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Two day wave induced variations in the oxygen green line volume emission rate: WINDII observations
Author(s) -
Ward W. E.,
Solheim B. H.,
Shepherd G. G.
Publication year - 1997
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 - 10.1029/97gl01022
Subject(s) - atmosphere (unit) , amplitude , mixing ratio , atmospheric sciences , physics , airglow , line (geometry) , mixing (physics) , phase (matter) , environmental science , computational physics , meteorology , optics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Variations in the oxygen green line emission rate (at 5577 Å) which correspond to a two day wave signature were observed from January 20 to January 30, 1993 by the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The latitude and height extent of these emission variations are summarized. From the volume emission rate data, fields of oxygen mixing ratio using Mass Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter (MSIS) model data as the background atmosphere were calculated. Analyses of the mixing ratio fields show the variations of emission rate to be primarily the result (to first order) of vertical motions associated with the quasi two day wave (QTDW), not mixing events associated with wave breaking. The mean peak‐to‐peak amplitude of the vertical displacement is of the order of 1 km although at times this amplitude is as much as 4 km. The phase of the mixing ratio variations approaches the two day wave zonal wind phase above 100 km as is expected from simple considerations of the phase relationships associated with planetary waves and the lifetime of atomic oxygen.