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The 1976 Standard Atmosphere and its relationship to earlier standards
Author(s) -
Minzner R. A.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg015i003p00375
Subject(s) - atmosphere (unit) , standard deviation , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , standard model (mathematical formulation) , meteorology , climatology , physics , geology , geography , mathematics , statistics , archaeology , gauge (firearms)
The 1976 U.S. Standard Atmosphere, representing a mid‐latitude atmosphere for moderate solar activity, has recently been adopted by the Committee for the Extension of the Standard Atmosphere (COESA). For heights of 51 km and below, this standard is identical with its immediate predecessor, the 1962 U.S. Standard Atmosphere; above 50 km the 1976 standard completely replaces its predecessor. The new standard represents the latest in a century‐long history of model atmospheres, beginning in 1867 with a 10°C isothermal model. A comparison of the temperature‐height profile T ( Z ) of the 1976 standard with T ( /2 ) of each of 11 important standards and models used during the preceding century traces the development of our knowledge of the earth’s atmosphere. Comparisons of the density‐height profile ρ ( Z ) of each of five earlier model atmospheres with that of the 1976 standard indicate an oscillation of ρ ( Z ) around the currently accepted average value. This oscillation is partly the result of true density changes related to the 11‐year cycle of solar activity and partly the result of uncertainty in earlier models. Number densities of each of six atmospheric species computed for the 1976 U.S. standard are compared over the height region of 0–1000 km.