Implications of Satellite OH Observations for Middle Atmospheric H2O and Ozone
M. E. Summers,
*
R. R. Conway,
D. E. Siskind,
M. H. Stevens,
D. Offermann,
M. Riese,
P. Preusse,
D.
F. Strobel,
J. M. Russell III
Satellite observations by the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution
Spectrograph Investigation (MAHRSI) have produced global measurements of hydroxyl (OH) in the atmosphere. These observations reveal a sharp
peak in OH density near an altitude of 65 to 70 km and are thus
consistent with observations from the Halogen Occultation Experiment
(HALOE) on the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which
showed an unexplained H2O layer at the same level. Analysis
of stratopause (about 50 kilometers) OH measurements and coincident
ozone observations from the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and
Telescopes for the Atmosphere (CRISTA) experiment reveals that the
catalytic loss of ozone attributable to odd-hydrogen chemistry is less
than that predicted with standard chemistry. Thus, the dominant portion
of the ozone deficit problem in standard models is a consequence of
overestimation of the OH density in the upper stratosphere and lower
mesosphere.
M. E. Summers, R. R. Conway, D. E. Siskind, M. H. Stevens, E. O. Hulburt Center for Space Research, Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
D. Offermann, M. Riese, P. Preusse, Physics Department,
University of Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany.
D. F. Strobel, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
J. M. Russell III, Department of Physics, Hampton University,
Hampton, VA 23668, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed.
