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Measurements of NO, O 3 , and temperature at 19.8 km during the total solar eclipse of 26 February 1979
Author(s) -
Starr W. L.,
Craig Roger A.,
Loewenstein M.,
McGhan M. E.
Publication year - 1980
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/gl007i007p00553
Subject(s) - solar eclipse , eclipse , mixing ratio , altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , instrumentation (computer programming) , mixing (physics) , meteorology , physics , astrophysics , astronomy , mathematics , geometry , computer science , operating system , quantum mechanics
Local measurements of stratospheric NO and O 3 mixing ratios and air temperature were made during the total solar eclipse of 26 February 1979. The instrumentation was carried aboard a U‐2 aircraft flown at an altitude of 19.8 km in the region near 47° N ‐ 112° W. Eclipse maximum occurred approximately in the middle of the 2‐3/4‐hr measurement period. The NO mixing ratio was reduced at least a factor of 25 at the maximum of the eclipse. The decrease and recovery of NO during the passage of the Moon's shadow over the measurement region follows approximately the predictions of two independent models. No change was observed in either the O 3 mixing ratio or the air temperature that could be attributed to the eclipse.