Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> A simple model, expressed in terms of cloud amounts and heights, and air temperature (recorded hourly at Ft. St. John, B.C.) and daily radiosonde records (from St. Nelson, B.C.), is used in an attempt to approximate incoming solar and net radiation values at a nearby pasture site, where hourly measurements were recorded. Results from the model indicate that measured values on a daily basis were estimated within 20%, while five and ten day running means were calculated within 10% of the measured means. </p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

<p> A series capillary viscometer has been used to measure the viscosity of nitrogen and air over a temperature range of 100 to 400°K and to pressures of 150 atmospheres. </p> <p>The low pressure results have been correlated using a modified Sutherland equation of the form: n = C1T^C2 / T+C3 </p> <p> Intermolecular force constants have been computed for nitrogen using the Chapman Enskog collision theory approach.</p> <p> The viscosity in the dense gas region was correlated using equations of the form n-no = A1ρ + A2ρ^2 and thus overall equations for viscosity as a function of temperature and density were formulated as n = C1T^C2 / T+C3 +A1ρ + A2ρ^2 </p> <p> These equations were used to generate tables of smoothed values of viscosity as a function of pressure and temperature.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

No description available.

The accuracy of the growing season used by regulators in hydric soil and wetland hydrology and the validity of ignoring land use in these definitions is questionable. This study compared measured air and soil temperature with various growing season dates and indicators, and determined the relationships between the hydrology, air and soil temperature. Water table depths, air temperature at 1-m height, soil temperature at 15-, 30-, and 50-cm depths, and CO₂ efflux were measured at 12 plots representing three landuse treatments (forest, field, and bare ground) at two restored wet flats in the thermic Great Dismal Swamp ecosystem. The forest was driest treatment. The forest air was the warmest in winter and coldest in summer, opposite of the bare ground. The forest soil at 50 cm was the warmest in winter and coolest in summer, opposite of the bare ground. Land use affected hydrology, air, and soil temperatures through the presence of surface litter and differences in shading, albedo, and ET. The regulatory frost-free period fell in between the measured frost-free period and the measured 5°C soil temperature period. Based on CO₂ efflux and soil temperature at 50 cm, the biological growing season of native plants and microbes should be year-round for forested areas, one week shorter for early-successional fields, and two weeks shorter for active cropland rather than March to November for all land uses. Changing the growing season definition of forested, thermic wet flats to year-round designation must be considered and studied carefully to avoid jeopardizing wetland hydrology qualifications. / Master of Science

Two measures of air temperature trends across southern Yukon and northern British Columbia were modelled based on measurements from 83 monitoring sites across seven areas, operating for up to 14 years. Both mean monthly air temperature (MMAT) and freezing and thawing degree days (FDD and TDD, respectively) were modelled across this area (59 °N to 64.5 °N) at elevations ranging from 330-1480 m asl. Lapse rates in this region show inversions in the winter months (November - March) varying in inversion strength and length in relation to degree of continentality. The spatial and elevation range of these sites allowed for regional lapse rate modelling at the monthly scale for MMAT and at the annual scale for FDD and TDD. Lapse rates below treeline were found to be correlated (p < 0.1) with degree of continentality in the colder months (November - April) and August. In these months, lapse rates were modelled using kriging trend surfaces. In months where degree of continentality was not found to have a significant impact on lapse rates (p > 0.1) (May - October, excluding August), an average lapse rate calculated from the seven study regions was used across the study region. A combination of lapse rate trend surfaces, elevation, and temperatures at sea level were used to model MMAT and F/TDD below treeline. A treeline trend surface was created using a 4th order polynomial, allowing for temperatures at treeline to be determined. MMAT and F/TDD above treeline were calculated using a constant lapse rate of -6 °C/km, elevation, and temperature at treeline. The above and below treeline models were combined to create continuous models of MMAT and F/TDD. Modelled MMAT showed a high degree of homogeneity across the study region in warmer months. Inversions in lapse rates are evident in the colder months, especially December through February, when colder temperatures are easily identified in valley bottoms, increasing to treeline, and decreasing above treeline. Modelled MMAT values were validated using 20 sites across the study region, using both Environment and Climate Change Canada and University of Ottawa sites. The RMSE between modelled and observed MMAT was highest in January (4.4 °C) and lowest in June (0.7 °C). Sites below treeline showed a stronger relationship between modelled and observed values than sites above treeline. Edge effects of the model were evident in the northeast of the study region as well as in the ice fields in the southwest along the Alaska border. The new MMAT maps can be used to help understand species range change, underlying permafrost conditions, and climate patterns over time. FDD values were found to be highly influenced by both degree of continentality as well as latitude, whereas TDD values were mainly dependent on elevation, with degree of continentality and latitude being lesser influences. FDD and TDD were validated using the same 20 sites across the study region, with FDD showing a larger RMSE (368 degree days) between modelled and observed values than TDD (150 degree days). TDD modelling performed better on average, with a lower average absolute difference (254 degree days) between modelled and observed values at the validation sites than FDD modelling (947 degree days). The models of FDD and TDD represent a component of temperature at top of permafrost (TTOP) modelling for future studies. Two mean annual air temperature (MAAT) maps were created, one calculated from the MMAT models, and the other from the F/TDD models. Most of the study region showed negative MAAT, mainly between -6 °C and 0 °C for both methods. The average MAAT calculated from FDD and TDD values was -2.4 ºC, whereas the average MAAT calculated from MMAT values was -2.8 ºC. Models of MAAT were found to be slightly warmer than in previous studies, potentially indicating warming temperature trends.

Analysis of the relationship between ring-width indices of pedunculate oaks (Quercus robur L.) in the Niepotomice Forest with average monthly air temperatures (1826-1980) and total monthly precipitation (1881-1985) in Cracow revealed a strict relationship between tree -growth and the precipitation of June-July, May-July, and June-August. These relationships are described by a high percentage of agreement, at or around 70 %, and coefficients of correlation (rx) of 0.40 (June-July), 0.36 (May-July) and 0.30 (June-August). The group of 10 oaks with the highest coefficients between growth and precipitation yielded still higher correlations: 0.50, 0.50, and 0.41, respectively. High total monthly precipitation in June and July favors radial growth, while low precipitation reduces radial growth. The influence of air temperature on oak ring-width indices is less significant. The highest positive correlation occurs for January to April of the preceding year. Correlations for the years of radial growth have values close to or below (June) zero except for August.

Die Schallgeschwindigkeit in der Luft hängt wesentlich von der Temperatur, aber auch in gewissen Maße von deren Feuchtigkeit und Zusammensetzung, ab. Den Einfluss der Lufttemperatur auf die Schallgeschwindigkeit nutzen Messverfahren aus, um aus der Laufzeit von Schallsignalen die Temperatur entlang des Ausbreitungsweges zu bestimmen. Dabei wird jedoch häufig die Beeinflussung durch die Luftfeuchte unzureichend berücksichtigt. Hier wird ein Verfahren aufgezeigt, das die Zusammensetzung der Luft und die Temperaturabhängigkeit der spezifischen Wärmen detailliert berücksichtigt. Die auf diesem Wege aus der Schallgeschwindigkeit abgeleitete Temperatur wird mit der in der Mirkometeorologie üblichen Approximation der akustisch virtuellen Temperatur verglichen. / The speed of sound in humid air depends besides the temperature to some degree on their humidity and compositions. Several measuring methods uses the influence of the temperature on speed of sound to calculate from the travel time of acoustic signals the temperature along the propagation path. However, thereby the influence of the humidity is often ignored. This paper described a method, which take the impact of the atmospheric composition and the temperature dependence of the specific heats explicit into account. The subsequent from the speed of sound recalculated temperature is compared with the mircometeorological standard approximation, the acoustic virtual temperature.

Der Einfluss der direkten Sonnenstrahlung kann trotz Strahlungsschutz und Ventilation zu deutlichen Fehlern bei der Bestimmung der Lufttemperatur führen. Zur Verringerung des Strahlungsfehlers in einer ventilierten Hütte wurde um die Temperatur- und Feuchtesensoren doppelte Strahlungsschutzrohre angebracht. Vergleichsexperimente haben gezeigt, dass damit ein wesentlich besserer Schutz vor der direkten Sonnenstrahlung erreicht wurde. / The influence of direct solar radiation and – despite a radiation shelter and sufficient ventilation – may cause an overestimation of the air temperature. To reduce the influence of the direct radiation, a double radiation protection tube was mounted around the temperature sensor. A cross validation has demonstrated, that consequently a much better radiation protection was realized.

Conventional micro-meteorological measuring methods are not particularly suitable for the investigation of the energy exchange under heterogeneous surface conditions. To consider the influence of the different surface properties, area-covered and spatially averaged meteorological measurements in combination with highly resolved simulations are necessary. In this context, the method of acoustic travel time tomography is introduced to provide information about the horizontal temperature and wind field. Within a field experiment (STINHO-1; Melpitz 2001) the tomographic system and conventional meteorological equipment were utilised inside the investigation area with an extension of several hundred meters (300 x 700 m2), which was arranged over areas with different surface properties: grassland and bare soil. The results of the field experiment show that differences between the measuring systems (insitu and remote sensing) exist and the heterogeneity of the underlying surface is visible in the near surface temperature and wind field at a scale, which can be resolved with highly resolved numerical models. Depending on the incoming solar radiation and the local advection regional distinctions in the air temperature and wind field as well as in the vertical sensible heat fluxes were observed. The investigations demonstrate that the sensitivity of the Acoustic Tomography is sufficient to verify gradients in the meteorological fields even when the horizontal differences are small. / Zur Untersuchung des Energieaustausches über heterogenem Gelände sind konventionelle mikro-meteorologische Messungen und Modellvorstellungen allein nicht ausreichend. Um den Einfluss unterschiedlicher Oberflächen besser berücksichtigen zu können, sind flächendeckende und räumlich mittelnde meteorologische Messungen kombiniert mit hoch aufgelösten numerischen Simulationen notwendig.In diesem Kontext wird die Methode der Akustischen Laufzeitomographie vorgestellt, mit der horizontale Wind- und Temperaturfelder in geeigneter Weise bereitgestellt werden können. Im Rahmen eines Feldexperimentes (STINHO-1; Melpitz 2001) wurde das tomographische System zusammen mit konventionellen meteorologischen Geräten in einem Untersuchungsgebiet mit einer Ausdehnung von mehreren hundert Metern (300 x 700 m2) über unterschiedlichen Oberflächen (Wiese und gepflügter Acker) eingesetzt. Die Ergebnisse des Feldexperimentes zeigen, dass Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Messverfahren existierten und die Heterogenität der Unterlage in den oberflächennahen Temperatur- und Windfeldern auf einer Skala sichtbar ist, die mit kleinskaligen numerischen Modellen aufgelöst werden kann. Die vorgestellten Untersuchungen demonstrieren, dass die Sensitivität der Akustischen Tomographie hinreichend ist, um Gradienten meteorologischer Felder auch bei geringeren horizontalen Unterschieden nachzuweisen.