THE MEASUREMENT OF ATOMIC OXYGEN IN THE MESOSPHERE AND LOWER THERMOSPHERE

A discussion of the laboratory calibration, calibration simulation, and accuracy of a resonance fluorescence instrument for measuring oxygen atoms is given. The discussion demonstrates that a sensor can be calibrated with good accuracy to obtain in situ measurements of the oxygen density in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere. Oxygen data are reported from six rocket flights. These data represent four midlatitude flights and two aurora1 Sights. There are two night and two day profiles for the midlatitude experiments. The maximum densities found from these sets of data in the 9ClOO km regions are between 1.5x 10" cm-' and 3.5 x 10" ctn3. Agreement with the MSIS-86 model predictions is obtained for altitudes above 120 km for midlatitude flights. The aurora1 data are less than the model prediction by about a factor of 2. The data show structure that is nrobably indicative of gravity wave effects of a nominal 5 km vertical wavelength.

[1]  W. Sharp.  Upper limits to [O] in the lower thermosphere from airglow , 1985 .

[2]  D. B. Jenkins,et al.  Off-axis line profiles of atomic-oxygen resonance lamps used in the upper atmosphere , 1985 .

[3]  D. Siskind,et al.  A comparison of measurements of the oxygen nightglow and atomic oxygen in the lower thermosphere , 1991 .

[4]  R. A. Young,et al.  Measurement of atomic oxygen and related airglows in the lower thermosphere , 1981 .

[5]  D. E. Siskind,et al.  Atomic emission in the ultraviolet nightglow , 1989 .

[6]  W. Rawlins,et al.  Characteristics of O(I) and N(I) resonance line broadening in low pressure helium discharge lamps , 1977 .

[7]  A. Hedin.  MSIS‐86 Thermospheric Model , 1987 .

[8]  W. Sharp.  absolute concentrations of O(³P) in the lower thermosphere at night , 1980 .

[9]  L. Megill,et al.  Measurement of a structured profile of atomic oxygen in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere , 1980 .

[10]  W. Sharp,et al.  In situ measurement of atomic hydrogen in the upper mesosphere , 1987 .

[11]  D. B. Jenkins,et al.  ETON 1: A data base pertinent to the study of energy transfer in the oxygen nightglow , 1986 .

[12]  G. Bird.  Aerodynamic effects on atmospheric composition measurements from rocket vehicles in the thermosphere , 1988 .

[13]  H. Grassl,et al.  Stratospheric free chlorine measured by balloon‐borne in situ resonance fluorescence , 1980 .

[14]  Yuk L. Yung,et al.  The Vertical Distribution of Ozone in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere , 1984 .

[15]  H. Okabe.  Intense Resonance Line Sources for Photochemical Work in the Vacuum Ultraviolet Region , 1964 .

[16]  Hideo Okabe,et al.  Photochemistry of small molecules , 1978 .

[17]  C. Granier,et al.  Daytime lidar measurements of the mesospheric sodium layer , 1982 .

[18]  C. R. Philbrick,et al.  A dynamic model of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere , 1979 .

[19]  D. Murtagh,et al.  Measurements of odd oxygen in the polar region on 10 February 1984 during MAP/WINE , 1987 .

[20]  W. Sharp,et al.  Nitric oxide delta band emission in the earth's atmosphere - Comparison of a measurement and a theory , 1981 .

[21]  D. B. Jenkins.  Oscillator strength of the 130-nm OI triplet , 1985 .

[22]  Allan C. G. Mitchell,et al.  Resonance radiation and excited atoms , 1934 .

[23]  Robert R. Meier,et al.  Deducing composition and incident electron spectra from ground-based auroral optical measurements: Theory and model results , 1989 .

[24]  Robert R. Meier,et al.  Deducing composition and incident electron spectra from ground‐based auroral optical measurements: Variations in oxygen density , 1989 .

[25]  F. Kaufman,et al.  Sources of error in using resonance light absorption to measure atomic concentrations , 1970 .

[26]  Rolando R. Garcia,et al.  The effect of breaking gravity waves on the dynamics and chemical composition of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere , 1985 .

[27]  D. Offermann,et al.  Neutral gas composition measurements between 80 and 120 km , 1981 .

[28]  H. Wise,et al.  DIFFUSION AND HETEROGENEOUS REACTION XII. DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT MEASUREMENTS OF ATOMIC OXYGEN THROUGH VARIOUS GASES. , 1968 .

[29]  E. Llewellyn.  The concentration of atomic oxygen in the mesosphere and thermosphere , 1988 .