This web page's content and links are no longer actively maintained. It is available for reference purposes only. NASA Official: Luke Oman
 

Gravity Wave Breaking in the Mesosphere

HRDI has been observing the nighttime airglow emissions of molecular oxygen at high spatial resolution. The bright features occur where gravity waves breaking at the mesopause increase vertical mixing, drawing atomic oxygen downward producing airglow enhancement. Gravity wave breaking controls the circulation of the mesosphere and the transport of trace gases between the stratosphere and mesosphere. The strong longitudinal variations on September 8, 1996, appear to follow the ITCZ.

Airglow variations map


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Last modified: March 08, 2017