Statistics – Computation
Scientific paper
Apr 1981
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1981georl...8..369h&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 8, Apr. 1981, p. 369-372.
Statistics
Computation
33
Ablation, Atmospheric Models, Meteoroids, Potassium, Sodium, Abundance, Annual Variations, Interlayers, Ion Density (Concentration), Stratosphere, Terrestrial Dust Belt, Transport Properties, Vertical Distribution
Scientific paper
Recent results on meteor ablation are used as input to a model in which ablation (or evaporation) is the source and deposition on dust particles is the sink. The dust comes from recondensation of the rest of the meteor vapor. An excellent match is found to the observed characteristics of the sodium layer. It is argued that the high-latitude winter maximum of abundance (and layer height) is due to the much lower rate of ionization there and over the polar cap. The computations show the required factor of 4-5 and also match the height variation. To keep the ion density from being too large, downward electrodynamic transport at about 50 cm/sec must be invoked. The different behavior and low abundance of potassium require an additional sink. The one proposed is Penning ionization by metastable excited O2. Inherent in the model is that sodium and its compounds reside almost entirely on dust particles below 80 km. Large abundances in the free form at stratospheric heights are very unlikely and are not a good explanation of observed ambient ions.
No associations
LandOfFree
A meteor-ablation model of the sodium and potassium layers does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A meteor-ablation model of the sodium and potassium layers, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A meteor-ablation model of the sodium and potassium layers will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-782405