HR: 0800h
AN: SA41A-1051    [Abstracts]
TI: Variability of Atomic Oxygen and its Effect on the Energy Budget Near the Mesopause
AU: * Marsh, D R
EM: marsh@ucar.edu
AF: National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 United States
AU: Smith, A K
EM: aksmith@ucar.edu
AF: National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 United States
AU: Ward, W
EM: wward@unb.ca
AF: University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3 Canada
AU: Russell, J P
EM: jruss@unb.ca
AF: University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3 Canada
AU: Mlynczak, M G
EM: m.g.mlynczak@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 420, Hampton, VA 23681 United States
AU: Russell, J M
EM: james.russell@hamptonu.edu
AF: Hampton University, Department of Physics, Hampton, VA 23668 United States
AB: Atomic oxygen plays a crucial role in determining the energy budget near the mesopause region of the atmosphere. The rates of important exothermic reactions depend either directly or indirectly on its concentration, as does the rate at which energy is lost through airglow emissions. Measurements of these emissions can thus be used to infer atomic oxygen densities and, through the use photochemical models, chemical heating rates. This work presents a three-way intercomparison of atomic oxygen derived from airglow observations made by the UARS-WINDII and TIMED-SABER instruments, and simulations using a global chemical-dynamical model. All datasets reveal significant seasonal and diurnal variability in atomic oxygen and so chemical heating rates, and again demonstrates the need to quantify constituent variability when examining the mesopause energy budget.
DE: 0310 Airglow and aurora
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere--composition and chemistry
DE: 0341 Middle atmosphere--constituent transport and chemistry (3334)
DE: 0342 Middle atmosphere--energy deposition
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting