Continuing Support of Cloud Free Line of Sight Determination Including Whole Sky Imaging of Clouds

Continuing Support of Cloud Free Line of Sight Determination Including Whole Sky Imaging of Clouds
Author: Janet E. Shields
Publisher:
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2007
Genre: Clouds
ISBN:

This report describes the work done for the Starfire Optical Range, Kirtland Air Force base, under ONR Contract N00014-01-D-0043 DO #13, between 20 April 2006 and 31 July 2007. This work relates to the Air Force's need to characterize the cloud distribution during day and night, for a variety of applications

Whole Sky Imaging of Clouds in the Visible and IR for Starfire Optical Range

Whole Sky Imaging of Clouds in the Visible and IR for Starfire Optical Range
Author: Janet E. Shields
Publisher:
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2007
Genre: Clouds
ISBN:

This report describes the work done for the Starfire Optical Range, Kirtland Air Force Base under Contract N00014-01-D-043 DO #11, between 02 September 2004 and 30 April 2006. This work relates to the Air Force's need to characterize the cloud distribution during day and night, for a variety of applications, including support of research into impact of clouds on laser communication and support of satellite tracking. This contract followed Contract N00014-01-D-0043 DO #4, which will be discussed in Section 2, and is documented in Shields et al 2007, Technical Note 271. Under this contract, we began preparing Whole Sky Imager systems for field experiments in support of program goals, adapting the software and refurbishing the hardware. Significant progress was made both in the related cloud algorithms and in methods to assess their accuracy. A related contract was funded through Boeing during 31 January 2005 - 30 November 2005. The tasks completed under that contract are closely related to these tasks, and will also be reported here. In particular, early portions of the night algorithm work reported in Section 7, and early portions of the hardware and software refurbishment were completed partly under the ONR contract and partly under the Boeing contract. The work under this Boeing contract was finished in May 2005. A follow-on contract, ONR N00014-0l-D-0043 DO #13 was funded on 20 April 2006. The work under DO #13 will be reported under a separate report upon completion of the contract.

Photogrammetrically Determined Cloud-Free Lines-of-Sight at Columbia, Missouri

Photogrammetrically Determined Cloud-Free Lines-of-Sight at Columbia, Missouri
Author: Joseph Bernard Landwehr
Publisher:
Total Pages: 416
Release: 1971
Genre: Clouds
ISBN:

The probability of a cloud-free line-of-sight was determined at specified elevation angles and directions by using a camera with a 180 degree lens and infrared film to produce high-quality photograms of the sky. Three years of hourly data were used to analyze the probability with respect to the parameters of azimuth, elevation angle, season, time of day, sky cover, cloud type, and sunshine. A very unique probability surface as a function of sky cover and elevation angle of the line-of-sight, the two most important parameters, was constructed. The persistency of a cloud-free line-of-sight was determined by utilizing a summer season of photograms taken at five minute intervals. The persistency was analyzed for diurnal variations up to six hours of consecutive observations. (Author).

Haze-free and Cloud-free Lines-of-sight Through the Atmosphere

Haze-free and Cloud-free Lines-of-sight Through the Atmosphere
Author: Iver A. Lund
Publisher:
Total Pages: 28
Release: 1972
Genre: Haze
ISBN:

Clear and cloud-free line-of-sight probabilities have been derived from analysis of: (1) Whole-sky photographs, (2) visual sky cover observations, (3) jointly observed sky cover and sunshine, (4) satellite observations and (5) in-flight observations. The most accurate probabilities of cloud-free lines-of- sight through the entire atmosphere can be obtained from a model derived from several thousand whole-sky photographs and visual sky cover observations. The most accurate probabilities of both cloud-free and haze-free conditions through the entire atmosphere, or protions of the atmosphere, or portions of the atmosphere, can be obtained from the in-flight observations.

Analysis of Cloud-Free Line-of-Sight Probability Calculations

Analysis of Cloud-Free Line-of-Sight Probability Calculations
Author: Joseph J. Golemboski
Publisher:
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2001-03-01
Genre: Clouds
ISBN: 9781423528074

Cloud-free line-of-sight probabilities were calculated using two separate methods. The first was a variation of a method developed by the Rand Corporation in 1972. In it, CFLOS probabilities were calculated using empirical data based on five years of photograms taken over Columbia, Missouri and forecasted cloud amounts rather than climatological values. The second was a new approach using the Cloud Scene Simulation Model developed by Phillips Laboratory. Cloud scenes were generated using forecasted cloud fields, meteorological inputs, and thirty random numbers. Water content files were produced and processed through a follow-on program to determine the extinction coefficients at each grid point in the working domain. A reiterative routine was written to integrate the extinction coefficients along a view angle from the top of the domain down to the surface at separate points within the horizontal domain. The values of each point were summed and averaged over the working domain to determine the CFLOS probability for the target area. The nadir look angle was then examined for both methods. Stratus, stratocumulus, cumulus, and altocumulus cloud types were independently examined with the CSSM generated cloud scenes. Each method and cloud type were compared against the known CFLOS probability for nadir. Results indicate the method developed in 1972 underestimates CFLOS probabilities by as much as twelve per cent with horizontal cloud coverage ranging from 30 to 80 per cent. CSSM generated cloud scenes varied depending on the cloud type analyzed, with stratocumulus clouds measuring up the best against the known probabilities.