Document ...

 

Composition of the mid-latitude winter mesosphere and lower thermosphere

Document ID: 267

Philbrick, C. Russell¹
Faucher, Gerard A.¹
Bench, Patricia¹

¹ USAF, Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom AFB, Bedford, MA, U.S.A.
 

Presented: Open Meetings of the Working Groups on Physical Sciences
Tel Aviv, Israel, June 7-18, 1977

Abstract

Atmospheric composition measurements obtained in January 1976 at Wallops Island, Virginia have been used to evaluate the mid-latitude winter mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The measurements were made with a liquid-helium, cryosorption-pumped quadrupole mass spectrometer. Dynamical properties of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere were examined on the basis of a chemical trail. Inflatable falling spheres yielded measurements of density and temperature from 40 to 90 km. Values are presented for profiles of the species N₂, O₂, O, and Ar and for the ratio of Ar to N₂ densities as a function of altitude.

 

  Access pdf copy  

Keywords: atmospheric composition, gas analysis, mesosphere, midlatitude atmosphere, thermosphere, winter, air sampling, cryopumping, density measurement, gas density, mass spectroscopy, temperature measurements, Wallops Island

Citation:

"Composition of the mid-latitude winter mesosphere and lower thermosphere", Philbrick, C. R., G. A. Faucher, P. Bench, COSPAR: Space research XVIII; Proceedings of the Open Meetings of the Working Groups on Physical Sciences, Pergamon Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, 1979, pp. 139 - 142