Windstorms result in significant damage and economic loss and are a major recurring threat in many countries. Estimating surface-level wind speeds resulting from windstorms is a complicated problem, but geostatistical spatial interpolation methods present a potential solution. Maximum sustained and peak gust weather station data from two historic windstorms in Europe were analyzed to predict surface-level wind speed surfaces across a large and topographically varied landscape. Disjunctively sampled maximum sustained wind speeds were adjusted to represent equivalent continuously sampled 10-minute wind speeds and missing peak gust station data were estimated by applying a gust factor to the recorded maximum sustained wind speeds. Wind surfaces were estimated based on anisotropic and isotropic kriging interpolation methodologies. The study found that anisotropic kriging is well-suited for interpolating wind speeds in meso- and macro-scale areas because it accounts for wind direction and trends in wind speeds across a large, heterogeneous surface, and resulted in interpolation surface improvement in most models evaluated. Statistical testing of interpolation error for stations stratified by geographic classification revealed that stations in coastal and/or mountainous locations had significantly higher prediction errors when compared with stations in non-coastal/non-mountainous locations. These results may assist in mitigating losses to structures due to excessive wind events.

Presently, aerial photography remains a popular method for surveillance of landscapes, and its uses continually grow as it is used to monitor trends in areas such as plant distribution and urban construction. The use of computer vision, or more specifically stereo vision, is one common method of gathering this information. By mounting a stereo vision system on the wings of an unmanned aircraft it becomes very useful tool. This technique however, becomes less accurate as stereo vision baselines become longer, aircraft wing spans are increased, and aircraft wings become increasingly flexible. Typically, ideal stereo vision systems involve stationary cameras with parallel fields of view. For an operational aircraft with a stereo vision system installed, stationary cameras can not be expected because the aircraft will experience random atmospheric turbulence in the form of gusts that will excite the dominate frequencies of the aircraft. A method of stereo image rectification has been developed for cases where cameras that will be allowed to deflect on the wings of an fixed wing aircraft that is subjected to random excitation. The process begins by developing a dynamic model the estimates the behavior of a flexible stereo vision system and corrects images collected at maximum deflection. Testing of this method was performed on a flexible stereo vision system subjected to resonance excitation where a reduction in stereo vision distance error is shown. Successful demonstration of this ability is then repeated on a flying wing aircraft by the using a modal survey to understand its behavior. Finally, the flying wing aircraft is subjected to random excitation and a least square fit of the random excitation signal is used to determine points of maximum deflection suitable for stereo image rectification. Using the same techniques for image rectification in resonance excitation, significant reductions in stereo distance errors are shown. / Master of Science

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Resumo: Para determinar como se inicia a convecção na região sudoeste da Amazônia, foram analisados dados do TRMM/LBA (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission / Large-scale Biosphere Atmosphere). A base para determinar onde e quando a convecção iniciou foi o radar banda-S, com polarização dual (S-Pol), do National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Utilizaram-se, adicionalmente, dados do canal visível do satélite GOES-8 para identificar piscinas frias produzidas pela precipitação convectiva. Essas informações, em conjunto com dados topográficos de alta resolução, foram utilizadas na determinação dos mecanismos possíveis de disparos da convecção. A elevação do terreno na área de estudo varia de 100 a 600m. Este estudo apresenta os resultados de 5 de fevereiro de 1999. Um total de 315 tempestades iniciou-se dentro do raio de 130km do radar S-Pol. Nesse dia, classificado como de fraco regime de monção, a convecção desenvolveu-se em resposta ao ciclo diurno do aquecimento solar. Cúmulos rasos espalhados durante a manhã desenvolveram-se em convecção profunda no início da tarde. As tempestades tiveram início após as 11h, com um pico de iniciação entre 15 e 16h. As causas de início de tempestades foram classificadas em 4 categorias. O modo mais comum de iniciação foi o levantamento forçado por frente de rajada (36%). A categoria, que inclui forçantes topográficas (>300m), sem a influência de nenhum outro mecanismo, é responsável por 21% das iniciações e a colisão de frentes de rajada por 16%. Nos 27% restantes, não foi possível a identificação de nenhum mecanismo. O exame de todos os dias do experimento TRMM/LBA mostrou que o dia estudado em detalhe foi representativo de muitos outros dias. Um modelo conceitual para o início e a evolução de tempestades é apresentado. Esses resultados, que devem ter implicações para outros... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract : Radar and satellite data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission / Large-scale Biosphere Atmosphere (TRMM/LBA) project have been examined to determine causes for convective storm initiation in the southwest Amazon region. The locations and times of storm initiation were based on the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) S-band dual-polarization Doppler radar (S-Pol). Both the radar and GOES-8 visible data were used to identify cold pools produced by convective precipitation. This data along with high-resolution topographic data were used to determine possible convective storm triggering mechanisms. The terrain elevation varied from 100 - 600 m. Tropical forests cover the area with numerous clear cut areas used for cattle grazing and farming. This study presents the results from 5 February 1999. A total of 315 storms initiated within 130 km of the S-Pol radar. This day was classified as a weak monsoon regime where convection developed in response to the diurnal cycle of solar heating. Scattered shallow cumulus during the morning developed into deep convection by early afternoon. Storm initiation began about 1100 LST and peaked around 1500-1600 LST. The causes of storm initiation were classified into 4 categories. The most common initiation mechanism was caused by forced lifting by a gust front (36%). Forcing by terrain (>300 m) without any other triggering mechanism accounted for 21% of the initiations and colliding gust fronts 16%. For the remaining 27% a triggering mechanism was not identified. Examination of all days during TRMM/LBA showed that this one detailed study day was representative of many days. A conceptual model of storm initiation and evolution is presented. The results of this study should have implications for other locations when synoptic scale forcing mechanisms are at a minimum... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: João Francisco Escobedo / Coorientador: Maria Assunção Faus da Silva Dias / Banca: Nelson de Jesus Ferreira / Banca: Roberto Vicente Calheiros / Banca: Oswaldo Massambani / Banca: Jonas Teixeira Nery / Doutor

La incidència sobre el suro de defectes sensorials amb descriptors de florit-humitat és un dels principals problemes amb què s'enfronta la indústria surera. Els principals compostos relacionats amb aquest defecte son cloroanisoles, metoxipirazines, geosmina i metilisoborneol. Aquesta recerca s'ha fet amb l'objectiu principal d'aprofundir en els mètodes de determinació de compostos volàtils en suro. S'ha desenvolupat una metodologia basada en la microextracció en fase sòlida i la cromatografia de gasos per a l'anàlisi conjunta d'aquests compostos en macerats de suro. El fet que la majoria dels compostos d'interès tingui un origen microbià ha fet necessari completar les anàlisis químiques amb mètodes de detecció i aïllament dels microorganismes susceptibles de produir-los. S'ha utilitzat un mètode per a l'estudi de la diversitat de fongs i bacteris en mostres de suro basat en l'estudi de marcadors genètics mitjançant l'anàlisi en gradients electroforètics desnaturalitzants. Per últim s'ha avaluat la capacitat de producció de defectes sensorials per microorganismes aïllats de suro utilitzant tècniques olfactomètriques. / The incidence of musty-earthy sensory deviations on cork is one of the main problems that the cork industry faces. The main compounds related to this defect are chloroanisoles, methoxypyrazines, geosmin and methylisoborneol. The aim of this research work was to develop analytical methods to simultaneously determine a large set of volatile compounds in cork samples. A methodology based on solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography for the determination of TCA, 3-isopropyl-2-methoxypyrazine, geosmin and methylisoborneol in cork aqueous macerates has been developed and validated. Moreover, the microbial origin of most of these compounds makes necessary to complement the chemical analysis with the detection and isolation of microorganisms that may be involved in the production of off-odours. Regular fingerprinting techniques for the analysis of microbial diversity such as Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) have been applied to the study of microorganism potentially responsible for off-odour formation in cork, in order to complement the chemical characterization of the volatile fraction. Finally we have evaluated the off-odour production capacity of microorganisms isolated from cork using olfactometry techniques.

This study is about the data analysis of wind speed on sea surface, water temperature, atmospheric temperature, and sea waves observations from four buoy stations (Hua-Lian , Hsin-Chu , E-Luuan-Bi and Kin-Men) that belong to Central Weather Bureau Republic of China and Water Resources Agency, and related researches. The period of this study is in winter and summer from 2001 to 2003. Because of the shelter effect from building or hillocks in land, the wind speed on land is abated and not consistent with that on sea. Comparing data form two island stations ( Dongjido and Lanyu) and four buoy stations, the winds around Taiwan are almost the same. That means the monsoon controls the wind direction in summers and winters. Comparing the quantitative results from different wind speed areas in same period of time, the continuity of sea wind is better than that of land wind, especially best in west Taiwan. Also comparing the changes of wind speed in different atmospheric stability layers, wind is stronger in neural than others. Wind speed distribution also showed wind speeds increased when it is far from land, and sea breeze happened near land within 1-2 kilometer. Sea temperature and wind speed are the factors affecting stability. The diurnal variation of air temperature is greater than that of sea and diurnal variation of sea is more significant during winter. Especially along coastal in Eastern Taiwan, the temperature difference between sea and atmosphere could be greater than 10 ¢J, moreover the wind speed on sea surface in Hua-Lian is slow. Therefore, it caused more unstable on sea surface in Hua-Lian. waves could be classified into two types by wave age: swell and wind sea. Swell means because of passing long fetch, the weave height and wave period are saturated and no longer develop. It can¡¦t reveal the effects of sea wind on waves. Therefore, if swell is the major composition of waves, the inaccuracy of calculated stress would be large. On the contrary, when wind sea is the major composition of waves, roughness could be calculated by wave steepness. While analyzing coefficient of momentum flux on sea surface near Taiwan, gust factor under neutral and unstable conditions had different. Gust factor would change with wind speed under neutral condition, but change with stability under unstable condition. In neutral condition, wind speed and drag coefficient are direct proportion and then correlation among p of power law of wind profile, turbulence intensity and gust factor under neutral condition and strong wind are similar, the value close to 0.1.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-98).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-06-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:02:24Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 lima_ma_dr_botfca.pdf: 6910754 bytes, checksum: 12da98a63ff4ae3c0c8a93b721f86f4f (MD5) / Outros / Para determinar como se inicia a convecção na região sudoeste da Amazônia, foram analisados dados do TRMM/LBA (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission / Large-scale Biosphere Atmosphere). A base para determinar onde e quando a convecção iniciou foi o radar banda-S, com polarização dual (S-Pol), do National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Utilizaram-se, adicionalmente, dados do canal visível do satélite GOES-8 para identificar piscinas frias produzidas pela precipitação convectiva. Essas informações, em conjunto com dados topográficos de alta resolução, foram utilizadas na determinação dos mecanismos possíveis de disparos da convecção. A elevação do terreno na área de estudo varia de 100 a 600m. Este estudo apresenta os resultados de 5 de fevereiro de 1999. Um total de 315 tempestades iniciou-se dentro do raio de 130km do radar S-Pol. Nesse dia, classificado como de fraco regime de monção, a convecção desenvolveu-se em resposta ao ciclo diurno do aquecimento solar. Cúmulos rasos espalhados durante a manhã desenvolveram-se em convecção profunda no início da tarde. As tempestades tiveram início após as 11h, com um pico de iniciação entre 15 e 16h. As causas de início de tempestades foram classificadas em 4 categorias. O modo mais comum de iniciação foi o levantamento forçado por frente de rajada (36%). A categoria, que inclui forçantes topográficas (>300m), sem a influência de nenhum outro mecanismo, é responsável por 21% das iniciações e a colisão de frentes de rajada por 16%. Nos 27% restantes, não foi possível a identificação de nenhum mecanismo. O exame de todos os dias do experimento TRMM/LBA mostrou que o dia estudado em detalhe foi representativo de muitos outros dias. Um modelo conceitual para o início e a evolução de tempestades é apresentado. Esses resultados, que devem ter implicações para outros... / Radar and satellite data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission / Large-scale Biosphere Atmosphere (TRMM/LBA) project have been examined to determine causes for convective storm initiation in the southwest Amazon region. The locations and times of storm initiation were based on the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) S-band dual-polarization Doppler radar (S-Pol). Both the radar and GOES-8 visible data were used to identify cold pools produced by convective precipitation. This data along with high-resolution topographic data were used to determine possible convective storm triggering mechanisms. The terrain elevation varied from 100 – 600 m. Tropical forests cover the area with numerous clear cut areas used for cattle grazing and farming. This study presents the results from 5 February 1999. A total of 315 storms initiated within 130 km of the S-Pol radar. This day was classified as a weak monsoon regime where convection developed in response to the diurnal cycle of solar heating. Scattered shallow cumulus during the morning developed into deep convection by early afternoon. Storm initiation began about 1100 LST and peaked around 1500-1600 LST. The causes of storm initiation were classified into 4 categories. The most common initiation mechanism was caused by forced lifting by a gust front (36%). Forcing by terrain (>300 m) without any other triggering mechanism accounted for 21% of the initiations and colliding gust fronts 16%. For the remaining 27% a triggering mechanism was not identified. Examination of all days during TRMM/LBA showed that this one detailed study day was representative of many days. A conceptual model of storm initiation and evolution is presented. The results of this study should have implications for other locations when synoptic scale forcing mechanisms are at a minimum... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)