Meteorological Investigations of the Upper Atmosphere: Proceedings of the American Meteorological Society Symposium on Meteorological Investigations Above 70 Kilometers, Miami Beach, Florida, 31 May–2 June 1967

241 Pages·1968·39.69 MB·English

by  R. S. Quiroz (eds.)

METEOROLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
EDITOR
J. MURRAY MITCHELL, JR.
Environmental Data Service, ESSA
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
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Environmental Science Services McGill University National Center for Atmospheric
Administration Research
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The Travelers Research Center National Center for Atmospheric New York University
Research
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METEOROLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
Volume 9 April 1968 Number 31
METEOROLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE
Proceedings of the American Meteorological Society Symposium
on Meteorological Investigations Above 70 Kilometers,
Miami Beach, Florida, 31 May-2 June 1967
Edited by
R. S. Quiroz
Sponsored by the AMS Committee on Atmospheric Problems of Aerospace
Vehicles. This document was prepared with the support of the Aerospace En
vironment Division, Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA, under Contract
NA8-20473.
PUBLISI-IED BY TI-lE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
4 5 B E A C 0 N ST., B 0 S T 0 N , MASS. 0 2 I 0 8
AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
PUBLICATIONS COMMISSION
George W. Platzman, Chairman
The University of Chicago
Robert Jastrow, ex officio
JOURNAL OF THE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Gordon J. F. MacDonald, ex officio
JOURNAL OF THE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Richard J. Reed, ex officio
JOURNAL OF APPLIED METEOROLOGY
J. Murray Mitchell, Jr., ex officio
METEOROLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
Malcolm Rigby, ex officio
METEOROLOGICAL AND GEOASTROPHYSICAL ABSTRACTS
David M. Ludlum, ex officio
WEATHERWISE
Richard M. Goody
Harvard University
James E. McDonald
The University of Arizona
Frederick Sanders
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kenneth C. Spengler, ex officio
American Meteorological Society
ISBN 978-1-935704-37-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-935704-37-9
LANCASTER PRESS, INC., LANCASTER, PA.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE......................................................................... v
PURPOSE OF THE SYMPOSIUM-B. N. CK\RLES ................................. . 1
PART 1. METEOROLOGICAL DATA REQUIREMENTS
Session Chairman: RICHARD A. CRAIG, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
RESEARCH ON THE LOWER FRINGE OF SPACE-W. W. KELLOGG.......... 2
AEROSPACE SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DATA IN
THE ALTITUDE RANGE 60 TO 200 Km-NoRM~-\N SISSENWINE............. 7
PART 2: ENERGY SOURCES FOR METEOROLOGICAL PROCESSES
Session Chairman: S. FRED SINGER, University of Miami; now Deputy Assistant Secre-
tary for Water Pollution Control, U. S. Dept. of Interior
SOLAR INFLUENCES AND THEIR VARIATIONS-]. B. GREGORY............. 19
REACTIONS RELATED TO ATMOSPHERIC OZONE CHEMISTRY-H. I. ScHIFF 32
LOWER ATMOSPHERIC ENERGY SOURCES FOR THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE
-RICHARDS. LINDZEN...................................................... 37
PART 3. THE NEUTRAL ATMOSPHERE
Session Chairmen: LUIGI G. ]ACCHIA, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cam
bridge, l\1ass.; and jACQUES E. BLAMONT, National Center of Scientific Research,
Verrieres-le-Buisson, France
COMPOSITION OF THE MESOSPHERE AND LOWER THERMOSPHERE-
K. s. w. CHAMPION........................................................ 47
TEMPERATURE, DENSITY AND PRESSURE VARIATIONS IN THE STRATO-
SPHERE AND THE MESOSPHERE-R. J. MURGATROYD.................... 57
THE STRUCTURE OF THE THERMOSPHERE AND ITS VARIATIONS-IsADORE
HARRIS AND WoLFGANG PRIESTER............................................ 72
DENSITY AND TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS IN THE INTERVENING LAYER
(90-150 Km)-GERHARD F. ScHILLING........................................ 82
A NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE VARIABLE STRUCTURE OF THE LOWER
THERMOSPHERE-JAMES R. MAHONEY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
THE GENERAL CIRCULATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE 60 Km-REGI-
NALD E. NE\VELL........................................................... 98
TIDAL OSCILLATIONS, SHORTER PERIOD GRAVITY WAVES AND SHEAR
WAVES-C. 0. HINES..................................................... 114
SOME OBSERVATIONS OF TURBULENCE IN THE 80 TO 110 Km REGION OF
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE-C. G. JusTus AND R. G. RoPER................ 122
PART 4. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE IONIZED AND NEUTRAL ATMOSPHERES
Session Chairman: RoBERT W. KNECHT, Space Disturbances Laboratory, ESSA.,
Boulder, Colo.
D-REGION PHENOMENA AND STRATOSPHERIC-MESOSPHERIC COUPLING
-E. A. LAUTER AND K. SPRENGER........................................... 129
THE INFLUENCE OF THE NEUTRAL WIND FIELD ON THE DISTRIBUTION
OF IONIZATION IN THE E-REGION-MALCOLM A. MACLEOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
RELATIVE MOTION OF ION AND NEUTRAL CLOUDS-R. LusT............. 148
IONOSPHERIC WINDS AND ASSOCIATED GEOMAGNETIC VARIATIONS
::\I.\sAHis.\ SuGIURA......................................................... 152
111
lV METEOROLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS VoL. 8, No. 31
PART 5. MEASURING TECHNIQUES, ACCURACIES, AND BASIC RESULTS
Session Chairman: MAURICE DuBIN, National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
Washington, D. C.
METEOROLOGICAL ROCKET MEASUREMENTS IN THE MESOSPHERE
WILLis L. WEBB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
GRENADE EXPERIMENTS IN A PROGRAM OF SYNOPTIC METEOROLOGICAL
MEASUREMENTS-W. S. SMITH, L. B. KATCHEN AND J. S. THEON. . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
FALLING SPHERE MEASUREMENTS, 30 TO 120 Km-L. M. JoNEs AXD J. W.
PETERSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 6
WINDS AND DENSITIES FROM RADAR METEOR TRAIL RETURNS, 80 TO
120 Km-ARNOLD A. BARNES, ]R............................................. 190
TECHNIQUES AND PRECISIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMICAL TRAIL
MEASUREMENTS-E. R. MANRING AND J. F. BEDINGER...................... 196
RECENT MEASUREMENTS OF THE LOWER THERMOSPHERE STRUCTURE
-N. w. SPENCER, G. R. CARIGNAN AND D. R. TAEUSCH........................ 201
SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING WORLDWIDE LOWER THERMOSPHERE DATA
-FRANCIS S. JOHNSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
PART 6. PANEL DISCUSSIONS
PANEL 1: THE INFLUENCE OF LOWER BOUNDARY CONDITIONS ON
THERMO SPHERIC MODELS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Moderator: FRANCis S. JOHNSON
Summary: GARY E. THOMAS
PANEL 2: THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE NEU
TRAL ATMOSPHERE............................................. 215
Moderator: CoLIN 0. HINES
Summary: W. W. KELLOGG
PANEL 3: DEDUCING THE STRUCTURE AND CIRCULATION OF THE NEU
TRAL COMPONENT IN IONIZED LAYERS....................... 218
Moderator : ADAM KocHANSKI
Summary: J. W. WRIGHT
PANEL 4: SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF MEASUREMENT BELOW 100 Km....... 222
Moderator: WILLIAM NORDBERG
Summary: WILLIAM W. HILDRETH
PANEL 5: SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF MEASUREMENT IN THE REGION 100
TO 200 Km. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Moderator: HANS E. HINTEREGGER
Summary: WILLIAM D. KLEIS
PANEL 6: PARTICULATE MATTER IN THE REGION 70 TO 100 Km........ 228
Moderator: S. F. SINGER
Summary: LoTHAR ~T. BANDERMANN
INDEX........................................................................... 230
PREFACE
It seems to be a mark of our times that science is The next four sessions traced our present knowledge
furthered through practical necessity. It was the of the high atmosphere, beginning with the local
intent of the American Meteorological Society's absorption of variable solar radiation and the energy
Committee on Atmospheric Problems of Aerospace exhange between layers, and proceeding to a detailed
Vehicles to set the scene, at l\liami Beach, Florida, for description of the neutral structure and its interaction
effective communication between atmospheric scien with the ionized component. In the observational
tists and engineers with problems involving the high sessions (6-7) particular attention v.·as given to the
atmosphere. The engineers would describe their pro measurements needed to remedy deficiencies in our
blems and the assembled geophysical scientists would knowledge of the high atmosphere. Interspersed
tell what they knew about the atmosphere that was among the sessions were six panel discussions of special
relevant to these problems. After months of planning, problem areas. These were tape-recorded, and sum
it became apparent to the Program Committee, maries prepared with the aid of the transcripts are
headed by Dr. Sidney Teweles, that the symposium included in this monograph along with the 24 major
would be strongly weighted in favor of reviews of papers presented. For convenience, the panel discus
current scientific knowledge of the upper atmosphere, sion summaries are placed together at the end of the
with less attention to the engineering problems which monograph.
gave rise to the symposium. More time would be A word should be said about the a! ti tude limits in
given to discussions of theoretical and observational the title of sessions 3-4 and in the title of the sym
investigations of the atmosphere itself than to the posium. Knowledge of the very high atmosphere has
question of interaction between aerospace vehicles progressed at a great rate, owing largely to the wealth
and the atmosphere. of information deduced from satellite orbital decelera
This turn of events, however, was felicitous in tions above 1 SO km. Much also has been learned from
several ways. The symposium provided an unprece meteorological rocket measurements extending, in the
dented degree of communication among atmospheric main, from radiosonde levels up to 60 or 70 km. The
scientists of different backgrounds, but primarily intervening region (70-150 km), comprising the upper
between meteorologists who have worked mainly in mesosphere and lower thermosphere, has been inade
the lower or middle atmosphere on the one hand, and quately observed and is still inadequately understood.
ionospheric physicists, aeronomers and astronomers This region, which is extraordinarily complex, will
concerned with higher altitudes, on the other. Strongly doubtless continue to challenge both observers and
evident also was a reciprocal respect for the problems theoreticians for some time. Indeed, even some of the
of experimenters and theoreticians. These two factors derived knowledge of the atmospheric structure above
alone distinguished the symposium from other scien this region has been placed in a less secure light by the
tific meetings of recent years dealing with the upper realization of recent years that variability near the
atmosphere. base of the thermosphere may influence the model
The symposium format was logically conceived. results for higher altitudes.
This can be surmised from the progression of the With these thoughts and with the awareness of
certain atmospheric problems for aerospace vehicles
titles of the sessions, repeated below:
at sub-orbital altitudes, the Program Committee
Session 1. lVIeteorological Data Requirements conceived an array of topics concerned primarily with
Session 2. Energy Sources for Meteorological the region 70 to 150 km. An outstanding authority
Processes from the United States or abroad was invited to cover
Sessions 3-4. The Neutral Atmosphere, 70-200 km each of the topics. The response was highly gratifying,
Session 5. Interaction Between the Ionized and as attested by the representation in this monograph.
Neutral Atmospheres Since the atmospheric structure above 150 km is
Sessions 6-7. Measuring Techniques, Accuracies closely dependent on boundary conditions at some
and Basic Results lower level, the more general title chosen for the
monograph, Meteorological Investigations of the Upper
In the first session surveys of observational data Atmosphere, seems wholly appropriate.
needs were presented from the special viewpoints of A word of explanation, also, should be given con
the atmospheric scientist and the aerospace engineer. cerning a few changes from the symposium program
v
VI METEOROLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS VoL. 8, No. 31
published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Sidney Teweles and l\Ir. William Vaughan, the latter
Society (Vol. 48, pp. 210-218). Following a suggestion a former Chairman of the Committee on Atmospheric
by Dr. S. Fred Singer, a sixth panel discussion was Problems of Aerospace Vehicles.
added to the five originally planned, dealing with a
R. S. QGIROZ
subject of lively interest, particulate material in the
Editor
region 70--100 km. This addition in some measure
compensated for the last-minute omission of a paper
on aerosol layers at the mesopause, to be given by AMS Committee on Atmospheric Problems of
Dr. Georg Witt, of the University of Stockholm, who Aerospace Vehicles1
because of illness could not be present at the sym BERNARD N. CHARLES, Aerospace Corp.,
posium. And for more thorough coverage, two papers
Chairman, 1967
actually presented earlier in the year in New York
C. EuGENE BuELL, Kaman Nuclear
City by Sugiura and Barnes have been included in
WILLIAM W. ELAM, Bellcomm Inc.
this monograph.
WILLIAM W. HILDRETH, ]R., Douglas Aircraft Co.
Thanks are due to the many persons who helped to
ELMAR R. REITER, Colorado State Univ.
make this monograph possible. Assistance in reviewing
NORMAN SISSENWINE, AFCRL
the manuscripts was received from A. Kochanski,
H. M. Woolf, W. D. Kleis, J. Giraytys, A. J. Miller, SIDNEY TEWELES, ESSA
w.
W. R. Jeffries, W. S. Smith and R. E. Dickinson. The WILLIAM VAUGHAN, NASA
editor deeply appreciates the encouragement of Dr. 1 Membership at time of Symposium.
PURPOSE OF THE SYMPOSIUM
B. N. CHARLES1
Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, Calif.
Broadly stated, the purpose of this symposium is to These considerations prompted the initiative of the
facilitate the free exchange of scientific information A:VIS Committee on Atmospheric Problems o( Aero
about the upper atmosphere. This conforms to one of space Vehicles in arranging this symposium. Our
the prime objectives of the American Meteorological specific purpose is the convening of a cross-disciplinary
Society-the "development and dissemination of seminar at which scientists and technologists can
knowledge of meteorology in all its phases and exchange information and views, and identify those
applications." A wealth of scientific experience has areas of mutual interest wherein increased coordina
proven that such exchanges inspire new findings, gene tion of effort might accelerate progress in understand
rate new concepts, and refresh and stimulate the ing of the atmosphere above 70 km, and in application
seekers of new knowledge and those who apply such of such new technical capital to pragmatic purposes.
knowledge in the service of society. In recent years we have witnessed a convergence of
But in an era of such proliferation of scientific interest of and effort by meteorologists and aero
information as to cause concern, why this subject, at nomers, in studies of the upper atmosphere. In a sense,
this time, and why the effort to assemble such a we are here suggesting that a similar community of
distinguished roster of participants? interest exists for scientists and engineers concerned
One aspect of the remarkable rapid advances in with the same medium, and that a similar convergence
aerospace technology that we have been privileged to of interest and effort may also be rewarding.
witness during the past decade has been the recurring The approach adopted by the Program Committee,
need to design and operate vehicles in environments under Dr. Teweles' leadership, begins with comprehen
that are inadequately understood. The upper atmo sive reviews of the state of knowledge of the meso
sphere is one such environment, and the paucity of sphere and lower thermosphere. These are to be supple
needed design information has undoubtedly levied mented by panel discussions intended to illuminate
substantial penalties in decreased systems perfor the more significant deficiencies in knowledge, con
mance, increased costs, and delayed implementation sidering scientific and engineering needs, and which,
of innovations that could contribute significantly to a hopefully, will further identify specific avenues for
broad spectrum of social goals, including those of increased coordination of investigative efforts.
scientific investigation. It is my pleasure and privilege to express apprecia
For a more detailed exposition of these matters, I tion to the distinguished contributors to the program,
commend to you the article by Dr. Sidney Teweles, in to the program committee that labored so effectively,
the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society of to the National Science Foundation for enabling the
April 1967, in which the opinion is expressed that participation of our colleagues from overseas, to the
increased coordination of scientific and technological National Aeronautics and Space Administration for
effort is needed in upper atmospheric investigations. extending support for the publication of these pro
ceedings, and to those in the audience for valued
1 Chairman, AMS Committee on Atmospheric Problems of
Aerospace Vehicles. participation.
1
2 METEOROLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS VoL. 8, No. 31
RESEARCH ON THE LOWER FRINGE OF SPACE
W. W. KELLOGG
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.
ABSTRACT
There are at least three main areas of active research in the region of the atmosphere directly accessible
only to sounding rockets: interactions between the motions of the neutral atmosphere and the ionized por
tion; interactions, both by dynamic processes and by radiative transfer, between the upper and lower atmo
sphere; and refinement of indirect probing techniques which can be used to study this region from the grou_nd
or from satellites. Recent advances in these subjects have interesting practical implications as well as addmg
to our still incomplete knowledge of this part of the "fringe of space."
1. Atmospheric problems All of these questions are of the sort that meteor
ologists are more or less equipped to think about, but
Meteorologists have a growing concern about the
it is also becoming clear that the ionized part of the
upper atmosphere for two main reasons. In the first
upper atmosphere, and the physical and chemical re
place, they are being asked to predict conditions above
actions that take place there, are going to have to be
the level where their rawinsonde balloons normally
considered as well in any considerations of the dy
operate, from 30 km on out to the fringe of space. In
namics, and vice versa. It is no longer remarkable, but
the second place, there is a growing awareness of the
inevitable, that this AlVIS meeting has a session on
need to learn more about the upper atmosphere be
the interactions between the neutral and ionized por
cause of its effect on the lower atmosphere; the atmo
tions of the upper atmosphere. And it will be noted
sphere, they realize, behaves as one complex system,
that the aeronomists and ionospheric physicists at
and is influenced by what takes place on the sun and in
their meetings pay attention to the motions of the
the space around the earth.
neutral atmosphere more than they used to, and the
In trying to understand the upper atmosphere we
term used in 1957 by Walter Dieminger, of the Max
are faced with a number of challenging questions, and
Planck Institute for Ionospheric Physics, to describe
usually not enough observations or theoretical knowl
this area of research is more apt than ever: The
edge to answer them. The main thrust of our studies
meteorology of the ionosphere.
\Vith meteorological rockets and certain indirect
However, in order not to get off on too many tan
methods has been to describe its complex motions.
gents, I will refrain in this paper from discussing many
Observations of these have been more available than
aspects of ionospheric meteorology that are pertinent,
temperature observations, and the average picture of
such as the morphology of a magnetic storm, the
the motions of the upper atmosphere has now been
current systems in the lower ionosphere generated by
sketched in quite well up to 60 or 70 km and more
winds, and so forth. Some of these will be dealt with
roughly to above 150 km. But the variations from the
by other speakers.
average: Ah, there's the rub!
In the course of this meeting, there will be a number
A second general class of questions concerns the
of papers giving the latest information on the average
sources of energy and momentum to account for the
conditions, or "climatology," of the mesosphere and
upper atmosphere motions. Such sources or exchanges lower thermosphere, so this subject will be treated
of energy and momentum cannot be determined di onlv very briefly here. The average conditions at
rectly, but are derived from wind and temperature middle latitudes, as is now well recognized, are
measurements where possible. Closely related to both generally west winds in winter and east winds in
of these questions, but particularly to the question of summer above 30 km, but at 90-100 km there is a
energy and momentum transfer, is the general question reversal in these mean winds so that they are east in
already referred to concerning how the upper atmo winter and west in summer, with a strong semiannual
sphere relates to the lower atmosphere. These fasci variation also present above 90 km. The reason for
nating interactions are only dimly understood, and this reversal is, as can be seen from the application of
they will be discussed further below. the thermal wind equation, a reversal of the horizontal