Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Diagrams Based On Structured Object Perception, Pourang Irani, Colin Ware

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Most diagrams, particularly those used in software engineering, are line drawings consisting of nodes drawn as rectangles or circles, and edges drawn as lines linking them. In the present paper we review some of the literature on human perception to develop guidelines for effective diagram drawing. Particular attention is paid to structural object recognition theory. According to this theory as objects are perceived they are decomposed into 3D set of primitives called geons, together with the skeleton structure connecting them. We present a set of guidelines for drawing variations on node-link diagrams using geon-like primitives, and provide some examples. Results …

Re-Evaluation Of Wave Transmission Coefficients For Submerged Breakwater Physical Models, Harry Charles Friebel

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing interest in utilizing submerged breakwaters and artificial reefs for shoreline stabilization requires accurate models and relationships for predicting wave attenuation. The objective of this paper is to develop an empirical model as an improvement to existing wave transmission models. This will provide the required design criteria for use in future submerged breakwater designs. An extensive study of existing literature on submerged breakwaters and associated wave attenuation was performed, followed by a detailed statistical analysis of existing data sets to determine an alternate model for the wave transmission coefficient. A total of five data sets from physical model studies were …

An Examination Of Gasoline Pollutants From Two-Cycle Marine Engines Within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Brian Carter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Jet skis are a very popular "toy" to have in the United States. They account for almost a third of all boat sales, and their numbers are growing rapidly. Unfortunately jet skis use two-cycle engines that pollute at unacceptable levels. Jet ski motors can emit up to 25% of its fuel right back into the water. This alarmed me and I wanted to take a deeper look into how bad jet skis pollute Las Vegas' primary water source. Lake Mead. I looked into how a two-cycle engine differs from a regular engine and I looked at the actual pollutants a …

Charting Neptune's Realm: From Classical Mythology To Satellite Imagery (Exhibit Guide), Osher Map Library And Smith Center For Cartographic Education

Osher Map Library Miscellaneous Publications

Charting Neptune's Realm: From Classical Mythology to Satellite Imagery. April 4, 2000 to January 11, 2001

The charts in this exhibition explore how mariners have distinguished one piece of water from any other, by determining what phenomena can be delineated across the vast, trackless ocean and by developing notations to express those phenomena.

Circulation, Vol. 7, No. 2, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Bettina Fach

CCPO Circulation

Spring 2000 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring article "Cruising the Southern Ocean" by Bettina Fach

An Introduction To The Drought Monitor, Mark Svoboda

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

The idea of better monitoring and assessing drought has been a quest of NDMC director Don Wilhite for more than two decades. He has been an advocate of better climate monitoring, particularly drought monitoring, because drought is a normal, recurring hazard in virtually all of the United States. The challenge is to recognize drought, a slow-onset or “creeping” natural disaster, before a region is in the middle of one.

The most recent surge in interest in drought arose during the 1995–96 drought in the Southwest and southern Great Plains states. At the NDMC we discussed how we could do a …

From The Director: Spring 2000, Donald A. Wilhite

Drought Network News (1994–2001)

I hope that those of our readers with Internet access will consider receiving future issues of Drought Network News online. We realize that some of you do not have access to the Internet, so we will continue to publish hard copies of the newsletter. If you are willing to receive the newsletter electronically, please contact Kim Klemsz as soon as possible. Our plan is to notify readers via email when each new issue of Drought Network News is available. Back issues of the newsletter are also available online.

This is a joint winter/spring issue of Drought Network News. It …

Influence Of Advection On Measurements Of The Net Ecosystem-Atmosphere Exchange Of Co2 From A Very Tall Tower, Chuixiang Yi, Kenneth J. Davis, Peter S. Bakwin, Bernard W. Berger, Linsey C. Marr

Publications and Research

In most studies of the net ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of CO₂ (NEE) using tower-based eddy covariance( EC) systems it has been assumed that advection is negligible. In this study we use a scalar conservation budget method to estimate the contribution of advection to NEE measurements from a very tall tower in northern Wisconsin. We examine data for June-August 1997. Measured NEEo, calculated as the sum of the EC flux plus the rate of change of storage below the EC measurement level, is expected to be constant with measurement height, and we take the differences between levels as a measure of …

Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy Of Water Vapor And Line Center Stabilization At 1.462 Μm For Lidar Applications, Colleen Marie Fitzgerald

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wavelength modulation spectroscopy was employed to investigate water vapor absorption lines in the 1.462 µm wavelength region using an external-cavity diode laser. These measurements were necessary in the development of a lidar (light detection and ranging) instrument for differential absorption measurement of the concentration and movement of water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere. Differential absorption measurements require that the laser frequency remain stable throughout the duration of the measurement. To ensure this stability, the laser output wavelength is monitored and a feedback control loop set up to minimize laser line drift. Three lines were investigated in the 1.462 µm region. …

Spring 2000, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

A Longitudinal Assessment Of Temperament In Octopus Bimaculoides, David Loyd Sinn

Dissertations and Theses

Cephalopods, including Octopus spp., are highly intelligent molluscs that play major roles in many marine food webs, both as top-level feeders (Ambrose, 1984) as well as by constituting a major source of protein for the animals above them (Lang, Hochberg, Ambrose, & Engle, 1997). They also are fascinating organisms for behavioral studies, with elaborate repertoires of behavior based on plasticity and learning (Wells, 1962a; 1962b; 1978) which in complexity rivals that of the vertebrates. The study of individual differences in behavior is a facet of behavioral research that has recently gained attention in the literature (Gosling & John, 1999). Traditionally, …

Tropospheric Reactive Odd Nitrogen Over The South Pacific In Austral Springtime, Jack E. Dibb, R. Talbot, Eric Scheuer, J D. Bradshaw, S T. Sandholm, D R. Blake, N J. Blake, Elliot Atlas, F Flocke

Earth Sciences

The distribution of reactive nitrogen species over the South Pacific during austral springtime appears to be dominated by biomass burning emissions and possibly lightning and stratospheric inputs. The absence of robust correlations of reactive nitrogen species with source-specific tracers (e.g., C₂H₂ [combustion], CH₃Cl [biomass burning], C₂Cl₄ [industrial],²¹⁰Pb [continental], and ⁷Be [stratospheric]) suggests significant aging and processing of the sampled air parcels due to losses by surface deposition, OH attack, and dilution processes. Classification of the air parcels based on CO enhancements indicates that the greatest influence was found in …

Validation Of The Ionospheric Forecast Model (Ifm) Version 3, Michael D. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to validate the Ionospheric Forecast Model (IFM) Version 3 to assess its suitability and usefulness as an operational tool. The Ionospheric forecast model is a first principles computer model designed to forecast the state of the global ionosphere to 24 hours. The scope was limited to a comparison of the F2 layer critical frequency (foF2) and peak electron density (hmF2) against observed ionosonde data. The model was run with global solar and geomagnetic indices and Information from Digitial Ionospheric Sounding System (DISS) observations as inputs. The DISS observations were input through the Parameterized Real-Time …

Pesticide Ground Water Monitoring Project - Phase Vii, Terry Nichols

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Chemical Nox Budget In The Upper Troposphere Over The Tropical South Pacific, Martin G. Schultz, Daniel J. Jacob, J D. Bradshaw, S T. Sandholm, Jack E. Dibb, R. Talbot, Hanwant B. Singh

Earth Sciences

The chemical NOx budget in the upper troposphere over the tropical South Pacific is analyzed using aircraft measurements made at 6-12 km altitude in September 1996 during the Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM) Tropics A campaign. Chemical loss and production rates of NOx along the aircraft flight tracks are calculated with a photochemical model constrained by observations. Calculations using a standard chemical mechanism show a large missing source for NOx; chemical loss exceeds chemical production by a factor of 2.4 on average. Similar or greater NOx budget imbalances have been reported in analyses of data from previous …

Extensible Markup Language As A Weather Tool, Michael J. Calidonna

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a proof of concept work that will extend the Core Mapping Application Program Interface (CMAPI) components to include weather data. The CMAPI project is headed by Air Force Research Lab (AFRL)/Information Directorate Information Handling Branch (IFEB) at Rome labs in Rome, New York. This work extends the CMAPI project in two distinct areas. The first goal is to figure out how to overlay and display weather data on a dynamically linked Internet platform. This was accomplished by incorporating existing data from the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) into the CMAPI program in a static environment. The other …

A Neural Network Solution To Predicting Wind Speed At Cape Canaveral’S Atlas Launch Pad, Kenneth P. Cloys

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates the potential for using time-delay neural networks to provide Launch Weather Officers (LWOs) at 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) with advance warning of wintertime (November-March) peak wind speeds at the Atlas launch pad. The 45 WS provides weather support to the United States space program at Cape Canaveral Air Station, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and Patrick Air Force Base. Due to the complex wintertime environment produced by the effects of friction and instability, 45 WS LWOs consider wintertime launch pad winds their toughest forecast challenge. Neural networks were developed, trained, and tested using observations of wintertime peak …

A 3d Display System For Lightning Detection And Ranging (Ldar) Data, Michael W. Darwin

Theses and Dissertations

Lightning detection is an essential part of safety and resource protection at Cape Canaveral. In order to meet the unique needs of launching space vehicles in the thunderstorm prone Florida environment, Cape Canaveral has the only operational three- dimensional (3D) lightning detection network in the world, the Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) system. Although lightning activity is detected in three dimensions, the current LDAR display, developed 20 years ago, is two-dimensional. This thesis uses modern three-dimensional graphics, object-oriented software design, and innovative visualization techniques to develop a 3D visualization application for LDAR data.

An Evaluation Of Microburst Prediction Indices For The Kennedy Space Center And Cape Canaveral Air Station (Ksc/Ccas), Steven N. Dickerson

Theses and Dissertations

A wet-microburst event on 16 August 1994 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility alerted forecasters from the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS), the provider of weather support to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), to the challenges of wet-microburst prediction. Although there was no operational impact, this event caused the 45WS to revise their severe thunderstorm forecasting procedures to specifically address microbursts, resulting in the locally developed Microburst-Day Potential Index (MDPI). MDPI provides a several-hour outlook of microburst potential based on the results of the Microburst and Severe Thunderstorm (MIST) project. The 45WS also …

Quantifying The Protonospheric Effect On Prism, Kelly B. Doser

Theses and Dissertations

The total electron content (TEC) contribution to a Parameterized Real-time Ionospheric Specification Model (PRISM) calculation has been studied using protonospheric TEC measurements made by Global Positioning Satellites (GPS). Including the protonosphere proved challenging to both the calibration of GPS measurements and execution of PRISM. Though 46 days of GPS measurements were acquired, only 40 were successfully calibrated, and only 35 of those were used in the study. Data issues such as availability and completeness as well as measurement quality affected 6 of the days used. Calibration was done at Pittsburgh by excluding all measurements below 40.750 N. latitude cutoff. This …

Descriptive And Conditional Climatology For Specific Launch Commit Criteria For Cape Canaveral, Florida, Edward C. Goetz

Theses and Dissertations

In 1987, an unmanned Atlas-Centaur-67 launched from the Cape triggered a lightning discharge that disabled the on-board guidance system and Range Control destroyed the platform. This incident spurred the review and revision of the natural and triggered lightning launch commit criteria (LCC). The LCC are a set of eleven complex rules that are constantly evaluated by the Launch Weather Team (LWT) of 45th Weather Squadron (45WS). Unfortunately, the 45WS LWT does not have either a descriptive or conditional climatology for many of the LCC. This thesis addresses the lightning and the cumulus LCC. A descriptive climatology for both the lightning …

Tunable Mid-Ir Optical Parametric Oscillator Using Periodically Poled Rubidum Titanyl Arsenate, Frank J. Glavic

Theses and Dissertations

Tunable sources of coherent radiation are needed for a variety of military and commercial applications, including infrared countermeasures and atmospheric remote sensing. This research investigates a tunable mid-infrared coherent source using periodically-poled rubidium titanyl arsenate (PPRTA) as a quasi-phase matched (QPM) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The advantages of PPRTA over periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) are presented. Quasi-phase matching and periodic poling theory are discussed, along with some important historical results and current developments. Experimental setups for determining threshold, conversion efficiency, pump depletion, and beam quality are presented along with experimental results. The research effort is focused on characterizing PPRTA …

Techniques For Forecasting The Cessation Of Lightning At Cape Canaveral Air Station And The Kennedy Space Center, Michael W. Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research effort is directed toward identifying new methods of forecasting the cessation of lightning along the Central Atlantic Coast of Florida. Cloud-to-ground lightning flashes place Air Force (AF) personnel and assets at risk almost daily at this location. Providing a more accurate method of forecasting the cessation of lightning would allow for safer and more efficient execution of AF operations. A data set consisting of 40 thunderstorm cases was identified within a 90 nautical miles (nmi) region surrounding the Melbourne, Florida WSR-88D (KMLB) site. Each case falls between the months of May and September and the …

Timing Of Thunderstorm Occurrence For Cape Canaveral, Florida, Thomas G. Renwick

Theses and Dissertations

This research is concerned with improving an existing algorithm to accurately forecast thunderstorm starting times for Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was accomplished by investigating different linear regression techniques than those used in the existing algorithm. The result is three new thunderstorm start time algorithms. The forecast start times of these new algorithms were then compared to actual thunderstorm start times to determine which method produced the most accurate results. The average thunderstorm starting time was also calculated from the data. This time was also compared to actual thunderstorm starting time. Upon examination of the various start times produced, it was …

Determining The Horizontal Distance Distribution Of Cloud-To-Ground Lightning, Tamara L. Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

This research effort attempted to quantify what constitutes a safe distance when lightning is present. The method used in this research project groups lightning flashes into clusters using spatial and temporal constraints. However, not all flashes meet the time and distance criteria for clustering and remained outside of tile grouped flashes and as such are identified as isolated flashes. These isolated flashes are outliers in the data set, but are precisely the flashes that prove most dangerous. For this reason not only were the distances between each flash and cluster center studied, but also the distances between each isolated flash …

Atmospheric Temperature Profiles By Ground-Based Infrared Spectrometer Measurements, Jon M. Saul

Theses and Dissertations

A method to recover atmospheric temperature profiles using a ground-based Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer was investigated. The method used a difference form of the radiative transfer equation, a Bomem MR series Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer to collect atmospheric radiance values, and the Phillips Laboratory Expert- assisted User Software (PLEXUS) atmospheric radiance model, to recover an atmospheric temperature profile. The method researched uses radiance values from both the spectrometer measurements and the atmospheric model, along with kernel functions calculated by the atmospheric model as input to a difference form of the radiation transfer equation. From this the change in brightness temperatures …

Sensitivity Studies On A Limited Area Mesoscale Model: An Examination Of Lateral Boundary Placement, Grid Resolution And Nesting Type, Robert A. Stenger

Theses and Dissertations

With the advances of computer technology in recent years, limited area mesoscale models are being used to produce operational forecasts on a broader scale worldwide than ever before. The past limitations of computational resources have caused previous research efforts to focus more on model physics, thus creating a gap in the number of sensitivity studies conducted on these models. This research is intended to bridge a gap in the apparent paucity of sensitivity studies on the limited area model (LAM). The Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model 5 was utilized to conduct sensitivity studies on lateral boundary …

A Study Of Morning Radiation Fog Formation, Jimmie L. Trigg Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on developing a linear regression formula that forecasters in the Midwest can use to accurately anticipate the formation of radiation fog. This was accomplished in three stages. First a study of the surface and upper air parameters and processes required to develop radiation fog were identified and explored. Next, a linear regression technique was applied to the 23 parameters identified. The top four indicators were then reprocessed and a new linear regression equation was developed. Finally, the new regression equation was compared to an existing fog forecasting technique. The existing forecast technique selected was the 2nd Weather …

Modeling The Growth Dynamics Of Antarctic Krill Euphausia Superba, Eileen E. Hofmann, Cathy M. Lascara

CCPO Publications

A time-dependent, size-structured, bioenergetically based model was developed to examine the growth dynamics of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba 2 to 60 mm in size. The metabolic processes included in the model are ingestion, a baseline respiration, respiratory losses due to feeding and digestion, and an activity-based respiration factor. The total of these processes, net production, was used as the basis for determining the growth or shrinkage of individuals. Size-dependent parameterizations for the metabolic processes were constructed from field and laboratory measurements. Environmental effects were included through time series of pelagic phytoplankton concentration that were derived from data sets collected west …

An Analysis In Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Over Land Versus Water, Elizabeth A. Boll

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding lightning characteristics over land and water is vital to achieving optimal safety and success in Air Force missions. Lightning safety rules are often based on experience rather than a scientific understanding of lightning. Examining lightning characteristics over water and land will assist in a better understanding of lightning and provide answers that can protect human lives and property. Water and land have different compositions and surface conductivity values. A lightning stroke is detected through a change in the electro-magnetic field at the surface. The change in surface conductivity values from land to water can affect the detection of a …