Open AccessLatitudinal and longitudinal behavior of the mesospheric OH nightglow layer as observed by the Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder on UARS
Author(s) -
Zaragoza G.,
Taylor F. W.,
LópezPuertas M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2000jd900633
Subject(s) - solstice , airglow , equinox , atmospheric sciences , mesosphere , latitude , environmental science , satellite , middle latitudes , stratosphere , climatology , geology , physics , geodesy , astronomy
The mesospheric nightglow from the hydroxyl (OH) radical has been characterized using measurements taken by the Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) instrument on the UARS satellite. In this paper, the variations with latitude of the emission integrated vertically over the OH layer, for both solstice and equinox conditions, are analyzed and compared to other measurements and with model predictions. A semiannual variation with a minimum at solstice is found at low latitudes. An annual variation is found at high latitudes with a springtime minimum, which appears earlier than predicted by the models. Zonal maps of the OH emission show longitudinal structures with a timescale of days that suggest the effect of planetary waves on the emission process.