HR: 17:15h
AN: A54B-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Discoveries From the First Year of MLS OH and HO2 Measurements
AU: * Pickett, H M
EM: Herbert.M.Pickett@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Lee, K K
EM: kkl@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Calif. Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Pasadena, CA 91125 United States
AU: Yung, Y
EM: yly@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Calif. Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Pasadena, CA 91125 United States
AU: Jackman, C H
EM: Charles.H.Jackman@nasa.gov
AF: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 United States
AU: Canty, T
EM: Timothy.Canty@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Kovalenko, L J
EM: ljk@caesar.jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Salawitch, R J
EM: rjs@caesar.jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Livesey, N J
EM: livesey@mls.jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Read, W G
EM: bill@mls.jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Waters, J W
EM: joe@mls.jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Jucks, K W
EM: jucks@cfa.harvard.edu
AF: Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Traub, W A
EM: Wesley.A.Traub@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif. Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AB: The Aura MLS instrument measures OH near 2512 GHz and HO₂ near 660 GHz. The OH bands have sensitivity to obtain daily maps for 34-80 km. With monthly zonal means, OH can be measured down to 20 km and the HO₂ can be measured over 26-60 km. Both measurements have been validated in Sept. 2004 using the balloon-borne BOH and FIRS-2 instruments. Data will be presented concerning the HO_x dilemma in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. One interesting feature of night-time observations is a narrow layer of OH at 82 km that persists during the night and leads to catalytic destruction of O₃ at the same altitude. This layer is also related to the Meinel-band emission in the near infrared. The layer can even be observed in the polar night and its presence is evidence of meridianal transport of HO_x from sunlit latitudes. A second striking discovery is the observation of OH produced by a solar proton event in January 17-22, 2004. The enhanced OH can be seen at both poles and leads to temporary O₃ destruction in the polar night.
DE: 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005