Boundaries between air masses, called frontal zones, have been associated with vegetation boundaries (Bryson, 1966; Hare and Ritchie, 1972). Using gridded climate reanalysis data, we analyze the air masses and frontal zones of North America. The position of the July Arctic front varies significantly through the period 1948-2007, with a mean position similar to that found by Bryson (1966). The variability of the front position can be associated with changes in the general circulation; when the AO and SOI are positive (negative), the position of the July Arctic front is further north (south). There is also more variability in the July Arctic front position in Eastern versus Western Canada. When the July Arctic front is north (south) of the mean position, the boreal forest and tundra vegetation is more (less) productive. There is some evidence that climate warming is only starting to shift the July Arctic front to the north. / This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Polar Climate Stability Network (PCSN) project funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS).

Boundaries between air masses, called frontal zones, have been associated with vegetation boundaries (Bryson, 1966; Hare and Ritchie, 1972). Using gridded climate reanalysis data, we analyze the air masses and frontal zones of North America. The position of the July Arctic front varies significantly through the period 1948-2007, with a mean position similar to that found by Bryson (1966). The variability of the front position can be associated with changes in the general circulation; when the AO and SOI are positive (negative), the position of the July Arctic front is further north (south). There is also more variability in the July Arctic front position in Eastern versus Western Canada. When the July Arctic front is north (south) of the mean position, the boreal forest and tundra vegetation is more (less) productive. There is some evidence that climate warming is only starting to shift the July Arctic front to the north. / This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Polar Climate Stability Network (PCSN) project funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS).

Boundaries between air masses, called frontal zones, have been associated with vegetation boundaries (Bryson, 1966; Hare and Ritchie, 1972). Using gridded climate reanalysis data, we analyze the air masses and frontal zones of North America. The position of the July Arctic front varies significantly through the period 1948-2007, with a mean position similar to that found by Bryson (1966). The variability of the front position can be associated with changes in the general circulation; when the AO and SOI are positive (negative), the position of the July Arctic front is further north (south). There is also more variability in the July Arctic front position in Eastern versus Western Canada. When the July Arctic front is north (south) of the mean position, the boreal forest and tundra vegetation is more (less) productive. There is some evidence that climate warming is only starting to shift the July Arctic front to the north. / This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Polar Climate Stability Network (PCSN) project funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS).

Boundaries between air masses, called frontal zones, have been associated with vegetation boundaries (Bryson, 1966; Hare and Ritchie, 1972). Using gridded climate reanalysis data, we analyze the air masses and frontal zones of North America. The position of the July Arctic front varies significantly through the period 1948-2007, with a mean position similar to that found by Bryson (1966). The variability of the front position can be associated with changes in the general circulation; when the AO and SOI are positive (negative), the position of the July Arctic front is further north (south). There is also more variability in the July Arctic front position in Eastern versus Western Canada. When the July Arctic front is north (south) of the mean position, the boreal forest and tundra vegetation is more (less) productive. There is some evidence that climate warming is only starting to shift the July Arctic front to the north. / This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Polar Climate Stability Network (PCSN) project funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS).

After undergoing an extensive study about engine air mass flow measurement approaches as well as engine modelling for air mass flow prediction, a major problem found to exist is that engineers have still not found a suitable technique to accurately measure the air mass flow entering the cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The engine air mass flow is the most important parameter needed during engine development so the fuel control can be accurately calibrated and as a result increase performance and reduce emission output of an engine. The current methods used to determine the air mass flow lead to inaccuracies due to the large amount of mathematical assumptions and also sensor errors and as a result the mapping and calibration process of a new engine family takes approximately 2 years due to extensive modelling and testing required overcoming the above drawbacks. To improve this, the distributed lumped modelling technique (D-L) of the inlet manifold was chosen, where the intake system is separated into very small sections which are distributed continuously throughout the volume of the intake until entering the cylinder. This technique is validated against a CFD model of the engine’s intake system and real engine data as well as a 1D engine model.

The bulk of synoptic weather type research related to urban climate focuses on human health impacts; however, recent studies have begun to quantify urban heat island (UHI) magnitudes by weather type, or air mass classification. This study presents an analysis of UHI intensity through synoptic-scale air mass persistence during the spring season for four UHI-prone United States cities. Historical daily weather types for Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Louis, Missouri were extracted from the Spatial Synoptic Classification database for 40 years from 1980 through 2019. Daily minimum surface air temperature data were downloaded from the Global Historical Climate Network to compute UHI. The historical daily weather type data were converted into a record of persistence, or the length of consecutive days that a synoptic weather type was in place at each location. A descriptive climatology of SSC weather types and UHI at each location was constructed before UHI magnitudes were segregated by day of persistence and examined for differences in intensity. Climatologically, the four urban areas experienced an increase in warm weather types at the expense of cool weather types throughout the study period. Specifically, the persistence of moist tropical weather types increased at a statistically significant rate at Birmingham, Charlotte, and Louisville, consistent with the theorized northward migration of the mid-latitude jet stream. Also evident is a statistically significant increase in UHI frequency and intensity at Birmingham, Charlotte, and Louisville during the study period. Results show that the moisture character of a weather type is an important differentiating factor in UHI intensification, as the mean UHI was found to increase with the persistence of dry weather types and decrease with the persistence of moist weather types, presumably reflecting differences in radiational heating and cooling with atmospheric moisture content. The most intense UHIs and the largest UHI magnitude increase by day of persistence are associated with dry weather types, which have become more frequent since 1980. The findings suggest that larger magnitude UHIs may become more common in the future should dry weather type persistence continue to increase. Higher urban temperatures put human health at risk due to a well-linked relationship between heat and mortality and morbidity rates. The effects of heat are cumulative; the more common persistent, oppressive days become, the larger the impact. / Master of Science / Most of the research related to variation in the warmth of an urban area relative to the surrounding rural area, or the urban heat island (UHI) effect, under varying air mass conditions (temperature and humidity) has focused on human health impacts. This study examines UHI intensity through regional-scale air mass persistence during the spring season in four UHI-prone United States cities. Historical daily air mass conditions in the form of weather types for Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Louis, Missouri were downloaded from the Spatial Synoptic Classification database for the 40 years from 1980 to 2019. UHI values for each urban location were calculated using daily minimum air temperature data from the Global Historical Climate Network. A descriptive climatology of weather types and UHI magnitude at each of the four urban locations established long-term means and trends before analysis of UHI intensity through varying weather type residence times, or persistence. Time series analyses align with previous indications of an increasing persistence of weather types and an increase in the frequency of warm weather types at the expense of cool weather types during the spring season. An increase in both UHI frequency and intensity occurred through the study period at Birmingham, Charlotte, and Louisville. The mean intensity of the UHI was found to increase with the persistence of weather types of low humidity and to decrease with the persistence of moist weather types. The largest mean UHI and the largest UHI magnitude increase by day of persistence are associated with low humidity weather types, which have become more frequent since 1980. The impacts of heat are cumulative; persistently elevated temperatures are detrimental to human health.

Submitted by Maria Beatriz Vieira (mbeatriz.vieira@gmail.com) on 2017-05-30T11:44:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) dissertacao_fernando_nunes_lopes.pdf: 2343988 bytes, checksum: 48c9096c9f757071d333975f35bae5d1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-05-30T20:21:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) dissertacao_fernando_nunes_lopes.pdf: 2343988 bytes, checksum: 48c9096c9f757071d333975f35bae5d1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-30T20:21:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) dissertacao_fernando_nunes_lopes.pdf: 2343988 bytes, checksum: 48c9096c9f757071d333975f35bae5d1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-14 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Variações diárias nas condições de tempo e clima, seja a nível local ou global, têm frequentemente afetado a saúde da população, cujos problemas variam desde um simples mal-estar, até transtornos de maior gravidade, podendo levar à morte. As doenças respiratórias podem ser agravadas ou até mesmo desencadeadas por fatores meteorológicos. O conhecimento dos ciclos sazonais, ou de escala menor (intra-sazonal) das variáveis do tempo nos permite antecipar algumas mudanças biológicas no ser humano, como, por exemplo, as que ocorrem devido ao vírus RSV e Influenza, responsável por desencadear infecções respiratórias. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar as condições de tempo favoráveis ao aparecimento de doenças respiratórias em crianças menores de nove anos, na cidade de Pelotas-RS, no período 2008 a 2013 e, assim, introduzir uma metodologia para estimativa de períodos mais críticos a estas enfermidades. Foram utilizados dados de variáveis meteorológicas obtidos da estação convencional do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), bem como informações de internações hospitalares de crianças, junto ao Hospital Universitário São Francisco de Paula (HUFSP), da cidade de Pelotas. Os resultados mostraram que invernos anômalos, com ingressos de fortes massas de ar frio e úmido na região estabelecem períodos (dias) favoráveis ao desencadeamento/agravamento de infecções respiratórias e que três dias após a entrada de sistemas meteorológicos que provocam altos valores locais de umidade, baixa temperatura e grande mudança na direção do vento é maior a possibilidade de internação hospitalar, concordando com outros pesquisadores, sobretudo, quanto aos grupos mais suscetíveis a esse tipo de tempo, crianças e idosos. / Daily variations in weather and climate conditions have often affected the population health, since a simple malaise, to more severe disorders, which may lead to death. Respiratory diseases can be aggravated or even triggered by meteorological factors. The previous analysis of the seasonal or smaller scale behavior (intra-seasonal) of the weather parameters can help to anticipate some biological changes in human beings, for example, those that occur due to virus RSV and influenza responsible for respiratory infections. This study aims to analyze the weather conditions favorable to the respiratory diseases in children below nine years in the Pelotas city, in 2008-2013 and introduce a methodology for estimating the most critical periods these diseases. We used meteorological data from the conventional station of the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET) and hospital admission data of children from the Hospital Universitário São Francisco de Paula (HUSFP), located in Pelotas city. The results showed that anomalous winters with strong cold and humid air masses in region set periods (days) favorable to the onset / worsening respiratory infections. It occurs three days after the entry of weather systems that cause high local values of moisture, low temperatures and a large change in the wind direction. This condition increases the possibility of hospitalization, according to other researchers, particularly on the most susceptible groups, such as children and the elderly.

Auf der Grundlage von Sonnenphotometermessungen an drei Messstationen (AWIPEV/ Koldewey in Ny-Ålesund (78.923 °N, 11.923 °O) 1995–2008, 35. Nordpol Driftstation – NP-35 (84.3–85.5 °N, 41.7–56.6 °O) März/April 2008, Sodankylä (67.37 °N, 26.65 °O) 2004–2007) wird die Aerosolvariabilität in der europäischen Arktis und deren Ursachen untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Frage des Zusammenhanges zwischen den an den Stationen gemessenen Aerosolparametern (Aerosol optische Dicke, Angström Koeffizient, usw.) und dem Transport des Aerosols sowohl auf kurzen Zeitskalen (Tagen) als auch auf langen Zeitskalen (Monate, Jahre). Um diesen Zusammenhang herzustellen, werden für die kurzen Zeitskalen mit dem Trajektorienmodell PEP-Tracer 5-Tage Rückwärtstrajektorien in drei Starthöhen (850 hPa, 700 hPa, 500 hPa) für die Uhrzeiten 00, 06, 12 und 18 Uhr berechnet. Mit Hilfe der nicht-hierarchischen Clustermethode k-means werden die berechneten Rückwärtstrajektorien dann zu Gruppen zusammengefasst und bestimmten Quellgebieten und den gemessenen Aerosol optischen Dicken zugeordnet. Die Zuordnung von Aerosol optischer Dicke und Quellregion ergibt keinen eindeutigen Zusammenhang zwischen dem Transport verschmutzter Luftmassen aus Europa oder Russland bzw. Asien und erhöhter Aerosol optischer Dicke. Dennoch ist für einen konkreten Einzelfall (März 2008) ein direkter Zusammenhang von Aerosoltransport und hohen Aerosol optischen Dicken nachweisbar. In diesem Fall gelangte Waldbrandaerosol aus Südwestrussland in die Arktis und konnte sowohl auf der NP-35 als auch in Ny-Ålesund beobachtet werden. In einem weiteren Schritt wird mit Hilfe der EOF-Analyse untersucht, inwieweit großskalige atmosphärische Zirkulationsmuster für die Aerosolvariabilität in der europäischen Arktis verantwortlich sind. Ähnlich wie bei der Trajektorienanalyse ist auch die Verbindung der atmosphärischen Zirkulation zu den Photometermessungen an den Stationen in der Regel nur schwach ausgeprägt. Eine Ausnahme findet sich bei der Betrachtung des Jahresganges des Bodendruckes und der Aerosol optischen Dicke. Hohe Aerosol optische Dicken treten im Frühjahr zum einen dann auf, wenn durch das Islandtief und das sibirische Hochdruckgebiet Luftmassen aus Europa oder Russland/Asien in die Arktis gelangen, und zum anderen, wenn sich ein kräftiges Hochdruckgebiet über Grönland und weiten Teilen der Arktis befindet. Ebenso zeigt sich, dass der Übergang zwischen Frühjahr und Sommer zumindest teilweise bedingt ist durch denWechsel vom stabilen Polarhoch im Winter und Frühjahr zu einer stärker von Tiefdruckgebieten bestimmten arktischen Atmosphäre im Sommer. Die geringere Aerosolkonzentration im Sommer kann zum Teil mit einer Zunahme der nassen Deposition als Aerosolsenke begründet werden. Für Ny-Ålesund wird neben den Transportmustern auch die chemische Zusammensetzung des Aerosols mit Hilfe von Impaktormessungen an der Zeppelinstation auf dem Zeppelinberg (474m ü.NN) nahe Ny-Ålesund abgeleitet. Dabei ist die positive Korrelation der Aerosoloptischen Dicke mit der Konzentration von Sulfationen und Ruß sehr deutlich. Beide Stoffe gelangen zu einem Großteil durch anthropogene Emissionen in die Atmosphäre. Die damit nachweisbar anthropogen geprägte Zusammensetzung des arktischen Aerosols steht im Widerspruch zum nicht eindeutig herstellbaren Zusammenhang mit dem Transport des Aerosols aus Industrieregionen. Dies kann nur durch einen oder mehrere gleichzeitig stattfindende Transformationsprozesse (z. B. Nukleation von Schwefelsäurepartikeln) während des Transportes aus den Quellregionen (Europa, Russland) erklärt werden. / On the base of sun photometer measurements conducted at three different research stations (AWIPEV/Koldewey in Ny-Ålesund (78.923 °N, 11.923 °E) 1995-2008, 35. Northpole Drifting Station – NP-35 (84.3–85.5 °N, 41.7–56.6 °E) March/April 2008, Sodankylä (67.37 °N, 26.65 °E) 2004-2007) the aerosol variability in the european Arctic and their cause is analyzed. The main focus is to quantify the correlation between the measured aerosol parameters (aerosol optical depth, Angström coefficient, etc.) and the transport of aerosol from Europe and Russia on short timescales (days) as well as on long timescales (months, years). For the short timescales 5-day backward trajectories were calculated with the trajectory model PEP-Tracer at three different starting heights (850 hPa, 700 hPa, 500 hPa) four times the day (00:00, 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 UTC). Afterwards the non-hierarchical cluster method k-means is used to group the backward trajectories in differend aerosol source regions and allocate to the respective sun photometer measurements. This allocation of aerosol source region and sun photometer measurements does not show a correlation between polluted air mass of european or russian/asian origin and enhanced aerosol optical depth. However, in one case (March 2008) a clear influence of anthropogenic aerosol on the photometer measurements occurs. In March 2008, aerosol originating at forest fires in southeast Russia was transported into the Arctic and detected over NP-35 as well as Ny-Ålesund. Furthermore, the EOF method is used to verify if large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns determine the arctic aerosol variability. However, the connection to the sun photometer measurements is very weak except for seasonal variability. It is shown, that in spring-time due to the Iclandic low and the Siberian high, air masses from Europe and Russia as well as a strong high pressure system at Greenland and most parts of the Arctic cause higher aerosol optical depths in Ny-Ålesund. The transition from spring to summer aerosol concentration can at least partially be assigned to the replacement of the stable polar high in winter and spring by low pressure systems in summer. In addition to the transport pattern, chemical composition of the scattering aerosol in Ny-Ålesund was deduced from measurements by the Zeppelin station at the Zeppelin mountain (474m above sea level) near Ny-Ålesund. A clear positive correlation between sulfate and black carbon concentration was found. Both chemicals are mostly emitted through anthropogenic processes (e.g. combustion). The verifiable anthropogenic influence on the composition of arctic aerosols disagree with the missing linkage of transport from industrial regions to aerosol optical depth. It can only be explained by one or more transformation processes (e.g. nucleation of sulfuric acid) during the transport from the source regions (Europe, Russia) to the Arctic.

To control the combustion in an engine, an accurate estimation of the air mass flow is required. Due to strict emission legislation and high demands on fuel consumption from customers, a technology called variable valve timing is investigated. This technology controls the amount of air inducted to the engine cylinder and the amount of gases pushed out of the cylinder, via the inlet and exhaust valves. The air mass flow is usually estimated by large look-up tables but when introducing variable valve timing, the air mass flow also depends on the angles of the inlet and exhaust valves causing these look-up tables to grow with two dimensions. To avoid this, models to estimate the air mass flow have been derived. This has been done with grey-box models, using physical equations together with unknown parameters estimated by solving a linear least-squares optimization problem. To be able to implement the models in the electronic control unit in the future, only sensors implemented in a commercial vehicle are used as much as possible. The work has been done using an inline 6-cylinder diesel engine with measurements from steady-state conditions. All four models derived in this project are based on the estimation methods in use today with fix cam phasing, and are derived from the ideal gas law together with a volumetric efficiency factor. The first three models derived in this work only include sensors provided in commercial engines. The measurements needed as input signals are engine rotational speed, crank angle resolved pressure in the intake manifold, intake and exhaust valve angles and intake manifold temperature. The fourth and last model is divided into three sub-models to model different parts of the four-stroke engine cycle. This model also includes crank angle resolved exhaust manifold pressure and exhaust manifold temperature, where the temperature is the only sensor used in this project that is not provided in a commercial engine. It has been concluded how influential it is to use correctly measured values for the input signals. Since the manifold pressure and the cylinder volume vary during one four-stroke cycle, it is essential that these signal measurements are taken at the right crank angle degree. With wrong crank angle degree, the estimation is worse than if the cylinder volume is constant for all operating points and the pressure signals are taken as a mean value over the whole four-stroke cycle. Further development to reach better estimation results with lower relative error is needed. However, for the work in this thesis, the model with best model fit is estimating the air mass flow well enough to use it as a basis for further control.

No description available.