Unterguggenberger, S, Noll, S, Feng, W et al. (5 more authors) (2016) Measuring FeO variation using astronomical spectroscopic observations. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions. acp-2016-6. pp. 1-31. ISSN 1680-7367
Abstract
Airglow emission lines of OH, O2, O and Na are commonly used to probe the MLT (mesosphere/lower thermosphere) region of the atmosphere. Furthermore, molecules like electronically excited NO, NiO and FeO emit a (pseudo-) continuum. These continua are harder 5 to investigate than atomic emission lines. So far, limb-sounding from space and a small number of ground-based low-to-medium resolution spectra have been used to measure FeO emission in the MLT. In this study the medium-to-high resolution echelle spectrograph X-shooter at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Chilean Atacama desert (24◦ 370 S, 70◦ 240 W, 2 635 m) is used to study the FeO pseudo-continuum in the range from 0.5 to 10 0.72 µm based on 3 662 spectra. Variations of the FeO spectrum itself, as well as the diurnal and seasonal behaviour of the FeO and Na emission intensities are reported. These airglow emissions are linked by their common origin, meteoric ablation, and share O3 as a common reactant. Major differences are found in the main emission peak of the FeO airglow spectrum between 0.58 and 0.61 µm, compared with a theoretical spectrum. The FeO 15 and Na airglow intensities exhibit a similar nocturnal variation, and a semi-annual seasonal variation with equinoctial maxima. This is satisfactorily reproduced by a whole atmosphere chemistry climate model, if the quantum yields for the reactions of Fe and Na with O3 are 13±3% and 11±2%, respectively. However, a comparison between the modelled O3 in the upper mesosphere and measurements of O3 made with the SABER satellite instrument 20 suggests that these quantum yields may be a factor of ∼2 smaller.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) 2016. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) License . |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) > Physical Chemistry (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 May 2017 10:48 |
Last Modified: | 05 Oct 2017 16:10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | European Geosciences Union |
Identification Number: | 10.5194/acp-2016-661 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:116305 |