DENSITY DISTRIBUTION, INTERLEVEL CORRELATIONS AND VARIATION WITH WIND
Abstract
Geographical, seasonal, and day-to-day variations in the vertical distribution of atmospheric density for altitudes up to 30 km are analyzed. Variability is least at 7 to 8 km, the isopycnic level, where densities do not depart from the standard by more than 1 or 2 percent in any season or area. Between 24 and 26 km, density changes little with latitude but markedly with season. At the level of greatest seasonal variability, around 15 km, the relative departures from standard of mean seasonal densities is strictly according to latitude. Largest negative departures occur at the northernmost location; largest positive, at the southernmost. The greatest difference between the two extreme profiles, nearly 20 percent, occurs in winter. The largest day-to-day variations around monthly means occur near the tropopause. Coefficients of variation range from approximately 2 percent at Tampa in the summer to 6 percent at St. Paul Island in the winter. Although the correlation of density with wind speed is significant statistically, and of theoretical interest, it may have little practical importance in the design of aerospace vehicles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0291926
Entities
People
- Allen E. Cole
- Arnold Court
Organizations
- Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories