Effects of Solar Heating by Aerosols and Trace Gases on the Temperature Structure Constant
Abstract
Thermosonde measurements made in the stratosphere indicate an increase in the temperature structure constant, C 2/T during daylight hours. Simplified calculations indicate that temperature perturbations resulting from solar heating by thin layers of aerosols and ozone could provide the mechanism for the observed day-night differences in C 2/T. Estimates of the vertical variations in ozone and aerosol abundances on spatial scales between a few tens of meters of about a kilometer have been used with mean ozone and aerosol profiles to make detailed calculations of the solar heating rates by ozone and aerosols. The calculations have utilized the temperature dependent ozone absorption cross sections and the aerosol properties from the AFGL model atmospheres. Perturbations of various amounts and at different altitudes have been applied to the mean ozone and aerosol profiles to study the impact on the heating rates with the goal of trying to understand the stratospheric thermosonde measurements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 09, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA237675
Entities
People
- E. P. Shettle
- J. R. Hummel