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Longitudinal structure in atomic oxygen concentrations observed with WINDII on UARS
Author(s) -
Shepherd G. G.,
Thuillier G.,
Solheim B. H.,
Chandra S.,
Cogger L. L.,
Duboin M. L.,
Evans W. F. J.,
Gattinger R. L.,
Gault W. A.,
Hersé M.,
Hauchecorne A.,
Lathuilliere C.,
Llewellyn E. J.,
Lowe R. P.,
Teitelbaum H.,
Vial F.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/93gl01105
Subject(s) - atomic oxygen , airglow , atmosphere (unit) , oxygen , atmospheric sciences , ionization , excited state , environmental science , satellite , mesosphere , physics , atomic physics , meteorology , astronomy , stratosphere , quantum mechanics , ion
WINDII, the Wind Imaging Interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, began atmospheric observations on September 28, 1991 and since then has been collecting data on winds, temperatures and emissions rates from atomic, molecular and ionized oxygen species, as well as hydroxyl. The validation of winds and temperatures is not yet complete, and scientific interpretation has barely begun, but the dominant characteristic of these data so far is the remarkable structure in the emission rate from the excited species produced by the recombination of atomic oxygen. The latitudinal and temporal variability has been noted before by many others. In this preliminary report on WINDII results we draw attention to the dramatic longitudinal variations of planetary wave character in atomic oxygen concentration, as reflected in the OI 557.7 nm emission, and to similar variations seen in the Meinel hydroxyl band emission.