Water in Space: The Water World of ISO

In this review we present the main results obtained by the ISO satellite on the abundance and spatial distribution of water vapor in the direction of molecular clouds, evolved stars, galaxies, and in the bodies of our Solar System. We also discuss the modeling of H₂O and the difficulties found in the interpretation of the data, the need of collisional rates and the perspectives that future high angular and high spectral resolution observations of H₂O with the Herschel Space Observatory will open.     

Force-free magnetic field in a cylindrical flux rope without a constant alpha

It is generally assumed that magnetic fields inside interplanetary magnetic clouds and flux ropes in the solar photosphere are force-free. In order to model such fields, the solution of rot B = B is commonly used where  = const. But comparisons of this solutions with observations show significant difference. To treat this problem,we examine the solutions with .     

FY-2C星数传与云图广播转发器分系统

介绍了风云二号(FY-2)气象卫星数传与云图广播转发器分系统的功能、组成,以及频率配置、传输信号特性和增益与功率等主要技术指标.给出了C星分系统转发器的技术改进.阐明了采用的收发多工器、射电天文保护滤波器、固体功率放大器(SSPA)和功能转换开关等关键技术.测试结果和在轨运行状况表明,C星数传与云图广播转发器的性能符合设计任务书要求,在轨运行正常稳定.     

Solar and interplanetary origins of the November 2004 superstorms

During the first half of November 2004, many solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were associated with solar active region (AR) 10696. This paper attempts to identify the solar and interplanetary origins of two superstorms which occurred on 8 and 10 November with peak intensities of Dst = −373 nT and −289 nT, respectively. Southward interplanetary magnetic fields within a magnetic cloud (MC), and a sheath + MC were the causes of these two superstorms, respectively. Two different CME propagation models [Gopalswamy, N., Yashiro, S., Kaiser, M.L. et al. Predicting the 1-AU arrival times of coronal mass ejections. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 29207–29219, 2001; Gopalswamy, N.S., Lara, A., Manoharan, P.K. et al. An empirical model to predict the 1-AU arrival of interplanetary shocks. Adv. Space Res. 36, 2289–2294, 2005] were employed to attempt to identify the solar sources. It is found that the models identify several potential CMEs as possible sources for each of the superstorms. The two Gopalswamy et al. models give the possible sources for the first superstorm as CMEs on 2330 UT 4 November 2004 or on 1454 UT 5 November 2004. For the second superstorm, the possible solar source was a CME that on 0754 UT 5 November 2004 or one that occurred on 1206 UT 5 November 2004. We note that other propagation models sometimes agree and other times disagree with the above results. It is concluded that during high solar/interplanetary activity intervals such as this one, the exact solar source is difficult to identify. More refined propagation models are needed.     

空间碎片超高速碰撞数值分析

采用光滑粒子流体动力学(SPH)方法对空间碎片超高速碰撞问题作了模拟分析,给出了靶孔直径和碎片云宽度随碰撞速度的变化、累积碎片分布、碎片云无量纲向前总动量随膨胀距离的变化、碎片云前端速度的变化规律以及碎片云速度矢量等。     

Rainfall estimation over a Mediterranean region using a method based on various spectral parameters of SEVIRI-MSG

The ultimate objective of this paper is the estimation of rainfall over an area in Algeria using data from the SEVIRI radiometer (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager). To achieve this aim, we use a new Convective/Stratiform Rain Area Delineation Technique (CS-RADT). The satellite rainfall retrieval technique is based on various spectral parameters of SEVIRI that express microphysical and optical cloud properties. It uses a multispectral thresholding technique to distinguish between stratiform and convective clouds. This technique (CS-RADT) is applied to the complex situation of the Mediterranean climate of this region. The tests have been conducted during the rainy seasons of 2006/2007 and 2010/2011 where stratiform and convective precipitation is recorded. The developed scheme (CS-RADT) is calibrated by instantaneous meteorological radar data to determine thresholds, and then rain rates are assigned to each cloud type by using radar and rain gauge data. These calibration data are collocated with SEVIRI data in time and space.     

Actors of the main activity in large complex centres during the 23 solar cycle maximum

During the maximum of Solar Cycle 23, large active regions had a long life, spanning several solar rotations, and produced large numbers of X-class flares and CMEs, some of them associated to magnetic clouds (MCs). This is the case for the Halloween active regions in 2003. The most geoeffective MC of the cycle (Dst = −457) had its source during the disk passage of one of these active regions (NOAA 10501) on 18 November 2003. Such an activity was presumably due to continuous emerging magnetic flux that was observed during this passage. Moreover, the region exhibited a complex topology with multiple domains of different magnetic helicities. The complexity was observed to reach such unprecedented levels that a detailed multi-wavelength analysis is necessary to precisely identify the solar sources of CMEs and MCs. Magnetic clouds are identified using in situ measurements and interplanetary scintillation (IPS) data. Results from these two different sets of data are also compared.     

Using consecutive point clouds for pose and motion estimation of tumbling non-cooperative target

This paper proposes a consecutive point clouds-based estimation scheme to resolve the state estimation problem for tumbling non-cooperative space target during the rendezvous phase without a prior knowledge about its structure. First, a consistent pose estimation algorithm is realized by maintaining a global structure of the target that is reconstructed upon the pose graph optimization. Then an extend Kalman filter on Lie group is adopted to estimate the motion and inertia parameters of the target using the pose measurements of the point clouds. Finally, a semi-physical experimental study is carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimation scheme. The result shows that the structure, motion and the inertia parameters can be estimated, and the total computation time is approximately linear with the number of point clouds.     

多光谱图像中云层及阴影的检测与消除

云层及阴影的检测是遥感应用领域的一个非常重要的问题。目前这方面的资料比较少，尤其是在被动接收条件下。提出了一种云层及阴影检测的算法，该算法的主要依据是云层及阴影覆盖区域高平滑性的特征，算法主要包括图像变换、亮度校正、云层及阴影的检测、滤波四个步骤。相对于现存方法而言，优点在于整个算法适合主被动接收条件，算法的处理比较简单，算法实现过程中没有很苛刻的参数选择，算法的适用范围较广。仿真结果不仅验证了上面的分析，而且表明该算法去云层及阴影的效果比较理想。     

A simple model for the interhemispheric coupling of the middle atmosphere circulation

The interhemispheric coupling of the middle atmosphere general circulation is characterized by a global anomaly pattern of the zonal-mean temperature. This pattern reflects an anomalous stratospheric and mesospheric residual circulation, in which a weaker (stronger) stratospheric winter circulation is linked to an upward (downward) shift of its upper mesospheric branch reaching from the summer to the winter pole. This phenomenon is robust in observational data and several middle atmosphere general circulation models. In the present study, the recently proposed mechanism of the interhemispheric coupling is unequivocally proven within the framework of a zonally symmetric model that excludes any additional effects due to resolved waves and non-zonally propagating gravity waves. Two simulations are conducted that differ in the strength of the polar vortex. A weaker polar vortex results in a downward shift of the winter mesospheric gravity wave drag. This leads to changes also in the summer upper mesosphere via a feedback solely between gravity wave breaking and the zonal-mean state. The accompanying temperature anomaly reproduces the pattern of the interhemispheric coupling.