Effects of atmospheric disturbances on polar mesopause airglow OH emissions

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA07p07651· OSTI ID:5557067

Sivjee, G G; Schubert, G; Christensen, A B ^[1]; Walterscheid, R L; Hecht, J H ^[2]; Hamwey, R M ^[3]

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1. Embry Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach, FL (United States)
2. Aerospace Corp., Los Angeles, CA (United States)
3. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (United States)

Temporal variations in the absolute intensity (I) and the rotational temperature (T) of the polar winter airglow OH(8, 3) bands were observed over Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen (78.2{degree}N), in December 1984. Spectral analyses of the I and T time series reveal a dominant semidiurnal component and a wave with a period of 3.7 hours. Other waves with shorter periods may be present for part of the total observing period, but the signal-to-noise ratios of their amplitudes averaged over a 24-hour interval are too low to permit definitive identification. The ratio {eta} of the correlated Fourier components of (I - {bar I})/{bar I} to that of (T - {bar T})/{bar T} (an overbar signifies time average) has amplitude 3.2 {plus minus} 0.9 and 4.3 {plus minus} 1.3 for the 12- and 3.7-hour waves, respectively, while the phase {phi} of {eta} for these periods is 6{degree} {plus minus} 16{degree} and {minus}12{degree} {plus minus} 12{degree}. The value of {eta} for the 3.7-hour wave can be compared with the theoretical prediction of {eta} for gravity wave modulation of the OH emission. For an emission height of 87 km and an atomic oxygen scale height H(O) of {minus}2 km, theory gives {vert bar}{eta}{vert bar} = 4.2 and {phi} = 0{degree} for the 3.7-hour wave, in good agreement with the observation. The theoretical interpretation of {eta} at the 12-hour period is complicated by the likelihood that the observed semidiurnal oscillation is not a simple tide. For tidal modulation of the OH nightglow, theory gives {vert bar}{eta}{vert bar} between 2.6 and 0.9 and {phi} between 0{degree} and 10{degree} for high-order semidiurnal modes and for the same values of emission height and H(O) as above.

• OSTI ID: 5557067
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 92:A7; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AIRGLOW
AMPLITUDES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EMISSION SPECTRA
EVALUATION
GRAVITY WAVES
HYDROXYL RADICALS
MATHEMATICS
MESOSPHERE
POLAR REGIONS
RADICALS
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO
SPECTRA
TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS
VARIATIONS