Longitudinal structure in atomic oxygen concentrations observed with WINDII on UARS

Gordon G. Shepherd (1) , Gérard Thuillier (2) , B. H. Solheim (1) , S. Chandra (3) , L. L. Cogger (4) , M. L. Duboin (5) , W. F. J. Evans (6) , R. L. Gattinger (7) , W. A. Gault (1) , Michel Hersé (2) , Alain Hauchecorne (2) , Chantal Lathuillière (8) , E. J. Llewellyn (9) , Robert P. Lowe (10) , H. Teitelbaum (11) , F. Vial (11)

1 ISTS - Institute for Space and Terrestrial Science [Toronto]
2 SA - Service d'aéronomie
3 GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
4 Department of Physics and Astronomy [Calgary]
5 CRPE - Centre de recherches en physique de l'environnement terrestre et planétaire
6 Department of Physics and Astronomy [Peterborough]
7 NRC - National Research Council of Canada
8 CEPHAG - Centre d'Études des Phénomènes Aléatoires et Géophysiques
9 ISAS - Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies [Saskatoon]
10 UWO - University of Western Ontario
11 LMD - Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539)

WINDII, the Wind Imaging Interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, began atmospheric observations on September 28, 1991 and since then has been collecting data on winds, temperatures and emissions rates from atomic, molecular and ionized oxygen species, as well as hydroxyl. The validation of winds and temperatures is not yet complete, and scientific interpretation has barely begun, but the dominant characteristic of these data so far is the remarkable structure in the emission rate from the excited species produced by the recombination of atomic oxygen. The latitudinal and temporal variability has been noted before by many others. In this preliminary report on WINDII results we draw attention to the dramatic longitudinal variations of planetary wave character in atomic oxygen concentration, as reflected in the OI 557.7 nm emission, and to similar variations seen in the Meinel hydroxyl band emission.

Domains: Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph]

Gordon G. Shepherd, Gérard Thuillier, B. H. Solheim, S. Chandra, L. L. Cogger, et al.. Longitudinal structure in atomic oxygen concentrations observed with WINDII on UARS. Geophysical Research Letters, 1993, 20 (12), pp.1303-1306. ⟨10.1029/93GL01105⟩. ⟨insu-01628038⟩