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Measurements of mesospheric water vapor in 1984 and 1985 - Results and implications for middle atmospheric transportThe detailed results of ground-based mesospheric water vapor measurements obtained by microwave spectroscopy at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from December 1984 to April 1985 (JPL 1984/85), and an overview of results obtained the previous year from April to June 1984 are presented. The JPL 1984/85 spectral data appeared to contain an instrumental baseline curvature which was bracketed and removed. In general, the JPL 1984/85 results are in good agreement with those of previous measurements. They indicate water vapor mixing ratios between 6 and 8 ppmv at 60 or 65 km and falling off steeply with height above this point to values of less than 2 ppmv at 80 km. In addition, there is a large amount of day-to-day variability indicated in the data. A major result of the study is that it is found that both the observed vertical gradient of water vapor mixing ratio and its seasonal variation are consistent with the hypothesis that vertical transport time scales are smaller, perhaps by an order of magnitude, than values currently used in both one- and two-dimensional photochemical/dynamical models.
Document ID
19870059210
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Bevilacqua, Richard M.
(Hulburt (E. O.) Center for Space Research Washington, DC, United States)
Schwartz, Philip R.
(U.S. Navy, E. O. Hulburt Center for Space Research, Washington DC, United States)
Wilson, William J.
(California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, United States)
Date Acquired
August 13, 2013
Publication Date
June 20, 1987
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 92
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
87A46484
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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