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Small-scale temperature fluctuations associated with gravity waves cause additional radiative cooling of mesopause the region
University Observatory Munich, Faculty for Physics, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C., USA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
University Observatory Munich, Faculty for Physics, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
We present a study of the radiative cooling of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere in the infrared bands of CO2, O3 and H2O due to small-scale irregular temperature fluctuations caused by gravity waves. These persistent fluctuations are presently not well represented by general circulation models. A statistical model of gravity wave-induced temperature variations was applied to large-scale temperature profiles, and the corresponding direct radiative calculations were performed. We show that temperature fluctuations can cause an additional cooling up to 3 K day−1 near the mesopause. The effect is produced mainly by the fundamental 15 μm band of the main CO2 isotope. We found a simple correction depending on the temperature fluctuations variance, which should be added in radiative calculations to the mean temperature profile to account for the additional cooling associated with the unresolved disturbances.
Received 23 October 2007; accepted 9 November 2007; published 22 December 2007.
Citation: (2007), Small-scale temperature fluctuations associated with gravity waves cause additional radiative cooling of mesopause the region, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L24807, doi:10.1029/2007GL032392.
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