One: Microphysics of frost metamorphism: Applications to Triton and Mars. Two: A global analysis of the ozone deficit in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. Three: The diabatic circulation in the stratosphere as diagnosed from Microwave Limb Sounder data
Thesis/Dissertation
·
OSTI ID:7017920
The present thesis is devoted to two broad subjects, planetary frost metamorphism and the terrestrial middle atmosphere, and consists of three papers. Paper 1 considers frost metamorphism on the surfaces of Triton and Mars. Based on an analysis of the microphysical processes involved in the pressureless sintering, it is concluded that fine-grained nitrogen and carbon dioxide frosts can undergo seasonal metamorphism into semitransparent layers on the surface of Triton and in the Martian seasonal polar caps, respectively. The presence of such layers explains a host of facts about Triton's surface and about the Martian seasonal caps. Paper 2 is devoted to elucidating a long-standing issue in the terrestrial middle atmosphere chemistry, the so-called 'ozone deficit problem.' Based on an analysis of data acquired by the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument between October 1978 and May 1979, it is concluded that current photochemical models systematically underestimate observed ozone abundances in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. Three modifications to the accepted photochemical scheme, capable of providing a global solution to this problem, are proposed and discussed. Paper 3 differs from the other two in that it reports on results from an ongoing research effort. It considers the diabatic circulation in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere, using ozone and temperature measurements acquired by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument onboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The present study extends past analyses of the diabatic circulation by considering a full annual cycle, November 1991-November 1992, and by taking advantage of the high vertical resolution of MLS data. In the tropical upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere, a semiannual oscillation (SAO) is observed in the computed circulation, with the region of downwelling reaching maximum spatial extent approximately 1 month before the equinox.
- Research Organization:
- California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 7017920
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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