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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 32, L13813, doi:10.1029/2005GL022521, 2005

OH column abundance over Table Mountain Facility, California: AM-PM diurnal asymmetry

King-Fai Li

Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Richard P. Cageao

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Elliott M. Karpilovsky

Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Franklin P. Mills

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Yuk L. Yung

Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Jack S. Margolis

Remote Sensing Analysis Systems, Altadena, California, USA


Stanley P. Sander

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Abstract

Observations of the OH column abundance have been made by the Fourier Transform Ultraviolet Spectrometer at the JPL Table Mountain Facility (TMF) near Los Angeles since July 1997. In the January 1998–December 2003 data set we used five OH lines to derive the OH column abundance in the atmosphere. This data set was used to quantify the OH morning/afternoon asymmetry (AMPMDA). An analysis of summer and winter data showed that the daily OH maximum occurred 26–36 minutes after solar transit. This phase lag appears to be the primary reason why OH in the afternoon is larger than at corresponding solar zenith angles in the morning throughout the year. A simple heuristic model suggests that the asymmetry is a direct consequence of the finite lifetime of OH. Comparison of the TMF data with earlier results from Fritz Peak Observatory, Colorado, by Burnett et al. reveals significant differences in the behavior of the AMPMDA between the two sites.

Received 23 January 2005; accepted 23 May 2005; published 8 July 2005.

Index Terms: 0317 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Chemical kinetic and photochemical properties; 0340 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry; 1640 Global Change: Remote sensing (1855).

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Citation: Li, K.-F., R. P. Cageao, E. M. Karpilovsky, F. P. Mills, Y. L. Yung, J. S. Margolis, and S. P. Sander (2005), OH column abundance over Table Mountain Facility, California: AM-PM diurnal asymmetry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L13813, doi:10.1029/2005GL022521.