Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Blade Design And Validation Of Hydrokinetic Turbine To Harvest Water Current Energy, Setare Sadeqi

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The innovative aspect of this research lies in the careful integration of cutting-edge technologies throughout the entire process of designing, fabricating, and testing the carbon fiber propeller for the 3-bladed horizontal axis ocean current turbine (OCT). SolidWorks software played a pivotal role in the initial design phase, enabling a meticulous and precise modeling of the propeller's geometry. The utilization of SolidWorks allowed for a detailed exploration of various design parameters, ensuring that the propeller's structure and form were optimized for performance in ocean current conditions. Moving beyond the realm of virtual design, the choice of carbon fiber as the fabrication …

Geomagnetic Substorms Prediction Model Using Combined Physics-Based And Deep Learning Modeling Techniques, Ruthba Yasmin

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

This thesis aims to develop a hybrid physics-incorporated neural network model (PINN) for classifying geomangnetic substorms in Earth's Magnetosphere. The model is trained using a comprehensive list of substorm onsets, ground magentometer data from a global network, and solar wind parameters from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite. Two different neural network architectures are used, and the physics model used for training is called WINDMI. The magnetic field components on the ground, which are a function of the ionospheric currents, are captured by the SML index. The methodology involves using 60-minute data segments preceding an event to train the hybrid …

Bay Water Level Influences On Inundation And Morphological Changes Of A Semi-Connected Barrier Island During A Hurricane, Sydney D. Goodman

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

This research aims to identify flooding and erosion changes along a semi-connected barrier island system due to varying bay water levels during storm conditions. The numerical model XBeach is used to simulate Hurricane Michael conditions and the resulting inundation and morphological change near Tyndall Air Force Base (Tyndall AFB). The installation is located 12 miles southeast of Panama City Beach along the panhandle of Florida and is vulnerable to flooding due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), Saint Andrew Sound and Saint Andrew Bay. A land bridge connects the barrier island to the mainland of Tyndall AFB …

Low Cost Magnetometer Calibration And Distributed Simultaneous Multipoint Ionospheric Measurements From A Sounding Rocket Platform, Joshua W. Milford

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Low-cost and low-size-weight-and-power (SWaP) magnetometers can provide greater accessibility for distributed simultaneous measurements in the ionosphere, either onboard sounding rockets or on CubeSats. The Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Laboratory (SAIL) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has launched a multitude of sounding rockets in recent history: one night-time mid-latitude rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in August 2022 and three mid-latitude rockets from White Sands Missile Range during the October 2023 annular solar eclipse. All rockets had a comprehensive suite of instruments for electrodynamics and neutral dynamics measurements. Among this suite was one science-grade three-axis fluxgate magnetometer (Billingsley TFM65VQS / TFM100G2) and up …

Containerization Of Seafarers In The International Shipping Industry: Contemporary Seamanship, Maritime Social Infrastructures, And Mobility Politics Of Global Logistics, Liang Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation discusses the mobility politics of container shipping and argues that technological development, political-economic order, and social infrastructure co-produce one another. Containerization, the use of standardized containers to carry cargo across modes of transportation that is said to have revolutionized and globalized international trade since the late 1950s, has served to expand and extend the power of international coalitions of states and corporations to control the movements of commodities (shipments) and labor (seafarers). The advent and development of containerization was driven by a sociotechnical imaginary and international social contract of seamless shipping and cargo flows. In practice, this liberal, …

Assessing Stormwater Management Pond Water Quality, Function, And The Potential Biotic Effects To Receiving Waters, Mitchell Elstone

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The use of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been increasing over the past five decades. However, an in-depth understanding of the daily performance of SWMPs and functionality during cold periods is limited. This is in part because mandated monitoring is relatively infrequent, and the assumption that SWMPs are inactive between storm events and during the winter. The goals of this research were to better understand daily stormwater (SW) characteristics, the performance of SWMPs based on current forms of evaluation and assess the potential for SWMP effluent to impact downstream biota. Influent and effluent samples from two SWMPs were collected daily …

The Tidal Prism, Viable Eelgrass Habitat, And The Effects Of Sea Level Rise In Morro Bay, Kaden A. Caliendo

Master's Theses

The tidal prism, or the volume of water exchanged from the sea to an estuary from mean low to mean high tide, influences system hydrodynamics and ecological functioning. Since 1884, the tidal prism in Morro Bay, California has been estimated to be decreasing over time due to sedimentation from upstream practices. What is the current tidal prism in Morro Bay and how will that change with sea level rise? How will eelgrass respond to rising sea levels?

For this study, inexpensive tidal gauges were deployed at four locations in Morro Bay from March to August 2023 to measure spatially varying …

Evaluating The Impact Of Oyster Reef Breakwaters On Hydrodynamics, Morphodynamics, And Sediment Transport Using Xbeach, Tabassum Islam

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

Alabama Port is a unique marsh and sandy beach shoreline. Since the 1950s, substantial erosion has occurred along this shoreline due to storms, wind-generated waves, and ship wakes. This research focuses on evaluating the effect of oyster reef breakwaters on wave height attenuation and sediment stabilization through numerical modeling (XBeach) under three different synthetic storm scenarios coupled with three unique sea level rise projections near Alabama Port. This has been accomplished by comparing a with and without project condition using XBeach in a two-dimensional (2D) mode by analyzing wave height, velocity, and cumulative bed-level changes at the study site. The …

Initiation Criteria For The Onset Of Geomagnetic Substorms Based On Auroral Observations And Electrojet Current Signatures, Mayowa Michael Kayode-Adeoye

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

In recent years, several substorm onset criteria have been developed, either from auroral observations (many authors) or from auroral electrojet properties such as those described by (Forsyth et al., 2015; Maimaiti et al., 2019; Newell & Gjerloev, 2011; Partamies et al., 2011) The different criteria are being investigated using a low order physics model of the magnetosphere called WINDMI (Spencer et al., 2009) and inferences are being made in line with the WINDMI model. The model variables will be compared with the criteria for substorm onset proposed by examining the SML index.

The WINDMI model uses solar wind and IMF …

Tidal Bed Stress Asymmetry And Sediment Transport In Estuaries, Austin Scott Hudson

Dissertations and Theses

Rivers and estuaries provide numerous ecological, economic, and cultural resources. The value of these resources is greatly influenced by sediment transport processes, which can be affected by human activities and climate variability. A key driver of sediment transport in tidal rivers and estuaries is tidal asymmetry of velocity and bed stress, which can manifest from both non-linear tidal interactions and linear interactions among astronomical tidal constituents.

In this study, an analytical framework is developed to examine and describe the dynamics of bed stress asymmetry in semidiurnal, diurnal, and mixed-tide estuaries (Chapter 1). While tidal velocity asymmetry has been previously analyzed, …

Uncertainties In Retrieval Of Remote Sensing Reflectance From Ocean Color Satellite Observations, Eder I. Herrera Estrella

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Ocean Color radiometry uses remote sensing to interpret ocean dynamics by retrieving remote sensing reflectance (𝑅𝑟𝑠) from satellite imagery at different scales and over different time periods. 𝑅𝑟𝑠 spectrum characterizes the ocean color that we observe, and from which we can discern concentrations of chlorophyll, organic and inorganic particles, and carbon fluxes in the ocean and atmosphere. 𝑅𝑟𝑠 is derived from the total radiance at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). However, it only represents up to ten percent of the total signal. Hence, the retrieval of 𝑅𝑟𝑠 from the total radiance at TOA involves the application of atmospheric correction …

Wave Attenuation Through Submerged Oyster Aquaculture Cages, Liam T. Hanley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal erosion presents a growing issue to shorelines around the world and is especially harmful to Maine, a region where sea-level rise is higher than the global average. Green and hybrid coastal defense strategies are being implemented around the country to provide sustainable, habitat-friendly solutions to erosion control. Maine is a hotspot for commercial aquaculture, with an estimated $13.6 million economic impact. This study looks to bridge the gap between Maine aquaculture and the living shorelines initiative, by determining the wave attenuating properties of submerged oyster cages. The project will be able to inform local oyster farmers, resource planners, and …

Investigation Of The Flow Field In The Jack Rabbit Ii Mock Urban Environment Field Tests Using A 1:50 Scale Wind Tunnel Model, Paulo Victor De Freitas Lopes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accidental release of toxic chemicals can put workers and nearby populations at significant risk. Consequence assessment of accidents in urban environments is of particular interest. Urban geometries create wind channels between buildings, along with particularly dangerous areas downwind of buildings, where near-stagnant flow is present. Furthermore, recirculation zones can be formed between buildings, trapping high concentrations of toxic gases at ground level, particularly for denser-than-air gases. In 2015, the Department of Homeland Security conducted the Jack Rabbit II Field Test (JR-II) at Dugway Proving Ground, UT. During JR-II, chlorine was released at the center of a Mock Urban Environment (MUE) …

Characteristics Of Refractivity And Sea State In The Marine Atmospheric Surface Layer And Their Influence On X-Band Propagation, Douglas Matthew Pastore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predictions of environmental conditions within the marine atmospheric surface layer (MASL) are important to X-band radar system performance. Anomalous propagation occurs in conditions of non-standard atmospheric refractivity, driven by the virtually permanent presence of evaporation ducts (ED) in marine environments. Evaporation ducts are commonly characterized by the evaporation duct height (EDH), evaporation duct strength, and the gradients below the EDH, known as the evaporation duct curvature. Refractivity, and subsequent features, are estimated in the MASL primarily using four methods: in-situ measurements, numerical weather and surface layer modeling, boundary layer theory, and inversion methods.

The existing refractivity estimation techniques often assume …

A Comparative Study Of Vinti-Based Orbit Propagation And Estimation For Cubesats In Very Low Earth Orbits, Ethan Michael Senecal

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in CubeSats and very low Earth orbit (VLEO) space missions. Mission SeaLion, a collaborative CubeSat mission between Old Dominion University, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, planned to launch a 3U CubeSat into VLEO. The VLEO mission is a particularly challenging environment for navigation and orbit propagation because drag introduces a significant perturbation for orbit models such as SGP4. Additionally, mission requirements left no capacity for attitude determination or control, further reducing knowledge of drag behavior of the satellite in flight. This deficiency is a …

Effect Of Morphology And An Upstream Tall Building On A Street Canyon Flow, Haoran Du

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The effects of the morphological model and the existence of an upstream tall building on the turbulent street canyon flow and the overlying boundary layer are investigated in a wind tunnel, using Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (S-PIV) measurements. The velocity variances, Reynolds shear stress, and turbulent kinetic energy are found to be larger than in a similar idealized street canyon model. Increasing building height results in a decrease in vertical mass fluxes across the opening of the canyon, at least in the canyon portion directly downstream of the building. The interaction between the large-scale structures in the overlying boundary layer …

Understanding The Flow Dynamics Of The Pearl River, Ms, Through Hydrodynamic Modeling, Nahruma Mehzabeen Pieu

Master's Theses

The Pearl River brings fresh water and nutrients into Lake Borgne regulating conditions for oyster growth in estuarine waters. However, there are no flow measurement stations installed on East Pearl or West Pearl either at the river outlets or after the upstream bifurcation of the Pearl. This study aims to model the Lower Pearl River to understand the flow dynamics in the major branches, and to determine the final outflow distribution into the Mississippi Sound, aiming to improve river forcing for ocean models studying estuarine dynamics of the Mississippi Sound.

Synthetic meandering bathymetry with updated banks is developed and applied …

Importance Of Vegetation In Tsunami Mitigation: Evidence From Large Eddy Simulations With Fluid-Structure Interactions, Abhishek Mukherjee

Dissertations

Communities worldwide are increasingly interested in nature-based solutions like coastal forests for the mitigation of coastal risks. Still, it remains unclear how much protective benefit vegetation provides, particularly in the limit of highly energetic flows after tsunami impact. The present thesis, using a three-dimensional incompressible computational fluid dynamics model with a fluid-structure interaction approach, aims to quantify how energy reflection and dissipation vary with different degrees of rigidity and vegetation density of a coastal forest.

In this study, tree trunks are represented as cylinders, and the elastic modulus of hardwood trees such as pine or oak is used to characterize …

Probing The Structure Of Water On Surfaces: From Water Absorption To Ice Nucleation, Jiarun Zhou

All Dissertations

Water, essential for all life forms, is the most abundant, simple, yet mysterious molecule in the world. This molecule, consisting of only three atoms, behaves in unexpectedly different ways with the change of environment. In the past, studies of water under different conditions (temperature, pressure, on the surfaces, with confinement) have been conducted using experimental and computational methods. However, the influence of a given environment on water properties is yet to be fully understood. This dissertation studies water at complex interfaces (surfaces with various chemistry and physics properties) in both the liquid and crystalline states. Various heterogeneous systems used to …

Atmospheric Polarization And Solar Position As Kalman Updates To A Navigation Solution, Thomas J. Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

Simulation and physical testing of a sensor that measures relative position of the Sun and polarization of light in the atmosphere as a navigational aid in a Kalman filter.

Fragility Of The Florida Panhandle's Electrical Transmission Grid To Hurricanes, Zachary D. Schumann

Theses and Dissertations

The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events from climate change necessitates understanding impacts on critical infrastructure, particularly electrical transmission grids. One of the foundational concepts of a grid’s resilience is its robustness to extreme weather events, such as hurricanes. Resilience of the electric grid to high wind speeds is predicated upon the location and physical characteristics of the system components. Previous modeling assessments of electric grid failure were done at the systems level with assumptions on location and type of specific components. To facilitate more explicit adaptation metrics, accurate component-level information is needed. In this study, we build …

A Method For Monte Carlo Neutral Particle Radiation Transport In A Variable Density Atmosphere, Aiden B. Edens

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on accurately simulating the transport of radiation in the atmosphere to better understand the effects of nuclear weapons. The variable nature of the atmosphere poses a challenge in accurately simulating the prompt radiation following a nuclear explosion. To address this challenge, the Mass Integral Scaling technique is integrated with the Monte Carlo method to perform calculations in a variable density atmosphere. In addition to previous free-field estimates, this work also enables the simulation of transport calculations with other media, such as clouds. Results of neutron and photon fluence have been verified against the standard version of MCNP …

Validation Of Bottom-Up Gnss Radio Occultation Method To Measure D- And E-Region Electron Density, Dylan J. Shaver

Theses and Dissertations

An in-depth validation of a new bottom-up approach using GNSS Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) data to generate electron density profiles in the D- and E-region ionosphere. This comparison was completed using daytime ionosonde profiles when sporadic-E (E_s) was not present, and corresponding FIRI profiles. The average GNSS-RO profile is a few kilometers higher in altitude than the ionosonde profiles at the minimum frequency, f min. When the ionosonde profiles are shifted so that the altitudes match at f min, they are in good agreement up to the E-region peak altitude, hmE. Below f min, the …

Joint Probability Analysis Of Extreme Precipitation And Water Level For Chicago, Illinois, Anna Li Holey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A compound flooding event occurs when there is a combination of two or more extreme factors that happen simultaneously or in quick succession and can lead to flooding. In the Great Lakes region, it is common for a compound flooding event to occur with a high lake water level and heavy rainfall. With the potential of increasing water levels and an increase in precipitation under climate change, the Great Lakes coastal regions could be at risk for more frequent and severe flooding. The City of Chicago which is located on Lake Michigan has a high population and dense infrastructure and …

Stratospheric Glider Measurements Of Atmospheric Parameters, Anisa Haghighi

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

In June 2021 a series of high altitude flights were conducted in Spaceport America, NM, using a balloon launched Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) to assess its capability to conduct measurements of various atmospheric properties and study turbulence in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. This UAS descends using an automated flight trajectory. The instruments aboard included a NASA-developed infrasonic microphone to evaluate its remote turbulence detection capabilities and a five-hole probe capable of measuring the in situ wind vector. Also on board were temperature, humidity and wind profile sensors. This document focuses on the atmospheric properties measured at high altitudes, the …

Unmanned Aircraft Systems For Precision Meteorology: An Analysis Of Gnss Position Measurement Error And Embedded Sensor Development, Karla S. Ladino

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The overarching objective of this research was to enhance our comprehension of the three-dimensional precision of meteorological measurements obtained using small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Two complimentary experiments were conducted to achieve this objective.

The first experiment entailed the development and implementation of a system to determine the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position accuracy on a UAS platform. This system was utilized to assess the static and dynamic accuracy of L1 and L1/L2 GNSS receivers in real-time kinematic (RTK) and non-RTK fix modes. Adjusted two-sample t-tests revealed significant differences in horizontal and vertical error between RTK and non-RTK receivers …

Food Waste Storage Gaseous Emissions Detection And Quantification Using Infrared Spectroscopy, Ryley A. Burton-Tauzer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

A growing interest in sustainable waste management and the implementation of new policies have prompted a shift towards alternative resource recovery methods for organic waste, including food waste. To effectively assess alternative food waste treatment scenarios, it is important to evaluate the life cycle impacts associated with each scenario. The storage phase of food waste, encompassing its accumulation in kitchens, and storage in bins for collection and transportation, has been overlooked as a source of greenhouse gases in previous studies. This investigation aimed to identify the greenhouse gases emitted during the initial five-day period of low-oxygen storage. An open dynamic …

Assessing The Economic Feasibility Of Capturing And Utilizing Carbon Dioxide From Ethanol Production In South Dakota, Makiah Stukel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have spiked dramatically, prompting discussions on climate change. Mitigating climate change requires significant reductions in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as CO2 is the most abundant anthropogenic GHG. A process that assists in offsetting the exponential growth in CO2 emissions is carbon capture and storage (CCS). Integrating carbon capture technology into the ethanol industry can provide an economically feasible way to achieve net reductions in CO2 emissions. The proposed work investigates the economic viability of applying CCS technologies to the 16 ethanol facilities in South Dakota (SD) and quantifies the potential …

Anthropogenic Effects On Tidal Distortion In A Tidal River, Matthew D. Fischer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tidal rivers are landward portions of estuarine systems constituting the union between coastal, tidally controlled settings and rivers, where fluvial processes dominate. In these reaches, river discharge (mean flow) and tides are the two most important mechanisms in controlling geophysical flows. The processes governing water levels and current amplitudes in tidal rivers are highly nonlinear and modulated by external forcings- thus requiring sophisticated techniques for accurate prediction and forecasting. Physical oceanographers and estuarine physicists tend to limit their study area to the maximum extent of the horizontal tide (salinity intrusion), not the most landward point influenced by tidal water levels. …

Identifying Particulate Matter Spatial Variation In The El Paso Del Norte Region Using Land-Use Regression Modeling And Data Obtained From A Network Of Low-Cost Sensors, Leonardo Demetrio Vazquez-Raygoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The emergence and rise in popularity of low-cost sensors for atmospheric observation aresetting a new precedent in identifying emission hotspots and providing high-resolution spatial and temporal data. Furthermore, low-cost sensors are becoming popular among institutions and the public, allowing community scientists to become more involved in air quality monitoring. However, concerns about the accuracy and precision of low-cost sensors have been questioned. Most recent research has focused on the utility of real-time monitoring and calibration requirements for these sensors. A low-cost monitoring project has deployed sensors in the El Paso del Norte region in low and high annual average daily …