Data Calibration and Analysis for He I 1083 nm Imaging Spectroscopy

Solar Physics - Imaging spectroscopy in the He?i 1083&;nbsp;nm lines is a powerful tool for probing the top of the chromosphere and bottom of the transition region, but simple techniques...     

The geometric calibration of the Planck satellite using solar system objects

The geometric calibration of the Planck satellite using the planetary transits is investigated, together with the reconstruction of any offsets from the nominal layout of the focal plane. The methods presented here may be applied to a single focal plane transit of a planet, to find the values of the geometric-calibration parameters at the epoch of the transit or all the transits over the course of the mission. The pointing requirements are easily met, with the pointing reconstruction being dominated by the errors due to the star tracker.     

Performance validation of the Gueymard sky radiance model

Abstract

The Gueymard model of short‐wave sky radiance has been validated against sky radiance date measured in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta. Except for sky points within the circumsolar region in clear skies and for low sun positions in near overcast skies the model performs as well as other current sky radiance models.     

Recent sea level and upper ocean temperature variability and trends; cook islands regional results and perspective

The goal of this paper is to provide information on the sea level and upper ocean temperature variability and trends in the Cook Islands region within a global context. Oceanic fisheries variability and change take place within the physical environment. Because the state of the historical data set is not as would be desired, we begin with some review of data distribution issues. We provide some new results from the Cook Islands region but draw upon previous work for information about the global and ocean-basin scale context. There are clear trends over recent decades in sea level and, generally, in upper ocean temperature, but there is also substantial interannual and interdecadal variability, which are larger locally than globally. Because of this variability, it is not possible to say if recent Cook Islands regional trends are representative of longer-term trends, or if longer-term trends have increased recently. Trends in the Cook Islands region over the last four decades are ~0.1–0.3 °C per decade in near surface temperature and ~2–3 cm sea level per decade.     

Field assessments on the accuracy of spherical gauges in rainfall measurements

In an effort to reduce wind effect on rainfall catch to a minimum level, Chang and Flannery (2001. Hydrological Processes 15 : 643–654) designed two spherical orifices to modify the standard gauge and other gauges in use today. Because of the spherical shape, the two orifices will catch rain with an effective diameter always equal to the actual diameter, regardless of wind speed and direction. This report covers the testing of spherical gauges at two different locations, one at the City Landfill, Nacogdoches, TX, and the other at the NWS Forecast Office, Shreveport, LA. Based on 131 storms at Nacogdoches and 94 storms at Shreveport, observed between May 1998 and February 2001, the results showed: (1) spherical gauges recorded an average 6–9% greater than standard gauge and 3–4% less than pit gauge, only 1–2% less than reported in the original study; (2) the catch of spherical gauges was not significantly affected by three gauge heights at 0·91, 1·83, and 2·74 m above the ground, but catch by the standard gauge decreased with increasing gauge height; (3) improvements of the spherical gauges were most significant for larger storms and for winds at higher speeds; (4) the spherical gauge with cylinders recorded 1–2% more rainfall than the spherical gauge with vanes; and (5) correlation coefficients between catch deficiencies and wind speed were low and weak because of the distance and height of the existing wind sensor. Owing to greater surface wetting and evaporation loss, the spherical gauges may underestimate rainfall catch by standard gauge for small storms (generally less than 5·0 mm), especially on hot summer afternoons and for smaller storms. However, the underestimates do not overshadow the merits of spherical gauges, because the differences are too small to be of hydrologic significance. Using polyethylene or other synthesized materials to construct spherical orifices may improve the catch for small storms. The results of the study agreed with the previous claims that spherical gauges are effective in reducing wind effects on rainfall measurements. The spherical gauges could greatly improve the accuracy of hydrologic simulations and the efficiency on the designs and management of water resources. They are suitable for large‐scale applications. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-Velocity Flows in an Active Region Loop System Observed with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (Cds) on Soho

EUV spectra of coronal loops above an active region show clear evidence of strong dynamical activity. We present an example where the Ov 629 Å line, formed at 240 000 K, is shifted from its reference position corresponding to line-of-sight velocities greater than 50 km s^-1 with the shift extending over a large fraction of a loop. The observations were made with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and are from active region NOAA 7981 on the east solar limb on 27 July 1996. An animation has been prepared showing the variation of the shift or flow velocity along the loop. This animation is to be found on the enclosed CD-ROM and gives a clear impression of the dynamical condition present in the loop. The appearance of the loop system in different lines formed over a range in temperature as well as the observed dynamics indicates that loops at different temperatures are not closely co-located. Finally, the results are discussed and related to mechanisms that may cause line shifts.     

Euv Blinkers: The Significance of Variations in the Extreme Ultraviolet Quiet Sun

A search for microflare activity in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) quiet Sun using the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft has not resulted in the identification of microflare activity, but has resulted in the identification of a hitherto unknown phenomenon: enhancements of a factor of 2–3 in the flux of transition region lines at network junctions. A total of some 6 hours of observation of 5 different target areas showed this ‘blinker’ activity at each area, with durations ranging from 1 to 30 min and averaging 13 min, and thermal energy content of order 10^-6 that of a ‘standard’ flare. Assuming that the observations are of typical quiet Sun, and projecting these data to predict a distribution of these events over the entire Sun, the total thermal energy content of these ‘blinkers’ is insignificant when compared to the energy required to heat the corona. The nature of these events and their significance are discussed in this paper.     

Effective parameters for matched field geoacoustic inversion in range-dependent environments

Using the well-established technique of geoacoustic inversion, one can estimate a set of acoustic sea-bed parameters from sonar array data. Simultaneously, one can search for geometric parameters such as range, water depth, and hydrophone depth. When the technique is applied in a range-dependent environment, there is a potentially much larger set of parameters to match, unless one has perfect knowledge of the bathymetry. From the point of view of optimization, one needs to handle uncertainties in bathymetry without hugely increasing the amount of computation. A simple time-domain view (which is shown to be equivalent to the adiabatic approximation) suggests that it is sufficient to use a range-independent model with an empirical "effective" depth even when the bottom is not flat. In fact, there is a set of effective environments that will suffice; one can choose whichever is the most convenient. The success of this concept is demonstrated with some test cases from a recent Geoacoustic Inversion Techniques Workshop.