Middle and upper atmosphere pressure-temperature profiles and the abundances of CO[sub 2] and CO in the upper atmosphere from ATMOS/Spacelab 3 observations

Journal Article · Sun Dec 20 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JD01622· OSTI ID:6788571

Rinsland, C P ^[1]; Gunson, M R ^[2]; Zander, R ^[3]; Lopez-Puertas, M ^[4]

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1. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (United States)
2. California Inst. of Technology, Pasadena (United States)
3. Univ. of Liege, Liege-Cointe (Belgium)
4. Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, Granada (Spain)

Based on a new approach, profiles of kinetic temperature and atmospheric pressure between 20 and 116 km altitude and CO[sub 2] and CO volume mixing ratios between 70 and 116 km have been derived from the [approximately]0.01-cm[sup [minus]1] resolution infrared solar occultation spectra recorded by the atmospheric trace molecular spectroscopy (ATMOS) Fourier transform spectrometer during the Spacelab 3 shuttle mission (April 29 to May 6, 1985). The physical model and CO[sub 2] profile results have been obtained from simultaneous multiscan least squares fitting of microwindows containing CO[sub 2] lines with temperature-dependent and temperature-independent intensities and N[sub 2] lines with temperature-independent intensities. The physical model results are compared with climatological profiles, lower thermospheric temperatures computed with the MSISE-90 model, and other data. The CO[sub 2] retrievals indicate a nearly constant volume mixing ratio of 320[plus minus]35 ppmv (parts per million, 10[sup [minus]6], by volume) in the 70- to 90-km altitude region with a rapid decline in the CO[sub 2] volume mixing ratio beginning between 90 and 100 km; at 116 km the CO[sub 2] volume mixing ratio has declined to about 70 ppmv and is equal to the CO volume mixing ratio, which has been derived from fits to the (1-0) CO vibration-rotation band. The absorption by the [nu][sub 2] + [nu][sub 3] [minus] [nu][sub 2] band of CO[sub 2] has been analyzed to quantify nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) effects in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. 56 refs., 14 figs., 8 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6788571
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 97:D18; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENERGY LEVELS
EQUILIBRIUM
EXCITED STATES
LEAST SQUARE FIT
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD FIT
MONITORING
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
TEMPERATURE MONITORING
VIBRATIONAL STATES