Title: D-region Winter anomaly and transport near the mesopause
Abstract: Currently available information on electron density distributions in relation to both day to day, and seasonal variation in radiowave absorption in the D-region is interpreted in terms of transport processes near the mesopause. Many common features in the thermal, flow and radiative temperature change distributions in the vicinity of the tropopause in mid-latitudes, and the winter mesopause in low latitudes are discussed, and it is inferred that transport processes may be similar in the two regions. The fairly simple relationship between electron densities and nitric oxide concentration in the D-region is outlined, and the transport of nitric oxide in large scale wave systems discussed. The properties of nitric oxide in the lower thermosphere and upper mesophere are discussed and shown to be similar in many respects to those of ozone in the lower stratosphere. The day to day variations in electron densities in the D-region are interpreted by analogy with the more familiar tracer transports near and through the tropopause. The seasonal variations are then discussed from the viewpoint of the meteorological energetics of the Dregion, and the balance equation for nitric oxide. A final note advocates the use of the radiowave partial reflection technique, on a network basis, to study the synoptic structure and energetics of the region near the mesopause.
Publication Year: 1970
Publication Date: 1970-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 14
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