were less than 49 m/s (26 m/s) for red-line (green-line) events, which are much smaller than the typical plasma convection speed. This indicates that the plasma motion caused by substorm-induced thermospheric winds through ion-neutral collisions is a minor effect as the driver of high-latitude plasma convection, as well as the triggering of substorm onset. We discuss possible causes of these

  6. Average thermospheric wind patterns over the polar regions, as observed by CHAMP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Lühr

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Measurements of the CHAMP accelerometer are utilized to investigate the average thermospheric wind distribution in the polar regions at altitudes around 400 km. This study puts special emphasis on the seasonal differences in the wind patterns. For this purpose 131 days centered on the June solstice of 2003 are considered. Within that period CHAMP's orbit is precessing once through all local times. The cross-track wind estimates of all 2030 passes are used to construct mean wind vectors for 918 equal-area cells. These bin averages are presented in corrected geomagnetic coordinates. Both hemispheres are considered simultaneously providing summer and winter responses for the same prevailing geophysical conditions. The period under study is characterized by high magnetic activity (Kp=4− but moderate solar flux level (F10.7=124. Our analysis reveals clear wind features in the summer (Northern Hemisphere. Over the polar cap there is a fast day-to-night flow with mean speeds surpassing 600 m/s in the dawn sector. At auroral latitudes we find strong westward zonal winds on the dawn side. On the dusk side, however, an anti-cyclonic vortex is forming. The dawn/dusk asymmetry is attributed to the combined action of Coriolis and centrifugal forces. Along the auroral oval the sunward streaming plasma causes a stagnation of the day-to-night wind. This effect is particularly clear on the dusk side. On the dawn side it is evident only from midnight to 06:00 MLT. The winter (Southern Hemisphere reveals similar wind features, but they are less well ordered. The mean day-to-night wind over the polar cap is weaker by about 35%. Otherwise, the seasonal differences are mainly confined to the dayside (06:00–18:00 MLT. In addition, the larger offset between geographic and geomagnetic pole in the south also causes hemispheric differences of the thermospheric wind distribution.

  7. Average thermospheric wind patterns over the polar regions, as observed by CHAMP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Lühr

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Measurements of the CHAMP accelerometer are utilized to investigate the average thermospheric wind distribution in the polar regions at altitudes around 400 km. This study puts special emphasis on the seasonal differences in the wind patterns. For this purpose 131 days centered on the June solstice of 2003 are considered. Within that period CHAMP's orbit is precessing once through all local times. The cross-track wind estimates of all 2030 passes are used to construct mean wind vectors for 918 equal-area cells. These bin averages are presented in corrected geomagnetic coordinates. Both hemispheres are considered simultaneously providing summer and winter responses for the same prevailing geophysical conditions. The period under study is characterized by high magnetic activity (Kp=4− but moderate solar flux level (F10.7=124. Our analysis reveals clear wind features in the summer (Northern Hemisphere. Over the polar cap there is a fast day-to-night flow with mean speeds surpassing 600 m/s in the dawn sector. At auroral latitudes we find strong westward zonal winds on the dawn side. On the dusk side, however, an anti-cyclonic vortex is forming. The dawn/dusk asymmetry is attributed to the combined action of Coriolis and centrifugal forces. Along the auroral oval the sunward streaming plasma causes a stagnation of the day-to-night wind. This effect is particularly clear on the dusk side. On the dawn side it is evident only from midnight to 06:00 MLT. The winter (Southern Hemisphere reveals similar wind features, but they are less well ordered. The mean day-to-night wind over the polar cap is weaker by about 35%. Otherwise, the seasonal differences are mainly confined to the dayside (06:00–18:00 MLT. In addition, the larger offset between geographic and geomagnetic pole in the south also causes hemispheric differences of the thermospheric wind distribution.

  8. Radar observations of high-latitude lower-thermospheric and upper-mesospheric winds and their response to geomagnetic activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, R.M.

    1987-01-01

    Observations made by the Chatanika, Alaska, incoherent scatter radar during the summer months of 1976 to 1081 are analyzed to obtain high resolution lower-thermospheric neutral winds. Average winds and their tidal components are presented and compared to previous observational and model results. Upper-mesospheric neutral-wind observations obtained by the Poke Flat, Alaska Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere (MST) radar during the summer months of 1980 to 1982 are investigated statistically for evidence of variations due to geomagnetic activity. Observation of upper-mesospheric neutral winds made during two energetic Solar Proton Events (SPEs) by the Poker Flat, MST radar are presented. These results allow the low-altitude limits of magnetospheric coupling to the neutral atmosphere to be determined. Lower-thermospheric neutral winds are coupled to the ion convection driven by typical magnetospheric forcing above about 100 km. Coupling to lower atmospheric levels does not occur except during intervals of extreme disturbance of the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system which are also accompanied by dramatically increased ionization in the high-latitude mesosphere, such as SPEs

  9. Neutral wind measurements by Fabry-Perot interferometry in Antarctica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stewart, K.D.; Dudeney, J.R.; Rodger, A.S.; Smith, R.W.; Rees, D.

    1986-01-01

    A large-aperture (150 mm), spatially scanned Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) has been deployed at Halley (75.5 o S, 26.8 o W; L=4.2), Antarctica. Thermospheric neutral wind measurements were made by finding the Doppler shift of the OI( 3 P 2 - 1 D 2 ) 630.0 nm emission. This has allowed the first comparison to be made between southern hemisphere ground-based thermospheric wind measurements and the predictions of a three-dimensional, time-dependent thermospheric global circulation model. Geomagnetic and geographic latitude are well separated at Halley, so we may expect a distinct contrast to the dynamic behaviour observed in the more frequently studied northern polar thermosphere. Although the initial results from the experiment are in general agreement with the model, some consistent and significant differences between the observed wind field and that predicted are evident in the morning sector. These may be related to uncertainties in mapping magnetospheric boundaries to ionospheric heights in the southern hemisphere. The intensity of the 630 nm emission has been examined with respect to the maximum plasma frequency of the Es layer using data from the Advanced Ionospheric Sounder at Halley

  10. THz limb sounder (TLS) for lower thermospheric wind, oxygen density, and temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Dong L.; Yee, Jeng-Hwa; Schlecht, Erich; Mehdi, Imran; Siles, Jose; Drouin, Brian J.

    2016-07-01

    Neutral winds are one of the most critical measurements in the lower thermosphere and E region ionosphere (LTEI) for understanding complex electrodynamic processes and ion-neutral interactions. We are developing a high-sensitivity, low-power, noncryogenic 2.06 THz Schottky receiver to measure wind profiles at 100-140 km. The new technique, THz limb sounder (TLS), aims to measure LTEI winds by resolving the wind-induced Doppler shift of 2.06 THz atomic oxygen (OI) emissions. As a transition between fine structure levels in the ground electronic state, the OI emission is in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) at altitudes up to 350 km. This LTE property, together with day-and-night capability and small line-of-sight gradient, makes the OI limb sounding a very attractive technique for neutral wind observations. In addition to the wind measurement, TLS can also retrieve [OI] density and neutral temperature in the LTEI region. TLS leverages rapid advances in THz receiver technologies including subharmonically pumped (SHP) mixers and Schottky-diode-based power multipliers. Current SHP Schottky receivers have produced good sensitivity for THz frequencies at ambient environment temperatures (120-150 K), which are achievable through passively cooling in spaceflight. As an emerging technique, TLS can fill the critical data gaps in the LTEI neutral wind observations to enable detailed studies on the coupling and dynamo processes between charged and neutral molecules.

  11. Geomagnetically conjugate observation of plasma bubbles and thermospheric neutral winds at low latitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukushima, D.; Shiokawa, K.; Otsuka, Y.; Nishioka, M.; Kubota, M.; Tsugawa, T.; Nagatsuma, T.; Komonjinda, S.; Yatini, C. Y.

    2015-03-01

    This is the first paper that reports simultaneous observations of zonal drift of plasma bubbles and the thermospheric neutral winds at geomagnetically conjugate points in both hemispheres. The plasma bubbles were observed in the 630 nm nighttime airglow images taken by using highly sensitive all-sky airglow imagers at Kototabang, Indonesia (geomagnetic latitude (MLAT): 10.0°S), and Chiang Mai, Thailand (MLAT: 8.9°N), which are nearly geomagnetically conjugate stations, for 7 h from 13 to 20 UT (from 20 to 03 LT) on 5 April 2011. The bubbles continuously propagated eastward with velocities of 100-125 m/s. The 630 nm images at Chiang Mai and those mapped to the conjugate point of Kototabang fit very well, which indicates that the observed plasma bubbles were geomagnetically connected. The eastward thermospheric neutral winds measured by two Fabry-Perot interferometers were 70-130 m/s at Kototabang and 50-90 m/s at Chiang Mai. We compared the observed plasma bubble drift velocity with the velocity calculated from the observed neutral winds and the model conductivity, to investigate the F region dynamo contribution to the bubble drift velocity. The estimated drift velocities were 60-90% of the observed velocities of the plasma bubbles, suggesting that most of the plasma bubble velocity can be explained by the F region dynamo effect.

  12. Empirical global model of upper thermosphere winds based on atmosphere and dynamics explorer satellite data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedin, A. E.; Spencer, N. W.; Killeen, T. L.

    1988-01-01

    Thermospheric wind data obtained from the Atmosphere Explorer E and Dynamics Explorer 2 satellites have been used to generate an empirical wind model for the upper thermosphere, analogous to the MSIS model for temperature and density, using a limited set of vector spherical harmonics. The model is limited to above approximately 220 km where the data coverage is best and wind variations with height are reduced by viscosity. The data base is not adequate to detect solar cycle (F10.7) effects at this time but does include magnetic activity effects. Mid- and low-latitude data are reproduced quite well by the model and compare favorably with published ground-based results. The polar vortices are present, but not to full detail.

  13. Superstorms of November 2003 and 2004: the role of solar wind driving in the ionosphere-thermosphere dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verkhoglyadova, O. P.; Komjathy, A.; Mannucci, A. J.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Hunt, L. A.; Paxton, L. J.

    2017-12-01

    We revisit three complex superstorms of 19-20 November 2003, 7-8 November 2004 and 9-11 November 2004 to analyze ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) effects driven by different solar wind structures. We distinguish structures associated with ICMEs and their upstream sheaths. The efficiencies of the solar wind-magnetosphere connection throughout the storms are estimated by coupling functions. The daytime IT responses to the complex driving are characterized by combining measurements of characteristic IT parameters. We focus on low- and middle-latitude TEC, global thermospheric infrared nitric oxide emission, composition ratio and locations of the auroral boundary obtained from multiple satellite platforms and ground-based measurements (GPS, TIMED/SABER, TIMED/GUVI, DMSP/SSUSI). A variety of metrics are utilized to examine IT phenomena at 1 hour time scales. It is well-known that the November storm periods featured TEC responses that did not fit a typical pattern. The role of direct driving of IT dynamics by solar wind structures and the role of IT pre-conditioning in these storms are examined to explain the complex unusual ionospheric responses. We identify IT feedback effects that can be important for long-lasting strong storms.

  14. Mid-latitude thermospheric wind changes during the St. Patrick's Day storm of 2015 observed by two Fabry-Perot interferometers in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Cong; Xu, Ji-Yao; Zhang, Xiao-Xin; Liu, Dan-Dan; Yuan, Wei; Jiang, Guo-Ying

    2018-04-01

    In this work, we utilize thermospheric wind observations by the Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPI) from the Kelan (KL) station (38.7°N, 111.6°E, Magnetic Latitude: 28.9°N) and the Xinglong (XL) station (40.2°N, 117.4°E, Magnetic Latitude: 30.5°N) in central China during the St. Patrick's Day storm (from Mar. 17 to Mar. 19) of 2015 to analyze thermospheric wind disturbances and compare observations with the Horizontal Wind Model 2007 (HWM07). The results reveal that the wind measurements at KL show very similar trends to those at XL. Large enhancements are seen in both the westward and equatorward winds after the severe geomagnetic storm occurred. The westward wind speed increased to a peak value of 75 m/s and the equatorward wind enhanced to a peak value of over 100 m/s. There also exist obvious poleward disturbances in the meridional winds during Mar. 17 to Mar. 19. According to the comparison with HWM07, there exist evident wind speed and temporal differences between FPI-winds and the model outputs in this severe geomagnetic storm. The discrepancies between the observations and HWM07 imply that the empirical model should be used carefully in wind disturbance forecast during large geomagnetic storms and more investigations between measurements and numerical models are necessary in future studies.

  15. Simulations of large winds and wind shears induced by gravity wave breaking in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region

    OpenAIRE

    X. Liu; X. Liu; J. Xu; H.-L. Liu; J. Yue; W. Yuan

    2014-01-01

    Using a fully nonlinear two-dimensional (2-D) numerical model, we simulated gravity waves (GWs) breaking and their contributions to the formation of large winds and wind shears in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). An eddy diffusion coefficient is used in the 2-D numerical model to parameterize realistic turbulent mixing. Our study shows that the momentum deposited by breaking GWs accelerates the mean wind. The resultant large background wind increases the GW's app...

  16. Generation of the lower-thermospheric vertical wind estimated with the EISCAT KST radar at high latitudes during periods of moderate geomagnetic disturbance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Oyama

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Lower-thermospheric winds at high latitudes during moderately-disturbed geomagnetic conditions were studied using data obtained with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT Kiruna-Sodankylä-Tromsø (KST ultrahigh frequency (UHF radar system on 9–10 September 2004. The antenna-beam configuration was newly designed to minimize the estimated measurement error of the vertical neutral-wind speed in the lower thermosphere. This method was also available to estimate the meridional and zonal components. The vertical neutral-wind speed at 109 km, 114 km, and 120 km heights showed large upward motions in excess of 30 m s−1 in association with an ionospheric heating event. Large downward speeds in excess of −30 m s−1 were also observed before and after the heating event. The meridional neutral-wind speed suddenly changed its direction from equatorward to poleward when the heating event began, and then returned equatorward coinciding with a decrease in the heating event. The magnetometer data from northern Scandinavia suggested that the center of the heated region was located about 80 km equatorward of Tromsø. The pressure gradient caused the lower-thermospheric wind to accelerate obliquely upward over Tromsø in the poleward direction. Acceleration of the neutral wind flowing on a vertically tilted isobar produced vertical wind speeds larger by more than two orders of magnitude than previously predicted, but still an order of magnitude smaller than observed speeds.

  17. Generation of the lower-thermospheric vertical wind estimated with the EISCAT KST radar at high latitudes during periods of moderate geomagnetic disturbance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Oyama

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Lower-thermospheric winds at high latitudes during moderately-disturbed geomagnetic conditions were studied using data obtained with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT Kiruna-Sodankylä-Tromsø (KST ultrahigh frequency (UHF radar system on 9–10 September 2004. The antenna-beam configuration was newly designed to minimize the estimated measurement error of the vertical neutral-wind speed in the lower thermosphere. This method was also available to estimate the meridional and zonal components. The vertical neutral-wind speed at 109 km, 114 km, and 120 km heights showed large upward motions in excess of 30 m s−1 in association with an ionospheric heating event. Large downward speeds in excess of −30 m s−1 were also observed before and after the heating event. The meridional neutral-wind speed suddenly changed its direction from equatorward to poleward when the heating event began, and then returned equatorward coinciding with a decrease in the heating event. The magnetometer data from northern Scandinavia suggested that the center of the heated region was located about 80 km equatorward of Tromsø. The pressure gradient caused the lower-thermospheric wind to accelerate obliquely upward over Tromsø in the poleward direction. Acceleration of the neutral wind flowing on a vertically tilted isobar produced vertical wind speeds larger by more than two orders of magnitude than previously predicted, but still an order of magnitude smaller than observed speeds.

  18. Coordinated observations of postmidnight irregularities and thermospheric neutral winds and temperatures at low latitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dao, Tam; Otsuka, Yuichi; Shiokawa, Kazuo; Nishioka, Michi; Yamamoto, Mamoru; Buhari, Suhaila M.; Abdullah, Mardina; Husin, Asnawi

    2017-07-01

    We investigated a postmidnight field-aligned irregularity (FAI) event observed with the Equatorial Atmosphere Radar at Kototabang (0.2°S, 100.3°E, dip latitude 10.4°S) in Indonesia on the night of 9 July 2010 using a comprehensive data set of both neutral and plasma parameters. We examined the rate of total electron content change index (ROTI) obtained from GPS receivers in Southeast Asia, airglow images detected by an all-sky imager, and thermospheric neutral winds and temperatures obtained by a Fabry-Perot interferometer at Kototabang. Altitudes of the F layer (h'F) observed by ionosondes at Kototabang, Chiang Mai, and Chumphon were also surveyed. We found that the postmidnight FAIs occurred within plasma bubbles and coincided with kilometer-scale plasma density irregularities. We also observed an enhancement of the magnetically equatorward thermospheric neutral wind at the same time as the increase of h'F at low-latitude stations, but h'F at a station near the magnetic equator remained invariant. Simultaneously, a magnetically equatorward gradient of thermospheric temperature was identified at Kototabang. The convergence of equatorward neutral winds from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres could be associated with a midnight temperature maximum occurring around the magnetic equator. Equatorward neutral winds can uplift the F layer at low latitudes and increase the growth rate of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, causing more rapid extension of plasma bubbles. The equatorward winds in both hemispheres also intensify the eastward Pedersen current, so a large polarization electric field generated in the plasma bubble might play an important role in the generation of postmidnight FAIs.

  19. Michelson Interferometer for Global High-Resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI): Monolithic Interferometer Design and Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harlander, John M.; Englert, Christoph R.; Brown, Charles M.; Marr, Kenneth D.; Miller, Ian J.; Zastera, Vaz; Bach, Bernhard W.; Mende, Stephen B.

    2017-10-01

    The design and laboratory tests of the interferometers for the Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument which measures thermospheric wind and temperature for the NASA-sponsored Ionospheric Connection (ICON) Explorer mission are described. The monolithic interferometers use the Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) Spectroscopy technique for wind measurements and a multi-element photometer approach to measure thermospheric temperatures. The DASH technique and overall optical design of the MIGHTI instrument are described in an overview followed by details on the design, element fabrication, assembly, laboratory tests and thermal control of the interferometers that are the heart of MIGHTI.

  20. Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridionalwinds I: optical and radar experimental comparisons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. M. Griffin

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available Thermospheric neutral winds at Kiruna, Sweden (67.4°N, 20.4°E are compared using both direct optical Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI measurements and those derived from European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT measurements. This combination of experimental data sets, both covering well over a solar cycle of data, allows for a unique comparison of the thermospheric meridional component of the neutral wind as observed by different experimental techniques. Uniquely in this study the EISCAT measurements are used to provide winds for comparison using two separate techniques: the most popular method based on the work of Salah and Holt (1974 and the Meridional Wind Model (MWM (Miller et al., 1997 application of servo theory. The balance of forces at this location that produces the observed diurnal pattern are investigated using output from the Coupled Thermosphere and Ionosphere (CTIM numerical model. Along with detailed comparisons from short periods the climatological behaviour of the winds have been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using the experimental techniques. While there are features which are consistent between the 3 techniques, such as the evidence of the equinoctial asymmetry, there are also significant differences between the techniques both in terms of trends and absolute values. It is clear from this and previous studies that the high-latitude representation of the thermospheric neutral winds from the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM, though improved from earlier versions, lacks accuracy in many conditions. The relative merits of each technique are discussed and while none of the techniques provides the perfect data set to address model performance at high-latitude, one or more needs to be included in future HWM reformulations.

    Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics, Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interactions, auroral ionosphere

  1. Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridionalwinds I: optical and radar experimental comparisons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. M. Griffin

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available Thermospheric neutral winds at Kiruna, Sweden (67.4°N, 20.4°E are compared using both direct optical Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI measurements and those derived from European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT measurements. This combination of experimental data sets, both covering well over a solar cycle of data, allows for a unique comparison of the thermospheric meridional component of the neutral wind as observed by different experimental techniques. Uniquely in this study the EISCAT measurements are used to provide winds for comparison using two separate techniques: the most popular method based on the work of Salah and Holt (1974 and the Meridional Wind Model (MWM (Miller et al., 1997 application of servo theory. The balance of forces at this location that produces the observed diurnal pattern are investigated using output from the Coupled Thermosphere and Ionosphere (CTIM numerical model. Along with detailed comparisons from short periods the climatological behaviour of the winds have been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using the experimental techniques. While there are features which are consistent between the 3 techniques, such as the evidence of the equinoctial asymmetry, there are also significant differences between the techniques both in terms of trends and absolute values. It is clear from this and previous studies that the high-latitude representation of the thermospheric neutral winds from the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM, though improved from earlier versions, lacks accuracy in many conditions. The relative merits of each technique are discussed and while none of the techniques provides the perfect data set to address model performance at high-latitude, one or more needs to be included in future HWM reformulations. Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics, Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interactions, auroral ionosphere

  2. Tidal winds from the mesosphere, lower thermosphere global radar network during the second LTCS campaign: December 1988

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manson, A.H.; Meek, C.E.; Avery, S.K.; Fraser, G.J.; Vincent, R.A.; Phillips, A.; Clark, R.R.; Schminder, R.; Kurschner, D.; Kazimirovsky, E.S.

    1991-01-01

    Winds and tides were measured by nine MLT (mesophere, lower thermosphere) radars with locations between 70 degree N and 78 degree S, including an equatorial station at Christmas Island, 2 degree N (Avery et al., 1990). The mean winds were eastward (westward) in the northern (southern) hemisphere mesophere, consistent with midwinter circulations. For the 12-hour (semidiurnal) tide, observations and the model of Forbes and Vial (1989) were in generally good agreement: in both cases northward components were closer to being in phase in the two hemispheres, and winter wavelengths were shorter than those of the midlatitude summer. Major differences were large (small) amplitudes at 70 degree N for model(observations); and poor agreement of equatorial tidal profiles. For the 24-hour (diurnal tide), the radar observations and model of Forbes and Hagan (1988) were in useful agreement in the summer hemisphere. However, the short (long) wavelengths at mid (high) latitudes of the model's winter hemisphere were not observed during LTCS (lower Thermosphere Coupling Study) 2, nor in climatologies for December. Suggestions as to the reason for this disparity are presented

  3. Observing Equatorial Thermospheric Winds and Temperatures with a New Mapping Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faivre, M. W.; Meriwether, J. W.; Sherwood, P.; Veliz, O.

    2005-12-01

    Application of the Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) at Arequipa, Peru (16.4S, 71.4 W) to measure the Doppler shifts and Doppler broadenings in the equatorial O(1D) 630-nm nightglow has resulted in numerous detections of a large-scale thermospheric phenomenon called the Midnight Temperature Maximum (MTM). A recent detector upgrade with a CCD camera has improved the accuracy of these measurements by a factor of 5. Temperature increases of 50 to 150K have been measured during nights in April and July, 2005, with error bars less than 10K after averaging in all directions. Moreover, the meridional wind measurements show evidence for a flow reversal from equatorward to poleward near local midnight for such events. A new observing strategy based upon the pioneering work of Burnside et al.[1981] maps the equatorial wind and temperature fields by observing in eight equally-spaced azimuth directions, each with a zenith angle of 60 degrees. Analysis of the data obtained with this technique gives the mean wind velocities in the meridional and zonal directions as well as the horizontal gradients of the wind field for these directions. Significant horizontal wind gradients are found for the meridional direction but not for the zonal direction. The zonal wind blows eastward throughout the night with a maximum speed of ~150 m/s near the middle of the night and then decreases towards zero just before dawn. In general, the fastest poleward meridional wind is observed near mid-evening. By the end of the night, the meridional flow tends to be more equatorward at speeds of about 50 m/s. Using the assumption that local time and longitude are equivalent over a period of 30 minutes, a map of the horizontal wind field vector field is constructed over a range of 12 degrees latitude centered at 16.5 S. Comparison between MTM nights and quiet nights (no MTM) revealed significant differences in the horizontal wind fields. Using the method of Fourier decomposition of the line-of-sight winds

  4. LATTICE: The Lower ATmosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mlynczak, M. G.; Yee, J. H.

    2017-12-01

    We present the Lower Atmosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Experiment (LATTICE), which is a candidate mission for proposal to a future NASA Announcement of Opportunity. LATTICE will make the first consistent measurements of global kinetic temperature from the tropopause up to at least 160 km, along with global vector winds from 100 to 160 km at all local times. LATTICE thus provides, for the first time, a consistent picture of the coupling of the terrestrial lower atmosphere to the thermosphere-ionosphere system, which is a major scientific goal outlined in the 2012 Heliophysics Decadal Survey. The core instruments on LATTICE are the Terahertz Limb Sounder (TLS) and the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry-II (SABER-II) instrument. The TLS instrument measures the 147 µm (2.04 THz) fine structure line of atomic oxygen. From these measurements TLS will provide kinetic temperature, atomic oxygen density, and vector wind from 100 to at least 160 km altitude. SABER-II is an infrared radiometer and is optically identical to the legacy SABER instrument on the current TIMED satellite. SABER-II is half the mass, half the power, and one-third the volume of the legacy instrument, and expects the same radiometric performance. SABER-II will again measure kinetic temperature from 15 to 110 km and will make measurements of key parameters in the thermosphere-ionosphere system including NO+, the green line and red line emissions, as well as continuing legacy measurements of ozone, water vapor, atomic oxygen, and atomic hydrogen in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. We will describe the LATTICE mission in detail including other potential instruments for diagnosing thermospheric composition and high latitude energy inputs, and for measuring solar ultraviolet irradiance.

  5. Lower thermosphere (80-100 km) dynamics response to solar and geomagnetic activity: Overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kazimirovsky, E.S.

    1989-01-01

    The variations of solar and geomagnetic activity may affect the thermosphere circulation via plasma heating and electric fields, especially at high latitudes. The possibility exists that the energy involved in auroral and magnetic storms can produce significant changes of mesosphere and lower thermosphere wind systems. A study of global radar measurements of winds at 80 to 100 km region revealed the short term effects (correlation between wind field and geomagnetic storms) and long term variations over a solar cycle. It seems likely that the correlation results from a modification of planetary waves and tides propagated from below, thus altering the dynamical regime of the thermosphere. Sometimes the long term behavior points rather to a climatic variation with the internal atmospheric cause than to a direct solar control

  6. Climatologies of nighttime upper thermospheric winds measured by ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometers during geomagnetically quiet conditions: 2. High-latitude circulation and interplanetary magnetic field dependence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Emmert, J.T.; Hernandez, G.; Jarvis, M.J.

    2006-01-01

    We analyze upper thermospheric (similar to 250 km) nighttime horizontal neutral wind patterns, during geomagnetically quiet (Kp S), Halley (76 degrees S, 27 degrees W), Millstone Hill (43 degrees N, 72 degrees W), Sondre...

  7. Thermospheric neutral wind profile in moonlit midnight by Lithium release experiments in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, M. Y.; Watanabe, S.; Abe, T.; Kakinami, Y.; Habu, H.; Yamamoto, M.

    2015-12-01

    Neutral wind profiles were observed in lower thermosphere at about between 90 km and 130 km altitude by using resonance scattering light of moonlit Lithium (Li) vapor released from sounding rockets in midnight (with almost full-moon condition) in 2013 in Japan. As a target of the Daytime Dynamo campaign, Li release experiment was operated at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) of NASA, U.S.A. in July, 2013 (Pfaff et al., 2015, this meeting), while the same kind of rocket-ground observation campaign in midnight was carried out by using S-520-27/S-310-42 sounding rockets in Uchinoura Space Center (USC) of JAXA, Kagoshima, Japan, also in July 2013.Since imaging signal-to-noise (S/N) condition of the experiment was so severe, we conducted to apply airborne observation for imaging the faint moonlit Li tracers so as to reduce the illuminating intensity of the background skies as an order of magnitude. Two independent methods for calculating the wind profile were applied to the Lithium emission image sequences successfully obtained by the airborne imaging by special Li imagers aboard the airplanes in order to derive precise information of Li tracers motion under the condition of single observation site on a moving aircraft along its flight path at about 12 km altitude in lower stratosphere. Slight attitude-feedback motion of the aircraft's 3-axes attitude changes (rolling, yawing and pitching) was considered for obtaining precise coordinates on each snapshot. Another approach is giving a simple mathematic function for wind profile to resolve the shape displacement of the imaged Li tracers. As a result, a wind profile in moonlit thermosphere was calculated in a range up to about 150 m/s with some fluctuated parts possibly disturbed by wind shears. In the same experiment, another sounding rocket S-310-42 with a TMA canister was also launched from USC/JAXA at about 1 hour before the rocket with carrying the Lithium canisters, thus, we can derive the other 2 profiles determined by

  8. The global thermospheric mapping study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliver, W.L.; Salah, J.E.

    1988-01-01

    The Global Thermospheric Mapping Study (GTMS) is a multitechnique experimental pilot study of the Earth's thermosphere designed to map simultaneously its spatial and temporal morphology. This paper provides the background for the study and presents the analysis techniques employed at Millstone Hill and results to date on thermospheric structure and dynamics. The first latitudinal-temporal maps of exospheric temperature obtained from the incoherent scatter radar chain at 70W meridian are presented for the two solstice periods, revealing substantial seasonal differences between them. The observed structure shows a relatively depressed temperature at high latitude in summer in contrast to the mass spectrometer/incoherent scatter 1983 [MSIS-83] empirical model, which shows a maximum temperature at polar latitudes. The MSIS-83 model predictions are in good agreement with the observed latitudinal-temporal structure in winter. Comparison with the numerical predictions made for the June 26-28, 1984 period with the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model shows reasonable agreement in the latitudinal gradient but the observations indicate a cooler thermosphere by several hundred degrees. Neutral winds at mid-latitudes are presented showing the expected strong southward winds at night, which are found to be consistent with the temperature gradients observed in the latitudinal maps. There is good agreement in the June winds between the available numerical model calculations and the observations. Work performed elsewhere on the GTMS data base is summarized for completeness

  9. Numerical simulations of thermospheric dynamics: divergence as a proxy for vertical winds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. L. Cooper

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available A local scale, time dependent three-dimensional model of the neutral thermosphere was used to test the applicability of two previously published empirical relations between thermospheric vertical wind and velocity divergence, i.e., those due to Burnside et al. (1981 and Brekke (1997. The model self-consistently solves for vertical winds driven by heat and momentum deposited into the neutral atmosphere by high latitude ion convection. The Brekke condition accurately mimicked the overall "shape" of the three-dimensional model vertical wind field although, as written, it consistently overestimated the vertical wind magnitude by a factor of approximately 5/3, for the heating scenarios that we considered. This same general behavior was observed regardless of whether the forcing was static or rapidly changing with time. We discuss the likely reason for the Brekke condition overestimating the magnitude of our vertical winds, and suggest an alternative condition that should better describe vertical winds that are driven by local heating. The applicability of the Burnside condition was, by contrast, quite variable. During static heating, both the magnitude and the sign of the model vertical winds were predicted reliably at heights above those of maximum energy and momentum deposition per unit mass. However, below the thermal forcing, the Burnside condition predicted vertical winds of the wrong sign. It also introduced significant artefacts into the predicted vertical wind field when the forcing changed suddenly with time. If these results are of general applicability (which seems likely, given the way these relations are derived then the Burnside condition could usually be used safely at altitudes above hmF2. But it should be avoided below this height at all times, and even at high altitudes during periods of dynamic forcing. While the Brekke condition (or our modified version of it could likely be used in all circumstances

  10. Mean vertical wind in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere region (80–120 km deduced from the WINDII observations on board UARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Fauliot

    1997-09-01

    Full Text Available The WINDII interferometer placed on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite measures temperature and wind from the O(1S green-line emission in the Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere. It is a remote-sensing instrument providing the horizontal wind components. In this study, the vertical winds are derived using the continuity equation. Mean wind annually averaged at equinoxes and solstices is shown. Ascendance and subsidence to the order of 1–2 cm s–1 present a seasonal occurrence at the equator and tropics. Zonal Coriolis acceleration and adiabatic heating and cooling rate associated to the mean meridional and vertical circulations are evaluated. The line emission rate measured together with the horizontal wind shows structures in altitude and latitude correlated with the meridional and vertical wind patterns. The effect of wind advection is discussed.

  11. Auroral zone thermospheric dynamics using Fabry-Perot interferometric measurements of the O1 15867 K emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sica, R.J.

    1985-01-01

    Forty-four nights of thermospheric neutral wind and temperature measurements were obtained from College, Alaska (65 0 invariant latitude) during solar maximum using a ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer. When averaged by increasing geomagnetic activity, the wind exhibits two main features. First, the general flow pattern poleward and westward in the evening, changing to southward and eastward in the morning, persists with increasing activity. The flow velocity increases and the change in direction occurs earlier in magnetic local time as the geomagnetic activity increases. Second, as the activity increases, the meridional wind pattern shifts equatorward with the auroral oval. Consequently, the low geomagnetic activity average wind pattern in the north is similar to the moderate activity average pattern in the south. The average thermospheric temperature is governed by the geomagnetic activity and by the previous day's 10.7 cm solar flux. The increase in temperature with solar flux is about the same as with auroral activity (approx. = 225 0 K). The dynamical behavior on individual nights highlights the importance of local auroral substorms, which can cause large deviations from both global models and the observed averages. Coupling between the E and F regions is inferred by comparing the bulk motion of the optical aurora and the observed wind. Westward-drifting auroral forms accompany the westward evening zonal wind

  12. Mean vertical wind in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere region (80–120 km deduced from the WINDII observations on board UARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Fauliot

    Full Text Available The WINDII interferometer placed on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite measures temperature and wind from the O(1S green-line emission in the Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere. It is a remote-sensing instrument providing the horizontal wind components. In this study, the vertical winds are derived using the continuity equation. Mean wind annually averaged at equinoxes and solstices is shown. Ascendance and subsidence to the order of 1–2 cm s–1 present a seasonal occurrence at the equator and tropics. Zonal Coriolis acceleration and adiabatic heating and cooling rate associated to the mean meridional and vertical circulations are evaluated. The line emission rate measured together with the horizontal wind shows structures in altitude and latitude correlated with the meridional and vertical wind patterns. The effect of wind advection is discussed.

  13. High Resolution Modeling of the Thermospheric Response to Energy Inputs During the RENU-2 Rocket Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walterscheid, R. L.; Brinkman, D. G.; Clemmons, J. H.; Hecht, J. H.; Lessard, M.; Fritz, B.; Hysell, D. L.; Clausen, L. B. N.; Moen, J.; Oksavik, K.; Yeoman, T. K.

    2017-12-01

    The Earth's magnetospheric cusp provides direct access of energetic particles to the thermosphere. These particles produce ionization and kinetic (particle) heating of the atmosphere. The increased ionization coupled with enhanced electric fields in the cusp produces increased Joule heating and ion drag forcing. These energy inputs cause large wind and temperature changes in the cusp region. The Rocket Experiment for Neutral Upwelling -2 (RENU-2) launched from Andoya, Norway at 0745UT on 13 December 2015 into the ionosphere-thermosphere beneath the magnetic cusp. It made measurements of the energy inputs (e.g., precipitating particles, electric fields) and the thermospheric response to these energy inputs (e.g., neutral density and temperature, neutral winds). Complementary ground based measurements were made. In this study, we use a high resolution two-dimensional time-dependent non hydrostatic nonlinear dynamical model driven by rocket and ground based measurements of the energy inputs to simulate the thermospheric response during the RENU-2 flight. Model simulations will be compared to the corresponding measurements of the thermosphere to see what they reveal about thermospheric structure and the nature of magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling in the cusp. Acknowledgements: This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grants: NNX16AH46G and NNX13AJ93G. This research was also supported by The Aerospace Corporation's Technical Investment program

  14. Southern hemisphere observations of a long-term decrease in F region altitude and thermospheric wind providing possible evidence for global thermospheric cooling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarvis, M. J.; Jenkins, B.; Rodgers, G. A.

    1998-09-01

    F region peak heights, derived from ionospheric scaled parameters through 38-year data series from both Argentine Islands (65°S, 64°W) and Port Stanley (52°S, 58°W) have been analyzed for signatures of secular change. Long-term changes in altitude, which vary with month and time of day, were found at both sites. The results can be interpreted either as a constant decrease in altitude combined with a decreasing thermospheric wind effect or as a constant decrease in altitude which is altitude-dependent. Both interpretations leave inconsistencies when the results from the two sites are compared. The estimated long-term decrease in altitude is of a similar order of magnitude to that which has been predicted to result in the thermosphere from anthropogenic change related to greenhouse gases. Other possibilities should not, however, be ruled out.

  15. Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridionalwinds II: combined FPI, radar and model Climatologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. M. Griffin

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available The climatological behaviour of the thermospheric meridional wind above Kiruna, Sweden (67.4°N, 20.4°E has been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using six different techniques, comprising both model and experimental sources. Model output from both the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM (Hedin et al., 1988 and the numerical Coupled Thermosphere and Ionosphere Model (CTIM are compared to the measured behaviour at Kiruna, as a single site example. The empirical International Reference Ionosphere (IRI model is used as input to an implementation of servo theory, to provide another climatology combining empirical input with a theoretical framework. The experimental techniques have been introduced in a companion paper in this issue and provide climatologies from direct measurements, using Fabry-Perot Interferometers (FPI, together with 2 separate techniques applied to the European Incoherent Scatter radar (EISCAT database to derive neutral winds. One of these techniques uses the same implementation of servo theory as has been used with the IRI model. Detailed comparisons for each season and solar activity category allow for conclusions to be drawn as to the major influences on the climatological behaviour of the wind at this latitude. Comparison of the incoherent scatter radar (ISR derived neutral winds with FPI, empirical model and numerical model winds is important to our understanding and judgement of the validity of the techniques used to derive thermospheric wind databases. The comparisons also test model performance and indicate possible reasons for differences found between the models. In turn, the conclusions point to possible improvements in their formulation. In particular it is found that the empirical models are over-reliant on mid-latitude data in their formulation, and fail to provide accurate estimates of the winds at high-latitudes.

    Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics

  16. Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridionalwinds II: combined FPI, radar and model Climatologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. M. Griffin

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available The climatological behaviour of the thermospheric meridional wind above Kiruna, Sweden (67.4°N, 20.4°E has been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using six different techniques, comprising both model and experimental sources. Model output from both the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM (Hedin et al., 1988 and the numerical Coupled Thermosphere and Ionosphere Model (CTIM are compared to the measured behaviour at Kiruna, as a single site example. The empirical International Reference Ionosphere (IRI model is used as input to an implementation of servo theory, to provide another climatology combining empirical input with a theoretical framework. The experimental techniques have been introduced in a companion paper in this issue and provide climatologies from direct measurements, using Fabry-Perot Interferometers (FPI, together with 2 separate techniques applied to the European Incoherent Scatter radar (EISCAT database to derive neutral winds. One of these techniques uses the same implementation of servo theory as has been used with the IRI model. Detailed comparisons for each season and solar activity category allow for conclusions to be drawn as to the major influences on the climatological behaviour of the wind at this latitude. Comparison of the incoherent scatter radar (ISR derived neutral winds with FPI, empirical model and numerical model winds is important to our understanding and judgement of the validity of the techniques used to derive thermospheric wind databases. The comparisons also test model performance and indicate possible reasons for differences found between the models. In turn, the conclusions point to possible improvements in their formulation. In particular it is found that the empirical models are over-reliant on mid-latitude data in their formulation, and fail to provide accurate estimates of the winds at high-latitudes. Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics

  17. Formation mechanisms of neutral Fe layers in the thermosphere at Antarctica studied with a thermosphere-ionosphere Fe/Fe+ (TIFe) model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Xinzhao; Yu, Zhibin

    2017-06-01

    With a thermosphere-ionosphere Fe/Fe+ (TIFe) model developed from first principles at the University of Colorado, we present the first quantitative investigation of formation mechanisms of thermospheric Fe layers observed by lidar in Antarctica. These recently discovered neutral metal layers in the thermosphere between 100 and 200 km provide unique tracers for studies of fundamental processes in the space-atmosphere interaction region. The TIFe model formulates and expands the TIFe theory originally proposed by Chu et al. that the thermospheric Fe layers are produced through the neutralization of converged Fe+ layers. Through testing mechanisms and reproducing the 28 May 2011 event at McMurdo, we conceive the lifecycle of meteoric metals via deposition, transport, chemistry, and wave dynamics for thermospheric Fe layers with gravity wave signatures. While the meteor injection of iron species is negligible above 120 km, the polar electric field transports metallic ions Fe+ upward from their main deposition region into the E-F regions, providing the major source of Fe+ (and accordingly Fe) in the thermosphere. Atmospheric wave-induced vertical shears of vertical and horizontal winds converge Fe+ to form dense Fe+ layers. Direct electron-Fe+ recombination is the major channel to neutralize Fe+ layers to form Fe above 120 km. Fe layer shapes are determined by multiple factors of neutral winds, electric field, and aurora activity. Gravity-wave-induced vertical wind plays a key role in forming gravity-wave-shaped Fe layers. Aurora particle precipitation enhances Fe+ neutralization by increasing electron density while accelerating Fe loss via charge transfer with enhanced NO+ and O2+ densities.Plain Language SummaryThe discoveries of neutral metal layers reaching near 200 km in the thermosphere have significant scientific merit because such discoveries challenge the current understandings of upper atmospheric composition, chemistry, dynamics, electrodynamics, and

  18. Satellite accelerometer measurements of neutral density and winds during geomagnetic storms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcos, F. A.; Forbes, J. M.

    1986-01-01

    A new thermospheric wind measurement technique is reported which is based on a Satellite Electrostatic Triaxial Accelerometer (SETA) system capable of accurately measuring accelerations in the satellite's in-track, cross-track and radial directions. Data obtained during two time periods are presented. The first data set describes cross-track winds measured between 170 and 210 km during a 5-day period (25 to 29 March 1979) of mostly high geomagnetic activity. In the second data set, cross-track winds and neutral densities from SETA and exospheric temperatures from the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar are examined during an isolated magnetic substorm occurring on 21 March 1979. A polar thermospheric wind circulation consisting of a two cell horizontal convection pattern is reflected in both sets of cross-track acceleration measurements. The density response is highly asymmetric with respect to its day/night behavior. Latitude structures of the density response at successive times following the substorm peak suggest the equatorward propagation of a disturbance with a phase speed between 300 and 600 m/s. A deep depression in the density at high latitudes (less than 70 deg) is evident in conjunction with this phenomenon. The more efficient propagation of the disturbance to lower latitudes during the night is probably due to the midnight surge effect.

  19. Nature of the Venus thermosphere derived from satellite drag measurements (solicited paper)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keating, G.; Theriot, M.; Bougher, S.

    2008-09-01

    density, scale height, inferred temperature, pressure, and other parameters as a function of altitude. The risk involved in the orbital decay and accelerometer measurements is minimal. We have not lost any spacecraft orbiting Venus or Mars due to unexpected thermospheric drag effects in over 30 years. The Venus Express accelerometer drag experiment is very similar to accelerometer experiments aboard Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter which orbit Mars. The Venus Express drag measurements of the polar region will allow a global empirical model of the thermosphere to emerge. Previous drag measurements have been made principally near the equator. The experiment may help us understand on a global scale, tides, winds, gravity waves, planetary waves, and the damping of waves. Comparisons will be made between low and high latitude results; between the middle and upper atmosphere; and with other instruments that provide information from current and previous measurements. The character of the sharp temperature gradient near the day/night terminator needs to be studied at all latitudes. The cryosphere we discovered on the nightside needs to be studied at high latitudes. The rotating vortex dipole over the North Pole surrounded by a colder "collar" needs to be analyzed to identify how wave activity extends into the polar thermosphere. We have already discovered super-rotation in the equatorial thermosphere, but we need to study 4-day super-rotation at higher latitudes to obtain a global picture of the thermosphere. The super-rotation may affect escape rates and the evolution of the atmosphere. References: [1] Keating, G. M., et al: Venus Thermosphere and Exosphere: First Satellite Drag Measurements of an Extraterrestrial Atmosphere. Science, Vol. 203, No. 4382, 772-774, Feb. 23, 1979. [2] Keating, G. M. and Bougher, S.W.: Isolation of Major Venus Cooling Mechanism and Implications for Earth and Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, 4189

  20. Modeling the Thermosphere as a Driven-Dissipative Thermodynamic System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    8 Figure 2: Illustration of the geocentric solar magnetospheric coordinate system............15 Figure 3: Diagram of the...to test new methods of modeling the thermospheric environment. Thermosphere as a Driven-Dissipative Thermodynamic System One approach for modeling... approach uses empirical coupling and relaxation constants to model the 4 input of energy to the thermosphere from the solar wind during

  1. Thermospheric response observed over Fritz peak, Colorado, during two large geomagnetic storms near solar cycle maximum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez, G.; Roble, R.G.; Ridley, E.C.; Allen, J.H.

    1982-01-01

    Nightime thermospheric winds and temperatures have been measured over Fritz Peak Observatory, Colorado (39.9 0 N, 105.5 0 W), with a high resolution Fabry-Perot spectrometer. The winds and temperatures are obtained from the Doppler shifts and line profiles of the (O 1) 15,867K (630 nm) line emission. Measurements made during two large geomagnetic storm periods near solar cycle maximum reveal a thermospheric response to the heat and momentum sources associated with these storms that is more complex than the ones measured near solar cycle minimum. In the earlier measurements made during solar cycle minimum, the winds to the north of Fritz Peak Observatory had an enhanced equatorward component and the winds to the south were also equatorward, usually with smaller velocities. The winds measured to the east and west of the observatory both had an enhanced westward wind component. For the two large storms near the present solar cycle maximum period converging winds are observed in each of the cardinal directions from Fritz Peak Observatory. These converging winds with speeds of hundreds of meters per second last for several hours. The measured neutral gas temperature in each of the directions also increases several hundred degrees Kelvin. Numerical experiments done with the NCAR thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM) suggest that the winds to the east and north of the station are driven by high-latitude heating and enhanced westward ion drag associated with magnetospheric convection. The cause of the enhanced poleward and eastward winds measured to the south and west of Fritz Peak Observatory, respectively, is not known. During geomagnetic quiet conditions the circulation is typically from the soutwest toward the northeast in the evening hours

  2. Vorticity and divergence in the high-latitude upper thermosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thayer, J.P.; Killeen, T.L.

    1991-01-01

    Measurements made from the Dynamics Explorer-2 satellite in November 1981 through January 1982 and November 1982 through January 1983 have been analyzed to determine the divergence and vertical component of vorticity of the high-latitude neutral wind field in the upper thermosphere for quiet (kp≤6) geomagnetic conditions and for both northern (winter) and southern (summer) hemispheres in the polar thermosphere and provides insight into the relative strengths of the different sources of momentum and energy responsible for driving the winds. The principal findings from this work include the following: The mean neutral wind pattern is dominated by rotational flow rather than by divergent flow, with a typical vorticity: divergence ratio of ∼ 2:1 for active conditions and ∼ 4:1 for quiet conditions. Comparison of the divergence and vorticity patterns for quiet and active conditions indicates that the divergent component of the neutral flow intensifies more significantly with increasing geomagnetic activity than does the rotational component

  3. Thermosphere as a sink of magnetospheric energy - a review of recent observations of dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Killeen, T.L.

    1985-01-01

    It is pointed out that the past few years have seen an unprecedented influx of new experimental information on the dynamics of the neutral upper atmosphere of the earth. Vector wind measurements provide new information for studies of the thermospheric response to magnetospheric forcing. This response occurs through the medium of convecting ionospheric ions set into motion by electric fields of magnetospheric origin. The ultimate sink for much of the energy and momentum coming from the magnetosphere is the neutral thermosphere whose dynamics have, in the past, received far less attention than their ionospheric counterpart because of basic experimental limitations. In this paper, a review is provided of the progress made in the last few years on the basis of the Dynamics Explorer neutral wind observations, taking into account the coupling between the magnetosphere and the thermosphere via the ionosphere. 26 references

  4. Michelson Interferometer for Global High-Resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI): Instrument Design and Calibration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Englert, Christoph R.; Harlander, John M.; Brown, Charles M.; Marr, Kenneth D.; Miller, Ian J.; Stump, J. Eloise; Hancock, Jed; Peterson, James Q.; Kumler, Jay; Morrow, William H.; Mooney, Thomas A.; Ellis, Scott; Mende, Stephen B.; Harris, Stewart E.; Stevens, Michael H.; Makela, Jonathan J.; Harding, Brian J.; Immel, Thomas J.

    2017-10-01

    The Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument was built for launch and operation on the NASA Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission. The instrument was designed to measure thermospheric horizontal wind velocity profiles and thermospheric temperature in altitude regions between 90 km and 300 km, during day and night. For the wind measurements it uses two perpendicular fields of view pointed at the Earth's limb, observing the Doppler shift of the atomic oxygen red and green lines at 630.0 nm and 557.7 nm wavelength. The wavelength shift is measured using field-widened, temperature compensated Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) spectrometers, employing low order échelle gratings operating at two different orders for the different atmospheric lines. The temperature measurement is accomplished by a multichannel photometric measurement of the spectral shape of the molecular oxygen A-band around 762 nm wavelength. For each field of view, the signals of the two oxygen lines and the A-band are detected on different regions of a single, cooled, frame transfer charge coupled device (CCD) detector. On-board calibration sources are used to periodically quantify thermal drifts, simultaneously with observing the atmosphere. The MIGHTI requirements, the resulting instrument design and the calibration are described.

  5. Do Transient Electrodynamic Processes Support Enhanced Neutral Mass Densities in Earth's Cusp-Region Thermosphere via Divergent Upward Winds?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conde, M.; Larsen, M. F.; Troyer, R.; Gillespie, D.; Kosch, M.

    2017-12-01

    Satellite accelerometer measurements show that Earth's thermosphere contains two substantial and permanent regions of enhanced mass density that are located at around 400 km altitude near the footprints of the north and south geomagnetic cusps. The additional mass in these regions must be supported against gravity, which requires that similarly localized perturbations must occur in one or more of the other fields (beyond mass density) that appear in the momentum conservation equation for the thermospheric neutral fluid. However more than a decade after the density enhancements were first discovered, there are still no observations of any other corresponding perturbations to terms appearing directly in this equation that would indicate what is supporting the extra mass. To date, most candidate mechanisms involve high-altitude transient electrodynamic heating (at 250 km and above) that drives upwelling and associated horizontal divergence. Indeed, there are very few viable mechanisms that don't ultimately cause substantial localized neutral wind perturbations to occur near the density anomalies. Thus, we report here on a study to search for signatures of these localized perturbations in winds, using several data sources. These are the WATS instrument that flew aboard the DE-2 spacecraft, the C-REX-1 rocket flight through the CUSP in 2014, and two ground-based Fabry-Perot instruments that are located in Antarctica at latitudes that pass under the geomagnetic cusps - i.e. at McMurdo and South Pole stations. Using these data, we will present both climatological averages and also individual case studies to illustrate what localized signatures occur (if any) in the neutral wind fields near the cusp-region density anomalies.

  6. Simulations of the September 1987 lower thermospheric tides with the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere-ionosphere general circulation model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fesen, C.G.; Roble, R.G.

    1991-01-01

    The National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere-ionosphere general circulation model (TIGCM) was used to simulate incoherent scatter radar observations of the lower thermosphere tides during the first Lower Thermosphere Coupling Study (LTCS) campaign, September 21-26, 1987. The TIGCM utilized time-varying histories of the model input fields obtained from the World Data Center for the LTCS period. These model inputs included solar flux, total hemispheric power, solar wind data from which the cross-polar-cap potential was derived, and geomagnetic K p index. Calculations were made for the semidiurnal ion temperatures and horizontal neutral winds at locations representative of Arecibo, Millstone Hill, and Sondrestrom. The diurnal tides at Sondrestrom were also simulated. Tidal inputs to the TIGCM lower boundary were obtained from the middle atmosphere model of Forbes and Vial (1989). The TIGCM tidal structures are in fair general agreement with the observations. The amplitudes tended to be better simulated than the phases, and the mid- and high-latitude locations are simulated better than the low-latitude thermosphere. This may indicate a need to incorporate coupling of the neutral atmosphere and ionosphere with the E region dynamo in the equatorial region to obtain a better representation of low-latitude thermospheric tides. The model simulations were used to investigate the daily variability of the tides due to the geomagnetic activity occurring during this period. In general, the ion temperatures were predicted to be affected more than the winds, and the diurnal components more than the semidiurnal. The effects are typically largest at high latitudes and higher altitudes, but discernible differences were produced at low latitudes

  7. Coupled rotational dynamics of Jupiter's thermosphere and magnetosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. G. A. Smith

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe an axisymmetric model of the coupled rotational dynamics of the thermosphere and magnetosphere of Jupiter that incorporates self-consistent physical descriptions of angular momentum transfer in both systems. The thermospheric component of the model is a numerical general circulation model. The middle magnetosphere is described by a simple physical model of angular momentum transfer that incorporates self-consistently the effects of variations in the ionospheric conductivity. The outer magnetosphere is described by a model that assumes the existence of a Dungey cycle type interaction with the solar wind, producing at the planet a largely stagnant plasma flow poleward of the main auroral oval. We neglect any decoupling between the plasma flows in the magnetosphere and ionosphere due to the formation of parallel electric fields in the magnetosphere. The model shows that the principle mechanism by which angular momentum is supplied to the polar thermosphere is meridional advection and that mean-field Joule heating and ion drag at high latitudes are not responsible for the high thermospheric temperatures at low latitudes on Jupiter. The rotational dynamics of the magnetosphere at radial distances beyond ~30 RJ in the equatorial plane are qualitatively unaffected by including the detailed dynamics of the thermosphere, but within this radial distance the rotation of the magnetosphere is very sensitive to the rotation velocity of the thermosphere and the value of the Pedersen conductivity. In particular, the thermosphere connected to the inner magnetosphere is found to super-corotate, such that true Pedersen conductivities smaller than previously predicted are required to enforce the observed rotation of the magnetosphere within ~30 RJ. We find that increasing the Joule heating at high latitudes by adding a component due to rapidly fluctuating electric fields is unable to explain the high equatorial temperatures. Adding a component of Joule

  8. A 3-D Chemistry Transport Model for Titan's Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doege, M. C.; Marsh, D. R.; Brasseur, G. P.; Mueller-Wodarg, I.; Tokano, T.; Newman, C. E.

    2008-12-01

    MOZART-2 (Horowitz et al., 2003) has been adapted to investigate seasonal and diurnal differences in neutral composition in Titan's atmosphere between the surface and 1,200 km altitude. The chemical scheme with 64 solution species and 383 reactions is based on a simplified version of the Lavvas et al. (2008) scheme, without haze production. Wind and temperature fields were taken from the Cologne GCM (Tokano, 2007) or TitanWRF (Richardson et al., 2007) for the troposphere and stratosphere, and from the London TGCM (Mueller-Wodarg, 2000) for the thermosphere. Pronounced hemispheric concentration gradients develop in the thermosphere, and a strong diurnal cycle in composition is found, similar to the findings of Mueller-Wodarg (2003) for methane. Sensitivity experiments with different strengths of thermospheric circulation to account for uncertainty about the wind fields in that region are presented.

  9. Venus O2 visible and IR nightglow: Implications for lower thermosphere dynamics and chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bougher, S. W.; Borucki, W. J.

    1994-01-01

    The National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model for the Venus thermosphere is modified to examine two observed night airglow features, both of which serve as sensitive tracers of the thermospheric circulation. New O2 nightglow data from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) star tracker (O2 Herzberg II at 400-800 nm) and ground-based telescopes (O2 IR at 1.27 microns) yield additional model constraints for estimating Venus winds over 100-130 km. Atomic oxygen, produced by dayside CO2 photolysis peaking near 110 km, and transported to the nightside by the global wind system, is partially destroyed through three-body recombination, yielding the O2 Herzberg II visible nightglow. This emission is very sensitive to horizontal winds at altitudes between 100 and 130 km. Other trace species catalytic reactions also contribute to the production of the very strong nightside infrared (1.27 microns) emission. This paper examines the dynamical and chemical implications of these new data using the Venus thermospheric general circulation model (VTGCM) as an analysis tool. Three-dimensional calculations are presented for both solar maximum and solar medium conditions, corresponding to early PVO (1979-1981) and PVO entry (mid-1992) time periods. Very distinct periods are identified in which zonal winds are alternately weak and strong in the Venus lower thermosphere. VTGCM sensitivity studies are conducted to assess the impacts of potential changes in thermospheric zonal and day-to-night winds, and eddy diffusion on the corresponding nightglow intensities. It appears that cyclostrophic balance extends above 80 km periodically, owing to a reversal of the upper mesosphere latitudinal temperature gradient, and thereby producing strong zonal winds and correspondingly modified O2 nightglow distributions that are observed.

  10. Thermospheric Density and Composition: an Integrated Research Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richmond, A. D.; Akmaev, R.; Anderson, P. C.; Crowley, G.; Drob, D. P.; Lummerzheim, D.; Solomon, S. C.; Tobiska, W.

    2006-12-01

    The thermosphere, at altitudes of approximately 90-500 km, affects human technological systems through the drag it exerts on low-Earth-orbit spacecraft and debris, and through its influence on the embedded ionosphere, affecting radio-wave transmissions, and, consequently, communications and geolocation. We have formed a team under the NASA Living With a Star Targeted Research and Technology program to carry out an integrated research program on the focused science topic of thermospheric density and composition. Our goal is to improve scientific understanding of the thermosphere-ionosphere system, leading to improved first-principles models that accurately specify the variations of thermospheric density and composition with latitude, longitude, local time, solar flux, season, magnetic activity level, and orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field. We are developing improved quantitative models of solar and magnetospheric inputs to the thermosphere and improved physical parameterizations in the first-principles global models; we are analyzing thermospheric responses to solar and magnetospheric inputs on time scales from minutes to the length of the solar cycle; and we are developing an improved empirical model of thermospheric winds. These research products will be made available to the scientific community. This work is helping to clarify critical problem areas in thermospheric physics for planned NASA missions like the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Storm Probes, Geospace Electrodynamics Connections, and the Global-scale Observation of the Limb and Disk.

  11. Equinoctial transitions in the ionosphere and thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Mikhailov

    2001-07-01

    Full Text Available Equinoctial summer/winter transitions in the parameters of the F2-region are analyzed using ground-based ionosonde and incoherent scatter observations. Average transition from one type of diurnal NmF2 variation to another takes 20–25 days, but cases of very fast (6–10 days transitions are observed as well. Strong day-time NmF2 deviations of both signs from the monthly median, not related to geomagnetic activity, are revealed for the transition periods. Both longitudinal and latitudinal variations take place for the amplitude of such quiet time NmF2 deviations. The summer-type diurnal NmF2 variation during the transition period is characterized by decreased atomic oxygen concentration [O] and a small equatorward thermospheric wind compared to winter-type days with strong poleward wind and increased [O]. Molecular N2 and O2 concentrations remain practically unchanged in such day-to-day transitions. The main cause of the F2-layer variations during the transition periods is the change of atomic oxygen abundance in the thermosphere related to changes of global thermospheric circulation. A possible relationship with an equinoctial transition of atomic oxygen at the E-region heights is discussed.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere – composition and chemistry – Ionosphere (ionosphere- atmosphere interactions; ionospheric disturbances

  12. Low latitude ionosphere-thermosphere dynamics studies with inosonde chain in Southeast Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Maruyama

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available An ionosonde network consisting of a meridional chain and an equatorial pair was established in the Southeast Asian area. Three of four ionosondes are along the magnetic meridian of 100° E; two are close to the magnetic conjugate points in Northern Thailand and West Sumatra, Indonesia, and the other is near the magnetic equator in the Malay Peninsula, Thailand. The fourth ionosonde is also near the magnetic equator in Vietnam but separated by about 6.3° towards east from the meridional chain. For a preliminary data analysis, nighttime ionospheric height variations at the three stations of the meridional chain were examined. The results demonstrate that the coordination of the network has a great potential for studying ionosphere/thermosphere dynamics. Through the assistance of model calculations, thermospheric neutral winds were inferred and compared with the HWM93 empirical thermospheric wind model. Higher-order wind variations that are not represented in the empirical model were found.

  13. Zonal wind observations during a geomagnetic storm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, N. J.; Spencer, N. W.

    1986-01-01

    In situ measurements taken by the Wind and Temperature Spectrometer (WATS) onboard the Dynamics Explorer 2 spacecraft during a geomagnetic storm display zonal wind velocities that are reduced in the corotational direction as the storm intensifies. The data were taken within the altitudes 275 to 475 km in the dusk local time sector equatorward of the auroral region. Characteristic variations in the value of the Dst index of horizontal geomagnetic field strength are used to monitor the storm evolution. The detected global rise in atmospheric gas temperature indicates the development of thermospheric heating. Concurrent with that heating, reductions in corotational wind velocities were measured equatorward of the auroral region. Just after the sudden commencement, while thermospheric heating is intense in both hemispheres, eastward wind velocities in the northern hemisphere show reductions ranging from 500 m/s over high latitudes to 30 m/s over the geomagnetic equator. After 10 hours storm time, while northern thermospheric heating is diminishing, wind velocity reductions, distinct from those initially observed, begin to develop over southern latitudes. In the latter case, velocity reductions range from 300 m/s over the highest southern latitudes to 150 m/s over the geomagnetic equator and extend into the Northern Hemisphere. The observations highlight the interhemispheric asymmetry in the development of storm effects detected as enhanced gas temperatures and reduced eastward wind velocities. Zonal wind reductions over high latitudes can be attributed to the storm induced equatorward spread of westward polar cap plasma convection and the resulting plasma-neutral collisions. However, those collisions are less significant over low latitudes; so zonal wind reductions over low latitudes must be attributed to an equatorward extension of a thermospheric circulation pattern disrupted by high latitude collisions between neutrals transported via eastward winds and ions

  14. The thermospheric effects of a rapid polar cap expansion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. W. Idenden

    Full Text Available In a previous publication we used results from a coupled thermosphere-ionosphere-plasmasphere model to illustrate a new mechanism for the formation of a large-scale patch of ionisation arising from a rapid polar cap expansion. Here we describe the thermospheric response to that polar cap expansion, and to the ionospheric structure produced. The response is dominated by the energy and momentum input at the dayside throat during the expansion phase itself. These inputs give rise to a large-scale travelling atmospheric disturbance (TAD that propagates both antisunward across the polar cap and equatorward at speeds much greater than both the ion drifts and the neutral winds. We concentrate only on the initially poleward travelling disturbance. The disturbance is manifested in the neutral temperature and wind fields, the height of the pressure level surfaces and in the neutral density at fixed heights. The thermospheric effects caused by the ionospheric structure produced during the expansion are hard to discern due to the dominating effects of the TAD.

    Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere · atmosphere interaction; modeling and forecasting; plasma convection.

  15. The Mars thermosphere. 2. General circulation with coupled dynamics and composition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bougher, S.W.; Roble, R.G.; Ridley, E.C.; Dickinson, R.E.

    1990-01-01

    The National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM) for the Earth's thermosphere has been modified to examine the three-dimensional structure and circulation of the upper mesosphere and thermosphere of Mars (MTGCM). The computational framework and major processes unique to a CO 2 thermosphere are similar to those utilized in a recent Venus TGCM. Solar EUV, UV, and IR heating alone combine to drive the Martian winds above ∼100 km. An equinox version of the code is used to examine the Mars global dynamics and structure for two specific observational periods spanning a range of solar activity: Viking 1 (July 1976) and Mariner 6-7 (August-September 1969). The MTGCM is then modified to predict the state of the Mars thermosphere for various combinations of solar and orbital conditions. Calculations show that no nightside cryosphere of the type observed on Venus is obtained on the Mars nightside. Instead, planetary rotation significantly modifies the winds and the day-to-night contrast in densities and temperatures, giving a diurnal behavior similar to the Earth under quiet solar conditions. Maximum exospheric temperatures are calculated near 1,500 LT (≤ 305 K), with minimum values at 0500 LT (≤ 175 K). The global temperature distribution is strongly modified by nightside adiabatic heating (subsidence) and dayside cooling (upwelling). The global winds also affect vertical density distributions; vertical eddy diffusion much weaker than used in previous one-dimensional models is required to maintain observed Viking profiles. A solar cycle variation in dayside exospheric temperatures of ∼195-305 K is simulated by the Viking and Mariner runs

  16. A theoretical study of thermospheric composition perturbations during an impulsive geomagnetic storm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burns, A.G.; Killeen, T.L.; Roble, R.G.

    1991-01-01

    The compositional response of the neutral thermosphere to an impulsive geomagnetic storm has been investigated using a numerical simulation made with the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model (NCAR-TGCM). Calculated time-dependent changes in neutral thermospheric composition have been studied, together with detailed neutral parcel trajectories and other diagnostic information from the model, to gain a greater understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for composition variability during geomagnetic storms and, in particular, to investigate the causes of the positive and negative ionospheric storm effects. The following principal results were obtained from this study. (1) Calculated perturbations in thermospheric composition following the onset of an impulsive geomagnetic storm were found to be in good qualitative agreement with the previous experimental statistical study of storm time thermospheric morphology by Proelss. (2) During the initial (onset) phase of the simulated storm, upward vertical winds occurred in the auroral zone and downward winds occurred in the central magnetic polar cap. (3) The largest perturbations in mass mixing ratio of nitrogen at F region altitudes were found to be associated with parcels of neutral gas that travelled through the cusp region and with parcels that were trapped within the auroral zone for a long time. (4) Storm time enhancements in Ψ N 2 were found to occur in the midnight and early morning sectors both within and equatorward of the auroral zone, and these were determined to be associated with the advective effects of the large antisunward polar cap neutral winds

  17. Estimating the mass density in the thermosphere with the CYGNSS mission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bussy-Virat, C.; Ridley, A. J.

    2017-12-01

    The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, launched in December 2016, is a constellation of eight satellites orbiting the Earth at 510 km. Its goal is to improve our understanding of rapid hurricane wind intensification. Each CYGNSS satellite uses GPS signals that are reflected off of the ocean's surface to measure the wind. The GPS can also be used to specify the orbit of the satellites quite precisely. The motion of satellites in low Earth orbit are greatly influenced by the neutral density of the surrounding atmosphere through drag. Modeling the neutral density in the upper atmosphere is a major challenge as it involves a comprehensive understanding of the complex coupling between the thermosphere and the ionosphere, the magnetosphere, and the Sun. This is why thermospheric models (such as NRLMSIS, Jacchia-Bowman, HASDM, GITM, or TIEGCM) can only approximate it with a limited accuracy, which decreases during strong geomagnetic events. Because atmospheric drag directly depends on the thermospheric density, it can be estimated applying filtering methods to the trajectories of the CYGNSS observatories. The CYGNSS mission can provide unique results since the constellation of eight satellites enables multiple measurements of the same region at close intervals ( 10 minutes), which can be used to detect short time scale features. Moreover, the CYGNSS spacecraft can be pitched from a low to high drag attitude configuration, which can be used in the filtering methods to improve the accuracy of the atmospheric density estimation. The methodology and the results of this approach applied to the CYGNSS mission will be presented.

  18. Neutral wind and density perturbations in the thermosphere created by gravity waves observed by the TIDDBIT sounder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vadas, Sharon L.; Crowley, Geoff

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, we study the 10 traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) observed at zobs˜283 km by the TIDDBIT ionospheric sounder on 30 October 2007 at 0400-0700 UT near Wallops Island, USA. These TIDs propagated northwest/northward and were previously found to be secondary gravity waves (GWs) from tropical storm Noel. An instrumented sounding rocket simultaneously measured a large neutral wind peak uH' with a similar azimuth at z ˜ 325 km. Using the measured TID amplitudes and wave vectors from the TIDDBIT system, together with ion-neutral theory, GW dissipative polarization relations and ray tracing, we determine the GW neutral horizontal wind and density perturbations as a function of altitude from 220 to 380 km. We find that there is a serious discrepancy between the GW dissipative theory and the observations unless the molecular viscosity, μ, decreases with altitude in the middle to upper thermosphere. Assuming that μ∝ρ¯q, where ρ¯ is the density, we find using GW dissipative theory that the GWs could have been observed at zobs and that one or more of the GWs could have caused the uH' wind peak at z≃325 km if q ˜ 0.67 for z≥220 km. This implies that the kinematic viscosity, ν=μ/ρ¯, increases less rapidly with altitude for z≥220 km: ν∝1/ρ¯0.33. This dependence makes sense because as ρ¯→0, the distance between molecules goes to infinity, which implies no molecular collisions and therefore no molecular viscosity μ.

  19. Multiple neutral density measurements in the lower thermosphere with cold-cathode ionization gauges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehmacher, G. A.; Gaulden, T. M.; Larsen, M. F.; Craven, J. D.

    2013-01-01

    Cold-cathode ionization gauges were used for rocket-borne measurements of total neutral density and temperature in the aurorally forced lower thermosphere between 90 and 200 km. A commercial gauge was adapted as a low-cost instrument with a spherical antechamber for measurements in molecular flow conditions. Three roll-stabilized payloads on different trajectories each carried two instruments for measurements near the ram flow direction along the respective upleg and downleg segments of a flight path, and six density profiles were obtained within a period of 22 min covering spatial separations up to 200 km. The density profiles were integrated below 125 km to yield temperatures. The mean temperature structure was similar for all six profiles with two mesopause minima near 110 and 101 km, however, for the downleg profiles, the upper minimum was warmer and the lower minimum was colder by 20-30 K indicating significant variability over horizontal scales of 100-200 km. The upper temperature minimum coincided with maximum horizontal winds speeds, exceeding 170 m/s.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-12-01

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

  1. Resistive Heating in Saturn's Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vriesema, Jess W.; Koskinen, Tommi; Yelle, Roger V.

    2016-10-01

    The thermospheres of the jovian planets are several times hotter than solar heating alone can account for. On Saturn, resistive heating appears sufficient to explain these temperatures in auroral regions, but the particular mechanism(s) responsible for heating the lower latitudes remains unclear. Smith et al. (2005) suggested that electrodynamics of the equatorial region—particularly resistive heating caused by strong electrojet currents—might explain the observed temperatures at low latitudes. Müller-Wodarg et al. (2006) found that their circulation model could reproduce low-latitude temperatures only when they included resistive heating at the poles and applied a uniform, generic heating source globally. Smith et al. (2007) concluded that heating at the poles leads to meridional circulation that cools low latitudes and argued that in-situ heating is required to explain the temperatures at low latitudes.Resistive heating at low latitudes, arising from enhanced current generation driven by thermospheric winds, is a potentially important in-situ heating mechanism. Ion drag caused by low-latitude electrodynamics can modify global circulation and meridional transport of energy. We present an axisymmetric, steady-state formulation of wind-driven electrodynamics to investigate these possibilities throughout Saturn's thermosphere. At present, we assume a dipole magnetic field and neglect any contributions from the magnetosphere. We use ion mixing ratios from the model of Kim et al. (2014) and the observed temperature-pressure profile from Koskinen et al. (2015) to calculate the generalized conductivity tensor as described by Koskinen et al. (2014). Our model solves the coupled equations for charge continuity and Ohm's law with tensor conductivity while enforcing zero current across the boundaries. The resulting partial differential equation is solved for the current density throughout the domain and used to calculate the net resistive heating rate. We demonstrate

  2. Dynamics of the low latitude thermosphere and ionosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burnside, R.G.

    1984-01-01

    Nighttime thermospheric neutral wind velocities were determined at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, by using a Fabry-Perot interferometer, which measures the Doppler shift of the O( 1 D) airglow emission. In summer, the winds are observed to flow toward the southeast between sunset and midnight. After midnight in summer, the meridional component of the wind usually slackens, while the zonal component may reverse. By contrast, in winter, the meridional wind is often small, and the predominant flow is eastward throughout the night. Vertical winds are inferred from the divergence of the horizontal flow. A maximum downward flow of about 5 m sπ 1 is observed near midnight in summer. Incoherent scatter radar measurements were used to calculate the O + diffusion velocity and infer the vertical profile of the meridional wind. Horizontal temperature gradients and ion-drag forces were evaluated from radar measurements. It is concluded that it may sometimes be necesary to include viscous forces to balance the meridional equation of motion for the neutral gas. Electrical conductivities of the E and F layers of the nighttime ionosphere were determined. The F layer Pedersen conductivity at the magnetically conjugate point was evaluated using ionosonde data. The F layer dynamo mechanism was found to be the source of most of the nighttime electric fields observed at Arecibo

  3. Global excitation of wave phenomena in a dissipative multiconstituent medium. I - Transfer function of the earth's thermosphere. II - Impulsive perturbations in the earth's thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayr, H. G.; Harris, I.; Herrero, F. A.; Varosi, F.

    1984-01-01

    A transfer function approach is taken in constructing a spectral model of the acoustic-gravity wave response in a multiconstituent thermosphere. The model is then applied to describing the thermospheric response to various sources around the globe. Zonal spherical harmonics serve to model the horizontal variations in propagating waves which, when integrated with respect to height, generate a transfer function for a vertical source distribution in the thermosphere. Four wave components are characterized as resonance phenomena and are associated with magnetic activity and ionospheric disturbances. The waves are either trapped or propagate, the latter becoming significant when possessing frequencies above 3 cycles/day. The energy input is distributed by thermospheric winds. The disturbances decay slowly, mainly due to heat conduction and diffusion. Gravity waves appear abruptly and are connected to a sudden switching on or off of a source. Turn off of a source coincides with a reversal of the local atmospheric circulation.

  4. Lower thermosphere coupling study: Comparison of observations with predictions of the University College London-Sheffield thermosphere-ionosphere model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuller-Rowell, T.J.; Rees, D.; Parish, H.F.; Virdi, T.S.; Williams, P.J.S.; Johnson, R.M.

    1991-01-01

    During the first Lower Thermosphere Coupling Study (LTCS), September 21-25 1987, data were recorded from the incoherent scatter radar sites at EISCAT, Millstone Hill, Sondrestrom, and Arecibo. These experimental facilities measured ionospheric parameters (Ne, Te, Ti, and plasma velocity) in the E and the F regions which have been used to determine the E region neutral wind and infer the neutral temperature in the height range 100-150 km. Propagating tides are clearly visible in some of the parameters, and the latitude structure and phase variations with height indicate the presence of at least the (2,2) and (2,4) global tidal Hough modes. The influence of geomagnetic forcing is also clearly present at high latitudes. The University College London-Sheffield University three-dimensional coupled thermosphere-ionosphere model has been used to simulate this period of observation, by imposing tidal forcing at the lower boundary and magnetospheric forcing at high latitudes, in an attempt to interpret and understand the experimental data. Model simulations are able to predict where the signature of a particular tidal mode is likely to be observed in the respective responses of the temperature and wind structure. The numerical simulations predict the range of observed tidal amplitudes at mid and high latitudes, provided the tidal forcing functions imposed near the lower boundary of the model are larger (400 m geopotential height variation) than those inferred from linear tidal models

  5. Polar heating in Saturn's thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. G. A. Smith

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available A 3-D numerical global circulation model of the Kronian thermosphere has been used to investigate the influence of polar heating. The distributions of temperature and winds resulting from a general heat source in the polar regions are described. We show that both the total energy input and its vertical distribution are important to the resulting thermal structure. We find that the form of the topside heating profile is particularly important in determining exospheric temperatures. We compare our results to exospheric temperatures from Voyager occultation measurements (Smith et al., 1983; Festou and Atreya, 1982 and auroral H3+ temperatures from ground-based spectroscopic observations (e.g. Miller et al., 2000. We find that a polar heat source is consistent with both the Smith et al. determination of T∞~400 K at ~30° N and auroral temperatures. The required heat source is also consistent with recent estimates of the Joule heating rate at Saturn (Cowley et al., 2004. However, our results show that a polar heat source can probably not explain the Festou and Atreya determination of T∞~800 K at ~4° N and the auroral temperatures simultaneously. Keywords. Ionosphere (Planetary ionosphere – Magnetospherica physics (Planetary magnetospheres – Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (Thermospheric dynamics

  6. The global distribution of thermospheric odd nitrogen for solstice conditions during solar cycle minimum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerard, J.-C.; Roble, R. G.; Rusch, D. W.; Stewart, A. I.

    1984-01-01

    A two-dimensional model of odd nitrogen in the thermosphere and upper mesosphere is described. The global distributions of nitric oxide and atomic nitrogen are calculated for the solstice period for quiet and moderate magnetic activity during the solar minimum period. The effect of thermospheric transport by winds is investigated along with the importance of particle-induced ionization in the auroral zones. The results are compared with rocket and satellite measurements, and the sensitivity of the model to eddy diffusion and neutral winds is investigated. Downward fluxes of NO into the mesosphere are given, and their importance for stratospheric ozone is discussed. The results show that the summer-to-winter pole meridional circulation transports both NO and N(S-4) across the solar terminator into the polar night region where there is a downward vertical transport toward the mesosphere. The model shows that odd nitrogen densities at high winter latitudes are entirely controlled by particle precipitation and transport processes.

  7. A preliminary study of thermosphere and mesosphere wind observed by Fabry-Perot over Kelan, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Tao; Huang, Cong; Zhao, Guangxin; Mao, Tian; Wang, Yungang; Zeng, Zhongcao; Wang, Jingsong; Xia, Chunliang

    2014-06-01

    A Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) system was deployed in Kelan (38.7°N, 111.6°E), center China in November 2011, which observes the airglows at wavelengths of 892.0 nm, 557.7 nm, and 630.0 nm from OH and OI emissions in the upper atmosphere, to derive the wind and temperature at heights around 87 km, 97 km, and 250 km, respectively. From late 2011 through 2013 a series of more than 4500 measurements at each height are validated according to manufacture data quality criteria. By using these data, the morphology of wind in the mesosphere and thermosphere is investigated in this study. Preliminary results are as follows: (1) As for the diurnal variation, meridional and zonal winds at heights of 87 km and 97 km, which are derived through 892.0 nm and 557.7 nm airglows, usually range from -50 m/s to 30 m/s and -50 m/s to 50 m/s, respectively, with typical random errors of about 6-10 m/s at 87 km and 2-3 m/s at 97 km. Meridional winds usually are northward at dusk, southward at middle night, and back to northward at dawn; and zonal winds usually are eastward at dusk, westward at middle night, and back to eastward at dawn. The monthly mean winds are in good agreement with those of HWM93 results. Meridional and zonal winds at a height of 250 km, which are derived through 630.0 nm nightglow, range from -110 m/s to 80 m/s with typical random errors of about 8-10 m/s. Meridional winds usually are northward at dusk, southward at middle night, and back to northward at dawn; and zonal winds usually are eastward at dusk, zero at middle night, and westward at dawn; and they are also well consistent with HWM93 results. (2) As for the seasonal variation, meridional winds at the heights of 87 km and 97 km have a visible annual variation at 12-17 LT and with a little semiannual variation at all other hours, but the zonal winds at the heights of 87 km and 97 km have a semiannual variation all night. The seasonal dependence of the winds, both meridional and zonal winds, at the height

  8. A theoretical and empirical study of the response of the high latitude thermosphere to the sense of the 'Y' component of the interplanetary magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rees, D.; Fuller-Rowell, T.J.; Gordon, R.

    1986-01-01

    The strength and direction of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) controls the transfer of solar wind momentum and energy to the high latitude thermosphere in a direct fashion. The sense of ''Y'' component of the IMF (BY) creates a significant asymmetry of the magnetospheric convection pattern as mapped onto the high latitude thermosphere and ionosphere. The resulting response of the polar thermospheric winds during periods when BY is either positive or negative is quite distinct, with pronounced changes in the relative strength of thermospheric winds in the dusk-dawn parts of the polar cap and in the dawn part of the auroral oval. In a study of four periods when there was a clear signature of BY, observed by the ISEE-3 satellite, with observations of polar winds and electric fields from the Dynamics Explorer-2 satellite and with wind observations by a ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer located in Kiruna, Northern Sweden, it is possible to explain features of the high latitude thermospheric circulation using three dimensional global models including BY dependent, asymmetric, polar convection fields. Anomalously zonal wind velocities are often observed, for BY positive and when BY is negative. These are matched by the observation of strong anti-sunward polar-cap wind jets from the DE-2 satellite, on the dusk side with BY negative, and on the dawn side with BY positive. (author)

  9. Simultaneous measurements of the thermospheric wind profile at three separate positions in the dusk auroral oval

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikkelsen, I.S.; Friis-Christensen, E.; Larsen, M.F.; Kelley, M.C.; Vickrey, J.; Meriwether, J.; Shih, P.

    1987-01-01

    On March 20, 1985, two rockets were launched from Soendre Stroemfjord, Greenland, into the dusk auroral oval. Three trimethyl aluminium trails were released to measure the neutral wind profiles between 95 and 190 km of altitude at two points separated by 190 km normal to the invariant latitude circles and at a third point separated from the first two by 300 km along the invariant latitude circles. Two barium/strontium clouds were released at 250 km of altitude, extending two of the neutral wind profiles to this altitude. In the E region the tip of the wind vector traced an ellipse as a function of increasing altitude with maximum wind speeds of 100-150 m/s in the southeastward and northwestward directions. The F region winds were southward with speeds of 100-200 m/s. The zonal wind component between 115 and 140 km of altitude had a horizontal gradient in the southeastward direction, whereas the meridional wind component at the same heights was constant over the spatial extent covered by the measurements. The authors interpret the observed E region wind field as being part of a gravity wave with a period of 3 hours as estimated from the ellipticity of the wind hodograms. The wind vectors rotated 540 degree clockwise with increasing height, indicating that the wave energy is propagating upward. The Fabry-Perot interferometer at Soendre Stroemfjord was first able to detect the F region winds 45 min after the releases and measured winds of 100-400 m/s mainly in the southeastward or antisunward direction. The geomagnetic conditions were quiet, with Kp not exceeding 2 for the 24 hours preceding the experiment. The incoherent scatter radar at Soendre Stroemfjord observed a contracted plasma convection pattern associated with positive B y and B z components of the interplanetary magnetic field

  10. Some characteristics of midlatitude F layer storms generated by thermosphere-plasmasphere coupling processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, N.J.

    1983-01-01

    In this dissertation, calculations are interpreted that have been made to describe stormtime variations in equinoctial dayside plasma parameters when the variations are primarily caused by processes dependent upon collisional coupling between the thermosphere and the plasmasphere. The calculations are made with a computer model formed by linking two theoretical models: a pre-existing thermospheric model that describes dayside variations in thermospheric parameters during stormtime heating of the thermosphere; a plasmaspheric model which was developed to describe dayside plasmaspheric variations caused by the thermospheric variations described by the thermospheric model and by variations in a magnetospheric electric field. Both portions of the computerized storm model solve partial differential equations describing conservation of species, momentum, and energy by replacing dependent variables with expansions in time series. The thermospheric portion of the storm model solves for variations in gas temperature, horizontal wind velocity, and densities of atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen while the plasmaspheric portion of the storm model solves for variations in ion densities of oxygen and hydrogen, ion fluxes and electrons, and heat fluxes through ions and electrons. Other calculations that have been used to describe variations in thermospheric and plasmaspheric parameters are summarized and the advantages and limitations of the model calculations used to obtain results presented in this dissertation are noted

  11. Jupiter Thermospheric General Circulation Model (JTGCM): Global Structure and Dynamics Driven by Auroral and Joule Heating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bougher, S. W.; J. Il. Waite, Jr.; Majeed, T.

    2005-01-01

    A growing multispectral database plus recent Galileo descent measurements are being used to construct a self-consistent picture of the Jupiter thermosphere/ionosphere system. The proper characterization of Jupiter s upper atmosphere, embedded ionosphere, and auroral features requires the examination of underlying processes, including the feedbacks of energetics, neutral-ion dynamics, composition, and magnetospheric coupling. A fully 3-D Jupiter Thermospheric General Circulation Model (JTGCM) has been developed and exercised to address global temperatures, three-component neutral winds, and neutral-ion species distributions. The domain of this JTGCM extends from 20-microbar (capturing hydrocarbon cooling) to 1.0 x 10(exp -4) nbar (including aurora/Joule heating processes). The resulting JTGCM has been fully spun-up and integrated for greater than or equal to40 Jupiter rotations. Results from three JTGCM cases incorporating moderate auroral heating, ion drag, and moderate to strong Joule heating processes are presented. The neutral horizontal winds at ionospheric heights vary from 0.5 km/s to 1.2 km/s, atomic hydrogen is transported equatorward, and auroral exospheric temperatures range from approx.1200-1300 K to above 3000 K, depending on the magnitude of Joule heating. The equatorial temperature profiles from the JTGCM are compared with the measured temperature structure from the Galileo AS1 data set. The best fit to the Galileo data implies that the major energy source for maintaining the equatorial temperatures is due to dynamical heating induced by the low-latitude convergence of the high-latitude-driven thermospheric circulation. Overall, the Jupiter thermosphere/ionosphere system is highly variable and is shown to be strongly dependent on magnetospheric coupling which regulates Joule heating.

  12. Coupled Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System by QFT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shao-Guang

    shoot to Sun from the center of Galaxy. The dynamic balance of forces on the solar surface plasma at once is broken and the plasma will upwards eject as the solar wind with redundant negative charge, at the same time, the solar surface remain a cavity as a sunspot whorl with the positive electric potential relative to around. The whorl caused by that the reaction of plasma eject front and upwards with the different velocity at different latitude of solar rotation, leads to the cavity around in the downwards and backwards helix movement. The solar rotation more slow, when the cavity is filled by around plasma in the reverse turn direction, the Jupiter at front had been produced a new cavity, so that we had observe the sunspot pair with different whorl directions and different magnetic polarity. Jupiter possess half mass of all planets in solar system, its action to stop net nuν _{0} flux is primary, so that Jupiter’s period of 11.8 sidereal years accord basically with the period of sunspot eruptions. The solar wind is essentially the plasma with additional electrons flux ejected from the solar surface: its additional electrons come from the ionosphere again eject into the ionosphere and leads to the direct connect between the solar wind and the ionosphere; its magnetism from its redundant negative charge and leads to the connect between the solar wind and the magnetosphere; it possess the high temperature of the solar surface and ejecting kinetic energy leads to the thermo-exchange connect between the solar wind and the thermosphere. Through the solar wind ejecting into and cross over the outside atmosphere carry out the electromagnetic, particles material and thermal exchanges, the Coupled Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System to be came into being. This conclusion is inferred only by QFT.

  13. The Response of the Thermosphere and Ionosphere to Magnetospheric Forcing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, D.; Fuller-Rowell, T. J.

    1989-06-01

    model and the Sheffield University ionospheric model. This has produced a self-consistent coupled thermospheric--ionospheric model, which has become a valuable diagnostic tool for examining thermospheric--ionospheric interactions in the polar regions. In particular, it is possible to examine the effects of induced winds, ion transport, and the seasonal and diurnal U.T. variations of solar heating and photoionization within the polar regions. Polar and high-latitude plasma density structure at F-region altitudes can be seen to be strongly controlled by U.T., and by season, even for constant solar and geomagnetic activity. In the winter, the F-region polar plasma density is generally dominated by the effects of transport of plasma from the dayside (sunlit cusp). In the summer polar region, however, an increase in the proportion of molecular to atomic species, created by the global seasonal circulation and augmented by the geomagnetic forcing, controls the plasma composition and generally depresses plasma densities at all U.Ts. A number of these complex effects can be seen in data obtained from ground-based radars, Fabry--Perot interferometers and in the combined DE data-sets. Several of these observations will be used, in combination with simulations using the UCL--Sheffield coupled model, to illustrate the major features of large-scale thermosphere--ionosphere interactions in response to geomagnetic forcing. The past decade has seen a major improvement in the quality and quantity of experimental data available to study the thermosphere and ionosphere and their response to magnetospheric forcing. Earlier, large measured changes of individual parameters were difficult to place in a global or large-scale perspective. However, a clear picture of the distinction between the solar and geomagnetic forcing processes has emerged from the combined data-sets available from spacecraft such as the Dynamics Explorers, and from ground-based radar and optical observations of the polar

  14. The neutral thermosphere at Arecibo during geomagnetic storms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burnside, R.G.; Tepley, C.A.; Sulzer, M.P.; Fuller-Rowell, T.J.; Torr, D.G.; Roble, R.G.

    1991-01-01

    Over the past five years, simultaneous incoherent scatter and optical observations have been obtained at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, during two major geomagnetic storms. The first storm the authors examine occurred during the World Day campaign of 12-16 January 1988, where on 14 January 1988, Kp values greater than 7 were recorded. An ion-energy balance calculation shows that atomic oxygen densities at a fixed height on 14 January 1988 were about twice as large as they were on the quiet days in this period. Simultaneous radar and Fabry-Perot interferometer observations were used to infer nightime O densities on 14-15 January 1988 that were about twice as large as on adjacent quiet nights. On this night, unusually high westward ion velocities were observed at Arecibo. The Fabry-Perot measurements show that the normal eastward flow of the neutral wind was reversed on this night. The second storm they examine occured on the night of 13-14 July 1985, when Kp values reached only 4+, but the ionosphere and thermosphere responded in a similar manner as they did in January 1988. On the nights of both 13-14 July 1985 and 14-15 January 1988, the electron densities observed at Arecibo were significantly higher than they were on nearby geomagnetically quiet nights. These results indicate that major storm effects in thermospheric winds and composition propagate to low latitudes and have a pronounced effect on the ionospheric structure over Arecibo

  15. E region neutral winds in the postmidnight diffuse aurora during the atmospheric response in aurora 1 rocket campaign

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brinkman, D.G.; Walterscheid, R.L.; Lyons, L.R.

    1995-01-01

    Measured E region neutral winds from the Atmospheric Response in Aurora (ARIA 1) rocket campaign are compared with winds predicted by a high-resolution nonhydrostatic dynamical thermosphere model. The ARIA 1 rockets were launched into the postmidnight diffuse aurora during the recovery phase of a substorm. Simulations have shown that electrodynamical coupling between the auroral ionosphere and the thermosphere was expected to be strong during active diffuse auroral conditions. This is the first time that simulations using the time history of detailed specifications of the magnitude and latitudinal variation of the auroral forcing based on measurements have been compared to simultaneous wind measurements. Model inputs included electron densities derived from ground-based airglow measurements, precipitating electron fluxes measured by the rocket, electron densities measured on the rocket, electric fields derived from magnetometer and satellite ion drift measurements, and large-scale background winds from a thermospheric general circulation model. Our model predicted a strong jet of eastward winds at E region heights. A comparison between model predicted and observed winds showed modest agreement. Above 135 km the model predicted zonal winds with the correct sense, the correct profile shape, and the correct altitude of the peak wind. However, it overpredicted the magnitude of the eastward winds by more than a factor or 2. For the meridional winds the model predicted the general sense of the winds but was unable to predict the structure or strength of the winds seen in the observations. Uncertainties in the magnitude and latitudinal structure of the electric field and in the magnitude of the background winds are the most likely sources of error contributing to the differences between model and observed winds. Between 110 and 135 km the agreement between the model and observations was poor because of a large unmodeled jetlike feature in the observed winds

  16. Thermospheric dynamics during the March 22, 1979, magnetic storm 1. Model simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roble, R.G.; Forbes, J.M.; Marcos, F.A.

    1987-01-01

    The physical processes involved in the transfer of energy from the solar wind to the magnetosphere and its release associated with substorms on March 22, 1979, have been studied in detail by the Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop 6 (CDAW 6). The information derived from the CDAW 6 study, as well as other information obtained from magnetospheric modeling, is used to prescribe the time-dependent variations of the parameterizations for the auroral and magnetospheric convection models that are incorporated within the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM). The period preceding the magnetic storm (March 21) was geomagnetically quiet, and the TGCM was run until a diurnally reproducible pattern was obtained. The time variations of auroral particle precipitation and enhanced magnetospheric convection on March 22 caused a considerable disturbance in the high-latitude circulation, temperature, and composition during the storm period that began at about 1055 UT. Large- and medium-scale disturbances were launched during the event that propagated to equatorial latitudes. The thermospheric response in the northern hemisphere was larger than that generated in the southern hemisphere, because the auroral oval and magnetospheric convection pattenr in the northern hemisphere were in sunlight during the storm period whereas they were in darkness in the southern hemisphere. The storm response was also different in the upper and the lower thermosphere. In the upper thermosphere the winds generally followed the two-cell pattern of magnetospheric convecton with a lag of only 1/2 to 1 hour. In the lower thermosphere there was a pronounced asymmetry between the circulation cells on the dawnside and on the duskside of the polar cap

  17. Thermospheric storms and related ionospheric effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chandra, S.; Spencer, N.W.

    1976-01-01

    A comparative study of thermospheric storms for the equinox and winter conditions is presented based on the neutral composition measurements from the Aeros-A Nate (Neutral Atmosphere Temperature Experiment) experiment. The main features of the two storms as inferred from the changes in N 2 , Ar, He, and O are described, and their implications to current theories of thermospheric storms are discussed. On the basis of the study of the F region critical frequency measured from a chain of ground-based ionospheric stations during the two storm periods, the general characteristics of the ionospheric storms and the traveling ionospheric disturbances are described. It is suggested that the positive and negative phases of ionospheric storms are the various manifestations of thermospheric storms

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Yuan

    2013-08-01

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

  19. Theoretical and Empirical Descriptions of Thermospheric Density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, S. C.; Qian, L.

    2004-12-01

    The longest-term and most accurate overall description the density of the upper thermosphere is provided by analysis of change in the ephemeris of Earth-orbiting satellites. Empirical models of the thermosphere developed in part from these measurements can do a reasonable job of describing thermospheric properties on a climatological basis, but the promise of first-principles global general circulation models of the coupled thermosphere/ionosphere system is that a true high-resolution, predictive capability may ultimately be developed for thermospheric density. However, several issues are encountered when attempting to tune such models so that they accurately represent absolute densities as a function of altitude, and their changes on solar-rotational and solar-cycle time scales. Among these are the crucial ones of getting the heating rates (from both solar and auroral sources) right, getting the cooling rates right, and establishing the appropriate boundary conditions. However, there are several ancillary issues as well, such as the problem of registering a pressure-coordinate model onto an altitude scale, and dealing with possible departures from hydrostatic equilibrium in empirical models. Thus, tuning a theoretical model to match empirical climatology may be difficult, even in the absence of high temporal or spatial variation of the energy sources. We will discuss some of the challenges involved, and show comparisons of simulations using the NCAR Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) to empirical model estimates of neutral thermosphere density and temperature. We will also show some recent simulations using measured solar irradiance from the TIMED/SEE instrument as input to the TIE-GCM.

  20. The MIGHTI Wind Retrieval Algorithm: Description and Verification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, Brian J.; Makela, Jonathan J.; Englert, Christoph R.; Marr, Kenneth D.; Harlander, John M.; England, Scott L.; Immel, Thomas J.

    2017-10-01

    We present an algorithm to retrieve thermospheric wind profiles from measurements by the Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument on NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission. MIGHTI measures interferometric limb images of the green and red atomic oxygen emissions at 557.7 nm and 630.0 nm, spanning 90-300 km. The Doppler shift of these emissions represents a remote measurement of the wind at the tangent point of the line of sight. Here we describe the algorithm which uses these images to retrieve altitude profiles of the line-of-sight wind. By combining the measurements from two MIGHTI sensors with perpendicular lines of sight, both components of the vector horizontal wind are retrieved. A comprehensive truth model simulation that is based on TIME-GCM winds and various airglow models is used to determine the accuracy and precision of the MIGHTI data product. Accuracy is limited primarily by spherical asymmetry of the atmosphere over the spatial scale of the limb observation, a fundamental limitation of space-based wind measurements. For 80% of the retrieved wind samples, the accuracy is found to be better than 5.8 m/s (green) and 3.5 m/s (red). As expected, significant errors are found near the day/night boundary and occasionally near the equatorial ionization anomaly, due to significant variations of wind and emission rate along the line of sight. The precision calculation includes pointing uncertainty and shot, read, and dark noise. For average solar minimum conditions, the expected precision meets requirements, ranging from 1.2 to 4.7 m/s.

  1. SCANDI – an all-sky Doppler imager for studies of thermospheric spatial structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. L. Aruliah

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available A new all-sky Fabry-Perot Interferometer called the Scanning Doppler Imager (SCANDI was built and installed at Longyearbyen in December 2006. Observations have been made of the Doppler shifts and Doppler broadening of the 630 nm airglow and aurora, from which upper thermospheric winds and temperatures are calculated. SCANDI allows measurements over a field-of-view (FOV with a horizontal radius of nearly 600 km for observations at an altitude of 250 km using a time resolution of 8 min. The instrument provides the ability to observe thermospheric spatial structure within a FOV which overlaps that of the EISCAT Svalbard radar and CUTLASS SuperDARN radars. Coordinating with these instruments provides an important opportunity for studying ion-neutral coupling. The all-sky image is divided into several sectors to provide a horizontal spatial resolution of between 100–300 km. This is a powerful extension in observational capability but requires careful calibration and data analysis, as described here. Two observation modes were used: a fixed and a scanning etalon gap. SCANDI results are corroborated using the Longyearbyen single look direction FPI, and ESR measurements of the ion temperatures. The data show thermospheric temperature gradients of a few Kelvins per kilometre, and a great deal of meso-scale variability on spatial scales of several tens of kilometres.

  2. Venus thermosphere and exosphere - First satellite drag measurements of an extraterrestrial atmosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keating, G. M.; Tolson, R. H.; Hinson, E. W.

    1979-01-01

    Atmospheric drag measurements obtained from the study of the orbital decay of Pioneer Venus I indicate that atomic oxygen predominates in the Venus atmosphere above 160 kilometers. Drag measurements give evidence that conditions characteristic of a planetary thermosphere disappear near sundown, with inferred exospheric temperatures sharply dropping from approximately 300 K to less than 150 K. Observed densities are generally lower than given by theoretical models.

  3. Reassessment of the thermospheric response to geomagnetic activity at low latitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berger, C.; Barlier, F.; Ill, M.

    1988-01-01

    The present study takes advantage of measurements made at low latitudes by the Cactus accelerometer. From such measurements the response of several thermospheric parameters to geomagnetic activity can be simultaneously and reliably retrieved: total density, density scale height, vertical density scale height gradient, temperature, O/N 2 ratio and mean molecular mass. On investigation their behaviour exhibits a diurnal variation, some features of which have not been described, especially in the case of strong geomagnetic storms. In particular, the night scale height response appears to be stronger than the day one while its vertical gradients increase by day and slightly decrease at night. The temperature increase is higher by day while the O/N 2 ratio decreases by day, and increases at night at constant pressure level as well as at fixed height. By day, significant vertical temperature gradients are also found. These results as well as others are analysed in the light of existing theories and compared to the predictions of existing thermospheric models. Strong meridional winds at night, heat transport through thermal conductivity as well as wave dissipation during the day might be factors helping to account for such a behaviour

  4. A Study on the Ionosphere and Thermosphere Interaction Based on NCAR-TIEGCM: Dependence of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF on the Momentum Forcing in the High-Latitude Lower Thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Sil Kwak

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available To understand the physical processes that control the high-latitude lower thermospheric dynamics, we quantify the forces that are mainly responsible for maintaining the high-latitude lower thermospheric wind system with the aid of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (NCAR-TIEGCM. Momentum forcing is statistically analyzed in magnetic coordinates, and its behavior with respect to the magnitude and orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF is further examined. By subtracting the values with zero IMF from those with non-zero IMF, we obtained the difference winds and forces in the high-latitude lower thermosphere( 0.8 |bar{B}_z| or negative(B_y 0.3125 |bar{B}_y| or negative(B_z 125 km the primary forces that determine the variations of the neutral winds are the pressure gradient, Coriolis and rotational Pedersen ion drag forces; however, at various locations and times significant contributions can be made by the horizontal advection force. On the other hand, at lower altitudes(108-125 km the pressure gradient, Coriolis and non-rotational Hall ion drag forces determine the variations of the neutral winds. At lower altitudes(<108 km it tends to generate a geostrophic motion with the balance between the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces. The northward component of IMF bar{B}_y-dependent average momentum forces act more significantly on the neutral motion except for the ion drag. At lower altitudes(108-125 km for negative IMF-bar{B}_y condition the ion drag force tends to generate a warm clockwise circulation with downward vertical motion associated with the adiabatic compress heating in the polar cap region. For positive IMF-bar{B}_y condition it tends to generate a cold anticlockwise circulation with upward vertical motion associated with the adiabatic expansion cooling in the polar cap region. For negative IMF-bar{B}_z the ion drag force tends to generate a

  5. Solar Cycle Variation of Upper Thermospheric Temperature Over King Sejong Station, Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jong-Kyun; Won, Young-In; Kim, Yong-Ha; Lee, Bang-Yong; Kim, Jhoon

    2000-12-01

    A ground Fabry-Perot interferometer has been used to measure atomic oxygen nightglow (OI 630.0 nm) from the thermosphere (about 250 km) at King Sejong station (KSS, geographic: 62.22oS, 301.25oE; geomagnetic: 50.65oS, 7.51oE), Antarctica. While numerous studies of the thermosphere have been performed on high latitude using ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometers, the thermospheric measurements in the Southern Hemisphere are relatively new and sparse. Therefore, the nightglow measurements at KSS play an important role in extending the thermospheric studies to the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we investigated the effects of the geomagnetic and solar activities on the thermospheric neutral temperatures that have been observed at KSS in 1989 and 1997. The measured average temperatures are 1400 K in 1989 and 800 K in 1997, reflecting the influence of the solar activity. The measurements were compared with empirical models, MSIS-86 and semi-empirical model, VSH.

  6. Solar Cycle Variation of Upper Thermospheric Temperature Over King Sejong Station, Antarctica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jong-Kyun Chung

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available A ground Fabry-Perot interferometer has been used to measure atomic oxygen nightglow (OI 630.0 nm from the thermosphere (about 250 km at King Sejong station (KSS, geographic: 62.22oS, 301.25oE; geomagnetic: 50.65oS, 7.51oE, Antarctica. While numerous studies of the thermosphere have been performed on high latitude using ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometers, the thermospheric measurements in the Southern Hemisphere are relatively new and sparse. Therefore, the nightglow measurements at KSS play an important role in extending the thermospheric studies to the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we investigated the effects of the geomagnetic and solar activities on the thermospheric neutral temperatures that have been observed at KSS in 1989 and 1997. The measured average temperatures are 1400 K in 1989 and 800 K in 1997, reflecting the influence of the solar activity. The measurements were compared with empirical models, MSIS-86 and semi-empirical model, VSH.

  7. Polar heating in Saturn's thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. G. A. Smith

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available A 3-D numerical global circulation model of the Kronian thermosphere has been used to investigate the influence of polar heating. The distributions of temperature and winds resulting from a general heat source in the polar regions are described. We show that both the total energy input and its vertical distribution are important to the resulting thermal structure. We find that the form of the topside heating profile is particularly important in determining exospheric temperatures. We compare our results to exospheric temperatures from Voyager occultation measurements (Smith et al., 1983; Festou and Atreya, 1982 and auroral H3+ temperatures from ground-based spectroscopic observations (e.g. Miller et al., 2000. We find that a polar heat source is consistent with both the Smith et al. determination of T~400 K at ~30° N and auroral temperatures. The required heat source is also consistent with recent estimates of the Joule heating rate at Saturn (Cowley et al., 2004. However, our results show that a polar heat source can probably not explain the Festou and Atreya determination of T~800 K at ~4° N and the auroral temperatures simultaneously.

    Keywords. Ionosphere (Planetary ionosphere – Magnetospherica physics (Planetary magnetospheres – Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (Thermospheric dynamics

  8. The Design and Implementation of the Wide-Angle Michelson Interferometer to Observe Thermospheric Winds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, William Edmund

    The design and implementation of a Wide-Angle Michelson interferometer (WAMI) as a high spectral resolution device for measuring Doppler shifts and temperatures in the thermosphere is discussed in detail. A general theoretical framework is developed to describe the behavior of interferometers and is applied to the WAMI. Notions concerning the optical coupling of various surfaces within an interferometer are developed and used to investigate the effects of misalignments in the WAMI optics. In addition, these notions in combination with ideas on the polarization behavior of interferometers are used to suggest how complex multisurfaced interferometers might be developed, what features affect their behavior most strongly, and how this behavior might be controlled. Those aspects of the Michelson interferometer important to its use as a high resolution spectral device are outlined and expressions relating the physical features of the interferometer and the spectral features of the radiation passing through the instrument, to the form of the observed interference pattern are derived. The sensitivity of the WAMI to misalignments in its optical components is explored, and quantitative estimations of the effects of these misalignments made. A working WAMI with cube corners instead of plane mirrors was constructed and is described. The theoretical notions outlined above are applied to this instrument and found to account for most of its features. A general digital procedure is developed for the analysis of the observed interference fringes which permits an estimation of the amplitude, visibility and phase of the fringes. This instrument was taken to Bird, northern Manitoba as part of the ground based support for the Auroral Rocket and Image Excitation Study (ARIES) rocket campaign. Doppler shifts and linewidth variations in O(^1 D) and O(^1S) emissions in the aurora were observed during several nights and constitute the first synoptic wind measurements taken with a WAMI. The

  9. Scalar and Vector Spherical Harmonics for Assimilation of Global Datasets in the Ionosphere and Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miladinovich, D.; Datta-Barua, S.; Bust, G. S.; Ramirez, U.

    2017-12-01

    Understanding physical processes during storm time in the ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) system is limited, in part, due to the inability to obtain accurate estimates of IT states on a global scale. One reason for this inability is the sparsity of spatially distributed high quality data sets. Data assimilation is showing promise toward enabling global estimates by blending high quality observational data sets with established climate models. We are continuing development of an algorithm called Estimating Model Parameters for Ionospheric Reverse Engineering (EMPIRE) to enable assimilation of global datasets for storm time estimates of IT drivers. EMPIRE is a data assimilation algorithm that uses a Kalman filtering routine to ingest model and observational data. The EMPIRE algorithm is based on spherical harmonics which provide a spherically symmetric, smooth, continuous, and orthonormal set of basis functions suitable for a spherical domain such as Earth's IT region (200-600 km altitude). Once the basis function coefficients are determined, the newly fitted function represents the disagreement between observational measurements and models. We apply spherical harmonics to study the March 17, 2015 storm. Data sources include Fabry-Perot interferometer neutral wind measurements and global Ionospheric Data Assimilation 4 Dimensional (IDA4D) assimilated total electron content (TEC). Models include Weimer 2000 electric potential, International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) magnetic field, and Horizontal Wind Model 2014 (HWM14) neutral winds. We present the EMPIRE assimilation results of Earth's electric potential and thermospheric winds. We also compare EMPIRE storm time E cross B ion drift estimates to measured drifts produced from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) and Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE) measurement datasets. The analysis from these results will enable the generation of globally assimilated

  10. Methodological possibilities for using the electron and ion energy balance in thermospheric complex measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serafimov, K.B.; Serafimova, M.K.

    1991-01-01

    Combination of ground based measurements for determination of basic thermospheric characteristics is proposed . An expression for the energy transport between components of space plasma is also derived and discussed within the framework of the presented methodology which could be devided into the folowing major sections: 1) application of ionosonde, absorption measurements, TEC-measurements using Faradey radiation or the differential Doppler effect; 2) ground-based airglow measurements; 3) airglow and palsma satelite measurements. 9 refs

  11. Stratospheric warming influence on the mesosphere/lower thermosphere as seen by the extended CMAM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. G. Shepherd

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The response of the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere region to major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW is examined employing temperature, winds, NOX and CO constituents from the extended Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM with continuous incremental nudging below 10 hPa (~ 30 km. The model results considered cover high latitudes (60–85° N from 10 to 150 km height for the December–March period of 2003/2004, 2005/2006 and 2008/2009, when some of the strongest SSWs in recent years were observed. NOX and CO are used as proxies for examining transport. Comparisons with ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment–Fourier Transform Spectrometer satellite observations show that the model represents well the dynamics of the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere region, the coupling of the stratosphere–mesosphere, and the NOX and CO transport. New information is obtained on the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere up to 150 km showing that the NOX volume mixing ratio in the 2003/2004 winter was very perturbed indicating transport from the lower atmosphere and intense mixing with large NOX influx from the thermosphere compared to 2006 and 2009. These results, together with those from other models and observations, clearly show the impact of stratospheric warmings on the thermosphere.

  12. A study of space shuttle plumes in the lower thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meier, R. R.; Stevens, Michael H.; Plane, John M. C.; Emmert, J. T.; Crowley, G.; Azeem, I.; Paxton, L. J.; Christensen, A. B.

    2011-12-01

    During the space shuttle main engine burn, some 350 t of water vapor are deposited at between 100 and 115 km. Subsequent photodissociation of water produces large plumes of atomic hydrogen that can expand rapidly and extend for thousands of kilometers. From 2002 to 2007, the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) on NASA's Thermosphere Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite imaged many of these hydrogen plumes at Lyman α (121.567 nm) while viewing in the nadir. The images reveal rapid plume expansion and occasional very fast transport to both north and south polar regions. Some plumes persist for up to 6 d. Near-simultaneous direct detections of water vapor were made with the Sounding of the Atmosphere with Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument, also on TIMED. We compare the spreading of the hydrogen plume with a two-dimensional model that includes photodissociation as well as both vertical and horizontal diffusion. Molecular diffusion appears to be sufficient to account for the horizontal expansion, although wind shears and turbulent mixing may also contribute. We compare the bulk motion of the observed plumes with wind climatologies derived from satellite observations. The plumes can move much faster than predictions of wind climatologies. But dynamical processes not contained in wind climatologies, such as the quasi-two-day wave, can account for at least some of the high speed observations. The plume phenomena raise a number of important questions about lower thermospheric and mesospheric processes, ranging from dynamics and chemistry to polar mesospheric cloud formation and climatology.

  13. Ionosphere-thermosphere energy budgets for the ICME storms of March 2013 and 2015 estimated with GITM and observational proxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verkhoglyadova, O. P.; Meng, X.; Mannucci, A. J.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Hunt, L. A.; Lu, G.

    2017-09-01

    The ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) energy partitioning for the interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) storms of 16-19 March 2013 and 2015 is estimated with the Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM), empirical models and proxies derived from in situ measurements. We focus on auroral heating, Joule heating, and thermospheric cooling. Solar wind data, F10.7, OVATION Prime model and the Weimer 2005 model are used to drive GITM from above. Thermospheric nitric oxide and carbon dioxide cooling emission powers and fluxes are estimated from TIMED/SABER measurements. Assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) estimations of hemispheric power and Joule heating are presented, based on data from global magnetometers, the AMPERE magnetic field data, SSUSI auroral images, and the SuperDARN radar network. Modeled Joule heating and auroral heating of the IT system are mostly controlled by external driving in the March 2013 and 2015 storms, while NO cooling persists into the storm recovery phase. The total heating in the model is about 1000 GW to 3000 GW. Additionally, we intercompare contributions in selected energy channels for five coronal mass ejection-type storms modeled with GITM. Modeled auroral heating shows reasonable agreement with AMIE hemispheric power and is higher than other observational proxies. Joule heating and infrared cooling are likely underestimated in GITM. We discuss challenges and discrepancies in estimating and global modeling of the IT energy partitioning, especially Joule heating, during geomagnetic storms.

  14. Analysis of Temperature and Wind Measurements from the TIMED Mission: Comparison with UARS Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Frank; Mayr, Hans; Killeen, Tim; Russell, Jim; Reber, Skip

    2004-01-01

    We report on an analysis of temperature and wind data based respectively on measurements with the SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) and TIDI (TIMED Doppler Interferometer) instruments on the TIMED (Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Energetics and Dynamics) mission. Comparisons are made with corresponding results obtained from the HRDI (High Resolution Doppler Imager), MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder) and CLAES (Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer) instruments on the UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) spacecraft. The TIMED and UARS instruments have important common and uncommon properties in their sampling of the data as a function local solar time. For comparison between the data from the two satellite missions, we present the derived diurnal tidal and zonal-mean variations of temperature and winds, obtained as functions of season, latitude, and altitude. The observations are also compared with results from the Numerical Spectral Model (NSM).

  15. Zonally averaged chemical-dynamical model of the lower thermosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasting, J.F.; Roble, R.G.

    1981-01-01

    A zonally averaged numerical model of the thermosphere is used to examine the coupling between neutral composition, including N 2 , O 2 and O, temperature, and winds at solstice for solar minimum conditions. The meridional circulation forced by solar heating results in a summer-to-winter flow, with a winter enhancement in atomic oxygen density that is a factor of about 1.8 greater than the summer hemisphere at 160 km. The O 2 and N 2 variations are associated with a latitudinal gradient in total number density, which is required to achieve pressure balance in the presence of large zonal jets. Latitudinal profiles OI (5577A) green line emission intensity are calculated by using both Chapman and Barth mechanisms. Composition of the lower thermosphere is shown to be strongly influenced by circulation patterns initiated in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere, below the lower boundary used in the model

  16. Remote Sensing the Thermosphere's State Using Emissions From Carbon Dioxide and Nitric Oxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weimer, D. R.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Doornbos, E.

    2017-12-01

    Measurements of emissions from nitric oxide and carbon dioxide in the thermosphere have strong correlations with properties that are very useful to the determination of thermospheric densities. We have compared emissions measured with the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument on the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite with neutral density measurements from the Challenging Mini-satellite Payload (CHAMP), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), the Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), and the three Swarm satellites, spanning a time period of over 15 years. It has been found that nitric oxide emissions match changes in the exospheric temperatures that have been derived from the densities through use of the Naval Reasearch Laboratory Mass Spectrometer, Incoherent Scatter Radar Extended Model (NRLMSISE-00) thermosphere model. Similarly, our results indicate that the carbon dioxide emissions have annual and semiannual oscillations that correlate with changes in the amount of oxygen in the thermosphere, also determined by use of the NRLMSISE-00 model. These annual and semi-annual variations are found to have irregular amplitudes and phases, which make them very difficult to accurately predict. Prediction of exospheric temperatures through the use of geomagnetic indices also tends to be inexact. Therefore, it would be possible and very useful to use measurements of the thermosphere's infrared emissions for real-time tracking of the thermosphere's state, so that more accurate calculations of the density may be obtained.

  17. Thermospheric Extension of the Quasi 6-day Wave Observed by the TIMED Satellite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Q.; Oberheide, J.

    2017-12-01

    The quasi 6-day wave is one of the most prevailing planetary waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. Its peak amplitude can attain 20-30 m/s in low-latitude zonal winds at around equinoxes. Consequently, it is anticipated that the 6-day wave can induce not only significantly dynamic effects (via wave-mean flow and wave-wave interactions) in the MLT, but also have significant impacts on the Thermosphere and Ionosphere (T-I). The understanding of the 6-day wave impact on the T-I system has been advanced a lot due to the recent development of whole atmosphere models and new satellite observations. Three pathways were widely proposed to explain the upward coupling due to the 6-day wave: E-region dynamo modulation, dissipation and nonlinear interaction with thermal tides. The current work aims to show a comprehensive pattern of the 6-day wave from the mesosphere up to the thermosphere/ionosphere in neutral fields (temperature, 3-D winds and density) and plasma drifts. To achieve this goal, we carry out the 6-day wave diagnostics by two different means. Firstly, the output of a one-year WACCM+DART run with data assimilation is analyzed to show the global structure of the 6-day wave in the MLT, followed by E-P flux diagnostics to elucidate the 6-day wave source and wave-mean flow interactions. Secondly, we produce observation-based 6-day wave patterns throughout the whole thermosphere by constraining modeled (TIME-GCM) 6-day wave patterns with observed 6-day wave patterns from SABER and TIDI in the MLT region. This allows us to fill the 110-400 km gap between remote sensing and in-situ satellites, and to obtain more realistic 6-day wave plasma drift patterns.

  18. Super Dual Auroral Radar Network observations of fluctuations in the spectral distribution of near range meteor echoes in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. F. Arnold

    2001-04-01

    Full Text Available The Doppler shifts of meteor echoes measured by the SuperDARN HF radar network have been used in several studies to observe neutral winds in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. In the absence of accurate height information for individual meteors, it has been necessary to assume a statistical mean meteor layer where the variations in altitude were not correlated to changes in the horizontal winds. Observations of spectral width distribution variations made by the radars allow an independent determination of the systematic error in the height. We have investigated the dependence of this distribution on a number of factors including the radar geometry, diurnal and seasonal cycles, variations in solar UV irradiance and geomagnetic activity. Changes in the altitude of the mean meteor layer observed at different radar ranges provide us with some insight into the structure of the upper mesosphere and the lower thermosphere within which the meteors are being ablated. An examination of the spectral widths, as measured by the CUT-LASS Finland radar, in the days preceding and following a Storm Sudden Commencement in April 1997, illustrates how the spectral properties of the observed region can be affected. The variations in the widths were consistent with model calculations of the changes to the temperature profile over this interval. Further refinements in the determination of the spectral width are outlined for future experiments.Key words. Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; thermospheric dynamics; instruments and techniques

  19. Super Dual Auroral Radar Network observations of fluctuations in the spectral distribution of near range meteor echoes in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. F. Arnold

    Full Text Available The Doppler shifts of meteor echoes measured by the SuperDARN HF radar network have been used in several studies to observe neutral winds in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. In the absence of accurate height information for individual meteors, it has been necessary to assume a statistical mean meteor layer where the variations in altitude were not correlated to changes in the horizontal winds. Observations of spectral width distribution variations made by the radars allow an independent determination of the systematic error in the height. We have investigated the dependence of this distribution on a number of factors including the radar geometry, diurnal and seasonal cycles, variations in solar UV irradiance and geomagnetic activity. Changes in the altitude of the mean meteor layer observed at different radar ranges provide us with some insight into the structure of the upper mesosphere and the lower thermosphere within which the meteors are being ablated. An examination of the spectral widths, as measured by the CUT-LASS Finland radar, in the days preceding and following a Storm Sudden Commencement in April 1997, illustrates how the spectral properties of the observed region can be affected. The variations in the widths were consistent with model calculations of the changes to the temperature profile over this interval. Further refinements in the determination of the spectral width are outlined for future experiments.

    Key words. Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; thermospheric dynamics; instruments and techniques

  20. Simultaneous mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere parameter measurements over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E): First results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taori, A.; Dashora, N.; Raghunath, K.; Russell, J. M., III; Mlynczak, Martin G.

    2011-07-01

    We report first simultaneous airglow, lidar, and total electron content measurements in the mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere system behavior from Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E). The observed variability in mesospheric temperatures and 630 nm thermospheric emission intensity shows large variations from one night to another with clear upward propagating waves at mesospheric altitudes. The deduced mesospheric temperatures compare well with Sounding of the Atmosphere Using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER)-derived temperatures, while the variability agrees well with lidar temperatures (on the night of simultaneous observations). The 630.0 nm thermospheric emission intensity and GPS-total electron content data exhibit occurrence of plasma depletions on the nights of 22-23 October and 22-23 May 2009, while no depletions are noted on the nearby nights of 23-24 October and 21-22 May 2009. These first simultaneous data reveal strong gravity-wave growth at upper mesospheric altitudes on the nights when plasma depletions were noted.

  1. Application of the CCD Fabry-Perot Annular Summing Technique to Thermospheric O(1)D.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coakley, Monica Marie

    1995-01-01

    This work will detail the verification of the advantages of the Fabry-Perot charge coupled device (CCD) annular summing technique, the development of the technique for analysis of daysky spectra, and the implications of the resulting spectra for neutral temperature and wind measurements in the daysky thermosphere. The daysky spectral feature of interest is the bright (1 kilo-Rayleigh) thermospheric (OI) emission at 6300 A which had been observed in the nightsky in order to determine winds and temperatures in the vicinity of the altitude of 250 km. In the daysky, the emission line sits on top of a bright Rayleigh scattered continuum background which significantly complicates the observation. With a triple etalon Fabry-Perot spectrometer, the continuum background can be reduced while maintaining high throughput and high resolution. The inclusion of a CCD camera results in significant savings in integration time over the two more standard scanning photomultiplier systems that have made the same wind and temperature measurements in the past. A comparable CCD system can experience an order of magnitude savings in integration time over a PMT system. Laboratory and field tests which address the advantages and limitations of both the Fabry-Perot CCD annular summing technique and the daysky CCD imaging are included in Chap. 2 and Chap. 3. With a sufficiently large throughput associated with the spectrometer and a CCD detector, rapid observations (~4 minute integrations) can be made. Extraction of the line width and line center from the daysky near-continuum background is complicated compared to the nightsky case, but possible. Methods of fitting the line are included in Chap. 4. The daysky O ^1D temperatures are consistent with a lower average emission height than predicted by models. The data and models are discussed in Chap. 5. Although some discrepancies exist between resulting temperatures and models, the observations indicate the potential for other direct measurements

  2. Understanding the Effects of Lower Boundary Conditions and Eddy Diffusion on the Ionosphere-Thermosphere System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malhotra, G.; Ridley, A. J.; Marsh, D. R.; Wu, C.; Paxton, L. J.

    2017-12-01

    The exchange of energy between lower atmospheric regions with the ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) system is not well understood. A number of studies have observed day-to-day and seasonal variabilities in the difference between data and model output of various IT parameters. It is widely speculated that the forcing from the lower atmosphere, variability in weather systems and gravity waves that propagate upward from troposphere into the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) may be responsible for these spatial and temporal variations in the IT region, but their exact nature is unknown. These variabilities can be interpreted in two ways: variations in state (density, temperature, wind) of the upper mesosphere or spatial and temporal changes in the small-scale mixing, or Eddy diffusion that is parameterized within the model.In this study, firstly, we analyze the sensitivity of the thermospheric and ionospheric states - neutral densities, O/N2, total electron content (TEC), peak electron density, and peak electron height - to various lower boundary conditions in the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM). We use WACCM-X and GSWM to drive the lower atmospheric boundary in GITM at 100 km, and compare the results with the current MSIS-driven version of GITM, analyzing which of these simulations match the measurements from GOCE, GUVI, CHAMP, and GPS-derived TEC best. Secondly, we analyze the effect of eddy diffusion in the IT system. The turbulence due to eddy mixing cannot be directly measured and it is a challenge to completely characterize its linear and non-linear effects from other influences, since the eddy diffusion both influences the composition through direct mixing and the temperature structure due to turbulent conduction changes. In this study we input latitudinal and seasonal profiles of eddy diffusion into GITM and then analyze the changes in the thermospheric and ionospheric parameters. These profiles will be derived from both WACC-X simulations

  3. Controlling of merging electric field and IMF magnitude on storm-time changes in thermospheric mass density

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhou, Y.L.; Ma, S.Y.; Liu, R.S.; Luehr, H.; Doornbos, E.

    2013-01-01

    The controls of merging electrical field, Em, and IMF (interplanetary magnetic field) magnitude, B, on the storm-time changes in upper thermospheric mass density are statistically investigated using GRACE accelerometer observations and the OMNI data of solar wind and IMF for 35 great storms during

  4. 3-Dimensional numerical simulations of the dynamics of the Venusian mesosphere and thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, S.; Mueller-Wodarg, I. C.

    2009-12-01

    We present the first results from a new 3-dimensional numerical simulation of the steady state dynamics of the Venusian mesosphere and thermosphere (60-300 km). We have adapted the dynamical core of the Titan thermosphere global circulation model (GCM) [1] to a steady state background atmosphere. Our background atmosphere is derived from a hydrostatic combination of the VTS3 [2] and Venus International Reference Atmosphere (VIRA) [3] empirical models, which are otherwise discontinuous at their 100 km interface. We use 4th order polynomials to link the VTS3 and VIRA thermal profiles and employ hydrostatic balance to derive a consistent density profile. We also present comparisons of our background atmosphere to data from the ESA Venus Express Mission. The thermal structure of the Venusian mesosphere is relatively well documented; however, direct measurements of wind speeds are limited. Venus’ slow rotation results in a negligible Coriolis force. This suggests that the zonal circulation should arise from cyclostrophic balance; where the equatorward component of the centrifugal force balances poleward meridional pressure gradients [4]. The sparseness of direct and in-situ measurements has resulted in the application of cyclostrophic balance to measured thermal profiles to derive wind speeds [5] [6] [7] [8]. However, cyclostrophic balance is only strictly valid at mid latitudes (˜ ± 30-75°) and its applicability to the Venusian mesosphere has not been conclusively demonstrated. Our simulations, by solving the full Navier-Stokes momentum equation, will enable us assess the validity of cyclostrophic balance as a description of mesospheric dynamics. This work is part of an ongoing project to develop the first GCM to encompass the atmosphere from the cloud tops into the thermosphere. When complete, this model will enable self-consistent calculations of the dynamics, energy and composition of the atmosphere. It will thus provide a framework to address many of the

  5. In situ measurements of hydrogen concentration and flux between 160 and 300 km in the thermosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breig, E.L.; Hanson, W.B.; Hoffman, J.H.; Kayser, D.C.

    1976-01-01

    Thermospheric concentrations of neutral atomic hydrogen near and below the F peak are directly related to H + , O + and atomic oxygen concentrations through the charge exchange equilibrium that is established between hydrogen and oxygen at these altitudes. This chemical relationship, together with in situ measurements of ionospheric and neutral atmospheric concentrations by instrumentation on board the Atmosphere Explorer C satellite, is utilized to investigate properties of neutral hydrogen at altitudes below 200 km where vertical diffusion strongly affects the hydrogen distribution. Data are discussed for a set of satellite orbits during quiet geomagnetic and solar conditions in February 1974; the resultant altitude variation of the derived hydrogen concentrations applies specifically to early afternoon at low 10 5 atoms/cm 3 is observed for these conditions at 300 km. At lower altitudes the concentration profiles are interpreted in terms of vertical hydrogen flow. The resultant daytime flux in the thermosphere is estimated to be (3.2 +- 1.0) x 10 8 atoms/cm 2 s. The present observations thus support theoretical estimates and model calculations of large hydrogen flow upward from the region below 100 km. They also support the concept of daytime thermospheric loss process of greater magnitude than the traditional evaporative escape mechanism

  6. Dynamics in the Modern Upper Atmosphere of Venus: Zonal Wind Transition to Subsolar-to-Antisolar Flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livengood, T. A.; Kostiuk, T.; Hewagama, T.; Fast, K. E.

    2017-12-01

    We observed Venus on 19-23 Aug 2010 (UT) to investigate equatorial wind velocities from above the cloud tops through the lower thermosphere. Measurements were made from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility using the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Heterodyne Instrument for Planetary Winds and Composition. High-resolution spectra were acquired on a CO2 pressure-broadened absorption feature that probes the lower mesosphere ( 70 km altitude) with a non-LTE core emission of the same transition that probes the lower thermosphere ( 110 km). The resolving power of λ/Δλ≈3×107 determines line-of-sight velocity from Doppler shifts to high precision. The altitude differential between the features enables investigating the transition from zonal wind flow near the cloud tops to subsolar-to-antisolar flow in the thermosphere. The fully-resolved carbon dioxide transition was measured near 952.8808 cm-1 (10.494 µm) rest frequency at the equator with 1 arcsec field-of-view on Venus (24 arcsec diameter) distributed about the central meridian and across the terminator at ±15° intervals in longitude. The non-LTE emission is solar-pumped and appears only on the daylight side, probing subsolar-to-antisolar wind velocity vector flowing radially from the subsolar point through the terminator, which was near the central meridian in these observations and had zero line-of-sight wind projection at the terminator. The velocity of the zonal flow is approximately uniform, with maximum line-of-sight projection at the limb, and can be measured by the frequency of the absorption line on both the daylight and dark side. Variations in Doppler shift between the observable features and the differing angular dependence of the contributing wind phenomena thus provide independent mechanisms to distinguish the dynamical processes at the altitude of each observed spectral feature. Winds up to >100 m/s were determined in previous investigations with uncertainties of order 10 m/s or less.

  7. The Effect of Sub-Auroral Polarization Streams (SAPS) on Ionosphere and Thermosphere during 2015 St. Patrick's Day storm: Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM) Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, J.; Deng, Y.; Zhang, D.; Lu, Y.; Sheng, C.

    2017-12-01

    Sub-Auroral Polarization Streams (SAPS) are incorporated into the non-hydrostatic Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM), revealing the complex effects on neutral dynamics and ion-neutral coupling processes. The intense westward ion stream could enhance the neutral zonal wind within the SAPS channel. Through neutral dynamics the neutrals then divide into two streams, one turns poleward and the other turns equatorward, forming a two-cell pattern in the SAPS-changed wind. The significant Joule heating induced by SAPS also leads to traveling atmospheric disturbances (TAD) accompanied by traveling ionospheric disturbances (TID), increasing the total electron content (TEC) by 2-8 TECu in the mid-latitude ionosphere. We investigate the potential causes of the reported poleward wind surge during the St. Patrick's Day storm in 2015. It is confirmed that Coriolis force on the westward zonal wind can contribute the poleward wind during post-SAPS interval. In addition, the simulations imply that the sudden decrease of heating rate within auroral oval could result in a TAD propagating equatorward, which could also be responsible for the sudden poleward wind surge. This study highlights the complicated effects of SAPS on ion-neutral coupling and neutral dynamics.

  8. First Simultaneous and Common-Volume Lidar Observations of Na and Fe Metals, Temperatures, and Vertical Winds in Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, X.

    2017-12-01

    A new STAR Na Doppler lidar will be installed to Arrival Heights near McMurdo Station, Antarctica in October 2017. This new lidar will be operated next to an existing Fe Boltzmann lidar to make simultaneous and common-volume measurements of metal Na and Fe layers, neutral temperatures, and vertical winds in the mesosphere and thermosphere, up to nearly 200 km. These measurements will be used to study a variety of science topics, e.g., the meteoric metal layers, wave dynamics, polar mesospheric clouds, constituent and heat fluxes, and cosmic dust. The discoveries of thermospheric neutral Fe layers and persistent gravity waves by the Fe Boltzmann lidar observations has opened a new door to explore the space-atmosphere interactions with ground-based instruments, especially in the least understood but crucially important altitude range of 100-200 km. These neutral metal layers provide excellent tracers for modern resonance lidars to measure the neutral wind and temperature directly. Even more exciting, the neutral metal layers in the thermosphere provide a natural laboratory to test our fundamental understandings of the atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling and processes. This paper will report the first summer results from the simultaneous Na and Fe lidar observations from Antarctica, and highlight important discoveries made by the Fe lidar during its first seven years of campaign at McMurdo. A thermosphere-ionosphere Fe/Fe+ (TIFe) model will be introduced to explain the TIFe layers in Antarctica.

  9. Origins of the Thermosphere-Ionosphere Semiannual Oscillation: Reformulating the "Thermospheric Spoon" Mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, M.; Emmert, J. T.; Drob, D. P.; Picone, J. M.; Meier, R. R.

    2018-01-01

    We demonstrate how Earth's obliquity generates the global thermosphere-ionosphere (T-I) semiannual oscillation (SAO) in mass density and electron density primarily through seasonally varying large-scale advection of neutral thermospheric constituents, sometimes referred to as the "thermospheric spoon" mechanism (TSM). The National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME-GCM) is used to isolate the TSM forcing of this prominent intraannual variation (IAV) and to elucidate the contributions of other processes to the T-I SAO. An ˜30% SAO in globally averaged mass density (relative to its global annual average) at 400 km is reproduced in the TIME-GCM in the absence of seasonally varying eddy diffusion, tropospheric tidal forcing, and gravity wave breaking. Artificially, decreasing the tilt of Earth's rotation axis with respect to the ecliptic plane to 11.75° reduces seasonal variations in insolation and weakens interhemispheric pressure differences at the solstices, thereby damping the global-scale, interhemispheric transport of atomic oxygen (O) and molecular nitrogen in the thermosphere and reducing the simulated global mass density SAO amplitude to ˜10%. Simulated T-I IAVs in mass density and electron density have equinoctial maxima at all latitudes near the F2 region peak; this phasing and its latitude dependence agree well with empirically inferred climatologies. When tropospheric tides and gravity waves are included, simulated IAV amplitudes and their latitudinal dependence also agree well with empirically inferred climatologies. Simulated meridional and vertical transport of O due to the TSM couples to the upper mesospheric circulation, which also contributes to the T-I SAO through O chemistry.

  10. The State of the Thermosphere in 2017 as Observed by SABER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, L. A.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Marshall, B. T.; Russell, J. M., III

    2017-12-01

    Infrared radiative cooling of the thermosphere by carbon dioxide (CO2, 15 μm) and by nitric oxide (NO, 5.3 μm) has been observed for nearly 16 years by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument on the NASA Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. SABER has documented dramatic variability in the radiative cooling on timescales ranging from days to the nominal 11-year solar cycle, providing important information about the radiation budget in the upper atmosphere. The effects of Solar Cycle 24 are clearly evident in the infrared radiative cooling of the thermosphere as observed by SABER. The peak NO cooling in SC24 is about one-third less than the maximum seen in SC23 since the beginning of the SABER record in January 2002, while the SC24 CO2 peak is nearly 95% of that in SC23. SC24 has been weakening throughout all of 2017 as measured by the F10.7 index and the sunspot number. Despite this, the radiative cooling by NO and CO2 has not yet reached the low levels of the prior minimum in 2008-2009. This is due to continuing elevated levels of geomagnetic activity as clearly shown by the Ap index. During the years preceding the prior solar minimum, harmonics of the solar rotation period were evident in time series of the NO and CO2 power, and were associated with high speed solar wind streams emanating from coronal holes roughly evenly spaced in solar longitude. Despite a number of large, Earth-facing coronal holes in 2017, periodic features have not yet been observed in spectral/Fourier analysis of the SABER radiative cooling time series. Additional comparisons between solar cycles and with other solar and geomagnetic indicators will also be shown.

  11. An Observational and Modelling Study of Auroral Upwelling in the Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-05

    finding by Lühr et al. [2004] of a near doubling of the thermospheric density over the geomagnetic cusp region. This was a localised and persistent...throughout the height region 150-200km. From 21:50-21:50 UT there appears to be a reversal to northward followed by a predominantly southward flow until the... Geomagnetic , Seasonal and Solar Cycle Dependence at High Latitudes, J.Atmos.Terr.Physics, 57, 597-609, 1995 (special issue on vertical winds) Aruliah

  12. An Observational and Modeling Study of Auroral Upwelling in the Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-28

    finding by Lühr et al. [2004] of a near doubling of the thermospheric density over the geomagnetic cusp region. This was a localised and persistent...throughout the height region 150-200km. From 21:50-21:50 UT there appears to be a reversal to northward followed by a predominantly southward flow until the... Geomagnetic , Seasonal and Solar Cycle Dependence at High Latitudes, J.Atmos.Terr.Physics, 57, 597-609, 1995 (special issue on vertical winds) Aruliah

  13. Effects of a mid-latitude solar eclipse on the thermosphere and ionosphere: a modelling study

    OpenAIRE

    Müller-Wodarg, I. C. F.; Aylward, A. D.; Lockwood, Mike

    1998-01-01

    A modelling study is presented which investigates in-situ generated changes of the thermosphere and ionosphere during a solar eclipse. Neutral temperatures are expected to drop by up to 40 degrees K at 240 km height in the totality footprint, with neutral winds of up to 26 m/s responding to the change of pressure. Both temperatures and winds are found to respond with a time lag of 30 min after the passing of the Moon's shadow. A gravity wave is generated in the neutral atmosphere and propagat...

  14. Thermospheric tides simulated by the national center for atmospheric research thermosphere-ionosphere general circulation model at equinox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fesen, C.G.; Roble, R.G.; Ridley, E.C.

    1993-01-01

    The authors use the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) thermosphere/ionosphere general circulation model (TIGCM) to model tides and dynamics in the thermosphere. This model incorporates the latest advances in the thermosphere general circulation model. Model results emphasized the 70 degree W longitude region to overlap a series of incoherent radar scatter installations. Data and the model are available on data bases. The results of this theoretical modeling are compared with available data, and with prediction of more empirical models. In general there is broad agreement within the comparisons

  15. How does the predicted geomagnetic main field variation alter the thermosphere-ionosphere storm-time response?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maute, A. I.; Lu, G.; Richmond, A. D.

    2017-12-01

    Earth's magnetic main field plays an important role in the thermosphere-ionosphere (TI) system, as well as its coupling to Earth's magnetosphere. The ionosphere consists of a weakly ionized plasma strongly influenced by the main field and embedded in the thermosphere. Therefore, ion-neutral coupling and ionospheric electrodynamics can influence the plasma distribution and neutral dynamics. There are strong longitude variations of the TI storm response. At high latitude magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is organized by the geomagnetic main field, leading in general to stronger northern middle latitude storm time response in the American sector due to the geomagnetic dipole location. In addition, the weak geomagnetic main field in the American sector leads to larger local ExB drift and can alter the plasma densities. During geomagnetic storms the intense energy input into the high latitude region is redistributed globally, leading to thermospheric heating, wind circulation changes and alterations of the ionospheric electrodynamics. The storm time changes are measurable in the plasma density, ion drift, temperature, neutral composition, and other parameters. All these changes depend, to some degree, on the geomagnetic main field which changes on decadal time scales. In this study, we employ a forecast model of the geomagnetic main field based on data assimilation and geodynamo modeling [Aubert et al., 2015]. The main field model predicts that in 50 years the South Atlantic Anomaly is further weakened by 2 mT and drifts westward by approximately 10o. The dipole axis moves northward and westward by 2o and 6o, respectively. Simulating the March 2015 geomagnetic storm with the Thermosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) driven by the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE), we evaluate the thermosphere-ionosphere response using the geomagnetic main field of 2015, 2065, and 2115. We compare the TI response for 2015 with

  16. LIDAR Wind Speed Measurements of Evolving Wind Fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simley, E.; Pao, L. Y.

    2012-07-01

    Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems are able to measure the speed of incoming wind before it interacts with a wind turbine rotor. These preview wind measurements can be used in feedforward control systems designed to reduce turbine loads. However, the degree to which such preview-based control techniques can reduce loads by reacting to turbulence depends on how accurately the incoming wind field can be measured. Past studies have assumed Taylor's frozen turbulence hypothesis, which implies that turbulence remains unchanged as it advects downwind at the mean wind speed. With Taylor's hypothesis applied, the only source of wind speed measurement error is distortion caused by the LIDAR. This study introduces wind evolution, characterized by the longitudinal coherence of the wind, to LIDAR measurement simulations to create a more realistic measurement model. A simple model of wind evolution is applied to a frozen wind field used in previous studies to investigate the effects of varying the intensity of wind evolution. LIDAR measurements are also evaluated with a large eddy simulation of a stable boundary layer provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Simulation results show the combined effects of LIDAR errors and wind evolution for realistic turbine-mounted LIDAR measurement scenarios.

  17. Modeling the ionosphere-thermosphere response to a geomagnetic storm using physics-based magnetospheric energy input: OpenGGCM-CTIM results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Connor Hyunju Kim

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The magnetosphere is a major source of energy for the Earth’s ionosphere and thermosphere (IT system. Current IT models drive the upper atmosphere using empirically calculated magnetospheric energy input. Thus, they do not sufficiently capture the storm-time dynamics, particularly at high latitudes. To improve the prediction capability of IT models, a physics-based magnetospheric input is necessary. Here, we use the Open Global General Circulation Model (OpenGGCM coupled with the Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Model (CTIM. OpenGGCM calculates a three-dimensional global magnetosphere and a two-dimensional high-latitude ionosphere by solving resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD equations with solar wind input. CTIM calculates a global thermosphere and a high-latitude ionosphere in three dimensions using realistic magnetospheric inputs from the OpenGGCM. We investigate whether the coupled model improves the storm-time IT responses by simulating a geomagnetic storm that is preceded by a strong solar wind pressure front on August 24, 2005. We compare the OpenGGCM-CTIM results with low-earth-orbit satellite observations and with the model results of Coupled Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Plasmasphere electrodynamics (CTIPe. CTIPe is an up-to-date version of CTIM that incorporates more IT dynamics such as a low-latitude ionosphere and a plasmasphere, but uses empirical magnetospheric input. OpenGGCM-CTIM reproduces localized neutral density peaks at ~ 400 km altitude in the high-latitude dayside regions in agreement with in situ observations during the pressure shock and the early phase of the storm. Although CTIPe is in some sense a much superior model than CTIM, it misses these localized enhancements. Unlike the CTIPe empirical input models, OpenGGCM-CTIM more faithfully produces localized increases of both auroral precipitation and ionospheric electric fields near the high-latitude dayside region after the pressure shock and after the storm onset

  18. Magnetosphere-thermosphere coupling: An experiment in interactive modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forbes, J.M.; Harel, M.

    1989-01-01

    The Rice convection model (RCM) is utilized to investigate the electrodynamic coupling between the inner magnetosphere and the thermosphere including the effects of EUV- and convection-driven neutral winds under quasi-equilibrium conditions. A unique aspect of the study is that the convection-driven winds are included self-consistently and interactively; that is, a steady state wind parameterization is written analytically in terms of the electrostatic potential, which is in turn included in a closed-loop calculation for the electric potential itself. Simulations are performed from 1,400 UT to 1,600 UT during the CDAW-6 interval on March 22, 1979, when the cross-cap electric potential attains values of order 140-180 kV. During the early phases of the disturbance when the normal shielding from high latitudes breaks down, the neutral winds do not modify appreciably the disturbance electric fields at middle and low latitudes. As the system approaches a quasi-equilibrium state, the neutral winds play a much more significant role. The convection driven component of the neutral wind similarly acts to reduce the southward field in the noon sector, but gives rise to an enhancement in the dusk sector field extending to middle latitudes. The parameterized Pedersen effective winds are of order 300 ms -1 and reflect the familiar two-cell pattern with antisunward flow over the polar cap and return flows in the dawn and dusk sectors. These amplitudes and similarity with the ion drift motions reflect the relatively large contributions to the Pedersen effective winds originating in the upper E region and lower F region of the ionosphere. Possibilities for introducing further sophistication into the wind parameterization are discussed, as well as ramifications of the present study on the possible merging of the RCM with the NCAR TGCM to attain a higher degree of self-consistency and reality in modelling efforts

  19. On the Origins of the Intercorrelations Between Solar Wind Variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borovsky, Joseph E.

    2018-01-01

    It is well known that the time variations of the diverse solar wind variables at 1 AU (e.g., solar wind speed, density, proton temperature, electron temperature, magnetic field strength, specific entropy, heavy-ion charge-state densities, and electron strahl intensity) are highly intercorrelated with each other. In correlation studies of the driving of the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system by the solar wind, these solar wind intercorrelations make determining cause and effect very difficult. In this report analyses of solar wind spacecraft measurements and compressible-fluid computer simulations are used to study the origins of the solar wind intercorrelations. Two causes are found: (1) synchronized changes in the values of the solar wind variables as the plasma types of the solar wind are switched by solar rotation and (2) dynamic interactions (compressions and rarefactions) in the solar wind between the Sun and the Earth. These findings provide an incremental increase in the understanding of how the Sun-Earth system operates.

  20. A self-consistent derivation of ion drag and Joule heating for atmospheric dynamics in the thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Zhu

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available The thermosphere is subject to additional electric and magnetic forces, not important in the middle and lower atmosphere, due to its partially ionized atmosphere. The effects of charged particles on the neutral atmospheric dynamics are often parameterized by ion drag in the momentum equations and Joule heating in the energy equation. Presented in this paper are a set of more accurate parameterizations for the ion drag and Joule heating for the neutral atmosphere that are functions of the difference between bulk ion velocity and neutral wind. The parameterized expressions also depend on the magnetic field, the Pedersen and Hall conductivities, and the ratio of the ion cyclotron frequency to the ion-neutral collision frequency. The formal relationship between the electromagnetic energy, atmospheric kinetic energy, and Joule heating is illustrated through the conversion terms between these three types of energy. It is shown that there will always be an accompanying conversion of kinetic energy into Joule heating when electromagnetic energy is generated through the dynamo mechanism of the atmospheric neutral wind. Likewise, electromagnetic energy cannot be fully converted into kinetic energy without producing Joule heating in the thermosphere.

  1. Ensemble Assimilation Using Three First-Principles Thermospheric Models as a Tool for 72-hour Density and Satellite Drag Forecasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunton, D.; Pilinski, M.; Crowley, G.; Azeem, I.; Fuller-Rowell, T. J.; Matsuo, T.; Fedrizzi, M.; Solomon, S. C.; Qian, L.; Thayer, J. P.; Codrescu, M.

    2014-12-01

    Much as aircraft are affected by the prevailing winds and weather conditions in which they fly, satellites are affected by variability in the density and motion of the near earth space environment. Drastic changes in the neutral density of the thermosphere, caused by geomagnetic storms or other phenomena, result in perturbations of satellite motions through drag on the satellite surfaces. This can lead to difficulties in locating important satellites, temporarily losing track of satellites, and errors when predicting collisions in space. As the population of satellites in Earth orbit grows, higher space-weather prediction accuracy is required for critical missions, such as accurate catalog maintenance, collision avoidance for manned and unmanned space flight, reentry prediction, satellite lifetime prediction, defining on-board fuel requirements, and satellite attitude dynamics. We describe ongoing work to build a comprehensive nowcast and forecast system for neutral density, winds, temperature, composition, and satellite drag. This modeling tool will be called the Atmospheric Density Assimilation Model (ADAM). It will be based on three state-of-the-art coupled models of the thermosphere-ionosphere running in real-time, using assimilative techniques to produce a thermospheric nowcast. It will also produce, in realtime, 72-hour predictions of the global thermosphere-ionosphere system using the nowcast as the initial condition. We will review the requirements for the ADAM system, the underlying full-physics models, the plethora of input options available to drive the models, a feasibility study showing the performance of first-principles models as it pertains to satellite-drag operational needs, and review challenges in designing an assimilative space-weather prediction model. The performance of the ensemble assimilative model is expected to exceed the performance of current empirical and assimilative density models.

  2. Study of gravity waves propagation in the thermosphere of Mars based on MAVEN/NGIMS density measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vals, M.

    2017-09-01

    We use MAVEN/NGIMS CO2 density measurements to analyse gravity waves in the thermosphere of Mars. In particular the seasonal/latitudinal variability of their amplitude is studied and interpreted. Key background parameters controlling the activity of gravity waves are analysed with the help of the Mars Climate Database (MCD). Gravity waves activity presents a good anti-correlation to the temperature variability retrieved from the MCD. An analysis at pressure levels is ongoing.

  3. Evidence of the Lower Thermospheric Winter-to-Summer Circulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, L.; Burns, A. G.; Yue, J.

    2017-12-01

    Numerical studies showed that the lower thermospheric winter-to-summer circulation is driven by wave dissipation, and it plays a significant role in trace gas distributions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), and in the composition of the thermosphere. Direct observations of this circulation are difficult. However, it leaves clear signatures in tracer distributions. Recent analysis of CO2 observed by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite showed dynamically driven dense isolines of CO2 at summer high latitudes. We conduct modeling and observational studies to understand the CO2 distribution and circulation patterns in the MLT. We found that there exists maximum vertical gradient of CO2 at summer high latitudes, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the mesospheric circulation and the downwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation; this maximum vertical gradient of CO2 is located at a higher altitude in the winter hemisphere, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation and the downwelling of the solar-driven thermospheric circulation. Based on SABER CO2 distribution, the bottom of the lower thermospheric circulation is located between 95 km and 100 km, and it has a vertical extent of 10 km. Analysis of the SABER CO2 and temperature at summer high latitudes showed that the bottom of this circulation is consistently higher than the mesopause height by 10 km; and its location does not change much between solar maximum and solar minimum.

  4. Wind effect on the motion of medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances in the E region of the ionosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikvilashvili, G.B.; Sharadze, Z.S.; Mosashvili, N.V.

    1988-01-01

    Madium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTID) in the ionosphere E region in Tbilisi area are investigated by means of spectral analysis of f 0 E s and f b E s variations, synchronously recorded in the three scattered points. The winds at the E s layers formation heights were measured simultaneously by D1 method in one of these points. It is established, that the MSTID motion direction in summer-time E region is controlled by the background thermospheric winds: disturbances mostly more across and against the wind. Tidal winds make the main contribution into the MSTID rate day variations

  5. Do minor sudden stratospheric warmings in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) impact coupling between stratosphere and mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) like major warmings?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eswaraiah, S.; Kim, Yong Ha; Liu, Huixin; Ratnam, M. Venkat; Lee, Jaewook

    2017-08-01

    We have investigated the coupling between the stratosphere and mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) during 2010 minor sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs). Three episodic SSWs were noticed in 2010. Mesospheric zonal winds between 82 and 92 km obtained from King Sejong Station (62.22°S, 58.78°W) meteor radar showed the significant difference from usual trend. The zonal wind reversal in the mesosphere is noticed a week before the associated SSW similar to 2002 major SSW. The mesosphere wind reversal is also noticed in "Specified Dynamics" version of Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (SD-WACCM) and Ground-to-topside model of Atmosphere and Ionosphere for Aeronomy (GAIA) simulations. The similar zonal wind weakening/reversal in the lower thermosphere between 100 and 140 km is simulated by GAIA. Further, we observed the mesospheric cooling in consistency with SSWs using Microwave Limb Sounder data. However, the GAIA simulations showed warming between 130 and 140 km after few days of SSW. Thus, the observation and model simulation indicate for the first time that the 2010 minor SSW also affects dynamics of the MLT region over SH in a manner similar to 2002 major SSW.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

  6. Impact of high-latitude energy input on the mid- and low-latitude ionosphere and thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, G.; Sheng, C.

    2017-12-01

    High-latitude energy input has a profound impact on the ionosphere and thermosphere especially during geomagnetic storms. Intense auroral particle precipitation ionizes neutral gases and modifies ionospheric conductivity; collisions between neutrals and fast-moving ions accelerate the neutral winds and produce Joule frictional heating; and the excess Joule and particle heating causes atmospheric upwelling and changes neutral composition due to the rising of the heavier, molecular-rich air. In addition, impulsive Joule heating launches large-scale gravity waves that propagate equatorward toward middle and low latitudes and even into the opposite hemisphere, altering the mean global circulation of the thermosphere. Furthermore, high-latitude electric field can also directly penetrate to lower latitudes under rapidly changing external conditions, causing prompt ionospheric variations in the mid- and low-latitude regions. To study the effects of high-latitude energy input, we apply the different convection and auroral precipitation patterns based on both empirical models and the AMIE outputs. We investigate how the mid- and low-latitude regions respond to the different specifications of high-latitude energy input. The main purpose of the study is to delineate the various dynamical, electrodynamical, and chemical processes and to determine their relative importance in the resulting ionospheric and thermospheric properties at mid and low latitudes.

  7. Temporal Variability of Atomic Hydrogen From the Mesopause to the Upper Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Liying; Burns, Alan G.; Solomon, Stan S.; Smith, Anne K.; McInerney, Joseph M.; Hunt, Linda A.; Marsh, Daniel R.; Liu, Hanli; Mlynczak, Martin G.; Vitt, Francis M.

    2018-01-01

    We investigate atomic hydrogen (H) variability from the mesopause to the upper thermosphere, on time scales of solar cycle, seasonal, and diurnal, using measurements made by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument on the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics Dynamics satellite, and simulations by the National Center for Atmospheric Research Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model-eXtended (WACCM-X). In the mesopause region (85 to 95 km), the seasonal and solar cycle variations of H simulated by WACCM-X are consistent with those from SABER observations: H density is higher in summer than in winter, and slightly higher at solar minimum than at solar maximum. However, mesopause region H density from the Mass-Spectrometer-Incoherent-Scatter (National Research Laboratory Mass-Spectrometer-Incoherent-Scatter 00 (NRLMSISE-00)) empirical model has reversed seasonal variation compared to WACCM-X and SABER. From the mesopause to the upper thermosphere, H density simulated by WACCM-X switches its solar cycle variation twice, and seasonal dependence once, and these changes of solar cycle and seasonal variability occur in the lower thermosphere ( 95 to 130 km), whereas H from NRLMSISE-00 does not change solar cycle and seasonal dependence from the mesopause through the thermosphere. In the upper thermosphere (above 150 km), H density simulated by WACCM-X is higher at solar minimum than at solar maximum, higher in winter than in summer, and also higher during nighttime than daytime. The amplitudes of these variations are on the order of factors of 10, 2, and 2, respectively. This is consistent with NRLMSISE-00.

  8. Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of neutral winds and F2 layer variations at the magnetic equator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Vila

    1998-06-01

    Full Text Available This letter presents some night-time observations of neutral wind variations at F2 layer levels near the dip equator, measured by the Fabry-Perot interferometer set up in 1994 at Korhogo (Ivory Coast, geographic latitude 9.25°N, longitude 355°E, dip latitude –2.5°. Our instrument uses the 630 nm (O1D line to determine radial Doppler velocities of the oxygen atoms between 200 and 400 km altitude. First results for November 1994 to March 1995 reveal persistent eastward flows, and frequent intervals of southward winds of larger than 50 ms–1 velocity. Compared with the simultaneous ionospheric patterns deduced from the three West African equatorial ionosondes at Korhogo, Ouagadougou (Burkina-Faso, dip latitude +1.5° and Dakar (Sénégal, dip latitude +5°, they illustrate various impacts of the thermospheric winds on F2 layer density: (1 on the mesoscale evolution (a few 103 km and a few 100 minutes scales and (2 on local fluctuations (hundreds of km and tens of minutes characteristic times. We report on these fluctuations and discuss the opportunity to improve the time-resolution of the Fabry-Perot interferometer at Korhogo.Key words. Ionosphere (Equatorial ionosphere; Ionosphere-atmosphere interaction · Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics (General circulation

  9. Resistive Heating and Ion Drag in Saturn's Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vriesema, Jess William; Koskinen, Tommi; Yelle, Roger V.

    2017-10-01

    One of the most puzzling observations of the jovian planets is that the thermospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all several times hotter than solar heating can account for (Strobel and Smith 1973; Yelle and Miller 2004; Muller-Wodarg et al. 2006). On Saturn, resistive heating appears sufficient to explain these temperatures in auroral regions, but the particular mechanism(s) responsible for heating the lower latitudes remains unclear. The most commonly proposed heating mechanisms are breaking gravity waves and auroral heating at the poles followed by redistribution of energy to mid-and low latitudes. Both of these energy sources are potentially important but also come with significant problems. Wave heating would have to be continuous and global to produce consistently elevated temperatures and the strong Coriolis forces coupled with polar ion drag appear to hinder redistribution of auroral energy (see Strobel et al. 2016 for review). Here we explore an alternative: wind-driven electrodynamics that can alter circulation and produce substantial heating outside of the auroral region. Smith (2013) showed this in-situ mechanism to be potentially significant in Jupiter’s thermosphere. We present new results from an axisymmetric, steady-state model that calculates resistive (Joule) heating rates through rigorous solutions of the electrodynamic equations for the coupled neutral atmosphere and ionosphere of Saturn. At present, we assume a dipole magnetic field and neglect any contributions from the magnetosphere. We use ion mixing ratios from the model of Kim et al. (2014) and the observed temperature-pressure profile from Koskinen et al. (2015) to calculate the generalized conductivity tensor as described by Koskinen et al. (2014). We calculate the current density under the assumption that it has no divergence and use it to calculate the resistive heating rates and ion drag. Our results suggest that resistive heating and ion drag at low latitudes likely

  10. Initial results from SKiYMET meteor radar at Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E): 1. Comparison of wind measurements with MF spaced antenna radar system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Karanam Kishore; Ramkumar, Geetha; Shelbi, S. T.

    2007-12-01

    In the present communication, initial results from the allSKy interferometric METeor (SKiYMET) radar installed at Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E) are presented. The meteor radar system provides hourly zonal and meridional winds in the mesosphere lower thermosphere (MLT) region. The meteor radar measured zonal and meridional winds are compared with nearby MF radar at Tirunalveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E). The present study provided an opportunity to compare the winds measured by the two different techniques, namely, interferometry and spaced antenna drift methods. Simultaneous wind measurements for a total number of 273 days during September 2004 to May 2005 are compared. The comparison showed a very good agreement between these two techniques in the height region 82-90 km and poor agreement above this height region. In general, the zonal winds compare very well as compared to the meridional winds. The observed discrepancies in the wind comparison above 90 km are discussed in the light of existing limitations of both the radars. The detailed analysis revealed the consistency of the measured winds by both the techniques. However, the discrepancies are observed at higher altitudes and are attributed to the contamination of MF radar neutral wind measurements with Equatorial Electro Jet (EEJ) induced inospheric drifts rather than the limitations of the spaced antenna technique. The comparison of diurnal variation of zonal winds above 90 km measured by both the radars is in reasonably good agreement in the absence of EEJ (during local nighttime). It is also been noted that the difference in the zonal wind measurements by both the radars is directly related to the strength of EEJ, which is a noteworthy result from the present study.

  11. Future Drag Measurements from Venus Express

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keating, Gerald; Mueller-Wodarg, Ingo; Forbes, Jeffrey M.; Yelle, Roger; Bruinsma, Sean; Withers, Paul; Lopez-Valverde, Miguel Angel; Theriot, Res. Assoc. Michael; Bougher, Stephen

    Beginning in July 2008 during the Venus Express Extended Mission, the European Space Agency will dramatically drop orbital periapsis from near 250km to near 180km above the Venus North Polar Region. This will allow orbital decay measurements of atmospheric densities to be made near the Venus North Pole by the VExADE (Venus Express Atmospheric Drag Experiment) whose team leader is Ingo Mueller-Wodarg. VExADE consists of two parts VExADE-ODA (Orbital Drag Analysis from radio tracking data) and VExADE-ACC (Accelerometer in situ atmospheric density measurements). Previous orbital decay measurements of the Venus thermosphere were obtained by Pioneer Venus from the 1970's into the 1990's and from Magellan in the 1990's. The major difference is that the Venus Express will provide measurements in the North Polar Region on the day and night sides, while the earlier measurements were obtained primarily near the equator. The periapsis will drift upwards in altitude similar to the earlier spacecraft and then be commanded down to its lower original values. This cycle in altitude will allow estimates of vertical structure and thus thermospheric temperatures in addition to atmospheric densities. The periapsis may eventually be lowered even further so that accelerometers can more accurately obtain density measurements of the polar atmosphere as a function of altitude, latitude, longitude, local solar time, pressure, Ls, solar activity, and solar wind on each pass. Bias in accelerometer measurements will be determined and corrected for by accelerometer measurements obtained above the discernable atmosphere on each pass. The second experiment, VExADE-ACC, is similar to the accelerometer experiments aboard Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that carried similar accelerometers in orbit around Mars. The risk involved in the orbital decay and accelerometer measurements is minimal. We have not lost any spacecraft orbiting Venus or Mars due to unexpected

  12. Non-thermal distribution of O(1D) atoms in the night-time thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yee, Jeng-Hwa

    1988-01-01

    The 6300 A O(1D-3P) emission has been used for many years to remotely monitor the thermospheric temperature from the Doppler width of its line profile. The O(1D) atoms in the nighttime thermosphere are initially produced by the dissociative recombination of O2(+) ions with kinetic energy much greater than the thermal energy of the ambient neutrals. The validity of the technique to monitor neutral ambient temperature by measuring O(1D) 6300 A emission depends on the degree of thermalization of the O(1D) atoms. The object of this study is to calculate the velocity distribution of the O(1D) atoms and to examine the effect of nonthermal distribution on the nighttime thermospheric neutral temperature determined.

  13. Wind and Temperature Spectrometry of the Upper Atmosphere in Low-Earth Orbit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrero, Federico

    2011-01-01

    Wind and Temperature Spectrometry (WATS) is a new approach to measure the full wind vector, temperature, and relative densities of major neutral species in the Earth's thermosphere. The method uses an energy-angle spectrometer moving through the tenuous upper atmosphere to measure directly the angular and energy distributions of the air stream that enters the spectrometer. The angular distribution gives the direction of the total velocity of the air entering the spectrometer, and the energy distribution gives the magnitude of the total velocity. The wind velocity vector is uniquely determined since the measured total velocity depends on the wind vector and the orbiting velocity vector. The orbiting spectrometer moves supersonically, Mach 8 or greater, through the air and must point within a few degrees of its orbital velocity vector (the ram direction). Pointing knowledge is critical; for example, pointing errors 0.1 lead to errors of about 10 m/s in the wind. The WATS method may also be applied without modification to measure the ion-drift vector, ion temperature, and relative ion densities of major ionic species in the ionosphere. In such an application it may be called IDTS: Ion-Drift Temperature Spectrometry. A spectrometer-based coordinate system with one axis instantaneously pointing along the ram direction makes it possible to transform the Maxwellian velocity distribution of the air molecules to a Maxwellian energy-angle distribution for the molecular flux entering the spectrometer. This implementation of WATS is called the gas kinetic method (GKM) because it is applied to the case of the Maxwellian distribution. The WATS method follows from the recognition that in a supersonic platform moving at 8,000 m/s, the measurement of small wind velocities in the air on the order of a few 100 m/s and less requires precise knowledge of the angle of incidence of the neutral atoms and molecules. The same is true for the case of ion-drift measurements. WATS also

  14. Comparative study of MLT mean winds using MF radars located at ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Medium Frequency Radar, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Shivaji University ... Research Laboratory, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Tirunelveli 627 011, India. ... paper is to describe mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) wind field.

  15. Theoretical model simulations for the global Thermospheric Mapping Study (TMS) periods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, D.; Fuller-Rowell, T. J.

    Theoretical and semiempirical models of the solar UV/EUV and of the geomagnetic driving forces affecting the terrestrial mesosphere and thermosphere have been used to generate a series of representative numerical time-dependent and global models of the thermosphere, for the range of solar and geoamgnetic activity levels which occurred during the three Thermospheric Mapping Study periods. The simulations obtained from these numerical models are compared with observations, and with the results of semiempirical models of the thermosphere. The theoretical models provide a record of the magnitude of the major driving forces which affected the thermosphere during the study periods, and a baseline against which the actual observed structure and dynamics can be compared.

  16. A statistical survey of heat input parameters into the cusp thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moen, J. I.; Skjaeveland, A.; Carlson, H. C.

    2017-12-01

    Based on three winters of observational data, we present those ionosphere parameters deemed most critical to realistic space weather ionosphere and thermosphere representation and prediction, in regions impacted by variability in the cusp. The CHAMP spacecraft revealed large variability in cusp thermosphere densities, measuring frequent satellite drag enhancements, up to doublings. The community recognizes a clear need for more realistic representation of plasma flows and electron densities near the cusp. Existing average-value models produce order of magnitude errors in these parameters, resulting in large under estimations of predicted drag. We fill this knowledge gap with statistics-based specification of these key parameters over their range of observed values. The EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) tracks plasma flow Vi , electron density Ne, and electron, ion temperatures Te, Ti , with consecutive 2-3 minute windshield-wipe scans of 1000x500 km areas. This allows mapping the maximum Ti of a large area within or near the cusp with high temporal resolution. In magnetic field-aligned mode the radar can measure high-resolution profiles of these plasma parameters. By deriving statistics for Ne and Ti , we enable derivation of thermosphere heating deposition under background and frictional-drag-dominated magnetic reconnection conditions. We separate our Ne and Ti profiles into quiescent and enhanced states, which are not closely correlated due to the spatial structure of the reconnection foot point. Use of our data-based parameter inputs can make order of magnitude corrections to input data driving thermosphere models, enabling removal of previous two fold drag errors.

  17. Particle precipitaion into the thermosphere (invited review)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiff, P.H.

    1986-01-01

    A review of research on particle precipitation into the thermosphere is presented. Particle precipitation plays an important role in thermospheric dynamics, often being both the most important ionization source and the most important heat source, comparable to Joule heating rates in the auroral zones and typically exceeding solar ultraviolet as an ionization mechanism in the nightside auroral zones and winter polar caps. Rees (1963) has shown that, roughly speaking, one electron-ion pair is produced by each 35 eV of incident electron energy flux; thus, over half of the incident electron energy flux goes into heating rather than into ionization. Precipitating ions also can produce ionization, also requiring roughly 35 eV per pair; however, since ion energy fluxes are typically much weaker than electron fluxes, they have often been neglected. The particle precipitation into the thermosphere is both an important ionization source and an important heat source; since the globally integrated value can vary over more than a factor of ten, and the instantaneous local rate can vary over nearly three orders of magnitude global, maps of precipitation rates are extremely important for predicting thermospheric weather

  18. Thermospheric zonal mean winds and tides revealed by CHAMP

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lieberman, R.S.; Akmaev, R.A.; Fuller-Rowell, T.J.; Doornbos, E.

    2013-01-01

    We present direct, global observations of longitudinally averaged CHAMP zonal winds gathered between 2003 and 2007. A diurnal variation dominates the global zonal wind. Westward flows are observed from the early morning through afternoon hours, while eastward flows peak in the evening. A semidiurnal

  19. Swarm accelerometer data processing from raw accelerations to thermospheric neutral densities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Siemes, Christian; da Encarnacao, Joao de Teixeira; Doornbos, Eelco

    2016-01-01

    The Swarm satellites were launched on November 22, 2013, and carry accelerometers and GPS receivers as part of their scientific payload. The GPS receivers do not only provide the position and time for the magnetic field measurements, but are also used for determining non-gravitational forces like...... in the acceleration measurements of Swarm B. We show the results of each processing stage, highlight the difficulties encountered, and comment on the quality of the thermospheric neutral density data set......., the most prominent being slow temperature-induced bias variations and sudden bias changes. In this paper, we describe the new, improved four-stage processing that is applied for transforming the disturbed acceleration measurements into scientifically valuable thermospheric neutral densities. In the first...... stage, the sudden bias changes in the acceleration measurements are manually removed using a dedicated software tool. The second stage is the calibration of the accelerometer measurements against the non-gravitational accelerations derived from the GPS receiver, which includes the correction...

  20. Solar rotation effects on the thermospheres of Mars and Earth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forbes, Jeffrey M; Bruinsma, Sean; Lemoine, Frank G

    2006-06-02

    The responses of Earth's and Mars' thermospheres to the quasi-periodic (27-day) variation of solar flux due to solar rotation were measured contemporaneously, revealing that this response is twice as large for Earth as for Mars. Per typical 20-unit change in 10.7-centimeter radio flux (used as a proxy for extreme ultraviolet flux) reaching each planet, we found temperature changes of 42.0 +/- 8.0 kelvin and 19.2 +/- 3.6 kelvin for Earth and Mars, respectively. Existing data for Venus indicate values of 3.6 +/- 0.6 kelvin. Our observational result constrains comparative planetary thermosphere simulations and may help resolve existing uncertainties in thermal balance processes, particularly CO2 cooling.

  1. Coupled storm-time magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere simulations including microscopic ionospheric turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merkin, V. G.; Wiltberger, M. J.; Zhang, B.; Liu, J.; Wang, W.; Dimant, Y. S.; Oppenheim, M. M.; Lyon, J.

    2017-12-01

    During geomagnetic storms the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system becomes activated in ways that are unique to disturbed conditions. This leads to emergence of physical feedback loops that provide tighter coupling between the system elements, often operating across disparate spatial and temporal scales. One such process that has recently received renewed interest is the generation of microscopic ionospheric turbulence in the electrojet regions (electrojet turbulence, ET) that results from strong convective electric fields imposed by the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. ET leads to anomalous electron heating and generation of non-linear Pedersen current - both of which result in significant increases in effective ionospheric conductances. This, in turn, provides strong non-linear feedback on the magnetosphere. Recently, our group has published two studies aiming at a comprehensive analysis of the global effects of this microscopic process on the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system. In one study, ET physics was incorporated in the TIEGCM model of the ionosphere-thermosphere. In the other study, ad hoc corrections to the ionospheric conductances based on ET theory were incorporated in the conductance module of the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global magnetosphere model. In this presentation, we make the final step toward the full coupling of the microscopic ET physics within our global coupled model including LFM, the Rice Convection Model (RCM) and TIEGCM. To this end, ET effects are incorporated in the TIEGCM model and propagate throughout the system via thus modified TIEGCM conductances. The March 17, 2013 geomagnetic storm is used as a testbed for these fully coupled simulations, and the results of the model are compared with various ionospheric and magnetospheric observatories, including DMSP, AMPERE, and Van Allen Probes. Via these comparisons, we investigate, in particular, the ET effects on the global magnetosphere indicators such as the

  2. Meteor radar measurements of MLT winds near the equatorial electro jet region over Thumba (8.5° N, 77° E: comparison with TIDI observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. R. John

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The All-Sky interferometric meteor (SKYiMET radar (MR derived winds in the vicinity of the equatorial electrojet (EEJ are discussed. As Thumba (8.5° N, 77° E; dip lat. 0.5° N is under the EEJ belt, there has been some debate on the reliability of the meteor radar derived winds near the EEJ height region. In this regard, the composite diurnal variations of zonal wind profiles in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT region derived from TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI and ground based meteor radar at Thumba are compared. In this study, emphasis is given to verify the meteor radar observations at 98 km height region, especially during the EEJ peaking time (11:00 to 14:00 LT. The composite diurnal cycles of zonal winds over Thumba are constructed during four seasons of the year 2006 using TIDI and meteor radar observations, which showed good agreement especially during the peak EEJ hours, thus assuring the reliability of meteor radar measurements of neutral winds close to the EEJ height region. It is evident from the present study that on seasonal scales, the radar measurements are not biased by the EEJ. The day-time variations of HF radar measured E-region drifts at the EEJ region are also compared with MR measurements to show there are large differences between ionospheric drifts and MR measurements. The significance of the present study lies in validating the meteor radar technique over Thumba located at magnetic equator by comparing with other than the radio technique for the first time.

  3. High resolution climatological wind measurements for wind energy applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergstroem, H. [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Meteorology

    1996-12-01

    Measurements with a combined cup anemometer/wind vane instrument, developed at the Department of Meteorology in Uppsala, is presented. The instrument has a frequency response of about 1 Hz, making it suitable not only for mean wind measurements, but also for studies of atmospheric turbulence. It is robust enough to be used for climatological purposes. Comparisons with data from a hot-film anemometer show good agreement, both as regards standard deviations and the spectral decomposition of the turbulent wind signal. The cup anemometer/wind vane instrument is currently used at three sites within the Swedish wind energy research programme. These measurements are shortly described, and a few examples of the results are given. 1 ref, 10 figs

  4. Vibrational-rotational temperature measurement of N2 in the lower thermosphere by the rocket experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurihara, J.; Oyama, K.; Suzuki, K.; Iwagami, N.

    The vibrational temperature (Tv), the rotational temperature (Tr) and the density of atmospheric N2 between 100 - 150 km were measured in situ by a sounding rocket S310-30, over Kagoshima, Japan at 10:30 UT on February 6, 2002. The main purpose of this rocket experiment is to study the dynamics and the thermal energy budget in the lower thermosphere. N2 was ionized using an electron gun and the emission of the 1st negative bands of N2+ was measured by a sensitive spectrometer. Tv and Tr were determined by fitting the observed spectrum for the simulated spectrum, and the number density was deduced from the intensities of the spectrum. We will report preliminary results of our measurement and discuss the observed thermal structure that indicates the effect of tides and gravity waves.

  5. VisibleWind: wind profile measurements at low altitude

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkerson, Tom; Bradford, Bill; Marchant, Alan; Apedaile, Tom; Wright, Cordell

    2009-09-01

    VisibleWindTM is developing an inexpensive rapid response system, for accurately characterizing wind shear and small scale wind phenomena in the boundary layer and for prospecting suitable locations for wind power turbines. The ValidWind system can also collect reliable "ground truth" for other remote wind sensors. The system employs small (0.25 m dia.) lightweight balloons and a tracker consisting of an Impulse 200 XL laser rangefinder coupled to a PC for automated data recording. Experiments on balloon trajectories demonstrate that the laser detection of range (+/- 0.5 m), together with measured azimuth and altitude, is an inexpensive, convenient, and capable alternative to other wind tracking methods. The maximum detection range has been increased to 2200 meters using micro-corner-cube retroreflector tape on balloons. Low power LEDs enable nighttime tracking. To avoid large balloon gyrations about the mean trajectory, we use balloons having low ascent rates and subcritical Reynolds numbers. Trajectory points are typically recorded every 4 - 7 seconds. Atmospheric features observed under conditions of inversions or "light and variable winds" include abrupt onsets of shear at altitudes of 100-250 m, velocity changes of order 1-3 m/s within layers of 10-20 m thickness, and veering of the wind direction by 180 degrees or more as altitude increases from 300 to 500 m. We have previously reported comparisons of balloon-based wind profiles with the output of a co-located sodar. Even with the Impulse rangefinder, our system still requires a "man in the loop" to track the balloon. A future system enhancement will automate balloon tracking, so that laser returns are obtained automatically at 1 Hz. While balloon measurements of large-scale, high altitude wind profiles are well known, this novel measurement system provides high-resolution, real-time characterization of the fluctuating local wind fields at the bottom of the boundary layer where wind power turbines and other

  6. Modeling Study of the Geospace System Response to the Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure Enhancement on 17 March 2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozturk, D. S.; Zou, S.; Ridley, A. J.; Slavin, J. A.

    2018-04-01

    The global magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system is intrinsically coupled and susceptible to external drivers such as solar wind dynamic pressure enhancements. In order to understand the large-scale dynamic processes in the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system due to the compression from the solar wind, the 17 March 2015 sudden commencement was studied in detail using global numerical models. This storm was one of the most geoeffective events of the solar cycle 24 with a minimum Dst of -222 nT. The Wind spacecraft recorded a 10-nPa increment in the solar wind dynamic pressure, while the interplanetary magnetic field BZ became further northward. The University of Michigan Block-Adaptive-Tree Solar wind Roe-type Upwind Scheme global magnetohydrodynamic code was utilized to study the generation and propagation of perturbations associated with the compression of the magnetosphere system. In addition, the high-resolution electric potential and auroral power output from the magnetohydrodynamic model was used to drive the global ionosphere-thermosphere model to investigate the ionosphere-thermosphere system response to pressure enhancement. During the compression, the electric potentials and convection patterns in the polar ionosphere were significantly altered when the preliminary impulse and main impulse field-aligned currents moved from dayside to nightside. As a result of enhanced frictional heating, plasma and neutral temperatures increased at the locations where the flow speeds were enhanced, whereas the electron density dropped at these locations. In particular, the region between the preliminary impulse and main impulse field-aligned currents experienced the most significant heating with 1000-K ion temperature increase and 20-K neutral temperature increase within 2 min. Comparison of the simulation results with the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar observations showed reasonable agreements despite underestimated magnitudes.

  7. Statistical analysis of thermospheric gravity waves from Fabry-Perot Interferometer measurements of atomic oxygen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. A. K. Ford

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Data from the Fabry-Perot Interferometers at KEOPS (Sweden, Sodankylä (Finland, and Svalbard (Norway, have been analysed for gravity wave activity on all the clear nights from 2000 to 2006. A total of 249 nights were available from KEOPS, 133 from Sodankylä and 185 from the Svalbard FPI. A Lomb-Scargle analysis was performed on each of these nights to identify the periods of any wave activity during the night. Comparisons between many nights of data allow the general characteristics of the waves that are present in the high latitude upper thermosphere to be determined. Comparisons were made between the different parameters: the atomic oxygen intensities, the thermospheric winds and temperatures, and for each parameter the distribution of frequencies of the waves was determined. No dependence on the number of waves on geomagnetic activity levels, or position in the solar cycle, was found. All the FPIs have had different detectors at various times, producing different time resolutions of the data, so comparisons between the different years, and between data from different sites, showed how the time resolution determines which waves are observed. In addition to the cutoff due to the Nyquist frequency, poor resolution observations significantly reduce the number of short-period waves (<1 h period that may be detected with confidence. The length of the dataset, which is usually determined by the length of the night, was the main factor influencing the number of long period waves (>5 h detected. Comparisons between the number of gravity waves detected at KEOPS and Sodankylä over all the seasons showed a similar proportion of waves to the number of nights used for both sites, as expected since the two sites are at similar latitudes and therefore locations with respect to the auroral oval, confirming this as a likely source region. Svalbard showed fewer waves with short periods than KEOPS data for a season when both had the same time resolution data

  8. Wind Speed Preview Measurement and Estimation for Feedforward Control of Wind Turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simley, Eric J.

    Wind turbines typically rely on feedback controllers to maximize power capture in below-rated conditions and regulate rotor speed during above-rated operation. However, measurements of the approaching wind provided by Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) can be used as part of a preview-based, or feedforward, control system in order to improve rotor speed regulation and reduce structural loads. But the effectiveness of preview-based control depends on how accurately lidar can measure the wind that will interact with the turbine. In this thesis, lidar measurement error is determined using a statistical frequency-domain wind field model including wind evolution, or the change in turbulent wind speeds between the time they are measured and when they reach the turbine. Parameters of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5-MW reference turbine model are used to determine measurement error for a hub-mounted circularly-scanning lidar scenario, based on commercially-available technology, designed to estimate rotor effective uniform and shear wind speed components. By combining the wind field model, lidar model, and turbine parameters, the optimal lidar scan radius and preview distance that yield the minimum mean square measurement error, as well as the resulting minimum achievable error, are found for a variety of wind conditions. With optimized scan scenarios, it is found that relatively low measurement error can be achieved, but the attainable measurement error largely depends on the wind conditions. In addition, the impact of the induction zone, the region upstream of the turbine where the approaching wind speeds are reduced, as well as turbine yaw error on measurement quality is analyzed. In order to minimize the mean square measurement error, an optimal measurement prefilter is employed, which depends on statistics of the correlation between the preview measurements and the wind that interacts with the turbine. However, because the wind speeds encountered by

  9. The variability of Joule heating, and its effects on the ionosphere and thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Rodger

    2001-07-01

    Full Text Available A considerable fraction of the solar wind energy that crosses the magnetopause ends up in the high-latitude thermosphere-ionosphere system as a result of Joule heating, the consequences of which are very significant and global in nature. Often Joule heating calculations use hourly averages of the electric field, rather than the time-varying electric field. This leads to an underestimation of the heating. In this paper, we determine the magnitude of the underestimation of Joule heating by analysing electric field data from the EISCAT Incoherent Scatter Radar, situated at the 67° E magnetic latitude. We find that the underestimation, using hourly-averaged electric field values, is normally ~20%, with an upper value of about 65%. We find that these values are insensitive to changes in solar flux, magnetic activity and magnetic local time, implying that the electric field fluctuations are linear related to the amplitude of the electric field. Assuming that these changes are representative of the entire auroral oval, we then use a coupled ionosphere-thermosphere model to calculate the local changes these underestimations in the heating rate cause to the neutral temperature, mean molecular mass and meridional wind. The changes in each parameter are of the order of a few percent but they result in a reduction in the peak F-region concentration of ~20% in the summer hemisphere at high latitudes, and about half of this level in the winter hemisphere. We suggest that these calculations could be used to add corrections to modelled values of Joule heating.Key words. Ionosphere (eletric fields and currents; ionospheric disturbances; polar ionosphere

  10. Observations of Upper Thermospheric Temperatures Using a Ground-Based Optical Instrument at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic

    OpenAIRE

    Jong-Kyun Chung; Young-In Won; Bang Yong Lee; Jhoon Kim

    1998-01-01

    We measured the terrestrial nightglow of OI 6300A in the thermosphere(~250km) using a ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic from March through September, 1997. The King Sejong Station is located at high latitude geographically (62.22 deg S, 301.25 deg E) but at mid-latitude geomagnetically (50.65 deg S, 7.51 deg E). It is therefore the strategic location to measure the temperatures of the thermosphere in the Southern Hemisphere associated with both sola...

  11. Representivity of wind measurements for design wind speed estimations

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Goliger, Adam M

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available of instrumentation sited according to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) requirements. With the advent of automatic weather station technology several decades ago, wind measurements have become much more cost-effective. While previously wind measurements were...

  12. 3D WindScanner lidar measurements of wind and turbulence around wind turbines, buildings and bridges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikkelsen, T.; Sjöholm, M.; Angelou, N.; Mann, J.

    2017-12-01

    WindScanner is a distributed research infrastructure developed at DTU with the participation of a number of European countries. The research infrastructure consists of a mobile technically advanced facility for remote measurement of wind and turbulence in 3D. The WindScanners provide coordinated measurements of the entire wind and turbulence fields, of all three wind components scanned in 3D space. Although primarily developed for research related to on- and offshore wind turbines and wind farms, the facility is also well suited for scanning turbulent wind fields around buildings, bridges, aviation structures and of flow in urban environments. The mobile WindScanner facility enables 3D scanning of wind and turbulence fields in full scale within the atmospheric boundary layer at ranges from 10 meters to 5 (10) kilometers. Measurements of turbulent coherent structures are applied for investigation of flow pattern and dynamical loads from turbines, building structures and bridges and in relation to optimization of the location of, for example, wind farms and suspension bridges. This paper presents our achievements to date and reviews briefly the state-of-the-art of the WindScanner measurement technology with examples of uses for wind engineering applications.

  13. Gone with the Wind: Three Years of MAVEN Measurements of Atmospheric Loss at Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brain, David; MAVEN Team

    2017-10-01

    The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission is making measurements of the Martian upper atmosphere and near space environment, and their interactions with energy inputs from the Sun. A major goal of the mission is to evaluate the loss of atmospheric gases to space in the present epoch, and over Martian history. MAVEN is equipped with instruments that measure both the neutral and charged upper atmospheric system (thermosphere, ionosphere, exosphere, and magnetosphere), inputs from the Sun (extreme ultraviolet flux, solar wind and solar energetic particles, and interplanetary magnetic field), and escaping atmospheric particles. The MAVEN instruments, coupled with models, allow us to more completely understand the physical processes that control atmospheric loss and the particle reservoirs for loss.Here, we provide an overview of the significant results from MAVEN over approximately 1.5 Mars years (nearly three Earth years) of observation, from November 2014 to present. We argue that the MAVEN measurements tell us that the loss of atmospheric gases to space was significant over Martian history, and present the seasonal behavior of the upper atmosphere and magnetosphere. We also discuss the influence of extreme events such as solar storms, and a variety of new discoveries and observations of the Martian system made by MAVEN.

  14. High resolution wind measurements for offshore wind energy development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nghiem, Son Van (Inventor); Neumann, Gregory (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to measure wind. Data at a first resolution (i.e., low resolution data) is collected by a satellite scatterometer. Thin slices of the data are determined. A collocation of the data slices are determined at each grid cell center to obtain ensembles of collocated data slices. Each ensemble of collocated data slices is decomposed into a mean part and a fluctuating part. The data is reconstructed at a second resolution from the mean part and a residue of the fluctuating part. A wind measurement is determined from the data at the second resolution using a wind model function. A description of the wind measurement is output.

  15. Electric field effects on ionospheric and thermospheric parameters above the EISCAT station for summer conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Klimenko

    1998-10-01

    Full Text Available Numerical calculations of the thermospheric and ionospheric parameters above EISCAT are presented for quiet geomagnetic conditions in summer. The Global Self-consistent Model of the Thermosphere, Ionosphere and Protonosphere (GSM TIP was used. The numerical results were obtained both with a self-consistent calculation of the electric fields of magnetospheric and dynamo-action origin and with the magnetospheric electric fields only. It was found that the dynamo-electric field has some effect on the ionospheric convection pattern during quiet geomagnetic conditions. It has a marked effect mainly on the zonal neutral wind component above EISCAT (±20 m/s at 140 km altitude. We have studied the effects of various field-aligned current (FAC distributions on thermosphere/ionosphere parameters and we show that a qualitative agreement can be obtained with region-I and -II FAC zones at 75° and 65° geomagnetic latitude, respectively. The maximum FAC intensities have been assumed at 03–21 MLT for both regions with peak values of 2.5×10–7 A m–2 (region I and 1.25×10–7 A m–2 (region II. These results are in agreement with statistical potential distribution and FAC models constructed by use of EISCAT data. The lack of decreased electron density in the night-time sector as observed by the EISCAT radar was found to be due to the spatial distribution of ionospheric convection resulting from electric fields of magnetospheric origin.Key words. Electric fields and currents · Ionosphere- atmosphere interactions · Modelling and forecasting

  16. The effect of energetic electron precipitation on the nitric oxide density in the lower thermosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saetre, Camilla

    2006-12-01

    The objective of this thesis has been the study of the chemical effects of the electron precipitation in the upper atmosphere, and mainly the increase of thermospheric nitric oxide (NO). NO plays an important role in the temperature balance for the mesosphere and thermosphere.In this project auroral electron precipitation data, derived from the Polar Ionospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment (PIXIE) and the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) on board the Polar satellite, have been used together with NO density measurements from the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE)

  17. Thermospheric dynamics - A system theory approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Codrescu, M.; Forbes, J. M.; Roble, R. G.

    1990-01-01

    A system theory approach to thermospheric modeling is developed, based upon a linearization method which is capable of preserving nonlinear features of a dynamical system. The method is tested using a large, nonlinear, time-varying system, namely the thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. In the linearized version an equivalent system, defined for one of the desired TGCM output variables, is characterized by a set of response functions that is constructed from corresponding quasi-steady state and unit sample response functions. The linearized version of the system runs on a personal computer and produces an approximation of the desired TGCM output field height profile at a given geographic location.

  18. Contributions of the Higher Vibrational Levels of Nitric Oxide to the Radiative Cooling of the Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkataramani, K.; Yonker, J. D.; Bailey, S. M.

    2014-12-01

    The 5.3μm emission from the vibrational levels of nitric oxide (NO) and the 15μm emission from CO2 are known to be the dominant sources of cooling in the thermosphere above 100 km. The 5.3μm emission is primarily produced by the radiative de-excitation of NO from its first vibrational level, which in turn is mainly populated by the collisions of NO with atomic oxygen. However, the reaction of atomic nitrogen (N(4S) and N(2D)) with O2 yields vibrationally excited NO with v>1, resulting in a radiative cascade which produces more than one 5.3μm photon per vibrationally excited NO molecule. This chemiluminescence is approximately 20% in magnitude of the emission produced by thermal collisions. These additional sources of the 5.3μm emission are introduced into a one dimensional photochemical model and the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) to assess their variability with latitude and solar activity, and to also understand their effect on the thermospheric energy budget. The results from the models are compared with data from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) experiment on-board the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite, which has been making measurements of the infrared radiative response of the mesosphere and thermosphere to solar inputs since 2002.

  19. Relationships of storm-time changes in thermospheric mass density with solar wind/IMF parameters and ring current index of Sym-H

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yunliang; Ma, S. Y.; Xiong, Chao; Luehr, Hermann

    The total air mass densities at about 500 km altitude are derived using super-STAR accelerom-eter measurements onboard GRACE satellites for 25 great magnetic storms with minimum Dst less than 100 nT during 2002 to 2006 years. Taking NRLMSISE-00 model-predicted densities without active ap index input as a reference baseline of quiet-time mass density, the storm-time changes in upper thermospheric mass densities are obtained by subtraction for all the storm events and sorted into different grids of latitude by local time sector. The relationships of the storm-time density changes with various interplanetary parameters and magnetospheric ring current index of Sym-H are statistically investigated. The parameters include Akasofu energy coupling function, the merging electric field Em, the magnitude of IMF component in the GSM y-z plane etc. as calculated from OMNI data at 1 AU. It is found that the storm-time changes in the upper thermospheric mass density have the best linear correlation with the Sym-H index in general, showing nearly zero time delay at low-latitudes and a little time ahead at high-latitudes for most cases. Unexpectedly, the magnitude of IMF component in the y-z plane, Byz, shows correlation with storm-time mass density changes better and closer than Akasofu function and even Em. And, the mass density changes lag behind Byz about 1-4 hours for most cases at low-latitudes. The correlations considered above are local time dependent, showing the lowest at dusk sectors. For the largest superstorm of November 2003, the changes in mass density are correlated very closely with Byz, Em, and Sym-H index, showing correlation coefficients averaged over all latitudes in noon sector as high as 0.93, 0.91 and 0.90 separately. The physical factors controlling the lag times between the mass density changes at mid-low-latitudes and the interplanetary parameter variations are also analyzed. The results in this study may pro-vide useful suggestions for establishing

  20. Observations of Upper Thermospheric Temperatures Using a Ground-Based Optical Instrument at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jong-Kyun Chung

    1998-06-01

    Full Text Available We measured the terrestrial nightglow of OI 6300A in the thermosphere(~250km using a ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic from March through September, 1997. The King Sejong Station is located at high latitude geographically (62.22 deg S, 301.25 deg E but at mid-latitude geomagnetically (50.65 deg S, 7.51 deg E. It is therefore the strategic location to measure the temperatures of the thermosphere in the Southern Hemisphere associated with both solar and geomagnetic activities. In this study, we analyzed the observed temperatures in relation to F10.7 and Kp indices to examine the effect of the solar and the geomagnetic activities on high-latitude neutral thermosphere. During the observing period, the solar activity was at its minimum. The measured temperatures are usually in the range between about 600~1000 K with some seasonal variation and are higher than those predicted by semi-empirical model, VSH (Vector Spherical Harmonics and empirical model, MSIS (Mass-Spectrometer-Incoherent-Scatter-86.

  1. Observations of Upper Thermospheric Temperatures Using a Ground-Based Optical Instrument at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jong-Kyun; Won, Young-In; Lee, Bang Yong; Kim, Jhoon

    1998-06-01

    We measured the terrestrial nightglow of OI 6300A in the thermosphere(~250km) using a ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic from March through September, 1997. The King Sejong Station is located at high latitude geographically (62.22 deg S, 301.25 deg E) but at mid-latitude geomagnetically (50.65 deg S, 7.51 deg E). It is therefore the strategic location to measure the temperatures of the thermosphere in the Southern Hemisphere associated with both solar and geomagnetic activities. In this study, we analyzed the observed temperatures in relation to F10.7 and Kp indices to examine the effect of the solar and the geomagnetic activities on high-latitude neutral thermosphere. During the observing period, the solar activity was at its minimum. The measured temperatures are usually in the range between about 600~1000 K with some seasonal variation and are higher than those predicted by semi-empirical model, VSH (Vector Spherical Harmonics) and empirical model, MSIS (Mass-Spectrometer-Incoherent-Scatter)-86.

  2. Validation of Sodar Measurements for Wind Power

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose

    2006-01-01

    the project and a new remote power system has been designed. A direct comparison between SODAR and cup measurements revealed a limitation for the SODAR measurements during different weather conditions, especially since the SODAR was not able to measure wind speeds above 15 m/s due to an increasing back-ground......A ground-based SODAR has been tested for 1½ years together with a traditional measurement set-up consisting of cups and vanes for measuring wind data for wind power assessment at a remote location. Many problems associated to the operation of a remote located SODAR have been solved during...... noise. Instead, using the SODAR as a profiler to establish representative wind speed profiles was successful. These wind speed profiles are combined with low height reference measurements to establish reliable hub height wind speed distributions. Representative wind speed profiles can be establish...

  3. Thermospheric mass density variations during geomagnetic storms and a prediction model based on the merging electric field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, R.; Lühr, H.; Doornbos, E.; Ma, S.-Y.

    2010-09-01

    With the help of four years (2002-2005) of CHAMP accelerometer data we have investigated the dependence of low and mid latitude thermospheric density on the merging electric field, Em, during major magnetic storms. Altogether 30 intensive storm events (Dstmineffect in order to obtain good results for magnetic storms of all activity levels. The memory effect of the thermosphere is accounted for by a weighted integration of Em over the past 3 h. In addition, a lag time of the mass density response to solar wind input of 0 to 4.5 h depending on latitude and local time is considered. A linear model using the preconditioned color: #000;">Em as main controlling parameter for predicting mass density changes during magnetic storms is developed: ρ=0.5 color: #000;">Em + ρamb, where ρamb is based on the mean density during the quiet day before the storm. We show that this simple relation predicts all storm-induced mass density variations at CHAMP altitude fairly well especially if orbital averages are considered.

  4. Wind measurement via direct detection lidar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afek, I.; Sela, N.; Narkiss, N.; Shamai, G.; Tsadka, S.

    2013-10-01

    Wind sensing Lidar is considered a promising technology for high quality wind measurements required for various applications such as hub height wind resource assessment, power curve measurements and advanced, real time, forward looking turbine control. Until recently, the only available Lidar technology was based on coherent Doppler shift detection, whose market acceptance has been slow primarily due to its exuberant price. Direct detection Lidar technology provides an alternative to remote sensing of wind by incorporating high precision measurement, a robust design and an affordable price tag.

  5. Multi-component wind measurements of wind turbine wakes performed with three LiDARs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iungo, G. V.; Wu, Y.-T.; Porté-Agel, F.

    2012-04-01

    Field measurements of the wake flow produced from the interaction between atmospheric boundary layer and a wind turbine are performed with three wind LiDARs. The tested wind turbine is a 2 MW Enercon E-70 located in Collonges, Switzerland. First, accuracy of mean values and frequency resolution of the wind measurements are surveyed as a function of the number of laser rays emitted for each measurement. Indeed, measurements performed with one single ray allow maximizing sampling frequency, thus characterizing wake turbulence. On the other hand, if the number of emitted rays is increased accuracy of mean wind is increased due to the longer sampling period. Subsequently, two-dimensional measurements with a single LiDAR are carried out over vertical sections of the wind turbine wake and mean wake flow is obtained by averaging 2D measurements consecutively performed. The high spatial resolution of the used LiDAR allows characterizing in details velocity defect present in the central part of the wake and its downstream recovery. Single LiDAR measurements are also performed by staring the laser beam at fixed directions for a sampling period of about ten minutes and maximizing the sampling frequency in order to characterize wake turbulence. From these tests wind fluctuation peaks are detected in the wind turbine wake at blade top-tip height for different downstream locations. The magnitude of these turbulence peaks is generally reduced by moving downstream. This increased turbulence level at blade top-tip height observed for a real wind turbine has been already detected from previous wind tunnel tests and Large Eddy simulations, thus confirming the presence of a source of dangerous fatigue loads for following wind turbines within a wind farm. Furthermore, the proper characterization of wind fluctuations through LiDAR measurements is proved by the detection of the inertial subrange from spectral analysis of these velocity signals. Finally, simultaneous measurements with two

  6. Data-driven Inference and Investigation of Thermosphere Dynamics and Variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, P. M.; Linares, R.

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents a methodology for data-driven inference and investigation of thermosphere dynamics and variations. The approach uses data-driven modal analysis to extract the most energetic modes of variations for neutral thermospheric species using proper orthogonal decomposition, where the time-independent modes or basis represent the dynamics and the time-depedent coefficients or amplitudes represent the model parameters. The data-driven modal analysis approach combined with sparse, discrete observations is used to infer amplitues for the dynamic modes and to calibrate the energy content of the system. In this work, two different data-types, namely the number density measurements from TIMED/GUVI and the mass density measurements from CHAMP/GRACE are simultaneously ingested for an accurate and self-consistent specification of the thermosphere. The assimilation process is achieved with a non-linear least squares solver and allows estimation/tuning of the model parameters or amplitudes rather than the driver. In this work, we use the Naval Research Lab's MSIS model to derive the most energetic modes for six different species, He, O, N2, O2, H, and N. We examine the dominant drivers of variations for helium in MSIS and observe that seasonal latitudinal variation accounts for about 80% of the dynamic energy with a strong preference of helium for the winter hemisphere. We also observe enhanced helium presence near the poles at GRACE altitudes during periods of low solar activity (Feb 2007) as previously deduced. We will also examine the storm-time response of helium derived from observations. The results are expected to be useful in tuning/calibration of the physics-based models.

  7. Thermospheric neutral densities derived from Swarm accelerometer and GPS data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Doornbos, Eelco; Encarnacao, Joao; van den IJss, Jose

    Over the past years, a lot of effort has been put into characterising and correcting the various disturbance signals that were found in the accelerometer data provided by the Swarm satellites. This effort was first and foremost aimed at the Swarm C along-track axis data, which seems to be the least...... affected and most promising data for scientific use. The goal to make the Swarm C accelerometer along-track axis data ready for further processing into level 2 thermosphere density data has now been accomplished, with the help of information on the satellite motion from the GPS tracking as well...... approach, affects the possibility of determining densities from the accelerometer measurements of the Swarm A and B satellites. We also investigate the possibility of determining crosswind speeds from Swarm data.In the meantime, we have investigated the possibility of deriving thermosphere neutral density...

  8. Wind Tunnel Measurements at LM Wind Power

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertagnolio, Franck

    2012-01-01

    This section presents the results obtained during the experimental campaign that was conducted in the wind tunnel at LM Wind Power in Lunderskov from August 16th to 26th, 2010. The goal of this study is to validate the so-called TNO trailing edge noise model through measurements of the boundary...... layer turbulence characteristics and the far-field noise generated by the acoustic scattering of the turbulent boundary layer vorticies as they convect past the trailing edge. This campaign was conducted with a NACA0015 airfoil section that was placed in the wind tunnel section. It is equipped with high...

  9. Drake Antarctic Agile Meteor Radar (DrAAMER) First Results: Configuration and Comparison of Mean and Tidal Wind and Gravity Wave Momentum Flux Measurements with SAAMER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritts, D. C.; Janches, D.; Iimura, H.; Hocking, W. K.; Bageston, J. V.; Pene, N. M.

    2011-01-01

    A new-generation meteor radar was installed at the Brazilian Antarctic Comandante Ferraz Base (62.1degS) in March 2010. This paper describes the motivations for the radar location, its measurement capabilities, and comparisons of measured mean winds, tides, and gravity wave momentum fluxes from April to June of 2010 and 2011 with those by a similar radar on Tierra del Fuego (53.8degS). Motivations for the radars include the "hotspot" of small-scale gravity wave activity extending from the troposphere into the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) centered over the Drake Passage, the maximum of the semidiurnal tide at these latitudes, and the lack of other MLT wind measurements in this latitude band. Mean winds are seen to be strongly modulated at planetary wave and longer periods and to exhibit strong coherence over the two radars at shorter time scales as well as systematic seasonal variations. The semidiurnal tide contribute most to the large-scale winds over both radars, with maximum tidal amplitudes during May and maxima at the highest altitudes varying from approx.20 to >70 m/s. In contrast, the diurnal tide and various planetary waves achieve maximum winds of approx.10 to 20 m/s. Monthly-mean gravity wave momentum fluxes appear to reflect the occurrence of significant sources at lower altitudes, with relatively small zonal fluxes over both radars, but with significant, and opposite, meridional momentum fluxes below approx.85 km. These suggest gravity waves propagating away from the Drake Passage at both sites, and may indicate an important source region accounting in part for this "hotspot".

  10. Electric field effects on ionospheric and thermospheric parameters above the EISCAT station for summer conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Klimenko

    Full Text Available Numerical calculations of the thermospheric and ionospheric parameters above EISCAT are presented for quiet geomagnetic conditions in summer. The Global Self-consistent Model of the Thermosphere, Ionosphere and Protonosphere (GSM TIP was used. The numerical results were obtained both with a self-consistent calculation of the electric fields of magnetospheric and dynamo-action origin and with the magnetospheric electric fields only. It was found that the dynamo-electric field has some effect on the ionospheric convection pattern during quiet geomagnetic conditions. It has a marked effect mainly on the zonal neutral wind component above EISCAT (±20 m/s at 140 km altitude. We have studied the effects of various field-aligned current (FAC distributions on thermosphere/ionosphere parameters and we show that a qualitative agreement can be obtained with region-I and -II FAC zones at 75° and 65° geomagnetic latitude, respectively. The maximum FAC intensities have been assumed at 03–21 MLT for both regions with peak values of 2.5×10–7 A m–2 (region I and 1.25×10–7 A m–2 (region II. These results are in agreement with statistical potential distribution and FAC models constructed by use of EISCAT data. The lack of decreased electron density in the night-time sector as observed by the EISCAT radar was found to be due to the spatial distribution of ionospheric convection resulting from electric fields of magnetospheric origin.

    Key words. Electric fields and currents · Ionosphere- atmosphere interactions · Modelling and forecasting

  11. Circulation of the polar thermosphere during geomagnetically quiet and active times as observed by Dynamics Explorer 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCormac, F.G.; Killeen, T.L.; Thayer, J.P.; Hernandez, G.; Tschan, C.R.; Ponthieu, J.J.; Spencer, N.W.

    1987-01-01

    Neutral wind measurements obtained by instruments on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) spacecraft have been used to study the effects of geomagnetic activity on the circulation of the high-latitude neutral thermosphere for solar maximum conditions during the periods of November 1981 through January 1982 and November 1982 through January 1983. The data have been sorted and ordered according to the two geophysical indices Kp and (auroral electrojet) AE. Simple expressions have been derived which describe (1) the maximum antisunward wind speed in the geomagnetic polar cap, (2) the maximum sunward wind speeds in the dawn and dusk sectors of the auroral oval, and (3) the latitudinal extent of the polar cap antisunward neutral wind as functions of Kp and AE. The results show a positive correlation between the geomagnetic indices and the three characteristic features of the neutral circulation described above. Averaged vector wind fields in geomagnetic coordinates for Kp ≤ 2 and Kp ≥ 4 in both northern and southern hemispheres for the 6 months have been derived from the data. In doing this, a first-order invariance of the neutral wind circulation in geomagnetic coordinates as a function of universal time (UT) was assumed. The results show a two-cell circulation pattern in the northern winter hemisphere for both quiet and active geomagnetic periods. The cell sizes increase with increasing geomagnetic activity. The dusk cell is always dominant. The southern summer hemisphere averages show only the dusk circulation cell for both quiet and active geomagnetic periods. The cell sizes increase with increasing geomagnetic activity. The dusk cell is always dominant. The southern summer hemisphere averages show only the dusk circulation cell for both quiet and active geomagnetic periods. A diminution of this cell occurs for reduced levels of geomagnetic activity

  12. Evidence of the Lower Thermospheric Winter-to-Summer Circulation From SABER CO2 Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Liying; Burns, Alan; Yue, Jia

    2017-10-01

    Numerical studies have shown that there is a lower thermospheric winter-to-summer circulation that is driven by wave dissipation and that it plays a significant role in trace gas distributions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, and in the composition of the thermosphere. However, the characteristics of this circulation are poorly known. Direct observations of it are difficult, but it leaves clear signatures in tracer distributions. The Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite has obtained CO2 concentration from 2002 to present. This data set, combined with simulations by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, provides an unprecedented opportunity to infer the morphology of this circulation in both the summer and winter hemispheres. Our study show that there exists a maximum vertical gradient of CO2 at summer high latitudes, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the mesospheric circulation and the downwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation; in the winter hemisphere, the maximum vertical gradient of CO2 is located at a higher altitude, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation and the downwelling of the solar-driven thermospheric circulation; the bottom of the lower thermospheric circulation is located between 95 km and 100 km, and it has a vertical extent of 10 km. Analysis of the SABER CO2 and temperature at summer high latitudes showed that the bottom of this circulation is consistently higher than the mesopause height by 10 km.

  13. Can Wind Lidars Measure Turbulence?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sathe, Ameya; Mann, Jakob; Gottschall, Julia

    2011-01-01

    Modeling of the systematic errors in the second-order moments of wind speeds measured by continuous-wave (ZephIR) and pulsed (WindCube) lidars is presented. These lidars use the conical scanning technique to measure the velocity field. The model captures the effect of volume illumination and coni...

  14. Variations of thermospheric composition according to AE-C data and CTIP modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Rishbeth

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Data from the Atmospheric Explorer C satellite, taken at middle and low latitudes in 1975-1978, are used to study latitudinal and month-by-month variations of thermospheric composition. The parameter used is the "compositional Ρ-parameter", related to the neutral atomic oxygen/molecular nitrogen concentration ratio. The midlatitude data show strong winter maxima of the atomic/molecular ratio, which account for the "seasonal anomaly" of the ionospheric F2-layer. When the AE-C data are compared with the empirical MSIS model and the computational CTIP ionosphere-thermosphere model, broadly similar features are found, but the AE-C data give a more molecular thermosphere than do the models, especially CTIP. In particular, CTIP badly overestimates the winter/summer change of composition, more so in the south than in the north. The semiannual variations at the equator and in southern latitudes, shown by CTIP and MSIS, appear more weakly in the AE-C data. Magnetic activity produces a more molecular thermosphere at high latitudes, and at mid-latitudes in summer. Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere – composition and chemistry

  15. Variations of thermospheric composition according to AE-C data and CTIP modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Rishbeth

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Data from the Atmospheric Explorer C satellite, taken at middle and low latitudes in 1975-1978, are used to study latitudinal and month-by-month variations of thermospheric composition. The parameter used is the "compositional Ρ-parameter", related to the neutral atomic oxygen/molecular nitrogen concentration ratio. The midlatitude data show strong winter maxima of the atomic/molecular ratio, which account for the "seasonal anomaly" of the ionospheric F2-layer. When the AE-C data are compared with the empirical MSIS model and the computational CTIP ionosphere-thermosphere model, broadly similar features are found, but the AE-C data give a more molecular thermosphere than do the models, especially CTIP. In particular, CTIP badly overestimates the winter/summer change of composition, more so in the south than in the north. The semiannual variations at the equator and in southern latitudes, shown by CTIP and MSIS, appear more weakly in the AE-C data. Magnetic activity produces a more molecular thermosphere at high latitudes, and at mid-latitudes in summer.

    Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere – composition and chemistry

  16. How the effects of winds and electric fields in F2-layer storms vary with latitude and longitude - A theoretical study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendillo, M.; He, X.-Q.; Rishbeth, H.

    1992-01-01

    The effects of thermospheric winds and electric fields on the ionospheric F2-layer are controlled by the geometry of the magnetic field, and so vary with latitude and longitude. A simple model of the daytime F2-layer is adopted and the effects at midlatitudes (25-65 deg geographic) of three processes that accompany geomagnetic storms: (1) thermospheric changes due to auroral heating; (2) equatorward winds that tend to cancel the quiet-day poleward winds; and (3) the penetration of magnetospheric electric fields are studied. At +/- 65 deg, the effects of heating and electric fields are strongest in the longitudes toward which the geomagnetic dipole is tilted, i.e., the North American and the South Indian Ocean sectors. Because of the proximity of the geomagnetic equator to the East Asian and South American sectors, the reverse is true at +/- 25 deg.

  17. 3D WindScanner lidar measurements of wind and turbulence around wind turbines, buildings and bridges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Torben Krogh; Sjöholm, Mikael; Angelou, Nikolas

    2017-01-01

    WindScanner is a distributed research infrastructure developed at DTU with the participation of a number of European countries. The research infrastructure consists of a mobile technically advanced facility for remote measurement of wind and turbulence in 3D. The WindScanners provide coordinated...... structures and of flow in urban environments. The mobile WindScanner facility enables 3D scanning of wind and turbulence fields in full scale within the atmospheric boundary layer at ranges from 10 meters to 5 (10) kilometers. Measurements of turbulent coherent structures are applied for investigation...

  18. Updated Results from the Michigan Titan Thermospheric General Circulation Model (TTGCM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, J. M.; Bougher, S. W.; de Lahaye, V.; Waite, J. H.; Ridley, A.

    2006-05-01

    This paper presents updated results from the Michigan Titan Thermospheric General Circulation Model (TTGCM) that was recently unveiled in operational form (Bell et al 2005 Spring AGU). Since then, we have incorporated a suite of chemical reactions for the major neutral constituents in Titan's upper atmosphere (N2, CH4). Additionally, some selected minor neutral constituents and major ionic species are also supported in the framework. At this time, HCN, which remains one of the critical thermally active species in the upper atmosphere, remains specified at all altitudes, utilizing profiles derived from recent Cassini-Huygen's measurements. In addition to these improvements, a parallel effort is underway to develop a non-hydrostatic Titan Thermospheric General Circulation Model for further comparisons. In this work, we emphasize the impacts of self-consistent chemistry on the results of the updated TTGCM relative to its frozen chemistry predecessor. Meanwhile, the thermosphere's thermodynamics remains determined by the interplay of solar EUV forcing and HCN rotational cooling, which is calculated by a full line- by-line radiative transfer routine along the lines of Yelle (1991) and Mueller-Wodarg (2000, 2002). In addition to these primary drivers, a treatment of magnetospheric heating is further tested. The model's results will be compared with both the Cassini INMS data and the model of Mueller-Wodarg (2000,2002).

  19. Seasonal effects in the ionosphere-thermosphere response to the precipitation and field-aligned current variations in the cusp region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Namgaladze

    Full Text Available The seasonal effects in the thermosphere and ionosphere responses to the precipitating electron flux and field-aligned current variations, of the order of an hour in duration, in the summer and winter cusp regions have been investigated using the global numerical model of the Earth's upper atmosphere. Two variants of the calculations have been performed both for the IMF By < 0. In the first variant, the model input data for the summer and winter precipitating fluxes and field-aligned currents have been taken as geomagnetically symmetric and equal to those used earlier in the calculations for the equinoctial conditions. It has been found that both ionospheric and thermospheric disturbances are more intensive in the winter cusp region due to the lower conductivity of the winter polar cap ionosphere and correspondingly larger electric field variations leading to the larger Joule heating effects in the ion and neutral gas temperature, ion drag effects in the thermospheric winds and ion drift effects in the F2-region electron concentration. In the second variant, the calculations have been performed for the events of 28–29 January, 1992 when precipitations were weaker but the magnetospheric convection was stronger than in the first variant. Geomagnetically asymmetric input data for the summer and winter precipitating fluxes and field-aligned currents have been taken from the patterns derived by combining data obtained from the satellite, radar and ground magnetometer observations for these events. Calculated patterns of the ionospheric convection and thermospheric circulation have been compared with observations and it has been established that calculated patterns of the ionospheric convection for both winter and summer hemispheres are in a good agreement with the observations. Calculated patterns of the thermospheric circulation are in a good agreement with the average circulation for the Southern (summer Hemisphere obtained

  20. Winds in the high-latitude lower thermosphere: Dependence on the interplanetary magnetic field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Richmond, A.D.; Lathuillere, C.; Vennerstrøm, Susanne

    2003-01-01

    -side cyclonic vortex that responds more strongly to B-z variations. The dependence of the wind on the IMF is nonlinear, especially with respect to IMF B-z. For positive B-z the difference winds are largely confined to the polar cap, while for negative B-z the difference winds extend to subauroral latitudes...... of similar to20 hours, a B-y-dependent magnetic-zonal-mean zonal wind generally exists, with maximum wind speeds at 80 magnetic latitude, typically 10 m/s at 105 km, increasing to about 60 m/s at 123 km and 80 m/s at 200 km. In the southern hemisphere the wind is cyclonic when the time-averaged B...

  1. Characterization of blasts in medium and low thermosphere from infrasonic wave observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lalande, J.M.

    2012-01-01

    The International Monitoring System (IMS) designed to monitor compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) uses four complementary verification methods: seismic, hydro-acoustic, radionuclide and micro-barometric stations spanning the entire globe. Micro-barometric stations record continuously infrasonic waves in the frequency band 0.02-4 Hz. These waves propagate at long-ranges through atmospheric ducts resulting from the natural stratification of atmospheric properties (temperature, density, winds,...) and represent a valuable information to understand atmospheric dynamic until the lower thermosphere. In this thesis, we seek to determine the possible contribution of infra-sound observations for improving current atmospheric specifications. We describe the atmospheric media and its circulation mechanisms as well as the conventional observations used in the development of atmospheric models. A description of the interaction between infrasonic waves and the atmosphere help to understand the interest of micro-barometric measurement compared with conventional observations. To highlight this potential we develop an inverse algorithm in order to estimate atmospheric parameters from infrasonic observations. The forward problem is handled by a ray-tracing algorithm. First-order perturbation equation resulting from perturbation of atmospheric properties, and especially wind parameters, are developed and numerically validated. We then analyse the inverse problem through several numerical experiments in order to show the capabilities and limitations of our algorithm. Results show the suitability of our approach and indicate that infrasonic observations can significantly improve current atmospheric specification at the altitudes of acoustic energy refraction, i.e. around 50 km and between 100 and 120 km. (author)

  2. Full scale measurement of wind induced pressures : 1 configuration of wind induced pressures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geurts, C.P.W.; Wijen, H.L.M.

    1994-01-01

    A research project 10 the spectral characteristics of wind induced pressures is in progress in Eindhoven. This project includes both wind tunnel and full scale measurements. Wind induced pressures are measured in full scale at the main building of Eindhoven University of Technology. This paper

  3. Measuring tropospheric wind with microwave sounders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambrigtsen, B.; Su, H.; Turk, J.; Hristova-Veleva, S. M.; Dang, V. T.

    2017-12-01

    In its 2007 "Decadal Survey" of earth science missions for NASA the U.S. National Research Council recommended that a Doppler wind lidar be developed for a three-dimensional tropospheric winds mission ("3D-Winds"). The technology required for such a mission has not yet been developed, and it is expected that the next Decadal Survey, planned to be released by the end of 2017, will put additional emphasis on the still pressing need for wind measurements from space. The first Decadal Survey also called for a geostationary microwave sounder (GMS) on a Precipitation and All-weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH) mission, which could be used to measure wind from space. Such a sounder, the Geostationary Synthetic Thinned Aperture Radiometer (GeoSTAR), has been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The PATH mission has not yet been funded by NASA, but a low-cost subset of PATH, GeoStorm has been proposed as a hosted payload on a commercial communications satellite. Both PATH and GeoStorm would obtain frequent (every 15 minutes of better) measurements of tropospheric water vapor profiles, and they can be used to derive atmospheric motion vector (AMV) wind profiles, even in the presence of clouds. Measurement of wind is particularly important in the tropics, where the atmosphere is largely not in thermal balance and wind estimates cannot generally be derived from temperature and pressure fields. We report on simulation studies of AMV wind vectors derived from a GMS and from a cluster of low-earth-orbiting (LEO) small satellites (e.g., CubeSats). The results of two separate simulation studies are very encouraging and show that a ±2 m/s wind speed precision is attainable, which would satisfy WMO requirements. A GMS observing system in particular, which can be implemented now, would enable significant progress in the study of atmospheric dynamics. Copyright 2017 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged

  4. Atmospheric diffusion wind tunnel with automatic measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maki, S; Sakai, J; Murata, E

    1974-01-01

    A wind tunnel which permits estimates of atmospheric diffusion is described. Smoke from power plant smoke stacks, for example, can be simulated and traced to determine the manner of diffusion in the air as well as the grade of dilution. The wind tunnel is also capable of temperature controlled diffusion tests in which temperature distribution inside the wind tunnel is controlled. A minimum wind velocity of 10 cm can be obtained with accuracy within plus or minus 0.05 percent using a controlled direct current motor; diffusion tests are often made at low wind velocity. Fully automatic measurements can be obtained by using a minicomputer so that the operation and reading of the measuring instruments can be remotely controlled from the measuring chamber. (Air Pollut. Abstr.)

  5. Wind gust measurements using pulsed Doppler wind-lidar: comparison of direct and indirect techniques

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    The measurements of wind gusts, defined as short duration wind speed maxima, have traditionally been limited by the height that can be reached by weather masts. Doppler lidars can potentially provide information from levels above this and thereby fill this gap in our knowledge. To measure the 3D...... is 3.9 s) which can provide high resolution turbulent measurements, both in the vertical direction, and potentially in the horizontal direction. In this study we explore different strategies of wind lidar measurements to measure the wind speed maxima. We use a novel stochastic turbulence reconstruction...... model, driven by the Doppler lidar measurements, which uses a non-linear particle filter to estimate the small-scale turbulent fluctuations. The first results show that the reconstruction method can reproduce the wind speed maxima measured by the sonic anemometer if a low-pass filter with a cut...

  6. Climatological lower thermosphere winds as seen by ground-based and space-based instruments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. M. Forbes

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Comparisons are made between climatological dynamic fields obtained from ground-based (GB and space-based (SB instruments with a view towards identifying SB/GB intercalibration issues for TIMED and other future aeronomy satellite missions. SB measurements are made from the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI instrument on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS. The GB data originate from meteor radars at Obninsk, (55° N, 37° E, Shigaraki (35° N, 136° E and Jakarta (6° S, 107° E and MF spaced-antenna radars at Hawaii (22° N, 160° W, Christmas I. (2° N, 158° W and Adelaide (35° S, 138° E. We focus on monthly-mean prevailing, diurnal and semidiurnal wind components at 96km, averaged over the 1991-1999 period. We perform space-based (SB analyses for 90° longitude sectors including the GB sites, as well as for the zonal mean. Taking the monthly prevailing zonal winds from these stations as a whole, on average, SB zonal winds exceed GB determinations by ~63%, whereas meridional winds are in much better agreement. The origin of this discrepancy remains unknown, and should receive high priority in initial GB/SB comparisons during the TIMED mission. We perform detailed comparisons between monthly climatologies from Jakarta and the geographically conjugate sites of Shigaraki and Adelaide, including some analyses of interannual variations. SB prevailing, diurnal and semidiurnal tides exceed those measured over Jakarta by factors, on the average, of the order of 2.0, 1.6, 1.3, respectively, for the eastward wind, although much variability exists. For the meridional component, SB/GB ratios for the diurnal and semidiurnal tide are about 1.6 and 1.7. Prevailing and tidal amplitudes at Adelaide are significantly lower than SB values, whereas similar net differences do not occur at the conjugate Northern Hemisphere location of Shigaraki. Adelaide diurnal phases lag SB phases by several hours, but excellent agreement between the two data

  7. Wind response in the lower thermosphere to the geomagnetic storm on March, 1989

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kazimirovskij, Eh.S.; Vergasova, G.V.

    1991-01-01

    The horizontal wind response in the ionospheric D region above Irkutsk to the geomagnetic storm on March 13, 1989 is studied. The geomagnetic storm response is expressed through a stability loss of the wind system, a great speed increase of the meridional and zonal wind, in particular, and their dispersions, respectively, as well as changes in the semidaily tidal phase. The proof of the fact that the Earth magnetic field disturbances destabilize the system of horizontal winds in the lower ionosphere is given

  8. Magnetosphere - Ionosphere - Thermosphere (MIT) Coupling at Jupiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yates, J. N.; Ray, L. C.; Achilleos, N.

    2017-12-01

    Jupiter's upper atmospheric temperature is considerably higher than that predicted by Solar Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) heating alone. Simulations incorporating magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling effects into general circulation models have, to date, struggled to reproduce the observed atmospheric temperatures under simplifying assumptions such as azimuthal symmetry and a spin-aligned dipole magnetic field. Here we present the development of a full three-dimensional thermosphere model coupled in both hemispheres to an axisymmetric magnetosphere model. This new coupled model is based on the two-dimensional MIT model presented in Yates et al., 2014. This coupled model is a critical step towards to the development of a fully coupled 3D MIT model. We discuss and compare the resulting thermospheric flows, energy balance and MI coupling currents to those presented in previous 2D MIT models.

  9. Storm time variation of radiative cooling of thermosphere by nitric oxide emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishna, M. V. Sunil; Bag, Tikemani; Bharti, Gaurav

    2016-07-01

    The fundamental vibration-rotation band emission (Δν=1, Δ j=0,± 1) by nitric oxide (NO) at 5.3 µm is one of the most important cooling mechanisms in thermosphere. The collisional vibrational excitation of NO(ν=0) by impact with atomic oxygen is the main source of vibrationally excited nitric oxide. The variation of NO density depends on latitude, longitude and season. The present study aims to understand how the radiative flux gets influenced by the severe geomagnetic storm conditions. The variation of Nitric Oxide (NO) radiative flux exiting thermosphere is studied during the superstorm event of 7-12 November, 2004. The observations of TIMED/SABER suggest a strong anti-correlation with the O/N_2 ratio observed by GUVI during the same period. On a global scale the NO radiative flux showed an enhancement during the main phase on 8 November, 2004, whereas maximum depletion in O/N_2 is observed on 10 November, 2004. Both O/N_2 and NO radiative flux were found to propagate equatorward due to the effect of meridional wind resulting from joule and particle heating in polar region. Larger penetrations is observed in western longitude sectors. These observed variations are effectively connected to the variations in neutral densities. In the equatorial sectors, O/N_2 shows enhancement but almost no variation in radiative flux is observed. The possible reasons for the observed variations in NO radiative emission and O/N_2 ratios are discussed in the light of equator ward increase in the densities and prompt penetration.

  10. Tropospheric weather influenced by solar wind through atmospheric vertical coupling downward control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prikryl, Paul; Bruntz, Robert; Tsukijihara, Takumi; Iwao, Koki; Muldrew, Donald B.; Rušin, Vojto; Rybanský, Milan; Turňa, Maroš; Šťastný, Pavel

    2018-06-01

    Occurrence of severe weather in the context of solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (MIA) system is investigated. It is observed that significant snowfall, wind and heavy rain, particularly if caused by low pressure systems in winter, tend to follow arrivals of high-speed solar wind. Previously published statistical evidence that explosive extratropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere tend to occur within a few days after arrivals of high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes (Prikryl et al., 2009, 2016) is corroborated for the southern hemisphere. Cases of severe weather events are examined in the context of the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (MIA) coupling. Physical mechanism to explain these observations is proposed. The leading edge of high-speed solar wind streams is a locus of large-amplitude magneto-hydrodynamic waves that modulate Joule heating and/or Lorentz forcing of the high-latitude lower thermosphere generating medium-scale atmospheric gravity waves that propagate upward and downward through the atmosphere. Simulations of gravity wave propagation in a model atmosphere using the Transfer Function Model (Mayr et al., 1990) reveal that propagating waves originating in the lower thermosphere can excite a spectrum of gravity waves in the lower atmosphere. In spite of significantly reduced amplitudes but subject to amplification upon reflection in the upper troposphere, these gravity waves can provide a lift of unstable air to release instabilities in the troposphere and initiate convection to form cloud/precipitation bands. It is primarily the energy provided by release of latent heat that leads to intensification of storms. These results indicate that vertical coupling in the atmosphere exerts downward control from solar wind to the lower atmospheric levels influencing tropospheric weather development.

  11. A ground-base Radar network to access the 3D structure of MLT winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stober, G.; Chau, J. L.; Wilhelm, S.; Jacobi, C.

    2016-12-01

    The mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) is a highly variable atmospheric region driven by wave dynamics at various scales including planetary waves, tides and gravity waves. Some of these propagate through the MLT into the thermosphere/ionosphere carrying energy and momentum from the middle atmosphere into the upper atmosphere. To improve our understanding of the wave energetics and momentum transfer during their dissipation it is essential to characterize their space time properties. During the last two years we developed a new experimental approach to access the horizontal structure of wind fields at the MLT using a meteor radar network in Germany, which we called MMARIA - Multi-static Multi-frequency Agile Radar for Investigation of the Atmosphere. The network combines classical backscatter meteor radars and passive forward scatter radio links. We present our preliminary results using up to 7 different active and passive radio links to obtain horizontally resolved wind fields applying a statistical inverse method. The wind fields are retrieved with 15-30 minutes temporal resolution on a grid with 30x30 km horizontal spacing. Depending on the number of observed meteors, we are able to apply the wind field inversion at heights between 84-94 km. The horizontally resolved wind fields provide insights of the typical horizontal gravity wave length and the energy cascade from large scales to small scales. We present first power spectra indicating the transition from the synoptic wave scale to the gravity wave scale.

  12. Results of Sexbierum Wind Farm: single wake measurements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cleijne, J.W.

    1993-01-01

    In the framework of the JOULE-0064 'Full-scale Measurements in Wind Turbine Arrays' in the period between June-November 1992 measurements have been performed in the Sexbierum Wind Farm. The aim of the measurements is to provide data for the validation of wake and wind farm models, which are being

  13. Vertical circulation and thermospheric composition: a modelling study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Rishbeth

    1999-06-01

    Full Text Available The coupled thermosphere-ionosphere-plasmasphere model CTIP is used to study the global three-dimensional circulation and its effect on neutral composition in the midlatitude F-layer. At equinox, the vertical air motion is basically up by day, down by night, and the atomic oxygen/molecular nitrogen [O/N2] concentration ratio is symmetrical about the equator. At solstice there is a summer-to-winter flow of air, with downwelling at subauroral latitudes in winter that produces regions of large [O/N2] ratio. Because the thermospheric circulation is influenced by the high-latitude energy inputs, which are related to the geometry of the Earth's magnetic field, the latitude of the downwelling regions varies with longitude. The downwelling regions give rise to large F2-layer electron densities when they are sunlit, but not when they are in darkness, with implications for the distribution of seasonal and semiannual variations of the F2-layer. It is also found that the vertical distributions of O and N2 may depart appreciably from diffusive equilibrium at heights up to about 160 km, especially in the summer hemisphere where there is strong upwelling. Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere · composition and chemistry · Ionosphere (ionosphere · atmosphere interactions

  14. An equatorial temperature and wind anomaly (ETWA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raghavarao, R.; Wharton, L.E.; Mayr, H.G.; Brace, L.H.; Spencer, N.W.

    1991-01-01

    Data obtained from the WATS (Wind and Temperature Spectrometer) and LP (Langmuir Probe) experiments on board DE-2 (Dynamic Explorer) during high solar activity show evidence of anomalous latitudinal variations in the zonal winds and temperature at low latitudes. The zonal winds exhibit a broad maximum centered around the dip equator, flanked by minima on either side around 25 degrees; while the temperature exhibits a pronounced bowl-shaped minimum at the dip equator which is flanked by maxima. The two minima in the zonal winds and the corresponding maxima in the temperature are nearly collocated with the crests of the well known Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA). The maximum in the zonal winds and the minimum in the gas temperature are collected with the trough of the EIA. The differences between the maxima and minima in temperature and zonal winds, on many occasions, are observed to exceed 100 K and 100 m/s, respectively. The characteristics of this new phenomenon have eluded present day empirical models of thermospheric temperature and winds. The connection among these variables can be understood from the ion-neutral drag effect on the motions of the neutrals that in turn affect their energy balance

  15. Thermospheric mass density variations during geomagnetic storms and a prediction model based on the merging electric field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Liu

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available With the help of four years (2002–2005 of CHAMP accelerometer data we have investigated the dependence of low and mid latitude thermospheric density on the merging electric field, Em, during major magnetic storms. Altogether 30 intensive storm events (Dstmin<−100 nT are chosen for a statistical study. In order to achieve a good correlation Em is preconditioned. Contrary to general opinion, Em has to be applied without saturation effect in order to obtain good results for magnetic storms of all activity levels. The memory effect of the thermosphere is accounted for by a weighted integration of Em over the past 3 h. In addition, a lag time of the mass density response to solar wind input of 0 to 4.5 h depending on latitude and local time is considered. A linear model using the preconditioned Em as main controlling parameter for predicting mass density changes during magnetic storms is developed: ρ=0.5 Em + ρamb, where ρamb is based on the mean density during the quiet day before the storm. We show that this simple relation predicts all storm-induced mass density variations at CHAMP altitude fairly well especially if orbital averages are considered.

  16. Wind profile modelling using WAsP and "tall" wind measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Floors, Rogier Ralph; Kelly, Mark C.; Troen, Ib

    2015-01-01

    extrapolations (the wind profile) this is done using the Weibull distribution and the geostrophic drag law. Wind lidar measurements obtained during the ’Tall wind’ campaign at three different sites are used to evaluate the assumptions and equations that are used in the WAsP vertical extrapolation strategy...

  17. Analysis of Anholt offshore wind farm SCADA measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose; Volker, Patrick; Pena Diaz, Alfredo

    SCADA measurements from the Danish Anholt offshore wind farm (ANH) for a period of 2½ years have been qualified. ANH covers 12 km × 22 km and is located between Djursland and the island Anholt in Kattegat, Denmark. This qualification encompasses identification of curtailment and idling periods......, start/stop events and a power curve control for each wind turbine in the wind farm. Data also include wind speed measurements from a nearby WindCube lidar and simulations from the WRF model for the same period as the SCADA. An equivalent wind speed (wsi) is derived from the combined power and pitch...

  18. Wind Gust Measurement Techniques—From Traditional Anemometry to New Possibilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irene Suomi

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Information on wind gusts is needed for assessment of wind-induced damage and risks to safety. The measurement of wind gust speed requires a high temporal resolution of the anemometer system, because the gust is defined as a short-duration (seconds maximum of the fluctuating wind speed. Until the digitalization of wind measurements in the 1990s, the wind gust measurements suffered from limited recording and data processing resources. Therefore, the majority of continuous wind gust records date back at most only by 30 years. Although the response characteristics of anemometer systems are good enough today, the traditional measurement techniques at weather stations based on cup and sonic anemometers are limited to heights and regions where the supporting structures can reach. Therefore, existing measurements are mainly concentrated over densely-populated land areas, whereas from remote locations, such as the marine Arctic, wind gust information is available only from sparse coastal locations. Recent developments of wind gust measurement techniques based on turbulence measurements from research aircraft and from Doppler lidar can potentially provide new information from heights and locations unreachable by traditional measurement techniques. Moreover, fast-developing measurement methods based on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs may add to better coverage of wind gust measurements in the future. In this paper, we provide an overview of the history and the current status of anemometry from the perspective of wind gusts. Furthermore, a discussion on the potential future directions of wind gust measurement techniques is provided.

  19. Field measurement of wind pressure and wind-induced vibration of large-span spatial cable-truss system under strong wind or typhoon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHANG Zhihong

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available In order to ensure wind-resistance safety of large-span pre-stressed flexible system in southeast coast area of China,and to prepare something for revising of current codes of practice or technical standards,the present paper conducts field measurement of wind pressure and wind-induced vibration of a practical and typical large-span spatial cable-truss system-lunar stadium in Yueqing city.Wind loading and wind effects on full-scale structure under strong wind or typhoon in real architectural environment can be obtained directly and effectively.Field measurement is the best way to investigate the wind loading property,wind effects,and wind-structure interactions of large-span flexible system.Measured data will be highly valuable for scientific research and practical design.On the other hand,it also provides the basis of wind-resistance safety design of this kind of tension structures.If any creative development,it would dramatically improve the research level of large-span pre-stressed flexible system in our country.

  20. On mean wind and turbulence profile measurements from ground-based wind lidars

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Torben

    2009-01-01

    Two types of wind lidar?s have become available for ground-based vertical mean wind and turbulence profiling. A continuous wave (CW) wind lidar, and a pulsed wind lidar. Although they both are build upon the same recent 1.55 μ telecom fibre technology, they possess fundamental differences between...... their temporal and spatial resolution capabilities. A literature review of the two lidar systems spatial and temporal resolution characteristics will be presented, and the implication for the two lidar types vertical profile measurements of mean wind and turbulence in the lower atmospheric boundary layer...

  1. Cup anemometer response to the wind turbulence-measurement of the horizontal wind variance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Yahaya

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents some dynamic characteristics of an opto-electronic cup anemometer model in relation to its response to the wind turbulence. It is based on experimental data of the natural wind turbulence measured both by an ultrasonic anemometer and two samples of the mentioned cup anemometer. The distance constants of the latter devices measured in a wind tunnel are in good agreement with those determined by the spectral analysis method proposed in this study. In addition, the study shows that the linear compensation of the cup anemometer response, beyond the cutoff frequency, is limited to a given frequency, characteristic of the device. Beyond this frequency, the compensation effectiveness relies mainly on the wind characteristics, particularly the direction variability and the horizontal turbulence intensity. Finally, this study demonstrates the potential of fast cup anemometers to measure some turbulence parameters (like wind variance with errors of the magnitude as those deriving from the mean speed measurements. This result proves that fast cup anemometers can be used to assess some turbulence parameters, especially for long-term measurements in severe climate conditions (icing, snowing or sandy storm weathers.

  2. Optimizing Lidar Scanning Strategies for Wind Energy Measurements (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, J. F.; Bonin, T. A.; Klein, P.; Wharton, S.; Chilson, P. B.

    2013-12-01

    Environmental concerns and rising fossil fuel prices have prompted rapid development in the renewable energy sector. Wind energy, in particular, has become increasingly popular in the United States. However, the intermittency of available wind energy makes it difficult to integrate wind energy into the power grid. Thus, the expansion and successful implementation of wind energy requires accurate wind resource assessments and wind power forecasts. The actual power produced by a turbine is affected by the wind speeds and turbulence levels experienced across the turbine rotor disk. Because of the range of measurement heights required for wind power estimation, remote sensing devices (e.g., lidar) are ideally suited for these purposes. However, the volume averaging inherent in remote sensing technology produces turbulence estimates that are different from those estimated by a sonic anemometer mounted on a standard meteorological tower. In addition, most lidars intended for wind energy purposes utilize a standard Doppler beam-swinging or Velocity-Azimuth Display technique to estimate the three-dimensional wind vector. These scanning strategies are ideal for measuring mean wind speeds but are likely inadequate for measuring turbulence. In order to examine the impact of different lidar scanning strategies on turbulence measurements, a WindCube lidar, a scanning Halo lidar, and a scanning Galion lidar were deployed at the Southern Great Plains Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site in Summer 2013. Existing instrumentation at the ARM site, including a 60-m meteorological tower and an additional scanning Halo lidar, were used in conjunction with the deployed lidars to evaluate several user-defined scanning strategies. For part of the experiment, all three scanning lidars were pointed at approximately the same point in space and a tri-Doppler analysis was completed to calculate the three-dimensional wind vector every 1 second. In another part of the experiment, one of

  3. Vertical circulation and thermospheric composition: a modelling study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Rishbeth

    Full Text Available The coupled thermosphere-ionosphere-plasmasphere model CTIP is used to study the global three-dimensional circulation and its effect on neutral composition in the midlatitude F-layer. At equinox, the vertical air motion is basically up by day, down by night, and the atomic oxygen/molecular nitrogen [O/N2] concentration ratio is symmetrical about the equator. At solstice there is a summer-to-winter flow of air, with downwelling at subauroral latitudes in winter that produces regions of large [O/N2] ratio. Because the thermospheric circulation is influenced by the high-latitude energy inputs, which are related to the geometry of the Earth's magnetic field, the latitude of the downwelling regions varies with longitude. The downwelling regions give rise to large F2-layer electron densities when they are sunlit, but not when they are in darkness, with implications for the distribution of seasonal and semiannual variations of the F2-layer. It is also found that the vertical distributions of O and N2 may depart appreciably from diffusive equilibrium at heights up to about 160 km, especially in the summer hemisphere where there is strong upwelling.

    Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere · composition and chemistry · Ionosphere (ionosphere · atmosphere interactions

  4. Developments of STIM, the Saturn Thermosphere Ionosphere Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aylward, A. D.; Smith, C. G.; Miller, S.; Millward, G.

    2005-05-01

    The STIM (Saturn Thermosphere Ionosphere Model) model is a joint venture betwen University College London, Imperial College London, Boston University and the University of Arizona to develop a 3-d global circulation model of the Saturnian system - the primary aim being to use this as a tool for interpretation and testing of Cassini data. After initial work producing a basic thermosphere model (Muller-Wodarg et al 2005), examining issues to do with the ionosphere (Moore et al 2005) and examining auroral heating effects (Smith et al 2005), a global coupled ionosphere-plasmasphere has been added to the model. At low latitudes the model calculates ion densities on closed flux tubes passing through the ring plane. At high latitudes it performs self-consistent calculations of Joule heating and ion drag based on the calculated thermospheric and ionospheric parameters. The plasmasphere is complicated for Saturn by the strength of the centrifugal force which can dominate the forces in the outer flux tubes. Studies initially used H+ and H3+ as the principle ions but for the future it will be necessary to look at the consequences of the rings supplying OH or oxygen from ring ice particles. The high-latitude morphology is being refined as Cassini data constrains it. Long-term plans for the STIM development will be discussed.

  5. On the energy pattern factor in wind measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buick, T R; Doherty, M A; McMullan, J.T., Morgan, R.; Murray, R B

    1977-01-01

    Measurements of energy pattern factor K/sub e/ were made using a continuous-analogue wind-power metering technique, rather than by the more usual sampling procedure. The values obtained were significantly larger than the usually accepted figure. The discrepancy is attributed partly to the method of measurement, which includes the actual power present rather than the amount that can be extracted, and partly to the use of rather more typical wind speeds. It is concluded, however, that more energy can be derived from wind schemes than was thought, even during periods of light wind. These conclusions improve the viability of wind power plants.

  6. Measurements of Coastal Winds and Temperature. Sensor Evaluation, Data Quality, and Wind Structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heggem, Tore

    1997-12-31

    The long Norwegian coastline has excellent sites for wind power production. This thesis contains a documentation of a measurement station for maritime meteorological data at the coast of Mid-Norway, and analysis of temperature and wind data. It discusses experience with different types of wind speed and wind direction sensors. Accurate air temperature measurements are essential to obtain information about the stability of the atmosphere, and a sensor based on separately calibrated thermistors is described. The quality of the calibrations and the measurements is discussed. A database built up from measurements from 1982 to 1995 has been available. The data acquisition systems and the programs used to read the data are described, as well as data control and gap-filling methods. Then basic statistics from the data like mean values and distributions are given. Quality control of the measurements with emphasis on shade effects from the masts and direction alignment is discussed. The concept of atmospheric stability is discussed. The temperature profile tends to change from unstable to slightly stable as maritime winds passes land. Temperature spectra based on two-year time series are presented. Finally, there is a discussion of long-term turbulence spectra calculated from 14 years of measurements. The lack of a gap in the one-hour region of the spectra is explained from the overweight of unstable atmospheric conditions in the dominating maritime wind. Examples of time series with regular 40-minute cycles, and corresponding effect spectra are given. The validity of local lapse rate as a criterion of atmospheric stability is discussed. 34 refs., 86 figs., 11 tabs.

  7. Measurements of Coastal Winds and Temperature. Sensor Evaluation, Data Quality, and Wind Structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heggem, Tore

    1998-12-31

    The long Norwegian coastline has excellent sites for wind power production. This thesis contains a documentation of a measurement station for maritime meteorological data at the coast of Mid-Norway, and analysis of temperature and wind data. It discusses experience with different types of wind speed and wind direction sensors. Accurate air temperature measurements are essential to obtain information about the stability of the atmosphere, and a sensor based on separately calibrated thermistors is described. The quality of the calibrations and the measurements is discussed. A database built up from measurements from 1982 to 1995 has been available. The data acquisition systems and the programs used to read the data are described, as well as data control and gap-filling methods. Then basic statistics from the data like mean values and distributions are given. Quality control of the measurements with emphasis on shade effects from the masts and direction alignment is discussed. The concept of atmospheric stability is discussed. The temperature profile tends to change from unstable to slightly stable as maritime winds passes land. Temperature spectra based on two-year time series are presented. Finally, there is a discussion of long-term turbulence spectra calculated from 14 years of measurements. The lack of a gap in the one-hour region of the spectra is explained from the overweight of unstable atmospheric conditions in the dominating maritime wind. Examples of time series with regular 40-minute cycles, and corresponding effect spectra are given. The validity of local lapse rate as a criterion of atmospheric stability is discussed. 34 refs., 86 figs., 11 tabs.

  8. Influence of wind conditions on wind turbine loads and measurement of turbulence using lidars

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sathe, A.R.

    2012-01-01

    Variations in wind conditions influence the loads on wind turbines significantly. In order to determine these loads it is important that the external conditions are well understood. Wind lidars are well developed nowadays to measure wind profiles upwards from the surface. But how turbulence can be

  9. ACCUWIND - Accurate wind speed measurements in wind energy - Summary report[Cup and sonic anemometers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friis Pedersen, T.; Dahlberg, J.Aa.; Cuerva, A.; Mouzakis, F.; Busche, P.; Eecen, P.; Sanz-Andres, A.; Franchini, S.; Markkilde Petersen, S.

    2006-07-15

    The cup anemometer is at present the standard instrument used for mean wind speed measurement in wind energy. It is being applied in high numbers around the world for wind energy assessments. It is also applied exclusively for accredited power performance measurements for certification and verification purposes, and for purposes of optimisation in research and development. The revised IEC standard on power performance measurements has now included requirements for classification of cup anemometers. The basis for setting up such requirements of cup anemometers is two EU projects SITEPARIDEN and CLASSCUP from which the proposed classification method for cup anemometers was developed for the IEC standard. While cup anemometers at present are the standard anemometer being used for average wind speed measurements, sonic anemometers have been developed significantly over the last years, and prices have come down. The application of sonic anemometers may increase in wind energy if they prove to have comparable or better operational characteristics compared to cup anemometers, and if similar requirements to sonic anemometers are established as for cup anemometers. Sonic anemometers have historically been used by meteorologists for turbulence measurements, but have also found a role on wind turbine nacelles for wind speed and yaw control purposes. The report on cup and sonic anemometry deals with establishment of robustness in assessment and classification by focus on methods and procedures for analysis of characteristics of cup and sonic anemometers. The methods and procedures provide a platform, hopefully for use in meeting the requirements of the IEC standard on power performance measurements, as well as for development of improved instruments. (au)

  10. Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA). Report on Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mabille, Eugéne; Prinsloo, Eric; Mortensen, Niels Gylling

    , to verify the results of the meso-scale modelling. The Measurements work package (WP2) is one of six work packages that collectively make up the Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA) project. The measurements also provide observed wind climates at the measurement sites, which can be used by micrositing...... to be commissioned was WM06 (Sutherland) and this was completed on 17 September 2010. The outputs of WP2 are: i. Establish 10 high quality wind measurement stations providing three years of measurement data for calibration of the mesoscale modelling. ii. A database system for wind data collection and on-line Web...

  11. Assessment of wind turbine load measurement instrumentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morfiadakis, E; Papadopoulos, K [CRES (Greece); Borg, N van der [ECN, Petten (Netherlands); Petersen, S M [Risoe, Roskilde (Denmark); Seifert, H [DEWI, Wilhelmshaven (Germany)

    1999-03-01

    In the framework of Sub-Task3 `Wind turbine load measurement instrumentation` of EU-project `European Wind Turbine Testing Procedure Development`, the load measurement techniques have been assessed by laboratory, full scale and numerical tests. The existing methods have been reviewed with emphasis on the strain gage application techniques on composite materials and recommendations are provided for the optimisation of load measurement techniques. (au) EU. 14 refs.

  12. Self-absorption theory applied to rocket measurements of the nitric oxide (1, 0) gamma band in the daytime thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eparvier, F. G.; Barth, C. A.

    1992-01-01

    Observations of the UV fluorescent emissions of the NO (1, 0) and (0, 1) gamma bands in the lower-thermospheric dayglow, made with a sounding rocket launched on March 7, 1989 from Poker Flat, Alaska, were analyzed. The resonant (1, 0) gamma band was found to be attenuated below an altitude of about 120 km. A self-absorption model based on Holstein transmission functions was developed for the resonant (1, 0) gamma band under varying conditions of slant column density and temperature and was applied for the conditions of the rocket flight. The results of the model agreed with the measured attenuation of the band, indicating the necessity of including self-absorption theory in the analysis of satellite and rocket limb data of NO.

  13. Measuring Gas Concentration and Wind Intensity in a Turbulent Wind Tunnel with a Mobile Robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dani Martínez

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the measurement of gas concentration and wind intensity performed with a mobile robot in a custom turbulent wind tunnel designed for experimentation with customizable wind and gas leak sources. This paper presents the representation in different information layers of the measurements obtained in the turbulent wind tunnel under different controlled environmental conditions in order to describe the plume of the gas and wind intensities inside the experimentation chamber. The information layers have been generated from the measurements gathered by individual onboard gas and wind sensors carried out by an autonomous mobile robot. On the one hand, the assumption was that the size and cost of these specialized sensors do not allow the creation of a net of sensors or other measurement alternatives based on the simultaneous use of several sensors, and on the other hand, the assumption is that the information layers created will have application on the development and test of automatic gas source location procedures based on reactive or nonreactive algorithms.

  14. Validation of Sodar Measurements for Wind Power

    OpenAIRE

    Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose

    2006-01-01

    A ground-based SODAR has been tested for 1½ years together with a traditional measurement set-up consisting of cups and vanes for measuring wind data for wind power assessment at a remote location. Many problems associated to the operation of a remote located SODAR have been solved during the project and a new remote power system has been designed. A direct comparison between SODAR and cup measurements revealed a limitation for the SODAR measurements during different weather conditions, espec...

  15. Representativeness of wind measurements in moderately complex terrain

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Bossche, Michael; De Wekker, Stephan F. J.

    2018-02-01

    We investigated the representativeness of 10-m wind measurements in a 4 km × 2 km area of modest relief by comparing observations at a central site with those at four satellite sites located in the same area. Using a combination of established and new methods to quantify and visualize representativeness, we found significant differences in wind speed and direction between the four satellite sites and the central site. The representativeness of the central site wind measurements depended strongly on surface wind speed and direction, and atmospheric stability. Through closer inspection of the observations at one of the satellite sites, we concluded that terrain-forced flows combined with thermally driven downslope winds caused large biases in wind direction and speed. We used these biases to generate a basic model, showing that terrain-related differences in wind observations can to a large extent be predicted. Such a model is a cost-effective way to enhance an area's wind field determination and to improve the outcome of pollutant dispersion and weather forecasting models.

  16. Wind field reconstruction from nacelle-mounted lidar short-range measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Borraccino

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Profiling nacelle lidars probe the wind at several heights and several distances upstream of the rotor. The development of such lidar systems is relatively recent, and it is still unclear how to condense the lidar raw measurements into useful wind field characteristics such as speed, direction, vertical and longitudinal gradients (wind shear. In this paper, we demonstrate an innovative method to estimate wind field characteristics using nacelle lidar measurements taken within the induction zone. Model-fitting wind field reconstruction techniques are applied to nacelle lidar measurements taken at multiple distances close to the rotor, where a wind model is combined with a simple induction model. The method allows robust determination of free-stream wind characteristics. The method was applied to experimental data obtained with two different types of nacelle lidar (five-beam Demonstrator and ZephIR Dual Mode. The reconstructed wind speed was within 0.5 % of the wind speed measured with a mast-top-mounted cup anemometer at 2.5 rotor diameters upstream of the turbine. The technique described in this paper overcomes measurement range limitations of the currently available nacelle lidar technology.

  17. Fiber Laser for Wind Speed Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Anders Sig

    This PhD thesis evaluates the practical construction and use of a Frequency Stepped Pulse Train modulated coherent Doppler wind lidar (FSPT lidar) for wind speed measurement. The concept of Doppler lidar is introduced as a means to measure line of sight wind speed by the Doppler shift of reflected...... Sweeper (LSFS) is introduced and analyzed as a light source for the FSPT lidar. The setup of the LSFS is discussed, and the necessary concepts for modeling and analyzing LSFS noise are developed. The model and measurements are then used to discuss the growth of optical noise in the LSFS and the impact...... on its use in the FSPT lidar. A complex ABCD model is developed and described as a method for calculating spatial and frequency dependency of a lidar’s signal strength. The model includes both spatial and temporal components of the lidar system, enabling a model capable of describing both CW, pulsed...

  18. MIPAS temperature from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere: Comparison of vM21 with ACE-FTS, MLS, OSIRIS, SABER, SOFIE and lidar measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. García-Comas

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available We present vM21 MIPAS temperatures from the lower stratosphere to the lower thermosphere, which cover all optimized resolution measurements performed by MIPAS in the middle-atmosphere, upper-atmosphere and noctilucent-cloud modes during its lifetime, i.e., from January 2005 to April 2012. The main upgrades with respect to the previous version of MIPAS temperatures (vM11 are the update of the spectroscopic database, the use of a different climatology of atomic oxygen and carbon dioxide, and the improvement in important technical aspects of the retrieval setup (temperature gradient along the line of sight and offset regularizations, apodization accuracy. Additionally, an updated version of ESA-calibrated L1b spectra (5.02/5.06 is used. The vM21 temperatures correct the main systematic errors of the previous version because they provide on average a 1–2 K warmer stratopause and middle mesosphere, and a 6–10 K colder mesopause (except in high-latitude summers and lower thermosphere. These lead to a remarkable improvement in MIPAS comparisons with ACE-FTS, MLS, OSIRIS, SABER, SOFIE and the two Rayleigh lidars at Mauna Loa and Table Mountain, which, with a few specific exceptions, typically exhibit differences smaller than 1 K below 50 km and than 2 K at 50–80 km in spring, autumn and winter at all latitudes, and summer at low to midlatitudes. Differences in the high-latitude summers are typically smaller than 1 K below 50 km, smaller than 2 K at 50–65 km and 5 K at 65–80 km. Differences between MIPAS and the other instruments in the mid-mesosphere are generally negative. MIPAS mesopause is within 4 K of the other instruments measurements, except in the high-latitude summers, when it is within 5–10 K, being warmer there than SABER, MLS and OSIRIS and colder than ACE-FTS and SOFIE. The agreement in the lower thermosphere is typically better than 5 K, except for high latitudes during spring and summer, when MIPAS usually exhibits larger

  19. The effects of nitric oxide cooling and the photodissociation of molecular oxygen on the thermosphere/ionosphere system over the Argentine Islands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. D. Wells

    1997-03-01

    Full Text Available In the past the global, fully coupled, time-dependent mathematical model of the Earth's thermosphere/ionosphere/plasmasphere (CTIP has been unable to reproduce accurately observed values of the maximum plasma frequency, foF2, at extreme geophysical locations such as the Argentine Islands during the summer solstice where the ionosphere remains in sunlight throughout the day. This is probably because the seasonal dependence of thermospheric cooling by 5.3 µm nitric oxide has been neglected and the photodissociation of O2 and heating rate calculations have been over-simplified. Now we have included an up-to-date calculation of the solar EUV and UV thermospheric heating rate, coupled with a new calculation of a diurnally varying O2 photodissociation rate, in the model. Seasonally dependent 5.3 µm nitric oxide cooling is also included. With these important improvements, it is found that model values of foF2 are in substantially better agreement with observation. The height of the F2-peak is reduced throughout the day, but remains within acceptable limits of values derived from observation, except at around 0600 h LT. We also carry out two studies of the sensitivity of the upper atmosphere to changes in the magnitude of nitric oxide cooling and photodissociation rates. We find that hmF2 increases with increased heating, whilst foF2 falls. The converse is true for an increase in the cooling rate. Similarly increasing the photodissociation rate increases both hmF2 and foF2. These changes are explained in terms of changes in the neutral temperature, composition and neutral wind.

  20. How good are remote sensors at measuring extreme winds?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sathe, A.R.; Courtney, M.; Mann, J.; Wagner, R.

    2011-01-01

    This article describes some preliminary efforts within the SafeWind project, aimed to identify the possible added value of using wind lidars to detect extreme wind events. Exceptionally good performance is now regularly reported in the measurement of the mean wind speed with some wind lidars in flat

  1. Atmospheric response in aurora experiment: Observations of E and F region neutral winds in a region of postmidnight diffuse aurora

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larsen, M.F.; Marshall, T.R.; Mikkelsen, I.S.

    1995-01-01

    The goal of the Atmospheric Response in Aurora (ARIA) experiment carried out at Poker Flat, Alaska, on March 3, 1992, was to determine the response of the neutral atmosphere to the long-lived, large-scale forcing that is characteristic of the diffuse aurora in the postmidnight sector. A combination of chemical release rocket wind measurements, intrumented rocket composition measurements, and ground-based optical measurements were used to characterize the response of the neutral atmosphere. The rocket measurements were made at the end of a 90-min period of strong Joule heating. We focus on the neutral wind measurements made with the rocket. The forcing was determined by running the assimilated mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) analysis procedure developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The winds expected at the latitude and longitude of the experiment were calculated using the spectral thermospheric general circulation model developed at the Danish Meteorological Institute. Comparisons of the observations and the model suggest that the neutral winds responded strongly in two height ranges. An eastward wind perturbation of ∼100 m s -1 developed between 140 and 200 km altitude with a peak near 160 km. A southwestward wind with peak magnitude of ∼150 m s -1 developed near 115 km altitude. The large amplitude winds at the lower altitude are particularly surprising. They appear to be associated with the upward propagating semidiurnal tide. However, the amplitude is much larger than predicted by any of the tidal models, and the shear found just below the peak in the winds was nomially unstable with a Richardson number of ∼0.08. 17 refs., 12 figs

  2. Solar tides in the equatorial upper thermosphere: A comparison between AE-E data and the TIGCM for solstice, solar minimum conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burrage, M.D.; Storz, M.F.; Abreu, V.J.; Fesen, C.G.; Roble, R.G.

    1991-01-01

    Equatorial thermospheric tidal temperatures and densities inferred from Atmosphere Explorer E (AE-E) mass spectrometer data are compared with theoretical predictions from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere/Ionisphere General Circulation Model (TIGCM) for solar minimum, solstice conditions. The thermospheric diurnal and semidiurnal tides are excited in situ by solar heating and by ion-neutral momentum coupling. Semidiurnal tides are also generated by upward propagating waves excited by heating in the lower atmosphere. The model calculations include all of these sources. The TIGCM reproduces the gross tidal features observed by the satellite, including the midnight temperature anomaly, and the diurnal phases are in good agreement for the densities of atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen. However, for the neutral temperature, the predicted phases are 1-2 hours earlier than observed. In addition, the diurnal temperature and density amplitudes predicted by the model are considerably weaker than indicated by the AE-E measurements. The semidiurnal variations found in the observations agree well with the model for December solstice but not for June. The present results indicate that upward propagating tides from the lower atmosphere are responsible for at least half of the amplitude of the semidiurnal tide in the upper thermosphere

  3. Retrieval of nitric oxide in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere from SCIAMACHY limb spectra

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Bender

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available We use the ultra-violet (UV spectra in the range 230–300 nm from the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY to retrieve the nitric oxide (NO number densities from atmospheric emissions in the gamma-bands in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Using 3-D ray tracing, a 2-D retrieval grid, and regularisation with respect to altitude and latitude, we retrieve a whole semi-orbit simultaneously for the altitude range from 60 to 160 km. We present details of the retrieval algorithm, first results, and initial comparisons to data from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS. Our results agree on average well with MIPAS data and are in line with previously published measurements from other instruments. For the time of available measurements in 2008–2011, we achieve a vertical resolution of 5–10 km in the altitude range 70–140 km and a horizontal resolution of about 9° from 60° S–60° N. With this we have independent measurements of the NO densities in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere with approximately global coverage. This data can be further used to validate climate models or as input for them.

  4. Simulation of the Impact of New Ocean Surface Wind Measurements on H*Wind Analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Timothy; Atlas, Robert; Black, Peter; Chen, Shuyi; Hood, Robbie; Johnson, James; Jones, Linwood; Ruf, Chris; Uhlhorn, Eric

    2008-01-01

    The H*Wind analysis, a product of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, brings together wind measurements from a variety of observation platforms into an objective analysis of the distribution of surface wind speeds in a tropical cyclone. This product is designed to improve understanding of the extent and strength of the wind field, and to improve the assessment of hurricane intensity. See http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data sub/wind.html. The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) is a new passive microwave remote sensor for hurricane observations that is currently under development by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NOAA Hurricane Research Division, the University of Central Florida and the University of Michigan. HIRAD is being designed to enhance the current real-time airborne ocean surface winds observation capabilities of NOAA and USAF Weather Squadron hurricane hunter aircraft using the operational airbome Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR). Unlike SFMR, which measures wind speed and rain rate along the ground track directly beneath the aircraft, HIRAD will provide images of the surface wind and rain field over a wide swath (approximately 3 x the aircraft altitude, or approximately 2 km from space). The instrument is described in a separate paper presented at this conference. The present paper describes a set of Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) in which measurements from the new instrument as well as those from existing instruments (air, surface, and space-based) are simulated from the output of a numerical model from the University of Miami, and those results are used to construct H*Wind analyses. Evaluations will be presented on the relative impact of HIRAD and other instruments on H*Wind analyses, including the use of HIRAD from 2 aircraft altitudes and from a space-based platform.

  5. Density variations in the lower thermosphere. Scientific report No. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, W.F.

    1974-01-01

    Accelerometer derived thermospheric density data from the LOGACS and SPADES satellites are processed to yield the equivalent density variation at 150 and 160 km respectively. Definite latitudinal and longitudinal variations are found which conflict with Jacchia's 1971 model. Time-latitude analyses are presented of density at a single altitude. The density response to a great geomagnetic storm is nearly the same from 25 0 S to 85 0 N except that a density trough forms just equatorward of the auroral oval. Gravity waves are observed during the storm. The structure and dynamics of the lower thermosphere are far more complex than previous studies indicate. (20 figures, 11 tables, 74 references) (U.S.)

  6. Gravity wave propagation through a large semidiurnal tide and instabilities in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere during the winter 2003 MaCWAVE rocket campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. P. Williams

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available The winter MaCWAVE (Mountain and convective waves ascending vertically rocket campaign took place in January 2003 at Esrange, Sweden and the ALOMAR observatory in Andenes, Norway. The campaign combined balloon, lidar, radar, and rocket measurements to produce full temperature and wind profiles from the ground to 105 km. This paper will investigate gravity wave propagation in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere using data from the Weber sodium lidar on 28–29 January 2003. A very large semidiurnal tide was present in the zonal wind above 80 km that grew to a 90 m/s amplitude at 100 km. The superposition of smaller-scale gravity waves and the tide caused small regions of possible convective or shear instabilities to form along the downward progressing phase fronts of the tide. The gravity waves had periods ranging from the Nyquist period of 30 min up to 4 h, vertical wavelengths ranging from 7 km to more than 20 km, and the frequency spectra had the expected –5/3 slope. The dominant gravity waves had long vertical wavelengths and experienced rapid downward phase progression. The gravity wave variance grew exponentially with height up from 86 to 94 km, consistent with the measured scale height, suggesting that the waves were not dissipated strongly by the tidal gradients and resulting unstable regions in this altitude range.

  7. Measuring gas concentration and wind intensity in a turbulent wind tunnel with a mobile robot

    OpenAIRE

    Martínez Lacasa, Daniel; Moreno Blanc, Javier; Tresánchez, Marcel; Clotet Bellmunt, Eduard; Jiménez-Soto, Juan M.; Magrans, Rudys; Pardo Martínez, Antonio; Marco Colás, Santiago; Palacín Roca, Jordi

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents themeasurement of gas concentration and wind intensity performed with amobile robot in a customturbulent wind tunnel designed for experimentation with customizable wind and gas leak sources.This paper presents the representation in different information layers of the measurements obtained in the turbulent wind tunnel under different controlled environmental conditions in order to describe the plume of the gas and wind intensities inside the experimentation chamber...

  8. Lower thermospheric neutral densities determined from Soendre Stroemfjord incoherent scatter radar during LTCS 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reese, K.W.; Johnson, R.M.; Killeen, T.L.

    1991-01-01

    Ion-neutral collision frequencies determined from measurements obtained by the incoherent scatter radar located at Soendre Stroemfjord, Greenland, have been used to derive lower thermospheric neutral densities during the first Lower Thermosphere Coupling Study (LTCS 1), September 21-26, 1987. Periods of Joule and particle heating which might disturb the E region thermal equilibrium were systematically eliminated. The mean profile of neutral density for the period is in good agreement with the mass spectrometer incoherent scatter 1986 (MSIS-86) model between 92 and 104 km. A tendency to overestimate collision frequencies above 105 km may arise from range-smearing effects. The results of a tidal analysis performed on the neutral density between 92 and 109 km show that the amplitudes of the diurnal and semidiurnal components of the tides are approximately equivalent. The observations are generally in better agreement with the MSIS-86 predictions than with the thermosphere-ionosphere general circulation model (TIGCM) simulation of the LTCS 1 interval. The observed phase of the diurnal component is approximately constant with height above 98 km and is in close agreement with the MSIS-86 model phases; however, the TIGCM diurnal phases are shifted by 6-8 hours to later local times. The phase of the semidiurnal tide is in good agreement with predictions of the MSIS-86 model and the TIGCM simulation of this interval, except near 98 km. The observed semidiurnal phase is also consistent with previous high-latitude results (Kirkwood, 1986). The relative amplitude of the observed semidiurnal oscillation is up to 15% larger than that previously observed at the European Incoherent Scatter facility but is consistent with the amplitudes presented in an earlier study of Millstone Hill measurements (Salah, 1974)

  9. Improving Discoverability Between the Magnetosphere and Ionosphere/Thermosphere Domains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaefer, R. K.; Morrison, D.; Potter, M.; Barnes, R. J.; Talaat, E. R.; Sarris, T.

    2016-12-01

    With the advent of the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission and the Van Allen Probes we have space missions that probe the Earth's magnetosphere and radiation belts. These missions fly at far distances from the Earth in contrast to the larger number of near-Earth satellites. Both of the satellites make in situ measurements. Energetic particles flow along magnetic field lines from these measurement locations down to the ionosphere/thermosphere region. Discovering other data that may be used with these satellites is a difficult and complicated process. To solve this problem we have developed a series of light-weight web services that can provide a new data search capability for the Virtual Ionosphere Thermosphere Mesosphere Observatory (VITMO). The services consist of a database of spacecraft ephemerides and instrument fields of view; an overlap calculator to find times when the fields of view of different instruments intersect; and a magnetic field line tracing service that maps in situ and ground based measurements for a number of magnetic field models and geophysical conditions. These services run in real-time when the user queries for data and allow the non-specialist user to select data that they were previously unable to locate, opening up analysis opportunities beyond the instrument teams and specialists. Each service on their own provides a useful new capability for virtual observatories; operating together they will provide a powerful new search tool. The ephemerides service is being built using the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) SPICE toolkit (http://naif.jpl.nasa.gov) allowing them to be extended to support any Earth orbiting satellite with the addition of the appropriate SPICE kernels. The overlap calculator uses techniques borrowed from computer graphics to identify overlapping measurements in space and time. The calculator will allow a user defined uncertainty to be selected to allow "near misses" to be found. The magnetic field

  10. The Michigan Titan Thermospheric General Circulation Model (TTGCM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, J. M.; Bougher, S. W.; de Lahaye, V.; Waite, J. H.

    2005-12-01

    The Cassini flybys of Titan since late October, 2004 have provided data critical to better understanding its chemical and thermal structures. With this in mind, a 3-D TGCM of Titan's atmosphere from 600km to the exobase (~1450km) has been developed. This paper presents the first results from the partially operational code. Currently, the TTGCM includes static background chemistry (Lebonnois et al 2001, Vervack et al 2004) coupled with thermal conduction routines. The thermosphere remains dominated by solar EUV forcing and HCN rotational cooling, which is calculated by a full line-by-line radiative transfer routine along the lines of Yelle (1991) and Mueller-Wodarg (2000, 2002). In addition, an approximate treatment of magnetospheric heating is explored. This paper illustrates the model's capabilities as well as some initial results from the Titan Thermospheric General Circulation model that will be compared with both the Cassini INMS data and the model of Mueller-Wodarg (2000,2002).

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karan, Deepak K.; Pallamraju, Duggirala

    2018-05-01

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

  12. MIPAS observations of longitudinal oscillations in the mesosphere and the lower thermosphere: climatology of odd-parity daily frequency modes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. García-Comas

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available MIPAS global Sun-synchronous observations are almost fixed in local time. Subtraction of the descending and ascending node measurements at each longitude only includes the longitudinal oscillations with odd daily frequencies nodd from the Sun's perspective at 10:00. Contributions from the background atmosphere, daily-invariant zonal oscillations and tidal modes with even-parity daily frequencies vanish. We have determined longitudinal oscillations in MIPAS temperature with nodd and wavenumber k = 0–4 from the stratosphere to 150 km from April 2007 to March 2012. To our knowledge, this is the first time zonal oscillations in temperature have been derived pole to pole in this altitude range from a single instrument. The major findings are the detection of (1 migrating tides at northern and southern high latitudes; (2 significant k = 1 activity at extratropical and high latitudes, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere; (3 k = 3 and k = 4 eastward-propagating waves that penetrate the lower thermosphere with a significantly larger vertical wavelength than in the mesosphere; and (4 a migrating tide quasi-biennial oscillation in the stratosphere, mesosphere and lower thermosphere. MIPAS global measurements of longitudinal oscillations are useful for testing tide modeling in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region and as a lower boundary for models extending higher up in the atmosphere.

  13. Doppler Wind Lidar Measurements and Scalability to Space

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Global measurements of wind speed and direction from Doppler wind lidars, if available, would significantly improve forecasting of severe weather events such as...

  14. ALADIN: an atmospheric laser Doppler wind lidar instrument for wind velocity measurements from space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krawczyk, R.; Ghibaudo, JB.; Labandibar, JY.; Willetts, D.; Vaughan, M.; Pearson, G.; Harris, M.; Flamant, P. H.; Salamitou, P.; Dabas, A.; Charasse, R.; Midavaine, T.; Royer, M.; Heimel, H.

    2018-04-01

    This paper, "ALADIN: an atmospheric laser Doppler wind lidar instrument for wind velocity measurements from space," was presented as part of International Conference on Space Optics—ICSO 1997, held in Toulouse, France.

  15. Wind turbine wake measurement in complex terrain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose; Larsen, Gunner Chr.; Menke, Robert

    2016-01-01

    SCADA data from a wind farm and high frequency time series measurements obtained with remote scanning systems have been analysed with focus on identification of wind turbine wake properties in complex terrain. The analysis indicates that within the flow regime characterized by medium to large dow...

  16. Wind measurement on the Linth plain; Windmessung in der Linthebene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langraf, B.

    2003-07-01

    This comprehensive final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of wind measurements made on the Linth plain, a flat alluvial plain in eastern Switzerland located between mountain ranges. The data, which were collected using temporary measurement masts at two locations are presented in the form of tables, diagrams and maps showing the wind-energy potential of various areas of the plain. The actual measurements are compared with prognoses from a geo-information system. The wind measurement equipment and installations are described, as are the software models for the calculation of wind direction, wind intensity and of a prognosis for energy production. Particular attention was also paid to the question of wind turbulence. Further factors investigated included the possibility of icing-up in winter and the choice of a meteorological station in the neighbourhood with similar characteristics that could be used as a reference station. The report also presents the results of the evaluation of various possible locations for wind turbines on the Linth plain. Visual, noise and shadow-casing factors are considered.

  17. Accounting for the speed shear in wind turbine power performance measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Rozenn; Courtney, Michael; Gottschall, Julia

    2011-01-01

    The current IEC standard for wind turbine power performance measurement only requires measurement of the wind speed at hub height assuming this wind speed to be representative for the whole rotor swept area. However, the power output of a wind turbine depends on the kinetic energy flux, which...... itself depends on the wind speed profile, especially for large turbines. Therefore, it is important to characterize the wind profile in front of the turbine, and this should be preferably achieved by measuring the wind speed over the vertical range between lower and higher rotor tips. In this paper, we...... describe an experiment in which wind speed profiles were measured in front of a multimegawatt turbine using a ground–based pulsed lidar. Ignoring the vertical shear was shown to overestimate the kinetic energy flux of these profiles, in particular for those deviating significantly from a power law profile...

  18. Sodium temperature/wind lidar based on laser-diode-pumped Nd:YAG lasers deployed at Tromsø, Norway (69.6°N, 19.2°E).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawahara, T D; Nozawa, S; Saito, N; Kawabata, T; Tsuda, T T; Wada, S

    2017-06-12

    An Nd:YAG laser-based sodium temperature/wind lidar was developed for the measurement of the northern polar mesosphere and lower thermosphere at Tromsø (69.6N, 19.2E), Norway. Coherent light at 589 nm is produced by sum frequency generation of 1064 nm and 1319 nm from two diode laser end-pumped pulsed Nd:YAG lasers. The output power is as high as 4W, with 4 mJ/pulse at 1000 Hz repetition rate. Five tilting Cassegrain telescopes enable us to make five-direction (zenith, north, south, east, west) observation for temperature and wind simultaneously. This highly stable laser system is first of its kind to operate virtually maintenance-free during the observation season (from late September to March) since 2010.

  19. Pressure field in measurement section of wind tunnel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hnidka Jakub

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The University of Defence in Brno has a new low-speed wind tunnel. In order to confirm the quality of the wind inside of the measurement section, several measurements of the dynamic pressure have been performed with the Pitot-static tube. The pressure fields are then analysed and quality of the field is evaluated. Measurement of a pressure drop on the body of a standing helicopter was conducted.

  20. Standards for measurements and testing of wind turbine power quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soerensen, P [Risoe National Lab., Roskilde (Denmark); Gerdes, G; Klosse, R; Santjer, F [DEWI, Wilhelmshaven (Germany); Robertson, N; Davy, W [NEL, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Koulouvari, M; Morfiadakis, E [CRES, Pikermi (Greece); Larsson, Aa [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden)

    1999-03-01

    The present paper describes the work done in power quality sub-task of the project `European Wind Turbine Testing Procedure Developments` funded by the EU SMT program. The objective of the power quality sub-task has been to make analyses and new recommendation(s) for the standardisation of measurement and verification of wind turbine power quality. The work has been organised in three major activities. The first activity has been to propose measurement procedures and to verify existing and new measurement procedures. This activity has also involved a comparison of the measurements and data processing of the participating partners. The second activity has been to investigate the influence of terrain, grid properties and wind farm summation on the power quality of wind turbines with constant rotor speed. The third activity has been to investigate the influence of terrain, grid properties and wind farm summation on the power quality of wind turbines with variable rotor speed. (au)

  1. Accounting for the speed shear in wind turbine power performance measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, R.

    2010-04-15

    The power curve of a wind turbine is the primary characteristic of the machine as it is the basis of the warranty for it power production. The current IEC standard for power performance measurement only requires the measurement of the wind speed at hub height and the air density to characterise the wind field in front of the turbine. However, with the growing size of the turbine rotors during the last years, the effect of the variations of the wind speed within the swept rotor area, and therefore of the power output, cannot be ignored any longer. Primary effects on the power performance are from the vertical wind shear and the turbulence intensity. The work presented in this thesis consists of the description and the investigation of a simple method to account for the wind speed shear in the power performance measurement. Ignoring this effect was shown to result in a power curve dependant on the shear condition, therefore on the season and the site. It was then proposed to use an equivalent wind speed accounting for the whole speed profile in front of the turbine. The method was first tested with aerodynamic simulations of a multi-megawatt wind turbine which demonstrated the decrease of the scatter in the power curve. A power curve defined in terms of this equivalent wind speed would be less dependant on the shear than the standard power curve. The equivalent wind speed method was then experimentally validated with lidar measurements. Two equivalent wind speed definitions were considered both resulting in the reduction of the scatter in the power curve. As a lidar wind profiler can measure the wind speed at several heights within the rotor span, the wind speed profile is described with more accuracy than with the power law model. The equivalent wind speed derived from measurements, including at least one measurement above hub height, resulted in a smaller scatter in the power curve than the equivalent wind speed derived from profiles extrapolated from measurements

  2. "Rapid Revisit" Measurements of Sea Surface Winds Using CYGNSS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, J.; Johnson, J. T.

    2017-12-01

    The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is a space-borne GNSS-R (GNSS-Reflectometry) mission that launched December 15, 2016 for ocean surface wind speed measurements. CYGNSS includes 8 small satellites in the same LEO orbit, so that the mission provides wind speed products having unprecedented coverage both in time and space to study multi-temporal behaviors of oceanic winds. The nature of CYGNSS coverage results in some locations on Earth experiencing multiple wind speed measurements within a short period of time (a "clump" of observations in time resulting in a "rapid revisit" series of measurements). Such observations could seemingly provide indications of regions experiencing rapid changes in wind speeds, and therefore be of scientific utility. Temporally "clumped" properties of CYGNSS measurements are investigated using early CYGNSS L1/L2 measurements, and the results show that clump durations and spacing vary with latitude. For example, the duration of a clump can extend as long as a few hours at higher latitudes, with gaps between clumps ranging from 6 to as high as 12 hours depending on latitude. Examples are provided to indicate the potential of changes within a clump to produce a "rapid revisit" product for detecting convective activity. Also, we investigate detector design for identifying convective activities. Results from analyses using recent CYGNSS L2 winds will be provided in the presentation.

  3. Mobile measurement system for wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kildemoes Moeller, T.

    1997-06-01

    The aim of this project `Udviklingsafproevning af smaa moellevinger` has been to develop a mobile measurement system for wind turbines. The following report describes the measurement system. The project has been financed by the Danish Ministry of Energy. (au)

  4. Effect of Thermospheric Neutral Density upon Inner Trapped-belt Proton Flux

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Thomas L.; Lodhi, M. A. K.; Diaz, Abel B.

    2007-01-01

    We wish to point out that a secular change in the Earth's atmospheric neutral density alters charged-particle lifetime in the inner trapped radiation belts, in addition to the changes recently reported as produced by greenhouse gases. Heretofore, changes in neutral density have been of interest primarily because of their effect on the orbital drag of satellites. We extend this to include the orbital lifetime of charged particles in the lower radiation belts. It is known that the charged-belt population is coupled to the neutral density of the atmosphere through changes induced by solar activity, an effect produced by multiple scattering off neutral and ionized atoms along with ionization loss in the thermosphere where charged and neutral populations interact. It will be shown here that trapped-belt flux J is bivariant in energy E and thermospheric neutral density , as J(E,rho). One can conclude that proton lifetimes in these belts are also directly affected by secular changes in the neutral species populating the Earth s thermosphere. This result is a consequence of an intrinsic property of charged-particle flux, that flux is not merely a function of E but is dependent upon density rho when a background of neutrals is present.

  5. Velocity measurement of model vertical axis wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, D.A.; McWilliam, M. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2006-07-01

    An increasingly popular solution to future energy demand is wind energy. Wind turbine designs can be grouped according to their axis of rotation, either horizontal or vertical. Horizontal axis wind turbines have higher power output in a good wind regime than vertical axis turbines and are used in most commercial class designs. Vertical axis Savonius-based wind turbine designs are still widely used in some applications because of their simplistic design and low wind speed performance. There are many design variables that must be considered in order to optimize the power output in a given wind regime in a typical wind turbine design. Using particle image velocimetry, a study of the air flow around five different model vertical axis wind turbines was conducted in a closed loop wind tunnel. A standard Savonius design with two semi-circular blades overlapping, and two variations of this design, a deep blade and a shallow blade design were among the turbine models included in this study. It also evaluated alternate designs that attempt to increase the performance of the standard design by allowing compound blade curvature. Measurements were collected at a constant phase angle and also at random rotor orientations. It was found that evaluation of the flow patterns and measured velocities revealed consistent and stable flow patterns at any given phase angle. Large scale flow structures are evident in all designs such as vortices shed from blade surfaces. An important performance parameter was considered to be the ability of the flow to remain attached to the forward blade and redirect and reorient the flow to the following blade. 6 refs., 18 figs.

  6. Measurement of visible and UV emission from Energetic Neutral Atom Precipitation (ENAP), on Spacelab

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tinsley, B. A.

    1980-01-01

    The charge exchange of plasmaspheric ions and exospheric H and O and of solar wind ions with exospheric and interplanetary H are sources of precipitating neutrals whose faint emission may be observed by the imaging spectrometric observatory during dark periods of the SL-1 orbit. Measurements of the interactions of these precipitating atoms with the thermosphere are needed to evaluate the heating and ionization effects on the atmosphere as well as the selective loss of i energetic ions from the sources (predominantly the ring current).

  7. Acoustic and geophysical measurement of infrasound from turbines at wind farms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hepburn, H.G. [Hepburn Exploration Inc., Canmore, AB (Canada)

    2005-07-01

    An experiment was conducted at the Castle River Wind Farm in southern Alberta to measure and characterize infrasound from the turbines. The wind farm contains one 600 MW turbine and fifty-nine 660 MW wind turbines. Three types of sensors were used to measure both the low and high frequency acoustic energy and geophysical sound levels. These included low frequency geophones, acoustic microphones and a precision sound analyzer. Data was recorded for low, medium and high wind states, with the entire wind turbine array operating, and with the entire wind farm stopped. Downwind telemetry measurements were recorded for 30 continuous 50 metre offsets, up to a distance of 1450 metres from the wind farm. The objective of the project was to characterize the ambient noise levels and sound emitted by the turbines. Measurements were taken for wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric temperature and turbine related data. Visual observations included atmospheric conditions, extraneous sources of noise such as aircraft, trains, motor vehicle traffic, highway noise, bird song, crickets and the rotational state of the turbines. It was concluded that for studying low frequency sound, the linear dB scale should be used instead of the dBA scale. Measurements of frequencies down to 6.3 Hz, showed that infrasound emission from the Castle River Wind Farm is not a significant concern. Lower frequencies down to about 2.5 Hz also confirmed that infrasound emissions are not significantly above the ambient noise levels. Any infrasound emissions were strongly coupled to the ground and were attenuated quickly. Time domain measurements showed that at all wind speeds and for frequencies up to 270 Hz, wind noise was actually attenuated when the wind farm is in operation. The noise levels were higher when the turbines were not turning. This finding was confirmed through spectral analysis. 12 refs., 2 tabs., 46 figs.

  8. Results from a three-month intercomparison of boundary-layer wind profiler and sodar wind measurements at Lindenberg, Germany

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beyrich, F.; Goersdorf, U.; Neisser, J.; Steinhagen, H.; Weisensee, U. [Deutscher Wetterdienst, Lindenberg (Germany). Meteorologisches Observatorium

    1998-10-01

    Intercomparison experiments with a wind profiler and a Doppler sodar have been performed at the meteorological observatory Lindenberg of the German weather service in summer, 1994, and in autumn, 1995, over a total period of about three months. The paper presents selected results of the wind measurements performed with the two systems. Sodar and wind profiler are shown to complement each other quite well. Therefore, a combination of both is a promising tool for continuous, high-resolution measurements of the wind profile. A problem to be solved is the construction of composite wind profiles when the measurements with the two systems disagree in the height range of overlapping. Measurements of the vertical velocity are difficult to assess due to their small absolute values. Long-term averages of the vertical velocity show slightly negative values, especially for the wind profiler. However, similar signatures have been found in the vertical velocity time series during frontal passages or during well-developed convection. (orig.) 7 refs.

  9. LIDAR wind speed measurements from a rotating spinner (SpinnerEx 2009)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Angelou, N.; Mikkelsen, Torben; Hansen, Kasper H.; Sjoeholm, M.; Harris, M.

    2010-08-15

    In the context of the increasing application of remote sensing techniques in wind energy, the feasibility of upwind observations via a spinner-mounted wind lidar was tested during the SpinnerEx 2009 experiment. The objective was to install a QinetiQ (Natural Power) ZephIR lidar in the rotating spinner of a MW-sized wind turbine, and investigate the approaching wind fields from this vantage point. Time series of wind speed measurements from the lidar with 50 Hz sampling rate were successfully obtained for approximately 60 days, during the measurement campaign lasting from April to August 2009. In this report, information is given regarding the experimental setup and the lidar's operation parameters. The geometrical model used for the reconstruction of the scanning pattern of the lidar is described. This model takes into account the lidar's pointing direction, the spinner axis's vertical tilt and the wind turbine's yaw relative to the mean wind speed direction. The data analysis processes are documented. A methodology for the calculation of the yaw misalignment of the wind turbine relative to the wind direction, as a function of various averaging times, is proposed, using the lidar's instantaneous line-of-sight radial wind speed measurements. Two different setups have been investigated in which the approaching wind field was measured at distances of 0.58 OE and 1.24 OE rotor diameters upwind, respectively. For both setups, the instantaneous yaw misalignment of the turbine has been estimated from the lidar measurements. Data from an adjacent meteorological mast as well as data logged within the wind turbine's control system were used to evaluate the results. (author)

  10. Study on the influence of attitude angle on lidar wind measurement results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xiaochen; Dou, Peilin; Xue, Yangyang

    2017-11-01

    When carrying on wind profile measurement of offshore wind farm by shipborne Doppler lidar technique, the ship platform often produces motion response under the action of ocean environment load. In order to measure the performance of shipborne lidar, this paper takes two lidar wind measurement results as the research object, simulating the attitude of the ship in the ocean through the three degree of freedom platform, carrying on the synchronous observation test of the wind profile, giving an example of comparing the wind measurement data of two lidars, and carrying out the linear regression statistical analysis for all the experimental correlation data. The results show that the attitude angle will affect the precision of the lidar, The influence of attitude angle on the accuracy of lidar is uncertain. It is of great significance to the application of shipborne Doppler lidar wind measurement technology in the application of wind resources assessment in offshore wind power projects.

  11. Canopy wake measurements using multiple scanning wind LiDARs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markfort, C. D.; Carbajo Fuertes, F.; Iungo, V.; Stefan, H. G.; Porte-Agel, F.

    2014-12-01

    Canopy wakes have been shown, in controlled wind tunnel experiments, to significantly affect the fluxes of momentum, heat and other scalars at the land and water surface over distances of ˜O(1 km), see Markfort et al. (EFM, 2013). However, there are currently no measurements of the velocity field downwind of a full-scale forest canopy. Point-based anemometer measurements of wake turbulence provide limited insight into the extent and details of the wake structure, whereas scanning Doppler wind LiDARs can provide information on how the wake evolves in space and varies over time. For the first time, we present measurements of the velocity field in the wake of a tall patch of forest canopy. The patch consists of two uniform rows of 40-meter tall deciduous, plane trees, which border either side of the Allée de Dorigny, near the EPFL campus. The canopy is approximately 250 m long, and it is approximately 40 m wide, along the direction of the wind. A challenge faced while making field measurements is that the wind rarely intersects a canopy normal to the edge. The resulting wake flow may be deflected relative to the mean inflow. Using multiple LiDARs, we measure the evolution of the wake due to an oblique wind blowing over the canopy. One LiDAR is positioned directly downwind of the canopy to measure the flow along the mean wind direction and the other is positioned near the canopy to evaluate the transversal component of the wind and how it varies with downwind distance from the canopy. Preliminary results show that the open trunk space near the base of the canopy results in a surface jet that can be detected just downwind of the canopy and farther downwind dissipates as it mixes with the wake flow above. A time-varying recirculation zone can be detected by the periodic reversal of the velocity near the surface, downwind of the canopy. The implications of canopy wakes for measurement and modeling of surface fluxes will be discussed.

  12. Noise measurements in 4 wind turbine farms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Zuylen, E.J.; Koerts, M.

    1993-02-01

    The title wind turbine arrays are situated in Herbayum (Newinco 23PI250), Callantsoog (Bouma 160/20), Noordoostpolder (Windmaster WM300), and Ulketocht (Newinco 500 kW). Measurements were carried out by means of the so-called Ecofys Correlating Noise Meter to determine the source level of the wind turbines. The resulting source level as a function of the wind speed is interpolated to a source level for a wind speed of 8 m/s at 10 m height, on the basis of which the noise contours can be calculated. The noise contours are determined to analyze the noise load for people living in the neighbourhood of the wind parks. The source levels are compared with values as indicated in certificates, which are granted on the basis of a so-called Restricted Quality Certificate (BKC, abbreviated in Dutch) or the new standard NNI 6096/2 for the above-mentioned wind turbines. In general the results of this study agree quite well with the certified values. 12 figs., 7 tabs., 6 refs

  13. Infrasonic attenuation in the upper mesosphere-lower thermosphere: a comparison between Navier-Stokes and Burnett predictions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akintunde, Akinjide; Petculescu, Andi

    2014-10-01

    This paper presents the results of a pilot study comparing the use of continuum and non-continuum fluid dynamics to predict infrasound attenuation in the rarefied lower thermosphere. The continuum approach is embodied by the Navier-Stokes equations, while the non-continuum method is implemented via the Burnett equations [Proc. London Math. Soc. 39, 385-430 (1935); 40, 382-435 (1936)]. In the Burnett framework, the coupling between stress tensor and heat flux affects the dispersion equation, leading to an attenuation coefficient smaller than its Navier-Stokes counterpart by amounts of order 0.1 dB/km at 0.1 Hz, 10 dB/km at 1 Hz, and 100 dB/km at 10 Hz. It has been observed that many measured thermospheric arrivals are stronger than current predictions based on continuum mechanics. In this context, the consistently smaller Burnett-based absorption is cautiously encouraging.

  14. Observations of the atmospheric tide, mean wind, and sodium nightglow near the mesopause with the magneto- optic Doppler analyzer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Bifford Preston

    1997-09-01

    In this thesis, I (1) demonstrate a new instrument design that is capable of measuring winds and nightglow; (2) present measurements of the mean winds, tides, and sodium nightglow near the mesopause (ca. 90 km); (3) compare these wind results with those measured by other instruments and results of numerical and empirical models; and (4) compare the nightglow intensity measurements with the predictions of a comprehensive numerical model, to better understand the interaction of the tides with the mesopause-region chemistry. I designed, constructed and operated the Magneto-Optic Doppler Analyzer (MODA). For 1.5 years, Moda observed the sodium nightglow intensity variation and the horizontal wind integrated from ~86-96 km altitude at Niwot Ridge, Colorado (40.0o N, 105.5o W). The observed nightglow intensity showed a significant semidiurnal oscillation, with a 5 hr phase shift in the fall. The mean zonal wind peaked in the summer and winter with a minimum at the equinoxes. The meridional wind was slightly southward or near zero. The semidiurnal tide amplitude peaked in the early summer with a minimum in February. The phases were roughly in quadrature. The measured phase difference between the intensity and zonal wind indicated a seasonal variation of the tide-nightglow interaction. MODA wind results were compared with results from the Urbana Medium-Frequency (MF) Radar, the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI), the empirical Horizontal Wind Model 1993 (HWM93), and the theoretical Global Scale Wave Model (GSWM). The annual variation of the mean winds showed the same pattern amongst the instruments and models. MODA measured the smallest tidal amplitudes, possibly due to longitudinal differences. MODA semidiurnal phases agreed better with HRDI and HWM93 (1-2 hr difference), than with GSWM (~6 hr difference). The calculated semidiurnal sodium nightglow variation from the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere- Electrodynamics General Circulation Model for March shows a

  15. Model Predictive Control of Wind Turbines using Uncertain LIDAR Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mirzaei, Mahmood; Soltani, Mohsen; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2013-01-01

    , we simplify state prediction for the MPC. Consequently, the control problem of the nonlinear system is simplified into a quadratic programming. We consider uncertainty in the wind propagation time, which is the traveling time of wind from the LIDAR measurement point to the rotor. An algorithm based......The problem of Model predictive control (MPC) of wind turbines using uncertain LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) measurements is considered. A nonlinear dynamical model of the wind turbine is obtained. We linearize the obtained nonlinear model for different operating points, which are determined...... on wind speed estimation and measurements from the LIDAR is devised to find an estimate of the delay and compensate for it before it is used in the controller. Comparisons between the MPC with error compensation, the MPC without error compensation and an MPC with re-linearization at each sample point...

  16. Ten years statistics of wind direction and wind velocity measurements performed at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becker, M.; Dilger, H.

    1979-06-01

    The measurements of wind direction and wind velocity performed at 60 m and 200 m height were evaluated for one year each and frequency distributions of the measured values were established. The velocity was divided into 1 m/s steps and the direction into 10 0 sectors. The frequency distribution of the wind direction reveals three maxima located in the southwest, northeast and north, respectively. The maximum of the frequency distribution of the wind velocity occurs between 4 and 5 m/s at 200 m height and between 3 and 4 m/s at 60 m height. (orig.) [de

  17. Properties of the mesosphere and thermosphere and comparison with CIRA 72

    Science.gov (United States)

    Champion, K. S. W.

    Exospheric temperatures of several reference atmosphere are reviewed and a recommendation is made for the exospheric temperature of a proposed mean CIRA. One of the deficiencies of CIRA 72 and other present thermospheric models is the representation of density changes with geomagnetic activity. This deficiency is illustrated with samples of data. The data show the effects of geomagnetic activity, particle precipitation, a solar proton event, and gravity waves. An empirical model developed from the unique AFGL satellite density data bank using multiple linear regression is reviewed. The present model is for low to moderate solar flux and quiet geomagnetic conditions, but it is planned to extend the model to active conditions. Good progress has been made since CIRA 72 was specified in our knowledge and understanding of the properties of the lower thermosphere, although there are still some unresolved problems. The biggest progress has been made in the theory of tidal effects and of particulate energy deposition and of electrojet heating. On the other hand, it is still not possible to define adequately the systematic variations of the lower boundary conditions of thermospheric models. This is due to lack of knowledge of the systematic variations of the structure properties in the 100 to 120 km altitude region and inadequate information on the mesospheric turbulence profile and variations in the turbopause altitude.

  18. Upper atmosphere research at INPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clemesha, B.R.

    1984-01-01

    Upper atmosphere research at INPE is mainly concerned with the chemistry and dynamics of the stratosphere, upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere, and the middle thermosphere. Experimental work includes lidar observations of the stratospheric aerosol, measurements of stratospheric ozone by Dobson spectrophotometers and by balloon and rocket-borne sondes, lidar measurements of atmospheric sodium, and photometric observations of O, O 2 , OH and Na emissions, including interferrometric measurements of the OI6300 emission for the purpose of determing thermospheric winds and temperature. The airglow observations also include measurements of a number of emissions produced by the precipitation of energetic neutral particles generated by charge exchange in the ring current. Some recent results of INPE's upper atmosphere program are presented. (Author) [pt

  19. Empirical wind retrieval model based on SAR spectrum measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panfilova, Maria; Karaev, Vladimir; Balandina, Galina; Kanevsky, Mikhail; Portabella, Marcos; Stoffelen, Ad

    The present paper considers polarimetric SAR wind vector applications. Remote-sensing measurements of the near-surface wind over the ocean are of great importance for the understanding of atmosphere-ocean interaction. In recent years investigations for wind vector retrieval using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data have been performed. In contrast with scatterometers, a SAR has a finer spatial resolution that makes it a more suitable microwave instrument to explore wind conditions in the marginal ice zones, coastal regions and lakes. The wind speed retrieval procedure from scatterometer data matches the measured radar backscattering signal with the geophysical model function (GMF). The GMF determines the radar cross section dependence on the wind speed and direction with respect to the azimuthal angle of the radar beam. Scatterometers provide information on wind speed and direction simultaneously due to the fact that each wind vector cell (WVC) is observed at several azimuth angles. However, SAR is not designed to be used as a high resolution scatterometer. In this case, each WVC is observed at only one single azimuth angle. That is why for wind vector determination additional information such as wind streak orientation over the sea surface is required. It is shown that the wind vector can be obtained using polarimetric SAR without additional information. The main idea is to analyze the spectrum of a homogeneous SAR image area instead of the backscattering normalized radar cross section. Preliminary numerical simulations revealed that SAR image spectral maxima positions depend on the wind vector. Thus the following method for wind speed retrieval is proposed. In the first stage of the algorithm, the SAR spectrum maxima are determined. This procedure is carried out to estimate the wind speed and direction with ambiguities separated by 180 degrees due to the SAR spectrum symmetry. The second stage of the algorithm allows us to select the correct wind direction

  20. Accounting for the speed shear in wind turbine power performance measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Rozenn

    the vertical wind shear and the turbulence intensity. The work presented in this thesis consists of the description and the investigation of a simple method to account for the wind speed shear in the power performance measurement. Ignoring this effect was shown to result in a power curve dependant on the shear...... for turbulence intensity suggested by Albers. The second method was found to be more suitable for normalising the power curve for the turbulence intensity. Using the equivalent wind speed accounting for the wind shear in the power performance measurement was shown to result in a more repeatable power curve than......The power curve of a wind turbine is the primary characteristic of the machine as it is the basis of the warranty for it power production. The current IEC standard for power performance measurement only requires the measurement of the wind speed at hub height and the air density to characterise...

  1. Geomagnetically conjugate observations of ionospheric and thermospheric variations accompanied with a midnight brightness wave at low latitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukushima, D.; Shiokawa, K.; Otsuka, Y.; Kubota, M.; Yokoyama, T.; Nishioka, M.; Komonjinda, S.; Yatini, C. Y.

    2014-12-01

    A midnight brightness wave (MBW) is the phenomenon that the OI (630-nm) airglow enhancement propagates poleward once at local midnight. In this study, we first conducted geomagnetically conjugate observations of 630nm airglow for an MBW at conjugate stations. An airglow enhancement which is considered to be an MBW was observed in the 630-nm airglow images at Kototabang, Indonesia (geomagnetic latitude (MLAT): 10.0S) at around local midnight from 1540 to 1730 UT (from 2240 to 2430 LT) on 7 February 2011. This MBW was propagating south-southwestward, which is geomagnetically poleward, with a velocity of 290 m/s. However, similar wave was not observed in the 630-nm airglow images at Chiang Mai, Thailand (MLAT: 8.9N), which is close to being conjugate point of Kototabang. This result indicates that the MBW does not have geomagnetic conjugacy. We simultaneously observed thermospheric neutral winds observed by a co-located Fabry-Perot interferometer at Kototabang. The observed meridional winds turned from northward (geomagnetically equatorward) to southward (geomagnetically poleward) just before the MBW was observed. The bottomside ionospheric heights observed by ionosondes rapidly decreased at Kototabang and slightly increased at Chiang Mai simultaneously with the MBW passage. In the presentation, we discuss the MBW generation by the observed poleward neutral winds at Kototabang, and the cause of the coinciding small height increase at Chiang Mai by the polarization electric field inside the observed MBW at Kototabang.

  2. Lower thermospheric nitric oxide concentrations derived from WINDII observations of the green nightglow continuum at 553.1 nm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. H. A. von Savigny

    1999-11-01

    Full Text Available Vertical profiles of nitric oxide in the altitude range 90 to 105 km are derived from 553 nm nightglow continuum measurements made with the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS. The profiles are derived under the assumption that the continuum emission is due entirely to the NO+O air afterglow reaction. Vertical profiles of the atomic oxygen density, which are required to determine the nitric oxide concentrations, are derived from coordinated WINDII measurements of the atomic oxygen OI 557.7 nm nightglow emission. Data coverage for local solar times ranging from 20 h to 04 h, and latitudes ranging from 42°S to 42°N, is achieved by zonally averaging and binning data obtained on 18 nights during a two-month period extending from mid-November 1992 until mid-January 1993. The derived nitric oxide concentrations are significantly smaller than those obtained from rocket measurements of the airglow continuum but they do compare well with model expectations and nitric oxide densities measured using the resonance fluorescence technique on the Solar Mesosphere Explorer satellite. The near-global coverage of the WINDII observations and the similarities to the nitric oxide global morphology established from other satellite measurements strongly suggests that the NO+O reaction is the major source of the continuum near 553 nm and that there is no compelling reason to invoke additional sources of continuum emission in this immediate spectral region.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (airglow and aurora; thermosphere – composition and chemistry; instruments and techniques

  3. LIDAR Wind Speed Measurement Analysis and Feed-Forward Blade Pitch Control for Load Mitigation in Wind Turbines: January 2010--January 2011

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dunne, F.; Simley, E.; Pao, L.Y.

    2011-10-01

    This report examines the accuracy of measurements that rely on Doppler LIDAR systems to determine their applicability to wind turbine feed-forward control systems and discusses feed-forward control system designs that use preview wind measurements. Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems are able to measure the speed of incoming wind before it interacts with a wind turbine rotor. These preview wind measurements can be used in feed-forward control systems designed to reduce turbine loads. However, the degree to which such preview-based control techniques can reduce loads by reacting to turbulence depends on how accurately the incoming wind field can be measured. The first half of this report examines the accuracy of different measurement scenarios that rely on coherent continuous-wave or pulsed Doppler LIDAR systems to determine their applicability to feed-forward control. In particular, the impacts of measurement range and angular offset from the wind direction are studied for various wind conditions. A realistic case involving a scanning LIDAR unit mounted in the spinner of a wind turbine is studied in depth with emphasis on choices for scan radius and preview distance. The effects of turbulence parameters on measurement accuracy are studied as well. Continuous-wave and pulsed LIDAR models based on typical commercially available units were used in the studies present in this report. The second half of this report discusses feed-forward control system designs that use preview wind measurements. Combined feedback/feed-forward blade pitch control is compared to industry standard feedback control when simulated in realistic turbulent above-rated winds. The feed-forward controllers are designed to reduce fatigue loads, increasing turbine lifetime and therefore reducing the cost of energy. Three feed-forward designs are studied: non-causal series expansion, Preview Control, and optimized FIR filter. The input to the feed-forward controller is a measurement of

  4. On the origin of ionospheric sublayers in the lower thermosphere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shirke, J S; Sridharan, R

    1979-11-01

    Some properties are examined of ionospheric sublayers usually two in number originating at sunrise in the lower thermosphere. The formation of the sublayers is found to be nearly global in nature though they are quickly transported upward over the dip-equatorial region as a result of vertical drifts existing there. The ionization associated with the layers once formed appears to remain constant for over several hours while the ambient ionization exhibits a solar zenith angle dependence. The sublayers at equatorial and low latitudes are often found capable of yielding echoes of radio waves transmitted from ground of frequencies much larger than corresponding to the ambient plasma density. This is shown to be due to generation of gradient type instabilities in these sublayers. The generation of the sublayers themselves is shown to be consistent with the concept of ionization at sunrise of neutral constituents deposited overnight from micrometeorites in the lower thermosphere.

  5. Phasor measurement of wind power plant operation in Eastern Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Joana; Nielsen, Arne Hejde

    2007-01-01

    Four Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) record continuously voltage and current phasors in the 400 kV and 132 kV transmission system of Eastern Denmark. The abstract evaluates the unique concept for power system monitoring using PMUs. It focuses on utilization of synchronized phasor measurements from...... Nysted off-shore wind farm during a severe storm in 2005. The wind speeds during the event were so high, that Nysted offshore wind farm as well as a significant amount of on-land wind production in Denmark was disconnected from the grid. The PMU analysis illustrates that PMUs complement the traditional...... measurements from a traditional SCADA system. The case reveals the close relation between voltages, power flows and voltage phase angles over a wide area....

  6. Wavelength Dependence of Solar Flare Irradiation and its Influence on the Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yanshi; Richmond, Arthur D.; Deng, Yue; Qian, L.; Solomon, S.; Chamberlin, P.

    2012-01-01

    The wavelength dependence of solar flare enhancement is one of the important factors determining how the Thermosphere-Ionosphere (T-I) system response to flares. To investigate the wavelength dependence of solar flare, the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) has been run for 34 X-class flares. The results show that the percentage increases of solar irradiance at flare peak comparing to pre-flare condition have a clear wavelength dependence. In the wavelength range between 0 - 195 nm, it can vary from 1% to 10000%. The solar irradiance enhancement is largest ( 1000%) in the XUV range (0 - 25 nm), and is about 100% in EUV range (25 - 120 nm). The influence of different wavebands on the T-I system during the October 28th, 2003 flare (X17.2-class) has also been examined using the latest version of National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Thermosphere- Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM). While the globally integrated solar energy deposition is largest in the 0 - 14 nm waveband, the impact of solar irradiance enhancement on the thermosphere at 400 km is largest for 25 - 105 nm waveband. The effect of 122 - 195 nm is small in magnitude, but it decays slowly.

  7. Geomagnetically conjugate observations of ionospheric and thermospheric variations accompanied by a midnight brightness wave at low latitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukushima, D.; Shiokawa, K.; Otsuka, Y.; Kubota, M.; Yokoyama, T.; Nishioka, M.; Komonjinda, S.; Yatini, C. Y.

    2017-08-01

    We conducted geomagnetically conjugate observations of 630-nm airglow for a midnight brightness wave (MBW) at Kototabang, Indonesia [geomagnetic latitude (MLAT): 10.0°S], and Chiang Mai, Thailand (MLAT: 8.9°N), which are geomagnetically conjugate points at low latitudes. An airglow enhancement that was considered to be an MBW was observed in OI (630-nm) airglow images at Kototabang around local midnight from 2240 to 2430 LT on February 7, 2011. This MBW propagated south-southwestward, which is geomagnetically poleward, at a velocity of 290 m/s. However, a similar wave was not observed in the 630-nm airglow images at Chiang Mai. This is the first evidence of an MBW that does not have geomagnetic conjugacy, which also implies generation of MBW only in one side of the hemisphere from the equator. We simultaneously observed thermospheric neutral winds observed by a co-located Fabry-Perot interferometer at Kototabang. The observed meridional winds turned from northward (geomagnetically equatorward) to southward (geomagnetically poleward) just before the wave was observed. This indicates that the observed MBW was generated by the poleward winds which push ionospheric plasma down along geomagnetic field lines, thereby increasing the 630-nm airglow intensity. The bottomside ionospheric heights observed by ionosondes rapidly decreased at Kototabang and slightly increased at Chiang Mai. We suggest that the polarization electric field inside the observed MBW is projected to the northern hemisphere, causing the small height increase observed at Chiang Mai. This implies that electromagnetic coupling between hemispheres can occur even though the original disturbance is caused purely by the neutral wind.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

  8. Statistical Analysis and Comparison of Harmonics Measured in Offshore Wind Farms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kocewiak, Lukasz Hubert; Hjerrild, Jesper; Bak, Claus Leth

    2011-01-01

    The paper shows statistical analysis of harmonic components measured in different offshore wind farms. Harmonic analysis is a complex task and requires many aspects, such as measurements, data processing, modeling, validation, to be taken into consideration. The paper describes measurement process...... and shows sophisticated analysis on representative harmonic measurements from Avedøre Holme, Gunfleet Sands and Burbo Bank wind farms. The nature of generation and behavior of harmonic components in offshore wind farms clearly presented and explained based on probabilistic approach. Some issues regarding...... commonly applied standards are also put forward in the discussion. Based on measurements and data analysis it is shown that a general overview about wind farm harmonic behaviour cannot be fully observed only based on single-value measurements as suggested in the standards but using more descriptive...

  9. The Skipheia Wind Measurement Station. Instrumentation, Wind Speed Profiles and Turbulence Spectra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aasen, S E

    1995-10-01

    This thesis describes the design of a measurement station for turbulent wind and presents results from an analysis of the collected data. The station is located at Skipheia near the south-west end of Froeya, an island off the coast of Mid-Norway. The station is unique for studies of turbulent winds because of the large numbers of sensors, which are located at various heights above ground up to 100 m, a sampling rate of 0.85 Hz and storage of the complete time series. The frequency of lightning and atmospheric discharges to the masts are quite high and much effort has gone into minimizing the damage caused by lightning activity. A major part of the thesis deals with data analysis and modelling. There are detailed discussions on the various types of wind sensors and their calibration, the data acquisition system and operating experiences with it, the database, data quality control, the wind speed profile and turbulence. 40 refs., 78 figs., 17 tabs.

  10. Turbulent wind field characterization and re-generation based on pitot tube measurements mounted on a wind turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Mads Mølgaard; Larsen, Torben J.; Aagaard Madsen, Helge

    2015-01-01

    models that compensate for axial and tangential induction, approximated by blade element momentum theory, radial expansion of the inflow, rotor tilt, dynamic and skew inflow, tip loss, as well as braking and circulation of the flow local to the airfoil. The wind speeds measured on the rotating blades...... the measured wind speeds at the recording position. In the theoretical part of this study a quite good agreement is seen between load sensors on a turbine model exposed to the reference and the re-generated turbulence field. Finally the method is applied to full scale measurements and reasonable wind shear...

  11. Videometric research on deformation measurement of large-scale wind turbine blades

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2011-01-01

    Utilization of wind energy is a promising way to generate power,and wind turbine blades play a key role in collecting the wind energy effectively.This paper attempts to measure the deformation parameter of wind turbine blades in mechanics experiments using a videometric method. In view that the blades experience small buckling deformation and large integral deformation simultaneously, we proposed a parallel network measurement(PNM) method including the key techniques such as camera network construction,c...

  12. Wind Ressources in Complex Terrain investigated with Synchronized Lidar Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, J.; Menke, R.; Vasiljevic, N.

    2017-12-01

    The Perdigao experiment was performed by a number of European and American universities in Portugal 2017, and it is probably the largest field campaign focussing on wind energy ressources in complex terrain ever conducted. 186 sonic anemometers on 50 masts, 20 scanning wind lidars and a host of other instruments were deployed. The experiment is a part of an effort to make a new European wind atlas. In this presentation we investigate whether scanning the wind speed over ridges in this complex terrain with multiple Doppler lidars can lead to an efficient mapping of the wind resources at relevant positions. We do that by having pairs of Doppler lidars scanning 80 m above the ridges in Perdigao. We compare wind resources obtained from the lidars and from the mast-mounted sonic anemometers at 80 m on two 100 m masts, one on each of the two ridges. In addition, the scanning lidar measurements are also compared to profiling lidars on the ridges. We take into account the fact that the profiling lidars may be biased due to the curvature of the streamlines over the instrument, see Bingol et al, Meteorolog. Z. vol. 18, pp. 189-195 (2009). We also investigate the impact of interruptions of the lidar measurements on the estimated wind resource. We calculate the relative differences of wind along the ridge from the lidar measurements and compare those to the same obtained from various micro-scale models. A particular subject investigated is how stability affects the wind resources. We often observe internal gravity waves with the scanning lidars during the night and we quantify how these affect the relative wind speed on the ridges.

  13. An Assessment of Wind Plant Complex Flows Using Advanced Doppler Radar Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunter, W. S.; Schroeder, J.; Hirth, B.; Duncan, J.; Guynes, J.

    2015-12-01

    As installed wind energy capacity continues to steadily increase, the need for comprehensive measurements of wind plant complex flows to further reduce the cost of wind energy has been well advertised by the industry as a whole. Such measurements serve diverse perspectives including resource assessment, turbine inflow and power curve validation, wake and wind plant layout model verification, operations and maintenance, and the development of future advanced wind plant control schemes. While various measurement devices have been matured for wind energy applications (e.g. meteorological towers, LIDAR, SODAR), this presentation will focus on the use of advanced Doppler radar systems to observe the complex wind flows within and surrounding wind plants. Advanced Doppler radars can provide the combined advantage of a large analysis footprint (tens of square kilometers) with rapid data analysis updates (a few seconds to one minute) using both single- and dual-Doppler data collection methods. This presentation demonstrates the utility of measurements collected by the Texas Tech University Ka-band (TTUKa) radars to identify complex wind flows occurring within and nearby operational wind plants, and provide reliable forecasts of wind speeds and directions at given locations (i.e. turbine or instrumented tower sites) 45+ seconds in advance. Radar-derived wind maps reveal commonly observed features such as turbine wakes and turbine-to-turbine interaction, high momentum wind speed channels between turbine wakes, turbine array edge effects, transient boundary layer flow structures (such as wind streaks, frontal boundaries, etc.), and the impact of local terrain. Operational turbine or instrumented tower data are merged with the radar analysis to link the observed complex flow features to turbine and wind plant performance.

  14. Comparative investigations of equatorial electrodynamics and low-to-mid latitude coupling of the thermosphere-ionosphere system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. J. Colerico

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available The thermospheric midnight temperature maximum (MTM is a highly variable, but persistent, large scale neutral temperature enhancement which occurs at low latitudes. Its occurrence can impact many fundamental upper atmospheric parameters such as pressure, density, neutral winds, neutral density, and F-region plasma. Although the MTM has been the focus of several investigations employing various instrumentation including photometers, satellites, and Fabry-Perot interferometers, limited knowledge exists regarding the latitude extent of its influence on the upper atmosphere. This is largely due to observational limitations which confined the collective geographic range to latitudes within ±23°. This paper investigates the MTM's latitudinal extent through all-sky imaging observations of its 6300Å airglow signature referred to by Colerico et al. (1996 as the midnight brightness wave (MBW. The combined field of view of three Southern Hemisphere imaging systems located at Arequipa, Peru, and Tucuman and El Leoncito, Argentina, for the first time extends the contiguous latitudinal range of imager observations to 8° S-39° S in the American sector. Our results highlight the propagation of MBW events through the combined fields of view past 39° S latitude, providing the first evidence that the MTM's effect on the upper atmosphere extends into mid-latitudes. The observations presented here are compared with modeled 6300Å emissions calculated using the NCAR thermosphere-ionosphere-electrodynamic general circulation model (TIEGCM in conjunction with an airglow code. We report that at this time TIEGCM is unable to simulate an MBW event due to the model's inability to reproduce an MTM of the same magnitude and occurrence time as those observed via FPI measurements made from Arequipa. This work also investigates the origins of an additional low latitude airglow feature referred to by Colerico et al. (1996 as the pre-midnight brightness wave (PMBW and

  15. Traveling Atmospheric Disturbances (TADs) in the thermosphere inferred from accelerometer data at three altitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruinsma, Sean; Forbes, Jeffrey

    2010-05-01

    Densities derived from accelerometer measurements on the GRACE, CHAMP and Air Force/SETA satellites near 490, 390, and 220 km, respectively, are used to elucidate global-scale characteristics of traveling atmospheric disturbances. The accelerometers on the CHAMP and GRACE satellites have made it possible to accumulate near-continuous records of thermosphere density between about 320 and 490 km since May 2001, and July 2002, respectively. They have recorded the response to virtually every significant geomagnetic storm during this period. CHAMP and GRACE are in (near) polar and quasi-circular orbits, sampling 24 hr local time approximately every 4 and 5 months, respectively. These capabilities offer unique opportunities to study the temporal and latitudinal responses of the thermosphere to geomagnetic disturbances. The Air Force/SETA accelerometer data have also been processed, but the analysis is more complicated due to data gaps. Significant and unambiguous TAD activity in the observed response of the thermosphere was detected for about 25 events with CHAMP and GRACE, and less than 10 with SETA. The atmospheric variability is evaluated by de-trending the data, allowing the extraction of specific ranges in horizontal scale, and analyzing density "residuals". The scale of the perturbation is decisive for its lifetime and relative amplitude. Sometimes the disturbances represent wave-like structures propagating far from the source, and these so-called ‘TADs' were detected and described for the May 2003 storm for the first time. Some TADs traveled over the pole into the opposite hemisphere; this was found in both CHAMP and GRACE data. Most TADs propagate equatorward, but poleward propagating TADs have on occasion been detected too. The estimated speeds and amplitudes of the observed TADs, and their dependence on altitude and solar and geomagnetic activity in particular, will be presented in this poster.

  16. Flying with the wind: Scale dependency of speed and direction measurements in modelling wind support in avian flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safi, Kamran; Kranstauber, Bart; Weinzierl, Rolf P.; Griffin, Larry; Reese, Eileen C.; Cabot, David; Cruz, Sebastian; Proaño, Carolina; Takekawa, John Y.; Newman, Scott H.; Waldenström, Jonas; Bengtsson, Daniel; Kays, Roland; Wikelski, Martin; Bohrer, Gil

    2013-01-01

    Background: Understanding how environmental conditions, especially wind, influence birds' flight speeds is a prerequisite for understanding many important aspects of bird flight, including optimal migration strategies, navigation, and compensation for wind drift. Recent developments in tracking technology and the increased availability of data on large-scale weather patterns have made it possible to use path annotation to link the location of animals to environmental conditions such as wind speed and direction. However, there are various measures available for describing not only wind conditions but also the bird's flight direction and ground speed, and it is unclear which is best for determining the amount of wind support (the length of the wind vector in a bird’s flight direction) and the influence of cross-winds (the length of the wind vector perpendicular to a bird’s direction) throughout a bird's journey.Results: We compared relationships between cross-wind, wind support and bird movements, using path annotation derived from two different global weather reanalysis datasets and three different measures of direction and speed calculation for 288 individuals of nine bird species. Wind was a strong predictor of bird ground speed, explaining 10-66% of the variance, depending on species. Models using data from different weather sources gave qualitatively similar results; however, determining flight direction and speed from successive locations, even at short (15 min intervals), was inferior to using instantaneous GPS-based measures of speed and direction. Use of successive location data significantly underestimated the birds' ground and airspeed, and also resulted in mistaken associations between cross-winds, wind support, and their interactive effects, in relation to the birds' onward flight.Conclusions: Wind has strong effects on bird flight, and combining GPS technology with path annotation of weather variables allows us to quantify these effects for

  17. Is tropospheric weather influenced by solar wind through atmospheric vertical coupling downward control?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prikryl, Paul; Tsukijihara, Takumi; Iwao, Koki; Muldrew, Donald B.; Bruntz, Robert; Rušin, Vojto; Rybanský, Milan; Turňa, Maroš; Šťastný, Pavel; Pastirčák, Vladimír

    2017-04-01

    More than four decades have passed since a link between solar wind magnetic sector boundary structure and mid-latitude upper tropospheric vorticity was discovered (Wilcox et al., Science, 180, 185-186, 1973). The link has been later confirmed and various physical mechanisms proposed but apart from controversy, little attention has been drawn to these results. To further emphasize their importance we investigate the occurrence of mid-latitude severe weather in the context of solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (MIA) system. It is observed that significant snowstorms, windstorms and heavy rain, particularly if caused by low pressure systems in winter, tend to follow arrivals of high-speed solar wind. Previously published statistical evidence that explosive extratropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere tend to occur after arrivals of high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes (Prikryl et al., Ann. Geophys., 27, 1-30, 2009; Prikryl et al., J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 149, 219-231, 2016) is corroborated for the southern hemisphere. A physical mechanism to explain these observations is proposed. The leading edge of high-speed solar wind streams is a locus of large-amplitude magneto-hydrodynamic waves that modulate Joule heating and/or Lorentz forcing of the high-latitude lower thermosphere generating medium-scale atmospheric gravity waves that propagate upward and downward through the atmosphere. Simulations of gravity wave propagation in a model atmosphere using the Transfer Function Model (Mayr et al., Space Sci. Rev., 54, 297-375, 1990) show that propagating waves originating in the thermosphere can excite a spectrum of gravity waves in the lower atmosphere. In spite of significantly reduced amplitudes but subject to amplification upon reflection in the upper troposphere, these gravity waves can provide a lift of unstable air to release instabilities in the troposphere thus initiating convection to form cloud/precipitation bands

  18. Two Capacitive Micro-Machined Ultrasonic Transducers for Wind Speed Measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bui, Gia Thinh; Jiang, Yu-Tsung; Pang, Da-Chen

    2016-06-02

    This paper presents a new wind speed measurement method using a single capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). The CMUT was arranged perpendicular to the direction of the wind flow, and a reflector was set up a short distance away, facing the CMUT. To reduce the size, weight, cost, and power consumption of conventional ultrasonic anemometers this study proposes two CMUT designs for the measurement of wind speed using either the amplitude of the signal or the time of flight (TOF). Each CMUT with a double array element design can transmit and receive signals in five different operation modes. Experiments showed that the two CMUT designs utilizing the TOF were better than those utilizing the amplitude of the signal for wind speed measurements ranging from 1 m/s to 10 m/s, providing a measurement error of less than 0.2 m/s. These results indicate that the sensitivity of the TOF is independent of the five operation modes.

  19. Exploring the nearshore marine wind profile from field measurements and numerical hindcast

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Jesus, F.; Menendez, M.; Guanche, R.; Losada, I.

    2012-12-01

    Wind power is the predominant offshore renewable energy resource. In the last years, offshore wind farms have become a technically feasible source of electrical power. The economic feasibility of offshore wind farms depends on the quality of the offshore wind conditions compared to that of onshore sites. Installation and maintenance costs must be balanced with more hours and a higher quality of the available resources. European offshore wind development has revealed that the optimum offshore sites are those in which the distance from the coast is limited with high available resource. Due to the growth in the height of the turbines and the complexity of the coast, with interactions between inland wind/coastal orography and ocean winds, there is a need for field measurements and validation of numerical models to understand the marine wind profile near the coast. Moreover, recent studies have pointed out that the logarithmic law describing the vertical wind profile presents limitations. The aim of this work is to characterize the nearshore vertical wind profile in the medium atmosphere boundary layer. Instrumental observations analyzed in this work come from the Idermar project (www.Idermar.es). Three floating masts deployed at different locations on the Cantabrian coast provide wind measurements from a height of 20 to 90 meters. Wind speed and direction are measured as well as several meteorological variables at different heights of the profile. The shortest wind time series has over one year of data. A 20 year high-resolution atmospheric hindcast, using the WRF-ARW model and focusing on hourly offshore wind fields, is also analyzed. Two datasets have been evaluated: a European reanalysis with a ~15 Km spatial resolution, and a hybrid downscaling of wind fields with a spatial resolution of one nautical mile over the northern coast of Spain.. These numerical hindcasts have been validated based on field measurement data. Several parameterizations of the vertical wind

  20. Thermal effects influencing measurements in a supersonic blowdown wind tunnel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vuković Đorđe S.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available During a supersonic run of a blowdown wind tunnel, temperature of air in the test section drops which can affect planned measurements. Adverse thermal effects include variations of the Mach and Reynolds numbers, variation of airspeed, condensation of moisture on the model, change of characteristics of the instrumentation in the model, et cetera. Available data on thermal effects on instrumentation are pertaining primarily to long-run-duration wind tunnel facilities. In order to characterize such influences on instrumentation in the models, in short-run-duration blowdown wind tunnels, temperature measurements were made in the wing-panel-balance and main-balance spaces of two wind tunnel models tested in the T-38 wind tunnel. The measurements showed that model-interior temperature in a run increased at the beginning of the run, followed by a slower drop and, at the end of the run, by a large temperature drop. Panel-force balance was affected much more than the main balance. Ways of reducing the unwelcome thermal effects by instrumentation design and test planning are discussed.

  1. Solar cycle variability of nonmigrating tides in the infrared cooling of the thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nischal, N.; Oberheide, J.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Marsh, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    Nitric Oxide (NO) at 5.3 μm and Carbon dioxide (CO2) at 15 μm are the major infrared emissions responsible for the radiative cooling of the thermosphere. We study the impact of two important diurnal nonmigrating tides, the DE2 and DE3, on NO and CO2 infrared emissions over a complete solar cycle (2002-2013) by (i) analyzing NO and CO2 cooling rate data from SABER and (ii) photochemical modeling using dynamical tides from a thermospheric empirical tidal model, CTMT. Both observed and modeled results show that the NO cooling rate amplitudes for DE2 and DE3 exhibit strong solar cycle dependence. NO 5.3 μm cooling rate tides are relatively unimportant for the infrared energy budget during solar minimum but important during solar maximum. On the other hand DE2 and DE3 in CO2 show comparatively small variability over a solar cycle. CO2 15 μm cooling rate tides remain, to a large extent, constant between solar minimum and maximum. This different responses by NO and CO2 emissions to the DE2 and DE3 during a solar cycle comes form the fact that the collisional reaction rate for NO is highly sensitive to the temperature comparative to that for CO2. Moreover, the solar cycle variability of these nonmigrating tides in thermospheric infrared emissions shows a clear QBO signals substantiating the impact of tropospheric weather system on the energy budget of the thermosphere. The relative contribution from the individual tidal drivers; temperature, density and advection to the observed DE2 and DE3 tides does not vary much over the course of the solar cycle, and this is true for both NO and CO2 emissions.

  2. Wind measurements with SODAR during strong temperature inversions near the ground

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, P.; Vogt, S.

    1989-08-01

    SODAR (Sound Detection and Ranging) equipment has been increasingly used to measure vertical wind profiles with little expenditure in terms of staff, continuously over time and with a good spatial resolution. These informations serve as input variables for atmospheric transport and dispersion models, environmental monitoring of industrial facilities and, generally, for investigating a broad spectrum of meteorological phenomena. The SODAR principle has proved its suitability since long provided that the data recorded with SODAR have served to establish wind statistics valid for extended periods of time. At industrial sites potentially releasing substances prejudicial to health, e.g., chemical plants, nuclear power plants, etc., a SODAR must, moreover, be capable of measuring reliable the wind conditions also during short periods of release. This would, e.g., be important during accidental releases. Especially interesting situations for pollutant dispersion are distinct temperature inversions. It will be examined in this paper whether a SODAR is capable of measuring reliably the wind conditions also during those inversions. The selection of the situations of inversion as well as the direct intercomparison of data supplied by SODAR and conventional wind measuring instruments (anemometer and wind vane) are possible at the 200 m meteorological tower erected at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center. The comparison between SODAR and the meteorological tower has shown that a SODAR is able to measure reliably the wind data also in situations characterized by strong ground-based and elevated inversions, respectively. (orig./KW) [de

  3. A new approach to the derivation of dynamic information from ionosonde measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Liu

    2003-11-01

    Full Text Available A new approach is developed to derive dynamic information near the peak of the ionospheric F-layer from ionosonde measurements. This approach avoids deducing equivalent winds from the displacement of the observed peak height from a no-wind equilibrium height, so it need not determine the no-wind equilibrium height which may limit the accuracy of the deduced winds, as did the traditional servo theory. This approach is preliminarily validated with comparisons of deduced equivalent winds with the measurements from the Fabry-Perot interferometer, the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar and with previous works. Examples of vertical components of equivalent winds (VEWs, over Wuhan (114.4° E, 30.6° N, 45.2° dip, China in December 2000 are derived from Wuhan DGS-256 Digisonde data. The deduced VEWs show large day-to-day variations during the winter, even in low magnetic activity conditions. The diurnal pattern of average VEWs is more complicated than that predicted by the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM. Using an empirical electric field model based on the observations from Jicamarca radar and satellites, we investigate the contributions to VEWs from neutral winds and from electric fields at the F-layer peak. If the electric field model is reasonable for Wuhan during this period, the neutral winds contribute mostly to the VEWs, and the contribution from the E × B drifts is insignificant.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics – Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interaction; instrument and techniques

  4. A new approach to the derivation of dynamic information from ionosonde measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Liu

    Full Text Available A new approach is developed to derive dynamic information near the peak of the ionospheric F-layer from ionosonde measurements. This approach avoids deducing equivalent winds from the displacement of the observed peak height from a no-wind equilibrium height, so it need not determine the no-wind equilibrium height which may limit the accuracy of the deduced winds, as did the traditional servo theory. This approach is preliminarily validated with comparisons of deduced equivalent winds with the measurements from the Fabry-Perot interferometer, the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar and with previous works. Examples of vertical components of equivalent winds (VEWs, over Wuhan (114.4° E, 30.6° N, 45.2° dip, China in December 2000 are derived from Wuhan DGS-256 Digisonde data. The deduced VEWs show large day-to-day variations during the winter, even in low magnetic activity conditions. The diurnal pattern of average VEWs is more complicated than that predicted by the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM. Using an empirical electric field model based on the observations from Jicamarca radar and satellites, we investigate the contributions to VEWs from neutral winds and from electric fields at the F-layer peak. If the electric field model is reasonable for Wuhan during this period, the neutral winds contribute mostly to the VEWs, and the contribution from the E × B drifts is insignificant.

    Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics – Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interaction; instrument and techniques

  5. LIDAR wind speed measurements from a rotating spinner (SpinnerEx 2009)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angelou, Nikolas; Mikkelsen, Torben; Hansen, Kasper Hjorth

    spinner of a MW-sized wind turbine, and investigate the approaching wind fields from this vantage point. Time series of wind speed measurements from the lidar with 50 Hz sampling rate were successfully obtained for approximately 60 days, during the measurement campaign lasting from April to August 2009....... In this report, information is given regarding the experimental setup and the lidar’s operation parameters. The geometrical model used for the reconstruction of the scanning pattern of the lidar is described. This model takes into account the lidar’s pointing direction, the spinner axis’s vertical tilt...... and the wind turbine’s yaw relative to the mean wind speed direction. The data analysis processes are documented. A methodology for the calculation of the yaw misalignment of the wind turbine relative to the wind direction, as a function of various averaging times, is proposed, using the lidar’s instantaneous...

  6. Rocket-borne measurements of atmospheric infrared emissions by spectrometric techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brueckelmann, H. G.; Grossmann, K. U.; Offermann, D.

    As part of the MAP/WINE Campaign 1983/84 a liquid-He-cooled IR grating spectrometer measured night zenith radiances of CO2, O3, and H2O in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. From a comparison of the measured spectral radiances with results from LTE radiative-transfer calculations, atmospheric temperatures and concentration profiles of H2O and O3 were determined, showing some interesting features. The O3 densities appear to contradict model predictions based upon the assumption that O3 is in photochemical equilibrium at mesospheric heights. Since the O3 density distribution shows structures quite similar to the vertical wind profile, transport effects seem to play a major role in the mesospheric O3 formation.

  7. The measurement of winds over the ocean from Skylab with application to measuring and forecasting typhoons and hurricanes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardone, V. J.; Pierson, W. J.

    1975-01-01

    On Skylab, a combination microwave radar-radiometer (S193) made measurements in a tropical hurricane (AVA), a tropical storm, and various extratropical wind systems. The winds at each cell scanned by the instrument were determined by objective numerical analysis techniques. The measured radar backscatter is compared to the analyzed winds and shown to provide an accurate method for measuring winds from space. An operational version of the instrument on an orbiting satellite will be able to provide the kind of measurements in tropical cyclones available today only by expensive and dangerous aircraft reconnaissance. Additionally, the specifications of the wind field in the tropical boundary layer should contribute to improved accuracy of tropical cyclone forecasts made with numerical weather predictions models currently being applied to the tropical atmosphere.

  8. Effects of the midnight temperature maximum observed in the thermosphere-ionosphere over the northeast of Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Figueiredo, Cosme Alexandre O. B.; Buriti, Ricardo A.; Paulino, Igo; Meriwether, John W.; Makela, Jonathan J.; Batista, Inez S.; Barros, Diego; Medeiros, Amauri F.

    2017-08-01

    The midnight temperature maximum (MTM) has been observed in the lower thermosphere by two Fabry-Pérot interferometers (FPIs) at São João do Cariri (7.4° S, 36.5° W) and Cajazeiras (6.9° S, 38.6° W) during 2011, when the solar activity was moderate and the solar flux was between 90 and 155 SFU (1 SFU = 10-22 W m-2 Hz-1). The MTM is studied in detail using measurements of neutral temperature, wind and airglow relative intensity of OI630.0 nm (referred to as OI6300), and ionospheric parameters, such as virtual height (h'F), the peak height of the F2 region (hmF2), and critical frequency of the F region (foF2), which were measured by a Digisonde instrument (DPS) at Eusébio (3.9° S, 38.4° W; geomagnetic coordinates 7.31° S, 32.40° E for 2011). The MTM peak was observed mostly along the year, except in May, June, and August. The amplitudes of the MTM varied from 64 ± 46 K in April up to 144 ± 48 K in October. The monthly temperature average showed a phase shift in the MTM peak around 0.25 h in September to 2.5 h in December before midnight. On the other hand, in February, March, and April the MTM peak occurred around midnight. International Reference Ionosphere 2012 (IRI-2012) model was compared to the neutral temperature observations and the IRI-2012 model failed in reproducing the MTM peaks. The zonal component of neutral wind flowed eastward the whole night; regardless of the month and the magnitude of the zonal wind, it was typically within the range of 50 to 150 m s-1 during the early evening. The meridional component of the neutral wind changed its direction over the months: from November to February, the meridional wind in the early evening flowed equatorward with a magnitude between 25 and 100 m s-1; in contrast, during the winter months, the meridional wind flowed to the pole within the range of 0 to -50 m s-1. Our results indicate that the reversal (changes in equator to poleward flow) or abatement of the meridional winds is an important factor in

  9. Evaluating anemometer drift: A statistical approach to correct biases in wind speed measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azorin-Molina, Cesar; Asin, Jesus; McVicar, Tim R.; Minola, Lorenzo; Lopez-Moreno, Juan I.; Vicente-Serrano, Sergio M.; Chen, Deliang

    2018-05-01

    Recent studies on observed wind variability have revealed a decline (termed "stilling") of near-surface wind speed during the last 30-50 years over many mid-latitude terrestrial regions, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. The well-known impact of cup anemometer drift (i.e., wear on the bearings) on the observed weakening of wind speed has been mentioned as a potential contributor to the declining trend. However, to date, no research has quantified its contribution to stilling based on measurements, which is most likely due to lack of quantification of the ageing effect. In this study, a 3-year field experiment (2014-2016) with 10-minute paired wind speed measurements from one new and one malfunctioned (i.e., old bearings) SEAC SV5 cup anemometer which has been used by the Spanish Meteorological Agency in automatic weather stations since mid-1980s, was developed for assessing for the first time the role of anemometer drift on wind speed measurement. The results showed a statistical significant impact of anemometer drift on wind speed measurements, with the old anemometer measuring lower wind speeds than the new one. Biases show a marked temporal pattern and clear dependency on wind speed, with both weak and strong winds causing significant biases. This pioneering quantification of biases has allowed us to define two regression models that correct up to 37% of the artificial bias in wind speed due to measurement with an old anemometer.

  10. Magneto-optic Doppler analyzer: a new instrument to measure mesopause winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Bifford P.; Tomczyk, Steven

    1996-11-01

    The magneto-optic Doppler analyzer (MODA) is a new type of passive optical instrument that one can use to measure the Doppler shift of the sodium nightglow emitted at approximately 91 km near the mesopause. From this measurement, horizontal wind signatures are inferred. The MODA is based on a sodium vapor magneto-optic filter that provides inherent wavelength stability at a low cost. The instrument has been used to take nightly zonal and meridional wind measurements since October 1994 at Niwot Ridge, Colorado (40 N, 105 W). We obtained an internally consistent wind signal and measured the semidiurnal tide for several seasons.

  11. Intercalibration of HRDI and WINDII wind measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. D. Burrage

    1997-09-01

    Full Text Available The High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI and the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII in- struments, which are both on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, measure winds by sensing the Doppler shift in atmospheric emission features. Because the two observation sets are frequently nearly coincident in space and time, each provides a very e.ective validation test of the other. Discrepancies due to geophysical di.erences should be much smaller than for comparisons with other techniques (radars, rockets, etc., and the very large sizes of the coincident data sets provide excellent statistics for the study. Issues that have been examined include relative systematic o.sets and the wind magnitudes obtained with the two systems. A significant zero wind position di.erence of ~6 m s–1 is identified for the zonal component, and it appears that this arises from an absolute perturbation in WINDII winds of –4 m s–1 and in HRDI of +2 m s–1. Altitude o.sets appear to be relatively small, and do not exceed 1 km. In addition, no evidence is found for the existence of a systematic wind speed bias between HRDI and WINDII. However, considerable day-to-day variability is found in the quality of the agreement, and RMS di.erences are surprisingly large, typically in the range of 20±30 m s–1.

  12. Seasonal Transport in Mars' Mesosphere-Thermosphere revealed by Nitric Oxide nightglow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Royer, E. M.; Stiepen, A.; Schneider, N. M.; Jain, S.; Milby, Z.; Deighan, J.; Gonzalez-Galindo, F.; Bougher, S. W.; Gerard, J. C. M. C.; Stevens, M. H.; Evans, J. S.; Stewart, I. F.; Chaffin, M.; McClintock, B.; Clarke, J. T.; Montmessin, F.; Holsclaw, G.; Lefèvre, F.; Forget, F.; Lo, D.; Hubert, B. A.; Jakosky, B. M.

    2017-12-01

    We analyze the ultraviolet nightglow in the atmosphere of Mars through the Nitric Oxide (NO) δ and γ band emissions observed by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS, McClintock et al., 2015) when the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is at apoapsis and periapsis. On the dayside thermosphere of Mars, solar extreme ultraviolet radiation dissociates CO2 and N2 molecules. O(3P) and N(4S) atoms are carried by the day-to-night hemispheric transport. They descend in the nightside mesosphere, where they can radiatively recombine to form NO(C2Π). The excited molecules rapidly relax by emitting UV photons in the δ and γ bands. These emissions are thus indicators of the N and O atom fluxes transported from the dayside to Mars' nightside and the descending circulation pattern from the nightside thermosphere to the mesosphere (e.g. Bertaux et al., 2005 ; Bougher et al., 1990 ; Cox et al., 2008 ; Gagné et al., 2013 ; Gérard et al., 2008 ; Stiepen et al., 2015, 2017). A large dataset of nightside disk images and vertical limb scans during southern winter, fall equinox and southern summer conditions have been accumulated since the beginning of the mission. We will present a discussion regarding the variability of the brightness and altitude of the emission with season, geographical position (longitude) and local time and possible interpretation for local and global changes in the mesosphere dynamics. We show the possible impact of atmospheric waves structuring the emission longitudinally and indicating a wave-3 structure in Mars' nightside mesosphere. Quantitative comparison with calculations from the LMD-MGCM (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique-Mars Global Climate Model) show that the model globally reproduces the trends of the NO nightglow emission and its seasonal variation but also indicates large discrepancies (up to a factor 50 fainter in the model) suggesting that the predicted transport is too efficient toward the night winter pole

  13. Diurnal, monthly and seasonal variation of mean winds in the MLT region observed over Kolhapur using MF radar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, A. K.; Gaikwad, H. P.; Ratnam, M. Venkat; Gurav, O. B.; Ramanjaneyulu, L.; Chavan, G. A.; Sathishkumar, S.

    2018-04-01

    Medium Frequency (MF) radar located at Kolhapur (16.8°N, 74.2°E) has been upgraded in August 2013. Since then continuous measurements of zonal and meridional winds are obtained covering larger altitudes from the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) region. Diurnal, monthly and seasonal variation of these mean winds is presented in this study using four years (2013-2017) of observations. The percentage occurrence of radar echoes show maximum between 80 and 105 km. The mean meridional wind shows Annual Oscillation (AO) between 80 and 90 km altitudes with pole-ward motion during December solstice and equatorial motion during June solstice. Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) with weaker amplitudes are also observed between 90 and 104 km. Zonal winds show semi-annual oscillation (SAO) with westward winds during equinoxes and eastward winds during solstices between 80 and 90 km. AO with eastward winds during December solstice and westward wind in the June solstice is also observed in the mean zonal wind between 100 and 110 km. These results match well with that reported from other latitudes within Indian region between 80 and 90 km. However, above 90 km the results presented here provide true mean background winds for the first time over Indian low latitude region as the present station is away from equatorial electro-jet and are not contaminated by ionospheric processes. Further, the results presented earlier with an old version of this radar are found contaminated due to unknown reasons and are corrected in the present work. This upgraded MF radar together with other MLT radars in the Indian region forms unique network to investigate the vertical and lateral coupling.

  14. High-Resolution Wind Measurements for Offshore Wind Energy Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nghiem, Son V.; Neumann, Gregory

    2011-01-01

    A mathematical transform, called the Rosette Transform, together with a new method, called the Dense Sampling Method, have been developed. The Rosette Transform is invented to apply to both the mean part and the fluctuating part of a targeted radar signature using the Dense Sampling Method to construct the data in a high-resolution grid at 1-km posting for wind measurements over water surfaces such as oceans or lakes.

  15. Wind Atlas of Bay of Bengal with Satellite Wind Measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nadi, Navila Rahman

    footstep towards offshore wind energy analysis for this region. Generally, it is difficult to find offshore wind data relative to the wind turbine hub heights, therefore a starting point is necessary to identify the possible wind power density of the region. In such scenario, Synthetic aperture radars (SAR......The objective of this study is to obtain appropriate offshore location in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh for further development of wind energy. Through analyzing the previous published works, no offshore wind energy estimation has been found here. That is why, this study can be claimed as the first......) have proven useful. In this study, SAR based dataset- ENVISAT ASAR has been used for Wind Atlas generation. Furthermore, a comparative study has been performed with Global Wind Atlas (GWA) to determine a potential offshore wind farm. Additionally, the annual energy production of that offshore windfarm...

  16. Multi-Instrument Investigation of Ionospheric Flow Channels and Their Impact on the Ionosphere and Thermosphere during Geomagnetic Storms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-29

    AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2018-0009 Multi-instrument investigation of ionospheric flow channels and their impact on the ionosphere and thermosphere during...SUBTITLE Multi-instrument investigation of ionospheric flow channels and their impact on the ionosphere and thermosphere during geomagnetic storms 5a...Experiment) and GOCE (Gravity field and steady- state Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite data. We also created a series of computer algorithms to

  17. Combining low- to high-resolution transit spectroscopy of HD 189733b. Linking the troposphere and the thermosphere of a hot gas giant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pino, Lorenzo; Ehrenreich, David; Wyttenbach, Aurélien; Bourrier, Vincent; Nascimbeni, Valerio; Heng, Kevin; Grimm, Simon; Lovis, Christophe; Malik, Matej; Pepe, Francesco; Piotto, Giampaolo

    2018-04-01

    Space-borne low- to medium-resolution (ℛ 102-103) and ground-based high-resolution spectrographs (ℛ 105) are commonly used to obtain optical and near infrared transmission spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres. In this wavelength range, space-borne observations detect the broadest spectral features (alkali doublets, molecular bands, scattering, etc.), while high-resolution, ground-based observations probe the sharpest features (cores of the alkali lines, molecular lines). The two techniques differ by several aspects. (1) The line spread function of ground-based observations is 103 times narrower than for space-borne observations; (2) Space-borne transmission spectra probe up to the base of thermosphere (P ≳ 10-6 bar), while ground-based observations can reach lower pressures (down to 10-11 bar) thanks to their high resolution; (3) Space-borne observations directly yield the transit depth of the planet, while ground-based observations can only measure differences in the apparent size of the planet at different wavelengths. These differences make it challenging to combine both techniques. Here, we develop a robust method to compare theoretical models with observations at different resolutions. We introduce πη, a line-by-line 1D radiative transfer code to compute theoretical transmission spectra over a broad wavelength range at very high resolution (ℛ 106, or Δλ 0.01 Å). An hybrid forward modeling/retrieval optimization scheme is devised to deal with the large computational resources required by modeling a broad wavelength range 0.3-2 μm at high resolution. We apply our technique to HD 189733b. In this planet, HST observations reveal a flattened spectrum due to scattering by aerosols, while high-resolution ground-based HARPS observations reveal sharp features corresponding to the cores of sodium lines. We reconcile these apparent contrasting results by building models that reproduce simultaneously both data sets, from the troposphere to the thermosphere

  18. Solar and magnetospheric forcing of the low latitude thermospheric mass density as observed by CHAMP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Müller

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available We have studied the dependence of the thermospheric mass density at equatorial latitudes on the influence of various drivers. This statistical study is based on CHAMP accelerometer measurements. Our aim is to delineate the influences of the different contributions. For the isolation of the effects we make use of a dedicated data selection procedure and/or removal of disturbing effects. In a first step all readings are normalised to an altitude of 400 km. For the investigation of the solar influences only magnetically quiet days (Ap≤15 are considered. The dependence on solar flux can well be described by a linear relation within the flux range F10.7=80–240. The slope is twice as steep on the day side as on the night side. The air density exhibits clear annual and semi-annual variations with maxima at the equinoxes and a pronounced minimum around June solstice. The thermosphere maintains during quiet days a day to night mass density ratio very close to 2, which is independent of solar flux level or season. The magnetospheric input causing thermospheric density enhancement can well be parameterised by the am activity index. The low latitude density responds with a delay to changes of the index by about 3 h on the dayside and 4–5 h on the night side. The magnetospheric forcing causes an additive contribution to the quiet-time density, which is linearly correlated with the am index. The slopes of density increases are the same on the day and night sides. We present quantitative expressions for all the dependences. Our results suggest that all the studied forcing terms can be treated as linear combinations of the respective contribution.

  19. Wake Measurements in ECN's Scaled Wind Farm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagenaar, J.W.; Schepers, J.G. [ECN Wind Energy, Petten (Netherlands)

    2013-02-15

    In ECN's scaled wind farm the wake evolution is studied in two different situations. A single wake is studied at two different locations downstream of a turbine and a single wake is studied in conjunction with a triple wake. Here, the wake is characterized by the wind speed ratio, the turbulence intensity, the vertical wind speed and the turbulence (an)isotropy. Per situation all wake measurements are taken simultaneously together with the inflow conditions.

  20. Measurement of the environmental noise at the Torseroed wind turbine site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fegeant, Olivier

    2000-12-01

    Further to complaints about the noise generated by a Micon 600 kW wind turbine, measurements of both noise immission and noise emission were performed at the Torseroed site. The measurements and analysis presented in this report were carried out by following the recommendations of the IEA documents for noise emission and immission measurements. It was found that the immission level, i.e. the wind turbine sound, at one of the nearest dwelling, namely Solglaentan, is 39 dB(A) for a wind speed of 8 m/s at hub height. Measurements carried out close to the turbine show that the sound power level of the turbine is 4.3 dB higher than the A-weighted level given by the supplier. Furthermore, the noise level increases more rapidly as a function of the wind speed than what is expected from the values furnished by the manufacturer. The measurements results also show that the background noise level is unusually low at Solglaentan

  1. Interhemispheric Asymmetry in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Observed by SABER/TIMED

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yee, J. H.

    2017-12-01

    In this paper we analyze nearly 15 years of satellite observations of temperature, airglow, and composition in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) to quantify their interhemispheric asymmetries ao one can provide quantitative links between observed asymmetries and the spatial and temporal variations of the gravity wave activity. Two processes are believed to be responsible for observed interhemispheric differences in the MLT. The first is the direct radiation effect from the eccentricity of the Earth orbit amd the other is the difference in gravity wave source distribution and filtering due to asymmetries in mean winds of the lower atmosphere. Both processes have been theoretically investigated to explain the observed asymmetry in some of the atmospheric parameters, but not self-consistently in all observed parameters together. In this paper we will show the asymmetry in the time-varying zonal-mean latitudinal structures of temperature, airglow emission rate, and composition observed by TIMED/SABER. We will quantify their interhemispheric asymmetries for different seasons under different solar activity conditions. In addition, temperature measurements will also be used to obtain temporal and spatial morphology of gravity wave potential energies. We will interpret the asymmetry in the observed fields and examine qualitatively their consistency with the two responsible processes, especially the one due to gravity wave filtering process. Our goal is to introduce and to share the spatial and temporal morphologies of all the observed fields to the modeling community so, together self-consistently, they be can be used to gain physical insights into the relative importance of various drivers responsible for the observed asymmetry, especially the role of gravity wave induced eddy drag and mixing, a critical, but least quantitatively understood process.

  2. Evaluation of the Wind Flow Variability Using Scanning Doppler Lidar Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sand, S. C.; Pichugina, Y. L.; Brewer, A.

    2016-12-01

    Better understanding of the wind flow variability at the heights of the modern turbines is essential to accurately assess of generated wind power and efficient turbine operations. Nowadays the wind energy industry often utilizes scanning Doppler lidar to measure wind-speed profiles at high spatial and temporal resolution.The study presents wind flow features captured by scanning Doppler lidars during the second Wind Forecast and Improvement Project (WFIP 2) sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This 18-month long experiment in the Columbia River Basin aims to improve model wind forecasts complicated by mountain terrain, coastal effects, and numerous wind farms.To provide a comprehensive dataset to use for characterizing and predicting meteorological phenomena important to Wind Energy, NOAA deployed scanning, pulsed Doppler lidars to two sites in Oregon, one at Wasco, located upstream of all wind farms relative to the predominant westerly flow in the region, and one at Arlington, located in the middle of several wind farms.In this presentation we will describe lidar scanning patterns capable of providing data in conical, or vertical-slice modes. These individual scans were processed to obtain 15-min averaged profiles of wind speed and direction in real time. Visualization of these profiles as time-height cross sections allows us to analyze variability of these parameters with height, time and location, and reveal periods of rapid changes (ramp events). Examples of wind flow variability between two sites of lidar measurements along with examples of reduced wind velocity downwind of operating turbines (wakes) will be presented.

  3. 3D wake measurements from a scanning wind lidar in combination with a fast wind field reconstruction model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Torben Krogh; Herges, T. G.; Astrup, Poul

    2017-01-01

    University of Denmark. The purpose of the SpinnerLidar measurements at SWIFT is to measure the response of a V27 turbine wake to varying inflow conditions and turbine operating states. Although our fast scanning SpinnerLidar is able to measure the line-of-sight projected wind speed at up to 400 points per......-Stokes CFD code “Lincom Cyclop-buster model,”3 the corresponding 3D wind vector field (u, v, w) can be reconstructed under constraints for conservation of mass and momentum. The resulting model calculated line-of-sight projections of the 3D wind velocity vectors will become consistent with the line...

  4. Wind atlas for Egypt: Measurements, micro- and mesoscale modelling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, N.G.; Hansen, J.C.; Badger, J.

    2006-01-01

    – close to consumers and the electrical grid. The KAMM simulations seem to capture the main features of the wind climate of Egypt, but in regions where the horizontal wind gradients are large, the uncertainties are large as well and additional measurements are required. The results are now published...

  5. Wind Tunnel Measurements at Virginia Tech

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fischer, Andreas; Bertagnolio, Franck

    2012-01-01

    In this section, the wind tunnel configuration used for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic measurement is described. Then, the validation of the method for evaluating far-field noise from surface microphones as described in Section 5 is presented. Finally, the design concept proposed in Section 6 is ve...

  6. Effects of solar activity in the middle atmosphere dynamical regime over Eastern Siberia, USSR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaidukov, V. A.; Kazimirovsky, E. S.; Zhovty, E. I.; Chernigovskaya, M. A.

    1989-01-01

    Lower thermospheric (90 to 120 km) wind data was acquired by ground based spaced-receiver method (HF, LF) near Irkutsk (52 deg N, 104 deg E). There is interrelated solar and meteorological control of lower thermosphere dynamics. Some features of solar control effects on the wind parameters are discussed.

  7. Intercalibration of HRDI and WINDII wind measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. D. Burrage

    Full Text Available The High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI and the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII in- struments, which are both on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, measure winds by sensing the Doppler shift in atmospheric emission features. Because the two observation sets are frequently nearly coincident in space and time, each provides a very e.ective validation test of the other. Discrepancies due to geophysical di.erences should be much smaller than for comparisons with other techniques (radars, rockets, etc., and the very large sizes of the coincident data sets provide excellent statistics for the study. Issues that have been examined include relative systematic o.sets and the wind magnitudes obtained with the two systems. A significant zero wind position di.erence of ~6 m s–1 is identified for the zonal component, and it appears that this arises from an absolute perturbation in WINDII winds of –4 m s–1 and in HRDI of +2 m s–1. Altitude o.sets appear to be relatively small, and do not exceed 1 km. In addition, no evidence is found for the existence of a systematic wind speed bias between HRDI and WINDII. However, considerable day-to-day variability is found in the quality of the agreement, and RMS di.erences are surprisingly large, typically in the range of 20±30 m s–1.

  8. Using Particle Image Velocimetry to Measure the Wind in a Winnowing Chamber

    OpenAIRE

    Matsui, Masami; Inoue, Eiji; Kuwano, Tomoko; Mori, Ken; Furuno, Yuko

    2003-01-01

    The array of vectors for the winnowing wind in the threshing unit was investigated uding PIV in order to improve the winnowing accuracy. It is difficult to measure wind velocities at many points simultaneously using the anemometer. However, visualization of the winnowing wind was possible using the tracer and laser beam. Futhermore, The PIV method made it possible to measure an array of vectors for the winnowing wind. The results produced by PIV concurred with the results of conventional meth...

  9. Complete methodology on generating realistic wind speed profiles based on measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gavriluta, Catalin; Spataru, Sergiu; Mosincat, Ioan

    2012-01-01

    , wind modelling for medium and large time scales is poorly treated in the present literature. This paper presents methods for generating realistic wind speed profiles based on real measurements. The wind speed profile is divided in a low- frequency component (describing long term variations...

  10. Vertical circulation and thermospheric composition: a modelling study

    OpenAIRE

    H. Rishbeth; I. C. F. Müller-Wodarg; I. C. F. Müller-Wodarg

    1999-01-01

    The coupled thermosphere-ionosphere-plasmasphere model CTIP is used to study the global three-dimensional circulation and its effect on neutral composition in the midlatitude F-layer. At equinox, the vertical air motion is basically up by day, down by night, and the atomic oxygen/molecular nitrogen [O/N2] concentration ratio is symmetrical about the equator. At solstice there is a summer-to-winter flow of air, with downwelling at subauroral latitudes in winter that produc...

  11. Laparoscopic microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors: an initial clinical evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berber, Eren

    2016-02-01

    Microwave ablation (MWA) has been recently recognized as a technology to overcome the limitations of radiofrequency ablation. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new 2.45-GHz thermosphere MWA system in the treatment of malignant liver tumors. This was a prospective IRB-approved study of 18 patients with malignant liver tumors treated with MWA within a 3-month time period. Tumor sizes and response to MWA were obtained from triphasic liver CT scans done before and after MWA. The ablation zones were assessed for complete tumor response and spherical geometry. There were a total of 18 patients with an average of three tumors measuring 1.4 cm (range 0.2-4). Ablations were performed laparoscopically in all, but three patients who underwent combined liver resection. A single ablation was created in 72% and overlapping ablations in 28% of lesions. Total ablation time per patient was 15.6 ± 1.9 min. There was no morbidity or mortality. At 2-week CT scans, there was 100% tumor destruction, with no residual lesions. Roundness indices A, B and transverse were 1.1, 0.9 and 0.9, respectively, confirming the spherical nature of ablation zones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a new thermosphere MWA technology in the laparoscopic treatment of malignant liver tumors. The results demonstrate the safety of the technology, with satisfactory spherical ablation zones seen on post-procedural CT scans.

  12. Assessment and Optimization of Lidar Measurement Availability for Wind Turbine Control: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davoust, S.; Jehu, A.; Bouillet, M.; Bardon, M.; Vercherin, B.; Scholbrock, A.; Fleming, P.; Wright, A.

    2014-05-01

    Turbine-mounted lidars provide preview measurements of the incoming wind field. By reducing loads on critical components and increasing the potential power extracted from the wind, the performance of wind turbine controllers can be improved [2]. As a result, integrating a light detection and ranging (lidar) system has the potential to lower the cost of wind energy. This paper presents an evaluation of turbine-mounted lidar availability. Availability is a metric which measures the proportion of time the lidar is producing controller-usable data, and is essential when a wind turbine controller relies on a lidar. To accomplish this, researchers from Avent Lidar Technology and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory first assessed and modeled the effect of extreme atmospheric events. This shows how a multirange lidar delivers measurements for a wide variety of conditions. Second, by using a theoretical approach and conducting an analysis of field feedback, we investigated the effects of the lidar setup on the wind turbine. This helps determine the optimal lidar mounting position at the back of the nacelle, and establishes a relationship between availability, turbine rpm, and lidar sampling time. Lastly, we considered the role of the wind field reconstruction strategies and the turbine controller on the definition and performance of a lidar's measurement availability.

  13. Rotor equivalent wind speed for power curve measurement – comparative exercise for IEA Wind Annex 32

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Rozenn; Cañadillas, B.; Clifton, A.

    2014-01-01

    was the definition of the segment area used as weighting for the wind speeds measured at the various heights in the calculation of the REWS. This comparative exercise showed that the REWS method results in a significant difference compared to the standard method using the wind speed at hub height in conditions...

  14. Electromagnetic energy deposition rate in the polar upper thermosphere derived from the EISCAT Svalbard radar and CUTLASS Finland radar observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Fujiwara

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available From simultaneous observations of the European incoherent scatter Svalbard radar (ESR and the Cooperative UK Twin Located Auroral Sounding System (CUTLASS Finland radar on 9 March 1999, we have derived the height distributions of the thermospheric heating rate at the F region height in association with electromagnetic energy inputs into the dayside polar cap/cusp region. The ESR and CUTLASS radar observations provide the ionospheric parameters with fine time-resolutions of a few minutes. Although the geomagnetic activity was rather moderate (Kp=3+~4, the electric field obtained from the ESR data sometimes shows values exceeding 40 mV/m. The estimated passive energy deposition rates are also larger than 150 W/kg in the upper thermosphere over the ESR site during the period of the enhanced electric field. In addition, enhancements of the Pedersen conductivity also contribute to heating the upper thermosphere, while there is only a small contribution for thermospheric heating from the direct particle heating due to soft particle precipitation in the dayside polar cap/cusp region. In the same period, the CUTLASS observations of the ion drift show the signature of poleward moving pulsed ionospheric flows with a recurrence rate of about 10–20 min. The estimated electromagnetic energy deposition rate shows the existence of the strong heat source in the dayside polar cap/cusp region of the upper thermosphere in association with the dayside magnetospheric phenomena of reconnections and flux transfer events.

  15. Electromagnetic energy deposition rate in the polar upper thermosphere derived from the EISCAT Svalbard radar and CUTLASS Finland radar observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Fujiwara

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available From simultaneous observations of the European incoherent scatter Svalbard radar (ESR and the Cooperative UK Twin Located Auroral Sounding System (CUTLASS Finland radar on 9 March 1999, we have derived the height distributions of the thermospheric heating rate at the F region height in association with electromagnetic energy inputs into the dayside polar cap/cusp region. The ESR and CUTLASS radar observations provide the ionospheric parameters with fine time-resolutions of a few minutes. Although the geomagnetic activity was rather moderate (Kp=3+~4, the electric field obtained from the ESR data sometimes shows values exceeding 40 mV/m. The estimated passive energy deposition rates are also larger than 150 W/kg in the upper thermosphere over the ESR site during the period of the enhanced electric field. In addition, enhancements of the Pedersen conductivity also contribute to heating the upper thermosphere, while there is only a small contribution for thermospheric heating from the direct particle heating due to soft particle precipitation in the dayside polar cap/cusp region. In the same period, the CUTLASS observations of the ion drift show the signature of poleward moving pulsed ionospheric flows with a recurrence rate of about 10–20 min. The estimated electromagnetic energy deposition rate shows the existence of the strong heat source in the dayside polar cap/cusp region of the upper thermosphere in association with the dayside magnetospheric phenomena of reconnections and flux transfer events.

  16. Measurements in support of wind farm simulations and power forecasts: The Crop/Wind-energy Experiments (CWEX)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takle, E S; Rajewski, D A; Lundquist, J K; Gallus, W A Jr; Sharma, A

    2014-01-01

    The Midwest US currently is experiencing a large build-out of wind turbines in areas where the nocturnal low-level jet (NLLJ) is a prominent and frequently occurring feature. We describe shear characteristics of the NLLJ and their influence on wind power production. Reports of individual turbine power production and concurrent measurements of near-surface thermal stratification are used to turbine wake interactions and turbine interaction with the overlying atmosphere. Progress in forecasting conditions such as wind ramps and shear are discussed. Finally, the pressure perturbation introduced by a line of turbines produces surface flow convergence that may create a vertical velocity and hence a mesoscale influence on cloud formation by a wind farm

  17. Evidence for Solar Cycle Influence on the Infrared Energy Budget and Radiative Cooling of the Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mlynczak, Martin G.; Martin-Torres, F. Javier; Marshall, B. Thomas; Thompson, R. Earl; Williams, Joshua; Turpin, TImothy; Kratz, D. P.; Russell, James M.; Woods, Tom; Gordley, Larry L.

    2007-01-01

    We present direct observational evidence for solar cycle influence on the infrared energy budget and radiative cooling of the thermosphere. By analyzing nearly five years of data from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument, we show that the annual mean infrared power radiated by the nitric oxide (NO) molecule at 5.3 m has decreased by a factor of 2.9. This decrease is correlated (r = 0.96) with the decrease in the annual mean F10.7 solar index. Despite the sharp decrease in radiated power (which is equivalent to a decrease in the vertical integrated radiative cooling rate), the variability of the power as given in the standard deviation of the annual means remains approximately constant. A simple relationship is shown to exist between the infrared power radiated by NO and the F10.7 index, thus providing a fundamental relationship between solar activity and the thermospheric cooling rate for use in thermospheric models. The change in NO radiated power is also consistent with changes in absorbed ultraviolet radiation over the same time period.

  18. Performance enhancement and load reduction on wind turbines using inflow measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abildgaard Kragh, K.

    2013-06-15

    Wind energy is being applied at a larger and larger scale worldwide, and is one of the technologies eligible for accommodating the increasing demand for renewable energy. However, wind energy is still not competitive compared to technologies that are based on fossil energy sources. Therefore, much wind energy research is focused on decreasing the cost of the energy that can be produced from the wind. The cost of energy can for example be decreased by ensuring that wind turbines are operated in a way that ensures that the maximum amount of energy is extracted, and that the turbines are not loaded excessively. The operation of a wind turbine is governed by a number of controllers that are based on a series of sensors and actuators. Classical wind turbine control utilizes sensors for measuring turbine parameters such as rotor speed, power and shaft torque, as well as actuators for applying generator torque and collective pitch angle changes. Thus, classical wind turbine control schemes are based on measurements of the effects of the inflow on the turbine. Therefore, the reactions of the control system to the inflow changes are inherently delayed compared to the actual inflow changes. Because of the inherent delay of the control system, the ability of the system to react promptly to inflow changes is limited. Control schemes that are based on inflow measurements have been developed to overcome the limitations of the classical wind turbine control system. By measuring the inflow directly, actuation can be initiated instantly as the inflow changes. If the inflow is measured upstream of the turbine, actuation can be initiated prior to the occurrence of a wind speed change at the turbine. Hereby, even the actuator delay can be compensated for. Upstream inflow measurements could for example be acquired using ''Light Detection and Ranging''. In this thesis, the potentials for improving the power production and decreasing the load variations of horizontal axis upwind turbines

  19. Windscanner: 3-D wind and turbulence measurements from three steerable doppler lidars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikkelsen, T; Mann, J; Courtney, M; Sjoeholm, M

    2008-01-01

    At RISOe DTU we has started to build a new-designed laser-based lidar scanning facility for detailed remote measurements of the wind fields engulfing the huge wind turbines of today. Our aim is to measure in real-time 3D wind vector data at several hundred points every second: 1) upstream of the turbine, 2) near the turbine, and 3) in the wakes of the turbine rotors. Our first proto-type Windscanner is now being built from three commercially available Continuous Wave (CW) wind lidars modified with fast adjustable focus length and equipped with 2-D prism-based scan heads, in conjunction with a commercially available pulsed wind lidar for extended vertical profiling range. Design, construction and initial testing of the new 3-D wind lidar scanning facility are described and the functionality of the Windscanner and its potential as a new research facility within the wind energy community is discussed

  20. Wind Speed Measurement by Paper Anemometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Juhua; Cheng, Zhongqi; Guan, Wenchuan

    2011-01-01

    A simple wind speed measurement device, a paper anemometer, is fabricated based on the theory of standing waves. In providing the working profile of the paper anemometer, an experimental device is established, which consists of an anemometer sensor, a sound sensor, a microphone, paper strips, a paper cup, and sonic acquisition software. It shows…

  1. The efficiency of windbreaks on the basis of wind field and optical porosity measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomáš Středa

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Windbreaks have been used for many years to reduce wind speed as a wind-erosion control mea­su­re. To assessment of windbreak efficiency two main parameters are using: height of windbreak (H and aerodynamic porosity. In South Moravian Region the total area of windbreaks is approximately 1200 ha. For purposes of horizontal profile measurement of wind speed and wind direction windbreaks with various spices composition, age and construction in cadastral territory Suchá Loz and Micmanice were chosen. Windbreak influence on horizontal wind profile was found out in distance of 50, 100, 150 and 200 m in front and behind windbreak in two-meter height above surface. For the optical porosity measurement the ImageTool program was used. The wind field measurement results of windbreak in Suchá Loz cadastral shows limited effect of windbreak on wind speed. The windbreak is created mainly by Canadian poplars (Populus × canadensis. In dependence on main species foliage stage the effect of windbreak was obvious on leeward side to distance of 100–150 m (c. 5–7 H. Average optical porosity of windbreak in Suchá Loz was 50% (April. Reduction of average wind speed was about 17% maximally in this stage. Optical porosity was 20% and wind speed reduction was about 37% during second measurement (October. The second monitored windbreak (Micmanice had a significant influence on wind speed even to the maximal measured distance (200 m, c. 14 H. This windbreak crea­ted mainly by Acer sp. and Fraxinus excelsior reduced the wind speed about 64%. During first measurement (May the optical porosity of 20% and maximal wind speed reduction of 64% were assessed. For optical porosity of 21% (October the wind speed reduction was about 55%. Close relation between optical porosity and wind speed reduction was found out by statistical evaluation. Correlation coefficient regardless locality for distance of 50 m was −0.80, 100 m −0.92, 150 m −0.76 and for distance of 200 m

  2. Quality controls for wind measurement of a 1290-MHz boundary layer profiler under strong wind conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhao; Zheng, Chaorong; Wu, Yue

    2017-09-01

    Wind profilers have been widely adopted to observe the wind field information in the atmosphere for different purposes. But accuracy of its observation has limitations due to various noises or disturbances and hence need to be further improved. In this paper, the data measured under strong wind conditions, using a 1290-MHz boundary layer profiler (BLP), are quality controlled via a composite quality control (QC) procedure proposed by the authors. Then, through the comparison with the data measured by radiosonde flights (balloon observations), the critical thresholds in the composite QC procedure, including consensus average threshold T 1 and vertical shear threshold T 3 , are systematically discussed. And the performance of the BLP operated under precipitation is also evaluated. It is found that to ensure the high accuracy and high data collectable rate, the optimal range of subsets is determined to be 4 m/s. Although the number of data rejected by the combined algorithm of vertical shear examination and small median test is quite limited, it is proved that the algorithm is quite useful to recognize the outlier with a large discrepancy. And the optimal wind shear threshold T 3 can be recommended as 5 ms -1 /100m. During patchy precipitation, the quality of data measured by the four oblique beams (using the DBS measuring technique) can still be ensured. After the BLP data are quality controlled by the composite QC procedure, the output can show good agreement with the balloon observation.

  3. Janus: Graphical Software for Analyzing In-Situ Measurements of Solar-Wind Ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maruca, B.; Stevens, M. L.; Kasper, J. C.; Korreck, K. E.

    2016-12-01

    In-situ observations of solar-wind ions provide tremendous insights into the physics of space plasmas. Instrument on spacecraft measure distributions of ion energies, which can be processed into scientifically useful data (e.g., values for ion densities and temperatures). This analysis requires a strong, technical understanding of the instrument, so it has traditionally been carried out by the instrument teams using automated software that they had developed for that purpose. The automated routines are optimized for typical solar-wind conditions, so they can fail to capture the complex (and scientifically interesting) microphysics of transient solar-wind - such as coronal mass ejections (CME's) and co-rotating interaction regions (CIR's) - which are often better analyzed manually.This presentation reports on the ongoing development of Janus, a new software package for processing in-situ measurement of solar-wind ions. Janus will provide user with an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) for carrying out highly customized analyses. Transparent to the user, Janus will automatically handle the most technical tasks (e.g., the retrieval and calibration of measurements). For the first time, users with only limited knowledge about the instruments (e.g., non-instrumentalists and students) will be able to easily process measurements of solar-wind ions. Version 1 of Janus focuses specifically on such measurements from the Wind spacecraft's Faraday Cups and is slated for public release in time for this presentation.

  4. Resonant dissociation in N2 by electron impact: a source of heating in the thermosphere and auroras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spence, D.; Burrow, P.D.

    1979-01-01

    An electron impact resonant dissociation process, leading to superthermal atom production in molecular nitrogen is described. The maximum cross section for this process is found to be 2.5 x 10 -18 cm 2 at 10 eV. Measurements of scattered electrons indicate a value of -65 to -90 MeV for the electron affinity of N. The possible role of resonant dissociation as a source of heating in the thermosphere and in auroras is discussed

  5. Multi-MW wind turbine power curve measurements using remote sensing instruments - the first Hoevsoere campaign

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, R.; Courtney, M.

    2009-02-15

    Power curve measurement for large wind turbines requires taking into account more parameters than only the wind speed at hub height. Based on results from aerodynamic simulations, an equivalent wind speed taking the wind shear into account was defined and found to reduce the scatter in the power curve significantly. Two LiDARs and a SoDAR are used to measure the wind profile in front of a wind turbine. These profiles are used to calculate the equivalent wind speed. LiDAR are found to be more accurate than SoDAR and therefore more suitable for power performance measurement. The equivalent wind speed calculated from LiDAR profile measurements gave a small reduction of the power curve uncertainty. Several factors can explain why this difference is smaller than expected, including the experimental design and errors pertaining to the LiDAR at that time. This first measurement campaign shows that used of the equivalent wind speed at least results in a power curve with no more scatter than using the conventional method. (au)

  6. Numerical modeling study of the momentum deposition of small amplitude gravity waves in the thermosphere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, X. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China). State Key Lab. of Space Weather; Henan Normal Univ., Xinxiang (China). College of Mathematics and Information Science; Xu, J. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China). State Key Lab. of Space Weather; Yue, J. [National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States). High Altitude Observatory; Hampton Univ., VA (United States). Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Vadas, S.L. [North West Research Associates, Inc., Boulder, CO (United States)

    2013-03-01

    We study the momentum deposition in the thermosphere from the dissipation of small amplitude gravity waves (GWs) within a wave packet using a fully nonlinear two-dimensional compressible numerical model. The model solves the nonlinear propagation and dissipation of a GW packet from the stratosphere into the thermosphere with realistic molecular viscosity and thermal diffusivity for various Prandtl numbers. The numerical simulations are performed for GW packets with initial vertical wavelengths ({lambda}{sub z}) ranging from 5 to 50 km. We show that {lambda}{sub z} decreases in time as a GW packet dissipates in the thermosphere, in agreement with the ray trace results of Vadas and Fritts (2005) (VF05). We also find good agreement for the peak height of the momentum flux (z{sub diss}) between our simulations and VF05 for GWs with initial {lambda}{sub z} {<=} 2{pi}H in an isothermal, windless background, where H is the density scale height.We also confirm that z{sub diss} increases with increasing Prandtl number. We include eddy diffusion in the model, and find that the momentum deposition occurs at lower altitudes and has two separate peaks for GW packets with small initial {lambda}{sub z}. We also simulate GW packets in a non-isothermal atmosphere. The net {lambda}{sub z} profile is a competition between its decrease from viscosity and its increase from the increasing background temperature. We find that the wave packet disperses more in the non-isothermal atmosphere, and causes changes to the momentum flux and {lambda}{sub z} spectra at both early and late times for GW packets with initial {lambda}{sub z} {>=} 10 km. These effects are caused by the increase in T in the thermosphere, and the decrease in T near the mesopause. (orig.)

  7. A FULL-SCALE MEASUREMENT OF WIND ACTIONS AND EFFECTS ON A SEA-CROSSING BRIDGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Zhou

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Wind loading is critical for the large-span and light-weight structures, and field measurement is the most effective way to evaluate the wind resistance performance of a specific structure. This study investigates the wind characteristics and wind-induced vibration on a sea-crossing bridge in China, namely Donghai Bridge, based on up to six years of monitoring data. It is found that: (1 there exists obvious discrepancy between the measured wind field parameters and the values suggested by the design code; and the wind records at the bridge site is easily interfered by the bridge structure itself, which should be considered in interpreting the measurements and designing structural health monitoring systems (SHMS; (2 for strong winds with high non-stationarity, a shorter averaging time than 10-min is preferable to obtain more stable turbulent wind characteristics; (3 the root mean square (RMS of the wind-induced acceleration of the girder may increase in an approximately quadratic curve relationship with the mean wind speed; and (4 compared to traffic load, the wind dominates the girder’s lateral vibration amplitude, while the heavy-load traffic might exert more influence on the girder’s vertical and torsional vibrations than the high winds. This study provides field evidence for the wind-resistant design and evaluation of bridges in similar operational conditions.

  8. Demonstration of synchronised scanning Lidar measurements of 2D velocity fields in a boundary-layer wind tunnel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van Dooren, M F; Kühn, M.; Petrovic, V.

    2016-01-01

    This paper combines the currently relevant research methodologies of scaled wind turbine model experiments in wind tunnels with remote-sensing short-range WindScanner Lidar measurement technology. The wind tunnel of the Politecnico di Milano was equipped with three wind turbine models and two short...... compared to hot wire probe measurements commonly used in wind tunnels. This yielded goodness of fit coefficients of 0.969 and 0.902 for the 1 Hz averaged u- and v-components of the wind speed, respectively, validating the 2D measurement capability of the Lidar scanners. Subsequently, the measurement...... for accurately measuring small scale flow structures in a wind tunnel....

  9. Measuring power output intermittency and unsteady loading in a micro wind farm model

    OpenAIRE

    Bossuyt, Juliaan; Howland, Michael; Meneveau, Charles; Meyers, Johan

    2016-01-01

    In this study porous disc models are used as a turbine model for a wind-tunnel wind farm experiment, allowing the measurement of the power output, thrust force and spatially averaged incoming velocity for every turbine. The model's capabilities for studying the unsteady turbine loading, wind farm power output intermittency and spatio temporal correlations between wind turbines are demonstrated on an aligned wind farm, consisting of 100 wind turbine models.

  10. Extension of the MSIS thermosphere model into the middle and lower atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hedin, A.E.

    1991-01-01

    The MSIS-86 empirical model has been revised in the lower thermosphere and extended into the mesosphere and lower atmosphere to provide a single analytic model for calculating temperature and density profiles representative of the climatological average for various geophysical conditions. Tabulations from the Handbook for MAP 16 are the primary guide for the lower atmosphere and are supplemented by historical rocket and incoherent scatter data in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Low-order spherical harmonics and Fourier series are used to describe the major variations throughout the atmosphere including latitude, annual, semiannual, and simplified local time and longitude variations. While month to month details cannot be completely represented, lower atmosphere temperature data are fit to an overall standard deviation of 3 K and pressure to 2%. Comparison with rocket and other data indicates that the model represents current knowledge of the climatological average reasonably well, although there is some conflict as to details near the mesopause

  11. Reliability measures for indexed semi-Markov chains applied to wind energy production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Amico, Guglielmo; Petroni, Filippo; Prattico, Flavio

    2015-01-01

    The computation of the dependability measures is a crucial point in many engineering problems as well as in the planning and development of a wind farm. In this paper we address the issue of energy production by wind turbines by using an indexed semi-Markov chain as a model of wind speed. We present the mathematical model, the data and technical characteristics of a commercial wind turbine (Aircon HAWT-10kW). We show how to compute some of the main dependability measures such as reliability, availability and maintainability functions. We compare the results of the model with real energy production obtained from data available in the Lastem station (Italy) and sampled every 10 min. - Highlights: • Semi-Markov models. • Time series generation of wind speed. • Computation of availability, reliability and maintainability.

  12. An MPC approach to individual pitch control of wind turbines using uncertain LIDAR measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mirzaei, Mahmood; Soltani, Mohsen; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2013-01-01

    wind turbine in the full load region is considered. Model predictive control (MPC) is used to solve the problem. A new approach is proposed to simplify the optimization problem of MPC. We linearize the obtained nonlinear model for different operating points which are determined by the effective wind...... speed on the rotor disc and take the wind speed as a scheduling variable. The wind speed is measurable ahead of the turbine using LIDARs, therefore the scheduling variable is known for the entire prediction horizon. We consider uncertainty in the wind propagation, which is the traveling time of wind...... from the LIDAR measurement point to the rotor. An algorithm based on wind speed estimation and measurements from the LIDAR is devised to find an estimate of the delay and compensate for it before it is used in the controller. Comparisons between the MPC with error compensation, without error...

  13. Time series analysis of continuous-wave coherent Doppler Lidar wind measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sjöholm, Mikael; Mikkelsen, Torben; Mann, Jakob

    2008-01-01

    The influence of spatial volume averaging of a focused 1.55 mu m continuous-wave coherent Doppler Lidar on observed wind turbulence measured in the atmospheric surface layer over homogeneous terrain is described and analysed. Comparison of Lidar-measured turbulent spectra with spectra simultaneou......The influence of spatial volume averaging of a focused 1.55 mu m continuous-wave coherent Doppler Lidar on observed wind turbulence measured in the atmospheric surface layer over homogeneous terrain is described and analysed. Comparison of Lidar-measured turbulent spectra with spectra...

  14. Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zavadsky, Andrey; Shemer, Lev

    2018-02-13

    This manuscript describes an experimental procedure that allows obtaining diverse quantitative information on temporal and spatial evolution of water waves excited by time-dependent and steady wind forcing. Capacitance-type wave gauge and Laser Slope Gauge (LSG) are used to measure instantaneous water surface elevation and two components of the instantaneous surface slope at a number of locations along the test section of a wind-wave facility. The computer-controlled blower provides airflow over the water in the tank whose rate can vary in time. In the present experiments, the wind speed in the test section initially increases quickly from rest to the set value. It is then kept constant for the prescribed duration; finally, the airflow is shut down. At the beginning of each experimental run, the water surface is calm and there is no wind. Operation of the blower is initiated simultaneously with the acquisition of data provided by all sensors by a computer; data acquisition continues until the waves in the tank fully decay. Multiple independent runs performed under identical forcing conditions allow determining statistically reliable ensemble-averaged characteristic parameters that quantitatively describe wind-waves' variation in time for the initial development stage as a function of fetch. The procedure also allows characterizing the spatial evolution of the wave field under steady wind forcing, as well as decay of waves in time, once the wind is shut down, as a function of fetch.

  15. All-Fiber Airborne Coherent Doppler Lidar to Measure Wind Profiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Jiqiao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available An all-fiber airborne pulsed coherent Doppler lidar (CDL prototype at 1.54μm is developed to measure wind profiles in the lower troposphere layer. The all-fiber single frequency pulsed laser is operated with pulse energy of 300μJ, pulse width of 400ns and pulse repetition rate of 10kHz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest pulse energy of all-fiber eye-safe single frequency laser that is used in airborne coherent wind lidar. The telescope optical diameter of monostatic lidar is 100 mm. Velocity-Azimuth-Display (VAD scanning is implemented with 20 degrees elevation angle in 8 different azimuths. Real-time signal processing board is developed to acquire and process the heterodyne mixing signal with 10000 pulses spectra accumulated every second. Wind profiles are obtained every 20 seconds. Several experiments are implemented to evaluate the performance of the lidar. We have carried out airborne wind lidar experiments successfully, and the wind profiles are compared with aerological theodolite and ground based wind lidar. Wind speed standard error of less than 0.4m/s is shown between airborne wind lidar and balloon aerological theodolite.

  16. Development of Rayleigh Doppler lidar for measuring middle atmosphere winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raghunath, K.; Patra, A. K.; Narayana Rao, D.

    Interpretation of most of the middle and upper atmospheric dynamical and chemical data relies on the climatological description of the wind field Rayleigh Doppler lidar is one instrument which monitors wind profiles continuously though continuity is limited to clear meteorological conditions in the middle atmosphere A Doppler wind lidar operating in incoherent mode gives excellent wind and temperature information at these altitudes with necessary spectral sensitivity It observes atmospheric winds by measuring the spectral shift of the scattered light due to the motions of atmospheric molecules with background winds and temperature by spectral broadening The presentation is about the design and development of Incoherent Doppler lidar to obtain wind information in the height regions of 30-65 km The paper analyses and describes various types of techniques that can be adopted viz Edge technique and Fringe Imaging technique The paper brings out the scientific objectives configuration simulations error sources and technical challenges involved in the development of Rayleigh Doppler lidar The presentation also gives a novel technique for calibrating the lidar

  17. Compact, High Energy 2-micron Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Development for NASA's Future 3-D Winds Measurement from Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Upendra N.; Koch, Grady; Yu, Jirong; Petros, Mulugeta; Beyon, Jeffrey; Kavaya, Michael J.; Trieu, Bo; Chen, Songsheng; Bai, Yingxin; Petzar, paul; hide

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents an overview of 2-micron laser transmitter development at NASA Langley Research Center for coherent-detection lidar profiling of winds. The novel high-energy, 2-micron, Ho:Tm:LuLiF laser technology developed at NASA Langley was employed to study laser technology currently envisioned by NASA for future global coherent Doppler lidar winds measurement. The 250 mJ, 10 Hz laser was designed as an integral part of a compact lidar transceiver developed for future aircraft flight. Ground-based wind profiles made with this transceiver will be presented. NASA Langley is currently funded to build complete Doppler lidar systems using this transceiver for the DC-8 aircraft in autonomous operation. Recently, LaRC 2-micron coherent Doppler wind lidar system was selected to contribute to the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Earth Science Division (ESD) hurricane field experiment in 2010 titled Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP). The Doppler lidar system will measure vertical profiles of horizontal vector winds from the DC-8 aircraft using NASA Langley s existing 2-micron, pulsed, coherent detection, Doppler wind lidar system that is ready for DC-8 integration. The measurements will typically extend from the DC-8 to the earth s surface. They will be highly accurate in both wind magnitude and direction. Displays of the data will be provided in real time on the DC-8. The pulsed Doppler wind lidar of NASA Langley Research Center is much more powerful than past Doppler lidars. The operating range, accuracy, range resolution, and time resolution will be unprecedented. We expect the data to play a key role, combined with the other sensors, in improving understanding and predictive algorithms for hurricane strength and track. 1

  18. Anemometers for Mars. [Viking '75 wind measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, R. M.; Greene, G. C.

    1974-01-01

    An investigation is conducted concerning the problems involved in the conduction of wind measurements on the planet Mars, taking into account the currently known characteristics of the Martian atmosphere. Problems introduced by the presence of the lander are examined. The suitability of several different types of anemometers for making the measurements is discussed, giving attention to rotating anemometers, sonic anemometers, ion tracers, drag force anemometers, pitot tubes, and thermal anemometers.

  19. Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation Model Validation with Wind Farm Measurements and Uncertainty Quantification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koukoura, Christina; Natarajan, Anand; Krogh, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    The variation in simulated monopile substructure loads is quantified by validating an aero-hydro-servo-elastic design tool with offshore foundation load measurements. A three bladed 3.6MW pitch controlled variable speed wind turbine for offshore monopile foundations is modeled in the HAWC2...

  20. The possible effect of solar soft X rays on thermospheric nitric oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siskind, D.E.; Barth, C.A.; Cleary, D.D.

    1990-01-01

    A rocket measurement of thermospheric nitric oxide (NO) is used to evaluate the production of odd nitrogen by solar soft X rays (18-50 angstrom). The rocket observation was performed over White Sands Missile Range on November 9, 1981, at 1500 LT for solar maximum conditions (F10.7 = 233). The peak observed NO density was 6.3 x 10 7 cm -3 at 102 km. A photochemical model which included soft X rays was used for comparison with the data. The soft X rays create photoelectrons which lead to enhanced ionization of N 2 and thus increased odd nitrogen production. A good fit to the data was achieved using a soft X ray flux of 0.75 erg cm -2 s -1

  1. Simulation of the Impact of New Aircraft- and Satellite-Based Ocean Surface Wind Measurements on H*Wind Analyses and Numerical Forecasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Timothy; Atlas, Robert; Black, Peter; Chen, Shuyi; Hood, Robbie; Johnson, James; Jones, Linwood; Ruf, Chris; Uhlhorn, Eric; Krishnamurti, T. N.; hide

    2009-01-01

    The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) is a new airborne microwave remote sensor for hurricane observations that is currently under development by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NOAA Hurricane Research Division, the University of Central Florida and the University of Michigan. HIRAD is being designed to enhance the realtime airborne ocean surface winds observation capabilities of NOAA and USAF Weather Squadron hurricane hunter aircraft using the operational airborne Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR). Unlike SFMR, which measures wind speed and rain rate along the ground track directly beneath the aircraft, HIRAD will provide images of the surface wind and rain field over a wide swath ( 3 x the aircraft altitude). The present paper describes a set of Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) in which measurements from the new instrument as well as those from existing instruments (air, surface, and space-based) are simulated from the output of a detailed numerical model, and those results are used to construct H*Wind analyses. The H*Wind analysis, a product of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, brings together wind measurements from a variety of observation platforms into an objective analysis of the distribution of wind speeds in a tropical cyclone. This product is designed to improve understanding of the extent and strength of the wind field, and to improve the assessment of hurricane intensity. See http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/wind.html. Evaluations will be presented on the impact of the HIRAD instrument on H*Wind analyses, both in terms of adding it to the full suite of current measurements, as well as using it to replace instrument(s) that may not be functioning at the future time the HIRAD instrument is implemented. Also shown will be preliminary results of numerical weather prediction OSSEs in which the impact of the addition of HIRAD observations to the initial state

  2. 风力发电系统中的风速测量技术%Wind Speed Measurement Technology in Wind Power Generation System

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    雷鹏; 刘文红; 张帅; 邱天爽

    2015-01-01

    风速测量在风力发电系统中影响着风力机组的转速和功率的控制,风速值的准确性将影响整个风机的效率.首先介绍了几种在风力发电系统中常用的风速测量仪,简述了其原理、结构特点,然后分析了各种风速测量方法的优缺点及适用范围,最后展望了软测量技术在风力发电系统风速测量中的应用前景.%The wind speed measurement in wind power system, the influence of the wind turbine speed and power control, the accuracy of the wind speed value will affect the efficiency of the whole wind turbine. In this paper, the wind speed measuring instrument for wind power generation system is introduced, and its principle and structure characteristics are described. Then the advantages and disadvantages of various wind speed measurement methods are analyzed.

  3. A comparison of the consequences of thermospheric inertia on Saturn and Earth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spain, T.; Achilleos, N.; Aruliah, A. L.

    2008-09-01

    ABSTRACT The ionosphere should react near-instantaneously to magnetospheric control via electric fields and particle precipitation. The neutral gas of the thermosphere becomes stirred up through collisions and momentum transfer with the ionospheric plasma, although with a time lag in response because of its much larger population mass [1]. The thermosphere thus responds to magnetospheric drivers with a modulating influence owing to its inertia. This study investigates the effect of thermospheric inertia on the energy drawn from the magnetosphere and redistributed as Joule heating and acceleration of the neutral gas. The decay of ionospheric currents and consequent magnetic perturbations are also studied. The UCL Saturn model [2] and CTIP Earth [3] model will each be used for 2 simulations: the first a steadystate 'quiet' simulation and the second including the representation of a geomagnetic storm lasting for an extended period that is then turned off. For each planet, comparisons will be made between these two simulations for the period immediately following the storm, when the electric field and particle precipitation drivers of the 'storm' simulations have returned to values in accordance with the 'quiet' models. The differences between the steady state and previously active simulations will be purely due to thermospheric inertia [4]. It is anticipated that the response of the Gas Giant will be very different from the Earth due to differences in the size, rotational speed, flow timescales [5] [6] and composition of the respective planetary environments. References [1] Schunk, R. W., 1987, Physica Scripta, T18, pp. 256- 275, doi: 10.1088/0031-8949/1987/T18/026. [2] Smith, C. G. A. and Aylward, A. D. and Millward, G. H. and Miller, S. and Moore, L. E., 2007, Nature, 445 (7126), pp. 399-401. [3] Millward, G. H. and Moffett, R. J. and Quegan, S. and Fuller-Rowell, T. J., 1996, in The STEP Handbook of Ionospheric Models, R.W. Schunk ed., Utah State University. [4

  4. Comparison of NWP wind speeds and directions to measured wind speeds and directions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Astrup, Poul; Mikkelsen, Torben

    Numerical Weather Predictions (NWP) of wind speed and direction has been compared to measurements for seven German sites for nuclear power plants, and for Risø, the site of the Danish nuclear research reactors now being decommissioned . For the German sites the data cover approximately three month...

  5. A study into the effect of the diurnal tide on the structure of the background mesosphere and thermosphere using the new coupled middle atmosphere and thermosphere (CMAT general circulation model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. J. Harris

    2002-02-01

    Full Text Available A new coupled middle atmosphere and thermosphere general circulation model has been developed, and some first results are presented. An investigation into the effects of the diurnal tide upon the mean composition, dynamics and energetics was carried out for equinox conditions. Previous studies have shown that tides deplete mean atomic oxygen in the upper mesosphere-lower thermosphere due to an increased recombination in the tidal displaced air parcels. The model runs presented suggest that the mean residual circulation associated with the tidal dissipation also plays an important role. Stronger lower boundary tidal forcing was seen to increase the equatorial local diurnal maximum of atomic oxygen and the associated 0(1S 557.7 nm green line volume emission rates. The changes in the mean background temperature structure were found to correspond to changes in the mean circulation and exothermic chemical heating.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides

  6. The sound power measurement and certification of wind turbines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacKinnon, A.; Henderson, R.

    1992-01-01

    It is anticipated that there will be a substantial growth in the exploitation of renewable energy from the wind over the next few years. A major factor in this expected growth is the environmental acceptance or otherwise of wind turbines and in particular their acoustic characteristics. It is generally accepted within the turbine community that reliable methods of measuring and quantifying a turbine's acoustic signature are essential if this exploitation is to be realised. This paper will seek to review current practice both in the UK and further afield and will describe the development of a practical and reliable test method, which will aid the wind turbine Manufacturer, Developer and Planner. (author)

  7. Noise measurement at wind power plants; Geraeuschmessung an Windenergieanlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schoene, Ralph [Cirrus Research plc, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

    2012-09-15

    Wind energy is a supporting pillar of the energy transition. For further expansion, it is important to reduce prejudices, for example by measurements as precise as possible and assessments of the often unobjectively discussed noise emissions. These measurements are based on instruments which can analyze and measure low-frequency sound.

  8. Modeling the solar cycle change in nitric oxide in the thermosphere and upper mesosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuller-Rowell, T.J.

    1993-01-01

    Measurements from the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) satellite have shown that low-latitude nitric oxide densities at 110 km decrease by about a factor of 8 from January 1982 to April 1985. This time period corresponds to the descending phase of the last solar cycle where the monthly smoothed sunspot number decreased from more than 150 to less than 25. In addition, nitric oxide was observed to vary by a factor of 2 over a solar rotation, during high solar activity. A one-dimensional, globally averaged model of the thermosphere and upper mesosphere has been used to study the height distribution of nitric oxide (NO) and its response to changes in the solar extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV) through the solar cycle and over a solar rotation. The primary source of nitric oxide is the reaction of excited atomic nitrogen, N( 2 D), with molecular oxygen. The atomic nitrogen is created by a number of ion-neutral reactions and by direct dissociation of molecular nitrogen by photons and photoelectrons. The occurrence of the peak nitric oxide density at or below 115 km is a direct consequence of ionization and dissociation of molecular nitrogen by photoelectrons, which are produced by the solar flux below 30.0 nm (XUV). Nitric oxide is shown to vary over the solar cycle by a factor of 7 at low latitudes in the lower thermosphere E region, due to the estimated change in the solar EUV flux, in good agreement with the SME satellite observations. The NO density is shown to be strongly dependent on the temperature profile in the lower thermosphere and accounts for the difference between the current model and previous work. Wavelengths less than 1.8 nm have little impact on the NO profile. A factor of 3 change in solar flux below 5.0 nm at high solar activity produced a factor of 2 change in the peak NO density, consistent with SME observations over a solar rotation; this change also lowered the peak to 100 km, consistent with rocket data. 52 refs., 10 figs., 5 tabs

  9. Performance Enhancement and Load Reduction on Wind Turbines Using Inflow Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kragh, Knud Abildgaard

    . The load variations on a wind turbine can be alleviated using either yaw or pitch actuation. A method is presented for alleviating load variations using yaw control, and it is shown how the method can be efficiently applied for decreasing the load variations that are caused by a vertical wind shear...... wind energy research is focused on decreasing the cost of the energy that can be produced from the wind. The cost of energy can for example be decreased by ensuring that wind turbines are operated in a way that ensures that the maximum amount of energy is extracted, and that the turbines are not loaded...... excessively. The operation of a wind turbine is governed by a number of controllers that are based on a series of sensors and actuators. Classical wind turbine control utilizes sensors for measuring turbine parameters such as rotor speed, power and shaft torque, as well as actuators for applying generator...

  10. Measured wind speed trends on the west coast of Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuller, Stanton E.

    2004-09-01

    Trends in measured wind speed are discussed for four stations on the west coast of Canada. Periods of record vary with the station. They begin in the late 1940s or the 1950s and run through to the early to mid 1990s. The most prominent feature of the time series was a decline in mean annual and winter wind speeds at Cape St James, Victoria International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport during the middle portion of the record. Declines in mean annual wind speed are matched by increases in the percentage of calms and decreases in high wind speed observations. The pressure gradient between Victoria, Vancouver and Comox, the Pacific North American index, the Pacific decadal oscillation index, and other climate elements in British Columbia and the northwestern USA show trends at roughly the same time, indicating a natural cause of the wind speed decrease. Comox Airport mean wind speeds increased, however, perhaps the result of reduced friction in the vicinity of the anemometer outweighing the decrease in the regional pressure gradient.

  11. Tracking of smokestack and cooling tower plumes using wind measurements at different levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, R.L.; Patrinos, A.A.N.

    1980-08-01

    Relationships between cooling tower and smokestack plumes at the Bowen Electric Generating Plant in northwestern Georgia and wind direction measurements at levels from the surface at 850 mb (approx. 1.5 km) are examined. The wind measurements play an important role in estimating plume directions which in turn are utilized to establish control and target (upwind and downwind) areas for a study of plant-induced precipitation modification. Fifty-two plume observations were made during a three week period in December 1979. Results indicate that a windset (4.5 km from the plant) mounted at a level approximating that of the cooling tower plume is a better predictor of plume direction than surface windsets (1.0 km from the plant) or 850 mb level winds. However, an apparent topographical influence on the wind direction measurements at the plume-level windset site somewhat limits its plume tracking capability, at least for ambient winds from the SW quadrant

  12. Ground-Based Remote or In Situ Measurement of Vertical Profiles of Wind in the Lower Troposphere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clifton, Andrew; Newman, Jennifer

    2017-02-24

    Knowledge of winds in the lower troposphere is essential for a range of applications, including weather forecasting, transportation, natural hazards, and wind energy. This presentation focuses on the measurement of vertical profiles of wind in the lower troposphere for wind energy applications. This presentation introduces the information that wind energy site development and operations require, how it used, and the benefits and problems of current measurements from in-situ measurements and remote sensing. The development of commercial Doppler wind lidar systems over the last 10 years are shown, along with the lessons learned from this experience. Finally, potential developments in wind profiling aimed at reducing uncertainty and increasing data availability are introduced.

  13. Characterizing the Meso-scale Plasma Flows in Earth's Coupled Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabrielse, C.; Nishimura, T.; Lyons, L. R.; Gallardo-Lacourt, B.; Deng, Y.; McWilliams, K. A.; Ruohoniemi, J. M.

    2017-12-01

    NASA's Heliophysics Decadal Survey put forth several imperative, Key Science Goals. The second goal communicates the urgent need to "Determine the dynamics and coupling of Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere and their response to solar and terrestrial inputs...over a range of spatial and temporal scales." Sun-Earth connections (called Space Weather) have strong societal impacts because extreme events can disturb radio communications and satellite operations. The field's current modeling capabilities of such Space Weather phenomena include large-scale, global responses of the Earth's upper atmosphere to various inputs from the Sun, but the meso-scale ( 50-500 km) structures that are much more dynamic and powerful in the coupled system remain uncharacterized. Their influences are thus far poorly understood. We aim to quantify such structures, particularly auroral flows and streamers, in order to create an empirical model of their size, location, speed, and orientation based on activity level (AL index), season, solar cycle (F10.7), interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) inputs, etc. We present a statistical study of meso-scale flow channels in the nightside auroral oval and polar cap using SuperDARN. These results are used to inform global models such as the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM) in order to evaluate the role of meso-scale disturbances on the fully coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system. Measuring the ionospheric footpoint of magnetospheric fast flows, our analysis technique from the ground also provides a 2D picture of flows and their characteristics during different activity levels that spacecraft alone cannot.

  14. Sensitivity analysis of nacelle lidar free stream wind speed measurements to wind-induction reconstruction model and lidar range configuration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svensson, Elin; Borraccino, Antoine; Meyer Forsting, Alexander Raul

    The sensitivity of nacelle lidar wind speed measurements to wind-induction models and lidar range configurations is studied using experimental data from the Nørrekær Enge (NKE) measurement campaign and simulated lidar data from Reynold-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) aerodynamic computational fluid...... the ZDM was configured to measure at five distances. From the configured distances, a large number of range configurations were created and systematically tested to determine the sensitivity of the reconstructed wind speeds to the number of ranges, minimum range and maximum range in the range......) of the fitting residuals. The results demonstrate that it is not possible to use RANS CFD simulated lidar data to determine optimal range configurations for real-time nacelle lidars due to their perfect (unrealistic) representation of the simulated flow field. The recommended range configurations are therefore...

  15. Time series analysis of continuous-wave coherent Doppler Lidar wind measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sjoeholm, M; Mikkelsen, T; Mann, J; Enevoldsen, K; Courtney, M

    2008-01-01

    The influence of spatial volume averaging of a focused 1.55 μm continuous-wave coherent Doppler Lidar on observed wind turbulence measured in the atmospheric surface layer over homogeneous terrain is described and analysed. Comparison of Lidar-measured turbulent spectra with spectra simultaneously obtained from a mast-mounted sonic anemometer at 78 meters height at the test station for large wind turbines at Hoevsoere in Western Jutland, Denmark is presented for the first time

  16. Offshore wind resources at Danish measurement sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barthelmie, R J; Courtney, M S; Lange, B; Nielsen, M; Sempreviva, A M [Risoe National Lab., Dept. of Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics, Roskilde (Denmark); Svenson, J; Olsen, F [SEAS, Haslev (Denmark); Christensen, T [Elsamprojekt, Fredericia (Denmark)

    1999-03-01

    In order to characterise wind and turbulence characteristics at prospective offshore wind energy sites, meteorological observations from a number of purpose-built offshore monitoring sites have been analyzed and compared with long wind speed time series. New analyses have been conducted on the data sets focussing on meteorology, turbulence, extreme winds and wind and wave interactions. Relationships between wind speed, turbulence and fetch are highly complex. Minimum turbulence intensity offshore is associated with wind speeds of about 12 m/s. At lower wind speeds, stability effects are important while at higher winds speeds wind and wave interactions appear to dominate. On average, turbulence intensity offshore at 48 m height is approximately 0.08 if no coastal effects are present. However, the effect of the coastal discontinuity persists in wind speed and turbulence characteristics for considerable distances offshore. The majority of the adjustment of appears to occur within 20 km of the coast. (au)

  17. Τhe observational and empirical thermospheric CO2 and NO power do not exhibit power-law behavior; an indication of their reliability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varotsos, C. A.; Efstathiou, M. N.

    2018-03-01

    In this paper we investigate the evolution of the energy emitted by CO2 and NO from the Earth's thermosphere on a global scale using both observational and empirically derived data. In the beginning, we analyze the daily power observations of CO2 and NO received from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) equipment on the NASA Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite for the entire period 2002-2016. We then perform the same analysis on the empirical daily power emitted by CO2 and NO that were derived recently from the infrared energy budget of the thermosphere during 1947-2016. The tool used for the analysis of the observational and empirical datasets is the detrended fluctuation analysis, in order to investigate whether the power emitted by CO2 and by NO from the thermosphere exhibits power-law behavior. The results obtained from both observational and empirical data do not support the establishment of the power-law behavior. This conclusion reveals that the empirically derived data are characterized by the same intrinsic properties as those of the observational ones, thus enhancing the validity of their reliability.

  18. Comparing different CFD wind turbine modelling approaches with wind tunnel measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalvig, Siri; Hjertager, Bjørn; Manger, Eirik

    2014-01-01

    The performance of a model wind turbine is simulated with three different CFD methods: actuator disk, actuator line and a fully resolved rotor. The simulations are compared with each other and with measurements from a wind tunnel experiment. The actuator disk is the least accurate and most cost-efficient, and the fully resolved rotor is the most accurate and least cost-efficient. The actuator line method is believed to lie in between the two ends of the scale. The fully resolved rotor produces superior wake velocity results compared to the actuator models. On average it also produces better results for the force predictions, although the actuator line method had a slightly better match for the design tip speed. The open source CFD tool box, OpenFOAM, was used for the actuator disk and actuator line calculations, whereas the market leading commercial CFD code, ANSYS/FLUENT, was used for the fully resolved rotor approach

  19. Climatology of GW-TIDs in the magnetic equatorial upper thermosphere over India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manju, G.; Aswathy, R. P.

    2017-11-01

    An analysis of Gravity wave induced travelling ionospheric disturbances (GW-TIDs) in the thermosphere during high and low solar epochs is undertaken using ionosonde data at Trivandrum (8.50N, 770E). Wavelet analysis is performed on the temporal variations of foF2 and the amplitudes of waves present in two period bands of (0.5-1.5) h and (2-4) h are extracted. The real height profiles are generated at 15 min internal for the whole day (for sample days) during high and low solar activity years. The study reveals that the GW-TID activity is significantly greater for solar minimum compared to solar maximum for the period 8.5-17.5 h. Diurnally the GW-TID activity in the (2-4) h period band peaks in the post sunset hours for both high and low solar epochs. For the 0.5-1.5 h period band, the diurnal maximum in GW-TID is occurring in the post sunset hours for high solar epoch while it occurs in the morning hours around 10 h LT for low solar epoch. Seasonally the day time GW-TID activity maximizes (minimizes) for winter (vernal equinox). The post sunset time GW-TID maximizes (minimizes) either for summer/winter (vernal equinox). The other interesting observation is the anti correlation of GW-TID in upper thermosphere with solar activity for day time and the correlation of the same with solar activity in the post sunset hours. The present results for daytime are in agreement with the equatorial daytime GW-TID behaviour reported from CHAMP satellite observations. The GW-TID activity during post sunset time for equatorial region upper thermosphere has not been reported so far.

  20. Equatorial F region neutral winds and shears near sunset measured with chemical release techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiene, A.; Larsen, M. F.; Kudeki, E.

    2015-10-01

    The period near sunset is a dynamic and critical time for the daily development of the equatorial nighttime ionosphere and the instabilities that occur there. It is during these hours that the preconditions necessary for the later development of Equatorial Spread F (ESF) plasma instabilities occur. The neutral dynamics of the sunset ionosphere are also of critical importance to the generation of currents and electric fields; however, the behavior of the neutrals is experimentally understood primarily through very limited single-altitude measurements or measurements that provide weighted altitude means of the winds as a function of time. To date, there have been very few vertically resolved neutral wind measurements in the F region at sunset. We present two sets of sounding rocket chemical release measurements, one from a launch in the Marshall Islands on Kwajalein atoll and one from Alcantara, Brazil. Analysis of the release motions has yielded vertically resolved neutral wind profiles that show both the mean horizontal winds and the vertical shears in the winds. In both experiments, we observe significant vertical gradients in the zonal wind that are unexpected by classical assumptions about the behavior of the neutral wind at these altitudes at sunset near the geomagnetic equator.

  1. Wind Turbine Wake Characterization from Temporally Disjunct 3-D Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula Doubrawa

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Scanning LiDARs can be used to obtain three-dimensional wind measurements in and beyond the atmospheric surface layer. In this work, metrics characterizing wind turbine wakes are derived from LiDAR observations and from large-eddy simulation (LES data, which are used to recreate the LiDAR scanning geometry. The metrics are calculated for two-dimensional planes in the vertical and cross-stream directions at discrete distances downstream of a turbine under single-wake conditions. The simulation data are used to estimate the uncertainty when mean wake characteristics are quantified from scanning LiDAR measurements, which are temporally disjunct due to the time that the instrument takes to probe a large volume of air. Based on LES output, we determine that wind speeds sampled with the synthetic LiDAR are within 10% of the actual mean values and that the disjunct nature of the scan does not compromise the spatial variation of wind speeds within the planes. We propose scanning geometry density and coverage indices, which quantify the spatial distribution of the sampled points in the area of interest and are valuable to design LiDAR measurement campaigns for wake characterization. We find that scanning geometry coverage is important for estimates of the wake center, orientation and length scales, while density is more important when seeking to characterize the velocity deficit distribution.

  2. Global effect of auroral particle and Joule heating in the undisturbed thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinton, B. B.

    1978-01-01

    From the compositional variations observed with the neutral atmosphere composition experiment on OGO 6 and a simplified model of thermospheric dynamics, global average values of non-EUV heating are deduced. These are 0.19-0.25 mW/sq m for quiet days and 0.44-0.58 mW/sq m for ordinary days.

  3. MEASUREMENT OF WIND SPEED FROM COOLING LAKE THERMAL IMAGERY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garrett, A.; Kurzeja, R.; Villa-Aleman, E.; Tuckfield, C.; Pendergast, M.

    2009-01-01

    The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) collected thermal imagery and ground truth data at two commercial power plant cooling lakes to investigate the applicability of laboratory empirical correlations between surface heat flux and wind speed, and statistics derived from thermal imagery. SRNL demonstrated in a previous paper (1] that a linear relationship exists between the standard deviation of image temperature and surface heat flux. In this paper, SRNL will show that the skewness of the temperature distribution derived from cooling lake thermal images correlates with instantaneous wind speed measured at the same location. SRNL collected thermal imagery, surface meteorology and water temperatures from helicopters and boats at the Comanche Peak and H. B. Robinson nuclear power plant cooling lakes. SRNL found that decreasing skewness correlated with increasing wind speed, as was the case for the laboratory experiments. Simple linear and orthogonal regression models both explained about 50% of the variance in the skewness - wind speed plots. A nonlinear (logistic) regression model produced a better fit to the data, apparently because the thermal convection and resulting skewness are related to wind speed in a highly nonlinear way in nearly calm and in windy conditions

  4. High-altitude wind prediction and measurement technology assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-30

    The principles and operational characteristics of balloon and radar-based techniques for measuring upper air winds in support of launches and recoveries are presented. Though either a balloon or radar system could serve as a standalone system, the sa...

  5. Method for Estimating Evaporative Potential (IM/CLO) from ASTM Standard Single Wind Velocity Measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-08-10

    IM/CLO) FROM ASTM STANDARD SINGLE WIND VELOCITY MEASURES DISCLAIMER The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the...USARIEM TECHNICAL REPORT T16-14 METHOD FOR ESTIMATING EVAPORATIVE POTENTIAL (IM/CLO) FROM ASTM STANDARD SINGLE WIND VELOCITY... ASTM STANDARD SINGLE WIND VELOCITY MEASURES Adam W. Potter Biophysics and Biomedical Modeling Division U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental

  6. Stormtime Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Interactions and Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-13

    discussed the possibility of deriving continuous measurements of Dst using the science grade tri-axial fluxgate magnetometer on the C/NOFS satellite in...Changes in Solar Wind Pressure ..............… ........ 6 3.3. Development of a DST Proxy from DMSP Magnetometer Measurements ............... ........ 7...energetic particle fluxes, electric field and magnetometer measurements from the four spacecraft identified regions at and near the magnetopause where MHD

  7. Wind turbine power performance measurement with the use of spinner anemometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Demurtas, Giorgio

    The spinner anemometer was patented by DTU in 2004 and licenced to ROMO Wind in 2011. By 2015 the spinner anemometer was installed on several hundred wind turbines for yaw misalignment measurements. The goal of this PhD project was to investigate the feasibility of use of spinner anemometry......-mast and spinner anemometer were then compared. Application of the NTF from one turbine to the other was made with a difference of only 0.38% in AEP. Different methods of analysis of fast sampled measurements such as the Langevin power curve were tested, concluding that the method of bins (IEC61400...... measurements was further improved with an innovation step to calibrate without use of the yaw position sensor, saving cost and time of installing the additional yaw sensor. The so called "wind speed response method" was validated by comparing 27 different calibration tests to the fist methods. This method...

  8. The control of auroral zone dynamics and thermodynamics by the interplanetary magnetic field dawn-dusk (Y) component

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sica, R.J.; Hernandez, G.; Emery, B.A.; Roble, R.G.; Smith, R.W.; Rees, M.H.

    1989-01-01

    Previous theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the dawn-dusk component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF B y ) expands the classical symmetric two-cell convection pattern toward dusk (B y negative) or toward dawn (B y positive) in the northern hemisphere, altering the ion drag forcing on the neutral atmosphere. Measurements of the neutral dynamics associated with these convection patterns have been presented primarily at magnetic latitudes greater than 70 degree in the polar cap. In this study, nights with coincident IMF measurements have been selected from the extensive four-year auroral zone thermospheric wind and temperature data set derived from Fabry-Perot spectrometer measurements of the Doppler shifts and widths of the O( 1 D) 15,867 cm -1 (630.0 nm) emission from College, Alaska. Averages from 112 nights of measurements from College were also computed using a selection criterion that depended on the previous 2 hours of IMF measurements (case 2). This procedure yielded averages that differed at times from case 1. The wind and temperature averages for both cases show large variations with B y in the auroral zone. The wind averages for B y negative and positive are compared with National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model predictions that use a B y -dependent model of ionospheric convection. The results for B y negative and positive are compared with National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model predictions that use a B y -dependent model of ionospheric convection. The results for B y negative compare favorably with the averages, but there are significant differences between model calculations and averages for the B y positive case

  9. Nonlinear Acoustic Waves Generated by Surface Disturbances and Their Effects on Lower Thermospheric Composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pineyro, B.; Snively, J. B.

    2017-12-01

    Recent 1D and 2D nonlinear atmospheric models have provided important insight into acoustic waves generated by seismic events, which may steepen into shocks or saw-tooth trains while also dissipating strongly in the thermosphere [e.g., Chum et al., JGR, 121, 2016; Zettergren et al., JGR, 122, 2017]. Although they have yield results that agree with with observations of ionospheric perturbations, dynamical models for the diffusive and stratified lower thermosphere [e.g., Snively and Pasko, JGR, 113, 2008] often use single gas approximations with height-dependent physical properties (e.g. mean molecular weight, specific heats) that do not vary with time (fixed composition). This approximation is simpler and less computationally expensive than a true multi-fluid model, yet captures the important physical transition between molecular and atomic gases in the lower thermosphere. Models with time-dependent composition and properties have been shown to outperform commonly used models with fixed properties; these time-dependent effects have been included in a one-gas model by adding an advection equation for the molecular weight, finding closer agreement to a true binary-gas model [Walterscheid and Hickey, JGR, 106, 2001 and JGR, 117, 2012]. Here, a one-dimensional nonlinear mass fraction approach to multi-constituent gas modeling, motivated by the results of Walterscheid and Hickey [2001, 2012], is presented. The finite volume method of Bale et al. [SIAM JSC, 24, 2002] is implemented in Clawpack [http://www.clawpack.org; LeVeque, 2002] with a Riemann Solver to solve the Euler Equations including multiple species, defined by their mass fractions, as they undergo advection. Viscous dissipation and thermal conduction are applied via a fractional step method. The model is validated with shock tube problems for two species, and then applied to investigate propagating nonlinear acoustic waves from ground to thermosphere, such as following the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake [e

  10. Comparison of Flight Measured, Predicted and Wind Tunnel Measured Winglet Characteristics on a KC-135 Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodson, R. O., Jr.

    1982-01-01

    One of the objectives of the KC-135 Winglet Flight Research and Demonstration Program was to obtain experimental flight test data to verify the theoretical and wind tunnel winglet aerodynamic performance prediction methods. Good agreement between analytic, wind tunnel and flight test performance was obtained when the known differences between the tests and analyses were accounted for. The flight test measured fuel mileage improvements for a 0.78 Mach number was 3.1 percent at 8 x 10(5) pounds W/delta and 5.5 percent at 1.05 x 10(6) pounds W/delta. Correcting the flight measured data for surface pressure differences between wind tunnel and flight resulted in a fuel mileage improvement of 4.4 percent at 8 x 10(5) pounds W/delta and 7.2 percent at 1.05 x 10(6) pounds W/delta. The performance improvement obtained was within the wind tunnel test data obtained from two different wind tunnel models. The buffet boundary data obtained for the baseline configuration was in good agreement with previous established data. Buffet data for the 15 deg cant/-4 deg incidence configuration showed a slight improvement, while the 15 deg cant/-2 deg incidence and 0 deg cant/-4 deg incidence data showed a slight deterioration.

  11. DYNAMO: a Mars upper atmosphere package for investigating solar wind interaction and escape processes, and mapping Martian fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chassefiere, E.; Nagy, A.; Mandea, M.

    2004-01-01

    DYNAMO is a small multi-instrument payload aimed at characterizing current atmospheric escape, which is still poorly constrained, and improving gravity and magnetic field representations, in order to better understand the magnetic, geologic and thermal history of Mars. The internal structure...... of periapsis 170 km), and in a lesser extent 2a, offers an unprecedented opportunity to investigate by in situ probing the chemical and dynamical properties of the deep ionosphere, thermosphere, and the interaction between the atmosphere and the solar wind, and therefore the present atmospheric escape rate...

  12. Crossed, Small-Deflection Energy Analyzer for Wind/Temperature Spectrometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrero, Federico A.; Finne, Theodore T.

    2010-01-01

    350 mW. The entrance aperture has a diameter of 0.004 in. (0.10 mm) to provide the required energy resolution between 0.05 and 0.15. This design (see Figure 2) provides a WTS occupying a volume less than 40 cm(sup 3), on a footprint of diameter about 1.5 in. (38 mm). The Crossed SDEA offers many advantages in the measurements of neutral wind and ion drifts in the Earth's thermosphere. As such, it will be useful in future commercial satellites dedicated to monitoring the ionosphere with a view to improving the integrity and predictability of GPS operations.

  13. A comprehensive measure of the energy resource: Wind power potential (WPP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jie; Chowdhury, Souma; Messac, Achille

    2014-01-01

    data at four differing stations in the state of North Dakota. The results illustrate the variation of wind conditions and, subsequently, its influence on the quality of wind resources. A comparison of four sites in North Dakota shows that WPD and WPP follow different trends, and the ranking of candidate sites in terms of a realistic resource potential measure is not captured by WPD

  14. Physics-based Tests to Identify the Accuracy of Solar Wind Ion Measurements: A Case Study with the Wind Faraday Cups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasper, J. C.; Lazarus, A. J.; Steinberg, J. T.; Ogilvie, K. W.; Szabo, A.

    2006-01-01

    We present techniques for comparing measurements of velocity, temperature, and density with constraints imposed by the plasma physics of magnetized bi-Maxwellian ions. Deviations from these physics-based constraints are interpreted as arising from measurement errors. Two million ion spectra from the Solar Wind Experiment Faraday Cup instruments on the Wind spacecraft are used as a case study. The accuracy of velocity measurements is determined by the fact that differential flow between hydrogen and helium should be aligned with the ambient magnetic field. Modeling the breakdown of field alignment suggests velocity uncertainties are less than 0.16% in magnitude and 3deg in direction. Temperature uncertainty is found by examining the distribution of observed temperature anisotropies in high-beta solar wind intervals where the firehose, mirror, and cyclotron microinstabilities should drive the distribution to isotropy. The presence of a finite anisotropy at high beta suggests overall temperature uncertainties of 8%. Hydrogen and helium number densities are compared with the electron density inferred from observations of the local electron plasma frequency as a function of solar wind speed and year. We find that after accounting for the contribution of minor ions, the results are consistent with a systematic offset between the two instruments of 34%. The temperature and density methods are sensitive to non-Maxwellian features such as heat flux and proton beams and as a result are more suited to slow solar wind where these features are rare. These procedures are of general use in identifying the accuracy of observations from any solar wind ion instrument.

  15. Three-dimensional structure of wind turbine wakes as measured by scanning lidar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodini, Nicola; Zardi, Dino; Lundquist, Julie K.

    2017-08-01

    The lower wind speeds and increased turbulence that are characteristic of turbine wakes have considerable consequences on large wind farms: turbines located downwind generate less power and experience increased turbulent loads. The structures of wakes and their downwind impacts are sensitive to wind speed and atmospheric variability. Wake characterization can provide important insights for turbine layout optimization in view of decreasing the cost of wind energy. The CWEX-13 field campaign, which took place between June and September 2013 in a wind farm in Iowa, was designed to explore the interaction of multiple wakes in a range of atmospheric stability conditions. Based on lidar wind measurements, we extend, present, and apply a quantitative algorithm to assess wake parameters such as the velocity deficits, the size of the wake boundaries, and the location of the wake centerlines. We focus on wakes from a row of four turbines at the leading edge of the wind farm to explore variations between wakes from the edge of the row (outer wakes) and those from turbines in the center of the row (inner wakes). Using multiple horizontal scans at different elevations, a three-dimensional structure of wakes from the row of turbines can be created. Wakes erode very quickly during unstable conditions and can in fact be detected primarily in stable conditions in the conditions measured here. During stable conditions, important differences emerge between the wakes of inner turbines and the wakes of outer turbines. Further, the strong wind veer associated with stable conditions results in a stretching of the wake structures, and this stretching manifests differently for inner and outer wakes. These insights can be incorporated into low-order wake models for wind farm layout optimization or for wind power forecasting.

  16. Wind field re-construction of 3D Wake measurements from a turbine-installed scanning lidar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Torben Krogh; Herges, Tommy; Astrup, Poul

    High-resolution wake flow measurements obtained from a turbine-mounted scanning lidar have been obtained from 1D to 5D behind a V27 test turbine. The measured line-of-sight projected wind speeds have, in connection with a fast CFD wind field reconstruction model, been used to generate 3D wind fie...

  17. A study of the terrestrial thermosphere by remote sensing of OI dayglow in the far and extreme ultraviolet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cotton, D.M.

    1991-01-01

    The upper region of the Earth's atmosphere, the thermosphere, is a key part of the coupled solar-terrestrial system. An important method of obtaining information in the this region is through analysis of radiation excited through the interactions of the thermosphere with solar ionizing, extreme and far ultraviolet radiation. This dissertation presents one such study by the remote sensing of OI in the far and extreme ultraviolet dayglow. The research program included the development construction, and flight of a sounding rocket spectrometer to test this current understanding of the excitation and transport mechanisms of the OI 1356, 1304, 1027, and 989 angstrom emissions. This data set was analyzed using current electron and radiative transport models with the purpose of checking the viability of OI remote sensing; that is, whether existing models and input parameters are adequate to predict these detailed measurements. From discrepancies between modeled and measured emissions, inferences about these input parameters were made. Among other things, the data supports a 40% optically thick cascade contribution to the 1304 angstrom emission. From upper lying states corresponding to 1040, 1027 and 989 angstrom about half of this cascade has been accounted for in this study. There is also evidence that the Lyman β airglow from the geo-corona contributes a significant proportion (30-50%) to the OI 1027 angstrom feature. Furthermore, the photoelectron contribution to the 1027 angstrom feature appears to be underestimated in the current models by a factor of 20

  18. A study into the effect of the diurnal tide on the structure of the background mesosphere and thermosphere using the new coupled middle atmosphere and thermosphere (CMAT general circulation model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. J. Harris

    Full Text Available A new coupled middle atmosphere and thermosphere general circulation model has been developed, and some first results are presented. An investigation into the effects of the diurnal tide upon the mean composition, dynamics and energetics was carried out for equinox conditions. Previous studies have shown that tides deplete mean atomic oxygen in the upper mesosphere-lower thermosphere due to an increased recombination in the tidal displaced air parcels. The model runs presented suggest that the mean residual circulation associated with the tidal dissipation also plays an important role. Stronger lower boundary tidal forcing was seen to increase the equatorial local diurnal maximum of atomic oxygen and the associated 0(1S 557.7 nm green line volume emission rates. The changes in the mean background temperature structure were found to correspond to changes in the mean circulation and exothermic chemical heating.

    Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides

  19. CFD modelling approaches against single wind turbine wake measurements using RANS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stergiannis, N; Lacor, C; Beeck, J V; Donnelly, R

    2016-01-01

    Numerical simulations of two wind turbine generators including the exact geometry of their blades and hub are compared against a simplified actuator disk model (ADM). The wake expansion of the upstream rotor is investigated and compared with measurements. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been performed using the open-source platform OpenFOAM [1]. The multiple reference frame (MRF) approach was used to model the inner rotating reference frames in a stationary computational mesh and outer reference frame for the full wind turbine rotor simulations. The standard k — ε and k — ω turbulence closure schemes have been used to solve the steady state, three dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier- Stokes (RANS) equations. Results of near and far wake regions are compared with wind tunnel measurements along three horizontal lines downstream. The ADM under-predicted the velocity deficit at the wake for both turbulence models. Full wind turbine rotor simulations showed good agreement against the experimental data at the near wake, amplifying the differences between the simplified models. (paper)

  20. 3D turbulence measurements in inhomogeneous boundary layers with three wind LiDARs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbajo Fuertes, Fernando; Valerio Iungo, Giacomo; Porté-Agel, Fernando

    2014-05-01

    One of the most challenging tasks in atmospheric anemometry is obtaining reliable turbulence measurements of inhomogeneous boundary layers at heights or in locations where is not possible or convenient to install tower-based measurement systems, e.g. mountainous terrain, cities, wind farms, etc. Wind LiDARs are being extensively used for the measurement of averaged vertical wind profiles, but they can only successfully accomplish this task under the limiting conditions of flat terrain and horizontally homogeneous flow. Moreover, it has been shown that common scanning strategies introduce large systematic errors in turbulence measurements, regardless of the characteristics of the flow addressed. From the point of view of research, there exist a variety of techniques and scanning strategies to estimate different turbulence quantities but most of them rely in the combination of raw measurements with atmospheric models. Most of those models are only valid under the assumption of horizontal homogeneity. The limitations stated above can be overcome by a new triple LiDAR technique which uses simultaneous measurements from three intersecting Doppler wind LiDARs. It allows for the reconstruction of the three-dimensional velocity vector in time as well as local velocity gradients without the need of any turbulence model and with minimal assumptions [EGU2013-9670]. The triple LiDAR technique has been applied to the study of the flow over the campus of EPFL in Lausanne (Switzerland). The results show the potential of the technique for the measurement of turbulence in highly complex boundary layer flows. The technique is particularly useful for micrometeorology and wind engineering studies.

  1. Gravity wave generation and propagation during geomagnetic storms over Kiruna (67.8°N, 20.4°E

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. R. Fagundes

    1995-04-01

    Full Text Available Atmospheric gravity waves, detected over Kiruna (67.8°N, 20.4°E during geomagnetic storms, are presented and analysed. The data include direct measurements of the OI 630.0 nm emission line intensity, the x-component of the local geomagnetic field and thermospheric (meridional and zonal wind velocities derived from the OI 630.0 nm Doppler shift observed with an imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer (IFPI. A low pass band filter technique was used to determine short-period variations in the thermospheric meridional wind velocities observed during geomagnetic storms. These short-period variations in the meridional wind velocities, which are identified as due to gravity waves, are compared to the corresponding variations observed in the OI 630.0 nm emission line intensity, x-component of the local geomagnetic field and the location of the auroral electrojet. A cross-correlation analysis was used to calculate the propagation velocities of the observed gravity waves.

  2. Full two-dimensional rotor plane inflow measurements by a spinner-integrated wind lidar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sjöholm, Mikael; Pedersen, Anders Tegtmeier; Angelou, Nikolas

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Wind turbine load reduction and power performance optimization via advanced control strategies is an active area in the wind energy community. In particular, feed-forward control using upwind inflow measurements by lidar (light detection and ranging) remote sensing instruments has...... novel full two-dimensional radial inflow measurements. Approach In order to achieve full two-dimensional radial inflow measurements, a special laser beam scanner has been developed at the DTU Wind Energy Department. It is based on two rotating prisms that each deviate the beam by 15°, resulting......, a proof-of-concept trial with a blade mounted lidar was performed during the measurement campaign and is reported in a separate EWEA 2013 contribution. Conclusion The study presented here is the novel full two-dimensional continuation of the previous inflow measurements on a circle presented in the paper...

  3. Expert group study on recommended practices for wind turbine testing and evaluation. 10. Measurement of noise immission from wind turbines at noise receptor locations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ljunggren, S.

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of this guide is to provide a set of techniques and methods for the measurement and description of wind turbine noise immission, that is, wind turbine noise at receptor locations. These techniques and methods have been prepared so that they can be used by: manufacturers; developers; operators; planning authorities; research and development engineers, for the purpose of verification of compliance with noise immission limits and of noise propagation models. The measurement of noise immission from wind turbines is a complex acoustic task. This guideline cannot cover all possible problems that may be encountered on, for instance: determination of wind speed; measurements in cases of low signal-to-noise ratio; allowance for reflections from buildings. Thus, it is strongly recommended that the measurements described in this guide are always carried out by experienced acousticians. (au)

  4. Two years of wind-lidar measurements at an Italian Mediterranean Coastal Site

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gullí, D.; Avolio, E.; Calidonna, C. R.

    2017-01-01

    Reliable measurements of vertical profiles of wind speed and direction are needed for testing models and methodologies of use for wind energy assessment. In particular, modelling complex terrain such as coastal areas is challenging due to the coastal discontinuity that is not accurately resolved...... in mesoscale numerical model. Here, we present a unique database from a coastal site in South Italy (middle of the Mediterranean area) where vertical profiles of wind speed and direction have been collected during a two-year period from a wind-lidar ZEPHIR-300® at a coastal-suburban area. We show an overview...

  5. Wind turbine performance: Methods and criteria for reliability of measured power curves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Griffin, D.A. [Advanced Wind Turbines Inc., Seattle, WA (United States)

    1996-12-31

    In order to evaluate the performance of prototype turbines, and to quantify incremental changes in performance through field testing, Advanced Wind Turbines (AWT) has been developing methods and requirements for power curve measurement. In this paper, field test data is used to illustrate several issues and trends which have resulted from this work. Averaging and binning processes, data hours per wind-speed bin, wind turbulence levels, and anemometry methods are all shown to have significant impacts on the resulting power curves. Criteria are given by which the AWT power curves show a high degree of repeatability, and these criteria are compared and contrasted with current published standards for power curve measurement. 6 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.

  6. Response of the mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere system to global change - CAWSES-II contribution

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Laštovička, Jan; Beig, G.; Marsh, R. D.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 1, 11 November (2014), 21/ 1-21/ 19 ISSN 2197-4284 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP209/10/1792; GA MŠk LD12070 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : mesosphere * thermosphere * ionosphere * long-term trends * climatic change Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology http://www.progearthplanetsci.com/content/1/1/21

  7. Measurement of the sea surface wind speed and direction by an airborne microwave radar altimeter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nekrassov, A. [GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Hydrophysik

    2001-07-01

    A pilot needs operational information about wind over sea as well as wave height to provide safety of a hydroplane landing on water. Near-surface wind speed and direction can be obtained with an airborne microwave scatterometer, radar designed for measuring the scatter characteristics of a surface. Mostly narrow-beam antennas are applied for such wind measurement. Unfortunately, a microwave narrow-beam antenna has considerable size that hampers its placing on flying apparatus. In this connection, a possibility to apply a conventional airborne radar altimeter as a scatterometer with a nadir-looking wide-beam antenna in conjunction with Doppler filtering for recovering the wind vector over sea is discussed, and measuring algorithms of sea surface wind speed and direction are proposed. The obtained results can be used for creation of an airborne radar system for operational measurement of the sea roughness characteristics and for safe landing of a hydroplane on water. (orig.)

  8. Implementation of a Particle Image Velocimetry System for Wind Tunnel Flowfield Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-01

    Instrumentation Wind tunnel speed was measured by two pitot probes mounted on opposite tunnel walls upstream of the model and above the ground...board. The pitot probes were connected differentially to Scanivalve 1-psi transducers. A secondary measurement of wind tunnel speed was made with the...Manf. Model Range 1 Tunnel Vel (south pitot ) Transducer Scanivalve CR24D 1 psi 2 Tunnel Vel (north pitot ) Transducer Scanivalve CR24D 1 psi 3

  9. Calibration procedures for improved accuracy of wind turbine blade load measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dahlberg, J.Aa. [Aeronautical Research Inst. of Sweden, Bromma (Sweden); Johansson, Hjalmar [Teknikgruppen AB, Sollentuna (Sweden)

    1996-12-01

    External loads acting on wind turbine blades are mainly transferred via the hub to the rest of the structure. It is therefore a normal approach to measure the loads acting on the turbine by load measurements in the blade roots. The load measurement is often accomplished by measurements of strain on the surface of the blade or the hub. The strain signals are converted to loads by applying calibration factors to the measurements. This paper deals with difficulties associated with load measurements on two different wind turbines; one with strain gauges applied to a steel hub where a linear stress-load relationship is expected and the other with strain gauges applied to the GFRP blade close to the bearings where strong non-linearity`s and temperature effects are expected. This paper suggests calibration methods to overcome these problems. 2 refs, 11 figs

  10. GPS synchronisation of harmonic and transient measurements in offshore wind farms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kocewiak, Łukasz Hubert; Arana Aristi, Iván; Hjerrild, Jesper

    2012-01-01

    The GPS synchronization challenges during the development, construction and installation of a measurement system for multi-point, high-speed and long-term data logging is described in this paper. The presented measurement system was tested in a rough offshore environment at Avedøre Holme and Gunf......The GPS synchronization challenges during the development, construction and installation of a measurement system for multi-point, high-speed and long-term data logging is described in this paper. The presented measurement system was tested in a rough offshore environment at Avedøre Holme...... and Gunfleet Sands Offshore wind farms. The paper will describe the application of GPS technology in synchronised measurements carried out at Avedøre Holme and Gunfleet Sands wind farms. Different aspects of software development and hardware configuration in order to optimise measurement system reliability...

  11. VITMO - A Powerful Tool to Improve Discovery in the Magnetospheric and Ionosphere-Thermosphere Domains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaefer, R. K.; Morrison, D.; Potter, M.; Stephens, G.; Barnes, R. J.; Talaat, E. R.; Sarris, T.

    2017-12-01

    With the advent of the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission and the Van Allen Probes we have space missions that probe the Earth's magnetosphere and radiation belts. These missions fly at far distances from the Earth in contrast to the larger number of near-Earth satellites. Both of the satellites make in situ measurements. Energetic particles flow along magnetic field lines from these measurement locations down to the ionosphere/thermosphere region. Discovering other data that may be used with these satellites is a difficult and complicated process. To solve this problem, we have developed a series of light-weight web services that can provide a new data search capability for the Virtual Ionosphere Thermosphere Mesosphere Observatory (VITMO). The services consist of a database of spacecraft ephemerides and instrument fields of view; an overlap calculator to find times when the fields of view of different instruments intersect; and a magnetic field line tracing service that maps in situ and ground based measurements for a number of magnetic field models and geophysical conditions. These services run in real-time when the user queries for data and allow the non-specialist user to select data that they were previously unable to locate, opening up analysis opportunities beyond the instrument teams and specialists, making it easier for future students who come into the field. Each service on their own provides a useful new capability for virtual observatories; operating together they provide a powerful new search tool. The ephemerides service was built using the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) SPICE toolkit (http://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/index.html) allowing them to be extended to support any Earth orbiting satellite with the addition of the appropriate SPICE kernels. The overlap calculator uses techniques borrowed from computer graphics to identify overlapping measurements in space and time. The calculator will allow a user defined uncertainty

  12. Measurement of Unsteady Aerodynamics Load on the Blade of Field Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamada, Yasunari; Maeda, Takao; Naito, Keita; Ouchi, Yuu; Kozawa, Masayoshi

    This paper describes an experimental field study of the rotor aerodynamics of wind turbines. The test wind turbine is a horizontal axis wind turbine, or: HAWT with a diameter of 10m. The pressure distributions on the rotating blade are measured with multi point pressure transducers. Sectional aerodynamic forces are analyzed from pressure distribution. Blade root moments are measured simultaneously by a pair of strain gauges. The inflow wind is measured by a three component sonic anemometer, the local inflow of the blade section are measured by a pair of 7 hole Pitot tubes. The relation between the aerodynamic moments on the blade root from pressure distribution and the mechanical moment from strain gauges is discussed. The aerodynamic moments are estimated from the sectional aerodynamic forces and show oscillation caused by local wind speed and direction change. The mechanical moment shows similar oscillation to the aerodynamic excepting the short period oscillation of the blade first mode frequency. The fluctuation of the sectional aerodynamic force triggers resonant blade oscillations. Where stall is present along the blade section, the blade's first mode frequency is dominant. Without stall, the rotating frequency is dominant in the blade root moment.

  13. Comparison of Large Eddy Simulations of a convective boundary layer with wind LIDAR measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Jesper Grønnegaard; Kelly, Mark C.; Gryning, Sven-Erik

    2012-01-01

    Vertical profiles of the horizontal wind speed and of the standard deviation of vertical wind speed from Large Eddy Simulations of a convective atmospheric boundary layer are compared to wind LIDAR measurements up to 1400 m. Fair agreement regarding both types of profiles is observed only when...

  14. From the Sun to the Earth: impact of the 27-28 May 2003 solar events on the magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Hanuise

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available During the last week of May 2003, the solar active region AR 10365 produced a large number of flares, several of which were accompanied by Coronal Mass Ejections (CME. Specifically on 27 and 28 May three halo CMEs were observed which had a significant impact on geospace. On 29 May, upon their arrival at the L1 point, in front of the Earth's magnetosphere, two interplanetary shocks and two additional solar wind pressure pulses were recorded by the ACE spacecraft. The interplanetary magnetic field data showed the clear signature of a magnetic cloud passing ACE. In the wake of the successive increases in solar wind pressure, the magnetosphere became strongly compressed and the sub-solar magnetopause moved inside five Earth radii. At low altitudes the increased energy input to the magnetosphere was responsible for a substantial enhancement of Region-1 field-aligned currents. The ionospheric Hall currents also intensified and the entire high-latitude current system moved equatorward by about 10°. Several substorms occurred during this period, some of them - but not all - apparently triggered by the solar wind pressure pulses. The storm's most notable consequences on geospace, including space weather effects, were (1 the expansion of the auroral oval, and aurorae seen at mid latitudes, (2 the significant modification of the total electron content in the sunlight high-latitude ionosphere, (3 the perturbation of radio-wave propagation manifested by HF blackouts and increased GPS signal scintillation, and (4 the heating of the thermosphere, causing increased satellite drag. We discuss the reasons why the May 2003 storm is less intense than the October-November 2003 storms, although several indicators reach similar intensities.

  15. Measurements of UWB Pulse Propagation Along a Wind Turbine Blade at 1 to 20 GHz

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hejselbæk, Johannes; Syrytsin, Igor A.; Eggers, Patrick Claus F.

    2018-01-01

    This paper describes propagation measurements of an Ultra Wide Band (UWB) pulse along a full-scale wind turbine blade. The aim is to use the UWB channel characteristics to determine the deflection of the wind turbine blade under different wind loads. The frequency response is measured from 1 to 20...... the reflection originates a ray-tracing study incorporating a model of the curvature of the blade have been conducted. This showed the area causing the reflections depended highly on the placement of the antenna on the wind turbine blade....

  16. Field measurements in the wake of a model wind turbine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pol, Suhas; Taylor, Amelia; Doostalab, Ali; Novoa, Santiago; Castillo, Luciano; Bilbao, Argenis; Sheng, Jian; Giesselmann, Michael; Westergaard, Carsten; Hussain, Fazle; Ren, Beibei; Glauser, Mark

    2014-01-01

    As a first step to study the dynamics of a wind farm' we experimentally explored the flow field behind a single wind turbine of diameter 1.17 m at a hub height of 6.25 m. A 10 m tower upstream of the wind farm characterizes the atmospheric conditions and its influence on the wake evolution. A vertical rake of sonic anemometers is clustered around the hub height on a second tower' 6D downstream of the turbine. We present preliminary observations from a 1- hour block of data recorded in near-neutral atmospheric conditions. The ratio of the standard deviation of power to the inflow velocity is greater than three' revealing adverse effects of inflow turbulence on the power and load fluctuations. Furthermore' the wake defect and Reynolds stress and its gradient are pronounced at 6D. The flux of energy due to Reynolds stresses is similar to that reported in wind tunnel studies. The swirl and mixing produces a constant temperature wake which results in a density jump across the wake interface. Further field measurements will explore the dynamics of a model wind farm' including the effects of atmospheric variability

  17. Modelling and Measuring Flow and Wind Turbine Wakes in Large Wind Farms Offshore

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barthelmie, Rebecca Jane; Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose; Frandsen, Sten Tronæs

    2009-01-01

    power losses due to wakes and loads. The research presented is part of the EC-funded UpWind project, which aims to radically improve wind turbine and wind farm models in order to continue to improve the costs of wind energy. Reducing wake losses, or even reduce uncertainties in predicting power losses...

  18. Modelling Wind for Wind Farm Layout Optimization Using Joint Distribution of Wind Speed and Wind Direction

    OpenAIRE

    Ju Feng; Wen Zhong Shen

    2015-01-01

    Reliable wind modelling is of crucial importance for wind farm development. The common practice of using sector-wise Weibull distributions has been found inappropriate for wind farm layout optimization. In this study, we propose a simple and easily implementable method to construct joint distributions of wind speed and wind direction, which is based on the parameters of sector-wise Weibull distributions and interpolations between direction sectors. It is applied to the wind measurement data a...

  19. Thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere energetics and dynamics (TIMED). The TIMED mission and science program report of the science definition team. Volume 1: Executive summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-01-01

    A Science Definition Team was established in December 1990 by the Space Physics Division, NASA, to develop a satellite program to conduct research on the energetics, dynamics, and chemistry of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere/ionosphere. This two-volume publication describes the TIMED (Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics) mission and associated science program. The report outlines the scientific objectives of the mission, the program requirements, and the approach towards meeting these requirements.

  20. A hybrid measure-correlate-predict method for long-term wind condition assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jie; Chowdhury, Souma; Messac, Achille; Hodge, Bri-Mathias

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A hybrid measure-correlate-predict (MCP) methodology with greater accuracy is developed. • Three sets of performance metrics are proposed to evaluate the hybrid MCP method. • Both wind speed and direction are considered in the hybrid MCP method. • The best combination of MCP algorithms is determined. • The developed hybrid MCP method is uniquely helpful for long-term wind resource assessment. - Abstract: This paper develops a hybrid measure-correlate-predict (MCP) strategy to assess long-term wind resource variations at a farm site. The hybrid MCP method uses recorded data from multiple reference stations to estimate long-term wind conditions at a target wind plant site with greater accuracy than is possible with data from a single reference station. The weight of each reference station in the hybrid strategy is determined by the (i) distance and (ii) elevation differences between the target farm site and each reference station. In this case, the wind data is divided into sectors according to the wind direction, and the MCP strategy is implemented for each wind direction sector separately. The applicability of the proposed hybrid strategy is investigated using five MCP methods: (i) the linear regression; (ii) the variance ratio; (iii) the Weibull scale; (iv) the artificial neural networks; and (v) the support vector regression. To implement the hybrid MCP methodology, we use hourly averaged wind data recorded at five stations in the state of Minnesota between 07-01-1996 and 06-30-2004. Three sets of performance metrics are used to evaluate the hybrid MCP method. The first set of metrics analyze the statistical performance, including the mean wind speed, wind speed variance, root mean square error, and mean absolute error. The second set of metrics evaluate the distribution of long-term wind speed; to this end, the Weibull distribution and the Multivariate and Multimodal Wind Distribution models are adopted. The third set of metrics analyze

  1. Measuring electromagnetic fields (EMF) around wind turbines in Canada: is there a human health concern?

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCallum, Lindsay C; Whitfield Aslund, Melissa L; Knopper, Loren D; Ferguson, Glenn M; Ollson, Christopher A

    2014-02-15

    The past five years has seen considerable expansion of wind power generation in Ontario, Canada. Most recently worries about exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) from wind turbines, and associated electrical transmission, has been raised at public meetings and legal proceedings. These fears have not been based on any actual measurements of EMF exposure surrounding existing projects but appear to follow from worries from internet sources and misunderstanding of the science. The study was carried out at the Kingsbridge 1 Wind Farm located near Goderich, Ontario, Canada. Magnetic field measurements were collected in the proximity of 15 Vestas 1.8 MW wind turbines, two substations, various buried and overhead collector and transmission lines, and nearby homes. Data were collected during three operational scenarios to characterize potential EMF exposure: 'high wind' (generating power), 'low wind' (drawing power from the grid, but not generating power) and 'shut off' (neither drawing, nor generating power). Background levels of EMF (0.2 to 0.3 mG) were established by measuring magnetic fields around the wind turbines under the 'shut off' scenario. Magnetic field levels detected at the base of the turbines under both the 'high wind' and 'low wind' conditions were low (mean = 0.9 mG; n = 11) and rapidly diminished with distance, becoming indistinguishable from background within 2 m of the base. Magnetic fields measured 1 m above buried collector lines were also within background (≤ 0.3 mG). Beneath overhead 27.5 kV and 500 kV transmission lines, magnetic field levels of up to 16.5 and 46 mG, respectively, were recorded. These levels also diminished rapidly with distance. None of these sources appeared to influence magnetic field levels at nearby homes located as close as just over 500 m from turbines, where measurements immediately outside of the homes were ≤ 0.4 mG. The results suggest that there is nothing unique to wind farms with respect to EMF exposure; in

  2. Simulated wind-generated inertial oscillations compared to current measurements in the northern North Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruserud, Kjersti; Haver, Sverre; Myrhaug, Dag

    2018-04-01

    Measured current speed data show that episodes of wind-generated inertial oscillations dominate the current conditions in parts of the northern North Sea. In order to acquire current data of sufficient duration for robust estimation of joint metocean design conditions, such as wind, waves, and currents, a simple model for episodes of wind-generated inertial oscillations is adapted for the northern North Sea. The model is validated with and compared against measured current data at one location in the northern North Sea and found to reproduce the measured maximum current speed in each episode with considerable accuracy. The comparison is further improved when a small general background current is added to the simulated maximum current speeds. Extreme values of measured and simulated current speed are estimated and found to compare well. To assess the robustness of the model and the sensitivity of current conditions from location to location, the validated model is applied at three other locations in the northern North Sea. In general, the simulated maximum current speeds are smaller than the measured, suggesting that wind-generated inertial oscillations are not as prominent at these locations and that other current conditions may be governing. Further analysis of the simulated current speed and joint distribution of wind, waves, and currents for design of offshore structures will be presented in a separate paper.

  3. Clear air boundary layer spaced antenna wind measurement with the Multiple Antenna Profiler (MAPR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. A. Cohn

    Full Text Available Spaced antenna (SA wind measurement techniques are applied to Multiple Antenna Profiler (MAPR data to evaluate its performance in clear air conditions. MAPR is a multiple antenna 915 MHz wind profiler developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR and described in Cohn et al. (1997, designed to make high resolution wind measurements. Previous reported measurements with MAPR were restricted to precipitation because of low signal to noise (SNR and signal to ground-clutter (SCR ratios. By using a standard pulse-coding technique and upgrading the profiler control software, increases in average power and SNR were achieved, making routine measurements in clear air possible. Comparison of winds measured by MAPR and by a sonic anemometer on a nearby 300 m tower show correlation coefficients in the range of R2 = 0.75 – 0.80, and an average absolute error of ~ 1.4 m s - 1 . This compares favorably with the agreement typically found in wind profiler comparisons. We also consider the use of the parameter ah , which is related to the value of the cross-correlation function at its zero crossing. This parameter is a data quality indicator and possibly a key component in a ground clutter removal technique.

    Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (mesoscale meteorology; instruments and techniques – Radio science (remote sensing

  4. Understanding and Exploiting Wind Tunnels with Porous Flexible Walls for Aerodynamic Measurement

    OpenAIRE

    Brown, Kenneth Alexander

    2016-01-01

    The aerodynamic behavior of wind tunnels with porous, flexible walls formed from tensioned Kevlar has been characterized and new measurement techniques in such wind tunnels explored. The objective is to bring the aerodynamic capabilities of so-called Kevlar-wall test sections in-line with those of traditional solid-wall test sections. The primary facility used for this purpose is the 1.85-m by 1.85-m Stability Wind Tunnel at Virginia Tech, and supporting data is provided by the 2-m by 2-m L...

  5. Acoustic Emission Stethoscope - Measurements with Acoustic Emission on Wind Turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krystof Kryniski [AaF Infrastructure, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2013-02-15

    A remote ultrasonic stethoscope, designed on mobile devices to help a maintenance team in diagnosing drive train problems, has been demonstrated. By implementing an acoustic emission technology, the operating conditions of wind turbines have been assessed by trending techniques and ultrasonic acoustic emission converted into audible sound. The new approach has been developed and tested and compared to other monitoring techniques. Acoustic emission has generally been shown to provide a number of advantages over vibration and shock pulse methods because the system is operating in a substantially higher frequency range (100 kHz) and therefore it is more immune to operation of surrounding machines and components. Quick attenuation of ultrasonic propagation waves in the drive-train structure helps to pin-point the origin of any fault as the signals are sharper and more pronounced. Further, with the intensity measurements a direction of the source of ultrasonic energy can be identified. Using a high frequency thus makes the method suitable for measuring local effects and to determine local defects since the disturbing signals from other parts are damped. Recently developed programmable sensors capable of processing signals onboard, producing quality outputs with extremely low noise-to-signal ratio, have been used. It is discussed how the new approach can lower the cost of a wind-turbine monitoring system, while at the same time making it simple and more reliable, see Appendix A. The method has been tested on rotating parts of wind-turbines, including traditionally difficult areas such as low speed main bearings and planetary gearboxes. The method developed in the project was designed to see physical processes such as friction, impacts and metal removal, occurring when machinery degrades, can be detected and notified with the developed notification system. Apart from reporting the status and displaying the changes of the pre-defined parameters or symptoms, the system has

  6. Measurement campaign for wind power potential in west Greenland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rønnow Jakobsen, Kasper

    2013-04-01

    . During the first years, the influence of instrument icing was not considered, but recently one of the sites was equipped with an ice rate sensor and a heated ultrasonic anemometer to study the ice influence. 3 Results The predominant wind direction for most sites is away from the ice cap at the center of the continent, but for some coastal sites it is north or south. The north-south wind pattern is expected from the synoptic patterns and the barrier effect of the ice cap. The sites where the predominant wind direction is away from the inland ice are dominated by katabatic wind systems from the ice cap and form valley systems. These sites also seem to have the highest wind resource and will be studied further. A good example of the influence of katabatic and thermal wind systems can be seen in the measurement data from Sarfannguit and Nanortalik 66 and 60 degrees northern latitude respectively. In future work, these katabatic flows and their impact on the wind resource will be studied using mesoscale modelling and microscale downscaling.

  7. Underwater Acoustic Measurements to Estimate Wind and Rainfall in the Mediterranean Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Pensieri

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Oceanic ambient noise measurements can be analyzed to obtain qualitative and quantitative information about wind and rainfall phenomena over the ocean filling the existing gap of reliable meteorological observations at sea. The Ligurian Sea Acoustic Experiment was designed to collect long-term synergistic observations from a passive acoustic recorder and surface sensors (i.e., buoy mounted rain gauge and anemometer and weather radar to support error analysis of rainfall rate and wind speed quantification techniques developed in past studies. The study period included combination of high and low wind and rainfall episodes and two storm events that caused two floods in the vicinity of La Spezia and in the city of Genoa in 2011. The availability of high resolution in situ meteorological data allows improving data processing technique to detect and especially to provide effective estimates of wind and rainfall at sea. Results show a very good correspondence between estimates provided by passive acoustic recorder algorithm and in situ observations for both rainfall and wind phenomena and demonstrate the potential of using measurements provided by passive acoustic instruments in open sea for early warning of approaching coastal storms, which for the Mediterranean coastal areas constitutes one of the main causes of recurrent floods.

  8. LDV measurement of boundary layer on rotating blade surface in wind tunnel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Takao; Kamada, Yasunari; Murata, Junsuke; Suzuki, Daiki; Kaga, Norimitsu; Kagisaki, Yosuke

    2014-12-01

    Wind turbines generate electricity due to extracting energy from the wind. The rotor aerodynamics strongly depends on the flow around blade. The surface flow on the rotating blade affects the sectional performance. The wind turbine surface flow has span-wise component due to span-wise change of airfoil section, chord length, twisted angle of blade and centrifugal force on the flow. These span-wise flow changes the boundary layer on the rotating blade and the sectional performance. Hence, the thorough understanding of blade surface flow is important to improve the rotor performance. For the purpose of clarification of the flow behaviour around the rotor blade, the velocity in the boundary layer on rotating blade surface of an experimental HAWT was measured in a wind tunnel. The velocity measurement on the blade surface was carried out by a laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV). As the results of the measurement, characteristics of surface flow are clarified. In optimum tip speed operation, the surface flow on leading edge and r/R=0.3 have large span-wise velocity which reaches 20% of sectional inflow velocity. The surface flow inboard have three dimensional flow patterns. On the other hand, the flow outboard is almost two dimensional in cross sectional plane.

  9. Customized DSP-based vibration measurement for wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    LaWhite, N.E.; Cohn, K.E. [Second Wind Inc., Somerville, MA (United States)

    1996-12-31

    As part of its Advanced Distributed Monitoring System (ADMS) project funded by NREL, Second Wind Inc. is developing a new vibration measurement system for use with wind turbines. The system uses low-cost accelerometers originally designed for automobile airbag crash-detection coupled with new software executed on a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) device. The system is envisioned as a means to monitor the mechanical {open_quotes}health{close_quotes} of the wind turbine over its lifetime. In addition the system holds promise as a customized emergency vibration detector. The two goals are very different and it is expected that different software programs will be executed for each function. While a fast Fourier transform (FFT) signature under given operating conditions can yield much information regarding turbine condition, the sampling period and processing requirements make it inappropriate for emergency condition monitoring. This paper briefly reviews the development of prototype DSP and accelerometer hardware. More importantly, it reviews our work to design prototype vibration alarm filters. Two-axis accelerometer test data from the experimental FloWind vertical axis wind turbine is analyzed and used as a development guide. Two levels of signal processing are considered. The first uses narrow band pre-processing filters at key fundamental frequencies such as the 1P, 2P and 3P. The total vibration energy in each frequency band is calculated and evaluated as a possible alarm trigger. In the second level of signal processing, the total vibration energy in each frequency band is further decomposed using the two-axis directional information. Directional statistics are calculated to differentiate between linear translations and circular translations. After analyzing the acceleration statistics for normal and unusual operating conditions, the acceleration processing system described could be used in automatic early detection of fault conditions. 9 figs.

  10. Power and loads for wind turbines in yawed conditions. Analysis of field measurements and aerodynamic predictions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boorsma, K. [ECN Wind Energy, Petten (Netherlands)

    2012-11-15

    A description is given of the work carried out within the framework of the FLOW (Far and Large Offshore Wind) project on single turbine performance in yawed flow conditions. Hereto both field measurements as well as calculations with an aerodynamic code are analyzed. The rotors of horizontal axis wind turbines follow the changes in the wind direction for optimal performance. The reason is that the power is expected to decrease for badly oriented rotors. So, insight in the effects of the yaw angle on performance is important for optimization of the yaw control of each individual turbine. The effect of misalignment on performance and loads of a single 2.5 MW wind turbine during normal operation is investigated. Hereto measurements at the ECN Wind Turbine Test Site Wieringermeer (EWTW) are analyzed from December 2004 until April 2009. Also, the influence of yaw is studied using a design code and results from this design code are compared with wind tunnel measurements.

  11. Utgrunden off-shore wind farm - Measurements of underwater noise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindell, Hans

    2003-07-01

    Airicole, GE Wind Energy and SEAS/Energi E2 have initiated this project in order to achieve a better understanding on how offshore based wind farms effect the underwater noise. The main reason is to gain knowledge on how marine wildlife could be effected by this kind of installation. The measurements were performed at Utgrunden wind farm that is situated at the reef Utgrunden on the Swedish southeast coast. The farm consists of seven 1,5 MW turbines. Three hydrophones registered the underwater sound and four accelerometers the tower vibrations. The measurement campaign was conducted during a period from November 2002 to February 2003. The objectives with this project is to answer the following issues and its results are: 1. What is the character of sound from a single power station? - The turbines radiate sound mainly at a few dominating frequencies from 30 Hz up to 800 Hz. At frequencies below 3 Hz no contribution from the turbines can be detected due to the high background level from the waves and the low tower vibration level. 2. What are the sound generating mechanisms in the turbine? - Gearbox mesh frequency vibrations that are transmitted via the tower structure and radiated out to the water mainly generate the sound. Airborne blade sound is effectively dampened in the transition from air to water. 3. How does the sound attenuate with increasing distance at different frequencies? - The average attenuation per doubled distance for frequencies between 31 Hz and 722 Hz is approximately 4 dB in the measured positions. No clear frequency dependence could be found. 4. How does the sound pressure level vary with increasing wind speed? - With increasing wind speed, the sound pressure level increases and the dominating frequencies move upward due to increasing turbine rotational speed. 5. How does sound from different power stations interfere with each other and influence the over all sound image? - No clear tendencies of interference could be observed in this study

  12. A New Position Measurement System Using a Motion-Capture Camera for Wind Tunnel Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yousok Kim

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Considering the characteristics of wind tunnel tests, a position measurement system that can minimize the effects on the flow of simulated wind must be established. In this study, a motion-capture camera was used to measure the displacement responses of structures in a wind tunnel test, and the applicability of the system was tested. A motion-capture system (MCS could output 3D coordinates using two-dimensional image coordinates obtained from the camera. Furthermore, this remote sensing system had some flexibility regarding lab installation because of its ability to measure at relatively long distances from the target structures. In this study, we performed wind tunnel tests on a pylon specimen and compared the measured responses of the MCS with the displacements measured with a laser displacement sensor (LDS. The results of the comparison revealed that the time-history displacement measurements from the MCS slightly exceeded those of the LDS. In addition, we confirmed the measuring reliability of the MCS by identifying the dynamic properties (natural frequency, damping ratio, and mode shape of the test specimen using system identification methods (frequency domain decomposition, FDD. By comparing the mode shape obtained using the aforementioned methods with that obtained using the LDS, we also confirmed that the MCS could construct a more accurate mode shape (bending-deflection mode shape with the 3D measurements.

  13. Partitioning of Electromagnetic Energy Inputs to the Thermosphere during Geomagnetic Disturbances

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-01

    boundary of a local flux tube volume is an equipotential . Figure 4 contains maps of Poynting flux normal to a 500 km altitude surface and maps of height...as a cell quantity throughout its computational volume, we are able to generate maps of the Poynting flux, ⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗ , on altitude surfaces at...the top of the thermosphere. We used separate modules to integrate the Poynting flux over this surface to compute the total electromagnetic energy

  14. Acoustic noise measurements on a wind turbine performed in the frame of the NIWT round robin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Borg, N.J.C.M.; Vink, P.W.

    1996-11-01

    A round robin acoustic measurement campaign has been performed by five project partners using one and the same wind turbine (WT). The measurement procedure for the round robin exercise was agreed to be in compliance with the IEA-recommended practices on WT-noise emission measurements and the measured characteristics were agreed to be the apparent sound power level and the tonality, both measured at the reference measurement position. The measurements performed by ECN resulted in an A-weighted sound power level of the TACKE TW500/37 wind turbine in Hooksiel, Germany, of 95.8 dB(A) at a wind speed of 5.5 m/s at reference conditions. The tonality assessment of the sound pressure at 50 m down wind of the turbine resulted in a difference between the maximum tone level and the masking noise level of 2.4 dB. This characterizes the noise as 'prominent'. 2 refs

  15. Wind-stilling in the light of wind speed measurements: the Czech experience

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Brázdil, Rudolf; Valík, A.; Zahradníček, Pavel; Řezníčková, Ladislava; Tolasz, R.; Možný, M.

    2018-01-01

    Roč. 74 (2018), s. 131-143 ISSN 0936-577X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1415; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-11805S Institutional support: RVO:86652079 Keywords : universal anemograph * vaisala wind-speed sensors * wind speed * homogenisation * wind stilling * Czech Republic Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology OBOR OECD: Meteorology and atmospheric sciences Impact factor: 1.578, year: 2016

  16. Measurement of productive efficiency with frontier methods. A case study for wind farms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iglesias, Guillermo; Castellanos, Pablo; Seijas, Amparo

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we measure the productive efficiency of a group of wind farms during the period 2001-2004 using the frontier methods Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). Taking an extensive definition of the productive process of wind electricity as our starting point, we obtain results which allow us to identify, on the one hand, an essentially ex ante efficiency measure and, on the other hand, aspects of relevance for wind farm development companies (developers), technology suppliers and operators in terms of their economic impact. These results may also be of interest for regulators and other stakeholders in the sector. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of the simultaneous use of DEA and SFA methodologies. (author)

  17. An Intense Traveling Airglow Front in the Upper Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere with Characteristic of a Turbulent Bore Observed over Alice Springs, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walterscheid, R. L.; Hecht, J. H.; Hickey, M. P.; Gelinas, L. J.; Vincent, R. A.; Reid, I. M.; Woithe, J.

    2010-12-01

    The Aerospace Corporation’s Nightglow Imager observed a large step-function change in airglow in the form of a traveling front in the OH and O2 airglow emissions over Alice Springs Australia on February 2, 2003. The front exhibited a stepwise increase of nearly a factor two in the OH brightness and a stepwise decrease in the O2 brightness. The change in brightness in each layer was associated with a strong leading disturbance followed by a train of weak barely visible waves. The OH airglow brightness behind the front was the brightness night for 02 at Alice Springs that we have measured in seven years of observations. The OH brightness was among the five brightest. The event was associated with a strong phase-locked two-day wave (TDW).We have analyzed the stability conditions for the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere and found that the airglow layers were found in a region of strong ducting. The thermal structure was obtained from combining data from the SABER instrument on the TIMED satellite and the NRLMSISE-00 model. The wind profile was obtained by combining the HWM07 model and MF radar winds from Buckland Park Australia. We found that the TDW-disturbed profile was significantly more effective in supporting a high degree of ducting than a profile based only on HWM07 winds. Dramatic wall events have been interpreted as manifestations of undular bores (e.g., Smith et al. [2003]). Undular bores are nonlinear high Froude number events that must generate an ever increasing train of waves to carry the excess energy away from the bore front. Only a very weak wave train behind the initial disturbance was seen for the Alice Springs event. The form of the amplitude ordering was not typical of a nonlinear wave train. Therefore a bore interpretation requires another means of energy dissipation, namely turbulent dissipation. We suggest that a reasonable interpretation of the observed event is a turbulent bore. We are unaware of any previous event having

  18. A new wind vane for the measurement of atmospheric turbulence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parker, M.J.; Heverly, M.

    1997-02-01

    A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Met One Instruments, Incorporated (Met One) and Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) was created to develop a new wind vane that more accurately measures atmospheric turbulence. Through a process that had several phases, Met One created a prototype vane that was designed to attach to the existing Model 1585 Bi-Directional Wind Vane instrument structure. The prototype contained over 20% less mass to enhance responsiveness, which was also increased through the use of a teardrop-shaped fin structure. The prototype vane can be readily manufactured for commercial retail. Tests in wind tunnel of Building 735-7A, the Meteorological Engineering Facility, indicated that the new vane has a superior starting threshold of less than 0.14 meter per second, a delay distance of 0.72 meter, and a damping ratio of 0.4. The relative accuracy of less than one degree is unchanged from the previous design. The vane bias was acceptable at 0.8 degree for the horizontal wind angle, but was slightly high at 1.4 degree for the verticle wind angle. The high value of the verticle wind angle bias can most likely be reduced to the desired less than one degree value with standard manufacturing production techniques. The durability of the prototype vane was not tested in the field but is expected to be slightly less due to the use of hollow rather than foam-filled fins. However, the loss of some durability is more than compensated with increased sensitivity at low wind speeds. Field testing of the prototype is required to test for adequacy of durability.

  19. Diurnal evolution of wind structure and data availability measured by the DOE prototype radar system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirth, Brian D.; Schroeder, John L.; Guynes, Jerry G.

    2017-11-01

    A new Doppler radar prototype has been developed and deployed at Texas Tech University with a focus on enhancing the technologies’ capability to contribute to wind plant relevant complex flow measurements. In particular, improvements in data availability, total data coverage, and autonomous operation were targeted to enable contributions to a wider range of wind energy applications. Doppler radar offers rapid scan speeds, extended maximum range and excellent along-beam range resolution allowing for the simultaneous measurement of various wind phenomena ranging from regional and wind plant scales to inflow and wake flow assessment for an individual turbine. Data examples and performance improvements relative to a previous edition of the technology are presented, including insights into the influence of diurnal atmospheric stability evolution of wind structure and system performance.

  20. Simulation of the Impact of New Aircraft-and Satellite-based Ocean Surface Wind Measurements on Wind Analyses and Numerical Forecasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, TImothy; Atlas, Robert; Black, Peter; Chen, Shuyi; Jones, Linwood; Ruf, Chris; Uhlhorn, Eric; Gamache, John; Amarin, Ruba; El-Nimri, Salem; hide

    2010-01-01

    The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) is a new airborne microwave remote sensor for hurricane observations that is currently under development by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NOAA Hurricane Research Division, the University of Central Florida and the University of Michigan. HIRAD is being designed to enhance the realtime airborne ocean surface winds observation capabilities of NOAA and USAF Weather Squadron hurricane hunter aircraft currently using the operational airborne Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR). Unlike SFMR, which measures wind speed and rain rate along the ground track directly beneath the aircraft, HIRAD will provide images of the surface wind and rain field over a wide swath (approx. 3 x the aircraft altitude). The present paper describes a set of Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) in which measurements from the new instrument as well as those from existing instruments (air, surface, and space-based) are simulated from the output of a detailed numerical model, and those results are used to construct H*Wind analyses, a product of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Evaluations will be presented on the impact of the HIRAD instrument on H*Wind analyses, both in terms of adding it to the full suite of current measurements, as well as using it to replace instrument(s) that may not be functioning at the future time the HIRAD instrument is implemented. Also shown will be preliminary results of numerical weather prediction OSSEs in which the impact of the addition of HIRAD observations to the initial state on numerical forecasts of the hurricane intensity and structure is assessed.

  1. Local recurrence after microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors: results of a surgical series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Hideo; Kahramangil, Bora; Berber, Eren

    2018-04-01

    Microwave thermosphere ablation is a new treatment modality that creates spherical ablation zones using a single antenna. This study aims to analyze local recurrence associated with this new treatment modality in patients with malignant liver tumors. This is a prospective clinical study of patients who underwent microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors between September 2014 and March 2017. Clinical, operative, and oncologic parameters were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazards model. One hundred patients underwent 301 ablations. Ablations were performed laparoscopically in 87 and open in 13 patients. Pathology included neuroendocrine liver metastasis (n = 115), colorectal liver metastasis (n = 100), hepatocellular cancer (n = 21), and other tumor types (n = 65). Ninety-day morbidity was 7% with one not procedure-related mortality. Median follow-up was 16 months with 65% of patients completing at least 12 months of follow-up. The rate of local tumor recurrence rate per lesion was 6.6% (20/301). Local tumor, new hepatic, and extrahepatic recurrences were detected in 15%, 40%, and 40% of patients, respectively. Local recurrence rate per pathology was 12% for both colorectal liver metastasis (12/100) and other metastatic tumors (8/65). No local recurrence was observed to date in the neuroendocrine liver metastasis and in the limited number of patients with hepatocellular cancers. Tumor size >3 cm and tumor type were independent predictors of local recurrence. This is the first study to analyze local recurrence after microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors. Short-term local tumor control rate compares favorably with that reported for radiofrequency and other microwave technologies in the literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Development of a Wind Plant Large-Eddy Simulation with Measurement-Driven Atmospheric Inflow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quon, Eliot W.; Churchfield, Matthew J.; Cheung, Lawrence; Kern, Stefan

    2017-01-09

    This paper details the development of an aeroelastic wind plant model with large-eddy simulation (LES). The chosen LES solver is the Simulator for Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA) based on the OpenFOAM framework, coupled to NREL's comprehensive aeroelastic analysis tool, FAST. An atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) precursor simulation was constructed based on assessments of meteorological tower, lidar, and radar data over a 3-hour window. This precursor was tuned to the specific atmospheric conditions that occurred both prior to and during the measurement campaign, enabling capture of a night-to-day transition in the turbulent ABL. In the absence of height-varying temperature measurements, spatially averaged radar data were sufficient to characterize the atmospheric stability of the wind plant in terms of the shear profile, and near-ground temperature sensors provided a reasonable estimate of the ground heating rate describing the morning transition. A full aeroelastic simulation was then performed for a subset of turbines within the wind plant, driven by the precursor. Analysis of two turbines within the array, one directly waked by the other, demonstrated good agreement with measured time-averaged loads.

  3. The Effect of Solar Radiation on Molecular Nitrogen Emissions Originating in the Sunlit Thermosphere of Earth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatfield, David Brooke

    The vibrational distribution of N_2 triplet states in the sunlit upper thermosphere of Earth is measured and modeled for the first time. A comparison is made between measured and theoretical limb column emission rates for bands originating from each upper vibrational level of C^3Pi_ u(v) and A^3Sigma_sp {u}{+}(v). The measured column emission rates for the Second Positive (2PG) bands are 3.2 (+/-0.2), 3.2 (+/-0.2) and 0.6 (+0.0,-0.4) kRayleighs for bands originating from C^3Pi_ u(0Kaplan (VK) bands originating from A^3Sigma_sp{u}{+ }(0measured 2PG intensities, but comparisons of predicted A^3Sigma_sp{u }{+}(v) column emissions to measured VK intensities are poor. Despite this discrepancy, the predicted sum of all A^3Sigma_sp {u}{+}(v) emission rates over all v compared well to the sum of measured VK intensities. This implies that the excitation rate into the N_2 triplet states is well understood, but that the cascade mechanisms are not as yet understood sufficiently to use dayglow N_2 band emissions as remote sensing probes of the sunlit thermosphere. The dayglow N_2 emissions are modeled by extending the existing auroral model to include resonance scattering of sunlight and replacing the precipitating auroral electrons with photoelectrons. The effects of solar resonance scattering on the X ^1Sigma_sp{g}{+}, A^3Sigma_sp{u }{+} and B^3Pi _ g states are presented as a function of A^3Sigma_sp{u}{+ } quenching rate. These theoretical predictions have important implications for the analysis of dayglow and auroral emissions. The effect of resonance scattering on the A^3Sigma_sp{u} {+} state is small, and will not be measurable under auroral conditions. This implies that the measured auroral vibrational population of the A^3 Sigma_sp{u}{+} state is valid for sunlit aurora. The population of B ^3Pi_ g(v = O) relative to other B^3Pi_ g(v) states is predicted to be enhanced by sunlight. A novel set of computer variables based on tree structures was created to manage the

  4. Pilot-scale concept of real-time wind speed-matching wind tunnel for measurements of gaseous emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comprehensive control of odors, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3) and odorous volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions associated with animal production is a critical need. Current methods utilizing wind tunnels and flux chambers for measurements of gaseous emissions from area sources such as f...

  5. From the Sun to the Earth: impact of the 27-28 May 2003 solar events on the magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Hanuise

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available During the last week of May 2003, the solar active region AR 10365 produced a large number of flares, several of which were accompanied by Coronal Mass Ejections (CME. Specifically on 27 and 28 May three halo CMEs were observed which had a significant impact on geospace. On 29 May, upon their arrival at the L1 point, in front of the Earth's magnetosphere, two interplanetary shocks and two additional solar wind pressure pulses were recorded by the ACE spacecraft. The interplanetary magnetic field data showed the clear signature of a magnetic cloud passing ACE. In the wake of the successive increases in solar wind pressure, the magnetosphere became strongly compressed and the sub-solar magnetopause moved inside five Earth radii. At low altitudes the increased energy input to the magnetosphere was responsible for a substantial enhancement of Region-1 field-aligned currents. The ionospheric Hall currents also intensified and the entire high-latitude current system moved equatorward by about 10°. Several substorms occurred during this period, some of them - but not all - apparently triggered by the solar wind pressure pulses. The storm's most notable consequences on geospace, including space weather effects, were (1 the expansion of the auroral oval, and aurorae seen at mid latitudes, (2 the significant modification of the total electron content in the sunlight high-latitude ionosphere, (3 the perturbation of radio-wave propagation manifested by HF blackouts and increased GPS signal scintillation, and (4 the heating of the thermosphere, causing increased satellite drag. We discuss the reasons why the May 2003 storm is less intense than the October-November 2003 storms, although several indicators reach similar intensities.

  6. Extreme Design Loads Calibration of Offshore Wind Turbine Blades through Real Time Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Natarajan, Anand; Vesth, Allan; Lamata, Rebeca Rivera

    2014-01-01

    Blade Root flap and Edge moments are measured on the blades of a 3.6MW offshore wind turbine in normal operation. Ten minute maxima of the measurements are sampled to determine the extreme blade root flap moment, edge moment and resultant moment over six month duration. A random subset of the mea......Blade Root flap and Edge moments are measured on the blades of a 3.6MW offshore wind turbine in normal operation. Ten minute maxima of the measurements are sampled to determine the extreme blade root flap moment, edge moment and resultant moment over six month duration. A random subset...... of the measurements over a week is taken as input to stochastic load extrapolation whereby the one year extrapolated design extreme is obtained, which are then compared with the maximum extremes obtained from direct measurements over a six month period to validate the magnification in the load levels for the blade...... root flap moment, edge moment obtained by extrapolation. The validation yields valuable information on prescribing the slope of the local extrapolation curve at each mean wind speed. As an alternative to determining the contemporaneous loads for each primary extrapolated load, the blade root resultant...

  7. Observations on Stratospheric-Mesospheric-Thermospheric temperatures using Indian MST radar and co-located LIDAR during Leonid Meteor Shower (LMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Selvamurugan

    2002-11-01

    Full Text Available The temporal and height statistics of the occurrence of meteor trails during the Leonid meteor shower revealed the capability of the Indian MST radar to record large numbers of meteor trails. The distribution of radio meteor trails due to a Leonid meteor shower in space and time provided a unique opportunity to construct the height profiles of lower thermospheric temperatures and winds, with good time and height resolution. There was a four-fold increase in the meteor trails observed during the LMS compared to a typical non-shower day. The temperatures were found to be in excellent continuity with the temperature profiles below the radio meteor region derived from the co-located Nd-Yag LIDAR and the maximum height of the temperature profile was extended from the LIDAR to ~110 km. There are, how-ever, some significant differences between the observed profiles and the CIRA-86 model profiles. The first results on the meteor statistics and neutral temperature are presented and discussed below.  Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (pres-sure, density, and temperature History of geophysics (at-mospheric sciences Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics

  8. The effect of breaking gravity waves on the dynamics and chemistry of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (invited review)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, R. R.

    1986-01-01

    The influence of breaking gravity waves on the dynamics and chemical composition of the 60 to 110 km region is investigated with a two dimensional model that includes a parameterization of gravity wave momentum deposition and diffusion. The dynamical model is described by Garcia and Solomon (1983) and Solomon and Garcia (1983) and includes a complete chemical scheme for the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The parameterization of Lindzen (1981) is used to calculate the momentum deposited and the turbulent diffusion produced by the gravity waves. It is found that wave momentum deposition drives a very vigorous mean meridional circulation, produces a very cold summer mesopause and reverse the zonal wind jets above about 85 km. The seasonal variation of the turbulent diffusion coefficient is consistent with the behavior of mesospheric turbulences inferred from MST radar echoes. The large degree of consistency between model results and various types of dynamical and chemical data supports very strongly the hypothesis that breaking gravity waves play a major role in determining the zonally-averaged dynamical and chemical structure of the 60 to 110 km region of the atmosphere.

  9. Utilizing Probability Distribution Functions and Ensembles to Forecast lonospheric and Thermosphere Space Weather

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-26

    geomagnetic field geometry , zonal wind, meridional wind, high-latitude activity, migrating tides from the lower atmosphere, and solar illumination in...Earth is strongly driven by the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), which are only measured about one hour before they encounter the...Earth’s magnetosphere. This means that it is almost impossible to predict the state of the upper atmosphere without predicting the solar wind and

  10. A combined aeroelastic-aeroacoustic model for wind turbine noise: Verification and analysis of field measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertagnolio, Franck; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Fischer, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, semi-empirical engineering models for the three main wind turbine aerodynamic noise sources, namely, turbulent inflow, trailing edge and stall noise, are introduced. They are implemented into the in-house aeroelastic code HAWC2 commonly used for wind turbine load calculations...... and design. The results of the combined aeroelastic and aeroacoustic model are compared with field noise measurements of a 500kW wind turbine. Model and experimental data are in fairly good agreement in terms of noise levels and directivity. The combined model allows separating the various noise sources...... and highlights a number of mechanisms that are difficult to differentiate when only the overall noise from a wind turbine is measured....

  11. First middle-atmospheric zonal wind profile measurements with a new ground-based microwave Doppler-spectro-radiometer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Rüfenacht

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available We report on the wind radiometer WIRA, a new ground-based microwave Doppler-spectro-radiometer specifically designed for the measurement of middle-atmospheric horizontal wind by observing ozone emission spectra at 142.17504 GHz. Currently, wind speeds in five levels between 30 and 79 km can be retrieved which makes WIRA the first instrument able to continuously measure horizontal wind in this altitude range. For an integration time of one day the measurement error on each level lies at around 25 m s−1. With a planned upgrade this value is expected to be reduced by a factor of 2 in the near future. On the altitude levels where our measurement can be compared to wind data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF very good agreement in the long-term statistics as well as in short time structures with a duration of a few days has been found.

    WIRA uses a passive double sideband heterodyne receiver together with a digital Fourier transform spectrometer for the data acquisition. A big advantage of the radiometric approach is that such instruments can also operate under adverse weather conditions and thus provide a continuous time series for the given location. The optics enables the instrument to scan a wide range of azimuth angles including the directions east, west, north, and south for zonal and meridional wind measurements. The design of the radiometer is fairly compact and its calibration does not rely on liquid nitrogen which makes it transportable and suitable for campaign use. WIRA is conceived in a way that it can be operated remotely and does hardly require any maintenance.

    In the present paper, a description of the instrument is given, and the techniques used for the wind retrieval based on the determination of the Doppler shift of the measured atmospheric ozone emission spectra are outlined. Their reliability was tested using Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, a time series of 11

  12. First middle-atmospheric zonal wind profile measurements with a new ground-based microwave Doppler-spectro-radiometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüfenacht, R.; Kämpfer, N.; Murk, A.

    2012-11-01

    We report on the wind radiometer WIRA, a new ground-based microwave Doppler-spectro-radiometer specifically designed for the measurement of middle-atmospheric horizontal wind by observing ozone emission spectra at 142.17504 GHz. Currently, wind speeds in five levels between 30 and 79 km can be retrieved which makes WIRA the first instrument able to continuously measure horizontal wind in this altitude range. For an integration time of one day the measurement error on each level lies at around 25 m s-1. With a planned upgrade this value is expected to be reduced by a factor of 2 in the near future. On the altitude levels where our measurement can be compared to wind data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) very good agreement in the long-term statistics as well as in short time structures with a duration of a few days has been found. WIRA uses a passive double sideband heterodyne receiver together with a digital Fourier transform spectrometer for the data acquisition. A big advantage of the radiometric approach is that such instruments can also operate under adverse weather conditions and thus provide a continuous time series for the given location. The optics enables the instrument to scan a wide range of azimuth angles including the directions east, west, north, and south for zonal and meridional wind measurements. The design of the radiometer is fairly compact and its calibration does not rely on liquid nitrogen which makes it transportable and suitable for campaign use. WIRA is conceived in a way that it can be operated remotely and does hardly require any maintenance. In the present paper, a description of the instrument is given, and the techniques used for the wind retrieval based on the determination of the Doppler shift of the measured atmospheric ozone emission spectra are outlined. Their reliability was tested using Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, a time series of 11 months of zonal wind measurements over Bern (46°57' N

  13. Field campaign for the comparison of SOUSY radar wind measurements with rawinsonde and model data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Steinhagen

    Full Text Available A field campaign was carried out from 26 October to 7 November 1992, using the SOUSY-VHF radar and a mobile rawinsonde system installed and operated nearby to produce vertical wind profiles. The purpose of this campaign was to compare the two types of wind measurements with one another and with results from forecast models. Numerical algorithms were developed and applied to the radar data in order to eliminate random errors, correct for velocity aliasing, and calculate the effective zenith angle of the off-vertical beams. Differences between wind profiler data and rawinsonde or model results depend not only upon the errors of the different systems, but also on temporal and spatial variations of the wind field. Therefore, methods for the comparison of radar and rawinsonde data were developed which take into consideration these variations. The practical potential of these methods is demonstrated by comparisons of rawinsonde and radar wind profiles. The comparison of radar data and model output shows excellent agreement in the direction and in the speed of the wind at virtually all altitudes. An evaluation of the quality of wind profiler measurements is possible using the estimation of variance and variability of wind components.

  14. Field campaign for the comparison of SOUSY radar wind measurements with rawinsonde and model data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Steinhagen

    1994-07-01

    Full Text Available A field campaign was carried out from 26 October to 7 November 1992, using the SOUSY-VHF radar and a mobile rawinsonde system installed and operated nearby to produce vertical wind profiles. The purpose of this campaign was to compare the two types of wind measurements with one another and with results from forecast models. Numerical algorithms were developed and applied to the radar data in order to eliminate random errors, correct for velocity aliasing, and calculate the effective zenith angle of the off-vertical beams. Differences between wind profiler data and rawinsonde or model results depend not only upon the errors of the different systems, but also on temporal and spatial variations of the wind field. Therefore, methods for the comparison of radar and rawinsonde data were developed which take into consideration these variations. The practical potential of these methods is demonstrated by comparisons of rawinsonde and radar wind profiles. The comparison of radar data and model output shows excellent agreement in the direction and in the speed of the wind at virtually all altitudes. An evaluation of the quality of wind profiler measurements is possible using the estimation of variance and variability of wind components.

  15. Wind Turbine Measurement Technique—an Open Laboratory for Educational Purposes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Knud Ole Helgesen; Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose; Schmidt Paulsen, Uwe

    2008-01-01

    operational parameters, (ii) meteorological onditions, (iii) electrical quantities and (iv) mechanical loads. The data acquisition system was PC based, and it was combined with a MySQL® database for data management.The system enabled online access for real-time recordings,which were used both...... of non-commercial time series, which would be available for practicing fatigue calculations and extreme load estimation in basic wind turbine courses. Power quality analysis was carried out based on high-speed-sampled, three-phase voltage and current signals. The wide spectrum of sensors enabled....... The WTMLAB was included in a new course entitled Wind Turbine Measurement Techniques....

  16. Rate of rotation measurement using back-EMFS associated with windings of a brushless DC motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, David E. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A system and method are provided for measuring rate of rotation. A brushless DC motor is rotated and produces a back electromagnetic force (emf) on each winding thereof. Each winding's back-emf is integrated and multiplied by the back-emf associated with an adjacent winding. The multiplied outputs associated with each winding are combined to produce a directionally sensitive DC output proportional only to the rate of rotation of the motor's shaft.

  17. Aerodynamic noise characterization of a full-scale wind turbine through high-frequency surface pressure measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertagnolio, Franck; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Bak, Christian

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this work is to investigate and characterize the high-frequency surface pressure fluctuations on a full-scale wind turbine blade and in particular the influence of the atmospheric turbulence. As these fluctuations are highly correlated to the sources of both turbulent inflow noise...... and trailing edge noise, recognized to be the two main sources of noise from wind turbines, this work contributes to a more detailed insight into noise from wind turbines. The study comprises analysis and interpretation of measurement data that were acquired during an experimental campaign involving a 2 MW...... wind turbine with a 80 m diameter rotor as well as measurements of an airfoil section tested in a wind tunnel. The turbine was extensively equipped in order to monitor the local inflow onto the rotating blades. Further a section of the 38 m long blade was instrumented with 50 microphones flush...

  18. Aerodynamical errors on tower mounted wind speed measurements due to the presence of the tower

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergstroem, H. [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Meteorology; Dahlberg, J.Aa. [Aeronautical Research Inst. of Sweden, Bromma (Sweden)

    1996-12-01

    Field measurements of wind speed from two lattice towers showed large differences for wind directions where the anemometers of both towers should be unaffected by any upstream obstacle. The wind speed was measured by cup anemometers mounted on booms along the side of the tower. A simple wind tunnel test indicates that the boom, for the studied conditions, could cause minor flow disturbances. A theoretical study, by means of simple 2D flow modelling of the flow around the mast, demonstrates that the tower itself could cause large wind flow disturbances. A theoretical study, based on simple treatment of the physics of motion of a cup anemometer, demonstrates that a cup anemometer is sensitive to velocity gradients across the cups and responds clearly to velocity gradients in the vicinity of the tower. Comparison of the results from the theoretical study and field tests show promising agreement. 2 refs, 8 figs

  19. Summary Report: The Shadow effect of large wind farms: measurements, data analysis and modelling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frandsen, Sten Tronæs; Barthelmie, Rebecca Jane; Rathmann, Ole

    It was the goal of the project – by means of data from the demonstration wind farms Horns Rev and Nysted, analyses of these data and modelling – to facilitate prediction of the power losses from a wind farm should a new wind farm be built upwind relative to the prevailing wind direction...... it may appropriate to build new wind farms rather close to the existing wind farms. A relevant question is therefore how far away new wind farms must be placed to avoid too large power losses. Measurements have been carried out for several years at the two sites, and databases have been prepared....... Thus, if different modelling efforts results in comparable results, the quality of the models will be tested outside the physical range where data are available. All considered the project participants find that the project has been immensely successful. The main achievements of the project are...

  20. Measuring and modelling of the wind on the scale of tall wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Floors, Rogier Ralph

    The air flow in the lower atmosphere on the spatial scale of the modern wind turbines is studied. Because wind turbines are nowadays often taller than 100 m, the validity of current analytical and numerical atmospheric models has to be evaluated and more knowledge about the structure of the atmos......The air flow in the lower atmosphere on the spatial scale of the modern wind turbines is studied. Because wind turbines are nowadays often taller than 100 m, the validity of current analytical and numerical atmospheric models has to be evaluated and more knowledge about the structure...

  1. An investigation of the solar cycle response of odd-nitrogen in the thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rusch, David W.; Solomon, Stanley C.

    1992-01-01

    This annual report covers the first year of funding for the study of the solar cycle variations of odd-nitrogen (N((sup 2)D), N((sup 4)S), NO) in the Earth's thermosphere. The study uses the extensive data base generated by the Atmosphere Explorer (AE) satellites, and the Solar Mesosphere Explorer Satellite. The AE data are being used, for the first time, to define the solar variability effect on the odd-nitrogen species through analysis of the emissions at 520 nano-m from N((sup 2)D) and the emission from O(+)((sup 2)P). Additional AE neutral and ion density data are used to help define and quantify the physical processes controlling the variations. The results from the airglow study will be used in the next two years of this study to explain the solar cycle changes in NO measured by the Solar Mesosphere Explorer.

  2. Silicon Chemistry in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plane, John M. C.; Gomez-Martin, Juan Carlos; Feng, Wuhu; Janches, Diego

    2016-01-01

    Silicon is one of the most abundant elements in cosmic dust, and meteoric ablation injects a significant amount of Si into the atmosphere above 80 km. In this study, a new model for silicon chemistry in the mesosphere lower thermosphere is described, based on recent laboratory kinetic studies of Si, SiO,SiO2, and S(exp +). Electronic structure calculations and statistical rate theory are used to show that the likely fate of SiO2 is a two-step hydration to silicic acid (Si(OH)4), which then polymerizes with metal oxides and hydroxides to form meteoric smoke particles. This chemistry is then incorporated into a whole atmosphere chemistry-climate model. The vertical profiles of Si+ and the Si(exp +)Fe(exp +) ratio are shown to be in good agreement with rocket-borne mass spectrometric measurements between 90 and 110 km. Si(exp +) has consistently been observed to be the major meteoric ion around 110 km; this implies that the relative injection rate of Si from meteoric ablation, compared to metals such as Fe and Mg, is significantly larger than expected based on the irrelative chondritic abundances. Finally, the global abundances of SiO and Si(OH)4 show clear evidence of the seasonal meteoric input function, which is much less pronounced in the case of other meteoric species.

  3. EISCAT measurements of solar wind velocity and the associated level of interplanetary scintillation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. A. Fallows

    2002-09-01

    Full Text Available A relative scintillation index can be derived from EISCAT observations of Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS usually used to study the solar wind velocity. This provides an ideal opportunity to compare reliable measurements of the solar wind velocity derived for a number of points along the line-of-sight with measurements of the overall level of scintillation. By selecting those occasions where either slow- or fast-stream scattering was dominant, it is shown that at distances from the Sun greater than 30 RS , in both cases the scintillation index fell with increasing distance as a simple power law, typically as R-1.7. The level of scintillation for slow-stream scattering is found to be 2.3 times the level for fast-stream scattering.Key words. Interplanetary physics (solar wind plasma

  4. Wind direction correlated measurements of radon and radon progeny in atmosphere: a method for radon source identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akber, R.A.; Pfitzner, J.; Johnston, A.

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes the basic principles and methodology of a wind direction correlated measurement technique which is used to distinguish the mine-related and background components of radon and radon progeny concentrations in the vicinity of the ERA Ranger Uranium Mine. Simultaneous measurements of atmospheric radon and radon progeny concentrations and wind speed and direction were conducted using automatic sampling stations. The data were recorded as a time series of half hourly averages and grouped into sixteen 22.5 degrees wind sectors. The sampling interval and the wind sector width were chosen considering wind direction variability (σ θ ) over the sampling time interval. The data were then analysed for radon and radon progeny concentrations in each wind sector. Information about the wind frequency wind speed seasonal and diurnal variations in wind direction and radon concentrations was required for proper data analysis and interpretation of results. A comparison with model-based estimates for an identical time period shows agreement within about a factor of two between the two methods. 15 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs

  5. Validation of a wind tunnel testing facility for blade surface pressure measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuglsang, P.; Antoniou, I.; Soerensen, N.N.; Madsen, H.A.

    1998-04-01

    This report concerns development and validation of a 2d testing facility for airfoil pressure measurements. The VELUX open jet wind tunnel was used with a test stand inserted. Reynolds numbers until 1.3 million were achieved with an airfoil chord of 0.45 m. The aerodynamic load coefficients were found from pressure distribution measurements and the total drag coefficient was calculated from wake rake measurements. Stationary inflow as well as dynamic inflow through pitching motion was possible. Wind tunnel corrections were applied for streamline curvature and down-wash. Even though the wind tunnel is not ideal for 2d testing, the overall quality of the flow was acceptable with a uniform flow field at the test stand position and a turbulence intensity of 1 % at the inlet of the test section. Reference values for free stream static and total pressure were found upstream of the test stand. The NACA 63-215 airfoil was tested and the results were compared with measurements from FFA and NACA. The measurements agreed well except for lift coefficient values at high angles of attack and the drag coefficient values at low angles of attack, that were slightly high. Comparisons of the measured results with numerical predictions from the XFOIL code and the EllipSys2D code showed good agreement. Measurements with the airfoil in pitching motion were carried out to study the dynamic aerodynamic coefficients. Steady inflow measurements at high angles of attack were used to investigate the double stall phenomenon. (au) EFP-94; EFP-95; EFP-97. 8 tabs., 82 ills., 16 refs.

  6. Measurement of starting characteristics of a remote area Darrieus wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freere, P. [Monash University, Clayton (Australia). Dept. of Electrical Engineering; Moller, C.; Jespersen, R. [Danish Technical University, Copenhagen (Denmark). Dept. of Electrical Engineering

    1999-07-01

    A 17 kW Darrieus was constructed as a remote area power supply for an independent community outside Melbourne, Australia. After languishing for several years it was reconditioned, but found not to start at wind speeds up to 12 m/s. Therefore, the turbine was modelled by driving it with an electric motor at various rotational speeds over a range of wind speeds. Thus it was possible to measure the turbine starting characteristics, thereby indicating reasons for the turbine's lack of performance. (author)

  7. Assessing Long-Term Wind Conditions by Combining Different Measure-Correlate-Predict Algorithms: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, J.; Chowdhury, S.; Messac, A.; Hodge, B. M.

    2013-08-01

    This paper significantly advances the hybrid measure-correlate-predict (MCP) methodology, enabling it to account for variations of both wind speed and direction. The advanced hybrid MCP method uses the recorded data of multiple reference stations to estimate the long-term wind condition at a target wind plant site. The results show that the accuracy of the hybrid MCP method is highly sensitive to the combination of the individual MCP algorithms and reference stations. It was also found that the best combination of MCP algorithms varies based on the length of the correlation period.

  8. Sporadic and Thermospheric Enhanced Sodium Layers Observed by a Lidar Chain over China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, X.

    2013-12-01

    We report the statistical features of sporadic sodium layers (SSLs) and the thermospheric enhanced sodium layers (TeSLs) observed by a lidar chain located at Beijing (40.2N,116.2E), Hefei (31.8N, 117.3E), Wuhan (30.5N, 114.4E), and Haikou (19.5N, 109.1E). The average SSL occurrence rate was approximately 46.0, 12.3, 13.8, and 15.0 hr per SSL at Beijing, Hefei, Wuhan, and Haikou, respectively. However, the TeSLs occurred relatively infrequently and were more likely to appear at low and high latitudinal sites. Both the SSLs and TeSLs at four lidar sites showed evident summer enhancements and correlated well with Es (foEs>4MHz). The co-observations of SSLs at three lidar site pairs, i.e., Hefei -- Beijing, Hefei -- Wuhan and Hefei -- Beijing, indicated that a large-scale SSL extended horizontally for at least a few hundred kilometers and exhibited a tidal-induced modulation. Moreover, the SSLs were better correlated for the Hefei -- Wuhan and Hefei -- Haikou pairs than the Hefei -- Beijing pair, which suggested a difference in the dynamical/chemical process in mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) between the Beijing site and the other sites.

  9. High resolution wind turbine wake measurements with a scanning lidar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Herges, T. G.; Maniaci, D. C.; Naughton, B. T.

    2017-01-01

    High-resolution lidar wake measurements are part of an ongoing field campaign being conducted at the Scaled Wind Farm Technology facility by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory using a customized scanning lidar from the Technical University of Denmark. One...

  10. Wind Predictions Upstream Wind Turbines from a LiDAR Database

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soledad Le Clainche

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a new method to predict the wind velocity upstream a horizontal axis wind turbine from a set of light detection and ranging (LiDAR measurements. The method uses higher order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD to construct a reduced order model (ROM that can be extrapolated in space. LiDAR measurements have been carried out upstream a wind turbine at six different planes perpendicular to the wind turbine axis. This new HODMD-based ROM predicts with high accuracy the wind velocity during a timespan of 24 h in a plane of measurements that is more than 225 m far away from the wind turbine. Moreover, the technique introduced is general and obtained with an almost negligible computational cost. This fact makes it possible to extend its application to both vertical axis wind turbines and real-time operation.

  11. Multi-MW wind turbine power curve measurements using remote sensing instruments – the first Høvsøre campaign

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Rozenn; Courtney, Michael

    curve significantly. Two LiDARs and a SoDAR are used to measure the wind profile in front of a wind turbine. These profiles are used to calculate the equivalent wind speed. LiDAR are found to be more accurate than SoDAR and therefore more suitable for power performance measurement. The equivalent wind...... that used of the equivalent wind speed at least results in a power curve with no more scatter than using the conventional method....

  12. Theoretical and experimental studies of atmospheric structure and dynamics, using high altitude chemical release, Radio meteor, and meteorological rocket network and other data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, H. D.

    1976-01-01

    Data collected by the Georgia Tech Radio Meteor Wind Facility during the fall and winter of 1975 are analyzed indicating a relationship between lower thermospheric circulation at mid latitudes and polar stratospheric dynamics. Techniques of measurement of mixing processes in the upper atmosphere and the interpretation of those measurements are described along with a diffusion simulation program based on the Global Reference Atmosphere program.

  13. Sensing the wind profile

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pena, A.

    2009-03-15

    This thesis consists of two parts. The first is a synopsis of the theoretical progress of the study that is based on a number of journal papers. The papers, which constitute the second part of the report, aim to analyze, measure, and model the wind prole in and beyond the surface layer by combining observations from cup anemometers with lidars. The lidar is necessary to extend the measurements on masts at the Horns Rev offshore wind farm and over at land at Hoevsoere, Denmark. Both sensing techniques show a high degree of agreement for wind speed measurements performed at either sites. The wind speed measurements are averaged for several stability conditions and compare well with the surface-layer wind profile. At Hoevsoere, it is sufficient to scale the wind speed with the surface friction velocity, whereas at Horns Rev a new scaling is added, due to the variant roughness length. This new scaling is coupled to wind prole models derived for flow over the sea and tested against the wind proles up to 160 m at Horns Rev. The models, which account for the boundary-layer height in stable conditions, show better agreement with the measurements than compared to the traditional theory. Mixing-length parameterizations for the neutral wind prole compare well with length-scale measurements up to 300 m at Hoevsoere and 950 m at Leipzig. The mixing-length-derived wind proles strongly deviate from the logarithmic wind prole, but agree better with the wind speed measurements. The length-scale measurements are compared to the length scale derived from a spectral analysis performed up to 160 m at Hoevsoere showing high agreement. Mixing-length parameterizations are corrected to account for stability and used to derive wind prole models. These compared better to wind speed measurements up to 300 m at Hoevsoere than the surface-layer wind prole. The boundary-layer height is derived in nearneutral and stable conditions based on turbulent momentum uxes only and in unstable conditions

  14. GPS Synchronization and EMC of Harmonic and Transient Measurement Equipment in Offshore Wind Farms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kocewiak, Łukasz Hubert; Arana, Iván; Hjerrild, Jesper

    2012-01-01

    synchronization, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and interference (EMI) challenges during the development, construction, testing and installation of a measurement system for multi-point, high-speed and long-term data logging is described in this paper. The presented measurement system was tested in a rough...... offshore environment at Avedøre Holme and Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farms.The paper will describe the application of GPS technology in synchronised measurements carried out at Avedøre Holme and Gunfleet Sands wind farms. Different aspects of software development and hardware configuration in order...

  15. Global Ionospheric and Thermospheric Effects of the June 2015 Geomagnetic Disturbances : Multi-Instrumental Observations and Modeling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Astafyeva, E; Zakharenkova, I; Huba, J. D.; Doornbos, E.N.; van den IJssel, J.A.A.

    2017-01-01

    By using data from multiple instruments, we investigate ionospheric/thermospheric behavior during the period from 21 to 23 June 2015, when three interplanetary shocks (IS) of different intensities arrived at Earth. The first IS was registered at 16:45 UT on 21 June and caused ~50 nT increase in

  16. Wind Tunnel Tests for Wind Pressure Distribution on Gable Roof Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Gable roof buildings are widely used in industrial buildings. Based on wind tunnel tests with rigid models, wind pressure distributions on gable roof buildings with different aspect ratios were measured simultaneously. Some characteristics of the measured wind pressure field on the surfaces of the models were analyzed, including mean wind pressure, fluctuating wind pressure, peak negative wind pressure, and characteristics of proper orthogonal decomposition results of the measured wind pressure field. The results show that extremely high local suctions often occur in the leading edges of longitudinal wall and windward roof, roof corner, and roof ridge which are the severe damaged locations under strong wind. The aspect ratio of building has a certain effect on the mean wind pressure coefficients, and the effect relates to wind attack angle. Compared with experimental results, the region division of roof corner and roof ridge from AIJ2004 is more reasonable than those from CECS102:2002 and MBMA2006.The contributions of the first several eigenvectors to the overall wind pressure distributions become much bigger. The investigation can offer some basic understanding for estimating wind load distribution on gable roof buildings and facilitate wind-resistant design of cladding components and their connections considering wind load path. PMID:24082851

  17. Development of a Wind Plant Large-Eddy Simulation with Measurement-Driven Atmospheric Inflow: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quon, Eliot; Churchfield, Matthew; Cheung, Lawrence; Kern, Stefan

    2017-02-01

    This paper details the development of an aeroelastic wind plant model with large-eddy simulation (LES). The chosen LES solver is the Simulator for Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA) based on the OpenFOAM framework, coupled to NREL's comprehensive aeroelastic analysis tool, FAST. An atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) precursor simulation was constructed based on assessments of meteorological tower, lidar, and radar data over a 3-hour window. This precursor was tuned to the specific atmospheric conditions that occurred both prior to and during the measurement campaign, enabling capture of a night-to-day transition in the turbulent ABL. In the absence of height-varying temperature measurements, spatially averaged radar data were sufficient to characterize the atmospheric stability of the wind plant in terms of the shear profile, and near-ground temperature sensors provided a reasonable estimate of the ground heating rate describing the morning transition. A full aeroelastic simulation was then performed for a subset of turbines within the wind plant, driven by the precursor. Analysis of two turbines within the array, one directly waked by the other, demonstrated good agreement with measured time-averaged loads.

  18. Comparison of X-band radar backscatter measurements with area extended wave slope measurements made in a large wind wave tank

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Halsema, D. van; Jaehne, B.; Oost, W.A.; Calkoen, C.J.; Snoeij, P.

    1989-01-01

    Combined measurements of microwave backscatter, wind, waves, and gas exchange have been carried out in the large Delft Hydraulics wind/wave tank. This experiment was the first of a series of experiments in the VIERS-1 project. In this project, a number of Dutch and one German laboratory cooperate to

  19. High-resolution humidity profiles retrieved from wind profiler radar measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saïd, Frédérique; Campistron, Bernard; Di Girolamo, Paolo

    2018-03-01

    The retrieval of humidity profiles from wind profiler radars has already been documented in the past 30 years and is known to be neither as straightforward and nor as robust as the retrieval of the wind velocity. The main constraint to retrieve the humidity profile is the necessity to combine measurements from the wind profiler and additional measurements (such as observations from radiosoundings at a coarser time resolution). Furthermore, the method relies on some assumptions and simplifications that restrict the scope of its application. The first objective of this paper is to identify the obstacles and limitations and solve them, or at least define the field of applicability. To improve the method, we propose using the radar capacity to detect transition levels, such as the top level of the boundary layer, marked by a maximum in the radar reflectivity. This forces the humidity profile from the free troposphere and from the boundary layer to coincide at this level, after an optimization of the calibration coefficients, and reduces the error. The resulting mean bias affecting the specific humidity profile never exceeds 0.25 g kg-1. The second objective is to explore the capability of the algorithm to retrieve the humidity vertical profiles for an operational purpose by comparing the results with observations from a Raman lidar.

  20. Remote-controlled flexible pose measurement system and method for a moving target in wind tunnel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei LIU

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The measurement of position and attitude parameters for the isolated target from a high-speed aircraft is a great challenge in the field of wind tunnel simulation technology. This paper proposes a remote-controlled flexible pose measurement system in wind tunnel conditions for the separation of a target from an aircraft. The position and attitude parameters of a moving object are obtained by utilizing a single camera with a focal length and camera orientation that can be changed based on different measurement conditions. Using this proposed system and method, both the flexibility and efficiency of the pose measurement system can be enhanced in wind tunnel conditions to meet the measurement requirements of different objects and experiments, which is also useful for the development of an intelligent position and attitude measurement system. The position and the focal length of the camera also can be controlled remotely during measurements to enlarge both the vertical and horizontal measurement range of this system. Experiments are conducted in the laboratory to measure the position and attitude of moving objects with high flexibility and efficiency, and the measurement precision of the measurement system is also verified through experiments.

  1. PIV Measurements of Flows around the Wind Turbines with a Flanged-Diffuser Shroud

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Kazuhiko Toshimitsu; Koutarou Nishikawa; Wataru Haruki; Shinichi Oono; Manabu Takao; Yuji Ohya

    2008-01-01

    The wind turbines with a flanged-diffuser shroud -so called "wind lens turbine"- are developed as one of high performance wind turbines by Ohya et al. In order to investigate the flow characteristics and flow acceleration, the paper presents the flow velocity measurements of a long-type and a compact-type wind turbines with a flanged-diffuser shroud by particle image velocimetry. In the case of the long type wind turbine, the velocity vec-tors of the inner flow field of the diffuser for turbine blades rotating and no blades rotating are presented at Rey-nolds number, 0.9x105. Furthermore the flow fields between with and without rotating are compared. Through the PIV measurement results, one can realize that the turbine blades rotating affects as suppress the disturbance and the flow separation near the inner wall of the diffuser. The time average velocity vectors are made on the av-erage of the instantaneous velocity data. There are two large vortices in downstream region of the diffuser. One vortex behind the flange acts as suck in wind to the diffuser and raise the inlet flow velocity. Another large vortex appears in downstream. It might be act as blockage vortex of main flow. The large blockage vortex is not clear in the instantaneous velocity vectors, however it exists clearly in the time average flow field. The flow field around the wind turbine with a compact-type flanged-diffuser shroud is also investigated. The flow pattern behind the flange of the compact-type turbine is the same as the long-type one. It means that the effect of flow acceleration is caused by the unsteady vortices behind the flange. The comparison with CFD and PIV results of meridional time-average streamlines after the compact-type diffuser is also presented.

  2. Extreme wind estimate for Hornsea wind farm

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsén, Xiaoli Guo

    The purpose of this study is to provide estimation of the 50-year winds of 10 min and 1-s gust value at hub height of 100 m, as well as the design parameter shear exponent for the Hornsea offshore wind farm. The turbulence intensity required for estimating the gust value is estimated using two...... approaches. One is through the measurements from the wind Doppler lidar, WindCube, which implies serious uncertainty, and the other one is through similarity theory for the atmospheric surface layer where the hub height is likely to belong to during strong storms. The turbulence intensity for storm wind...... strength is taken as 0.1. The shear exponents at several heights were calculated from the measurements. The values at 100 m are less than the limit given by IEC standard for all sectors. The 50-year winds have been calculated from various global reanalysis and analysis products as well as mesoscale models...

  3. Hess Tower field study: sonic measurements at a former building-integrated wind farm site

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araya, Daniel

    2017-11-01

    Built in 2010, Hess Tower is a 29-story office building located in the heart of downtown Houston, TX. Unique to the building is a roof structure that was specifically engineered to house ten vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) to partially offset the energy demands of the building. Despite extensive atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnel tests to predict the flow conditions on the roof before the building was constructed, the Hess VAWTs were eventually removed after allegedly one of the turbines failed and fell to the ground. This talk presents in-situ sonic anemometry measurements taken on the roof of Hess Tower at the former turbine locations. We compare this wind field characterization to the ABL wind tunnel data to draw conclusions about building-integrated wind farm performance and prediction capability.

  4. Flow measurement behind a pair of vertical-axis wind turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Colin M.; Hummels, Raymond; Leftwich, Megan C.

    2017-11-01

    The wake from a pair of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is measured using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). The VAWT models are mounted in a low-speed wind tunnel and driven using a motor control system. The rotation of the turbines is synced using a proportional controller that allows the turbine's rotational position to be set relative to each other. The rotation of the turbines is also synced with the PIV system for taking phase averaged results. The VAWTs are tested for both co- and counter-rotating cases over a range of relative phase offsets. Time averaged and phase averaged results are measured at the horizontal mid-plane in the near wake. The time-averaged results compare the bulk wake profiles from the pair of turbines. Phase averaged results look at the vortex interactions in the near wake of the turbines. By changing the phase relation between the turbines we can see the impact of the structure interactions in both the phase and time averaged results.

  5. The effects of neutral inertia on ionospheric currents in the high-latitude thermosphere following a geomagnetic storm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng, W.; Killeen, T.L.; Burns, A.G.; Roble, R.G.; Slavin, J.A.; Wharton, L.E.

    1993-01-01

    The authors extend previous work with a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) thermosphere/ionosphere general circulation model (TIGCM), to study dynamo effects in the high latitude thermosphere. Ionospheric convection can drive neutral currents in much the same pattern by means of ion drag reactions. It has been observed that ion currents established during magnetic storms can induce neutral currents which persist for hours after the end of the storm. Model results have shown that such currents can account for up to 80 percent of the Hall currents in the period immediately following storms. Here this previous work is extended and compared with experimental observations. The authors simulate time dependent Hall currents, field-aligned currents, and electrical power fluxes coupling the magnetosphere and ionosphere. They discuss their results in terms of a loaded magnetosphere, which accounts for the fact that the neutral currents can also induce currents and electric fields in the ionosphere

  6. The Coincidence Tracker: Electronic Equipment for a Time-of-Flight Wind-Speed Measurement System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fog, Christian

    1982-01-01

    The electronic part of a laser-beam measuring system for wind velocity is described. Pulses of light scattered from aerosols are treated, first in a pair of adaptive filters, then in a tracker that calculates the wind velocity on-line while applying some knowledge about the velocity to be expected...

  7. Design and construction of a simple blade pitch measurement system for small wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whale, Jonathan [Research Institute of Sustainable Energy, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150 (Australia)

    2009-02-15

    For small wind turbines to be reliable they must have in place good mechanisms to protect themselves against very high winds or sudden removal of load. One common protection method in small wind turbines is that of blade feathering. It is important that the blade feathering mechanism of a small wind turbine is tested before the turbine is installed in the field. This paper presents a simple system for monitoring the blade feathering of a turbine with an overall component cost that small wind turbine manufacturers can afford. The Blade Pitch Measurement System (BPMS) has been designed and constructed by the Research Institute of Sustainable Energy (RISE) and aids small wind turbine manufacturers in testing and optimising the settings of the blade feathering mechanisms on their machines. The results show that the BPMS was successful in recording the behaviour of the blade feathering mechanism in field trials with a 20 kW and a 30 kW wind turbine. The BPMS displays significant potential as an effective, inexpensive system for small wind turbine manufacturers to ensure the reliability of their pitch regulating over-speed protection mechanisms. (author)

  8. Spatial-temporal analysis of coherent offshore wind field structures measured by scanning Doppler-lidar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valldecabres, L.; Friedrichs, W.; von Bremen, L.; Kühn, M.

    2016-09-01

    An analysis of the spatial and temporal power fluctuations of a simplified wind farm model is conducted on four offshore wind fields data sets, two from lidar measurements and two from LES under unstable and neutral atmospheric conditions. The integral length scales of the horizontal wind speed computed in the streamwise and the cross-stream direction revealed the elongation of the structures in the direction of the mean flow. To analyse the effect of the structures on the power output of a wind turbine, the aggregated equivalent power of two wind turbines with different turbine spacing in the streamwise and cross-stream direction is analysed at different time scales under 10 minutes. The fact of considering the summation of the power of two wind turbines smooths out the fluctuations of the power output of a single wind turbine. This effect, which is stronger with increasing spacing between turbines, can be seen in the aggregation of the power of two wind turbines in the streamwise direction. Due to the anti-correlation of the coherent structures in the cross-stream direction, this smoothing effect is stronger when the aggregated power is computed with two wind turbines aligned orthogonally to the mean flow direction.

  9. Operational performance of the TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, Wilbert R.; Niciejewski, Rick J.; Killeen, Timothy L.; Solomon, Stanley C.; Gablehouse, Daniel; Wu, Qian; Ortland, David; Gell, David A.; Marshall, Alan R.; Wolfe, Edwin, Jr.; Cooper, Marie; Kafkalidis, Julie F.

    2003-11-01

    The TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI) is a Fabry-Perot interferometer designed to measure winds in the mesosphere and thermosphere (60-180 km) as part of the TIMED mission. TIDI is a limb viewer and observes emissions from OI 557.7 nm and rotational lines in the O2(0-0) Atmospheric band. Wind measurement accuracies approach 3 ms-1 in the mesosphere and 15 ms-1 in the thermosphere. The TIDI instrument"s performance during the first year and a half of operation is discussed in this paper. Many subsystems are working as designed. The thermal control system is holding the instrument temperatures at their desired set-points. The CCD detector is working as expected with no changes observed in the gain, bias or read noise. The instrument suffers from a light leak that causes the background to be elevated and increases the uncertainty in the wind measurement. Nothing can be done to eliminate this problem but modeling of the background has eliminated any systematic effect. Water outgassing from the spacecraft or instrument has deposited as ice on some part of the optics and reduced the instrument"s sensitivity. This problem has been reduced by two spacecraft rolls which pointed the TIDI radiator to view more of the earth causing the optics to warm up and sublimate much of the ice.

  10. A spinner-integrated wind lidar for enhanced wind turbine control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Torben; Angelou, Nikolas; Hansen, Kasper Hjorth

    2013-01-01

    A field test with a continuous wave wind lidar (ZephIR) installed in the rotating spinner of a wind turbine for unimpeded preview measurements of the upwind approaching wind conditions is described. The experimental setup with the wind lidar on the tip of the rotating spinner of a large 80 m roto...... of the spinner lidar data, is investigated. Finally, the potential for enhancing turbine control and performance based on wind lidar preview measurements in combination with feed-forward enabled turbine controllers is discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....

  11. Estimating the Wind Resource in Uttarakhand: Comparison of Dynamic Downscaling with Doppler Lidar Wind Measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lundquist, J. K. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Pukayastha, A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Martin, C. [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Newsom, R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2014-03-01

    Previous estimates of the wind resources in Uttarakhand, India, suggest minimal wind resources in this region. To explore whether or not the complex terrain in fact provides localized regions of wind resource, the authors of this study employed a dynamic down scaling method with the Weather Research and Forecasting model, providing detailed estimates of winds at approximately 1 km resolution in the finest nested simulation.

  12. Operational specification and forecasting advances for Dst, LEO thermospheric densities, and aviation radiation dose and dose rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobiska, W. Kent

    Space weather’s effects upon the near-Earth environment are due to dynamic changes in the energy transfer processes from the Sun’s photons, particles, and fields. Of the space environment domains that are affected by space weather, the magnetosphere, thermosphere, and even troposphere are key regions that are affected. Space Environment Technologies (SET) has developed and is producing innovative space weather applications. Key operational systems for providing timely information about the effects of space weather on these domains are SET’s Magnetosphere Alert and Prediction System (MAPS), LEO Alert and Prediction System (LAPS), and Automated Radiation Measurements for Aviation Safety (ARMAS) system. MAPS provides a forecast Dst index out to 6 days through the data-driven, redundant data stream Anemomilos algorithm. Anemomilos uses observational proxies for the magnitude, location, and velocity of solar ejecta events. This forecast index is used by satellite operations to characterize upcoming geomagnetic storms, for example. In addition, an ENLIL/Rice Dst prediction out to several days has also been developed and will be described. LAPS is the SET fully redundant operational system providing recent history, current epoch, and forecast solar and geomagnetic indices for use in operational versions of the JB2008 thermospheric density model. The thermospheric densities produced by that system, driven by the LAPS data, are forecast to 72-hours to provide the global mass densities for satellite operators. ARMAS is a project that has successfully demonstrated the operation of a micro dosimeter on aircraft to capture the real-time radiation environment due to Galactic Cosmic Rays and Solar Energetic Particles. The dose and dose-rates are captured on aircraft, downlinked in real-time via the Iridium satellites, processed on the ground, incorporated into the most recent NAIRAS global radiation climatology data runs, and made available to end users via the web and

  13. Wind Erosion Induced Soil Degradation in Northern China: Status, Measures and Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongling Guo

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Soil degradation is one of the most serious ecological problems in the world. In arid and semi-arid northern China, soil degradation predominantly arises from wind erosion. Trends in soil degradation caused by wind erosion in northern China frequently change with human activities and climatic change. To decrease soil loss by wind erosion and enhance local ecosystems, the Chinese government has been encouraging residents to reduce wind-induced soil degradation through a series of national policies and several ecological projects, such as the Natural Forest Protection Program, the National Action Program to Combat Desertification, the “Three Norths” Shelter Forest System, the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Engineering Project, and the Grain for Green Project. All these were implemented a number of decades ago, and have thus created many land management practices and control techniques across different landscapes. These measures include conservation tillage, windbreak networks, checkerboard barriers, the Non-Watering and Tube-Protecting Planting Technique, afforestation, grassland enclosures, etc. As a result, the aeolian degradation of land has been controlled in many regions of arid and semiarid northern China. However, the challenge of mitigating and further reversing soil degradation caused by wind erosion still remains.

  14. Wind Climate Parameters for Wind Turbine Fatigue Load Assessment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Toft, Henrik Stensgaard; Svenningsen, Lasse; Moser, Wolfgang

    2016-01-01

    Site-specific assessment of wind turbine design requires verification that the individual wind turbine components can survive the site-specific wind climate. The wind turbine design standard, IEC 61400-1 (third edition), describes how this should be done using a simplified, equivalent wind climate...... climate required by the current design standard by comparing damage equivalent fatigue loads estimated based on wind climate parameters for each 10 min time-series with fatigue loads estimated based on the equivalent wind climate parameters. Wind measurements from Boulder, CO, in the United States...

  15. Thermospheric mass density variations during geomagnetic storms and a prediction model based on the merging electric field

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, R.; Lühr, H.; Doornbos, E.; Ma, S.Y.

    2010-01-01

    With the help of four years (2002–2005) of CHAMP accelerometer data we have investigated the dependence of low and mid latitude thermospheric density on the merging electric field, Em, during major magnetic storms. Altogether 30 intensive storm events (Dstmin

  16. Characterization Of Ocean Wind Vector Retrievals Using ERS-2 High-Resolution Long-Term Dataset And Buoy Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polverari, F.; Talone, M.; Crapolicchio, R. Levy, G.; Marzano, F.

    2013-12-01

    The European Remote-sensing Satellite (ERS)-2 scatterometer provides wind retrievals over Ocean. To satisfy the needs of high quality and homogeneous set of scatterometer measurements, the European Space Agency (ESA) has developed the project Advanced Scatterometer Processing System (ASPS) with which a long-term dataset of new ERS-2 wind products, with an enhanced resolution of 25km square, has been generated by the reprocessing of the entire ERS mission. This paper presents the main results of the validation work of such new dataset using in situ measurements provided by the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA). The comparison indicates that, on average, the scatterometer data agree well with buoys measurements, however the scatterometer tends to overestimates lower winds and underestimates higher winds.

  17. Wake effects in Alsvik wind park: Comparison between measurements and predictions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnusson, Mikael [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Meteorology; Rados, K.G.; Pothou, K.P. [National Technical Univ., Athen (Greece). Fluid section

    1996-12-01

    In this paper characteristic parameters in a wind turbine wake are studied. The data used are full-scale measurements from a wind farm in Sweden, Alsvik, and results from a numerical model calculated for the same site. The results are valid for neutral stratification. The model employs a particle-vortex approach at the rotor plane, a Navier-Stokes solver in the near wake and applies self preservation in the far wake. The parameters investigated are the relative velocity deficit at centre line and hub height, and the radial distribution of the turbulent kinetic energy. 6 refs, 9 figs

  18. Wind Turbine Test. Wind Matic WM 17S

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis Pedersen, Troels

    The report describes standard measurements performed on a Wind-Matic WM 17S, 75 kW wind turbine. The measurements carried out and reported here comprises the power output, system efficiency, energy production, transmission efficiency, rotor power, rotor efficiency, air-brakes efficiency, structural...

  19. Wind Turbine Test Wind Matic WM 15S

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis Pedersen, Troels

    The report describes standard measurements performed on a Wind-Matic WM 15S, 55 kW wind turbine. The measurements carried out and reported here comprises the power output, system efficiency, energy production, transmission efficiency, rotor power, rotor efficiency, air-brakes efficiency, dynamical...

  20. Intra-seasonal Oscillations (ISO of zonal-mean meridional winds and temperatures as measured by UARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. T. Huang

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Based on an empirical analysis of measurements with the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI on the UARS spacecraft in the upper mesosphere (95km, persistent and regular intra-seasonal oscillations (ISO with periods of about 2 to 4 months have recently been reported in the zonal-mean meridional winds. Similar oscillations have also been discussed independently in a modeling study, and they were attributed to wave-mean-flow interactions. The observed and modeled meridional wind ISOs were largely confined to low latitudes. We report here on an analysis of concurrent UARS temperature measurements, which produces oscillations similar to those seen in the meridional winds. Although the temperature oscillations are observed at lower altitudes (55km, their phase variations with latitude are qualitatively consistent with the inferred properties seen in the meridional winds and thus provide independent evidence for the existence of ISOs in the mesosphere.