Physics
Scientific paper
Nov 1986
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986georl..13.1129r&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters (ISSN 0094-8276), vol. 13, Nov. 1986, p. 1129-1132.
Physics
8
Atmospheric Entry, Atmospheric Moisture, Middle Atmosphere, Comets, Dayglow, Ice, Mesosphere, Oxygen Atoms
Scientific paper
The appearance of brief transient 'holes' in the O I 130.4 nm emission as observed by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite has been ascribed by Frank et al. (1986) to an influx of small watery comets into the upper atmosphere. It is shown here that the influx of water to the terrestrial atmosphere estimated by Frank et al. yields water vapor mixing ratios in the stratosphere and mesosphere that greatly exceed those that have been observed. Although the substitution of chemical destruction of O by OH for absorption by H2O as a mechanism for producing the airglow depletions substantially relaxes the observational constraints on the amount of water being introduced by the small comets, the constraints are still too severe to achieve a match between mesospheric H2O concentrations and the size of the airglow holes.
Reid George C.
Solomon Susan
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